Special Branch XIII: Soulless
POSTED BY: NEEDY
UPDATED: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 02:59
VIEWED: 34426
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It's thread number 13 for the story.(Unlucky for some, but only time will tell if its unlucky for our characters too.)
New Enemies. New Ship. New Journey.
Special Branch Intro
Here's how it is:
There's a parliament, a big bad government called The Alliance that seeks to unite all the worlds under its rule. Only some take issue to that policy, not to mention their methods. And so The Resistance was born.
They called themselves Special Branch - a group made up of fugitives, former soldiers, companions and a whole lot more. They became a thorn in the side of not only The Alliance, but a whole host of secret groups and private armies. And so they were hunted down, imprisoned without charge. Now the last remaining members are scattered across the verse, trying their best to rebuild their lives, or start over.
But one event will bring them back together, will force them to unite as they prepare for the oncoming storm.
Recap:
With Soul missing, taken by the ruthless bounty hunter Kurren and handed over to his mysterious employer, the crew find themselves at a crossroads. After ditching their last ship, presumed traceable, they purchase a Firefly craft, named The Raven, and take to the skies.
However, when Soul’s former lover Ciaran shows up unannounced, she insists Safe and the crew search for the man before it’s too late and his captors get their wish – to turn him into the ruthless killer he once was. But, with the memory of Ciaran’s betrayal on The Dwarf and Milton’s death still lingering, the captain is hesitant to trust her, let alone follow her on a wild goose chase, especially when she confesses that it was her that had helped Soul’s enemy to capture him. Although they keep her close, the crew instead follow another lead. An anonymous message tells them where they might find Kyra, a former reporter at one time attached to the crew. Only now, her interest in investigating the murder of a man loyal to the resistance might just land her in serious trouble.
On Boros, Clayton Payne, now a fully-fledged member of the Crimson Squad is brought up to speed on the recent murders. The culprit behind the attacks had once been an agent for the CS and was now targeting not just resistance fighters, but those that were linked to the Squad. As he uncovers more evidence, Clayton realises that Kyra’s partner, Luthor Mcnab, is involved and heads to Albion before she becomes the latest victim.
As Safe and Vixen search for Kyra, the reporter pairs up with Julie Torn, the daughter of the deceased rebel loyalist, in an attempt to uncover the truth behind the murders. But, after receiving a tip-off from an anonymous source, she discovers the truth about Luthor and his involvement in the murders. Before he can silence the two of them however, they are rescued by Safe and Vixen; and Needy, long thought lost, takes Luthor out with a bullet. Although distrustful of the former companion, especially after learning of his true involvement in Milton’s death, the crew take him with them, hoping he can answer their questions.
Clayton Payne is left on Albion, along with Luthor who is not quite dead, but they are not alone. An old man and young woman, of unknown origin, wait in the background, their identities shrouded. Their motives, unclear. It’s only a matter of time before they make their move.
Elsewhere, Professor Trepsil, disheartened by his work for the Crimson Squad and concerned for his own safety within the organisation, takes matters into his own hands. After realising that sending a few encrypted messages out, warning different members of the crew, was not enough, he next decides to set off on his own and leaves his former life behind him.
Finally, after being killed and killed again, the real Soul is awakened – an emotionless killer ready for his new mission. However, Marshall - his alter-ego - awakens elsewhere, lost in a strange place, his memory a haze. As a familiar face helps him up, Marshall is le
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The general principle of building a Motorcycle since they were first created is to start with as big an engine as you can manage and add as little to it as possible to make it a vehicle. From fossil fuel combustion, through the eras of Hydrogen and Nitrogen fuel cells, up to modern plasma injection technology the principle hadn’t altered much. Speed was of the utmost importance forcing horses of raw power straight from wheel to ground. Wisp had a lot of experience with bikes; they had been a favourite getaway vehicle for urban raids when they had to move fast. Also with a few modifications they could be perfect for covering a great deal or rural terrain quickly. So it’s accurate to say that Wisp had driven a lot of motorbikes and knew what to expect with this one.
Wisp did not know what to expect with this one.
