Do I really have to do this disclaimer crap? You all know I don't own the show, cause the show is real. They just don't want you to know that. Let's continue with fluff and romantic action.
Melfina woke up once again, still worried about Harry. She had no idea that he had seen her that night and left her a gift. As she rose to get out of the bed, the box that was near her fell to the floor. Melfina was startled at it's fall, for it made a sound that implied that something had been broken inside. As she picked it up, she wondered who would leave her a gift? There was a note on the floor that fell with the box that Melfina forgot to pick up. After breaking the seal to the envelope, she silently read the note.
Hey sweetie,
I just want you to know that everything went great. We paid Fred off and now we can spend a lot more time relaxing together. I had to leave early for a job, but I got you a gift last night. I told you that I would show you some of my music sometime, and I hope you like what I got for you. It's pre-programmed. I'll see you later. I love you, Melfina.
Harry M.
Melfina smiled after reading the note. At least Harry was okay. She glanced at the box in wonder. What could it be? As Melfina slowly ripped through the wrapping paper, she could see a brown box emerging. Once the paper was gone, she opened the box, which already had it's tape cut, and pulled out a small mp3 player with her name engraved on the side. It was a mix of dark-blue and light-purple with silver buttons. Melfina had heard Jim talk about these to Gene. They were supposedly top-of-the-line and very expensive. She couldn't believe Harry had spent that much on her. A small tear fell from her eye as she stared at the device. Harry had been doing so much for her and she hadn't done one thing for him except be there. Melfina then realized that it was early in the morning and that if she finished everything then she could enjoy how to use her mp3 player. Melfina quickly rose from the bed, ran to the shower, and bathed unusually quickly. After getting dressed in her typical clothing, she got the player and went to the kitchen. Melfina turned on the oven and then stared at the player.
"Okay," she wispered, "Let's see. How do you work this thing?" Melfina noticed a play button on the player. Once she pushed it in, she placed it in her pocket and was about to put the earphones in when a large booming sound horrified Melfina, causing her to drop the earphones. She looked out the windows upstairs that could be seen fron the kitchen. It was raining horribly. Melfina walked toward the tv and turned it to a news station. She wanted to know the weather while making food for everyone. After a few seconds, the headlines appeared as the anchorman read the news while Melfina stood in front of the television, watching intently.
"Good morning, Heifong! Before we get to the headlines, a weather update. If you're looking out your window, then you don't need me to tell you that we're in for a monster storm. Meterologists speculate that it'll be a few days to a week before the rain ends. So don't forget to pull out those umbrellas. Officials say they are able to reroute power thoughout the city to avoid power outages."
Melfina began to get worried for Harry, again. She wanted to know if Harry was okay, but with no way to contact him, things weren't looking good. As Melfina began mixing ingredients for pancakes, her attention was diverted to the television once again.
"And now, our top story. A terrorist leader, captured!"
"Oh, maybe I'll see Harry!" Melfina said as she ran for a seat to watch the news. As she took her seat, the anchorman continued.
"White Flags leader Pyrados Dachuel was captured and turned in to police last night by a group of people containing three men and a female Ctarl-Ctarl. This station was able to obtain footage of the leader of the organization along with the people who captured him." The screen quickly went to a shot taken from the police department. It showed an officer delivering information to the news bureaus while, in the background, Pyrados was being shoved into a cell by Aisha and Harry. Melfina squealed with excitement when she saw Harry, who seemed to be having a hard time. Melfina tried to listen to the barely audiable words that Harry and Aisha were saying.
"Get in there, you worthless shrimp," Harry said.
"Go (bleep) yourself and your little (bleep) girlfriend, too, you (bleep)," Pyrados said, with some of his language being edited due to the network standards. Melfina knew what Harry would do then.
"You little (bleep)!" Harry screamed, punching and kicking Pyrados in his face again until his right hand was covered in blood. While the officer was still talking, Harry stepped away and let Aisha take her turn at assulting the captive. After his assault, Harry kicked him once more and spit on him. "(bleep)", Harry said, once again being edited. The camera cut away back to the anchorman.
"We also obtained this interview with one of the men who helped capture him. He apparently indentified himself as thier leader."
"Aww. Capturing this guy was nothing," Jim said, obviously gloating. "He did have a lot of guards, but the guys and Aisha took care of that. And as for his security systems, I disengaged all of those by remote, making the job simple. By the way, if you need a job done, call Starwind & Haw..."
"And we'll be back with more headlines after this brief word from our sponsors," the anchorman said. Melfina just shook her head.
"Jim, you can't promote on broadcast television," she muttered as she walked back to the kitchen. She then remembered the mp3 player in her pocket. She took the ear phones and placed them in her ears. She pulled the player out and looked at its small LCD screen. As she hit play, the first track came up titled 'A Message'. It played into her ears, but it wasn't what she thought.
