AN: Sorry folks, but this chapter is going to be a short one. I'm sorry,
but with the midterms being this week, be glad there was any update at all.
Don't worry; the next chapters will be longer than this one. Enjoy and
please review.
-By the way, I'd like to thank Wing Zero Alpha for his reviews, they were very helpful. Don't worry, I'll try to make Crim's relation to Viola at least seem plausible. Even if it isn't, it won't play a big part in the sequel story (it might be mentioned but that's about it), I've just finished writing the next to last chapter for this story and I'm starting to come up with ideas for the sequel. I plan to have it bridge the gap between Second Runner and Dolores I (in other words, it'll take place at that time). As to changing Crim's OF, I'll think about it. Anyway, if you have any ideas to give to me for the sequel I'd love to hear them.
Disclaimer: I am not Hideo Kojima or any of those guys at Konami, so I do not own ZOE in any way, shape, or form.
Chapter 5: Catastrophe Strikes
1 Week Later:
(Well this is interesting,) Crim thought as he rolled the video camera. He was in the ship's kitchen, hiding under a cardboard box with a hole drilled in it for the camera to see through, and he was watching an interesting event unfold. (The first official lover's quarrel of my favorite couple, let's see how it goes.)
"Celvice, no!" Leo shouted in argument. "You shouldn't leave the ship now, it's too dangerous!"
"Leo, I appreciate your concern," Celvice said. "But I'm only getting off the ship to help some of the crew get some supplies for the ship. There's nothing to worry about."
"Do I have to remind you what there is to worry about?" Leo asked.
Flashback: 2 days before:
The Atlantis had docked at the neutral colony Argetlam and things seemed to be going as planned. Until an hour later, a BAHRAM battleship docked at the same colony.
The result was that the ship was locked down, and only a few people were allowed to leave the ship so that actions on the BAHRAM battleship could be monitored. However, several essential supplies for the ship and its crew were running low, and so it was decided that five small groups be sent to the colony stores to buy the necessary supplies. Celvice had volunteered to go with them, but Leo had objected which lead up to the present-day argument.
The Present:
"No, Leo." Celvice answered. "As a matter of fact, you don't. But I'm going whether you like it or not. Your job on this ship is to help defend it as an orbital frame pilot, and mine is to help make sure that everyone on the ship gets enough to eat. So why don't you do your job, and I'll do mine."
Knowing that he was losing the argument, Leo gave up.
"Alright," he said reluctantly. "If you really want to go, fine. Just promise me that you'll be careful, okay. I-."
Leo paused and turned around to hide the color coming to his cheeks before continuing.
"I don't want you to get hurt like before, on Antillia." He said. "If anything like that happened to you again and I wasn't there to try and stop it, I'd-."
Leo couldn't finish.
(Why the hell am I saying these things?) Leo asked himself mentally. (Am I actually in love with Celvice?)
That last thought caused Leo to blush even more.
Celvice looked at Leo and her gaze softened; she was actually touched by what he had said.
"Leo, don't worry," Celvice said in assurance. "I'll be fine, the whole thing will only take a couple of hours. And besides, it's not like I'm going there by myself. There will be other people with me, so you don't need to worry."
"I'm sorry," Leo said. "I shouldn't have-."
"Leo, there's one more thing." Celvice interrupted. Then she walked over to Leo, spun him around so that he could face her, and then kissed him fully on the lips. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before Celvice broke away from it and dashed out of the room leaving a blushing Leo standing where he was in a daze.
At that moment, Crim leaped out of his hiding place video camera in hand.
"And so ends another episode of "The Love Life of Leo Stenbuck" !" Crim shouted (announcer style). "In which Leo has invented a new shade of red! Tell me Mr. Stenbuck, how do you feel now?"
It took Leo a minute to realize what was going on. When he did, he slowly turned toward Crim.
"What exactly are you doing?" Leo asked Crim, his tone of voice turning dangerous.
Crim smiled and answered.
"Why, capturing precious moments that happen on this ship, and then preserving them forever on discs. Just like a photo album, but much more entertaining. What do you think, Leo?"
"I think," Leo began. "That you should let me have a look at that disc. For your own immediate health!"
Crim paused and then made as if to give the camera to Leo, then swiftly pulled it back out of Leo's reach and said. "Not on your life, kid." Then he quickly ran out of the room and then ran down the hallway opposite the direction that Celvice had gone.
Crim turned his head back to see a furious Leo pursuing him, which prompted Crim to pick up speed.
(This is too fun,) Crim thought to himself.
Meanwhile:
The bridge had suddenly become the new area for crew entertainment as the observers watched security camera footage of Leo chasing Crim all over the ship.
Everyone there, including Elena and Thunderheart (both of whom had been in a bad mood lately due to the stress of the situation), was laughing at the antics of the two orbital frame pilots.
