Sorry for the huge delay! Writer's block, as usual. Not too sure with this chapter but decided to let it go. Just noticed I don't write disclaimers- are those required? If so, I don't own SBT or any of the websites/car models I mentioned in this chapter lol. Enjoy!
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"You're really good at volleyball." Baron grunted out a response, sinking further into his seat during twelfth period Film Appreciation class. The pigtailed blond from Algebra kept staring at him, smiles and all.
"You should try out for the team."
"…"
"No, seriously, you're like, really good."
"…"
"I mean, almost as good as Lance-"
"Would you just be quiet," snapped Baron, giving the girl a heated glare. She looked momentarily surprised before smiling again. "You're really grumpy." Baron sighed, bringing his palm to his face.
"Look," he started, "girl. Let's get this straight—I don't really like you. I don't see how anyone can like you. Unfortunately you were cursed with lesser brain cells than most people on this pitiful planet so you can see why silence would be golden in your case, right?" The pigtailed girl just stared.
"What's your point?"
"You're annoying," bit out Baron, glaring at her. She stared, the light from Apocalypse Now moving across her face in the darkened classroom.
"I saw you and Ilana holding hands," the girl pointed out seemingly at random, pointing at Baron's hand for emphasis. Baron raised an eyebrow.
"What's you point?" he mocked.
"Aren't you cousins?" She made a disgusted face. "This is almost like Mean Girls."
"Yes," monotoned Baron, "we're cousins. Any problem with holding hands?" The girl made another squick face.
"It might be normal in Canada," she whispered, leaning closer to him, "But that is totally gross. Don't you guys live in the same house?"
"You know what," started Baron, "I don't think this relationship is going to work. You're chatty, I'm not, you know all about me, I don't know your name. It's just not meant to be."
"My name is Amber," supplied the girl.
"Right. But see, I don't really care. Now be quiet so I can watch this ridiculous film." Amber just stared at him before shrugging and pulling out her iPhone to text as the movie played.
:::
"Are you guys sure you want to do this?"
"Stop stalling and get in!" called Kimmy from the inside of her Accord. Ilana sighed and begrudgingly got into the back seat since Newton had already sidled up in the front with his girlfriend. Baron, uncharacteristically quiet since gym, slid in next to Ilana and Lance took the seat on her other side.
"So what's the plan?" chirped Kimmy, backing out of her parking spot. "And does anyone know the directions?" she asked, one hand on the wheel, the other fiddling with her GPS.
"Don't worry about it," said Newton. "You need to take a left and continue down Ford street. Take the right at Lovurn Avenue." Kimmy flashed her boyfriend an appreciative smile.
"I'll go in and deal with them," stated Lance, leaning forward in his seat. Kimmy "ugh"ed.
"Look Lance, we're not all here to carry your body to the hospital. We came to kick ass!" The aliens shared a look.
"I appreciate you driving me, but-"
"No," interrupted Ilana. "Kimmy's right. We need a plan. I don't trust Chan and his friends."
"The warehouse has a back entrance. It's old but not empty. Mostly filled with old packaging material and lumber equipment," recited Newton, staring out the window. "Chan expects Lance alone and from the front entrance. We can go through the back and stay hidden then proceed if needed." Ilana nodded in understanding.
"Good."
"You guys are worrying too much," grumbled Lance, sinking into his seat. This wasn't how it was suppose to be. Baron snorted, crossing his arms.
"Agreed. This is a waste of our time. Let the corporal be a hero, see where it gets him," mumbled the blond.
"Corporal?" questioned Kimmy, glancing at the trio from her rearview mirror.
"Take the next left," pressed Newton, trying to distract the redhead from Baron's slip.
"It's a nickname," explained Baron, smiling slightly. "Lance wants to join the army, did you know that?"
"Really? That explains all the fighting and buffness," mused Kimmy.
"I'm surprised he hasn't told you. What else have you all been keeping from Kimmy?" joked Baron, glancing out the window.
"Baron…" started Ilana, confused by his behavior. Kimmy laughed.
"You're right. You guys are so witness protection. Who did you run from, huh? Newton, are you in on this too?" teased the girl, giggling to herself.
"No, we're just us Kimmy," returned Newton, a hint of humor. "Take the next two rights, Lonrick and Park."
"No, I'm serious," continued Kimmy, her voice appropriately lacking the previous amusement. "We need to seriously have a get together regarding this! If we're all going to be friends, I'm going to need a little bit more than vague answers. That includes you Newton."
