AUTHORS NOTES: This is the ORIGINAL STORY dealing with the O.C's Ayame Taylor, Kekko Yurigami, and Akira Heinsmen. You may recognize them from earlier published Fan-fictions, and you may also know that those fan fictions have gone on extended hiatus. This story, and my orginal content novels are the reason why. More in Author's note at the end of chapter.
DISCLAMIMER: I do not own any of the material present from the anime/manga series Gundam Wing, I use this content under the fair usage policy of the international copyright laws, in this policy it allows for entertainment with no profit gain. I do Own the Creativity Licence for the plot written within this story, as well as all original content added there in. All original content may not be duplicated or used with out (my) the authors WRITTEN Permission.
Many thanks for putting up with the author note, and disclaimer. Now I hope you enjoy my baby, the pride of my Fan-Fictioning for the last uncounted years.
AKA Bounty Hunters
Introduction
The thrill of the chase through rain slicked streets was one of the most intoxicating to a hunter. The sound of the prey's panicked breathing, their faltering foot falls, always leaving the hunter to wonder when they would finally fall.
It was made all the more exciting with the rolling thunder over head and energized air of the storm about to reach it's fingers out to the city.
"Aka Bounty." Ayame Taylor answered her cell phone in a fluid practiced motion, effortlessly lifting and pinning the small device between her ear and shoulder, feeling her long black pony tail sliding over her back. The .9 mm Sig Sauer in her opposing grip clicked as the parabellum cartridge was slid into place.
"Hello, Little Bird." The voice on the cell phone brought her expert hand to stall momentarily as she slid her weapon into her leg holster.
"Morris?"
It was interesting watching the human mind, once so accustomed to being the hunter, now having to cope with being prey, watching their struggle unfold into their reactions.
The hunted already knew that the prey was done for, the chapter closed on their pathetic attempts at life; yet their bodies always tried so valiantly to survive.
The hunter could almost hear the panicked thought of 'just one more step, just keep moving' or this hunters personal favourite 'almost there.'
Some prey did say such things to themselves, but not this prey. Thinking it, yes, but actually saying it- never. The prey was proud, a war veteran with a body count nearly as long as the hunters. A valiant adversary if there ever was one, yet not the perfect adversary that adversary was farther up the list.
The hunter hated having his skills tested, but that was the game every hunter played.
The hunter rounded a corner in the dark over cast alley way, side stepping in time to miss being hit with the thrown two-by-four piece of wood. The prey turned and continued running. Reminding the hunter that he had to pay attention with this one.
She lifted her gaze- trying to catch the emerald green eyes of her running partner- the taller red headed woman grumbled incoherently under her breath as she turned in a half circle. Long ago used to being interpreted before a hunt the phone call hadn't phased her in he least. She had indeed toned out the conversation, completely intent on getting everything prepared for the hunt.
"Kekko, where'd you put the mace this time?!" The woman called as she turned to walk away.
"Weapons locker, third shelf, left hand side. Where it always is." A phantom voice echoed from another room, and Ayame sighed as she secured her Sig Sauer to the holster with the strap.
"You sound busy there."
"We're just prepping for a hunt, what do you need?" She questioned lowering her foot from the chair she had propped it up on and bent down to tighten the straps of the holster for a better fit- and less chance of chafing if she had to run- which was always likely.
She watched her running partner return from the weapons locker with three cans of mace in hand. She placed one can before her on the table, all the while tapping her wrist to remind Ayame that no hunt waited for phone calls.
"I just wanted to let you know I have a meeting tonight, an important one."
Her hand froze half way to the can of mace, her ears picking up the slight hitch in the man's voice. He was worried, greatly worried about who ever he was meeting.
"Do you need a second pair of eyes?" She asked, knowing full well that this hunt would end before it began if the man said yes. She owed him more then the money she'd make hunting a dirt bag. She owed him her life more times over then she could ever repay.
"No, but, I was hoping for a little insurance, just to be safe."
"Name it." was her quick response, as the owner of the phantom voice stepped into their 'at-home-war-room', her hands full with the mandatory Kevlar vests. Her heterochromatic eyes fell upon her with brow risen.
She pulled the phone away from her ear and switched sides as she stood up right sliding the Mace into her opposing leg holster.
