Quinn Grant slid silently down a dark alley, gun in her smooth white hands,
her bitter eyes narrowed. She ducked behind a dumpster and peered around it
cautiously at her prey. She had never considered herself a predator until
now, when revenge called upon her to become one. She slid her finger and
flicked off the safety. The man snapped his head around to face her.
He's got good instincts. She thought as she squeezed the trigger. A bang loud as thunder echoed in the alley, she stood and walked over the young man, gasping for breath from his shattered chest. But not good enough. She raised her foot and slammed it into his stomach. "You found out a little too much a little too soon, pal."
His mouth formed a silent "What?"
Her thin, British whisper was the last thing he heard. "The Thieves Guild doesn't take kindly to OZ spies."
She stepped back, and melted away into the shadows.
Jonya shivered violently. Cold wound like a boa constrictor around her bleeding body, the ice that caked her eyelashes cracked as she blinked slowly, opening her glazed eyes to peer around at the world that was out to get her. Snow drifted like frozen butterflies to the blanketed ground, dying on impact, becoming just another in a sea of empty white feathers. Jonya blinked again, and inhaled sharply through her red nose. The air swept through her lungs like some sadistic Jack Frost and sent her into hacking coughs, spattering tiny cherries on the bitter snow. 'Gods, I've been in some pretty tight spots, but nothing like this.' She slowly began to raise herself up on one arm, the other held tightly around her lacerated abdomen, covered in sticky blood. Gasping for air she began to stand, achingly, slowly. Making every fought for movement count, no matter how miniscule. She licked her lips, the metallic, salty ruby liquid dribbled over the chapped tissue. A smirk twitched at the corners of her mouth. 'The Alliance can try as hard as they like to get us Thieves. We're too slick; we watch our backs, watch our people. We know how to slink away. Can't keep a good girl down. Don't use that to cover your mistake up. It's your fault. You were the leader. It was your decision to go in even thought we couldn't see anything through the snow. Don't cover up your f****** mistake with the Guild's values.' She laughed quietly, on the verge of delirium. She ran her thumb down the icy, ivory handle of her gun. 'But I got everybody away from the ambush. Didn't even have to touch the weapon. Doesn't matter how bad I screwed up.gotta get home.' She began to shuffle slowly down the snowy, slushy alleyway. 'Gotta get back to base. Gotta call Quinn.Yeah. Call Quinn and Kite and Tabby.' She concentrated on that thought as she limped towards the nearest payphone. She wasn't exactly in the best part of Vancouver. People stared at her, some with a little more than friendship on their minds. 'Gods, that biker dude is just WRONG. But you probably deserve it, you failure.' She grasped on to the payphone door, leaning on it for a few seconds, breathing heavily, squeezing her gashes closed. Then she stumbled into the small booth, and dug in her blood-soaked pocket for some change. Red ooze began to splatter on the floor, forming a sickening, small puddle. She grimaced in pain and dialed the number she knew by heart.
"Hello?" As usual, the voice on the other end was mechanical, so it couldn't be recognized. Inwardly Jonya smiled. Like anyone could trace this number anyways.
"This is J Windy. Got a pretty bad cut. Everyone else is on their way. Need a Pickup...And a first aid Kit."
She heard the phone pick up. "Jonya!? What happened?"
She smiled. 'Gods, it's good to hear Kite's voice'. "Kite, we got ambushed going for the Taurus MS in Canada, I'm in Vancouver. I got hit pretty bad."
Suddenly the phone was grabbed away from her, "J? Tabby here, Kite told me what happened." She could hear the worry in Tabby's voice. "Vancouver, eh? Well, we'll track ya down, and be there in about an hour."
Jonya peeled her arm away from her stomach, and gave a gurgle of pain and fear as the blood gushed down onto her clothes. "I don't think I can wait that long. I need a helluva big band-aid."
Tabby began to object, but was cut off, yelled something indistinguishable, and handed over the phone to the first speaker. Although slightly scratchy, Kite's gentle voice seemed like music to Jonya's ears. "Ok Jon, we'll be there in half an hour. That's as fast as we can catch a shuttle down there and be as quiet about it as we can."
Jonya nodded to herself. Can't risk anything. "Ok. Bye."
"Be careful. We'll be at in the outskirts. Bye."
Jonya hung up the phone, and creaked open the door and a blast of fierce, frozen wind buffeted her frame. 'Aw damn. '
She wrapped her flimsy parka about her tighter, and waded out towards the snow.
