First Encounters {COLE}

[Dr. Mariah Cooper]

It was all fun and games till someone saw something they shouldn't off and had to make a run for their lives. Or at least it was in Dr. Mariah Coopers case as she sulked around the ATM machine and desperately tried to pull as much cash out of her cards as possible.

It was past the midnight hour but she knew that she had very little time before the fiend at Montegue Industries put a trace on her credit and debit cards so .. here she was. At a seedy little gas station, in a seedy part of town where she'd be lucky to make it a block before being mugged or worse.

So much for her well planned life, huh?

As she impatiently tapped her fingers against the machine, Mariah ran her gaze over the shadowy parking lot and sighed. The clicking of the motor announced that her money was being counting and the cheerful little screen toted on about "Have a Nice Day" even as she resisted the urge to snort. Oh, if the inventor of these things only knew what her day had been about.

To think she'd woken up to a bright, sunshiny day that had seemed full of potential. She'd naively made her morning ritualistic pot of coffee, fed her cat, skipped down the path to her car and headed to work like the good little worker bee she was. Or had been, at least.

Right up to the moment that she'd walked in on some covert testing that shouldn't have been in progress.

Now.. Now she was just another fugitive fleeing for her life because she'd stumbled onto something that Dr. Donaldson didn't want anyone knowing about. Even their boss, Mr. Vincent Montegue. Especially their boss.. And Allen was definitely willing to keep it from him as the bruises around her neck attested to.

She was screwed on so many levels that she figured she might as well jump off the nearest bridge and save the asshat the trouble of hunting her done. It wasn't like she had any where to go or anyone to run too.

[Cole "Batman" Armstrong]

Cole wasn't sure what had brought him out to this side of town at night. He had just left a job that he'd been called to, but it was nearly an hour away. The excitement from it all had his blood moving. He had so much energy that there was no way he could go home and sleep, so he just drove around. He ended up at this gas station in the middle of nowhere, it seemed, but he needed to fuel up, so it was best to do it now and not run out while driving back home.

His car was parked at a pump off to the side. It wasn't visible from the inside. He had gone to get a drink and something to munch on then paid for his gas and items. It was when the door dinged that he turned to see some pretty blonde come in and head straight for the ATM machine.

He opened his bag of chips and munched then slowly moved towards her, not wanting to get too much into her personal space. He didn't like it when people stood right up against him while he was getting money from the ATM machine.

While her fingers tapped impatiently against the machine, he decided to let her know he was standing there. "It must be fate that I stopped here," he grinned. "Want some chips?" He tilted the bag towards her, trying to be easy and friendly. He definitely didn't want to spook the pretty blonde. If anything...he was hoping he could snag her number before he left this place.

Anyway, he didn't want to appear like some creep that was just waiting for her to walk through the parking lot alone to steal her money. Now that he thought about it, he took a step back and glanced out towards the dark lot. It was kind of creepy that he was hanging out and waiting for a girl to grab her cash.

Well, this was some shit. He really knew the perfect times to approach a woman, didn't he?

[Dr. Mariah Cooper]

The sound of a rumbly male voice about made Mariah jump out of her skin. Having been paying more attention to the lurking darkness outside, she wasn't at all prepared for someone to be talking so close to her.

Whirling around to look at him, she shoved her hand in her purse and was only mollified slightly by the feel of the taser in her hand. "Er... Um... I'm sorry?" she said, stammering prettily and feeling a blush sneak up her cheeks. "Fate? Why would you say that?"

Dropping her gaze to the chip bag he had tilted towards her, she frowned and glanced from it to his face and back. Was this some sort of weird trick to get her to drop her guard? Had Dr. Donaldson already send someone after her and he was just waiting for her to relax enough to make his move?

Giving the man a good looking over, Mariah was forced to concede that he did, indeed, look dangerous enough. However, something about his eyes were kind and she had a hard time pegging him as a literally lady killer. At least, not the kind that used bullets. She suspected that smile could do a fair amount of damage in a seductive way but... That wasn't here or there at the moment.

