Pulling Chief Anderson roughly to his feet, she signalled four soldiers to form an escort.
She forced him to walk faster than he could keep up. Treating him roughly, so not to draw suspicions. The Chief stumbling as he walked, she shoved him into a shuttle, chaining him to wall. Instructing the pilot and the soldiers to wait, and not allow any boarders except Zoltar or they would know her wrath.
She cautiously made her way into the base.
Walking through part of the base that lead to main computers, she looked for anything that could enable her to do it remotely.
She walked to down the passage way as if she owned it.
"You're needed in the hanger." She informed the group of mingling green clad Spectrans as she strolled into the main control room.
They were taunting a young woman with honey coloured hair, pretty face and long legs- she looked terrified. One of them had already busted buttons on her shirt exposing her plain bra.
Grabbing her arm tight, she pulled her away from them. In Spectran dialect she informed the troops Zoltar wanted his prisoners untouched. If any were caught she would personally punish them for insolence. Straightening their act and saluting her, they fell into line. Dismissing them they left without arguing.
Knocking the woman unconscious, she found a place to hide her, rolling her limp body into a cupboard she closed the door.
Swiftly racing over to the mainframe, from here she could send a virus into the systems without anyone knowing. She discreetly left the empty room scarcely before the technicians Zoltar has assigned to retrieve information arrived. Marching back to the hanger she observed the chief still in the shuttle. His icy brown eyes bore through her.
She set about making plans for his escape.
She had to figure out a way for him to escape with incriminating herself in the process.
The pilot fired up the engines. They left the landing bay on their journey to back into Spectran territories.
They were heading over the mountains, when things began to unfold and the engines caught 'fire' according to the instruments.
She grabbed the Chief as it the pilot tried to save the 'dying' ship.
Racing into the cockpit she shoved the captain aside, accusing him of the error, of course it wasn't him. She deliberately lurked the passenger ship sideways, and opened the door.
Cursing the malfunctions. The pilot frantically tried to recover it.
The Chief with the only parachute in the shuttle on his back, fell out of the door.
Finally recovering the ship. she strapped herself in into the co-pilots seat. All the while the pilot worked to find out what was wrong.
She glanced at the radar, something dropped out of the clouds.
"Oh no." She whispered stunned sucking in her breath hard as the Phoenix was coming into her sights out the window, the Phoenix was coming into her sights out the window, and a missile headed directly for them.
The chief! She thought wildly. It was too late.
Frantically, she jerked the controls at the last minute. The missile exploded before it reached them. Fragments flew into the shuttle. The force of the explosion caused the engine to catch fire from debris, it exploded, black smoke and flames leaping behind, sending it spiralling towards the Earth out of control.
Pulling on the controls to try and recover it, she watched the ground closing in on them. Ice, show, white, black, the impact threw her around in her seat, something sharp hit her side, sharp pain ran through her.
The shuttle came to jolting stop, rolling and throwing her around in the seat like a rag doll, she lost all her senses as her world faded into nothing. She didn't know how long she was unconscious, she woke to smoke stinging her nasal passages and searing pain in her side.
Barely conscious she worked to scope her situation.
Snow, she saw snow over the front of the cockpit. Tilting her head, she spied the dead pilot slumped in his seat. She tried to pull herself out of the seat, only searing pain jolted body, she cried out unable to move.
She had to get out of there, she could smell smoke coughing she began to lose consciousness again. She fell in and out of consciousness, light headed and growing colder, trapped in her seat her wondering thoughts brought her back to her last meeting with Mark.
She grew weaker she watched the sun move across the sky, fighting the need to sleep. Shivering she tried to move, unbuckling the straps.
Her mind wandered delirious.
Remembering their last date, butterflies ran loose in her stomach. She had met with him in an abandoned building, overlooking at magnificent sweeping view off a cliff, she walked in to find at table with a crisp white cloth and ploughman's meal of ham, cheese, bread, pickles and few fresh vegetables. She didn't care about the food- the company was all she wanted.
She decided to surprise him, and changed into a petal pink silk dress, silver slip on shoes with her hair lose down her back. She stepped out and he was speechless. Holding her breath twirled around for him. He gave her his approval with a broad warm smile, and outstretched hand.
He couldn't tear his eyes off her, blushing she lowered her lashes, shyness sweeping over her from his adoring glances.
They spent an afternoon together talking, enjoying each-others company, he tenderly held her hand as they walked through the nearby woods. For one moment in time she was content, she had a friend.
At one point, he stopped and leaned against a tree, watching the views. She followed his eyes, in the distance an Eagle was swooping on its prey.
A pair of bald Eagles flew together in the distance in a dance of seduction talons locked together they dove. Their daring fall from the skies apparently was a mating ritual.
The graceful Eagle closest to them was majestic, its powerful wings spread wide in full flight.
Absently he warmly touched her hand, drawing her finger into its line of sight as he talked about his Signature name. The birds were set against the backdrop of the hills and cloudy blue skies.
From that time on- every time she saw an Eagle in the sky she thought of Mark.
He tilted his head sideways, she caught a warm glint in his eye. He told her she was more graceful than the Eagle, more like a Swan.
A hard lump caught in her throat. Mala's branding, the Black Swan. She hadn't share that information with him. Her memories of waking up in the shuttle flooded back, and hard slap she earned through questioning her fate
He sounded like a documentary. "Swans and Eagles are amongst the few birds that mate for life." He said seriously.
