Disclaimer: don't own nor making money from this.
Chapter 6
Serenity, SickbayZoë entered the sickbay to find it looking like a bomb had gone off. Her gaze landed on the captain who was stabbing an injector into his arm and pressing the trigger. She watched as he slipped another dose into the injector and pressed it to his arm and another hiss filled the silence.
"Sir." She said gaining his attention. His cold eyes looked at her. "What do we know?" he asked, his anger boiling just below the surface.
"Nothing as of yet. Anton took the video feed two hours ago. I was helping Mordin secure…secure the Doc's body." She hesitated saying the last.
Mal grunted and strode past her forcing her to follow and she watched as he entered the cargo hold and walked to a blank wall. Biting her lip she watched as he touched the hidden palm scanner, which in turn opened the wall to reveal a hidden room. It was Serenity's armory and she watched as the captain took a second pistol, a sniper rifle, a shotgun and a satchel.
"Grenades sir?" she asked.
"I want the bastard to feel pain." Mal said as she watched him slide a combat knife into his boot top. He exited the armory.
"Zoë the ship is yours. Keep the others safe." Mal said.
"I'm going with you sir." She said.
"No. The others will need you. And what I'm about to do, ain't for your eyes." He held up a hand preventing her argument. "Zoë, I failed Captain Anderson in the one favor he asked of me. Before I can face him I need to even the ledger." He strode past the others who had entered the cargo hold. "If I'm not back by the time Porthos's man delivers the cargo for Illium take off and deliver the cargo."
"Sir…" Zoë protested.
"You have your orders." Mal said striding down the ramp and was lost in the crowds.
"Aren't we going to help him?" Illyana asked.
Zoë shook her head. "The captain left orders." She looked at the two passengers, then the other two crewmembers. "Prepare for departure."
"What are you going to do?" Tika asked.
"Keep an eye open for the cargo and stand guard. From this moment the ship is considered on lockdown. No one leaves and no one else comes aboard."
"But…" Tylee said still looking upset, her eyes going to the secured casket pod.
Zoë shook her head. "This is not a discussion." The first mate said and went to wait outside the ship, her mind however went to the captain.
XX
Mal passed the bouncer of Afterlife and ignored everyone in the entrance tunnel his hardened gaze was searching for and found the Batarian he was looking for.
Anton must have been warned by the guard he was talking to as he turned to face Shepard as he crossed the main floor.
"Shepard." He said and grunted as Mal grabbed him by the throat. Anton waved the guards off.
"You've had the footage for a couple of hours. I want a name and where to find the bastard that shot an innocent woman in the back of the head." Mal growled his face inches from the Batarians.
Anton studied him, his four eyes focused on the man before him. "You might be Aria's favorite for now, but if you don't release me you'll not be in shape to chase down the two-eye that shot your crewmate."
Mal took a breath and released his grip. "Talk."
Anto motioned for him to follow and led him to the back alley. He took a moment to kick the people at the table there out and sat, waiting for Mal to do the same. Once the captain was seated, Anton activated his omni-tool and sent something to Mal's. the captain brought it up and clenched his jaw as he saw the video footage of Cheyenne's death. He rewound it several times watching it again and again.
"The one you're looking for is a human called Zaeed Massani. He's got the reputation of one of the most feared bounty hunters and he was a co-founder of the Blue Suns mercenary group until he was betrayed by…"
"Don't care what his issues are. All I want is where is he on Omega or if he's already gone a lead on where I can start tracking him." Mal growled cutting off the Batarian's speech.
Anton sent another file. "He's gone to ground in brown sector." Mal pulled up the map with the location marked. "He's alone."
"He won't be for much longer." Mal said and rose. Anto watched him go and then opened a communications link.
"You were right, he's on his way." The Batarian paused, "he's armed for war." He clicked off the channel and returned to Afterlife knowing soon there would be enough trouble and he would be forced to clean up a mess.
"Just hope he doesn't destroy on outer bulkhead." Aria's head enforcer muttered.
XX
Mal slipped from the elevator. He'd parked the air car two levels up and ran many abandoned corridors to take the elevator down. He crept along the darkened areas that hadn't had power in sometime, pausing to check his position on his omni-tool. He found the building he wanted and climbed several flights of stairs to enter an abandoned apartment. He reached into his pocket and pulled a glow rod, using the pale blue light to illuminate his path, avoiding pitfalls until he reached the window. Shielding the glow rod he pulled a set of binoculars and after activating it he scanned the lower building across the way. The military grade binoculars switched to infrared and he soon found a heat source on the second floor.
As he continued to scan the area he notice there was only one bridge to the building.
He spent twenty minutes studying the building. Occasionally he would see his target move but never expose himself to a window. Making a decision he returned to the ground floor.
He pulled the sniper rifle and aimed at the second floor window. "Knock, knock you son of a bitch." Mal said and pulled the trigger.
The window shattered and Mal fired three more times. He closed the rifle and slipped it onto his back, letting the field connect it.
He drew Winona and stepped out onto the bridge.
"ZAEED MASSANI!" he called. "COME OUT HERE YOU MURDERING BASTARD!"
Mal waited knowing shield would take care of any shots.
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" Massani's voice came out of the window.
"CAPTAIN MALCOLM SHEPARD! YOU KILLED A MEMBER OF MY CREW A FEW HOURS AGO!" Mal shouted back.
Silence stretched on for several moments, then Massani stepped into view. "I killed a criminal."
"You killed my ships doctor." Mal said.
Zaeed Massani who was holding an assault rifle looked down at the captain. "I don't know what you know, but that woman killed a government official. It was an official sanctioned bounty."
Mal remembered that she had killed and that was why Cheyenne was on the run.
