CHAPTER 2 BLINKS IN TIME

Asura slunk into the corner of the tavern, watching the patrons of The Sunflower as they drank to their merriment, sloshing beer over their fellows and throwing insults at each other. What a pitiful existence, she thought. They can't even stand upright. Breathing quietly, she slowly crossed her long slender legs, splitting the dress she wore all the way up to her hip. She was silently mapping out how she could kill each filthy human in the room to keep her entertained as she waited when quietly, from the front door, a tall figure slithered her way into the bar. No one noticed her except Asura: she had been waiting.

The woman had a long grey dress on, barely covering what was obviously a lean, snake like body underneath. It hung around her neck in folds, the fabric hitching on the nipples of her small firm breasts, leaving her back bare down to the top of her round luscious ass. She shimmered a little as light reflected from a complicated pattern of scales that curved across her throat and up around her eyes. The two women looked at each other as the new arrival made her way over to Asura's table.

It was no organised meeting, nor complete chance that these women met here at The Sunflower. Together they sat facing each other, not a word spoken and blinked simultaneously. Asura looked at the woman through her own black eyes and saw herself. The same curling scalic pattern circled both women's eyes. The same scales curled intricate markings down their spines and beneath their navels, the same dress even. If Asura had a twin, this woman would be it, but in Asura's case, she was both women. Four eyes, four ears, four hands: Asura had two bodies.

The alien ship hasss been located and He is ready to begin. Where are the humansss?She thought to her other self as she silently viewed the crowd after coming into the tavern from out in the cold night air.
Asura's eyes darted over to the three men playing cards and drinking beer over in front of the bar. She had seen them come in an hour ago and had listened to the conversation she would make sure they wished they hadn't had. She could smell the fear on them like the waft of a meaty BBQ. She could smell the fear of every life form in the room. It was pure instinct to fear her kind. A dragon was the ultimate predator and Asura's heritage was indeed fearsome, regardless of their twin appearance. Stepping away from the shadows, she silently stalked the three men. The two women stepped lightly and quickly, like a dragonfly. Undetectable almost, the crowd let her through unnoticed.

"How long do you think she's going to make us wait here for?!" the burly man slammed his large meaty fist on the table. "I'm thirsting for a drink and tired of waiting for that bitch to show," he grumbled dangerously.

"Loki, if you don't quiet down you're going to get us killed!" A tall slim man dropped a large jug of black beer down in front of Loki and sat opposite him. "I'm sure the lady will show up soon enough and give us orders. Until then, drink your beer and shut your mouth." He sipped his beer and watched Loki from under his brows. Loki growled and snatched up his jug.

"I don't trust her Simon. She's Saurian Right? Like a lizard. What kind of a woman is that? She's no humanoid that's for sure," voiced their small companion on the opposite side of Loki.

Simon shifted his gaze over to Brom who was nervously shuffling cards. "She is a Saurian, what is there to trust? Her race does not distinguish between right and wrong." Simon paused a little for effect. "It is only sensible to be afraid of a dragon. Unpredictable foes are the most frightening and if you had half the sense that a boy your age does, you wouldn't be here." Brom's white face flushed with anger.

Loki chuckled, "A Saurian is not driven by greed or hate, so their movements are very difficult to predict. A seasoned fighter knows these things Brom." He drained the last of his beer and wiggled it suggestively at Simon. "Do not be ruffled by Simon's taunts. It only serves him as entertainment. WOMAN!" he hollered, catching the attention of a passing waitress, "I'll have another dark beer thanks love!"

Looking around at the crowd gathering inside The Sunflower Tavern, Simon began shuffling his cards and dealing a game of Trader Poker, "We can only wait boys, the Lady is never late."

Brom stopped mid-sip, wide eyed, staring at two tall, scantily clad women. A wild sexual thrill ran down into his stomach as his mind reeled at the whiplash of fear crippling his swallowing reflex. It took some time before Simon had noticed the gawking young idiot. With a swift backhand, he slapped some sense into Brom.
"Don't be a fool boy! That is the Guardian! The Lady! Stare any longer and she will take your eyes out with one of her black claws!"
Brom, shocked and embarrassed, dropped his eyes to the drink in his hands, which was shaking slightly from the full instinctual force within him. Loki and Simon stood as the Lady approached their table.

"Good Evening Guardian," spoke Loki rather gruffly. "Would you like a quiet drink whilst we talk?"
Asura blinked at Loki, "What would I drink thisss abominable slush you call beer for? It servesss only to alter your mind, make you slow, makesss you more ssstupid," emphasizing the "more" as if to entail how stupid he already was. "I would rather cut out my eyesss," she spit out, "than drink that foul smelling stuff."
"Suit yourself," he muttered and sat back down with a thud, draping his huge muscular frame across the back of his chair. Simon gestured for Asura to take the seat beside him as one of the two women stood on his other side, beside Brom, as she was obviously enjoying the younger man's inner turmoil of fear and lust.

Gracefully seating herself in the chair, Asura's eyes turned to Simon, both women turning slightly, blinking sideways simultaneously the two women spoke together:
"This should be easssy. There is a ship being towed here to the spaceport. My Master wants it," she paused, looking directly at each other in thought. "My Master suggestss that it be replaced with a more suitable ship, a wreckage perhapsss. Bring the towed ship back to the Research Facilities private Port Warehouse. Do so discreetly and I can reward you with a small fortune: Enough to upgrade your living arrangements to the outer rim and perhaps more."

Listening in silence, Loki and Simon stared directly at each other. They had been thieves for a long time and had worked together since adolescence. The Lady's offer was more than they had ever had, more than 10 years of hard work saving and scrounging their credits. Loki winked at Simon and Simon grinned back. "That's a hefty sum for just a ship. Must be pretty special." Looking up from under his glasses he glanced at Asura, "I mean, what if we just made sure there was nothing inside it of value for you, as a courtesy of course." Asura's hand came down hard atop his, her long black fingernails digging into the wooden table as her palm pressed down on his knuckles. Face white he gasped at the shooting pain in his hand, bones crunching. Asura let out a loud hiss, face contorted into an ugly mask of hate. Loki had jumped up to defend his friend when Asura's other body had slammed him back into his chair, breaking his arm with a deft twist and coming dangerously close to slitting his throat with her clawed fingers. All this had transpired in an instant, Brom hadn't even had time to blink. Shivering violently he sat paralysed by fear. Looking around for help he realised the crowd were ignoring them, trying hard not to get involved with the Saurian and her subjects.