April 14th, 2224
Building 38, Mega City Police District
11:50 P.M.

Like a shadow, Silouette slipped past Michiru and flipped a switch on the wall. The third floor lit up, revealing a series of desks, computers, and little work areas for what would appear to be several officers. However, all of the desks were empty of any sort of materials save one and it just had case files on it, nothing more. In the corner of the room was a small office, the door closed. It looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.

Silouette moved over to the one desk that had a few bare essentials, then gestured at it with her hand. "Sit," she ordered in the same soft voice. Michiru obediently moved over to the desk and sat down at it. Standing over her, Silouette loomed like an Asian ghost, hovering between the pale light of the room and the shadows.

"You work here?" Michiru asked her quietly, glancing around the office. Silouette said nothing in response, just looking down at her, so Michiru glanced down, studying the room for herself. The case files on the desk were of an unusual nature, dealing with the paranormal. Also, there was a sign on one of the walls that said "Alternate Unit". She came to the logical conclusion, from what she had heard from her father, John McCormick, that this must be where the Alternate Unit worked, since they specialized in dealing with cases that no one else could handle.

"Your father has reported the material you're wearing as stolen," Silouette informed her softly, bringing Michiru's attention back to the other woman.

"H-he did?" Michiru asked. Silouette merely nodded her head a fraction of an inch. "Oh," was the only response Michiru could manage. "So, now what?"

"You return it," Silouette told her, her expression never changing. It was as if she had no facial expressions other than the absolute lack of one.

"But..."

"You return it now," Silouette repeated, her voice changing ever so slightly on the word 'now'. It was subtle, yet coming from her, it spoke volumes.

"Yes ma'am," Michiru said quickly, glancing at the floor. "Do I have to tell my father, too?" she asked meekly.

Silouette was quiet at first, staring at the young girl. Then, almost with the slightest quirk to her lips, spoke. "No," she said.

Michiru stood up. "I'll go return it right away," she told Silouette. When the creepy cop did nothing to stop her, she quickly hurried for the stairs toward the roof.

"Stop," came the whisper of a voice. Michiru halted, turning to see what was required of her now. "You will come back tomorrow at 7," Sil told her.

"What? Why?" Michiru asked.

"Tomorrow at 7," Silouette repeated. Michiru sighed, nodded, then hurried up the stairs and out of the building.

The Downtown District
Mega City
11:55 P.M.

"Figure out how Dr. Light made Reploids with the ability to think and act on their own..." Slasher repeated.

Wind nodded. "A pretty tall order. Think you can handle it?" he asked.

Slasher let out some pent up breath. "I have no idea, but it sounds fun," he said. "Come to think of it, I wonder why I never thought of it before."

Wiendigo glanced at Slasher. "I didn't realize you thought about stuff before, Slasher," he said neutrally.

Slasher gave Wiendigo a glance. "I'll have you know that I'm a certified philosopher."

"So is X1," Wiendigo returned.

"... You win," Slasher said, then turned back to Wind. "It is something to think about. Reploids have been created for more than century, yet no one really understands how they work the way they do."

"Exactly. Creators have been following Dr. Light's design for so long now that they never really took time to understand why reploids acted the way they do," Wind responded.

"So, how do you plan to figure it out?" Gravedigger cut in. "I mean, who are we going to study?"

"I have a few people in mind," Wind told him.

Wiendigo leaned back. "Yourself," he said.

Wind nodded. "Yes, I'm going to be one of the people I want Slasher to study."

"But you're not a reploid anymore. You're not exactly human, either," Cheryl told him.

"True. We're not sure what I am. But I was once definitely reploid. Before I fell into hyperspace, I was essentially a reploid, just like Death Star. Yet ... here I am now, changed and completely different," Wind agreed.

"But you still have a soul," Slasher said.

"So I would hope," Wind said dryly.

"I see," Wiendigo responded. "If he has a soul still and you compare it to a reploid, you might find a link."

"Hey, good idea. I didn't think about that!" Slasher said, beaming. He slapped Wiendigo on the back. "Thanks!" Wiendigo sighed bitterly.

"Who's going to be the other test subject?" Gravedigger asked. Wind glanced at him silently. "Let me guess, I'm going to regret asking, aren't I?"

"Probably," Wind agreed.

Wiendigo sucked in through his clenched teeth. "Not him. No."

"Yep," Wind said, nodding.

Slasher rubbed the back of his head. "Who?"

"He's going to have you study X1," Wiendigo said. He shook his head. "I see insanity runs in both Death Stars."

"Shut up or I'll send you back to hell," Wind said shortly.

"X1? It makes sense ... he is a prototype," Slasher said, rubbing his chin. "I'm kind of giddy inside just thinking about opening him up."

Cheryl stared at him. "This is X1 we're talking about here, sweetie. You might not like what you find inside."

"You'll need another test subject," Wiendigo said firmly, looking at Wind.

"I agree," Wind told him.

"Me," Wiendigo followed up on.

"You?" Wind asked.

"Him?" Slasher repeated.

"Are you all deaf?" Wiendigo asked everyone.