Tabitha Myst sat silently in the private shuttle they'd taken from the remotest area on the colony nearest to Earth. Not that 'remote's exactly the word for it. More like 'unused'. More like ancient. She sniffed and looked around. 'But if it'll help get Jon back.hoo boy.' She looked to her much less expressive companion. "Quinn," she asked, "Did everybody get back safely?"
Wine red lips formed harsh words, in a voice that Tabby heard had once been musical. "All but Jon, yeah."
Tabby slumped back in her seat. "You think Jonya'd do the same for us? Go down to earth and risk her life?"
Quinn's icy blue eyes flashed. "I've seen Jon defend a dying mother and baby from a gang armed with a broken beer bottle and a Swiss army knife. She's sacrificed herself for a ton of thieves who don't really like her anyways. Yeah, she'd come after us. She KNOWS we'd do the same for her."
The dark girl sent a menacing look at Tabby, who shuddered. 'What does she have against me anyways? What's her PROBLEM?' Tabby snuck a look at Quinn. 'God, she's so Goth, morning's just an excuse I bet!' Long, ebony black hair tied back in a ponytail, frozen, crystal blue eyes, pale skin, and dark ruby, almost black lips. A black leather jacket, dark navy blue jeans, and a black tank top made her look like a satanist. 'Does she hate everyone? Why's she like this? Everyone knows her parents died, duh, but she's been like this for almost a YEAR now. It's going WAY overboard.' Tabby studied a moment too long.
Quinn's upper lip twitched. "What are you looking at?" she snarled.
Tabby felt her heart leap with terror. "Nothing. Where did you get your lipstick? It's a really.uh.rare color!"
Quinn cocked a skeptical eyebrow. Tabby could see her thinking. 'What is WRONG with that girl?!'
"Body Shop," She said shortly.
Tabby smiled shakily, and wrote it down on her hand for good effect. 'God. Even though Kite's sick, WHY did I have to volunteer to go?! Jonya's cool and all that, but we're not really close. She doesn't even like me that much. Kite could've come--Quinn'll do all the work anyways.'
Quinn sat in silence through the shuttle flight. She wanted nothing to do with Tabitha Myst. Everything about her screamed 'HI! I'll be your Tour guide for today! Oh, and I just LOVE your pink neon shoes!' Quinn gave an involuntary shudder. 'Its people like that who don't understand. Its people like her who've never felt pain and will put any number of people in its way before it gets to them.'
She glanced out the window at stars whizzing past them.Little streamers of light in the cold, infinite midnight. That's all I've ever known. Blackness with a few bright points .Why does my life suck? Her fingers pressed up against the frozen plastic. Gods, I hope Jon is ok. I'll kill every soldier in Vancouver if she'd dead. She looked down at her hands, invisibly bloodstained. Like it was under her skin, a scar. Who AM I? Lady Macbeth? It'll be just me and Kite. Neither of us can stand to loose another puzzle piece of us. We've always had each other.
Quinn clenched her hand so hard her fingernails dug like knives into her palm. 'No. No Quinn. You can't let yourself think like that. Jon knows as much as you do about self defense. She's JONYA. That American's lived through everything.even if just by dumb luck.'
Quinn let a small smile cross her wine lips.
And when me and Kite and her are back together, nothing can touch us, we're unbeatable. Just bring Jon back to Kite. Back to Base. Where we belong. But, Gods, what I'll do if anything goes wrong. "D'you think..uh, she'll be alright?" Tabby's voice was tinged with worry. Quinn did not reply, just turned her face to the window. We're coming, J. Stay strong. Jonya clenched her teeth together, slowly crunching her way over the frozen lake towards the rendezvous point. She gave a strangled gasp as wave upon wave of pain washed over her, each a tsunami of burning needles. Finally, with a gurgle in the back of her blood-coated throat, she knelt into the daggers and collapsed. Lying in the snow, Jonya saw the light in the sky. It's them. Her heart leaped with a sudden relief. She felt the warm air wash over her like a wave as a small, private shuttle landed softly in the tundra.
Tabby leaped out first. "Thank the gods, J.you're alright."
Quinn felt the snow crunch under her feet as she jumped out. "Tabitha.Fetch the first aid kit.and try not to get lost," she barked. 'Stupid little twit.' Tabby obeyed. "I'll be back," she told Jonya, who nodded. Once Quinn was sure that Tabitha was gone, she turned to her friend with tears in her eyes. "It's good to see you, Jon," she choked. Jon smiled. "Likewise, Q." 'Thank god you're alive. Thank god we can help you. Thank god we can bring you home.' Tabby came running out with the first aid kit. Quinn hardened her expression immediately. "These wounds don't look too bad," she muttered to Jon. "You're lucky." Tabby nodded. "Now let's get you back to Base." Quinn frowned. "That shuttle can't handle another trip through the atmosphere. We'll have to find another, or take civilian transport."
