Hey, I don't own OS or any of its characters. I wish I did but I don't. As
in all my fics, this is the last time u'll read this disclaimer thing.
Chapter One
Issues
A tall, red headed figure slowly stumbled along a murky sidewalk using one hand to steady himself against the brick wall beside him while the other was clamped tightly to his side as thick, crimson blood oozed out from between his fingers. Relief shone in the man's cobalt blue eyes as he reached the door of a building with a huge sign hanging over it that read "Starwind and Hawking Enterprises." He gently opened the door and silently closed it behind him before quickly making his way towards the small laundry room on the other side of the house. Before turning on the light in the small room, he stuffed several towels along the base of the door and used the remaining cloths to apply pressure to his injured side. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to keep a cry of agony from escaping his throat as he poured a large amount of alcohol on the wound and tightly bandaged it. The red headed man inspected the large bruises on his face and arms before throwing the crimson stained towels in the washing machine and making his way back to the living room where he collapsed on the couch from pain and exhaustion.
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*
Jim shook his head in exasperation as he descended the stairs to find Gene's unconscious form sprawled haphazardly on the sofa with his mouth hanging open slightly as he drooled lightly on the leather upholstery.
`God, I've found him like this almost every morning this week!'
"GENE! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OFF THE COUCH!"
The red headed outlaw yawned and rolled over so his back was facing Jim. "Just five more minutes, baby" he mumbled groggily into the cushions. A minute smile formed on the young man's lips as he heard Jim growl in frustration and stomp off into the other room. Gene had almost fallen back asleep when Jim, with a triumphant yell, tossed a bucket of ice-cold water on his partners sleeping form.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Aisha casually licked her finger as she non-chalantly turned the page in her book, completely unfazed by the blood-curdling scream coming from the room next to her.
" Gene's up."
Melfina looked up her cooking with a minute smile upon her face. "It's about time. I thought he'd never.....get up." A look of sadness suddenly flashed across her face as she turned to look at the Ctarl-Ctarl lounging in the recliner nearby. "Do you know when he got home last night?"
The young cat woman looked up from her novel, her expression softening slightly as she shook her head gently. "I'm sorry Mel, but I have no idea...I'm guessing maybe around two, maybe three." 'Or at least that's when I first noticed the scent of his blood.'
The bio-android sighed. "He's been doing this for almost three months now, Aisha. Always leaving early to go party, not coming back until the wee hours of the morning only to repeat it again that night.....What am I going to do with him?" The Ctarl-Ctarl gently placed a clawed hand on her friend's shoulder in an attempt to reassure her that everything was going to be ok. She knew that the young woman had be extremely worried over the red headed outlaw lately because he had recently been coming back to the house covered in large cuts and bruises. "Don't worry Mel. He'll come to his senses eventually." 'Even if I have to beat that sense into him.' Both women looked up when Jim and Gene entered the kitchen and took a seat at the small table nearby as the red headed outlaw used a large white towel to quickly dry his soaked locks. Aisha frowned slightly when she noticed the reddish brown stain that now covered the once colorless cloth for she could have sworn that she caught the faint smell of blood emanating from it.
Jim coughed slightly as an unreadable expression crossed his face. " So........ did we get any calls?" Gene smiled slightly at the blonde's question, though it didn't hold the excitement that it usually did.
"Yeah at about six this morning." He replied in an annoyed tone. "Apparently some where house down town has been over run by some kind of creature and the owner is willing to pay us 750,000 Wong to get rid of them." Jim nearly spit out his coffee. "750,000 WONG!? This must be one hell of a monster or they're trying to get rid of."
`You've got no idea' Gene thought as he gently touched the bruise on the side of his face. Last night one of his co-workers, Link, had accidentally set several merindas loose while unloading a scientific research ship. Merindas were very rare, very deadly creatures from some planet in the farthest reaches of the universe. They looked like a cross between a human and a snake, had strength like a Ctarl-Ctarl and fangs whose poison can kill you in minutes. Gene had been lucky to have only been attacked by their tails and fists but with the wound he had received at his job at the fight arena beforehand, he had been unable to capture all the creatures. His boss noticed his skills and offered him a fifty percent raise along with the 750,000 Wong if could catch all the cargo. Melfina's voice suddenly jerked him from his thoughts as he quickly raised his head to meet her chocolate brown gaze.
"Gene, do you think that you could stay in tonight? I promise to make something really good for dinner." A wave of guilt spread throughout the outlaw's body. He knew he wouldn't be able to be late for the match tonight. If he won he would earn enough money to make a good sized dent in the debt they owed Fred and be able to at least get them caught up on the bills.
