Holy crap! I've never wrote so much for one chapter before! Six pages, SIX PAGES! wow and I usually stop after four. Thankies soo much to my ever faithful reviewer and reader Ph34rTheEars,and to my other reviewer Heather and my imoto-chan AngelofLight. Well I hope you all enjoy the love and care I put into my stories.
Ed: Love and care! Love and care! :::prances around and twirls:::
me: Hey Ed knock it off will ya? You're gonna knock something :::TV falls onto the floor followed by the bookshelf Ed had been dancing on::: over... oh brother why do i even bother.
Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story is Kate and Nikolai. The evil plot bunnies own the plot. X3
With that said on with the show!
Back on the Bebop, the growing pile of lock-picking equipment was a testament to just how impossible it was to unlock the handcuffs. Kate's flamboyant read hair was up in a bun with a pencil from her studio and it was frizzed about her head like a halo. Spike's hair was also in a similar state of dishevelment due to his hand running through it almost every 10 seconds. Ed had been working on the lock for the past half an hour and both Jet and Faye had given up after two hours each. Ed was just about to throw another tool in the pile when Spike stood up.
"How 'bout I just shoot the damn lock off!" Spike asked, his desperate tone becoming more noticeable by the second. Spike raised the cuffed hand as he reached for his gun. Kate, fearing for her hand's safety, tried to get it out of range by keeping it behind her back. Spike took this opportunity and grabbed her ass. What happened next was so fast if you blinked you missed it. Kate's hand shot up in surprise, and Spike with his gun in hand, took aim and fired. Faye and Kate screamed as the bullet bounced off the handcuffs and around the ship. Everyone dove for cover and Kate slapped him for being a lecher and an idiot.
"Nice shootin' hot shot! You could've shot my damn arm off!" Spike just glared at Kate in response. She obviously didn't know how good he was with a gun. Be that as it may, not even a bullet could bust the lock open. What the hell were thy supposed to do now? The only person who had the key was Vicious, and getting it from him was a last, if any, resort. They were going to have to head back down to Mars and find a locksmith. Usually the best were in the worst side of town, but having Kate attached would be a major liability. Well so be it.
"C'mon we're going back down to the surface."
"Good because I have to grab a few things at my place."
"Oh no! We are going down there for one thing only, to find a locksmith!"
Spike stood with a scowl in Kate's bedroom, wondering how the hell he got suckered into this. He told her they were going back to look for a locksmith, but there they were, in her bedroom, her rummaging through her dresser, grabbing this and that, and he just standing there, confused as to how she had talked him into this. Women, they were one mystery not even Kudo could solve. While he was contemplating, Kate strapped a gun holster to her left thigh, packing two magazines plus the one already in the gun. Spike looked over after the glint from a knife that Kate had just put in her boots caught his eye. She had been rambling on about her boots, how they were her "ass kicking boots," but Spike had only been half listening then. Now he actually looked at them and wondered how she could even lift her leg, let alone kick someone's ass. The boots were like two big monsters that seemed to gobble her leg up to the knees. They had massive zippers on the outside then buckles that came over the zippers with three very large silver buckles. Her pants being black as well seemed to disappear into the monsters mouth. 'Call me a lecher huh? Guilty as charged' Spike thought as he gave Kate the once over. The spandex pants she was wearing weren't helping her cause. Kate tightened her ponytail as she stood up, giving the "lecher" a better view.
"How can you handle a gun when your right hand is handcuffed to me?"
"Who ever said I was right handed?"
"You seemed to use your right hand dominantly when we were on the ship. What makes you think you can wield a gun with your left hand?"
"Because I know something you don't know.
"Oh really?"
"I am not right handed."
"Ermm..."
"Geeze, I guess I have to explain everything to you as if you were a baby. I broke my arm when I was seven and I had to retrain myself to do everything. Through that I became ambidextrous; I can do anything with either hand. Though I learned how to shoot a gun with my left."
"So you know how to shoot a gun?"
"Not really, I just go to practice ranges every now and then, you know, to stay sharp."
"Uh-huh, you ready to go?" Kate nodded as they headed toward the glass covered entryway.
"Ohh my landlord is going to kill me."
"Not if Vicious gets you first."
"Not funny," Kate rolled her eyes and playfully slugged him on the shoulder. It was night time on Mars and in the quaint little neighborhood that she lived in was well lit with street lamps. Kate looked at her arm where she had the chip branded under her skin, running her finger over it with her right hand. Spike noticed the slight jerk on his end of the cuffs and caught her glancing at her arm. 'Damnit Vicious! What the hell are you planning now?' He took her arm in his hands and ran his own fingers over it. The mark was still swollen and had a fresh sheen of burned skin trying to heal. It was still quite warm to the touch, as most burns are. He could feel the chip that was under there, tracking every step she took, every step he took. He felt Kate shiver and saw her looking around. They were now in the bad side of town and it reminded Kate of the bad days long since gone. Spike's grip on her wrist tightened all of the sudden as he too began to look around. Someone from beyond the shadows was watching and it made the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end.
