Disclaimer: Not mine
Run
Once Faye stepped into the hotel, she had to take an involuntary step back. It was swelteringly hot in the so-called lobby. Immediately, Faye dropped all of her belongings and began to shed her coat and scarf. Once she finished, she looked up to see Spike adding the finishing touches by rolling up his sleeves, the blue jacket and coat hanging over his arm. After taking a deep drag of Faye's cigarette, he turned to the greasy haired man behind the counter who was eyeing Spike with a strange interest. He didn't even seem to notice Faye.
"One room, two beds." Spike said blandly, still preoccupied with one of his stubborn sleeves which refused to roll up anymore.
"That will be forty woolongs." Spike nodded and dished out the said amount. He dropped it casually into the man's hand. Again, the man peered up to Spike, his eyes gleaming with a prospect unknown to the other two occupants of the room.
"You know, I also have another business which might interest you." Faye looked up as she paced the furnace of a lobby. The man's sneaky eyes were still fixed on Spike who stood there, casually smoking the stolen cigarette. Faye walked up to the desk and leaned on it. Spike did the same, propping himself up on one arm, cheek in palm.
"Really?" Spike drawled uninterestedly. The man nodded feverishly, his eyes shining once again. "You see, I also run a brothel. Would you be interested in having a female for the lonely night?"
Faye raised an eyebrow at the man. Did he not notice her standing right there? Apparently he did because when Faye cleared her throat, he nodded at her but then quickly diverted his attention back to Spike.
"No thanks." Spike said apathetically. Faye watched with slight interest as the man's mousy eyes widened in...understanding? "Oh sir, I understand completely! We have men as well!"
Faye burst out laughing. Spike's elbow slipped in surprise at that statement. He stood staring at the man with a blank look on his face, as the smoking stick hung limply from his lips. Once he recovered himself, Spike practically growled at the cowering man before grabbing the keys and storming to the nearby elevator. Faye followed with a yawn and a giggle. She was tired but it was still funny.
Once the elevator doors slid shut, Faye smiled cheekily at Spike. He 'hmphed' in return before turning away from her. Shrugging, Faye let her thoughts wander. They soon ambled down the path of what had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. A patient almost had a heart attack, another died, for reasons unknown, the paperwork monster came, the killers from the syndicate, Spike coming, running away with Spike, having a car chase, being shot at, shooting at people, Spike getting shot, the car blowing up...Faye's thought process stalled as she rewound a little bit. Spike got shot...
Faye turned and sized Spike up. He didn't act like a guy who'd just been shot. The butt of the cigarette hung from his lips, hands were stuffed in pockets and shoulders were hunched over. His coat and jacket still hung over his arm. There. On the jacket. A dark stain. Blood. Dried blood.
"You go shot on the arm?" Spike looked up at her, surprise on his face.
"Nah. It just nicked my wrist." Faye nodded.
"I'll wrap it up for you." Spike again stared at her, as if trying to figure out if she had any hidden motives.
"Okay." No thanks, no nothing. The elevator came to a rumbling stop, its doors opening slowly and irregularly. Spike stepped inside and lead the way down to where the room was. Forcing the key in, Spike pushed open the sticky door, which lead to an equally sticky looking room. The air reeked of sweat, saliva and other body odors which Faye didn't want to identify. Suddenly it hit Faye that since the man ran a brothel, these rooms were used for more than sleeping.
Crinkling up her fair nose, Faye stifled another yawn before turning to Spike who was taking off his shirt.
"Let me see your hand."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now hold it out." Spike begrudgingly did so. Faye inspected it in the dim lighting before returning to her bag and pulling out the materials and liquids she needed. With deft fingers, Faye tied up Spike's injury.
"There now it's done." Spike nodded before he went back to taking off his clothes. Faye watched him appreciatively before turning to one of the beds. She wasn't embarrassed about watching him undress. She was a Nurse for Saturn's sake! But she couldn't help but admire his physique. And she couldn't help the foxy grin that crossed her lips either. Quickly, Faye went over to the windows and opened them up. They needed some fresh air. From the window, Faye saw the car burning. Funny how their room let them see right to the crime scene.
Faye donned her coat so that she wouldn't have to get underneath the covers. You never knew if they washed these blankets or not. Faye slipped off her shoes, yawned and then collapsed onto the bed. She was asleep within minutes.