"No, I heard you just fine, Wiendigo," Terra piped up from the back.

"Who is she?" Wiendigo asked, glancing at everyone.

"A fan," Slasher said off-handedly. "I'm going to need a place to conduct some of the experiments."

"I'm sure the military hasn't found all of your little labs underneath the city yet," Wind told him.

Slasher rubbed his chin. "No, they haven't. Alright. We just have to get there undiscovered."

Wind turned to Wiendigo. "Can you get me and Slasher there?"

"I'm sure I can wheel you past the military just fine," Wiendigo said.

"What about the rest of us," Gravedigger asked.

"It'll probably be better if you stay here for now. If the three of us can get into the lab undetected, then we'll move the rest of you there," Wind told him.

"I'm coming, too," Ariel said firmly.

Wind smiled. "Okay, make that the four of us."

April 15th, 2224
Mega City
12:01 A.M.

Katrina shook her head. "We're not even close to it. It's on the other side of the city still," she told them, glancing at Colephantus, then at Pope. "I don't see how we're going to make it there without being detected."

"We should find somewhere to lay low for a while," Cole said. "Do you know any places we could hide out for a while, Pope?"

Pope paced back and forth in the alley a few moments, then nodded. "Aye, I do. But getting there is the tricky part." Another set of vehicles sped by and Pope threw up his arms. "Oh come on people, how many of you gits are out there?"

"This is all my fault," Cole said mournfully.

"Bloody right is is," Pope agreed, pointing his finger at him. "And don't you forget it." He then paused, straightening up. "Good thing you have me along, ey?"

Katrina smiled despite herself. "I think Cole was looking for some encouragement, not agreement right then."

"Oh." Pope glanced at Cole. "Roight then, this isn't..." he began, then shook his head. "It is so his fault," he muttered, turning to look back out into the alley.

"Look, I'm sorry I let them spot me a few blocks back. I thought I saw a weapon store that I once robb..." Cole began, trailing off as he glanced at Katrina, who was giving him a strange look. "That I once got robbed from. At. ... High prices."

Pope glanced at him. "You're not very good at lying, mate."

Cole sighed. "Okay, so I robbed a weapon store for some weapons. But I needed it to fight the military forces." Both Pope and Katrina stared at him. "They took my weapons when they put that chip in me. I had to get some weapons back."

"So you stole them?" Katrina asked incredulously.

"It was really necessary. I gave the weapons back after Silouette tracked me down for stealing them. And I'm even going to write an apology letter for it," Cole insisted.

"You ponce," Pope said, shaking his head.

"You don't know how intimidating Silouette can be when she wants to be," Cole told him.

"Oh, believe me, I know how she can be," Pope responded. He pointed at Cole. "I use to work with her. And you're still a ponce."

Katrina shook her head. "I can't believe you stole weapons from a store. Do you know how bad that makes reploids look when you take weapons like that? We're trying to bring this war to an end, Cole. By doing stuff like that, you just give ammo to those bullheaded military goons who say all reploids are evil."

Cole sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It was during the point in the war where the humans still had the Ragnorak. I didn't have any weapons and didn't know what to do, so I stole the weapons."

Pope snorted. "And got Silouette on your ass."

"Yes. I tripped the alarm when I was robbing the store. She must have responded to the call right away, because she busted me outside Mega City. But I gave the weapons right back to her in exchange for her letting me go," Cole said, turning to look at Katrina. "So, no harm done." Katrina shook her head, looking away at the street to see if it was clear yet. Sighing, Cole turned to look at Pope. "So, you knew Sil from the Alternate Unit?"

"That's roight," Pope said, turning to look at him. "Back when a man named Ire ran the team. Now he was a true leader. Good man." Pope fiddled around in his pockets for a cig, pulling one out. He lit it as he stared at the ground. "It was me, Ire, Sil, Dahok, and some others." He waved his hand. "But then everyone died but Sil and me. Then they closed down the unit."

"Until recently when President McCabe gave it to Terra," Cole injected. "Of course, Terra quit when this war between humans and reploids broke out, so the Alternate Unit just fell apart again. I imagine Sil is the only active member left now."

Pope waved his hand. "Only real Alternate Unit was the one under Ire. And don't you go forgetting it."

The three of them stood there in silence. Pope took silent drags from his cig, Cole kept a gaze at the road, and Katrina stood there, not looking at either of them. Finally, Pope shifted from his position against the wall. "Lets go." He stepped out of the alley and onto the sidewalks. Cole and Katrina fell into line behind him as they moved down the street.

Colephantus glanced around, but kept his gaze down. The streets of Mega City were mainly empty, with all the respectable businesses closed down for the night. However, there were a few people walking about. But not many. And that meant they would be noticed quicker by the police or military.

They walked several blocks with no real interaction or incident. However, their luck ran out when a police vehicle pulled up beside them and flashed it's light briefly. Pope came to a stop while Cole and Katrina hung back a little. As the officer in the passenger seat rolled down his window, Pope moved over to speak to him. "'ello, Officer."

"Show us your ID," the officer demanded.