'There are four maybe five at least. If worse comes to worse, its flight not fight. Remember Spike, it's not just your life at risk here,' he thought chastising himself for being over eager to fight. They were closing in quick and cutting off options. The men stepped out of the shadows and into the grungy light, casting long shadows across their faces. They all seemed to be grinning with malice, and Spike could see their eyes all point to the same location; Kate. Spike drew his gun, knowing there was no other option but to fight. Kate was right there with him, drawing her gun as well.
"I thought you said you didn't know how to use one of those, little lady," Spike whispered mockingly out of the side of his mouth. She just grinned and pointed her gun at the guys closing in.
"Hehe, your Katia Azimov aren't you? We have a message for you, from Vicious." The man facing the gun in Kate's hand said.
"Yes! Yes! He says you will never get out of those handcuffs unless your heart stops beating." Said another off to the right.
"Or he takes them off himself. Hehehe. But the first scenario is more likely than the second, unless he wants to have a little fun. Hehehehehe." A third man laughed mockingly.
As soon as they appeared, the men sunk back into the shadows, leaving Spike and Kate alone once again. Kate looked around one last time and thought she heard a crow caw, but disregarded it as nervous illusions she put the gun back in the holster.
"Well, we better get going if we're going to find a locksmith that's still open," Spike cheered, feigning optimism. Spike's attention however, was drawn to her forehead, where a bright red dot seemed to be steadying itself. His eyes went wide in realization and he yelled for Kate to duck. They moved not a moment too soon as the spot they had just been in was riddled with gunfire. Both of them got up and started to run back toward the good side of town. They were cut off though, by syndicate members closing in on all sides. Kate shifted over to a defensive position and Spike wondered how this was going to work. They were handcuffed together, which meant that their movement was restrained. Working together as one was their only option, seeing as all their escape routes were cut off. It was then that Vicious came to the front of the crowd, his pet three-eyed crow resting on his shoulder. He took out the device used to implant the tracking chip under Kate's skin and fondled it while he spoke.
"There is no need to find a locksmith, Spike. Those handcuffs were made especially for an event like this. Like they say, the only way for those handcuffs to come off is if her hear stops beating or I take them off myself," he pushed a button on the chip implanter and Spike was nearly pulled to the ground as Kate grabbed her left arm. She stifled back a scream as she squeezed her arm tighter, hoping in vain that it would make the pain stop. But it did not stop; rather it spread up her arm and into her chest. The scream that she had been trying to suppress escaped her lips in a loud, glass shattering wail. She was brought down on her knees in pain as the throbbing pain spread throughout the rest of her body. Spike was forced to his knees as well, where he got a better glimpse of just what was going on with Kate.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU INJECT HER WITH YOU SON OF A BITCH!?!?!" Spike yelled in rage. It was one thing to be handcuffed to someone, it was completely another if that person was screaming her bloody lungs out. But Vicious just smiled.
"Its Diamondback rattlesnake poison. The area of the infection can begin to swell and become painful within a short time. Over the next few hours, she will get a bruise-like discoloration of the skin, and small red spots will appear. She'll suffer from weakness, fainting and nausea, also blurring of her vision and partial paralysis, then eventually death. But that's what you want, isn't Spike? You'll be free from the handcuffs and be able to go on with your life." Spike looked down at Kate, seeing the intense pain written all over her face. Is this what he was playing at? He wanted him to choose between being free of the hand-cuffs or keeping Kate alive? What a bunch of bullshit! What did Vicious think he was going to choose,...?
"I should warn you though, the Diamondback has been extinct on Earth for quite a few years now, so antivenin is hard to find. And if you want to find the antivenin in time, you have approximately 4-5 hours to find and effectively treat the infection. Good luck!" Those last words oozed cynically out of his mouth as Vicious threw a smoke bomb at Spike and Kate and vanished under the veil of smoke. Spike looked down at Kate and wondered how long it would take to find the antivenin, if the snake was extinct, not many hospitals would have it in stock. He'd have to get her back on the Bebop so Ed could search for it while he did the best he could to stop the spread of the venom. He slid his right arm across her back and then passed her legs through the loop of their handcuffed arms as he began to walk back toward the Swordfish.
Ed had been trying to locate an antivenin for the past hour and Spike was getting anxious. The area where the chip had been implanted had become, as Vicious had said, bruised. It was a nasty one too, all black and purple with yellow thrown in. When he had placed her on the couch, she seemed to be having a very bad dream. She tossed and turned in a fretful sleep. Her eyes shot open as she looked over at Spike, and they came across a pin on his shirt collar. Kate reached out with a trembling hand to touch it, remembering where it came from.
