Careful Preparations [Jin]

[Kyla Monroe]

[April 12th - Approx 8pm]


It had been an interesting couple of weeks for Kyla. Lots of changes, much of which were not so pleasant. The start of it all occurred on a rainy day when she had ventured out planet-side alone. To keep a long story short things turned poorly for the Rayya's young medic. It was like deja-vu from the last time, except the punches hit harder and the boots kicked faster. At first she was on the losing end but unwilling to give in, then something inside her triggered. The only difference was this time there was no blacking out, no memory loss. Kyla had a firm grasp on what was going on, though she didn't feel fully in control of herself. It was obvious that it indeed was her own doing.

Despite the pain she ran, kept running until she felt far enough away from the blood. The violence. What she saw and felt herself do made her ill. How could someone who had dedicated her life to healing and helping do such terrible things?

Kyla didn't go back to the ship that night, it was a decision that didn't take my pondering. What if she couldn't control the outbursts and it happened again? No, she couldn't take that kind of chance.

Through the night there was no sleep, no peace for Kyla. Memories flooded her mind, things long lost, teachings that had remained hidden for so long. So this was all what had been taken away from her all those years ago. She remembered clearly everything, even the last night at the academy. Being 'saved' by that man, having to let her sister stay behind, the same man giving her some drug that should have only helped her sleep. Instead it stole away so many years, so many memories.

The morning sun rose as Kyla looked over her injuries. Luckily most could be covered by clothing and what marks would be visible could be claimed as her usual clumsiness.

As she walked back to the docks, there was a busyness in the town with officials spread out everywhere. Overhearing why they were there Ky hurried her pace, careful to avoid those who might stop to question her just for simply being in the area. This situation would bring too much attention and from the wrong people. Her possible inability to control her own actions could put everyone at risk. Her sister. Jin. She couldn't stand the thought.

Kyla knew her sister wouldn't allow her to simply leave, it would have to be done without her knowledge. Or anyone else's. She had to play the part as if nothing had happened, as if she were still in the dark. She would have to speak carefully to keep the same tongue. Walk and dress specifically as if nothing were the different. She would slowly prepare to take leave.

Only a few more days and they should all be safe...

[Jin Caron]

Jin lay on his bed in the Raaya, thinking hard about the information he had recently received about the bounty on his head within the Alliance black ops Freelancer Program, comprised of retired black operatives who want to make a few extra bucks with the skills they possess. Every since he had been on the run again, Jin had always kept track on the bounty as well as a few very likely black operatives who would go after him. Seeing as how the people were beginning to pick up on his minute tracks, Jin knew that it wouldn't be long until they found him and the Raaya. The only possibility was to yet again leave the crew and move onto another planet where he would hide until his trace was picked up. Luckily once he has found a hiding place on a planet, it was much harder to find him as being on a ship left some unavoidable traces of using money and being seen.

Sitting up from his bed, Jin looked around his temporary room and sighed. He knew this day would inevitably come, but he never wanted to have the time come so soon. He had so much here: safety, friends, and a lover, all things that Jin had not had in such a long time. Yet he also knew that delaying the inevitable meant the more likelihood that one or more of the crew would die because of him. He had to leave and he would probably have to leave soon, else risk one of his new friends being killed unnecessarily.

While packing his bags, Jin's mind wandered to Kyla and the fact that he would have to leave her. As he finished packing, Jin looked at a picture he had taken with her only a few days ago. Her beautiful eyes caused his heart to skip a beat as he remembered their time together and set down the picture. He decided that he would have to tell Kyla of his plan to leave. It would also be a good time to find out what would happen between them, whether they would see if they can keep in touch or whether it was better the end all ties.

Leaving his room, Jin made his way to Kyla's room and stood in front of the door, hesitating to knock. He knew that if he told her, it would be the end of their relationship, whether either or both of them liked it or not. It was just too impossible to keep a relationship when you were lightyears away from each other. Finally mustering up his courage, Jin knocked on the door and waited. After a few seconds, he knocked a second time. Raising his eyebrow, Jin became worried as to why Kyla was not responding as she was usually still awake at this time. Walking down the hallway further, Jin opened the door to the common room and saw that it was empty. Now even more worried, Jin ran back to Kyla's room and opened the door to see her room empty.