"Of course," Pope said, dropping his cig to the ground and crushing it beneath his foot. He shuffled into his pockets and pulled out his ID, handing it over to him. The officer looked it over with a grunt, then handed it back. Pope pocketed it again, then turned to walk off.

"Now you two," the officer told Cole and Katrina. Cole froze, trying to decide what to do in this situation while Katrina hung back. He finally took a few steps forward, not keeping his eyes on the cop when Pope was back against the police car.

"Say, mate," Pope said, pointing at the cop. "You got something in your eye."

The officer stared at him. "I do not have anything in my eye, sir. Now if you would show me your IDs..."

Pope suddenly swung his fist straight into the cop's eye, knocking him hard enough to bounce him against the back of his seat. "Ah thought there was something in your eye." He pulled his fist away, glancing at it. "And it was my hand!" The officer in the driver's seat began to reach for his weapon, but Pope had already retrieved his gun and aimed it right at the driver's head. "I wouldn't do that." He waved the gun for emphasis. The officer relunctantly slid his hand away from his weapon.

Cole looked over at Pope. "Now what?" he asked him.

"Alright, mate, out of the car," Pope said. The officer began to quickly reach for the door when Pope shook his head. "Not so fast. Nice and easy." Slowing down a fraction, the officer got out of the car slowly. "Good. And they say you blokes are stupid. Over to the wall." The officer walked over to it, glaring at Pope. "Grab his radio, Cole."

Moving over to the officer, Cole reached out and took the radio, then stepped back. He looked at Katrina, who seemed to be watching the entire event with a somewhat neutral expression. "Okay, I got it."

Pope then nodded at Cole. "Hand the radio to Kat then get his handcuffs." Cole reached the radio out to Katrina, who took it from his hands and clutched it tightly. Then he walked over to the officer and unhooked his handcuffs. Reaching out, he handcuffed the officer.

Giving a grin, Pope let the gun drop to his side. "All talk, no follow through." He then aimed the gun at the car and fired at the tires, taking them out. "Come on." He holstered the gun and began to hurry down the street.

"What's the plan now?" Cole asked outloud.

Jogging along down the street, Pope held out his hand to Katrina. "The radio, luv." Katrina nodded, handing it over to Pope. Holding it up, he told Cole, "with this we can keep track of those wankers before they come on us." He turned up the volume of the radio, then stuck it in his coat pocket.

"Not bad," Cole said. "I like it."

As they hurried down the street, Pope came to a stop outside a bar. He pointed at it. "Here's a good place to hang low for a while." As the three of them entered the bar, a few of the patrons glanced over and Cole quickly ducked his head so they couldn't see his eyes. "Roight, well, you two get something to drink. I have to go to the loo," Pope told them.

"The what?" Cole asked.

"He means the toilet," Katrina said, looking over the bar. She picked a table in the corner, but with easy access to the exit.

"She's a smart one," Pope told Cole, then walked off into the back, leaving the two of them alone.

Cole sat down across from Katrina. "I don't know his language that well," he told her offhandedly.

Katrina gave a half-hearted smile, more out of reflex than an actual one. "Some of the people on Earth like to use their old heritage language instead of standard Basic," she said to him, keeping her gaze out across the bar instead of on Cole. When a waitress walked by, she held up her hand. "Excuse me? Could you bring me some of your cheapest wine?" The waitress nodded, moving to the bar.

"Do you think it's a good idea to be drinking right now?" Cole asked her, shifting in his seat.

"Probably not," Katrina agreed.

"Is there something wrong? Is everything okay?" Cole inquired.

Sighing, Katrina finally looked at him. "There's just been so much to process the last few days that I don't think I've quite got my mind wrapped around it. Everything just keeps getting thrown my way and I don't know what to do anymore."

"Is there anything I can do?" Cole offered.

"I ... no. There's not. It's just somthing I have to think out on my own," Katrina told him, turning his gaze away from him. "Just a few things I need to think about."

Cole nodded. "Of course. If you feel like talking ... just let me know," he said lamely, glancing down at his hands.

The two of them sat in an uncomfortable silence, even after the waitress brought Katrina a glass of wine. By the time Katrina had begun to drink some of it, Pope arrived, sliding in next to Katrina. He looked at the two of them momentarily before speaking. "You two kiddies seem to be getting along well."

"What are we going to do now?" Cole asked, ignoring his comment. "It's just a matter of time before someone realizes who I am."

"A good bet," Pope agreed, lazily leaning back in his seat.

"So, what's the plan? We sit here until they cops show up and get us?" Cole asked.

"Look, ah got a radio. If they get word about us being here, ah'll know," Pope stressed. He pointed at a little listening device in his right ear. "I hooked the radio up to this so I can listen."

Cole leaned back. "Impressive. Sorry for doubting you."

Katrina glanced at him. "Where did you get that sort of thing from?" she asked him.

"A few toys I kept after my days working for the British military," Pope told her, shrugging. "Comes in useful sometimes."

"Why haven't you gone back to London? With all the damage it sustained last year, I'm surprised you haven't gone back to help out," Katrina said.

"Ah thought about it," Pope informed her. "But for some reason I decided to stick around here."

