A slight tremor of fear ran through Kira, her drug-fogged brain finally registering the danger she was in as the two men approached her bed. "Wha… what are you doing?" she mumbled.
"I'm finished," Garrow said tersely. "We're finished," he amended, with a glance at his subordinate. "I imagine word is spreading through the rest of the Federation right about now, and as much as they may understand my motivations, they're not stupid enough to support my methods—especially not publicly. They'd have a revolution on their hands. They'll sacrifice me to keep the peace," he said in an irritated voice. "I'll be imprisoned—probably for the rest of my life. Still, I'd prefer that to scrounging around the desert until I die."
"That said," he added, "I'd like to leave a little parting gift for your friends."
He shifted his gaze to the man in the lab coat and gave him a sharp nod. The man pulled out a small vial of liquid and a capped needle.
Kira made a protesting noise and tried to sit up again, but failed.
"Now, now," Garrow said, placing a hand on her shoulder and holding her in place, not that he even needed to. "Don't bother fighting. You'll only hurt yourself."
"Wh… why?" Kira stared up at him dully.
"Revenge." He shrugged. "Simple as that. You have the distinguished honor of being the last subject of the final version of our tragically unsuccessful serum; the serum your 'not-a-friend' Knives helped to create. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know he played a part in this."
She tried to struggle, but Garrow leaned over, grabbing her other shoulder and pinning her down. She thrashed about and released various obscenities, but it did little good. She felt another hand, this one belonging to the man in the lab coat, holding to her left wrist to the bed. The needle pricked into her forearm, and as he depressed the plunger, burning liquid entered her bloodstream sobered her up very quickly. He pulled the needle out and let go of her, as did Garrow. They both straightened up and stepped back, watching her with shameless curiosity.
She knew what they'd injected into her. She tried to remember everything Knives had said about the serum, but the sensation of it spreading through her body was impossibly distracting. It scorched in her veins, molten and searing, making her heart rate spike and her body seize up. She began twitching and shaking uncontrollably. She clenched her jaw tightly to keep from biting her own tongue.
Then the voices began.
Like a tidal wave, they crashed down on her, drowning her in a whispering, thundering cacophony. Her mind was blown apart by the overwhelming new awareness. It felt as if she were being shredded into a million tiny pieces by the relentless, whirling onslaught of voices and it took her a moment to realize that one of those voices was her own—screaming as she struggled to regain control.
Her heart hammered under the oppressive thrum—the relentless stream of sensation, fragmented into jagged little mental prickles that scraped and scratched and tore at her. It was too much. She couldn't breathe!
Panic gripped her.
No! She wouldn't die like this! She had to fight it!
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pushed back against the swelling ocean of chatter. She would shut them out—just like she had with Knives. If she had a little more strength!
She cried out and fought with everything inside her for what felt like an eternity. She could feel the roar dying down and she redoubled her efforts, trying to stem the relentless input, but her energy was waning. She wouldn't last much longer. She forced out a slow, labored breath as she wrestled with unconsciousness on top of everything else. If she fainted, would she ever wake again?
It didn't matter. If this was the end, she would go out fighting. She exhaled deeply, pushing back with the last of her flickering strength as the darkness swallowed her.
x.x.x.x.x
"You're insane," Knives remarked, staring at his brother who was once again clothed in the body armor.
Vash fished his red coat out of the bag Chronica had left with them and scowled over his shoulder. "This is a good idea! It'll be a lot easier to get through that ship if one of us creates a diversion," he said sourly, sliding his arm into a sleeve.
Knives arched a brow. "Did it occur to you that your presence will tip them off?"
"Well, yeah, but the idea is that you get in, get her, and get out while they're chasing after me. I should be able to keep them busy for a while."
"You're insane," Knives repeated. "It'd be safer to sneak through together."
Vash scoffed. "Yeah. A pair of identical twins in matching outfits won't attract any attention," he said sarcastically.
"The whole point of sneaking is not to be seen in the first place."
"Well, the odds are that someone will see us—it's not exactly easy to hide in an open hallway. At least you'll have a decent disguise."
Knives glanced briefly down at the Federation logo on his shirt.
