Delaware expected the man to shake her hand when she held it out to him, but he took off his helmet instead. Any thoughts of a handshake quickly disappeared from her mind when she got a good look at his face.
His hair was jet black and obviously unruly. It was spiky, but not in a I-spent-hours-finding-the-way-to-make-my-hair-mess y-on-purpose sort of way. It was spiky in a I-just-got-back-from-kicking-ass sort of way. His golden brown eyes caught the light and simply shone in her direction. There was a light scar running from the edge of his mouth to the middle of his strong chin. Delaware could tell he hadn't shaved that morning, and the light stubble made him look like a rugged pirate.
She took all the details in within moments, and caught herself gasping slightly. Del looked from his face all the way to his feet, admiring how tall he was. She'd always had a thing for tall guys. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, reminding herself silently of the rules in the military. She hadn't been aware of the silence until Agent Montana broke it.
"Hello Agent Delaware, I see you already know who I am." And there was the handshake she had been expecting. Accompanied by a rather unexpected smile. It was... Well, it was... It was breathtaking. Delaware had dealt with these kind of guys before. They thought that one smile reminiscent of the days back home would turn a girl into a puddle. They were always so cocky, expecting her to be completely swept off of her feet. Unfortunately, they were too often right. Delaware was shaken from her line of thought by a voice seeming to come from no where. The tone reminded her of her mother.
"Monty!" Del jumped, and looked around for the source. Montana, obviously used to this strange voice appearing out of nowhere, responded with slight panic in his voice.
"What? What's going on?" Delaware's fear dissipated as she saw a strange glowing miniature human figure materialize by his side. An AI. That makes sense.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to the young lady?" the hologram asked, putting a hand on her hip as she spoke.
"Formalities aside, I would like you to meet Psi." He gestured as though she had just come into view, and Del realized that he was so used to her always being there that he hadn't noticed when she first appeared. "She's my AI. While you're training under me she will help with anything you need, not being an armor enhancement or breaking protocol in any way."
While Delaware continued to intently study Psi, Montana picked up her bag. "Well, let's get you settled into your new home," he said cheerily. Geezum! He must be one of those old-timey gentlemen, taking her luggage for her like that.
Del had trouble paying attention during Montana's tour. She vaguely took in the cafeteria, Director's office, training arena, and all the other agents. She knew there was no way she would remember everybody's code names and nicknames to go with them. She was instead paying attention to the swagger of Monty's walk and the way his head tilted to the side when he spoke.
"So I'll leave you to go get settled in. I have hand to hand with Wash in the training room. When you're ready, go see the Director and he'll fill you in on anything that I didn't." They had come to the room that the two now shared. Monty transferred her duffel bag strap from his shoulder back to Del's. He began to walk away, back towards the arena.
Suddenly, acting on impulse, Delaware reached out and tugged on his arm. As Montana turned back around, Del planted a light kiss on his rough cheek. She had to go on tip-toe to reach.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear breathlessly. She couldn't believe she had just done that! She'd never been so forward with a man before. Delaware felt the heat rise to her face just before she turned around and rushed into her new room.
She caught a slight, "You're welcome," before he closed the door, and she spun around to give him her most award winning smile.
Once the door had closed, Delaware sunk onto the bed that didn't have anyone's belongings scattered around it and leaned her head against the wall as she let out a heavy sigh. The room was simple, standard issue. Gray and metal everywhere. There were two cot-sized beds on either side of the space, each with a small table by it's side. She dropped her bag onto the floor and leaned over to unzip it. Halfway bent over though, she decided not to. Instead, Del stood up and kicked it under her bed suddenly and decisively.
No. She would go watch Monty train. She convinced herself it was only to see what the expectations would be and headed off to the arena.
Delaware got lost easily. This had been a fact of life for her from the time she could walk. Add that awful talent to a new place where nothing is labeled and you'd get yourself one very lost Freelancer. She wandered for a good ten minutes before deciding she needed to ask someone directions. The second she came to this conclusion, every living soul on the ship evaporated. So, it took her another ten minutes just to find someone (A very queer but nice guy by the name of Florida) and then he told her she'd been going the exact opposite way she wanted to. So she took a while to find her way.