Tabby stared at her like she'd just sprouted green tentacles out of her ears. "What?! With Jonya wounded and you in such a pissy mood?! ARE YOU INSANE!?"
Quinn helped Jonya stand, wind tearing at their hair like banshee, "No, just smart. Or is that completely foreign to you as well?"
Tabby ground her molars. "Whatever, you Popsicle--"
Jonya, despite her condition, managed to snort.
Tabby rolled her eyes. "We'll do it."
"Who's in charge here," Quinn growled, "me or you, airhead?!"
Tabby made a coughing sound in her throat. "Tell you what, how 'bout we finish this little pow wow somewhere warm.and AFTER I'm all patched up and can break up a fight?"
Quinn's eyes glittered, but she backed off.
'Stupid B****. If Jon wasn't here I'd beat the pulp out of your weak little body.'
"How far to the city, Jon?" she asked, still glaring at Tabby, who stuck her tongue out.
"Not even 5 minutes. We'll have to catch a taxi though."
"Yeah." Tabby said heavily.
You are so clueless; you don't even have a brain of your own. Quinn's mind recoiled from the thought of Tabby ever bring correct.
Quinn sighed, and began crackling her way across the layer-cake thick ice.
Half an hour later, the three girls were sitting in the back of a moldy taxi cab. The driver's cigar smoke twined around his dirty beard, filling the automobile with a ratty, smoggy odor. The seats smelled of unchanged cat litter, and the doors didn't close properly.
"Screw ever visiting here again," Jonya muttered.
Quinn's dark mouth twisted in a sarcastic smile.
'Well, this is defiantly Vancouver's worst hour.but at least the taxi's relatively warm and Jon's alright.'
Tabby grumbled something about air pollution and turned to face the window.
"Which gate, miss?" asked the driver.
Quinn's mind raced for a suitable number. "C15." She snapped, as if she'd told him a bazillion times before.
The man swerved and parked directly in front of another car.
"Real smooth," muttered Jonya, from her slumped position on Quinn's shoulder.
The driver cackled like it'd been a compliment.
Tabby opened the door and helped Jonya out while Quinn paid the driver twice as much as he deserved to be paid and much less than he demanded. The space port was an imposing place, gray granite and looming dangerously, threatening to eat them alive. Quinn took a deep breath, and stepped out of the taxi. I hate this place.
Jonya shivered as a blast of snowy wind whipped through her.
"Inside would be nice now." She gurgled.
Quinn nodded, and she and Tabby practically carried her through the automatic doors. Inside, elevator music played and fountains boasted multi colored lights. Neon white lamps hung in calculated grids along the ceiling, glaring down on the unfortunate passers by. Loud voices echoed over the intercom, booming like thunder into the tired people below. Clumps of red seats dotted the white floor, occupied buy men and women in business suites and their dry-looking children. Once you've been in one space port, you've been in them all. Was it some kind of sadistic plan by the alliance to make them all look the same? Or just some scary coincidence?
She sighed and tried to stand a little straighter, looking like she wasn't bleeding and in pain.
Quinn looked at her, cocked her head to the side a fraction and arched her eyebrows.
Jon winced a little, and Quinn indicated to the food court. Jonya nodded. We've always been able to talk like this. Without words, without needing to open our mouths.
"Tabby," Jonya started, "I need to sit, get the tickets?"
The girl nodded and cruised off. Jonya gasped and leaned heavily on Quinn as they lurched their way over to the flashy food court. They sat down in the McDonalds section and Quinn stood over her.
"Need food?" she offered.
"No burgers," Jonya replied.
Quinn nodded her ebony head and turned to the counter.
Jonya leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to the advertising glares. Slowly, warm blackness reached up for her. She concentrated on breathing, but her heart beat thrummed in her ears. Steadily, each breath she drew became shallow; the heavy beat in her veins tuning out everything. 'Unconscious.but I'd scare Quinn and Tabby. Can't fall asleep. Wake up you idiot! It's your fault you like this anyways, YOU were the one who gave the order. You fired the first shot. YOU started it.'
Her eyelids felt like lead, but slowly she forced them open. Quinn was just returning with a tray of chicken nuggets and coffee. The other girl's black eyebrows knit.
"You ok, Jon?"
Jonya shrugged. "I will be. What food didjya get?"
Quinn placed a 12 piece chicken nugget between them and indicated to the three steaming cups of coffee.
