It's been years since I left the Jackal Hunter gig. I've found my place in a village a few hundred kilometers outside Cauldron.

"Good morning, Genna," I whisper to my daughter in my arms as she finally opens her eyes for the day. It's been as exhausting as killing Jackals, but far more worthwhile, to tend to this new life I created.

She extends her coin-sized hand blindly outward, hiccuping.

Lars reaches behind me and holds me at my waist. "My two favorite ladies are awake early," he quietly remarks.

I lean my head against his.

The Outsiders have built quite a sturdy fence out of scrap and somehow kept the fields green within it. Only hopes could prevent it from becoming another Cauldron. Thankfully that shit hole burned down after I left.

Right as I pat myself on the back with that thought, a breeze whips by us, followed by a steady wind from my right. We look across the barricades to see a tan-grey haze in the distance. A small fleet of birds fly by as well.

"Dust storm," Lars says. "Let's go."

The tsunami of dust is followed by a horde of Jackals, but this time, thick with grey fur and even larger than the usual. They climb over the barricade. The guards only managed to pick off a few with gunfire before getting overwhelmed and torn to shreds.

Lars and I start running, only to see him knocked down by a Jackal, as the strike knocks Genna out of my arms. All I see is blood and sinew, before another bites my arm.

I wake up sobbing, with scratches all over my forearm, bleeding slightly into my bedsheets.

~~

"Look, Lori, there's always going to be something you don't like about your performances. If you always look hard enough, you'll find them. And in case you care, the audience might not. They're not half as observant as you. They're just there for entertainment, and they won't be that upset no matter what happens. You're literally one of the world's best, and I can tell you dont really give a shit, but it's something anyone else would be blown away with pride, to be. People literally watch you on TV to gawk at you and all the incredible shit you do."

"Thanks, but I'm only concerned with impressing myself at this point. You know what I want."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Right, and even a god among women can only control so much. Fate is in nobody's control."

"My actions are. And if there's a way out, I need to find it."

"A-- okay," she looks at the ground. "We need a break. At least I do. I'm going to the arcade, wanna come along?"

"Yeah, sure."

Outside the secured exit, a few cops are standing in front of a lineup of commoners, holding signs with pictures of me and the Jackal pups.

"Yeah, let's see you twits last a day in her job," Adel mutters as we put on our sunglasses.

"You're as big a monster as the ones you fight!" one shouts to me.

"Fuck you!" another screeches, knocking another "protestor" out of her mobility scooter. The beat cops grab her by the arms and throw her back.

I find myself only partially bothered as we keep walking.

"Ms. Kruger, where do you plan to go?" one of the MPs ask me.

"Nowhere in particular. Just wanted some fresh air."

"The Directorate wants you to not leave unescorted--"

Adel puts a palm on her shoulder, about to shove. "I've got it, now leave."

"Understood. Be careful."

The arcade is full of staring eyes, thankfully nobody wanting to make a move. If anyone jumps at me, at this point, I'm willing to throw everything away just to break some teeth. I don't really feel like I have anything to lose.

Adel got sucked into some kind of racing game while I sit next to the machine, swiping through news reports on my PDA projector, slowly desensitizing to the criticism.

I get restless and decide to go out. "You have fun here, I can't sit here any longer, ping me when you're done," I say to Adel, but she seems so absorbed into the VR to hear me.

Fashion outlets along Mecca street are tempting, but there's no point to go in. There's no opportunity to wear anything nice. I keep walking until my purse is snatched from my right shoulder, running towards the alley. Only my pistol is left in my possession, clutched in my right hand.

"Hey! What the fuck?"

I run to the hooded assailant, only to be surrounded by a bunch of her masked buddies at the end of the alley, all pointing guns at me.

One particularly small one, the size of a pre-teen girl, hops down from a dumpster and starts skipping towards me with her hands behind her back. She's in an armored leather jacket, frilly white and black skirt, wearing her hair in pigtails-- right side white, left side black, with a split sock-and-buskin mask of the opposite color scheme.

"Your show is rather despicable, but I'm here to see if the star is the same shade on her shadowed side," she says in almost a musical tone.

"Indeed it isn't. So what the fuck do you want?" I stand, finger still on the trigger.

"Preferably not your life, but we can spare it in exchange for vulnerabilities to the Capital Complex Gate, as you can tell, we're not the greatest fans of the UWWA."

I pause, still aiming at her center of mass.

"I'm not really either, but I'm considering a departure. I expect honest business from you otherwise my higher-ups know where I am, and probably can hear you speak as we are now," I place my finger at my choker.

"Fair. Girls, guns down."

We all slowly lower our weapons.

"Better yet, you help me find a man, I'll help you and your minions get past the gates. My job's on its way out anyway, and I'm thinking of going to the Compound myself."