The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"ANYONE EVEN LOOKS AT ME FUNNY AN YER GOIN' HOME IN A FUCKIN' BODY BAG! COMPRENDE, MOTHER FUCKERS?!"

'That's my man.' Amy thought, smiling.

"Secure the shuttle. Take the cash."

"Aye aye, Captain." she said, before turning to Whiskey and Gale "I'll just be a second..."

Feeling much more energetic that she did a minute ago, she hopped over the overturned table and strode to the centre of the room.

"See you on the ship." she told Axel, before kissing him eagerly, her hand running through the back of his hair. on her way out, she picked up two of the duffel bags of cash that were on the floor.

======================================================================================================================================

"Err, hate to rain on your calm, commanding parade Cap..." Sandra spoke up through the intercom "but what about me? What do I do with this clown here?"

The rest could hear the sound of Castello getting smacked around further in the background.

====================================================================================================================================

Katya was subdued for most of dinner. On the one-hand, her talk with Florian had left her feeling good for getting it all off her chest. On the other, she was worried that she had sacrificed some of her closeness to her Lord, and that Florian might be more inclined to keep her distant from now on, in order to avoid things getting complicated.

Overall, she just tried to focus on dinner. It needed more paprika, in her opinion.

While she wasn't on duty, Katya still wore her uniform, for its ceremonial significance. No body armour of satchels full of ammo obviously, though her side-arm was still holstered across her hip, and two medals were pinned to the breast of her khaki dress-jacket. She had more, but she only wore the one's she'd earned during her service to Florian now.

"I really like your necklace."

Edea had begun speaking to her, leaving Florian and Elizabeth to their flirting.

"Thank you." Katya replied, a little awkwardly but smiling politely. She touched the crucifix at her throat, supended from a loop of small pearls, with the tips of her fingers. "It's an heirloom."

 

[Dogmatic99]

"STAY LOW AND FIRE WHEN I SAY!"

"Easier for some!" Mal's muffled voice grunted through her helmet as she hung on for dear life on the back of the bike, practically hanging off the side and humping her superior officer as she struggled to stay on. Thank god for that spec ops mental conditioning or she'd of been losing her shit staring down the prospect of a face full of asphalt.

Not that she didn't come close though as she was swung to and fro. Lucky for her the other guys were terrible shots.

"NOW!"

'God, just lemme throw up in my helmet first.' next time, Mal was driving. She swung her arm out towards her target, squeezing the trigger early and letting the recoil carry her hand further upwards to get a lazily steady spread to mix in low, middle and high shots. A trick Esteban had taught her early on. 'Don't fight weapons like this, roll with it and let the gun do its share of the work.' Whatever cover or armour these guys were wearing they were getting hit in something vital. Just like the first car, lather, rinse, repeat. This little group got fucked over hard and Mal's gun went dead with a click.

"Reloading!" She called out. Being the team player she was.
============================================================
"Secure the shuttle. Take the cash."

Gale sighed wearily. She'd busied herself lifting the wallets from the fallen guards as everyone else did their own thing. They didn't need her help with any of it. She finished emptying the last one she had in her hands, throwing away the empty leather carcass. "On it, on it." She said wistfully.

There wasn't anyone left that'd give them trouble so Gale could be causal about breaking into the shuttle and taking the drivers seat for herself. She was already comfortable driving most things with wheels and over the last few months she'd pestered the others into letting her go over the controls to work the Maiden on the bridge. Compared to that this little can was a piece of pie, and seemed to run kinda similar. Well, it wasn't like it was made with complex maneuvers in mind or anything.

"Everything looks good here." She called back to the others as they piled in their massive bags of money.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

As the guards surrendered and Bennie started giving out jobs, Allie smiled as everything started to fall into place, quickly pressing the kill switch on her PDA, the laser drone ceased firing and casually hovered in place, humming gently.

The young girl quickly brought her hand to her forehead in a salute as her captain addressed her.

"Get that shit out of my face,"

The smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with a look of confusion as she slowly lowered her hand. Why was he mad at her? Didn't she do a good job? "Aye... Cap'n." Allie mumbled as she began to miserably type on her PDA, initiating the shut down sequence of her little robot. It hovered over to her and gently landed on her head, its lights blinking once before turning off.

"What's his fuckin' problem?" The young girl mumbled under her breath, pouting as she grabbed the drone and cupped it in both her hands, her distorted reflection looking back at her from its brilliantly polished surface.

"Secure the shuttle. Take the cash. Jesse, keep an eye on this spitfire and make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble."

Allie glanced up at delegated babysitter, an angry look creasing her brow as she stuffed the drone into her pocket. "I can take care of my bloody self." She grumbled as she shoved her way past the boy and began following the others, not bothering to try and help with the bags. Why should she help? She helped before and now she was in trouble, apparently.

"Cuntin' bollocks." Allie mumbled as she turned her cap around, hiding the top half of her face beneath the brim before stuffing her hands in her pockets, shuffling along slowly.


----------------------------------------


Lilith sauntered around the immediate area, one hand on her hip, the other casually holding her revolver upright as she kept an eye on things, periodically aiming it at anyone who got a bit too fidgety. Messy, but they got the job done, besides, it was more fun when things got a bit messy.

"DID I FUCKIN' STUTTER?! I SAID WEAPONS ON THE GROUND, YOU DUMB FUCKS! ANYONE EVEN LOOKS AT ME FUNNY AN YER GOIN' HOME IN A FUCKIN' BODY BAG! COMPRENDE, MOTHER FUCKERS?!"

"Relaaaax, kid." Lilith smirked, rolling her eyes slightly. "I think they got the mess-Ooooooooh." The woman halted as her eyes fell on the prettiest thing in the room. Slowly squatting next to a terrified elderly woman, Lilith narrowed her eyes as a catlike expression came over her.