"And," Vash went on, "with my distraction, hopefully they'll be too preoccupied to take notice of you. Besides, if I go in as myself, maybe I can use my celebrity status to—I don't know—sway their allegiance or something? Try to get them on our side. I mean, Garrow is breaking the law. If they won't listen, I'll just get the hell out of there. It's worth a shot, anyway."
Knives stared at his brother in amazed disbelief at how nonchalant he sounded. Wasn't he the one who'd said this whole thing was impossible? And this was his brilliant solution? "And if they shoot at you? Like they did yesterday?"
Vash gestured to himself, once again adorned in red. "Bulletproof, remember?"
"What about your head," Knives retorted with a sneer.
"I'm pretty good at dodging." Vash gave him a cocky smile and went back to buttoning his coat. Ass.
An overly confident ass, at that. Was this really the kind of plan he usually went with? He was supposed to be the expert! Knives wasn't sure why, but he'd expected something more… well… planned. This was a disaster-in-the-making. And Knives wouldn't let it go on.
Did Vash think nothing of his own life?
"It's still too much of a risk. I want to save Kira, but I won't lose you in the process," he said harshly. "I agree we might draw too much attention if we go through the ship together, but I won't let you be a 'diversion' for me. I say we do it in reverse. Give me a chance to sneak in and out on my own before you try anything. If I don't come back, then…" He trailed off, not really wanting to encourage Vash's theatrics. "If I don't come back, maybe you should wait for Chronica and her team," he finished.
Vash gave him a look of dismay. "No way! I'm not going to leave you in there!"
"Fine! But at least give me a chance to do this quietly before you rush in and blow our cover!" he snapped. Vash pouted and Knives heaved a frustrated sigh at the sight. "Sorry," he muttered, frowning as he considered the monumental task before him.
Getting the codes he needed shouldn't be too hard, and navigating through the ship was doable, but he didn't have many options if someone noticed him. He considered asking Vash for the revolver, but having a gun strapped around his waist would be a dead giveaway to anyone who saw him. He'd just have to be very careful and very, very lucky.
And… he supposed he'd have to trust Vash to save the day if something did go wrong.
x.x.x.x.x
The twin suns were sinking slowly toward the horizon, dusky oranges and pinks creeping into the sky as Knives waited. Vash had gone to buy ammo. Knives followed as much as he could, but when things became too populated the brothers decided it would be safer to split up. Knives paced up and down an alley impatiently. He felt like he'd been here for hours, though in reality it had probably only been thirty minutes.
He froze at the sound of footsteps and turned away from them, lowering his head, just in case it wasn't Vash. As much as he hated the various 'disguises' he'd worn, he really wished he had something to hide his face right now.
"Hey! I'm back," Vash called out lightly.
Knives spun about, facing him. "What took you so long?"
"Well, the I had to get ammo," he whined, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I know that. But still!"
"And then I had to find the veterinarian…?" He raised his brows at the end, full well knowing it was the most ridiculous answer he could have given.
Knives pinched the bridge of his nose. "And why…?"
Vash reached into his pockets and pulled out two handfuls of darts. "For tomas!" he said with a smirk.
"Tomas?"
"You know, during mating season? The males can get really aggressive when the females are in heat, so sometimes the ranchers will give them a tiny dose to calm them down. You were complaining about not having a weapon, so…" He shrugged.
Knives had no words.
"Aaand they're non-lethal! Should knock a human on their ass pretty quick, though." Vash grinned brightly. He was obviously very amused with his solution. And Knives had to admit, it was better than nothing.
x.x.x.x.x
They continued on, avoiding busy streets until they finally came upon the lone Federation ship on the west side of town. The Cassiopeia. Garrow's ship. Knives stared at the top of monolithic structure rising up over the city, a familiar, all but forgotten feeling stirring inside him—the anticipation of battle. Of course, this time the goal wasto avoid such confrontation.
The twins stealthily peered around the corner of a building to get a better look at the ship's entrance. A pair of guards stood watch, their posture lax. Knives almost grinned. This was too easy.
"I'm going to bring them over," he whispered. Vash made a noise of objection and Knives couldn't contain an aggravated sigh. "You have a better plan?"