"Instincts?" Katrina asked.

"Something like that."

"Why did you come over here, Pope?" Cole asked suddenly. "I mean - here as in Mega City? You said you were part of the Alternate Unit back when this Ire fellow ran it. What made you leave the London police force?"

"A long story," Pope said.

"We have time," Katrina said eagerly, looking at him. "Sorry if I'm coming off as annoying, but I'm just curious about why you're here - that's all."

"Same here," Cole told him.

Pope sighed, looking at the two. "I don't like to talk about my past," he said firmly. The two of them looked downhearted. "But, I suppose I can make an exception for you two," he relented.

Katrina smiled, looking at Cole, then back at Pope. "Please ... go on."

"Roight ... well, to understand what made me come here," Pope began, reaching into his pocket to pull out a cig. He lit it up, bringing it to his lips for a drag. Blowing out the smoke, he continued. "You have to understand why I joined Interpole in the first place."

"Interpole?" Cole asked.

"The name of a British agency that deals with special work that the regular police force there can't handle," Katrina informed him.

"Sort of like the Alternate Unit doing cases outside the norm for police officers over here in Mega City?" Cole said in comparision.

"Yes," Pope told him, taking another drag. "You see, when I was 'recruited'...."

It was night time and the mangled form of Big Ben was erected above the city like a tombstone for what London was like before the Galactic War ravaged the planet. And underneath the shadow, a group of people had formed up a circle around two men.

"Come on, you ponce," Pope snarled, smashing his fist into a man's face, sending him wheeling backwards. The man never stood a chance in hell to begin with, but Pope really didn't care. All he wanted to do was show him what pain was really like. "Fight like a man, you wanker." He reached out and slammed his fist into the man's jaw again, sending him spinning to the ground.

Stepping up to the man, Pope hurled his foot into the man's ribs, listening to them crack. Giving him a wild, crazy grin, Pope kicked him in the stomach this time, causing the man to curl up into a fetal position. "You like that?!" he shouted at him. "Do you?!" He kicked him again in the face, knocking a few of his teeth out of his jaw.

Before he could step up again, a few of his mates had come up and grabbed him from behind. "You got him, Michael ... stop it already," one of them said to him. Pope strained, wanting to kick the man on the ground, but finally relented. He stepped back, wiping some blood from his lips.

Some of the man's friends were already bending around the man, trying to help him to his feet. They shot Pope angry glares. "One day, Pope," one of the warned him, "You're going to get what's coming to you."

"Sod off," Pope told them, grinning as blood ran down from his nose. "Not very bloody likely."

With a laugh, he turned and walked away with his mates, leaving the man and his friends behind in the shadow of the old clock.

Pope took another drag from his cig, looking off into space. "The ponce was right, though," he admitted after a moment of silence. "Fate finally did catch up to me one night."

Cole looked at him. "What happened?"

"I picked a fight with the wrong fellow," Pope told him.

Pope slammed the bottle onto the bar counter, shattering it. He held the jagged glass at the man's face. "Take that back, you git, or I'll shove this down your throat," Pope warned him.

The man adjusted his suit, looking at Pope defiantly. "You're nothing but a lowlife criminal who should be put out with the rest of the dogs," the man said to him.

Pope swiped the broken bottle across his face, cutting him deep. The man's friends were already on the move, tackling Pope to the floor before he could attack again. There were two of them, the friends, and they smashed their fists into his ribs. Pope could have sworn he heard something pop inside. But he didn't care.

Kicking one of the men in the groin, he grabbed their hair with a pull and punched them in the face, sending him falling to the floor. The other friend was already quick to react and punched him in the face, sending bright flares in his vision. Pope threw him off next, struggling to get to his feet when something cracked him in the back of the head, sending him falling to his knees.

Standing behind him was a police officer holding a nightstick. "Michael Pope, how I waited for this day for a long time..." the officer told him.

"Piss off..." Pope told him, receiving another brutal whack to the head which sent him into unconsciousness.

Letting the cig burn in his hand, Pope stared at the table as he spoke. "The man who's face I cut happened to have connections. He pressed charges against me and I was arrested. They told me I wouldn't see the light of day again for years."

Pope then tapped the cig over an empty napkin, letting the ashes fall onto it. "Then they came."

Pope was roughly shoved into a room with one single light in it, casting a pale light across the room. A small table had been set in the middle of the room and on the other side was a man sitting at a table with another one standing behind him. They both wore suits and looked like they belonged somewhere along the lines of banking.

The one sitting down at the table gestured at the empty seat across from him. "Please sit, Mr. Pope."

"Ah'd rather stand," Pope said defiantly, holding his chin up. The officer behind him hit him in the back with roughly, sending him stepping forward. "Or I could sit," he said sullenly, taking a seat.

The man sitting gestured at the guard. "Remove his handcuffs then leave us alone." The officer looked annoyed, but reached over and unlocked the handcuffs, then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them. "Good, now we can talk in privacy."

Pope stared across the table at him. "About what?" he asked.

"About you," the man said casually. "You're a very unusual man, Mr. Pope. We've been taking an interest in you for a long time."