"I like your necklace." She purred.

Moments later, after Bennie had given everyone their orders, Lilith sidled up beside Bennie as he and Maria inspected the unconscious woman, keeping her eye on the guards.

"You didn't need to be so short with the kid." Lilith sighed as her gaze fell on Allie as she sulkily followed after the others. "She gonna be okay?" Lilith asked, glancing down at the wounded civvie.

-----------------------------

Spoiler

Asad nursed the whiskey in his hand, elbows on the bar as he kept to himself, which was rather difficult at this time of night. As he was jostled for the fifty seventh time, a small splash of whiskey soaked his hand. A sneer curling his top lip, the man took a deep drag from the cigarette gripped loosely between his teeth. His expression was one of a man who had enough of today.

The Commander had no real reason to be in a bad mood, the Op went well, there were no casualties, he got to tell Canton that his daughter was very much alive and well, and the brass had given him nothing but praise in the debriefing.

How the fuck was the bar this busy? Wasn't Yuteni supposed to be bombed to shit? Well, it still was. Maybe that was why, it was probably one of the few bars still standing after Austin's attack, and labourers needed somewhere to lighten their moods from this slag-heap of a dome.

"Goddamn thin air, putting me in a shitty mood." Asad chuckled to himself as he raised his hand to the side of his mouth and licked the excess whiskey from his skin.

"Yeah, the temp air purifiers ain't too great, hun." Asad looked up at the woman behind the bar, pretty young thing with dark hair, probably the same age as Elizabeth. "We told them folks at the council that folks aren't gonna be able to drink if they have to wear masks indoors, and you know what they did? They suggested that people should use straws!"

"That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard." Asad grinned, puffing smoke from his nostrils as he chuckled.

"I know right?!" The barmaid laughed. "As soon as they realised what they'd have on their hands if the workers couldn't drink after a long day, they put in these shitty purifiers." The girl sighed as she shook her head. "Better than nothin' I guess, but a word of advice, if you start getting a little light headed, just put your mask on for five, maybe ten minutes." The girl placed her elbows on the counter, cradling her cheeks in her hands. "Ain't seen you around here before, and y'all too well dressed to be a new worker if you don't mind me saying." She smiled, her large green eyes fixed on his.

"Just passing through." Asad took a sip of his drink, placing the glass on the bar before scratching at his beard beneath his chin. "Believe me, I don't want to be here any longer than I need to."

"Hey, watch it!" The girl pouted, furrowing her brow angrily. "That's my home town ya talkin' about."

Asad closed his eyes for a second as a short chuckle escaped his nose. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." The man's face softened as he met the girl's gaze. "It's just been a long day, and it appears I need copious amounts of oxygen or I get cranky."

"That's okay!" The girl immediately perked back up at the apology. "Y'all should put your mask on, you'll feel better in no time!"

"Ah, you see, that there's the problem." Asad sighed. "How can I drink when I'm wearing a mask?" The Commander shrugged his shoulders as he grabbed the cigarette from his mouth. "You guys should get some straws or something, why has nobody suggested that?"

The barmaid blinked a few times before a snort of laughter erupted from behind her lips. "I like you, y'all can stay." The girl ran a hand through her long hair. "I finish my shift in an hour, if y'all feel like hangin' 'round a little longer, maybe you wouldn't mind having a drink with me?"

Asad raised an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth curled slightly. Suddenly he didn't feel so cranky anymore.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Cuntin' bollocks."

"Cheer up kiddo." Amy said, draping her arm around Allie shoulder as they boarded the shuttle. "We'll all be glad to have you at the annual Maiden laser-tag tournament..."

She peered down at the younger girl, frowning slightly.

"Too soon?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Too soon?"

Allie kept her eyes on the ground as she shuffled along, she'd be lying if she didn't need the sentiment right now.

"Bennie said the laser-tag tournament had a..." pausing, she sighed through her nose sadly. "'A real motherfuckin' risk of motherfuckin' blinding a ************.'"

She may have been paraphrasing.

 

[The Funslinger]

Putting the tommy gun's strap over her shoulder, Whiskey picked up as many bags of cash as she could carry while still being able to wave her pistol threateningly. Off to one side, she was vaguely aware that Bennie had upset Allie. Ignoring the maternal desire to cheer the kid up, she followed after Gale.

"Everything looks good here."

Freed of her burden, Whiskey dropped into the copilot's seat next to her. "Don't forget to change gear," she said with a grin. "And if someone steals your parking spot, you're totally allowed to whoop their ass and bust their tail lights."

Thumbing her radio, she said, "the spoon is in the cake hole. Repeat, the spoon is in the cake hole." Really, who the hell came up with this shit?

With nothing to do but wait for the others, she shifted the tommy gun onto her lap. "Hmmm... I think I'mma call you... Steve."

===============================================

Spoiler

Eddie was walking along a long cramped hallway. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a vague sense of unease. Something wasn't right here. And was it his imagination, or was the hallway getting darker?

Suddenly though, the hall's end lit up. In front of him stood Millie. Tears of blood were pouring down her eyes, and her frock was riddled with bloody holes. She raised an arm imperiously, her lip trembling. "Daddy..."

"No no no no no..." he muttered, falling to his knees.

"Daddy, why did you leave?"

"I..." before he could find any words to answer with, Millie seemed to notice her wounds for the first time. Clutching her hands to her stomach, she shrieked. The sound was painfully earsplitting, and suddenly his vision started blurring. The floor melted away beneath him and he fell.

When he landed, he found himself in a windowless concrete room. Standing up, he heard a clinking and looked down to realise his arms were bound in manacles. No sooner had he noticed that they were on his ankles too was he hoisted up, hanging from the ceiling. In front of him, the heavy metal door opened and Payton stepped through. As he advanced towards Eddie, flames began crawling out from the door behind him, consuming the walls and floor. As Payton drew near, he produced a scalpel from his pocket.

