Beyond Sight.
Chapter fifteen:
Angel yawned and stretched as she exited the room she'd shared with Mallory the night previously. Mallory had also lent her a shirt to sleep in and given the girl her extra pillow to sleep on. Of course it had taken a little gentle persuasion on Canard's part but she'd given in in the end. Angel walked down the hall and found her way to the kitchen where it seemed every one in the pond was all at once. She blinked a few times then sniffed the air and looked for the source of the unusual breakfast smell to find they were all having left over pizza for breakfast.
"Hey kid hungry?" Duke waved as she entered and tried not to laugh at her disgusted face, "the only ones who know how to cook are Tanya and Chase." he explained, "Tanya's busy tending to Wildwing and Dive and Chase is off helping save a village from an avalanche."
"And you couldn't have cereal?" Angel pointed out.
"We ran out." Candy replied grabbing another piece and receiving a glare from both Cassidy and Mallory.
"Oh."
"Want some?" Taro asked with his mouth full and shrank at the glare Miyuka gave him.
"Um, I'll pass," she stepped around them and looked in the cupboards and found some flour, eggs and then went to the fridge and got some milk. She then fished out a frying pan from the draining board and switched on the oven, "Anyone for pancakes?" Everyone stopped talking and eating to look at her.
"You can cook?" Canard asked dubiously and cursed as Sara knocked the spoon of baby food out of his hand and onto his shirt, which in turn caused Candy to burst out laughing.
"Yes I can cook." Angel said, "I'm not one of those lazy slobs that use those nasty machines to replicate things."
"Cool like in star trek?" Nosedive said weakly from the doorway, "Hey guys." He smile at them when they didn't reply.
"What's star trek?" Angel asked him.
"TV show," He slowly made his way over and sat by Candy putting his arm around her, "Hey, we havin' pancakes?" Duke noticed Candy didn't return the affection and looked a little awkward.
"Want some?" Angel started to mix up the ingredients, "I'm glad this planet has the same food as my universe or I don't know what I'd do. If I had to eat junk food all the time . . !"
"How do you feel kid?" Duke asked Nosedive as it didn't look like his niece would.
"Lousy," Nosedive replied flushing slightly as everyone was looking at him, "but Tanya says I can walk about so long as I take it easy."
"And Wildwing?" Cassie asked.
"He's woken up but he's still pretty out of it," he looked at the table and desperately wanted Candy to comfort him, but he guessed she didn't want to catch anything from him or something, "Draganus ruffed him up pretty bad." Dive looked up and searched the room his gaze finally resting on Miyuka, "Thanks for saving me by the way."
"I couldn't let a boy die, that would be bad." Miyuka said picking up another piece of pizza and delicately eating it.
"Here ya go guys," Angel served up a few pancakes and made some more before settling down herself and tucking in, it wasn't particularly healthy but it was better than day old pizza any day. They soon finished everything and everyone went about their daily business.
"Hey Candy Tanya says I should be okay to go to that fair at the weekend wanna come?" Dive asked as he followed Candy along the corridor.
"Aren't fairs for little kids?" Candy said sounding annoyed.
"They got stuff for older kids too ya know," Nosedive replied a little hurt, "so you wanna come?"
"I'll think about it Dive." Candy said irritably and walked off. Nosedive watched her leave extremely confused and went to find Duke to see what he'd done wrong
"Nice shot." Angel commented as Mallory practiced on her aim at the shooting range.
"Thanks," Mallory said reloading her launcher, "you shoot?"
"I kind of have to in my job." The purple haired girl shrugged and picked up another launcher, "these aren't lasers then huh?"
"No but they can do just as much damage depending on the type of ammo we use," Mallory then made a face, "just what job is that you do Angel?"
"Oh didn't I tell you guys yet?" Mallory shook her head no and awaited Angel's explanation, "I'm a bounty hunter."
"You catch criminals for money?" Mallory asked sceptically eying the relatively small girl in front of her.
"That's right, in the dimension I came from there was no form of policing, but there is a universal law that allows any one to catch criminals and the authorities reimburse you according to how difficult a capture the criminal is considered to be. Then the worst ones are taken to the planet of Thrull where they are imprisoned on the planet with others like them. The rest are sold as slaves."
"Don't the criminals just leave the planet?" Mallory pointed out.
"They can try but they wouldn't get very far," Angel took aim at the target and fired the launcher getting a perfect bullseye, "but there's a forcefield surrounding it that can only be disabled from the outside."
"Nice shot, but couldn't someone get them out from the other side?"
"I guess but no one's ever tried yet, the space station the controls are on is guarded by highly paid and highly dangerous mercenaries anyone who tried would either have to brainless or stupid." She looked at the gun still in her hand, "You know I prefer my laser this gun's bulky and not all that easy to aim."