"Hi, Melfina." It was Harry's voice. He had programmed his voice into the player when he bought it. "You're probably wondering what you're doing hearing me. Well, I used my voice as the help voice on your player. When you have a problem on it, hit the button with the question mark on it and my voice will help you with the problem. I really hope you like my songs I put on here. Well, I love you." The message ended. It then went to the next track, which started with a moderately fast punk beat. Melfina placed the player back into her pocket and continued making breakfast while she enjoyed her music. In a few minutes a louder, heavier song began playing. Melfina, still on her energy rush from the punk track, jumped right into this one. She began lightly bobbing her head to the drum as she danced her way to the refrigerator. After a few more minutes, another track. This one was unique. It was very heavy at the beginning, but the middle was very melodic, which Melfina loved. I really need Harry to tell me some of these bands one day, she thought. She could have pulled out the player to look at the band names, but she was too busy making breakfast to do that. As she continued to listen to her mp3s and to make breakfast, a knocking noise could be heard from the door. Melfina couldn't hear it, though, for her music was too loud. After a few more seconds, the sound became louder and louder, shocking Melfina. She didn't think Harry would be back this quickly. As she took the earphones out of her ears, she wondered, Who would be here in this rain? Her obvious assumption was that it was a criminal. As she slowly crept toward the door, she noticed Gene's caster on the desk that Jim placed his laptop on every night. Melfina thought, even though she didn't know how to use it, that maybe she could scare him off with a gun in the face. As she grabbed the caster, she made her way to the door, which was still being knocked on, and unlocked it. Melfina took a moment to gather herself and threw the door open, shoving the gun in the unknown person's face.
"Get out of here right now, you ... Harry!" Harry stood there, puzzled as to why Melfina was about to shoot him.
"Melfina," Harry said timidly, "Is that loaded?" Melfina pulled the gun back in total embarrassment.
"Um, no. Harry, I'm sorry. I thought you were ... you know."
"Yeah, don't worry. It's okay." Harry stepped inside, soaked from the rain outside. He didn't want to get close to Melfina. He thought she would get wet and cold if she got to close to him.
"Harry, you're wet. You need to dry off, don't you?"
"I guess so," Harry said, looking at himself. "Is anyone in the shower?"
"No," Melfina replied. "I just stepped out of it. It's all yours."
"Thanks, I'll be out in a few minutes." Harry walked toward the hallway before stopping and looking at Melfina. "By the way, I'm glad to see you."
"Me too, Harry. Sorry that I pointed the gun in your face. I thought you were a criminal because we weren't expecting you this early."
"I probably would have done the same thing. I left my keys and phone here by accident. Besides, I don't know the number to the shop yet. I guess I'll go and bathe." Harry left Melfina's sight and entered the bathroom. After about thirty minutes had gone by, Harry stepped into the kitchen.
"How do you like it, Mel?" he said. Melfina turned toward Harry. Harry was wearing the clothes they had bought when they went out the first time he stayed there. He was wearing loose, greenish-brown cargo pants, the double studded belt that Melfina had worn, and a band t-shirt for a group called Aiden. He made his way toward Melfina and gave her a very large, tight hug. Melfina pushed him back to get a good look at his wardrobe.
"I need to do your shopping for you," she said, laughing.
"What? This doesn't look good at all?"
"It's not that, Harry. It's just ... it's looks like your a gang mamber or something."
"But it's so comfortable," Harry said whining. "Come on, you said it felt good when you put it on."
"Yeah. I did. Why did I know you would bring that up?"
"Because, I love it when you say something cute like that." Harry wrapped his arms around Melfina's neck while she was turned away from him. He slowly moved his nose along her neck in a very sensual manner.
"Oh! By the way, Harry," Melfina said, "I saw you and Aisha on tv this morning."
"You did? About what?"
"About you guys capturing Pyrados. He didn't look as bad and tough as the media made him out to be."
"Yeah. They also didn't point out how easy it is to kick his teeth down his throat." Harry said, looking towards the door at his shoe, which was still slightly stained from blood. Harry moved toward the refrigerator and turned back toward Melfina. "Do you need any help? I'll be glad to offer assistance."
"No thanks. I've got it. You need to work on relaxing around me, Harry. Come here." Melfina led Harry into the living room as the thunder still rang outside. Harry took a seat on the couch as Melfina took the remote control from the small coffee table in front of them. She sat by Harry as she looked into his eyes. "Now, tell me what you like and I'll turn it to that."
"I like lots of different things. Music videos, comedy, a good movie, anything that's good, Mel."
"Um, I don't thing those things come on that early, Harry."
"Don't worry. If you want me to stay in my seat, then I'll just channel surf. I love that."
