Scum of the Galaxy: Chapter 5
Title: Scum of the Galaxy
Author: rhin_ariel
Rating: Chapter - PG13, Whole story - R
Pairings: Only Sparky this time folks
Summary: Everyone has a past. But some people are less forthcoming about it than others.
“So, how was last night?”
Laura Cadman smiled mischievously at Elizabeth as they sat together eating lunch.
“Laura, you know fine well that is none of your business.”
“You’ve been grinning all day, it must have been good.”
“Laura.”
In spite of herself, Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile at her numerous thoughts of John.
“With a grin like that it must have been very, very good.”
“Laura Cadman, stop that right now!”
Elizabeth put her soup bowl down on the little table they were sat around and narrowed her eyes at her smirking friend.
“Seriously, you are no fun Elizabeth.”
“A lady never kisses and tells.”
“You’re a lady? That’s a new one on me.”
“I’m more of a lady than you!”
Laura swung out at Elizabeth with her free hand, but she had already stood up and taken a step back.
“I’ll leave you to finish your lunch in peace.”
“Fine. You’d better go check that Lorne and Sheppard aren’t fighting for…your honour.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as Laura mock bowed to emphasise her point. Honour wasn’t exactly high on the list of priorities for those who worked at the bar.
The corridor was almost empty as Elizabeth walked down, apart from the occasional girl running from one room to another. She stopped one of them, and spoke quickly to them. She was still trying to locate Carson to take care of the bar. Apparently he had turned one of the rooms further down into a ‘surgery’.
And when Elizabeth arrived, there was quite a queue forming.
“Carson, what is going on?”
Carson was sat on a small chair with a one of the girls sat on the bed next to him. It appeared he was taking blood, and she didn’t look particularly happy about it.
“Well, I was sorting out one of the girls, and another came over to say she’d been having some back pain. And then another girl showed up…”
“So you set up a surgery to deal with everyone in one go?”
“Exactly.”
“So who’s running the bar? You do realise we have guests?”
“Erm…are you doing anything important right now? You know what’s behind the bar almost as well as I do.”
“I know which contain alcohol and which don’t.”
“There you go lass, you’ve got it!”
At that exact moment, the girl sitting on the bed fainted, and Carson’s attention was quickly diverted from Elizabeth. With a sigh, she left the room and headed back into the bar.
John and Lorne were still deep in conversation when Elizabeth entered. She walked across to their table, noticing their empty glasses.
“Can I get you guys another drink?”
“Well, it would be my first drink, but sure,” replied John.
“Sorry about that, Carson’s a little busy at the moment. Lorne?”
“Thanks.”
Elizabeth took the glass from Lorne’s outstretched hand and was about to walk to the bar when John began speaking again.
“So, did Caldwell ask for any bounty hunters, or me in particular?”
“Well,” began Lorne, but he was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. They both spun around to find Elizabeth staring at them, the glass from her hand lying in pieces on the floor.
“Elizabeth?”
John quickly stood up and walked across to her. He touched her arm lightly, and suddenly she seemed as if she was waking from a daydream.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you okay Elizabeth? You dropped the glass.”
“I did?”
Looking down, she noticed the shards of glass at her feet.
“Oh, crap.”
Elizabeth kneeled down and began to gather up the bits of broken glass. John glanced across at Lorne, who looked a little confused. John was confused, and concerned. Elizabeth hardly ever swore, whatever the situation. And she never dropped things. John kneeled down next to her and reached out to help pick up the glass. She batted his hand away and smiled up at him.
“John, I’ll clear it up.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
“Thank you, but it’s fine.”
Elizabeth knew her smile was fake, but she hoped John couldn’t guess. She’d been shaken to the core and she didn’t want to let on to anyone what was going on. There was only one person she could talk to about this.
When she’d finished picking up the pieces of glass, she walked across to the bar and deposited them on the side.
“So,” she began, “you’ve got a job with Caldwell?”
“I sure do.”
“I did not realise Caldwell was hiring,” said a female voice from one side of the room.
The trio turned to find Teyla and Sora stood in the doorway. Teyla was smiling, but Sora, who had asked the question, was looking curious.
“Well he is,” said Lorne, standing. His eyes seemed to narrow as he looked at her.
“Do not look so angry, I’m not interested in what Caldwell has to offer.”
“The offer wasn’t for you anyway.”
Lorne started forward slightly at the softly smiling girl. No one had seen Lorne look at someone like that before. It was a look of almost pure hate.
