Challenge Fic: Lex/Crowbar; Theme: Revenge
For omegar, in response to challenge posted in the previous entry. This was too big to post as a comment so it gets put here instead... Hope this is okay.
Wraith stood on the corner, her black hair and leathers fading into the shadows as she watched. The building in front of her was dark but she knew that any minute now, she would be rewarded for her patience.
Her hand was dipped into her waistband, fingering the cold hard steel of her longest held weapon, one of the few pieces of the life she had once led that she had held onto.
A light shone in the doorway as a figure, dressed in a snappy business suit stepped from the building and onto the street. She moved, silent as a cat.
She hurried, keeping low. She had to get him before he got into his car. If he got into the car, he was lost for another few hours. She pulled the gun loose, holding it to her side as she stepped behind him.
"Hello, Crowbar!"
The man starts, shocked at the memory of that old name.
"It's been a while!"
He spins to look up at her. Her eyes were as black as ever; the targeting scopes red against the black. A thought and the black hair switches to its former pink glory as she shakes it out.
Taking her momentary distraction, he swings and connects with her chin. Wraith's head is thrown to the side. Slowly, she turns to face him again, finding him fumbling with the key.
Her hand stretches out to catch hold of the back of his collar, dragging him away. She drops him on the street, leaving him to back away on the asphalt. Her fingers find a hidden button on the sleeve of her armour and it flashes from black to white.
His face changes from suspecting to full blown recognition.
"Oh good... You remember me! I'd hate to think that I'd be killing you without your last thoughts being on Sansygh. You do remember the pixie, don't you? Although, with so much innocent blood on your hand, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't. But, be very sure of this, Crowbar... You will!"
Wraith, or Lex as she used to be known, kicked out, catching the retreating figure across the face with her razor heeled boots, slashing his cheek open. Crowbar stopped, holding his cheek.
"Bitch!" He cursed, in that instant deciding to fight back.
He got to his feet, spitting blood. His hand ducked back to his own gun pulling it.
Lex kicked out at him, catching his hand with her boot heels, again opening a deep gash. He keeps the gun in hand but is out of position to fire. Lex spins bringing her gun to bear and fires. His shoulder explodes in a flash of light.
"By the way, Crowbar, I used to be a bitch back then... But now I think Hell incarnate is closer to my mood."
Lex aimed, opening her empathy senses full to see his fear or pain... Instead she found smugness. Crowbar had something in his hand. Lex raised her aim, suddenly realising that he had hit a panic button.
She squeezed the trigger and the bullet flew from the barrel even as men poured from the building to help their boss. His skull cracked and exploded, coating her in red.
Momentary panic from the men and then they charged her. She jumped, slashing out at the nearest men, firing at the same time. She had just enough space to run...
But she didn't. She fought, bringing as many down with her as she could. A lucky punch knocked her down and then the game was lost. She couldn't bring herself to get up again.
Tears streamed down her face as she lay there, feet kicking her in the ribs. The pain editor cleared her mind of pain, but the biomonitor catalogued her injuries, displaying them in horrifying detail.
Lex tried to push herself up, but found herself kicked down again. She moved her hand to the biomonitor and hit the alarm button. If Crowbar could do it, so could she.
Seconds ticked away as she fluttered on the edge of darkness waiting for a saviour. Her eyes closed. Her lips moved in inaudible speech.
"Sansygh, I got him... It took too many years, but finally... He paid for what he did to you."
Rotor blades could be heard shortly followed by gunfire as .50m calibre rounds hit the pavement. She was manhandled by the recovery team and bundled into the cryotube.
---
Later, Fuge arrived at the hospital, his details having been on Lex's Next-of-Kin card registered with Trauma Team. White coated doctors shuffled around as the man paced in the waiting room. It had never been his speciality and not when a friend's life hung in the balance.
Finally, a doctor came through the double doors, his scrubs covered in red and brown.
"Thurifuge?"
Fuge nodded.
"Perhaps you would like to take a seat."
Fuge restrained himself and forcibly unclenched his fist, sitting down on the tiny chair.
"Ms. Markov was very badly beaten when she was brought in. We tried everything we could..."
The words faded away as Fuge could barely concentrate on them. Disbelief filled his mind. This couldn't be happening. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. The doctor’s hand rested on his shoulder, his other hand holding a note.
Fuge blinked as the doctor pushed the note into his hand. Fuge looked at the crumpled, blood stained stationary. It was addressed to him. He opened it.
Fuge,
If you're reading this then I'm dead. I hope at least that I have managed to take down the bastard who killed the pix. That's where I went tonight. I got a lead on Crowbar and I couldn't let him get away with it. I know that 12 years have passed but it has filled my nightmares for every second since that day. We lost a sister and I couldn't let him live for what he did. Genocide must be punished. Hell, screw Genocide... Sansygh had to be avenged. She was the only good thing about that lousy excuse for a species.
Love,
Wraith Lex Alexa.
p.s. Tell my folks and take care of my kids. I trust you with them. Please, tell them what happened when they are older... But put a good spin on it... Please!
Fuge crumpled the note in his hand.
"Thank you, doctor."
Fuge stood and walked out of the building, driving straight to their old stomping ground. He pulled the jeep up at Crossroads and slid into a booth. Mac slipped out from behind the bar, and bringing a bottle with him slid into the booth beside him. Fuge dug out the note and tossed it on the table for Mac. Mac read it and stood up.
"Right, lads, drink up. Bar's closed for a private function."
"But, Mac, it's only 3am..."
Mac moved grabbing the guy at the collar and the seat of his pants and threw him out of the bar.
"I said... Bar's closed!"
Everyone else took the hint and left. Mac went to the dataterm and started dialling number. Savage. Dragon. All the old crew.
