Manticore Dances
By Callao
Feedback: Please? (DarkAngelGirlie@aol.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sequel to A Good Little Soldier
Spoilers: Slight Cold Comfort
Disclaimer: I do not own them
Author's Note: I wasn't gonna write anymore but I got inspired. I realize how evil the end is, so no need to
point it out :)
* * * * *
"One, two, three,"
"Huah!"
Brin throws a solid punch. I block it with expertise and it lands about an inch below my elbow. A small jolt of
pain shoots down towards my wrist at the powerful contact, but I don't flinch. I never flinch. We stand still
and straight in that position.
"One, two, three,"
"Huah!"
She pulls her fist away as quickly as it hurled toward my body and blocks my hit. Lydecker walks by us and
nods.
"One, two, three,"
"Huah!"
Our pattern continues. Brin throws punches, kicks, whatever Lydecker tells us to. I block. Then I throw the
hits. She blocks. We continue this long after Lydecker's chant of "one, two, three," ends. Our moves are
smooth and quick and soon, they don't even look like they are connecting. I imagine an outsider watching
would almost call it a dance. A beautiful but deadly dance.
Paying attention to Brin with one eye, I look over to the only others in the room, besides Lydecker. Jace and
Zack were performing the same dance as Brin and I. Their moves were just as smooth and powerful and just
as deadly. Jace falters slightly as Zack hits her stomach and losing balance, she falls to the ground. He nods
silently to her and helps her up. They stand at attention watching the last of the fight between Brin and I.
I turn my full attention back to Brin just as she punches straight into my face. I duck just before her fist hits
my nose and grab her hand. I twist her arm in a manner that would cause it to crack for a normal person and
pull it around her back, pushing her to the floor face first. I hold her there for a few seconds and let her arm
go. She rolls over onto her back and I pull her up onto her feet by her hand. She gives me a little glare.
"Attention!" Lydecker commands. We straighten up and look ahead. He walks back and forth in front of us.
Not a pace. No, a pace is for the weak. We have been taught that. But a walk nonetheless. He stops in front
on Brin and Jace, who are standing at attention beside one another. "Zack, Jace, Brin. Go to classroom 4.
Max, stay here. I need to talk to you."
Brin, Jace and Zack leave with a chorus of 'Yes, sir!''s and I stand ground.
"At ease, soldier." I relax my posture slightly. "Before, you came back here, you lived in Seattle, yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"And in Seattle, there was a cyber journalist, going by the name of 'Eyes Only', yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you know who this 'Eyes Only' is? We need to... stop his broadcasts."
"Yes, sir. I know him. A man named Logan Cale."
"Good. I have a mission for you."
* * * * *
I look silently through the window to Logan Cale's penthouse. He's inside in his computer room. I cannot
see into it, but know he's in there. The apartment is dimly lit, as I remember it always was at night, but that is
good, I suppose. There's less a chance he can see me looking in his window. No one else is in the
penthouse, Bling having left a few hours earlier. The only sounds are Logan's fingers moving swiftly over
the keyboard and soft classical music in the background. Sibelius, Valse Triste. He always did seem to like
that. I push the window open soundlessly with gloved hands and climb through into his bedroom.
I move to the computer room and stand in the doorway. Logan doesn't notice, his eyes glued to the
computer screen.
"Hello Logan."
I hear him inhale sharply and turn. He looks at me in disbelief.
"You're back."
"Not quite." I reply.
"You've been turned." He says flatly, taking in my dark green uniform and black boots.
"Yes, and Lydecker has sent me on a little mission." I walk over to him. "You see, sir has a little problem." I
pause. "You. And I have been sent to get rid of sir's problem." I pull out a handgun. "Not really all that
fancy but it'll do the job." Logan still looks like he's in shock. I shrug. "Okay, so you'll make it easy for me." I
raise the gun.
