Mercedes pounded a few steps ahead of Santana, and then slowed a bit to let her Corporal catch up. She was sure that at any moment The Siblings McCarthy and their unknown guest would come barreling into view, full of vim and vigor, and all they'd have to do was turn around and keep running. As the minutes stretched out in front of her, she wasn't so sure. She counted the seconds in her head as she ran, hoping to keep track of the distance that they'd need to cover as they made their way back to the bunker where her troops were hunkered down. Suddenly, the dust seemed to clear, and the night took on a brighter shade, and the terrain in front of them began to have a clearer , seemingly out of nowhere, she could see an unknown Browncoat hobbling quickly towards them. She threw a cursory glance up to the sky, and could see the flashes of lightning that illuminated the clouds.
Maybe lightning. Maybe explosions.
She tried not to linger on that depressing thought, and picked up the pace, listening to Santana fall in step behind her. She stopped a few feet from the bruised and bloody soldier who had stopped to catch her breath, and Mercedes scanned the area without looking at her.
"There and there. Set up the charges." She pointed to a few outcroppings of rock that hadn't been completely disintegrated by the shelling. "Underneath. We're going to make our own cloud cover."
Mercedes tossed a couple grenades Santana's way and the Corporal ran off without another word, sprinting towards the rocks, and diving to a crouch right in front of the first one. Mercedes finally turned towards the private and sized her up, noting the bloody gouge in her leg, and the tattered Company C patch that hung off of her sleeve. She gave a long look to the name tape affixed to her chest and smiled wryly.
"Private Wilde?"
The other woman didn't react at first. She stood hunched over, slightly favoring her uninjured leg. There was a fogginess in her eyes that Mercedes figured had a bit to do with the wound, and a bit to do with any medicine that Private First Class McCarthy had given her.
Mercedes had seen that look before. This wasn't her first casualty on the battlefield. There were plenty of times when she'd had to look her soldier in the eye and tell them that they'd never use their leg again, or they had better learn to shoot with their left hand. This kind of responsibility came with the territory. But the look on this soldier's face gave her pause. More than likely it had something to do with the fact that she had learned only a few hours before that Company C had been completely wiped off the map. They were newer recruits, shoved onto the flank to provide support. But those purple belly scum had attacked there first. They had leveled the troops lingering towards the back of the formation before the Browncoats could get any guns in the air. And by the time they did… it was too late. The damage was done.
Mercedes took another step forward, and gently touched Wilde's arm. "Private?"
"Private Kitty Wilde, ma'am! Begging your pardon, ma'am!" Kitty snapped to attention, slamming her hand into her forehead in a salute that was more muscle memory than anything else.
"Now, that's good. That's good, Private. I'm glad you could join us in the land of the living."
Kitty's voice got shaky as her salute faltered. "Ma'am?"
Mercedes ignored her, and looked to where Santana was racing to another rock, carefully placing a grenade. She then shifted her eyes behind Kitty where Mason was finally reaching them from wherever he had been dawdling, Corporal McCarthy was not far behind.
"What in the name of the seven hells is she doing out here by herself, Corporal?" Mercedes yelled out, noting that Santana was placing the last of the grenades.
Madison came close to her and saluted, still out of breath. "I'm so-sorry, ma'am….. She-she… she got away from us…. in all the….. in all the commotion…."
Mercedes didn't ask for clarification, but pulled out a few of the grenades, handing one to Madison, and one to Mason. "On second thought, I don't give a 狗屁 how it happened. We're your rescue party."
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Madison yelled, saluting again. She smiled sheepishly and lowered her hand. "Um, thank you, ma'am."
She returned the smile grimly to Madison. She'd always like the junior officer. When they'd first met not too long before, she'd had high hopes for how far she'd rise in the ranks, doing her family name proud. Of course, now that seemed like a distant memory, but she knew that Madison was someone who did her job and did it well. Her brother on the other hand… Honestly, she liked the boy, and he would always have a place in her squad. He was training to be a medic, and he seemed to really enjoy the work, but he wasn't half the soldier his sister was. Quite the shame, that.
Mason finally got around to saluting and Mercedes just waved him off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How is she, Private McCarthy? Is she gonna make it back?"
"Grenades planted, sir." Santana interrupted, jogging up beside them.
Mercedes gave a sharp nod, and addressed Madison and Mason in turn. "We've got about three hundred feet to that bunker, and we've got to get all five of us back. I've got a diversion cooking, but we've gotta go for broke. You're gonna take your grenades, you're gonna throw them off our path as we go on the Corporal's mark. And you're gonna run like hell."
Mercedes nodded towards Kitty. "Can she make it?"
The twins looked between each other for a moment, speaking that language that no one but the two of them could understand, and without a word, Mason reached into his pack, grabbed a hypo and plunged it into Kitty's arm.
He pulled out the hypo, and dropped it back into his bag. "She will now."
"Well…" Mercedes said, finally looking up fully to the sky.
The air around them grew oppressive, and the buzzing started again. Mercedes felt vaguely peaceful about the whole thing. She'd made up her mind that she wasn't going to lose anymore soldiers to those bastards. Not as long as she had breath left in her body.
She clapped her hand on Kitty's shoulder and looked into her eyes, noting the pupils that were getting larger by the second. Mercedes leaned in close and nearly shouted next to her ear, as the buzzing got louder and louder.
"They killed your company, Private. Down to a person, they massacred every single soldier in your unit. Except for you."
She let her words sink in, and pulled two grenades out of her pocket, keeping one for herself, and shoving the other one into Kitty's trembling hands.
"They tried to end you once, and they're about to try again, and we're not gonna to let 'em. We're going to show them how you survived. We're going to show them how we're gonna win."
Mercedes nodded to Santana who gestured to the others and covered her ears. "Frag out!"
She pressed a button on the receiver attached to her uniform and right as the buzzing became nearly unbearable, explosions sounded all around them.
The plan that Mercedes had come up with, and that Santana had inferred, was a simple one. The DEWS relied on a lot of targeting that happened high above the ground. They were powerful, but relatively inaccurate once they'd been launched. The buzzing that they had been suffering through was the vibration of the microwaves that predicated a launch of a batch of DEWS. She'd figured that if they set the explosions to go off at the exact moment, hopefully right as they were being launched, the grenade detonations that were surrounding them would knock the targeting out of whack, providing them not only with debris cover, but also with an avenue of escape. That was the plan, at least. She knew that if her timing was off even a little bit that things could go very wrong, very quickly.
She held a hand against Santana's arm, and squeezed as the dust clouds hit their zeniths, pointing off their paths. "Now!"
They broke off into a run back towards the bunker, Santana leading them and Mercedes bringing up the rear. She pounded the radio on her chest and opened up a channel, yelling out against the chaotic buzzing and the sounds of falling debris.