"Listen, Don't you go dropping what ever hunt you're on. I just need you to know who and where I am meeting. Mina is out of town for another three days and she'd have my balls on a silver platter if I didn't make sure someone she trusted knew where I was going. The informant's street name is skizzy, and despite his name, he is more often then not full of good intel. I am meeting him at pier 7 in the industrial district."
Ayame watched as Kekko Yurigami, the phantom voice, efficiently secured Akira's vest, before pulling her service badge over her own half on vest and turning for Akira to return the favour.
Kekko stood five-feet-four-inches high, with her ever pleated brunette hair and soft round features, she didn't paint the picture of a Bounty hunter or even an information networking specilist, but she was both. Her bewitching Hetrochromatic eyes could grow soft on command, and gather intel from people with out them realizing they trusted her until she had left the building. The woman had a boxers build, having been raised by a boxer for a father, she had acquired a love of the sport at a young age, and continued to relentlessly train despite the memories of her parents the sport dredged up.
Akira on the other had was Tall, slender and fully packed with muscle, her face was sharp and angular but not in a distressing way. It matched with her short pixie cut red hair. Despite her name, she screamed Irish in heritage, of course it helped that Akira Heinsmen hadn't existed until A.C. 196. The woman was a mystery to those who didn't know her and with her background in he performing arts she could change from one character to the next in the blink of an eye. In the past she talked to the same person twice and they didn't have a clue.
Ayame Hummed, a sound she didn't use often, and it was enough to have both of her business partners turning to look in her direction. It was hard to ignore them while she was talking to Morris, the three of them had been through a lot together, and in a way the war had brought them to where they were.
She turned her gaze to look out the large industrial windows facing east, forcing herself back on track an keeping her mind away from memories that Morris brought up with his husky smoke burnt voice. The sky was a deep shade of grey and the predicted storm that was coming in wouldn't be but a half an hour away.
"Why are you meeting them in this weather?" She asked of the man putting her own feeler out, gauging if the man needed back up that he didn't want. Ayame knew that Akira and Kekko could if need be, do the hunt on their own- She didn't want to leave them high and dry if she didn't need to, but they would understand when it came to Morris. The man was more then family.
"It's important."
"Morris, don't avoid the question." Turning she shifted the phone to her other ear as she picked up her own vest. She always kept one side of her vest secured so she could slide it over one arm and secure it on her own- more or less. She did so now having to shift the phone again to secure her shoulder. Regardless of how the conversation went, Ayame wanted to be prepared.
"Skizzy called me today, he has some information on the L-2 incident 5 years ago. Something that Preventer missed."
Ayame felt her back straighten, the L-2 Incident was something that people who heard about it couldn't believe even in those colonies, and those who where there, in the thick of it would rather forget.
"Preventer missed a lot this is hardly hot news." She knew her voice had lowered as it usually did when she felt threatened, or didn't like a topic of conversation. She felt both at the mere mention of those damnable colonies.
"Taylor, I am not stupid, don't think to forget who taught you everything you know about this business and survival."
Ayame felt her eyes widen at the man's tone of voice. He rarely got defensive when it came to her stating a fact. Skizzy must have dropped some kind of bomb shell over the phone to get the man so hot and bothered. She was about to give Akira and Kekko a signal that she couldn't make the hunt when Morris spoke up again.
"I already told you not to think about dropping your hunt. Do not think that I need your protection. I am fully capable of getting the job done by myself."
"Wouldn't dream of it. But turn on your cell phone's GPS so that way we can track you while your meeting this skizzy because I don't trust him as far as a four year old could throw him. I have never doubted that you could get the job done Morris, there was a reason why I stuck around your unit, and it wasn't for your glaring personality either. You of all people should know that it's better to have someone watching your back then to have it exposed. I don't like that your going alone, but I won't question you, just go armed." Ayame lifted her left arm as Kekko wordlessly tightened the vest where Ayame couldn't reach.
"Done."
The man's tone of voice softened and Ayame knew that they both had struck nerves. Ayame knew full well that people where beginning to question Morris still hunting at his age. Nearly fifty he should have been lazing on a beach somewhere.
