Chapter 12

"Tan… we don't have the time –"

"Then we'll just have to remove that stupid tracking device."

Her white brows draw together in a scowl, starting to get frustrated with the boy's persistence.

"I have tried to do that already, it won't work." She insists.

"That's because it was designed that way." A deeper male voice enters the dark storage room.

She spins on her booted heels and shoots a glare up at Berk. "I thought you were 'leaving us to it.'" She spat at the gigantic grey man. He just chucks darkly and glides past her, over to his charge.

"I don't like to be too nice… but I have found a way to disable it."

Now Tan looks up at his master expectantly from his kneeling position by a borrowed tool box and grins.

"I knew you were researching."

"Don't make me regret helping you kid… so don't get mushy. Just take this." Berk hands over a sheet to the kid and he looks them over.

"You've been bugging me about helping out with operations and engineering. I am only doing this for you to prove to me that you can possibly be more than just an errand boy."

The archer looks over at the boy in surprise. Well… she wasn't too surprised. She supposes a man such as Berk would have recognized the boy's intelligence by now. How many years has Tan been working for him? Three?

He bows his head, his hair covering his face to hide a smile; but she see's it (because she doesn't tower over him like that stupid monstrous giant of a boss he has).

"I won't let you down, sir."

"You wouldn't be letting me down. It's your little friend here that would pay the price for any mistake, should you make one. This particular black-market slave collar is as tricky as it is inhumane."

Tan nods and begins to study the information Berk had gathered. The archer just stands there quietly, watching the boy. Her heart was starting to beat fast. Everything started to feel… surreal.

Would she really be able to get away from the trap she had fallen into, and start a life anew elsewhere? Could she finally live normally… at least as normal as she could ever possibly hope to be now.

All these things were racing through her head, but were silenced when Tan spoke up.

"With these tools I can't get that collar off you… "

Her heart plummets, but there's a seedling of hope for at least something.

"I can't disable to tracking device either…"

Her ears drop, but she doesn't have the chance to get angry because Tan continues.

"But I can remove it…" he looks up and smiles at his friend, seeing her little fists clench as she shakes with frustration.

"He's lucky he's cute, otherwise I'd kick the snot outta that brat. Pulling my leg like that."

Berk barks out a laugh, "Taking after your boss, I like it." He bends over and ruffles the kid's hair fondly. "I have matters to attend to. And Tan?"

"Yes sir."

"She's to be out of here tonight. I've already done too much here, the rest is on you."

"Of course sir."

And with that Berk was gone.

Tan heaves a heavy sigh and picks out the tools he'll need, "First thing's first… I need to get that out."

She just nods and moves to sit down in front of the kid. While he set to work carefully, his furry friend remained silent.


"Common Gam! One last night out!" Peter pleads, about to go on his hands and knees when his raccoon friend falls to his and tugs on their green friend's leather boots.

"Please Gamora!"

Oh geez. Gamora rolls her eyes. He dares to pull that look … she slides her gaze over to Peter and sees the same look on him.

Scowling she shakes Rocket off of her boot and yanks Peter up by his collar, pinning him with a cold stare.

"If I let you three lugs go out and get shit-faced, I am not to see any alcohol in this place for weeks. Got it." She growls out the last part.

The guys cheer, not really paying attention to the last part as Drax claps his hands and leads the way out, Rocket in tow and Peter following not too far behind. However, Peter stops at the door and looks back at his female friend and crush before walking back over to her.

She looks up at him suspiciously, but her gaze softens when she meets his eyes. "You want to come too?" Lifting a brow, she gives him a 'what do you think?' look, which was expected, because next he smiles brightly, throwing her off kilter for a second.

"Common… I promise to watch myself and Rocket if you wanna let loose a little." He pauses to gage her reaction: A quizzical look… nothing negative so far, so he continues –

"Gam…" he carefully reaches for her hands and holds them in his own, now making the usually very stoic assassin blush a dark purple, "I know we have been difficult lately, especially me and Rocket with our antics, and that you always feel like you have to babysit us –"

"- that's because I do."

Peter looks up from her hands and gives her a childish scowl, "I'm trying to be thoughtful and stuff. You're ruining it."

Gamora allows herself a victorious smile.

The moment is then shattered with a wolf whistle coming from the outside.

"Hurry up with your sappy rainbow shit and get out here so I can show you how a real man is supposed to act Star-Dork!" Rocket quips, before marching off cackling at his own jokes.

Drax just scowls a little, "I do not appreciate the delay. Let us drink and be merry!" he punches his right hand with his left fist, looking more like he's getting pumped for a fight rather than a night out at the bar… which could very well turn into one here on Knowhere.

Peter's face flushes and his scowl deepens as he shoots daggers over his shoulders at his two best friends; mainly at Rocket's retreating bushy tail.

He's going to kick his furry ass. He swears it.

Or maybe one day he'll just hide all his toys…

Yea. That sounds like a good plan. Maybe then he could pin it on Drax…

"Two birds. One stone."

His deviously awesome plans are cut off when Gamora pulls at his hands to get his attention. Once she has it she shoots him a smirk, dropping his hands and walking past him out the door, hips swaying.

"Let's go Starlord. You owe me a drink, remember?"

Peter grins and jogs after his friends, hastily closing and locking up the Milano.


"Almost done." Tan relays quietly to his friend as he carefully manipulates the wires and attempts to dislodge and disconnect the device without error, "It's so small… I'm lucky I have small fingers. Can't imagine Berk or his goons trying to do anything like this."