Faye bolted into sitting position. Spike sat on his bed, a grin on his face.
"Didn't know that throwing things at your head would still have the same effect. I just wanted to try it." Faye shoved her hair out of her face and glared at him.
"You could have just asked me instead!"
"Where's the fun in that?" Faye got up, grumbling about Spike and his ways of waking her up. He'd been doing that since they had had their first sleepover with each other when she was five and he was six.
Faye was delighted when she found out that the hotel had hot water. She took in the shower for what seemed like an eternity before Spike started hammering on the door. Grumbling once more, Faye got out and dressed in the clothes she wore the day before. Faye came out to find Spike waiting for her. They shared a few dark looks before heading out for breakfast. However, before they did, Spike did something very odd.
Ripping a small piece of his gauze off, Spike put it in the doorway so that it was suspended between the doorframe and the door. Cocking her head to one side, Faye shot a questioning look Spike's way. He answered simply.
"It's to see if people walk in without our permission. When we come back, if the gauze is on the floor, it means someone is in there, waiting for us." Faye blinked a few times before pointing out to him that the cleaning ladies might open the door.
"I didn't expect someone like you to notice that there is no maintenance staff here."
"What exactly are you implying?!" Spike sent her a cocky grin. "Nothing. Don't worry yourself with it."
The two walked out into the sunlight and strolled down the path to a better part of town. There, they sat down at a small café and ordered some breakfast. Faye also grabbed a newspaper before being seated across Spike. She opened it up, peering at the front page with interest.
"Look! They mentioned my patient! Only they don't mention him..." Faye's forehead creased together. They only showed his picture and the name of his company. His name was kept confidential, the paper said, because of his family's wishes.
"Poor guy." She muttered.
"What was his name?" Spike asked.
"Uhhh..." Faye couldn't believe it. Had she really forgotten his name? "It's something like Reef Giant Angelli...." Spike sat up immediately, his position one of a tense man.
"Say that again."
"Reef Giant Angelli."
"You mean, Reeve Giangeli?"
"Yeah! That's it!" Spike's face became drawn and the blood seemed to leave his face.
"Why? Was he important?" Spike nodded as he covered his face with his hands. Their food came just then and Faye held her tongue until the waiters left. Once they did, she asked him again.
"Does the paper say what company he headed?" Faye looked back down at the paper before nodding.
"It's called Imaaf. Why? Did you know him?" Spike shook his head but the look on his face said otherwise.
"You did know him!" A few people around them turned to look at them. Faye smiled uneasily before stuffing some pancake into her mouth. Spike did the same, though his face was still concentrating. "Does it say how he died?"
"I don't know how."
"No, I'm ask-"
"I know. But I was one of his caretakers and was there when he died. We don't know how he died. They say that he died of heart attack but that's not true because he didn't have any blockages whatsoever. He was one of the healthiest men I'd ever met except for the fact that he was dying!" With that, Faye triumphantly stuffed some more of her food into her mouth.
"So no one knows how he died." Faye nodded. No one knew.
"That's wrong. Only the killer would know." Faye looked up at him.
"He was murdered?" Spike nodded and leaned forward, his gaze on Faye. "Rearrange the letters of Imaaf." Faye sat there for a few seconds before realization dawned on her face.
"Mafia?" She hissed. Spike nodded. Faye shook her head. "It's just a coincidence." They spoke in hushed tones so that only they could hear each other.
"No it's not Faye. Reeve Giangeli was the kid slated to become the next leader of the Planetary Mafia. After the death of Russo, they had him picked."
"How would you know this?"
"All nationalities have their mobs. They're syndicates, only better organized. There's the Italian Mafia, Japanese Yakuza, Indian Bujhti, Argentinean Casa del Diablo and all the others out there. Syndicates sometimes merge with these. We were going to merge with the Yakuza but then it broke off because the Yakuza wanted to go after the Mafia while it was weak."
"So do you think this was the Yakuza?"
"No. The Yakuza and all groups like it will proclaim that the death was there doing by leaving something behind or announcing it. If he died yesterday, then all the news crews would have already known it was Yakuza or something of the sort because the group would have called and let them know."
