[TheNoir] "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Not at All"
- From: "Brad Ruder" <groundzero@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: thenoir@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:52:11 -0800
“Revenge Is a Dish Best Not Served at All”
by Shane Taggart
& Anita Tessasohn
Anita frowned, shifting her head slightly as she found herself in the Noir's galley. "Hmm." Her wrists were hurting a little, due to the struggle she put up when M.E. so kindly invited to have Anita play. The captain was showing.. something, pass the flirtation and temptations.. there was something, and Anita didn't understand what it was.
Anita shrugged it of, there is always more than one way to skin a cat, and if Maureen kept putting restrictions, Anita would either defy them altogether or play it within a hairline of being unacceptable. She smirked, taking a piece of bread before moving towards the door.
The doors parted with a reassuring hiss and Shane stopped Anita dead in her tracks. He had this look on his face, that of an angry animal, and glared at her with a fiery passion that was hell bent on revenge. Shane's face twisted with a maniacal smile and he took a step towards her. "You bitch. I'm tired of playing your games. You're going to pay, and pay hard, for what you did to Bella."
Anita frowned, dropping the bread and taking the step forward closer to Shane. Her anger came back almost immediately, but somehow it wasn't as uncontrolled as earlier. "Oh, and just what are you going to do?"
Shane didn't wait. He shuffled sideways and planted his foot firmly into Anita's chest. Watching her stumble backwards, but not fall, brought both a frown and smile to his face. Shane did enjoy a good challenge, but in this case he wanted nothing more than to pummel her and leave. As far as he was concerned he didn't want to waste his time on her any more than he had to. "There's phase one."
"Here's your phase two," Anita tone changed completely as she threw the few needles she had made at him. He dodged it, not surprising. But it gave Anita time as her blades came out in an intricate dance, piercing air and clearly aimed to kill him.
The needles nearly nicked him as he heard the wind they displaced as they spiraled through the air. He didn't have any weapons, but he didn't feel that put him at a disadvantage in the least. "You wanna dance, princess?" Shane took a few steps into the mess hall and the doors closed behind him.
Let her have blades, Shane thought,
it'll make my ass-kicking all that more worth it. Weaving in and out, Shane dodged a couple of random swings from Anita.
Anita dropped a knife right in the middle of her move, but it distracted him for the split second. That was enough. A hit with a free hand followed by a bicycle kick sent Shane tumbling back. "Anytime, love."
Hitting the ground, Shane kick-flipped back to his feet and went on the offensive. Several of his punches were dodged or deflected, but his hands were able to allow a kick to her knee to impact perfectly. Taking the opening in stride, Shane planted his fist right across Anita's sternum with a glancing blow. It was her time to hit the ground. "I can keep this up all day."
"It won't take all day," Anita replied quietly, looking at Shane from the ground. Quickly pushing herself up, her feet planted to the ground, "That was good." She crinkled her nose with a cruel smile but didn't wait as she went straight for him again. She realized her last knife was gone. Taking the knives from her legs was going to be impossible. Hand to hand it was.
Shane made a fledgling motion to indicate that he wanted her to come at him. She did and after several volleys of blocked and deflected shots, the two separated into a dance of maneuvers. It was clear that they both were evenly matched. "So, Anita, what do you like to do in your free time?" Shane smiled as he kicked a chair up off the ground at her. Anita ducked under it perfectly as he knew that she would. "Shopping? Painting?"
"Killing bastards like you," Anita said threw clenched teeth as she wielded her own chair and kicked it towards him. Her boots weren't made for kicking, much less fighting for an extended period; but in a pinch, her move worked, sending the chair flying.
He tucked and rolled, hearing the chair clatter against the wall. Getting to his feet, Shane moved around a bit more, trying to circle around into a more open area. "Copy cat," he said sarcastically, "do you like fruit?" He grabbed a red fruit from the bowl on the shelf near him and hurled it at her. Shane tossed two more before he rocketed the empty metal container at her.