“Well, I need to go. I will speak with you later Teyla.”
The pair hugged before Sora walked quickly towards the exit. At the top of the stairs, she turned back to the occupants of the room.
“Thank you Ms Weir. Goodbye Teyla, Sheppard…Lorne.”
Her voice was soft, but she emphasised Lorne’s name with an almost mocking smile playing on her lips. And then she was gone.
Lorne stared at the door for a few moments, before turning to Elizabeth.
“Am I okay to get a room for a while?”
“Of course,” replied Elizabeth as she walked behind the bar. She took a key off one of the hooks and held it out to him. Lorne snatched it from her hand and stormed off leaving Elizabeth, John and Teyla looking confused.
“What was that about?” asked John as he walked across to the bar. He sat down on one of the stools and was joined by Teyla next to him.
“I am unsure. It seems that Lorne and Sora know each other, though Sora has never mentioned it to me.”
“Lorne’s never mentioned her to me. You got any ideas Elizabeth? Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth was staring off into space rubbing her hands together slowly. In her mind, images of a past life played over and over again.
“Elizabeth?” asked John again, touching her arm. For the second time that day, he watched, as she seemed to awaken from her dream state.
“I’m sorry, I was a million miles away.”
“We noticed.”
“Is everything okay Elizabeth?” asked Teyla looking genuinely concerned.
“Yes. Although…I need to go out this afternoon to sort some things out. Could you two keep an eye on things for a while, Carson’s a little busy.”
“Sure.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.”
Elizabeth quickly headed to her rooms to get changed. She knew John had followed her, but he was the last of her worries at the moment. In her room, she pulled out a pale blue blouse and a pair of smart black trousers.
“Trousers, things must be serious.”
She only glared slightly at John as he leaned in her doorway before starting to get changed. John watched her, noticing everything about her. The smooth skin on her back, her pale legs, her long fingers smoothing out the material of her clothes. He noticed the scars across her lower back that he never asked her about, he noticed her knee, which seemed to be slightly swollen again.
“Your knee okay?”
“It’s just acting up a little. I think you twisted it a little last night.”
She turned to face him with a slight smirk on her face. The buttons on her shirt weren’t done up yet, but already her appearance had been totally altered. She looked more like a businesswoman than an infamous courtesan.
“Sorry, I’ll remember to be more gentle next time.”
“Who said there’s going to be a next time?”
John took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them. She had her hands on her hips and her eyes never left his.
“I think there will be, there always is.”
Without any warning, he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her in. He then put one arm on her shoulder and spun her slightly. He began to kiss her lightly, while gently lowering her backwards. After a few moments, she tipped her head back with her body and he moved down to kiss her neck. The hand around her waist moved across a little more and pulled one side of her shirt away from her body.
“I have to go out John.”
“Not right away though.”
“Actually, I do need to go right now.”
With a sigh, John dropped his forehead onto her chin, his breath softly tickling her neck.
“Sorry John.”
“It’s okay.”
John pulled them both up sharply and let go of her. She pulled her shirt back together and began to button it up.
“I shouldn’t be gone too long.”
When she’d finished with her blouse, she pulled on a black jacket that was lying on a chair nearby. She picked up her hairbrush and began to run it through her hair. She could see John reflected in the mirror though, and he was looking at her almost sadly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong John,” she said, putting down the brush and picking up a small handbag that sat next to her dressing table.
“There is. Today, you’ve sworn, dropped something, gone off into daydream land more than once and now you’re suddenly disappearing out. Something’s going on.”
Turning to face John, Elizabeth shook her head slightly.
“You’ve got it all wrong. Look, everything’s fine, I’m just having…one of those days. Okay?”
Reaching out, she laid a hand on John’s cheek and smiled softly.
“Okay John?”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
Leaning in, she kissed him lightly on the lips before moving towards the door.
“Elizabeth.”
“What now?”
“You might want some shoes.”
Looking down at her bare feet, she couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“What would I do without you John?”
---------
Nearly an hour later Elizabeth found herself on the opposite side of the city outside the door of an uptown apartment. She felt a little nervous to be far from home without someone she knew. But when a familiar smiling face opened the door, she felt a little more at ease.
“Elizabeth! What a wonderful surprise! Please, come in.”
“Thank you Peter, it feels like forever.”
