~Fallen Seraphim~
~Bang~
Raindrops pelted the matted green hair of the bounty hunter. But neither the rain, the cold, nor the dreary weather affected the solemn figure; it was merely there, just as he was. Although the weather was much more benevolent than he. He glanced upward at the immense structure before him, this foreboding visage burning its way into his impassive gaze. Without a care or a thought, he glanced around his surroundings.
The faint light provided by the obscured moon and the sparsely positioned street lights disclosed a few details of his dimly lit surroundings. Numerous garbage containers littered one side of the alleyway, the other was filled with what should have been in them. And through the mouth of the alley, just across the street, he could see his objective. That brightly lit building standing hundreds of feet high. A building that any respectable business would kill to have; only the current occupants did take that stretch and had the lack of morals to do it. It just stood there, a gleaming homage to the fact that crime does pay.
Removing the cigarette from his lips, he cast it off into the darkness. The smoldering butt left a slight trail of smoke as it fell to the ground, fizzling as it came to rest in one of the many puddles covering the ground. Stepping towards the building, his foot had barely touched the light when a black limousine pulled before the building. Quickly removing his foot from the light, Spike disappeared once again into the shadows.
The limousine came to a halt, one of the doormen made his way down the steps outside the sliding glass doors and opened the rear door of the vehicle. A man stepped from the car, his black trench coat billowing out behind him as if it were some kind of cape. He flicked up the collar as the rain lashed mercilessly against his body. He turned back to the vehicle, his hand moving inside his jacket to remove a pistol, then he ushered the other occupant out of the limousine with it. Off in the distance, a brief flash of lighting covered the image with a ghastly white light…how fitting…Seraph.
The other passenger emerged, a little less willing than the first. Spike could have been blind and still known who it was. The body language, that same unmistakable air of arrogance that filled the space around her, even if she was stepping into the lion's den; and even though the lack of light made it difficult to see, he assumed her hair was purple. Without any more force, she was led inside by the group of men that had quickly exited the car after her, their weapons drawn.
This doesn't change a thing. Don't concern yourself with her…Spike's brow cringed slightly…she's collateral…then back to nothing. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled into the cool night air, his breath coming out in a cloud of vapor. Reaching into his coat, he removed one of the three grenades strapped to the inside of his jacket. Pulling the pin, he shoved it back into his pocket while still holding the handle. His other hand found the grip of his pistol, tucked within the recesses of his coat. And in a quick and determined motion, he stepped from the shadows and into the light. The dream was going to end…and I'm gonna end it.
His footsteps brought him to the double sliding doors, and the lone gunman walked silently through the opening. The same doors he had walked through all those years before, it had come full circle…an interesting rite of passage. The doors slid open, the chill air from outside drawn into the warm building. The lanky bounty hunter walked without apprehension, without fear, he merely walked. The lobby was filled with Red Dragons, each one lazily conversing with another, in the carefree attitude that comes from over confidence. A few glanced up at the new arrival, most merely dismissing him as inconsequential. A small grin found its way onto Spike's face…the element of surprise…Spike 1, Red Dragons 0. Pulling the grenade from his pocket, he released the handle and dropped it to the floor. It bounced slightly at his feet, before he kicked towards the largest group. By the time they noticed the small explosive, it was already too late.
The resulting explosion ripped through the lobby, the glass façade of the mighty building exploded outwards as the shockwave expanded. In less than a second, the lobby was bristling with armed Syndicate goons, each gun trained on the green haired lunatic. But the lunatic moved with an inhuman speed, darting across the smoke- filled lobby towards the escalators at the opposite end.
He dove towards the rising stairs and landed hard against the metal grooves. Ignoring the pain, he lifted his Jericho and fired at the two men standing at the base of the escalator. Pivoting quickly, he double-tapped the trigger, both bullets slamming into the guard at the top. Pulling a small device from his jacket, he placed the small pack of SEMTEX against the side of escalator.
Reaching the top, he broke into a sprint as gunfire from the ground floor sprayed across the ceiling, the walls and the glass railing near the reckless gunman, yet nothing hit him. Glancing back, he saw a group of men charging up the escalator. Quickly dropping to the ground, he pulled the detonator from underneath his jacket. Calmly depressing the switch, the room shuddered as the explosion tore through the metal stairs and the bodies amongst it. Pieces of burning metal flew through the air, the escalator quickly becoming a massive fragmentation grenade as the metal became molten bits of shrapnel, colliding with the guards below.
