Disclaimer: Not mine
Run
Spike and Faye walked towards the elevator, both shooting glares at the desk man. He looked away guiltily and continued to chat on the phone with a prospective customer. As the elevator dinged open, the man put down the phone and pretended to shuffle around some papers on his sticky desk. As he did that, the phone rang again.
Both Spike and Faye stepped inside the elevator, Spike bringing the papers out as the doors of the elevator began to close.
"Talks in detail about this guys work," he muttered, while comparing two of thirteen separate sheets of paper.
"Well it would. I think I remember hearing about his work a lot. He was one of the solar systems greatest researchers on diseases. If I'm right, then he was the guy who helped find the cure to neo-measles," supplied Faye. "He liked Thanatopsis by William Cunnings Bryant. Good poem."
Spike looked at Faye, his eyes inquisitive in nature.
"Thana- what?"
"Thanatopsis. It means 'A View of Death'. Brilliant poet, Bryant."
Spike rolled his eyes discreetly. Looking back at the papers and flipping to another page, Spike began to read off one of the pages.
"It says here that he 'was involved in the research of one of the newest bacteria, abbreviated PVS'. True?" Conversation between the two continued as they made their way out the elevator and towards their room. The gauze still held in its place. Removing it, Spike opened the door and led the way inside.
"PVS stands for the Platinum Venus Spore," Faye pronounced, "Maybe he was one of the leading researchers on that project. It wouldn't surprise me. I don't know enough about the project because it's still being researched. But the PVS is used mainly by the Gusev tribe situated in the Gusev Crater. That tribe originated on Titan, I think. They founded it and did something with it on Titan that attracted interplanetary interest. The tribe was moved to the Gusev Crater and was given a new name. They're under constant surveillance now. But yeah, the tribe did use it most."
"What do you mean? How can that tribe use it most?" Spike questioned as he pulled off his boots and threw down.
"I don't know. You're asking the wrong person. But that's as much I know about the PVS project without going and launching a research campaign on it. But it's strange how both his and Giangelli's deaths seem to be related." A jacket and hospital ID card were thrown onto the untidy bedspread of one of beds.
"What's the same?" He was resting on his bed, still reading the papers.
"Well both causes of death are unknown. And both seemed very pale and…yeah…" Faye stuttered off uncertainly in the end.
"Aren't all people pale when they die?"
"Yeah…but…I don't know. I didn't see him before his death but I have the feeling that he was in that position for quite a while."
"He was. Says right here that he didn't answer the door for his housekeeper and so she called his work. He wasn't there so she called around. He wasn't anywhere else so she called the police who found him dead. The housekeeper said he was still in his dinner clothes."
"I have a hunch that his heart kept on beating after most of his body went into a pre-death stage. It happened with Giangelli."
"You can't be sure of that." Spike laid the papers down of the floor before getting up to retrieve something from Faye's lifeless jacket.
"No I can't. But still…just trust me on this." Faye walked over to the window and looked out. People were milling about the skeleton that they'd left of the car. Many of them wore suits, as if they'd just gotten back from work. Most everyone was crawling inside the burnt remnants of the car, trying to find something of value. Fay lifted her fine eyebrows in mild surprise as some business men in black climbed out. Shaking her head, Faye turned away and faced Spike, who now held a cigarette between his lips.
"Take a look at these business guys. They're crawling around the car we blew up yesterday." Faye chortled. Spike looked at her, surprised.
"You mean the car that I blew up."
"Whatever floats your pineapple. Now just look at it!" Spike walked past her and looked outside. Brows darkened almost immediately, like impending storm clouds on the horizon. "Those aren't business men," was the answer.
Within a few moments, Spike was redressed and packing up his bag, throwing in his gun, woolong card and a few extra pairs of clothes.
"Pack your bag," he said shortly. Faye listened to him, putting her medicinal items, clothes and random articles together in one big jumble. As she did so, Spike was at the door, getting ready to replace the piece of gauze. Out of habit, he said. Within a few minutes, the two of them were out of the darkened street, heading towards their ships.
"How did they know that was the car?"
"They're a syndicate. Of course they would know. Shit, this wasn't supposed to happen!"
Faye remained silent for a while more until Spike froze and swore again, dropping his duffel bag and searching himself by patting all his pockets down.
"What's wrong?"
"I forgot the fuckin' papers near the bed! I have to go back to get them." The terror which had been slowly climbing up to seize Faye now did. She turned to him and grabbed his hand desperately.
"Wait! You're going? What am I supposed to do, sit in the ships, playing tic-tac-toe with myself until the gunmen come to get me?" Anger was apparent in her voice. Spike fluidly pulled himself out of her grasp and bent down to retrieve the extra gun from his duffel bag.
"Take this. Fire at anyone who tries to get you. Just don't fire at my ship or I'll be the one shooting at you and I promise, I WON"T miss." With that, Spike walked away from Faye, leaving with her his duffel bag and insanity.
Faye mumbled grumpily as she hoisted both bags and began to march forward, towards the parking space. It was now dark, with flickering street lamps causing eerie spectral shapes to dance on the walls.
Trying to keep her mind off of her fear of being mugged wasn't that easy. Faye often looked over her shoulder to see an empty street, though once in a while, a few stragglers or couples would be seen. The hand that clutched the gun flexed instinctively at times like this. It was a comfort to her, knowing that she could blast out the brains of a rapist if one came near her. But even then, death scared her.