Peter Grodin was Elizabeth Weir’s oldest friend. In fact, when she’d arrived on the planet, he’d been her first friend. He knew things about her that no other person in the galaxy knew, or should know. He had also helped her set up The Red Den, so as far as she was concerned she owed him a great deal. However, he never asked for anything in return for what he had done for her.
“Please, sit down. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Some water would be nice, it’s difficult to get anything other than alcohol in the bar.”
“Sure,” laughed Peter disappearing into the kitchen area.
Elizabeth settled down on one of the luxurious leather sofas positioned around the low glass coffee table. Peter earned a living as the managing director of a well-known computer software manufacturer. With the amount of money he had, he could probably buy a whole planet to himself, but he liked the city life. Elizabeth had always been suspicious that he was just staying nearby to check up on her.
“Here you go,” said Peter as he held out a tall glass to her.
“Thanks,” she smiled, accepting it gladly.
“So, what brings you to this side of town?”
Peter sat down next to her, taking care to look her over. He had always cared for Elizabeth, though not in the way many expected. He saw her practically as family, and her welfare was important. He couldn’t see any cut or bruises, any signs that she’d lost weight and she certainly didn’t look sad. He could tell something was bothering her though, though that was mainly because she’d just randomly turned up on his doorstep with no warning.
“Well, I have a problem.”
Setting glass on the table, Peter sat forward and laid a hand on Elizabeth’s.
“What’s happened?”
“For a start, John’s back. You remember John don’t you?”
“Of course, nice guy. So how is that a problem, I thought you liked him?”
“I do, he’s not exactly the problem.”
“Elizabeth, tell me, you’re beginning to scare me.”
“John’s just got offered a job. By Caldwell.”
“Caldwell?”
“Yes.”
For the first time in a long time, Peter saw Elizabeth look scared. Not nervous or concerned, actually scared.
“Elizabeth,” he began, squeezing her hand gently, “you have nothing to worry about. Caldwell’s not looking for Elizabeth Weir; he’s looking for Zara James. He has no idea where you are or what you are doing. Even if John mentioned The Red Den, or you, Caldwell’s not going to know.”
“He’ll know. I don’t know how he’ll know, but he’ll know.”
“You need to calm down Elizabeth, he might have stopped looking by now.”
“I seriously doubt that. He will never stop looking; I think even if I died, he’d hunt down my body.”
She smiled slightly, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Peter was concerned as well, mainly for her safety, but also for John’s safety. If Caldwell found out he knew Elizabeth, then his own life was in danger, as well as hers.
“You need to tell him Elizabeth. Tell John about Caldwell, warn him not to mention anything about you. He has a right to know, and if he really cares about you, he’ll understand.”
“You’re right.”
Elizabeth turned her head away and looked out of the large window. The view took in most of the city, with it’s towering skyscrapers and smaller, older buildings. The Gate couldn’t be seen, and neither could the office building The Red Den was hidden under. It felt like a million miles from home, just like when she’d first arrived on the planet. Although, this time, she was a lot safer and things were very different now.
“I should probably go before John starts worrying and sends out a search party. Thank you Peter, really.”
“Anytime.”
Leaning across, Peter hugged her tightly and whispered softly in he ear.
“Be safe Elizabeth.”
Pulling back Elizabeth smiled sadly.
“I always try to be.”
They both stood and walked to the door. Peter opened the door and laid a hand on her shoulder gently.
“I’ll try to visit you’re little bar sometime.”
“You should, you can see what I’ve done with the place.”
“You mean what you’ve done with my money.”
They laughed together, before Elizabeth began to walk away from Peter. As she was about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway, she looked back to find Peter stood in the doorway smiling at her. She waved before disappearing from his view. With a sad sigh, Peter shut the door and began to pray to any god he could think of for Elizabeth’s safety.
Before heading back to the bar, Elizabeth decided to walk around a park that was near Peter’s apartment. She was thinking about a lot of things. About the past, about the present, about what the future could hold. On one hand, her future could carry on as it did now. But, her past held a secret that could turn her future into something she had only had nightmares about. She barely noticed her shadow growing longer as the sun set. It was only when the clear blue water of the pond became pink that she realised how late it was getting. Thankfully, she knew a few shortcuts through the city to get her back to the bar.
One of the shortcuts was down a wide alleyway. Elizabeth had never feared alleyways before, and even in the growing darkness she saw no reason to now. She was almost halfway down when she heard the voice behind.
“Excuse me!”
She spun around to find someone she hadn’t been expecting.
“Kavaunagh,” she muttered.