"Well hello again, Mr Canton," he said and thrust the blade into Eddie's eye.

Eddie woke up screaming, thrashing far harder than he thought himself capable in this state. Then suddenly he felt a sense of weightlessness and came crashing down on the floor. The lights in his room clicked on and a man in a white coat came running in.

"Mr Canton!"

When the doctor had managed to get Eddie back into the bed, he sat down in a chair by its side. "So, ah... what happened?"

His strength gone, Eddie flopped down hard on the pillow. He was drenched with sweat and it was running down into his eyes. Reaching up, he knuckled at them feebly. The doctor produced a handkerchief from his coat pocket, which Eddie accepted gratefully. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he sighed. "Bad dream."

"I'm not surprised, after what you went through."

"So..." Eddie said. "Where am I?"

"Yuteni," the doctor replied.

"Huh." That was where Austin had attacked. Where Millie had supposedly died. Turning his head, he looked out the window. He could only see a couple of buildings close up. Didn't look too bad. A couple of shattered windows, but that was about it. And this medical ward seemed okay. He'd been worried about what kind of damage Austin could do with a stolen ship. Two buildings and a room wasn't much to go on, but he dismissed it for later.

Putting a hand to his face, he realised that while he'd been unconscious, someone had shaved the beard he'd grown in captivity. His regular stubble had grown back in its place, though. So you are...?"

"Doctor Elijah," the man replied. "As I understand it, you must be very important. I've been ordered to exclusively oversee your treatment."

"Who ordered that?" Eddie asked.

"Well, it came by missive. But I'm told my orders are directly from Lady Contessa Lombardi herself. She's given us the money to get this place up and running properly again, as well as to fund your ah... extensive treatment."

The distaste at the apparent debt he was racking up with the Lombardi family was replaced by a sense of forboding. "Be honest, doc..." he looked down at his deteriorated body. "What the hell can you even do here?"

"Oh, if you put the work in, I expect you'll make a complete recovery," Elijah replied.

"Right. And how long's that gonna take?" There was a pit in his stomach now. He knew how bad it was. He was going to be in this bed for years.

"A few months, give or take."

That stopped Eddie short. "Wait, what? You're fucking with me, right?"

"Oh, not at all. A member of Lady Lombardi's personal R&D department came with... well, quite frankly, the most incredible piece of medical technology I've ever clapped eyes on. He stayed long enough to train me in its use. Eddie... uh, may I call you Eddie?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm not gonna lie, Eddie, there's gonna be a lot of grueling physiotherapy. A lot of hard work and a lot of sweat. Maybe tears, hopefully not any blood. But if you stick with the regime I have set out for you, you'll be back on your feet a lot sooner than even I would ever have thought possible."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Aw, but you see?" Amy replied, giving Allie an encouraging pat on the back "That's just an opportunity for you to invent some super-science-safety goggles, or something..."

They took their seats behind the cockpit as Gale got to work.

"Bennie's responsible for all of us, and he takes that seriously." she said "Sometimes, that means there's just no greasing that stick up his ass, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"That's just an opportunity for you to invent some super-science-safety goggles, or something..."

Allie dumped herself into her seat with a huff, arms crossed over her chest.

"Normal tinted goggles are enough, Bennie just dinnae like lasers, or fun, and he probably hates puppies too." The girl punched the seat in front of her angrily.

"Bennie's responsible for all of us, and he takes that seriously. Sometimes, that means there's just no greasing that stick up his ass, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care."

"Dinnae mean he has to be an arsehole about it." Allie glanced up at Amy. "I worked really hard on it." The girl pouted, her voice cracking slightly.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"I worked really hard on it."

"I know girl. I know." Amy said, as she hugged Allie a little harder. "Tell you what, I'll make it up to you: Would you like to tinker with my shock glove? I'm sure you could make some upgrades..."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Tell you what, I'll make it up to you: Would you like to tinker with my shock glove? I'm sure you could make some upgrades..."

Allie blinked a few times before a small smirk curled her lips. "Is... that a euphemism?" Allie playfully pushed Amy away out of their hug.

"HALP, I NEED AN ADULT! BAD TOUCH, BAD TOUCH!" She wailed.

 

[Terratina.]

All was well, the job was done and now Jesse had been given the important task of looking after Allie?

While the boy knew he had been given the duty of looking after the ginger pile of trouble, Amy seemed to be getting fine with Allie. Perharps a perfect time to spend some time with Gale?

"HALP, I NEED AN ADULT! BAD TOUCH, BAD TOUCH!"

Maybe not. Something had to get in the way, always. In a flash, Jesse was there, "What seems to be the problem, ladies?"

***​

Maria sighed as the goon stood down. Now there was only cleanup to contend with.

"Maria, you're with me. Everyone else, get ready to go. NOW!"

"Roger." Maria replied and followed the bandit captain to a wounded, unconscious woman. Probably got hit during the firefight. Wrong place, wrong time. Poor woman.

Bennie was over her, already checking her vitals, "You're the doc, just tell me what you need me to put pressure on and I'm your man."

The wound itself was obvious, blood was leaking out from her leg at an alarming rate. After a brief examinating Maria raised the limb up, produced some bandages from an inside pocket and wrapped it up tight. She then turned to Bennie, "¡Joder! She might be in shock. Put pressure on the banadges, I'm going to prepare a tourniquet."

The combat medic did so, using a bunch of banadages and the woman's own large hairpin and twisted them tight in place. Maria rubbed her forehead when she was done, "If she survives, she's gonna have a lot of physio ahead of her."

 

[Dogmatic99]

"No."