Back on track, Cooper, Back on track. Oggling a man who could be your killer wasn't good form, to say the least.

"Um... Thanks but.. No thanks... I'm not really into chips. I'm more of a fruits and vegetables sort of girl..." she stammered out, giving him a good looking over for a weapon. "Are you needing the ATM machine? I will be done in a moment..... If you could just... Um..... step back a ways...."

[Cole "Batman" Armstrong]

Cole grinned wide at the pretty blonde as she whirled and shoved her hand into her purse. He could only assume she had something in that purse to protect her. He wondered if it was a gun, which struck him as odd, but he couldn't be sure. The blush on her cheeks and the way she stammered made him think differently. He couldn't imagine she was the gun totin' type. He ate a chip, completely calm and cool as she asked questions.

"That I happened to be driving in the middle of nowhere and stumbled into a gas station that has such a beautiful woman in it. What exactly are you doing in a place like this anyway? You look like too sweet of a girl to be in such a place like this, and if I had to guess by your clothing that money isn't a problem either."

He decided that she was either lost or traveling, but if she was his girlfriend or wife he'd be pissed if he knew she was out in a place like this. His blue eyes dropped to her hands to make sure she hand no ring. When he saw there wasn't one, he smirked.

His face broke out in a satisfied grin as she looked him over. He liked to think she wasn't expecting him for weapons and instead checking out his body. That would be more to his liking.

He did have to think that she looked a bit frightened though, which had him wondering just who she was or what she had gotten her pretty hands into or maybe she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. If he played his cards right he might find out just what was going on with this little minx.

He chuckled and stepped back, putting his hands up in a defensive manner. "My ego is bruised," he joked with her. "I'm not here for the ATM machine." He then moved bravely forward with his next question. "Are you hungry? I know a great place in town that has a huge selection of vegetable dishes. My treat."

[Dr. Mariah Cooper]

For a moment, Mariah could only stare at the gentleman in bafflement. She had no clue how to deal with the situation which just meant she seriously needed to get out of the lab more. Something that wouldn't be a problem now, would it?

Giving a shake of her blond head, the young woman tried to clear her thoughts and get back in the current moment. She suspected she looked something like a fish out of water as she stood there but she was out of her element, to say the least.

"Um.... I'm sorry. You have me at a loss. I'm not used to this...." she stammered, cheeks reddening even as she glanced away and nervously scanned the parking lot once more. "I'm actually just trying to get some cash out for ... a trip.." yeah that was conceivable right? "I'm leaving town very shortly and need to be on the road as soon as possible."

Looking back up at the sandy haired gentleman, Mariah couldn't help the pang of disappointment that flared through her. Another time, another place and she might have been tempted to take him up on his offer. She'd often envied her girl friends their tales of romantic engagements and wondered what it would be like herself.

Unfortunately, before those thoughts could go any further... All hell broke loose. Literally.

One moment she was standing there talking to the handsome man and the next, she watched in stunned amazement as the glass on the ATM next to her shattered with a thundering crash. It took her a moment to realize that the store windows were shattered to and the bark of noise in her ears was the report of a gunshot. When it did, she could merely whimper in terrified horror as she waited for the next bullet to end her life.

[Cole "Batman" Armstrong]

Cole was the one baffled now. “You’re not used to this?” He wondered if she was joking with him, a blonde hottie like this…what guy wouldn’t be hitting on her all the time? Come on. This had to be a joke.

He looked out the window as she scanned the lot and tried to see what the devil she was looking at. “Are you waiting for someone?” He asked then turned back to her. “On a trip? Right now? If you are going on a trip why’d you need to go to a gas station this late at night to get money out of the ATM? Couldn’t you just hit the bank tomorrow or something?” He asked, completely puzzled by her need to get money out now.

