"Hello Captain." Nine greeted Jaewon. "I did not expect you to be interested in fortune telling." Nine shifts his gaze back at fortune teller, and stared him down.
There was a karambit buried into a card on the table, and said fortune teller was shivering, his eyes looking at Jaewon pleadingly. “I believe this person might be spying on us.” Nine continued, pulling his hand out from under the table. The tablecloth had hidden his arm up to his elbow, and now revealed, a gun in his hand. Nine scratched his nose with the gun, before moving it back under the table pointed towards the fortune teller.
“He said I am usually emotionally unavailable, and had difficulty understanding personal relationships.” There was a red flush on Nine’s face. “To think after I escaped from Harper here, I found myself in a spy’s nest.”
“Captain.” Nine blinked slowly. “Let’s torture, and interrogate this person.”
Hana isn’t at all sure how she came to stand next to the robot-esque male as the first celebratory fireworks set ablaze in the sky. The sound of the pop of celebration and splatter of colors against a darkened canvas always intrigued her; the mechanisms of such deathly beauty always drawing in her attention. It was the precise measurement, just the right amount of pressure, and an open-enough space that gave birth to such beauty – but if fired inaccurately or too close, beauty would then give way to chaos: death. And instead of bombs of colors in the sky, the mechanism would shower down burnt, flammatory, remains.
Such, seemed to be analogous to life. Or the life Hana knew at least. Beautiful, but perhaps only because it was so fleeting. Wondrous but not without sacrifice. As the last of the first round of fireworks cackle upwards, splattering to reveal a darkened sky, Hana hears a poignant query that leaves the other’s lips: “How can a place hurt you? How can promises that never came to be trigger so much pain within?”
And almost without hesitation, perhaps it was the liquor flowing through her veins that made it so, Hana responded. “because it paints the picture of what could have been. Because it’s grounds are stained with the memories of what you couldn’t have.”
Nine thought he was speaking to himself. He did not know he had said his thoughts out loud. He blinked, processing on how to react to her answer. “I do not understand. If it is what could have been, means it did not happen.” Nine looked at Hana, and tilted his head, an action he does when he is confused. “If it was not experienced, how does it become memories?”
He shook his head slightly, looking back up to the fireworks in the air. His eyes looking not at the beauty of the spectacle, but at the waste of gunpowder. “Humans are complicated.” He continued. “I doubt I will be able to understand others, or myself for that matter any time soon.”
Nine then remembered it was socially polite to revert the sentiment one had showed in reverse. “Do you have a scenario that had not happened that caused you pain?”
“you don’t know what you’re talking about!” harper instantly exclaims when nine states his silly little rant about how one should not intake something that could impair ones judgement. “do you know how much more challenging it is to hit a target when drunk? now that’s a good training exercise that i bet no one ever bothered to put you through. what will you do when you’ll ever have to be drunk to gain someone’s trust, but still capable of shooting and making good decisions all the same? consider this a training exercise!”
and with those bold words, she reaches the booth where all the drinking is happening. not giving nine even a hair’s width to get his opinion in, she almost instantly orders them both one of the better drinks the place serves, easily hooking her arm through nine’s and standing there waiting for her booze like that as if they’re just one of the many couples enjoying the festivities. with a grateful smile and a few credits, harper accepts the drinks, and instantly hands one over to nine.
“now,” she says as she pretty much pushes the glass in his hand so she can take hold of her own. “are you going to drink with me or are you scared of a little challenge?” and she’s just daring him to prove to her that it’s a bad idea, basically, but she doesn’t quite care in that moment what he thinks of it or not. as long as they can have a drink and enjoy themselves, is there really anything else that matters?
and so harper raises her own glass in a toast, then flashes nine a playful and mischievous grin. “whoever empties their glass the latest is the worst mercenary out of the two of us,” she says right before lifting the glass to her lips and starting to empty its contents in one go.
