Sicut Terra, Planet Kepler
"Okay, the information we dug up on this guy is that he fancies casino and betting grounds. Says here, he's trained and proficient in mixed martial arts."
"He shouldn't be too much a problem. A black market dealer. A regular sleaze ball." chimed in Spike. Edie growled at Spike's interjection.
"At least wait till I'm done speaking, you heathen." spat Edie as she glanced at her communicator.
They began their search throughout the undergrounds of Sicut. They mostly spoke to small shops and businesses to see if they heard or knew of a man named Tomas Brayne. It was difficult to determine whether most of the owners were truthful or not. The shops had looked sketchy enough, the appearance of the owners further heightened the suspicion. One shop caught Edie's attention but for another reason.
"More fucking Manga? I think you have a serious problem." He pointed to the bag full of manga in Edie's hand.
"Idiot!" She threw out her arm and thrust for Spike's face. She succeeded in ramming his nose in. He bellowed in pain and pinched his nose to stop the bleeding.
"Goddammit Edie! I ought to throw that shit in the trash where it belongs!" Spike barked in her face.
"My mangas are my own fucking business!" She reciprocated his glare and screamed back.
A crowd of people gathered near them and held out exchange cards full of Woolang. Edie and Spike quickly extinguished their squabble and overheard the conversations of the crowd.
"I'm putting all my Woolang on Big Al's Sweet Victory. Did you see her last race? Godspeed, that horse." said one man.
"No way, I read you're more likely to win betting under Knowles. He's already won 5 races within the past 2 years. Not bad!" said another.
"Excuse me, when's the race?" Butted in Edie.
"You don't know?! It's been all over the paper. Today at 3. Better get in your bets now before they close it down."
"Thanks." said Spike, nasally, as he looked down at his watch. He, then grappled Eddie's arm and tugged her along.
...2:45
"He would be around here." Spike searched the faces of the multitudes in hopes of recognizing Tomas. Edie went to share a photo to the Bookies to see if they had any recollection of such man. She sped back to Spike.
"Yeah he's here all right. Some bookie said to expect him in one of the VIP boxes in the stadium." She gleamed. Luckily for them, the stadium only held 5 VIP boxes. The two split up to peer through the glass to see those that housed the boxed rooms.
"Found him!" Edie called out to Spike. The problem that the pair did run into, though, was the fact that access to such rooms needed credentials. And conveniently, on top of that, the box Tomas and some other unknown person sat in was guarded.
"Hi," Edie put on a warm smile, "Tomas told us he'd be in here and wanted us to stop by to see him. My boyfriend and I are old friends of his. Do you mind if we say hi?"
"Wait here." The bulky guard walked into the box, leaving the door ajar and whispered into the ear of the stranger who sat beside Tomas. The stranger then turned his attention to Tomas and said something to him. Spike and Edie couldn't hear his words. Tomas looked back, stood up and brushed himself off. He walked to the door. Noticing that the guard had his back towards them, Spike took advantage of the situation. He threw himself in the air and kick the guard in the head. Spike kicked him with such power that it knocked the guard cold on the floor. Edie pulled out her magnum and pointed it at Tomas.
"Sorry Tomas, you gotta come with us." She grinned. Tomas stood still and his companion arose from his chair. Tomas's companion dressed to impressed. He turned around and it became apparent to both Spike and Edie that the man held something to his side.
"Eddy?" inquired the dark figure. The stranger's face hid beneath the shadows due to the sun's placement. Edie's shoulders tensed. "Ahh... Eddy, that is you. I barely recognized you...You look so different." The man eased forward allowing lighting to seep through the room.
"John?" Edie's eyes widened in terror as his face came to light.
"I could never forget that squeaky voice, though." chuckled John.
"What are you doing here, John?" she attempted to keep her control of her heart's pace and made herself wary of his movements.
"Business, as usual. Shit Eddy, aren't you supposed to be dead? Of course, I'm not surprised to see that you're not."
"Long story."
"Isn't it always?" He mused.
"Who is this asshole?" blurted Spike as he watched their bounty.
"John Tully. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." John bowed courteously.
"Old friend of yours?" Spike questioned Edie, still eyeing Tomas.
"Old colleague." Spike opened his mouth to say something further but Edie raised her hand at him. "Don't tell him a thing. Not a fucking word." She hissed at him. John clicked his tongue.
"Don't trust me, huh Eddy?"
"I'm just going to take Tomas and leave."
"You know, I can't let you do that." John tugged at his gun's safety. Edie shifted her aim for John.
"Take him and leave us." She demanded Spike.
Her hand movements helped Spike establish that she was referring to him. Spike grabbed Tomas's arm and dragged him from the box. Oddly, Tomas wasn't resisting nor showing off his recognized skill. Spike closed the door behind him and reached for his handcuffs. Trying to find an opening, Tomas swerved away from Spike and aimed his leg for Spike's neck. Spike, awaiting the resistance, blocked Tomas's kick. He then countered with a knee to Tomas's side. Tomas, thrown back by the blow, tried kicking Spike's feet from under him. Spike jumped over his kick and kicked Tomas's cheek. Blood oozed from Tomas's mouth and the ensuring pain enraged him. He felt like a fool. Tomas threw punches but they landed in empty air. Spike dodged all of them rather quickly. Going for another kick, Tomas's leg forcibly crossed but Spike caught it and punched Tomas squarely in the face. Tomas collapsed to the ground. Spike sighed in annoyance and flung Tomas's body over his shoulder, making his way to the nearest police station.