Jonya smiled and sat up. "Perfect." But even as she popped the chicken into her mouth it felt like eating cotton. Slowly she swallowed, feeling like there was a lump of fluffy lead going down her gullet.
Quinn's eyes never left her; worry glinted in their icy blue depths.
"Quinn." Jonya said.
"Uh-huh?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Drink your coffee. I paid for it."
Jonya sighed, but there was no arguing with the dark queen when she was in this type of mood. 'You don't deserve to drink what money bought. You almost got everyone killed!' She reached for the hot paper cup, and removed the lid. The liquid inside steamed at her angrily, she blew on it, sending chocolate ripples over a chocolate sea. She placed a tiny scrap of the receipt in it, watching it float like some tiny two dimensional angel ship.
"Don't play with it, just drink it." Quinn's cool voice snapped her to attention.
Jonya felt like she was moving in slow motion. Her head was thick and stupid. Everything was fuzzy except the drum in her chest and the throb in her stomach. The scalding amber liquid was sweet and furious and loud in her soft mouth. She closed her eyes and gulped, sending the boiling, angry coffee into her tired stomach. She gave a soft groan as her insides gurgled.
Quinn looked up at her from the paper she had turned to. "We'll get on the plane soon, then you can sleep. Ok?"
Jonya nodded, and leaned back in her chair.
Quinn's cell phone ring jerked her brain awake.
"Hello?" Quinn demanded into the phone.
Kite's disembodied voice could be heard, but not what she was saying. Jonya shifted forward.
"What's she saying?" she asked.
Quinn put her index finger to her mouth in the universal sign for silence.
"What flight?" she muttered, then nodded. "Yeah, that's ours."
Quinn's eyebrows jumped, and then her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
She listened intently for a few seconds. "Why do we need their help? They've got enough on their hands as it is." she fell quiet. "I know, but." Jonya heard Kite's voice protest loudly. Quinn sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll get it. Bye."
Jonya stared at her expectantly. "Well?"
Quinn fluffed her midnight hair, staring at her friend imploringly. "I need to freshen up. Bathroom?"
Jonya, being one who could take a hint, stood. "Yeah, ok." 'Bathroom's got to be the one place there aren't video cameras.or microphones.'
So Quinn dragged her the gate and a half to the nearest bathroom, and locked them in a stall.
"I have no clue how Kite gets her info, but the flight we're taking has got the Gundam Pilots on it."
Jonya's words came out in a feral hiss. "What!? Why would they take a civilian shuttle, that's berserk!"
Quinn shrugged. "I know, but Kite says she's sure."
"So? What are we supposed to do with them?"
Quinn blinked. "That could be interpreted very wrong. But, anyway, we need to hijack the plane. Kite says we need their help to get info-"
Jonya arched a skeptical eyebrow. "What info?"
Quinn ground her molars. "Well if you'd shut up for a second I'll tell you."
Jonya zipped her mouth closed.
"There's two spies who got into the Guild."
"Didn't you get them?"
"Weren't you going to shut up?"
"Sorry."
"I only got ONE of them. And now this guy's threatening to hand over what he knows to OZ. Or he'll just make war on us by himself."
"So.he's got to have MS or something, right? He can't be that hard to track!"
Quinn rolled her eyes. "He's protected both by OZ and this weird cult network that's got dirt on almost every political figure and company in business. So all this guy's got to do is pull some strings and we've got a full scale enemy on our hands."
"Ah. Crap. We're screwed."
"Not quite. That's why we need the pilots."
Jonya frowned. "But why hijack the plane? Then we'll have everyone else on our tails as well?"
"And we don't already? We STEAL from them, remember?"
Jonya smirked. "New age Robin Hoods,"
"Whatever. But this plane's also carrying a shipment of Data clips from OZ reference files. As well as info on a new MS model. If we get it-"
"They don't. And we one up them and pay our debt to the Gundam Pilots."
"Exactly,"
Jonya leaned against the door. Brilliant. This is great.well.sorta. But we've finally s***ed Oz. But I'll have to do the re-wiring. That'll be hell.especially with the shape I'm in, but hey. And then we'll have to get all the passengers out.ach. We'll get it done. Hope I don't bungle this one up.
She stood from her crouching position, pain shot through her, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Quinn was opening the door, but turned around to stare at Jonya doubled over. "Jon."
Jonya gave a choked "I'm FINE. Go on."
So I screwed up. Don't just go soft, Quinn. God.I'm such a problem.
Quinn offered an arm; kindly for the first the time that trip, but it was Jonya's turn to be proud. "I'm ok." She stood shakily, holding herself erect with difficulty. "Tabby'll get worried. Let's go."
