Confrontation
Six was running down the now empty hallway. It was obvious that his former crew mates had already been through there. Hordes of dead bodies littered the floor like a trail of breadcrumbs from hell. He steps over the corpse of a fallen intelligence officer, cringing when he sees the gash across his throat and his empty, colourless eyes. They were still open and staring at him. Accusing.
He stands there for several minutes, lost in the fog of his own guilt when something cold touches the back of his neck. A voice, quiet and disturbingly calm, pulls him from his stupor.
"Turn around. Slowly."
With his heart beating rapidly in his ears, he lifts his arms above his head and turns to face the sins of his past.
"Why did you do it?" The look in Four's eyes was as sharp and as deadly as the sword that he was pointing at him. Six sucked in a breath, knowing that every inhale and exhale from his lungs was counting down, bringing him closer to his death.
"Because we're dangerous." He replies, repeating the phrase he had heard a lifetime ago. The words held so much more meaning to him now.
Four doesn't say anything right away. He continues to circle him, his body poised like a cobra preparing to strike. "There is nothing more dishonourable than a man who turns his back on his family." He says. "I should slice your stomach open and let you bleed out on the floor. You don't deserve a warrior's death."
Six closes his eyes. He can feel the tip of the blade gently tracing a line from his abdomen, over his clothes. He is not afraid. There's a gun in his side pocket but he doesn't reach for it, doesn't fight back, because he wants to die. It's a thought that he's been denying for some time, keeping it hidden deep within the darkest corners of his mind. He embraces it now. He's just so tired. All he wants is for this nightmare to end.
"Do it." He whispers. He can hear Four taking position and raising his weapon. An overwhelming sense of relief washes over him. He's ready now. But just as the sands in his hourglass are about to run out, another voice breaks through the darkness.
"Stop."