Faye digested this all slowly her large emerald eyes still fixed on her pancake, which was now cold from the prodding with her fork. So then who was this killer? Why did he kill Giangeli? Shaking her head vigorously, Faye looked up to the pensive Spike.
"This doesn't concern us so we don't have to worry about it, do we?" It was true. Spike knew that as well. Why be bothered by something that didn't concern him?
"No. Let's go. I gotta get my Swordfish." Faye nodded, wiped her mouth with a napkin and followed Spike outside. He ambled down the main street, to a storage area nearby. Silently, Faye reflected back on their conversation at the café. He had been more open with her than she had expected.
The two soon reached the area. Spike showed his pass to one of the attendants there who nodded and motioned for the two to follow him. Soon, they came to a large storage unit which the man unlocked, revealing a red ship. Faye's eyebrows shot up. This was one nice ride. But she would never admit that to Spike.
Already, Spike was babying the ship, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Faye watched as he swung himself into the cockpit, testing out the controls. He motioned for the attendant and Faye.
"How many woolongs do you have Faye?"
"A lot." Spike nodded and looked to the attendant.
"Get her a cheap ride, will you?"
"How's a Model 4 Auxerex?" The man questioned.
"Yeah. Doubt she'll be able to fly anything. At least that one has easy maneuverability." Faye felt her blood rise and stomped her foot angrily.
"Jet taught me how to fly! He taught me on a RedTail! So if you have one, bring it!"
"Uh, ma'am? RedTail's are a bit expensive." Faye switched her glare from the stocky attendant to the astonished Spike. At his look, a slow smile spread over Faye's face. She stuck her tongue out at Spike before telling the attendant to get her the RedTail. She was Nurse and they made some damn good money.
After a few terse minutes, the RedTail was brought forth by the attendant. Faye held out her woolong card and let the man charge it on there. He handed her a gold bracelet which he explained would allow her to call the frog-like ship anytime she wanted, anywhere. Once the transaction was done, Faye jumped into the cockpit and started it up.
Shivers ran through her body but she suppressed them. She couldn't let Spike see how nervous she was. It'd been two years since she had last flown the trashy RedTail that Jet had borrowed from the ISSP to train her. Two long years and now Faye could feel her hands clench in anticipation. She loved flying. It was freedom.
At once, Faye took off, surprising many of the people around the storage area. Spike soon followed after her. The two became partners in an intense and intricate ballet in the sky, weaving through buildings and dodging birds and other slower ships. The two reached the landing dock near their hotel at the same time. Just as they were about to bicker about who won the race, media vans and police cars went racing down towards the southern end of town. People were running in that direction too, some of them with a frenzied expression placed onto their faces.
Faye grabbed the arm of one such lady. The lady skidded to a stop, staring at Faye.
"What's going on?" Acting as if there was a conspiracy, the lady knelt forward, towards Faye's ear.
"They say that the head researcher, you know, the one who's been there for twenty-eight years, of BioLabs is dead. Murdered..." The woman kept on chatting about this latest death before leaving Faye alone. But Faye hadn't heard the last words of the lady.
"BioLabs..." Faye whispered, letting it roll off of her tongue. The name of the company was eerily familiar. Comprehension of where she'd heard that name before dawned on Faye. She turned violently to see a shocked Spike staring at her, their minds thinking the same thoughts.
"BioLabs was where our fathers worked...wasn't it?" Spike didn't even respond. He took off running, following the crowd in his mad desperation. He turned to ask Faye a question but she wasn't there. Looking through the throngs of people heading towards the murder, Spike could make out a mass of violet hair where he'd left Faye. Cursing violently, Spike ran against the massive sea of people, before reaching the despondent Faye who sat on the ground.
Spike grabbed her hand and yanked her up. Without even giving an explanation, Spike began running again, towards the murder scene. They reached there but it was to no avail. The entrances were blocked by the local police force and the multitude of people clamoring to sight the body of one of the most respected men in the solar system.
Faye had recovered from her despondency and did some quick thinking. Digging into her pockets, she pulled out her hospital ID and placed it around her neck. Tapping Spike, Faye silently pointed to her ID. Spike nodded in understanding and followed Faye as she pushed her way through the crowd.