Elizabeth blinked stuipidly--clearly confused. "Oh." she muttered, "I--you don't want to come in for another drink, or....?"

Had she done something wrong?

"No, I uh... I don't think that would be a good idea." Florian said, though not without pause. "It's been a long day and we have a lot more ahead." Now it was his turn to struggle to maintain eye contact.

"That's what you're worried about?" Elizabeth sighed with relief. "It's okay, we can afford to linger a bit longer. The night is still young!" She giggled.

'That's what I'm afraid of.'

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Florian said simply, trying to be polite and nip this whole thing in the bud before it got more complicated. "Besides, we've both had enough to drink." He backed away and made to leave.

"Goodnight, Lady Maribel."

"Oh, okay." she replied quietly. Despite her inebriated state, Elizabeth could tell her host was uncomfortable. Before he could make his leave, she laughed nervously. "I-I'm sorry, m'Lord. I-I think I've had one too many drinks tonight. I didn't mean to--if I offended you in any way..."

"No, no it's nothing like that, not at all." He assured her in a hurry. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. And those eyes! 'Oh god I'm a monster!'

"I just... shouldn't stay is all. Thank you for a lovely evening, Elizabeth." There. That was it. He could leave on good terms now.

The eager noble held her hand close to her chest, attempting to calm her nerves. Whatever she'd thought would happen tonight clearly wouldn't. Perhaps it was for the best. "I did too," she said with a sad grin. "Good night. Let's do this again, okay?"

'Dammit.' she thought.

Florian gave her an anxious nod, trying not to look at her hand or the cleavage it was covering and turned to leave, closing the door behind him. Why did he feel so tense? That was a stupid question, he knew why, he just didn't like admitting it. He walked a little further down the hallway and leaned his back against the wall, taking a moment to feel the air and cool off.

"Bliiiiiin" Florian sighed through gritted teeth and ran his hands through his hair. then he undid the top button of his shirt just for good measure. He was going to need a cold shower tonight.

This should have been so simple. Why didn't he just tell her he was seeing someone? Franz wasn't here to spread the word, he could just do it now, go back and clear up this whole misunderstanding. In fact he'd do it right now, do the mature thing. Florian turned around and walked back towards the door, he hadn't realised it but he'd been looking back at it the whole time anyway. Sure it might be awkward but in the long run it was for the best. And he could trust --

["Heeey, FLOWER!"]

-- for a certain someone to screw him over.

["...Hey Erik."] He muttered.

["Where'd you run off to? That party died hard once people started leaving anyway but n-now I'm up, ready to be cool and do stuff!"] Erik was upon him now, a hand around his shoulder and judging by the smell of his breath he wasn't playing at being drunk this time. ["What are you doing here, you trying to get into the tiny girl's pants?"]

["All girls are tiny to you, Erik."] Flroian said wearily as he struggled to guide Erik away from Elizabeth's quarters and back towards their own. ["And no!!"]

["Like you even could, Franz is the coolest! you aint got shit on him!"]

["So that's where you got to. Looks like he got you this time."] Florian gave Erik a firm pat on the shoulder.

["A little. At least I can s till walk. That boy doesn't know limits I tell you that!"] The two of them stumbled on, Erik didn't even know where they were going. ["We never have fun anymore."] Erik said after a pause, his voice going all drunk sad.

["You have more than enough for both of us, big guy."] Flroian smiled wearily as he struggled under his charge's weight.

["Not with you though... you never smile anymore."]

["Sure I do."]

["No! no you don't!"] Erik was getting louder again as he freed himself from Florian's grip and rounded on him. He put a hand on the side of Florian's face and looked at him with the kind of intensity that only someone who was out of their head could. ["Cus... cus it never reaches your eyes. You think I can't tell but I do! you used to be happy."]

["I'm happy."] Florian said, getting defensive.

["There's a difference between being happy and NOT being sad."] The old man almost sounded like he was pleading. He suddenly moved forward and grasped the back of Florian's head. They stood there, pressing their foreheads together as they'd done before. It was the closest thing to a hug Erik was willing to give most people. He only did it when he was feeling serious. ["You can't keep blaming yourself. You've done it enough."]

["Go home, Erik, you're drunk."] Florian leaned his head back against his old mentor's and nudged Erik away. They were near his rooms now.

["But in the morning... I shall be sober!"] Erik sauntered off, sounding way too proud of himself.

Florian walked back in silence. Why did Erik have to bring it back up? He'd done a good job of not thinking about it for weeks now. That it'd happened just a few floors above them. Not that he was special in that regard, he had no right to complain, he didn't deserve to. This tower was full of ghosts for so many people. He didn't get to act hurt by it.
===============================================
Florian tried the radio again.

'Where are you today? What time is it there?'

"Hey Lillybean." He said into the mic. There was no answer. Just that empty crackle. "Really missing you tonight."

He hung up. He still needed that shower.

 

[Fappy]

"Reloading!"

Tsubaki shot around the backside of the crawler as it spun-out--toppling end-over-end across the street before colliding with a food stall on the sidewalk. With the rearguard out of the way, they had a clear line to Morello's limo. Revving the throttle, the two-woman hit squad burst forward after the speeding vehicle. No doubt the banker was pissing himself right now.

As they caught up to their mark, Tsubaki fired a few random shots at the passenger-side window. Just as she thought: bulletproof.

Good.

"LAY INTO THEM!" she ordered over the roar of the motorcycle engine. Mal did as commanded--covering the right side of the limo in a torrent of machine gun fire. Up ahead, Tsubaki spotted the final crawler looking for an opening. "I'M MOVING UP! LET'S PUSH THEM TOWARDS THE NEXT TURN! THEY BETTER TAKE THE BAIT!"