Morris also knew that Ayame was protective over people she considered family- having none of her own left, the man knew better then to question her reasons for drilling him.
"Good, Now we have a dirt bag to catch and you have a slime ball to meet. Akira will turn on the tracker we have for our phones, and if you don't call me by 0800 tomorrow with details, I will come looking for you." Ayame heard the chuckle though his voice as he responded.
"I'd look forward to being chased by the 'pretty' girls of A.K.A. Bounty. If I didn't fear for my for my health once you caught up to me."
The man hung up with out further preamble, as Ayame snapped closed her phone she turned to find Akira already bent over her computer in the corner typing away at a speed that made her own hands burn in sympathy.
"Everything good?" Kekko asked as she finished with the vest adjustments.
"Doubt it, but right now I don't have a choice but to wait." She really didn't like Morris going to meet anyone alone when it dealt with L-2, she remembered that hell, it made most of the war look like a game of capture the flag.
The Rain that had been forecasted hit with the full force of a hurricane, the hunter had lived through a few pretty bad hurricanes and was glad that this region of the world rarely, if ever got storms this bad and they never got worse. It would have made the hunt far too difficult, even with the prey hobbling along at a snails pace.
The rolling thunder snapped through the sky now, no longer peaceful and keeping with the ambiance the hunt had started with. It was annoying, nerve-grating even, but one couldn't always get mother nature to follow their well laid plans.
Picking up the pace was dangerous, for this prey was smart and only wounded. It had to be worn down more before the kill was made, and the trophy collected.
It would be interesting to see how much longer it would last, between hunter and hunted. It was so hard to predict when and how the kill would be made, especially with the veterans of this game.
It was going to get interesting, the hunter just knew it.
Akira raced ahead, Jose Ramaro was fast on his feet, but so was the star runner of AKA bounty- more so when she was ticked off- which if her yelling threats at poor Ramaro was any indicator, then she most definitely was ticked off.
'The rain wouldn't be doing much for her mood either.' Ayame found herself thinking as her legs pumped automatically. The wind violently pulled her tight poney tale behind her and made hearing Kekko's Voice all the more difficult.
"You have an alley on your right Aya, take it now!" Kekko's static filled voice announced through the tiny earwig in her ear. She dipped down the alley way, and watched startled eyes lift off the ground to watch her progress through the trenches of the capitol's most populated slums.
She didn't waste time meeting any of the eyes that lifted, she had one target tonight, and she didn't want to draw it out any more then necessary by missing a turn, or even worse yet locking eyes with the wrong kind of slum dweller. Some didn't need any reason to jump in the way and cause trouble.
"Left!" Kekko practically screamed, and Ayame followed the instruction, feeling the tread of her combat boots barely making contact through the run off mud pooling at the turn off entrance.
Her breath was puffing out of her semi parted lips in a series of wafting vaporous clouds. Despite the cool air whipping around her she felt the sweat running down her back and sides. Every time the wind changed direction in the wind-tunnel of an alley way, Ayame felt like she was going to be pulled off the ground and blown away.
She put 90% of her concentration on staying on her feet and moving in a forward direction as fast as humanly possible so when Kekko's next call came through the ear wig, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Stay! Stay!"
The call Forced her to slide to a stop, her feet nearly sliding out from underneath her, forcing her half gloved hands to grip at the concrete wall beside her for added support.
"Shit, A little more warning would be nice. We are after all in the worst predicted rainstorm in the past ten years. The slime is slippery." She griped knowing that Kekko was all the while rolling her two-toned eyes from the warmth and relative safety of the company van.
"Buck up, this is what we get paid for, and it's in my contract that I don't do torrential down pours, it's the trade off of being the paperwork junky." Kekko responded as Ayame took controlled deep breaths to try and regain her stamina before Ramaro and Akira ran up on them.
As she breathed, her gaze peered into the darkened back entrances of the shops that lined the alley, she didn't need to be snuck up on by a would be 'helpful pedestrian' or worse, by one of Ramaro's friends.
Once she was sure they where clear, Ayame slid herself into the darkest one, waiting, knowing that Kekko had a tactical advantage while sitting dry in their transport vehicle.