"Excuse me...Doctor coming through...Yeah, hi...Move people!..." Faye finally made it through the crowd, her hand and Spike's still entwined. The police woman there halted Faye's progress but all Faye had to do was flash her ID before the lady let her in.
"He's with me." Faye said before the lady could stop Spike. The lady nodded and let the two through.
Skipping up the stairs, Spike and Faye burst into the room. Thankfully, there was only a very young doctor there. Faye took advantage of this situation and showed the surrounding law enforcement her ID. Spike wandered around, looking for anything suspicious.
Faye crouched down next to the fumbling young man. Once he saw her, he dropped the vial of fluid he was holding. Faye resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Obviously he was still in the stage where he became spellbound with the looks of beautiful women. Falling into the act, Faye gave him a coy smile while fiddling with his hand.
Oh how it disgusted her.
The boy blushed even more, backing away as well. At least it worked. Giving him a sly wink and a seductive smile, Faye turned back to the dead body, the boy's case of fluids and electronics in her hand.
"Well, don't seem like he went through any pain or nothin' like that." A police officer spoke up. "I mean, at least it weren't anythin' like the Speigal/Valentine murders."
Faye felt a shudder run through her body. This man knew!
"Speigal/Valentine?" She asked, trying to mask the emotion in her voice. This was all too lucky! They'd come here to find answers about their parents and here they were!
"Ya don't know about them? Well, it was on Earth and the two were great scientist people, if ya know what I mean. And then one day, their houses catches on fire! No one knows why, of course. But they's was burnt to death all the same."
"Oh." Faye couldn't help but let the disappointment leak through. So he didn't know.
Bringing out an electrical pad with numerous keys, Faye attached it to the body while injecting fluids into his arm. Within minutes the cause of death was known...or not known...
It read "Undeterminable."
Faye looked around at the others in the room and showed the pad to them. Shock was shown on all of their faces. Spike wasn't looking but Faye knew what he would be thinking if he'd seen it. It was like Reeve Giangeli.
Quickly standing up, Faye turned hastily towards Spike. She gripped his shoulders when he wouldn't turn to look at her. He was staring at the dead guy's meal! "Spike!" For some reason, Faye's tone came out strangled and sympathetic clucks could be heard from throughout the room.
"Poor gal's never seen death before. You's better take her outta here. A delicate thing like that don't deserve to see him bein' cut open."
Faye took hold of this opportunity and buried her face into Spike's neck. She barely noticed the way he tensed up because of their position. She could care less.
"Reeve Giangeli." Faye hissed. Immediately, Spike who had been chattig with the officers on Faye's weakness, swept her out of the room, cutting the conversation short.
"Well, gentlemen, I'd love to continue chatting but it seems that my darling here is about to puke out her innards. Wave goodbye." Faye did so feebly.
Once the two were outside and away from the crowd, they allowed their thoughts to flow free.
"I don't think we can ignore this anymore. It almost seems like its linked to our parents murder." Faye said quietly.
"It is."
"What?"
"I've got these papers here that I stole from the scene-"
"You stole for the crime scene?"
"Yeah. They say our parents worked right under this guy when they were alive which is probably why that police man talked about them."
"Do you think that the Giangeli murder and this one are linked? I mean for both of them, they couldn't figure out what caused the deaths."
"Yeah, I think so." The two walked silently towards the hotel.
Phew that was long! I think I rushed this chapter too much but I'll know from your reviews sooner or later. Julia might make an appearance in the next chapter but I don't know.
XHatori-SohmaX- Hi! Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad that you are enjoying it! Are you sure the characters aren't OOC? I was really sure that they were but hey...If you don't complain, neither will I. I love Spike! He is extremely hot!
zottie- Hello! Love your pen name! It's so...funky! And I like funky! I'm updating for you! Why wouldn't I? You obviously took the time to review so I should take the time to say (in deep manly voice) "This is for you, zottie!"
demonic girl- Hola! I'm so gald that you're enjoying this story! I'm trying real hard! Honest! I think I dug myself a hole in this chapter because I brought in too much plot but oh well.
Wolf Jade- Ahh! You came back! I'm glad I'm not predictable. I was trying to write a cliffhanger but I guess that didn't work so well. Oh well. Spike won't leave her after the next chapter. But once again, you guessed correctly at the plot! Spike was going too...but...we'll see...
