Author: Aya
Pairings: [brief] OCxOC, 2+1
Warnings: AU, Language, Adult Themes
Disclaimer: I don't own GW but I think everyone already knew that
Notes: I've incorporated a lot elements from the series into this story but I also changed them around. Eh.. you'll see what I mean ^^;
More Notes: I wanna thank my wonderful beta, Sunhawk for encouraging me and for Tanith for giving me ideas

Covenant - A mutual agreement between 2 or more persons to do or refrain from doing certain acts.
Golgotha - One of the names for the hill where Jesus was crucified. It also means 'Skull'
Purgatory - A place or state of temporary suffering or misery

Purgatory

Opposition...contradiction...premonition...compromise
Agitation...violation...mutilation...planet dies
Darkest color
Blistered earth
True death of life
Termination.... expiration...cancellation...human race
Expectation...liberation...population...lay to waste
See our mother
Put to death
See our mother die

Smoldering decay
Take her breath away
Millions of our years
In minutes disappears

Darkening in vain
Decadence remains
All is said and done
Never is the sun
~Blackened, Metallica

What was rain, really? On Earth rain was a natural thing, just like any other kind of condensation. Rain, snow, rainbows... those things were all run of the mill there. On L2, those things were a freaking blessing. Or they used to be. Now rain on L2 was fucked up sheets of recycled water that kept pouring down from the artificial sky all day and all damn night. It wasn't even clean water and obviously hadn't been filtered. After awhile you could no longer tilt your face up and open your mouth to taste some clean H2O. After awhile all you could taste was sourness and something vaguely metallic. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my oversized black hoody and peeked up at the sky from behind my curtain of bangs. It had been three months and the rain still hadn't stopped. The day cycle had never come and L2 stayed bathed in the menacing darkness that it had always been known for.

People had always said that the worst thing about L2 was the darkness. You couldn't see the thugs stalking you as you turned the dark corners and you couldn't do anything to avoid the gangs that patrolled the streets; the craving for trouble and violence always stirring their blood. So now that daylight never came, L2 had turned into a real nightmare. It reminded me of the things I had always read in books. Science fiction stories about a dark, desolate Earth in the wake of a post nuclear war. Everything was dark, the streets were deserted and people were dying left and right from sickness. The survivors did what they could to live and were not above killing each other to make it.

That's what L2 was turning into.

The good people, the families who had nothing to do with the crime, had resorted to staying holed up in their houses. They peeked out of the covered windows each day; hoping that whatever horrible mistake that had been made, would be fixed and everything would be okay. They told themselves that someone would do something soon and that someone, somewhere would help. They often went in groups to the Preventer buildings and rallied there; begging for protection against the crime that was overflowing all over the colony. They tried to reach the headquarters on Earth and even tried writing to the Foreign Minister again. There was of course, no reply and after the first dozen riots... the Preventers had started shooting anything that moved when they did make their rare patrols. I stayed close to the shadows and moved quickly, booted feet splashing in the grimy puddles. Just as the line of thought crossed my mind a Preventer cruiser rolled around the corner and began to creep down the street. It was armored and probably packed with heavy artillery just in case there was a repeat of last month's incident. I stopped walking and flattened myself against the nearest wall, holding my breath until the lights slid passed me. When the cruiser was out of sight, I hurriedly turned down an alley, knowing that the alleys of Golgotha were much too narrow for a police car to drive through.

I closed my eyes briefly and clutched the package that was hidden inside the front of my sweater. Last month had been a nightmare for everyone on the colony. It had been the largest and most violent riot since the Black Out and everyone had been affected by it. Three Preventers had been killed and after that... the blood had filled the streets. They had started shooting anything and anyone in the vicinity, scores of civilians, most of them innocent, had lain dead in the streets afterwards. The area around Tildon Square had smelled like death ever since, the metallic scent of warm blood still in the air even though the massacre had been almost thirty days before.

After that, the patrols had become more regular and every time there was one, the civilian death toll went up a little more. The cops were searching for the people who had started the riot, but to Preventers... all of us look the same and we all became animals that night. Animals that needed to be hunted down and killed until our alleged "leader" was gone. Gang leader? Ha. That comment made it obvious that the porkers had no idea what they were talking about. The gangs of Golgotha rarely got along and were in no way connected , so it was doubtful that they had all come together that night and planned any of the events.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts and shivered as the rain began to penetrate the thick hoody and soak into the thin shirt I had wore underneath. I was wet, miserable and in too much of a hurry to be thinking about all of this crap again. All I wanted was to drop the stuff off at the orphanage and get back to the church. The church which was still my safe haven and had been relatively untouched by everyone and everything so far. I began to envision myself starting a warm fire and curling up on my warm, dry, mattress with memories of three months ago and one of the best damn nights of my life to keep me company.

