A/N: Hi guys I'm back with the sequel to Shots in the Dark. This story will take longer to update than the last. I had two completely different versions written and wasn't totally thrilled with either one so I'm trying to mesh and rework them together into one. I will try my best to have at least two updates a week if not more. As always thanks for reading and feel free to comment. Hope you enjoy this story as much as the last.
OoO (Riker) OoO
Two years, it's been two years since Josie died and took a piece of my sanity with her. After the benefit concert I spent 3 months looking over surveillance footage, ticket purchases and fan videos desperately trying to catch a glimpse of Josie, but I should've known better than to think Josie would let herself be known in anyway. Rocky kept his word to help for about a month before he joined the rest in saying I was wasting my time.
I was left with this puzzling note after her benefit concert and there's no doubt in my mind it's from Josie but everyone keeps trying to convince me that she's gone. I don't know maybe I'm delusional or maybe someone is playing a horrible joke on me, I-I don't know. After Josie's death and the lack of support from my family I felt I needed my own space so a year ago I decided to move into Josie's old apartment, most likely adding to my misery but I couldn't pass up the memories or the strange tanquility.
Right now we're in our garage/studio at my siblings' house working on our next album. Rocky and Ryland are working on a remix version of one of our singles as a bonus track and I'm off in the corner yet again staring at the card I received at the Meet&Greet.
"Rike? Yo Riker...Hey!"
"What," I asked distracted turning my chair towards my siblings.
"Dude I've been calling you for like five minutes," answered Rocky, "man I get you miss Josie, hell we all do, especially today. But Rike you've been lost in your own little world since you got this damn note," Rocky quickly snatched the note from me and panic instantly built up in my chest, "what does 'Don't give up all hope Réalta Rac' even mean?"
"Hey give it back," I snapped reaching for the paper.
"Hey man calm down. I just need your full attention," Rocky explained cautiously.
"Yeah *sigh* I know I'm sorry ok? Just give it back to me man please," I begged.
Rocky reluctantly gave the worn note back to me and I quickly returned it to my wallet. I turned my attention back to my brothers and tried as hard as I could to concentrate on the topic at hand.
"Alright well any-" Rocky was interrupted by Ross walking in with a familiar blue envelope.
"Hey guys sorry, but this came for Riker."
I perked up in my chair as I reached for the envelope. No return address, only my name and address written in Old English calligraphy. With trembling hands I tore at the seal. I could feel my brothers' eyes watching my every move. I drew in a ragged breath before I read what was written.
'If you still have hope then save this number 32.2810°S and wait for the next Réalta Rac.'
"What does that mean," asks Ryland.
"Sounds like part of a coordinate," said Ross.
"Yeah but unfortunately there's no point in searching it though," added Rocky.
"Do you guys still think I'm in denial," I asked looking at puzzled faces.
*sigh* "No we don't, but still we don't have any concrete evidence that it is in fact Josie. I'm sorry Rike but you got to understand our point of view here," explained Rocky.
"I know but I'm telling you guys it's her. No doubt about it," I urged, "see she even called me 'Réalta Rac'."
"Which means..," asked Ryland.
"It means rock star," I answered.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I could practically hear Josie's voice ring through the room.
"So now what," asked Ross.
"Well I don't know what you want to do but I'm not giving up. In the meantime let's finish this damn album," I answered feeling a new found desire.
"Bout damn time," Rocky cheered turning back to the sound board.
I chuckled at his excitement as I placed the new note in my wallet with the other one.
The rest of the afternoon and late into the night the band and I worked on the album. Even collaborating a new song with New Beat Funds. It was about 3:00am when I finally decided to call it a night. I walked down the driveway to my corvette. I stood at the driver door fumbling with my keys when I felt like I was being watched. I quickly scanned the neighborhood around me in hopes of catching the eyes watching me. With no luck I turned my attention back to my car door only to be startled by the green gleam of neighbor tabby cat's eyes.
"Fuck!"
I jumped back clenching my shirt over my erratic heart and dropping my keys on the driveway. 'Perfect.' I bent down to blindly search for them and the being watched feeling intensified. I glanced around once more before standing again, keys in hand.
"Damn it Bells. Get home stupid cat," I scolded, shooing the pesky cat off my car before I cycled through my keyring.
I had the key in the lock and pulling up on the handle when I felt a sharp pain on the right side of my head and everything faded to black...
OoO (Josie) OoO
' "You know McGrath the one good thing about you having so many enemies? I had no problem finding a willing participant to take everything from you," Mikhail laughed bitterly, "this tiny little black haired tart didn't need much persuasion. Isn't that right Micki?"
The line cracked as her voice was added into the conversation.
"I told you just to slit your wrists and let him be mine b-"
"You listen hear fucking *muppet. There's nowhere you can hide that I won't fucking find you."
"That may be true but all I really have to do is take out pretty boy behind you to completely fuck up your world."
I quickly spun around in time to see the laser dot gleaming in the center of his chest.
"Riker? No!" *Boom*...'
I shot up in bed instantly clutching the prominent scar next to my heart. I was drenched in a cold sweat. Panic stricken breaths filled the silence of my dark room. I rolled my eyes and groaned annoyed for letting this dream affect me once again. Reluctantly I rolled out of bed throwing on an oversized sweater before once again stripping my bed of the sweat soaked sheets. With the bundle of cloth clutched in my arms I left my room and journeyed through my tiny house to the wash room.
Once the washer was set I lugged my exhausted form into the kitchen. Reaching the door of the fridge I glanced at the clock display on the microwave next to the it.
"3:00am fuck," I groaned before opening the freezer door and retrieving a bottle of Captain Morgan.