The limo swerved back and forth across the street, desperately hoping to clip their bike as the two women pressed the attack. When the turn finally came, the driver took the opportunity to break away from their pursuers--making a sudden sharp turn left, onto the connecting street, nearly flipping over in the process. With the limo gone, the last surviving crawler finally had them in their sights.

So far, so good.

Tsubaki weaved in and out of incoming fire, hoping Mal could get a steady shot despite the turbulence. "MOON!" she shouted over the comm. "MORELLO'S HEADED RIGHT FOR YOU! O'LAFFERTEY, I NEED YOU ON THAT LIMO AS SOON AS MOON TAKES OUT THE DRIVER! OVER!"

***********************************************************************************************************************************************

"See you on the ship."

Sprout fought off the sudden lightheadedness and gave his lover a wink. "Aye, aye," he chuckled.

"Relaaaax, kid. I think they got the mess-Ooooooooh."

"Keep yer eye on the ball, Lil," he whined. "Don' waste time pilferin' shit off'a grannies. We got mooks ta' watch over!"

"I'm not a mook..." an injured security guard groaned.

Sprout spun on his heel, pointing his weapon squarely at the man's head. "DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK, MOTHER FUCKER?!" he roared. The man shrank. "THAT'S FUCKIN' RIGHT! SIT THE FUCK DOWN AN' SHUT THE FUCK UP LEST YA' WANNA EXTRA ASS HOLE!"

Castello's men did as they were told.

***

"She gonna be okay?"

Bennie shrugged. "Ask the doctor," he said. The big man remained silent as Maria worked, doing exactly as instructed. The young woman wasn't looking too hot, but Maria was a pro. If anyone could save her...

"If she survives, she's gonna have a lot of physio ahead of her."

"You!" Bennie shouted, pointing at a nearby civilian. He was a well dressed man--likely a noble. "You know this woman?" Terrified, the man shook his head. "She's in rough shape, but she's stable. Look after her, okay?"

The man simply stared in disbelief.

"DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF?!" Bennie inquired, aggressively.

The man complied after that.

On his feet now, Bennie cast his gaze across the room. "Let's get the fuck out of here," he muttered before putting his finger to his comm. "Tal, Brock, do you copy?"

No point in using the codenames now.

"I copy you, Captain," Tallahassee replied. "Just made it to security. Sandra's here, Castello too. Orders?"

Bennie thought for a moment. "Take him with us for insurance. We'll set him loose once it's safe," he instructed.

"Roger that."

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

Elizabeth stood in front of the door awhile after Florian's departure. Some small part of her was holding out hope that he'd change his mind. Once she heard Erik's voice echoing down the hallway, that dream died.

Oh well, she thought to herself, bitterly. Would have been a bad idea, anyway. Maybe. Probably.

She was exhausted anyway... and drunk! She couldn't make such important decisions in such a state!

I wish Asad were here. He'd feed me toast and rub my back until I fell asleep.

Sauntering into her bedroom, the weary noblewoman slipped out of her dress, leaving it in a crumpled heap on the floor. Elegance wasn't really a priority at this point. She nearly bashed her forehead against the night stand as she struggled to remove her earrings, and once they were finally discarded, Elizabeth flopped onto her bed--instantly sinking into it's deep, fluffy satin sheets. She usually wore a nightgown to bed (she didn't want to catch a cold, after all), but that was way too much work for drunk Liz. No, a g-string and a mountain of blankets would have to do.

Spoiler

It didn't take her long to get comfortable, but after lying down for several minutes she realized she really wasn't all that sleepy. She was utterly pooped, sure, but still buzzed. Still alert. That was when she remembered the bath from earlier.

She recalled the heat. That hansom grin on Florian's face. His flirting. His charm. The dream.

The heat had returned.

Before she'd even realized it Elizabeth's hand had found its way between her legs. As if controlled by another entity, her thighs pressed tightly together, attempting to expel the invader. She would not give up so easily, however. Biting her bottom lip, the young virgin caressed her inner-thighs with one hand while teasing the brim of her thong with the other. Her thighs couldn't withstand her touch for long, and eventually relented.

Elizabeth gasped sharply as she slipped one hand inside her thong and touched her fingers to what lay underneath. In her mind she saw the object of her lust--the man who held her heart, melting in his hand. She didn't know exactly what it was that she found so fascinating about him. Perhaps it was his mystique, or the honesty in his eyes. Maybe it was just because--underneath it all--he was just a plain good guy.

He was also fucking hot.

"Oh, sh--it," Liz moaned, suddenly feeling something well up inside her. Biting hard on her lip now, she clutched her breast with her left hand and sped up her efforts bellow.

They could share their scars--and not just the physical ones either. They would connect in both body and soul. She knew he could do that for her.

He could also ram his fat---

"F-f-f-f-fuck!" she cried, digging her fingers deeper than ever before, as if compelled by some primal instinct. She was a slave to her lust. There was no stopping it now.

After her sixth climax, Liz's wrist was beginning to cramp.

Satisfied, the exhausted noble rolled over to the other side of the bed and curled into a tight ball. As she drifted off, she thought of the world she wished to create, and who she wanted standing by her side at the end of it all. Perhaps it was too much to ask.

Or, perhaps not.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"HALP, I NEED AN ADULT! BAD TOUCH, BAD TOUCH!"

"I can't help myself. Your eyes are telling me 'yes'." Amy ran with the joke, before putting Allie in a headlock and ruffling her hair.

"Jesus, how can you ever get a brush through this mess?!"

"What seems to be the problem, ladies?"

"Allies gagging for it and in denial." Amy relied glibly "Make a woman of her, if you want to make yourself useful."

=======================================================================================================================================

"Roger that."

"Hear that Pumpkin?" Sandra asked wickedly "We're going for a ride together..."

Castello looked weakly up at Tallahassee.

"Can I ride up front with you?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Jesus, how can you ever get a brush through this mess?!"