"Okay. Breakfast will be done in a few minutes." Melfina rose from her seat and walked back to the kitchen. Harry was feeling a little guilty that he wasn't helping her. Maybe she needs some help, but is too shy to ask for it? No! She told you to stay here, and if you love her then that is what you'll do. Besides, you have the rest of the day off. You and Mel get to be together. Harry continued to watch tv as Melfina was finishing preparing the food. As she was almost done, Suzuka made her way into the living room.
"Good morning, everyone." she said politely.
"Morning, Suzuka." they both relpied. "Do have any missions today?" Melfina asked.
"No, my schedule is clear until someone employs me. Until then, I'll just be reading." Suzuka made her way to a seat in the corner and opened a book that was placed to the side of the chair. Harry continued to watch television until he became bored. He walked towards Melfina as Suzuka poked her eyes over the top of the book to watch him. Harry lightly grabbed her shoulders and slowly carressed them.
"Are you absolutly sure that you don't need my help?"
"I'm very sure, Harry," Melfina said, giggling. "Just sit down. I'm bringing the food as I speak." Harry took his seat as Melfina brought his food to him. Melfina then went into the hallway for a few seconds before returning.
"What did you go in there for?" Harry asked.
"To open Aisha's door. The smell of food is better than an alarm clock with her," Melfina said, taking her seat. As they began to share some happy moments together, Suzuka joined them at the breakfast table. She filled her plate with an assortment of foods that Melfina had made and began to dine as Aisha walked into the kitchen and did the same.
"Hi everyone!" she said as a large bolt of lightening struck outside the window, frightening her and Melfina. "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" they both screamed in horror. Melfina put her hands over her ears from the loud sound and leaned towards Harry, who was looking outside the window in worry.
"Man, I'm glad I got in here before that happened," he said. "It must suck to be Jim and Gene today."
"Oh no," Melfina said. "Don't tell me that they have that job today." Harry nodded in recognition that they would have to leave in the rain. Melfina's face showed signs of concern as she looked out the window as well.
"Well, let's forget the lightening, guys," Aisha said, "Where's the energy? The excitement? The happy-go-lucky spirit? Come on! Lighten up. It's just a storm. It'll pass."
"Aisha's right," Harry said. "We've got to have fun even though the rain is keeping us down. How about ... video games?" Aisha perked her ears up to the sky and grinned challengingly at Harry.
"Oh yeah!" she screamed. "Let's go. We'll play teams. You and Melfina against me and Suzuka."
"I am not playing that mind destroying contraption with you, Aisha," Suzuka said sternly. "I don't even know how to work it."
"I'll teach you, Suze." Suzuka then hit Aisha over the head with her wooden sword. Aisha fell to the ground in agony from the painful blow.
"What did I say about calling me that?" Suzuka said.
"I'm sorry, Aisha, but I don't want to play either," Melfina said. "It's lightening, and you might electrocuted if you're holding one of those controllers." As they were argueing about the video games, Jim came down the stairs, almost tripping over his own equippment that was placed on the steps.
"Hey guys," Jim said.
"Hey Jim," everyone except Aisha replied. Aisha finally rose from the ground.
"Fine. I'll play by myself." Aisha stomped her way to the television and began to play the game that Harry had massacred her at.
"What's she mad about?" Jim asked as he sat down and ate the breakfast Melfina had already prepared for him.
"Nothing. She's just going to get herself killed trying to practice for me," Harry said as he finished his meal. "Thanks for the food, Melfina. You're the best."
"You're welcome, Harry. Let me know what you like and I'll get it when I pick up food next time."
"Whatever you make, I'll eat. You just cook so well." After taking his plate to the sink, Harry joined Jim on the couch, turning Aisha's game off and turning it to the news.
"Hey! I was playing that!" Aisha screamed again.
"Yeah, well we want to watch the news," Harry said. "Melfina told me that we were on tv this morning." Aisha and Jim both gasped in excitement when Harry said that.
"Turn it up!" Jim shouted. Harry did so just as the news began repeating. They watched their story, just as Melfina had earlier. Harry and Aisha jumped out of their seats, danced, and screamed in joy when they showed the footage of them assulting Pyrados. When they cut away from Jim's piece, he went ballistic.
"What! Oh, come on! What gives!" he shouted.
"Jim," Melfina said, "You can't promote businesses on broadcast television except through commercials."
"Well then, we need a commercial! I'll tell Gene about this and we'll get one on tv. I can see it now."
"Jim, let's just fly under the radar for now," Harry said calming down from his dance with Aisha. "Besides, don't you have to go do something with Gene and the Outlaw Star today?" Jim, remembering what Harry was talking about, freaked out.
"Damn it! You're right! Melfina, you've gotta go with us, too! Come on!"