Run
Once Faye stepped into the hotel, she had to take an involuntary step back. It was swelteringly hot in the so-called lobby. Immediately, Faye dropped all of her belongings and began to shed her coat and scarf. Once she finished, she looked up to see Spike adding the finishing touches by rolling up his sleeves, the blue jacket and coat hanging over his arm. After taking a deep drag of Faye's cigarette, he turned to the greasy haired man behind the counter who was eyeing Spike with a strange interest. He didn't even seem to notice Faye.
"One room, two beds." Spike said blandly, still preoccupied with one of his stubborn sleeves which refused to roll up anymore.
"That will be forty woolongs." Spike nodded and dished out the said amount. He dropped it casually into the man's hand. Again, the man peered up to Spike, his eyes gleaming with a prospect unknown to the other two occupants of the room.
"You know, I also have another business which might interest you." Faye looked up as she paced the furnace of a lobby. The man's sneaky eyes were still fixed on Spike who stood there, casually smoking the stolen cigarette. Faye walked up to the desk and leaned on it. Spike did the same, propping himself up on one arm, cheek in palm.
"Really?" Spike drawled uninterestedly. The man nodded feverishly, his eyes shining once again. "You see, I also run a brothel. Would you be interested in having a female for the lonely night?"
Faye raised an eyebrow at the man. Did he not notice her standing right there? Apparently he did because when Faye cleared her throat, he nodded at her but then quickly diverted his attention back to Spike.
"No thanks." Spike said apathetically. Faye watched with slight interest as the man's mousy eyes widened in...understanding? "Oh sir, I understand completely! We have men as well!"
Faye burst out laughing. Spike's elbow slipped in surprise at that statement. He stood staring at the man with a blank look on his face, as the smoking stick hung limply from his lips. Once he recovered himself, Spike practically growled at the cowering man before grabbing the keys and storming to the nearby elevator. Faye followed with a yawn and a giggle. She was tired but it was still funny.
Once the elevator doors slid shut, Faye smiled cheekily at Spike. He 'hmphed' in return before turning away from her. Shrugging, Faye let her thoughts wander. They soon ambled down the path of what had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. A patient almost had a heart attack, another died, for reasons unknown, the paperwork monster came, the killers from the syndicate, Spike coming, running away with Spike, having a car chase, being shot at, shooting at people, Spike getting shot, the car blowing up...Faye's thought process stalled as she rewound a little bit. Spike got shot...
Faye turned and sized Spike up. He didn't act like a guy who'd just been shot. The butt of the cigarette hung from his lips, hands were stuffed in pockets and shoulders were hunched over. His coat and jacket still hung over his arm. There. On the jacket. A dark stain. Blood. Dried blood.
"You go shot on the arm?" Spike looked up at her, surprise on his face.
"Nah. It just nicked my wrist." Faye nodded.
"I'll wrap it up for you." Spike again stared at her, as if trying to figure out if she had any hidden motives.
"Okay." No thanks, no nothing. The elevator came to a rumbling stop, its doors opening slowly and irregularly. Spike stepped inside and lead the way down to where the room was. Forcing the key in, Spike pushed open the sticky door, which lead to an equally sticky looking room. The air reeked of sweat, saliva and other body odors which Faye didn't want to identify. Suddenly it hit Faye that since the man ran a brothel, these rooms were used for more than sleeping.
Crinkling up her fair nose, Faye stifled another yawn before turning to Spike who was taking off his shirt.
"Let me see your hand."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now hold it out." Spike begrudgingly did so. Faye inspected it in the dim lighting before returning to her bag and pulling out the materials and liquids she needed. With deft fingers, Faye tied up Spike's injury.
"There now it's done." Spike nodded before he went back to taking off his clothes. Faye watched him appreciatively before turning to one of the beds. She wasn't embarrassed about watching him undress. She was a Nurse for Saturn's sake! But she couldn't help but admire his physique. And she couldn't help the foxy grin that crossed her lips either. Quickly, Faye went over to the windows and opened them up. They needed some fresh air. From the window, Faye saw the car burning. Funny how their room let them see right to the crime scene.
Faye donned her coat so that she wouldn't have to get underneath the covers. You never knew if they washed these blankets or not. Faye slipped off her shoes, yawned and then collapsed onto the bed. She was asleep within minutes.