Jin's heart was racing as his eyes darted around the room for any sort of movement. Looking at the clock by Kyla's bed, he saw that it was near 2 AM and she usually would have been in her room at this point. "Ky? You in here?" Jin spoke just loud enough for anyone in her room to hear. "Ky?" Jin repeated as he walked into Kyla's room. Walking out of the room, his head began to spin as his mind was racing with possibilities of what could have happened, up until it reached the most likely possibility: his hunters arrived sooner than he had expected. Sprinting to his room, Jin threw on his leather jacket, a cap and sunglasses to disguise himself and his pistol, threading on a suppressor to the barrel. He holstered the pistol in a shoulder holster and pocketed a few extra clips, then slung a small pack with all his belongings onto his back. He would have to leave immediately, but first he would save Kyla by any means necessary. Taking out a handful of money, Jin placed it on the desk and wrote a note on a piece of paper. 'To the Raaya crew... Thank you so much for your hospitality, but I believe that I have overstayed my welcome here. I hope this is enough to cover the fares of my travels with you and I hope you will all stay safe in the future. Maybe one day our paths will cross again, but until then stay out of trouble. -Jin'

Sneaking out of the Raaya, Jin made his way to the nearest dock to find information on his hunters. After a few hours of asking around the bars, Jin received no credible information and slumped onto the wall of the most recent bar he had visited. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the sun was now slowly coming up and realized that there were many officials walking about, asking questions. Unlike himself, he had not picked up on this as he was racing back and forth between bars to save Kyla. Had he made an accidental run-in with one of the officials, he himself would have been caught and Jin was not sure if he could take on so many officials in his current state of mind. Lowering his head, Jin concentrated on focusing his thoughts together to try and connect pieces of information he had received together, but was getting nowhere.

Closing his eyes, Jin nodded off to sleep on the street, his ears listening to the muffled sounds of people talking and feet shuffling by. Looking up, Jin's eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar girl. "Kyla...?" Standing up, his body pumped with adrenaline, his exhaustion washing away in an instant. Sprinting, Jin caught up the female figure and grabbed her, spinning her around and holding her. "Ky-" Jin was about to shout when he realizd that doing so would create too much attention, as his sprinting already had. Looking at her, he could see the exhaustion in her eyes and that she was a bit scratched up from the looks of it. "W-What happened?" His worry filled his voice, but his relief made him smile now as he hugged her tightly.

[Kyla Monroe]

Walking had put Ky into sort of a daze, between the pain all over and the throbbing headache she currently had. It was all alot to take in, so many years worth of memories flooding into the mind can take their toll. They were doing just that as the Rayya's medic came closer to the docks, to the ship she was going to say goodbye to.

She wasn't even paying attention anymore to the faces she passed in the streets, much less anyone not on their feet. The voice that said her name didn't even register until the hands took hold of her. Her eyes were wide with shock as she turned, it took so much self control not to react violently. Her reflexes fought her for control, but she had won the round in the end.

It took her a moment to focus completely, it could have been from the pain she felt from the tight embrace Ky found herself in. A slight whimper escaped her lips as she winced in pain. Pulling herself together the confusion set in, "Jin..what're you doing out here?" There was a pause at his question, "I..I'm fine, really. Just a few scratches." Kyla tried to give him a small reassuring smile, but she wasn't sure how well it came off.

[Jin Caron]

As Jin pulled away from the embrace, he heard a slight whimper and her body shaking slightly from.. Pain was it? Looking her up and down, he saw that her body was unconsciously in a more defensive posture, keeping her arms closer to her body. As he was about mention her posture, she sudden caught him off guard with her question. "Jin..what're you doing out here?" That was the moment Jin's face went red as he realized that he had come running out of the Raaya looking for Kyla due to a very far-fetched idea that his hunters had kidnapped Kyla, but that still didn't change the fact that she had gone missing. "I was looking for you all night, I couldn't find you anywhere in the Raaya so I thought something bad happened to you.."

