Chapt. 1
By Laura Boeff
(a/n I apologize in advance if this story goes out of cannon. Given that I missed a few of the later episodes, it can't be help, but please feel free to tell me if any such boo-boos pop up)
How amusing.
Her thoughts drifted as the sun eased over the quiet square below. People
moved about
the vendors stalls,
looking; talking; buying; selling, utterly unnoticing of her. Her in her
quiet post
on the town's highest
building. The warning tower where an ancient bell hung.
Warning?
No warning would be given. Her job would be done and her reward collected
and she,
the greatest sniper
in Terran, could return to her quiet home in the mountains. She let her
thoughts drift to
her still home on the jagged peaks of mount Tserak. Nothing there but the
cold
air and high flying
birds that called the peaks home. Stillness and peace, very much peace.
She looked down. Not like here. Here was noise and people and betrayal
and pain. That
was why she did not
reside here. Would not reside here.
The soft shift in the hazy distance caught her eyes and she immediatly
lifted her
binoculars up to scan
the horizon, instincts on alert and musing thoughts forgotten.
Yes. A half-track as explained was rolling toward the town's far west edge.
Undoubtedly
the owners would leave
it at the cities border and do their business on foot.
Well, well and well. She was patient. Patient as the wind and the sand
and the sun. She
would wait.
Then she would kill.
****
"Ah, Nefal. Town of merchants and thieves," Mick said happily, clapping
his hands
together as he hopped
off the half-track. "My kind of place!"
"Supplies, Mick," Willy warned as he and Jack joined him.
Mick huffed and glared up at his large friend. "Where's you sense of adventure?"
he
demanded.
Willy's face never changed. "I'm your friend, ain't I? That's adventure
enough."
"Humpf," Mick snorted and glared at Jack who was trying to suppress his
smile and
failing.
"Humpf," he stated again for good measure and started toward the town with
Willy and
Jack in tow.
"It seems an active place," Xyber 9 commented from his place across Jack's
back, his
dome rotating curiously
to study the town.
Jack nodded absently. "Nefal lies dead in the middle of two major trade
routes," he
explained. "Not many
people actually live here, but trading caravans come and go constantly."
"We'll find the supplies we need here," Willy interjected confidently.
Jack sighed, shoving a rogue lock of hair out his face. "If we have enough
money."
Mick grinned. "That's my department gentleman," he boasted cheerfully as
they turned
the corner that led
up the main market street. "You must have faith."
Jack knew better and kept his mouth shut and Willy looked liked Willy always
did: no
emotion at all.
"Hum, intriguing," Xyber muttered and Jack noticed the computer was looking
toward a
mechanic's stall.
"What is it?" he asked, stopping as Willy and Mick continued. Nefal was
a busy town, but
not large, and he
knew he would be able to find them later. All he'd probably have to do
was
listen for Mick's
loud mouth.
"Those are hydraulic feed line controls. They would be most useful in our
renovation of
the C.L.O.D.," Xyber
pointed out as Jack paused above an indiscriminate pile of parts.
"Yeah, if we had the money," Jack chuckled, holding one part up for inspection,
letting
Xyber get a better
look.
"Yes, type 60-s. Old, but in fair shape," Xyber assessed expertly.
"Fair? Fair?!" the merchant argued, appearing like a jack-in-the-box from
behind the
counter. "My stuff's
the best. Only the best!"
Xyber canted his dome at the man curiously. "When did the best include
carbon build-up
along the main feed
lines?" he asked with deceptive innocence.
Jack groaned and put the part back as the merchant stammered, flustered.
"We'll think about it," he offered, getting clear and looking over his
shoulder at the
computer. "That wasn't
very nice." The reprimand was somewhat lacking for the chuckle he
couldn't quite suppress.
Xyber's dome bounced in the machine's way of a shrug. "Neither were that
man's prices.
The 60-s was never
that costly when it was brand new," he returned and Jack laughed, shaking
his head.
****
No doubt, that was him. Not only was the description perfect, but how could
one not
notice a real live
Xyber? It was insanity to carry the thing so about ones back in public.
But, that
was the boy's foolishness.
She raised her gun, the scoop bringing the youth below into surreal clarity,
the floating
cross-hairs steadying
across his back, over his heart. Her orders had been very clear: no harm
was to come to the
Xyber unit, which ruled out a head shot given the computer's position on
the
boy's back.
The cross-hairs jumped, then steadied as her finger slipped into the guard
and over the
pressure sensitive
trigger. A small exhale and she became rock steady, finger tightening...
****
"Jack," Xyber said softly in his drawn out way of warning. All of Jack's
senses went on
alert as he swung
to where the computer was looking.
"Uh-oh."
He was already moving, pushing through the crowd and searching frantically
for Willy
and Mick. On the horizon
were Renard's troops, rumbling down on the trading town.
****
She snarled as her target flinched from view, something definitely startling
him. The
curse was smothered
as she grabbed her binoculars, focusing in tight on the boy as he pushed
frantically through
the crowd.
Damn, damn and damn! What had spooked the boy? She wanted to be home and
alone
by the gods! She swept
the binoculars to and fro and finally locked on the patrol tanks rolling
into
town, barring Renard's
banners.
