Disclaimer: Not mine.
Run
Faye followed Annie down the hallway, turning left as she neared the first corridor. However, Annie kept on walking. Faye was confused. Wasn't this the entrance?
"Isn't this the way to the entrance?" Annie turned to look at her and snorted.
"You're not very bright are you?" Faye was taken aback. And she thought this lady was nice! "I'm brighter than a light bulb!" Ouch. Faye winced mentally. That was a weak comeback. Annie just laughed.
"We wouldn't keep our headquarters in a place like Tharsis. Too commercial and obvious. No, we'd go with a more…unlikely place. A holy place." Faye stared at her back. She was odd. This old lady was odd.
Faye followed her down the hallway and out an aged and rusted door. Outside, waiting for them, was a black car. Annie opened the door and got in. She held the door open for Faye, who was standing back.
Faye was hesitant. Could she trust these people? Sure, they weren't to be trusted. They were the syndicate so naturally you couldn't trust them. Faye had always stayed and healed in this building. She'd never left this edifice to go to another place. Never.
"Nurse?" Annie questioned. Should she trust? Should she heal?
"Nurse, by the Syndicate Nurse Guidelines, we can't hurt you." Faye snapped to attention with that comment. Of course. The guidelines. They couldn't hurt her. With her mind made-up, Faye stepped forward and sat down inside the black car. There was no turning back now.
The car started and drove off. Faye sat back, not knowing how long the ride would be. Her eyes scanned the buildings and scenery outside of car. It all whizzed by, leaving Faye to wonder what she had just seen. The poverty was everywhere.
Ragged clothes hung from clotheslines and children played with mud and poison. Cars were old and crusty and the sky gray and cold. These weren't good times. Sickness hung in the air and death was painted onto the walls.
Hours passed as the car drove through the red landscape known as Mars. A few towns, here and there, were passed, one such one being Ajax, which she had visited earlier. Faye concluded that it was smart for her not to go to Red Dragon first. She wouldn't have been able to make it to the other syndicates.
Finally, the car pulled off the road into a small city, respectable in it's own right. Achilles was a strong city, able to be clean and dirty at the same time. It housed some of the most respectable businessmen and some of the most disgusting warlords.
The car went through a series of streets, roads and alleyways. It jolted to a stop and men clothed in black immediately opened the doors. Unoriginality ruled the world. Faye stepped out and looked around. She was in front of a church. Next to the church sat a large modern skyscraper.
Faye moved towards the church but was stopped by an arm. "Not there. Not yet."
"Cryptic, aren't we?" She muttered. Faye followed Annie into the large building next door. A plaque near the entrance told her that this was the headquarters of Taloco, a well-respected business. Assuming this was also the headquarters of Red Dragon, Faye figured that the Red Dragon Syndicate had bought out Taloco is a private business deal that was made so many times these days.
"We're going to go meet the boss. Whatever he says, you do…Got it, Nurse?" Annie ordered.
"I thought I was the one in control?" Faye questioned.
"An understandable question, Nurse. But you're not in Kansas anymore."
"Kansas?"
"You've never seen The Wizard of Oz?"
Faye remained silent.
"Kids nowadays. They don't appreciate good movies."
"No. We do appreciate good movies. You're just old enough to appreciate the ancient ones." Faye shot Annie a cocky grin. Annie couldn't argue over her point. Instead, she just shot a glance to the guard behind Faye who pushed her forward.
"Hey! Watch it! I'm precious cargo, you hunk of junk!" Faye retorted. Eyebrows were raised as the crew entered the elevators. Faye looked around. Red fabric lay behind the golden cage they were in. The elevator continued upwards for a long while, leaving Faye to examine the content of her bag, checking to make sure she had all the necessary supplies.
A whole ton of gauze, stitching materials, antibiotics, poison tests, poison delayers and medicine. Pills upon pills upon pills littered the sides of her bag. You never knew what you might have to prescribe. So Faye came prepared.
The elevator soon slid to a smooth stop and the doors hissed open, revealing two security guards on either side of the doorway. They stepped in front of them, obstructing their view. Annie held out a card and the guards both nodded, standing off to the side.