It was the truth, just not all of it, and Jin felt that Kyla didn't need to hear any of the bad news of him leaving just yet, not until her wounds could be attended to, no matter how light they might have been. "Lets take you to a clinic, we need to get your wounds looked at, especially if you've been out all night, those could get infected.. You should know better than this Ms. Medic.." Jin smiled as his relief took over his worry and he grabbed her hand and walked towards the nearest clinic, making sure to dodge the officials. "So what exactly were you up to outside all night?" The walk to the clinic was going to take a while and Jin had so many question to ask her..

[Kyla Monroe]

The thought that Jin had been out all night because of her both warmed her and made her feel guilty. Had she been so self absorbed that she didn't think how her absence might affect anyone else. Her head lowered slightly, "I'm sorry Jin, I didn't mean to make you worry...I just lost track of time I guess." Kyla hesitated slightly, her mind was still fuzzy and numb, she hadn't even thought of how to explain her situation exactly.

She felt bad not telling Jin everything, but he had taken her story before surprisingly well. Especially considering he was just a regular guy, you'd think he'd run for the hills and turn them in. He didn't though. With everything swirling around in her mind it made even less sense now that the years were clear. Perhaps there was something about him that she didn't know.

At the mention of going to a clinic Kyla frowned, she had been taking the back alleys to avoid any officials. "Really, I'm okay.." She tried to convince him, but it was obvious that it wouldn't work. Now Jin wanted to drag her back through the city while they were still wandering about? Not to mention she did have a few visible injuries, while not major, enough that someone might want to question her. Ky let him take her hand, most of her was glad to have him near. There was that part of her that was fearful of what might happen if something went wrong. She hadn't had time to filter through things, what if something could trigger inside her and she couldn't control it? That was a big part of why she felt the need to leave. For all she knew at the moment she could very well unintentionally kill everyone on the Rayya.
Kyla took a moment before answering Jin's inquiry. "I umm, well I took a bit of a spill is all really. Guess I wanted to hide from the embarrassment of it all.." 'What a lame excuse, couldn't you do better Ky, really?' She let out a soft sigh before realizing she wasn't keeping herself on target enough. 'Keep an eye on yourself, keep control or he'll notice. If he hasn't already. Christ. That's the last thing we need right now.'


===========
**Putting Ky's "Thoughts" in colors just because

[Jin Caron]

((Sorry for the lateness, just been busy with Christmas and finals!))

As they walked into the city, Jin glanced back at Kyla and examined her visible wounds, seeing as how they weren't the kind of scratches that you would get from falling, but he trusted that there was a good reason that she wouldn't tell him the truth and for all he knew, she had fallen and hurt herself in some odd manner. Either way, Jin decided that he had no reason to not trust Kyla's words. "Well, you have to be more careful Ky..." As the couple turned a corner, he spotted an Alliance official by a recruiting standing, obviously bored out of his mind at his post. Slowing down, Jin watched the officer's eyes, seeing if the man was scanning the crowd, as if he had been alerted of a possible unwanted presence. Only a few seconds into watching, the officer's eyes looked up as he started scanning the crowd. They must know... Jin grimaced as he realized that he was in no position to run away and if they saw him with Kyla, she would be in just as much danger as he was. For the first time in ages, he was caught in a big dilemma.

Quickly turning away, Jin pulled Kyla along a bit faster as they walked away from the stand and hopefully towards a clinic. He began to wonder whether maybe he should tell Kyla about his secret, but there was a big risk in her possibly running away. How does one tell a girl that he is an ex-Alliance Black-Ops officer with world-changing information that he doesn't know what to do with Looking behind him, Jin took in the sight of Kyla, as dirtied as she was, she was still absolutely beautiful. "Look.. I know something's up with you. And I want you to trust me enough to tell me... So..." Jin's heart raced as he reconsidered telling her his secret. Best case scenario was that Kyla would fully understand and she would come away with him to escape the Alliance, and the worst case scenario was that she would tell the nearest authorities and run away. And then there were the possibilities in between which weren't as great either.

