Special Branch: Secrets and Lies
POSTED BY: NEEDY
UPDATED: Friday, August 3, 2007 14:54
VIEWED: 18697
PAGE 6 of 8
OOC: I guess we're all needing a little inspiration 
---
The Epsilon:
Milton breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was sure the person nearby had left.
It felt like they had stood there for minutes, even though it could only have been seconds. For a moment he was sure he had been discovered, but fortunately he hadn't. Still, his heart beated loud in his chest.
He wasn't even sure who it was, he had dare not look, but whoever it was, it wasn't Needy, and therefore he thought it was safer if he remained hidden.
Even though he didn't know if it was the wisest course of action, he needed to follow them. They had headed off in the direction of the personal quarters. And that's where he needed to be.
Amy was sure to be down there, he just hoped that this woman Ciaran wasn't with her.
---
Approaching the childrens' room, fortunately without having run into any trouble as of yet, he put his ear to the door.
He couldn't hear much through it, only the slightest rumble. Someone was in there, moving. Then, he heard whispered voices. Nothing he could make out clearly, but voices nevertheless.
He tapped gently on the door, hoping that whoeverwas inside would let him in.
The room inside seemed to go silent.
What now?
He tapped again, a bit louder this time, but not so much that it would echo down the halls.
"Amy?" he whispered gently
Just then the door opened, and he had to lean back so that he didn't fall in.
"Milton?" Amy asked in her normal voice, seemingly quite surprised to see him
He pressed his finger to his lips as he invited himself in.
"I thought you stayed behind on the dwarf?" Amy said
"Shh" he said, shutting the door behind him.
Two of the young girls sat quietly on their respective beds, having been watched over by Amy who still held a children's story book in her hands. The other two must have been in the adjoining room.
"What's wrong?" She asked in a quieter tone, although not yet whispering
"It's Ciaran, the wowan from the dwarf, she's stolen the ship" Milton divulged
"What the dwarf?"
"No, this one. This ship. I think we're in danger"
"What? That's impossible." she objected "We haven't seen her so much as set foot on this ship"
Milton paused as he pondered how to explain himself without terrifying her and the children who may or may not have been listening.
"It was Safe who gave the orders." Amy explained "Flechette said something about a bomb on board the Dwarf, Safe wanted us to get clear for the children's safety"
"Then what are you doing here?"
"She thought it was best I looked after the children. Kept them occupied whilst she, I don't dunno, handled the situation"
Milton frowned causing Amy to stop and think it through
Flechette had seemed to be acting rather off
"Where is she now?" Milton asked.
"I... don't know."
---
Elsewhere, lying propped up against the airlock door beside a puddle of blood, Flechette remains unconscious.
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
“The damage to the engine by that Jezebel, was cosmetic. We’re back in business.”
Seryn sighed her relief at Versa's words, but only inwardly, her face remained set in the same expression it had worn since her son had been carried away from her. She figured it was the reason other members of the crew were skipping around her perimeter now. All except Soul, nothing seemed to phase him, but then, he had the same expression on his face.
After feeding in the coordinates, completing the checks, it fell mainly to Maxine to keep the Dwarf going right - that didn't leave enough for her to do, so to avoid dwelling, and the inevitable decent into hysteria that that would bring about, she took out the wrap of cloth containing the char charts and papers she'd been working with the last few days. She was so glad she'd brought this with her, there was no way she would want this comprimised. She'd been careful, only making marks in vague ways, no labels or explainations, and all of her working out on one small scrap of paper that could be shredded or burnt or even eaten if needed. Only a few more calculations were needed, she had a the planet, now she only had to work out the co-ordinates.
In any other situation the fact that the clue to them lay in a particularly dirty limerick her uncle had taught her, would have had her laughing like a drain.
But not today.
She completed them, looking up at Soul, wondering if now was the time to tell him that she had found a solution to their long term needs - a facility... a house, a lovenest even, built into the rock of a sparsely colonised moon, invisible from the air and on the ground, and hard to track with conventional tech due to the mineral make up of most of the moons surface.
It was a base, a hide out, and a place to rest - she'd been obsessed with finding it since the yleft Boros - before even, she thought of the idea while recovering in Sykes' own hidden workplace. She's thought it had been her uncles place to take his mistresses and hide from his marriage, but since the discovery in Ciarans rooms, she thought maybe he had other reason to hide. Not that her aunt wasn't scary enough...