"Cohen-Chang, get ready for the bang."
The radio crackled to life. "Yes, ma'am."
The smoke was so thick Mercedes could barely breathe, but she put one foot in front of the other, She shouted out and Santana took a hard right immediately, not slowing a hair as she sprinted across the exploding earth. The rest of the group hesitated for a moment as the rocks exploded in front of them, but she pushed them forward, following Santana as she caught up to their backs. Mercedes counted out in her head; another thirty seconds at this pace would put them out of the radius for most of the DEWS and then they'd let loose with the grenades they had in their hands, and make a break for the bunker. She prayed that Tina wouldn't have to launch their own rockets, but it was not completely outside of the realm of possibility. She'd rather her company not be under direct attack, but they could stand several hours of DEWS, and wait for backup to arrive. On the other hand, if the five of them were caught out in the open with a successful attack, they wouldn't last seconds, let alone minutes. Mercedes noted a cluster of tall rocks to her left, and pulled ahead to match pace with Santana. She saved her breath and pointed towards the rocks. The count down in her head reached 30 and she took off towards the rock, pulling a grenade out of her vest, and priming it for fire.
"Grenades free!" She shouted, in the direction they'd just come. "Frag out!"
The cry was echoed several times, and several more thunks followed as the grenades hit their targets away from where they were now headed. Mercedes careened around the rock, and sank down on her heels, covering her helmet with her hands. Everyone followed suit, and as the explosions sounded on the other side, Mercedes could feel the oppressive atmosphere fading. They were targeting somewhere else now. Those Alliance 猪狗 had guessed where the group was headed, and they'd guessed wrong. This was just the opportunity that she needed. It wouldn't be exact, but she may have thrown the Alliance off the scent just enough to give them an escape route. She slapped Santana on the back, and took off running in a beeline for the bunker. She took one look over her shoulder, and seeing all of her band directly behind her gave her that last burst of adrenaline that she needed to pump her legs even faster.
The faint edges of her vision that had become hazy as she'd laser focused on one problem or another became clearer as she got closer to the trench where safety lay, and even as the buzzing started again, and she knew that their enemies were prepping another shot (probably very near to where they'd be), she could feel the relief that comes in knowing your goal was just around the corner.
Mercedes turned again, and skidded to a halt. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach with a decisive thud. Santana stopped as well, but Kitty blasted by, showing no signs of slowing down.
"Sir?" Santana asked, turning around for the first time. "Sir, what-"
Mercedes couldn't even manage a quip about the unfairness of the universe as Santana followed her line of sight, and the words were caught in her throat.
Private First Class Mason McCarthy was on the ground, tugging on his leg that seemed to be trapped in a shallow crater. Madison was close by, doing her best not to look panicked, and tugging on his leg as well. The buzzing grew louder in her ears, and Mercedes closed her eyes for a split second before snapping them back open.
She grabbed Santana's arms and forced her to focus. "Corporal! Corporal Lopez!" Mercedes gave another shake. "Santana."
Her second in command finally caught her eye, and Mercedes spoke as quickly as she was able.
"You're going to take Madison, and you're going to run, and you're not going to stop and that is a direct order."
Mercedes tried to calm the panic in her voice. Santana Lopez had never once disobeyed an order from her. Not once. She never hesitated. She never faltered. That's why she was Mercedes' right hand. That's how they always trusted each other. But Mercedes had no confusion about what she was asking Santana to do. She might have been asking Santana to leave her to die. And that might make anyone pause. But Santana nodded curtly and didn't hesitate, only giving her a small squeeze on the arm, and Mercedes turned back, running towards the twins.
She skidded to a stop beside Mason, and hazarded a look skyward. The was a faint greenish haze that covered the horizon, and though Mercedes knew it was from the exhaust fumes of the DEWS coming out of atmo, she couldn't help but consider the beauty of the moment. It also told her that they maybe had thirty or forty five seconds before the world went to hell in a handbasket.
She yanked Madison to her feet first. Noting the tears running down her face, but quickly disregarded them.
"Corporal, you're going to join Corporal Lopez, and you are not going to stop running until you are inside. Do you hear me?"
"But, Sarge-"
She put both hands on either side of Madison's face and held tight. "I will not let anything happen to him. I will not. I promise you. Go. Now."
She released Madison's face, and gave her a small push. This was all Madison needed before giving one look back to her brother, who nodded slightly, and turning away, Madison ran to catch up with Santana.
Now, Mercedes kneeled down and looked to where Mason's leg was buried up to the calf in the dirt. She felt around the hole, trying for a desperate moment to dig away the dirt surrounding it.
"Well, Sarge, whaddya think?" Mason managed nonchalantly.
Mercedes wiped her brow with the back of her hand, trying her best to ignore the buzzing that was getting louder by the second.
"I think, Private…" She let her voice trail off. "I think, Private McCarthy, that somehow you'd screw up a trip to the latrine."
Mason laughed grimly and shook his head. "Sergeant, you should go, there's not really enough time-"
"Can it, Private." Mercedes interrupted, standing up, planting her feet and taking a strong grip on Mason's leg. "You think I'm going to sit in a bunker for the rest of this war with your sister and I left you out here? I'd never hear the end of it and I'm not interested."
Mason nodded gratefully and looked up at Mercedes. "What now?"
Mercedes strengthened her grip and took a deep breath. "You're gonna yank your leg outta there, and then we're gonna run."
Mason gulped.
"This is gonna hurt, Private McCarthy, I don't got to tell you how much. But you will need to push through the pain. That's how we're gonna make it."
Mason scrambled to stand up, so he could offer leverage as well. He clenched his teeth and nodded.
"1, 2, 3!" Mercedes counted off and leaned back, straining her leg and back muscles as she did so.
She remembers a lot of these desperate seconds later and it's not with the panic or despair that some might feel at a moment like this. She was worried, yes, but more worried about Mason and his leg. She'd always had a supernatural luck. It'd gotten her this far, even though it didn't always touch everyone who stood with her, it seemed to protect her and as she was with Mason at that particular moment, she figured it'd work out for him, too. Of course what she couldn't have counted on was the gunner fire.
The first thuds of machine gun fire hit the ground a few feet in front of them, but Mercedes thought it was the pressure cloud disrupting the ground below. But as the shots got closer she felt that panic that had been noticeably absent curl up and take hold of her heart. One of the fears that she'd considered is that the Alliance forces would notice all the movement and put troops on the ground, hoping to smoke them out. She hadn't expected it nearly so quickly, but the knowledge that they were currently under fire panicked her more than she thought it would.