"I like chocolate icecream, what else do you need to know?" replied Lance sarcastically. Kimmy just rolled her eyes.
"I'll never get you guys."
:::
"A kiss for goodluck, sweetheart?" The curvy darkhaired girl sitting on Mike Chan's lap giggled, leaning in to plant a kiss on his lips, allowing her boyfriend to run his free hand along her waist and hips.
"Mike," interrupted Luke, still wrapped in the white winter parka despite the weather. "A car pulled up outside. Accord." Luke grimaced, brushing some of his white-dyed hair out of his face. Chan smirked and eased his girlfriend off his lap, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"About time."
"What's the deal, man?" questioned Luke casually as the two, with Chan's girlfriend in tow, started to head to the entrance, leaving the tall stacks of discard boxes. "You want this Lunis kid dead or just crippled?" Chan laughed a short airy laugh.
"I like him. Lot of potential." Chan stopped for a moment, causing Luke and his girlfriend to pause as well.
"He's being held down, ya know? I think it's Lil Sis and Soccer Mom." Chan took another breath of his cigarette.
"He's a killer driver," admitted Luke, once again moving to brush some hair from his eyes. "You think we can use him."
"Definitely bro, now come on." The three continued onwards, finally pulling up to where the rest of Chan's street gang was gathered, around 30 teenagers, idling away on their phones or impatiently lounging.
"This better be worth it," quipped one girl sitting atop some scrap metal, a beanie nearly pulled down over her eyes. "You're going to kick his ass, right? Not just waddle around flexing your muscles?"
"You're all here to see blood, right?" goaded Chan, making his way to the middle of the large group.
"And because you owe some of us money!" called someone from the back, causing murmurs of agreement. Chan shook his head and rose his hands to silence the crowd of anxious teenagers.
"Let's not ruin this day with stuff like that? Chill. This guy comes in, I rip him a new ass hole, and you all go home with YouTube footage. Sounds like a good deal, huh?"
"Typical." All attention was on the entrance where Lance had entered unnoticed. He strolled in, hands shoved in his pockets, eyes examining the surroundings. If they were all unarmed, taking them out should not be much of a problem.
"Baby Boy," acknowledged Chan, dropping his cigarette and stepping on it. "Surprised you showed up. And without Lil Sis too? She's a cutie." Lance tried to control his expression. This was just Chan being Chan, trying to rile him up.
"Enough talk. I win this fight, you back off," snapped Lance.
"Fair enough. I win, you're my bitch," grinned Chan, cracking his knuckles. Lance wasn't too sure what that meant exactly but nonetheless nodded.
"Whatever."
:::
Kimmy facepalm'd.
"Lance better not lose this," she hissed, peeking out at the scene from the numerous packing boxes and crates.
"He won't," assured Ilana. "I can't see anything." She moved closer to Kimmy who was peering around a large crate, Newton hovering over her shoulder. Dismissively, Baron sat next to Ilana, scratching the back of his neck and rolling his eyes. Jeers erupted from the location of the fight, but Baron hardly cared, glancing over at Ilana. She looked nervous, red lips pursed, petite hands clutching Kimmy's shoulder, the hem of her shirt riding up, exposing smooth skin. Baron made no effort to avert his eyes.
She was pretty, even uneasy, freckles scrunched up as she watched the fight going on. Baron took a moment to peer over the crates, seeing Lance dodge a blow from Chan, the crowd filming on camera phones, cheers filling the warehouse. He looked back at Ilana, at her exposed skin, wondering idly how she felt.
He didn't particularly like touching people. People didn't like touching him. Dark eyes roamed over Ilana's form.
"Princess." It was a whisper, almost strained, but enough that Kimmy took no notice. Ilana snapped her attention to Baron, meeting his hazy gaze. He reached out, fingers brushing along her jaw.
"It's going to be a mess here. We should leave," he whispered, as if sharing a secret. Ilana, slightly distracted by his thumb nearly brushing her bottom lip, looked at him wide-eyed.
"What do you mean? Lance can handle it." It was always Lance. His grip tightened on the girl's jaw before he quickly pulled away.
"You," Baron barked at Newton, grabbing him by the synthetic dress shirt. "The area is not secure. There are too many people and cameras. We need to leave." Kimmy turned at the commotion behind her, giving the group a stern look.
"Would you three quit fooling around. Lance is kicking butt!" Newton frowned, wrinkling his eyebrows.