So they had somewhere to to, once they got the ship and the children back...
Her face hardened again, no, it could wait. Folding the scrap of paper up small she tucked it into her clothing and folded the charts back up. Then turned to Maxine.
"Any sign of the Epsilon?"
Isn't sanity really a one trick pony, anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking! But when you're good and crazy...ooh hoo hoo hoo... the skys the limit!
http://www.myspace.com/seryndippyt
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OOC: Sorry for the absenteeism. Work is sooo stressful and short staffed, I've hardly had time to even check in here let alone write. Add that to being out every night of the week for my little ones soccer and my playing baseball and that equals a decidedly quiet muse. Plus I just flew back from a Newfoundland excursion, boy are my arms tired...waka waka waka....{groan}. Here's a picture of the icebergs I saw. 
I'll try to contribute for Maxine and Cirian shortly.
_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."
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Safe - You've certainly been busy. Love the photo though, it looks awesome. Look forward to your next post
*****
Eighteen Years Ago:
The boy was only ten years old, but he knew what real humiliation was.
His father had been labelled a "crazy person" for years, and that label extended to his family.
The boy was "Crazy Earl's son", his mother was "that poor woman" and his father... his father brought the streets to life with talk.
The older man had lost everything, threw it all away one might say, in the pursuit of a truth - a truth that would not find him.
He wanted answers, but he only wanted the answers he wanted to hear. He wanted his theories to be corrobrated, the accusations against him to be invalidated and his life's work to be appreciated.
But he was nothing more than a joke. An ex-cop who lost it on the job and killed a man. He was lucky not to be put away, but he had a family and just cause. Still, he stood by his story. The man he killed was no man, he claimed, but something else entirely.
"The supernatural is not a myth" he'd profess - he'd shout it from the top of the hills - but nobody would believe him.
Nobody but his son, who wanted to believe everything that his father told him.
Even if the whole town viewed him as a dangerous lunatic, he would stand by him.
And so he did.
He stood by him.
He stood up for him - accepted ridicule from his peers, from his neighbours, even from his own mother.
He remained loyal to his father, who now lay on his deathbed. His reputation had been dragged through the mud. He had lost everything dear to him, everything but his son.
He should have had regrets, but he was too stubborn for that. He was right and he knew it.
Maybe, one day when he's dead and buried, he will finally be proven right.
"Earl Payne wasn't a crazy man," they'll say, "just crazy enough to face the things we all fear the most. The unknown"
"They will admit it. They were wrong, every single one of them" his son grew to believe. "I'll prove them wrong"
Present Day:
Clayton sat by himself in the quaint little cafe, the meeting place he and Kurren had agreed on.
It was as safe a place as anyone could imagine. It was public, and the usual place ones go to talk. That's all this was. A chance to talk. To find out all he could about Needy from this Kurren character.
Admittedly, his search into Kurren had brought up little. There was hardly any information on this guy, surprising considering the amount of resources the reporter had at his disposal.
In fact, there was nothing he found using his usual sources. The only information gathered came from his colleague Robert Wu - presumably through his links in the Resistance.
All he could establish was that Kurren was indeed a Bounty Hunter and had worked with the Blue Sun Corporation on a job or two. There was even rumblings he had been personally hired by The Alliance on a special operation, though the exact nature of said operation was strictly top secret.
Whoever this Kurren was, he was obviously a professional and therefore quite dangerous.
But he needed to know the truth about Needy and any information on where he was currently would be a huge help.
He needed to tread very carefully.
Just then, a bell jingled and a large man entered the cafe.
This is it
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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OOC: Sorry for the delay. Hope this fits the bill Needy and Wisp. Let me know and I'll change it if need be.
The plan had been simple, get on the Dwarf, accompany the crew to their planned meeting to expose the current presidential schemes, get seen in enough public spaces disguised as Ciaran, then kill the Dwarf’s ‘Weapon’ a credible witness while disguised as Soul and once the real Soul arrives, following the leads that his beloved was alive, arrest him and collect the bounty.
Simple, that is, until that …jien huo… Maxine caught wind of it and sabotaged the engines. Where had she slipped up? No matter, there is still the opportunity to salvage the goal, no thanks to the crew of this decrepit heap, Epsilon. Ciaran looked about the cockpit in disgust.
She would get to the meeting place ahead of them and set up her trap. More importantly, she had hostages to ensure that her second quarry, Soul, would follow.
