X10 (standard:adventure, 7245 words)
Author: DreamWeaver	Added: Jul 30 2003	Views/Reads: 3421/2356	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Nobody chose the lifestyle of an outlaw, the lifestyle chose them. Quite frankly, nobody ever grew to enjoy the lifestyle as they generally didn’t live long enough. Gáol and Deben however were the exception.

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Nobody chose the lifestyle of an outlaw, the lifestyle chose them. Quite
frankly, nobody ever grew to enjoy the lifestyle as they generally 
didn't live long enough. G ol and Deben however were the exception. For 
the last three years they had been forced to live like outcasts, 
sleeping where they could find shelter, eating what they could catch or 
find. The first year had been unbearable. That all changed however when 
they befriended the local gang. Not the sort of people that they 
normally chose to mix with, but at the time it was necessary for their 
survival. This friendship had lasted two years, and all seemed well 
until the leader of the gang was assassinated by the CDU+ and the gang 
fell into disrepute. Again they were forced out on the streets, but 
this time with a better start. During their time in the gang, they had 
made friends, and performed many deeds in which they were promised 
favours, should they ever need them. Now they lived by cashing in these 
favours and performing more deeds so that they may continue this way in 
the future. 

G ol sat at the bar casually puffing on a cigar whilst Deben stared into
his empty pint glass. The two looked out of place sitting at the bar, 
and they had been noticed. As they sat there it took a while for them 
to notice the small, stubbly man sitting in the corner. Deben looked up 
and motioned the bartender over. "Cheer up pal, another pint?" he asked 
G ol helpfully. "Why the hell not. If drinking doesn't kill me, smoking 
will!" was the reply. "Two more pints mate" requested Deben. "Certainly 
sir" was the polite, but somewhat strange acknowledgement. Deben 
pondered this thought as the pints were delivered to him, and he slid 
one across the bar to his friend before handing the bartender a 
crumpled note. He waited until the bartender was out of earshot and 
turned to his friend. "Why do you suppose he called me sir?" "Dunno, 
perhaps he saw your papers!" The two laughed loudly, and didn't notice 
the man in the corner stand up and walk their way. Despite his height, 
he was reasonably well built, and it took him a matter of strides to 
reach the pair. As he did so, he reached out and tapped Deben on the 
shoulder. Deben placed his pint on the bar and turned on his stool, and 
there was a loud cracking noise as he met the man's clenched fist half 
way. At the same time he fell to the floor, G ol rose from his seat and 
returned the small man's punch. Unfortunately for the pair, four other 
men, who had come from an adjoining room, and were now fastening 
knuckledusters to their fists, caught him. G ol realised the danger and 
hauled Deben to his feet. Deben shook his head and ran his hand under 
his freshly broken nose to wipe away the blood that was running freely 
from it. There was a loud bang as the bartender activated the shutters 
above the bar and they crashed home. The remaining people in the bar 
rose and pulled the tables backwards to the walls and cowered behind 
them. The bar had instantaneously turned into an arena, and G ol and 
Deben were the contenders. Suddenly there was a whooshing noise as a 
barstool came hurtling through the air towards the pair, but 
fortunately Deben had regained enough of his senses to catch the stool. 
He angled it round in his hands before waving it in a large arc and 
sending it crashing over one of the attackers heads. With this 
momentary pause in conflict while the attackers picked themselves up 
from the floor, the pair made for the door. With the open space of the 
street now to their advantage, Deben and G ol suddenly felt right. 
Simultaneously they removed jackets and got a good stance ready for 
what was to come. As predicted, the four men bundled out of the door, 
followed closely by the rest of the bar, and took position opposite the 
pair. To their credit, they did look like they meant business, with two 
of them waving pieces of broken stool and shouting obscenities; and the 
other two showing their fists fitted with shiny dusters. However, to 
their misfortune, they had unwillingly picked a fight with Deben and 
G ol, and were now in their arena. "What's it to be you pieces of shit? 
Are you gonna run, or are you gonna face the music and die like men?" 
called the front most attacker across the narrow street. "The question 
you have to ask yourselves, gentlemen, is how many bags you want to be 
carried away in" was the smart reply G ol offered. "Have it your way 
then" With that, the four became two twos, and each pair launched at 