Their ear wigs where fitted with micro GPS chips, allowing the woman to keep track and co-ordinate their hammer and anvil tactic. Or as some had taken to calling it the ghost manoeuvre.
The sky let loose a series of bright lightning strikes streaking through the air. The thunder that followed was deafening, so much so that she almost didn't hear Kekko's warning of 'Coming up.'
She slid out of the shadows, no doubt looking like a spector as she did so.
The man was 20 feet away from her, and on his last legs. If His scrawny chest heaving up and down though his ragged shirt was any indicator.
His hands shook with adrenaline, his dark hazelnut brown eyes were blood shot, and wider then a deer watching the headlights of an oncoming truck. Yet, it was the way his body twitched spasmodically that gave him away.
"He's cranked." She cursed, and watched Akira's head nod before the woman made a slow stalking advance forward.
The hunter wondered how the prey chosen could keep his stamina up so high, while this prey had been a soldier, he was also an old man now, the war's long in the past and he didn't even hunt as often anymore. Instead letting a trio of women do his hunting for him.
The hunter had been pleasantly surprised by the tenacity of this prey, the cunning and swiftness of his reactions made the hunt all the more fun. But now the target was cornered, the maze of back alleys in the industrial sector was the best in the city to hunt in, prey got turned around and confused so easily.
Rats the lot of them.
He began his final approach of the prey who had done so well.
It was a shame to have to end it.
Time seemed to move slowly as Akira moved forward inch by inch. To keep herself from being pulled into the lure of times movements, Ayame forced her voice to project as far as it would.
"You really screwed the pooch on this didn't you Ramaro?" She asked slowly, watching as those deer in the head light eyes focus on her fully.
"Fuck that, I ain't back in yet. Still got'a catch me."
She made a show of looking behind her.
"I'm between you and your exit aren't I? What do you think your chances are of getting past me in such a small space? There was a reason I am called a pit-bull after all."
He rose his bushy brow, "You're just a woman." His lips curled in a smile as if this was the funniest thing in the world. He tossed his head back to laugh, yet he caught Akira's approach in his heightened peripheral vision.
His drug enhanced reflexes had him jumping to the side just out of Akira's reach and pulling a knife from his pants brandishing it as if it was a sword.
"No ya don't reddy." The man said as he lunged.
Akira jumped out of his first strike, and then his second. Ayame watched anxiously as the woman danced out of the way of Ramaro's wildly swinging blade, waiting for her moment to jump in and bring the man to a halt.
She couldn't risk her gun, chances were she'd hit Akira, then the woman would be right pissed off. Not to mention the added paperwork she'd have to do and the insurance company would throw fits. The mace was out with the rain pouring down in sheets, never mind the tazer- electricity and water didn't tend to mix well.
"Your. Not. Takin. Me. In." Ramaro said as he slashed at Akira with each word.
The prey thought it was so wise, that it's last words would be so well thought out, so perfectly scripted for a Hollywood movie. Or maybe it still truly believed that it could win.
It was something to think on, how could it win, even with that small piece of metal pipe in it's grimy paws swinging wildly from side to side keeping the hunter from approaching.
It was cornered and this was the curtain call. The hunter reached into their coat, pulling a Sig Sauer out of a shoulder holster, and levelled the weapon with the prey.
The kill was never as good as the chase, it was a shame that it had to end so soon. Ah well, that was the game. What could the hunter do but finish what was started?
She jumped, straight onto middle of the fray. Shifting away from the knife dead aimed toward Akira. Bringing her arms out in a double fisted block, Ayame stalled the knife hand, and crowded his space. The man- cranked or not- still had reflexes, His free arm wrapped around her midsection squeezing with a strength that only came from the drugs he was on. She tried to force his arms further away from her by pushing against the pressure, she didn't need a cracked rib- that would just piss her off.
With his knife hand blocked, He stretched and pulled the knife free and made a move to embed the dirty blade into her stomach.
Ayame didn't have much of a choice or time, she was forced to duck under the controlled arm, pulling it with her. He followed her lead to keep his shoulder from being pulled out of socket. The man was smart, and she wondered where he went so wrong in life to wind up as a junkie social drop-out.
"Drop it." She warned, tightening her hold on his arm, pulling, moving to over extend his wrist and elbow. Not an easy feat with her hands slipping on his rain slicked skin.
