13. Thin Line of Trust
Author's Note: Bwu ha ha! I have returned people! Hope you all enjoy my wonderful little update as my belated Christmas gift to you all! Have a happy new year as well! :)
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It would've been no different if they had labelled directly to Rodney that he was a prison, for the gang trusted him no better than as if he were one.
"Hey uh, I've got an idea. Why don't we split up or something?" the dark haired jokester suggested, in hopes of more or less enlightening the awkward silence. Not only that but he had meant truthfully for his suggestion. After all, what was the point of making fast progress as to finding Newt and Sam if they were all cramped together in a group?
Immediately Gorman and Hicks stopped dead in their tracks to turn around with firmly narrowed eyes.
"And just why should we trust you to walk off on your own?" Gorman hastily remarked, with both Marines taking notice that Ripley had barely slowed down for the others. She was certainly restless as to finding Newt before any harm could be done, and the young lieutennant decided it was best not to say anything if she was on a low supply of patience. Hicks on the other hand thought otherwise and attempted to go after her by walking forth to her and placing his hand on her shoulder to get her to stop. Ripley tensed, almost as if startled enough to turn around and smack him, and frowned.
Hicks made a silent gesture by jerking his head slightly to where Rodney was, as if they should hear out whatever he had to say. Admittedly, the Corporal was interested as to what idea Rodney had in mind, not that he was willing to go forward with it though. Just wanted to be amused in all honesty, for not even Hicks could deny Rodney was a little funny.
"Hicks, we don't have time." Ripley cried in a voice only low enough for him to hear. Yet somehow, Rodney overheard as well and rolled his eyes.
"Yet you suppose being merged together like the Scooby Doo gang will make much of a better progress?" he sarcastically remarked.
"Rodney I swear-" Ripley started to say, attempting to remain as calm yet quick as possible. She didn't want to hear it from him and would've preferred that Bishop look over him, but nobody could be too certain about Rodney and as to whether or not he would run off and tell Mika, or whoever the hell the villain was supposed to be. 'Admittedly your Scooby Doo remark is right Rodney. The last thing we need is having someone kidnapped and splitting up the group while we search for clues and our masked criminal.' she bitterly humored to herself.
"Look lady, I don't wanna die from your infuriated She-Hulk wrath or anything but if you guys are going to get pissed at every idea I suggest then ya might as well chain me up and call me your prisoner, cos there ain't much of a difference otherwise." Rodney shrugged, pouting his lip like an immature child.
Hicks and Ripley seemed enlightened suddenly by the sarcastic remark. The two exchanged a humored glance, baby blue eyes meeting dark brown eyes, with something in mind that seemed to say they were both clearly thinking the same thing.
Rodney could somehow sense there was something mischievous going on between the two, and backed up a bit nervously. As if thinking Gorman understood what was going on, he turned to exchange a nervous glance to him. But Gorman honestly didn't know what the hell was going on between Ripley and Hicks's thoughts either, only that they had something to do with Ripley. With that, he could only gesture a half-smirk to Rodney as if saying 'Sorry private. You're probably fucked, nothing I can do about it.'
"Did the power of love give you guys a telepathic ability to mentally communicate to each other? I'm starting to feel a little left out, eh heh heh..." Rodney chuckled nervously, not quite grinning from ear to ear in a happy manner.
"Not quite." Hicks finally responded, turning over to Rodney and blinking his baby blue eyes innocently, yet the crew member of The Warrior wasn't stupid to tell they were hiding something devious.
Ripley's face hardened to a cold and serious manner, as Hicks did the same, and suddenly the two approached Rodney.
Feeling a bit claustrophobic and helplessly cornered, Rodney gulped and had a weary thought in mind that wasn't humorous when he thought about whether or not he should protect a very special part of him.
"Guys? We- we're all buddies here, right? Right? ! Y'know, friendship's all magical and beautiful." Rodney raised his eyebrows higher, growing increasingly more nervous.
Even with the effort of his forced nervous smile, it quickly fell as the two only approached him closer...
"Aw shit." he squeaked, afraid suddenly for all the right reasons.
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"Antonio..." Mika murmured through her rosy lips, suddenly shaking fearfully all over. An instinct within her mind told her to never once take her eyes off of him, or else technically her guard would be lowered and he could try to kill her. No, surely he wouldn't be that insane to try and kill a fellow member of the group. Let alone the fact as well as an ally, friend, and crew member.