either Deben or G ol. Before they had even got halfway across the 
street, two of them lay lifeless on the cold floor, their warm blood 
mixing with the dirt, turning the ground a dirty red. The remaining two 
were more fortunate; their comrades had bought them time, and were now 
atop of Deben and G ol, engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The speed in 
which they moved had taken the pair by surprise, and the result was the 
loss of their weapons across the street. Deben caught a swing from a 
stool leg, and twisted his body gracefully through one-hundred and 
eighty degrees so his back was against the front of his attacker. With 
one swift movement, he lent forwards and twisted the stool leg as he 
did so. As the larger man rolled over Deben's back, he quickly turned 
again so he was facing away from the attacker when his back smashed 
into the floor. This sharp movement also broke the thick muscular arm 
of the attacker, and he called out in pain briefly before being winded 
by the impact against the hard street. G ol was in a similar situation. 
As his attacker threw a well-aimed punch at G ol's face with his 
metalisized hand, G ol swiftly side stepped and caught the outstretched 
arm in a locking movement. Momentarily stunned, the attacker wasn't 
aware of G ol's twisting movement. As he turned, he drew a seven-inch 
blade from its sheaf above his knee and grasped the grip tightly as he 
thrust it backwards. The blade entered just below the attackers ribcage 
on his right-hand side. G ol gave the blade a sharp twist before 
withdrawing it turning again to watch the attacker crumple and fall to 
the floor. With his attacker momentarily grounded, he took the 
opportunity to check on his comrade. Deben was standing with his boot 
placed firmly in the floored man's throat. Glancing across to G ol, he 
pointed across the street to where their weapons lay. G ol gave another 
look down to check on the man at his feet, and looked away again when 
he observed that his moaning and writhing had ceased. He strode across 
the street and retrieved the two side arms. He caressed he Eagle 
lovingly before replacing it in his holster and tossing Deben's across 
the street to its masters outstretched hand. Deben caught it with and 
cocked it as he brought it down to face the floored mans desperate 
face. "Any last requests?" asked Deben. The man tried his best to spit 
at him, but all the energy he could muster only made the saliverous 
projectile reach half-way to it's intended target before reversing 
course and landing squarely between his own eyes. "I guess not," 
whispered Deben as a smile began to creep across his face. He gently 
caressed the trigger and began to apply pressure to the curve. Moments 
later the chamber expelled its load into the forehead of its victim 
before ricocheting off the street and through a window on the other 
side. An eerie silence followed, only broken by clapping from across 
the street. Deben holstered the weapon and turned to face the small 
crowd outside the bar. G ol appeared by his side and placed a hand on 
his shoulder. "Do you get the impression those guy's weren't liked 
much?" Deben bent down and picked up the two jackets at his feet. He 
handed one to G ol and slid his own over his shoulders. The clapping 
had slowed now and began to fizzle out as the pair walked back towards 
the bar. They were about halfway back when the group in front of them 
broke to the sides and a small stubbly man appeared with a bloody nose. 
He began to shout obscenities at the pair, but stopped when his eyes 
fell upon the four bloodies bodies lying in the street. No sooner had 
he started to regret his actions than he was dragged backwards into the 
crowd and back into the bar where a free-for-all broke out. "Thank you 
gentlemen," came the voice of the bartender as the pair continued to 
approach. "Our, err, pleasure" coughed G ol. "Wont you come in and have 
a drink on the house?" asked the bartender as he handed Deben's rifle 
back to him. Deben was beginning to reply when a noise in the distance 
made him stop. He turned slightly as he swung the rifle back onto his 
back. "What is it?" asked G ol, slightly worried. "I'm not sure," 
replied Deben, "but if it's what I think it is, then..." he froze 
mid-sentence. G ol heard it now. In the distance, the faint sound of 
sirens. The pair stood for a moment, frozen to the spot. The bartender 
looked at them with a slightly confused look drawn across his face. 
"Shit, CDU" shouted Deben as he started off down the street. G ol 
wasn't far behind him, but stopped to thank the bartender for his kind 
offer before taking off. "The offer's open anytime gentlemen!" shouted 
the bartender after the pair as the disappeared into the shadows. G ol 
and Deben would return, but for now, they were moving away from that 
place as quickly as their weary legs would allow them. 