Mercedes pushed all the air out of her lungs and with all the power she had left, she pulled back as hard as she could. With an anguished scream from Mason, his leg slid free and they both fell backwards. Mercedes only had to take a quick look at his leg to notice it's awkward angle and the way he favored the other. She didn't look again. The bullets became louder, and they were buzzing past her head with only a few feet to spare.
She dragged Mason behind her, nearly lifting him off the ground and carrying him on her back, but she didn't stop running. She didn't even bother running evasively. She wasn't sure that Mason could take it, and she couldn't waste the time. She could actually see the doorway, they were so close, she only had to reach out…
Then, suddenly everything went white.
\
Mercedes hadn't been sleeping when Brittany asked her to the bridge, but even if she had, the tone in her pilot's voice would have gotten her out of bed immediately. She was out of her bunk like a flash, and up the ladder to the bridge. It was still early, yet, but there were some signs of life on the ship. She could already hear Rachel practicing her scales, which meant the rest of the crew would be up before too long.
When she got to the cockpit, her worry went up a hundredfold. Santana stood beside Brittany at the console, her arms crossed, and her face folded into a worried grimace, as she looked down at Brittany. They spoke in hushed tones, and Mercedes was sure she'd never seen her pilot more serious.
"What've you got?" Mercedes said, breaking in.
They both looked up, exchanged a glance, and Brittany gestured to the console.
"Somebody sent out a wave headed to the nearest Alliance cruiser."
"Did you scramble it?"
"To hell, Cap'n, but I'm not sure how much got through. They had to have caught some of it."
Santana took a step forward. "It came from Songbird, sir. One of us sent it."
"肏你妈!" Mercedes cursed, slamming her hand into the back of the pilot's chair.
There was a moment of silence as Brittany and Santana let Mercedes think, but after a bit, Brittany cleared her throat.
"Any ideas?"
Mercedes sighed. "Yeah, a few, but nothing for sure quite yet. I want everybody in mess. Now. Make the call, Pierce. Afterwards, you stay here and watch the comm. Make sure we know what's happening before they do. I reckon I can count on the mole being neither of y'all, since you were together when the wave went out."
Brittany was about to respond, but was surprised when Santana cut her off.
"Yes sir, it was the two of us since about four AM."
"Good. Santana, you're with me. Britt, start ringing that bell."
With that she rushed towards the ladder and was down it in a flash, with Santana right on her heels.
"What are you thinking, sir?"
"I'm thinking dollars to donuts I know who it is and what they want."
Santana was about to ask a follow up when Brittany's voice screeched to life on the comm.
"Wake-y wake-y, boys and girls. Cap wants you in the dining room, as soon as possible. Drop your duties, this is mandatory and urgent. Get down there now."
Mercedes could hear the folks jostling about in their bunks, but missed the mess hall entirely and took another turn.
"Captain-" Santana started.
In front of the two of them, Quinn emerged from her bunk and Mercedes was on her in a second, pointing a finger into her chest hard and pushing her brusquely against the wall.
"What did you do?!" She shouted.
"What are you talking about?" Quinn's voice was calm, as calm as it ever was, which was more than a little disconcerting, given the circumstances.
"I think it's high time that you tell me what brought you and your brother on my boat. I'm not interested in anymore of your misdirections, no more of your lies. I wanna know, and I wanna know now."
Behind them, Kurt approached and reached for Mercedes. Santana stepped in front of her, blocking his path.
"Not now, Kurt."
Kurt blinked a few times. "She isn't gonna kill her, is she, Santana? That might fly in the Unification Wars, but these are civilized folk!"
"Captain, what's going on?" Mike spoke up behind them, fast approaching.
Mercedes spared a glance back towards Mike. "Let me find out that you two have something to do with this and-"
Santana blocked his way as well, but met with a bit more resistance.
"You will unhand my sister this instant!"
"Or what, Chang? Maybe, I'll get a straight answer out of you. What are you doing on my boat?"
Mercedes turned towards Mike now, but Santana was slow to move out of the way.
"Maybe if the Captain will do kindly to explain what's going on-"
"I don't have to explain anything, Chang. This is my ship. Anyone that comes on it or off it has to answer to me. That's how it works. The two of you have been having secret meetings all over this place, and don't think it hasn't been brought to my attention-"
"Captain, I think that's enough." Shannon's deep, commanding voice cut through the chaos, but no one paid her much mind.
"Not now, Shepherd, this ain't got nothing to do with you."
"Oh, but I think it does, Captain."
Shannon's tone sent everyone looking in their direction, and they noticed she wasn't alone. Finn Hudson stood behind her, a pistol pointed to her back.
"Damn it, what now?" Mercedes seemed more exasperated than afraid, but the air of the room shifted violently.
Finn shoved Shannon forward, and pointed his gun into the crowded hallway. "Anybody moves, dies."
Mercedes put her hands up, but took a small step forward. "Ain't no trouble here, Hudson."
Finn fumbled with something on his chest, slinging a billfold over Shannon's shoulder. "Don't move, Captain. I'm a federal agent, and I'm in charge now."
"Good, good, Hudson." Mercedes lowered her hand a bit to gesture towards Quinn and Mike. "Look, I don't know what these two did in Alliance space, but I don't want them on my ship anymore than you do. You want these two lowlifes, I don't care, get 'em off my ship and all the better, but you swinging that gun around don't help matters one bit."
"闭嘴! All of you right now! I don't want to hear another word!" Finn waved the gun around dangerously.
"Come on, now, Hudson. We'll lock him and his sister up in the hold and you won't hear a word outta them until we catch landfall." Mercedes took another step forward, sliding her hand into her coat pocket.
"I said don't move!" Finn shouted, zeroing in the gun on Mercedes.
Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw Santana take a step in Mercedes' direction, he swung his gun around, and pointed it at her. "I'd say the cruiser I called is about ten minutes out. Once they get here, I reckon I'll get a nice hefty payday waiting. Not to mention catching all you criminals."
Shannon broke in, keeping her voice steady. "Nobody here is going anywhere, son. They're all stuck on this boat, the same as you. And considering that you're the one with the gun, no one is making a move without your say so."
"I'm not your son! I'm a man of the law and-"
Mercedes took another step forward. "Hudson. Finn-"
"I said stop moving!" Finn screamed. He pointed the gun at Mercedes, but a voice behind him caused him to swing around.
"What's all the-"
The shot rang out before Rachel could even finish talking. The first hints of red started to bloom right in the center of her pretty, silken dress, spreading it's scarlet veins out like a star reaching for the edges of the black. She barely had time to process to the blow before everything collapsed into anarchy.
Pushing back her coat, Mercedes pulled her gun from the holster, as Santana did the same. But before anyone could get another shot off, Shannon was on top of Finn, using her fists as a club that she brought down smack dab on the crown of his head. He folded like a house of cards, as his gun clattered across the hallway. Puck appeared behind Rachel, catching her, and lowering her gently to the ground.
