Ch. 3 "Mutual Friends"
Spike walked into the pool hall, the air full of smoke, and a haunting saxophone tune being played. Spike sighed and searched the pool hall for Vicious. He found his friend, Vicious, talking to a blonde woman clad in dark leather. Vicious gestured towards Spike and the woman turned around and looked at Spike.
"You're late, Spike." Vicious said in that frigid tone of his. Spike smiled wryly.
"You actually care?" Spike asked. Vicious shrugged, smiling.
"Care to introduce us, Vicious?" The leather-clad woman asked. Vicious's smile faded, and in a few moments, was gone.
"Spike, this is Julia. Julia, this is Spike." Vicious stated flatly. Julia extended her hand Spike hesitated, and then shook it. Julia smiled.
"A pleasure." She said. Spike began to say something but was cut short by Vicious.
"Julia is an associate of our mutual friends." Vicious said, retrieving a cigarette from his pocket. Spike's smile faded as well. Mutual friends... The Red Dragon Syndicate.
"What kind of associate?" Spike asked. Julia smiled.
"The dead kind." She said. Vicious lit his cigarette and inhaled the smoke, paused, then exhaled.
"Julia has something our mutual friends wish to obtain." Vicious said, his eyes giving no sign of emotion. Spike hated that.
"Which would be...?" Spike asked.
"Certain papers." Julia said. Vicious closed his eyes and inhaled the smoke.
"Where are the papers?" Spike asked.
"In a safe place. Vicious please explain the details to Spike."
Vicious exhaled the smoke, then said calmly, "Julia has given us the location of the papers, but the building where they are located is heavily guarded." Spike sighed.
"Let me guess... we're going to bust in there, guns blazing, and retrieve the papers then hand the over to our mutual friends." Spike said without enthusiasm. Julia smiled and nodded.
"Basically." Vicious said as he began to inhale once more. Spike sighed.
"How long do we have?" Spike asked.
"Three hours." Vicious said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Three?" Spike asked in disbelief. Vicious nodded.
"Julia will stay here. You and I will head over to the building." Vicious glanced at his watch.
"We leave in two minutes." Vicious said as he threw his cigarette to the ground and crushed it. Spike sighed. Julia took a seat on the edge of a pool table. Vicious walked out of the pool hall. Spike was about to do the same, but a hand grabbed him. Spike turned around slowly and found himself face to face with Julia.
"Good luck." She said, smiling slightly. Spike forced a smile, and then walked out of the pool hall as well.
Outside he found Vicious waiting for him leaning against the threshold of the pool hall.
"You like her Spike?" Vicious asked, his gray hair masking his facial features. Spike shrugged.
"Maybe."
"She's mine, so don't get any ideas." Vicious said coolly. Spike walked to the edge of the sidewalk, and watched the continuous traffic for a moment or two. Vicious got up and walked to Spike's left side.
"Do you feel it, Spike?" Vicious asked. Spike looked at Vicious.
"Feel what?" He asked.
"The fear, the excitement, the eagerness..." Vicious's voice trailed off.
"Of the battle? Or of Julia?" Spike said, smiling. Vicious smiled crookedly.
"The battle."
"Yeah I feel it."
"Which one is more dominant? The fear, excitement, or the eagerness?" Vicious asked lifting his hand to signal a taxi.
"The fear." Spike said calmly. Vicious smiled viciously, his trademark smile.
"You fear death?"
"Nah. Just the death of my comrade." Spike said, smiling slightly. Vicious seemed taken aback, even though he did not show it.
"You've always been a bleeding heart, Spike."
"You've always been a black heart, Vicious."
"I would have it no other way, only fools allow themselves to be hindered by others."
"Then I am a fool." Spike said smiling. A corner of Vicious's mouth twisted to form a sardonic smile.
"It seems that I enjoy the company of fools." Vicious said. Spike shrugged and forced himself not to smile. They spent the next few minutes in silence, before a taxi pulled up on the edge of the sidewalk. Vicious got into the taxi. Spike took the seat beside Vicious. The taxi driver looked back at them.
"Where do you want to go?" The driver asked.
"Warehouse 41. Syndicate orders." Vicious said calmly. The driver smiled.
"You are the one they call Vicious I presume?" Vicious closed his eyes and nodded. The driver glanced at Spike.
"And you're Spike?" He asked. Spike nodded as well.
"Alright. Syndicate discount. No charge." The driver said as he accelerated.
It took twenty minutes for them to arrive at the warehouse. Once they did, Spike said a quick thanks to the driver then watched as the taxi took off. The air was bitter cold, and thin. Vicious looked at Spike, his cold eyes calculating.
"Does the fear remain?" Vicious asked. Spike shook his head.
"Nah. Just the excitement now." Spike said. Vicious smiled.
"Any sign of eagerness?"
"Maybe." Spike said, shrugging. Vicious closed his eyes.
"Come death, so I may defy you once more." Vicious muttered. Spike put his hand on Vicious's shoulder. Vicious's eyes opened.
"Stay alive, Spike." Vicious said coldly. Spike smiled slightly.
"If I die, that will be one less fool on this hunk of rock."
"Yeah." Vicious said...was there a hint of emotion in that comment? Spike shrugged, his mind must be playing tricks on him. Vicious turned his back on Spike and headed towards the warehouse. Spike followed him, eagerly.