As Faye passed them, she couldn't help but sneak a look at their waist area. However, her face soon went pale. Guns. The horrid evil death bringers. Faye looked away, disgusted.
The troop continued on, towards the large doors that stood in front of them. Faye looked around at her surroundings.
There was red fabric everywhere. On the red fabric was usually encrusted a dragon. Obviously, how the Red Dragon Syndicate got its name. Above the doors, lay a regal dragon, larger than Faye could have ever imagined. That captured her attention and retained it. Something was different about it. All the other dragons were almost laughing, jeering at those who passed by. This one was solemn, heartbroken almost.
The guards halted and Faye ran into their backs, emitting a small sound of hurt. With a flourish and bow, the doors were thrown open to reveal…a chair.
"How disappointing…" Faye whispered. She'd been expecting some large throne room with gaudy furniture and antiques decorating every corner and crevice of the room. Not so.
Instead, there was a chair. One solitary chair sat near the end of the room. Behind it laid a shrouded window. Off to the side lay a closed in cage…a glass cage. Faye shivered unconsciously and wrapped her arms around herself.
"Cold, isn't it?" A voice pierced through the tangible darkness, frightening Faye. The others stood still. Even Annie was standing erect, eyes not blinking.
"Dead cold." Faye replied after a few moments silence.
"You don't know how right you are. Annie, once I'm done, take her to the church."
"Yes Vicious." Faye scoffed at that.
"Your name is Vicious?"
"Yes. You know why you are here, correct, Ms. Valentine?" Faye nodded. After his lack of response to her last remark, Faye had been quieted. She was almost afraid of the cool and dark aura he gave off.
"I would like you to heal the man in the church. But only the external wounds. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing. Understand?" Faye found her voice.
"I can't do that. My job is to heal all of what I find. So that's what I'll do." The man turned to look at her. Faye felt her blood go cold-literally. His eyes were dead, piercing through the blackness that enveloped them.
The man's hair was silver…like a ghost. His skin was pale and ashen as if he had just come up from his grave. But what continued to bother Faye most, besides his eyes, was his sword.
The Japanese sword glinted maniacally in the gloom, as if the blood it lusted for was Faye's. As if it's thirst had not been slaked by the millions who had been felled by its blade before. Faye shivered once more and looked away.
"What did you say, Ms. Valentine?" Her name rolled off his tongue. She felt as if he had defiled her, just by looking at her and speaking her name.
Faye shook her head. Nothing. She had uttered nothing. She would listen to him, fear him and ignore him. He was not alive. He was dead.
He was the Living Death.
.~.
Faye was led out of the room and down the elevator. Frozen. That's what she was. That man (dead)… what had become of her because of that Vicious? Her fingers were cold, her eyes wide and empty. She didn't feel.
A hand placed itself on Faye's shoulder. Turning quickly, Faye found Annie gazing at her with motherly eyes.
"Don't be afraid of him. He only hurts those who…cross him." A smile touched upon Faye's lips.
"Thank you." She whispered. That small show of kindness helped Faye along although she still felt troubled during their walk next door to the dilapidated church.
Eyes roamed the shattered glass, used bullets and bloodstains that littered the floor. No one had been allowed inside since the fight. The only people allowed were Annie, Vicious and a few important others. But no one else. No one else.
Not a single living soul.
Annie stopped the guards outside of the church doors.
"Wait here." She ordered. The men turned and watched the street. Anyone of no importance who tried to get in would be shot and killed.
Annie pushed open the doors. They groaned with pain, the pain that many had felt. The sunshine that shone behind Annie and Faye soon fell across the pews and pillars of the church.
Majestic in its own right, the little church had gone through its fair share of battles. Arches decorated both sides of the church, wooden pews lined down the center. However, there was nothing to pray to. Faye looked around but saw nothing.
"So much for being a holy place." She said. Annie looked back with a small smile.
"Come on. We have to go into one of the back rooms." Faye stepped over some broken bottles and rotten food. "You guys are keeping an injured man in a place like this? It's so unsanitary!"
