 |
Disclaimer: Same as before. Thank-you reviewers, you’re an inspiration as ever! ~ = Translated from Arabic + = Translated from Swahili September 20th, 1988, Cairo. ~ “These three wallets and this.”~ Ororo dug deep into her pocket and produced a gleaming Rolex watch, procured from an unsuspecting tourist just an hour earlier. The street merchant snatched the item from the young girls hand, holding it up to the light and inspecting it closely. ~ “O. K. thief, you have a deal.”~ Putting the watch into the cloth bag that was slung around his body he then took the wallets. He made a quick note of the contents of each before putting them with the watch. ~ “ Now please, tell me where the white haired girl is.”~ She insisted as she pulled the hood of her robe tighter about her own head, making sure it concealed her hair. She’d been bartering with this stubborn little man for nearly half an hour. Finally, and at much cost of an afternoons work, he’d agreed to tell her the whereabouts of whom she could only presume was her sister. The sister she’d spent the last ten years of her life believing was dead. ~ “There was a girl of that description in this area---about a week ago.”~ The merchant paused, gazing out into the street as he tried to recall more specific details. After a moment he gave her the directions to a disused building situated in one of the most run down areas of the city. Soon she was on her way through the hoards of people milling around in the hot dusty streets---hoping that she was about to see her older sister---Karima Munroe. Ororo had been living, or more over surviving as a petty thief on these hostile streets for over two years now. Begging, scrounging, steeling---doing whatever she could to get by. With no real family to speak of save for the rag tag gang of street urchins she sometimes ran with, at times she felt there was no hope for much better in her future. But a chance meeting, an overheard conversation in a dark and somewhat seedy tavern had given her hope. Hope that there may be something better---that her sister that she had long given up for dead was in fact here, in the same city as her. * Dusk had begun to settle, turning the blue skies a luminous orange. At this time of the day Cairo positively glowed and could, for a time, be mistaken for the most beautiful place on earth. Ororo had finally arrived at the building the merchant had told her about. It was a dilapidated, boarded up shop. She inspected its façade carefully. At first it appeared that there was no way of entering, but then she caught sight of the loose board on one of the windows. Slicing it back slowly, Ororo peered into the shop, but she could see nothing but a cavernous black space. She pulled back from the window, letting the board fall back down. She had no real idea as to what the hell was in there---but she had to chance it. She took off her robe to reveal what could only be described as glorified sackcloth underneath. Tying her dark robe about her waist securely she went back to the window and pulled the board far back, letting it catch on a nail in the window frame. Gripping at the windows splintered edges she swung her leg up onto the sill, getting a firm footing with her sandaled foot. With little difficulty she hoisted her light body up and through the opening. She landed lightly on the other side in a crouching position, immediately attempting to scan the area once more. But still she could see nothing as she gradually rose to her feet. The debris of broken glass, brick-dust and goodness knows what crunched under her feet as she moved. Taking two steps forwards into the dark tentatively she stopped abruptly. She was sure there was some one else in the room with her. She could just feel it---eyes watching her from the dark. She was about to take another step when suddenly some one wrapped their arm around her throat from behind. Her attacker pulled her into their body and that’s when she felt the point of something sharp press into her back. Instantly Ororo’s hands shot up to grasp at the arm that was slung tight around her neck. She would have shouted out had the arm not been pressing so hard against her windpipe. ~ “What business have you here girl.”~ A male croaky voice snarled into her ear. Ororo tried desperately to reply but his hold on her neck was getting tighter and tighter and she could barely breath, never mind speak. She started to thrash about in his grip, trying to break free ~ “Please! Let me go!”~ She managed to say in a strangled hiss as she arched her back away from whatever it was he was pressing into her. The man held on for a second or two longer before slowly releasing his hold. As soon as the arm had gone Ororo stumbled forwards grasping at her throat as she gasped for air. Spinning around to face her assailant, all she could see was the gleaming point of a blade, glinting in the one thin stream of light that had made its way through a gap in one of the boards. Ororo held her hands up in front of her in a defensive ‘stop’ gesture. ~ “I don’t want any trouble---I’m looking for someone. A girl I was told was living here.”