"Shit!"The hissed curse caught my attention and my head snapped up, eyes focusing on the scene that was being played out not even ten feet away. A young man was pressed against a younger teenage girl, their bodies slamming together as he pinned her against the wall. He had one of her legs cocked up and was gripping her breasts hard enough to probably cut off circulation. My first thought was that he was raping her, but a second look told me that she was being just as enthusiastic as he was. Her skinny fingers were clutching his bare backside and she was moaning loudly; showing that she could be one helluva actress if given the chance. I turned my head in disgust and couldn't help but frown. If there was anything I loathed more than the government, it was child prostitution.

A moment later the man's loud groan filled the narrow alley and he pulled away from her; lips parted as he panted for breath. I watched as he fumbled with a few bills and rolled my eyes when she tucked them in her bra. He hurried off a moment later, looking both ways before rushing across the streets. Obviously I wasn't the only one who was paranoid about the brass.The young girl began straightening her cut off jean shorts and ripped fishnet stockings; absently trying to smooth down her damp blonde hair at the same time. She barely even noticed when I ambled up to her and nearly screamed in surprise when I stopped a few feet away.

"Jesus man! What the fuck you tryna do? Give me a heart attack??"

I eyed her carefully made up face and decided that she couldn't be more than fifteen years old. Calculating brown eyes peered up at me and she inched foward, trying to get a better look at my face. "Well.. it's fifteen bucks for a blowjob and twenty five for penetration." She stopped when she was only an arm's length away. "..If you're interested."

My lip curled in disgust. "Twenty five bucks? Is that all you're worth?"

She reddened and crossed her arms over her chest. "Screw you! Twenty five bucks is more than a lot of people around here can afford to spend on a quickie in an alley!"I scowled at her. "There are other things you could be doin', kid. Other places you could be."She rolled her eyes and zipped up her dingy jean jacket. "You sound like someone's fuckin' social worker, man. Gimme a break with that bull shit."I smirked despite myself and cuffed her in the side of the head lightly. "Ain't you a little smart ass?"

She smirked back rather proudly. "Hell yeah, I am." She inched a little closer and stared up at me, eyebrows rising. "Ain't *you* a pretty boy. I bet you could make more than me on these streets."

I scowled darkly and pulled my hoody down lower over my eyes. "What's your name, kid?"She turned up her nose. "What's it to ya?"

I cuffed her in the head again, harder this time. "Stop bein' such a tough guy."Her lower lip curled down in a pout. "Two-Bit," she said in a sulky tone.I rolled my eyes. "Two-Bit? That ain't no kinda name. What's ya government name?""Evette.."I grinned. "Evette, huh? Well Evette, this is what we're gonna do --""Whoa whoa.. wait a sec. Where do you get off tellin' --" I clamped a hand over her mouth and snickered at her indignant _expression. "You're gonna go with me to the orphanage on Avenue B and you're gonna stay there." Thin fingers gripped my hand and pushed it away from her mouth. She screwed up her face and rolled her eyes. "I already tried to go there, doofus. They told me to scram."

"I hate liars, kiddo."Evette pushed me away and crossed her arms over her chest. "Ever since the Black Out every kid on the street has been tryin' ta get indoors. They don't feel safe no more, ya get me? So I went there tryin' ta find some shelter and they told me they didn't have no more room. They told me to go back to whateva I had been doin' on the streets before. Fuckin' losers." She looked away and frowned, her young face etched with bitterness.I frowned darkly and grabbed her upper arm. "Well we'll just havta see about that, won't we?" I started down the alley, tugging her behind me the entire time."Hey! Stop bein' so rough about it! sheesh!"

I continued to tug her along as I navigated the complicated twists and turns of the alleys. She complained the whole way, only quieting down when a Preventer cruiser sped by. "Geez, since when do these guys make so many rounds anyway?" she whispered as we hurried out onto the main road. I took her small hand in mine and quickened my strides, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. "Since that riot a couple of months ago. The big one at Tildon Square." I looked around nervously; getting the feeling that something wasn't quite right. It was a little *too* quiet."Yeah I know.. my big brother got killed or arrested or sumthin during that whole thing..." Her voice trailed off and she gave a little sigh. I looked down at her and saw that not one tear had escaped her eyes. This girl was definitely one tough little cookie. Tougher than any normal kid had to be. "What's his name? Maybe I know him."