Chapter Two 

It was well into the night when G ol and Deben were forced to cash in
another favour. The house of a friend they had saved from execution 
stood tall before them, and they barely had the energy to climb the 
steps to the door. G ol drew his eagle and banged the butt on the door 
three times before holstering it again. Deben kept his eyes fixed down 
the street they had just travelled for what seemed an eternity until 
the door creaked open slightly. "Who is it?" came the voice of an 
elderly, slightly annoyed gentleman. "Evening Mr. Tribinus, remember 
us?" grinned G ol as he stepped a pace back from the door. For a moment 
the pair's hopes were shattered as the door slammed shut. The sound of 
locks and chains moving could be heard briefly before the door swung 
open again, this time fully. "My friends!" came the voice of the old 
man, now standing with his arms outstretched, beaming hopefully at the 
pair as they stood breathing heavily on the doorstep. "I though I'd 
never see you two again" "We, err, need a favour" said Deben, somewhat 
embarrassed at turning up so late. "For you two, anything! Come in, 
come in" G ol stepped through the doorway; Deben gave one last cautious 
look down the street before following his partner inside. They followed 
the old man down a tiny hallway and into what seemed to pass as a 
kitchen. There were pots piled in the sink and dirty plates stacked 
high in the corner. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have cleaned up 
a little!" chuckled the old man. "Come, sit" He motioned to a couple of 
chairs through a doorway and the pair did as was instructed and sat. 
G ol twisted uncomfortably for a second before reaching around his back 
and pulling out his trusty Eagle and slamming it down on the nearby 
table. He meant nothing violent by this, but it gave the old man a 
start. "What brings you gentlemen out here so late?" questioned the old 
man. "We're kinda on the run. Need a place to hold up tonight. We'll be 
gone in the morning. "Stay as long as you like my friends. Whatever is 
mine is yours". Deben couldn't help but smile at the old man's kindness 
and he placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's very kind, but right now 
I think I'll take advantage of your bed!" he muttered tiredly and rose 
to his feet. "Of course, you must both be very tired. Follow me, I'll 
show you to your rooms." G ol rose to his feet and followed Deben and 
the old man out of the room and up the creaky staircase. Upon reaching 
the top the old man motioned them down the landing and opened a door at 
the end. Inside was a smallish room with a single bed. Next to the bed 
was a small table with a lamp on, and a wardrobe stood in the corner 
facing it. To the left of the bed was a small window shrouded with a 
net curtain, with a view that looked onto the street below. "I'll take 
this one," said Deben quickly, not wishing to risk having a less 
adequate room. "Typical!" though G ol as he followed the old man out of 
Deben's newly claimed room and continues down the landing. Another door 
was opened and the old man went inside and flicked the light on. G ol 
grinned as he realised that Deben was missing out. Before him was a 
large double four-poster bed with a net veil surrounding its edges. 
Next to the bed on either side were tables with lamps on, and a small 
radio. In the corner, like in the other room stood a large wooden 
wardrobe, but in the other corner stood a chest of drawers. The window 
was larger, and too looked out across the street below, and the 
moonlight shone through it lighting the bed. "I hope this will do," 
said the old man, removing a cover from the television that stood on 
top of the drawers. "This will do just fine!" said G ol, his smile now 
ear to ear. "Thank you Mr. Tribinus. Good night!" "Good night my 
friend" said the old man as he clicked the door shut on his way out. He 
smiled to himself as he wandered back down the stairs to the front 
door. He couldn't help but think that replacing all the bolts and 
chains was unnecessary now he had Deben and G ol staying with him, but 
he did them up all the same. 