~ She tried to disguise the tremor in her voice but to no avail. ~ “There are many girls here but this is no place for you. GO NOW!”~ The man waved the knife in the direction of the window. Bringing her hands down Ororo had gotten over the initial shock of the attack and was now feeling a bit more defiant. She wasn’t going to be turned away now, not by anyone. ~ “I will not leave until I find her. She is called Karima Munroe and she is unmistakable to the eye.”~ The man gave a non-descript grunt as he moved closer to Ororo, replacing the knife back into its housing on his belt. Her eyes were becoming used to the gloom now and she could make out his shabby and grizzled features a little. ~ “ You mean the girl with the pale hair---hair like the moon?”~ He pointed skywards as he said it. ~ “Yes. Is she here?”~ ~ “Maybe---that depends.”~ The man said slyly. Ororo new what he was implying and she’d had just about enough of dealing with hustlers today. Now it was her turn to take the more aggressive initiative. Her foot flew upwards, catching the man in the jaw. The momentum of the action brought her close to him, giving her the opportunity to catch his right arm. Twisting it behind his back as she span him around to get behind him. The man cried out as he bent his upper body down towards the floor to alleviate the pain. Ororo only twisted the man’s arm harder though as she grabbed a handful of his hair in her other hand and yanked his head up. Moving in closer so that her mouth was by his ear she hissed, ~ “I have nothing left to give you old man and I am in no mood to bargain.”~ Ororo abruptly released her grip, sending the man sprawling to the filthy floor. She detested having to do that but life on the streets had taught her that kindness and fair play were not hard currency out there. To show weakness was to be killed. ~ “Now take me to her.”~ She demanded. The shaking man scrambled from the floor, eyeing Ororo carefully the whole time. Although he couldn’t have known that deep down she was still a little afraid of him, she appeared stern. ~ “Alright you little witch! I’ll take you to her.”~ He snarled as he reached into his pocket on his grubby smock. Pulling out a book of matches he then walked off into the darkness at the back of the large space. Ororo could hear him scratching around for something then there was a flare of light and she could see him lighting something. An oil lamp? No, it was an open flamed torch, a paraffin soaked rag on a stick by the smell of it. The torch instantly lit the room, throwing light on the more or less empty space. Four central pillars were the only solid structure left in the place that was littered with the odd empty turned over cardboard box and shattered glass from the windows. Fallen plaster was strewn all over the dusty floor. The man walked to the far left hand corner of the room setting the torch down he knelt on the floor and grabbed what looked like a large iron hoop. Pulling at it a section of the floor opened up, it was a trap door. Ororo moved in closer to see a set of steps leading down underneath the building. She felt herself growing cold and for a moment she didn’t think she could go down there. The mere thought of being underground terrified her but she steeled herself. Finding Karima was more important than giving sway to her personal fears---so she took a deep breath and pushed them to the back of her mind. * The man led her quickly down the tunnel of the cellar. He hadn’t said a word to her and she was relieved for that. The last thing she wanted was to give him an inkling that she was scared almost witless. They passed door after door, all of them shut but rays of warm light spilled out from the gaps at their bottom. The soft mumbling of many voices could be heard from behind their iron mass. It seemed that there was an entire community living down here, street people taking refuge wherever they could find it. Finally they reached the very end of the tunnel and the man banged on the last door three times. He started to walk away but just a few steps from Ororo he turned back to face her. Looking her up and down slowly an expression of disgust came to his face. Staring at her hair he growled, ~ “Freak!”