Quinn watched her friend go. "Don't die out on us yet, Jonya," she whispered, "Just because you failed once doesn't mean that you'll fail them all."
He's got good instincts. She thought as she squeezed the trigger. A bang loud as thunder echoed in the alley, she stood and walked over the young man, gasping for breath from his shattered chest. But not good enough. She raised her foot and slammed it into his stomach. "You found out a little too much a little too soon, pal."
His mouth formed a silent "What?"
Her thin, British whisper was the last thing he heard. "The Thieves Guild doesn't take kindly to OZ spies."
She stepped back, and melted away into the shadows.
Jonya shivered violently. Cold wound like a boa constrictor around her bleeding body, the ice that caked her eyelashes cracked as she blinked slowly, opening her glazed eyes to peer around at the world that was out to get her. Snow drifted like frozen butterflies to the blanketed ground, dying on impact, becoming just another in a sea of empty white feathers. Jonya blinked again, and inhaled sharply through her red nose. The air swept through her lungs like some sadistic Jack Frost and sent her into hacking coughs, spattering tiny cherries on the bitter snow. 'Gods, I've been in some pretty tight spots, but nothing like this.' She slowly began to raise herself up on one arm, the other held tightly around her lacerated abdomen, covered in sticky blood. Gasping for air she began to stand, achingly, slowly. Making every fought for movement count, no matter how miniscule. She licked her lips, the metallic, salty ruby liquid dribbled over the chapped tissue. A smirk twitched at the corners of her mouth. 'The Alliance can try as hard as they like to get us Thieves. We're too slick; we watch our backs, watch our people. We know how to slink away. Can't keep a good girl down. Don't use that to cover your mistake up. It's your fault. You were the leader. It was your decision to go in even thought we couldn't see anything through the snow. Don't cover up your f****** mistake with the Guild's values.' She laughed quietly, on the verge of delirium. She ran her thumb down the icy, ivory handle of her gun. 'But I got everybody away from the ambush. Didn't even have to touch the weapon. Doesn't matter how bad I screwed up.gotta get home.' She began to shuffle slowly down the snowy, slushy alleyway. 'Gotta get back to base. Gotta call Quinn.Yeah. Call Quinn and Kite and Tabby.' She concentrated on that thought as she limped towards the nearest payphone. She wasn't exactly in the best part of Vancouver. People stared at her, some with a little more than friendship on their minds. 'Gods, that biker dude is just WRONG. But you probably deserve it, you failure.' She grasped on to the payphone door, leaning on it for a few seconds, breathing heavily, squeezing her gashes closed. Then she stumbled into the small booth, and dug in her blood-soaked pocket for some change. Red ooze began to splatter on the floor, forming a sickening, small puddle. She grimaced in pain and dialed the number she knew by heart.
"Hello?" As usual, the voice on the other end was mechanical, so it couldn't be recognized. Inwardly Jonya smiled. Like anyone could trace this number anyways.
"This is J Windy. Got a pretty bad cut. Everyone else is on their way. Need a Pickup...And a first aid Kit."
She heard the phone pick up. "Jonya!? What happened?"
She smiled. 'Gods, it's good to hear Kite's voice'. "Kite, we got ambushed going for the Taurus MS in Canada, I'm in Vancouver. I got hit pretty bad."
Suddenly the phone was grabbed away from her, "J? Tabby here, Kite told me what happened." She could hear the worry in Tabby's voice. "Vancouver, eh? Well, we'll track ya down, and be there in about an hour."
Jonya peeled her arm away from her stomach, and gave a gurgle of pain and fear as the blood gushed down onto her clothes. "I don't think I can wait that long. I need a helluva big band-aid."
Tabby began to object, but was cut off, yelled something indistinguishable, and handed over the phone to the first speaker. Although slightly scratchy, Kite's gentle voice seemed like music to Jonya's ears. "Ok Jon, we'll be there in half an hour. That's as fast as we can catch a shuttle down there and be as quiet about it as we can."
Jonya nodded to herself. Can't risk anything. "Ok. Bye."
"Be careful. We'll be at in the outskirts. Bye."
Jonya hung up the phone, and creaked open the door and a blast of fierce, frozen wind buffeted her frame. 'Aw damn. '
She wrapped her flimsy parka about her tighter, and waded out towards the snow.
Tabitha Myst sat silently in the private shuttle they'd taken from the remotest area on the colony nearest to Earth. Not that 'remote's exactly the word for it. More like 'unused'. More like ancient. She sniffed and looked around. 'But if it'll help get Jon back.hoo boy.' She looked to her much less expressive companion. "Quinn," she asked, "Did everybody get back safely?"