"… You won't hurt them."
Knives rolled his eyes. "Wasn't planning on it. When they get here, I'm going to knock one of them out," he said, pulling out one of the darts Vash had given him and uncapping it. "We'll need the second one for information."
His brother nodded. "Right."
Knives reached out with his mind, and took hold of the two guards. They fought back mentally—the Federation must give their soldiers a basic training on how to deflect telepathic attacks—but they weren't strong enough to overpower him. He quickly regained control, forcing them to walk to where he and Vash waited.
God, he'd missed telepathy! It was entirely worth the swift and painful death that awaited him if Chronica found out he'd broken every rule she'd given him when his collar was removed. Oh well. Desperate times.
As planned, Knives took down one of the men, jabbing a dart into his arm. The guard crumpled a few seconds later and Vash caught him, laying him to rest on the ground. Knives dove deeper into the mind of the second.
"What is the code for the door?" he asked aloud, knowing the question would draw out the information he wanted. Sure enough, it quickly rose to the surface, despite the guard's feeble attempt at hiding it. Knives' lips curved into an almost-malevolent smile. Yes. Far too easy. He'd missed this.
x.x.x.x.x
By the time he'd finished, Knives had the code to enter the ship as well as a rough idea of the layout, and a code to enter the hangar. Unfortunately, the guard didn't know anything more. After mentally sharing the information with Vash, Knives jammed a needle into the man's arm, catching him as he slumped to the ground and laying him beside his comrade.
"How long will they be out?" he asked, climbing to his feet.
"A few hours, I'd guess," Vash answered. "Maybe a little less? Should buy us enough time though."
"I must say, it's an effective technique," he said, inspecting one of the darts more closely. It was essentially a pressurized hypodermic needle, so it released all of its contents on impact. How useful!
Vash let out a short laugh. "Well, I'm glad you like it! And I'm glad you're willing to try things my way, for once," he said, looking pleased.
"Okay—I'm going in. You know the plan?"
"You'll enter, find Kira, and get her out. If you're not back in half an hour, I'll come after you."
"Just… if you go in, promise you'll be careful."
Vash flashed an infuriatingly lighthearted grin. "I'm always careful! Same goes for you."
Knives gave him a departing nod and cautiously made his way across the empty stretch of sand, painted deep purple in the twilight. Upon reaching the door, he typed in the code and the great metal slab slid open. He half expected to find a squad of soldiers in wait, but the entry way was quiet. He began trotting down the hall. According to Michaels, Kira's shuttle should be in Hangar 3-01, three levels up on the southern side of the ship. And now, with the guard's help, he had a much better idea of how to get there.
There was an elevator near the entry, but as he came upon it, a pair of soldiers approached from the opposite direction, talking casually as they strode toward him. He continued forward, passing the elevator and keeping his head low, hoping they wouldn't look at him too closely. They didn't appear to notice him, but entered the elevator themselves. He cursed internally, and kept moving. Oh well… It was probably better he didn't risk getting trapped in such a small space with a group of soldiers anyway. There was a stairwell not much further down the hall, and he began climbing as quickly as he could.
As he exited into the hallway on the third level, another pair of soldiers sauntered past him. Once again, they didn't pay him much notice. The disguise seemed to be working. He turned right out of the doorway and continued onward. A lone soldier passed, glancing over at him curiously. Knives quickly scanned his thoughts but the man's interest in him was fleeting. He was mostly focused on what he'd eat for dinner once he was off-duty.
At the end of the hall, Knives came to a large steel doorway. He typed in the entry code and slipped inside, where he found an enormous hangar, housing five large emergency shuttles. He glanced around in search of the guards Michaels had mentioned, but didn't see anyone. His footsteps echoed through the chamber as he made his way to the closest aircraft, searching its side for a number.
"Hey! You!" An irate voice cut through the space and a disgruntled-looking man marched around the side of the furthest shuttle. "What are you doing in here?"
Just one?
