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At forty, David's face had rounded a little. His hair had thinned. Crow's feet crouched at the corners of his eyes, but that same guilty grin beamed from his tanned face. "See? The world didn't come to an end."   Andy turned the miniVid off and shoved it into his pocket. He paced away from Kumi shaking his head. "What is the big deal ?"
    Suddenly the lights went off.
    "What the hell?"   Rebecca reached out and grasped the edge of the table.
    "Don't move. Let me call and see why they cut the power."   She heard Kumi take a few steps towards the windows. The smaller woman flipped open a vidScreen not unlike the one Andy had taken, the wan light illuminating Kumi's frown.
    "There's no reason for this," Kumi said.
    "Maybe they got notified of his death."   Rebecca strained to make out objects as her night vision solidified.
    "Doesn't matter."   Kumi snapped the vid closed and disappeared in the darkness of the room.
    "Power's on all the time now, Bec."   Andy used the pet name that David had always used. "People don't pay for it like they used to. No reason, really. Power is free."
    "Then what's the problem?"
    No sooner had the question passed her lips when the windows exploded inwards. Rebecca screamed and propelled herself backwards, tripping and falling to the floor. Against the backdrop of an L.A. night, five figures vaulted over the window sills, landing in the room at a crouch. Black against the lighter darkness of the room, their features were indistinguishable.
    "Stay back!"  
    Kumi's command was followed by another voice, this one low and laced with static. " Gei wo ni'de xin ."   Kumi sucked in air at the words. She flipped open her vidScreen again, but before she could utter a command, a kick flashed out, sending the device clattering into the darkness.
    "Get up, Bec."   Andy hauled Rebecca to her feet. Finding her balance, she reached out for something to use to defend herself with. She grasped something long and solid.
    The figures began to move towards Kumi, who blocked them from where Rebecca and Andy stood. With their cat-like movements and constantly moving arms as they wind-milled from one defense to another, Rebecca couldn't help but worry for Kumi's safety. How could one woman take on five of these...these...assassins was the only word she could think of to use.
    "Kumi look out!"
    "Stay back. Don't come near me."   Kumi shot forward, her right foot smashing against the side of the closest assassin's head. He went down, but was replaced by another. This one didn't wait. He attacked with a flurry of punches that Kumi somehow managed to block, her arms moving at odd angles to intersect the blows before they did damage.
    "Come on," Andy whispered urgently. "We gotta go!"
    He'd grabbed Rebecca's wrist, but she jerked free. "No—we need to help Kumi. She can't take them by herself."
    "And you can?"   He grabbed her wrist again and jerked her close. "Listen, we need to get away so we can figure out what's going on."
    She could just make out his face, lines of worry and concern masking any fear. He was right. Like her brother's death, this couldn't be coincidence. She needed to figure out what the hell was happening.
    Kumi screamed in pain then redoubled her attack sending another of the assassins to the ground.
    Rebecca couldn't leave this woman to fight alone. "Kumi!"
    "Get out of here."    Kumi groaned as two of the assassins attacked at once, a kick getting past her defense. "Run, Rebecca, run !"
    That was all Rebecca needed. She let Andy pull her out the door. They crashed into someone in the dark hallway, but their momentum carried them through and down the stairs before the man could recover. When they hit the street, they headed south. They didn't stop running until they were bathed in the busy lights of Olympic Boulevard.
    But they had another problem. Her parole collar began to emit a whine. People turned and stared. A policeman talking to a cabbie across the street looked towards the sound.