Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop
Lethal Attraction
CH 2: The Mission
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The warehouse loomed in the distance rising ominously before the three young Red Dragons. Their mission was to infiltrate the warehouse where intelligence indicated Red Dragon Crime Lord, Ichiro Yazawa, was currently being held hostage by the White Tigers.
"The fools," said Vicious with a cold glare. "They should have known there will never be fair dealings between syndicates."
"Well, that's not our department," said Spike casting Faye a sideways glance. She was a dead knockout in her skintight leather bodysuit and her long hair coiled into a tight bun.
"Let's move out," she said with a serious expression, gun already drawn.
Spike watched as Vicious headed out first, his own gun drawn. He didn't prefer to use guns, but Mao had insisted he carry one at all times. While Vicious was highly proficient with his katana, it was still no match for a bullet.
Faye and Spike followed Vicious and the three quickly and silently snuck up to the side of the building. The guards would soon be doing their rounds, so Faye had been instructed she was to stay outside and remedy the situation while the men retrieved Yazawa. Spike laced his fingers together and held them out. Vicious placed his boot on them and was quickly boosted to a cracked window he slid through.
"Be careful," whispered Spike to Faye before jumping to grab Vicious' outstretched hand. They both disappeared into the building.
Faye quickly found cover behind a nearby dumpster and awaited her targets.
~*~
Spike and Vicious crept up to their goal slinking through rows upon rows of shelved boxes. The White Tigers were a formidable syndicate having gained most of their glory when Crime Lord, Antonio Santini, took over. Santini did have one fault though, and it constantly caused him ruin. He was extremely arrogant. The number of guards surrounding Yazawa was pitiful. There were only about ten of them, and highly trained or not, they were going to be easy prey.
"Apparently, Santini didn't think we would find this place," whispered Spike running a hand through his dark curls.
"Apparently," responded Vicious looking almost disappointed.
"Aw, come on, Vic," said Spike lightly elbowing his friend in the side. "It'll still be fun. You can go first and start taking them out. I'll slip in while they're distracted and retrieve Yazawa."
Vicious tilted his head slightly towards Spike and smiled through his silver wisps of hair before unexpectantly springing into action. As shots started to ring out, Spike leapt out from behind the boxes and made a mad dash for Yazawa. Blood splattered on his clothes as he shot the stunned man standing next to Yazawa at close range. He grabbed the handcuffed and blindfolded man and led him to safety while dodging some well-aimed bullets. On the way, he saw Vicious expertly slice a man to shreds before he could even squeeze off a round.
As Spike roughly shoved Yazawa into an aisle behind a shelf, he himself took a dive to avoid being shot. He landed ungracefully before a set of black boots. His eyes traveled up the shapely legs to reveal a welcome sight.
"Faye!" he exclaimed trying not to smile in delight.
"My targets are dead," she said helping him to his feet with one hand and holding her gun ready in the other. "I decided to help out you boys instead of waiting around outside." She fired a shot nailing an approaching goon right between the eyes without so much as a flinch. Spike nodded in approval of her competence.
"Is this Yazawa?" she casually asked kneeling before the shocked man. Her gentle fingers removed his blindfold and his dark eyes momentarily lit up at the sight before him.
"Oh, a lovely Red Dragon!" he gasped noticing the symbol above her breast. He struggled into a sitting position. "It's so nice to see a friendly face."
Faye smiled. "Don't worry. We'll have you out of here soon. We just have a few more men to deal with."
When she stood up and began to walk towards Spike a deafening explosion erupted fairly close to them. She would later recall the even as if it happened in slow motion, every detail etched deeply into her mind. The force of it threw her, Yazawa, and the boxes roughly against the opposite metal shelf. Spike, in an attempt to shield Faye, had vaulted himself in front of her. She watched in dismay, through the debris, as his body was struck by various objects and collided painfully with hers.
After the explosion settled, Faye groaned and started pushing boxes and rubble off of her and Spike, who was currently draped over her body. "God…can't these syndicates do anything without blowing shit up?" she muttered noting that areas of her suit had been sliced open to reveal thin cuts.
She continued to mumble but stopped when she revealed Spike's body. He seemed unconscious and there were various deep puncture wounds on his back. A gasp escaped her lips when she shifted under his weight and the wounds began to steadily leak crimson blood. He slid until he was face down over her legs and she immediately pressed her palms against the deepest holes. The scuffle of footsteps near her made her hastily search for her gun, which she thankfully found lying near her in the clutter. She snapped it in the direction of the sound as her finger twitched on the trigger.
"Are you planning on killing me, dear?" came Vicious' voice as he emerged from the shadows and dust. His uniform was immaculate and his weapons still in hand.
"Oh, Vicious, thank god! I need help! Spike's hurt pretty bad," she said dropping her gun and reapplying her palm to one of his wounds.
"Where's Yazawa?" he asked after a calm scan of the area.
"I don't know! Buried under boxes somewhere to my right. Do you have something to tie around him to stop the bleeding?"