Knives lifted a hand in greeting and smiled. Again—too easy.
x.x.x.x.x
After drawing the information he needed from the guard, Knives incapacitated the man with one of the darts. Stepping around the prone body lying peacefully on the ground, he made his way to the far shuttle—Kira's shuttle—and typed the code for the door. It slid open and a startled yelp rang through the air. Knives swiftly readied another dart and cautiously stepped inside where he found a man in a lab coat staring at him, his nearly black eyes wide with shock.
Wait…
"You!" Knives snapped, taking in the hawkish features of the man's face. So that's what he looked like under the mask. Dark Eyes. If he was here, then… What had he and Garrow been up to? "Where is she?" Knives growled, his gaze darting around the space.
A wall cut the shuttle in half. The front portion seemed to be for triage and basic first-aid treatment. There were several open bays so the medics could easily attend to multiple patients at one time. He suspected the back portion of the shuttle was reserved for emergency surgeries and the like. A small black-and-white screen near the cockpit displayed what looked like a live-feed of a figure, lying on a hospital bed.
Though the image was grainy, Knives had a damn good idea of who it might be. And where. He turned on the tech, his eyes glinting dangerously, demanding an answer.
"Sh-she's… she's not… um, she's… I don't…" the man babbled uselessly.
Knives gestured to the door that led to the back of the shuttle. "Open it," he commanded viciously.
Dark Eyes shook his head in refusal.
"Now!"
He gave another frightened yelp and scurried over, quickly typing a code into the panel. The door slid open and Knives let out a soft breath. Through the narrow doorway he could see the covered legs and torso of an unmoving body. The steady beeping from a heart monitor reassured him a little.
"You. Inside." He gestured and Dark Eyes quickly obeyed, rushing in and cowering in a far corner of the room. Knives entered behind him and his heart began drumming as Kira's pale, sleeping face came into view. It was her. Of course it was. She was alive! "Don't move," he ordered sternly as he walked over to her.
He put a hand on her cheek, calling her name softly, but she didn't awaken. He moved his hand to hers and gave it a light squeeze before running his thumb over the back of it.
"Kira," he said a little more loudly. She didn't respond and his anxiety surged. He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Kira!" His eyes snapped to the technician who had sunk to the floor and was visibly shaking. "What's wrong with her?"
"She… it… was Garrow. He made me… we gave her a dose of the serum. He wanted her to be the last one."
The world went red and it took everything in his power not to snap the man's neck. But… he'd promised. Vash would never forgive him if he did. "The serum? But she's… How is she still here?"
"It… happens… from time to time. The formula has been improved—we've had a larger percentage survive to this state. And she's stronger than we expected."
"Will she… wake up?" Knives asked, his mouth dry.
Dark Eyes shook his head slowly. "Even if she does, the telepathy will overpower her again. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" He let out a small, humorless laugh and walked over to the cringing tech who began whimpering and begging for his life. Knives grabbed him by the front of his damn lab coat and threw him into the wall, face-first. He fell to the ground with a moan, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. At least he'd probably shut up for a while. "Don't move," Knives barked, turning back to Kira.
She was so quiet… So still. At least she wasn't screaming like the man Knives had observed back in the lab. He wasn't sure if he could bear to see her like that. No—she was past that point. His lips curled back in a mute snarl.
But, she was still alive. That had to be a good sign, right? Maybe she'd… maybe she'd be okay…?
He let out a sharp breath, forcing himself to focus. He couldn't get lost in his pointless ruminations. There was one thing he was sure of: right now, he had to protect her. He had to shield her. He bent down, leaning over her and running his thumb along her cheekbone as he pushed into her mind. Her thoughts were silent, but in her unconscious state that wasn't unexpected.
He created a barrier around them and began stroking her hair, the side of her face, her neck, her shoulder, trying desperately to wake her. "Kira…?" He whispered softly, pleading with her. He heard the tech shift and glanced down suspiciously, but the man had only leaned back against the wall and was staring up at him, still trying to stem the blood coming from his nose, a look of doubt on his face.
The bastard didn't think she could be saved. He didn't think blocking the telepathic input would do any good because it was only a temporary fix. The voices would overcome her at some point. But Knives didn't fucking care. Maybe Dark Eyes was right—she'd never be able to adjust to the telepathic load on her own. So what? If that were the case, then he'd just keep shielding her. Forever!