Suddenly, the door to the bridge opened, and Crim ran in and then, realizing where he was, stopped. Which made him look like a deer that had been caught in the headlights of an approaching car.
It was at that moment that Leo tackled Crim from behind shouting. "Give me the disc!"
Elena let out an exasperated sigh and then coughed an "Ahem!" which got both Leo and Crim to look up at her.
The two of them felt a sudden feeling of impending doom.
Meanwhile:
The man watched his target from the shadows, his assignment to capture her and then bring her to the ship.
He waited until she was out of sight of her companions and then performed his act of a poor man with a bad back who needed help with carrying his purchases. The girl fell for it instantly and readily lent her assistance. When they got to his car, the man quickly took a small tranquilizer gun out of his pocket and pulled the trigger, knocking the girl out before she knew what was happening. The man quickly shoved her unconscious body into the back seat of his car, ran to the front door of the car, got in , and quickly drove off.
After a few minutes, the man saw that he had not been followed. He relaxed, picked up his cell phone, and called his employer.
"I have successfully captured the target, Celvice Klein, as per your request, sir." the man reported when he heard his employer pick up.
"Excellent work," replied a voice from the phone. "Now bring her to me immediately. You have precisely five minutes to bring her here. A minute longer will result in a $1,000,000 deduction from our agreed fee and the deduction will increase by another million for every minute that you are late."
"This wasn't part of our original agreement!" the man shouted into the phone angrily.
"Let's just call it a precaution to ensure that the bargaining chip that I require is undamaged." the voice answered. "And if I discover that it has been damaged in any way, I will be most displeased. The time limit begins now." And then he hung up.
The man cursed and then stepped on the gas, racing toward his destination.
"$50,000,000 to kidnap a single girl." the man complained. "I should have known that there would be a catch to such an easy job. Damn you Nohman!"
Meanwhile:
Colonel Nohman smiled in anticipation. He knew that the boy would come with Jehuty, and when they did, they would play his game. A game in which only Nohman won and the loser, even if he survived the game, would wish that he hadn't.
"I hope that you enjoy the game that I have prepared for you as much as I will, Leo Stenbuck," Nohman said with a sadistic smile on his face. "Though whether I will reunite you with that girl in death is my decision entirely."
AN: Well that's chapter five, hope you enjoyed it. I'll update as soon as I can. I don't like keeping the people who read my fanfiction hanging. Please review. Oh, I also changed the spacing so the story would be easier to read.
Anime Quote of the Day: "I just needed 300 more points. Then I finally would have been able to meet Sporky Doggy." (Lee Samson to Faye Valentine) (Cowboy Bebop The Movie)
-By the way, I'd like to thank Wing Zero Alpha for his reviews, they were very helpful. Don't worry, I'll try to make Crim's relation to Viola at least seem plausible. Even if it isn't, it won't play a big part in the sequel story (it might be mentioned but that's about it), I've just finished writing the next to last chapter for this story and I'm starting to come up with ideas for the sequel. I plan to have it bridge the gap between Second Runner and Dolores I (in other words, it'll take place at that time). As to changing Crim's OF, I'll think about it. Anyway, if you have any ideas to give to me for the sequel I'd love to hear them.
Disclaimer: I am not Hideo Kojima or any of those guys at Konami, so I do not own ZOE in any way, shape, or form.
Chapter 5: Catastrophe Strikes
1 Week Later:
(Well this is interesting,) Crim thought as he rolled the video camera. He was in the ship's kitchen, hiding under a cardboard box with a hole drilled in it for the camera to see through, and he was watching an interesting event unfold. (The first official lover's quarrel of my favorite couple, let's see how it goes.)
"Celvice, no!" Leo shouted in argument. "You shouldn't leave the ship now, it's too dangerous!"
"Leo, I appreciate your concern," Celvice said. "But I'm only getting off the ship to help some of the crew get some supplies for the ship. There's nothing to worry about."
"Do I have to remind you what there is to worry about?" Leo asked.
Flashback: 2 days before:
The Atlantis had docked at the neutral colony Argetlam and things seemed to be going as planned. Until an hour later, a BAHRAM battleship docked at the same colony.
The result was that the ship was locked down, and only a few people were allowed to leave the ship so that actions on the BAHRAM battleship could be monitored. However, several essential supplies for the ship and its crew were running low, and so it was decided that five small groups be sent to the colony stores to buy the necessary supplies. Celvice had volunteered to go with them, but Leo had objected which lead up to the present-day argument.
The Present:
"No, Leo." Celvice answered. "As a matter of fact, you don't. But I'm going whether you like it or not. Your job on this ship is to help defend it as an orbital frame pilot, and mine is to help make sure that everyone on the ship gets enough to eat. So why don't you do your job, and I'll do mine."
Knowing that he was losing the argument, Leo gave up.
"Alright," he said reluctantly. "If you really want to go, fine. Just promise me that you'll be careful, okay. I-."
Leo paused and turned around to hide the color coming to his cheeks before continuing.
