Steal the Sky (6/6)
Title: Steal the Sky (6/6)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Team, pre-Nate/Sophie
Verse: Steal the Sky
Fandoms: Leverage, Firefly, Supernatural, NCIS, White Collar
Summary: After Nathan Ford is hired to act as handler for three Alliance Operatives nothing in his 'verse will ever be quite the same.
Notes: Many Many thanks and much praise to my betas Deanangst and lmx_v3point3.
This will be a verse but for the moment it is on hiatus while I pay attention to my (many other) verses that need attention.
And yes, the song at the end is set to Mal's Song.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
It had been two weeks and three days since Hardison sent the wave out, calling the last scattered members of the team together, to start their new life.
Sam and Dean had gone to work almost immediately, picking up where Hardison’s high tech skills gave way to more basic mechanics, going over every inch of the ship inside and out. Despite being an alliance trained pilot, Sam seemed just as comfortable working next to his brother, a fugitive wanted in at least four systems, their banter and insults echoing through the ship had become a familiar sound.
Hardison almost imagined one day it would be something he’d associate with home.
Sophie had arrived on the fifth day after the wave, using her status to acquire a quick transport from the relatively close Virginia system.
She’d quickly settled in, claiming the stateroom in the passenger dormitories, reasoning that with their cover stories, her taking any other room would bring all their aliases into question and Hardison didn’t argue. And just as quickly she’d started helping out with building their aliases and outfitting the ship.
Making a decommissioned Nightwing-Class Stealth transport ship into The Good Ship Leverage (in addition to trying to convince Nate that was a stupid name for a ship) and home.
Parker had arrived midway through the second week. She’d come from Olympus and brought grand tales of her exploits getting off world and a bag full of jewelry, cash, and random items she’d acquired on her way. The sheer joy and excitement of being able to choose when and what to steal for herself lighting up her face even after indulging in it for the entire journey there.
She’d spent the time since working to establish a fresh alias and meet new fences. She knew some on most worlds but she’d have to be careful to avoid word getting to the wrong person that she was still alive.
And, in fairness, she’d spent a lot of time playing (there really wasn’t any better word for it) on the three levels of catwalks that connected the bridge to the top floor and main hold of the ship.
But as the second week ended a sort of tension entered the ship as the preparations were finished off and they moved closer to being ready to go into the black, before finally there was only one thing keeping Leverage grounded.
The reason Hardison or Parker (or even Nate or Sophie) could now be found loitering on the bridge, periodically scanning the horizon that looked toward the nearest town.
Eliot hadn’t shown up yet.
It had only been two weeks and three days but they couldn’t wait forever. The longer they were grounded the greater the danger that they’d never even get in the air.
And they knew with every passing day chances were a little higher that Eliot wasn’t coming at all.
So Hardison sat in the co-pilot seat, staring out over the badlands they were keeping carefully clear enough to take off, waiting.
Alec Hardison: Communications and Technical Support
At first he almost didn’t notice it, lost in his own thoughts, considering the merits of reprograming their stealth system one more time, or maybe using his free time for some other defense. It just looked like a distant cloud of dust on a windy and dusty plain.
But as it got closer, Hardison could tell that the cloud was made by a vehicle and then finally the com system crackled into life with Eliot’s gruff voice telling him to open up and make room for one more.
Later Hardison wouldn’t remember his witty comeback before hitting the button for the PA system and announcing that Eliot was making his approach.
With energy built over nearly three months waiting for what he could feel coming in his bones, Hardison all but jumped down the stairs from the bridge, racing across the catwalk, not even noticing the three story drop to the floor of the hold below him.
It was a sign he was getting used to Parker that after climbing down the ladder to the second level of scaffolding, turning around and finding himself face to face with the girl suspended in a rig attached to the ceiling, his reaction was to just help her unhook herself.
Parker: Acquisitions
He continued down the staircase, ignoring Parker's antics as she flipped herself around on the steel bars to land next to him, and went to the forward air lock, hitting the keys to open it.
Above them he could hear Nate and Sophie coming out onto the catwalk from the top floor.
