New Neighbors
Chapter 14

It was cold and snowy in Chicago that night, but the big man walking down the street didn't seem to notice. As he was passing an alleyway he thought he heard a muffled scream for help. The man entered the alley and about halfway down he found four males and a young girl. The girl was naked with one male holding her arms above her head, and a male holding each leg almost straight out. The forth male was had his pants down and was just starting to crawl between her legs, his intentions were very obvious.

The girl was terrified. She was being held down and was going to be raped. Suddenly the pressure on her legs disappeared, then the boy between her legs just seemed to fly away, next the one holding her arms disappeared. She heard a couple of screams, then a gagging sound. She jumped when a large hand genteelly touched her and she saw a large man holding a blanket out to her. The man wrapped the blanket around her naked body and softly told her that everything would be okay, the police and medics would be here soon. Just as the first siren was heard the man said he had to go, but he would keep an eye on her until she was in the ambulance. The man said his name was Nightwalker just before he disappeared into the dark. A few minutes later there were police and medics there.

The first officer on the scene was shocked to find a young girl in a blanket, and nothing else, and four males lying on the ground a short distance away. Three of the males were tied up, their pants and underwear pulled down, and a pool of blood between their legs. The fourth was not tied, but was in the same condition as the others, except he was dead. The girl was checked and loaded into an ambulance. The males were checked also, three had been castrated and the fourth was missing his penis.

At the hospital the young girl was treated for a broken jaw, cuts and scratches, and bruises. Traces of semen was recovered from her mouth and stomach and sent to the lab as part of the sexual assault kit. The semen was later matched to the dead male. The girl was so upset that she wouldn't talk and pulled back from all contact, especially from any man. She was put into a private room with a policeman at the door.

The next morning when the nurse went in to check on the girl she found a single bright yellow Tulip in the girl's hand. When asked who gave her the Tulip the girl just said Nightwalker. This continued for several days, a new Tulip each day. When she was calmer the police questioned the young girl about what had happened to her that night; they got only that she was walking down the street and was pulled into the alley and one of the males had shoved his penis in her mouth and had hit her when she bit down too hard. The next thing she remembered was the big man who had given her the blanket. When asked about the Tulips she said Nightwalker had given them to her. The guards on the door to her room said that nobody but the nurses had entered the room. It was determined that the girl was living on the streets and had no home so she was put into DHS custody. When showed pictures, the girl pointed out the four males who were found close to her. But she wouldn't tell anyone anything about the big man that rescued her.

The three surviving boys, all only seventeen, were convicted of Sexual Assault and put in Juvenile Detention, after being released from the hospital. The police were still looking for the man who had killed the fourth boy and mutilated the other three boys. Since the girl continued to receive a yellow Tulip each night, the police setup surveillance on the group home where she was kept. This didn't do anything but frustrate the police because no one saw who brought the Tulips to the girl. Other young rape victims started turning up with Tulips and their attackers found either mutilated or dead. This all was happening in the same general area of Chicago. All the girls described their rescuer as a big man who spoke very quietly and softly to them.

Finally, one night a policeman happened to stumble upon the scene before the man could leave and arrested him. The man was huge, 6' 4", 270 pounds, and with an athlete's build. The man offered no resistance when arrested. The young girl found at the scene said he had kept a boy from raping her. The fact that the boy was dead did not bode well for the man.

The first witness was the young girl that the police had found Russell with that night. She told how she had been pulled into the alley by the boy who made her perform oral sex and was about to rape her anally when the big man just appeared and jerked the boy off her. The boy pulled a knife and the man hit him. Then the policeman showed up just as the man put a blanket around her and arrested the man despite what the girl told him. Next the DA called several other of the raped girls that Russell had saved, this was to show that Russell was a violent person and a danger to society.

Russell took the stand and made his statement to the court. After which the DA was allowed to question him. When asked why he had killed the boy Russell replied that it was in self defense since the boy had a knife. The DA asked how Russell had been able to kill someone who had a knife. Russell's lawyer presented the court with a copy of Russell's discharge papers which stated that Russell was a self defense instructor before being separated. The DA asked what else Russell had done in the service. Russell said that he was not at liberty to disclose that and asked that the court contact a specific individual in the military for that information if it was really needed. By the end of the day the judge had heard enough, all charges were dismissed. Then the judge did something very unusual, he came down from the bench and shook Russell's hand.