"We're not in any danger…" he trailed off, perhaps for the benefit of sounding human. They heard the crowd let out a huge "oh", some even clapping. All attention returned to the fight, where Chan was struggling to wipe the blood coming from his mouth, eyes narrowed at the aloof Lance who had barely broken a sweat. Luke made a motion to back up his friend but Chan held up a hand, the one that was smeared in blood.
"You got some serious skills, Baby Boy," praised Chan, his teeth stained red.
"Mad?" questioned Lance, giving the thug a smirk. Chan shook his head, smiling.
"Not at all man, it's cool." Chan seemed to consider his next action for a moment, before reaching into his coat pocket, slipping out his switchblade. The metal caught the overhead lights. Lance pulled an expression of mock surprise.
"Don't think you can win in a fair fight?" Chan didn't answer, rather he threw the knife with astonishing accuracy, barely allowing Lance to dodge, only to be tackled by Chan. They rolled on the cement, Lance's head knocking into the ground, momentarily stunning him. It didn't take long for Chan to start pummeling the dark haired boy, not easing up until Lance headbutted him, sending them both rolling.
"Would you two stop making out and end this!" barked someone from the crowd, pumping a fist in the air.
From behind the crates, Baron grabbed Newton's shirt again, glaring at him.
"The area is not secure. Either disrupt that camera activity or we leave," he hissed, realizing that the cameras would indeed be an issue.
"Hey!" snapped Kimmy, shoving Baron in the chest, causing him to let go of her boyfriend. "Back off! You don't touch him." The two glared at one another while Ilana crawled over to where Newton was, once again scanning the fight scene.
"Baron's right," she whispered, eyes wide. "Can you send out some kind of pulse to disrupt the electronics in the area. Just make sure no one has a pacemaker or something." Newton nodded, not even looking at her.
"It should be easy enough." He frowned then, as if he has just tasted some sour food. "I should have done this beforehand." He closed his eyes, blocking out some senses to focus on the task at hand, all the while Lance and Chan were nearly bloodying the warehouse cement with their hits.
"Give up? " chuckled Lance, barely noticing the blood from his busted lip. This was what he was expecting, finally he could get all the stress out, just let loose. (Not enough though, as surely he would kill Chan if he went all out). Chan didn't even look mad.
"You ever think of joining my line of work?" the criminal asked suddenly, spitting some blood onto the floor, wiping his mouth with the edge of his coat sleeve. Lance raised an eyebrow.
"What? Violating the law?" Been there, done that. Chan shrugged in good humor.
"I always felt it was more like bending the law, you know, for the greater good and all?" Lance furrowed his eyebrows. That soundly oddly familiar.
"What the hell?" Some of those watching the fight started to groan, tapping their phones.
"Anyone else's phone just crash on them?"
"Mine did!"
"Shit, might have lost all that footage." The attention from the match was drawn to the disabled phones, voices of complaints ringing out. Lance tried not to smirk. Octus. He made a dash for Chan, but the Asian man held up a hand.
"Chill out, Lance." This was the first time Chan ever used his name. "I can tell you got skills, bro. Why fight when we can work together." Lance narrowed his eyes at the thug.
"You like racing, right? Cars, shit like that? I need someone who's good with that stuff and I know you won't mind bending a few laws for fun, right?" acknowledged Chan, slowly moving closer so their conversation could stay hushed.
"No, thanks," bit out Lance, lowering his fist. "This fight is over." He shouldered past Chan, walking toward the back entrance. Chan smirked.
"You sure? I guess you like playing house with Lil Sis and Soccer Mom." Lance stopped. He did not play house. He was a trained soldier. Albeit a neutered one as of now but- why was he even considering Chan's offer? He liked racing, and had no qualms with breaking a few rules, but Chan was…dangerous? He was starting to sound like Ilana. He was starting to sound like Ilana.
"I'll think about it."
:::
The trip back home was deathly silent, only broken by Ilana quietly inquiring about Lance's injuries to which he ignored and stared out the window. Baron didn't bother to strike up a conversation with Ilana, sulking in his seat. Newton was characteristically silent, as was Kimmy who focused on driving. Once they pulled up on the Lunis residence, nearly 4PM, Kimmy turned to look at the trio in the backseat.
"You gunna be okay,Lance?" She sounded genuinely concerned, which was quite the surprise, coming from someone like Kimmy. Lance nodded, but said nothing, as was his nature. Sighing, Kimmy glanced at Newton.
