I run. So hard and so fast, I feel like I'm flying at the speed of light. But, somehow, the man in front of me runs faster. I want to kill him so very badly. I can't, though, or I would sever my vow. The General's words from earlier this morning come back to me: "Remember this and only this, Delilah, while on your mission: You cannot kill. This man is very important to the United States. Hell, he's important to the whole world. If you kill him, you will be sent to prison for the rest of your life, never to come out, and under supernaturally high security; if you do not kill him, he will most likely get away. In summary, do what you have to, but don't kill him."

     I can most definitely do what I have to. I don't even think I need to kill Rothma. It's so very weird to think of him with a name. Hmmmm... He looks kinda like a Rothma... I think. My thoughts turn to other, more random things as my fingernails grow into long, hard, sharp steel. "Ha!" I jump forward and land on top of him. I press my new claws into his back, reveling in the sense as I feel the break of his skin and the smooth slide of the steel down his back as it cuts through a few layers of skin. It's probably the most amazing thing I've done so far in my fifteen years of life.

     I hop off of his back to examine my work. Beautiful. His wound is bleeding steadily, but not fatally, especially if I got him to the hospital. He's fine; he'll live. I snap my head around as I hear the distant scream of a police siren, coming right at me. From the North, South, and East I hear more sirens coming in my direction. They're surrounding me so I can't escape. That's smart. So my choices were either be found here with the bleeding guy and be convicted of attempted manslaughter, or be found here with the bleeding guy, try to escape, and be convicted of attempted manslaughter and assaulting a police officer.

     Or I can hide the bleeding guy and run away right now without being convicted of either. I still have some time. I choose C!!

     I run again. Well, I run right into a police car a few seconds later. The police car and I both going at top speed. Which means me going faster than the car, but the car still going really fast. This can't be good. Black...

~~~~~~~~

     I wake up feeling dazed, not recognizing the white room around me. Everything is so very bright and I can't see. I finally realize the place is a hospital room, so I try sitting up and don't feel any pain except for a very small prick at my left side. Broken rib, no biggie. On the same side I feel the cold metal of the hospital bed all throughout my hand, wrist, and arm. On the other side I don't feel anything so I examine that first. Oh. I see why.

     "Ick. Needles," I heard my voice say as I watched my arm move up and disconnect the needles and tape.

     "And what the hell is this," I shrieked as I finally saw the iron covering my whole right arm.

     "That's a Retaliator III. Isn't she a beauty?" said a cop who I hadn't noticed, briefly startling me. Quickly gaining my composure, I said innocently, "Well, I wouldn't know. Maybe you could take it off so I can see it, her, better?"

     The cop smiled mockingly. "I don't think so. It would go against my orders."

     Dropping my innocence, I scowled at him. "Fine. What's the point, then? And I'm curious. Why is it that the only reason you won't take it off is that it would be going against orders? Aren't you scared?" I asked mildly, even though I was dying inside of curiosity.

     "First, I'll answer your second question. It's easier. And it only takes four words: You. Are. A. Girl. I believe that's answer enough. Second, well, this is very private cop business, but I guess I can tell you, since you are just a girl." He smiled slyly. I raised my eyebrows. "Also, well, this is really private cop business, but I suppose it wouldn't really hurt to tell you. This, uh, beautiful device is like a handcuff mixed with a glove. As you can tell it goes all the way up your arm. And as you've proven before, a normal handcuff just would not work. Having needles in your other arm was immobilizing enough." As he said this, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair as if he was going to take a nap. This gave me the chance to pull my arm up slowly and silently, disconnecting the needles in my arm.

     "Hmmm... There has to be some way to get this thing off..." Eventually, I found a little hidden button that needed something sharp, pointy, and very long to stick in the hole. Ah hah! I thought. The cop's belt had exactly what I needed. Just then a nurse walked in.

     "Oh, hello!" I said sweetly, "This man here is a friend of mine. He came to check up on me and will be my driver later. How sweet, right? Do you think you could give me that long, pokey thingy that's on his belt?"

     The nurse looked suspiciously at my arm for a moment before nervously detaching the device from the snoring cop's belt. Handing it to me, she looked back at the cop briefly and walked briskly out the door and down the hall. The needle-like object worked perfectly. Both of my arms were free to hit the cop on the head with a chair quietly and make him really pass out.

     "You were so wrong," I told his unmoving, but still living, form.