As he continued his efforts, his frustration grew. "Wake up," he demanded. "You must wake up!" If she didn't respond soon, he'd have to carry her out like this. Her heart rate increased very slightly, but she still didn't stir.
Shit. He couldn't wait any longer or Vash would come rushing in to save the day. He deftly removed the various needles and sensors from her body, causing the heart monitor to emit a high-pitched tone. He bent down and put an arm around her shoulders and one under her legs. He was just about to lift her when a weak groan teased his ears.
Knives' breath caught and he reared up, looming over her. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a small noise of surprise.
"Kira," he whispered, tenderly brushing his fingers over her cheek. "Are you okay?"
"Knives…?" She stared up at him dazedly for a moment. "Your… your eyes," she said, her brows raising before she dropped her gaze. "And the collar." She lowered her gaze further and her face twisted in confusion. "What the hell are you wearing?"
He couldn't stop a choked laugh. "A disguise," he answered with a wavering grin.
Her mouth bowed in response, and before he could think, his lips pressed fervently against that wonderful, endearing smile. "I thought you were dead," he hissed as he pulled away.
"So did I," she admitted softly. "A couple times, actually… How long have I been out?"
"Good question," he said tartly, turning to Dark Eyes. "Care to elucidate?"
"Uh… f-few hours?" he offered, wincing as he spoke through a split lip.
"Am I… Am I okay now?" she asked.
Knives' face darkened. "Yes," he answered assertively. "You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you."
"Am I… a plant?"
Knives ran his hands lightly over her forearms. There was a definite prickle emanating from the left, confirming what he already suspected. What he already knew, but refused to think about too deeply. He nodded shakily.
Her brows knitted together. "But… how? I mean—I tried… I tried, but I couldn't fight it!" she stammered, panic building in her voice.
"Don't worry—it's going to be okay," he soothed, stroking her hair again. "I'm shielding you," he explained while he dug into his pocket for one of the tranqs. "I'll tell you more later, but right now we need to go." He strode over and jabbed the dart into Dark Eyes' shoulder, taking no small amount of pleasure from the action. He didn't bother catching the man as he slumped to the side. "Can you stand?" he asked, turning to Kira.
She pushed herself into a seated position with a grimace, and put a hand over her stomach. "It hurts."
"Here." Once again, Knives put his arms around her, this time scooping her up off the bed. "Just hold on to me. I'll get us out of here as quickly as I can."
x.x.x.x.x
They stepped out of the shuttle and Knives began striding swiftly across the hangar. They were nearly to the door when it opened and an all-too-familiar face stepped through, followed by over a dozen soldiers who fanned out in front of them, cutting off their exit.
"Millions Knives. Still alive, I see," Garrow called out congenially, obviously putting on a show for his clueless underlings. "It's been a while. A word of advice: next time you break into a ship, at least try to avoid the security cameras," he said, waving at a small device in the corner of the hangar. "Thought you were smarter than that. Nice shirt, by the way."
Knives only glared in response, his hold on Kira tightening as he took stock of the situation. There were too many of them. Far too many. He was already spending most of his energy shielding Kira. He couldn't protect her and carry out a telepathic assault at the same time. And if he could only do one, the choice was easy…
"Not feeling chatty, huh? Well, I guess I'll get right to it then. You're under arrest. You are to release your injured captive to one of my men and place your hands on the ground."
"Go to hell!" he spat, glancing around the room for any means of escape.
Garrow simply narrowed his eyes. "If you do not comply, we will be forced to take action," he intoned. "So, please—keep trying to piss me off."
Shit. Knives glanced down at Kira. She was staring at the soldiers, her face white as she clutched tightly to him. She was scared. And he really couldn't blame her. He clenched his jaw in frustration, feeling infuriatingly powerless, feeling trapped, as he returned his stony gaze to their antagonists, unsure of what to do.
"I'm getting bored, here," Garrow quipped. "You going to go quietly or do you need a little more persuasion?" He sneered. "How about I sweeten the deal? You give her up, put your hands on the ground, and I promise to release her, unharmed."