Silence falls over the pair again, only the noise from within the complex and the tinkering of tools and wires coming from the back of her neck could be heard in the large, shadowed room.

The quiet is broken as the archer carefully sighs, ensuring not to disturb Tan's progress with her collar, "Even if we get this off, it's still operational. When he comes to find me he'll know I escaped and I won't be far enough away. If it was shut off –"

"He'd be alerted immediately." The boy answers distractedly, "Berk is contacting him, telling him that he needs you for the rest of this week. That'll give you plenty of time to get some distance. If he becomes suspicious, I plan on sending the tracker out somewhere to set him on a chase, which by that point you'll be long gone. Also, according to the job description he gave Jack and his gang, they may not all make it out of their next 'big score' alive or unscathed. This will work, Miss Archer –"

There was a click, an electric snapping sound, followed by a slight jerk to her collar.

She stiffens; her entire body perks up as she feels Tan pull away from her. With wide, blue eyes she turns around and looks up at the kid, who's grinning brighter than the thousand-watt bulb hanging above them in the small, storage room.

" –Trust me."


His band and their new freelancers were all getting to know one-another by attempting to drink each other under the tables. The large, stuffy room was filled with burly and sour types who just made the room feel that much more crowded.

Jack couldn't shake off an odd feeling about this upcoming job. He knew he'd most likely lose some of his team, and he will definitely lose most of the freelancers, but Berk was making the offer too good to back down from.

Essentially, they were starting an underground war; at least that's what it felt like to the bandleader. Grunting, Jack downs the rest of his jug and slams it on the table. Just as one of his 'new recruits' walks past he roughly pulls them over.

"Get me two more of these. Now." He demands. The guy nods quickly and scurries off to carry out the request. Groaning, he rubs at his face with his grubby, soiled, callused hands.

Berk wanted two of the major smuggling 'companies' to be eliminated, later that day, he added on the elimination of some recent 'start-up' group of criminal Krylorians.

He couldn't help but laugh at that as well as feel sick. Being known as one of the more ruthless bounty hunters and mercenary leaders in the lower east side of Knowhere, even he had some issues: Krylorians were one of them. Even in past raids, if he could spare the sodding gals he did. Few of his team knew this, and he wanted it to stay that way.

Regardless, he was more worried about a thrown-together group taking down two of the larger merc and smuggling groups around – simultaneously.

The point of the operation, for Berk, was to eliminate them both at the same time by invading their bases, opening up trade for him and two of his allies who were supposedly funding this expedition of sorts. From dealing with the groups, and hearing about their defenses, he knew it was going to be a bloodbath.

What bothered him was why he couldn't shake off the reason why that was bothering him so damn much.

His drinks are replaced in front of him. He growls and starts into one of the large mugs, venting his frustration with his situation using a large fist to the solar-plexus of the poor sod who delivered his order, leaving him gasping on the ground like a terrain sea-creature.


"This is really going to work…"

She looks over at Tan, the boy she had grown close to over the past few days. The kid had a big heart, and had talent for his age, as he peeked around the corner.

She just hoped the Berk recognized that; and in the event that he didn't, she made sure to include it in a postscript at the bottom of the list she hid in his desk drawer; having picked the lock.

The thought still has her feeling quite smug. He'll probably make himself up a new combination.

"We can go now Miss Archer, common." Grabbing her arms he pulls her across the deserted road and down another alley, heading towards the tunnels.

"Tan, slow down just a bit." She puffed as he slowed to a brisk walk. He looks down at her and smiles, "You are pretty little, you know that?" he grins.

She does just the opposite, "Yea, but I can still kick your butt into next week." Tan giggles and she returns a smile. The kid could be a brat, but she cared for him all the same.

About five minutes of walking, they were at the tunnels, she reaches out for the boy's grubby hand and pulls him to a stop.

"Tan, I will go from here. You should be heading back, it's not safe."

"But what if you need help? I wanted to help you get on the ship and –"

"You can't come with me, Tan. You know that. Please… stay here… and be safe. Remember what I told you." She looks up at him, and she can see his eyes start to mist over.

"…But –" he protests weakly.

"You've done enough, Tan." She smiles and hugs him, "If I can, I will try to call you sometime. Take care, okay?" On her tip-toes she nuzzles his jaw before backing away.

He returns a watery smile and blushes slightly, "You too Miss Archer."

"Now go, Tan. I'll watch you go, okay?"

They hear a group of thugs about to turn down the road they were in. They shared one, last quick hug before Tan dashes off into the darkness. Back into the streets of Knowhere.

She backs herself up into the shadows as the men pass by, recognizing a few of them from her mercenary group.

"More like prison… which I am away from for the moment."

When the coast is clear, she disappears into the tunnels, repeating the directions Tan had given her to the ship-deck.

Hopefully she'll find a suitable one to stowaway on.


Author's Note:

I know, I know... I suck. But I am going to do a double-post. So don't worry, and this weekend you will be very happy, as I will be posting four chapters, possibly five. So don't hate me yet! x]

Also, when I post the next chapter, I will have a picture of the animal that our wonderful little archer is, so you all have a better picture of what she looks like when the desired scene comes ;]

Reviews are love, and they keep me motivated 3

Also, if anyone knows of any good beta readers for Teen Titans stories, or of any forums or communities I can post my other story to, that'd be awesome!

3 much love,

Kallen