"So I hope once we get you patched up we can talk more.." Jin couldn't tell her. It was not that he did not trust Kyla, but that he couldn't trust himself to protect her well enough if the need arose. He wasn't strong enough to protect Juliet, there was nothing that said he could protect Kyla any better. The people after him were the cream of the crop, some of the best black ops hunters out there and he knew that one day his luck would run out if he didn't figure something out. But until then, he would have to keep Kyla in the dark, even if that meant having to leave her; it would probably be for the best. They finally reached a clinic, one that seemed to be reputable enough while seeming shady enough that they wouldn't ask too many questions or tell too many people, mainly authorities.

Walking in, Jin checked Kyla in and he sat down, ushering she to sit down next to him. "Don't worry about anything. You're safe here." He wanted to say 'you're safe here with me', but with so many of his thoughts racing, he couldn't get himself to tell her something that might not be so true. Nevertheless, he swore that if authorities were to go after her, Jin would do everything in his power to save and protect her. "So where did you wander off to last night?"

[Kyla Monroe]

[[ Not a worry at all hon hope finals went well! ]]


Kyla noticed the official as well, she could tell that Jin was wary as he slowed. It was something to think on later, for now she shared his cautious action. Thankful once they were moving quickly away. What would cause Jin to be cautious of the Alliance? Not that they were a great bunch anyway, but usually such emotion had a reason behind them. She knew hers. Fear of returning to the academy. Damning her sister to the same fate. Not to mention what might happen to Jin if they found him with her. The deaths didn't do anything to help them be concealed. "True, but you're awake now Ky. So am I. Now everything is clear isn't it?"

Jin's voice also flooded into her mind, Ky looked at him and nodded slightly. "Of course." She answered them both, a distant look in her eyes. Could she really tell him the truth? It'd been a blessing as it was that he hadn't turned her over already to cash in on her bounty. What if this information threw him over the edge. On the other hand perhaps it was better if she wasn't out and free. Perhaps it was safer that way. "Don't be ridiculous! I've only done what needed to be done. Kept us safe."

They had finally reached the nearest clinic, much to Kyla's disappointment. Her own infirmary was one thing, but this wasn't hers. It was full of strangers, things she wasn't in control of. What if they were already here and knew where she was. They could easily subdue her in a clinic. Full of medicines and drugs, many of which were fit to render someone helpless. Jin's words of reassurance did little to comfort her, she didn't feel safe here.

Kyla ignored his question. Whatever she would end up telling him, this was not the place. There were too many ears, too much uncertainty. She took hold of Jin's hand and stood up from her chair. "Can we just go, please. I don't want to be here, I'm fine really Jin." She pleaded to him to take her away from here. Hoping that he wouldn't try to get her to stay against her wishes.

[Jin Caron]

Jin looked into Kyla's eyes and saw that she was uncomfortable at the clinic. She did need medical attention, no matter how light the wounds might have been, but then again, Kyla was a medic. If her wounds were so dire, he trusted that she could think logically enough to stay, even if it was uncomfortable. But he still was worried about her injuries. Sighing in resignation, Jin stood up and walked out of the clinic with Kyla. "Okay, so I'm trusting that your wounds really aren't bad then... But you have to promise me that you'll get yourself patched up one way or another eventually.." Jin grabbed Kyla's hand and smiled as he started to walk out of town and towards the Raaya. He knew there was something up, between being uncomfortable being in the clinic, to Kyla avoiding Jin's question of what happened last night.

As much as he wanted to bring it up, he knew that doing so would only cause a conflict with no benefits to neither Jin or Kyla. As the made it out of the busy sections of the city, Jin took in the scenery in the distance as he considered what to say to Kyla. "I don't know what's going on, or what's going on in your head right now... But know that I'm here for you Ky." Jin didn't know what else to say. He had his own secrets and so he wouldn't dare try and push Kyla to tell hers unless he was more than sure to tell his own secrets. At the same time, he felt that both his and her secrets were going to wreck some nasty havoc in the near future if they didn't tell each other. But Jin just hoped for the best and that Kyla would tell him soon.