Kavaunagh had a reputation in the world of criminals. He was a double-crossing snitch who worked for anyone. For the right fee, of course. He was also one of the only people to be banned from The Red Den. He’d become insulting to one of the girls, and when she tried to walk away, he’d hit her. When Elizabeth had gone over, he’d tried to attack her as well. He was stopped when half the bar ran to Elizabeth’s defence and tried to jump Kavaunagh. He was instantly banned and told never to return. Elizabeth had hoped he would never even return to the planet, but it was clear she was wrong.
“Well, the great Elizabeth Weir out and about. You don’t see that very often.”
“Run along Kavaunagh, I have nothing to say to you,” said Elizabeth, turning back down the alleyway.
“I have plenty to say to you Elizabeth. Or is it Zara, I’m not sure.”
Elizabeth found herself frozen to the spot. How could he possibly know?
“Allow me to explain,” began Kavaunagh. Elizabeth heard a click behind her before a voice echoed around the alley.
“Elizabeth, you have nothing to worry about. Caldwell’s not looking for Elizabeth Weir; he’s looking for Zara James. He has no idea where you are or what you are doing.”
Peter’s words felt like a punch in the stomach as Elizabeth listened. She turned back quickly to find Kavaunagh holding a small black device.
“I saw you leave the bar. I just made sure to attach a little listening device to your bag when you were in a crowd.”
“What do you want Kavaunagh?”
“What do you think I want? I want my ban lifted, or I go to Caldwell and tell him exactly where you are. And what you are. I’m sure he’d love to here about you, the whore.”
With just a few words, Elizabeth could see her world crumbling around her. All her future could hold now was pain and imprisonment.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not? Is your life not worth it?”
“I can’t do it. I banned you for life for your behaviour. What’s to stop you doing it again?”
“You just have to accept that’s who I am.”
“I won’t do it.”
“I knew it. Your pathetic morals. That’s right; protect the girls over yourself. Well, you know what it means; I’m off to see Caldwell. Goodbye Elizabeth.”
Kavaunagh placed the black device in his pocket and began to walk away from Elizabeth. He’d only taken a few steps when all of a sudden he felt something cold and metallic against the back of his neck. Elizabeth had made sure to place her small gun in her handbag before she’d left the bar.
“Hand over the recording or I will blow your brains out.”
“You won’t do it.”
There was a click.
“Don’t push me.”
“Fine.”
Kavaunagh moved one hand up as if to surrender, and the other moved down as if to get the device. All of a sudden, he spun around and grabbed Elizabeth’s wrist. He twisted hard, causing her to drop the gun. Before she could try to fight back, he grabbed her shoulder with his other hand and pushed her across the alleyway. He rammed her against the wall, pinning her tightly.
“That was very, very stupid.”
Elizabeth tried to fight her way out, but Kavaunagh seemed to anticipate everything she tried. She tried to kick him, but he used his own legs to block her. Both are arms were trapped, one pinned by the wrist high up on the wall, the other pinned by her upper arm.
“Now listen to me Elizabeth, and listen to me well. You destroyed any chance I ever had of getting work by banning me. I lost any clients, any chances to spy on people, I lost everything. And now, I’m going to take everything away from you. You were right, Caldwell has never stopped looking for you, and the price on your head right now is enough to last me two lifetimes. All you have to look forward to is pain and suffering, because he is still very, very angry with you.”
Suddenly, Kavaunagh stepped back. He pulled Elizabeth around and pushed her to the floor. She looked up at him towering over. He leaned down, a sickening grin plastered across his face.
“Goodbye Zara.”
And with that, he left the alley. Elizabeth remained still for a few moments, before grabbing her gun and bag and running into the growing darkness.
While the sun was just setting, on another planet, it was only mid morning. In a well-equipped office in a large building, one of the greatest gang bosses in the galaxy was sitting at a desk. A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Enter.”
A young man entered the room.
“Sir, you have a message.”
“Thank you.”
The young man left, and the gang boss opened his laptop. He clicked on a small flashing symbol and a video screen opened.
“Sora,” he began.
“Sir, I hope I am not disturbing you.”
“Not at all, do you have something for me?”
“I believe I have some information about Caldwell you may be interested in.”
Acastus Kolya, gang boss and mortal enemy of Steven Caldwell sat forward smiling.
“We must meet in person then. Return to base as soon as possible.”
“Of course sir.”
The video screen then went black. Kolya closed the laptop and sat back. His day was now certainly looking up.