* * * * * * * * 

It was early morning when Deben was awoken by a screaming noise outside.
Somewhat annoyed at this disturbance, he threw back the covers, rose 
from the bed and wandered over to the window. The feeling of annoyance 
soon turned to enragement as he looked out of the window to the street 
below to observe three men stood in a circle around a barely clothed 
girl. He watched in horror as one of the men raised his arm with his 
fist clenched to observe the girl cower on the floor before him. The 
three laughed as one kicked her in the stomach, causing her to roll 
over and weep with pain. Deben grabbed his trousers and pulled on his 
t-shirt before snatching up his holster and running down the stairs 
whilst fastening it around his shoulders. He cursed somewhat audibly 
when he observed the door and began unlatching the bolts and chains 
before becoming too agitated and placing a hefty, booted foot in the 
centre, bursting the door open. He raced out into the street and down a 
side-alley until he came to the opening of the street the men and girl 
were on. Her sobbing was barely audible above their laughter, and they 
seemed to be enjoying themselves so much they didn't see Deben cross 
the street and take cover behind a garbage skip on the other side. As 
he drew his weapon from its holster and clicked the safety off, he 
watched as the three men dragged the girl to her feet by her long, 
brown hair, before letting go and tripping her up again to see her fall 
to the ground in floods of tears. "Please," sobbed the girl, "why are 
you doing this?" "Shut up woman!" said one of the men before connecting 
his boot with her stomach again. Deben could stand no more, and decided 
he must move, even though he wasn't ready. He stealthily holstered his 
gun and crept down the street towards the three, who now all had their 
backs to him. As he drew near, one of them raised his arm again. As his 
fist began to move towards her, the girl cowered and closed her eyes, 
knowing what was coming. A few seconds later she opened them again in 
amazement, as nothing had connected with her. Deben had stopped the 
hand as it reached about halfway towards her, and he had brought it 
behind her attacker in a locking movement. In one swift movement he 
pushed it upwards, waiting for the cracking noise. Upon hearing this, 
followed by a cry of pain from the attacker, he was spun round and 
bowled into one of the others, sending them both to the floor. The girl 
looked on, fixed to her position as Deben turned his attention to the 
third man. Unfortunately, he had acted momentarily before Deben had 
anticipated and landed a hefty kick into Deben's stomach. Deben, now 
winded fell to the floor and was duly covered by the third man. They 
struggled for a moment before Deben overpowered him and pushed him off. 
Struggling to his feet he landed a boot so hard around the third man's 
head as he rose, that he broke his neck, and he slumped back to the 
floor lifeless. Suddenly the girl screamed as the other two men got 
back the their feet, and one was headed for her as the other took on 
Deben. Alerted to this danger, Deben removed his weapon from its 
holster and aimed at the oncoming attackers head. As the barrel flashed 
into life, the bullet exploded out of the end and tore through the air 
towards the attacker. As it connected it made a neat hole between his 
eyes, before passing silently through his brain and exiting in a less 
neat hole at the back. Before he even hit the floor, Deben was after 
the remaining attacker who suddenly scooped the girl up from the floor 
to use her as a shield. Deben was powerless as the attacker hid behind 
the petrified girl. "Who the fuck are you?" he called in a deep voice 
from behind the girl. "Your worst nightmare" replied Deben, again 
wiping the blood from his nose, and noticing a new cut that was oozing 
blood above his right eye. "Oh yeah, well what are you gonna do now Mr. 
Tough Guy?" sneered the attacker. "Nothing" was the simple answer given 
as Deben turned his back and walked away from them down the street. The 
attacker couldn't believe it. Neither could the helpless girl as she 
watched her only hope walking away, and she began to cry again. She 
felt her attacker's grip tighten around her body as he grasped at her 
torn dress. Foolishly he peeped his head over her shoulder as he 
laughed at Deben walking down the street. "You're all mine n..." the 
end of the sentence was cut terminally short as a well-aimed bullet 
perforated his skull and he slumped backwards, releasing his grip of 
the girl as he fell. She stared at the man before her, with his arm 
outstretched, and the black metal barrel pointing her way. As Deben 
holstered his weapon, she began to sob hysterically and feel weak at 
the knees. Deben, seeing her shaking ran towards her and caught her 
just before she fell. As he held her, she used what strength she had 
left to throw her arms around his shoulder and murmur a thank you. 

