New Country, New Life

A clear window doors swung open and Smoke walked out of Abraxis Corps HQ, what had just happened in there was both extremely confusing and painful, needles were stuck in, juices were taken out, at one point he was even put under anesthetic for some strange unknown reason that he still does not know, something put in him or taken out? He will probably never know. The couple of possibly permanent scars left on his body were nothing when he held up $20,000 dollars in cash in his hand, he had a new supersuit made of carbon fibre in his backpack along with his cat Amber who had her head poking out at all times and he was allowed to live in a new country, one thing that Sam had always dreamt of, he was a big fan of America, some people would even think he is from there with all of the things that he would talk about, and now he is finally there, living the dream.

Sam had no idea on where to go, he was just walking the streets, looking at different shops and seeing some expensive items before telling himself that he had to spend his money carefully. That idea quickly went out the window walked out of the window however when he walked past car dealership and noticed a white Ford Mustang 2013 2DR CPE GT, a great machine that was still in terrific shape even when it had been alive for 7 years, no sign of rust, minor scratches and it still had the new car smell, when Sam was told that it was only $15,000 he took the deal immediately using his newly acquired driving licence from Abraxis Corp, now he had a car, a cat and nowhere to live.

Sam continued patrolling the streets, this time in his flashy new car, the sound of the engine roaring gave goosebumps down Sam's arm, Amber was not as happy with it though. After turning a corner and seeing a nice looking housing complex, he pulled up to park to relax and take in his new life. He stepped out of his car and sat on the hood, watching as new faces walked and drove past him, he saw planes and helicopters flying through the air and people hard at work in their office blocks. Before returning to his car, Sam walked past the housing complex to find something to eat, but something better caught his eye, a flyer was taped to the brick wall stating that there was a one apartment left and for extremely cheap because it had been burgled and barely anything was left, Sam did not have anything back in England so he was not fussed about having nothing again, but he did have $5000 to furnish the house, it was not much but at least he would be able to own a bed.

After a long talk with the landlord, he acquired the apartment, the walls and floors were made of wood, there was a small corridor that led to the bedroom and bathroom and the kitchen connected directly to the living area, not to mention the view of a park from his large window, Amber made herself at home aswell, she probably assumed that all houses were always empty so she found a corner and laid down, watching Sam as he paced around, looking at his new home. It was not too long until Sam remembered what he originally wanted to do, get some food, he grabbed his newly acquired key and gave Amber one more hug before heading out to find his new regular food establishment.

Salone was composing an email with various pictures and documents attached. The overall email said Salone was quitting her job for health reasons. Indeed she looked like she had been ill, dark circles under her eyes and her skin had become unnaturally cool to the touch. Silver white swirling scars crept up her back and crawled up her neck, ones that hadn’t been there before.

The tiny café she was in doubled as a used book shop and Salone closed her laptop before sliding it into her bag. Every time Salone tried to sleep she would start awake, usually in tears, at the Dragons’ memories trapped in her head; snapping teeth, fire, ancient wars, and heart break. Sometimes she would scream and reach out for Sasha, only to realize that she wasn’t there anymore. Salone felt like a husk of a person… Did Jake feel like this after touching the site each time?

She shuddered and pulled her glass of hot chocolate towards her, she wasn’t feeling particularly hungry… she had just order the drink by habit.

Sam had been searching for somewhere to eat for some time now and nowhere had really caught his eye, he did not necessarily want somewhere where he could go and eat like McDonalds, he wanted a placed where he could eat, drink and relax and watch the day pass, he wanted something a little bit classier, like some kind of diner or cafe like Johnny's back home.

He found several small cafe's that could be used, but he did not get the same vibe as Johnny's. Most of them were pretty busy and all he wanted was a quiet place where he could put his feet up, have a drink and maybe try to socialize with some new people, one thing is for sure however, he would definitely be paying for his items until he could befriend the owner, which was highly unlikely.