Faye bolted into sitting position. Spike sat on his bed, a grin on his face.
"Didn't know that throwing things at your head would still have the same effect. I just wanted to try it." Faye shoved her hair out of her face and glared at him.
"You could have just asked me instead!"
"Where's the fun in that?" Faye got up, grumbling about Spike and his ways of waking her up. He'd been doing that since they had had their first sleepover with each other when she was five and he was six.
Faye was delighted when she found out that the hotel had hot water. She took in the shower for what seemed like an eternity before Spike started hammering on the door. Grumbling once more, Faye got out and dressed in the clothes she wore the day before. Faye came out to find Spike waiting for her. They shared a few dark looks before heading out for breakfast. However, before they did, Spike did something very odd.
Ripping a small piece of his gauze off, Spike put it in the doorway so that it was suspended between the doorframe and the door. Cocking her head to one side, Faye shot a questioning look Spike's way. He answered simply.
"It's to see if people walk in without our permission. When we come back, if the gauze is on the floor, it means someone is in there, waiting for us." Faye blinked a few times before pointing out to him that the cleaning ladies might open the door.
"I didn't expect someone like you to notice that there is no maintenance staff here."
"What exactly are you implying?!" Spike sent her a cocky grin. "Nothing. Don't worry yourself with it."
The two walked out into the sunlight and strolled down the path to a better part of town. There, they sat down at a small café and ordered some breakfast. Faye also grabbed a newspaper before being seated across Spike. She opened it up, peering at the front page with interest.
"Look! They mentioned my patient! Only they don't mention him..." Faye's forehead creased together. They only showed his picture and the name of his company. His name was kept confidential, the paper said, because of his family's wishes.
"Poor guy." She muttered.
"What was his name?" Spike asked.
"Uhhh..." Faye couldn't believe it. Had she really forgotten his name? "It's something like Reef Giant Angelli...." Spike sat up immediately, his position one of a tense man.
"Say that again."
"Reef Giant Angelli."
"You mean, Reeve Giangeli?"
"Yeah! That's it!" Spike's face became drawn and the blood seemed to leave his face.
"Why? Was he important?" Spike nodded as he covered his face with his hands. Their food came just then and Faye held her tongue until the waiters left. Once they did, she asked him again.
"Does the paper say what company he headed?" Faye looked back down at the paper before nodding.
"It's called Imaaf. Why? Did you know him?" Spike shook his head but the look on his face said otherwise.
"You did know him!" A few people around them turned to look at them. Faye smiled uneasily before stuffing some pancake into her mouth. Spike did the same, though his face was still concentrating. "Does it say how he died?"
"I don't know how."
"No, I'm ask-"
"I know. But I was one of his caretakers and was there when he died. We don't know how he died. They say that he died of heart attack but that's not true because he didn't have any blockages whatsoever. He was one of the healthiest men I'd ever met except for the fact that he was dying!" With that, Faye triumphantly stuffed some more of her food into her mouth.
"So no one knows how he died." Faye nodded. No one knew.
"That's wrong. Only the killer would know." Faye looked up at him.
"He was murdered?" Spike nodded and leaned forward, his gaze on Faye. "Rearrange the letters of Imaaf." Faye sat there for a few seconds before realization dawned on her face.
"Mafia?" She hissed. Spike nodded. Faye shook her head. "It's just a coincidence." They spoke in hushed tones so that only they could hear each other.
"No it's not Faye. Reeve Giangeli was the kid slated to become the next leader of the Planetary Mafia. After the death of Russo, they had him picked."
"How would you know this?"
"All nationalities have their mobs. They're syndicates, only better organized. There's the Italian Mafia, Japanese Yakuza, Indian Bujhti, Argentinean Casa del Diablo and all the others out there. Syndicates sometimes merge with these. We were going to merge with the Yakuza but then it broke off because the Yakuza wanted to go after the Mafia while it was weak."
"So do you think this was the Yakuza?"
"No. The Yakuza and all groups like it will proclaim that the death was there doing by leaving something behind or announcing it. If he died yesterday, then all the news crews would have already known it was Yakuza or something of the sort because the group would have called and let them know."