Once armed with instructions though, Delaware was unstoppable. She reached her destination, and was able to catch the last of Monty's fight. It made her feel incredibly bad for that other guy, Wash.
She saw those last four well aimed punches, and the kick to the face. She expected to cringe, but found herself smiling instead. She would be training under a man who was obviously one of the best.
"Round over. Point awarded to Agent Montana." Just then, Montana looked up, his fists still raised slightly. Delaware certainly felt as though they made eye contact, though she couldn't be sure through his visor. She stared, trying to determine whether or not he was actually looking at her. She had just decided that no, he was not, when he looked at his feet for a moment and looked back up suddenly as he gazed directly at her face. Del could feel his penetrating eyes on her once more. She could only take a moment of it before dropping her own eyes to the floor. Using her peripheral vision, Del watched him walk into the locker room.
Over the next few weeks, mentor and student grew very close. Montana's attitude occasionally reminded Delaware of her older brother back home, but never enough to make her mad. Just frustrated. In training, for example.
"Del, that kick should be able to save your life, not make you lose your balance! Get your left foot planted more firmly and your right higher up! Focus your muscle in your core!"
"I'm trying, okay? I'm not used to the armor's weight!"
"If you ever want to go out on the field, you'd better get used to it pretty quick!"
"I said I'm trying! How about some more detailed pointers?"
"How about you listen the first time? FILSS, restart the simulation. Del, you can do better! Focus on your core!"
"How many freaking times am I gonna have to do this?! I never see you do the same program so many times!"
"You will do this until you can get it right five times in a row! You don't get any second chances on a mission! And you never see me falling on my face either, do you? Again!" And over and over until she got it right. Delaware never took more than ten repetitions to understand it. And Montana never made her try more than twenty times.
Likewise, Del knew she could get on people's nerves sometimes. For example, when she mixed hot chocolate with coffee. She did that once, and Montana had been the one to find her in the rec room.
"Hey, Delaware. How are you this fine morning in the deep, cold darkness of space?" He certainly hadn't been expecting the response that had so much speed and force it sent him reeling back on his heels.
"Hi-Monty! I'm-doing-just-fabulous! I-put-some-hot-cocoa-mix-in-this-coffee-and-now-it -tastes-so-amazing-but-there's-this-weird-buzz-in- the-back-of-my-head-but-it-feels-sort-of-cool-at-t he-same-time! Do-you-wanna-try-some? I-mean,-I-know-you-normally-like-just-flat-out-bla ck-coffee-like-an-old-Western-cowboy-or-something- but-this-is-really-good! I-think-even-you-would-like-it! I-used-to-know-a-cowboy-actually. Yep-back-on-my-grandpa's-ranch! He-had-this-nice-neighbor-who-would-come-to-take-c are-of-Grandpa's-lawn-on-account-of-he-couldn't-mo w-since-he-got-so-old! I-think-his-name-was-Jim,-but-I-can't-really-remem ber! So-yeah-I'm-doing-great-what-about-you? I-made-this-really-awesome-thing-with-both-cocoa-a nd-coffee! I-think-you-would-really-love-it!"
She was bouncing up and down in her seat, her eyes were bulging slightly, and Montana worried for her heart. He wasn't sure it was meant to take on all that sugar and caffeine at the same time. He allowed himself a laugh as he saw her bright green eyes shining with delight and anticipation of his answer.
"Come on, Del. I think you need to calm down a little."
"Calm-down? Me? What-makes-you-think-that-I-wonder? I'm-perfectly-calm! Maybe-you're-the-one-who-needs-to-calm-down! Are-you-doing-some-sort-of-slow-mo-thing-today? I-think-everyone's-playing-a-prank-on-me-or-someth ing-'cause-they're-all-moving-really-slow-and-I-ca n't-figure-out-why! You-know,-I-bet-Wash-is-behind-all-this,-he-would- find-it-funny-to-make-me-think-I'm-going-crazy!"
