Arthur was no longer himself. He was tired of being kicked when he was down, and he was always down. After two seconds of careful consideration and two minutes of holding back his rage, he decided to let it go. He approached the group with the bottle. There were three with one lady at the table, and Artie saw a couple dancing on the floor, they were with the group also. He started off cool and calm. "Excuse me, folks... where did you get that bottle from?" "I got it from yo' mama!!!" one of the men said, causing everyone at the table to boffo. "From my mama, huh? As generous as she is, I think you got it from that table right there." Artie said, pointing to where he sat earlier. "F*ck you, whatchu gonna do about it?" another man said. "F*ck me? F*CK ME?!?!?" Artie said, reaching his boiling point. He left, causing the group to laugh at him once again. What they didn't realize was that he left to get a chair from the next table. Once he got it, he came back and smacked the man who cursed him out first, knocking the foulmouth clean out of his seat. "What the f*ck, man?!" said the mama joker. He would get the next chair shot. The last man got up, and as Artie was cranking back for a third shot, he was tackled by the guy that was dancing on the floor. He released the chair upon impact of the tackle. The two of them tried to hold Artie down, but Artie headbutted the guy in front of him, and the guy behind him started swinging. The mama joker got up from his chair shot first, he took a swing at Artie too. Soon all four men were up. Artie backed away to get them all in sight and swung for the fences. "WASSUP, BITCH?!?!?"
"Go on," said Chris. A second later Eve was standing next to them, her arms laced across her ribcage in the international 'severely pissed off' body language signal. “Can‘t you at least wait until you‘ve killed me first? I mean fair enough, I‘ve kept my distance from Chris, but it wasn‘t an offer for you to move in and do whatever the hell you wanted. I know you hate me, but I‘d at least have a little f***** courtesy if I was in your shoes…” "He's all yours," said Mika as she backed away from Chris, turned and went back to the bar. Yep, another vodka could get her stinking drunk and maybe that was just the thing. Just about that time another group exploded in screaming curses and insults. To her horror, Mika saw a familiar red afro right in the middle of it all, swinging a chair. "ARTIE!" she screamed, "STOP IT FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Somehow everything had gone crazy and she hadn't even gotten that second vodka yet.
Eve just about screamed, she looked Chris up and down then reeled on her feet and stormed after Mika. “He‘s all yours, what kind of coward are you? Can‘t hold your ground? First you decide it would be clever to put your gun at me when I‘m unarmed. Then without even bothering to think how you‘d feel in my situation you tell everyone something I‘ve only told one person. Then a few days later it gets around that you‘re no better because of some Drek injection? What is Drek better then Reaver or something. Cause sorry but I missed that freaking news flash. You‘re cold and in my opinion you‘re gutless and I swear I‘ve not ever met anything like you before in my life and believe me honey being who and what I am I‘ve met some really awful people.” Eve glared waiting for her to retort. She wanted an excuse anything a reason to hit her. She needed a reason.
Mika swung away from the fight to face Eve and received the double-barreled invective. She wondered what ever happened to her plans to have a nice quiet drink with Spencer. Where was the Ghost, anyway? Probably far away from this like any sensible person would be. Mika looked at Eve through the haze of vodka then slowly began to clap. She backed away, smiling and continuing her deliberate applause. "I'd give you a ten for drama but only a six for delivery," Mika said, stopping to point at her, "you're slurring your words, dear. You know what? I'm sick of explaining. Fine. Don't believe me." Mika flung her arms outward in a helpless gesture. "If you can't listen to me and process what is happening, I can't help you."
Chris watched as the two of them reached a boiling point. "Eve, calm down, it's not what you think." He said in a calm yet forceful tone. He probably should have guessed that dancing with Mika was a bad idea. His mind was clouded by alcohol, and the conversation ended up taking longer than he'd intended. He wondered how long Eve had been watching. "Cmon Eve, we need to talk." He stood behind her and grabbed her by both arms, gently pushing her toward the exit.
Spencer instantly crossed towards Arthur's newfound altercation. Three gents were up and on him. Artie had the element of surprise; but it had only lasted so long. They were all quite drunk; and none of them really in good fighting condition. Spencer pulled one guy off Artie's back and landed a hard right in his face, knocking him onto the floor and breaking his nose. One of the others took notice and charged after Spencer. He was long-haired, red-faced, and loud. Spencer caught his charge head on, knocking the man's fists aside and kicking him solidly in the groin. The man doubled over. Spencer looked back to see the last guy hit Artie hard. He grabbed the guy from behind by his hair and slammed his head into the table behind him. The guy with the broken nose was getting up, but changed his mind when Spencer's katana blade appeared at his throat. The other guy had a similar change of mind when he saw Spencer's shotgun leveled at him. "You ladies finished here?" He asked.
