Chisaki poked her head around the corner of one of Vegas's side streets. She had kept to the alleys, the smaller streets, and the rest. She also kept Nova close, but felt a flash of frustration. She began to appreciate how much slower, how less alert he was. She could feel their heartbeats, smell them, know they were coming. Nova could not. She learned she had to warn him, constantly, to stay out of their way. He had to see them coming.

It was annoying. That wasn't fair. Nor was a city being sacked. The screams, the stink of blood, and the rest had been chilling.

She looked down the street, and then looked back at Nova. "I don't think they're close--should be going the other way," she said, quietly. She tried to sound confident, like she knew where she was going. She didn't; she had the barest sense of direction and a city's downtown area was a maze. The projected confidence was mostly for Nova's sake. "I want to turn, move out there, and move fast. We're headed for the alley about three blocks down that way. Okay?"