“It is a proven scientific study.” Nine disapproved of Harper’s doubt in him. “Also... Why would I have to get drunk in order to gain someone’s trust? If I do require the person to trust me, rather than having to intake alcohol... I’d just trap the person, torture and reward until the Stockholm syndrome is established.”
At this point, Nine noticed that his words were not being heard. Drinks were the only thing on Harper’s mind. Allowing himself to be dragged around once more, he shook his head when a drink landed in his hand. “This is a matter of efficiency, and not of being afraid. I do not know how to fear. It was indoctrinated out of me.”
Nine watches as Harper downs her glass, his hand remaining still. “I do not understand how emptying glasses proves who is a worse mercenary.” Nine blinks, looking at the liquor in his hand. There was once when someone had asked him to accompany her drinking, not unlike how harper tried. Slight hesitation, and then he lifts the glass and downs the drink.
His lips pursed forwards slightly, as he swallowed the foreign liquid. “It is not sweet. Why do so many people say alcohol taste the sweetest after a long day?” A flush was beginning to develop on his face. Blinking, Nine frowned. The expression of disgust slowly appearing on his usually expressionless face.
Audrey followed his lead, moving slightly behind him. Her mind in a daze. It was the man who gave her no choice but to leave the guild, left fear on her heart and scars on her body and she couldn’t find the words to speak to him. Thankfully, Nine did.
The man seemed to assess the male, his eyes showing signs of Sihnon’s forced friendliness, pretending to be a crowd pleaser while plotting their deaths. “Nine? As in the number?” He inquired, bemused by the character in front of him before tilting his head slightly to where Audrey hid. “And you are?” He inquired in a quieter voice like he was coaxing a cat to come out of hiding, and she knew he remembered her.
Just like when she first entered, ornate and beautiful; he spoke to her in such a gentle way that she didn’t suspect the hand that came to her neck. Back than, she was only kitten.afraid of her own shadow and could only copy the motions of a predator when she was just as easily pray. However, she was no longer the child he took advantage of. She was a tiger, a force to be reckoned with, a firecracker ready to ignite.
“Audrey, Audrey Ramirez.” She stared, stepping out from Nine’s shadow. “The girl you raped five years ago.” She explained stepping forward, “Nine…please hand me a gun.” She didn’t turn around, but instead reached behind her, “please Nine.”
“Yes. The number.” Nine replied, only to find the male’s gaze looking past him. When he asked for Audrey’s identity, Nine was ready to silence the male. However, Audrey had stepped out, answering the male’s question. Nine could sense the shakiness of her confidence, however he chose not to act. He was about to take a small step away, giving her space which he was told to do when someone is confronting their fears.
Her next request however he could not agree with. It was fine to pull out a gun in public. In a festival like so, the guards would be lax and there would be a window in the ensuring chaos to escape. What he was worried about, was that Audrey might get disarmed by the obviously experienced male across them.
“Audrey.” Nine held her shoulder, gently pulling her back. To the male, it almost looked like Nine was giving Audrey a one-armed back hug. He instead placed his karambit into her hand. “Hide the blade behind your hand, grip the handle loosely. If you want to take your revenge, I am here to back you up.” Nine whispered.
“I would rather you dirty my hand however.” He continued, stepping a step away from her.
somewhere amidst all the festivities and spending time with people despite not really wanting to, harper finds herself starting to enjoy herself. no longer alone amidst the sea of people finding joy in the celebration of a new year, harper finally feels a little like the days of old again, when days like these brought her warmth and joy, spent in the presence of people she cared about and filled with the things she loved to do.
so when she finally manages to free herself of the captain and his gorram on-point suspicions, she finds herself wandering around the place trying to find octavia again. or one of the other people she can be herself around. in order to drag them out to spend a fun night with her, share a drink, perhaps even enjoy some dancing. there’s plenty of things to do on this seemingly never-ending celebration.
she doesn’t spot any of the people she’s looking for, however, but when her eyes land on one of her fellow mercenaries, one who has quite recently returned to them, harper can’t keep herself from going up to him. and the mere sight of him, the thought of the fun she can have with him without ever being questioned about her sometimes dubious moralities or any other strange quirks she might just let show on the surface, causes her to be in high spirits instantly.