His response was in the form of his knife biting through her coat and finding the flesh of her own extended right arm. She was mildly surprised that she kept her grip on his arm as he kept applying pressure to the wound.
While she held and grit her teeth against the pain, Akira Moved in and attempted to get an handle on his stabbing hand. Ayame saw the silver flash of the woman's cuffs.
As Akira cuffed the knife hand, he fought back, twisting and jerking his arm towards her trying to elbow the her in the face. With one arm down Ayame had to redouble her effort just to keep her hold on him and not pull on the knife.
In the struggle The knife was pulled out of Ayame's skin, sending a burning to course through her entire left side. Ayame dimly hoped she hadn't skipped any of her tetanus shots.
She couldn't allow herself the moment to think about it or the pain, as Ramaro's foot flew out colliding with Akira's chest, stumbling her back- putting all of his 178 pounds of weight against Ayame.
She shifted her feet to keep her hold of him, but he stepped around behind her supporting leg, knocking her off balance.
"Ah hell-" She hit the ground like a ton of bricks. The next thing she saw was his raised boot coming off the ground. She could see Akira still pulling herself off the ground.
If she didn't act fast- out of sheer reflex, and nothing more she shifted towards his planted foot, smacking the oncoming foot away from her body. She could see his eyes widen in surprise as his foot sent up a spray of water as it hit the ground hard. Staggered, Ramaro was frozen in place for but a moment, yet that was all Ayame needed.
All in one motion, from practice through out her life before her own efforts in the war, and even after chasing pricks like Ramaro- Ayame rolled, Hooked her bottom arm around his ankle, all the while gripping his knee.
She pulled rolling away from the leg, applying the pressure to his knee, sending him face down into the rain water. Her right leg pulled over his captured foot and she pulled back on his ankle joint.
He grunted as he landed, and he tried to buck her off his leg, but she followed the pull with a twist, effectively breaking his ankle. The sound masked by a loud distant explosion of thunder.
Akira lumbered up beside Ramaro, using her foot to move the dirty blade away from his hands reach, before she leaned down and cuffed his free hand to the other. Only when Akira tapped her on the shoulder did Ayame release the pressure on his broken and quickly swelling ankle.
"Pull up. We got him." Akira's voice said into her own coms device attached to the earwig.
Ayame found herself on her feet watching the blood dripping from her finger tips blooming in the rancid water of the old quarter- bringing back memories that were better left to the past.
The sound had echoed through the alley much like the storm raging all around. Now the prey lay slumped against the wall of an old warehouse like a marionette who's strings had been cut. Steam lifted from the body as the rain cooled it.
The scent of the hunter's work was over powered by the refreshing rain, and repugnant raw sewage seeping through every available space.
This kill brought a satisfaction to the hunter that hadn't been felt for a very long time.
It was interesting, that no matter how many prey tried to escape, the hunter always got the prize. Even if the job was only half done- the hunter didn't mind the dirty work. It was the insult to the injury.
Authors Notes: Hello and Welcome to AKA Bounty Hunter. This story has been refitted and formatted a couple hundred times, and was originally a creation when I was younger looking for a good reason for my character, can't have her the way she is just because, it's not realistic. So the back story was created after I figured out she'd be a bounty hunter. (thank you to dog the bounty hunter for the inspiration way back when)
Thus this story has taken me a lot of time, and pretty much hogged all of my muses attention- so between this and my own two 'to-be-published' novels and real-life (what ever the heck that is) I haven't really gotten around to doing much with the stories I have posted on Fan-Fiction.
For those of you going, WHAT ABOUT Reality Check Please!?
I can't say I know what I am doing that that any more. As I am sure your aware it was a present for a friend of mine who went away to university four years ago now, and given that it has taken me four years to get as far as I have it is actually shocking that I haven't given up on it long before now. The plot is riddled with wholes and to be honest I can't remember the whole premise I was working on for the story anymore. But If you guys really (really?) like RCP, Just let me know and I'll try to find a way to keep it going. (And make sense)
Until then,
PLEASE REVIEW and THANK YOU FOR READING !~
(P.S. yes that was ONLY the introduction)