Annie sighed, kicking a pile of trash off to one side. It's acrid odor wafted up to Faye's nose. She crinkled it. "Vicious wouldn't have it any other way."
"Does he want him to die?" Silence enveloped them.
"Yes." Faye stared blankly at Annie. What? Vicious wanted him to die?
"Wait…Vicious wants him to die?"
Annie nodded.
"Why? I mean, why am I here then?"
"To make his death all the more painful." Annie wiped a solitary tear away. Faye was horrified. Could mankind really be that cruel? No wait. Vicious isn't human.
The pair reached the door to the back room. Annie pushed the door in and walked inside only to freeze. Blocking Faye's view of the inside, Annie proceeded with her conversation.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hello Annie."
"Julia! What are you doing here? Vicious will kill you too!"
"He would never." A short silence ensued, broken by the rhythmic sound of boots hitting the stone floor. Annie moved out of the way. An angel stopped and looked at Faye.
"Are you the Nurse?" Faye nodded dumbly.
"Take good care of him. He's living a dream."
"A bad one." Annie finished. The two looked so forlorn and miserable. Faye felt their emotions transferring onto her. Not good. She took a deep breath and smiled.
"I'll do my best. But there won't be any promises. I'll do what Vicious told me to."
The angel, Julia, watched Faye with clouded cerulean eyes. It was almost as if she wanted to decipher whether Faye was telling the truth or lying. With a despondent chuckle, Julia shook her head and looked heavenward.
"Vicious. I love him…?" Now Faye watched the angel. No, not an angel.
A Fallen Angel.
Her last statement struck Faye as a question, almost as if she wasn't aware of her own feelings and thoughts. She was lost in her mind, the one place that no one can capture. The Fallen Angel moved on, smiling softly to herself. Her golden hair lifted in the unknown breeze, making her a ghost…a Living Death…like Vicious.
"Julia?" Annie called after her. Julia half-turned and looked at Annie.
"Yes?"
"Three isn't a good number."
"I know Annie. I know."
At once, Faye shook her head violently. She was getting way too deep for her own good. No need to analyze the people around the patient. Just the patient itself.
With that, Faye turned to the room and marched in. The condition of the room was better than that of the church as a whole. Trash littered the floor, but it had been kicked off to one side, so it was nowhere near the body. Tattered curtains hid a small window that lay over the bed. On the bed lay the patient, dressed in bloodstained clothes. Faye figured that Vicious didn't want him to change. He wanted this man to suffer from whatever bacteria would grow and crawl inside his bloody wound, causing a milky white substance to ooze out when it became infected.
Just lovely.
Faye rolled up her sleeves and made her way over to the patient. She set the bag down, and got ready to turn his face towards her. After all, head injuries had to be looked after first.
Faye turned his head towards her and stared.
And stared.
And stared.
Her fingers lightly danced over his scarred face. His scarred and recognizable face.
Spike.
.~.
Now. If you guys didn't expect that man to be Spike, I don't know what to say to you. Really, I don't. Nah. Just joking! I love you all!
This chapter was weak. Real weak. I've been working on it for about a week but…it's so…unfeeling. Hopefully it'll get better. We'll see.
Thanks for the reviews!
angelic-m- Aw! My first reviewer! Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy!
birdychick- Thank you so much! I thought that Spike and Faye needed a sad beginning, first to wedge them apart but then to bring them together.
Light-of-Halo-Thank you! The first chapter was there just to set up the scene. For me, fanfiction is just a way to perfect my fiction writing. It's also a hobby that sometimes is too much fun ^.^
Shaded Emerald-Eyes-Thank you so much! Sorry for the long wait. It's just that this chapter never really came out good. Even now it kind of sucks.
faye-faye14-Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the storyline. I was kind of iffy on it because I didn't think anything like it had ever been done before.
lemonsweetie-Thanks! Hope you enjoy!
FuzzieEars67-Aw! I wasn't supposed to make you cry! Sorry! Hope you liked this weak chapter! And I'm sure your fic is great! In fact, I'll check it out right now!…if my stupid computer would work…