Faye digested this all slowly her large emerald eyes still fixed on her pancake, which was now cold from the prodding with her fork. So then who was this killer? Why did he kill Giangeli? Shaking her head vigorously, Faye looked up to the pensive Spike.
"This doesn't concern us so we don't have to worry about it, do we?" It was true. Spike knew that as well. Why be bothered by something that didn't concern him?
"No. Let's go. I gotta get my Swordfish." Faye nodded, wiped her mouth with a napkin and followed Spike outside. He ambled down the main street, to a storage area nearby. Silently, Faye reflected back on their conversation at the café. He had been more open with her than she had expected.
The two soon reached the area. Spike showed his pass to one of the attendants there who nodded and motioned for the two to follow him. Soon, they came to a large storage unit which the man unlocked, revealing a red ship. Faye's eyebrows shot up. This was one nice ride. But she would never admit that to Spike.
Already, Spike was babying the ship, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Faye watched as he swung himself into the cockpit, testing out the controls. He motioned for the attendant and Faye.
"How many woolongs do you have Faye?"
"A lot." Spike nodded and looked to the attendant.
"Get her a cheap ride, will you?"
"How's a Model 4 Auxerex?" The man questioned.
"Yeah. Doubt she'll be able to fly anything. At least that one has easy maneuverability." Faye felt her blood rise and stomped her foot angrily.
"Jet taught me how to fly! He taught me on a RedTail! So if you have one, bring it!"
"Uh, ma'am? RedTail's are a bit expensive." Faye switched her glare from the stocky attendant to the astonished Spike. At his look, a slow smile spread over Faye's face. She stuck her tongue out at Spike before telling the attendant to get her the RedTail. She was Nurse and they made some damn good money.
After a few terse minutes, the RedTail was brought forth by the attendant. Faye held out her woolong card and let the man charge it on there. He handed her a gold bracelet which he explained would allow her to call the frog-like ship anytime she wanted, anywhere. Once the transaction was done, Faye jumped into the cockpit and started it up.
Shivers ran through her body but she suppressed them. She couldn't let Spike see how nervous she was. It'd been two years since she had last flown the trashy RedTail that Jet had borrowed from the ISSP to train her. Two long years and now Faye could feel her hands clench in anticipation. She loved flying. It was freedom.
At once, Faye took off, surprising many of the people around the storage area. Spike soon followed after her. The two became partners in an intense and intricate ballet in the sky, weaving through buildings and dodging birds and other slower ships. The two reached the landing dock near their hotel at the same time. Just as they were about to bicker about who won the race, media vans and police cars went racing down towards the southern end of town. People were running in that direction too, some of them with a frenzied expression placed onto their faces.
Faye grabbed the arm of one such lady. The lady skidded to a stop, staring at Faye.
"What's going on?" Acting as if there was a conspiracy, the lady knelt forward, towards Faye's ear.
"They say that the head researcher, you know, the one who's been there for twenty-eight years, of BioLabs is dead. Murdered..." The woman kept on chatting about this latest death before leaving Faye alone. But Faye hadn't heard the last words of the lady.
"BioLabs..." Faye whispered, letting it roll off of her tongue. The name of the company was eerily familiar. Comprehension of where she'd heard that name before dawned on Faye. She turned violently to see a shocked Spike staring at her, their minds thinking the same thoughts.
"BioLabs was where our fathers worked...wasn't it?" Spike didn't even respond. He took off running, following the crowd in his mad desperation. He turned to ask Faye a question but she wasn't there. Looking through the throngs of people heading towards the murder, Spike could make out a mass of violet hair where he'd left Faye. Cursing violently, Spike ran against the massive sea of people, before reaching the despondent Faye who sat on the ground.
Spike grabbed her hand and yanked her up. Without even giving an explanation, Spike began running again, towards the murder scene. They reached there but it was to no avail. The entrances were blocked by the local police force and the multitude of people clamoring to sight the body of one of the most respected men in the solar system.
Faye had recovered from her despondency and did some quick thinking. Digging into her pockets, she pulled out her hospital ID and placed it around her neck. Tapping Spike, Faye silently pointed to her ID. Spike nodded in understanding and followed Faye as she pushed her way through the crowd.