Santana was down beside Rachel next, cradling her head closely. "What'd you have to go and do that for, you idiot? Didn't you know he had a gun?" Her voice was clear, but strained, she held onto Rachel gently.
Seeing Finn incapacitated, Puck approached, pulling his gun free. Shannon stepped up to meet him.
"You're not killing this man, Puck."
"Not at first, no."
"Not at all."
Puck lifted his gun to his forehead, not pointing it at Shannon directly, but making his point clear. "I ain't afraid to kill a preacher."
"No one is dying today." Mercedes stepped forward, pointing her gun at Puck. "Tie him up, lock him up in the hold."
Puck hesitated a second, and couldn't seem to decide what he wanted to do.
"Do it!" Mercedes bellowed, and he hopped to, securing his gun, and grabbing some duct tape off a nearby table.
Mercedes walked over to where Rachel lay as Mike stood by doing his best to stop the bleeding. She crouched at Rachel's feet, careful to give the doctor room to work, but let her know that she was there.
"Well, that ain't too bad. I've seen worse." Mercedes said gently, smiling a smile that didn't quite chase the worry from her eyes.
"You hear that, Rachel? You're gonna be alright." Santana said, her voice no less strained, but no less steady.
Mike turned to Mercedes, while trying to keep his hand over the wound. "We've gotta move her. Get her to the infirmary now. I have the tools there that-"
Suddenly Brittany's voice was all around them. "Captain, if you're done with the fireworks display down there, we've been hailed by an Alliance cruiser. They want us to prepare for docking and transfer."
The action stopped, and Mercedes and Mike shared a glance. He stood up.
"Change course, run."
"The hell with that. You brought this down on our heads, I'm leaving you with the law."
"You do that, and I'll let her bleed out."
"You ain't got it in you, Chang."
"Try me, Captain."
Mercedes was on her feet in an instant, her gun pointed directly at Mike. Her hand was steady, and there was no one there who doubted she would incapacitate Mike if she felt the need. Mike had to have felt it most of all, yet, he didn't move a muscle, save for the slight tightening of his jaw.
The room held it's breath, no one daring to move. They all looked back and forth between the Captain and Mike Chang. Both with their heads held high, neither willing to give out. It was common knowledge that Mercedes Jones didn't back away from a challenge. Never had and never would. But Mike was an enigma. He was only known as the guy on the crew that was quick with a smile, friendly to everyone, and who was as kind as his sister was cold. He'd never so much as raised his voice. But now, to see him stand toe to toe with Mercedes was like witnessing some sort of revelation. The man had a backbone that many would admire.
When it seemed that neither of them would give out, a small voice came from the floor. Everyone, besides Mike and Mercedes, turned to look at her, but Santana kept her eyes on the ground.
"Please."
It was a small sound, barely more than a whisper, but it might as well have been a shout. Mercedes hesitated only a second before lowering her gun, moving towards the radio, and pressing it with a sharp jab.
"Start evasion procedures. I'll be up to the bridge in a moment."
There was no response from Brittany, but they could all feel the ship start to move and everyone seemed to exhale at once, and began moving again. Puck tried slinging Finn over his shoulder, but after a few falters, was joined by Shannon.
"I'll give you a hand there, Mr. Puckerman. Wouldn't want anything to happen to the boy as he's getting downstairs."
Puck only grunted, and grabbed Finn's legs roughly, grunting again with the effort.
As soon as the movement began, Mike started giving directions, angling people here and there to lift Rachel, and carry her to the infirmary. Santana and Mercedes were right by her side. During the Unification Wars, they both had their fair share of experience dressing wounds, and we as good field assistants as Mike could ask for. Neither had seen him work before, but even they could see he was skilled. He had a natural talent combined with a trained eye, and after hours of removal and reconstruction, he put the finishing touches on a neat stitch that closed the fresh, red wound in Rachel's side.
They all emerged from the infirmary tired and bloody, facing an anxious looking Kurt and Sugar.
Mercedes beat them to the punch, waving off their questions and turning to the Doctor. "So, Chang… Is she going to make it?"
Mike rubbed his hands fretfully on his apron. "I don't know. I did the best that I could, but it was a bad wound. We won't know more until she stabilizes."
"Mercedes, I just want to know what's going on? Why did Finn shoot her? Why is he here at all?" Kurt asked.
"Why don't we go ask Ms. Chang, and see if she'll be more obliging?" Mercedes said, throwing down the towel she'd been using to dry her hands and storming out.
Santana followed without a word, and Mike struggled with his apron for a moment, but gave up and scrambled after.
"What? No!"
Mercedes barreled through the hallways, arriving at the Chang's bunk and walking through the door. Quinn sat on the bed playing her 琵琶. When Mercedes and Santana burst in, she didn't say a word, but soundlessly put down her instrument.
"I think it's high time we had that conversation, Ms. Chang." She gestured around the room. "You're on my boat, Quinn. You know what that Fed is doing on board, you need to tell me. You need to tell me why you're here. You need to tell me why Rachel is lying up on that operating table."
At the mention of Rachel, Quinn looked away, guiltily. It was the first trace of emotion that she'd showed since they came in.
Suddenly, Mike rushed in behind them, but Santana grabbed him by the shoulders before he could get too far into the room. He struggled against her grasp for a few moments, but stopped and pointed accusingly at the Captain.
"Mercedes, you have no right-"
"Enough, Mike."
They all looked to Quinn who stood up and straightened her clothes.
"But, Quinn-"
"She's right." Quinn sighed. "She deserves to know the truth."
Mercedes sent a wide eyed look Santana's way and then looked back at Quinn.
"Well, good." She said, clearing her throat. "'Bout time."
Santana finally let Mike into the room and he went to the bed, taking Quinn's hand.
"It all started on Boros."
\
The group sat around the big kitchen table in the mess hall looking with rapt attention to Quinn who stood in front of everyone. She was gathering her thoughts to tell her story.
Brittany walked in seriously, standing beside Santana, and glaring at Puck until he moved over. She sat down with a plop and made small purring sounds as Santana rubbed her back absentmindedly.
"My mother is Emile Fabray."
The room froze as everyone took an unsteady breath.
It was definitely a name that everyone new. Fabray had a farther reach than Motta, along with the backing of the Alliance behind her.
Puck scratched his brow a couple of times thoughtfully. "Well, who in the hell is that?"
Everyone rolled their eyes, and Santana reached around Brittany to deliver a smack to the back of Puck's head. "Gorrammit, Puck, how do you not know the name Fabray? You'd have to be hiding under a rock for the last twenty years not to know it."