After an hour of searching and countless pushes from busy civilians, he had found the place for him. It was called "The Book Nook" half library, half cafe, he had a place like that that he would go to at his favorite shopping centre, but of course he did not tell Johnny, he would be distraught. Why not have something to read whilst drinking a coffee? Sam was not a big reader and it wouldn't hurt to read something new. Before grabbing a coffee at the counter, he browsed through the shelves to try to find something he liked.

Salone stood up with her hot chocolate and swung her bag over her shoulder, moving off to an armchair to curl up in. She was still tired… very tired. Salone looked at the cup, if anything it repulsed her… she downed it quickly before pulling a face that she tried to cover.
She dumped the cup into the trash before moving to the door, she felt like she was moving in a haze. Colors over different colors distorted her vision and she stumbled. Her shoulder slammed into Sam but she didn’t apologies and she dashed out the door.

She ran at down the street at regular human speed before dashing into a side alley; leaning against the wall and holding her head. The dragon wanted out… but she couldn’t let it come out… She breathed deeply, scrubbing at the pain filled tears. Salone wanted to go home… and curl up in a corner…

Salone had become timeless… time had run together for her. She had gotten a watch that had the date and time on it so she could keep track… Salone’s mind briefly flashed back to her transformation. The feeling of being set on fire and dying… the dying isn’t what scared her… it was trying to act like something didn’t happen is what scared her.
Salone twisted her dragon medallion with her finger.

Sam was minding his own business, flicking through pages of several books, trying to find the one book he wanted to read in the cafe area. Sam was about to put a book back onto the shelf when someone rude knocked into him, causing him to drop the book onto the ground, Sam looked around to catch the person who bumped into him, he only managed to get a glimpse of the person and he thought he recognized them, but Sam shook his head and thought he was seeing things. After the woman walked out and turned left down the street, Sam slowly picked up the book and began reading the back of it from where he left off, the woman that knocked into him continued to pop into his mind, he had seen her face before but he couldn't see her long enough to figure out who it was, whoever it was looked in bad shape and Sam did not feel right about letting her walk onto the street in the state she was in, she clearly was not healthy and Sam felt bad for not helping her out, fortunately it was not too late.

Sam carefully placed the book back on the shelf and exited the cafe, he turned to the left and looked to see if he could find anyone that was having trouble walking, he was in California though which meant there are lot of people walking along the street and it was harder to find one singular person in the sea of heads. Sam kept trying though and he began walking forward, pushing against the people walking against him, he thought it would be easy to find someone who was stumbling down the street but it was harder than he thought. Sam gave up his search, he he hoped the woman would find her way home safely, and Sam was still looking for a few more seconds just to be sure, but when he realized he was getting in everyone's way, he decided to move back to the cafe. Sam passed an alleyway and noticed someone standing by the wall, he thought it was strange that someone would just be hanging out in an alleyway, he took a peak to see what they looked like and noticed it was the woman from the cafe and more importantly, it was Salone, the american woman who he had met in England some time ago. He was both happy that he had seen her and also sad that she was in such a state, her eyes were watery and she was staring at the medallion around her neck, Sam stepped forward into the alleyway but did not advance straight in, it may have been Salone but she wasn't looking or acting the same, "Erm... Salone are you okay?" he said, he tried not to startle her and hoped she would be happy to see him and take her mind off of whatever it was she was thinking about.

Salone jumped at her name, for a moment she couldn’t see anything until her eyes focused on Sam.
“Sam?” She asked in disbelief, her voice cracking. She made a movement forward before freezing and drawing her hand back, “You’re not dead are you?”

It was a completely relevant question… generally that is what happened to time collectors. People they know find them when they have passed on… generally to have what they would have had if they had survived taken away. But that would sound completely crazy to Sam… maybe…
At his look of confusion she relaxed and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes against the swirl of colors of her vision.

“I need to get home…” She moaned, moving past him. Luckily she did live close, another few blocks and she was at her house. Salone’s fingers stumbled with the key but she managed to fit it into the lock. Salone entered the house and didn’t even glance at the corner were a dog bed used to sit. Penny had gone to work early that morning, leaving Salone to her own devices.