"Well his real name is Christopher, but everyone knows him as Cappy."I stopped dead in my tracks and stared down at her. A million feelings coursed through me but if you had asked, I wouldn't have been able to name one of them. My mouth moved a few times before I could make a sound. "C..Cappy?"Evette looked up at me, probably surprised at the shocked tone of my voice. "Yeah, you know him?"I looked away and dropped her hand; clenching mine into fists. How could I answer that question? Could I really tell the guy's little sister that I had let him feel me up in exchange for not getting my knee caps busted out? I watched the rain as it added to the large puddles that were already flooding the sidewalk. But then again, would he have actually hurt me? I doubted it. I had known Cappy for years and we had always had a kind of.. love/hate relationship. I resented him for always threatening me but then there had been times when we actually got along. There had also been times when he had protected me from other gangs. I doubt he would have really raped me. He just liked to talk big.. "I sorta know him."She pulled the hood to her sweater over her head and raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean he beat ya up or that you're in his gang, or what?"I couldn't help but grin at her. She reminded me too much of myself. "Well, let's just say that we had a complicated relationship. Sometimes I liked him and other times I just felt like punchin' him in the face."She laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "That's how I felt about him half the time! He had a way of gettin' under people's skin..." Her sentence trailed off and her smile faded. "I'm talkin' bout him like he's really dead."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened that day? Where was he?"Evette sighed and looked at her scuffed combat boots. "Chris was always tryna get money real easy so I wouldn't have to.. do what I'm doin' now. He was always tryna play daddy to me and take care of me so he did anything to bring in cash." She shrugged and offered a small smile. "Our parents are in jail or sumthin. They was junkies, my mom had been a whore too. Anyway.. that day we heard about the riot and he went down there to see if he could rip off a few stores in the confusion. I.. I don't know what happened after that. He just disappeared. He could be dead, in jail.. anything. They took all the dead bodies and cremated them so I wouldn't even know..." Her voice cracked and she looked away.I felt like I was going to throw up. "Well.. I--" I stopped abruptly when I heard the sound of a car behind me. I spun around and saw the Preventer cruiser headed towards us. "Fuck!" I grabbed her arm and began half dragging her behind me as I did my best to blend in with the shadows. The car pulled to a stop and I felt my stomach drop to my feet when several uniformed agents filed out of the cruiser and began moving towards us. "Freeze!"I looked down at Evette and saw the terrified look in her eyes. If I had been alone I would have out run them easily, losing them in the maze-like alleys, but I couldn't put her life in danger. "Just relax," I whispered and turned slowly, holding my hands up as they advanced. "What's the problem officers?" They formed a circle around both of us and flashlights shone in my face. I squinted and focused on the young looking agents, trying to figure out who was in charge.

"No problem yet," One of them replied. He moved closer to me and switched the flashlight from my face to Evette's then back again. "We just want to get a look at you, we've been searching this area for the culprit's of last months riot."

Hoo boy, these guys were stupid. They had to be rookies. No smart cop would give any information to someone who might have been a suspect. "Well I won't be any help to you there," I said, forcing a laugh. "I'm just taking my kid sister home, tryin' ta get outta this rain. I hope you catch the guys though, they caused a lot of trouble." I played the part of concerned citizen and watched the trepidation ease out of some of their expressions and silently thanked whatever higher power always sent rookies to work on L2. My little performance wouldn't have done that with an older, seasoned cop.

The flashlight went back down to Evette and I tried to keep my _expression neutral as the light flitted over her legs and stopped briefly on her chest. I heard her muffle a small sound of disgust and I looked sharply at the young agent, my eyes narrowing. "Is that all, officers?" I asked, voice straining as I fought not to say something stupid.

The agent who had done all of the talking so far shot his partner an annoyed look. "Harris, do you mind?"

'Harris' shrugged and took the beam of light away from Evette, once again focusing on me. I could practically hear the lecherous thoughts going through his sleazy brain and I clenched my hand into a fist. I was reminded once again of why I hated cops. The other three agents headed back to the cruiser as their walkie talkies crackled to life, but Harris and the guy who I presumed was his superior stayed. I looked at his badge and saw that his name was McCoy.

Evette shifted from foot to foot and slid her small hand into my palm, squeezing tightly. "I really want to get her out of this rain..." My sentence trailed off when Harris glared at me.

"We'll be done with you in a fucking minute," He snarled.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and wrapped an arm around my younger charge. It was always the same trite routine with these rookies. They always played the good cop, bad cop game and reminded me of corny movies. That and they were always unnecessarily vulgar. We weren't allowed to curse or even argue with cops, so they had to throw their weight around and act like big men. It was nauseating.