Now all she had to do was get this junk heap to the planet surface in one piece.
‘Ciaran’ turned to close the door to the cockpit, no need for any noseybodies interrupting her, and froze. Standing in the doorway was the dark haired, ponytailed, girl.
Vixen stopped momentarily confused when the figure in the cockpit turned and faced her, Wisp??
“How did…” both ‘Ciaran’ and Vixen blurt at the same time. Neither finishes the sentence and a strained silence hangs between them.
‘Ciaran’ had been at this a long time and she rarely missed a beat. She knew her ‘gift’ would draw the appropriate image from the other persons head. Her only pause was to figure out who. Going into a situation, she liked to study the people involved and formulate a plan of attack, so she knew who she would be seen as or make herself be seen as, but in situations like this it was always harder. It helped that she had a knack at reading people, she had spent time as a fortune teller honing that skill, but the crew of the Epsilon had been exceptionally hard to fool, and she had almost been caught more times than she had in her whole storied career.
Vixens eyes harden.
“Same way as you. You think I’d let you do this by yourself?” Bingo. That seemed to ease her off. “’Sides, she ain’t here. She’s locked the controls too. Seems we’re planet bound. Might as well sit back and enjoy the ride. We’ll signal Safe from there.”
Had Wisp actually been there, he would have seen a rare sight indeed, Vixen smiled. A big, toothy smile. “Ok, you’re the boss. Whatever you say goes. Can I sit up front with you? I do so like to see the stars…” She smiled at ‘Ciaran’ again. If I have to do this much longer, I’m gonna puke.
Out of the corner of her eye, Vixen saw two figures approach from the back. She hit the button closing the door to the cockpit.
Meanwhile at the back hatch of the Epsilon, Flechette groaned and forced her way to her knees. Her vision swam and her head pounded prompting her to empty her stomach. She forced herself to her feet, clutching the doorframe. I’ve got to warn Amy.
_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."
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On the Dwarf One of the Monitors reading Wisps life signs Began to bleed furiously. Maxine jumped across the room to read the monitors with a concerned expression on her face. The noise awoke Safe from his slumber as Maxine began dashing furiously around the room looking in the backs of drawers and cupboards after a much unused piece of medical equipment.
"whats Happening??" Safe groaned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Wisp looked the same as He had before he slept so what was up now?
"He's got a subneural haemoridge, The pressures squeezing his brain ive gotta relive it"
"What??" Safe questioned "where do you need me?"
Maxine found what she was after and turned round with it in her hand. "You clamp his head while I drill the holes"
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Meanwhile on The Epsilon
As the door closed 'Wisps' Attention was torn between it and the figures that had entered. One place where it wasnt focused was Vixens quick left hook which caught him offguard. Neither was it focused on her right leg sweeping him off his feet. He rectified the situation though by planting his boot squarely in her chest and drawing a twin set off pistols.
"You Two who are you?" he said as they emerged from th shadows.
www.myspace.com/didxl
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Needy had had his eyes closed ever since Milton had left him there on his own in the storage room, seemingly dead to the world.
He sat upright against the wall, breathing slowly but surely.
His body had been drained of energy but now he found that the power had returned to him.
He felt alive, vigorous, as if he was a new man.
As he opened his eyes slowly he held up his hand and stared into it.
For the first time he could appreciate the miraculous nature of the human body, its beautiful construct and the sinful way in which pretty much every healthy person takes it for granted.
Life was a gift.
Being able to touch, to hold someone, to affect another persons life, to affect the world... was remarkable.
It took the threat of death for him to realise this.
But never again. Never again would he take life for granted.
He had been to the brink. He had stared death in the face, but he wasn't ready. There was so much he could accomplish. So much he will accomplish.
Standing up slowly he smiled.
It was an old ironic cliche but it's true, its only when you face death, can you truly embrace life
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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OOC:
Just started a Guide to SPECIAL BRANCH here: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=11&t=29509&m=515057
This is just a guide, and not a new thread for the story.
It's a work in progress, but hopefully, like TRM's work for the Sereni-Tree threads, will be a helpful way to keep track of characters, ships and ongoing stories.
I'll post "photos" of the characters too eventually
-----
Needy. Male Companion: Chosen One?
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/
www.myspace.com/dicksquinty The World's Greatest Detective?