Dammit! Where the hell was Vash? There were no options left. "I'll… I'll surrender. But you must promise not to take her from me."
"And why the hell would I agree to that?"
"Because I'm shielding her!" he bit out. "Isn't this what you wanted—for one of your 'subjects' to survive—"
"That's enough," Garrow barked, cutting him off. "No deal. I don't negotiate with scum like you. You—go get him," he said with a gesture. "The rest of you, back them up."
The sound of guns being cocked resounded through the large chamber, and the four men Garrow had signaled to began moving forward, while the others stood at the ready.
"Don't come any closer!" Knives yelled, inching backward, his gaze sweeping over the cautiously approaching soldiers. He had to try something! He mentally reached out for the one closest to them and the man let out a strangled cry of surprise, which startled the others. A shot rang out, grazing Knives' shoulder, breaking his concentration and drawing a shriek from Kira.
His grip slipped and he dropped to his knees, setting her on the ground and tucking her against his chest. She was clearly panicked, white surrounding her irises as she gaped at the scene before her. He reached out again, desperately grasping at the minds of newly determined soldiers, trying to push them back, but his energy was stretched too thin. He couldn't control them and shield Kira at the same time. Shit!
There was a sudden clattering from the hallway and the soldiers paused. The door to the hangar burst open and a flash of red whirled in. The figure vaulted past the stunned soldiers until he was standing protectively in front of Knives and Kira, his revolver and gun arm both raised and ready to fire.
"Thought you might need a hand!" Vash called over his shoulder at the pair behind him.
As he spoke, a second group of soldiers came charging through the door, but stopped short when they saw the battlefield before them.
Reinforcements.
Great.
"I'll take it Garrow's soldiers weren't as amenable as you'd hoped?" Knives barbed.
Vash let out a sheepish laugh. "Don't know. Didn't really have time to speak to 'em. Kinda ran through as fast as I could."
Garrow was barking orders, but even with a new influx of forces, he seemed hesitant to attack now that Vash was in play.
"Guess now's as good a time as any. Stay behind me," Vash ordered tensely before clearing his throat. "Soldiers of the Cassiopeia—my name is Vash the Stampede. You may have heard of me," he said, with a lopsided grin. "I'd like to end this peacefully," he continued. "I came to rescue my friends, so… uh… if you could… just let us go, that'd be great…?"
If he wasn't still holding Kira, Knives would've slapped a palm to his face. Brilliant fucking plan.
"Your friends?" Garrow choked out in disbelief. "You mean 'brother,' don't you? You came to rescue the man who tried to wipe humanity from this planet. The man who will probably try it again!"
"I came to rescue the man you tortured, asshole," Vash shot back. "And he isn't a going to hurt anyone. I'll make sure of that. You're more of a threat that he is!" Vash paused, his eyes scanning across the confused faces in front of him before he addressed the soldiers again. "Your captain has been experimenting on people. He's broken the law. A team from Octovern will be arriving tomorrow to relieve him of his post. I'm asking you to hold him captive until they get here."
"That's a crock of shit!" Garrow barked. "I haven't done a goddamn thing!"
"If that's the case, then why don't you surrender quietly and explain it to Chronica when she gets here," Vash prodded.
"Surrender? On my own fucking ship! You got some balls. Take him to the brig, along with the girl," he bellowed. "Kill Knives. Bastard should be dead already, anyway."
No one moved and Garrow cast a furious glare at the men around him.
"Now!"
The soldiers glanced back and forth amongst each other. It seemed no one wanted to move first.
"For fuck's sake!" Garrow snarled, ripping a gun from the hands of the man beside him.
Vash's shot rang out instantly and the gun skidded across the floor, knocked cleanly out of Garrow's hands. Unfortunately, the attack seemed to rouse the soldiers to action. Knives watched the scene unfold as if in slow motion. A few soldiers began raising their weapons and Vash fired preemptively, trying to disarm them, but his efforts only served to inflame others.
