Karr had been watching the Door for approximately 17.2 hours before he saw anything worth his time. Even then, his head was nodding down on his chest and his eyelids drooping steadily.  If not for the cries of alarm from below, he might have missed the sound altogether; the soft hum of energy as the Door opened and deposited its passenger unceremoniously into the dump below.<br/><br/>Hearing the angry voices he jumped awake, nearly toppling from his precarious perch on a flimsy bucket that leaned against the rusting metal support at his back.  Settling the bucket back carefullyâ€”it wouldnâ€™t do to give away his hiding place quite yetâ€”he padded up to the concrete ledge and peered down.  Two stories below, a girlâ€™s form was extracting itself gracelessly from the refuse, while the guards placed on post at the corner streaked towards her.  Theyâ€™d been watching the Door, too.<br/><br/>Karr frowned.  Where was<span style="font-style: italic">He</span>?  This girl was a stranger; sheâ€™d never come through the Door before, but he doubted her appearance was coincidental.  Besides, she was dressed so strangely.  She had to be with Him.  Or at the very least, she must know of Him.<br/><br/>Making his decision quickly, Karr turned and darted through the shadows, sliding down a sideways slab of concrete to the floor below.  He picked his way down an exploded inner wall and through a maze of hanging elevator cable and finally made it to the ground floor.  Through the steel skeleton that was almost all that remained of the bottom level, he saw the girl regain her feet and begin to run.  Sticking to the shadowed underbelly of the emaciated building, he followed.<br/><br/>So did the soldiers.<br/><br/>As he ran, silent and nimble over the unwelcoming terrain, Karr tore the edges of his long scarf free from his belt and wrapped them hastily around his hair and face, concealing all but his eyes, a volatile green hue that flashed as he ran.  Even if they'd already seen her, he couldn't let the soldiers recognize him.  If he fell into their grasps again... he couldn't imagine the consequences. His packs, bags, and bottlesâ€”all that he owned in the worldâ€”jingled and clanked wildly at his belt, thumping against his legs with every step.  The last time he'd had to run from the soldiers, he'd lost most of his foodstores in just that way.  He'd paid in hunger pangs for that mishap for over a month.  He'd learned that lesson well: each was now securely fastened with braided strings of leather and metal stoppers.<br/><br/>The underbelly of the warehouse ended just ahead; through the destroyed wall he saw the girl stumble and turn around the side of the building into an alley. Putting on a burst of speed, Karr leaped the crumbling bricks and glass and barreled into her, pushing her into the adjacent building.  He muffled her protests with one gloved hand pressed firmly over her mouth as he dragged her down a wide stairway and pushed her into the shadows against the padlocked doors.  He gestured her to silence with the other, and wide-eyed, she eventually stilled.  Breathing heavily, they listened with pounding hearts as the soldiers ran by, yelling at one another and into their radios.  It seemed to take ages, but eventually the noises faded into nothingness, and the danger passed.<br/><br/>Slowly, hands held up in a silent plea for understanding, Karr released the stranger and stepped back.<br/><br/>â€œI'm sorry,â€  he sighed, still breathless,  â€œI couldn't let them find you.â€  He frowned as he studied her face, pulling the scarf from a young face and a shock of gray-blond hair to ease his breathing.  â€œSpeaking of...  Who<span style="font-style: italic">are </span>you?â€