Ignoring the cries from below, Spike pushed himself from the ground as smoke began to billow from what once was an escalator. He broke into a sprint, not even looking back to admire his handiwork, his eyes were set on the goal before him, the elevator. At an arms reach, he slammed his fist down on the call button before ducking behind one of the columns surrounding the large metal doors. He waited patiently for the familiar ding as bullets ricocheted around his body.
The familiar sound broke through the tense atmosphere and the metal doors slid open. Reaching around the stone column, he fired a few blind shots before rushing through the open doors, continuously firing blindly. Slamming his fist onto the top floor, the doors slowly slid shut as bullets bounced harmlessly against the thick metal. The metal cocoon began to rise, taking the gunman closer to his fate. He flicked the release on the pistol and the magazine fell to the ground, bouncing off to the opposite side. He pulled a new clip from his jacket and slid it into the base of the pistol. Reaching back into his jacket, he withdrew the remaining grenades. Pulling both pins, he waited until the elevator came to a stop.
The two metal doors slid open, a hail of bullets ripping through the doorway and slamming into the rear of the elevator. Apparently the guards noticed that there was no one in the elevator and stopped firing. Taking advantage of the cease fire, Spike lobbed the two grenades down the hallway and ducked back into the elevator as the dual explosions ripped across the floor, stifling the cries of the men.
Dashing out the door, he faintly heard the two doors slide closed behind him. His attention drifted to the hallway on his right. He charged down the deserted hall, his eyes scanning the area for the slightest movement. His left hand slid into his jacket, clutching the Browning HP and quickly removing it from within. A slight reflection shown down the hall, causing Spike to bring both weapons to bear, but he realized it was only another elevator.
Skidding to a halt, Spike backed against the wall opposite the elevators, the design of the building created a T-junction leaving one blind corner…and probably another guard…Taking a deep breath, he spun around the corner, both pistols taking aim at the lone Dragon in the hallway. The guard spotted the green haired man and moved to bring his pistol up. Both took aim at the same time and all three pistols fired, bullets and casings flying through the air. The Dragon took two; one in the stomach and the other impacting his chest and decimating his heart. One of the guard's bullets flew true however, striking Spike's left shoulder, blood bursting out the back as the bullet ripped through. Clutching his shoulder with his right hand, his body shuddered as the last fifteen minutes of adrenaline and exertion rapidly caught up to him, but he forced himself to ignore the feeling when the familiar ding of an elevator came to his ears.
Bracing himself, he pulled his hand away from his shoulder and pointed the Jericho at the two metal doors. The doors slid open, and Spike's finger tightened as Glock 19 was leveled at his head. A slight flutter of recognition flashed across the other's eyes as Spike held his fire.
"Shin…" he gasped, barely audible. Releasing the trigger, Spike lowered his weapon. Without a word, Shin moved past him, placing himself between the bounty hunter and the guard that had appeared down the hall. Double-tapping the trigger, his weapon recoiled, changing the aim slightly, causing the first bullet to impact the guard's chest while the second struck just above his left eye. The guard's head snapped backward, the lifeless gunman falling to the floor before he could get off a single shot.
"Where's Vicious?" Spike asked harshly, his words speeding from his mouth before the guard's body hit the ground.
"He's on the top floor, this way!" Shin yelled back, his eyes darting back and forth, kept constantly alert by the muffled yells of men on other floors. Before Spike could say anything in response, Shin made his way down the hall.
Spike, without any further deliberation, followed the young turncoat down the hallway, but stopped after a few feet to place another charge against the wall. Hearing heavy footsteps, he bolted towards the end of the hallway, practically diving around the corner as a torrent of lead filled the air behind him. Quickly regaining his balance, he pulled the detonator from within his jacket and slammed his thumb down on the switch; a soft beep sounded, the precursor to the massive explosion that ripped through the hallway behind him…They didn't even know what hit 'em…
About twenty feet ahead, he could see Shin slow to a stop, a set of large wooden doors on his right. Shin turned back towards him as he pressed the final key in the sequence into the keypad near the door. Giving him a small grin, Shin flashed a thumbs up as the lock clicked open. Returning the gesture, Spike's eyes widened as a figure came around the corner at the far end of the hallway.
In a sequence of actions that appeared to happen both at a snail's pace and all too quickly, Spike brought his gun up to aim at the guard down the hallway, calling out Shin's name in the process. The young man turned to look at the green-haired man as the guard at the end of the hall brought his Steyr TMP to bear. Spike dove to his left, trying to draw the guard's aim away from his friend as Shin spun around to face his assailant, bringing his weapon up as well. All three weapons fired.