"You just need to burn off some energy is all. No one's playing a trick on you," Montana snickered. "How about you come to the gym with me? Do a few laps around the track? I think you could use it." It wasn't an offer so much as an order. He helped her out of the chair and led her down the hall, trying to keep wild-child Del from running into the walls. That day proved, without a doubt, that not all Freelancers are against a little craziness in their lives.
After a hard day of training, Del was leaving the locker rooms to go back to their quarters. She put down her equipment bag briefly to make sure she hadn't left her helmet in the showers. As she was bent over, she felt a gloved hand slap her ass and then grab her shoulder. Del gasped as she was hit and forcefully spun around. She was pinned against the wall and now eye to eye with a man she had never seen before. His cold gray eyes stared at her hungrily.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" she spat at him. He only sneered and grabbed the back of her head by the hair. Del didn't gasp this time; she knew that was the reaction he was looking for. Instead, she slapped him across the face, hard. She heard the echo come back to her from the empty corridor. As he was slowly turning his head back to face her, she saw the left side of his face already turning an angry red. Del could see the individual prints her fingers had left on his ugly face. Then she spat in his eye quite literally. This seemed to be the limit on his hate meter, for he grabbed her shirt collar and abruptly lifted her higher against the wall. Her feet were now dangling a foot above the floor and she had trouble breathing.
"Oh, now that's made me angry, sweetheart. And I don't think you want to see me angry, do you, bitch?" His voice was low, deep, menacing, and indeed angry. The sneer on his face had turned to a snarl and his eyes turned predator-like. Delaware now gave into the fact that there was nothing more she could do for herself. He was in full green armor, helmet magnetized to his side. She was only wearing a t-shirt and sweats. Even if she could break loose of his grip, how could she fight him? Her face visibly sagged. But the man had failed to fully cut off her airway and she was still able to breath and possibly speak.
Instead, she screamed as loud as she could. She conjured up memories of screaming contests on elementary playgrounds, and became very sure that she had beaten her old record. She knew there must be someone left in the locker rooms, everyone had been at training that afternoon. If not, well . . . sound carried in this awful metal ship, and hopefully someone would hear her ear piercing shriek.
The horrible man who had her hostage (and could very likely be insane) shifted his hands so they weren't holding her collar anymore, but her throat directly, cutting off her wordless cry for help. He quickly snapped his helmet into place, tightening his grip with one hand as he did so. Del could feel her lungs begin to scream for mercy and air as she kicked against his chest with all her might. Which, by this point, wasn't very much. Her sight was going blurry, and she could imagine her face turning blue and tears trailing down her cheeks. Delaware had begun to lose hope despite the fact it had only been a few seconds. This encounter was so terrifying, and the man's grip was so strong, Del felt it had been years since she took her last breath. Her last breath. . . This could very well be Samantha Monroe's last sight of the world. . .
She vaguely heard someone shout from the men's locker room, "Delaware!" She heard tennis shoes slapping across the metal floor. Her eyes were starting to close; her body couldn't take any more. "Get off of her!"
Suddenly she was thrown to the left and landed on the hard floor as the brutal man choking her was tackled from the side. She gratefully took in a ragged gasp of air and began coughing. She breathed too deeply and too soon, and the rush of oxygen made her disoriented once again. She was aware of fighting to her right, but she couldn't quite make out what was going on. Who had come to her rescue? Delaware coughed and gasped as she tried to crawl farther away from the fight and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall.
The world came back into focus in time for her to see Monty (he was the one who heard her?) fall to the ground after a leg sweep from the other soldier.
"STOP IT!" she yelled. She didn't know how she had gotten her voice back so soon; perhaps it hadn't really been years since she could breath. She wasn't sure who she was yelling at, the green armored man or Monty, but she didn't want anyone to fight. Not even that awful creature that had tried to kill her. Monty looked up at her with those gorgeous eyes that shone even now. He looked ready to smile, as though to say 'Don't worry. I got this.' The other man took that one instant to pull out his pistol. He shot Montana three times right in the stomach before sprinting down the hall and disappearing. Delaware was aware of yet another shrill shriek in the room before realizing it was coming from her.