Stupid! I was so stupid letting her wander around. I should have thougt…"You weren't man enough to face a slip of a woman, you shot her in the back of the head." Mal growled.
Zaeed shook his head. "The bounty called for her death."
"Then nothing more needs to be said." Mal stated and brought Winona up and fired as Massani dove back into cover, the high velocity rounds just missing where his head had been by less than an inch.
Mal fired several more times but was forced to move as Massani popped up and opened fire with his assault rife.
Both men exchanged fire and Mal made it the rest of the way across the bridge and into the lower section of the building. Mal took a moment to catch his breath and checking his omni-tool he was surprised at his personal shields needed to recharged. He didn't think the bounty hunter had come close to hitting him during the previous exchange of weapons fire.
Mal holstered Winona and pulled out the shotgun. He stepped around the support pillar and ducked back as a shot missed his head. He peeked to see Massani who had descent cover and was aiming down at him.
"Come on out boy and I'll end your troubles."
Mal snorted. "Funny I was going to tell you the same thing." He made to go around the pillar again then dove the opposite way to another support using the shotgun as covering fire. He peered around and retreated when Massani fired several more times.
"Give up boy, I have the high ground."
Mal reached into the satchel and pulled out a grenade. Thumbing it active he peeked around and shot several times before he lobbed the grenade.
The "Aw, Shit!" had him smirk as Massani was forced out of cover as the grenade detonated.
Mal rushed the stairs but was forced to duck as Zaeed opened fire from a prone position.
"Grenades! You have fucking grenades!?" Zaeed yelled.
"A satchel full." Mal called back. "So just stand up and let me shoot you and I'll be on my way."
"Cold day in hell." Zaeed called back laying down a barrage of fire the whole time climbing to his feet and backing towards the room at the end of the hall.
Mal cursed as the door slammed shut with a violent hiss. He rushed it and scanned it with his omni-tool, shocked to show it was military grade.
"How the hell?" Mal knew it would take a serious hacker or all of his explosives to get through. He began setting the grenades, synching them with his omni-tool. He stepped back and triggered the grenades with his omni-tool.
XX
Zaeed grabbed items as soon as the door sealed muttering under his breath. "Stupid." He ended as he grabbed his weapons. He looked at the sealed door shaking his head. "Sorry boy. Sorry for your loss and sorry we won't finish this, but I have my own tasks of revenge to fulfill." He stepped out on the balcony and pulled out a grapple pistol, firing a line across the gorge and using the attachment zipped across just as the door exploded behind him.
XX
Mal rushed through the smoking hole shotgun raised and ready to fire but found the room empty.
"Where the hell are you, you bastard?" he looked around and found the apartment empty.
Hearing a sound he rushed to the balcony where he saw Massani using a zip line. Mal fired the shotgun but the bounty hunter was already out of range.
Turning he stormed back the way he came, intent on reaching the other building before the other man managed to escape.
XX
Zaeed Massani hit the ground running and grunted as his knee throbbed as he tried to keep running. "Getting too old for shit like this." He muttered dunning into the depths of the building. He had to circle around as the stairs were gone and there was no power in this building for the elevators.
He took the backstairs two at a time and reached the bottom stair his personal shield flared as it took a shotgun blast knocked him off balance and into the wall. Two more blasts hit before he recovered, turned and opened fire with his assault rifle.
XX
Mal's personal shields flickered and he was forced to find cover as his omni-tool warned him they couldn't take much more.
"You are persistent boy!" Zaeed called taking cover as well behind the remains of what used to be a potted plant and fired several more bursts.
Mal fired several times, the shotgun overheating as he tried to use it to breakdown the bounty hunter's cover while at the same time Massani was using his own shots to chew up the shelves that Mal was using as cover.
"Ready to give up?" Mal called.
"No, you?" Massani called back.
Mal pulled Winona and the other pistol and went to charge when he saw the bounty hunter rush out a side door.
"Son of a bitch!" Mal snarled and moved to give chase.
He found a trip wire and swore as the low level explosive sent him flying backwards not noticing the charge had been light enough that it had been absorbed by his shields and only knocked he back and took his breath.
XX
Zaeed turned down an ally and cut through several buildings before he slowed to a walk. He slid his rifle over his back and looking back over his shoulder finding he'd lost Mal he sighed.
"Sorry boy, its not my time." He turned around and was blasted by a biotic shockwave that slammed into a building.
Wincing Zaeed struggled to sit up and he found a pistol in his face. He looked past the pistol to see the angry face of the Queen of Omega.
"Aria." He said.
"Massani." Aria said and pulled the trigger.
XX
AN: Its been a messed up month. Fireman's picnic, county fair saw a brawl break out amidst several young women. My porch collapsed with minor injuries. It was over fifteen years and needed to be replaced. I also found it hard to work on my stories as I was distracted by a fiery red head who wished my attention. And what she wants she gets.
I found it hard to write this chapter, surprised at the letters I got about Zaeed. At the same time I find it funny when the same people yell at me about not doing anything but regurgitating the story with only a few changes. It amazes me how when you choose a known character to die a lynch mob forms. I had one person tell me that if I killed Zaeed they would get me banned from writing fan fiction as I am nothing but a loser with little or no talent. I told the person they don't like what I wrote then don't read.
On the subject of writing, Seaxhoffman posted my story NILF under the title of g and I have sent PM's to both the author and sent abuse reports about the theft yet nothings been done. It makes me feel like ffn plays favorites. I was forced to remove my story yet the person steals it without permission and posts it as his/her own. I nearly pulled all my stories in anger. But my calming angel saved the day and my hasty removal. I sent another message to the thief and another ffnet, lets see what happens.
On a calmer note…I made pudding.
TTFN - ESM