Turning around I sat the frosted bottle on the kitchen island and walked across the room for a rocks glass. Sighing I spun the top off the bottle and filled the glass half full instantly slamming the chilled liquid. I hissed as the rum burned the back of my throat before reaching for the bottle again. I raised it for another round and hesitated.
"Ahh fuck it."
I bypassed the glass and brought the icy bottle to my lips. Taking a long pull I walked into my living room and plopped onto the couch.
Two years I've been in hiding. Forced to shack up in a tiny beach house on the other side of the world just to keep the man I love and his family safe.
A month before the Wilks incident I was able to half-ass derive a plan in case Mikhail stayed true to his word. I would wait until his hit man came for me and with any luck I'd be able to use their assassination attempt as my way to escape.
Derek tracked down *tetrodotoxin and *erythropoietin so when the "hit" came he could administer the drugs and put me in a form of suspended animation for 20-30 minutes, given my injury didn't prove to be fatal.
Once injected and "killed" he'd call Milo to receive my body at the designated morgue and reanimate me with a muscle relaxant to release the toxin and a blood transfusion to rid my system of the tetrodotoxin. We would then forge my autopsy with a unlucky Jane Doe of similar physical spects to be sent off to the funeral home assigned to handle my cremation. We'd quickly chop off all my hair and hopefully by this pivotal moment Declan would be there to fulfill his role in my "last wishes." Once all details were squared away I'd take my new identity, courtesy of Milo, and a plane ticket to flee to my new life.
Then the day in front of Wilks came and unfortunately I didn't anticipate Mikhail tracking down psycho bitch Micki for his gunman. Or her deciding to shoot Riker instead of myself.
Thankfully Micki was a piss poor shot and when I stupidly ran up to the door, like I somehow developed the ability to run through glass, her aim was low enough to hit me in between the shoulder blades and miraculously missed vital organs and arteries. Just as the shot fired I seen Chris tackle Riker to the ground. Derek rushed outside and turned me over. I was bleeding profusely and we both wore a worried expression that I'd bleed out and our plan would be ruined. But with only the safety of the others on my mind I forced Derek to proceed as planned.
OoO (Flashback) OoO
"Josie no, what if you bleed out too fast and die," Derek argued frantically.
"Either way Mikhail will stop once I'm dead and you all will be saved. Just do it," I gasped harshly.
"Josie-"
I gripped Derek's wrists, "please Derek you have to."
He reluctantly nodded his head and with tear filled eyes he gave the shots. Seconds later I felt my grip on him break and everything became numb. I could no longer tell if I was breathing, then just like that...pure darkness.
What seemed like an eternity ended up being about 45 minutes before the darkness dissipated and I shot up with a sharp gasp. In front of me was a gray square door with a small card holder and numbers. Straining to focus on my surroundings I turned to my left to see Milo in seafoam green scrubs washed in relief that I woke, gripping a syringe of what I guess was once adrenaline. I glanced down to see a black body bag zipped up to my waist and a tube in each arm. I was sitting on a metal examination slab that had been pulled from its place in the morgue freezer.
"Seriously you couldn't be bothered to at least move me to one of the fucking tables? You know how morbid it is to have this," I gestured towards the rows of doors in front of me, "as the first thing I see when I wake up?!"
Milo grinned, "sorry darling but at least you woke. You had me worried there for minute."
"Psh yeah," I made a move to shimmy off the slab but was hit with stabbing fire through my chest, "ahh! I think I'd rather be dead."
Milo gave me a pointed look towards my bad joke.
"Sorry...now help me off this bloody thing."
Milo unzipped the bag completely, removed the IVs and carefully picked me up, moving me to sit on the edge of a abandoned gurney.
"Do we have the Jane Doe," I asked rubbing my hands up and down my arms in failed attempt for warmth.
"Uh kinda."
"Kinda?
*ahem* "Uh yeah. Well ya'see the thing is. Well I mean-"
"Just fucking tell me."
"The only Jane Doe that fit was umm she was pregnant."
My mouth gaped open.
"Bloody hell. What are we going to do? It's bad enough I'm "dead" but it's going to fucking break Riker if he thinks I was pregnant too."
"I know. I called everywhere to see if any other hospital or morgue had a body to match. I'm sorry Josie, but unless you want to forget the body and pay off the funeral home to fake the whole thing this is what we have."
*sigh* "No. It will take too long to convince them. Let's just go as planned...fuck! This is a bloody train wreck."
"At least look at it this way, he's safe," Milo reassured me with a sympathetic smile.
"Yeah that's true."
Just then the elevator doors dinged open and out walked Declan.
"Alright love I'm in this cluster-fuck now. What do we need to do next?"
OoO (Present) OoO
I sighed heavily setting the bottle of Captain on the coffee table in front of me before reaching for my tablet and sitting back into the couch. I reached for the throw on the back of the couch and draped it over my bare legs before opening my picture file. I settled further into the cushions as I reminisced through the pictures I had saved from my time with R5. I stopped on a picture of Riker playing his bass a look of pure content and passion graced his face. Teary eyed and smiling I grazed my fingertips over the screen.
*"Is breá liom tú réalta rac."
I slowly fell asleep staring at that picture.
OoO OoO OoO
*muppet- idiot/moron
* tetrodotoxin- deadly poison that causes paralysis death-like appearance (puffer fish poison)
*erythropoietin- hormone that increases oxygen levels in the blood (blood doping)
*Is breá liom tú réalta rac- I love you rock star
A/N: I apologize if my whole "faked death" sounds far fetched and unbelievable. I couldn't find a better example to use than the tetrodotoxin. It's been used in shows and books as a way to manipulate a death. Granted the affects were flubbed just as I have done. If anyone knows of a better substance to use I welcome any suggestion that will make that scene more believable.