"Excuse me...Doctor coming through...Yeah, hi...Move people!..." Faye finally made it through the crowd, her hand and Spike's still entwined. The police woman there halted Faye's progress but all Faye had to do was flash her ID before the lady let her in.
"He's with me." Faye said before the lady could stop Spike. The lady nodded and let the two through.
Skipping up the stairs, Spike and Faye burst into the room. Thankfully, there was only a very young doctor there. Faye took advantage of this situation and showed the surrounding law enforcement her ID. Spike wandered around, looking for anything suspicious.
Faye crouched down next to the fumbling young man. Once he saw her, he dropped the vial of fluid he was holding. Faye resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Obviously he was still in the stage where he became spellbound with the looks of beautiful women. Falling into the act, Faye gave him a coy smile while fiddling with his hand.
Oh how it disgusted her.
The boy blushed even more, backing away as well. At least it worked. Giving him a sly wink and a seductive smile, Faye turned back to the dead body, the boy's case of fluids and electronics in her hand.
"Well, don't seem like he went through any pain or nothin' like that." A police officer spoke up. "I mean, at least it weren't anythin' like the Speigal/Valentine murders."
Faye felt a shudder run through her body. This man knew!
"Speigal/Valentine?" She asked, trying to mask the emotion in her voice. This was all too lucky! They'd come here to find answers about their parents and here they were!
"Ya don't know about them? Well, it was on Earth and the two were great scientist people, if ya know what I mean. And then one day, their houses catches on fire! No one knows why, of course. But they's was burnt to death all the same."
"Oh." Faye couldn't help but let the disappointment leak through. So he didn't know.
Bringing out an electrical pad with numerous keys, Faye attached it to the body while injecting fluids into his arm. Within minutes the cause of death was known...or not known...
It read "Undeterminable."
Faye looked around at the others in the room and showed the pad to them. Shock was shown on all of their faces. Spike wasn't looking but Faye knew what he would be thinking if he'd seen it. It was like Reeve Giangeli.
Quickly standing up, Faye turned hastily towards Spike. She gripped his shoulders when he wouldn't turn to look at her. He was staring at the dead guy's meal! "Spike!" For some reason, Faye's tone came out strangled and sympathetic clucks could be heard from throughout the room.
"Poor gal's never seen death before. You's better take her outta here. A delicate thing like that don't deserve to see him bein' cut open."
Faye took hold of this opportunity and buried her face into Spike's neck. She barely noticed the way he tensed up because of their position. She could care less.
"Reeve Giangeli." Faye hissed. Immediately, Spike who had been chattig with the officers on Faye's weakness, swept her out of the room, cutting the conversation short.
"Well, gentlemen, I'd love to continue chatting but it seems that my darling here is about to puke out her innards. Wave goodbye." Faye did so feebly.
Once the two were outside and away from the crowd, they allowed their thoughts to flow free.
"I don't think we can ignore this anymore. It almost seems like its linked to our parents murder." Faye said quietly.
"It is."
"What?"
"I've got these papers here that I stole from the scene-"
"You stole for the crime scene?"
"Yeah. They say our parents worked right under this guy when they were alive which is probably why that police man talked about them."
"Do you think that the Giangeli murder and this one are linked? I mean for both of them, they couldn't figure out what caused the deaths."
"Yeah, I think so." The two walked silently towards the hotel.
Phew that was long! I think I rushed this chapter too much but I'll know from your reviews sooner or later. Julia might make an appearance in the next chapter but I don't know.
XHatori-SohmaX- Hi! Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad that you are enjoying it! Are you sure the characters aren't OOC? I was really sure that they were but hey...If you don't complain, neither will I. I love Spike! He is extremely hot!
zottie- Hello! Love your pen name! It's so...funky! And I like funky! I'm updating for you! Why wouldn't I? You obviously took the time to review so I should take the time to say (in deep manly voice) "This is for you, zottie!"
demonic girl- Hola! I'm so gald that you're enjoying this story! I'm trying real hard! Honest! I think I dug myself a hole in this chapter because I brought in too much plot but oh well.
Wolf Jade- Ahh! You came back! I'm glad I'm not predictable. I was trying to write a cliffhanger but I guess that didn't work so well. Oh well. Spike won't leave her after the next chapter. But once again, you guessed correctly at the plot! Spike was going too...but...we'll see...