From the first twist of the throttle the engine thundered like a caged bear and propelled the pair forward. If it wasn’t for Wisps augmented brain cells he would have probably driven straight into the back of the car in front but by lightning reflexes he somehow managed to turn in time. But Wisp didn’t really know if HE had turned in time. The bike seemed to handle much better than it should; almost turning before he’d made a motion. Filled with confidence and urgency he pushed the bike to the limit flicking between parked cars and pavement, up onto the curb, he even through in a jump running up the back of a parked truck. He and the bike seemed to have an unspoken bond pushing the limits of reality to the very limit to get to the Library as fast as possible. Wisp swore that when he blinked the bike appeared as a great steed and the engine could be heard distinctly as hoof beats. Wisp dismissed this as adrenaline fuelled imaginings quickly before he questioned his sanity.
They quickly covered the ground to the Library but Wisp stopped just shy of the cordoned area. He could see the crashed copter with a group of Crimson Squad agents stood around getting medical help with the Library behind complete with burnt debris and broken windows. He had no idea where the others were inside this jungle of bad guys.
“Guy’s this is Wisp, I'm right outside the Library. I need a fix on your location. Somebody fill me in.”
Meanwhile Simon Jupe stood next to a beautiful blonde Amazon of a woman looking down over his body. He watched as medics crowded round his body, their knees dipping in the pool of his blood.
“Am I dead?” He asked her. Keeping his eyes on the bleeding red mass before him.
“No. Not quite” She replied with a comforting resonance to her voice. “You get to live on this time. But we’ll meet again” And with that she turned and walked away.
The EMT’s picked up Simons body and placed it on a stretcher connecting fluids and monitors across his near corpse. Not knowing what else to do he stepped back into his body to see what happened next.
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Safe could feel the frustration fraying at the edges of his already thin patience. Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer with each second they stood rooted in argument. It was the approach that he couldn’t hear that pressed on him the most; the downed airship full of soldiers; elite soldier with a distinct purpose.
He took a deep breath and as gently as he could he gripped Kyra’s shoulders, “Listen carefully, whatever is eating at you, whatever changed you, needs to be dealt with later. Trust me when I say that the men that are after may seem to have the right motives but they aren’t necessarily what’s right for you.”
Kyra met Safe’s eyes unflinching, “You don’t know… you CAN’T know… How do I know you’re not the bad guys after what you did on the Dwarf.” She shrugged out of his grip.
Safe gritted his teeth, “Don’t be daft woman. We’re not the bad guys. What happen on the Dwarf was not our making. We were drawn in by that crew and..” His words ended abruptly as Julie’s hand connected with his face in a rounding slap.
Vixen smirked.
Safe ran a hand through his hair and sighed, “Got that out of your system?” he asked. Julie just glared back at him.
A crowd started to appear now that the gunshots had faded.
“Look, just come with us far enough to get you out of town, someplace where you can sort this mess out on your own. Maybe along the way you might even find the answers. We let you off where you say. Fair enough?”
“But he’s going with you.” Kyra spat the words in Needy’s direction. “I won’t share another ship with him.”
“Look, I came to find you so I could find him. Funny how we always find you two at once.” Safe arched an eyebrow at her. “Good or bad, I ain’t leaving him behind. We have some… things to sort out, he and I.”
Julie looked from Kyra to Safe and back again as silence hung between the two.
“I’ll keep him locked up away from you both.” Safe finally said.
Kyra nodded. A small nod but that was all he needed.
Vixen rolled her eyes and prodded Needy with her gun, “Let’s go, bleeding boy. Run and I’ll make you bleed worse faster’n you can take your first step, ‘an I won’t stop until I’m satisfied.”
“Vixen!” Safe barked.
“Just motivating our prisoner.” She smile sweetly back at Safe.
Safe just shook his head as they started walking, cutting down narrow alleys and through fenced yards, anything to keep off the main track.
“Wisp, where are you? We’re on the move.” Safe relayed their location.
“Meet you at the wrecking yard, five blocks south of your current position.” Seryn responded. “I’m in the air now.”
As they walked Safe rubbed his cheek, still stinging from the slap, albeit more of an emotional sting than anything physical.
Why was he back into this? When they had split up two years ago, Safe swore it was the last. He burned his contacts list, severed his connections to the underground, locked up his ‘equipment’. He couldn’t bring himself to destroy that. It had been a part of his life as long as he could remember. It would be like cutting off ones arm.