"Roight, and I care because...?" Pope asked him.

"Because I think we can help you just like you could help us," the man told him. "You're uncanny ability to blend in with your surroundings, to fit in where no one notices - it's helped you evade being noticed by the police before."

"Those blokes are just pissants," Pope said with a shrug.

"Maybe. But you're an unusal one, Mr. Pope. We'd like you to come work for us. For Interpole," the man told him. "We could use someone of your abilities."

Pope stared at him, then laughed. "Roight, you want me?" he asked sarcastically. "And why would I do that?"

"Because we can have all these charges against you dropped in an instance. Just like that. You'd be a free man and you'd be doing amazing work. What do you say?" the man asked him.

Pope just stared at him.

"So did you take the job?" Cole asked, leaning forward and staring at Pope.

"Of course I took the sodding job, you wanker," Pope told him, putting the cig out in the napkin. "What do you think I did?" he asked.

Katrina cut in before a fight could start. "What happened then?" she asked.

Cole glanced over to the right at some men looking over in their direction. They looked away the moment he glanced at them, then a few moments later got up and left the bar. "I think we've been spotted."

"Already? Bugger all," Pope muttered, watching the men exit. He reached over and took Katrina's glass. Taking one long swallow, he finished the rest of her wine.

Katrina glanced at the glass, then at Pope. "You're welcome," she said playfully, not looking very angry about it.

Cole looked at the two of them, then focused his attention directly on Pope. "Shouldn't we be going?" he stressed, his fingers tapping on the table.

"In a hurry, mate?" Pope asked casually, leaning back in his seat. "They haven't contacted the police yet. Plus I thought you wanted to hear more about me."

"I'm more worried about them finding friends," Cole said, twisting around in his seat to look toward the exit.

"Had much experience in that department, ey?" Pope asked him. He raised his hand as the waitress walked by their table. "'ello, luv. Can you bring me some beer? Also, the bill." The waitress smiled and hurried over to the bar to get his order.

Cole studied him. "You're pretty good with women," he noted. "How do you do it, exactly?" he asked.

"Style," Pope said simply, spreading his hands in front of him. "Either you have it, or you don't." He reached over to put his arm around Katrina.

"Don't," Katrina said, glancing at him. Pope stopped his reach, then brought his hand over to his mouth to cough into it. She gave him a smile to show there was no hard feelings.

Cole laughed. "Style," he repeated.

"You gab too much, mate," Pope said warningly. He looked up as the waitress brought over his cup of beer and the bill. Glancing at it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out some gil, handing it over. "Thanks, luv," he told her.

Reaching out, he began to drink his beer. "Nice jugs on that one, ey?" Pope asked Cole as the waitress walked away. Cole just stared at him blankly while Katrina gave him a surprised look and elbowed him in the side.

"Behave, Pope," Katrina said.

"Always, luv," Pope told her with a grin, taking another large swallow of his beer.

"Go on with your story, please," Katrina reminded him.

He paused, tilting his head some and brought his hand up to his ear. "Well, I would, but it seems those blokes finally contacted the police."

"Where do we go now?" Katrina asked, looking worried.

"Back onto the streets until we find your mates," Pope said, sliding out his chair. He helped Katrina to her feet, then looked to Cole. "Follow me." He began to lead them toward the back, passing the bartender.

"Hey, you're not allowed back here," the bartender protested, moving forward to stop him.

Pope reached out and shoved him to the side. He went into the back of the bar without a further word to the bartender.

Cole didn't meet his gaze, but spoke to the bartender as he passed by him. "We, um, have to inspect for .. rats..." he said lamely as he passed through the door into the back. Katrina merely offered a respectful smile, then hurried onward.

Already having moved through the back, Pope opened the door and stepped out into the alley behind the establishment. He glanced around. "No sign of those wankers," he said as he looked around, then turned to look at Cole and Katrina as they emerged. "Lets hit the streets again."

Pope began to walk down the alley when he stopped in surprise; Colephantus and Katrina came to a halt directly behind him. "Crikey," Pope muttered, staring at the small group of about fifteen humans blocking their path to the road. They stood there holding various guns and lights.

"They found us," Cole hissed, his robotic eyes narrowing.

Katrina stepped back. "What do we do now?" she asked, then turned around, eyeing the way they came. She took a few steps forward when Pope reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Not that way, luv," Pope warned her. "The police are moving in that direction to block us off."

"What?" Cole asked, looking confused. "How do they know?"

"The mob... is helping the police," Katrina managed to say, looking at Pope's face. "They're working together."

"Seems that way. I'm getting chatter on the radio about working with them to help catch us," Pope informed her. He turned to look at the humans approaching, then turned to the side, pointing at the fire escape. "Up."

Cole didn't need to be told twice and took a running dash, leaping up to grab the bottom of the fire escape. He pulled himself up, then reached down, grabbing Katrina's hand and helping her up to join him.

Pope took another look at the mob, who was already yelling at them and drawing their weapons. He quickly jumped up and grabbed the bottom of the fire escape, straining to pull himself up with the two. As Cole reached down to help him, Pope shook him off. "Move it, you git!" he ordered.