"What are you going to do Eddy? Kill me?"
"He was bound to find out about me regardless if I kill you or I don't." Edie sassed in return.
"My My, have you gotten soft." smirked John.
"Just sit down and enjoy the race, John. I'm not killing you today. But if we meet again, I will have no choice but to kill you. That is, if you cross me."
"Adios, Eddy." John turned around and walked back to his seat.
"Hasta la vista, John." She saluted him with her gun and she, too, turned to exit.
"Hasta pronto." John whispered to himself as he watched what remained of the race.
Edie refused dinner and excused herself to confinement within her room. Her past cursed her. No matter how hard Edie fought against the grim reflection, her mind kept her from even considering sleep. She sat on her bed in a large sweatshirt, meagerly curling her limbs into her grasp. She held herself and fought back tears. She couldn't allow her past to rot her insides and tear apart the Edie she had raised from Eddy's ashes. She wasn't going to cry. She had done her crying over Felix and La Puerta a long time ago and vowed to leave those tears there in the past. There was a sudden pounding at Edie's door that shook her.
"Let me in." commanded the voice. Edie stayed quiet and eyed the door, curiously. "Fuck this, I'm coming in."
The door to Edie's quarters shot open and a figure leaned on the door post. Edie loosened her grip on her legs and eased her knees.
"Here. Supper. I don't know when I turned into room service." Spike grudging dropped the plate of food onto her bedside counter space. As he made his way out, he turned his head back and pitched in, "Your blue hair is falling out, you may wanna buy more paint."
At that, Edie sprawled, jumped up, and towered (not by much of course) over Spike's body. She was livid. Here she was glooming over her past, minding her own fucking business, and this pissant feels the need to relish in it?
"Why you low-life scum." exasperated Edie as she laced her fingers around his throat and shook him with her might."My hair is not falling out! It's growing out you dumbass! How dare you!?"
"You bitch! You mean you're not a natural cotton candy?" Spike squeezed out.
This infuriated Edie even more so causing her to continue to shake him hard and pull at him. Spike tried ripping her clutch of his neck but the more he tugged at her arms, the deeper she sank in her nails. He considered his next best choice to be hitting back in defense. Spike pulled aside his hand and made a lousy fist. He aimed a small punch for an area that would not, technically, cause collateral damage.
"OWWW!" uttered Edie as she released Spike and reflexively, rubbed her breast. "I might as well give you a low blow and kick you in the dick." Edie jumped off her bed. Spike rubbed at his neck and scowled.
"Oh, don't cry you big baby. Stay here, I'm going to get something to help out that neck of yours." She noted the small incisions her nails left.
"Goddammit, that hurt. I wasn't even wearing a bra, that dick." piped Edie as she exited her quarters.
...
"Here. A peace treaty." Edie handed Spike a glass while she set aside her first aid kit. Spike perched himself on Edie's bed and sipped the clear liquid.
"What is this? Moonshine?"
"Bingo!" praised Edie. She went on to dress his wounds, dousing them with alcohol.
"Where'd you get it from?" Spike seemed unfazed by the sting of the alcohol and placidly, drank more.
"It's my stored stash. It gives to know the right people." she snickered. "Don't tell Jet about it or he'll raid my room."
"Pretty good." He felt the rush of hot liquid burn his throat. Nothing he couldn't handle.
"Done." She gently traced along the band-aids that bonded his neck. Spike's skin crawled with goosebumps at Edie's cold touch and the hairs of the back of his neck peaked. Edie reached across Spike to snag her cigarettes. She lit the cigarette that drooped in her moist lips and blew smoke in his face. She was surprised to get no reaction out of Spike. He merely gazed at her, his face unreadable. Unexpectedly, he broke his stare and turned his attention to the drink in his hand. His lowered eyes gave away to something colorful, hues of pink and red.
"What's that?" Spike nodded his head towards Edie's thigh. Edie, resting above her calves, pointed to her thigh.
"You mean my tattoo?" The tattoo was entirely too large; it covered all of her thigh. "Cherry blossoms."
The cherry blossoms were shaded in and so defined, that they could be easily mistaken for real ones. The branch that held the blooming cherry blossoms was grimly dark, to the point of being black, and appeared to have belonged to a scorched tree. Not all of the buds on the branch bloomed brightly.
Edie watched him peer at her thigh and secretly, it excited her. She maintained herself with a hand holding her up against her bed and the other fondling with a cigarette. Spike threw back the last of the moonshine and felt heavenly. He craved Edie's smoke. Her cigarettes gave him a better edge than his own.
"Fuck, I could really go for a cigarette." he grumbled softly.
In response, Edie grabbed another, turning on her radio in the meantime. She handed Spike the cigarette and lit it. Edie felt great. She had a drink or two of moonshine and felt like soaring.
"More moonshine?" offered Edie, with the bottle in her hand. Spike nodded and Edie refilled his glass.
Edie's favorite band boomed in the background. A soft metal of sorts. Edie and Spike sat in silence, on Edie's bed, for a least 30 minutes just smoking and drinking. Neither felt obligated to stir up conversation, but both were completely content with silence. Though they sat next to each other, their minds were thousands of miles apart. Spike fidgeted ever so slightly, awakening Edie. She brought both feet down to the floor and arose from the bed. Spike's eyes didn't follow her. He spaced out, eyeing his drink. The alcohol and tobacco awoke her to memories. Memories that ached her loins and dried her mouth.
