Dawning of Sunset
I did not know what to expect, this is a battle I have never witnessed before. That doesn't stop me though, I will end this goddamn dream once and for all, even it means killing Julia, I'd do it in a heartbeat for Faye. I feel relieved that she is not here, she is out of danger, she shouldn't be apart of this. However, I cant help but feel empty without her around, I feel as if the world is nothing but shades of gray. I guess I'm a little selfish.
"Spike are you ready?" Shin's soft voice yet sharp with anger, snapped me back to reality. I nodded as I shifted weight to my right foot and we began to jump up the stairs. The cracked walls were shaking and the stairs were trembling from the oncoming fight.
"This is it Shin." I yell as I run up and jump on the second story with Shin to my right. I point my Jericho to the first thing that moves there are men everywhere as they emerge like ghosts with semi-automatic machine guns. I notice the floor has a long narrow hallway connecting this very small landing to the main room where most of the apartment doors branch off of. In the hallway there are a few small rooms, closets, furnace room, janitors closet, electrical room—
It's too late…
At the end of the hall I see the same compound missile launcher like the one Shin had used previously, the Syndicate must have a bunch of them. I saw the operator aim and fire the heat seeking missile right at us. It's fiery tailed metal reaper is coming at us like a oncoming train. Haphazardly, I dive to the left, away from Shin and fire almost aimlessly at the operator a good fifteen yards away. The narrow hallway is not good for firing a clean shot it is littered with too many people, I miss. The whole thing happened so fast I really don't know what to make of it. All I remember was taking a shot in the dark, I desperate chance that I would hit something; sweat was dripping down my face as I realized I shot the targeting fin on the missile. The missile lost altitude and plummeted down the stairwell obliterating the stairs and making the apartment building a fiery inferno. We are alive but trapped there is no turning back.
I see Shin crack a smile right before we realize that about a hundred or so people emerge from the once grand second floor at the end of the hallway along with the others that emerged from the rooms in the hallway. I realize that we have to make it to the central floor-space on the second floor to make it.
'Seer-seer-seer-seer-seer- bim-bim-bim-bim-bim- rattataaata-rattatatatata-ratatatatatata'
Cacophonies of collaged bullets hurtle at us like a great wave. My body loosens as I duck behind a wall and return fire. This is futile, but I cant give up, I have to do this for Faye, I love her so much I cant fail her, I wont. I take out another clip and reload as I see Shin retaliate with his uzi. His eyes are determined but filled with worry too. He fears for his life also. I am about out of all my usual tricks, I had conveniently forgotten grenades, but when I left bebop I did not know I'd end up here, or that Julia was alive.
I was losing ground fast, in spite of Shin's and my better training, their numbers were too many, and I was running low on ammo. Dull aches all over my body are rupturing in pain as I realize that all of my previous injuries from Shin's encounter and first floor are open and seeping with blood.
"Aaagh" Shin's eyes grow wide as he is hit in the leg with a stray bullet. I dive and roll across the hallway and look at his wound.
"Shin get out of here, you're going to die here." I yell at him as I motion the fire escape outside of the window.
"Spike, you are going to die here too if I leave I can cover you—" he spits blood, he bullet wound that I made reopened.
"Shin, damn." I cant help him now, the syndicate guys are closing in. I pick up Shins uzi and spray into the crowd, slowing them momentarily.
"Sorry Spike." He looked at me as if he failed me, he hadn't done such a thing ever "Sorry I let you down, tell Vicious that I—don't blame him for Lin." Shin really thinks he's going to die here, maybe it hasn't sunk in for me. Bullets wiz past as I pick up the uzi and shoot at them again, killing most of the first wave. I know that I am not going to die here today, not ever. I am never going to let Faye down. I don't want her to go to my funeral.
Then I hear a roaring from beside me, a zip craft. A familiar zip craft...I turn to the window with the outside fire escape. From the fire escape I see a familiar shape. Before I had time to register it shards of glass were everywhere as Vicious jumped through the window with his sword drawn he looked down at Shin, grimacing for a moment either out of annoyance or his injuries.
"Spike, so you are responsible for all this commotion." He frowned then unexpectedly his mouth curled upwards in an intimidating pose, not evil mind you, just scary, but I have been around Vicious too long for it to be of any affect on me. He ran at the crowd of half-stunned ex-syndicate members as he slit their throats in one simple slice.
"Did you bring any back up?" He better have or we might still be screwed.
"Someone followed me." I turned to the fire escape to see Faye clamber up the fire escape with the grace of a fox. Her facial features had worry and concern printed all over them, Her violet hair blew velvet strands into the sky as her emerald eyes brightened. I saw her figure glowing like a beacon of hope against the impending gray washed city.
"Spike you're ok!...but your bleeding everywhere." She ran with her gun drawn and held me in an cautious embrace, because of the bullets being riveted into the wall beside us. I kiss her lightly on her full suede lips feeling the exhilarating tingle of our bodies touching.
"I'm fine, Faye what are you doing here?" I asked her in a hoarse tone, my voice getting weaker. I don't want any more harm to come to her. She shouldn't be here...
"Long story, trust me, I wont get in the way I promise." She defended as she shot a man about to draw his weapon. I looked behind me and Vicious was having a field day, he was moving and striking like nothing I had ever seen before.
"Listen Faye, I need you to get Shin out of here, this is Vicious' and my fight, you go and make sure Shin gets out alright." I grab her shoulders gently, but firmly, her eyes widened with sadness and fear. I didn't want to be apart from her, but I cannot endanger her here, this place is too evil for her.