Wine red lips formed harsh words, in a voice that Tabby heard had once been musical. "All but Jon, yeah."
Tabby slumped back in her seat. "You think Jonya'd do the same for us? Go down to earth and risk her life?"
Quinn's icy blue eyes flashed. "I've seen Jon defend a dying mother and baby from a gang armed with a broken beer bottle and a Swiss army knife. She's sacrificed herself for a ton of thieves who don't really like her anyways. Yeah, she'd come after us. She KNOWS we'd do the same for her."
The dark girl sent a menacing look at Tabby, who shuddered. 'What does she have against me anyways? What's her PROBLEM?' Tabby snuck a look at Quinn. 'God, she's so Goth, morning's just an excuse I bet!' Long, ebony black hair tied back in a ponytail, frozen, crystal blue eyes, pale skin, and dark ruby, almost black lips. A black leather jacket, dark navy blue jeans, and a black tank top made her look like a satanist. 'Does she hate everyone? Why's she like this? Everyone knows her parents died, duh, but she's been like this for almost a YEAR now. It's going WAY overboard.' Tabby studied a moment too long.
Quinn's upper lip twitched. "What are you looking at?" she snarled.
Tabby felt her heart leap with terror. "Nothing. Where did you get your lipstick? It's a really.uh.rare color!"
Quinn cocked a skeptical eyebrow. Tabby could see her thinking. 'What is WRONG with that girl?!'
"Body Shop," She said shortly.
Tabby smiled shakily, and wrote it down on her hand for good effect. 'God. Even though Kite's sick, WHY did I have to volunteer to go?! Jonya's cool and all that, but we're not really close. She doesn't even like me that much. Kite could've come--Quinn'll do all the work anyways.'
Quinn sat in silence through the shuttle flight. She wanted nothing to do with Tabitha Myst. Everything about her screamed 'HI! I'll be your Tour guide for today! Oh, and I just LOVE your pink neon shoes!' Quinn gave an involuntary shudder. 'Its people like that who don't understand. Its people like her who've never felt pain and will put any number of people in its way before it gets to them.'
She glanced out the window at stars whizzing past them.Little streamers of light in the cold, infinite midnight. That's all I've ever known. Blackness with a few bright points .Why does my life suck? Her fingers pressed up against the frozen plastic. Gods, I hope Jon is ok. I'll kill every soldier in Vancouver if she'd dead. She looked down at her hands, invisibly bloodstained. Like it was under her skin, a scar. Who AM I? Lady Macbeth? It'll be just me and Kite. Neither of us can stand to loose another puzzle piece of us. We've always had each other.
Quinn clenched her hand so hard her fingernails dug like knives into her palm. 'No. No Quinn. You can't let yourself think like that. Jon knows as much as you do about self defense. She's JONYA. That American's lived through everything.even if just by dumb luck.'
Quinn let a small smile cross her wine lips.
And when me and Kite and her are back together, nothing can touch us, we're unbeatable. Just bring Jon back to Kite. Back to Base. Where we belong. But, Gods, what I'll do if anything goes wrong. "D'you think..uh, she'll be alright?" Tabby's voice was tinged with worry. Quinn did not reply, just turned her face to the window. We're coming, J. Stay strong. Jonya clenched her teeth together, slowly crunching her way over the frozen lake towards the rendezvous point. She gave a strangled gasp as wave upon wave of pain washed over her, each a tsunami of burning needles. Finally, with a gurgle in the back of her blood-coated throat, she knelt into the daggers and collapsed. Lying in the snow, Jonya saw the light in the sky. It's them. Her heart leaped with a sudden relief. She felt the warm air wash over her like a wave as a small, private shuttle landed softly in the tundra.
Tabby leaped out first. "Thank the gods, J.you're alright."
Quinn felt the snow crunch under her feet as she jumped out. "Tabitha.Fetch the first aid kit.and try not to get lost," she barked. 'Stupid little twit.' Tabby obeyed. "I'll be back," she told Jonya, who nodded. Once Quinn was sure that Tabitha was gone, she turned to her friend with tears in her eyes. "It's good to see you, Jon," she choked. Jon smiled. "Likewise, Q." 'Thank god you're alive. Thank god we can help you. Thank god we can bring you home.' Tabby came running out with the first aid kit. Quinn hardened her expression immediately. "These wounds don't look too bad," she muttered to Jon. "You're lucky." Tabby nodded. "Now let's get you back to Base." Quinn frowned. "That shuttle can't handle another trip through the atmosphere. We'll have to find another, or take civilian transport."