"I'm used to them," Mallory shrugged putting hers back in it's holster, "Hey since your ship got trashed with all your clothes in you want to go shopping for some more?"
"Sure I love shopping!" Angel squealed. Mallory laughed and the two girls went to get ready to go out. Angel borrowed some more clothes off Mallory and they spent the rest of the day maxing out Mal's credit card.
"But you said you'd go!" Nosedive yelled not caring that everyone in the pond could here him.
"No I said I'd think about it, besides I'm going paint balling with uncle Duke and Canard now, you're welcome to come with us you know!" Candy said more quietly.
"I don't want to go paint balling!" he protested glaring at her, "What's with you lately, we used to get on so well and now you're just . . What have I done wrong!"
"Nothing I just don't want to go to some lame old fair," she yelled this time, "why don't you grow up already! You can be such a spoiled brat sometimes!"
"I'm spoiled?" Nosedive laughed bitterly, "You're the one who hasn't wanted to know me since I woke up. I'm sorry I wasn't so fun when I was in a coma but you know how it is . . ."
"That's low and you know it!" Candy spat, "You know what if that's how you feel then forget it, we're too different! Go to your fair I hope you meet someone who's more your mental age!" Candy spun round and stormed off leaving Nosedive staring shocked at her back. He'd been mad and all he'd wanted to know was what he'd done wrong and now he'd been dumped. He turned and left the pond going for a walk.
"Hey Angel that was Duke he says he and a few of the others are going paint balling you want to come with?" Mallory struggled with one of her many shopping bags, her umbrella and holding her wrist up to speak to Duke.
"No thanks it sounds a little too messy for me I'd have paint in my hair for weeks!" Angel replied and paid for the dress she'd liked, "you go on though I can get our stuff back to the pond and get something together for dinner."
"Looks like it'll just be me guys," Mallory listened to Duke talk then carried on, "sure I'll meet you on the corner in ten minutes." Mallory signed off and she and Angel walked out of the shop and put up their brollies to keep the rain off, "you sure you'll be okay with everything?"
"I'll be fine," Angel reassured her adjusting her hold on her own brolly and taking the bags Mallory passed her, "you go on and get one of the guys for me okay?"
"Only one?" Mallory grinned evilly and waved goodbye then walked off down the street. Angel started to make her way back to the pond and groaned when the rain started to fall harder and the wind picked up making her and her shopping wet. It wasn't long before she made it back to the pond and she jogged the small distance between where she was and the door way. As she jumped in something caught her eye so she put all the shopping bags down in the dry and went back out to see what it had been. Towards one of the palm trees that littered the parking lot she saw blond hair and a loose waist coat blowing in the wind, as she got closer she saw it was Nosedive and he seemed upset, that and very wet.
Nosedive stared up at the increasingly darkening sky and allowed the rain to mask the fact that he was crying. He saw an umbrella move over him and he glanced to the left to see Angel smiling sympathetically at him.
"You okay?" She asked.
"I've been better." he said now looking at the ground.
"You know I don't think Tanya would be happy if she knew you were just standing out here in the rain with out a coat or anything." Angel scolded lightly.
"What's wrong with me?" he asked and Angel could swear he was crying.
"What do you mean?" She asked puzzled.
"I don't even know what I did wrong so why doesn't she like me any more?" Nosedive looked at her now his eyes pleading her for an answer, "I even asked her and she never told me."
"Is this about Candy?" Nosedive looked away and bit back a sob, "what did she do?"
"She said we were too different then dumped me, said I was a spoiled brat." Nosedive closed his eyes tightly and tried to stop crying.
"Well for one thing you are not a spoiled brat I can tell you that right now!" Angel told him sternly and he looked at her a little surprised, "and there is nothing wrong with you Nosedive I like that you carefree, I wish I could be."
"What do you have to worry about?" Dive asked curiously.
"Well for one thing I have no memory from before I was fifteen or sixteen, I'm not even sure exactly how old I am!" She saw the look he gave her and almost laughed but instead tried to explain; "you see about three years ago I was found in this space pod floating about in some sort of stasis. When I was revived the only memories I retained were my ability to fight, which I guess is why I became a bounty hunter. Sometime I wonder if there's someone out there who knew me and is looking for me. But I'll never know."
"You don't even remember your family?" Angel shook her head no, "man I couldn't even imagine what that would be like. I mean I know my family's probably dead but at least I knew them." He noticed she seemed upset at the last comment and decided to change the subject, "hey there's a fair I was gonna go to with Candy wanna come instead?"
"Sure I'd love to," she giggled, "but I think maybe we should get into something dry first don't you?" Nosedive laughed and followed her inside and helped her with her bags.
Yay another chappy! I hope you guys liked it – it is a shooting range right? - Anywho, till next time Toodles Angel xxx.