"Wait." Logan's voice is not more then a whisper, but I stop anyway. I mentally reprimand myself. You do
not listen to anyone but Lydecker, soldier! He starts talking in a quiet and steady voice. "Max, please don't
do this. You don't want to do this. I'll help you forget your training, forget Manticore, forget Lydecker.
Please Max." He pauses and says softly. "I love you."
He waits for me to reply. "No such thing." I shoot the gun. It hits his stomach. I aimed it as a fatal shot,
hitting important organs. He gasps and grabs his stomach, falling to the floor. He stares up at me with his
blue eyes. The old me would have melted on the spot. Hmm. Too bad I'm not the old me. "Logan, Logan.
There's no such thing as love. All phony sentimentality."
I stand there, listening as Logan's breathing slows, looking straight into his eyes. His breath comes out in
short gasps until, with one sharp inhale, it stops. I don't move for a few moments, still looking into his dead
eyes. I shake my head and look over to the computer screen. He'd hacked into the Manticore files. He had a
file of me pulled up. I exit out of the website and copy all his Eyes Only files onto a disk, to take back to sir. I
shut off the computer and turn back to Logan's body. I push it with the toe of my boot, avoiding the puddle
of blood. He moves as a rag doll would. I squat down and gently push his eyelids shut.
"Goodbye Logan."
Moving silently to the bedroom window, I climb through and close it again. I jump around 30 feet to the
ground. Walking away, I click the little remote in my hand. Foggle Towers blows up in a flash of orange,
blue and brown. Bricks and various items from the apartments fly around me. I walk slowly 4 miles over to
the black Manticore SUV. I open up the door to the backseat and slide in. Lydecker starts up the truck and
starts driving away.
"Mission accomplished?"
"Yes, sir. Eyes only is dead."
"Good job soldier." I nod in response.
The fact that I killed Logan, the man I once thought I loved has no effect on me. You know why?
It's just a day's work.
* * * * *
*puts on her bulletproof/rotten-vegetable-proof/bodily-harm-proof suit* Feedback? And I know that a
gunshot makes a long death (Ta!) but it's so much easier fast.
By Callao
Feedback: Please? (DarkAngelGirlie@aol.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sequel to A Good Little Soldier
Spoilers: Slight Cold Comfort
Disclaimer: I do not own them
Author's Note: I wasn't gonna write anymore but I got inspired. I realize how evil the end is, so no need to
point it out :)
* * * * *
"One, two, three,"
"Huah!"
Brin throws a solid punch. I block it with expertise and it lands about an inch below my elbow. A small jolt of
pain shoots down towards my wrist at the powerful contact, but I don't flinch. I never flinch. We stand still
and straight in that position.
"One, two, three,"
"Huah!"
She pulls her fist away as quickly as it hurled toward my body and blocks my hit. Lydecker walks by us and
nods.
"One, two, three,"
"Huah!"
Our pattern continues. Brin throws punches, kicks, whatever Lydecker tells us to. I block. Then I throw the
hits. She blocks. We continue this long after Lydecker's chant of "one, two, three," ends. Our moves are
smooth and quick and soon, they don't even look like they are connecting. I imagine an outsider watching
would almost call it a dance. A beautiful but deadly dance.
Paying attention to Brin with one eye, I look over to the only others in the room, besides Lydecker. Jace and
Zack were performing the same dance as Brin and I. Their moves were just as smooth and powerful and just
as deadly. Jace falters slightly as Zack hits her stomach and losing balance, she falls to the ground. He nods
silently to her and helps her up. They stand at attention watching the last of the fight between Brin and I.
I turn my full attention back to Brin just as she punches straight into my face. I duck just before her fist hits
my nose and grab her hand. I twist her arm in a manner that would cause it to crack for a normal person and
pull it around her back, pushing her to the floor face first. I hold her there for a few seconds and let her arm
go. She rolls over onto her back and I pull her up onto her feet by her hand. She gives me a little glare.
"Attention!" Lydecker commands. We straighten up and look ahead. He walks back and forth in front of us.