The curse she spat was vehement. If Renard's fools spooked her prey, it
might be weeks
till she managed to
track him down again. They would pay dearly if she was forced to stay here
another day.
****
"Where are they?" Jack snarled, stopping and stepping up on his tip-toes
to look around.
"Due east, thirty feet," Xyber reported dutifully, and Jack caught sight
of Willy's towering
form.
"Hey guys!" he yelled, running the whole way.
Willy turned and peeked at him from under the brim of his hat.
"Trouble. Renards troops are heading this way," Jack informed him breathlessly
once
he'd caught up.
"Two half-tracks and six assault bikes to be exact," Xyber added.
Willy frowned and looked off into the distance. "I'll get Mick," he rumbled.
Jack nodded. "Okay. I'll get the half-track running." He turned and saw
a handy
side-street and took
it, hoping to avoid detection.
****
Thank the gods!
She was already moving, throwing herself to the tower's far west side,
hastily bringing
the rifle to her shoulder.
He was using the side-streets, they offered the perfect killing field.
The sun glinted off her scope and she adjusted slightly, bringing the boy's
back into
focus. Due to the
odd angle she was forced high, but still, the shot would be lethal.
****
Jack skidded to a stop and peeked around the corner to scan the small alley
that led to
the main street. The
sight of the half-track tank only confirmed what he felt as the earth trembled
under its mighty treads.
"Man, this is getting redundant," he muttered and Xyber opened up to peer
with him.
"Were we not discussing how boring your life was just the other evening?"
Xyber asked,
amused.
Jack groaned and rolled his eyes.
"You and your memory," he muttered.
Xyber seemed pleased with the utterance.
****
Her finger slid over the trigger and she let out her breath slowly, bringing
her body to a
perfect stillness,
ignoring the sun at the edge of her vision. Only the high center of the
boy's gray
jacketed back filled
her universe.
Slowly, the finger pulled back...
****
"Come on," Jack said, not sure why he said such things when generally Xyber
rode on
his back.
Suddenly, Xyber spun about and he heard a high, scanning pitch. Less then
a second
later, Xyber's voice
shouted shrilly in his ear.
"Jack, get down!"
"What?" Jack gasped, half turning and starting into a fighting crouch as
Ikira had taught
when the world seemed
to explode around him.
****
"No!"
She almost howled in absolute fury at her failure. Not only had the cursed
Xyber noticed
her, but the boy's
movement had thrown the shot. This was not acceptable. Not at all!
She stood up and brought the boy back into the scopes deadly gaze. The
youth was
prone on the ground.
Perhaps her first shot had not been as badly placed as she'd originally
thought, but it had
not been perfect. Time to remedy that.
The scope steadied and with practiced ease her breathing slowed as her
finger caressed
the trigger once again.
Then some damn fool rung the bell.
The gun hit the bell towers stone floor as she clamped her hands over her
ears, trying in
vain to escape the
horrid noise. A noise that swallowed her scream of rage.
****
"Well, where is he?" Mick muttered in annoyance that almost covered the
hint of concern
in his voice.
Willy stared out from their own hastily hidden half-track to the city that
was starting to fill
with Renard's troops.
"He's in trouble," Willy said softly, already heading back.
Mick threw up his arms and huffed, "When isn't he in trouble?" as Willy
walked away.
Mick watched his partner's
retreating back and rolled his eyes. "Hey, wait for me."
****
His head rung. A painful cadence that started along his right temple and
wrapped around
his whole skull. He
groaned, trying to lever himself up as the world swayed drunkenly around
him.
"Xyber?" he rasped thickly as his balance shifted and he slid into the
ground. A wave of
nausea ripped through
him as he sought to hear beyond the buzzing burr that filled his ears.
Vaguely, past his own pain and sickness, Jack noticed the ground still
trembled. That
was a bad thing. He
was sure it was a bad thing. He had to get away from the bad thing.
With a gasp he lurched up, staggering forward, clasping his head between
his hands and
praying it wouldn't
explode. It took all his will to stay upright, to see the fuzzy world around
him
as he stumbled down
the street.
Bad thing. Had to get away from the bad thing.
Stumbling against a wall, Jack looked up as a dark, fuzzy form stepped
into his vision.
He tried to make sense
of it, but his head just hurt to damn much.
"Xyber?" he called uncertainly, then pitch forward, vaguely wondering if
the ground would
hurt when he hit it.
****
Willy had expected many things, but having Jack pitch forward into his
arms as he
rounded the corner
was not one of them.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Mick asked, skittering to halt beside him as Willy
examined the boy
carefully. He found
no blood, or obvious wounds for that matter, only a large darkening bruise
across the right side
of Jack's temple and face.
"Oh man," Mick whispered, hand going out and touching Xyber 9's dome. His
fingers
traced over a large
indent in the upper lid. "It's been shot. You think it still works?"
Willy stood up, hefting Jack's weight easily. The young man rolled limply
against him,
muttering deliriously.
"If not, we'll make it work," Willy rumbled determinedly, heading back
to the half-track
post haste.
Mick groaned, running to catch up. "Oh man, I just know it's going to be
a long night."
****