Author: rhin_ariel
Rating: Chapter - PG13, Whole story - R
Pairings: Only Sparky this time folks
Summary: Everyone has a past. But some people are less forthcoming about it than others.
“So, how was last night?”
Laura Cadman smiled mischievously at Elizabeth as they sat together eating lunch.
“Laura, you know fine well that is none of your business.”
“You’ve been grinning all day, it must have been good.”
“Laura.”
In spite of herself, Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile at her numerous thoughts of John.
“With a grin like that it must have been very, very good.”
“Laura Cadman, stop that right now!”
Elizabeth put her soup bowl down on the little table they were sat around and narrowed her eyes at her smirking friend.
“Seriously, you are no fun Elizabeth.”
“A lady never kisses and tells.”
“You’re a lady? That’s a new one on me.”
“I’m more of a lady than you!”
Laura swung out at Elizabeth with her free hand, but she had already stood up and taken a step back.
“I’ll leave you to finish your lunch in peace.”
“Fine. You’d better go check that Lorne and Sheppard aren’t fighting for…your honour.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as Laura mock bowed to emphasise her point. Honour wasn’t exactly high on the list of priorities for those who worked at the bar.
The corridor was almost empty as Elizabeth walked down, apart from the occasional girl running from one room to another. She stopped one of them, and spoke quickly to them. She was still trying to locate Carson to take care of the bar. Apparently he had turned one of the rooms further down into a ‘surgery’.
And when Elizabeth arrived, there was quite a queue forming.
“Carson, what is going on?”
Carson was sat on a small chair with a one of the girls sat on the bed next to him. It appeared he was taking blood, and she didn’t look particularly happy about it.
“Well, I was sorting out one of the girls, and another came over to say she’d been having some back pain. And then another girl showed up…”
“So you set up a surgery to deal with everyone in one go?”
“Exactly.”
“So who’s running the bar? You do realise we have guests?”
“Erm…are you doing anything important right now? You know what’s behind the bar almost as well as I do.”
“I know which contain alcohol and which don’t.”
“There you go lass, you’ve got it!”
At that exact moment, the girl sitting on the bed fainted, and Carson’s attention was quickly diverted from Elizabeth. With a sigh, she left the room and headed back into the bar.
John and Lorne were still deep in conversation when Elizabeth entered. She walked across to their table, noticing their empty glasses.
“Can I get you guys another drink?”
“Well, it would be my first drink, but sure,” replied John.
“Sorry about that, Carson’s a little busy at the moment. Lorne?”
“Thanks.”
Elizabeth took the glass from Lorne’s outstretched hand and was about to walk to the bar when John began speaking again.
“So, did Caldwell ask for any bounty hunters, or me in particular?”
“Well,” began Lorne, but he was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. They both spun around to find Elizabeth staring at them, the glass from her hand lying in pieces on the floor.
“Elizabeth?”
John quickly stood up and walked across to her. He touched her arm lightly, and suddenly she seemed as if she was waking from a daydream.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you okay Elizabeth? You dropped the glass.”
“I did?”
Looking down, she noticed the shards of glass at her feet.
“Oh, crap.”
Elizabeth kneeled down and began to gather up the bits of broken glass. John glanced across at Lorne, who looked a little confused. John was confused, and concerned. Elizabeth hardly ever swore, whatever the situation. And she never dropped things. John kneeled down next to her and reached out to help pick up the glass. She batted his hand away and smiled up at him.
“John, I’ll clear it up.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
“Thank you, but it’s fine.”
Elizabeth knew her smile was fake, but she hoped John couldn’t guess. She’d been shaken to the core and she didn’t want to let on to anyone what was going on. There was only one person she could talk to about this.
When she’d finished picking up the pieces of glass, she walked across to the bar and deposited them on the side.
“So,” she began, “you’ve got a job with Caldwell?”
“I sure do.”
“I did not realise Caldwell was hiring,” said a female voice from one side of the room.
The trio turned to find Teyla and Sora stood in the doorway. Teyla was smiling, but Sora, who had asked the question, was looking curious.
“Well he is,” said Lorne, standing. His eyes seemed to narrow as he looked at her.
“Do not look so angry, I’m not interested in what Caldwell has to offer.”
“The offer wasn’t for you anyway.”
Lorne started forward slightly at the softly smiling girl. No one had seen Lorne look at someone like that before. It was a look of almost pure hate.