Deben booted the door of the old mans house open and carried the girl in
his arms up the stairs and into his room. Hearing the noise, the old 
man came running in waving an old shotgun violently until he saw who it 
was. "Thank God" he said as he lowered the gun. "Where's G ol?" 
questioned Deben as he lay the girl carefully on the bed. "I thought he 
was with you," replied the old man. "Shit!" exclaimed Deben as he 
exited his own room and entered G ol's. Upon establishing the room was 
empty, he walked over to the bed. He glanced down and saw a small white 
note sitting on the pillow. He carefully unfolded it and read what was 
written inside. 

Had to leave immediately. Can't explain why right now, but should be
back in the morning. Would have helped you out there but you looked 
like you had it under control. Take care, see you tomorrow. G ol. 

Deben was annoyed at being left alone, but understood it must be for a
good reason. He placed the note into his pocket and returned to his 
room. He entered the room to find the girl sat on the edge of his bed 
crying. Upon hearing his footsteps, she swung round and leapt from the 
bed, and cowered in the corner. Deben, hurt by this impression she had 
of him walked out of the room again to think. He looked down the stairs 
to see the old man had quickly repaired the door and bolted it shut, 
and was now consuming a rather large whisky. Deben sighed loudly and 
entered his room again, closing the door behind him. The girl was still 
cowering in the corner, and he walked over to her, removing his holster 
as he did so. "Hey, come on, I'm not going to hurt you. I saved you, 
remember?" he said warmly as he approached. Sensing her fear he stopped 
and sat on the bed. "You... You aren't one of them?" she muttered 
quietly between sobs. "One of them? Absolutely not!" insisted Deben. 
"Come here, let's take a look at you." His warm smile encouraged the 
girl and assured her he was for the good. She stood up and limped 
across to him. Only reaching half way, she cried out in pain and Deben 
had to catch her before she fell. Lifting her onto the bed he laid her 
down as she began crying. "Those absolute fucking animals!" he 
exclaimed, "Look at the state of you!" He glanced over her body at the 
torn dress. Her hair was knotted and tangled, and her pretty blue eyes 
spoiled by the endless amounts of tears she had shed. There was hardily 
a stitch of clothing left on her upper body, as most had been torn away 
or ripped apart. Her flat stomach was bare, and began to show signs of 
bruising from where she had been beaten. Her legs too were exposed, 
save from a small area across her groin that left her with some 
dignity. Deben noticed that her legs were covered in bruises and cuts 
right the way to her knees. She had no footwear on, and her soles were 
cut from where she had tried to run. He looked at her from where he 
stood and couldn't help but think how attractive she was, despite all 
her injuries. He lay on the bed next to her and she rolled over to hug 
him as he did so. "Don't worry," he said smoothly, "I'll look after 
you." "Thank you," she sobbed, and pecked him on the cheek before 
returning to the hugging position. Deben, somewhat uncomfortable by the 
fact he felt he was taking advantage wondered what to do. "My name is 
Deben." He said softly. "What's yours?" "Naiya" she said quietly, not 
moving from her position, grasping Deben's body tightly. "Well try and 
get some rest Naiya," said Deben, "We'll sort you out tomorrow." Deben 
wasn't sure that she'd heard him, as she lay fast asleep, curled up 
next to him. There was nothing he could do, but pace a muscular arm 
around her battered body and try himself to get some rest. 