"Within their species, they might." She plainly stated. "I bet they don't crossbreed."
"True… White Swans or Black Swans, and Eagles wonder how that one would turn out with their offspring." He half joked.
He said it, that name… Black Swan, it pierced her heart like a knife, to hear it pass from his lips.
She didn't see humour in his comment. Folding her arms, she frowned. " Dead…. some hunter would find them both and destroyed them."
"I was only making conversation." He said lightly.
"Men don't make 'light conversation.'" She snapped. "Why are you really here?"
"I'm here for you- spend time with you-" He said.
"Liar… men are liars." She hissed.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, his concern for her made it worse.
"Prin, what's going on?"
"Stay away from me… don't touch me… Don't talk about Swans. I hate Swans…hate them… all swans. I don't want to be a Swan…" She shrieked.
His eyes widened briefly, she pushed hard against his chest, panicking.
"We won't talk about birds, drop the topic." He said calmly.
Shoving him hard down the track, he didn't resist her.
His arms flaying as he tried to calm her down, telling her he was there for her. Then he grabbed her arms as she lashed out at him, automatically deflecting her, she screamed.
Releasing her, he stood by helpless as she raged.
Her chest tightened, breathing rapidly. Her mind began to whirl, what if this led to more, he wanted more from her, if she said no would he force her like Stinger tried to do?
Part of her mind protested, telling her it was irrational, he'd never touched her inappropriately. The other darker side baulked at the idea, she was being gullible.
Attachments were dangerous. What if she was wrong about him being a decent man?
Her foolish romantic notion to wear a pink gown after their last beautiful meeting. She was on high, a rush of pure happiness when she saw the delicate pink evening gown hanging on the rack of an abandoned shop in a captured city… and the shoes they were perfect. She longed to wear it for him.
Now it was more like a game she played with him, a taste of a normal life, woven into the violent tapestry she lived in. With these thoughts racing through her mind, her breath ragged.
She unexpectedly she felt ridiculous in a pretty dress.
Like she was the Swan Princess being courted by the handsome prince. Eventually the darkness of night would come, and she'd morph into the assassin, and her Prince would be horrified if knew what she really was underneath. The Black Swan, her alias.
The things she was capable of doing. Her redemption was to help innocent people escape from their fate in the arena, the White Swan inside of her.
One day he would discover her truth…Then he'd be gone forever. Isn't that how the story ended in the recorded ballet she watched on the TV in her apartment. No… they died together in the story.
The previous owner had left it behind along with a series of fairy tales books.
Angry with herself for creating a fantasy, she picked up the hem and bolted into the building ahead of him, finding her assassins clothing she quickly changed into her black bodysuit, throwing up her emotional walls of protection.
He jogged after her, calling her Princess, Ughh… she felt worse by that name, it sounded pretentious.
Finally seeing her dressed in black leather armour, and about to leave he reached out to hold her hand, she recoiled like it was a snake he offered instead.
"What if I no longer brought you intel… then what?" She blurted, easing away from him. "One day you'll tire of this game and I'll see you for what you really are."
"I'm not here for what you can give me. I'm here for you."
"Liar…you're being kind to me, saying I'm someone you know… to use me, gain my trust… in the end...You'll hand me over to your people for interrogation…"
"What have I done to make you think like that?" He asked.
Dropping his arm to his side, his distressed face searched hers. He asked what was wrong he was telling her the truth.
She shrugged her shoulders freighting indifference, and simply informed him it was time to leave. He begged her stay and work it out, she was behaving irrational.
A wave of turbulent emotions surged through her like a raging sea. Stingers twisted ugly face loomed before her, she had been a fool. Men cannot be trusted.
She had to leave him before it destroyed the both of them. She couldn't be close to anyone, allow in trust, she'd never know his real intentions until it was too late.
"I can't see you anymore." She hardened her heart towards him, pulling on her mask harder than necessary, arranging her wig, so he couldn't see her face.
"Is that what you want." He asked sadness in his tone.
"Yes…" Tears stung her eyes, her gut twisted in agony as she delivered the final blow. "Don't ever try and contact me… it's over… whatever this is between us… we should never have started it."
He respected her wish. She had seen him at a distant a few times on missions, and not once did he approach her.
Coming back from her painful memory of that day dizzy, dazed… dying…. A shadow stood before her, the image of him standing there. A bewildered expression etched across his fine features, speechless, her pink gown in a messy pile on the dusty floor at his feet.
"Why Prin… please… don't go...it's not like that…, " He pleaded, she sprinted fast as her feet could carry her least he try to follow her. He didn't, he let her go, like he promised he would if she chose to break it off. She messed it up completely and regretted it.
"Goodbye…" she murmured to the shadowy image of Mark.
Sticky blood trickled down the inside of her bodysuit, gritty dirt clung to her as she tried to pull off her mask finally it fell with a clatter.
It grew colder, she could see her misty breath in the paling light. She had regrets for how she left him, is this what love felt like? The times she was with him and without him?
She tried once more to move out of the twisted seat, intense pain shot through her a weak cry escaped her lips, long exposure her current enemy stood smirking over her like a ghostly shadow of the Grim Reaper.
Bright stars shone before her eyes. She noticed the sun had moved again higher in the sky hints of a pink pastel sunset bathed the wreckage. It would be dark soon, her world drifted into the coming darkness of the night as her breath left her body.