The Courier Part 1

					        By

				Timelord216 a.k.a. Matthias Reign

Shadow is © shadowflame18
Matthias is © me

Shadow woke in a cold sweat from hir dream, the same words echoing in hir head as they did  every night. Shi swore under her breath and pulled hirself from her clothing covered bed. Shadow noticed  hir fur was rough in some places as she glanced at the closet mirror at her nude reflection but shi didn’t care. ‘My apartment, my fur’ she thought. Shi pulled some eggs from the freezing unit and turned on the stove. Shi preferred old world appliances. The new ones where you didn’t have to lift a finger to cook, made hir feel useless. Shi cracked the eggs and set them in the pan and opened the blinds looking down at the sprawling marvel that was Kaitek city. It was humanity’s greatest creation. Technology at its peak. Humans and furs living together in harmony. But for some that wasn’t enough. Some wanted complete control over the city. That’s when the Council of Arms was set in place. Six representatives, each from his or her own district, putting forth their concerns and voicing their opinions. That was 40 years ago. In that short span of time, Kaitek has become a city of addicts. The main drug, information.

Info is everything. It means more than money, more than food, more than life itself. Information over someone can be sold at the highest amount, but that info is protected by soldiers called Regulators. If they find someone with stolen info, then they are judge, jury and executioners. So they hire people to run the info to the buyers and sellers. Those people are Couriers.

Shadow had been a Courier for as long as shi could carry something in hir arms. Shi was the most sought after courier in Kaitek, and for good reason. Shi was very very very rarely caught by Regulators, and even if shi was, they could never catch hir with stolen info. Also, shi is the only courier to have been able to destroy a regulator and come out unscathed. A news flash flew onto the holoscreen just as shi finished hir eggs.

“Reports from halcyon district today as the biggest sting on information smuggling ended in success. 8 of these smugglers, or “couriers” as they call themselves, were caught with information against the Council of arms that were reported stolen from the council’s mainframe. All 8 couriers were executed by the regulators that captured them. The couriers were led by notorious thief and High profile courier, Britt Hembree. Details at 11.”

Shadow swore out loud this time.

“Damn it Britt! I told you not to go with them…Aw Britt…I’m sorry.” Shi said quietly.

Shi tossed hir plate in the sink and threw on hir courier clothes that allowed for easy movement and locked hir apartment, then raced for the train to Halcyon district. On the train, Shadow recalled the argument shi had with britt earlier that week.

“Britt you know this is way too easy! This is a trap!” Shadow shouted.

“Oh will you give it up shadow? Not everyone is as paranoid as you! It’s easy because the regulators are getting careless!” Britt shouted. 

Britt continued down the alley with Shadow hot on his heels.

“Britt the regulators NEVER make mistakes! You know that! They’re programed to search and destroy. They never fail!” Shadow said.

“Then you killing one was a lie?” Britt said with a chill in his voice.

Shadow hit him and knocked him against the wall, rage running through hir.

“I GOT LUCKY! I also had a once only weapon that I used. Britt had that weapon not have worked I would be dead. And you will be too if you go after the Council mainframe!” Shadow cried and held her closest friend. “Please don’t go.”

“You know if I have a chance to take that info I have to take it. I promise when this is over, I’ll owe you a bottle of Hyper Whiskey. OK old friend?” Britt said.

“You better buy me a big fucking bottle cuz your ass is mine for worrying the hell out of me! Got it human?” Shadow said teasingly.

“You got it fuzzball.” Britt said then hugged her one last time and ran off. 

That was the last time shi ever saw Britt. Tears streamed down hir face lamenting the loss of her oldest friend. Shadow sobbed quietly as the train came to a quiet stop. Shi got off with the gentle flow of people and walked to the site where Britt was caught and killed. The ground was cleaned of any signs of struggle or a fight. No bloodstains, no laser burns, nothing. Then a shimmer of something familiar caught Shadow’s eye. Britt’s Courier tag. Every courier had one. In case of death, a courier’s tag, along with any money in the deceased courier’s account was transferred to the next of kin, or in britt’s case, his running partner, Shadow. According to Britt’s Tag, he had well over 4 million in cash in his accounts! 

“Britt you devil! Where did you get that kind of scratch?” Shadow asked herself. 

“Look here boys! Fresh meat for tonight!” A voice said.