"Well, I'm sure I don't know. I've been too busy helping y'all out of jams to worry about famous names." Puck said, insulted.
"She's only one of the top folks in the Alliance government. Well, she was. I imagine her separation from the government is the reason Ms. Chang is here with us today." Shepherd Beiste broke in.
Kurt gave Shannon a sidelong look, noting the strange emphasis. "Separation?"
"Yes, but I reckon that's not my story to tell." Shannon nodded to Quinn.
Quinn cleared her throat fitfully. "Yes, well, the Shepherd is right. My mother was ousted from her position of power because of, well, mostly because of a disagreement. I don't know all of the details. I was in boarding schools for most of my life. I barely saw my mother, or my family at all. I just know that one day Mike showed up at the university and said we had to go."
"And who are you in all this, Mr. Chang? You really who you say you are? I happen to know for a fact that you're a skilled surgeon. Are you two star crossed lovers that went on the lamb?" Mercedes asked, somewhat accusingly.
Mike managed to find a smile and snickered a little. "Us? Me and Quinn? Lovers? Um, no. Quinn's-"
He stopped himself when he met Quinn's look which could only be described as frigid.
"Anyway, no. We've known each other for a long time. Her family has long been a benefactor to mine. I got into the best medical school in the White Sun system, but I wouldn't have been able to afford it if it hadn't been for the Fabrays. You have them to thank for that bit of work I did on Rachel."
"Mike, there's no need to sell yourself short. You got into that school on your own, and your talent is your own." Quinn said, firmly.
"Be that as it may…" Mike continued, but pointed the rest of his comments towards his audience. "The Fabrays have been nothing but kind to me. Quinn is like my sister, we practically grew up together. When I got word that she was in danger, I went to find her and we left."
"Danger?" Brittany asked.
"Right. That's where I was headed before I was interrupted by the Captain." Quinn broke in, looking pointedly at Mercedes, who only shrugged in response. "Mike showed up at my school saying that we needed to leave right away. I didn't, and still don't, know all the details. But, I do know that my mother has spent a long time cultivating her position in the government. If she's lost it, and is in danger, then that means that someone on the inside came after her. She only sent me a wave that said she couldn't come to me because she feared for her life, and that I had a reason to as well. She told me that Mike would accompany me, and we were to get as far away from the core planets as possible until this all 'blew over'. She didn't say how long that would take, but she did make it clear that if I didn't, well, things could go very wrong. Someone is coming after all of us, my parents and me. I don't know what vendetta they have, but… Well, there it is."
Brittany, who seemed like she was dozing off because of the impromptu back rub, sat up quickly. "But why avoid the Alliance? I'd be running towards the law if I thought I was the subject of an assassination attempt."
"Because of this." Mercedes reached over and tapped a nearby display, bringing up a large picture of Quinn that was covered in the word "WANTED" in various sizes and languages. At the bottom it read, 'Wanted, Quinn Fabray, Treason. $5000 credits for information leading to her arrest.'
Puck whistled. "Whew. Five thousand credits? I say we hand them over to the Fed right now. We could use the payday."
Mercedes gave him a look, and turned to Quinn. "I knew from the minute you came onboard, before you ask. I try not to go into any situation blind."
"So, why'd you let us on? If you knew there'd be trouble." Quinn countered.
Mercedes shook her head. "第一, I always expect trouble, whether there are fugitives on board my boat or not. 第二, I don't much care about your reasons for getting on so long as you can pay. We're all running from something."
"And what are you running from, Captain?"
No one moved as Mercedes glared at Quinn for a moment.
"Well!" Brittany said, standing up and stretching. "That's quite a story!"
Her outburst broke the tension of the room, and everyone seemed to shake off the awkwardness.
"Well, it's all true." Offered Mike.
"Oh, don't it tug at the heartstrings." Mercedes quipped, without much sympathy. "But in the meantime, you've brought down a whole heap of trouble onto me and mine."
"Well, I'm sorry about Rachel, Captain, but I never thought-"
"That's right, Mr. Chang, you didn't think. And now I've got an Alliance lawman in my hold, and the only respectable one among us is laid up with a gutshot."
Mercedes didn't continue, but everyone avoided her gaze. They knew how dire the situation was. No one had to tell them, but at the moment their options were limited.
"So, how are we gonna find our way outta this one, Cap'n?" Puck asked.
Mercedes set her mouth in a grim line. "I got one rule out here, you know that. We're finishing the job."
"And us, Captain?" Quinn stepped forward and stuck her chin out defiantly.
"We're dropping you all off when we get to Greenleaf. You can make your way from there."
The room erupted at this suggestion, and everyone started speaking at once.
"Mercedes, they'll never make it out on Greenleaf with the Alliance on their tail, the best thing is to keep moving." Kurt started.
Puck scratched at his beard thoughtfully. "Does that mean I can get a bigger share?"
Shepherd Beiste leaned forward earnestly. "Captain, that's insane. We can't just drop them off, whatever happens to them will be on our heads."
"And the lawman?" Mike asked.
"We can't let him go, he's seen all of us. Lucky for us, he's got plenty of space between here and Greenleaf to go missing in." Puck said.
"Now, wait just a second, we can't just kill him." Brittany said, firmly.
"Like hell we can't. Man comes on our ship, shoots our Companion-"
"Puck, you can't just kill everyone you disagree with. Captain, tell him he can't just kill everyone he disagrees with."
"I won't stand by while there's killing aboard this ship." Shannon said, gruffly.
Puck scoffed. "Well, looky there. Shepherd won't stand by for killing. We all better walk soft."
"And Rachel?" Kurt broke in. "Captain, what if we drop them off in Greenleaf, and Rachel takes a turn for the worse? We need a doctor on board, Mercedes."
"She makes it out okay, they make it to Greenleaf. She doesn't… Well, the esteemed doctor and his 'sister' might be getting off a bit earlier than expected.
Brittany turned to Santana. "This is insane. We're not just going to shove them out of an airlock."
Santana didn't answer, but didn't meet Brittany's eye, either.
"Santana. Santana, please-"
"That's enough!"
Mercedes voice cut through the commotion and everyone fell silent. "This isn't a gorram town hall meeting. We go on to Greenleaf, end of discussion."
"And the lawman?" Shannon asked.
"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it."
"I believe it's cross that bridge, Captain."
"That too." Mercedes said, pushing herself away from the counter she'd been leaning on.
Brittany was up before she could leave, shaking off the hand Santana had rested on her shoulder and kicking her chair back with a crash.
Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "And where are you off to?"
"Somebody's supposed to be flying this thing. If that's okay, Captain."
There was something to her tone that Mercedes didn't like, but she let it slide, nodding before Brittany stormed away.
Mercedes put a heavy hand on Santana's shoulder, just as the other woman moved to follow. "Give her some time. She'll be okay in a little while."