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OOC: It seems we're leading into the showdown now, so guess what? Here's a long post! 
---
Minutes earlier:
Quote:
Originally posted by safeat2nd:
Meanwhile at the back hatch of the Epsilon, Flechette groaned and forced her way to her knees. Her vision swam and her head pounded prompting her to empty her stomach. She forced herself to her feet, clutching the doorframe. I’ve got to warn Amy.
Milton and Amy entered the outer corridor and locked both of the children's rooms behind them
They both looked left and right down the long corridor, contemplating where to go.
The right led to the cockpit, whereas in the opposite directon was the engine room, the storage space Milton had himself arrived in and the airlock.
"C'mon" he whispered, taking her by the hand and leading her towards the further end of the ship.
"But, the cockpit... shouldn't we try and turn the ship around?" Amy faltered
"It's probably too dangerous. C'mon we've gotta get help"
"Wha.. where are y...?" Amy started but her words fell by the wayside. Already the two of them were running down the fairly narrow corridor, Amy putting her complicit trust in Milton knowing what he was doing.
They had just reached the door to the storage room when a staggering figure emerged ahead of them.
“Flechette” Amy called out, running towards the person before Milton had a chance to stop her.
“Amy… wait!” he called out, running to catch up.
The bleeding woman almost collapsed as Amy reached her – seemingly all of her energy had been put in reaching it thus far. “Amy,” she started just as Milton reached them “it’s Safe… he’s lost it. I dunno what’s going on, but we have to find him”
“No” Milton interrupts
Flechette is still holding her head in pain and struggling to stay standing, but she can still manage the filthiest “who the hell are you to tell me” look.
“I don’t think it was Safe.”
“I know what I saw” Flechette argued, but was interrupted again.
“Amy said you told her this ship needed to get clear, something about a bomb.” Milton explained.
“I did not” She responded, shooting a look at Amy before thinking to herself Did I?
“No, I know. It’s the woman, Ciaran. She’s took control. She can appear as anyone she wants… or something”
Flechette now looks with more disdain than ever at Milton. He was talking complete gose. That is, until Amy confirmed it.
“I think he’s right. I mean, I’m almost certain it was you who told me. No, it was you. Maybe we’re both wrong and he’s right, this woman really can do these things. We’ve seen stranger”
Flechette held her head down and collapsed onto the wall in exhaustion. “So what do we do?”
Amy looked at Milton for guidance “Yeah, can we take her?”
“No. we can’t. But I might be able to.” He said
“And how’s that?” Flechette scoffed
“Look at you, you can hardly stand. Plus we need someone to look after the children.”
“The children…” Flechette all of a sudden remembered “Where are they?”
“They’re in bed, clueless to the whole thing.” Amy explained “But we locked them in their rooms for their own safety”
“But they can’t be left there indefinitely. I need you to go back with Flechette and watch over them” Milton instructed, finally coming into his own.
“But. I can help” she told him
“You are helping. You’re helping Flechette, you’re helping keep the children safe.”
“But…”
“No. You have to do that. I’ll be fine. She doesn’t know I’m here. She won’t see me coming”
“But you can’t take him… her on your own.” Flechette muttered “She’s no amateur, she’s had training, she took me out in seconds, and I’ve been in a few fights over the years”
“We’ll be fine” a voice called from behind them.
“Needy” Milton responded as he turned. “You’re good for this?”
“Of course, but we must go now. Time is running out” he said simply.
As Amy helped Flechette as they made their way back to the rooms, Milton and Needy ran ahead towards the cockpit.
They slowed and quietened their pace as they reached the
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The drill made a stomach turning noise as it bored through Wisps skull. Maxine had already used a scalpel to remove an area of flesh so blood wasnt splattering everywhere. Safe could feel the vibrations coming through the clamps he was holding.
He'd seen men die many times, Hell he'd killed plenty. But it was entirley different watching a young kid you knew getting holes drilled into his brain. As the last layer of bone was broken through a spurt of blood shot out onto Maxines mask. As she wiped the from the bone the vital signs on the monitors began returning to a normal steady hum. She placed a loose swab on the hole and put the drill down.
"He should be fine, we just need to watch for infection"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.
Meanwhile on the Epsilon Vixen wasnt fine as she lay unconsious on the ship being flown to god knows where in the galaxy by a shape shifting villain whos only hope was an immortal exwhore and his protege.
www.myspace.com/didxl
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