As usual the house was clean and the jacket Jake had left at her house was hung up on a hook. Salone made a b-line over to the kitchen and filled a glass of water and drained it.

“I am sorry you had to see me like this… I’ve been sick- still trying to get over whatever I have had,” She stated the simplest explanation possible.

Dead?... He had been tested on by Abraxis Corp and he did still feel kind of queezy, perhaps he was just seeing things and she was not actually there and she really believed he could have been dead, but Sam was immediately confused, he didn't have very much time to understand it as Salone had bolted home, Sam felt bad for her and thought that she could use some help so he followed her home, she entered and immediately moved to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, she had been feeling sick? She looks worse than just having the flu, she looked to be in really bad health.

Sam walked into her home and closed the door behind him, he looked around her house for a bit, she seemed very musical, he could tell with all of the musical instruments dotted around the house, Sam had played some piano and guitar in school but he was not even close to sounding good at them, but that was beside the point, Salone was ill and Sam was there to help. "Do you want me to do anything for you Salone? My cat at home has already been fed and right now I don't have anything to go home to, I would be happy to help someone in need"

Salone gave him a sad smile, “Unless you have some sort of medication that will put me into a weeklong coma without any dreams, I guess I am out of luck.”

She let out a long breath, “Your welcome to stay as long as you want, I may not be the best company however… considering the shape I am in.”

Salone stood and wandered over to the table and pulled out a chair before plopping herself in it.
“What have you been up to anyway?” She asked pleasantly, trying to distract herself. Her eyes were darker than Smoke would have last seen them and she just seemed overall exhausted. Her long hair had been pulled back into a bun exposing the silvery swirling scars on the back of her neck. Salone propped her chin on her hand and watched him.

Salone explained that there was nothing that Sam could do to help her, but she was happy to let Sam stay for as long as he wanted. When she asked what he has been up to, he replied "Ahh you know, stopping crimes, meeting magical people and getting tested on by a company that want to revive an old alien race" Sam turned around and lifted up the back of his shirt, revealing a severely scarred back where he had been tested on. After a few seconds of allowing her to study his marks, he lowered his shirt again. Sam walked over to the kitchen area and poured himself his own glass of water, he turned back to Salone and took a sip of his drink, "Anything exciting been happening in your life lately?"

Salone stood up, a look of concern spreading over her face.
She moved over and touched a few of them lightly with her fingers, a faint growl emanating from her chest. It was a reflex, Salone couldn't help it. It had come with the dragon along with very scary mood swings.
"Who did this?" She asked quietly as he lowered his shirt and turned around to get a glass of water.
Salone flinched at his question, "Not really... just school and stuff..."
Also the fact I steal from dead people and now have the temper of a very pissed off female dragon... other than that great!
She backed up to sit back down on her chair, crossing her legs and running the palms of her hands up and down her pant leg.
"You still have the kitten then?" She asked, her eyes moving up to his face again.

She said she only had school, but Sam did not believe her 100%. She could make dragon wings out of her back and she walked out of a portal above Stonehenge some time ago, that did not seem boring to him, but he wasn't going to question it. When she asked him about his cat, he smiled and took another sip of his water, Salone was the reason why Sam had the cat to begin with, he felt like he had a moral obligation to take care of the cat as well as possible. "Yeah, little Amber's been growing up nicely, it's as if she sits by the door and waits for me to come home so she can pounce on me, it's nice to have something that loves to see you everyday"

Sam walked over to the table Salone was sitting by, he grabbed a chair and spun it around so he was sitting backwards on it, but Salone was still in his view. Sam placed the glass of water on the table in front of him, "Some corporation called Abraxis or something, didn't quite catch the name, I wasn't really concentrating, I just wanted to get it all over with so I could get what they promised me; clothing, money and a new life in a new country. It will be nice to re-invent myself in a new city, plus the weather here is a whole lot nice than London" he said jokingly.