"What the hell is a brush!" Allie squealed as she tried to break free from Amy's grip, pawing at her hands as Jesse poked his head into view.

"Make a woman of her, if you want to make yourself useful."

"I DINNAE NEED TO BE MADE A WOMAN, I AM ALREADY A LADY OF SCIENCE, THE ONLY MAN I NEED IS SIR BARNABAS WRENCHINGTON THE SEVENTH!" The girl wailed, blowing her wild hair from her face. "UNHAND ME, YE BASIC PEASANT!"

---------------------------

"Let's get the fuck out of here,"

"If you say so." Lilith nodded her head once, glancing back at the wounded woman, her brow furrowed as she quickly moved over to Sprout. "You heard the big guy." Lilith tugged at Sprout's sleeve as she walked past him.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to seeing civvies getting caught up in this shit." Lilith mumbled over her shoulder towards the boy. "I told Bennie we should have stuck to smaller jobs, the bigger payoff isn't worth the heightened risk of collateral damage."

This was supposed to be a fun job.


---------------------------

Asad quietly closed the apartment door behind him, slipping into his long black peacoat as he walked down the carpeted corridor of the apartment complex. The place must have been packed, he could hear nothing but people living, above and below him, music and laughter, all happy things. He had to give credit to the people of Yuteni, despite losing nearly everything, they were making the best of it.

As he exited the building out into the cold night, the violet light of the moons lit up his lone figure. Stopping just before the steps down onto the street, the Commander lit up a cigarette and took a long drag, sighing the smoke from his lungs into the dark air. The barmaid's name was Madeline, but she liked to be called Maddie. She was nineteen years old and enjoyed cooking, in fact she was doing double shifts, working at the bar on nights, and during the day she volunteered at the kitchens that fed the workers who were rebuilding the dome. Maddie had a cat called Murrey, a black tabby that reminded him of another cat.

The thought brought a sad smile to his face.

Asad enjoyed spending time with the young woman, she insisted that she didn't usually drink a lot, but she was putting them away like nobody's business. Maybe that was true, because by the time she asked him back to her place she was already quite inebriated. At this stage, it would have been scummy to sleep with the poor thing, although Maddie wasn't making it particularly easy, she couldn't keep her hands off him the whole walk back to her apartment. By the time they were in her bedroom, the walk had tuckered the poor girl out and she quickly passed out on the bed. Asad had removed her shoes, draped her comforter across her and placed a glass of water on her bedside table. Stroking Murrey on his way out, he placed the keys to the apartment on the kitchen counter top and left.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Asad walked down the steps and onto the street.

Maybe the bar was still open.

 

[Fappy]

The woman known as 'Matador' returned to her dingy apartment late that night--the fatigue of battle having finally caught up to her. After several rounds of drinks at her favorite hole-in-the-wall bar, The Swanky Skank, it was a miracle she was able to find her way back home at all. "Home sweet home," she muttered under her breath, taking in the vacant living room before her. Even after all this time alone in this God forsaken city, she hadn't gotten used to it.

She'd always been lonely... but never like this.

Stripping down to a loose-fitting tank-top and underwear, Matador locked all five deadbolts on her front door before retreating to her bedroom. She'd become extremely paranoid since coming to Paradiso, and if the locks weren't enough, she also had a shotgun behind her bedroom door, a 9mm pistol on her nightstand, a hunting knife under her pillow and a potted plant on the windowsill.

If anyone managed to track her down, they wouldn't live to tell the tale.

The moment she hit the bed she was out like a light.

***

Spoiler: It looks back

She opened her eyes, yet saw nothing but a vast blackness. It had surrounded her. Engulfed her.

Had she gone blind in both eyes now?

Sitting up, she noticed she could see her bed underneath her. It was practically glowing due to the complete absence of light around it. Inching over to edge of the bed, Matador carefully touched her toes to the frigid, featureless "floor" below. On her feet now, she scanned the vast abyss and as her vision adjusted to the darkness, she spotted something. Curious, she made her approach, only stopping when its shape became clear.

It was a twisting, writhing rift in the vacuum around her. It almost looked... alive.

Steeling herself, she continued forward, stopping a few feet in front of the large opening. She studied it closely, attempting to understand what it was she was looking at. Then suddenly, a dull hum rang out from behind her. When she turned to look what it was, she noticed her bed had vanished.

Then the cries started.

A harrowing chill ran up her spine as she faced forward once more and saw the portal for what it truly was. A mirror. One that reflected the ugliness inside her. The true nature of her doomed soul.

Countless faces of children--twisted and disfigured--rose out of the abyss like waves, crying and howling like starving wolves. Though they had no eyes, she could feel their gaze. Their blood was on her hands. She'd killed them. Every last one of them. And what sickened her the most, was that she'd do it again.

"NO!" she cried. "THAT ISN'T ME!"

"I died for you," a distorted voice suddenly said. The woman shrieked in horror when she realized she was holding a severed head. He was looking right at her--his scarred face creased with a deranged grin. "What did I die for?" Shocked, she dropped the head reflexively. It melted into the void below.

More familiar voices called out from the mirror of her soul. They screamed curses at her. Cried for help that wound never come. "I LOVED YOU!" one said. "I PROTECTED YOU!" cried another. "I BLED FOR YOU!" claimed a third.

The woman clutched her ears and shut her eyes, attempting to banish the ghosts that taunted her. Then, she heard a beastly laugh. She knew that laugh all too well. When she opened her eye she saw something looking back at her--a devil wearing her face. It reached out suddenly, clutching her forearm and pulled her into the twisting nether beyond.