Faye continued on, reaching the space docks in good time. She opened up her RedTail and jumped in, wincing as her tailbone hit on the metal. There she sat, waiting for the unexpected and hoping for the expected.
Once in a while, Faye's eyes would draw themselves over to the darkened street, on which there was nothing but something. Down that street lay the house of the leader of BioLabs, who had been killed not too long ago. Again, something seemed to be haunting her and the darkness.
Spike headed away from the angry form of Faye, while taking long strides to reach the hotel quickly. The papers were important. They might as well as have held the key to why his parents were killed. He increased his pace just a little bit. He couldn't lose any time. By the time he got there, the hotel could be swarming with Red Dragon cronies.
As he rounded the corner into an alley where the entrance of the hotel was located, Spike kept an active eye out for any suspicious activity. There were no extra cars of extra lights anywhere. In fact, most of the noise and light was still coming from the crime scene. Spike entered the hotel lobby and made his way to the elevator.
The mousy man from earlier still sat behind his desk. As Spike stepped in, he began to speak.
"Oh sir. I s-see you a-are back? Uh..th-there is s-someone-" He started sputtering incoherently as Spike casually drew his gun out and began to rub it down with his shirt. The desk man looked away, face pale.
The elevator dinged open and Spike stepped in, gun still drawn. Anyone could be anywhere. Within a few minutes in the rickety elevator, Spike was on his floor making his way silently to his room.
In the muted lighting Spike let his eyes fall on the door and the area around it. During this sweep, he froze.
On the ground lay the gauze. As if it were being blown by a wind, the gauze drifted towards him and stopped at his feet. Spike bent down to retrieve it with his bandaged hand. The hand pocketed the loosely woven gauze and drew up the menacing handgun. Within seconds, Spike stood before the door. Taking a few silent steps back, Spike unleashed his foot against the door.
It went crashing in.
For a moment, Spike didn't recognize the room. It was somehow different, with the air stream blowing through the open window.
Faye hadn't left the window open.
"Hello Spike."
That's why the room was different.
Julia.
She was here.
Spike lowered his gun and stared. She was here. In front of him, a tangible angel just waiting for him, sitting on those filthy covers on the bed. Gently, Spike began to move towards Julia, his one hand reaching out to her. But as he walked past the open window, he hesitated. Woody eyes glanced outside to the cadaver of a car. No one was there. They were looking.
Frosty fingers stroked his cheek. Spike pulled away, surprised.
"You're cold." He whispered. Pocketing his gun, Spike reached out and took the blonde's hand and gently rubbed some heat into them. However, Julia's other hand came and rested on his warm ones.
Spike lifted his eyes for a moment to glace at her beatific face. Cobalt eyes stared back at him, reveling in everything they took in. Spike sighed before asking.
"Why are you here?" The blue eyes changed in expression, from love and admiration to bewilderment and wonder.
"I'm here to see you Spike." She had the most luscious way to pronouncing his name. He'd always thought it was horrid. But whenever she pronounced it with her pert, soft lips, Spike just wanted to melt into her.
But this was not the time to be thinking of her lips.
"It's dangerous here," An idea suddenly seized Spike, "and it's dangerous with Vicious too. Come with me, Julia! We can run from him together! We won't have to worry about him coming for us! We can be two lovers, running from him!"
Julia looked down at their still hands, her curtain of golden hair falling about her face. "No Spike. I can't do that to Vicious. He's too dependent on me."
"And I'm not?" Sarcasm laced Spike's voice as pain laces a deep wound.
"Oh, you are Spike, you are! But…you don't need me…"
"Who says that? Of course I ne!" She cut him off.
"No you don't Spike. I need to support Vicious with his current project. What he's doing haunts him to no end. But he needs to do it to redeem himself in his own eyes. But you're stopping him from doing that. Spike, you're hurting your own friend!" Her eyes were trying to ensnare his but he was looking away.
"What do you mean 'his project'?" Julia evaded his question somewhat as she now avoided his gaze.
"These murders you're looking at. Don't get involved with them. You'll just get killed Spike!" The passion in her voice was rising rapidly, "I know what you don't! So please listen to me! I am in way too deep! But you have to get out while you can! Please Spike! Please don't go any further!"
Spike grabbed hold of her shoulders and shook hard. "What are you talking about? What do you know that I don't?"
Julia swung her head to one side and began to moan incoherently. "Oh Spike…you're so naïve. You know what you need to know. Please…just go…"
"Julia, you have to tell me! If you love me as much as you say you do, you'll tell me right now!"
"Spike I don't love you! I love Vicious!"
That was it.
Spike staggered away from her, looking at her as if she'd burned him. Julia gazed at Spike with wounded appeal.
"I guess I'll take the papers and go then." Spike said simply. He walked past a ruined but proud Julia and gathered up the papers from the floor. With that, Spike strode out of the door of the room without a glance back at the one woman who for him was thanatopsis.
Sorry for the long wait. I was considering deleting this fic and still am not sure. I don't know how good it is and whatnot. But whatever.
Kyoko095: No problem about missing the update! I'm just glad that you took the time to review! It's real nice of you! (Pokes Spike with stick) Do you think you caused brain damage? Don't worry though! We'll have a nice SF is I decide to finish this.
Wolf Jade: You should become a detective because you keep on guessing everything correctly! As of right now, you have five brownie points. Lets see how many more you can get!
amopet4: Aww thanks! I'm glad I'm appreciated and thank you for reviewing!