Redemption Earth

The Facts

A Japanese woman with skin so pale it almost looks sickly rides up in a creaking elevator. There are bags under her eyes still, her mouth forms a gentle smile. The elevator doors ding open. She walks to the fourth apartment form the elevator and knocks on the door using her head. Sariel opens it, Chinese food in hand, and sits back down at the table with Alex. The woman closes the door and with a sigh, pulls off her work uniform, and transforms into Irena's natural form.

"Don't strip with the windows open," Sariel says.

Irena pulls out a protein pack Bob had developed for her from the fridge but, she wanders over to the table and intrusively sniffs their food. Sariel absent mindedly shoos her away while starting up a political argument with Bob. Bob slurps up something unrecognizable to them. Sariel and bob start taking back and forth faster making it hard for Irena to understand. At one point they stop and Sariel turns to Alex looking for support. She nods absent mindedly, staring at her phone. They absorb her answer then Bob turns up the volume on his translator.

Irena rests her head on Alex's shoulder and peers at her phone. Alex barely registers that she is there. The ka demon shifts her eyes into a more human shape trying to see what Alex saw in the screen. It was ineffective. Alex jumps up knocking the ka demon backwards.

"Bob, Irena start packing your essentials."

Sariel jumps up and darts into his room. Alex shoves the metal chopsticks in her pocket, pulls out a gun from behind the couch, and hangs out by the door. The others stay where they are, befuddled.

"Grab your stuff Now!"

Bob peers out the window instead, "Several cop vehicles are hovering around the building!"

"Yes, we know there are three of them and the cops will be here any minute."

Bob zooms off into his room. Irena dashes for a spiral notebook she'd hidden in the bathroom then grabs the food formula from the fridge and shoves it in to a bag. There is a light knock at the door. Alex peers down at her phone she counts quietly. There is a second light knock. Sariel returns to the main room armed and carrying a backpack.

He whispers using a light tone, "Irena, you're going to want your khimar. Go get them but hurry up ok?"

Irena nods vigorously, "Who?"

"They are like the ."

Irena's lashes her tail and starts extending and retracting her claws. There is a third knock. Irena runs into her room. Police officers kick in the door and march inside their guns raised.

"Put your hands up. You are under arrest."

Sariel holds up his hands, "

Bob skids into the room. He slowly backs out.

At the front of the group of police officers is

She replies , "Shut up."

Alex shoots her with a heavy-duty plasma gun. The force of the blast knocks her to the side. Sariel grips the top of the living room table and throws it at the policeman.

Alex yells, "Irena let's go!"

Bob comes out rummaging through his belongings, "I think I left one of my instruments."

Sariel grabs Bob's hover pad,

"Just the one thing, it's highly –"

"Now, Bob!"

Sariel pushes Bob to the window. He gets stuck trying to go through. Slowly, h out the dimensions of the window and turns sideways.

Alex runs deeper into the house. To find Irena rummaging through drawers. She grabs her by the arm.