They’d probably been in the conference room together. He could hear them arguing already.
Nathan Ford: Captain of the Good Ship Leverage
Charolette Prentice 18th Duchess of Hanover: Passenger on rou-
Sophie Devereaux: Grifter
With the air lock open they could see Eliot approaching fast, riding some kind of hovering all-terrain vehicle that looked a little like an updated version of those old Earth-that-Was motorcycles.
“He should be wearing a helmet,” Parker commented from beside him. “That’s dangerous without one.”
Hardison wasn’t going to even mention her tendency to use the cat walks as her personal gymnastics training ground without so much as padding on the hard steel floor.
“So we’ll finally get to meet this Spencer guy?” Dean’s voice came from behind them, a second set of footsteps meaning Sam was with him as usual as they came out of the storage space that made up most of the ship's lowest deck.
Sam and Dean Winchester: Pilot and Mechanic
With a scattering of sand that was a little more dramatic than was probably completely necessary, Eliot and his bike came to a stop outside the open airlock doors just as Nate and Sophie made it to the ground floor.
With a grin as a greeting, Eliot walked the bike inside, leaning it against the wall and turning to them.
Eliot Spencer: First Mate and Head of Security
His hair was longer, like the guy hadn’t cut it since they’d last seen him, and he looked worn out, but there was a sort of fire in his eyes and he held himself differently. If it weren’t for the fact Hardison had spent months trying to identify it first in himself and then in Parker he might not have had a way to define it but somewhere along the line Hardison had given it a name.
They didn’t carry themselves like they were bracing for the next beating anymore.
Almost unconsciously Hardison stood a little straighter.
“Sorry ta keep ya waitin’,” Eliot offered, something in his tone making it entirely unapologetic. “But if we’re all here why don’t we get this show on the road?”
Nate nodded. “Sam, take us up. Everyone else, let's meet in the conference room. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
They all turned, Sam’s ridiculously long legs carrying him up the stairs ahead of the rest, the grin on his face making Hardison wonder if flying was to Sam what theft was to Parker. Nate and Sophie were next, Dean falling into step beside Eliot as Hardison had mostly predicted would happen. From the two weeks he’d shared the ship with the guy, Dean seemed to have a freakish amount of similarities with Eliot.
Hardison started up the stairs when he saw Parker hitting the sequence to close the doors.
He almost missed the two soft words she muttered as steel shut them safely into their new home.
“All aboard.”
oOo
When the lights of Olympus fade into the black
And those battles lost get left behind
When my team is free and we’ve stolen the sky
Well that’s a damn good day to my way of mind
There’s an empty room that she never can leave
There’s a frozen hell where we were trained for war
There are men that played with a child’s mind
A boy’s innocence lost on Serenity’s Floor
But we found our Leverage and something more
Broke the only oath we ever swore
So take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’ll break free
You can’t steal the sky from me
I’ll escape into the black
Not gonna let them take me back
Burn the Land and Boil the Sea
You can’t steal the sky from me
Our father raised us alone on the road
Looking for vengeance to ease his broken heart
And there’re many a man saved by our hands
From those monsters out in the borderland dark
We lost out father to the government’s hounds
But we’re holdin’ on a carrying through
I still got my brother and he’s got my back
It’s a fool don’t keep your family with you
Don’t try to tell me that this isn’t true
Don’t follow where I’m headin’ to
So take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’ll break free
You can’t steal the sky from me
I’ll escape into the black
Not gonna let them take me back
Burn the land and Boil the sea
You can’t steal the sky from me
When you’ve walked my road and seen what I’ve seen
Well you won’t go talkin’ ‘bout righteous men
You’ll know damn well why I want to keep to my sky
Don’t cry neath no-one’s heel again
I’ve seen profits put before innocent souls
I’ve seen sane men mad and children die
I’ve been drunk and sober, married and fired
I’ve been tortured, cheated, lost truth to lies
Won’t see no tears when we say goodbye
Back to the black and our stolen sky
Here I stand, Finally free
In Leverage with this Family
You can’t steal the sky from me
You can’t steal the sky from me
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Team, pre-Nate/Sophie
Verse: Steal the Sky
Fandoms: Leverage, Firefly, Supernatural, NCIS, White Collar
Summary: After Nathan Ford is hired to act as handler for three Alliance Operatives nothing in his 'verse will ever be quite the same.