"I don't want you to get hurt like before, on Antillia." He said. "If anything like that happened to you again and I wasn't there to try and stop it, I'd-."
Leo couldn't finish.
(Why the hell am I saying these things?) Leo asked himself mentally. (Am I actually in love with Celvice?)
That last thought caused Leo to blush even more.
Celvice looked at Leo and her gaze softened; she was actually touched by what he had said.
"Leo, don't worry," Celvice said in assurance. "I'll be fine, the whole thing will only take a couple of hours. And besides, it's not like I'm going there by myself. There will be other people with me, so you don't need to worry."
"I'm sorry," Leo said. "I shouldn't have-."
"Leo, there's one more thing." Celvice interrupted. Then she walked over to Leo, spun him around so that he could face her, and then kissed him fully on the lips. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before Celvice broke away from it and dashed out of the room leaving a blushing Leo standing where he was in a daze.
At that moment, Crim leaped out of his hiding place video camera in hand.
"And so ends another episode of "The Love Life of Leo Stenbuck" !" Crim shouted (announcer style). "In which Leo has invented a new shade of red! Tell me Mr. Stenbuck, how do you feel now?"
It took Leo a minute to realize what was going on. When he did, he slowly turned toward Crim.
"What exactly are you doing?" Leo asked Crim, his tone of voice turning dangerous.
Crim smiled and answered.
"Why, capturing precious moments that happen on this ship, and then preserving them forever on discs. Just like a photo album, but much more entertaining. What do you think, Leo?"
"I think," Leo began. "That you should let me have a look at that disc. For your own immediate health!"
Crim paused and then made as if to give the camera to Leo, then swiftly pulled it back out of Leo's reach and said. "Not on your life, kid." Then he quickly ran out of the room and then ran down the hallway opposite the direction that Celvice had gone.
Crim turned his head back to see a furious Leo pursuing him, which prompted Crim to pick up speed.
(This is too fun,) Crim thought to himself.
Meanwhile:
The bridge had suddenly become the new area for crew entertainment as the observers watched security camera footage of Leo chasing Crim all over the ship.
Everyone there, including Elena and Thunderheart (both of whom had been in a bad mood lately due to the stress of the situation), was laughing at the antics of the two orbital frame pilots.
Suddenly, the door to the bridge opened, and Crim ran in and then, realizing where he was, stopped. Which made him look like a deer that had been caught in the headlights of an approaching car.
It was at that moment that Leo tackled Crim from behind shouting. "Give me the disc!"
Elena let out an exasperated sigh and then coughed an "Ahem!" which got both Leo and Crim to look up at her.
The two of them felt a sudden feeling of impending doom.
Meanwhile:
The man watched his target from the shadows, his assignment to capture her and then bring her to the ship.
He waited until she was out of sight of her companions and then performed his act of a poor man with a bad back who needed help with carrying his purchases. The girl fell for it instantly and readily lent her assistance. When they got to his car, the man quickly took a small tranquilizer gun out of his pocket and pulled the trigger, knocking the girl out before she knew what was happening. The man quickly shoved her unconscious body into the back seat of his car, ran to the front door of the car, got in , and quickly drove off.
After a few minutes, the man saw that he had not been followed. He relaxed, picked up his cell phone, and called his employer.
"I have successfully captured the target, Celvice Klein, as per your request, sir." the man reported when he heard his employer pick up.
"Excellent work," replied a voice from the phone. "Now bring her to me immediately. You have precisely five minutes to bring her here. A minute longer will result in a $1,000,000 deduction from our agreed fee and the deduction will increase by another million for every minute that you are late."
"This wasn't part of our original agreement!" the man shouted into the phone angrily.
"Let's just call it a precaution to ensure that the bargaining chip that I require is undamaged." the voice answered. "And if I discover that it has been damaged in any way, I will be most displeased. The time limit begins now." And then he hung up.
The man cursed and then stepped on the gas, racing toward his destination.
"$50,000,000 to kidnap a single girl." the man complained. "I should have known that there would be a catch to such an easy job. Damn you Nohman!"
Meanwhile:
Colonel Nohman smiled in anticipation. He knew that the boy would come with Jehuty, and when they did, they would play his game. A game in which only Nohman won and the loser, even if he survived the game, would wish that he hadn't.
"I hope that you enjoy the game that I have prepared for you as much as I will, Leo Stenbuck," Nohman said with a sadistic smile on his face. "Though whether I will reunite you with that girl in death is my decision entirely."
AN: Well that's chapter five, hope you enjoyed it. I'll update as soon as I can. I don't like keeping the people who read my fanfiction hanging. Please review. Oh, I also changed the spacing so the story would be easier to read.
Anime Quote of the Day: "I just needed 300 more points. Then I finally would have been able to meet Sporky Doggy." (Lee Samson to Faye Valentine) (Cowboy Bebop The Movie)