"Yes, sir."
"Anyway, the rest of you get outta here. There's plenty to be done once we land on Greenleaf. Kurt, go prime the engines."
Everyone seemed to take that as their cue, and for the most part shuffled off. Sugar stayed behind, and gave Mercedes an uncertain look.
"Um, Mercedes? Captain. Can I talk to you for a second?"
Mercedes tried to hold off the groan that threatened to bubble up but instead turned and gave Sugar a thin smile.
"Yeah?"
"I think I might know what that Fed wants with us."
Mercedes scrunched her brow. "Well, I reckon it's pretty obvious. Whoever is after Quinn's mother has a long reach and apparently it can even get to us out here in the black."
"That's one theory, I guess, but what I think is…"
The comm on the wall crackled to life and Brittany's voice sounded through the speakers.
"Captain, if you could make your way to the bridge, that would be greatly appreciated."
Mercedes pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "神人和她所有的笨蛋姐妹. What now?" She hit the button to reply. "I'm on my way."
\
Santana sat close beside Rachel as the beeps from a machine sounded in the corner. She didn't have any tears to cry for her. Not anymore anyway, but she also couldn't think of a better place to be. At least Rachel was quiet for a while. Santana laughed to herself.
"Finally letting me get the last word, huh, Berry? Don't think I'm going to let you get away with anything just because you're not here to talk back. I'm sure you're talking a mile a minute in there. Once you wake up, I'll never hear the end of it."
Santana smiled softly and traced a finger down the back of Rachel's hand.
"Brittany's probably not talking to me. On one hand, I don't blame her, but what can I do? She knows what I've been through with Mercedes. She knows what she's done for me. How much I owe her. And anyway, it's not like Brittany has an special monopoly on my attention. It's not like I belong to her or anything. Now I have to figure out if I should go apologize."
She pulled Rachel's hand up and played with her fingers gently.
"I never thought I would say this, Berry, but I kind of wish you were here. I'm sure you'd have something smart to say about all of your 'skills as a companion', and how you could teach me 'how to seduce her in a second', not that I want any of your skeevy advice. But then again, she's a classy lady, so maybe when you're back in commission, you could give me some pointers."
"She's stable. Not out of the woods, yet, but I've got a good feeling."
The voice behind Santana gave her a start, and she stood quickly to face Mike.
Mike looked away, chagrined. "Look, Santana, I'm sorry, all right? I didn't have any choice, but I wouldn't have let anything happen to Rachel, you've got to believe me-"
He looked up and Santana was across the room on top of him in an instant. The punch went clear across his jaw, knocking him to the ground, and leaving him seeing stars.
"怎么痛啊"
Santana was back beside Rachel before Mike could crawl to his feet. He rubbed his jaw a few times. "I guess I deserve that."
"You deserve a lot more than that, but Puck's not here at the moment, so it'll have to do."
Mike turned around and straightened out some tools that had been scattered when he fell. A dribble of blood dripped down his lip and he pressed a small piece of gauze to his mouth.
"Do you think the Captain will really kick us off the ship?"
Santana didn't hesitate. "I really do."
"And if she tells you to kill me."
"Then I kill you."
Mike smiled and grimaced from the pain. "Well, at least I know where I stand."
There was another moment of silence, and Santana stood up, giving Rachel a firm pat on the leg, and turning to leave.
"You fought in the Unification Wars? With the Captain?"
The question stopped Santana in her tracks. She didn't turn, but responded, keeping her back to Mike. "Sure did."
Mike didn't move, but dabbed his lip a few more times before continuing. "Is that why she's like that? The way she is? Because of what happened there?"
Santana finally turned and finally looked Mike in the eye. "What do you know about the Battle of Serenity Valley, Chang?"
Mike shook his head. "Next to nothing. I know it was a victory for the Alliance. It's where the Browncoats laid down their arms and lead to the peaceful surrender-"
"Peaceful!" Santana snorted. "Is that what they tell you? Peaceful. 骗人! They told you it was peaceful to help you sleep at night. The Browncoats started out that battle with thirty two thousand soldiers. We started off dug in a trench and Mercedes started us looking for survivors. We were pinned down by explosions, and got rained with bombs for a full 48 hours. The only time we could breathe is when they let up the shelling long enough for the soldiers to change shifts and by the time the fighting was done, we were down to about eight thousand. Course, the Alliance lost their fair share, all of 'em rotting on the battlefield."
"That's-"
"That was when the fighting was done." Santana continued, ignoring Mike's interruption. "We got a message that we should lay down our arms, but just because the bombs stopped falling, doesn't mean the dead stopped dying. We sat in those trenches watching our friends drop like flies for a week. A week while they made their peace on the core planets. A week sitting in the gore and the blood and the death. A week until the first med ship arrived. It was a nightmare."
Mike stared.
"She went from a platoon of 45 soldiers to commanding over two thousand. But, I reckon it didn't feel like much of a promotion. After the bombs fell, she promised herself she wouldn't lose another person. She lost about half."
Santana turned to leave again. "Captain's got a crew, she gets a job, and she finishes them. She's not much interested in your reasons for what you've done."
Mike raised his jaw a bit. "Quinn and I will be ok."
"I hope for your sake you're right."
\
"A ship?"
"Yeah, it came up on us a few minutes ago."
"Gorramit. Don't tell me that Alliance cruiser is back on top of us."
"No, Mercedes, this isn't that. It's smaller than an Alliance rig."
"Can you get us a read on it?"
"It's still too far out."
"Well, what do I keep you around for, Britt? Get me something."
Brittany tapped a few keys and pulled down a lever. She fiddled with the buttons for a few moments, and Mercedes tried not to get impatient. They were floating through space at a total standstill, trying their best not to draw attention to themselves. Songbird was a tiny ship, Firefly vessels tended to be, and when they wanted to hide in the spaces between the stars it was usually a pretty simple feat. But, Mercedes still held her breath as she waited for a response.
"It looks like a Purveyor Class vessel. Mark 4T-17."
"Purveyor? I thought they decommissioned those years ago."
"They did. Probably about sixty years, to be exact. It's not Alliance. I think…" Brittany moved forward taking a closer look at the small screen. There was a moment longer, and she pointed to the bigger screen in front of both of them. "There."
"What-?" Mercedes' eyes went wide as she leaned towards the screen. There was a large darkness floating towards them, but it wasn't clear what it was. She could see the odd, angular shaped of the Purveyor, but beyond that she couldn't be sure. Brittany's voice shook a little as she spoke.
"Mercedes... I think it's a Reaver ship."