“Well, I need to go. I will speak with you later Teyla.”
The pair hugged before Sora walked quickly towards the exit. At the top of the stairs, she turned back to the occupants of the room.
“Thank you Ms Weir. Goodbye Teyla, Sheppard…Lorne.”
Her voice was soft, but she emphasised Lorne’s name with an almost mocking smile playing on her lips. And then she was gone.
Lorne stared at the door for a few moments, before turning to Elizabeth.
“Am I okay to get a room for a while?”
“Of course,” replied Elizabeth as she walked behind the bar. She took a key off one of the hooks and held it out to him. Lorne snatched it from her hand and stormed off leaving Elizabeth, John and Teyla looking confused.
“What was that about?” asked John as he walked across to the bar. He sat down on one of the stools and was joined by Teyla next to him.
“I am unsure. It seems that Lorne and Sora know each other, though Sora has never mentioned it to me.”
“Lorne’s never mentioned her to me. You got any ideas Elizabeth? Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth was staring off into space rubbing her hands together slowly. In her mind, images of a past life played over and over again.
“Elizabeth?” asked John again, touching her arm. For the second time that day, he watched, as she seemed to awaken from her dream state.
“I’m sorry, I was a million miles away.”
“We noticed.”
“Is everything okay Elizabeth?” asked Teyla looking genuinely concerned.
“Yes. Although…I need to go out this afternoon to sort some things out. Could you two keep an eye on things for a while, Carson’s a little busy.”
“Sure.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks.”
Elizabeth quickly headed to her rooms to get changed. She knew John had followed her, but he was the last of her worries at the moment. In her room, she pulled out a pale blue blouse and a pair of smart black trousers.
“Trousers, things must be serious.”
She only glared slightly at John as he leaned in her doorway before starting to get changed. John watched her, noticing everything about her. The smooth skin on her back, her pale legs, her long fingers smoothing out the material of her clothes. He noticed the scars across her lower back that he never asked her about, he noticed her knee, which seemed to be slightly swollen again.
“Your knee okay?”
“It’s just acting up a little. I think you twisted it a little last night.”
She turned to face him with a slight smirk on her face. The buttons on her shirt weren’t done up yet, but already her appearance had been totally altered. She looked more like a businesswoman than an infamous courtesan.
“Sorry, I’ll remember to be more gentle next time.”
“Who said there’s going to be a next time?”
John took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them. She had her hands on her hips and her eyes never left his.
“I think there will be, there always is.”
Without any warning, he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her in. He then put one arm on her shoulder and spun her slightly. He began to kiss her lightly, while gently lowering her backwards. After a few moments, she tipped her head back with her body and he moved down to kiss her neck. The hand around her waist moved across a little more and pulled one side of her shirt away from her body.
“I have to go out John.”
“Not right away though.”
“Actually, I do need to go right now.”
With a sigh, John dropped his forehead onto her chin, his breath softly tickling her neck.
“Sorry John.”
“It’s okay.”
John pulled them both up sharply and let go of her. She pulled her shirt back together and began to button it up.
“I shouldn’t be gone too long.”
When she’d finished with her blouse, she pulled on a black jacket that was lying on a chair nearby. She picked up her hairbrush and began to run it through her hair. She could see John reflected in the mirror though, and he was looking at her almost sadly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong John,” she said, putting down the brush and picking up a small handbag that sat next to her dressing table.
“There is. Today, you’ve sworn, dropped something, gone off into daydream land more than once and now you’re suddenly disappearing out. Something’s going on.”
Turning to face John, Elizabeth shook her head slightly.
“You’ve got it all wrong. Look, everything’s fine, I’m just having…one of those days. Okay?”
Reaching out, she laid a hand on John’s cheek and smiled softly.
“Okay John?”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
Leaning in, she kissed him lightly on the lips before moving towards the door.
“Elizabeth.”
“What now?”
“You might want some shoes.”
Looking down at her bare feet, she couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“What would I do without you John?”
---------
Nearly an hour later Elizabeth found herself on the opposite side of the city outside the door of an uptown apartment. She felt a little nervous to be far from home without someone she knew. But when a familiar smiling face opened the door, she felt a little more at ease.
“Elizabeth! What a wonderful surprise! Please, come in.”
“Thank you Peter, it feels like forever.”