Before any of his questions could even be remotely answered he heard the distinguished sound of gunfire. The glass on the ATM shattered and he went with his gut reaction. He dove at the beautiful blonde and brought her crashing down with him.

Landing on top of her with a grunt, he tossed his chips aside and sat up on one knee. He reached into his harness and pulled out his military issued pistol. “Stay down,” he growled then quickly glanced at her. “What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” All that vacation talk was crap. He knew that now, but he wasn’t going to walk away and make the woman defend herself. It was more than obvious that she didn’t know how to defend herself.

A bullet whizzed between the two of them, shattering a jar of strawberry jam all over the place. He glanced towards Mariah. “Follow me,” he reached for her hand and tugged her towards the wall of refrigerators. He knew there must be an exit back there. He hoped.

“Do as I say and we’ll get out of here alive,” he told her as he moved quickly in a crouch. “And whatever you do don’t stand up. I don’t need them ruining that pretty little head of yours.”

He stopped at the end of the aisle and quickly glanced around it to make sure nobody was there. He looked the other way, next to the refrigerators was a back exit, which wasn't too far from where he had parked. “On the count of three I want you to run to that door over there. I’ll be right behind you, covering your back.” He looked her in the eyes and really hoped she wasn’t freaking out on him.

[Dr. Mariah Cooper]

Of all the ways that Mariah had envisioned getting horizontal with a man... THIS WAS DEFINITELY NOT IT!! Call her old fashioned but she really would have preferred candle light dinner and wine first. Not gunblasts and glass raining down around them. Ok, so maybe the feel of firm muscles and danger did add something to the mix but.. COME ON!! Couldn't she at least get a LITTLE break in her luck?

Obviouslynot.

Thankfully, before she could compute all those thoughts, she was being pulled up and the man was speaking to her in hushed tones. Forcing herself to concentrate on what he was saying, she frowned and then nodded to show that she understand. Practically shaking with fear hard enough to send things crashing off the shelves around them, the pretty blond followed after her savior as best as she could. His comment about keeping her head down was unnecessary as she had seen enough movie to know that was the better part of valor. She might be inexperienced but she wasn't crazy.

At least, she hadn't been until all this stuff started. She had a feeling she might be certifiable before it was all over at this rate.

As the man paused in a back aisle, Mariah had to put a hand to her mouth to muffle what she suspected might be a hysterical laugh trying to escape. When he turned to her with that command to run towards the door when he told her too, she instantly dropped her hand and then gave him a wide, blue eyed nod. Running.. Running was definitely something she thought she could do.

Giving him a little salute, she prepared herself and then charged across the distance like a prized running back on an NFL super bowl team. Hitting the door, she twisted the knob and flinched as a bullet richoted off the door frame. As the barrier swung outward, she threw herself through the exit and hoped like hell her companion was following. It was only once she was outside though that she realized that she had no idea where to go from there. Her own car was out front and she somehow doubted the bad guys would just let her stroll on out there and take off.

Which meant...Oh, yeah... she was so screwed.

[Cole "Batman" Armstrong]

Cole could tell the woman was about to go full out panic here. She was shaking hard and looked a little pale. He hoped she wouldn't panic and run right into the fray of things. He was trying to help here, not get her killed, which was why he was trying to stay as calm as possible. If he panicked or lost his cool…he knew she would follow right along with him.

When she charged out, he followed after her, except he was running backwards with his gun out and pointed towards the windows, doors, anywhere they could be standing and be visible. A couple bullets shot towards them and he ducked, but sent his own shots firing to keep them at bay.

He heard the door open behind him and he turned then, moving quickly out it with her. When he stepped outside, he saw that she was standing there for anyone to shoot her. Sure as shit, a bullet whizzed by them and he pushed her into a duck and run position. "Go! Go! Go!" He urged her to run. "The silver Mercedes there is mine."