He cleaned himself up and tracked down his ex-wife. Maybe, just maybe, he could have the real life she had always wanted them to have.
The house was a neat bungalow, off from the city’s core. He walked up the pathway and up the two steps to the small porch and knocked on the door. He took one last look at his reflection and hid the flowers behind his back.
He raised his hand to knock again and wondered at the hesitation and the slight shake. His fist descended, rapping lightly on the door.
Elsie opened the door herself and her face changed once she saw him. The slight smile she wore disappeared and her lips set in a thin line as she crossed her arms across her chest, “Seth.”
“Hi Elsie, it’s been a long time.” Seth smiled at her.
“What do you want.” She asked shortly.
“I just wanted to talk, maybe over some coffee.” Seth watched her, waiting. He could see her in their early days. Her eyes sparkling, always smiling. Not now, though. That hurt almost as much as what followed next.
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Wisp watched intently at the smouldering ruins of the library hoping for a sign. The police cordon had attracted quite a crowd of morbid curiosity with those bored with the mundanity of everyday life begging for voyeuristic excitement. This made it quite easy for Wisp and Ciarian to remain un-noticed as they observed the scene. Wisp was getting thoroughly impatient being on the outskirts of the action. He was just about ready to jump over the barricades and look for them the old fashioned way when he spotted Safe turn a corner nonchalantly.
Wisp was just about to grab his radio and signal when he noticed Safe’s hands. He was signalling something. Two taps on the radio, one tap on his ear followed by the spiralling of his finger. People were listening in to the signal that would account for the radio silence. Next he held up one finger then palmed his hand slightly above the horizontal. One casualty, unable to walk but alive. Finally he fluttered his fingers upwards whilst raising his hand. Need evacuation from a ship. He then began repeating his hand gestures from the start tilting his body in the other direction. He obviously hadn’t spotted Wisp then.
Wisp replied with two short taps on his radio, Safe stopped, nodded and disappeared round the corner he’d come from. Wisp then keyed his radio to the Ravens frequency.
“Seryn. DOLLHOUSE, Alpha. Five, DOLLHOUSE beta. Repeat. DOLLHOUSE, Alpha. Five, DOLLHOUSE beta.”
A few seconds passed before Seryn came over the comms “Roger”
Ciarian gave Wisp a puzzled look. “I get the first bit but what’s the Dollhouse beta about?”
“Look into that library, what do you see?”
“Erm... Well the burnt out building, the crashed chopper, a lot of ground cars”
“Do you see the mountains of Feds?”
“Well yea of course.”
“What do you think they’re gonna do when a firefly drops out of the sky and starts taking on people the wrong side of the police cordon? Do you think they’re just gonna sit there and wave? No so we have to distract em and get em away from this library. Dollhouse Beta is a bridge about two miles west of here where we are gonna meet Seryn in Five minutes and these guards are all gonna follow us there.”
“How are we gonna get em to follow?” She quizzed Wisp. He responded with a very mischievous grin and revved the bikes engine.
“Oh I’ll think of something”
Next he grabbed his rifle from his back and fired a long burst of automatic fire into the air. The bike roared from standing straight through the police barriers towards the biggest group of guards he could see. The front wheel of the bike dove into the air giving the impression of one of the great horses of the apocalypse galloping forwards. Ciarian obviously understood the plan and began firing her pistol above the feds as they stormed forward causing them to throw themselves to the ground in every direction. As Wisp nearly reached the group of terrified Feds he spun the bike one eighty whilst throwing smoke grenades between them and Safe who was no peaking round the corner observing the diversion.
“Come on boys” Ciarian shouted from behind him “don’t tell me that’s all you got?” Her face beamed with excitement as she brandished her weapon high forcing a menacing silhouette of the bike with smoke behind.