Notes: Many Many thanks and much praise to my betas Deanangst and lmx_v3point3.
This will be a verse but for the moment it is on hiatus while I pay attention to my (many other) verses that need attention.
And yes, the song at the end is set to Mal's Song.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
It had been two weeks and three days since Hardison sent the wave out, calling the last scattered members of the team together, to start their new life.
Sam and Dean had gone to work almost immediately, picking up where Hardison’s high tech skills gave way to more basic mechanics, going over every inch of the ship inside and out. Despite being an alliance trained pilot, Sam seemed just as comfortable working next to his brother, a fugitive wanted in at least four systems, their banter and insults echoing through the ship had become a familiar sound.
Hardison almost imagined one day it would be something he’d associate with home.
Sophie had arrived on the fifth day after the wave, using her status to acquire a quick transport from the relatively close Virginia system.
She’d quickly settled in, claiming the stateroom in the passenger dormitories, reasoning that with their cover stories, her taking any other room would bring all their aliases into question and Hardison didn’t argue. And just as quickly she’d started helping out with building their aliases and outfitting the ship.
Making a decommissioned Nightwing-Class Stealth transport ship into The Good Ship Leverage (in addition to trying to convince Nate that was a stupid name for a ship) and home.
Parker had arrived midway through the second week. She’d come from Olympus and brought grand tales of her exploits getting off world and a bag full of jewelry, cash, and random items she’d acquired on her way. The sheer joy and excitement of being able to choose when and what to steal for herself lighting up her face even after indulging in it for the entire journey there.
She’d spent the time since working to establish a fresh alias and meet new fences. She knew some on most worlds but she’d have to be careful to avoid word getting to the wrong person that she was still alive.
And, in fairness, she’d spent a lot of time playing (there really wasn’t any better word for it) on the three levels of catwalks that connected the bridge to the top floor and main hold of the ship.
But as the second week ended a sort of tension entered the ship as the preparations were finished off and they moved closer to being ready to go into the black, before finally there was only one thing keeping Leverage grounded.
The reason Hardison or Parker (or even Nate or Sophie) could now be found loitering on the bridge, periodically scanning the horizon that looked toward the nearest town.
Eliot hadn’t shown up yet.
It had only been two weeks and three days but they couldn’t wait forever. The longer they were grounded the greater the danger that they’d never even get in the air.
And they knew with every passing day chances were a little higher that Eliot wasn’t coming at all.
So Hardison sat in the co-pilot seat, staring out over the badlands they were keeping carefully clear enough to take off, waiting.
Alec Hardison: Communications and Technical Support
At first he almost didn’t notice it, lost in his own thoughts, considering the merits of reprograming their stealth system one more time, or maybe using his free time for some other defense. It just looked like a distant cloud of dust on a windy and dusty plain.
But as it got closer, Hardison could tell that the cloud was made by a vehicle and then finally the com system crackled into life with Eliot’s gruff voice telling him to open up and make room for one more.
Later Hardison wouldn’t remember his witty comeback before hitting the button for the PA system and announcing that Eliot was making his approach.
With energy built over nearly three months waiting for what he could feel coming in his bones, Hardison all but jumped down the stairs from the bridge, racing across the catwalk, not even noticing the three story drop to the floor of the hold below him.
It was a sign he was getting used to Parker that after climbing down the ladder to the second level of scaffolding, turning around and finding himself face to face with the girl suspended in a rig attached to the ceiling, his reaction was to just help her unhook herself.
Parker: Acquisitions
He continued down the staircase, ignoring Parker's antics as she flipped herself around on the steel bars to land next to him, and went to the forward air lock, hitting the keys to open it.
Above them he could hear Nate and Sophie coming out onto the catwalk from the top floor.