Both Spike and Shin's bullets found their mark, one fragmenting in the guards chest, shattering bone and organ alike with the other slamming into his jaw, breaking through the bone and ripping an empty gash where his windpipe would be. The spray of bullets the guard's automatic let out managed to catch Shin's upper leg, shredding his thigh and just barely missing his femur. As his leg gave out from the weight above it, Spike rushed over to his fallen friend.
"Look…I'll be fine, the only ones who know I've traded sides are dead…they'll just treat me like every other wounded…go stop Vicious," Spike nodded slightly, then turned back to the door. Pulling the handle, the doors flew open, a long hallway standing between himself and his destiny. Himself and his enemy.
Me and my best friend.
Charging down the hallway, the objects around him began to form a single image. A blur, speeding past the sides of his head as he rushed down the hallway. And suddenly the monotony was broken. Another pair of doors, just a speck in the distance, but gradually coming closer. Without another thought, he slammed the doors open, and an explosion rocked the building…
This is gonna end…and I'm gonna end it…
- - - - -
Rain and debris fell from above, the remains of the ceiling trickling down around him. The lone gunman stood before a massive staircase; his fate, his foe, his friend standing at the top. The pale moon cast a soft glow across the two former friends before the clouds concealed it once again. Both stood unwavering, waiting for some silent signal to begin the battle. But that signal would not come yet…
"So you've finally accepted your fate?" Vicious' cold voice echoed through the partially destroyed room, the chilling undertones washed over Spike as he stared back at his foe and remained motionless.
"Why did you kill her?" Spike voice was soft, but with strength no mortal man should have been able to possess.
"She got in the way."
"But you loved her!"
"Love and sex are two different things," the corner of Vicious' lip turned upward at that remark as he watched Spike's façade falter slightly. A flash of anger, then nothing. "You never were able to protect women."
A door to the right slid open, drawing Spike's attention away from his nemesis to the two figures that entered the room. Seraph brought Faye into the room, his left arm holding her arms behind her back while his right held a pistol to her head. Faye eyes scanned the room, finding Vicious standing just across from her, she slowed her pace, but resumed it once Seraph pushed the Beretta into the back of her skull. The motion offset her vision and she saw Spike standing at the base of the staircase. In the brief second that their eyes met, he saw a small flash of hope slip through her eyes.
Vicious glanced over towards Seraph and gave him a small nod. Without a word, Seraph shoved Faye forward and promptly went back the direction he came. The sudden motion caused Faye to stumble, but she caught herself on the railing before she could fall. As she brought her head back up, anger had replaced the hopeless look of before. She took a step towards Vicious but that was as far as she got.
"Faye, stay out of this!" The sudden shout from below caused her to lose her nerve and she stopped in mid-stride.
"Ahh…still trying to protect the woman," Vicious' mocking tone filled the room.
"She's got nothing to do with this, why's she even here?" Spike demanded, his right hand tightening around his pistol.
"She has a connection to you…but more importantly, she owes us money."
"Us?"
"The Syndicate," Vicious replied nonchalantly. Spike turned a questioning stare towards Faye but it was obvious she was as clueless as he was. "She owes us 300 million woolongs."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Faye shouted, her voice straining. "I owe that for being frozen for fifty years after the shuttle accident"
"The shuttle accident?" Vicious scoffed, a slight sneer coming to his face. "You actually thought that it was an accident? With the technology we have today, even with that of fifty years ago, 'accidents' don't happen."
"But…but my…" she slumped to the ground, her knees striking the wet tiled floor.
"Yes, your family, rather terrible tragedy wasn't it? Too bad James Simmons was also killed in the 'accident' along with them," Vicious answered with a venomous tone. "You wouldn't even be alive today without the Syndicate."
"Vicious…" Spike snarled from the base of the stairs.
"The company that saved you, Paradyme correct? Its a front for the Syndicate," Vicious turned from Faye, a sadistic grin on his lips as he focused on Spike. "It's funny how you always end up with the Syndicate whore."
Spike snapped, his hand was in and out of his jacket, Jericho clutched in hand before a second had passed by. The first shot fired to far to the right, just barely grazing Vicious' left arm. The second missed completely as Vicious dropped to a crouch. Without a second thought, Spike charged the stairs, letting lose another shot, missing by inches. Vicious' hand dropped to his boot and pulled a small knife from the side and with a flick of his wrist sent it flying towards Spike. The knife bit into his left shoulder, blood pouring from the wound, but it only served as a hindrance, easily ignored.
