The slush alternatively crunched or squished under her feet, which she hated. When she moved fast, the surface under her feet didn’t matter; it seemed she barely touched it. She’d been running earlier, ever since dumping the stolen car at the state border and that had felt good, stretching herself, being able to run. She eyed the building dubiously and checked her watch. She wasn’t late, but evidently other people were already in the building. And some outside too. She knew a grunt when she saw one.

Cassie shoved her hands in her pockets. The right touched the reassuring stubby feel of her handgun, the left, claws half-extending, brushed against the invitation that had brought her here.

~~~

The invitation was propped up against her cap. [i]Her fucking cap.[/i] Nobody touched her cap; [i]nobody[/i]. She read the invitation through twice, her lips tightening. [i]A conference. Huh.[/i] She considered it carefully; could this be a trap, something set up by Redlame and his new friends? Cassie shook her head. He wasn’t smart enough to arrange something that complicated. [i]Anyway, it’s not flashy enough for him, the dumbass.[/i]

She’d binned the plane ticket and stolen a car instead; maybe that was stupid with the airport practically on her doorstep, but there was the risk that her claws might set off the metal detector wand at the airport, and thinking up some story which explained why her hands were making the wand beep wasn’t what she did – she couldn’t be bothered. Besides, in a car she wouldn’t have to risk some fat greasy fuck sitting next to her. 

She stopped the car at the border, shrugging into her leather jacket as she got out. Her breath plumed out like smoke as she considered the sky. The western horizon was still a rich, royal blue, but the east was grudgingly allowing the sun to assert itself; the dawn was almost colourless with just the faintest edge of pale pink as a concession to the sunrise. A tight smile pulled her lips back as she sucked into another lungful of cold air and started to run.

~~~

Cassie regarded the two sets of goons in front of the building. She could start shooting before they knew she was there, but why bother when she could get in before they could stop her? She stretched and ran towards the building, her pace no more than a moderate jog to her. There were no gunshots, no shouting. She heard a voice from behind exclaiming “Where the hell did she come from?” when she was at the door. Then she had twisted the door handle and stepped inside. 

[i]I didn’t expect this.[/i] She felt a surge of something like claustrophobia at the sight of the people inside. Her claws slid out inside her pockets. She took a steadying breath and let them slid back under her nails. [i]You can deal with this, it’s cool. You just weren’t thinking so many people would be here.[/i]

She glanced around at the others, raising an apparently disinterested hand to flick her hair back from her face. A couple of balding villainous types, a couple of dark haired women with red eyes – they could be contacts, but she didn’t think so - a woman dressed in clothes that probably cost more than the car she'd borrowed earlier, a shorter blonde woman, and  - [i]holy shit, he looks like Godzilla’s little brother![/i]  A huge freaking dragon man; she’d seen him on the news, fighting some flying chick. A flying chick who had joined up with Redlame. He went up several points in her book for that alone.

She took another look at the others. Actually a few of them did look vaguely familiar. She looked at the woman in the demon costume. [i]Have I see her on the news or in a soap opera?
[/i]