“niiiiiiiine!” she therefore exclaims happily as she approaches him, an arm automatically being put around his middle, as she drapes herself against his side. “it’s good to see seven hasn’t eaten you yet, my friend.” sending him a bright and happy grin, she then allows her gaze to wander over their surroundings, until she spots a stall a little further up ahead that’s serving the most delicious drinks.
“let’s go get ourselves something to smear our vocal chords, shall we?” she instantly suggests, tugging the other mercenary along with her like there’s no question on whether or not he will go along with her. “you look like you need to get some fun in your system. let’s get drunk tonight!”
Nine had just checked that three of his weapon stashes hidden in the streets were still untouched. It is comforting knowing that there is a fifty caliber rifle available on the roof of this important cross junction. It will only be a matter of time before the captain, with his remarkable social skills, spiral the situation into a scenario where he’d have to cover their escape. Add that to the fact that all the crew were set loose, and alcohol introduced into their systems? Nine felt he needed much more than the three concealed pistols on him.
Being tackled with a hug, his name being dragged by her voice was expected. In fact, the moment he spots her in the corner of his eyes, he had braced himself. “Seven attempted. I ensured seven would be unable to do so ever again.” Nine answered, unknown if that was a response to the joke or a true story he is sharing matter-of-factly.
“I do not believe partaking in the substance that degrades judgement is a wise decision.” Nine argued, allowing Harper to drag him. “I will merely watch over you. I have never and will not consume such poison into my system.” A slight furrow appearing on his brows, expressing his dissatisfaction. The micro expression is a testament to how much he had grown since joining the Serenity, before that crease between his brows would be unheard of.
“Also, Harper.” Nine wanted to remind her that the crew would most definitely get into trouble tonight, it would be their role to protect them. He however stopped himself, realising that Harper was one of the few at the top of the list of troublemakers in his head. “Never mind... I will keep watch over you... To be sure you do nothing that endangers us all.”
Perhaps it would be a weird sight to see a man digging the ground under a moonlit night. Yet, Nine was doing exactly that, exposing a shallowly buried box under the ground. Opening the box revealed a pair of rocket propelled grenades.
They were part of an elaborate setup of weapons hidden close to the main streets of Sihnon, especially the main escape route from the festival back to the Serenity. After all, many forbade Nine from bringing much larger weapons, hence he left the ship earlier to hide them all.
Nine had learned that the quicker his lantern rose, there was a much better chance of it coming true. Maybe some kind of spectral space god might read his wish first. While the flames within the lantern would prove a fuel efficient method of lift, it did little for speed.
Attaching the rpg onto the lantern should help compensate for speed, Nine surmised. He paused, a knee on the ground, just before removing one of the explosive weapon. “Should you not be enjoying the festival?” Nine tilted his head, blinking at the approaching female.
as much as she didn’t want to admit it - his nonchalance was starting to annoy her.’’you basically sound like you’re stating your favorite dessert. you say it like it’s no big deal. i appreciate the sentiment, but you put your life at risk and…’’she stopped herself from talking, quickly realizing something. she cared about him. enough to actually give a damn about his life and that scared and amazed her at the same time. ‘’the odds are always against people like us. those men don’t care about anything.’’