"What?" she shrieked. "I don't want to go out there, Jim!"
"We've got to! Think of the pay, Melfina. The PAY!"
"Ohhh, can I go, Jim?" Aisha exclaimed.
"No! No time. Need to get Gene. Where's Gene?"
"He's still in bed," Harry said, pointing upstairs. Jim rushed upstairs to Gene's room. Downstairs, everyone could hear a loud banging sound as Jim broke the door open with his foot. Then, they heard Jim scream in agony. Harry and Melfina rushed up to Jim to find out what the problem was. When they got to the room, they found Jim on top of Gene, who was fast asleep, shaking him to wake him up.
"Wake up, Gene! We have to hurry!" There was no response. Harry and Melfina looked worried that Jim was going to hurt Gene if he did anything else to him. Melfina knelt down and grabbed something that was on the floor. She then tried to get Jim's attention.
"Jim, I think this could be the problem," she said. Jim turned around and saw that Melfina was holding an empty beer bottle. Jim immediately grew tense, knowing it was going to be almost impossible to wake Gene up now.
"I told that bastard not to do crap like this before big jobs! Get up!" Jim began kicking Gene in the head, trying anything to wake him up. Gene didn't even make one sound. Jim rushed to the door before looking at Melfina. "Melfina, are the pots and pans you were cooking with still out?"
"Yes, Jim. But they're very hot. Why would you ..." Jim bolted downstairs and grabbed the hottest pot he could before rushing upstairs again. Melfina realized what he was going to do as Jim climbed over Gene once more. "Jim! Don't!" Jim began striking Gene in the face with the scorching hot pot.
"Wake ... the ... hell ... up ...NOW!" Jim screamed, hitting him between words. Gene still refused to get up from his slumber. Jim, now exasperated, walked toward Harry and Melfina, who were still standing at the door. "It's no use. I don't know how we're going to make the Outlaw Star fly without him." Trying to find a way to help Jim, Harry offered a suggestion.
"Jim, why don't I fly it? All youreally needis Mel to navigate. It looks like anyone could pilot it then."
"That's a good idea, Harry, but you don't know how to fly it," Jim said."I don't know if we should risk it."
"Don't worry. I think I can figure it out. Come on." Jim thought about it for a few moments before giving Harry his answer.
"Fine. Just don't crash it," Jim said.
"Great!" Harry exclaimed. "Let's go, guys." Harry, Melfina, and Jim raced doen the steps and toward the door. Harry slipped on his shoes, which were still stained with blood, and grabbed an umbrella. "Melfina!" he shouted, "Get under this. It'll keep you dry."
"Thanks, Harry," she said as she got next to Harry, who was about to open the umbrella. "Come on, Jim. We have to go," she yelled.
"I'm coming," Jim screamed as he ran for Harry and Melfina. Harry quickly opened the umbrella and opened the door. They quickly ran outside to get to the car as Melfina shut the door behind them.
"Hey!" Aisha screamed, "You still have to play me, Harry!" Aisha then slumped back into her seat, downtrodden. "Man. Hey, Suzuka. Wanna play?" Suzuka held up her wooden sword once again and waved it at Aisha. "Sorry. Sorry."
After they had arrived at the space port, the group made their way into the Outlaw Star, lightly wet from the intense rain despite the umbrella. As they walked toward the cockpit, Jim remembered something.
"Harry, I just remembered. Gillium doesn't know who you are. He'll have to log you in as a crew member."
"That's fine. But I think he'll know who I am when he hears my name." Once they had arrived at the bridge, Gillium came online.
"Good morning, Jim. Melfina," he said in his usual tone. "Jim, who is our new guest?"
"He's the newest member of the crew and is going to have to fly the ship because Gene wouldn't get off his lazy ass. His name's Harry."
"Oh. Why hello, Harry. Let me register you." As Gillium began scanning Harry as he did everyone else so long ago, he was able to pull up his last name. "MacDougall! Jim, he's a MacDougall!"
"Yeah, we know. It's a long story, but he's cool. Let him in."
"If you say so, Jim," Gillium said, worried Harry would try another hacking technique on him like he had done in the past. As Jim took his seat in the front, Melfina's hatch opened and she stepped on the platform.
"Melfina," Harry asked, "What's that?"
"Oh, This is how I interface with the ship. Watch." Melfina sunk into the ship as Harry peered over his seat where Gene would normally sit. Slowly her capsule rose from the floor and opened to reveal her, covering herself and almost motionless, except for a small smile directed at Harry. "All systems green, " she said through the intercom of the ship. Harry couldn't help but stare at Melfina in wonder. She was right there, just the way he had always hoped for. It took Jim hitting him on the shoulder to snap him out of his daze.
"I know she looks appealing, Harry, but we've gotta hurry." Harry snapped out of his trance and assumed his seat.