Oh, not to only add the fact there was a United States Colonial Marine witnessing the entire thing and was completely- or at least somewhat aware of the entire situation that had once been kept successfully hidden, up until Mika's slip-up. Still, perhaps things could be taken under control once again easily and nobody else would have to know. Just anything but the crazy idea Antonio would try to hurt her, no matter what the reason from her perspective.
"We gotta fight for it, and gotta be willing to take some extreme levels.." his exact words echoed suddenly in her mind at the realization. Mika hadn't realized her lip was already trembling as Antonio squeezed his hands to tight fists, the blood from his right hand dripping onto his pants. The sudden forced pressure on it made him gasp and shake his bloodied hand a little bit in pain and muttered (most likely) a cuss word underneath his breath.
"Mika." Antonio retorted back with a forced, false smile. It was more than that, almost as if sadistic and sarcastic with one deep intention within his dark eyes, one that which Vasquez herself could see now said of 'I'm gonna fucking kill you'.
'Not on my watch you bastard.' Vasquez hissed in her thoughts. Her amber-chocolate brown eyes took notice to the nearby left open medical supplies- including a small knife, a scalpel to be exact. The emotion in her eyes darkened to an unrequited glare towards Antonio as her hand slowly managed to sneak and grab ahold of the knife, hiding her hand quickly behind her back. However mentally she was repeatedly cussing mentally in her mind, wishing she had something else otherwise.
Mika's hands were hidden behind her back, where from her white long jacket there was a secret pocket, in which her right hand slowly slipped in for- a simple semi-automatic handgun. The grasp was weak as her hands frantically shook and trembled in a similar way a drug addict would experience 'shakes' when trying to quit.
Antonio saw nothing to it though, figuring he could easily handle the petite nurse. He quickly stalked towards her, causing her to back away towards the wall.
"Little Mika, why so scared, hmm?" he purred, as if pretending to be innocent and dewy-eyed. But there was no concealing the true darkness within his naturally dark colored eyes anyways.
"Antonio..." she squeaked nervously, biting her lip and shaking her head slowly. "I didn't." she added by mouthing to him.
Antonio arched a brow, as if actually not expecting her to say that at all. With his bloodied hand (how that injury got there was a mystery to both of the women- yet Vasquez had a dreadful questionable idea in mind from a fight against someone) he attempted to carress Mika's cheek, but she immediately backed away. Antonio seemed clearly offended, his lips formed a thin, white line that wasn't anywhere near a smile nor a frown.
"You- you didn't what?" he repeated skeptically. Shaking his head with his warmingly joking smirk, he shrugged his shoulders. Vasquez absolutely disliked the tone within his voice, it wasn't hard to tell it was nothing but lying sarcasm, especially with those who tried to play the stupid game. But there was more of an existence hatred towards remaining suddenly silent, as her hand clutched so tightly onto the scalpel she was surprised to find she hadn't accidentally cut herself with it by mistake yet. Personally, the feisty Marine was never so tempted but to just jump in in the middle of the conversation, only for entertainment though. Her heart still fummed with anger towards Mika, so there was no reason to come to her defense, but it seemed apparently Antonio was the bigger bastard amongst the two of them- or according to Mika's possible slip, group. Just wait for the right moment...
"Just...just screwed up by mistake with my hand here babe. I mean of all...'secrets' you're apparently hiding like I'm gonna kill ya...seriously what did you swear not to tell about?" Antonio continued calmly in his laid back tone as he had been back at the lunch hall yesterday.
The tone he laughed it out was very loudly, as if he purposely wanted everyone in the room to hear like he didn't care. From Mika's perspective for the sightest second her heart twinged in annoyance that it would make him a hypocrite then for being so insisting they keep their plan absolutely secret, yet here he was screaming about it. Though he wasn't clueless, the look in his eye clearly stated he knew exactly was wrong. Why act...
It dawned right exactly on Mika at the exact moment instantaneously.
He was trying to trick her into rotting herself out.
As if! She may fear him, but she wasn't going to allow herself to stupidly blurt things out. Not again...
"How...how did you- Antonio, that looks more like a bite mark there. How on Earth did you bite yourself?" Mika icily hissed, narrowing her soft eyes back towards the other half of her rather split character where they were cold and mischievious.
Antonio seemed taken back. "Just...being foolish. You know, like hopefully you haven't done the same as I." he drawed in suddenly.
'My God.' Mika thought horrified to herself. 'This all a little game, see who can slip first.'