The officers he handn’t seen the brunt of Wisp’s little show had now regrouped enough to begin returning fire. Unfortunately where as Wisp and Ciarian had aimed mainly for show, these guys were aiming for keeps. Wisp made the engine purr again and set off to the west weaving between wreckage and gunfire. A quick glance over his shoulder showed the soldiers had begun entering ground cars and following just as he hoped. A group of officers at the west police barricade had formed a makeshift wall hoping to stop the rampaging metal monster that Wisp rode. He however was not to be stopped by a few simple parked vehicles. Aiming for the flattest piece of the Library’s wall with a favourable slope Wisp squeezed the turbo’s and flew above the feds in a graceful arc, Ciarian adding a kiss at the apex
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Two Years Ago, Santos:
Kyra’s head swam as she felt the cold dead weight of the unconscious bounty hunter being pulled away from her. She could barely remember what had happened. The confusion became even more apparent when she took in the sight of the three faces that stood watching over her now: Her lover Bernie, the captain Soul, and Clayton, her former partner.
“What happened?” she muttered, as both Needy and Clayton offered her a hand each and lifted her up.
Kyra looked down at the body lying there beside her—a large man with long black dreadlocks, wearing what could only be described as mercenary gear.
“You okay?” Clayton asked her, running his hand across her forehead and brushing her hair away from her face, revealing a deep gash by her hairline.
Kyra cringed as her head stung from the touch of his finger.
“Yeah, I just…” she dabbed her head.
“Maybe you should sit down for a bit,” Clayton offered with his hand directing her to a crate a few yards away.
Needy simply watched the conversation unfold without offering any input. Kyra looked at him, waiting for him to say something, to offer some help, but instead he just nodded his head and raised a sympathetic smile.
“Okay,” she said, still dazed. Clayton glanced at Needy, somewhat anxious that one wrong move on his part and the man might knock him senseless. Or worse. Still, he placed his hand on her side, wrapping his arm around her back and steadily guided her towards the crate, where she sat.
Needy stared at the two of them but didn’t say anything. Soul, on the other hand, looked intently at the former companion, goading him to respond.
“We can’t stay here you know,” Soul finally said, plainly. “We gotta move, now.”
The man looked back at the bounty hunter. He was still unconscious. But for how long?
“We ain’t going anywhere,” Needy answered.
“What you talking about?” Soul asked.
Needy turned to face him now, his eyes were piercing daggers. “You almost got her killed, again,” Needy responded. “This is where we part ways.”
“What?” Soul asked, dumbfounded.
“Get off this rock, away from us,” Needy says, his eyes shooting to the floor now. “And don’t come back.”
“Needy,” Soul says, reaching out and grabbing the man by the shoulder. “We need to stick together. Especially now.”
“No!” Needy says, snapping his head up. “You hear me, Marshall. I want you gone. Ever since I ran with you, I’ve seen nothing but death. But I won’t see hers.”
Needy looked across at Kyra sitting on the crate across the way, out of earshot. Clayton kept glancing up to look across at Needy, whilst he spoke with Kyra.
Soul tried to reason with Needy—he could see in the companion’s eyes that there was something he wasn’t saying, something he was struggling with, maybe even struggling with himself—but before he was given a chance to speak, Needy cut in again.
“I’m not going to lose her again, you understand?” Needy put to him. “I want you out of our lives for good. We’re moving on. I suggest you do the same.”
Needy stared down at the hand still gripped around his arm and with a shrug, shook the man loose.
“Needy, I…” he began, but the companion kept his back to the man.
“If i ever see you again, it will be your life on the line, not hers,” Needy said clearly. “Dong ma?”
The young man never turned to face Soul, but he didn’t need to. After looking at the scene around him, the young woman being looked after by the stranger; the bounty hunter sleeping in the dirt; and the man he’d once called a friend now literally having turned his back on him; Soul realised the truth was all too apparent. His place wasn’t here, with these people, not anymore. There was only one person he wanted to be with, only one that truly understood him, but she was gone now too. The next journey he would take, he would have to do so alone.
***
Meanwhile, Clayton spoke quietly but clearly with Kyra.
“I know this is not the best time Kyra, but you need to hear me out on this,” he said, whilst the young woman could but only look at him, va
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The young woman made her way down the corridor of the aft passage, turning left where the steps led down to the corridor.
She’d been on a Firefly craft before, although this Raven looked older and yet in a better condition than the last one. Even so, all Fireflies were all the same as far as she was concerned. Although some were larger than the older models, and there may be one or two modifications here and there, the design and structure more or less remained the same. And Julie Torn knew her way around one like the back of her hand.
She cut past the infirmary and was heading for the passenger quarters when she stopped on the spot.