"Okay, Let's blastoff," Harry said as he hit the first button he saw. The ship began to skyrocket toward space at incredible speed. Faster than normal, even. Jim was panicking.
"What did you do, Harry!" he screamed in terror.
"I don't know! I just touched a button!"
"You have sent the ship into launch mode without telling the control tower," Gilliam said. "Melfina, could you help me to stabilize the ship?"
"Yes. Of course," she replied. After minutes of entering commands, the crew was able to control the ship and launch it to it's desired point. Once on course, everyone was able to breathe a sigh of relief. "We are presently on course to desired point," Melfina said .
"Okay, Jim," Harry said, "So tell me, what are we supposed to be doing out here in the middle of nowhere."
"Well, we got a call saying that someone wanted to us to transport prototype engines to Heifong. They said that since it overloaded their ship, they would meet us halfway so they would have enough fuel to get back to their planet."
"Where did they say they were from?"
"I don't know. They only said it was somewhere near Tenrei. It did sound fishy, but hey, the pay was so large that we had to take it."
"Jim," Melfina said, "The course is laid in already. Is it okay if I get out of here?"
"Oh yeah. Go ahead, Melfina," Jim replied, turning around to see Melfina's chamber sink into the ship. Seconds later, she rose from the floor, fully clothed and walked toward Harry.
"So, how's the pilot's seat?" she asked Harry.
"It's very comfortable. Um, do you have to do that every time that the ship launches?" he asked, obviously talking about her floating naked in the chamber.
"Of course. The ship wouldn't know where it was going unless I did." Harry had a very uneasy look on his face. "Don't worry," Melfina said laughing. "No one's seen anything that they shouldn't see. It's very concealing despite it's appearance."
"Well, maybe I'm just overreacting. So, Jim, can we check the ship out?"
"Yeah, we've got tons of stuff that we can do to pass the time. We probably aren't going to be back at Heifong until tomorrow, anyway, so we had better find something to do." Jim hopped out of his seat and showed Harry to their lounge on the ship. It was lightly furnished with a tv and game systems just like at the shop. On the floor, there were numerous horror movies with tags on them saying "Property of Ms. Clan-Clan. Touch and die!". Harry, being himself, obviously ignored this warning. He popped in the first movie he saw, a zombie flick of all things. He got comfortable on the couch with Jim and Melfina.
"Hey, Jim," Harry asked, "Where are the snacks? I'll make something good."
"In the kitchen, duh. I'll get Gillium to show you." After Jim was finished speaking, one of Gillium's small, pink robots made it's way along the support bar and lowered itself in front of Harry.
"I will direct you to the food. Follow me." Harry stared at Gillium very unusually for a few moments.
"Please tell me that you did not chose that color, Gil." Gillium groaned.
"Jim, I told you no one would like pink."
"It looks good, Gillium," Melfina said. "Don't worry. Harry's just surprised by it. Right, Harry?" she asked as she bumped her elbow into his side.
"Huh? Oh, yeah! It looks good. Let's go." Harry rose from his seat and followed Gillium down the hallway. Jim then turned toward Melfina.
"Melfina, is it okay if I ask you something?"
"Sure, Jim. Ask me anything."
"Well, um, Gene told me that it was you who wanted Harry to stay with us. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is. Harry needed a place to stay and I thought it would be nice to have him in our home, since he never really had a real family of his own. I know so much what that feels like that I can't stand to see it happen to anyone else."
"But Gene said it was more than that. He said that Harry told you he loved you, and that you didn't seem creeped out by it. I don't know about him, Melfina. He just seems like he's doing this to be with you. You saw how he looked at you when you got in your chamber. I could barely pull him away. I think he might try to do something while we're in space."
"Jim, he wouldn't do that. He's changed. No one seems to believe me about this." Melfina was becoming sad now. Jim could see it in her eyes. "It hurts me when people put him down like he's worthless. He's close to me, Jim. I don't know what I would do if I were away from him."
"Melfina, it sounds from the way you're talking about him that you're in love with him."
"I think ... no, Jim. I need to tell you. I am."
"You're in love with him or not?" Melfina nodded in agreement. Jim knew what she meant. "Does Gene know or am I the first to know?"
"Gene doesn't. I'm too afraid to tell him. Suzuka knows. She said that she would talk to him for me. In case your worried, Harry does know."
"That might not have been a good idea, seeing as how he's probably gonna try everything he can to stay close."
"I don't think so. Remember how Gene wanted to be close all of the time? I told Harry that I wanna take things slowly. If he begins to act like Gene, I'll have to tell him I can't do it. It would break my heart for two people that close to me to be that way, but I need someone who loves me for who I am, not what I look like. Harry's not shallow. He can wait. Just watch, Jim." Jim returned her statement with a small smile.