‘‘i’m not sure if you’re judgement was incorrect, but mathematically speaking there were other options too. options that would’ve given us different results than this one. but none of that matters now.’‘she moved forward, taking a closer look at his shoulder. yes, it didn’t look entirely bad, but seeing him hurt just wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience. chuckling, she focused her eyes once again on his face and added,’‘now you just sound cocky. you’ll have to let me help you once we get out of here.’‘
‘’it’s not that complicated, but fine. and i don’t need anyone to watch my back. i think you’ve saved my life enough number of times today.’’ without much hesitation she started marching towards the passageway, the heels of her boots crushing all the broken pieces on the ground and turning them into nothing else but dust. it didn’t take her long to reach it and she pushed the statue aside, finding the secret lever in just one second. however, she had a hard time with actually pulling it. it clearly wasn’t used recently.
then, she tried once more, this time using a simple vector trick and not just brute force. it actually worked. with a sigh of relief, she turned around and called nine,‘’come on, it’s open now. we don’t have much time. more of them will come. ‘’
Gunfire echoed around him, splinters exploding upwards as bullets ricochet. There was a very slight furrow in his eyebrows, the reason being the stabbing pain every time he swung his right arm around to fire his gun.
He rolled backwards behind cover, free hand placing something into his inner coat pocket. The destruction continued all around him, as expensive sculptures crumble under the hail of bullets. When jiyong managed to get the exit open, he grabbed the grenade belt from the dead guard close to him and ran towards her. Pulling out a pin from one of the grenade, he tossed the entire loaded belt off stage before pushing jiyong into the exit and quickly followed behind, closing the trapdoor. A loud explosion then rocked the auditorium.
Hours later, after escaping their pursuers, the pair find themselves watching the fading sunset whilst waiting for a pickup from the serenity. Nine peeled off his coat, the dried blood making the fabric stick. He took a breath, then proceeded to pull off his top. A low growl followed, for the usually stoic Nine, the act had hurt tremendously.
“I’m going to get the bullet out.” He informed jiyong, plucking a small blade from his belt. Resting the blade against the wound, Nine hesitated.
You have some history here right? Don’t go wandering alone, we don’t want you to blow our cover’ Why couldn’t Jaewon just worry about her in a normal way? Having to phrase it as if she did something wrong to the planet or the guild when it was the other way around. Years of insecurity and fear all planted in from one night, her first client was supposed to be easy. Someone accustomed to companions and the guild, ready to ‘try out’ the newbies and help them gain experience with a kind deposition. That was what she was briefed on, how wrong she was.
Despite how unnecessary she thought this was, she agreed to have Nine come along side her. Since the last mission he was able to save her so fluidly, she trusted Nine to know her temper and her limits well enough to pull her away from any situation she deemed as triggering to the rage built in her over the years.
Passing by a group of Alliance soldiers, a shiver came up her spine at the memories of their occupation of her home planet during the war. They didn’t give Audrey a passing look thanks to Nine who seemed to act as enough intimidation to weed off any creeps. It was kind of a shame though, not being able to see Nine knock these purple-bellies off their shiny little feet. He must hate them even more so than Audrey did, considering his background and all.
Turning to say something of relevance to her thoughts to Nine, she heard a voice that was familiar in a haunting way that made the feeling the Alliance give her feel like a light massage. Deep and throaty, from smoking whatever Sihonon would offer to the big shots, it was hard to miss the sound as it neared closer before she stopped completely instinctively holding his hand for support. “You…” She whispered, having the man halt and raise an eyebrow at her. Older than she remembers, the years hadn’t been kind to him paralleling the way he was with her. But instead of a flash of recognition, he just seemed to narrow his eyes suspicously, “sorry little lady but have I made your acquaintance before? I can’t seem to recall.” Her heart dropped and so did her hand from Nine’s.
Had there been a part of him that wanted to explore the city on his own? Yes. This was a place that held so much memories. His memories were however not of Sihnon, rather, it was how she spoke of Sihnon. Before he met her, he only looked for security flaws, escape opportunities and threats. He saw not the beauty of Sihnon she had described, yet he wished that he could follow on her promises to bring him exploring in Sihnon. A promise never to be fulfilled now.
Nine clamped down on his thoughts. His priority now was Audrey. His eyes scanned the city and crowd for security flaws, escape opportunities and threats. Just like years ago. He is not here to be a tourist. He is meant to be a guardian for Audrey.