She tumbled end-over-end in the darkness for what felt like an eternity, eventually landing in a black pool at the bottom of the pit. Soaked in a frigid, viscous fluid, the woman calling herself 'Matador' lifted herself above the surface--gasping for air. "Wh-what is this?!" she whimpered. All around her lay the decaying corpses of children--their bloated forms floating on the surface of the waist-deep pool around her. "WHAT IS THIS?!"

"WELCOME TO MY TROPHY HALL!" the devil replied from across the gulf. "OUR TROPHY HALL!"

"FUCK YOU!" the woman spat back. "I'M NOT YOU! I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!"

The creature laughed her familiar laugh. "So weak," she remarked. "I hate the taste of weaklings." She could see the creature now, a great, black hound wading through the water beyond the sea of corpses, its fiery eyes barring into her own. It was out for blood.

Panicking, Matador turned and ran, pushing past the floating corpses which seemed to increase in number the further she went. Eventually she made it to land, but was too slow. She cried out as the beast lunged at her, sinking its teeth deep into her ankle before pulling her to the ground. Tears streaming down her face, she kicked at the beast, but it was no use. It pinned her effortlessly under its massive form. Its crazed stare paralyzed her.

"I AM YOU!" it roared. "DO NOT DENY ME!" It bore its bloody teeth. "FEED ME!" It bit down and ripped her tanktop open. "IT'S OKAY! IT'S OKAY!" It called out as it mangled the poor woman, tearing open the flesh on her chest and abdomen. "THEY FORGIVE YOU! THEY ALL FORGIVE YOU!"

Wracked with pain and fear, the desperate woman swung wildly at the beast with her fists and managed to hit it in the eye. As it recoiled from the blow, she got on her hands and knees and scurried away.

She didn't get far.

"NO MORE RUNNING!" the beast howled as it closed the gap between them in an instant. Catching her underwear on one of its hideous fangs, it tore it open and mounted her. "DO NOT DENY ME!" It demanded, thrusting inside her.

"STOP IT!"

"I AM YOU!"

"NO!"

"ACCEPT ME!"

***

Matador woke suddenly, her heart racing--covered head-to-toe in sweat. Her sheets were drenched as well. "Fucking christ," she muttered, as she pressed her palms to her eyes. Her head was pounding.

She sighed sharply. "Every fuckin' night..."

Sitting up in bed, she glanced over at the corded-phone on her nightstand.

She couldn't sleep alone. Not tonight. Not after that.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

"It's an heirloom."

Edea rested her cheek on her palm and smirked. "Don't imagine there are many religious folks around here nowadays," she remarked. "How about you? See enough blood to jade you yet? I know I have."

 

[Terratina.]

"UNHAND ME, YE BASIC PEASANT!"

Was this going to be going on the entire way back?

Jesse sighed, "Okay, okay. You two, time out."

***​

"MOON! MORELLO'S HEADED RIGHT FOR YOU!"

It was about fucking time. Jun's reply was brief, as always, "Roger. Firing."

All of the waiting had led up to this. He readied the rifle, full of anticipation. For a moment, nothing existed in the sniper's mind except for himself and his target. Nothing could be simpler; nothing could be clearer. Well, apart from the clawing inside his mind.

Ignoring it, Jun held his breath and lined up a shot - nothing but a simple puzzle - then fired, unleashing a .50 calibre bullet which smashed through the bulletproof glass, leaving a hole on the driver side of the limo's windscreen.

And there it was, the rush of self-assurance.

After that, Jun reloaded the sniper rifle and spoke through the comms, "Driver down."

***​

"Let's get the fuck out of here,"

"Yeah." Maria said as she began to walk out of the casino. The solution of foisting the injured woman onto some other civvie wasn't exactly an elegant one but it was one that would have to do. Still, what a mess.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"I know I have."

"It's really more traditional than anything else." Katya answered, smiling. "Still, it's the one thing from my old life that I have kept... It reminds me of the choices I've made."

She polished off another shot of vodka, before staring down through the empty glass.

"It's my job to stay in control of everything around me." she continued "If I don't then the most important people in this city could get hurt. However, I can't be so egotistical as to think that there are no circumstances that I cannot foresee. It is in those moments, when I am faced with something that my training has never prepared me for, where God exists. Their lives are in my hands, and so for as long as my life is in His, I will flinch from nothing."

Katya paused, looking up at Edea, before smiling strangely.

"I do not pray. I don't believe God is kind, or just. As you said, I have seen too much blood for that. However, I respect Him, just as the ship's Captain must respect the sky, that can send a storm to strike him down at any time. What about you? Did you believe in anything before you started on this path?"

========================================================================================================

"Okay, okay. You two, time out."

"She started it." Amy mumbled, before reluctantly releasing Allie. "What's taking everyone so long?"

 

[The Funslinger]

Spoiler: music

"MORELLO'S HEADED RIGHT FOR YOU! O'LAFFERTEY, I NEED YOU ON THAT LIMO AS SOON AS MOON TAKES OUT THE DRIVER! OVER!"

"Aye aye," Bryan replied. As he watched, the limo came careening around the corner. Like clockwork, Jun took his shot, splintering the windshield and painting it red. The limo spun out, bounced off of a wall and came to rest, with smoke issuing from under the bonnet. The moment the shot rang out, Bryan was moving, sprinting and leaping across the rooftops with his swords in hand. Each jump made him descend until he was atop a squat single floor building overlooking the crashed limo.

As he had been doing this, three armed men climbed out, taking cover behind the limo against Jun's sniper. The guy even had guards in his personal car. Bryan wondered at the man's paranoia. But then again, he hadn't exactly been wrong, had he?

They were more or less safe from Jun in their current position, but they hadn't expected Bryan. Jumping down onto the car's roof, he crouched low and slashed out, catching the first guard's throat with the tip of his sword. The man went down with blood gushing from his neck.