[Kyla Monroe]

Ky was relieved that Jin didn't fight her on wanting to leave the clinic. While she could probably use some medical attention there were no injuries that a doc could help much. Bruises, scrapes and cuts would heal over time, there was nothing major. "Promises, I am a medical professional myself and all." She would give herself a check over once they got back to the ship. They walked back through the town toward the ship. Luckily again they avoided any officials, being stopped was the last thing she needed.

They got closer to the docks, out of the busy streets. Busier than usual at this time, but with what had happened it was expected. Jin reassured her of him being there for her, Ky sighed a little. "Don't do it Ky, can you really trust him? You know as much as I do something isn't right." She stopped, shook her head a little and looked at him for a few moments. There was worry in her, but she did trust him.

Kyla looked around them, no one was near. If they were going to work, she couldn't keep secrets, even if such secrets could be the end of them. Her voice was soft, nearly a whisper just in case. "Ky...""Jin..those officials all around..they're looking for me..." She waited for the outburst, the panic, the anger. Whatever reaction Jin might have. Even waited for him to possibly run off and try to turn her in.

[Jin Caron]

Jin was surprised. Alliance officials after Kyla? He remembered the bounty on Kyla's head, but he did not imagine it was such a heavy matter that the Alliance would send their own soldiers out to find her. And then the thought hit him. If he found a way to anonymously tell the Alliance officials about Kyla's whereabouts, it would give Jin enough time to escape from the world and survive longer. But for what reason and at what cost? Jin hated himself for even considering this. If it cost him his life, he would protect those he cared about; he would die before selling Kyla out. Stopping on the road outside of town, Jin grabbed Kyla's hands and looked her in the eyes. "If they're after you, then I'll do everything in my power to keep them away from you." Jin smiled as comfortingly as possible and hugged Kyla. "It doesn't matter to me that they're after you. What matters to me is why.. Without knowing why, I can't help you more than keep you away from them." Jin knew that using his knowledge of hiding and keeping officials following false information would get Kyla curious as to why he knows such things, but it was better than having Alliance officials chasing after her and possibly eventually chasing after him as well.

[Kyla Monroe]

Ky was surprised that there was no outburst, instead there was comfort and caring. She stared with widened eyes at him as he spoke to her. Why. He wants to know why. "Of course he does! You can't just say something like that without expecting him to want to know why!" Sighing she let go of Jin's hands and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It sort of started a few months ago, I was on Boros at the time...I got into a situation. I didn't remember exactly what happened, I'd blacked out.' Kyla dropped her eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze as she continued. She explained how things had started, how she encountered a group of men that had ill intentions toward her. 'Well..when I regained consciousness..they were all dead. I didn't remember anything at the time.."

She dared to raise her eyes back up to Jin, full of sadness and worry. "That's what happened last night Jin, except I didn't black out this time, but I didn't feel in control....I don't know why it happened now, but it triggered..well it triggered everything that I had lost in my mind.."

[Jin Caron]

Slowly things started to connect in his mind. The bounty, the Alliance soldiers, and most of all, the lack of memory in Kyla. It seemed far to similar to a certain other girl's situation, a certain girl Jin had been assigned to hunt down while in the Alliance military. River Tam. He wasn't sure what it was that they had done to either Kyla or River, but he had a feeling they were closely connected. "So you've been taught to unconsciously kill when a certain key is triggered." A living weapon... Jin thought as he tried to go through his memory of conversations had and overheard during his search for River for any clues. There had always been talk about the mythical 'academy' where the Alliance were creating supersoldiers, but it was always very far-fetched, going as far as to say that those soldiers were mind readers. Jin couldn't believe any of it, it was just to insane to consider such supernatural things as real.

But he had met River Tam once during his travels, and it was then that he considered those stories to be possibly true. But knowing about Kyla's past was not going to help them much at this point, if she had a trigger, it was best to keep them away from it and if she was being chased, the best way to keep her hidden is by making sure no one sees her. "So then they're looking for you because you killed a bunch of people. That's never good, and not to sound morbid but there are murders all the time. If we can stay away from them long enough it should get them off your back." Jin knew that if Kyla really was an Alliance weapon like River Tam this was very false, but he didn't know that for sure and he didn't want to unnecessarily scare Kyla.