The fear was clear in Brittany's voice and they exchanged a look over the console, and Mercedes reached for the comm.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please try to contain yourselves for the next few moments, it seems that we are in the vicinity of a Reaver vessel. Doesn't look like they're looking for us, so's best we sit tight, and I reckon they'll go about their business."
...
"Reavers?"
Kurt looked at Sugar, who was staring back at him, wide eyed.
"What do we-?" Sugar let her sentence trail off, and stopped, not sure of what to say.
Kurt didn't say a word, but grabbed her by the hand and jogged off, heading down the hallway towards the engine room. He shut the door firmly behind them, dismantling the trap he'd just only rebuilt, in a matter of seconds, and bringing a heavy bar down over the door. He then took Sugar's hand again, and pulled her behind him, handing her a large wrench, and pulling another from a box. He pushed Sugar behind the engine block, and scooted beside her, crouching down low. They both faced the door, their makeshift weapons rattling nervously in their hands.
...
Santana stood with one foot in the med bay, the other in the hallway. Mike was at her side in an instant, and she barely had time to flinch from his nearness.
"Reavers?"
Santana pursed her lips and didn't reply, looking skyward nervously.
"Th-that can't be right. Reavers aren't real. They're just a fairy tale. They're-"
Santana spun around, slapping a hand over Mike's mouth to stem the flood of hysteria that seemed to flow like a waterfall. "Mike?"
"Y-yes?" Mike said, his voice muffled behind Santana's hand.
"First off, you need to calm down. Secondly, the Captain wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. Thirdly, trust me. Reavers are real. You run into plenty of monstrosities out here on the rim, and they're the worst I've ever seen."
Mike gulped. "The worst?"
"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And, if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."
Mike didn't respond but didn't meet Santana's eye.
She turned and headed towards the bridge.
...
"Reavers?"
Puck grunted in response as Quinn came to stand close by his elbow.
"Why doesn't the captain do something? Why doesn't she run? The longer we stay here, they longer they have to find us."
Quinn's voice barely rose above a whisper, but there was a sharp strain behind her words. She was even further shaken by the fact that this was the most serious she'd ever seen Puck.
"We can't outrun 'em. We've seen what happens to ships that try. The best thing to do is turn off all the systems, and hope they don't see us. We're a small ship, smaller than any we've seen this side of Persephone."
"Then what-?"
"The only hope we have is that they don't notice us. No heat signatures, no exhaust trail, no signature spikes. We gotta be ghosts. Reavers don't mess with ghosts. It's the only chance we have."
Shannon stood up beside them and sighed towards the heavens. "This can't be real. Reavers? When I joined this ship, I never thought we'd run into this sort of trouble. I just thought-"
"Shepherd?" Quinn cut off Shannon's near hysterical tone with her calm one, and took the other woman's hand. "I'm not much for praying, but perhaps you can lead us in one. Maybe a silent one, if that's ok."
Shepherd Beiste turned to Quinn and there was another quick moment before recognition hit her eye. She smiled thinly, and nodded, taking a firmer grip on Quinn's hand, and reaching for Puck's as well. He didn't shrink away from the contact, so she bowed her her, mumbling in quiet prayer.
"Lord, guide and protect us…"
...
"Raiding party."
Mercedes didn't bother to turn around as Santana quietly climbed the stairs. She kept her eyes glued towards the screen, looking for something, anything, that would signal that the Reavers had taken notice of them, and were headed their way.
"I take it this isn't the first one you've seen?" Brittany asked, turning towards Santana.
"No, not the first. But this is the first one this far out. It seems like they're going further and further out every day."
Santana reached Brittany's chair and crouched beside it, taking her own view of the screen. Mercedes noticed a quick movement, and Santana's hand was cradled between Brittany's own in her lap. Had she not been so stressed out, she might have mentioned it.
A few tensioned filled seconds later, and the Reaver ship passed by, without so much as a sensor scan in their direction. They all breathed a sigh of relief as Mercedes collapsed into the other pilot's chair. She pulled out the handset.
"This is Captain Jones to the crew and passengers of Songbird. We are in the clear. I repeat, we are in the clear. Buckle down kids, I'm declaring no more crises until we get where we're going."
She clicked off the comm with a sigh and looked over to Brittany and Santana, who were were murmuring to each other, their foreheads pressed together as they spoke.
"You two made up, I suppose?"
They snapped apart, and looked away, guiltily, but Mercedes only chuckled softly.
"Oh, you don't have anything to prove to me. Just glad to see someone's having a good day. I'm off to go talk to our lawman. Santana, tell Puck to meet me down in the hold."
Santana raised an eyebrow. "Puck, sir?"
"Yes, Puck. You get down to the engine room, and make sure Kurt has everything up and running. We're taking the mule down to the planet. Make sure we've got the coordinates for the drop zone as well. I want to be on a wave with the contact as soon as we're in range."
"Yes, sir."
"Oh and Santana? Brittany?"
They both turned.
"If I catch you two doing the dirty on my bridge, you're both paying to have it professionally cleaned."
Santana groaned, burying her head in Brittany's lap.
\
Puck liked torture.
To be fair, he liked inflicting torture on other people. He wasn't clinical, not really, but there was a certain amount of power and influence that torturing others gave him, and he liked that. He liked being the one in charge.
Plus there was Rachel to think about. She was a pretty girl, of course. Just the thought of her 'servicing' one of her clients made his John Thomas want to say 'how do you do?' He'd have to be blind not to see it. She was a professional. But, for a while now he'd been seeing her as more than just a working girl. More and more he'd been seeing her as a person. It was a weird transition to make, but the feeling that rose up when that Fed had shot her was more than just the feeling that one gets when they see a pretty thing destroyed. It was more than just the feeling that his pretty thing had been destroyed (though Rachel was not his, and she'd probably knee him in his nads for even thinking it). No, the feeling that had gripped him when he'd seen her laying there, all gussied up in her pretty dress, every hair in perfect place, and her makeup done just so, that feeling had been anger. His friend had been hurt. His friend could have died.
And it was all this Fed's fault.
"So, we're playing good cop, bad cop. Are you familiar with this game, Puck?"
Puck tried to focus on Mercedes' words, but the only thing he was getting out of it was that he was going to get to make that Fed mighty uncomfortable.
"Good cop, Cap'n?"
"Yes, good cop, bad cop. I'm going to be the good cop. You're the bad cop."
An evil grin took over Puck's face. "I'm thinking I like this game, Cap."
"Listen. And you've gotta focus here, Puck." Mercedes put a hand on the back of Puck's neck, pulling him close. "The point is to scare him. We've gotta know what he knows, and what he told the ship. We should probably know sooner than later. The less he knows, the less likely it is that we gotta kill him."
Puck frowned slightly. "We don't get to kill him?"
"Not if we can afford it, Puckerman, now get it together."
