Chapter seven
Gene stood up after checking to see if I was all right. "All right." He pulled out his castor, then looked at Mel. "Hey Mel. Do me a favor?"
"Anything, Gene."
"Get that little girl far away, okay?"
"Sure." She took the little girl's hand. "C'mon. Let's go."
Jamie smiled up at Melfina. "I like you, lady."
Mel smiled back, and then ran off.
Aisha crouched, and Suzuka readied her bo.
Gene held out a hand to stop them. "No, you guys. This is my fight. You two look after Jim, okay?"
He now faced Tetsuya. Both of them waited for the other to draw their weapon.
BA NG!!
We all opened our eyes to see both slumping. "Gene!" I called out. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Jim." Gene faced me, chuckled, and gave me a thumb's up. "Compared to your injuries, this is a piece of cake!"
Just then, Tetsuya unsheathed a knife and lunged toward Gene, gashing his right arm.
"AUGH!" Gene yelled. "Why you-" Gene slugged his opponent square in the jaw. "Take that!!"
Both of them duked it out for fifteen minutes. Gene was so bloodied up that he could barely move.
"Y'know, mister, it's not right.kidnapping a young girl like her against her wishes!"
Tetsuya growled. "Not true. She invited herself along."
"Shut up, Tetsuya!" Michelle shouted. "What this man says is true. I did say I was sick of my father, but that didn't mean I actually wanted to run away!" She laughed. "And now, you have no control of me! I'm going back to Father!"
"No!" He pulled the trigger on her.
We all watched in shock as she fell to the ground. Aisha ran over to her.
Then we turned our gaze on Tetsuya, who was shaking like a leaf. "N- no.the love of my life.I--" Then he pulled the trigger on himself.
Little Jamie peeked around the corner just in time to see all this happen. "Mommy!!!" She broke free of Melfina and ran straight over to her fallen mother.
* * *
"Mommy. Are you all right?" Little Jamie asked, tears streaming down her pixie face.
Michelle, with the help of Aisha, sat up. "I-I'm all right, honey.ugh!!" The bullet had entered her side cavity. Suzuka gently picked me up and walked over. She set me down. "Don't move." She sternly told me, and went over to examine Michelle. She shook her head. "The bullet passed right through, so there's nothing to worry about. However, it looks as if it grazed the spinal cord, so you will probably be paralyzed from the waist down."
I chuckled. "You sound just like a Doc, Suzuka."
She looked at me. "I may, but her, you, and Gene need to go see a real one." She turned to Michelle. "Do you know where there is one?"
Michelle shook her head. "No, but if you take me back home, my father knows a good one."
Gene leaned against Mel. "Well, what're we waiting for? Suzuka, you carry her. Aisha, you get Jim. Everybody, back to the Outlaw Star!"
* * *
When everyone was bandaged and settled, I, however, was forced by Gene
to stay in the crew's quarters with Michelle.
"Yeah, but," I joked. "What're you gonna do if we get threatened by a
bomb?" I was referring to the incident when we were hired as a tugboat
team to retrieve an ad ship that was unknowingly rigged by a thief.
"Oh, y'know. That's where my intuition and my good luck come in!"
I groaned as he noogied me.
"I haven't done that since the day you fell down the stairs!"
He turned to Michelle, who patted Gene's hand. "Thank you, Mr.
Starwind."
Gene blushed. "Please, just call me Gene."
Something came to my mind. "Hey Gene! Where's Jamie?"
"Taking your place, Jim! She does quite well with Gilliam!" Gene
laughed as he went back to the cockpit.
Michelle leaned back. "That Gene is quite amazing."
I grinned at her. "He's my aniki, that's why!"
Gene stood up after checking to see if I was all right. "All right." He pulled out his castor, then looked at Mel. "Hey Mel. Do me a favor?"
"Anything, Gene."
"Get that little girl far away, okay?"
"Sure." She took the little girl's hand. "C'mon. Let's go."
Jamie smiled up at Melfina. "I like you, lady."
Mel smiled back, and then ran off.
Aisha crouched, and Suzuka readied her bo.
Gene held out a hand to stop them. "No, you guys. This is my fight. You two look after Jim, okay?"
He now faced Tetsuya. Both of them waited for the other to draw their weapon.
BA NG!!
We all opened our eyes to see both slumping. "Gene!" I called out. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Jim." Gene faced me, chuckled, and gave me a thumb's up. "Compared to your injuries, this is a piece of cake!"
Just then, Tetsuya unsheathed a knife and lunged toward Gene, gashing his right arm.
"AUGH!" Gene yelled. "Why you-" Gene slugged his opponent square in the jaw. "Take that!!"
Both of them duked it out for fifteen minutes. Gene was so bloodied up that he could barely move.
"Y'know, mister, it's not right.kidnapping a young girl like her against her wishes!"
Tetsuya growled. "Not true. She invited herself along."
"Shut up, Tetsuya!" Michelle shouted. "What this man says is true. I did say I was sick of my father, but that didn't mean I actually wanted to run away!" She laughed. "And now, you have no control of me! I'm going back to Father!"
"No!" He pulled the trigger on her.
We all watched in shock as she fell to the ground. Aisha ran over to her.
Then we turned our gaze on Tetsuya, who was shaking like a leaf. "N- no.the love of my life.I--" Then he pulled the trigger on himself.
Little Jamie peeked around the corner just in time to see all this happen. "Mommy!!!" She broke free of Melfina and ran straight over to her fallen mother.
* * *
"Mommy. Are you all right?" Little Jamie asked, tears streaming down her pixie face.
Michelle, with the help of Aisha, sat up. "I-I'm all right, honey.ugh!!" The bullet had entered her side cavity. Suzuka gently picked me up and walked over. She set me down. "Don't move." She sternly told me, and went over to examine Michelle. She shook her head. "The bullet passed right through, so there's nothing to worry about. However, it looks as if it grazed the spinal cord, so you will probably be paralyzed from the waist down."
I chuckled. "You sound just like a Doc, Suzuka."
She looked at me. "I may, but her, you, and Gene need to go see a real one." She turned to Michelle. "Do you know where there is one?"
Michelle shook her head. "No, but if you take me back home, my father knows a good one."
Gene leaned against Mel. "Well, what're we waiting for? Suzuka, you carry her. Aisha, you get Jim. Everybody, back to the Outlaw Star!"
* * *
When everyone was bandaged and settled, I, however, was forced by Gene
to stay in the crew's quarters with Michelle.
"Yeah, but," I joked. "What're you gonna do if we get threatened by a
bomb?" I was referring to the incident when we were hired as a tugboat
team to retrieve an ad ship that was unknowingly rigged by a thief.
"Oh, y'know. That's where my intuition and my good luck come in!"
I groaned as he noogied me.
"I haven't done that since the day you fell down the stairs!"
He turned to Michelle, who patted Gene's hand. "Thank you, Mr.
Starwind."
Gene blushed. "Please, just call me Gene."
Something came to my mind. "Hey Gene! Where's Jamie?"
"Taking your place, Jim! She does quite well with Gilliam!" Gene
laughed as he went back to the cockpit.
Michelle leaned back. "That Gene is quite amazing."
I grinned at her. "He's my aniki, that's why!"