"Spike...please..." Her eyes welled up with tears as one silently slipped down her cheek like an uncut diamond. I quickly wiped it off of her silk cheek.
"Don't cry...please...go." I gulped those words, I don't want the last image of Faye to be of her crying, especially over me. Her ruby lips pursed together as she put a hand to my cheek and held it there, her warmth radiating into me like a delicate flame, I want to feel more of her skin so I put my hand on top of hers.
"Listen, I'll be back, just get Shin out of here. After this we wont be apart any more..." I took her hand very reluctantly off my face and she nodded ever so slightly. She looked down at Shin who was trying his hardest to stay conscious.
"I love you lunkhead..." She helped Shin up as I covered them with my Jericho picking off people as they stumbled slowly out of the building.
"I love you...shrew." I grin as I watch her whip back her spherical emerald eyes scintillating at me making my heart melt into a puddle, I have to live so I can just see her again. She laughs and with a flip of her velvet hair she slipped down the fire escape holding Shin's arm around her shoulder. I realize now that this will end, I have a new life now, Julia will not jeopardize that further.
I whip around to see Vicious struggling against a division of Syndicate members. I run down the narrow hallway, bleak and crimson with blood. I spin and kick the guy in the jaw while still in motion kick two others in the stomach with the opposite foot. I plant that same foot and spring off of it vertically into the air and knee another guy in the head as I land leaving a path of destruction around me. Vicious didn't have a hint of an emotion on his face, except the hidden trace of something in his eyes, that must remind him of the old days.
"Vicious ready." It was more of a statement than a question. I run out into the people who were momentarily in awe of our teamwork He went to the left and I went to the right. We were now in the central room on the second story and inconveniently surrounded by syndicate drones. I watch as Vicious charges at the unsuspecting men who thought that their guns were far better than a sword. Vicious clasps the sword hilt. His Katana pointed horizontally to his left the blade on the outside and he jumps and spins to the right. 'crack swish swing slice Aaaagh uggh' Like a tornado of knives he does a 360 turn midair, if that was not cool enough, he decapitated all seven. Not bad...for a emotionless asshole. Now it's my turn.
I fluidly slip in and out of stances. Kick to the stomach, elbow to the ribs, uppercut chop to the back of the neck, blow to the head with butt of gun. I then jump in the air and whip my body around as fast and agile as I possibly could. My right foot connecting with at least five heads and my left knee uprooting more members sending them flying back into the crowd. I land with the stealthiness of a panther, no I really pissed them off.
"Get um!" all the Syndicate members took their lines and held out their guns cocking them like a execution firing line. I am not going to let this happen. Vicious and I go at both angles as they fire madly at us like a cornered street gang. I pull out my Jericho and dive and in midair shoot at the hearts of the syndicate members. I see them contort and fly and fall in all direction as the bullets flying around me lessened. I rolled sideways and continued my attack as the hum of bullets flooded my ears. Then as abruptly as it began, it was ended with a last gunshot and sword slash. I saw blood on Vicious' shirt, shit he was hit.
"Spike, Julia is waitng for us...with two men." Vicious spat as we climbed the stair well to the third floor as cautious as cats. He was doing the best he could to ignore the bleeding on his left shoulder
"Yeah so?" I inquire wearily, so what we just faced like 200 Syndicate members and aced all of them, what could Vicious be so pissed about?
"Those two men are the men I was training...I was training them to become my personal body guards, they know martial arts very well, I taught them both." Vicious paused as we reached the third floor...no one is here. "Their names are Obsidian and Onyx ." (Yeah I know...stupid names but I couldn't think of much else^^;;)
"Yeh, so you taught them so that means that you know all they can do right–" I couldn't finish the last part because a man stepped from the shadows unarmed. He was an older man and looked as if he were some sort of butler. He looked dark and disfigured against the darkness. Sweat dripped down my brow, Julia knew we'd survive that, she wanted to see us.
"Lady Julia is expecting you Vicious...as well as you Spike." He turned and walked up the stairs going to the fourth floor. We soon walked down the narrow hall, the same layout of the second story, and ascended the fourth floor stairs.
"Like I said, why should we fear them?" I asked him...thinking these guys he 'trained' are probably just some hot-shots, but yet it is unnerving how concerned Vicious is about these two.
"It's like facing your twin." He put simply as we arrived at the fourth floor of Depature. This was a diferent layout I knew too well, there was a short hall that lead to the fourth floor penthouse. Behind the heavy set double doors, thick with malice, was Julia and Vicious' little proteges. I felt myself get tense at the oncoming meeting. I swallowed as I pictured Faye in my mind, her coy smile and all. I suddenly had a wash of confidence cleanse me, I am ready.
"Ready." I clench my teeth as I realize I'm down to my last clip, better make it last Spike.
"Yes." Vicious looked at me with a emotion in his eye. Then it hit me...we were fighting side by side all this time! This entire time we fought off those Syndicate assholes together...its like old times. I know that we would have to work together to defeat these two clowns behind door number one also. I smirk...this is it this is really it. It all ends here.
Where there is a beginning there is an end...
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(yeah I know..matrix line at the end but still... it fit) **^^**;;
hi guys! I've been flooded with school work lately and well its been kinda tough for me to update...I hope to end this fic by the end of this month, but is I know me it might not happen *^^* I am also working on a V/F fic and it's gonna be neat. Thanx for the great reviews! Those reviews really make me happy !!!!*wink wink nudge nudge* aw... you know what I mean push the little purple button...
~your ff buddy L.O.H.