Back from vacation and ready to get this finished! Hang on guys we're running the final laps. Lyrics belong to Utada Hikaru's song "Colors"
: Aoi sora ga mieru
nara aoi kasa hirogete
Ii ja nai ka KYANPASU wa kimi no
mono
Shiroi hata wa akirameta toki ni dake kazasu no
Ima wa
makka ni sasou tougyuushi no you ni:
I woke slowly seeming to fumble up to consciousness to find an unfamiliar ceiling above me, and a soft bed below me. I shoved myself up with my left hand and whimpered as pain so white hot seared through me I collapsed back down, immediately covered in a cold sweat.
"Lucy," I opened my eyes to see Amy leaning over me with concern in her eyes, she moped at my forehead and I smiled lamely.
"Hey," I croaked. "What happened?"
"You were shot in the shoulder."
"That would explain the pain," I winced.
"You can have more pain killers now, you were out for so long we got worried."
"How long was I out?" I asked, slowly pushing myself up with my right arm, then leaning against the head board.
"A little over twenty four hours."
"Fuck," I swore. "And the meet with Katia?"
"Scud got it shoved back."
"How?" I asked just as there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Amy called. The door opened and Scud pushed in, followed by Janet, Dominique and Max.
"How's the arm?" Max asked leaning on the dresser.
"Arms good," I nodded. "Shoulder hurts like a bitch." I was rewarded with faint grins from everyone.
"You going to feel up to a meet with Katia?" Scud asked from the sofa with Dominique and Janet.
"Not at all. How did you get the meet pushed back anyway?" I asked,
"Scud was the one who convinced her," Janet gushed, squeezing his arm.
"I just played into their plan," Scud shrugged, blushing a little. "I told her you and Amy had a huge fight and you disappeared and we wouldn't be here till tonight.
"Brilliant," Janet gushed.
"You are sickening me," Dominique stood shoving out onto a balcony and lighting a cigarette. She turned her back to us reminding me of a cat. I turned back to the others.
"So what's the plan? When do we head to Japan?"
"We're in Japan already," Amy answered.
"We hauled your sleeping ass to the hospital, on a plane, off a plane, and to the hotel," Max expanded. "So your sorry ass better be ready to do this thing tonight."
"I'll be ready," I nodded. "Amy, you mentioned pain killers?" She handed me two pills and a glass of water, I slugged them down and stood shakily. "This hotel better have room service."
A double cheeseburger and fries later we were going over the plan. I leaned over the table setting back down the building plan, looking up expectantly at Max. Scud was still munching his fries while she explained the game plan.
"Now we've had some of the guys keep in touch with Katia via her own phones, so she should still believe we are all under wraps."
"Sounds good, but you don't think she knows her own goons voices?"
"She doesn't operate like you," Max shook her head.
"She seems to have brought in a lot of outside talent for this deal," Janet added.
"So she just thought our men were guys she didn't know. She shouldn't see this coming," Amy finished with a smile.
"Right, we have a small recon team there now." Max nodded. "So we hit this as planned, only we'll have the whole building surrounded for when you come out.
"Sounds like it could work," I frowned, moving my aching shoulder a bit. "And if they have figured us out?"
"Lucy," Max gave me a withering look. "No offense, but we've pretty much covered this while u were out."
"Fine, whatever," I grumbled sipping at my diet coke not feeling like arguing, and wishing Amy and I had never been involved in this. Amy put an arm around me kissing my good shoulder, I leant my head against hers and zoned out the rest of the conversation.
"You gonna be okay?" Scud asked helping me from the car. I nodded, gritting my teeth hoping not to let anyone watching know my shoulder was a definite weak point.
"There's Conner," I tilted my head to her, and we angled ourselves towards her, she had seen us but was running in the opposite direction.
"What the hell?" Scud asked, starting after her at a trot. Before he had even crossed the street DEBS Tokyo headquarters erupted in an explosion so strong it knocked us all to the ground. I cried out as the fall jarred my shoulder.
"Lucy!" Amy cried, she crawled to me, covering my head with her body as debris rained around us.
Finally after my ears began to ring, and I realized I was no longer deafened by the explosion, Amy pushed herself away from me, standing slowly. Aching I pushed myself to a sitting position surveying the area, around us people were stirring, but worse some weren't stirring.
"Scud!" Amy cried, hurrying towards him. I managed to shove myself up and followed her to where Scud was sitting up, leg pinned by a large piece of cement over his foot.
"Feels a little broken," he hissed, clenching his teeth.
"Lucy can you help?" Amy asked. I nodded and with my good arm I helped her free his foot, we helped him up and began to hobble down the street. I tried to stay focused straight ahead, not wanting to see those around us.
A van screeched to a halt at the edge of the debris ten feet in front of us. Max jumped out almost before they stopped grabbing Scud and helping drag him to the van, where Janet hauled him in quickly tending to his foot.
"Lucy move your ass!" Max yelled pulling me into the van, slamming the sliding door as the van peeled out. For a few moments we were all silent.
"Tell me someones coming to help those people," Amy tried to sound calm, but I could hear her anger.
"We've got a secondary team running back up," Max nodded curtly.
"Glad you had that all figured out," I coughed, dust still clinging to my lungs.
"Shut up," Max hissed.
"Shut up?" I laughed a bit. "I told you she was going to know, and now my best friends foot is broken."
"It is only the toe," Dominique spoke with out looking up. "He is a big baby."
"Toe or foot, you still fucked this up, Max."
"You think I don't know that?" She yelled spinning and putting her face in mine. "Yeah I made a shitty call, I was pissed off and got cocky, and Scuds toe got broken. You know what else?" I shook my head swallowing.
"Four people in my teams, girls I sent into that building were killed." Now the silence in the van was deafening. She turned stalking away to flop into a seat, head in her hands.
"I'm sorry, Max," I spoke softly. "I shouldn't have."
"No, you should have. You should have I didn't listen." The bus was silent for a moment before Max's radio chirped.
"Team three to team one."
"Yeah," Max spoke briskly.
"We have a flight plane for the target."
"Copy that. Destination?" Max asked.
"St. Petersburg, Russia."
"Out," Max dropped the radio onto the seat next to her. "At least we know something," she sighed.
"St. Petersburg here we come then," Scud nodded. I smiled at him, and nodded as well.
"We'll stop them Max," I assured her.
"Thanks," the grateful look she gave me almost made me regret all the animosity between us. She slid open the glass separating us from the driver and gave hurried directions for the airport, I hung onto Amy as the van did a quick u turn. Everything in me knowing that it was time to finish this.