Shadow stuffed the tag in hir breast pocket and turned to see human couriers with blades pointed at her.

“You’ll walk away if your smart.” Shadow said quietly.

“Hand over the tag bitch and you won’t have to die!” The blonde one said.

“It’s a good day for it, don’t you agree?” Shadow smiled and pulled hir own blade.

The blonde charged and swung at Shadow’s head missing it as shi parried the blow and punched him in the face. The red headed one drew a gun and opened fire, missing shadow. Shi threw one blade at his chest, killing him. She ran up his chest and pulled the blade from him and turned to the blonde one once again. He was swinging blindly at shadow, and got punched again, this time falling on his rump. The black haired one simply ran away.

“Spill it blondie! Why did you attack me!?” Shadow roared.

“We were hired to!!! I’m sorry!!” The blonde squealed.

“By who?!” Shadow yelled.

“He never gave us a name! Only this message to give you if you beat us!!” The blonde said then held out a small scroll. Shadow punched him again then he ran away in fear. 

Shadow tossed the holomail onto the ground. The form of a three tailed red panda with shoulder length hair  and a scar across his face appeared before hir, smiling.

“Spill it. Who the hell are you?” Shadow growled.

“Who I am is of no consequence right now. Just know I am a courier like you. As of now, you want to know why your friend died. I can provide that answer, but only if you wish it.” The panda said.

“Give, Me, Your, NAME!” Shadow yelled.

“*sigh* Very well. My Name is Matthias. Vicious little scamp aren't you? Coordinates to my position are inside this device, though only the most skilled Couriers, like myself, can decrypt it. I’m sure you will have no problem. See you soon beautiful!” And with a wink, Matthias’ image was gone.

“Smug prick. I won’t play your games.” Shadow said the spit on the holomail. She walked back up the alley and stopped before continuing on. Something about that panda was tugging at her brain. She KNEW she’d seen him before. She ran back, picked up the mail and boarded the train again, this time headed for the market to pick up some food. 

Afterward, she fixed a pizza she bought and ran the coordinates inside. First coordinate, point zero. The very center of the city. From there, 70 degrees west, into the Abel district, 667 Shade avenue. Next, 30 degrees north, remaining in Abel District, this time ending up inside the abandoned tram tunnels. The trail ends there. A twinge of fear shot through Shadow, as she knew what was inside those tunnels.  The original Courier base. 

“That place is a rotted out relic. What could he be doing there? That place hasn’t been used since it was destroyed…” Shadow mumbled. 

The room shook with a bang and Shadow drew her gun and hit the wall for cover. She peeked through the peek hole, but didn’t have time to react at who was on the other side. The front door exploded with so much force the shrapnel cut Shadow’s face pretty badly, and knocked her to the floor. Standing over her, was a courier’s worst enemy: a Regulator.

“COURIER SHADOW. YOU ARE UNDER ARREST AND SHALL BE BROUGHT IN FOR QUESTIONING. COMPLY, OR BE EXECUTED.” The hulking machine bellowed.
“On what charges am I being arrested?” Shadow coughed up, with a little blood.

“CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER, FUNNELING ILLEGAL INFORMATION, AND CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE COUNCIL”

“Sorry you overgrown lawnmower, but I’ve got a date with a panda.” Shadow smiled.

Shi pulled an EMP grenade from a hidden pocket under the sofa and threw it onto the regulator. It didn’t kill the machine, but damaged it enough for shadow to grab what she needed: Britt’s Courier Tag, hir sword, and a pass to the Abel District. She bolted out of the building and borrowed a shuttle for a private flight to the Abel District. The Regulator had reached the launchpad, just as shi was leaving. Shadow breathed a sigh of relief and smiled to hirself.

Shi was returning to where shi became a courier but the whole thing stank to hir, because after all, it could be a trap. But what choice did shi have? If the regulators were after hir, then shi was gonna need help. And lots of it. 

Suddenly shi felt a shot of pain in her left arm. When shi looked, shi was horrified at what shi found. Blood had soaked hir fur and clothes up and down hir left side. A piece of the door had fragmented into hir left side and blood was slowly pouring from hir wound. Already shi was feeling light headed, so shi had to bandage hir wound before shi lost anymore blood. Shi pulled the shrapnel from hir side with a loud yelp of pain, and dabbed the wound clean with a cloth she found in the compartment. Shi pulled hir shirt off, and ripped it to make a bandage. It would have to do until she found that blasted panda.