Nodding, Cole helped Katrina to her feet and the two of them hurried up to the roof. The humans below them began to open fire at them, their shots hitting the wall around the fire escape. "Bloody hell," Pope cursed, finishing getting on the fire escape. He reached into his coat and removed his weapon, firing blindly down at them before he hurried up onto the roof with other two.

Cole hurried across the roof, coming to a stop as he eyed the seven foot jump across to the other roof. He turned back to Katrina. "Can you make it?" he asked her.

Katrina stepped up to the ledge, then looked back at Cole. "I think so..." she said, then took several steps back. Taking a running jump, she managed to make it across onto the next building landing on it in a roll. She got to her feet, looking back across. "It's easy!" she assurred him.

As he began to prepare to jump, Cole turned to look at Pope as he caught up to them. "We need to hurry," Pope warned him. "They're sending in helis." And with that, the British agent took a running dive across the gap and onto the next building. Cole jumped across next, landing on the edge of the roof with a few inches to spare.

Behind them, a few of their human hunters had begun to climb up onto the roof. As the three of them began to move across the roof, they were already opening fire across the way at them, the shots flying wild around them.

Coming to the next gap, Pope jumped down onto the fire escape, then twisted and jumped off of it onto a closed dumpster. He winced as his ankle throbbed from the jarring landings, but he didn't let it slow him down as he hopped to the ground. Katrina was already following him down, landing much more gracefully beside him. Cole went to make the jump, overshot the fire escape, and smashed right into the dumpster.

Rolling off of the dumpster, Cole landed beside them, looking relatively unhurt by his ungraceful fall. Pope just shook his head at him. "Come on," he muttered, moving down the dark alley.

"Wouldn't it be safer on the roofs?" Cole asked as he hurried along behind him and Katrina, glancing behind them.

"No," Pope said, stepping into the street. He looked the way they came, seeing the humans hurrying down the street in their direction. "Bollocks!" he cursed. "They didn't all take the roofs." He began to run down the street in the opposite direction of their attackers.

As the three of them hurried down the street, Pope suddenly slowed to a stop. Up ahead several police cars came into view and up in the air helicopters could be seen flying around. Muttering under his breath, he turned to glance at a clothing store, then kicked out at the store's front windows, shattering them and sending the alarm blaring. He quickly moved inside the building with Katrina and Cole quickly moving behind him.

"We're surrounded," Cole said in a panic, glancing around the store.

"Ah noticed," Pope told him, leaning out the window and firing at the police vehicles. His shots hit their cars, sending them spinning out of control and smashing into some stores across the street. The police vehicles following closely behind swerved to avoid hitting their friends, forcing them to come to a stop. Leaning back into the store, Pope moved toward the back of the store, knocking opening the employee's only door to enter the back.

Katrina quickly hurried after him. "We need to find a way to lose them. We're still too far away from the hideout," she warned him.

"I'm thinking," Pope told her, moving to the back door. He kicked it open then hurried outside into a small employee parking lot. Glancing around, he waved for them to follow him, and he ran through the parking lot onto another street.

As he slid to a stop, he glanced at a park car. "Roight on," Pope said in triumph, moving over to the car. He quickly used his gun to smash the driver window open, then reached in and unlocked the door. Pulling himself into the car, he began to lean over and worked on hotwiring the car.

Cole hurried over to the car, glancing in at Pope. "Do you know how to do that?" he asked him.

"From my days in London," Pope assured him.

"You better hurry, then," Cole said, looking up in the air as the helicopter overhead had spotted them again. "They've found us." He shielded his eyes as it shined a bright light down at them.

Katrina slid up beside Cole. "Can you hit their light?" she asked him.

Cole nodded, aiming his mini-guns at the helicopter. Activating them, he sent a volley of shots up into the air, nailing the search light and blowing it out. Pieces of glass fell from the sky around them and the helicopter swerved away from them, obviously thinking it was under attack.

The car suddenly revved to life and Pope unlocked the rest of the doors. "Get in, mates," he shouted. Katrina opened the passenger door and slid into the seat while Cole opened the back door and jumped in, even as police officers were arriving out the store's back entrance. As Pope hit the gas, driving away, the cops opened fire at the car, hitting the back wheel and destroying it.

Fighting to keep control of the car, Pope swerved back and forth down the street, moving away from the cops and the angry mob of humans hunting them. "This ride is getting unstable," Pope warned them.

Katrina leaned forward, then pointed at a left turn. "Take this road and we'll be going the right way."

Pope grunted, turning the wheel harshly to get the car to turn to move left. It shook and almost overshot the turn, which would have made them hit into some of the buildings, but it managed to stay on the road with a post office drop off box as the only casuality.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Katrina looked over at him. "So, what happened after you joined Interpole?" she asked him.

Glancing at her, then back at the road, Pope gave a grim smile as he recollected more about his past. "Well, they gave me all sorts of nasty little jobs. Spy games you might say."

Cole leaned forward in the back seat. "Did you kill people?" he asked.

