Impasse

Part Two

It was a particularly nasty clap of thunder that pulled Wade from his already restless sleep. He lay quietly for a few minutes, listening to the rain pounding against the walls of Stryker's fortress. Slowly, Wade felt a dry tickle creep up into his throat and decided he needed a drink, though water was not exactly what he had in mind. Glancing over at the glowing red numbers of his bedside alarm clock, Wade saw that it was just past two in the morning. He had taken his last pills at six the previous evening –eight hours meant that they were probably just about out of his system, leaving him free to drink whatever he desired, however detrimental to his health it could be.

Wade rolled out of bed, tossing a tattered old pair of black sweats over his boxers, and crept out of his room, careful to avoid the creaking floorboard just outside his door. He didn't want to wake anyone. He didn't want any company. It had been a long day. After meeting the girl – Domino as she insisted they called her – he had been on guard duty. It was not a particularly difficult job, but even the simplest tasks took a lot out of him. Wade hated it – he hated himself for being so damn weak. He had gone from being a super soldier to a joke. Once Stryker delivered his cure – that was their deal after all – Wade would be back on top of his game. No more pitiful looks or snickers behind his back. Any of that would be dealt with promptly and the perpetrator would never have to worry about crossing anyone ever again.

He neared the kitchen, noticing a dim light emanating from the room. Wade rolled his eyes. He should have known someone else would be awake on a night like this. No matter though, nothing would detour him from the beer waiting in the fridge. Wade rounded the corner into the kitchen and felt his heart wallop in his chest.

Domino was sitting at the table, a candle lit in front of her and a bottle of Jack Daniel's in her hands. She looked up at Wade when he entered, her pale skin looking like porcelain in the candlelight. Giving him a small smile, she rolled down the sleeves to her grey sweatshirt and crossed her bare legs under her. Wade nodded in her direction, opening the fridge and grabbing a beer. She watched him the whole time, her eyebrows raised so high they disappeared beneath her choppy black bangs.

"What?" Wade slammed the fridge a little bit harder than he intended and leaned against the counter, popping open his bottle and taking a long swig.

"Isn't that stuff bad for you?" she questioned, taking a sip of her own drink.

"You don't seem to care," Wade motioned to the bottle in her hands.

"I'm not dying," she shot back, her tone a bit harsh. That had hit a sour note. Wade slammed his beer bottle down on the counter, shattering it into a thousand tiny fragments. She watched nonchalantly, as if his antics were nothing out of the ordinary.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Wade turned his back to her, waiting for a reply. None came. It kind of bothered him. Finally, he heard a heavy sigh and slight footsteps padding across the ceramic floor. He felt slender arms wrap around his fading torso and a soft cheek rest on his tired back.

"You okay, Wilson?" she muttered. Wade could feel her hot breath on his skin. It made him tingle.

"Peachy," he replied, closing his eyes and thinking rather obscene things.

"Well then," she smiled against his back, "Be my guest." Suddenly, she was gone. Wade could no longer feel her touch, her breath. He slowly turned on his heels, catching sight of her sitting back down at the table. He joined her, after grabbing a new beer, of course.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked, elbows propped up on the wooden surface, eyes ablaze, watching her intently.

"I don't like thunderstorms," she replied, "They make me nervous."

"Not exactly what I meant," Wade chuckled, "Why are you on the Island?"

"Not sure," Domino shrugged, "All I know is Stryker, um, hired me to bring a little luck into the operation. It's what I do."

"Interesting," Wade mused aloud, "So, do you know where the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow really is, Lucky?"

"That wasn't funny, Wilson."

"I know," he frowned, "My material has been suffering lately." The pair fell into an awkward silence, broken only by the sound of liquids running down throats and glass softly hitting wood.

"What do you do?" Domino asked.

"Kill things," Wade answered simply, "It's what I do."

"Assassin?" she asked.

"Mercenary. Stryker pays the best. He's going to pay me with a cure."

"Oh," Domino got a strange look in her eyes, somewhere between annoyance and pity, "I didn't think there was one."

"One what?" Wade asked the question, though he already knew the answer.

"A cure," she looked down at her knees.

"There is." Wade's voice was cold and void of any emotion. Domino felt pity rise in her throat, and quickly swallowed it. So what, he was disillusioned. It wasn't her problem. Quickly, she decided that the conversation needed to be changed.

"So, you like guns?" she grinned.

"They're alright," Wade looked up, a playful fire suddenly back in his face, "Swords are better."

"Yeah right," she laughed.

"What do you know about weaponry?"

"I know guns kick ass."

"Do you want to put your money where your mouth is?" Wade followed up his question by finishing up his beer and grabbing her bottle of whiskey and draining it as well, just for good measure.

"Maybe I do," Domino smirked at him, not at all upset with the fact that her alcohol had been taken from her. Wade was fun. The two stared at each other forcefully, neither one blinking. Silence fell again, this time broken only by the howling of the wind outside.

"You're really hot," Wade said, once again proving that there was no filter between his brain and his mouth. Domino laughed and blew out the candle, which had almost completely burnt away.

"What are you doing?" Wade asked as he felt a hand rest on his knee.

"Setting the mood," came a hushed response. Wade grinned, suddenly finding a newfound love for thunderstorms.

---x

Neena woke the next morning to sun streaming through the window of her bedroom. She really needed to invest in some curtains. Relatively sore and exhausted, Neena hopped out of bed and stretching her arms, checked the time. She still had an hour and fifteen minutes before she had to report for guard duty which left her plenty of time to shower. Removing her clothes from the previous night, Neena ambled into the bathroom that adjoined her bedroom and jumped straight into the shower, turning the water on as hot as possible.

Her head was spinning. She was unsure of so many things, how she had returned to her bedroom being one and Wade being another. What was she doing? Not only did they work together, but he was dying. If she…she could barely even bring herself to think about it, but if she fell in love with him, it would only end in her heartbreak. She couldn't let it happen. There was nothing at all charming about his witty personality and the rough edges that surrounded a strangely warm heart. She knew he had brought her back upstairs after she had fallen asleep. It must have been a challenge. Her room was two floors above his.

With a heavy sigh, Neena rested her forehead against the cool tiles of the shower wall. She wasn't exactly happy being here, but it was a whole lot better than where she had come from. As the water began to turn from boiling to lukewarm, Neena gently stepped out of the shower and towelled off her blunt hair.

Once back in her bedroom, fully dressed in tight black pants and a white tank top, Neena placed a holster on either of her hips and filled each with a shotgun. Smiling and fully armed, she left her room, heading down to the cellblock for duty – not that she understood what was so important about guarding.

As she sauntered down to the basement, Neena had no idea how interesting her day was to become.

Author's Note

Hope that was enjoyable. Please review and let me know what you thought. A big thanks to everyone who is reading this. –Viviene.