"I wasn't lying when I said I need to get to know you all better. Come around my house tomorrow night, 7 okay? We can all hang out." She didn't wait for a response, unlocking their doors from the front. The Lunis family piled out of the back, not in any mood to make up some excuse, and just as Newton made to leave, Kimmy grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait, Newton." He gave his girlfriend a questioning look. She pursed her lips.
"You shouldn't let guys like Chan or Baron push you around. You're too much of a pushover sometimes, you know?" Newton didn't understand the term pushover but nodded nonetheless.
"It's not a problem, Kimmy. People often act that way because of their own inadequacies." Kimmy laughed lightly and Newton smiled at that. He liked it when she laughed at the (unintentional) jokes he made. The laughing subsided and the redhead glanced at the Lunis household.
"Yeah, that Baron rubs me the wrong way. I don't think you can try to not bring him tomorrow night?" Newton shrugged.
"He's family. We'll see." Kimmy smiled the smile she reserved for him, small but very telling. She leaned in to kiss him on the lips, one hand balanced on his shoulder.
"Just," she said, as she pulled away and Newton made to exit the vehicle. "Don't let people boss you around all the time. You're not some sort of robot just there to act on their whims." She waved her hand flippantly to illustrate these "whims". Newton offered her an apologetic smile.
"You're very kind, Kimmy," he said softly. "Good bye." The redhead blushed before giving him a small wave.
:::
When Newton entered the house, he was confronted by an irritated Baron who gestured at Lance sitting on the couch as Ilana wiped the blood off his face.
"What was he and Chan talking about towards the end of the fight? I know you picked it up," demanded Baron. Newton, for once, glared at him.
"That is not your concern." The robot walked around, heading for the stairs, but Baron blocked his path.
"What's wrong with you," he asked, searching the fake human face with suspicious eyes. "Who do you answer to? What does your programming say." The human disguise faded out to be replaced by the blue form that was wholly Octus.
"I don't take orders from you." Baron glared at him before glancing over his shoulder at Ilana.
"Ilana." He didn't even have to ask. The princes pursed her lips and glanced at Octus from her cleaning.
"Don't push it Baron. If it was important, Octus would let us know, right?" She was looking at her robot bodyguard with half-pleading eyes. He was starting to grow farther from her, it felt like they haven't talked in ages. There was no expression on the blue translucent machinery. Lance looked up as well, giving Octus a look he could not read clearly.
"Correct," was all the robot said before retreating upstairs. Ilana sighed before rubbing some more alcohol on Lance's torn lip, gently cupping his face with her other hand.
"We should put some makeup on you to cover the black eye," she mused, dark eyes flitting across his face. Lance didn't respond, watching her lips. In that moment, he felt like kissing her. Just a quick peck, just to know how it felt. He didn't.
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"Modula sent me." Ex-Lieutenant Starling quirked his lip, watching Baron take a seat across from him in his last victim's home. It was small, but ornate, the drapery beautiful and the dishes antique with design.
"Not here for a social visit, Barry?" mused Starling, rubbing his stubble, leaning back into the printed couch. Baron rolled his eyes, handing Starling a roll of parchment.
"Your next assignment. Rebels suspected of being housed by Lilith Freund. She was married to a Duke in the King's circle," recited Baron. Starling raised his one eyebrow, looking over the sheet. He smiled.
"Why are you dressed as a soldier, Barry?" He gestured at Baron's pressed uniform, smudges of dirt here and there.
"Why are you missing an eye?" smirked Baron. Starling smiled.
"The last little girl I ate had her mother's comb. So dangerous, little ones these days." Baron stopped smiling.
"I'm to...be acquainted with the princess." There's always an air of formality when talking with ex-lieutenant idly rubbed the edge of his bandaged eye.
"Princess Ilana. Sweet girl. I'd love to see her again."
"So you can eat her too?" Baron didn't bother to hide his disgust. Starling shook his head.
"No, not her. Never her."
:::
We got to see the schism building between Newton/Kimmy and Baron, and Lance contemplating the darkside this chapter. Oh, and a bit of Baron and Lance's awkward feelings toward Ilana, who seems to be the only one not pissed at anyone haha. And Octus seems to be drifting from the group hmhmhm, and where are the Mutraddi attacks? Perhaps Baron's presence has something to do with that...
Hope ya'll liked it. Hopefully a team bonding chapter next (a lot of which I previously wrote so hopefully a quick update). Let me know any crazy hijinks the group should get up to. Comments are loved! (Remember to check out my deviantart for some SBT artz. Here's a cute group one ohoho- Baron's such a player : htt p:/ /solid snail. devia ntart. com/ art /SBT -yea- 2080 01578 )