They past by a group of Alliance soldiers, their stride and posture showed Nine that they were of no threat. Even should they crew engage in all out combat with the Alliance, these were the cannon fodder. Nine barely paid them any attention. He had categorised them each as under three seconds, the time it took for them to rest eternally.
Words that were supposed to be spoken stopped. Audrey’s eyes searched. He felt her hand gripping onto his own. She engaged with a male, and Nine shifted his attention to said male. Her hand had fallen off his, and he took the opportunity to step forward, hiding Audrey partially behind him.
The crew had stormed into a warehouse holding stolen goods. Or rather stolen goods that the Serenity was meant to smuggle that was stolen before the ship arrived. So the warehouse holds stolen, stolen goods.
The thieves were digging through their loot when Jaewon and company entered. His gun pointing at them, he shouted. “What the hell is this?”
From behind him, Nine answered.
“They are going through the loot that they stole from the port, Captain. I believe it is a time after the job that the group decides who gets a cut of what.”
A brief silence overtook the warehouse.
“Is your vision okay, Captain? I believe that the sight is pretty obvious.”
“it’s complicated.” Kafka said, gasping for breath as the pair escaped their pursuers, his hands on his knees. Nine gazed downwards, still fully upright. The only indicator that they had ran almost across the entire city was his heavier breathing.
“They took out weapons and chased after you at sight.” Nine replied. “I do not think that such behaviour comes from a complicated scenario.”
While Nine could have eliminated their pursuers, that would cause more trouble than needed, especially since the pair had a mission on hand.
“Perhaps...” Nine blinked, tilting his head while locking his gaze with Kafka.
her original idea was simple. she only planned to steal the necklace and leave the room completely unnoticed, like a long forgotten shadow on a wall. she had done something similar a thousand times in her past, but of course a day without bloodshed simply seemed like an impossible thing for the blonde mercenary. slightly disappointed, jiyong whispered a string of swear words as she watched chaos unfold right in front of her. ‘’nine, what the hell are you doing?’’ she shouted, but she knew that her attempts were pointless. so, she observed him for a few minutes, standing perfectly still and without blinking.
the crowd in the room understood immediately that they were in danger and so panic arose. she could almost sense the familiar aroma of paranoia in the air. focus, she reminded herself. she had been in far worse situations and she didn’t plan to just leave him all alone. reaching under her jacket, she pulled out a gun. quickly, she sidled around the knots of men, heading towards the stage. no one got out of her way so jiyong twisted and turned and moved sideways until she reached her desired spot. ‘’dammit, nine you should’ve said something. but now you’ve ruined my chance of owning that necklace. for good! how could you do this to me? ‘’ frustrated and annoyed, she kept shouting.
the real treat wasn’t around them, but above them. yet she realized that a bit too late. she fired a few bullets to scare off the rest of the crowd, hoping to create more place for a quick escape. however, at the mention of the necklace she turned her head around and saw something far more horrifying. she quickly made her way towards him, but then she suddenly stopped when she almost stepped on the sapphire necklace. she had to options; the first one was to take it and escape all by herself. and the second was to help nine. but that also meant never seeing a precious piece of her past again. selfish, greedy, cold and ruthless, people would often use those words to describe jiyong. and for a good reason.
but then she continued to move her feet and in just a few quick steps, she found herself next to him.’’what the hell, nine? you’re hurt! what were you thinking? you may act like a robot, but you’re just like the rest of us. you bleed.’’ she bit her tongue as soon as she’d spat the words. ‘’ now listen to me carefully. i won’t leave this place without you, but don’t make me drag your lifeless body back to serenity. there’s a secret door right behind that silver statue. i know this place. i’ve been here before. you go first and i’ll watch your back, okay? ‘’
Nine flipped back onto his feet, glancing at his punctured shoulder with mild interest. “Getting the necklace for you.” he responded matter-of-factly. He covered her as she made her way to him, only for him to stare at her emotionlessly as she berated him.