McCoy pulled out a small, digital note pad and began pressing buttons as he flipped through the images of suspects and other wanted individuals. I shifted impatiently in my wet socks and prayed that they would quit jerking off and just let us move the hell on.. but suddenly McCoy paused in his picture flipping and his baby blue eyes slowly slid up to my face. I froze and icy dread settled in the pit of my stomach as his eyes dropped back down to the note pad and back to me again. His dark brows drew together and I saw him moving to shift the beam of light back on to my face. "Would you mind removing your hood, sir?" His tone had changed from light and easy to curt and authoritative all in that one moment."N-no problem," I whispered and slowly moved my hand up to push the hood off. It was at that moment, right when he would have clearly seen my face in all it's conspicuous glory, that Evette had a coughing fit.

My eyes stayed wide and alarmed until McCoy frowned and jerked his flash light back towards Evette. Her slight body was doubled over and she was coughing violently, her hand covering her mouth as fluid came out. Harris and McCoy stayed focused on her, both of them looking increasingly alarmed as she turned around and began coughing up the fluid onto the damp ground. My eyes narrowed as they both took several steps back and my brows raised when McCoy shoved the notepad back into his belt. "We're sorry to have bothered you sir, have a nice evening."

I watched in shock as they both looked at each other and back at Evette, then proceeded to hurry back to their car. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph.." I muttered. I watched as they drove away and couldn't push the dark, foreboding feeling of suspicion away from my mind. What the hell could have made them run off like that?

"Shit!" Evette swore and wiped at her mouth. "I hate when that happens. 'Least it got rid of them though."

I shook my head and looked at her, concern blossoming on my features as I saw that there was blood smeared across her pale face. "Christ kiddo, are you okay?"She nodded and wiped her face with her sleeve. "Yeah, it happens sometimes. I think I'm comin' down with sumthin."

I nodded and wrapped my hand around hers. "All the more reason for you to get the hell outta this fuckin' rain. Now let's get the hell outta here." I began pulling her along hurriedly, ignoring her complaints until we were deep within the alleys. When we were far enough away from the main road, I stopped walking abruptly and slumped against the wall of a building. Fear had welled up inside of me and I felt as though my heart would explode in my chest. My breath was coming fast and my hands were shaking as I leaned against the brick wall. "That was too fuckin' close.." I whispered and closed my eyes.

Evette stood before me, taking in my condition. "You wanted for sumthin', man?"I took a shaky breath and tried to calm myself. "Sumthin like that..."She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is it bad?"

"I killed the Preventers who killed my brother, I didn't go on some half cocked, fuckin' vigilante spree.. just killin' anyone with a badge! I found out who did it and I took em' out! What the fuck should I have done? Written worthless letters to Une again? Cried myself to sleep and wished he could come back?! I got them back for what they did to him, damn it! Now if you want to arrest me for that, go right afuckinhead. I ain't sorry for it."

"Yeah.." I whispered. "Pretty bad.."

Everything seemed to fade away and suddenly all I heard was the sound of the raindrops splashing against the ground. I blinked and felt like I was moving in slow motion even as my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest. This wasn't the first time I had almost been nabbed by the Preventers and it probably wouldn't be the last... but every time I have a close call.. this is the outcome.

"Are you okay, mistah?" Evette stood beside me, small hands hovering as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Yeah.. just give me a sec, kay?" I tried to give her a reassuring smile but the overwhelming urge to throw up made me turn my head and lean against the building as a wave of dizziness overcame me. I closed my eyes and banished the images that began to flash across my mind. Images of Solo, dead and beaten in a dirty jail cell as the Preventers stood around him. "Does this happen everytime you almost get pinched?" Evette asked, a note of disdain in her voice.

For some reason that question brought me crashing back to reality and a breathless laugh escaped my throat. I sucked in mouth fulls of cool air and stood upright unsteadily. "Nah, usually I just run off.. this one was just a little too close. It... brings back memories."

She peered at me from under her long bangs and chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I ain't even gonna ask, cuz I know you're not gonna tell me."I closed my eyes again briefly and took another deep breath, raking a hand through my wet bangs as I struggled to get myself together. "You're a smart kid, 'Vet." I ruffled her hair and forced a smile when she wrinkled her nose in annoyance at the nickname. People on the streets would dismiss my reaction to the cops as fear. The kind of fear that makes a person piss their pants at the thought of being thrown in the Animal House; the local pet name for prison. However a nurse or doctor would have called it a panic attack.

"Let's get goin' already!" Evette grumbled and promptly broke into another coughing fit. I looked at her in concern and hastily got my ass in gear as I wrapped an arm around her and did exactly that.

+

[cont]