So, this is the third time I've written this chapter, goddammit. First
it got encrypted. Then someone saved a paper over my file. This is why it's
been so long, in case you're wondering. Here it is, without further ado.
Chapter 14
Long Way Down From Here
Spike rolled over groggily into the business end of a sword. Before he even managed to crack open his eyes he'd gotten his gun out from under his pillow and had it pointed at Vicious.
"Morning," Spike said. Vicious didn't reply. "What's up, Vicious? You got something you want to say?"
"What is Julia to you?" Vicious's voice was low and gravelly.
Spike frowned. "That wasn't what I expected."
"How can protecting you be more important to her than telling the truth to me?"
Spike let out a breath. "She told you?"
"She didn't," Vicious said. "I knew you were a spy, and she knew I knew, and she still wouldn't admit it."
"What did you do to her?"
Vicious smirked. "Don't worry Spike. I just fucked her silly."
Spike wondered if he could pull the trigger before Vicious could pry out a vital vein. But it was well known that Vicious's sword was as fast as a bullet. "So."
"So."
"Maybe you should take out my other eye. That would be appropriate. One by the father, one by the son."
Vicious drew back. "I'm not my father!" Spike took advantage of Vicious's distraction to shoot the sword out of his hand. Vicious looked at his hand, pupils dilating.
"You should take care, then. It's easy to get lost."
Vicious looked up at Spike. He looked for all the world like a little boy. "She lied to me. How can I trust her now?"
Spike shook his head. "I don't know. You make a choice."
"How do I trust either of you?"
"You could always kill us," Spike pointed out.
Vicious shook his head. "If only it were all over."
"It could be over," Spike said. "Julia would help you. She's the same as you, really."
Vicious picked up his sword and sheathed it. "What about you, Spike?"
* * *
Buildings and people streamed into a blur in Julia's peripheral vision, while her windshield was an impressionist painting through the screen of raindrops. Driving this fast, she couldn't think. Everything here was instinct. Some kind of technological prescience helped her avoid stop signs and red lights. She'd only been on Mars a matter of months but she already knew all the quickest routes. This one was out of town. She only just dimly realized this. Maybe she'd just go, out of town, to the Barracuda, to the stars. If she left she had as many opportunities as there were stars. If she left this bad dream would be over. Life could be completely different.
All the real dreams, the best ones, are the ones you know won't come true.
She knew she and Vicious were like one of those knots that you could never undo. The more you tried to unravel it, the tighter it became. When she thought of him she knew he'd be in her life until the end. She knew he wouldn't let go, even if she could.
Instinct pressed her foot to the brake as she saw someone step onto the street. It was a good thing she'd just gotten new linings. Julia sighed. It was Spike. He put his cigarette out and sidled over to her side of the car, leaning on the frame of her door.
"Crazy women drivers," he mocked. A car stopped behind Julia's car and started honking.
"Want to talk about it in the car?"
"Much as it risks my life to do it," Spike replied with a shrug, and slowly ambled to the other side. He vaulted in without opening the door, and Julia peeled out of pition with a screech. "Troubled?" Spike asked.
"You know me so well already."
"Well, I also had a bit of a talk with Vicious."
"Oh," Julia groaned. "I'm sorry, Spike. I meant to warn you but I knew he wouldn't harm you."
"No, he just threatened me at swordpoint." Spike drew another cigarette out of his pack. "Seems to think you and me got a thing."
Julia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I don't mean anything by it," he reassured her. "But why in the world didn't you tell him about me when it was obvious he already knew?"
She didn't exactly know the answer to that one. "Because I won't play games. Besides, comrades come before anything."
"Even love?"
Julia shrugged. "If it weren't that way, they wouldn't have allowed women into the Komodo syndicate." She was silent. Spike turned to the blur of scenery. "Why are you here, Spike?"
"Hmmm?"
"Why are you involved in this? Me I understand. Vicious I understand. Ambition I understand. Were you in the ISSP first?"
"No," Spike chuckled. "I was arrested by the ISSP."
"For what?"
"Gun running. You know the Te Resistance on Saturn? I've always been sympathetic to guerrillas."
Julia smiled. "Yeah. You get much money?"
"Oh, yeah. They're funded by the Saturnite Senate."
"Huh." Julia pulled onto a rotary and started to head back into town. "You headed anywhere?"
"Yeah," said Spike. "I'm meeting Shin and Lin and Corso at a Harry's. Guy's night out."
"Don't worry," said Julia. "I won't infringe. Is Vicious going?"
"I don't think so."
"It's going to take a lot of time, isn't it?"