Chapter Three 

G ol knocked three times on the door of the old man's house. He waited a
few moments before the door creaked open a slight way, closed and then 
opened fully. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The old 
man stood before him, dark bags under his eyes and an empty bottle of 
whisky in his hand. "I'm sorry for the trouble we have brought upon you 
friend." Explained G ol. "No trouble," said the old man as he wandered 
back into the kitchen and took out another bottle. G ol wandered up the 
stairs and into his room. He observed that his note had gone, and that 
Deben obviously read it. He removed his jacket carefully and tossed it 
onto the bed. He exited the room and walked down the corridor and 
opened the door to Deben's room. He couldn't help but smile at the 
sight before him. Deben lay, half on, half off the bed with the mystery 
girl laying half on Deben and half on the bed, whilst the rest of the 
bed went unused. G ol let out a quiet chuckle and Deben woke with a 
start. Not sure of where he was, he took a moment to look around the 
room and get his bearings. It was only when he tried to move that he 
noticed the girl lying at his side, and the memory of the night before 
came back to him. After a short pause, he slid carefully from beneath 
her, covering her beaten body with his share of the sheets as he rose. 
Quietly he walked around the bed and out of the door G ol was 
occupying. He wandered down the hall and into G ol's room, closely 
followed by G ol himself, still wearing his stupid boyish grin. "It's 
not what you're thinking," Deben said quietly. G ol could tell from the 
seriousness in his friend's voice that it wasn't. He had known Deben 
too long to be naïve about it. "What happened" he said, suddenly 
concerned. "She was attacked last night, bunch of thugs had hold of her 
in the street. Had to shoo them away" explained Deben. "Anyone see 
you?" "Don't think so. It was weird though, they were quick, I mean, 
really quick!" "How so?" "I couldn't keep up, they just kept on coming. 
I dunno, it was just strange" Their conversation was cut short by the 
curvaceous figure of Naiya limping down the hall. They both turned to 
watch as she came closer, and G ol couldn't help but feel anger deep 
inside him. The sight before him was the one he dreaded most. He had 
seen his fair share of batterings, and to be honest, he'd given a fair 
few. But to him it always seemed that women didn't belong in that 
arena, no matter who they were. He watched in disbelieve as each 
painful step brought her one pace closer to the pair who had fallen 
silent. She stopped a couple of feet from them and stared first at 
G ol, then across at Deben. Slowly she edged towards him and winced as 
she partially hid herself from G ol. "It's okay Naiya, this is G ol. 
He's with me." Slowly she withdrew from the safety of Deben and tried a 
smile aimed at G ol. G ol returned the smile and waited a moment before 
turning back to Deben. "We need to know who they are," he said in a 
serious tone. "Well I guarantee you they're no good. Just look at the 
state of her" replied Deben, casting a glance at Naiya, who was now 
holding his arm and looking at the bruises on her legs. "Well I have 
some interesting news too." Started G ol. "Last night while you were 
out fighting her corner, I had a call. Do you remember last year when 
we helped that bloke from the MRS lab?" Deben thought for a moment 
before replying to the positive. "Well he called and told me he had 
uncovered some new info," continued G ol. "Said he needed to see me 
ASAP" "So what happened?" questioned Deben. "I went to where he said 
meet him, but there was no bugger there!" "I don't like this. I think 
we should pay him a visit at home." "Agreed" G ol didn't say anything 
more, but his uneasy look told Deben exactly what he was thinking; what 
to do about Naiya. Silence fell once more, and Naiya found herself 
feeling uneasy. She pulled on Deben's arm, and hid herself further 
behind him. Deben turned to her and she stared up at him with a look of 
worry on her face. "Naiya, we have to find out what happened. Find out 
who attacked you. It would be best for you to stay here. Mr. Tribinus 
will look after you." Deben found it hard to talk to her, as she was 
staring back at him with hopeful eyes. The hope soon faded from her 
face however, when she realised that she would soon be alone. "I 
understand," she said, now looking at the floor. "Don't worry, we'll be 
back soon. And we'll get those dirty sons of bitches that did this to 
you!" added G ol, the feeling of anger building inside of him again. 
"We'd better be on the road pretty sharpish, find out why he didn't 
meet you," said Deben, as he turned to face G ol. "Right, I'll get the 
gear." Naiya watched as G ol wandered into his room and began 
collecting bits from around the bed and from the cabinets. She turned 
to follow Deben, who had set off back to his room, but let out a cry of 
pain as she placed her right foot on the floor. Deben turned and strode 