Ted read all this when Russell appealed the decision not to allow him to volunteer for Ted's settlement group. Ted talked with Russell in person and told Russell that he would have to be completely honest about his past. Russell explained that his primary duty in the service was the removal of undesirable persons, anywhere in the world. That he had joined the service as an alternative to jail when he was 18. The service had been just the thing for him, it had given him a chance. He had gotten his law degree and his Sociology degree while in the service. After getting out he started teaching, hoping that he could make a difference in the lives of the children. Ted asked him if he knew what happened to the first girl? Russell said she was back on the streets, but going to school regularly. He saw her from time to time on his nightly strolls through the city. When asked if their was anyone who would miss him if he was allowed to go, Russell replied the little girl would. Ted told Russell that the only way he would allow Russell to go would be if the little girl said it was okay; and, that he had to hear this from the girl herself.

That night Ted and Russell went alone to see the girl. As they were approaching the area where the girl stayed, they heard a scream. Russell took off at a dead run into a nearby alley, with Ted right behind him. They found the girl being assaulted, Russell attacked. As soon as Russell got close the man turned and shot him. Ted reacted and the man was dead in seconds. Russell was in bad shape and the girl was holding him and crying. Ted called for a security team and emergency evacuation for both Russell and the girl. There was much excitement when the shuttle landed in the middle of the street and five security personnel ran into the alley. Russell was carried to the shuttle and Ted carried the girl himself. The shuttle was just taking off when a police car arrived.

Russell regained consciousness about three hours later. The first thing he saw was the girl sitting beside his bed crying. As he looked around he saw nothing that he recognized as normal for a hospital. There were no IVs, no monitoring equipment, and nobody there but the two of them, the girl and himself. He reached out and laid a hand on the girl's head, she sat up with a start then quickly hugged him. When she finally settled down he asked her what had happened. She told him that the man had taken her earlier and was waiting for Russell to arrive so he could kill him. The man was the older brother of the first boy Russell had saved her from. It wasn't but a few minutes before a young man came in and said he was glad Russell was feeling better. Russell asked what hospital he was in and was told that it was not a hospital, but the Med Bay on the moon. Then Ted reintroduced himself and watched the surprised look on Russell's face.

"Captain Nightwalker, I want to welcome you to your new assignment, that is if you will accept it. I have obtained your complete military file and know what your exact duties were in the service. And I have a question. What was with the yellow Tulips you kept giving Mary? I know that Tulips were your trademark while in the service. You would send one a day for seven days to your target. The morning of the eighth day the target would be found dead with a dark red Tulip on his chest and a hole between his eyes." Ted asked.

"I gave Mary the Tulips to show I cared about her and to let know that I was always around and watching over her. The ones I sent while on duty were a warning that I was watching, the red one represented the blood that had been spilt by my target." Russell replied.

"Now what is going on? I remember being shot, and it should have been fatal. But now I find myself alive and on the moon, if you are to be believed" Russell continued.

"We are on the moon! Ted brought us here to save your life. I saw everything!" Mary interjected.

"Yes Russell, you are on the moon at our base. As I said I have an offer for you. I told you before the only way I would let join was if the young girl you saved first said it was okay. Well Mary and I have had a long talk and if you still want to volunteer then you can. But, there is now a different condition. You must take responsibility for Mary since she is coming along too. If you  accept this condition then we will be taking five hundred and one people to help settle the new planet. Mary has no ties back on Earth and now neither do you. Your job will be to help setup schooling for the children on the planet, in addition to helping protecting the settlers." Ted explained.

Russell was silent for a few moments then looked at Mary. Mary just said "Please". Russell couldn't say no to her. He told Ted he accepted. So it was that when the ship left it contained five hundred settlers and one very happy little girl.

Russell and Mary would spend some time at the Mars base first, then go on to the Alpha system. Ted had convinced Amy, and Russell, that they needed some help getting a school system setup on Mars. Actually, Ted wanted to spend more time with Russell, to get to know him better. Ted was thinking that Russell would be a good choice to govern one of the Alpha planets.