"Aye. But my speciality was to inflitrate a group and gather information about it. About this time, President Slasher had gone missing - people said he had been assassinated. For five years that story stuck and Earth split into seven governments," Pope told them.

The car shook and groaned, as if it wanted to veer off and crash into the side of a building. "However, two years ago, the Alternate Unit was formed to investigate if the President had been really assassinated. Interpole wanted an agent in the ranks to see what their progress would be like."

Katrina nodded her head thoughtfully. "And since you were good at the intelligence gathering bit and you fit right in with groups..."

"Roight. They picked me to join the Alternate Unit, as a representative of the London government," Pope finished.

"We want you to go in and watch their progress as they look into the death of President Slasher," his commander told him.

Pope sat in his chair, his feet propped up on the desk. He took a drag from his cig, blowing out the smoke. "Roight, so you want me to see how this unit from Mega City functions. And I report back to you."

"Exactly. We're most interested in how the Mega City government handles this investigation," his commander said.

"Afraid they might find the President?" Pope asked casusally.

The commander glanced at him in alarm, but then hid it. "We're merely observers. We do not care either way if the President is found or if he's really dead or not."

"Roight. Observers," Pope snorted, putting out his cig in the commander's cup of tea. "Ah'm on it."

"So I went to Mega City and joined the Alternate Unit. I didn't want to be there, so ah had no problem letting that be known. Lets just say, we didn't get along well at first," Pope told them.

"So, what changed?" Katrina asked.

"Ah began to work with Warren Carmichael," Pope said. They both gave him a blank stare, so he cleared his throat. "Ire. He was the leader of the team."

"Was he a good leader?" Cole asked.

"Aye. The man was dependable and could be counted on to get the job done. He saved me life a few times and I his," Pope told them. "In the end, the unit found President Slasher and restored the seven governments back into one. But, Ire died to make it happen. Interpole hadn't wanted a united government, so they weren't happy about the situation. And I decided to stay here ever since."

They drove in silence when suddenly a police car came out of nowhere from the side and rammed into the vehicle, slamming it into the side of a building. Pope slammed his head against the broken glass of the driver window, cutting it deep. Katrina was jarred into him, her arm pinned against the door as it was smashed into her. And Cole was jolted against the other side from the impact, but with relatively no damage.

Pope pulled himself away from the glass, shaking his head and was keenly aware of a warm fluid running down the side of his face. Bringing his fingers to his cheek, he pulled them away and saw blood on them. "Bloody hell..." he muttered to himself, turning to look at Katrina, who was grimacing in pain as she tried to free her arm.

Cole, having already recovered, kicked the back door out and climbed out even as the police officers were getting out of the car. He leaned back, then swung his fist forward into one's face, knocking them back into the car and knocking them out. Turning, he grabbed the door he kicked out and threw it at the second officer, hitting him right in the arm. The man cried out in pain as it broke his arm.

"Turn your head, luv," Pope told Katrina, then aimed his gun at the windshield, firing. The glass shattered in front of them. Then, he pulled himself out onto the hood of the car, turning to look at Cole. "She's pinned. Carefully remove the door."

Cole reached over and grabbed the smashed passenger door, slowly pulling it free while Pope helped Katrina dislodge herself from it. After they were successful, but wasting a full two minutes to do it, Pope pulled her out onto the hood of the car. He felt her arm, which was cut and bleeding. "No breaks. She'll be fine," he said.

"Thank God," Cole muttered, then looked over his shoulder at more cars pulling up. Average humans were getting out, meaning it was the crazed mob again and they had caught up to them. Angry, Cole aimed his mini-guns at their cars and began to open fire at them, nailing them with bullets. The humans dived to the side as one of the cars explodes from the abuse, sending a flame ball into the sky.

Pope, helping Katrina to her feet, turned to look at the mob scattering from the cars, but setting up to fire at them. "Bloody hell, mov---" he began, but saw them open fire with a series of plasma blasts at Cole. Rushing forward, he shoved Cole to the side, taking a shot to the chest and left arm, sending him spinning to the ground.

"Pope!" Cole shouted, sliding over to him and grabbing the man. He then quickly turned to Kat. "Come on!" He helped drag Pope over to a nearby alley as the mob of humans opened fire again at them, barely missing them as they got into the safety of the alley. But it was only temporary.

Pope shrugged Cole off, glancing at his shoulder where blood was running down it and a burnt mark could be seen. "It got me good..." he muttered, then turend to his left arm, which hung uselessly by his side. "Damn." Cole looked down the alley, as if debating making a run for it, when Pope held up his hand. "No good, mate. The coppers are setting up blocks down there."

"Then what do we do?!" Cole asked in a panic.

Taking a deep breath and wincing in pain, Pope glanced at him. "They haven't gotten their helis back over here yet, so you can take the roof. I'll hold them off for you."

Katrina held her arm in pain, looking at Pope in shock. "What? But you can't possibly hold all of them off. They'll kill you, Pope."

"Luv, I'll be fine," Pope assured her.

"No. We all go together," Cole said, grabbing Pope's arm, but Pope threw him off with his right hand and shoved him against the building wall.