"NO! Monty! Help! Medic! Someone! HELP!" A flash of teal was there just as Del ran towards Monty. Carolina quickly assessed the situation and radioed the medical bay, seeing as she was still in her armor.
Delaware knelt down beside Monty's head. He began coughing up blood. She took his head in her lap, and tried to sooth him while waiting those few brief moments for the medics. She wasn't aware of the fresh tears in her eyes until one fell onto Monty's face. He grinned, trying to reassure her, but it quickly turned into a cringe. He reached up, and toyed with a lock of her hair.
"Monty? Montana, can you hear me? You need to hold on, everything will be alright. You'll be okay! Can you hear me? Just hold on!" She could see from the dazed look on his face that he didn't hear a word she said. He was losing his grip on life. Delaware brushed his hair back from his forehead, willing him with her touch to hold on.
Then the medics were there, taking him from her grasp and hurriedly placing him on a stretcher. Delaware stayed right where she was, and watched them carry Montana away as his eyes closed. She couldn't bear to see it. What if he. . . ? No. He would live. Monty would be just fine.
Delaware sat on the floor waiting for her mind to catch up with everything she had seen and felt. Monty had saved her. He had saved her, and was now in fatal condition. It was her fault.
A lone medic that had been left behind rushed over to her to examine the bruising on her neck. He didn't look worried, so why wasn't he with the rest of them, trying to save Monty? Why wasn't he helping the others? Why wasn't he helping Monty? Why wasn't *she* helping Monty? True, there was little she could do physically, but Del could be there for him. She could comfort him. Will him to be okay.
Delaware stood up, distractedly pushing the medic aside as she did so.
"Ma'am. I really don't think that's a good idea. You've just undergone major trauma, you should rest. I think you need..." Samantha didn't hear the rest; she had already turned the hallway corner, chasing after Monty.
Delaware finally understood where the expression 'crying your eyes out' came from. With every sob, every wracking, heart-wrenching sob, she felt her eyes were about to fall into her lap or half of her heart would. She couldn't believe he was gone. He couldn't be. No, he would be there next morning, telling her to get up, that he thought of a new routine for her to try. He'll be there next morning, telling her to go easy on the coffee. He'll be there next morning, telling her not to leave globs of toothpaste on the sink. He'll be there next morning, tossing her helmet at her with that easy grin. He'll be there next morning, waking her up with that annoying old song. *It's time to get up, it's time to get up, it's time to get up in the morning...* There was no way he could be gone.
Gone. That's such an empty sounding, hollow word. It fits it's definition. Thinking of that word made her cry all that much harder. Delaware had heard the doctor's words. She had heard the cool, always-calm announcement the Counselor made over the ship's intercom. "We regret to inform you..." She had even held Monty's cold hand. Everything was just so awful. The whole team knew how close they had been, and left Del alone with her thoughts for the day. So she was sitting cross legged on her bed, head in her hands, and tried to calm down as she processed her thoughts. Was she even supposed to calm down? Or was it that you were supposed to let it all out, and feel better afterwards? There was no way she could do this. How could she go on in Project Freelancer without him?
Her miserable thoughts were broken into by the loud but somehow soft voice of FILSS. "Agent Delaware, there is an attempt to contact you coming from the medical bay. Should I let it through?"
Del sniffed and blew her nose. "Yeah. Yeah, go ahead FILSS." There was the dial tone. And then a voice she recognized from earlier that terrible day, but she couldn't quite place the name.
"Agent Delaware? I, uh, I think you're gonna want to come down here. It's Agent Montana."
Del was up and on her feet within seconds, and went racing towards the med bay before the medic had the chance to even hang up.
The near-insane situation was explained to her in the waiting room, and Del mentally steeled herself. She wasn't allowed to go into Monty's room just yet, as the Director was talking to him. Del looked down, and tried to clean up a bit. Her shirt was tear- and blood-stained, but all she could do was straighten it out a little and wipe her face. She fidgeted for a few minutes in impatience before wanting to find out what was taking so long. So she put her ear to the door and listened, hoping to hear what on earth the Director was saying. She could only hear mumbling, but it was getting louder. Was the Director getting closer to the door?