Reaching to the top of the stairs, Spike dove at Vicious, hitting the ground and going into a roll, narrowing avoiding the horizontal slice of Vicious' sheathed sword. Quickly coming to his feet, Spike charged back towards his opponent. Pushing his gun forward, the trigger guard collided with the steel blade of Vicious' half unsheathed sword. Sparks skipped across where the two weapons met as Spike rapidly fired four bullets, the last of which nicked the side of Vicious' face.
Enraged, Vicious shoved Spike backward with a resurgence of strength and fully unsheathed his sword bringing the blade in a horizontal slice and striking Spike's left thigh. The blade sliced through the thin blue suit and tore into his muscle, blood spurting from the wound as Spike staggered backwards. Vicious brought the sword around once again, striking the barrel and causing Spike's shot to miss wildly. Bringing the sword back around, Spike dropped to his knees as the blade cleaved its way through the air above his head. Bringing his pistol to bear, he fired a single shot. The bullet covered the distance and slammed into Vicious' side, tearing through the flesh and leaving the man gasping for air.
Charging back at Spike, Vicious brought his sword upward in a horizontal slice, Spike quickly brought his gun up to block the slice and the blade struck the bottom of the barrel, causing Spike to loosen his grip and accidentally fire a round. The bullet slammed into Vicious' right shoulder. The impact of the bullet forced Vicious to let go of the katana, both weapons landing on the ground before its opponent, Spike's hand latched onto the handle of the sword while Vicious' foot was placed firmly over the grip of Spike's gun.
The two locked gazes, both men knowing that their decisions were that of fate itself. That both of them would not walk away from this battle. And in an instant, a single, unknown signal passed between the two and Vicious kicked the pistol towards Spike as he threw the sword back to its owner.
Vicious grabbed the hilt of the katana in midair and flicked his wrist slightly, causing the weapon to reorient itself before bringing the sword back around in a long, arcing slice.
Spike's hand fell to the ground, his hand wrapping itself around the metal grip as the Jericho slid towards him. In a single movement, he brought the pistol from the ground and took aim at the man before him.
The pistol recoiled, the bullet speeding from the barrel at a speed barely comprehendible by the human mind. A tenth of a second after the bullet took flight; the tip of Vicious' katana tore through the tattered blue suit and cleaved its way into Spike's stomach. Before that same second had passed, the hollow point found its mark, tearing into Vicious' chest and exploding around itself, the bullet tearing itself apart as it entered his chest; shards of metal buried themselves in the man's internal organs. Vicious' eyes snapped open, shock covering his face as he felt his life slip away. The katana fell to the ground, released from its master's grip, just before its master fell to the ground beside it.
Spike struggled to remain standing, his left arm firmly placed over the large wound covering his stomach. His eyes fell to his fallen friend, and almost pained look filled his face before it became impassive once again. Turning his gaze away from the body before him, it gradually came upon Faye. An expression of horror filled her face. He managed to force his lips to curve into his trademark grin for a few seconds, assuaging her shocked visage for a few moments, but then it faltered.
Slowly raising his right arm, he shaped his hand into the form of a gun. He pointed the mock pistol at her and cocked his arm.
"Bang…"
His strength failed, his body crumpled to the ground, his gaze becoming a blurred view of the heavens. He faintly heard Faye yell his name before a rush of footsteps came to his ears. He could feel the warmth of a body next to him. He glanced to his left and there she was. Unbelievable as it seemed, she was right next to him. His angel. She smiled gently at him, her marred body no longer there, she was just as he remembered her. She cast her silent gaze at him as her golden hair partially obscured her face. She pushed it back with one hand before shook her head, the smile still remaining, her voice ringing in his head; clear as the day he met her…
…It isn't time yet…
With a nod of her head, she gestured to his right. Slowly, he rolled his head towards the opposite side, not wanting to lose sight of this heavenly visage. Gradually shifting his vision, he came upon Faye, kneeling next to him; when she saw his eyes, she grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Spike! Damn it, can you hear me!" her words were muffled by the ringing in his head. Then it hit him…
"Its…all a dream…isn't it?" he barely managed to mumble. Her eyes locked on him, her face turning a few shades whiter.
"No! This is real! Damn it Spike don't say shit like that! Spike! Stay with me…" her words where drowned into the void of black. The only piece of reality that remained with him were her last three words, repeating over and over in this endless abyss…
…Stay with me…