"Umm......... yeah...........um, I'll try, but ........um.....I have a lot of things to do tonight........and I'll try ......but ummmmmm........ I think I'm gonna go tackle that where house now so later." Before anyone could respond, he leapt from the table, grabbed his weapons bag, and rushed out the door. Jim sighed and hastily said good-bye to the girls before rushing out the door after him. Rage began to flow through Aisha's entire body as she watched Mel sadly collect all the dishes and put them in the sink, silent tears streaming down her face the entire time. The Ctarl-Ctarl clenched her hands into fists, making her nail cut deeply into her palms as she stormed from the room. 'I swear to God Gene if you've been hurting Mel like this for some petty reason I'll kill you!'
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Gene and Jim finally returned home the sun was setting and the red headed outlaw was desperately trying to hide the excruciating pain that was coursing throughout his entire body. While hunting the creatures, Jim had been cornered in a small room as they slowly moved in for the kill. Gene got there just in time to push his young partner out of the way of the marinda's attack only to receive the entire blow himself. The red headed outlaw was flung into a nearby wall, right along his already injured side, causing it to reopen and bleed profusely. By the time he and Jim had chased the rest of the creatures into a holding pen, Gene's black shirt had been completely soaked through with the crimson liquid, making waves of dizziness begin to overcome him. He desperately fought against the black void that was growing at the edge of his mind as he slowly walked home with his partner who thankfully didn't notice the outlaw's balance problems as he stormed inside the house in front of his friend. Gene sighed slightly and ran a hand through his hair as quickly made his way to his room to keep everyone from seeing the large crimson stain on his jacket. He knew his cover was blown completely when he passed Aisha on his way upstairs, making her eyes widen in shock as she whipped her head around just in time to see the young outlaw disappear inside his room and forcefully pull the door shut behind him.
" Aisha? Hey Aisha what's the matter?" The Ctarl-Ctarl quickly shifted her gaze so she could look upon Jim's quizzical face. She forced her lips to form a halfhearted smile as she waved off the young man's concerned question. "Oh it's nothing Jim, but tell me something. Did Gene get hurt on the job today?" The blond haired genius scratched his head in confusion as he racked his memories of what had happened earlier that day.
" He did get slammed into a wall pretty hard but I don't think it caused anything serious. He didn't seem to be hurt at least."
~~~~~~~~~UPSTAIRS~~~~~~~~~~
Gene was trying desperately not to make a sound as he carefully removed his blood soaked bandages and once again began the tedious process of cleaning and rewrapping them. He panicked slightly when he looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:45. 'Damn it I only have 15 minutes to get to the arena..damn damn damn.' The red headed outlaw quickly popped several pain killers into his mouth, chewing them into a fine powder before swallowing them dry[1], as he grabbed his black duffle bag and made his way down the spiral staircase. He had almost reached the front door when his partner's angry voice suddenly stopped him dead in his tracks.
"GENE STARWIND WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING!!!!!!!" The outlaw quickly whipped around to find Jim staring at him with an infuriated look etched upon his face.
"Out?"
If looks could kill, gene would have been six feet under on the spot.
"How can you even think about leaving? Mel really wants you to be here tonight and here you are slipping out for a night on the town." Every word the blonde spoke was dripping with venom as he approached the older man and placed and accusing finger right in his face.
" She'll understand Jim, so back off. I gotta go or I'll be late." These few and simple words seemed to be the last straw for as soon as they left Gene's mouth Jim absolutely lost it. "YOU BASTERED! HOW CAN YOU BE SO GOD DAMN SELFISH?!" he screamed as he launched himself at the red headed outlaw, fists raised as he hit his partner right along his already bruised jaw. Gene didn't want to fight his young friend, so he calmly placed one hand against his forehead and lightly threw him onto the sofa nearby. While the blonde youth angrily tried to untangle himself from the mountains of pillows, Gene seized his opportunity and ran out the front door as fast as his legs could carry him. A loud growl escaped Jim's throat when he was finally able to escape. He quickly launched himself at the door and was about to follow after Gene when a clawed hand was gently placed upon his shoulder, stopping his advance. Jim looked up to find himself looking into Aisha's concerned green eyes.
" Don't worry Jim I'll take care of it." The blond youth opened his mouth to protest, then abruptly shut it and nodded slightly.
"Kick his ass good for me OK?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ {1} ive heard that if u chew a pill rather then swallow it whole it makes the effects stronger but they taste REALLY bad....im not sure if it's true but its gonna apply in this fic. Hey this is my 1st OS fanfic so reviews would b great. I'll even take flames cause in some weird twisted way they really can help the writing process.
