"A starship captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive."

– James T. Kirk, 2268 ("The Omega Glory")

Sorry if this is too long! I had no way to screenshot and link it so I just put it here ;v; ))

A trap. Of course it was a trap. Any reasonable woman would accept a coffee from a nice man but of course, she was in the wrong. Let the less be taught not to accept offers from strangers.. or was that lesson already taught? Either way, it was impossible for the woman to get out of the situation she had brought upon herself. It was pestering her, how dumb she was not to register that the man was dangerous. The way he moved, his sophisticated speech, that glint in his dark eyes as he watched her. It was easy to tell that he was shady and that Karsyn was an easy catch. Due to her ignorance, she sat on a cold concrete floor. It was an older place, a few holes in the walls and roof, sand piled into the home making it a mini desert. Through some of the holes the woman could catch a view of the starry night sky. It was beautiful out, or so she assumed.

It wouldn't be beautiful for long. The night was quite chilly and the temperature was dropping too fast for her comfort. She was only dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers she had put on before leaving home earlier that month. It had been a good while since she had seen other people. She had been used. Not in any.. filthy ways but was given information that she was told not to speak of. She was threatened with death if she did so. It made it easy to train her to keep her lips sealed, which the man who took her enjoyed.

The woman was unsure of who the man had been, their names were never spoken around her. She only memorized certain phrases they would say to her. Overwatch was a common one and as much as she would like to pretend she knew what it meant, she didn't. So that became part of the reason they kept her sealed away and now, here she was. Tied to an rickety post of the old house, a strip of cloth in her mouth to get her from yelling. She knew how to get out of some situations like this but unlike most people, she was tied in what felt like heavy chains instead of rope. Plus, they took away the pocket knife she always had in her shoe.

After a while, it begun to grow clear that Karsyn would die here. She was alone, starving, and it was only getting colder by the second. Her skin was riddled with bruises and goose-bumps as she wiggled helplessly. She decided to start counting the minutes that went by, laying her head back against the post. The only simple thing to do was nap and any glance over her agreed with that statement. Dark bags under her eyes proved the amount of rest she lost. Her body seemed to decide before she could as she laid her head back against the post she was tied to. A few minutes of shut eye couldn't hurt.

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Interested!

“What’s going on?” Jake asked, but nobody responded to him, and his stomach began to sink at the absence of emotions he was beginning to notice from each flame’s face, their bodies beginning to rise from their seats with caution as if waiting for Shade to make a first move.
A thundering rap came down on the front door, vibrating the wood with great force as a booming voice came shouting from behind it, “Police! Open the door!” It was a hefty masculine voice, and silhouettes of vehicles rearing up the driveway could be outlined in the silk pleat curtains.
Jake’s heart quickened, it was deputy cars from his precinct house.
Had Weathers sent out a team?
Another set of loud bangs came down, and Jake could only watch through the space between the drapery as several officers jogged across the lawn, dressed in full cordura ballistic vests and carrying remington shotguns; attire fit for a fight.
A grunt escaped Shade as he spun on his heels, keeping his head low as he crept towards the door, placing a palm over the handle, turning his eyes back to the others and sending them a very pressing glare. Almost on instinct, the others in the room fled like field mice, Shark and Xi swiftly making their way up the stairs while Zero and Fox flying down the hallway towards the backroom, while Shade turned his eyes on Jake. The office outside mumbled something, and the raven haired boy let out a sharp whistle to give rise to a ensemble of scraping claws that shook the ceiling above them, as the large rottweiler owned by the family came rushing down the stairs and heading towards Shade, who unlocked the door with a quick finger and pulled back the door.
Kit sprang right on the officer, nails using his vest to hoist herself up on his torso, and the man’s scream was silenced by the dog’s great jaw that clamped around his neck, and they both fell backwards onto the porch stairs.
The door slammed shut with a great kick from Shade, as he reached into his back pocket to pull out a silver polished Beretta and quickly fled into the kitchen and Jake could only stand there in shock. Loud calls from the team outside could be heard, but all his mind could replay was the gruesome sound of a windpipe completely being torn, and would’ve stayed like that if Shade didn’t let out a annoyed groan and grab Jake by the shoulder. “We don’t have time for this!” He growled, gripping between the elbow and forearm. “Don’t freeze up!” The boy shouted, and released him, turning back into the kitchen and flying down the stairs towards the basement.
Leroy.

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A ficlet for submission:

Rain pounded heavily against the lamp-lit sidewalk, in tandem with Jay's own tired footsteps. She had been up at dawn, sweeping the streets for criminals before her morning classes, and had had scarcely a moment’s rest until her evening patrol ended half an hour ago. Her bones felt like lead. How the hell did pro heroes manage this kind of double life? Then again, her coworkers included a highschool dropout, a homeless man, and a full-time maniac; it was entirely possible that she was just deluding herself, thinking she could have it all. Her head bowed against the deluge, the exhausted super almost walked straight past her destination.
'You shouldn’t be here,' reason told her as she moved towards the warm glow of the cafe. You’ll hate yourself in the morning. Jay shoved the warning voice down as she stepped out of the storm, scanning the room before moving to the counter. “One large mochaccino and a double chocolate chip, please.” As she waited for the cashier to ring her up, she fought back the litany of reasons to leave. 'You haven't slept well in a week. You have to keep your strength up to fight the Reapers. You should study in your dorm, where it's quiet and controlled. You should keep up with your classes so people don’t know you're not normal.' The cashier hands her her change, and as Jay takes a sip of fortifying coffee, she noticed three new texts. Opening the chat, she saw a grainy photo of herself at the counter, followed by a picture of a wet and fantastically grumpy black cat and the caption: it’s you. She looked around to find Jericho grinning at her from a table in the back, along with a couple other of their friends. The returning smile was tired but genuine. 'Sleep is overrated,' Jay decided as they laughed into the early hours. 'These guys make me feel normal.'

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Wind whispered through the trees, making the leaves dance in soft harmony, each blade straining to break free of the tree itself. Some managed to float down to the ground, laying there as if forgotten until the breeze picked them up again in a new rhythm. The sunlight filtered down through the bright foliage, dappling the soil and warming the earth. Although the day was pleasant, there was a slight scent of frost in the air, the only hint that autumn was close at hand. It would be weeks before the colors of the forest would begin to change. Despite that, animals of all kinds were already preparing, scuttling across the forest floor in search of food to store away. Vivid emerald eyes watched everything from high above, taking in each movement.

They were obviously waiting for something, searching for a sign of an animal much larger than the squirrels and rabbits milling around below. This particular part of the woodland was known for its monsters, however from its current looks any unsuspecting traveler would think otherwise. But looks could be deceiving. To Kirin, the signs were blatant. If one looked close enough, they would see the large indentions in the dirt near the bushes, footprints made by a creature many had been killed by. Bleached bones were scattered everywhere, halfway hidden by fallen leaves, some so small they could be confused for rocks or twigs. Deep gouges left bark flayed and open, seeping wounds that the trees tried desperately to heal. It was in one of these trees that Kirin hid, his brow furrowed in concentration, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Any moment now and the ogre would leave its den to feed, preying on the nearby settlement of tradesmen that had set up a temporary village for trapping season.

Kirin wasn't going to let that happen, not on his watch. Too many had died already, and the market had taken a hit because of it. The kingdom needed those pelts for the coming winter, especially the smaller towns with fewer resources, and the guild had to do something about it. He had been chosen specifically for this task, his stealth and previous experience in slaying monsters making him the perfect candidate for the job.

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