"If you can't listen to me and process what is happening, I can't help you." Eve glared and Pushed Chris back. She cringed feeling sorry for the poor guy, what the hell was Mika talking about she’d never said a word to her after Eve threatened to punch her in the nose. “Oh I‘m sorry alcohol affecting your memory. You must have been talking to someone else. Because I‘ve not been anywhere near you since you decided it would be alright to be a smart ass on the train. I‘m not the one who started this but I‘ll end it Mika. The only thing you explained to me was the fact that in your eyes I‘m a piece of worthless sh** and that you can‘t wait for me to stuff up. You might have read my mind. But you only read the primitive side, you read the side that isn‘t there all the time, that isn‘t me just a single part to what I am.” Mika was smart to be backing away because Eve had just raised her fist and she doubted that anything at all would make her lower it and in her hand was a frosty cold beer ready for the launching. If she was apparently she was slurring maybe this could help make things clearer for Mika.
Mika backed away, giving Chris room and refusing to turn her back on Eve. The brawl behind her had gone very quiet and she heard Spencer's voice. Maybe they'd all survive the evening in spite of themselves. Then Eve twisted away from Chris and made her little speech. "So when have you given me a single chance to TELL you what's going on?" Mika asked bitterly, "You're too busy yelling and slamming around to bother. And how do you know about the Drekk injection if you haven't been told anything? Come ON, Eve...either listen or don't but don't let's waste our time like this." Then Eve had a beer in her hand and a certain glint in her eye. Mika's weapons weren't on her. This was supposed to be a safe place. She cursed herself for stupidity.
"**** it." Chris said, hoisting Eve over his shoulder. "Time to go." He looked back at Mika. "Tell Art I'm sorry our dance took so long." He took Eve out the double doors of the bar and walked a good distance before setting her down on her feet. "What's going on with you Eve?! How could you avoid me for days after... after all we've been through together. do you have any idea what hell you've been putting me through?"
“Do you have any idea what hell you've been putting me through?" Chris demanded after he’d put Eve down. Eve glared at him then slumped to her knees on the ground. “That‘s not fair Chris,” her voice was low and angry. “How can I be near you when you offer to let me hurt you. Do you have any idea how much guilt that leaves me with. I can‘t hurt you and you made it clear you can‘t stand to see me hurt myself. I won‘t cut you, I won‘t do it. I‘m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, you‘re better off with Mika she seems to think She‘s the patron saint of freaking weird do gooder half casts. How the hell do you expect me to compete with little miss high and mighty. It‘s best if you just stay away from me Chris. I'm not any good for you and it just hurts thinking of the damage I'm doing keeping you to myself.” Eve stood and ran off without another word
Mika watched Chris lift Eve and bodily haul her away. She was glad to have to confrontation over but worried. Like this mission wasn't dangerous enough they had to complicate it like this. Why wouldn't Eve give her even a small chance? Well, dancing with her Prince Charming probably didn't help. Mika's shoulders lifted and fell in a frustrated sigh and she turned to see Spencer backing a group of would-be brawlers down, his shotgun in one hand and the katana in the other, his face an unreadable mask. The other men didn't seem interested in taking him on and were one by one pretending they had pressing business elsewhere. Artie was weaving a little and radiating a mishmash of drunken emotion. Mika sighed. Maybe she'd just scratch that second vodka and head for bed. They had a big day being killed tomorrow and she wanted to be in good shape for it. Maybe.
Hawke stood up his Desert Eagle in the air. BANG BANG BANG. "Now I have your attention. Its a few hours to day break when we head out to complete this mission. Sober up." He said re-holstering his Desert Eagle and leaving the bar.
Mika startled at the booming of the Desert Eagle and listened to Hawke. He seemed bitter and resigned. She wondered if she should tell him what she and Omar had done. After a moment she followed him, barely able to catch up. "Hawke, may I speak to you a moment?" She reached the door and went through it, looking for Hawke but he was already gone. The small hallways were a rabbit warren and she started down a few different ones, not seeing him anywhere. Dammit Mika trailed back into the bar. There probably wouldn't be another chance to tell Hawke what was going on. Maybe it didn't matter after all.