back towards her. He bent down and gently placed one arm behind her 
weak knees, and the other around her torso. As he stood up, he lifted 
her legs to take the painful pressure from them, and she threw her arms 
around his neck to steady herself. He carried her down the hall and 
into his room. Once again he placed her carefully onto the bed and then 
began collecting various items from around the room. It was only when 
he bent forwards again to grab something from under the bed that Naiya 
observed the band around his neck. She was momentarily fascinated by 
it, and could not take her eyes from the silver icon that hung from it. 
Deben stood up and became aware she was staring at him. A few seconds 
later, Naiya realised her stare had been noticed and quickly looked 
away as her cheeks quickly flushed red. Deben smiled and carried on 
gathering his items. "It's pretty," said Naiya after a while. Deben 
stopped and looked up at her. Realising what she was talking about, he 
looked down at it before wandering over and sitting on the bed beside 
her. "It brings me luck" he said, still looking at it and playing with 
it between his fingers. "Does it really?" questioned Naiya, interested. 
"Yeah, got me out of some scrapes in the past!" A few moments of 
silence passed before Deben reached behind his head and unclipped the 
clasp that held the band firmly around his neck. He pulled the band 
away from his body and looked at it once more. Finally, he turned to 
Naiya. "Here," he said, "look after it for me." He moved his hands 
behind her neck and lifted her soft hair away from her, before 
fastening the clasp and withdrawing his hands. Naiya looked down at the 
silver icon than now hung around her neck. With a look of surprise and 
happiness, she glanced at Deben. He smiled and then stood up and 
carried on gathering. A few moments later he turned to see Naiya stood 
behind him, before once again finding himself in her embrace. "Thank 
you. It's a long time since anyone's been so kind" Deben couldn't think 
of anything to say. For a moment he remained silent, before settling on 
something. "Well you best not lose it!" he said with a chuckle, before 
releasing his grip from around her body. Naiya smiled again and then 
sat back down on the bed. Her smile remained as she looked again at the 
band, and then at Deben, who had nearly finished. Again he grabbed at 
something under the bed and slid out his rifle. He placed it on the bed 
beside Naiya and went to the wardrobe in the corner. He opened the 
large wooden door and took out his long jacket. He placed it over his 
shoulders and slid his arms down the sleeves before stopping and 
staring at the floor. He glanced across at Naiya and closed the 
wardrobe doors. He walked back toward her and took out one of his 
pistols from inside the jacket. "Here," he said, handing her the gun, 
"just in case that necklace isn't lucky enough!" Naiya took the gun 
from him, not sure of what to do with it. After a short period, she 
placed it on the bed beside her and continues looking at Deben. An 
awkward silence fell with neither of them knowing what to say or do 
next. Deben stared at her pretty face, wondering why anyone would want 
to hurt her in any way. His concentration was broken by the figure of 
G ol appearing at the doorway. "Ready to go?" "Yeah, I..." Deben 
stopped mid sentence, "yeah. Let's go." With that, he slung his rifle 
over his shoulder, the comfortable leather strap finding the familiar 
place and the stock resting neatly in his back. He walked over to the 
door and stepped into the corridor beside G ol. Naiya remained on the 
bed and watched as the pair readied themselves for the trip. "Stay here 
Naiya, you will be safe," commanded G ol in an authoritative, yet 
friendly voice. "We will be back soon" added Deben with another warm 
smile. With that the pair left her sitting on the bed and walked down 
the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, Mr. Tribinus scuttled from a side 
room to see what was happening. "A.. are you leaving?" "Not for long, 
Mr. Tribinus" said G ol as he began unbolting the battered door. "We 
should be back sometime in the next couple of days. Make sure she stays 
here, and look after yourself." G ol finished unbolting the door and it 
creaked open. The pair stepped into the street and were momentarily 
blinded by the light. The door shut behind them, and the old man began 
frantically bolting the door again. When their sight returned, Deben 
observed a small group of CDU gathered around a body in the street. It 
didn't take long for him to realise that he would be executed on the 
spot if they suspected him, and was quick to withdraw down the street, 
G ol not far behind. The last thing they needed was the CDU snooping 
around and slowing them down. Fortunately, murder was common in this 
part of the city, and the incident would probably be filed under the 
"gang murder - non-suspicious" category. The pair made a hasty retreat 
down the street and we soon invisible amongst the buildings. 