As more soldiers entered the fray, it became clear he wouldn't win this fight. Besides being egregiously outnumbered, the idiot was already injured and was moving more slowly than normal. On top of that, he had planted himself in front of Knives and Kira, using his body to protect them. He wasn't running and dodging like he normally would. Knives watched in horror as a cluster of shots hit Vash, knocking him roughly to the ground and sending the revolver sliding away.
Vash grunted, pushing himself up, and spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Shit! Was bulletproof was an overstatement?
He let out a furious shout, and threw himself in front of his brother as another volley rang out. He closed his eyes tightly and braced himself, but instead of pain and the sound of bullets hitting flesh, a series of strange, oddly familiar thwoks followed.
The shooting stopped. The soldiers gasped in amazement and began murmuring in muted tones. Knives opened his eyes and let out a sharp breath of surprise.
A mass of curved, ribbon-like blades snaked out of Kira's left arm, curving around the three of them like a shield. She was trembling, staring at her arm in horror. "I… I don't… know how…?" she stammered, her breathing bordering on hyperventilation. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him for help.
"It's okay," he whispered softly, going to her. "You're okay. It's okay… Just relax, and you'll return to form."
"You gotta be kidding me," Garrow burst out. "Now? Now it fucking works!"
The blades slowly receded back into Kira's arm and a pregnant silence filled the air. Even Garrow seemed unsure on how to proceed. Hopefully he had enough sense to realize how dangerous Kira was, should he continue his attack. It was clear that she had absolutely no control over her abilities. If the captain pushed her, she'd likely end up killing someone… probably a lot of someones.
"Holy shit," Vash murmured, glancing over at Kira, then back at the soldiers. There was a dribble of blood at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't seem gravely injured, much to Knives' relief. "Uh… truce?" he called out lightly, climbing to his feet and raising his hands. "Please. We really don't want to fight. Chronica will speak for us when she gets here, and you can lock us up until then, if you want, but you really should lock him up too."
Garrow bristled. "Ain't gonna happen. Arrest them!" he shouted with sudden ferocity. Again, no one moved. "You useless sons of bitches, I said arres—"
"Sir." One of the men interrupted the captain's furious invective. "Maybe it would be best if you turned yourself in… for the time being."
"You cannot seriously think… You're turning on me! You realize this is mutiny. This is a punishable offense."
"Please, sir. It's just a temporary measure until we can get this sorted."
"You… you fucking traitors!" Garrow continued roaring objections, which quickly devolved into a slew of curses as several of his men tried to reason with him, but were forced to wrestle him into a pair of handcuffs when he began throwing punches. The rest turned their attention on the intruders.
Knives looked down at Kira again, alarm rising inside him. "Don't let them separate us, Vash. I'm shielding her. We need to stay together."
"Okay. Just let me handle it." He walked gingerly over to the soldiers, his hands still raised. "May we speak for a moment?" He began murmuring quietly with them, occasionally gesturing toward his brother.
Knives glanced down at Kira, who seemed to be in shock. She stared blankly across the room at Garrow, still fighting as his men tried to lead him away, but she didn't seem to be entirely… there. He pulled her closer and turned his attention back to Vash, who nodded sharply at the soldiers and walked back to Knives, kneeling down with a wince.
"They've agreed to put us in one of the crew dorms. We'll be locked in and guarded, but we'll be together. They said they'll send a doc in too, and I asked for Michaels. Sound good?"
Knives felt a mixture of disbelief and relief flood through him. He exhaled heavily. "Yes. That's… Yes."
"Good." Vash looked down, uncomfortably. "So… they want us in handcuffs. Um… and they said they'll bring a wheelchair for Kira."
Knives frowned but nodded. "Hey," he said gently, squeezing her shoulder. She let out a shaking breath and Knives took it as a sign that she was listening. "Did you hear that?" When she didn't respond, he went on. "They have to cuff me, but… we'll be together. Okay…? Kira…?"
She shivered and seemed to wake from her daze a little. Her eyes drifted up to him, though her expression was still vacant. He gave her a half smile, leaning down to kiss her temple, before pulling away, and handing her over to one of the soldiers.
He stood, obediently letting them fix a pair of cuffs around his wrists as a chair was brought from one of the shuttles.
This was… okay. This was fine.