Tonight would be the wake and then they would go back to their own lives as if nothing had happened. It was the way of the streets, the code they lived by... The code they died by.
Wraith stood on the corner, her black hair and leathers fading into the shadows as she watched. The building in front of her was dark but she knew that any minute now, she would be rewarded for her patience.
Her hand was dipped into her waistband, fingering the cold hard steel of her longest held weapon, one of the few pieces of the life she had once led that she had held onto.
A light shone in the doorway as a figure, dressed in a snappy business suit stepped from the building and onto the street. She moved, silent as a cat.
She hurried, keeping low. She had to get him before he got into his car. If he got into the car, he was lost for another few hours. She pulled the gun loose, holding it to her side as she stepped behind him.
"Hello, Crowbar!"
The man starts, shocked at the memory of that old name.
"It's been a while!"
He spins to look up at her. Her eyes were as black as ever; the targeting scopes red against the black. A thought and the black hair switches to its former pink glory as she shakes it out.
Taking her momentary distraction, he swings and connects with her chin. Wraith's head is thrown to the side. Slowly, she turns to face him again, finding him fumbling with the key.
Her hand stretches out to catch hold of the back of his collar, dragging him away. She drops him on the street, leaving him to back away on the asphalt. Her fingers find a hidden button on the sleeve of her armour and it flashes from black to white.
His face changes from suspecting to full blown recognition.
"Oh good... You remember me! I'd hate to think that I'd be killing you without your last thoughts being on Sansygh. You do remember the pixie, don't you? Although, with so much innocent blood on your hand, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't. But, be very sure of this, Crowbar... You will!"
Wraith, or Lex as she used to be known, kicked out, catching the retreating figure across the face with her razor heeled boots, slashing his cheek open. Crowbar stopped, holding his cheek.
"Bitch!" He cursed, in that instant deciding to fight back.
He got to his feet, spitting blood. His hand ducked back to his own gun pulling it.
Lex kicked out at him, catching his hand with her boot heels, again opening a deep gash. He keeps the gun in hand but is out of position to fire. Lex spins bringing her gun to bear and fires. His shoulder explodes in a flash of light.
"By the way, Crowbar, I used to be a bitch back then... But now I think Hell incarnate is closer to my mood."
Lex aimed, opening her empathy senses full to see his fear or pain... Instead she found smugness. Crowbar had something in his hand. Lex raised her aim, suddenly realising that he had hit a panic button.
She squeezed the trigger and the bullet flew from the barrel even as men poured from the building to help their boss. His skull cracked and exploded, coating her in red.
Momentary panic from the men and then they charged her. She jumped, slashing out at the nearest men, firing at the same time. She had just enough space to run...
But she didn't. She fought, bringing as many down with her as she could. A lucky punch knocked her down and then the game was lost. She couldn't bring herself to get up again.
Tears streamed down her face as she lay there, feet kicking her in the ribs. The pain editor cleared her mind of pain, but the biomonitor catalogued her injuries, displaying them in horrifying detail.
Lex tried to push herself up, but found herself kicked down again. She moved her hand to the biomonitor and hit the alarm button. If Crowbar could do it, so could she.
Seconds ticked away as she fluttered on the edge of darkness waiting for a saviour. Her eyes closed. Her lips moved in inaudible speech.
"Sansygh, I got him... It took too many years, but finally... He paid for what he did to you."
Rotor blades could be heard shortly followed by gunfire as .50m calibre rounds hit the pavement. She was manhandled by the recovery team and bundled into the cryotube.
---
Later, Fuge arrived at the hospital, his details having been on Lex's Next-of-Kin card registered with Trauma Team. White coated doctors shuffled around as the man paced in the waiting room. It had never been his speciality and not when a friend's life hung in the balance.
Finally, a doctor came through the double doors, his scrubs covered in red and brown.
"Thurifuge?"
Fuge nodded.
"Perhaps you would like to take a seat."
Fuge restrained himself and forcibly unclenched his fist, sitting down on the tiny chair.
"Ms. Markov was very badly beaten when she was brought in. We tried everything we could..."
The words faded away as Fuge could barely concentrate on them. Disbelief filled his mind. This couldn't be happening. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. The doctor’s hand rested on his shoulder, his other hand holding a note.
Fuge blinked as the doctor pushed the note into his hand. Fuge looked at the crumpled, blood stained stationary. It was addressed to him. He opened it.
Fuge,
If you're reading this then I'm dead. I hope at least that I have managed to take down the bastard who killed the pix. That's where I went tonight. I got a lead on Crowbar and I couldn't let him get away with it. I know that 12 years have passed but it has filled my nightmares for every second since that day. We lost a sister and I couldn't let him live for what he did. Genocide must be punished. Hell, screw Genocide... Sansygh had to be avenged. She was the only good thing about that lousy excuse for a species.
Love,
Wraith Lex Alexa.
p.s. Tell my folks and take care of my kids. I trust you with them. Please, tell them what happened when they are older... But put a good spin on it... Please!
Fuge crumpled the note in his hand.
"Thank you, doctor."
Fuge stood and walked out of the building, driving straight to their old stomping ground. He pulled the jeep up at Crossroads and slid into a booth. Mac slipped out from behind the bar, and bringing a bottle with him slid into the booth beside him. Fuge dug out the note and tossed it on the table for Mac. Mac read it and stood up.
"Right, lads, drink up. Bar's closed for a private function."
"But, Mac, it's only 3am..."
Mac moved grabbing the guy at the collar and the seat of his pants and threw him out of the bar.
"I said... Bar's closed!"
Everyone else took the hint and left. Mac went to the dataterm and started dialling number. Savage. Dragon. All the old crew.
Tonight would be the wake and then they would go back to their own lives as if nothing had happened. It was the way of the streets, the code they lived by... The code they died by.