Jasper had thought about it a lot. An awful lot. Then thinking about it made him feel awful, so he stopped.
"Understood. Prepare for boarding."
Maria would take every opportunity to be menacing.
He doesn't really entertain the idea of telling them, "I never knew what a family was until I boarded this ship. I only ever knew Maria. But now that I know you all, you need to know that if she ever arrives — don't fight back. You will lose."
Such a warning would never sit well with any of them. They would concoct some harebrained scheme, some half-baked plan that would do nothing but drive home how very peaceful they were. Alice would drag him into it — bat her eyelashes at him and tell him what his role would be — and he'd go along and they would lose, and he would lose with them.
So he never told them — he never did like losing, never did it very often. He never told anyone that there was a chance, however small, however miniscule, that Maria would decide to go looking for him.
She has enough fondness leftover to let him know she was coming. Only five hours ahead — but that was enough time to deal with Alice, to ensure she wouldn't see him do this to the crew she loves so much.
He never had a concrete plan — too many moving pieces. He has only sure steps. Take out Emmett and Rosalie first. Emmett because he's big, and Rosalie because she's dangerous.
As it were, Emmett went down easy. Rosalie not so much — the scratches from her nails still sting his neck. The singular, thick bloody drip from her hairline makes him more aware of his breathing.
Captain Platt didn't need to be taken down, just tucked away. After having her tie up her crew, and leaving them at the bay in order to lock up their Captain in the observation deck was sufficient.
"You don't have to do this, Jasper." That was so cliche Jasper had to stop himself from scoffing. "We can help you - please don't worry." The idea of 'worry' was almost laughable, but it's so Esme. "We — I would never let anything hurt you." Closing the door on her fierce brown-eyed stare was so easy, because Jasper couldn't stand it.
Edward next — the doctor too, but Edward first. The boy is whip-smart and Jasper is absolutely certain he would never have the advantage of surprise.
He doesn't bother hitting up the nerd worlds — the laboratories — that they had been heading towards. He creeps along, inching forward, until — there.
The doctor's voice echoes in the otherwise silence of the corridor. "Edward you're not thinking straight. We'll have time to sort out Bella later, we need to get back to the docking bay and see what happened," the man's tone is urgent, and it rubs Jasper the wrong way. "Captain — can you hear me?"
The long pause of pure static makes Jasper scowl. Damn — he had hoped the men would be too busy stuffing their research into a hidey-hole to double-check on the docking bay. But perhaps even they aren't so lax, given the situation.
Edward's voice is a firm whisper. "No, Doc. Something — we need Bella's eyes and ears." His hushed tones make Jasper more alert. There's something deafening about the silence of an auto-pilot gone offline. Like you can hear every buzzing wire running through the ship. "You go back to the docking bay and figure out what happened."
Jasper waits at his corner, unable to see them, as both corridors from the observation deck curve in order to give the deck it's likewise curved viewing window. "Edward, I'm not sure splitting up is the best—"
"Carlisle, trust me?" Edward's imploring is still hushed, and the doctor matches his volume.
"Of course, Edward. Come back as soon as you can."
The metallic tang of hands gripping and pulling themselves along comes toward Jasper. He assesses it in a moment. He'll only have a scant few seconds to take down the doc, before he has to deal with Edward.
The Doctor's eyes widen when he sees Jasper, his gaze immediately going to his scratched-up neck.
Jasper has a lot of respect for the doctor. To whip him over the face with the butt of Emmett's gun before he can speak seems almost wrong. Well — it probably is wrong, but it does the trick.
But the choked off noise the doc makes as his head snaps to the side is enough to clue Edward in.
Jasper has to hand it to the guy — using the sliding AI control panel as a bludgeon is quick thinking.
Too bad he's assumed Jasper isn't already playing dirty.
Edward is fast, but Jasper knows the coddled boy has never been in a fight. By swinging the panel straight at Jasper's head, he's obscured both of their vision. Edward has no time to stop his own momentum when Jasper takes the prone doctor's floating arm and tugs him into the line of fire.
Edward screams almost as soon as the panel smashes into Carlisle's shoulder and head, and his overt horror at injuring his mentor lasts long enough for Jasper to kick Carlisle in the middle of his back, sending both men slamming into the wall next to AI control.
Edward is winded as he cushions Carlisle's body, covering the man's bleeding head as they collide.
Jasper has only to point the gun at him to stop him.
Edward stares at him, panting hard as he tries to pull air back into his lungs. "Wh-why?" he spits out. Carlisle mumbles something, eyes screwed shut as he struggles to come back.
Jasper shrugs one shoulder. Edward doesn't need to know. It'll be easier that way.
For a moment, neither speaks.
But Edward never can shut up. "You know who they are," Edward accuses, his voice strained as he holds Carlisle's head to his chest. Blood stains his shirt. "We could — we could have talked about it." His tone is quiet, angry.
"She's not much of a talker," Jasper explains. Edward peers at him with glowing green eyes, but Jasper doesn't elaborate. There's nothing he can say — how can he justify himself? If Maria is coming; everyone non-essential had better get out of her way.
At least, now that Jasper has cleared the path, it won't mean certain death. "C'mon — observation deck," Jasper commands. "Esme is already there."
"Don't you dare call her that," Edward hisses, but he comes willingly enough, slinging the doctor over his shoulder and pushing forward, leading the way. He maneuvers the other man with some difficulty — they often joke that Carlisle is the oldest male, but also the shortest — even if Edward only has an inch on him.
Carlisle makes a noise of complaint, something that sounds like 'careful'. Edward mutters an apology but Carlisle tries to swing his head back, as though to look at Jasper.
Edward doesn't look back at Jasper, and Jasper doesn't blame him. He's already shot them in the back metaphorically; he could do it literally too.
Esme cries out when she sees Carlisle's limp form pushed through the entryway. She rushes over and takes the man's other side.
Jasper watches from the corridor as Edward and Esme fret over the blood on his shoulder.
Jasper closes the door and locks it. Leaving them all unbound is the biggest risk - he doesn't know what Lucy has managed to do to the AI, but if Edward gets her up and running before they do….
But there's only one way to find that out.
Jasper heads immediately to the docking bay. He pauses just a moment, glancing down the corridor towards the crew quarters. But he hears nothing and it worries him.
She had been perfectly asleep, sweet and content in his bed. She said her nightmares took one look at his scars and didn't dare bother her. He had meant to tie her up — when Maria's message popped through his watch.
Comin at ya
With the emoji of cartoonish roadkill. It was a set Maria had designed herself — rotting, mangled bits of flesh. No one else could make a deer's broken ribs look so cutesy.
So Jasper had known he had to get Alice out of the way first. But she'd told him about the hospital, about being strapped to the bed. He couldn't do it.
He'd written her a note.
Trust me and stay here.
And now there isn't a sound. He has no time to investigate — Maria will come looking for him sooner rather than later, and she won't be happy about it.
I am once again asking you all to call Edward 'Ted'. It's old-fashioned and a lil weird and kind of off, just like him.