Peter Grodin was Elizabeth Weir’s oldest friend. In fact, when she’d arrived on the planet, he’d been her first friend. He knew things about her that no other person in the galaxy knew, or should know. He had also helped her set up The Red Den, so as far as she was concerned she owed him a great deal. However, he never asked for anything in return for what he had done for her.
“Please, sit down. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Some water would be nice, it’s difficult to get anything other than alcohol in the bar.”
“Sure,” laughed Peter disappearing into the kitchen area.
Elizabeth settled down on one of the luxurious leather sofas positioned around the low glass coffee table. Peter earned a living as the managing director of a well-known computer software manufacturer. With the amount of money he had, he could probably buy a whole planet to himself, but he liked the city life. Elizabeth had always been suspicious that he was just staying nearby to check up on her.
“Here you go,” said Peter as he held out a tall glass to her.
“Thanks,” she smiled, accepting it gladly.
“So, what brings you to this side of town?”
Peter sat down next to her, taking care to look her over. He had always cared for Elizabeth, though not in the way many expected. He saw her practically as family, and her welfare was important. He couldn’t see any cut or bruises, any signs that she’d lost weight and she certainly didn’t look sad. He could tell something was bothering her though, though that was mainly because she’d just randomly turned up on his doorstep with no warning.
“Well, I have a problem.”
Setting glass on the table, Peter sat forward and laid a hand on Elizabeth’s.
“What’s happened?”
“For a start, John’s back. You remember John don’t you?”
“Of course, nice guy. So how is that a problem, I thought you liked him?”
“I do, he’s not exactly the problem.”
“Elizabeth, tell me, you’re beginning to scare me.”
“John’s just got offered a job. By Caldwell.”
“Caldwell?”
“Yes.”
For the first time in a long time, Peter saw Elizabeth look scared. Not nervous or concerned, actually scared.
“Elizabeth,” he began, squeezing her hand gently, “you have nothing to worry about. Caldwell’s not looking for Elizabeth Weir; he’s looking for Zara James. He has no idea where you are or what you are doing. Even if John mentioned The Red Den, or you, Caldwell’s not going to know.”
“He’ll know. I don’t know how he’ll know, but he’ll know.”
“You need to calm down Elizabeth, he might have stopped looking by now.”
“I seriously doubt that. He will never stop looking; I think even if I died, he’d hunt down my body.”
She smiled slightly, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Peter was concerned as well, mainly for her safety, but also for John’s safety. If Caldwell found out he knew Elizabeth, then his own life was in danger, as well as hers.
“You need to tell him Elizabeth. Tell John about Caldwell, warn him not to mention anything about you. He has a right to know, and if he really cares about you, he’ll understand.”
“You’re right.”
Elizabeth turned her head away and looked out of the large window. The view took in most of the city, with it’s towering skyscrapers and smaller, older buildings. The Gate couldn’t be seen, and neither could the office building The Red Den was hidden under. It felt like a million miles from home, just like when she’d first arrived on the planet. Although, this time, she was a lot safer and things were very different now.
“I should probably go before John starts worrying and sends out a search party. Thank you Peter, really.”
“Anytime.”
Leaning across, Peter hugged her tightly and whispered softly in he ear.
“Be safe Elizabeth.”
Pulling back Elizabeth smiled sadly.
“I always try to be.”
They both stood and walked to the door. Peter opened the door and laid a hand on her shoulder gently.
“I’ll try to visit you’re little bar sometime.”
“You should, you can see what I’ve done with the place.”
“You mean what you’ve done with my money.”
They laughed together, before Elizabeth began to walk away from Peter. As she was about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway, she looked back to find Peter stood in the doorway smiling at her. She waved before disappearing from his view. With a sad sigh, Peter shut the door and began to pray to any god he could think of for Elizabeth’s safety.
Before heading back to the bar, Elizabeth decided to walk around a park that was near Peter’s apartment. She was thinking about a lot of things. About the past, about the present, about what the future could hold. On one hand, her future could carry on as it did now. But, her past held a secret that could turn her future into something she had only had nightmares about. She barely noticed her shadow growing longer as the sun set. It was only when the clear blue water of the pond became pink that she realised how late it was getting. Thankfully, she knew a few shortcuts through the city to get her back to the bar.
One of the shortcuts was down a wide alleyway. Elizabeth had never feared alleyways before, and even in the growing darkness she saw no reason to now. She was almost halfway down when she heard the voice behind.
“Excuse me!”
She spun around to find someone she hadn’t been expecting.
“Kavaunagh,” she muttered.