Issues
A tall, red headed figure slowly stumbled along a murky sidewalk using one hand to steady himself against the brick wall beside him while the other was clamped tightly to his side as thick, crimson blood oozed out from between his fingers. Relief shone in the man's cobalt blue eyes as he reached the door of a building with a huge sign hanging over it that read "Starwind and Hawking Enterprises." He gently opened the door and silently closed it behind him before quickly making his way towards the small laundry room on the other side of the house. Before turning on the light in the small room, he stuffed several towels along the base of the door and used the remaining cloths to apply pressure to his injured side. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to keep a cry of agony from escaping his throat as he poured a large amount of alcohol on the wound and tightly bandaged it. The red headed man inspected the large bruises on his face and arms before throwing the crimson stained towels in the washing machine and making his way back to the living room where he collapsed on the couch from pain and exhaustion.
~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*
Jim shook his head in exasperation as he descended the stairs to find Gene's unconscious form sprawled haphazardly on the sofa with his mouth hanging open slightly as he drooled lightly on the leather upholstery.
`God, I've found him like this almost every morning this week!'
"GENE! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OFF THE COUCH!"
The red headed outlaw yawned and rolled over so his back was facing Jim. "Just five more minutes, baby" he mumbled groggily into the cushions. A minute smile formed on the young man's lips as he heard Jim growl in frustration and stomp off into the other room. Gene had almost fallen back asleep when Jim, with a triumphant yell, tossed a bucket of ice-cold water on his partners sleeping form.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Aisha casually licked her finger as she non-chalantly turned the page in her book, completely unfazed by the blood-curdling scream coming from the room next to her.
" Gene's up."
Melfina looked up her cooking with a minute smile upon her face. "It's about time. I thought he'd never.....get up." A look of sadness suddenly flashed across her face as she turned to look at the Ctarl-Ctarl lounging in the recliner nearby. "Do you know when he got home last night?"
The young cat woman looked up from her novel, her expression softening slightly as she shook her head gently. "I'm sorry Mel, but I have no idea...I'm guessing maybe around two, maybe three." 'Or at least that's when I first noticed the scent of his blood.'
The bio-android sighed. "He's been doing this for almost three months now, Aisha. Always leaving early to go party, not coming back until the wee hours of the morning only to repeat it again that night.....What am I going to do with him?" The Ctarl-Ctarl gently placed a clawed hand on her friend's shoulder in an attempt to reassure her that everything was going to be ok. She knew that the young woman had be extremely worried over the red headed outlaw lately because he had recently been coming back to the house covered in large cuts and bruises. "Don't worry Mel. He'll come to his senses eventually." 'Even if I have to beat that sense into him.' Both women looked up when Jim and Gene entered the kitchen and took a seat at the small table nearby as the red headed outlaw used a large white towel to quickly dry his soaked locks. Aisha frowned slightly when she noticed the reddish brown stain that now covered the once colorless cloth for she could have sworn that she caught the faint smell of blood emanating from it.
Jim coughed slightly as an unreadable expression crossed his face. " So........ did we get any calls?" Gene smiled slightly at the blonde's question, though it didn't hold the excitement that it usually did.
"Yeah at about six this morning." He replied in an annoyed tone. "Apparently some where house down town has been over run by some kind of creature and the owner is willing to pay us 750,000 Wong to get rid of them." Jim nearly spit out his coffee. "750,000 WONG!? This must be one hell of a monster or they're trying to get rid of."
`You've got no idea' Gene thought as he gently touched the bruise on the side of his face. Last night one of his co-workers, Link, had accidentally set several merindas loose while unloading a scientific research ship. Merindas were very rare, very deadly creatures from some planet in the farthest reaches of the universe. They looked like a cross between a human and a snake, had strength like a Ctarl-Ctarl and fangs whose poison can kill you in minutes. Gene had been lucky to have only been attacked by their tails and fists but with the wound he had received at his job at the fight arena beforehand, he had been unable to capture all the creatures. His boss noticed his skills and offered him a fifty percent raise along with the 750,000 Wong if could catch all the cargo. Melfina's voice suddenly jerked him from his thoughts as he quickly raised his head to meet her chocolate brown gaze.
"Gene, do you think that you could stay in tonight? I promise to make something really good for dinner." A wave of guilt spread throughout the outlaw's body. He knew he wouldn't be able to be late for the match tonight. If he won he would earn enough money to make a good sized dent in the debt they owed Fred and be able to at least get them caught up on the bills.