They’d probably been in the conference room together. He could hear them arguing already.
Nathan Ford: Captain of the Good Ship Leverage
Charolette Prentice 18th Duchess of Hanover: Passenger on rou-
Sophie Devereaux: Grifter
With the air lock open they could see Eliot approaching fast, riding some kind of hovering all-terrain vehicle that looked a little like an updated version of those old Earth-that-Was motorcycles.
“He should be wearing a helmet,” Parker commented from beside him. “That’s dangerous without one.”
Hardison wasn’t going to even mention her tendency to use the cat walks as her personal gymnastics training ground without so much as padding on the hard steel floor.
“So we’ll finally get to meet this Spencer guy?” Dean’s voice came from behind them, a second set of footsteps meaning Sam was with him as usual as they came out of the storage space that made up most of the ship's lowest deck.
Sam and Dean Winchester: Pilot and Mechanic
With a scattering of sand that was a little more dramatic than was probably completely necessary, Eliot and his bike came to a stop outside the open airlock doors just as Nate and Sophie made it to the ground floor.
With a grin as a greeting, Eliot walked the bike inside, leaning it against the wall and turning to them.
Eliot Spencer: First Mate and Head of Security
His hair was longer, like the guy hadn’t cut it since they’d last seen him, and he looked worn out, but there was a sort of fire in his eyes and he held himself differently. If it weren’t for the fact Hardison had spent months trying to identify it first in himself and then in Parker he might not have had a way to define it but somewhere along the line Hardison had given it a name.
They didn’t carry themselves like they were bracing for the next beating anymore.
Almost unconsciously Hardison stood a little straighter.
“Sorry ta keep ya waitin’,” Eliot offered, something in his tone making it entirely unapologetic. “But if we’re all here why don’t we get this show on the road?”
Nate nodded. “Sam, take us up. Everyone else, let's meet in the conference room. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
They all turned, Sam’s ridiculously long legs carrying him up the stairs ahead of the rest, the grin on his face making Hardison wonder if flying was to Sam what theft was to Parker. Nate and Sophie were next, Dean falling into step beside Eliot as Hardison had mostly predicted would happen. From the two weeks he’d shared the ship with the guy, Dean seemed to have a freakish amount of similarities with Eliot.
Hardison started up the stairs when he saw Parker hitting the sequence to close the doors.
He almost missed the two soft words she muttered as steel shut them safely into their new home.
“All aboard.”
oOo
When the lights of Olympus fade into the black
And those battles lost get left behind
When my team is free and we’ve stolen the sky
Well that’s a damn good day to my way of mind
There’s an empty room that she never can leave
There’s a frozen hell where we were trained for war
There are men that played with a child’s mind
A boy’s innocence lost on Serenity’s Floor
But we found our Leverage and something more
Broke the only oath we ever swore
So take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’ll break free
You can’t steal the sky from me
I’ll escape into the black
Not gonna let them take me back
Burn the Land and Boil the Sea
You can’t steal the sky from me
Our father raised us alone on the road
Looking for vengeance to ease his broken heart
And there’re many a man saved by our hands
From those monsters out in the borderland dark
We lost out father to the government’s hounds
But we’re holdin’ on a carrying through
I still got my brother and he’s got my back
It’s a fool don’t keep your family with you
Don’t try to tell me that this isn’t true
Don’t follow where I’m headin’ to
So take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’ll break free
You can’t steal the sky from me
I’ll escape into the black
Not gonna let them take me back
Burn the land and Boil the sea
You can’t steal the sky from me
When you’ve walked my road and seen what I’ve seen
Well you won’t go talkin’ ‘bout righteous men
You’ll know damn well why I want to keep to my sky
Don’t cry neath no-one’s heel again
I’ve seen profits put before innocent souls
I’ve seen sane men mad and children die
I’ve been drunk and sober, married and fired
I’ve been tortured, cheated, lost truth to lies
Won’t see no tears when we say goodbye
Back to the black and our stolen sky
Here I stand, Finally free
In Leverage with this Family
You can’t steal the sky from me
You can’t steal the sky from me