Spike walked into the pool hall, the air full of smoke, and a haunting saxophone tune being played. Spike sighed and searched the pool hall for Vicious. He found his friend, Vicious, talking to a blonde woman clad in dark leather. Vicious gestured towards Spike and the woman turned around and looked at Spike.
"You're late, Spike." Vicious said in that frigid tone of his. Spike smiled wryly.
"You actually care?" Spike asked. Vicious shrugged, smiling.
"Care to introduce us, Vicious?" The leather-clad woman asked. Vicious's smile faded, and in a few moments, was gone.
"Spike, this is Julia. Julia, this is Spike." Vicious stated flatly. Julia extended her hand Spike hesitated, and then shook it. Julia smiled.
"A pleasure." She said. Spike began to say something but was cut short by Vicious.
"Julia is an associate of our mutual friends." Vicious said, retrieving a cigarette from his pocket. Spike's smile faded as well. Mutual friends... The Red Dragon Syndicate.
"What kind of associate?" Spike asked. Julia smiled.
"The dead kind." She said. Vicious lit his cigarette and inhaled the smoke, paused, then exhaled.
"Julia has something our mutual friends wish to obtain." Vicious said, his eyes giving no sign of emotion. Spike hated that.
"Which would be...?" Spike asked.
"Certain papers." Julia said. Vicious closed his eyes and inhaled the smoke.
"Where are the papers?" Spike asked.
"In a safe place. Vicious please explain the details to Spike."
Vicious exhaled the smoke, then said calmly, "Julia has given us the location of the papers, but the building where they are located is heavily guarded." Spike sighed.
"Let me guess... we're going to bust in there, guns blazing, and retrieve the papers then hand the over to our mutual friends." Spike said without enthusiasm. Julia smiled and nodded.
"Basically." Vicious said as he began to inhale once more. Spike sighed.
"How long do we have?" Spike asked.
"Three hours." Vicious said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Three?" Spike asked in disbelief. Vicious nodded.
"Julia will stay here. You and I will head over to the building." Vicious glanced at his watch.
"We leave in two minutes." Vicious said as he threw his cigarette to the ground and crushed it. Spike sighed. Julia took a seat on the edge of a pool table. Vicious walked out of the pool hall. Spike was about to do the same, but a hand grabbed him. Spike turned around slowly and found himself face to face with Julia.
"Good luck." She said, smiling slightly. Spike forced a smile, and then walked out of the pool hall as well.
Outside he found Vicious waiting for him leaning against the threshold of the pool hall.
"You like her Spike?" Vicious asked, his gray hair masking his facial features. Spike shrugged.
"Maybe."
"She's mine, so don't get any ideas." Vicious said coolly. Spike walked to the edge of the sidewalk, and watched the continuous traffic for a moment or two. Vicious got up and walked to Spike's left side.
"Do you feel it, Spike?" Vicious asked. Spike looked at Vicious.
"Feel what?" He asked.
"The fear, the excitement, the eagerness..." Vicious's voice trailed off.
"Of the battle? Or of Julia?" Spike said, smiling. Vicious smiled crookedly.
"The battle."
"Yeah I feel it."
"Which one is more dominant? The fear, excitement, or the eagerness?" Vicious asked lifting his hand to signal a taxi.
"The fear." Spike said calmly. Vicious smiled viciously, his trademark smile.
"You fear death?"
"Nah. Just the death of my comrade." Spike said, smiling slightly. Vicious seemed taken aback, even though he did not show it.
"You've always been a bleeding heart, Spike."
"You've always been a black heart, Vicious."
"I would have it no other way, only fools allow themselves to be hindered by others."
"Then I am a fool." Spike said smiling. A corner of Vicious's mouth twisted to form a sardonic smile.
"It seems that I enjoy the company of fools." Vicious said. Spike shrugged and forced himself not to smile. They spent the next few minutes in silence, before a taxi pulled up on the edge of the sidewalk. Vicious got into the taxi. Spike took the seat beside Vicious. The taxi driver looked back at them.
"Where do you want to go?" The driver asked.
"Warehouse 41. Syndicate orders." Vicious said calmly. The driver smiled.
"You are the one they call Vicious I presume?" Vicious closed his eyes and nodded. The driver glanced at Spike.
"And you're Spike?" He asked. Spike nodded as well.
"Alright. Syndicate discount. No charge." The driver said as he accelerated.
It took twenty minutes for them to arrive at the warehouse. Once they did, Spike said a quick thanks to the driver then watched as the taxi took off. The air was bitter cold, and thin. Vicious looked at Spike, his cold eyes calculating.
"Does the fear remain?" Vicious asked. Spike shook his head.
"Nah. Just the excitement now." Spike said. Vicious smiled.
"Any sign of eagerness?"
"Maybe." Spike said, shrugging. Vicious closed his eyes.
"Come death, so I may defy you once more." Vicious muttered. Spike put his hand on Vicious's shoulder. Vicious's eyes opened.
"Stay alive, Spike." Vicious said coldly. Spike smiled slightly.
"If I die, that will be one less fool on this hunk of rock."
"Yeah." Vicious said...was there a hint of emotion in that comment? Spike shrugged, his mind must be playing tricks on him. Vicious turned his back on Spike and headed towards the warehouse. Spike followed him, eagerly.