“There was movement in the upper right box when the necklace came on. I’ve noticed superior guards entering the box. Should the person bid for it, the chances of us retrieving the necklace unharmed drops significantly.” Nine replied. “I apologise if my judgement was incorrect.” He looked to his bleeding shoulder as she continued speaking, replying at a pause. “It’s but a flesh wound.”
His eyes moved to the statue, and quickly snapping back to look behind her. His arm reached out behind her, and he fired at someone aiming at jiyong. “understood.” He replied, however he moved in the direction opposite the statue. “However, as I do not understand the intricacies of opening the passageway, I would ask that you lead the way as I watch your back.” He then began firing continuously and accurately at their aggressors.
“I would appreciate if you perform said deed faster.” He spoke loudly, before rolling forward, barely avoiding a barrage of bullets that rained where he was.
octavia sips at her juice, his speech – the ‘story’ of serenity seeping from his lips – makes her snort unladylike. she picks up a napkin and gently dabs away the juice from her top lip. “oh, dear, you take things quite literally don’t you? i suppose i shouldn’t speak with poems around you, hm?” she teases, raising an eyebrow at him. she picks up her juice and downs the rest of it as if it were a shot of scotch.
“well then, in shorter terms, without any kind of poetic nonsense,” she leans in just slightly, keeping her distance from him to respect his space. “i’m bored of this place and i’m looking for something interesting. as you said, serenity is a firefly class and good for smuggling…. i happen to know these things myself, which is why i wanted to board serenity and not some fancy ship that could be filled with alliance assholes.” she chuckles, shaking her head.
her gaze drops to the plate. “the chef you say? they must be good then for you to miss it, hm? it shouldn’t be long and then you’ll be back with the chef’s cooking… now you’ve got me interested to meet this chef.”
“Eating is a sustenance of energy, flavour is but a secondary product of human greed and desires.” Nine said, cleaning the plate with the knife. “However, I do enjoy the inefficient pleasure that comes from the chef’s cooking. I must say, I’ve never thought the day would come where I’d be spoiled in such a way.”
Nine placed the knife down onto the plate, shifting his gaze to her. “As you are a guest of the ship, shall I escort you?” He offered. “As for the chef, he is interesting, yes.”
“I feel little emotions. I’ve heard rumors of some members of the crew leaving to greener pastures. Perhaps to hone themselves away from the comfort of the serenity.” Nine locked gaze with octavia. “I would never want to think of the day that the chef leaves.”
“you wanted him/her/them gone!”
”don’t ever leave me.”
“what is this nonsense?”
“alert the press, tell them ____ is innocent!”
“finally. an oasis in this wasteland.”
“i love first times, i want my entire life to be composed of them.”
“you dirty bastard.”
“we’re stuck on this wheel of living and dying. an endless circle, until someone breaks it.”
“you’re not anything yet.”
“welcome to the edge of the world.”
“she/he/they tasted like imported sophistication & domestic cigarette.”
“where’s the liquor?”
“and that’s what they’re selling? i’ll kill them.”
“go for the throat.”
“you’re hired.”
“it’s complicated.”
“i love complicated.”
“complicated enough?”
“to be reborn, you have to die first.”
“it is our duty to break the law.”
“it’s how we make the world a better place.”
“you are extraordinary.”
“destroy the old and make the new.”
“what the hell is this?”
“let’s get rid of him/her/them.”
“first thought, best thought.”
“if you’re gonna stay, don’t hog the blanket.”
“shut your mouth!”
“i thought you liked my mouth wide open.”
“be careful, you’re not in wonderland.”
“you are fortunate in your ignorance.”
“you who have suffered, find where love hides.”
“it’ll be us at the beginning. it’ll be a perfect day.”
“it hurts, doesn’t it?”
“i’m only good at beginnings.”