“That damn panda got me into this. I swear if I don’t die, I am gonna kill him!” Shi growled to hirself.

The shuttle landed inside the abandoned tunnel. To shadow’s surprise, there was no damage or rubble from the massacre. Oh hell, shi thought, no use staying here. She continued inside to find the tracks completely cleared. 

“But how?” Shadow asked herself, “I Made sure this place was sealed.”

The entire tunnel was pristine, as if nothing had ever happened. The walls were painted standard tunnel colors, the maintenance computer’s were in their usual places. It was like it was completely rebuilt.

“Impressive isn’t it?” Matthias said stepping up behind Shadow. 

Shadow blasted hir fist into Matthias’ temple, knocking him to the ground. She dove on tope of him and started blasting him with strikes, screaming all the while at him. 

“You bastard! Your beacon almost got me KILLED! A damn regulator tracked it to my apartment, showed up and tried to kill me!” Shi yelled and headbutted him. 

Matthias grabbed hir wrists and pulled them behind hir back, then pinned hir to the floor. At the over extension of hir left side, hir wound reopened and started bleeding again. Shadow howled in pain at the sudden sting of pain down hir side. Matthias let go, thinking he killed hir.

“Oh shit! What happened to you!?” Matthias asked, trying to look at Shadow’s wound. 

“Get away from me! This is YOUR fault! AGH!” Shadow screamed. 

“Your hurt. At least let me heal you, then you can kill me. Deal?” Matthias said

Shadow didn’t trust Matthias as far as shi could throw him, which was pretty far, but if shi didn’t get medical help soon, shi would die. Shi nodded slowly and moved hir hand so Matthias could examine her. 

“Let’s see…substantial laceration to your left side, wood shards in some of the muscle tissue. Table?” Matthias asked.

“Door.” Shadow grunted.

“Ah. No internal damage as far as I can tell, and no bone damage. Possible infection, but will deal with that in the medical wing. And you will need surgery. Alright, Up!” Matthias said then lifted Shadow into his arms. 

“OW! Easy!” Shadow yelped.

“Sorry Shadow. Hold on, this may be a bit unnerving.” Matthias said.

The panda took off in a dead sprint down the tunnel, at first Shadow laughed at this apparent idiot. There was no med bay within 50 miles of this tunnel. But then the lights in the tunnel started flashing, and things started to move slower, and everything became distorted. Matthias’ eyes began to glow like fire. After what seemed like forever, The panda jumped into what was a blue vortex in front of them. Shadow tried to yell stop, but no sound came out of hir mouth. Shi was certain shi was going to die, but the vortex gave the pair of furs a weightless  appearance, as they both floated in midair for a few minutes. Shadow was scared but the smiling Matthias calmed her down by saying two words:

“Trust me”

A loud bang like a gunshot rang out and the two dropped from the vortex inside what appeared to be a large building with a central elevator going up and down. Humans and furs alike were rushing back and forth. They were standing on a landing pad that had the words “STAND CLEAR” painted in large black letters on it. She was standing upright with Matthias holding her up with support.

“Wha...what the hell?” Shadow managed to stutter.

“You just completed your first Vortex Jump. I can’t believe your still conscious! Come on. Let’s get you healed.” Matthias said, his tails swirling. 

“Heh” was all Shadow said before she fell to the floor in exhaustion.

“LILY! Give your old man a hand!” Matthias shouted.

A young lemur came running up with a med pack and began running tests.
“So where’d you find her Dad?” Lily snickered.

“OY!  No lip. Just heal her OK? We’re gonna need her.” Matthias said, “Shadow if you can still hear me, this is my daughter Lily. She our best medic, and she will take the best care of you. Okay sweetheart, knock her out.”

“No! Don’t…wanna…” Shadow mumbled.

“Calm down. I’m not gonna hurt you. This injections just gonna let you sleep. Good god Dad! I'm surprised she’s still alive. She’s lost close to two pints of blood!” Lily said

Shadow was too tired to resist. She was too tired to moan in pain when the needle went in. as sleep took her, Britt’s face on the news flashed through her head and she heard his voice.

“Shadow…”

“TO BE CONTINUED…..”