Salone felt her throat constrict, "yeah, it is."
She looked down at the wooden beams, she missed her dog terribly. It was hard to believe Sasha was gone...   She wrenched her eyes upwards again to look at Sam, he didn't seem to have changed much... but she had..
"It doesn't mean they had to mutilate you. You back looks like it has been sliced to ribbons with the cat'o-nine-tails." Her voice contained a harsh edge, one that had not been there before. "Promises or not."
Salone propped her head on her fist closing her eyes, waiting for his response and trying desperately to reign in her temper.  She didn't want a life like this... she wanted one where she was healthy,yes and she had gotten her chronic illness taken away at Stonehenge... but she didn't want to be grappling with a dragon constantly...

Sam looked out of the window as Salone made her opinion clear on the scars on his back. He did not really mind them, "The scars don't even hurt, they're just for show, besides I hear that some girls dig scars... Speaking of girls, I also hear that a British accent is a powerful weapon in the States, perhaps I can use that to my advantage" he said with an off look whilst he was rubbing his chin, he was thinking about all of the girls that he could possibly get in the future, but another part of him hoped that it was not just a rumour that had been created by a group of people. He looked back to Salone after staring out of the window, he noticed she had her head leaning against her arm and her eyes were closed, she looked conflicted inside and it was making her look worse on the outside.

Sam felt bad, sitting away from her and drinking his water, she probably thought he was trying to stay away from her so he didn't catch her illness, but Sam had not even thought about whether or not she had a disease he could catch until now, he had already caught one killer disease back in Liverpool and nothing could be worse than that. Sam took a deep breath and stood up, walked over to Salone who was still seated and got onto his knees to better suit the height difference, he then extended his arms and asked if Salone wanted a hug from him "Come here" he said with a worried look, almost as if he was talking to his cat after it had been in some kind of fight, it was strange to think that it had been a very long time since the last time he hugged a human being, something that you would assume is a basic function for all humans, but he was offering one to Salone and he wanted her to feel better.

Salone made a tired noise that sounded like a half hearted chuckle, not even responding to the questions he had just asked. Salone looked up bleary eyed as she heard Sam move around and realized he was very close to her and on his knees, offering a hug.
"Come here," He said, looking concerned.
It didn't take much prodding so Salone fell into his arms, wrapping her arms around Sam, and burring her face in the side of his neck. She was trembling slightly but the tremors stopped after a few seconds and she sat like that for a few moments before pulling away.
"Sorry," Salone said, casting her eyes downward. "I am generally not like this."
She immediately felt bad for being a poor hostess. So she stood and walked over to the pantry and pulled out a tray of cupcakes, offering him one.
"I can't eat them right now... so I am commanding you to stuff your face," Salone made an attempt to sound like her old self.

Salone accepted his hug, he could feel her relax slightly as she rested her head on his shoulder, a cold feeling found his shoulder and soon shot down his spine, Salone was quite cold and she probably did not realize it. The hug wasn't going to miraculously fix her problem, whatever it was, but Sam could at least try to make her feel better and it sounded like it was working, she apologized for being the way she was and she pulled a tray seemingly out of nowhere containing cupcakes, what a surprise. Sam stood up and said "It's ok Salone, everyone has those days when they feel under the weather, it's all about bouncing back" Sam gave Salone a playful punch to the arm, of course he put in a lot less power than usual, she was already in a bad state, no need to give her bruises down her arms as well. As for the cupcakes, Sam was "commanded" to eat the majority of them, Sam could not remember the last time someone commanded him to do anything, he had been a free man that could whatever he liked back in England, and in his first official day in the United States, he was already being commanded, sure it was just to eat some cupcakes, but that was beside the point.

Sam stood back off of his knees and grabbed a few off the tray, resting 2 on the table next to him and one in his hand. He walked backwards and sat on the table whilst munching on the sugary treat. "Trust Salone to have hidden emergency cupcakes around the house, I bet there is a barrel full in the piano" he thought, giving himself a smile in the process. The cupcakes were good, really good, possibly the best cupcakes he had ever eaten to be frank, "Here's a question" he said as he swallowed a chunk of cupcake "I see you with these in your hands all of the time, who makes them? Because I can understand why you are so addicted, they are delicious!"