“you started something, and i have no idea what i’m supposed to do next.”
“show me the man who is sober and happy, & i’ll show you the crinkled anus of a lying asshole.”
“you’d be dead if it weren’t for me.”
“i think i just puked on the inside.”
“i’m sorry let me make it up to you.”
“say another word and i’m going to the fucking police.”
“i made your life extraordinary.
“the reason i’m leaving is you.”
“please don’t get involved.”
“some things, once you’ve loved them, become yours forever.”
“i’d be lost without you.”
42. Your muse shows up on my muse’s doorstep after several months of being missing, with no memory of the past few years.
Nine opened his eyes, immediately scanning the surroundings. He had fallen deeply asleep, and in the circumstances they are in, it could be a fatal mistake. His torso was bare to the elements, bandages wrapped around a gunshot wound only just recently cauterised. Audrey was sleeping on his thigh, probably worried sick for him. While some would have lost feeling in their leg by now, nine’s left leg had felt the same way for a very long time. He had left the serenity after injuring his leg permanently. As much as many convinced him otherwise, he did not want to be a burden to the crew. He had escaped on his own will, abandoning the crew.
He did not expect to have Audrey find him where he was hiding, with no memory of him leaving or even his injury. That was five years ago.
Unable to process the situation, Nine brought her away from the market where they met. Bringing her to his place, he pushed her into the bathroom, after all she looked and smelled like she’s been living in the slums of this rim planet for ages.
Sure enough, when he sat down looking at the girl in his oversized shirt, their conversation uncovered only memories that came up to five years ago. Everything else till now were foggy, fragmented or missing. He stood to peel away her clothes, observing her in a bare form. There were signs of torture on her skin. He nodded, allowing her to dress herself again.
A call reaching out to the serenity only came back as a dead line. They were either missing in action, or too far into the void. Nine hoped for the latter. Deciding to make a trip towards the central planets, they embarked on a journey together.
The mayhem that followed led to the scene pictured now. The alliance was hot on their tail the moment they stepped into a central planet. For nine who limps as he walks now, their ever increasing numbers slowly became a challenge. While he was injured several times, risking each and every resource available to them to contact the serenity or learn news of what happened to it, there had never been a case as close to death as today.
Nine knew the heated blade would help close the wound, however the bullet was too deep inside his body. There was no time to seek for professional help, especially in circumstances like these. Infection, or blood poisoning would slowly kill him, until he finds proper medical attention. That is, if he treats it in time.
It was worth it however, as they finally reached the crew. A daring mission had been scheduled to rescue the pair, and they only had to meet at their rendezvous.
Nine brushed Audrey’s hair, and watched as she slowly stirred. Her eyes opened, and gazed upwards to nine who was hunched over her. “We should leave.” Nine said.
Audrey held Nine as they reached the rendezvous, supporting him as he weakly walked onto the now derelict service bay. Audrey smiled, watching the familiar ship appear in the horizon.
The ambush sprung.
Nine and Audrey traded gunfire with the alliance, thankfully it was a small group, unsure of their intel on their movement. However, reinforcements had already been called. As the crew arrived on to the ground, coming out guns blazing, Nine managed to bring Audrey over.
“We will not be able to make it back into the black.” Nine shared with Jaewon. “The Alliance ships are coming. I will go over to their ship, and use it as a distraction while you all escape. I’d meet up with everyone once I’m safe.”
There was a look of hesitation in Jaewon’s eyes, however Audrey beat him to it. “That sounds like suicide. That impossible. We can find a way...”
“Audrey. I will not suggest something I cannot complete.” Nine spoke, looking at Audrey.
“You are lying.”
“I do not know how to lie.”
“Promise me you’d come back to me.. I mean us.”
“I promise.”
As the serenity forced it’s way out upwards, Nine took the distraction to board the alliance ship. A vicious firefight exchanged within the ship, and finally as Nine sat in the pilot seat, there was already a trail of blood behind him. His blood. His limp caused some miscalculations in his timing, and he had been out of practice.