"I'd never." she said defiantly, eyes widened with the expression of 'What? Who? Me? What are you talking about? I never did anything wrong.'
"Then what didn't you do?" Antonio made a low growl- leaning intently and uncomfortably close towards Mika, obviously intending to do something threatening. And he did.
Suddenly he prounced forth at her with his far superior stength, knocking her against her nearby desk, one hand squeezing against Mika's smooth, long neck. The nurse stared up horrified, eyes widened in dismay as she coughed and gagged for air in a panic, despite the grip not being quite tight just yet. At the moment she blindedly attempted to reach desperately for her handgun, Antonio raised his bloodied fist upwards as if about to punch Mika-
When suddenly he screamed in agony, clutching onto the exact same fist he had raised, and Mika felt warm droplets of blood drip at her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, sickened at the feel of it as she screamed in harmony to his pain. Raising her hands up in panic for defense, her throat felt sore from screaming when it had been nearly constricted from air, Mika stumbled from Antonio once free from his grasp and collapsed to the floor. Opening her eyes, she saw it was no miracle that saved her.
But a knife thrown at Antonio's wrist.
He clusmily dropped to his knees in agony, desperately attempting to slowly pull it out, but to no avail. His eyes that had been tightly squeezed shut tried to open up clearly and see just who the owner of the knife had been, as Mika turned over as well.
"How's that for a knife trick? !" Vasquez hissed, hand still shaken from the sudden sharp aim. Back in boot camp, Drake had taught her a few things about some fancy stuff with a knife that he knew as well. 'Bishop's not the only one who knows knife tricks.' she thought dryly to herself.
Antonio's reply was an utter groan, as he weakly fell over Mika and towards the floor. His legs twitched a little bit as he clutched onto his wrist, but otherwise he laid motionless on the floor.
Mika's mouth was so wide open it loked as though she were trying to catch flies, as she slowly got to her feet with the trouble of her shaking legs.
"Is- is he dead?" she croaked, furrowing her eyebrows as she turned over to Vasquez. Just to be certain, Vasquez carefully approached towards Antonio's still body, kicked it lightly (though longed to kick even harder towards a specific place for entertainment) only to receive a groan in response.
"No." she muttered for an answer, as Mika sighed and wiped her clammy forehead in relief. The nurse was so amazingly sickingly pale, when ironicially being someone medically wise she was supposed to treat someone with cases like that. Admittedly Vasquez couldn't quite blame her for being so shaken up, someone did just try to kill her.
In one way, her heart was certainly set to all Hell Mika would've deserved it anyways.
"Look, private I-" Mika stuttered softly, shuffling her feet awkwardly.
"You alright?" Vasquez panted, arching a brow sky high. Mika snapped her head up, surprised by the seemingly concerned question. After all, just a few minutes before the Marine had threatened to kill her when Mika had revealed all. Why would she want to know of her well being, better yet, why care?
'Guess supposedly stone hearted Marines are too concerned and soft.' the dark part of her consicence sniggered quietly as Mika slowly smiled.
"Y- Yeah. I think so." she replied timidly, reappearing once again was innocent as possible just as she had always pulled off. Perhaps she could play the role of a mere pawn or hostage victim, put the blame on the bastard traitor Antonio (who by now for Mika had foolishly crossed the line of trust with her).
"Good." Vasquez smirked, before suddenly all that Mika would last see was an angered fist coming straight forward to her face.
BAM! The petite nurse was socked right in the face, staggered quickly to the ground and was completely out of it. The gun she had hidden from her back pocket came flying out, sliding across the ground and nearby Vasquez's feet. The pregnant Marine raised her eyebrows bemusedly and grabbed ahold of it, just for safe keeping and evidence once she'd find the others and the commander to get word of this...
"Hate to see you get hurt by anyone else." Vasquez hissed under her breath directly to Mika, starting off when suddenly something yanked her to the ground. She tripped and slammed against the floor at a halt with a low thud, groaning before quickly shaking that off to find it was Antonio who had forced her to the ground- he had grabbed her with his good hand whle managing to barely sit up as well.
Not only that, but he had yanked the knife carefully out of his wrist without fucking up a vein, with him crawling (practically leaping) up towards her, bloody hand pressed against the once stainless white floor and the other that was armed had the knife pointing threateningly towards her stomach. The baby.
"You're mine now." he growled menacingly with a cold snigger.
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Antonio! You bastard! :O
Sorry for the pathetically late chapter. And that it's so short. More updates to come! REVIEWS=LOVE! :D