* * * * * * * * 

It was mid afternoon when the pair exited the city in favour of the
wooded track to the remote laboratory. Some time ago, they had helped a 
scientist there when his lab and his research came under siege from 
violent protestors. It wasn't that they wanted to stop the conflict, 
more that they saw the chance to obtain another favour, from someone 
powerful in scientific research. The truth be known, they didn't even 
know why the protest had erupted, and more to the point, they didn't 
care. Now the scientist friend had called on them again. 

After a couple of miles, the pair were deep inside the woodland.
Normally people feared to walk the path, taking the less direct roadway 
instead. Deben and G ol however were seldom frightened by any mortal 
being, whatever it may be. The idle chat had long since begun, and both 
were strolling along, hands in pockets looking merely feet in front of 
them. The long strides of G ol was suddenly halted however by the 
muscular arm of Deben outstretched across his torso. Simultaneously the 
conversation from his friend also ceased, and G ol looked across at him 
to ascertain the problem. Deben's gaze had now been focussed on 
something much further down the path. Not removing his eyes from 
whatever it was, he turned his head more in G ol's direction. "Down 
there, round the next bend" muttered Deben, his eyes still transfixed. 
G ol stared in the direction Deben had indicated, but saw nothing. He 
shook his head and again turned to Deben. He watched as Deben's face 
suddenly dropped and a look of shock spread across it. In the next 
breath, Deben was dragging the equally shocked G ol as quickly as 
possible into the undergrowth at the side of the road. No sooner had 
they taken cover, than a jeep sped around the corner, four uniformed 
men sat in the interior. In no time at all, it was past the pair, and 
they both breathed a sigh of relief. Only half exhaled, it was cut 
short, as the brakes of the jeep locked the wheels, sending clouds of 
dust into the blistering heat of the midday sun. Deben slid the rifle 
slowly and silently from his back. At the same time, G ol drew his 
Eagle from his shoulder holster and clicked the safety off. Two of the 
men dismounted the jeep and stood a moment on the track, observing 
their surroundings. "What do you think?" asked Deben, "Should we take 
them?" "I don't think that would be wise. I'd say they're from some 
professional organisation, we don't want to start anything big." "Okay" 
As the pair were considering the next course of action, it was already 
being decided for them. The two uniformed men looked at each other 
before muttering something inaudible to the covered pair, before 
mounting the jeep again and continuing along the track and out of 
sight. Moments later, G ol and Deben were fairly certain that it was 
safe to continue, and they did so, although now alerted to any danger 
headed their way. + Criminal Detention Unit. The local law enforcement, 
ruthless and unmerciful with gangs, outlaws and yobs. 

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