Nine’s ship joined the convoy of pursuers, right on the serenity’s tail. Firing at the lead ship, he successfully drew the attention of the alliance.
Audrey watched as the alliance ship that fired on the others, obviously piloted by nine, crash into the lead ship. A huge explosion triggered, taking out several other alliance ship that were too close. Naturally, the seasoned crew of the serenity took the opportunity to escape.
A message arrived onto the ship, sent by Nine’s ship.
“Sorry Audrey.” His voice echoed in the bridge. “I learned how to lie.”
most of the people in the room were talking among themselves. many of them moving from group to group. but the loud chatter was slowly starting to become quite annoying. ‘‘i don’t care about the captain’s preferences. i can bring whatever the hell i want, but i do have some standards. and after all, we can do whatever we want - this is our free time.’’she valued her freedom more than anything - the ability to do whatever she wanted. ‘’sure. mathematically your statement is correct. but the chances of that happening aren’t very high. however, that’s a nice way of thinking. i just didn’t think that you’d want to spend your free time with me.’’ smiling slightly, she nodded a few times and added, ’’yeah… okay. remind me to explain some things to you later.’’
the sudden change in the air did not go noticed. but jiyong remained perfectly nonchalant, focused solely on one thing. the stage. finally, things were starting to get interesting. she observed his every move carefully, trying to spot any weak spots or tricks. merchants were almost like magicians of trading industry, capable of doing the impossible and tricking even those with the eye of an eagle.
‘‘i don’t like him either. but that’s life, nine. sometimes, we don’t get many options. we simply have to seize every opportunity or somebody else will do it instead of us. but a few years ago, i worked for men like him. they’re all the same. sleazy, cunning, ready to slit your throat at any moment just for small silver ring. merchants are usually like that.‘‘
the man started opening and presenting boxes full of glimmering jewelry and goods to the audience, but nothing really drew her attention. worthless. that was the first thing that came to her mind and she only wanted to return to the ship. another wasted day. but then, she noticed something - well not just something but a sapphire necklace and it looked just like the one her mother once had. immediately, she turned around and subtly gripped nine’s arm.’’ you were right. i think there’s something that i like. i have to see that sapphire necklace. i have to touch it. i have to know something.’’
Nine felt jiyong’s grip on his arm, he turned to gaze at her. There was something unfamiliar about how she looked, perhaps what she just described could be of utmost importance to her. His eyes roamed the hall again, noticing where the armed guards were. They were in a slight disadvantage, considering all arms were stripped from all entering the auction. However, she had given him an order. It was his role to fulfil orders.
He gently removed jiyong’s hand from his arm, and he stood. Edging his way out the row, he moved towards the stage. Sure enough, he was stopped by the guard. “I desire to have a closer look.” Nine responded to the hand on his shoulder. “Buy it or fuck off.” Came the reply.
A swift twist. A jab into the throat. A strong grip onto the collar, and relieving the guard of his gun, started the chaos. Nine now had a sub machine gun in his hand. Disadvantage balanced. Of course, the guard served as a good human shield. Bullets rained onto every location where nine had spotted a guard. The auction security was stripped in seconds, while more began surrounding him. Tossing away the bullet ridden human shield and the now empty sub machine gun, nine rolled towards another guard. He stole a pen from a panicked audience, and the pen disappeared into the guard’s eye. Once again relieving the guard of his gun, nine continued his unstoppable approach.
Standing onto the stage, and nonchalantly unloading the last round in the gun into the auctioneer’s head, nine picked up the sapphire necklace. Turning back to face where jiyong was, nine held it up. “Necklace.” He spoke.
Then, a loud gunshot came from the box seats above. Nine stumbled backwards when the round punctured his shoulder, flipping over the table on the stage and disappearing behind it. The sapphire necklace fell onto the floor.