"Umm......... yeah...........um, I'll try, but ........um.....I have a lot of things to do tonight........and I'll try ......but ummmmmm........ I think I'm gonna go tackle that where house now so later." Before anyone could respond, he leapt from the table, grabbed his weapons bag, and rushed out the door. Jim sighed and hastily said good-bye to the girls before rushing out the door after him. Rage began to flow through Aisha's entire body as she watched Mel sadly collect all the dishes and put them in the sink, silent tears streaming down her face the entire time. The Ctarl-Ctarl clenched her hands into fists, making her nail cut deeply into her palms as she stormed from the room. 'I swear to God Gene if you've been hurting Mel like this for some petty reason I'll kill you!'
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Gene and Jim finally returned home the sun was setting and the red headed outlaw was desperately trying to hide the excruciating pain that was coursing throughout his entire body. While hunting the creatures, Jim had been cornered in a small room as they slowly moved in for the kill. Gene got there just in time to push his young partner out of the way of the marinda's attack only to receive the entire blow himself. The red headed outlaw was flung into a nearby wall, right along his already injured side, causing it to reopen and bleed profusely. By the time he and Jim had chased the rest of the creatures into a holding pen, Gene's black shirt had been completely soaked through with the crimson liquid, making waves of dizziness begin to overcome him. He desperately fought against the black void that was growing at the edge of his mind as he slowly walked home with his partner who thankfully didn't notice the outlaw's balance problems as he stormed inside the house in front of his friend. Gene sighed slightly and ran a hand through his hair as quickly made his way to his room to keep everyone from seeing the large crimson stain on his jacket. He knew his cover was blown completely when he passed Aisha on his way upstairs, making her eyes widen in shock as she whipped her head around just in time to see the young outlaw disappear inside his room and forcefully pull the door shut behind him.
" Aisha? Hey Aisha what's the matter?" The Ctarl-Ctarl quickly shifted her gaze so she could look upon Jim's quizzical face. She forced her lips to form a halfhearted smile as she waved off the young man's concerned question. "Oh it's nothing Jim, but tell me something. Did Gene get hurt on the job today?" The blond haired genius scratched his head in confusion as he racked his memories of what had happened earlier that day.
" He did get slammed into a wall pretty hard but I don't think it caused anything serious. He didn't seem to be hurt at least."
~~~~~~~~~UPSTAIRS~~~~~~~~~~
Gene was trying desperately not to make a sound as he carefully removed his blood soaked bandages and once again began the tedious process of cleaning and rewrapping them. He panicked slightly when he looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:45. 'Damn it I only have 15 minutes to get to the arena..damn damn damn.' The red headed outlaw quickly popped several pain killers into his mouth, chewing them into a fine powder before swallowing them dry[1], as he grabbed his black duffle bag and made his way down the spiral staircase. He had almost reached the front door when his partner's angry voice suddenly stopped him dead in his tracks.
"GENE STARWIND WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING!!!!!!!" The outlaw quickly whipped around to find Jim staring at him with an infuriated look etched upon his face.
"Out?"
If looks could kill, gene would have been six feet under on the spot.
"How can you even think about leaving? Mel really wants you to be here tonight and here you are slipping out for a night on the town." Every word the blonde spoke was dripping with venom as he approached the older man and placed and accusing finger right in his face.
" She'll understand Jim, so back off. I gotta go or I'll be late." These few and simple words seemed to be the last straw for as soon as they left Gene's mouth Jim absolutely lost it. "YOU BASTERED! HOW CAN YOU BE SO GOD DAMN SELFISH?!" he screamed as he launched himself at the red headed outlaw, fists raised as he hit his partner right along his already bruised jaw. Gene didn't want to fight his young friend, so he calmly placed one hand against his forehead and lightly threw him onto the sofa nearby. While the blonde youth angrily tried to untangle himself from the mountains of pillows, Gene seized his opportunity and ran out the front door as fast as his legs could carry him. A loud growl escaped Jim's throat when he was finally able to escape. He quickly launched himself at the door and was about to follow after Gene when a clawed hand was gently placed upon his shoulder, stopping his advance. Jim looked up to find himself looking into Aisha's concerned green eyes.
" Don't worry Jim I'll take care of it." The blond youth opened his mouth to protest, then abruptly shut it and nodded slightly.
"Kick his ass good for me OK?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ {1} ive heard that if u chew a pill rather then swallow it whole it makes the effects stronger but they taste REALLY bad....im not sure if it's true but its gonna apply in this fic. Hey this is my 1st OS fanfic so reviews would b great. I'll even take flames cause in some weird twisted way they really can help the writing process.