At some warehouse, in some city, in some county, a single form steps through a door, wearing a specially made headset and glove. The headset, not much unlike the ones used in a child's cartoon show, was constantly scanning, giving him readings of any being within the vicinity.

Standing in one place for a while, he patiently waited. Satisfied that there was not a single person there, the man slowly crept forward, his tennis shoes softening the thud of his approach, and for that he was happy. He couldn't be too loud even though there was no detectable life around. His glove glowed softly, almost like it was waiting for something to happen.

His glove wasn't the only thing that glowed; in fact, his whole body had dimly glowing instruments on it. Some enhanced his physical features; others were there for channeling his energies when he needed them.

Suddenly, his headset homed in on something. It was faint, but it was life, or rather the mockery of it. The man had seen this type of being before; it was a ghoul of the Technocracy, a being so vile that horror novels hadn't even been invented for them yet. His mind told him, Turn around, you are not ready yet.

The being hadn't noticed him yet. Good, he could slide by it, maybe. Fate wasn't with him today, as he had figured. The being began moving toward him, so he drew his twin silenced pistols.

Hearing a growl from behind him, he shifted his view, keeping the original animal in his peripheral vision. There was another beast behind him, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Immediately, there was a flash as the man had his guns out and shooting before either creature could react. His headset flashing with angles and equations, he knew the bullets wouldn't keep the beasts down, so he switched the headset to its night vision mode. He ran through the warehouse, turning occasionally to see that the beasts were following him and catching up.

Entering a door, he wound through narrow corridors with banging and barking and scratching right on his heels it seemed.

"Destination: 100 meters," A mechanical voice emanated from the headset. He ran, his legs almost seeming to glide over the floor. "Turn left at next intersection."

When he turned left he saw a single steel door, heavy enough to keep just about anyone out. Looking back, he saw where the beings were. They were just coming around the corner. He cursed as his glove formed a small key where his finger should have been, and he used that to open the door. As he entered he knew the animals were almost on him. He slammed the door and saw two dents in the steel as the beasts rammed the door with almost unimaginable speed. Turning, he saw the object of his mission, a small girl, balled up in the corner. "Come with me, I won't hurt you."

As he got closer she started to cry and tried to back away, but the corner stopped her. He set his visor to a scan mode and noticed two small injuries, one at her temple, the other at her neck. He cursed again. They had done it. Appealing to the little girl, he said softly, "I'm an angel. I've come to fly with you out of here."

He quickly scanned the room. Three windows near the roof, about 9 feet up. He held his hand and the girl took it, out of plain curiosity if nothing else. He stooped to pick her up, then stopped as the voice said to him again, Are you sure you want to do this? The Technocracy has probably already broken her.

He ignored it for one more time then picked the feather weight girl up. Bunching his muscles in his legs he activated the machines attached to them. He jumped at just the right angle and crashed through the windows.