As long as they didn't take her out of his sight, everything would be fine.
x.x.x.x.x
After taking what weapons and ammo they found on the twins, the soldiers escorted them silently through the halls and deposited them in a small dormitory that contained two sets of bunked beds, two dressers, a small bathroom, and not much else. Once the door was secure, they uncuffed Knives and Vash, and helped Kira onto one of the lower bunks. She looked up at them a mumbled a thanks. Her shock seemed to be fading, at least.
The soldiers left and Knives sat down at the end of her bed, while Vash took the now unoccupied wheelchair, groaning as he sat.
"You're hurt," she mumbled.
"Heh, yeah," Vash said with a false grin. "It happens. It's really not that bad."
"Thanks for saving us," she said tiredly.
Vash smiled earnestly at her and reached out to squeeze her hand. "No thanks necessary. I'm just so glad you're alive." His bottom lip began quivering but he held it together. "Besides, you did a good amount of life-saving, yourself!"
"Oh. Right. Yeah." Her face remained devoid of emotion. So… maybe the shock hadn't entirely worn off.
A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Michaels entered the room. Knives was surprisingly glad to see a somewhat familiar face.
x.x.x.x.x
The doc lightly chastised them for not waiting, as he'd asked, but he seemed pleased that they'd found Kira. He checked her injuries first and, after a brief analysis of her physical state, deemed she was stable enough to remain where she was, at least for the time being.
Knives briefly wondered if she'd heal faster now, which led him to ponder about her lifespan, but he quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind. There were more pressing matters to deal with. Besides, only time would tell if her aging had slowed.
The doc gave her a dose of pain medication and insisted she stay in bed and not strain herself, before turning his attention on Vash. He seemed annoyed that the aqua-eyed plant had been in a gunfight so soon after being patched up, but quickly got to work.
It turned out Vash's coat was bulletproof, but he'd taken a beating when struck by the barrage of bullets. A pair of cracked ribs was the worst of the damage, but he also had some rather severe swelling and bruising, and apparently he'd bit his cheek, which had caused the bleeding from his mouth. His 'care' was mostly some antiseptic for a handful of abrasions, and his own dose of painkillers.
Knives was last, and his injury where the bullet had grazed his shoulder was so minor, he almost refused treatment.
By the time the doc had finished with everything, Kira was fast asleep. The twins thanked him and he promised to return in the morning, before bidding them goodbye. Left to themselves, they sat together on the other bottom bunk and stared across the room silently.
Knives was the first to speak. "What do you think Chronica is going to do when she finds us here?"
Vash snorted. "Kill us. Meryl too, for that matter." He grinned for a moment, but it quickly faded. "They'll understand. I'm more worried about everyone else—the rest of the Federation. Not sure if we'll be able to keep you a secret after this…"
Knives let out a huff. "If they take me in and put me on trial again, it'll be worth it. You have to promise me you'll look after Kira if they do, though."
"Of course," Vash answered hurriedly. A small wrinkle formed between his brows. "So… it was the serum, right?"
Knives nodded.
"You think she'll be okay?"
"I don't know," he answered stiffly. "I'm not going to worry about it until her body has healed. We can deal with it then." He paused. "Vash… if they do take me in, you can't let her out of your sight. They'll want her—Garrow, and the techs, and other people like them."
"I know," he murmured. "I know that. I won't let that happen again," he said swallowing thickly.
Tessla. The name went unspoken, but they both heard it.
"I don't plan on letting them take you either, though," he added.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine… We'll all be fine." Knives said, trying to convince himself as much as his brother.
x.x.x.x.x
The painkillers caught up with Vash and he was soon snoring loudly, stretched out across the bottom bunk. Knives lay down on the top bunk above Kira, and stared at the ceiling, tracing his scars. He'd considered curling up beside her, but he didn't want to wake her. She needed rest more than he needed comfort.
He needed rest too…
His eyes grew heavy as he continued staring, trying not to think about anything. As usual, there was far too much to worry about. It was better if he stayed firmly grounded in the present moment. His fingers danced over the scars, the physical sensation providing a welcome distraction.
Eventually the weight of his eyelids became too much and he fell into a weary slumber.