[TheNoir] "And Then There Were None..."
- From: Isabella Valentine <wistful_fancy_noir@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: thenoir@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2005 18:20:38 -0800 (PST)
And Then There Were None...
By Shane Taggart, Isabella Valentine, and Trey Onadan
Leaving the dining area, Bella entwined her arm with Trey?s as they walked.
Stopping outside the turbolift, she tipped her head over onto his shoulder and
looked up. "I really need a nap."
The doors opened and they stepped inside. "Deck two," she told the computer,
planning on going back and lying down until they reached their destination.
"So, what do you think? Feel a little un-important?" She thought about it for a
second and then snickered, "But at least they didn?t leave us baby-sitting."
Trey smiled, tilting his head over against hers, "You never know what could
happen, Bella. For all we know we could be the most important part of the
mission. Watching people isn't necessarily a bad thing - we're their eyes and
ears, without us they?re blind as a bat." The turbolift ride was swift and
within seconds they were proceeding down the hallway to the their residence.
"And, yes, it could be worse."
"I'm used to being eyes and ears. I'm just used to doing it behind a computer.
High tech and all that jazz. I'm not a front lines kinda gal, if you hadn't
noticed, so, y'know," she shrugged.
"You're scared, aren't you?" Trey stifled a laugh, "I can't believe it. You
worked with Destis on that crapheap of a station, and hiding out in the forest
watching an old monastery frightens you? They sure don't make women like they
used to." He laughed a little bit, stopping just short of the corner to take
them to their quarters, "I can hold your hand if you want."
"So not funny," she said sarcastically as she punched him in the arm. "See if I
let you get all cuddly with me anymore." She was smiling slightly, though, for
once not really minding being called on it. Bella liked Trey and felt a certain
kinship with him that she hadn't shared in a long time.
Rubbing his arm, Trey bumped into Bella a little bit, "We'll be fine. Just a
pair of eyes. I'm worried about Shane being the sniper keeping all of us safe.
While the man has a dedication to duty - sometime in extremist fashion - I
wonder if his gun will be pointed at the right people, you know? The man's gone
a bit crazy as of late."
At the mention of Shane, something in Bella's eyes deadened. It had killed her
seeing him earlier. She hadn't been dwelling on Shane, trying to focus her mind
elsewhere, but looking at him across the table... it brought back too many
recent memories. "I'm just waiting for the whole thing to blow up in her face,"
Bella said coldly, referring to M.E. "Give the schizo guy a gun and the psycho
babysitting detail... She's crazier than the rest of us put together, I swear."
"Crazy, no. I think she's trying to trust the wrong people. Anita is bad news,
but she doesn't see that. Shane isn't as bad as that, but something has gone
askew with him too. It's hard to say," Trey took her arm again and walked her
around the corner. There, at the end of the hall leaning against their
quarters' door, stood Shane. "Speak of the devil."
Her arm unconsciously tightened on Trey's, but she managed to hide the
surprised look on her face rather well. "And he'll appear every fucking time,"
she finished.
"How precious," Shane said, his eyes narrowing and that sickening smile
returning to his face. "Tell the woman what a pathetic waste of oxygen her crew
was and she runs to the little boy who can't realize that his sister was a
back-stabbing whore. Somehow, ironically, you two fit together. There's
strength in cowardice, I guess." He chuckled to himself as he started walking
in small steps down the corridor towards the duo.
Determined not to let Shane upset her, Bella smiled. "I guess Trey just had
something you lacked," she purred, emphasizing her words with an insult she
knew Shane would understand, given the nature of their previous relationship.
"Lacked?" Shane scoffed, "What he lacks is an outlook on life that was actually
possible. He lives in a world of fancy where the monsters can't get him and the
beautiful women flock to him. I guess that's why he settled for you."
Trey took a menacing step forward, his eyes blazing with anger, "Shane, take a
hike. You aren't wanted here so why don't you go bother someone else? I'm sure
there are other people who wouldn't mind listening to your self-indulgent and
hostile rants, but neither of us are one of them. Got it?"
"Seems like the kid has found himself some guts," Shane was still tromping,
stalking, towards them. "Now, have you learned how to handle yourself in a
fight? Can you wield a phaser, a knife, or a compression rifle? Somehow, I
don't think so. Why do you think they put you on monitoring watch? Let the
people who know what the fuck they're doing handle the important aspects of the
mission."