Kavaunagh had a reputation in the world of criminals. He was a double-crossing snitch who worked for anyone. For the right fee, of course. He was also one of the only people to be banned from The Red Den. He’d become insulting to one of the girls, and when she tried to walk away, he’d hit her. When Elizabeth had gone over, he’d tried to attack her as well. He was stopped when half the bar ran to Elizabeth’s defence and tried to jump Kavaunagh. He was instantly banned and told never to return. Elizabeth had hoped he would never even return to the planet, but it was clear she was wrong.
“Well, the great Elizabeth Weir out and about. You don’t see that very often.”
“Run along Kavaunagh, I have nothing to say to you,” said Elizabeth, turning back down the alleyway.
“I have plenty to say to you Elizabeth. Or is it Zara, I’m not sure.”
Elizabeth found herself frozen to the spot. How could he possibly know?
“Allow me to explain,” began Kavaunagh. Elizabeth heard a click behind her before a voice echoed around the alley.
“Elizabeth, you have nothing to worry about. Caldwell’s not looking for Elizabeth Weir; he’s looking for Zara James. He has no idea where you are or what you are doing.”
Peter’s words felt like a punch in the stomach as Elizabeth listened. She turned back quickly to find Kavaunagh holding a small black device.
“I saw you leave the bar. I just made sure to attach a little listening device to your bag when you were in a crowd.”
“What do you want Kavaunagh?”
“What do you think I want? I want my ban lifted, or I go to Caldwell and tell him exactly where you are. And what you are. I’m sure he’d love to here about you, the whore.”
With just a few words, Elizabeth could see her world crumbling around her. All her future could hold now was pain and imprisonment.
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not? Is your life not worth it?”
“I can’t do it. I banned you for life for your behaviour. What’s to stop you doing it again?”
“You just have to accept that’s who I am.”
“I won’t do it.”
“I knew it. Your pathetic morals. That’s right; protect the girls over yourself. Well, you know what it means; I’m off to see Caldwell. Goodbye Elizabeth.”
Kavaunagh placed the black device in his pocket and began to walk away from Elizabeth. He’d only taken a few steps when all of a sudden he felt something cold and metallic against the back of his neck. Elizabeth had made sure to place her small gun in her handbag before she’d left the bar.
“Hand over the recording or I will blow your brains out.”
“You won’t do it.”
There was a click.
“Don’t push me.”
“Fine.”
Kavaunagh moved one hand up as if to surrender, and the other moved down as if to get the device. All of a sudden, he spun around and grabbed Elizabeth’s wrist. He twisted hard, causing her to drop the gun. Before she could try to fight back, he grabbed her shoulder with his other hand and pushed her across the alleyway. He rammed her against the wall, pinning her tightly.
“That was very, very stupid.”
Elizabeth tried to fight her way out, but Kavaunagh seemed to anticipate everything she tried. She tried to kick him, but he used his own legs to block her. Both are arms were trapped, one pinned by the wrist high up on the wall, the other pinned by her upper arm.
“Now listen to me Elizabeth, and listen to me well. You destroyed any chance I ever had of getting work by banning me. I lost any clients, any chances to spy on people, I lost everything. And now, I’m going to take everything away from you. You were right, Caldwell has never stopped looking for you, and the price on your head right now is enough to last me two lifetimes. All you have to look forward to is pain and suffering, because he is still very, very angry with you.”
Suddenly, Kavaunagh stepped back. He pulled Elizabeth around and pushed her to the floor. She looked up at him towering over. He leaned down, a sickening grin plastered across his face.
“Goodbye Zara.”
And with that, he left the alley. Elizabeth remained still for a few moments, before grabbing her gun and bag and running into the growing darkness.
While the sun was just setting, on another planet, it was only mid morning. In a well-equipped office in a large building, one of the greatest gang bosses in the galaxy was sitting at a desk. A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Enter.”
A young man entered the room.
“Sir, you have a message.”
“Thank you.”
The young man left, and the gang boss opened his laptop. He clicked on a small flashing symbol and a video screen opened.
“Sora,” he began.
“Sir, I hope I am not disturbing you.”
“Not at all, do you have something for me?”
“I believe I have some information about Caldwell you may be interested in.”
Acastus Kolya, gang boss and mortal enemy of Steven Caldwell sat forward smiling.
“We must meet in person then. Return to base as soon as possible.”
“Of course sir.”
The video screen then went black. Kolya closed the laptop and sat back. His day was now certainly looking up.