"Maybe you're right. You're probably gonna be great with each other, and hopefully Suzuka can make your transition from casual to intimate smoother by telling Gene."
"I don't want to be intimate with him this quickly! Maybe in a few months."
"You think that'll be enough time?" Jim asked.
"It could be. It could be forever, but Harry said he would wait that long." As Melfina finished saying that to Jim, Harry walked back in with popcorn and slushies for the three of them.
"Wait that long for what?" Harry asked.
"For this movie to start," Jim quickly said, trying to cover up his conversation with Melfina. Harry sat next to Melfina and handed Jim his snacks and drink. He then gave Melfina hers and began snacking on his popcorn. The movie's previews began and they began watching the movie. After time had passed and the movie continued, Melfina got up from the couch.
"Where are you going, Mel?" Harry asked.
"I'm just gonna get up for a second. I'll be right back," she said as she left the room. Harry and Jim both looked at each other.
"Bathroom," they said at the exact same time. Harry took a sip of his slurpie, only to have it go halfway across the room when a zombie in the movie scared him. Jim began exploding in laughter.
"Dude, that was hilarious!" Jim screamed.
"What?" Harry said, wiping the slushie from his mouth. "The zombie or me spitting the drink."
"The drink. It's only a movie, Harry. They're not gonna kill you," he said in a mocking tone.
"I know that!"
"I bet you wouldn't do that if Melfina was here."
"I don't even want to think about that, Jim." Melfina walked back into the room to find the drink that Harry had propelled on the floor.
"Oh, no. What happened?"
"N ... No ... Nothing!" Harry said. "Jim just hit me on the back and knocked the wind out of me. It's okay." Jim was behind Harry making symbols with his hands and face to emphasize that Harry had spit the drink out because he was scared.
"Harry, don't lie," Melfina said, walking toward him. "What happened?" Harry groaned.
"The movie freaked meout a little bit, okay! I just got caught off guard."
"Of course you got caught off guard, Harry. It's a horror movie," Melfina replied. She sat back by Harry and continued to watch the movie. There wasn't a lot of horror in it to begin with, and, by the time Melfina sat back down, it was almost over. When it was over, Jim got up to put in a new movie.
"Hey, Gillium," Jim asked. "How much further is it until our destination?"
"We will be there in ten minutes, Jim."
"Man, that was quick! Let's get to the control room." As they made their way to the bridge, everyone took their positions. Harry piloted the ship to the exact point where they were supposed to meet the other ship and brought the Outlaw Star to a halt.
"This is the place, guys," Jim said.
"I am detecting a ship approaching," Gillium said. "It should arrive here in two minutes."
"According to my calculations," Jim said, "This payload will weigh the ship down tremendously. We're gonna have to go very slow so that the ship can take it."
"Okay," Harry replied. "So I guess we just sit here and relax then, huh?" After two minutes had passed, the ship began to make it's way into view. Harry and Jim began making the necessary precautions in order to transport the material. Once the ship pulled along side them, they opened a transmission. On the screen, the pilot of the other ship appeared.
"Is this the Outlaw Star?" the pilot asked.
"Yes," Jim replied. "Are you the one's with the prototype engine?"
"That's us. If you would allow us to board you, we can bring the engine on. It's in pieces, so don't worry about assembly. That's our partner's job."
"Okay. You're in position, anyway, so just link the ships and we'll be ready to go." Even though things were going smoothly, Jim couldn't help but be nervous. Once the transmission was cut, Harry and Jim began to walk toward the hatch where they would meet the crew of the other ship. "Harry, I'm starting to get creeped out. I mean, now that I think of it, they didn't give me much information. And if something were to happen, we could be in trouble."
"What do you mean?" Harry said. "This is the most advanced ship in the galaxy. How could we be in trouble?"
"We've gotten in some tough fights with this ship before, and I've learned one thing as a member of this crew. The ship's only as strong as it's pilot."
"Well, you know I'll try my best to protect you and Melfina if anything happens, right?"
"I hope so," Jim said. Once they made their way to the airlock, the crew from the other ship made their way into the Outlaw Star and greeted the two of them.
"Hey guys," one of the men said, carrying large boxes which looked like they would have housed engine parts. "Where should we put 'em?"
"Right over here," Jim said, directing them to an empty area of the ship. Once they began placing the boxes sown, Jim became horrified when he noticed something on the men's collars. He motioned for Harry to lean his head toward him to whisper something.
"What is it, Jim?" Harry asked.
"Check out their collars. Do you know what that is?" Harry noticed a small pin on each of their necks. His eyes grew wide as he realized what was going on.
"That's the insignia that you put on our suits when we raided Pyrados's office," he whispered. "Do you think?"