Bella stepped forward and slid her arm around Trey's waist. "He's not worth
it," she told him. "He's just a sad little king of a sad little hill, never
knowing when he has anything worth having." Bella pulled Trey further down the
hall, hoping to walk around Shane and make it to their quarters.
"Pretty big words from such a small person. It's your defense mechanism, isn't
it?"
"Shane, I swear I'm going to..."
"To what," Shane interrupted, staring his former cohort in the eye, "going to
attack me? Going to lunge after me with malicious intent and premeditated
hostility? It would be like a mosquito bite before I drove you into the deck
plating so hard that you wouldn't remember being anywhere but there. Don't
start with me, kid, I've hurt you once, I'll do it again."
Trey lashed out, catching Shane in the jaw and causing the man to stumble
backwards. Shane stood to his full height, rubbing his now sore jaw. "You
little bastard, what did I just get finished telling you? You have about three
seconds to start running before I show you how we do things in the Tal Shiar."
"Trey, go," Bella ordered, holding a phaser aimed at Shane's heart. "Shane, get
the hell away from us. I may be a real crap shot, but I think I can manage from
a meter away. Just stay the fuck away." She was serious and she had no qualms
whatsoever about hurting Shane. Bella said she was going to protect Trey and
she meant it. She was tired of this. What happened to the family she knew a
crew could be? It was too much to bear.
"I'm going to make one thing clear to both of you," Shane said, staring down
the phaser in Bella's hand, "You think that you know what life is all about.
You think that it's a walk in the park. Well, your ignorance will be your
downfall. Remember who's watching your back on the planet. Remember who has the
gun that can kill an enemy or a friend. Remember that." Shane brushed past both
Trey and Bella, and headed down the hall.
Bella moved to the door and keyed in the pass code, allowing them access and
then locking it behind them. She turned slowly and looked at Trey. "You're
trying to get yourself killed, kiddo," she told him with a false sense of
bravado. More than anything, she just wanted to cry.
"He won't kill me. Hurt me, yes, but not kill." Trey spoke the words knowing
full well that they'd come out hollow.
"It's a bet I'm not going to take," she told him, moving over to where Trey was
standing. "Did you hear what he said about the Tal Shiar? They don't play
around. I know all too well what they can do and I have a feeling that I don't
even know the half of it." Her words came out softly and her lower lip quivered
as she tried in vain to stop her body from shaking.
"Bella," Trey started, wrapping his arms around her, "There's good in him
still. It's hard to explain, but this whole vigilante thing will pass."
"You got a good heart, but you're still naive," she told him, allowing the
comfort of his embrace. "There may still be good in him somewhere, but I just
don't trust it and you shouldn't either." Bella looked up at him, pleading with
her eyes for him to understand.
He sighed, defeated, "Yeah, you're right."
"I like that about you, though" she offered a small smile. "That you believe
and try to see the best in people."
"Naivety, remember?"
Reaching up and gently stroking his cheek with her thumb, she smirked. "I
didn't say it wasn't your downfall. I just think it's... sweet. There?s not a
lot of people like you in this universe."
"We should get ready." Trey pulled away from Bella and moved over to his bag of
stuff on the floor, sorting through it for the proper clothing.
"I didn't just piss you off, did I?" she asked, a little surprised.
"No, but we need to get ready," he looked at her. There was something about
her. When he was around her, he was different. No one had ever said that about
him before. Trey had always been the one down in the dumps, scrounging for
food, looking for the hand out; never before had he been unique. "Let's just be
prepared."
"Hey," she said, kneeling down next to him in the floor, putting her hand on
his back. "We got plenty time for that. What's a matter, Trey?"
"It's nothing," he stood and crossed to the other side of the room. It hit him
mid-stride as he moved across the barren quarters. She reminded him of her.
Radi. The personality, the ambition, the lust for life - it was all her. What
struck him more was that ability to be treacherous and disloyal. It scared him
to his core. He loved his sister, one couldn't get him wrong, but the feeling
still wasn't good.
She looked up at him, "You can't bullshit me, you know. What the hell is wrong?
Ain't no one else on this goddamn ship gonna listen to you like I will, so you
may as well just be out with it."
"No." Trey turned and walked out the door.
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