Episode 41

That woman may have been Scarlet's first big mark, but she was far from the last. One establishment after another slowly became her victims, each one as seedy and crooked as the last. The businesses that had been hit began to cry in outrage, while the businesses that hadn't been hit began to fear they would be next.

Those who could afford it began to pour more and more money into their security. But no amount of precautions seemed to be enough to save those targeted by this new terrifying epidemic of theft.

Rumors swirled around the slums about who could possibly be responsible. Most thought that it had to be an organization behind the thefts, otherwise, how could they be so successful? Others suggested that it had to be some sort of phantom. While others insisted it was a conspiracy of the establishments.

However, only two things could be said with certainty. Those who'd fallen victim were, without fail, brought to the brink of ruin. And no one had any idea who was behind the thefts since there seemed to be no trace of the stolen money.

Meanwhile, Scarlet continued her modest living, eating only as much as she needed, wearing the same rags day after day, and spending her nights in a rundown one-room apartment furnished only with a stained mattress and some mostly empty cabinets.

That's when she met Flinch. He didn't have his mechanically enhanced eyes then, wearing half-broken glasses. Though he was about the same age as Scarlet, his body hadn't quite filled out, making him look scrawny, and weak, and younger than he was.

Scarlet had witnessed some other young men, who were little better than thugs, bully the boy next door. He'd often do his best to fight back but would always do everything he could to protect his glasses. This would usually result in him flinching when one of the bullies went to hit his glasses. Eventually, the thugs would tire of him and go to find their next victim.

Scarlet felt bad for the boy. She figured he likely could not see without his glasses and couldn't afford to replace them. But she also didn't feel she had the capability to take on a group of men in physical combat. She also had no desire to draw their attention or that of anyone else. She was good at going unseen. The same could not be said for combat.

It was one of the few things that left her feeling guilty. She could tell the boy was not a bad sort. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear an old fight she'd had with her uncle when she was small.

"… I did nothing wrong!" she'd yelled at her uncle.

"Yeah, but you also didn't do anything right either. Which was also wrong," He'd retorted firmly.

Here she had been stealing these business owners blind and didn't feel a lick of guilt for it. But standing by while this boy got beaten, that's what made her feel horrible. She'd battle with this for a while until one day, when she was walking through the alley next to her apartment building, she came across the familiar scene again.

Her feet stopped of their own accord upon seeing the way he was pinned up against the wall while the biggest of the thugs beat him. Her eyes caught a glint of something on the ground nearby, and she lowered her eyes to find his glasses broken in several pieces.

By this time, her presence had been noticed by the attacking men, causing a few of them to approach her.

"Well, well. If it isn't that little redhead in rags. Isn't she your neighbor?" the man who had been doing the beating asked as he turned towards her. "You know, despite you being in rags, you don't look half bad. If you were my neighbor, I'd have you up every night, screaming my name," he then said to Scarlet as he let his eyes rove over her figure.

"No! Don't touch her! She has nothing to do with this!" the boy yelled as he fought against the two who still restrained him.

Scarlet's face twisted into a mixture of disgust and rage. For it was these two emotions that filled her to the point of eruption at that moment, rage and disgust, for the way these thugs ganged up on this boy, for the way they looked at her now, and for what a coward she was for not trying to stop it sooner. And when she heard him try to come to her defense after she'd done nothing to help him, something in her snapped.

Before she could register what she was doing, she'd pulled the small firearm she'd taken to keeping on her person and started shooting the attackers in one of their legs. They were all soon down on the ground screaming in pain and anger.

"You bitch! Just wait til I get my hands on you! You forget I know where you live!" the leader threatened.

"Oh, really?" Scarlet's rage had not subsided, and the man's threats caused her nostrils to flare. Without warning, she shot the man's right hand, followed by the left, causing him to scream out.

Suddenly, Scarlet began to realize that the scene she'd caused was beginning to draw unwanted attention. She could feel panic starting to override her rage. Her grip on the firearm tightened.

"If any of you come near me or my neighbor again, I'll shoot you in the other leg, and then I'll do the same thing to you as I did to your leader. And if you tell anyone that I'm the one who shot you, I'll hunt you down and put a bullet in your head. Got it!" Scarlet threatened.

Seeing the look in their eyes that said they believed her, she snatched up the pieces of the boy's glasses and ran over to him. She quickly helped him to his feet, and they ran into the apartment complex through a little used side door.