"Yeah," Jim said, "I think they're here for Melfina." Harry immediately grew defensive, as he always did when Melfina's safety was involved. Jim continued talking. "I think that rumor about him and the Kei pirates was true. Why else would they be on here?"
"Well, I'm going to stop them right now," Harry said. As he began walking toward the men, they opened the boxes and pulled out two, very large machine guns and pointed them at Harry. "Bad idea!" Harry began running for Jim and pulled him behind a crate as bullets began to fly around them.
"You're damn right that was a bad idea!" Jim screamed.
"Just give me a shell, if you've got one!" Harry said. Jim reached in his pocket, pulled out three shells, and handed them to Harry.
"These are the only one's I carry in case of emergency, so don't waste your shots!"
"Sure." Harry loaded his caster and took aim. He fired one shot at one of the men, sending him through the wall into the next room. "I think he's dead," Harry said confidently. He then ran away from the crate and fired at the next man. The shot used electricity and fried him. Harry and Jim dragged the two men back into the airlock and sealed it.
"We've gotta get to the bridge," Jim said. "They're probably gonna blow us up."
"Let's go!" Harry screamed. They ran for the bridge at top speed. Once there, they surprised Melfina by their quick entrance.
"Harry, Jim," she replied frantically, "We heard gunshots. What's happening?"
"It was a trap," Harry said. "We've got to get out of here, now!" Harry, knowing how to use the grappler system due to his skills on the El Dorado, activated the arms and destroyed the link that connected the ships with one swipe. He then turned the ship around and faced the enemy.
"Harry," Jim shouted, "I'll pilot the ship from here. You use the arms and missles."
"Good idea. Head straight at them!" Harry screamed.
"You mean on a collision course?" Jim said.
"Of course, but pull up right before we hit them. I've got an idea that me and Ron had been talking about, and I think this ship can pull it off." Jim typed in the corrdinates and send the ship hurdling toward the pirate ship. At the last moment Jim pulled the ship up quickly, while Harry grabbed the enemy ship with the grappler arms. The pirate ship was dragged upward through space with the Outlaw Star. The pirate ship began to fire missles into the Outlaw Star at point blank range. Pieces of the ship began to fall in the cockpit.
"Harry, they're hitting us!" Jim screamed.
"Okay! That plan doesn't work! I'll just throw them!" Harry sent them flying by letting go of the grip on them. Once free, the pirate ship engaged it's grappler arms and began striking the ship. Harry began hitting them back. "Don't think you can beat me at a grappler fight, you imbiciles!" The pirate ship then grabbed the Outlaw Star by the sides to prevent it from moving.
"Harry, we're caught!" Melfina shouted.
"Is there anything we can do?" Harry asked.
"The best idea would be to continue attacking," Gillium said.
"Fine. Take this!" Harry pulled out the hand blaster and began firing into the pirate ship, sending holes through it. "Why won't this thing blow up?" he screamed as he continued to fire into it. Suddenly, the pirate ship launched all of it's missles in a curve formation towards the Outlaw Star. As they headed back toward them, Harry panicked. "Jim! What do I do?"
"I don't know! Brace for impact, everyone!" Jim screamed as he ducked in his seat. The missles impacted alongside the Outlaw Star as they got closer to the bridge. A few shots hit them directly and continued to rattle the ship. More pieces of the ship began to dislodge themselves and fall. A large bar from the top fell at an angle toward Harry. Luckily, he ducked and avoided it. It kept moving though towards Melfina's chamber. It struck the chamber with such force, that it broke the glass and bent the steel around her. Even though it struck her chamber it continued to move toward her, hitting her in her chest and stomach. Melfina screamed in pain as she fell to the floor, the liquid in her chamber spilling around her. She began to colvulse from the shock of leaving the tank so quickly. Harry, upon hearing the shattering of glass, turned around to see Melfina on the floor in agony, her body slightly bleeding from the glass cutting her.
"Melfina!" he screamed as he jumped from the seat and ran to her side. Jim turned around to see Harry cradleing her head in his arms as she lay on the ground.
"Harry! Get back in the seat! There gonna kill us!" Jim screamed. Harry's eyes willed with water at the sight of Melfina, but he couldn't cry for some reason. He only looked in anguish at her body as he held her close. "Harry, if you don't get in this seat, Melfina won't be around anymore! If you save this ship, we can help her! Now, hurry!" Harry snapped out of his trance.
"He's right," he whispered. "I'm coming!" Harry gently laid Melfina back onto the ground and climbed into the main seat. "Okay, what's you're plan for getting us out of here?"
"I don't know," Jim said. "I guess we should keep hitting it." With that, Harry grabbed the controls in anger. The side of himself that he always tried to keep away from Melfina broke through him once again. The grappler arms began heavily denting the opposing ship.