Sadie looked up as David came to speak to her and smiled weakly. Maybe she needed to stay cold and alert when they headed out again, but for now some company might actually be nice. “Hey yourself,” she said. “I guess I’ll save you when you get your ass in trouble again.” As the last word left her lips the bar seemed to explode – Eve and Mika were facing off for another confrontation, and Artie was getting steadily more drunk. Sadie glanced at David, wondering if she should step in anywhere, but in a blur of shouting, propelling people from the bar and Hawke firing his gun, it was taken care of. Sadie shook her head. “Well. That was … interesting …”
The two still-conscious men were out of fight at the threat of losing their lives. They backed off and left, dragging their less-than-conscious friend with them. Spence walked over to Artie and pulled him to his feet. He looked intently at him, but said nothing at first. To be fooling around and getting himself killed outside of the mission was an idiot move. Still, Spence admired the drive in the man. It was too bad he needed alcohol to bring it out. "Go to bed, Artie. We got a mission to finish tomorrow." Chris had taken Eve outside for some quiet time, and Mika had followed Hawke. He followed her lead down into the halls, and saw her standing there. He stepped up behind and stopped for a moment. Why? What could he say that would do any good, make any difference? Nothing. It was easier to just keep hiding. There was no way this team would be staying together anyway. "Good night, Mika." He said as he started to walk past her.
"Spencer..." Mika turned troubled eyes to him when he stopped and then wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want him to just walk on by. "Hawke doesn't know about me. Everyone else does but the leader of our expedition but I can't tell him." Worse, she felt a kind of resignation in Hawke, as though he was already dead and dying was just a formality. She wasn't sure she should tell Spencer that, though. To a lesser extent, Spencer felt the same way.
Spencer stopped and turned back to her. "Well, I know what he'd say. He'd still want you with us." Spencer paused and stared into her eyes. "He probably knew about Omar's experiments...probably the main reason he brought him along."
I looked at Sadie and smiled at her trying to smile. She seemed still very guarded and maybe I should just leave her that way. I laughed at her comment. "Well, when we get to the drill I am gonna be saving you," I said with a chuckle,"So, what happens when I save you," I asked.
"Yes, perhaps," Mika gave him a half-smile. She had an undeniable attraction to this guy that she didn't think was just the vodka. At the same time, she wasn't going to just invite him in for the night, "I appreciate that you gave me the benefit of the doubt." She placed a hand on his arm and a wave of loneliness almost knocked her over. She pulled her hand away slowly, unsure of herself now. "Would you like..." Mika began and swiftly caught herself, he had just lost Helena today. It wasn't like Mika who had lost Boris two years earlier. "Well, goodnight," she said.
She touched his arm gently, and again he saw something change in her face. And then she started to ask him something, and hesitated. He could almost guess. "Mika..." He said after her, his voice just above a whisper. "I can't get close to you. Every person I've allowed to do that has ended up dead shortly after. Helena wasn't the first." He thought about it, and realized that he hadn't known Helena at all. There had been a common attitude there, yes. But she had been drinking, and he had been lonely. As much as he wished there was more to it than that; there wasn't. But Mika was different. His care for her was genuine. Which was why he didn't want her hurt.
((We elected to finish up the scene from earlier in a couple of posts. Hope this is all right.)) "Mika..." He said after her, his voice just above a whisper. "I can't get close to you. Every person I've allowed to do that has ended up dead shortly after. Helena wasn't the first." "We could both be dead tomorrow either way," she said more boldly, "I want to be happy for a few hours first." She looked up into his face and smiled, "You can let me hide with you and neither of us has to be lonely."
(Yeah, hope it’s okay if I reply to Thanos’ earlier post.) “So what happens when I save you?” David asked. Sadie smiled, taking a sip of her drink before answering. Despite her feeling of frustration, she felt at ease in David’s company, as she had with Gask and most of the time with Lewis. The light-hearted bantering helped keep her mind from the trials they had yet to endure. “Well I don’t know,” she answered teasingly. “Something tells me you wouldn’t want a new gun like me …”
Spencer smiled at her. She had a very excellent point. Spencer removed his shades, looked at them, then cast them down the hall. The fell with a quiet clatter that echoed in the confined space. "Maybe it's about time I stopped hiding." He said. He took a step closer to her, lifted her chin and kissed her softly.
Mika's arms slid around his neck, touching him deliberately for the first time since she had seen into him on the train. No visions beset her although the wave of emotion that touched her as their lips met was like an ocean wave. She smiled as he drew back. "You'll never have to hide from me." Thoughts of tomorrow fell away, a welcome relief from worry, as Mika laced her fingers with a Ghost's.
Everything around him fell away at Mika's touch. There was more here than what he had with Helena. Much more. This went beyond the emotional and the physical. Mika actually cared. Spencer guided her gently into the room and shut the door behind them. His hand went to her face as he kissed her again, feeling the smooth flesh of her face and neck.