"You still have it?" Kate whispered in a raspy voice.
"Have what?" Spike looked over, a bit confused.
"Your guardian angel pin."
"Huh? Oh yeah, this old thing. I can't remember where I got it. It's been so long"
"Spike? I can't feel my right arm."
'Oh shit! Vicious said something about partial paralysis. Dammit all, I thought she would have more time than this!' "Hey Ed didja find anything yet?!" Spike called over to the little red headed kid at the computer.
"Ed is busy now, leave message after the beep. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!"
"Goddamnit Ed! What the hell are you busy doing?!" Spike hollered, getting very annoyed.
"Ed is busy now trying to decode one match to Spikey-man's search. Its very encrypted and the only match that came up. It will take Ed...AHA! Ed's found something! Ed's found something! Small medicine man in Ganymede! Ganymede! Ganymede!" Ed finished with a sing-song voice and a twirl. Both Jet and Faye came rushing in to see what all the commotion was about.
"I'll go get it," Jet offered. "It'll be harder if you go because you have to carry her."
"No, no. I can walk." Kate attempted to stand but her legs collapsed under the pressure. Her muscles had weakened due to the venom and she could no longer walk on her own. Being that Spike was "attached" to her, he caught her and set her back on the couch. While he sat on the coffee table, Jet started to walk out to the launch bay when Kate yelled after him.
"Hey! Wait! Wouldn't it be a lot quicker if we went with you? It would save....." Her voice began to trail off as she looked at her hand that was reaching out after Jet. It seemed fuzzy and indistinct. Kate was having trouble distinguishing her hand from the far off figure of Jet. She brought her hand closer to her face, but all she could see was a fuzzy pinkish blob. Waving her hand in front of her face was doing no good so she rubbed her eyes. Maybe there was something in there. But to her surprise, all she could still see were colored, formless blobs. It looked like a Monet painting without glasses on. What the hell was going on?
"Yoo-hoo? What's the matter?" a familiar voice asked to her right. Kate reached out in that direction, coming in contact with Spike's frazzled forest green hair.
"Spike? Why...why can't I see anything clearly. Its all just blurs."
"It's the poison, Kate. The poison blurs your vision, but don't worry, you and I and Jet are going right now to get the antivenin." Spike glared at Jet, daring him to challenge him on that last remark. He dared him to say no, but Jet just shrugged and said, "That's right. Now let's get going, we don't have any time to waste."
All three of them found the little Apothecary shop in a run down alleyway on Ganymede. Jet was able to salvage a vintage wheelchair for Kate, which he pushed along while Spike walked along side. They strode into the little shop, to find it was a little shop of horrors. There were things in jars that neither Jet nor Spike had ever seen. Insects and spiders and snakes galore decorated the back wall in jars and pinned to cork board. A hooded man walked out from behind a beaded curtain, holding a hypodermic needle filled with something. As he approached the counter he removed his hood. Both Jet and Spike gasped when they saw the Apothecary's face.
"Nikolai!" Spike grunted in anger.
"The very same. I believe this is what you are after," Nikolai said raising the needle for all to see. Kate gripped Spike's hand as recognition set in. She couldn't see him to defend herself, and she had no idea what was going on. All she knew was it was bad. Her mind began to swim with past memories; memories that were used to put her father in jail. 'No! Not again! I will not work for him again! Not like that! Not EVER!'
"What do you want, father?" Kate said the last word hesitantly, not wanting to call that monster her father. He had given her enough emotional scars as a child; she didn't want to take on any more. However, if she had to in order to stay alive, then consequences be damned.
"It's simple really; I want you to pay for what you did. Betrayal is not a sin easily forgiven, now is it Spike?" Nikolai twisted his scarred face up toward Spike, a warped smile on his lips. He was enjoying this entirely too much and Jet knew they had to get the antivenin or else Kate would die.
"Tic-tock, Tic-tock, Time is coming to a stop. Tock-tic, Tock-tic, are you going to let her live? Better hurry, Spike my boy, or you'll be free of our little ploy." The words that Vicious had said rang through Spike's head as Nikolai chanted the poem over and over again. She'll suffer from weakness, fainting and nausea, also blurring of her vision and partial paralysis, then eventually death. But that's what you want, isn't Spike? You'll be free from the handcuffs and be able to go on with your life. You'll be free from the handcuffs and be able to go on with your life. Go on with your life. They repeated over and over again, taunting him to choose. Which would he like more, someone else's life for his freedom, or his freedom for someone else's life?
"Give me the Goddamn antivenin Nikolai! Give it to me! NOW!" Spike shouted, thrusting his open palm toward the twisted man.
"Here you go, you party pooper."
A/N): wow thats a load off my shoulders. i see that not many people care about my sanity. :::sniff sniff::: ahh well sanity is overrated anyway. if you are out there, plz review. they are fun to read and bribery usually helps too!