"You're quite the badass, agent."
Delaware quickly backed away from the door, so as not to show she was eavesdropping. The Director didn't even notice her as he stepped out and began walking back towards his office, obviously distracted.
Del took a deep breath, brushed her hair back from her face, straightened her shirt, promised herself she wouldn't cry, and took a curt step into the room, immediately breaking down at the sight of him.
Monty looked as though he had come back from the dead. His skin was pale, he had dark gray rings under his eyes, he was still in the dirty and torn clothes from earlier, and he looked like the most exhausted person in the universe. But yet his face still lit up when she came through the door.
Delaware ran into his arms, hating the fresh sobs that struggled from her throat. But she simply had to let him know how much he meant to her. She had been so lost without him. So afraid.
"I-I thought... I h-had lost... you," came unbidden. Delaware didn't want him to see how weak she really was. She didn't mean for any of this to happen. Yet her emotions marched on, and she cried into his shirt for what seemed like a long time. As a matter of fact, it was. They sat there on the edge of his bed for about twenty minutes by Psi's count.
Delaware listened to his soft reassurances as she attempted to get a hold of herself.
"Hey. Del, hey, it's okay. You know me. I'm not leaving that easily. Just a couple gunshot wounds. No worries," he said with a light, joking smile. His soft joke made her smile. Once she stopped crying a little, she realized how tired she really was. After everything that had happened, the adrenaline rushes, the misery, the sudden anticipation, the relief, and of course all the sobbing that day. After everything that had happened, agent Delaware was ready to drop. Monty's arms were so warm and strong around her. He was rubbing her back slowly, smoothly, and it was so comforting. They had been sitting there for so long, and Del was could feel the weight of the world slowly easing off of her shoulders. . .
BANG, BANG, BANG! Those three shots. The blood. Her scream. His last smile. The medics. That cold white sheet pulled over his face.
BANG, BANG, BANG! Those three shots. The blood. The scream. The smile. The people. The sheet.
BANG, BANG, BANG! The shots. The blood. The scream. The sheet.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The reddened sheet, never to see him again.
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, bang, bang, bang...
Delaware woke up in an oversized t-shirt and bathed in cold sweat. She was back in her quarters, in her bed. Who's shirt was she wearing? How had she gotten here? Then the day's events came rushing back to her. Monty saved her, Monty was dead, no, he wasn't dead, yes, he was. She'd heard those three shots over and over. There was no way he could've survived that. He was gone.
Delaware sat up and looked around dazedly. There was the form of a sleeping person in the shadowy bed across the room. Who was that? Why would someone be sleeping in Monty's bed?
Then the mystery person sat up. "Hey Del, what's wrong? Why aren't you asleep?" Oh! It was Monty! He was alive! She must've only been having an awful nightmare. Thank God.
Ashamed, she muttered her response as her chin began to wobble again. "I was having nightmares. You were killed over and over again."
"Del, there's no need to worry. I'm right here where I'll always be. Right by your side." He walked over to her side of the room and took her hands in his. She looked up at him. Monty's face was cloaked in shadow and she could only see half of his face. He looked better, like he had slept well. An unfamiliar and unseen force seemed to be pulling them closer and closer together. Suddenly, their lips met.
Monty wrapped his arm around her waist as he sat down on the edge of her bed and deepened the kiss. He was strong, but gentle, and Del thrilled to the feeling of him. His hand was intwined in her hair, and she loved it. His strong arm, his warm presence, the slight stubble around his face, everything was just perfect.
Del wished she could spend eternity like that. In the one perfect moment that some people don't even get in an entire lifetime. But, all good things must come to an end, and Monty pulled away slightly. He put his forehead against her's and whispered, "I'm always right here for you. Don't you ever forget that." As Delaware leaned into his shoulder, Monty swept his arm underneath her and picked her up suddenly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed softly as he put her down in his bed. Monty pulled the covers up over her, and climbed in behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist once more, and the two settled into each other as the two agents fell asleep together.