~ Then he spat on the floor, the result of the vile action landing mere millimetres from her feet. Ororo held her head up, flashing him a sardonic grin. She was used to such comments by now, she no longer paid them any mind. The man shuffled off back down the tunnel, muttering bitterly to himself. Leaving Ororo alone to face her moment of truth. * The room, that was tantamount to a prison cell, was very dimly lit. A small lamp hung on a rusty chain from the leaking ceiling. Damp ran down the brick walls and the smell in the place was appalling. All manner of pungent and offensive odours competing with each other. It was so sharp that Ororo had to cover her nose at first, the stench bringing tears to her eyes. + “Or—Ororo?---is that you?+ A weak voice drifted from a darkened corner of the room and there was a shifting noise. Ororo took her hand from over her mouth as she squinted her eyes to try and make out the shape huddled in the corner. + “Karima?”+ She whispered. The figure shifted again, moving into the pool of light that collected in the centre of the room. It was she---it was Karima. She was enveloped in a dirty pale blue blanket, pulled up over her head. She clasped it together at her chest with trembling hands. She looked ghastly, her face drawn and gaunt, her once warm, rich mocha eyes were dull and dark now---sunken into her sockets. + “Is it really you---my sister? My Ororo?”+ She reached one trembling and horribly thin arm out from beneath the blanket. The movement caused it to slip off her right shoulder, exposing her heavily pregnant belly. Ororo would have gasped in shock had Karima not suddenly pitched forwards. To weak to stand anymore, she fell into her young sisters arms. The pair collapsed to the floor, Ororo landing in a kneeling position, her sister’s head falling into her lap. + “What happened to you?!+ Ororo asked frantically. She searched her sister’s once pretty face and realised that there was little hope of getting a straight answer out of her. Karima’s eyes were rolling around haphazardly, unable to focus. One touch of her skin told Ororo she was burning up, fever obviously raging through her body. It was then that she started to shiver, small beads of sweat starting on her forehead. + “Karima, I must get you out of here. You are ill---you need help.”+ * * * The sun had set now, the nights inky black had claimed the yellow orcha streets of Cairo. From the top of a partly empty, run down warehouse three men sat and watched. All dressed in identical black fatigues, with ‘ninjaesque’ facial garments, they had sat, and waited and watched. It had taken some time for the younger girl to pull the older woman out through the window that was the only exit from the old shop that sat opposite. Her state of health and obvious other condition making the task especially difficult. Eventually they were out and heading slowly up the dusty street---the younger of the two obviously struggling to keep her sister upright as they shuffled. ~ “Let us go Shadows.”~ The man at the window said quietly, never taking his eyes off the women. ~ “I doubt they will get far.”~ One of the other men stepped closer to the window, peering through the gap in the haphazardly arranged wooden boards. ~ “I agree leader---but do you think that it would be wise perhaps to wait?”~ He turned to face his superior. ~ “Why wait? We have them.”~ At that point the third man at the back chimed in. ~ “No, I agree. It would be easier to retrieve the Masters property once it were born.”~ He gave the leader of the group a short bow after voicing his humble opinion, a sign of respect and perhaps servitude. He was but a boy really and hadn’t been with the organisation for long. The leader stared at the boy, a cold glint in his eyes that were framed top and bottom in black cloth. For a split second the young recruit feared he had down a major wrong, even feared for a moment that his time was near as the leader continued to eye him with a look of steel. He had heard rumours that members had been killed for far less than questioning their field leaders decisions. The boy’s superior walked determinedly over to him, bringing his gloved hand up and practically slapping it around the back of his neck and gripping. He closed his eyes tight for a moment, small beads of sweat starting on his forehead underneath his headdress. He didn’t know whether the gesture was one of hostility or ‘manly’ approval. The leader brought the boys face close to his until they were almost eyeball-to-eyeball, staring him out. When the, by now shaking, boy averted his gaze the older man smiled beneath his ‘veil’ and said, ~“Maybe you are right boy.”~ The boy released a loud shaking breath, the action making his leader snicker briefly, his point had been made. He may have conceded that both his ‘soldiers’ were correct but he’d stamped his authority on the organizations latest recruit. ~ “Now let’s move---we can’t afford to lose them.”~ With that the three hastily made their way from their lookout post to follow the women. -TBC- Reviews really work for me, so please, please do! |