Echoworld

It wasn't as if she'd never killed before - and whether it had been an entire family or not was subjective. But the idea that she was willing to kill without abandon made her sick, even if it was an alternate life. She groaned and closed her eyes. If there was a better argument for letting Shaun kill her now, she couldn't think of it.

Shaun looked over at her, his face full of concern. "Hey. Are you all right?" He didn't want her to die right then and there; he might not get his pay for this accidental job. But also, he cared for her. As much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to have feelings for her. He gruffly told himself that he'd just met her, and that "beauty" does not always mean "good person." He then immediately ignored himself.

"Yeah. Great. Just perfect. Why don't you just kill me now, get it over with?" she snapped.

He backed off. "Sorry." Thinking quickly, he added, "I can't kill you here because...you're on the same world as your echo. No one would die on Delta - your universe. Transdimensional physics won't allow it; it's impossible." Lying to save her life? a voice in the back of his mind sneered. You've fallen for her. What about this unexpected job opportunity? Are you going to give that up for her? Shaun ignored it.

She nodded, a determined look crossing her features. Her dark blue eyes were like granite and her jaw was set. She crossed her arms. "Let's see the other universes really quick." Under her breath, she added, "I'm going to kill this bitch myself."

"What?" Shaun asked as they stood and left the restaurant, heading for the alley behind the building. Once they'd reached the back, he began tinkering with his comtra device (communications & transportation). A stray cat stared at them, interested. When he saw nothing fascinating was going to happen, he laid his head down again and went back to sleep.

"Just get us to the next place," she growled.

"All right, all right, cool your water," he replied, unsure why she was suddenly so moody. "Eric. Sierra Bravo. Gamma."

"Right," the device crackled. "Two minutes."

"You know," Wren began, "I'm really beginning to hate traveling this way."

"You don't know the half of it. Try doing this for a living. It loses its appeal fast."

"I bet. You need to explain to me how this works."

"Sure thing. Wait until we're not trying to kill the most evil woman ever to exist while also trying to avoid ourselves, though, all right?"

She made a grin that looked more like a grimace. "The most evil? Somehow I doubt that. It's a very subjective term."

Shaun shrugged. "Believe what you will. Stand closer, we'll be leaving any -"

"Great, Eric. Thanks a lot," Shaun grumbled as they clambered out of the dumpster they'd landed in.

Wren jumped down and gasped. There was a woman, near the street at the other end of the abandoned parking lot they found themselves in. She was feeding the pigeons. Her clothes were only rags and her auburn hair was in tangles. Something frightened the birds and they scattered in all directions.

The woman, who had to be Wren, wandered towards the dumpster, murmuring to herself.

Shaun grabbed Wren's arm and dragged her behind the dumpster. They heard the woman scrounging around in it, always talking to herself. After awhile she slammed the dumpster shut, startling Wren. When they were sure that she was gone, they stood.

"I'm homeless?" she said in disbelief, staring at Shaun, growing more and more vehement with every word.