The second man, toting a compact shotgun, ran up the car's hood, pumping a shell as he went. Meanwhile, Bryan could hear the last guy moving into position behind him. Pushing off to the side, Bryan cartwheeled through the air as the shotgun fired, with the cloud of buckshot moving harmlessly past him, and not so harmlessly into the head of the man trying to flank him.

Landing on his feet, Bryan stepped forward and slashed, cutting clean through the leg of the man with the shotgun. Screaming, he fell to his knees and Bryan drove the other sword into his gut. Wiping his blades clean on the jacket of the nearest corpse, Bryan sheathed one of them and yanked the car door open.

The first thing he noticed was the sharp smell of urine. Morello had actually pissed himself watching Bryan go through the last of his men. His fear didn't stop him from acting though, because as soon as Bryan opened the door, Morello lunged at him with a gaudily decorated switchblade. Catching the man's forearm on his own, Bryan hooked his other arm around it and pushed, snapping Morello's arm like a twig. All he could do was howl like a ***** as Bryan hauled him from the limo by the scruff of his neck, dragging him away from the wrecked car and towards the nearest alley.

***

They had been moving through the backstreets for about ten minutes. Morello had been yowling until Bryan had stopped long enough to give him a few good slugs in the gut, and he had now subsided into a low whimpering. But now he peered around at Bryan as best he could.

"Hey, uh..."

"Hey what?" Bryan replied.

"Look, whatever your name is..."

"You can just call me 'sir'," Bryan replied. "Except don't, 'cause I want ya to shut yer fuckin' mouth."

"Look, whatever those Russo bastards are paying you, I'll double it."

Bryan laughed. "I don't want yer money."

"Please!" Morello whined. "There's gotta be something. Anything!"

Bryan shoved the man on to speed him up. "Aw, suck my dick."

"I--yeah, sure, just please--"

"Jaysus fuckin' Christ, I was tellin' ya to fuck off, ya greasy old cock socket."

"Come on, sir, everyone's got their price. I bet--"

"Shut up," Bryan said tersely, flicking his sword up to Morello's throat. The man fell silent immediately, his eyes drawn as if by magnets to the blade at his neck. Ahead of them, the alley forked out in three directions. Bryan watched and waited. The faint pulse of colour on his vision was one he recognised. There were men up there and he could hear them breathing.

"Nice job at stealth, fuckwits," he called out. There was a pause, and then four men stepped out of the shadows, toting assault rifles. "Alright buddy," said one. "Hand over the boss, and maybe we won't ventilate you."

"Fuck off and maybe I'll tell yer mummy to give ya some extra pocket money after I'm done ridin' her," Bryan replied. Seizing Morello's broken arm, he bent it up behind his back, making the disgraced crime boss squeal like a stuck pig. Bryan advanced slowly with his meat shield in place. The men raised their weapons but were unable to fire without cutting down their superior.

When he was about ten paces away from the men, he stopped. One of them took this opportunity to speak. "So where's this go from here? You got that pretty sword of yours, and we got guns. Unless you're some kinda Rambo, we'll gun you down before you get anywhere near that piece on your hip.

"The fuck's a Rambo?"

"Just give us Morello, you sing song voiced fuck face," another man snarled. To this, Bryan grinned. "Ya want him so bad, have him!"

Releasing Morello's arm, Bryan slammed a palm into the small of his back, sending him stumbling towards the men who'd come to rescue him. Following in close pursuit, Bryan whipped out his other sword and sped past Morello, falling into a combat roll. With the hostage out of the way, bullets passed through the space Bryan had occupied less than a second earlier as he rolled between the men, coming up, turning and beheading the nearest one with a single stroke. The others whirled to face him and he stepped up to the nearest, catching the barrel of the man's rifle on his crossed blades and throwing it off. It was too late for dumb mook not to squeeze the trigger, however, and all he succeeded in doing was cutting down one of his own comrades before Bryan cut off both his hands at the wrist and punched him to the ground. Turning on the spot, he threw one sword and then the other, skewering the two remaining men through their chests.

As he yanked his blades free and wiped them clean, he glanced at Morello, who was sprawled on the ground, whimpering. "I'd tell ya to hire better goons, mate, but frankly I don't expect you'll have the chance."

"Wha... wha... WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Morello screamed.

Sheathing his swords, Bryan drew his pistol, hauled Morello to his feet and spurred him on down the alley. "I'm Irish."

***

Not too long later, the two of them emerged from the web of alleys. Bryan could see the Russo hideout just down the street. Thumbing his radio, he said, "Alright guys, the pig is in the poke. Repeat, the pig is in the poke. Taking him in now."

Approaching the warehouse door, he holstered his pistol and rapped on it. A slit at eye level was pulled back to reveal a pair of squinting eyes.

"Password?"

"Cement shoes. Now open up, I got a delivery I need ya to sign for."

 

[Dogmatic99]

With all remaining opposition crushed and the housing market of the street they'd done it on thoroughly crashed Mal got just a moment to look over her handiwork before they had to make their speedy escape, cops could make these jobs such a drag at times. That aside though... she was feeling pretty good about herself right now. This was quite possibly one of the cleanest drivebys in Paradiso history. With an uzi of all things. Not that she shared those morale boosting thoughts with her CO of course. That might make her burst a blood vessel. Well whatever, Mal could take in the sights and get some time to relax in the back seat while her driver headed for the hideout.
=======================================================
"Okay, okay. You two, time out."

"You know we've hit a new low when Jastor is the grown up in the room." Gale yawned, stretching out in her chair and resting her hands behind her head. She was all done with the setup of the controls and was gunna take this moment and relish the shit out of someone else being on Allie minding duty. She leaned back and let the noise just wash over her.

Actually it was kind of taking a while...

What was taking the others so long, weren't they warned there could be a military response?

Gale's gaze crept over to the ignition.