Tabby stared at her like she'd just sprouted green tentacles out of her ears. "What?! With Jonya wounded and you in such a pissy mood?! ARE YOU INSANE!?"
Quinn helped Jonya stand, wind tearing at their hair like banshee, "No, just smart. Or is that completely foreign to you as well?"
Tabby ground her molars. "Whatever, you Popsicle--"
Jonya, despite her condition, managed to snort.
Tabby rolled her eyes. "We'll do it."
"Who's in charge here," Quinn growled, "me or you, airhead?!"
Tabby made a coughing sound in her throat. "Tell you what, how 'bout we finish this little pow wow somewhere warm.and AFTER I'm all patched up and can break up a fight?"
Quinn's eyes glittered, but she backed off.
'Stupid B****. If Jon wasn't here I'd beat the pulp out of your weak little body.'
"How far to the city, Jon?" she asked, still glaring at Tabby, who stuck her tongue out.
"Not even 5 minutes. We'll have to catch a taxi though."
"Yeah." Tabby said heavily.
You are so clueless; you don't even have a brain of your own. Quinn's mind recoiled from the thought of Tabby ever bring correct.
Quinn sighed, and began crackling her way across the layer-cake thick ice.
Half an hour later, the three girls were sitting in the back of a moldy taxi cab. The driver's cigar smoke twined around his dirty beard, filling the automobile with a ratty, smoggy odor. The seats smelled of unchanged cat litter, and the doors didn't close properly.
"Screw ever visiting here again," Jonya muttered.
Quinn's dark mouth twisted in a sarcastic smile.
'Well, this is defiantly Vancouver's worst hour.but at least the taxi's relatively warm and Jon's alright.'
Tabby grumbled something about air pollution and turned to face the window.
"Which gate, miss?" asked the driver.
Quinn's mind raced for a suitable number. "C15." She snapped, as if she'd told him a bazillion times before.
The man swerved and parked directly in front of another car.
"Real smooth," muttered Jonya, from her slumped position on Quinn's shoulder.
The driver cackled like it'd been a compliment.
Tabby opened the door and helped Jonya out while Quinn paid the driver twice as much as he deserved to be paid and much less than he demanded. The space port was an imposing place, gray granite and looming dangerously, threatening to eat them alive. Quinn took a deep breath, and stepped out of the taxi. I hate this place.
Jonya shivered as a blast of snowy wind whipped through her.
"Inside would be nice now." She gurgled.
Quinn nodded, and she and Tabby practically carried her through the automatic doors. Inside, elevator music played and fountains boasted multi colored lights. Neon white lamps hung in calculated grids along the ceiling, glaring down on the unfortunate passers by. Loud voices echoed over the intercom, booming like thunder into the tired people below. Clumps of red seats dotted the white floor, occupied buy men and women in business suites and their dry-looking children. Once you've been in one space port, you've been in them all. Was it some kind of sadistic plan by the alliance to make them all look the same? Or just some scary coincidence?
She sighed and tried to stand a little straighter, looking like she wasn't bleeding and in pain.
Quinn looked at her, cocked her head to the side a fraction and arched her eyebrows.
Jon winced a little, and Quinn indicated to the food court. Jonya nodded. We've always been able to talk like this. Without words, without needing to open our mouths.
"Tabby," Jonya started, "I need to sit, get the tickets?"
The girl nodded and cruised off. Jonya gasped and leaned heavily on Quinn as they lurched their way over to the flashy food court. They sat down in the McDonalds section and Quinn stood over her.
"Need food?" she offered.
"No burgers," Jonya replied.
Quinn nodded her ebony head and turned to the counter.
Jonya leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to the advertising glares. Slowly, warm blackness reached up for her. She concentrated on breathing, but her heart beat thrummed in her ears. Steadily, each breath she drew became shallow; the heavy beat in her veins tuning out everything. 'Unconscious.but I'd scare Quinn and Tabby. Can't fall asleep. Wake up you idiot! It's your fault you like this anyways, YOU were the one who gave the order. You fired the first shot. YOU started it.'
Her eyelids felt like lead, but slowly she forced them open. Quinn was just returning with a tray of chicken nuggets and coffee. The other girl's black eyebrows knit.
"You ok, Jon?"
Jonya shrugged. "I will be. What food didjya get?"
Quinn placed a 12 piece chicken nugget between them and indicated to the three steaming cups of coffee.
Jonya smiled and sat up. "Perfect." But even as she popped the chicken into her mouth it felt like eating cotton. Slowly she swallowed, feeling like there was a lump of fluffy lead going down her gullet.