Vicious ignored her and started digging through wreckage where she indicated. He soon fished out Yazawa's unconscious body and rested it on top of the debris.
"Did you hear me?" asked Faye with an incredulous expression. "Don't you even care if he's dying?"
"He's not dying," replied Vicious with a bored tone in his voice. "He's lived through far worse, I assure you. You should be thankful these shelves were bolted to the concrete. If they had fallen…you'd all be dead."
Faye scowled at him as he started to walk away.
"Stay here. I'll be back with the car shortly," he said before disappearing into the darkness.
Faye gazed down and her loose strands of hair fell over her shoulders brushing Spike's back. The lustrous red essence of his life covered her hands. She sighed and leaned her head back against the shelf. She was still so young, yet being in the syndicate made her feel twice her age.
***
Spike moaned and attempted to move his body. Pain instantly flared in his back shooting its hot tendrils into his arms and legs. He almost cried out, but managed to subside the pain by forcing his body to relax with some deep, even breaths.
"Spike…" came a soft female voice. "Are you okay?"
"No…" he said opening his eyes and waiting for them to focus under the onslaught of florescent light. Turning his head to the side, she appeared like a dark angel hovering close to his bed. Her hair cascaded over her bare shoulders and down her red camisole top as she leaned forward inspecting him with wide green eyes.
"You alright? Did ya get hurt?" he asked weakly.
"I'm fine," said Faye her eyebrows still raised in worry. "You're the idiot that got hurt. I hear it happens often…How do you feel?"
"Like shit," he responded wincing as he tried to shift his body into a more comfortable position. "Are we at Home Base or did they ship me off again?"
"Look around…does this look like a normal hospital room?" she asked referring to the warm toned walls and fancy furniture surrounding them. Naturally, the sight was marred by the occasional piece of medical equipment.
"Point taken…we're home then," he said. The Red Dragons saw it only too appropriate to have a medical floor in their building to take care of minor injuries.
"Seriously, though…thanks for saving my ass out there," said Faye leaning her elbows on the edge of the bed and smiling at him. "You know how us ladies hate to scar and all," she finished with a wink.
"All in a hard days work," said Spike with a smirk staring into her lovely, forest green eyes.
He watched as she reached out an arm and placed a cool hand on his cheek. His eyes slid shut when she began to caress it gently, and a jolt passed through him when he felt her lips kiss him lightly on his other cheek. The moment seemed to last forever –or maybe it was the drugs- and he relished in the feeling of her soft fingers and lips. Eventually, he opened his russet eyes to see her retreating from the room. She stopped by the doorway and turned to stare at him longingly.
"When you get out of here…we should get together sometime," she said, then left the room without waiting for a response.
~*~
Faye walked brusquely down the long, narrow, red-carpeted hallway. Her skirt rubbed against her thighs with each stride forward and she elicited quite a few stares from injured men in their rooms. The hospital floor was ten stories up, so she found the nearest elevator and pressed the down arrow button. A few minutes passed before the door swished open.
She walked into the elevator and pressed the ground floor button while humming a tune to herself. The doors closed and suddenly her body was roughly pinned to the wall. The scent of his hair and the intimate contours of his body against hers instantly gave away the culprits identity.
"What do you want, Vicious?" she asked in a clipped tone.
"I want you to stay away from him," whispered Vicious into her ear.
She felt his hair brush her shoulder and shuddered. "Leave me alone, Vic. You can't control me anymore."
"We'll see…" he replied cryptically as he backed away releasing Faye's body.
She whirled around, fire dancing in her eyes. "Why do you even care anymore?" she demanded. "You drove me away! What was I supposed to do?! Stay with a man that is incapable of showing me a shred of affection or respect?!" In her angered state, tears began to form in her eyes. She irritably brushed them away.
Vicious chuckled at her. "You have such a flare for the dramatics," he said. "Just remember, you only see things from one point of view…your own."
Faye glared at his perfectly composed and stoic face as the elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open. He left first, his long black trench coat flaring slightly.
"Just some friendly advice, dear," he called over his gold trimmed shoulder before she lost him in the crowd.
She snorted before leaving in an opposite direction. That man sure does have a lot of nerve, she thought. Didn't he know whom he was dealing with? Faye Valentine was a strong, stubborn woman, and she always did as she pleased.
To be continued…
Authors Note: I know that was a little short for my liking, but my fingers feel like they're going to fall off (tired, I guess). Silly me hadn't realized Shin was the younger brother either because I never watched the RFB's subtitled. Shin doesn't mention he's younger in the English version. Heh. (I can't help it, I love David Lucas' voice!) Well, hopefully this wasn't too disappointing. I promise a crapload of Spike and Faye interaction in the next chapter ^_^ Oh, and if this story gets too racy (which it probably will) then I may have to convert it to rated R. So, if it disappears from the "just in" list thingee, you know where it is 0.o
THANK YOU to all of my reviewers! ^_^ I've never gotten so many reviews on one chapter before, so I was really excited! Thanks again! Next time I will personally respond to the reviews like I normally do. Now, I must sleep. ~~{@