Spike looked at her. "It might take more than time," he said.
* * *
The boys were already at the table by the time Spike got there. Corso was in between the two brothers, indistinguishable except that Shin's had was messy while Lin's was slicked back. Spike took a seat next to the brothers.
"Where's Vicious?" Lin asked. "I thought he was coming with you."
"I think he's busy tonight," Spike replied uncomfortably, drawing out his pack so he would have something to do. It was empty.
Shin extended a cigarette. "I swear, Spike, you didn't get nursed enough as a child."
"Some things never change," Spike replied, grinning. A small Indian waitress came by their table to take their order. Spike and Shin nodded. It was time to bring out the old drinking game.
"Bourbon, straight up, for all of us. And keep it coming." Shin extended a large bill with his two forefingers and the waitress giggled appropriately. Corso watched her as she retreated.
"The women aren't bad, here on Mars."
"I prefer blondes," Lin said.
"Only when he's not lusting after the silver-haired ones," Shin joked.
"I wouldn't talk if I were you," Lin said with a significant look.
Spike snorted. "Where's the liquor? Maybe you two will stop bickering when you're soused."
"Soused?" said Corso.
"Ossified," said Shin.
"Fossilized," said Lin, and the waitress arrived as if on cue. She plucked down a shot glass for each of them and placed a large bottle of bourbon in the middle of the table.
"This way you can go as fast as you want to," she explained.
"Someone must have warned you about us," Spike said. She patted his head and he batted her hand away. Miffed, she walked away from the table.
Shin brought his fist down on the table with a loud thump. "All right, I'll start. Corso, this is how we play the game: As soon as I drain my shot I pound the table. As soon as I pound the table the person to the right-" he indicated Spike- "drains his shot. As soon as he drains his shot, he pounds the table. Got it?"
"It's not to hard to get," Corso replied.
"It can be after a while," he said, smiling. Then he ceremoniously took his shot and overturned it into his mouth, and brough his fist down so hard it nearly broke the table. Spike had his shot ready. He drained and pounded. Lin drained and pounded. Corso drained and pounded. All the conversation stopped and was replaced by pounding, which got louder and louder and disrupted everyone's attempt at pouring. That added to the game, of course. It didn't end until one person declared their supremacy in holding their liquor. Soon the pounding resolved into a rhythm, a tribal beat that everyone followed, until it was disrupted by a gunshot.
Chapter 14
Long Way Down From Here
Spike rolled over groggily into the business end of a sword. Before he even managed to crack open his eyes he'd gotten his gun out from under his pillow and had it pointed at Vicious.
"Morning," Spike said. Vicious didn't reply. "What's up, Vicious? You got something you want to say?"
"What is Julia to you?" Vicious's voice was low and gravelly.
Spike frowned. "That wasn't what I expected."
"How can protecting you be more important to her than telling the truth to me?"
Spike let out a breath. "She told you?"
"She didn't," Vicious said. "I knew you were a spy, and she knew I knew, and she still wouldn't admit it."
"What did you do to her?"
Vicious smirked. "Don't worry Spike. I just fucked her silly."
Spike wondered if he could pull the trigger before Vicious could pry out a vital vein. But it was well known that Vicious's sword was as fast as a bullet. "So."
"So."
"Maybe you should take out my other eye. That would be appropriate. One by the father, one by the son."
Vicious drew back. "I'm not my father!" Spike took advantage of Vicious's distraction to shoot the sword out of his hand. Vicious looked at his hand, pupils dilating.
"You should take care, then. It's easy to get lost."
Vicious looked up at Spike. He looked for all the world like a little boy. "She lied to me. How can I trust her now?"
Spike shook his head. "I don't know. You make a choice."
"How do I trust either of you?"
"You could always kill us," Spike pointed out.
Vicious shook his head. "If only it were all over."
"It could be over," Spike said. "Julia would help you. She's the same as you, really."
Vicious picked up his sword and sheathed it. "What about you, Spike?"
* * *
Buildings and people streamed into a blur in Julia's peripheral vision, while her windshield was an impressionist painting through the screen of raindrops. Driving this fast, she couldn't think. Everything here was instinct. Some kind of technological prescience helped her avoid stop signs and red lights. She'd only been on Mars a matter of months but she already knew all the quickest routes. This one was out of town. She only just dimly realized this. Maybe she'd just go, out of town, to the Barracuda, to the stars. If she left she had as many opportunities as there were stars. If she left this bad dream would be over. Life could be completely different.
All the real dreams, the best ones, are the ones you know won't come true.