"What, are you getting soft on me now, 'Cedes?"
Mercedes rolled her eyes, and pushed Puck away, putting a hand on the rolling door to the hold. "Just remember what I said, Puck. Bad cop. You're going for scary, ok?"
Puck smiled evilly as Mercedes pulled open the door. "Oh, I can do that. Pain is scary."
Mercedes did her best to ignore him, and took a few steps into the room, kneeling to where Hudson was tied up on the floor. She reached around, pulling the gag out of this mouth.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation you're in, Captain. Detaining an officer of the law is a crime of the highest order! Now, I have you on harboring fugitives, hauling contraband, theft-"
Mercedes sighed, yanking Finn's hair back, causing him to yelp.
"I don't care about all that, Hudson. I just want to know what you told them."
Finn sneered. "I told them everything! They're going to come down on you like thunder from heaven, Jones. They're going to bring the cavalry. They know everything you're up to, and they'll be here before you can blink- Ow!"
Mercedes had tugged on his scalp again, confirming that it was the quickest way to shut him up.
"See… And you're going to laugh about this someday, probably… I don't believe you, Hudson. Now, my friend and I hear wanna know what you told them. And we wanna know everything. I don't much have the heart to do what needs to be done. I'm not a sadist like that. But my friend here, well, he has no reservations about such things."
Puck took that as his cue and pulled a freakishly large knife out of his boot. "None at all."
Mercedes gave him a significant look and stood. "Well, you have at it, Puck. I'd start talking if I was you, Mr. Hudson. He is not a patient man."
As Mercedes turned to go, she put a heavy hand on Puck's shoulder. "Remember what I said, Puck. You're not supposed to kill him."
"Oh don't worry, Cap'n. There's plenty of stuff I can do to him while he's still alive."
Mercedes suppressed her involuntary shudder and gave Puck a firm pat, leaving the hold, and closing the door firmly behind her.
"Captain!"
She tried not to jump at the loud voice that rang out behind her, turning as slowly as she could muster. "Yes, Sugar?"
Sugar was dressed in another ridiculous outfit, and looked like she'd just come off of some billionaire's yacht, but there was still a part of Mercedes that was going to miss having her around. If at least for the joy that it brought her seeing someone else annoy Rachel for once in a while.
"Hey Captain, it's just that we were interrupted earlier, and I didn't get a chance to talk to you about everything. I mean, why I think that that lawman is on board, and maybe why this whole thing started."
Mercedes tried hard not to roll her eyes, and started off towards the bridge. She let them roll freely when Sugar followed.
"Well, Sugar, far be it from me to start throwing out wild accusations, but I think it might have something to do with the two fugitives that we have on board with a huge bounty on their heads? Of course, I'm no expert."
"Maybe, Captain, maybe, but I have another theory. I mean, I think that having Quinn and Mike wanted and on the run from the law sure does complicate things quite a bit, but it's not the only matter."
Mercedes sighed and tried to continue on in the most patient voice she could. "Sugar, I know that you tend to see yourself as the center of the universe, but there is more going on than-"
"I'm a lesbian."
There was a long moment of quiet as Mercedes stood, one foot suspended on a rung on the later to the second level of the ship, the other firmly planted on the floor.
"Come again?"
"I'm a lesbian. As in, I don't like men."
Mercedes pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment, and continued up the ladder. "Well, be that as it may, Sugar, we don't judge on this ship, and you'll find that even the Shepherd has a soft spot for folks of that persuasion."
"Oh please, Captain, I'm not telling you because I expected you to be appalled."
Mercedes tried to keep her cool as she joined Brittany back on the bridge, flipping a few switches on the console.
"Anyway, I see the way you look at Quinn, and if that's any indication, you've got no probably with women who have certain feelings towards other women."
Brittany's attention was on Sugar in a flash, and she barely hid her grin. "Really, Sugar? Go on."
"Ah ah ah." Mercedes interrupted. "There is nothing going on there, so you can get those visions of playing Cupid right out of your head. Anyway, Sugar what are you trying to say?"
Sugar sighed as if Mercedes were trying to be obtuse. "There was a guy. Back home. Son of a big family. Not as big as the Mottas, but who could be?"
"Kurt's ready, Captain. Says whatever you throw at him, he can take it. What are we talking about?"
Brittany swiveled in her chair to face Santana. "We're talking about how the Captain is always making hearteyes at Quinn."
Santana's eyes grew wide. "Hearteyes? At Quinn?"
Mercedes fixed them both with a glare, and turned her attention back to Sugar. "No. We were not. Sugar was telling us about how she's a lesbian."
Sugar stamped her foot. "No, Captain. I was telling you about this boy, Jacob Ben Israel. Anyway, he's from another family that does business like we do. And he's got it in his head that we're supposed to be get married. But, I wouldn't marry him if he would the last person in the 'verse. And… well… I told him so. And he didn't like that."
This seemed to catch the attention of the room and they all focused in on Sugar's story.
"Whaddya mean, Sugar?" Asked Brittany.
"Well, just that. He started showing up everywhere I was, sending waves and gifts all the time. He said he wanted to marry me if it was the last thing he did. That's why my daddy had to send me away. He figured it was the only way I'd be safe until all this died down."
Mercedes shook her head. "Well, why didn't he tell us all of this before? Would've saved us a lot of trouble."
"But wait, a lawman? Seems rather fortuitous that he could manage to get a lawman to do his dirty work for him." Santana said.
"What can I say? His family is well connected." Sugar grimaced. "Look, I don't know if this is what's really going on. And maybe my guy has nothing to do with it, but I just thought you all should know."
They sat in silence for a moment, turning on this new information in their heads when the console beeped. Brittany turned and looked at it quickly, nodding towards Mercedes.
"It's out contact on the ground. They want to set up Sugar's drop off."
"Bring it up."
The console lit up, and suddenly, the face of an older woman filled the screen.
"Is this the Songbird?"
"That it is. This is Captain Jones. I've got the package from Al Motta, and I'm ready for drop off."
"Good, good. I'll send the coordinates now. You can meet us there."
"And you've got the payment?"
"Yes, of course. I've got it right here. Ready for the trade. Just meet us there, and we'll be ready."
"See you in a bit."
The screen went dark and Mercedes couldn't wipe the frown off of her face.
"You thinking what I'm thinking, Captain?" Santana asked.
"Too easy. It's gotta be a trap."
"Set up by Jacob?" Sugar piped up.
"I don't rightly know, but my sixth sense is tingling. We got too much going wrong with this job. Whatever we do, we've gotta go in with our eyes wide open."
There was a chorus of agreements behind her.
"Put in the coordinates, Brittany, we're going to finish this job."
Brittany typed quickly on the console with a smile. "Shiny!"