Not a pace. No, a pace is for the weak. We have been taught that. But a walk nonetheless. He stops in front
on Brin and Jace, who are standing at attention beside one another. "Zack, Jace, Brin. Go to classroom 4.
Max, stay here. I need to talk to you."
Brin, Jace and Zack leave with a chorus of 'Yes, sir!''s and I stand ground.
"At ease, soldier." I relax my posture slightly. "Before, you came back here, you lived in Seattle, yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"And in Seattle, there was a cyber journalist, going by the name of 'Eyes Only', yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you know who this 'Eyes Only' is? We need to... stop his broadcasts."
"Yes, sir. I know him. A man named Logan Cale."
"Good. I have a mission for you."
* * * * *
I look silently through the window to Logan Cale's penthouse. He's inside in his computer room. I cannot
see into it, but know he's in there. The apartment is dimly lit, as I remember it always was at night, but that is
good, I suppose. There's less a chance he can see me looking in his window. No one else is in the
penthouse, Bling having left a few hours earlier. The only sounds are Logan's fingers moving swiftly over
the keyboard and soft classical music in the background. Sibelius, Valse Triste. He always did seem to like
that. I push the window open soundlessly with gloved hands and climb through into his bedroom.
I move to the computer room and stand in the doorway. Logan doesn't notice, his eyes glued to the
computer screen.
"Hello Logan."
I hear him inhale sharply and turn. He looks at me in disbelief.
"You're back."
"Not quite." I reply.
"You've been turned." He says flatly, taking in my dark green uniform and black boots.
"Yes, and Lydecker has sent me on a little mission." I walk over to him. "You see, sir has a little problem." I
pause. "You. And I have been sent to get rid of sir's problem." I pull out a handgun. "Not really all that
fancy but it'll do the job." Logan still looks like he's in shock. I shrug. "Okay, so you'll make it easy for me." I
raise the gun.
"Wait." Logan's voice is not more then a whisper, but I stop anyway. I mentally reprimand myself. You do
not listen to anyone but Lydecker, soldier! He starts talking in a quiet and steady voice. "Max, please don't
do this. You don't want to do this. I'll help you forget your training, forget Manticore, forget Lydecker.
Please Max." He pauses and says softly. "I love you."
He waits for me to reply. "No such thing." I shoot the gun. It hits his stomach. I aimed it as a fatal shot,
hitting important organs. He gasps and grabs his stomach, falling to the floor. He stares up at me with his
blue eyes. The old me would have melted on the spot. Hmm. Too bad I'm not the old me. "Logan, Logan.
There's no such thing as love. All phony sentimentality."
I stand there, listening as Logan's breathing slows, looking straight into his eyes. His breath comes out in
short gasps until, with one sharp inhale, it stops. I don't move for a few moments, still looking into his dead
eyes. I shake my head and look over to the computer screen. He'd hacked into the Manticore files. He had a
file of me pulled up. I exit out of the website and copy all his Eyes Only files onto a disk, to take back to sir. I
shut off the computer and turn back to Logan's body. I push it with the toe of my boot, avoiding the puddle
of blood. He moves as a rag doll would. I squat down and gently push his eyelids shut.
"Goodbye Logan."
Moving silently to the bedroom window, I climb through and close it again. I jump around 30 feet to the
ground. Walking away, I click the little remote in my hand. Foggle Towers blows up in a flash of orange,
blue and brown. Bricks and various items from the apartments fly around me. I walk slowly 4 miles over to
the black Manticore SUV. I open up the door to the backseat and slide in. Lydecker starts up the truck and
starts driving away.
"Mission accomplished?"
"Yes, sir. Eyes only is dead."
"Good job soldier." I nod in response.
The fact that I killed Logan, the man I once thought I loved has no effect on me. You know why?
It's just a day's work.
* * * * *
*puts on her bulletproof/rotten-vegetable-proof/bodily-harm-proof suit* Feedback? And I know that a
gunshot makes a long death (Ta!) but it's so much easier fast.