She knew she and Vicious were like one of those knots that you could never undo. The more you tried to unravel it, the tighter it became. When she thought of him she knew he'd be in her life until the end. She knew he wouldn't let go, even if she could.
Instinct pressed her foot to the brake as she saw someone step onto the street. It was a good thing she'd just gotten new linings. Julia sighed. It was Spike. He put his cigarette out and sidled over to her side of the car, leaning on the frame of her door.
"Crazy women drivers," he mocked. A car stopped behind Julia's car and started honking.
"Want to talk about it in the car?"
"Much as it risks my life to do it," Spike replied with a shrug, and slowly ambled to the other side. He vaulted in without opening the door, and Julia peeled out of pition with a screech. "Troubled?" Spike asked.
"You know me so well already."
"Well, I also had a bit of a talk with Vicious."
"Oh," Julia groaned. "I'm sorry, Spike. I meant to warn you but I knew he wouldn't harm you."
"No, he just threatened me at swordpoint." Spike drew another cigarette out of his pack. "Seems to think you and me got a thing."
Julia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I don't mean anything by it," he reassured her. "But why in the world didn't you tell him about me when it was obvious he already knew?"
She didn't exactly know the answer to that one. "Because I won't play games. Besides, comrades come before anything."
"Even love?"
Julia shrugged. "If it weren't that way, they wouldn't have allowed women into the Komodo syndicate." She was silent. Spike turned to the blur of scenery. "Why are you here, Spike?"
"Hmmm?"
"Why are you involved in this? Me I understand. Vicious I understand. Ambition I understand. Were you in the ISSP first?"
"No," Spike chuckled. "I was arrested by the ISSP."
"For what?"
"Gun running. You know the Te Resistance on Saturn? I've always been sympathetic to guerrillas."
Julia smiled. "Yeah. You get much money?"
"Oh, yeah. They're funded by the Saturnite Senate."
"Huh." Julia pulled onto a rotary and started to head back into town. "You headed anywhere?"
"Yeah," said Spike. "I'm meeting Shin and Lin and Corso at a Harry's. Guy's night out."
"Don't worry," said Julia. "I won't infringe. Is Vicious going?"
"I don't think so."
"It's going to take a lot of time, isn't it?"
Spike looked at her. "It might take more than time," he said.
* * *
The boys were already at the table by the time Spike got there. Corso was in between the two brothers, indistinguishable except that Shin's had was messy while Lin's was slicked back. Spike took a seat next to the brothers.
"Where's Vicious?" Lin asked. "I thought he was coming with you."
"I think he's busy tonight," Spike replied uncomfortably, drawing out his pack so he would have something to do. It was empty.
Shin extended a cigarette. "I swear, Spike, you didn't get nursed enough as a child."
"Some things never change," Spike replied, grinning. A small Indian waitress came by their table to take their order. Spike and Shin nodded. It was time to bring out the old drinking game.
"Bourbon, straight up, for all of us. And keep it coming." Shin extended a large bill with his two forefingers and the waitress giggled appropriately. Corso watched her as she retreated.
"The women aren't bad, here on Mars."
"I prefer blondes," Lin said.
"Only when he's not lusting after the silver-haired ones," Shin joked.
"I wouldn't talk if I were you," Lin said with a significant look.
Spike snorted. "Where's the liquor? Maybe you two will stop bickering when you're soused."
"Soused?" said Corso.
"Ossified," said Shin.
"Fossilized," said Lin, and the waitress arrived as if on cue. She plucked down a shot glass for each of them and placed a large bottle of bourbon in the middle of the table.
"This way you can go as fast as you want to," she explained.
"Someone must have warned you about us," Spike said. She patted his head and he batted her hand away. Miffed, she walked away from the table.
Shin brought his fist down on the table with a loud thump. "All right, I'll start. Corso, this is how we play the game: As soon as I drain my shot I pound the table. As soon as I pound the table the person to the right-" he indicated Spike- "drains his shot. As soon as he drains his shot, he pounds the table. Got it?"
"It's not to hard to get," Corso replied.
"It can be after a while," he said, smiling. Then he ceremoniously took his shot and overturned it into his mouth, and brough his fist down so hard it nearly broke the table. Spike had his shot ready. He drained and pounded. Lin drained and pounded. Corso drained and pounded. All the conversation stopped and was replaced by pounding, which got louder and louder and disrupted everyone's attempt at pouring. That added to the game, of course. It didn't end until one person declared their supremacy in holding their liquor. Soon the pounding resolved into a rhythm, a tribal beat that everyone followed, until it was disrupted by a gunshot.