"You're gonna pay for what you did! DIE! DIE! DIE!" he screamed over and over again as he continued to launch his barrage of shots at the pirate ship. Eventually, the pirates lost their grip on the Outlaw Star. Jim pulled the ship away from the pirates as Harry began typing in commands to launch missles. "Now you'll know how she feels!" he screamed as he launched every missle that the ship had at the pirate's heavily damaged ship. Upon impact, the ship blew up, scattering it's pieces evrywhere, some of them hitting the Outlaw Star. Once the explosion subsided, Harry and Jim waited for Gillium to tell them if they were safe.
"The enemy ship has been destroyed," Gillium said. Harry immediately calmed down from his psychotic rage and jumped out of the cockpit. He slowly picked Melfina's head up from the ground and cradled it in his arms once again as Jim knelt near them, stroking Melfina's hand.
"Melfina," Harry whispered, finally able to cry, "I'm sorry." One of his tears fell on her face. "I'm so sorry." He placed his head on hers and began to weep in remorse. Jim patted Harry on his shoulder to try to console him.
"Harry," Jim whispered, "Melfina could die if we leave her out here. She's still breathing, but barely." Harry looked up to see her injured chest slowly rise, then quickly fall. Harry sighed in relief knowing she wasn't dead. "We've got an infirmary on the ship. Gillium can walk us through on how to help her. Come on." Harry nodded, picked Melfina up into his arms and began to follow Jim to the infirmary on the ship. Once there, he laid her down on a small bed. Suddenly, Gillium's small robots began to fill the room.
"I'll take care of her here," he said. "You two go repair the damages to the ship. I'll call you when she's ready."
"You can move her, Gillium?" Jim asked.
"Of course. Everything in this room is robotic. I can heal any wound that Melfina has sustained. Now, go repair the ship and I'll notify you when I'm done mending her wounds." Harry took one last look at Melfina, lying motionless except for her labored, shallow breathing. Harry pushed her hair from her face and smiled softly at her.
"I'll see you later," he whispered. He and Jim left the infirmary as Gillium began to scan Melfina for injuries.
After hours had passed, Gillium spoke over the intercom.
"Harry, I'm done. You may check on Melfina if you wish." Harry's head darted up upon hearing the good news.
"Jim, do you want to come with me?" he asked.
"Naw, I'll give you two some time alone. I've gotta work on repairs anyway. I'll visit her later."
"Okay." Harry ran full speed toward the infirmary. When he arrived the doors slid open to reveal one of Gillium's robots hanging in front of him. "Hey, Gil. Is she awake?"
"She's waking up right now. She has a few small cuts from the glass, but nothing that will be permanent. She does have a bruised ankle from her sudden drop and she has a broken rib from the support column that hit her in the chest. She's lucky that it she isn't dead, but she'll be fine in a few weeks."
"Thanks. I'm gonna go see her."
"Okay, Harry," Gillium said as he moved along his beam away from Harry. Harry walked towards Melfina and sat by her bedside. She was still unclothed, but her chest was wrapped in bandages and her sheets were pulled up past her abdomen. Harry rubbed her face as she woke from her unconsciousness.
"Harry," she whispered in pain.
"Hey, cutie," he whispered back. "Are you okay?" Melfina winced in pain as Harry clutched her hand.
"I'm in a lot of pain. What happened to me?"
"You were hit by a beam. It's okay. Gillium said you would be fine in a few weeks."
"That's good to know. What happened to the pirates?"
"They're gone. Me and Jim destroyed their ship after you were knocked out. We're still in space, by the way. Jim said that we don't know where we are without you, so we sent out a distress call to ships in the region. We're going to follow one back to Heifong when we get help. Until then, we're stuck out here."
"At least I'm stuck with you, Harry," Melfina said smiling through her pain.
"Hey, did you get my gift that I left for you?" he asked.
"Yes, I did!" she said. "It was so great. I've forgotten to tell you thank you for it."
"You're welcome, Mel. I'll show you some of the bands when we get home, okay?"
"Okay, Harry. I'm really tired, so can I get some sleep?"
"Sure. I just wanted to check on you. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Thank you, Harry." Harry leaned toward her and gave her a soft kiss. After he broke their kiss, he placed her hand on her chest and walked toward the door.
"I love you," he said as he blew her a kiss.
"Me too, Harry," she said back. Melfina slowly fell to sleep as the sliding doors closed, obstruting Harry from her view. She didn't know when they would be found, but she knew that, until then, she would be with Harry through it all.
Okay, you know what to do. Tell me what I misspell. Sorry it took me forever to write this. Gotta go. And July, I'll try to find time to read your fic. Sorry I haven't gotten to it already, but I have refrianed from reading fics until this was done. Once uploading this story, just cut the cord to your mouse. You won't need to leave, will you?