***

After a conversation with Reginald, in which he disapproved of her idea but allowed her to do what she wanted, Karen headed to the northern Camden district of the city. It was the industrial section where the docks to Discovery Bay were located. It was moving from late afternoon into early evening but the sun was still high and people were out and about.

She felt like the outsider she was but she was no less determined to find one of these Children and talk with them. She kept a close eye out for anyone who had any sort of bullhead symbol on their jacket or anywhere else on them.

"Hey, lady, you look lost."

Karen turned around and found herself face to face with a teenage girl with teal hair. "Maybe I am." She paused, seeing a bullhead scratched into one arm of the girl's leather jacket. "Or, maybe I was until you said hello."

"I didn't say hello. I said that you looked lost."

"True. But, you didn't have to say anything, did you?" Karen looked around and picked out two more people who had taken an interest in her and the teenaged girl.

"No. But, I knew I should. I'm nice like that. I'm Vicki." She looked Karen up and down. "And you don't belong here."

"I'm Karen." She stuck out a hand for a shake. "Nice to meet you."

Vicki considered Karen's hand for a moment, then shook it. "Why are you here?"

Blunt seemed to be the best tactic at this point. "I'm looking for the Children of Anu."

"Why?"

"Because I have this." She pulled the bullhead coin out of her pocket and showed it to the girl. She pulled her hand back before the girl could take the token from her. "Will you help me now?"

"I don't think you want my help, Karen. I don't think you want to meet with the Children. I don't think you know what you're doing." Vicki crossed her arms.

"Nevertheless, I will speak with the Children of Anu tonight - whether you help me or not. If you won't help me, I'll be on my way." Karen turned to continue her northward trek but was stopped by Vicki's hand on her arm.

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Did you warn Heather?" Karen did not know why she had asked that but it felt right once she had.

"Yeah. She didn't listen either. Come on." Vicki turned and headed in the direction of one of the docks.

She led Karen through a series of twisting streets towards the warehouse district. On the corner of one darkened and almost abandoned street, Karen saw a number of street kids lounging about. As soon as they saw Vicki and Karen, they became alert.

A dark haired girl with goggles and a baseball bat came forward. "Yo, Vic... what's this?"

"This is Karen. She's here to see Reggie."

"She hasn't passed the Test of Worth or I would've known about it."

"I know, but she has the token."

There was a murmur through the kids as they slowly coalesced into a group. Karen was starting to get nervous at the number of people and the fact that all of them had some sort of weapon on them - bats, sticks, chains - all designed to beat the crap out of someone.

"She can't stay unless she passes the Test of Worth. Those are the rules."

Vicki shrugged. "Whatever. You deal with it. I'm getting Reggie." She left Karen's side and headed towards the back warehouse.

As soon as Vicki left her side, Karen was sorry she had not thought through this plan of hers more thoroughly.  She backed away from the growing mob and knew from her memory of how Heather looked that this Test of Worth was not going to be pleasant.

The girl with the baseball bat stepped towards her. "You're on our territory, princess. I don't know who you think you are or why you're here but you've got to prove yourself to us. You've got one choice and one choice only - you survive the Test of Worth or you don't."

Karen continued to back away from the mob being led by the dark haired girl. "Is this how you treat all representatives from the Master of the City?" Her heart was pounding as she looked for a way out. Unfortunately, the Children had done this before and had already spread out to prevent escape.

"The Master of the City," the girl practically snarled, "has no power here." She leapt forward and swung the bat at Karen who blocked the blow with her bag. The girl whirled away and let the others close in.

As they did, swinging clubs, chains and fists, Karen heard the sound of tires screeching to a halt. She was too busy dodging, blocking or taken hits from the rest of the Children to see who it was and what they were doing. Suddenly, the sound of muted gun fire ripped through the air and the Children began to scatter. Karen, bruised and bloody, crouched next to the wall and saw who was doing the shooting. She was so surprised; all she could do was stare.

It was the Kendrick police department. Two cars and a black van with "SPECIAL UNIT" in white on the side of it. At first, she thought the Kendrick police had opened fire. without warning, on civilians and was murdering them. She quickly discovered, after ducking a spray of gunfire, that they were using rubber bullets. They hurt but did not kill.

When most of the Children had scattered or were down on the ground, a police officer in what looked like black riot gear and a "Special Unit" badge on his shoulder, ran up to her. "Are you Karen Wilson?"

She flinched away from him, not understanding what was happening. "Yes."

The officer shouted over his shoulder. "I've got her, Detective!"

"Good. Take her into protective custody and bring her to the station."

Karen recognized the voice of the man speaking and pushed herself into a standing position to get a look at him. She only caught a glimpse of him as he got back into the first police car but it was him, she was certain of it. The man the officer referred to as "Detective" was none other than David Hauberk - the former boyfriend who betrayed her to the Order of the Sacred Eye that she had last seen lying dead on her kitchen floor.