She hit container away and flipped towards him. It didn't take long before her fists came flying, "they're just great after a good kill. Much like you will be after I’m through!" Anita's blows were being blocked, two caught him as Anita grabbed him by the throat and threw him. It wasn't far, considering that pound for pound he was stronger and therefore heavier.
The wall hit him, he knew it did. He saw a punch coming, telegraphed it, and watched her fist hit the bulkhead with an almost sickening thud. He spun away, putting another hand into her back to push her against the wall. "Looks like I'm in the more dominant position there, love, and it doesn't look to be getting any easier for you."
Anita smashed her elbow to the side of his face. Not the best way to get out, but it worked as she turned quickly and planted a few more hits on Shane. "You wanna talk about dominance? How bout you groveling at my feet." A twist to and firm plant on her foot, Anita twirled around, sending her right leg for a hard kick. "Your turn."
"Fuck," Shane said, tasting and spitting out blood from his mouth, "maybe I did under-estimate you. Groveling, however, is not something I like to do." He waited for a clumsy punch after dodging half a dozen well-placed ones. When it happened, Shane caught it and held it before smacking Anita across the face a couple of times with a firm fist. He twisted her arm around and then put his foot on her ass and shoved her once again to the ground. "You think you'd learn the first time."
"Oh I’m shaking. Big bad," Anita coughed out, feeling the immediate pain on her face, "Shane, coming to kill me. You can't even teach me a lesson."
He didn't let her get up, a swift kick to her stomach caused her to roll over onto her back. Placing his boot on her throat, he pressed and stared down in to those 'battle-hardened' eyes. "What more do you want me to do besides kill you? I'm free to experiment in slow and painful torture."
Anita instinctively grabbed at his foot, trying to alleviate the weight against her windpipe. "You can't torture... a torturer. Give me.. your best shot..."
He shifted all his weight forward, watching her grip fail to her impending demise. He didn't care and Shane wanted nothing more than to hear the sickening crunch of her trachea giving way to the ultimate stress.
Death, he thought,
is the only thing that she deserves after a life of completely worthlessness. "Beg for your life."
"Fuck you," Anita said. She moved her leg, managing to reach the hilt of her boot knife. For the first time, she was thankful her boots were high enough for her reach. Her fingers pulled the knife out and within a few seconds, Anita stabbed the weapon into his leg. She was let free, but instead she ended up crawling. Air that didn't come in quick enough, and a nauseous feeling she didn't register until now.
The searing pain buckled his knees and he fell to the floor. Fondling the hilt of the blade embedded in his flesh, Shane suppressed a groan as he ripped it from the fleshy part of his ankle. "Now, you die." Shane managed to get to her and put on leg on either side of her sputtering body. Pushing the blade, still covered his blade, against her throat he smiled. "Any last words before you surrender yourself to the Elements?"
"Is she dead?"
"Is who dead?"
"Isabella, who do you think?" Anita struggled against the knife, but Shane was too strong.
Shane shook his head, "No, she's not. How's that for a slap in the face. You didn't do shit to her. A couple of bruises and more blood loss, but nothing that cannot be overcome." He broke skin on her throat with the knife, but not enough to do any extensive damage. "Why do you ask?"
"So my payment is death?" Anita looked at him, ignoring the tearing she felt, "She could've died without any hesitation from me." She cringed as the blade was traveling slower, "Think about it!" She yelled, "And you wouldn't be talking. I'd be dead now."
Shane leaned down to her ear, "Know in your heart that I could've killed you. That you were on death's door because of what you did to Bella. Know that I won't show compassion another time. Do you understand me, Anita? Do you get that? Your life was in my hands and, unlike you, I chose not to kill you." Shane got up and walked away, leaving Anita coughing and sputtering. "It was nice playing with you, Anita."
Anita couldn't take it. Twice, people showed her mercy. And she didn't understand it. Taking the knife discarded on the ground, "not as nice as it's going to end."
He sighed, not wanting to end it this way, "Your choice." Shane swung and connected perfectly with Anita's jaw. She rattled and then closed her eyes. Unconsciousness, Shane was sure that it was where she'd rather be than awake. "I gave you the option to walk away."
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