So what will they do? Jin was on the run and now Kyla was too. It was only logical that he leave the Raaya for the safety of the crew, but if Kyla was being hunted, it would make no sense to leave them down a gun if they run into a situation. I can take Kyla with me... The thought exploded in his head and surprised himself. Run away with Kyla? Was he crazy?? The last time he had done that, it had gotten the girl killed and left Jin in a prison for months until he was able to escape. But it was the safest decision for the Raaya crew, for Kyla, and oddly enough, possibly the safest decision for Jin. If Kyla was as skilled with killing as she says, she may be able to help keep both of them safe when the situation arose to fight. And if the Alliance had a trigger to take away her fighting abilities, Jin would be able to protect her. It seemed so logical, yet he hesitated to tell her. If she was a living weapon, what wasn't to say she wouldn't turn on him and kill or capture him? How could he trust her with his life; something he had not done with anyone in a long time. "Ky, do you have any memories of how you came to learn to fight like you did?" If he could find out exactly what happened, maybe he would be able to trust her enough to actually ask without being worried of the consequences.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla shook her head, "It's not exactly like that I don't think. They didn't do anything to me that would make that happen, I was trained like any other person. I know I used to be in control, but now it doesn't feel that way." Running her hand through her hair she paced a few times in front of Jin. Talking about all of this was making her a little twitchy, she wasn't able to sit still. It was all still new to her too.

Killed a bunch of people? "You say it like it's nothing Jin. I've killed people, regardless of who they were, how is that okay?" Kyla was a healer, a medic. She was supposed to help, not hurt. "Yeah that's you, but that's not me Ky." She was visibly upset, and getting annoyed at the voice in her head.

How was Jin not scared and running off to turn her in? Instead he was curious and trying to defend her actions. Even if they didn't feel like her own. "It's like I said, regular training. Probably a bit more of an intense schedule than any normal person though...I can't speak for Kara, she completed the training. I got out...but she didn't." Kyla suddenly felt the guilt of that knowledge that she now had. She'd gotten rescued and Kara had stayed behind to give her the extra few moments to get away. Sure she had fought to stay with her sister but the rescue hadn't been of her own power. A group had been hired to get them out.

[Jin Caron]

Jin had never considered killing with a humane perspective. Doing so would've had made him go insane from all the potentially innocent lives he had taken during his time as a black ops operative. Yet when Kyla got upset about his outlook on killing, he was thrown aback by his own response to her actions. Just murders? What have I become that I think of lives lost as 'just murders'? He regained his composure as to not worry Kyla and nodded as she explained more about her training and what she remembered.

Then one word hit him as she spoke. "You got out?" Jin asked, becoming more and more suspicious that Kyla, and supposedly Kara as well, were in very similar situations as River Tam was. And since the Alliance officials were after her for this training, or at least what it led to, it meant that there was some sort of connection. "So then why are the Alliance after you for this? How come the it's not just the local authorities? Does it have to do with your training?" Jin knew he was treading very close to some lines that Kyla probably did not want to cross, but he had to push because they were running out of time. Soon enough the Alliance would send out patrol ships to search the area for her.

[Kyla Monroe]

Kyla sighed, this was becoming a long conversation and she was tired. Not that it mattered though, she wouldn't be able to rest anytime soon. There was too much going on, not only around her but in her head too. "Yes, I got out. Our parents..they hired some group of people to rescue us. They were only half successful.." Again the guilt from that night was tugging at her heart, leaving her sister behind. She should have stayed with her, so that neither of them would have been alone.

"They aren't after me for the murders exactly, they're just after me. The Academy wants us back; Kara and me. The Alliance, or at least part of it, heads the Academy Jin.." Kyla paused for a minute, as the situation caught up with her some. "How is it exactly that you're so calm about all of this? This isn't an everyday situation that you'd find yourself in Jin." The suspicions were starting to creep up from behind.