Changes

Opening up

Athena wasn't even sure where they where at this point, she never bothered to ask anymore. All she knew for sure was they where docked in a big port town and she'd needed supplies.
She'd listen to the people talk, going from junkyards to stores, about the gang that lived up in the abandoned mansion looking over the town.
She had continued on her way, until the people said that the gang was taking orphaned children from the orphanage. It was one thing to do their dirty deeds on their own, another to take advantage of youth who had nothing.
  She could understand why people didn't try to stop them, fear of harm was a powerful thing.
  So here she was running down the halls, looking for the last three of the twenty eight children housed in this run down decrepit stone building.
  It was starting to get dark, the halls casting shadows from the moonlight streaming in through the windows lining the halls.
  Her vision sharpened, pupils blowing, taking over the iris, making it possible to see as the darkness descended. It was times like these she was thankful for the nanos because they helped when even her own body couldn't keep up with what she needed.
  Lan, the ring leader, was somewhere in here too. She bet every last berry she had that the last three children where with him.
  All she knew about the man was he close to seven feet tall, blue short hair and built like a brick shit house. He shouldn't be to hard to miss.
  A cry came from her right, she turned down the hall it echoed from, catching the end of a foot as it disappeared down the connecting hall.
  She pushed forward, feet sliding across the stone floor as she skidded, trying to turn right to face the way the foot had disappeared. Her shoulder struck the far wall as a gun shot rang out.
  Looking up, she found the man she had been looking for, along with the children.
  He'd dropped the two children he'd been carrying in favor of the pistol he now had pointed at her, the third held by the hair out in front of him, tears streaming down the child's face. All three children looked beaten and battered, long thick welts scattered around the kids legs and arms.
  He'd been whipping them.
  "Let the child go!" Athena called out softly, beating back her anger at the state of the children. The index finger on her right hand shifted and grew slightly as she straightened. The feeling of her finger sucking up small pieces of rubble from the decaying stone and compacting it made her hand itch.
  "You think I'm stupid woman?" A deranged look shown in the man's eyes, an evil grin filling his face. "He's my only leverage here."
  Lan shifted bringing the gun to the back of the child's head.
  She lifted her right hand, index finger pointing at the man, thumb going outwards to make an L.
Shot aligned read out in her vision.
  "I said let the child go Lan." Her voice turned to steal as she stared the man down, adrenaline pumping faster then before.
  Voices from the connecting hall she had come from reached her. Had to be Law and the others.
  Lan's psychotic laughter filling the space. "I'm not going to jail, so you either leave or I shoot the kid and then you."
  "That's not how this is going to play out bitch tits" Athena growled at the man. "I'll kill you before that happens."
  "Oh but it will play that way, promise."
  Looking at the child she smiled, her voice going soft. "Do you trust me?"
  Footsteps and voices grew closer, ringing out against the walls.
  The boys tiny, bruised, face contorted in pain when Lan's gripped tightened in his hair. But he managed a grunt, the barely whispered yes reaching her sensitive ears.
  Her hand recoiled, compacted stone and whatever else she had sucked up leaving her finger with a boom.
  The shot hit Lan's bicep throwing him backwards, the child dropped to the ground when the bigger man's grip loosened.
  Before he could retaliate, Athena was down the hall, kicking the gun against the wall out of Lan's reach.
  A large hand encircled her left ankle.
  Her right foot kicked out, slamming into Lan's head.
  Red took over her vision, blood rushing in her ears, anger consuming her.
  Once, twice... the fourth blow he went limp. She didn't stop.
  "Athena-ya?"
  Her body heaved as her foot struck the man's side, arm, chest, slammed down into his face.
  Arms wrapped around her, pulling her from the limp body.
  Athena snarled.
  "Athena-ya, calm down, everything is okay, the children are safe."
  She fought against the hold, her voice dropping. "He beat them Law, he fucking whipped them."  
  Law held the struggling Athena, his heart hurting for what the children had went through. "I know, but he will get what's coming." He said softly, rocking the still raging woman back and forth.
  "Lady?"
   A soft small voice called out, a little hand grabbing hers.
  Athena looked down at the boy.
  A pair of clear green tear rimmed eyes looked back at her. "Thank you!"
  Fight left her, anger receding.
  Tears tracked down Athena's face, she hadn't even realized they where there.
  Pulling from Law she hugged the child, sinking to the ground. "Are you okay?"
  "I'm okay... I'm fine." The boy choked out, wrapping his arms around her. "You saved us."
  "I'm glad." Athena held the boy a little tighter as she cried.