"Listen here, git. If we all try to go, they'll catch up to us. One of us has to stay behind and hold them off," Pope told him.

"Then I'll do it," Cole responded, eyeing Pope. "You're hurt."

"Exactly why I should stay," Pope said, then glanced at Katrina, who was watching the two. He turned back to look at Cole. "And she can't make it without your help. You stay here and you'll get the lass killed."

Cole stared at him, then turned to look away. "Dammit, Pope..." he said. "Why did you help us like this?"

"Because I wasn't there when he died. So I did what I could for you," Pope said naturally, then patted Cole on the cheek. "Now get going, you ponce."

"I won't forget you, Pope," Cole vowed, then turned to look up at a fire escape above them.

"Pope..." Katrina began, looking at him sadly. She looked like she was ready to cry. "You can't do this...we'll be fine together..."

"Don't worry 'bout me, luv," Pope said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips before she could react, then pulled away. "Ah, a woman's graceful lips. All a bloke needs to face death."

Katrina stared at him for a moment, but before she could say anything, Cole had reached over and lifted her up to the fire escape, then pulled himself up after her. Glancing back down at Pope, he took Kat's good arm and led her on up to the roof.

Standing there alone in the alley, Pope reached into his coat with his good hand and removed a package. Glancing down at it, he saw there was one cig left in it. Bending over, he grabbed it with his teeth and pulled it out, then brought his lighter up to it and lit it.

Tossing the lighter to the alley floor, he took a deep drag of the cig, turning to look at a figure in the shadows. "Either the blood loss is getting to me, or you're a hard one to kill, mate."

The figure stepped out of the darkness, his trench coat flapping about him as he stood there, his hands in his pockets. His raven colored hair glistened in the faint light from a near by street lamp. "I'm dead, Pope. You know that."

"Bloody well should know that, Ire," Pope told him. He took a drag from the cig, blowing it out. "Come to pay me one last visit, oh spectre?"

Ire walked around him in the alley, glancing at Pope. "You're the one seeing me. You tell me."

"Bah. Enough with the cryptic talk from you, mate," Pope told him, blowing out some smoke.

"..." Ire just looked at him silently.

Reaching into his coat pocket, Pope removed his handgun, checking the charge on it. "Well, it's time for my final act."

"You've come a long way from being a brawler on the streets, Pope," Ire told him.

"What am I, then?" Pope asked him.

"A hero." Ire glanced at him, not moving any. Nothing on him moved, not even when the wind blew. It was like he wasn't even there.

"Bollocks," Pope said in dismissal. "Just you and me one last time, ey?" he asked.

"One last time, Pope," Ire said. Pope began to walk out into the street, Ire following behind him. Standing across from them was a crowd of about 30 humans, who had been busy forming up, knowing that their prey couldn't escape. However, when Pope walked out - in their eyes by himself - they murmured in confusion.

"You got my back, mate?" Pope whispered, the pounding in his head getting worse. The cut must have gone really deep.

"I have got your back," Ire said from behind him.

One of the mob members stepped forward, the self-proclaimed leader. "Look, you dirty traitor - just tell us where the reploid is and we'll let you go."

Pope laughed, the cig falling from his lips. "Sod off, you wanker," he told him.

"We'll kill you," the man warned.

"You can bloody well try," Pope said. And with that he lifted his gun and opened fire, hitting the man right in the forehead, blowing his head clean off. He quickly turned and fired at another person, shooting them straight through the chest. The mob quickly began to lift their weapons at Pope, sluggish in their response time from surprise that one man would attack them. Their slow response time cost them dearly as Pope fired off three more shots, taking down three more of their numbers.

A shot finally came out and hit him in the leg, blowing it clean off of his body and sending him falling to the ground. Pope winced as he hit the ground, but continued to fire, hitting another three men in the chests and sending them spinning to the ground. His weapons' charge began to drop rapidly as his shots continued to pour out, slamming into person after person, their numbers dropping rapidly.

However, three more shots came out, hitting him in the chest as he tried to get back up, blowing clean through him and sending him falling back onto the ground in a puddle of blood. He took ragged breaths, the pain so great that it was numbing. He couldn't feel anything anymore and the pain in his head raged on.

People began to approach him, thinking he was already dead. Pope let out a bloodied grin. "Gits," he whispered to no one, though in his eyes a person in a trench coat was standing over him. As the four more people stepped up to him, looking down at him, he raised his weapon and fired, taking their heads clean off of their shoulders and dropping them to the ground. The people standing back let off another volley of shots and finally Pope's arm dropped to the ground, bouncing off the surface; his gun slid away from his hand and came to a stop.

The mob of people began to surround the body, looking down at his lifeless eyes and faint smile. "Stupid human trash..." one of them muttered, then looked back at their fallen numbers. "Goddamn..."

They began to spread out, hoping to catch up with the reploid before it was too late, leaving behind Pope's body on the ground. Rain began to fall from the sky moments later, as if it the heavens themselves were weeping for a lost friend - and the rain washed away the blood from his face.

That day, the earth itself cried in Mega City.