Quinn's eyes never left her; worry glinted in their icy blue depths.
"Quinn." Jonya said.
"Uh-huh?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Drink your coffee. I paid for it."
Jonya sighed, but there was no arguing with the dark queen when she was in this type of mood. 'You don't deserve to drink what money bought. You almost got everyone killed!' She reached for the hot paper cup, and removed the lid. The liquid inside steamed at her angrily, she blew on it, sending chocolate ripples over a chocolate sea. She placed a tiny scrap of the receipt in it, watching it float like some tiny two dimensional angel ship.
"Don't play with it, just drink it." Quinn's cool voice snapped her to attention.
Jonya felt like she was moving in slow motion. Her head was thick and stupid. Everything was fuzzy except the drum in her chest and the throb in her stomach. The scalding amber liquid was sweet and furious and loud in her soft mouth. She closed her eyes and gulped, sending the boiling, angry coffee into her tired stomach. She gave a soft groan as her insides gurgled.
Quinn looked up at her from the paper she had turned to. "We'll get on the plane soon, then you can sleep. Ok?"
Jonya nodded, and leaned back in her chair.
Quinn's cell phone ring jerked her brain awake.
"Hello?" Quinn demanded into the phone.
Kite's disembodied voice could be heard, but not what she was saying. Jonya shifted forward.
"What's she saying?" she asked.
Quinn put her index finger to her mouth in the universal sign for silence.
"What flight?" she muttered, then nodded. "Yeah, that's ours."
Quinn's eyebrows jumped, and then her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
She listened intently for a few seconds. "Why do we need their help? They've got enough on their hands as it is." she fell quiet. "I know, but." Jonya heard Kite's voice protest loudly. Quinn sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll get it. Bye."
Jonya stared at her expectantly. "Well?"
Quinn fluffed her midnight hair, staring at her friend imploringly. "I need to freshen up. Bathroom?"
Jonya, being one who could take a hint, stood. "Yeah, ok." 'Bathroom's got to be the one place there aren't video cameras.or microphones.'
So Quinn dragged her the gate and a half to the nearest bathroom, and locked them in a stall.
"I have no clue how Kite gets her info, but the flight we're taking has got the Gundam Pilots on it."
Jonya's words came out in a feral hiss. "What!? Why would they take a civilian shuttle, that's berserk!"
Quinn shrugged. "I know, but Kite says she's sure."
"So? What are we supposed to do with them?"
Quinn blinked. "That could be interpreted very wrong. But, anyway, we need to hijack the plane. Kite says we need their help to get info-"
Jonya arched a skeptical eyebrow. "What info?"
Quinn ground her molars. "Well if you'd shut up for a second I'll tell you."
Jonya zipped her mouth closed.
"There's two spies who got into the Guild."
"Didn't you get them?"
"Weren't you going to shut up?"
"Sorry."
"I only got ONE of them. And now this guy's threatening to hand over what he knows to OZ. Or he'll just make war on us by himself."
"So.he's got to have MS or something, right? He can't be that hard to track!"
Quinn rolled her eyes. "He's protected both by OZ and this weird cult network that's got dirt on almost every political figure and company in business. So all this guy's got to do is pull some strings and we've got a full scale enemy on our hands."
"Ah. Crap. We're screwed."
"Not quite. That's why we need the pilots."
Jonya frowned. "But why hijack the plane? Then we'll have everyone else on our tails as well?"
"And we don't already? We STEAL from them, remember?"
Jonya smirked. "New age Robin Hoods,"
"Whatever. But this plane's also carrying a shipment of Data clips from OZ reference files. As well as info on a new MS model. If we get it-"
"They don't. And we one up them and pay our debt to the Gundam Pilots."
"Exactly,"
Jonya leaned against the door. Brilliant. This is great.well.sorta. But we've finally s***ed Oz. But I'll have to do the re-wiring. That'll be hell.especially with the shape I'm in, but hey. And then we'll have to get all the passengers out.ach. We'll get it done. Hope I don't bungle this one up.
She stood from her crouching position, pain shot through her, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Quinn was opening the door, but turned around to stare at Jonya doubled over. "Jon."
Jonya gave a choked "I'm FINE. Go on."
So I screwed up. Don't just go soft, Quinn. God.I'm such a problem.
Quinn offered an arm; kindly for the first the time that trip, but it was Jonya's turn to be proud. "I'm ok." She stood shakily, holding herself erect with difficulty. "Tabby'll get worried. Let's go."
Quinn watched her friend go. "Don't die out on us yet, Jonya," she whispered, "Just because you failed once doesn't mean that you'll fail them all."