He was practically carrying her as he ran. He wanted her to move fast. When they reached his car, he was with her at the passenger door and nearly shoving her in. While she was in there, he reached over her and opened up the console between the seats. He pulled out what looked like a bomb. "Lean over and open my door, would ya? I'm going to make a break for it."

Without another word, he darted around the front of the car and tossed the bomb towards where the shooters were at. The bomb wouldn't explode though. As soon as it hit the ground it would explode with a nerve gas into the air and send some of the men down onto the ground, writhing in pain.

[Dr. Mariah Cooper]

Well, she'd asked for excitement, hadn't she? She'd definitely gotten it. More than she'd bargained for, in fact. Guess that old saying about being careful with what you wished for really way true.

As the bullets rained down around them, Mariah felt herself pulled towards a silver Mercedes. Eeping a bit as her new companion practically tossed her into the car and then started shouting orders, the good doctor went on auto pilot as she reached over and opened the drivers side door. Her brain was still in shock at the fact that someone was really, truly trying to kill her and her life had become surreal, like something out of a bad Hollywood action flick.

Thankfully, it didn't have her freezing up like it did some and she automatically reached to buckle her seat belt as Cole dived in and then sent what looked to be a .. BOMB? HOLY CRAP!!

Even as a gasp escaped her however, she realized that it was a fairly harmless chemical bomb and not a grenade or something. The latter would have been very hard to explain to the cops when they finally caught up with her, bullet riddled store aside. Holy tornado. She could practically see the headlines of tomorrows newspapers all ready. 7-11 blown to bits because blond doctor was to stupid to keep her nose out of other peoples business.

Then, her new knight in shining armor was turning the ignition on and the squeal of car tires had them departing the scene of the crime. Great, now she was a fugitive fleeing justice. Well, better on the lamb than dead, she supposed.

Glancing sideways at her companion, Mariah let out a long breath and bit her bottom lip. She had no idea what the protocol was in situations like this, having never been in one. "Um.... I'm Dr. Mariah Cooper, by the way. My friends call me Mariah so.... ..... Figured since we've eluded death together, we're probably passed a first name basis?"

Reaching up, she ran a slim hand through hair that she suspected looked like a rats nest. Pulling the pins from her neat chigon, she shook the mass out and sighed. Thankfully, the mad dash for safety hadn't left her without her purse and she took a moment to pull out a brush and tidy her hair a bit. Only then did she realize that a piece of something had cut into her forehead at the hairline. All in all, she supposed she was lucky that was ALL it had done!

[Cole "Batman" Armstrong]

Cole couldn't believe it. The girl didn't clam up with his orders given to her. The door was open and he hopped in quickly, just after tossing the chemical bomb. He was even more surprised that she'd even buckled up, which would have been his next order.

They were off like a couple of bandits. Tires squealed as he pressed the gas down hard. After they were on the road he kept looking into the rearview mirror. He was expecting to be followed, that's for sure. Obviously there was something this blond had done to get a bunch of goonies hot on her tail, and she did have a very hot tail.

Then, her new knight in shining armor was turning the ignition on and the squeal of car tires had them departing the scene of the crime. Great, now she was a fugitive fleeing justice. Well, better on the lamb than dead, she supposed.

When she let out a long breath he turned his head to glance at her. "Are you alright?" He asked. His answer was her supplying her name to him. She had to be alright. "Nice to meet you, Mariah. I'm Cole. Glad we are on a first name basis now because I have a million and one questions for you. First...who the hell were those guys? And I want the straight up truth. If I'm going to protect you I have to have the truth. Understood?" He asked her with a quick look and tilt of an eyebrow before he looked back at the road before them.

That was when she slid a hand through her hair then reached down for her purse that he saw some blood on her fingertips. "Shit!" He reached for her chin and the SUV jerked over the road as he did. He brought both hands back on the wheel, not wanting to flip the vehicle and kill them both that way. "Is it bad? How much blood are you losing?"