The acting captain, Safe, stood leaning against a wall, looking out at the two corridors that opened up before him. It bothered him that no sooner had they purchased the ship, that they’d already had themselves a prisoner, not to mention that said prisoner had once been a friend of theirs.
The captain turned and nodded at the girl, his face long and features worn. The slap she had given him earlier still stung when he thought about it. Maybe he’d been out of line. He couldn’t tell anymore. Whatever that counted as a conscience within him was now as unreliable as the comms had been down on Albion. The events of the last two years certainly hadn’t helped. They’d taken their toll on him and it sure did show—in his drawn face; in his eyes. His irises were the deepest black, like bottomless wells. To look into them was to see into his soul, a man lost in the darkness.
Although the girl didn’t say anything, she understood. She’d seen the same look in another man’s eyes, once upon a time.
As he gazed at her with those pained eyes, she dignified him with a smile, an unspoken apology for her actions hours earlier.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She nodded absently, before asking “How is he?”
Safe looked back towards the left corridor. The man was locked up in the room at the end. He had a bed and all the comforts of a room to himself, only with a chain linking his ankle to the wall grating.
“He’s patched up, should be good,” Safe answered. Sighing, he suddenly recalled how it had once been. Life on The Sereni-Tree, even on The Epsilon, seemed like a lifetime ago. “Then again, I didn’t think we’d ever need to patch him up again. Always had a knack for doing that himself. You know what I mean?”
He turned to look at her. She was quiet, her mind clearly busy processing things.
“I’m sorry about before,” Safe said plainly, as if he owed it to her. “And I’m sorry about your father. He was… he was a good man.”
If he was going to captain this crew for the time being, he needed to make sure things ran as smoothly as possible. He couldn’t afford to worry about whether one of them was going to stab him in the back given half the chance. Keeping the peace was necessary as far as he was concerned.
"How are you holding up?” he asked her.
At one time, Julie might have launched into another argument, accusing the man before her of all the things she considered to have gone wrong in her life over the past few years. But she’d made her point earlier. And so had he. In truth, the man was right, to an extent, and she knew it. Besides which, the worst crime that had been committed against her had occurred long before the resistance had walked into their lives. Truth was this verse was full of all sorts of wickedness. There weren’t no changing that. Best one could hope for was to ally yourself with someone you could trust and hope that they’ll cover your back when you needed to.
She’d had a man like that. But now he was gone. Now she was out in the black on her own.
“Maybe you ought to get some rest,” Safe offered finally when the only answer he’d gotten was a blank look. “It’s been a long day.”
“I want to see him,” Julie suddenly answered, her words taking the man by surprise.
“Sorry?” Safe shot her a concerned look. “I don’t think that would be good idea.”
“I need to…” she began but he cut her off.
“He’s out. Seems he don’t have the energy nowada
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Safe placed the cup of steaming coffee on the control panel next to Wisp, and dropped into the co-pilot’s seat cradling his own cup.
The silence settled back into place in the cockpit like a pond smoothing after the stone sank below its surface; occasionally broken by the navigation computer and Wisp’s typing.
Wisp finally looked up, sniffing the air and noticing the coffee. It was like he had climbed back out of the computer. “Oh, hey, thanks!” he said as he took the first tentative sip of his coffee. He leaned back in his chair and propped his boots on the control panel’s edge. “Why’re you still up?”
Safe continued to stare at the stars beyond the overhead windows, “Enh… sleep is highly overrated.”
Wisp quirked an eyebrow at him, “that so? Wouldn’t have anything to do with the chain tying Needy to his room, would it?”
“Nah… it’s too loud.”
Wisp paused and listened to the ship creak and groan and the soft thrumming of the engines. “Are getting deep on me? I’ll lose all respect for you.”
Safe turned and offered Wisp a weak grin. “I dunno Wisp, this just keeps getting harder and harder or maybe I’m just getting softer.”
Wisp shook his head and turned back to the keyboard. “I don’t think it’s right either, but on the other hand there is something off about him.”
Wisp heard Safe sigh and knew he wasn’t the only one to feel that way.
Silence filled the cockpit again broken this time by the distant clang of a bunk door closing and boots on the walkway towards them. Seryn entered and stopped, momentarily confused. “I thought it was my turn on deck.”
Wisp looked at his watch and nodded, “Yep, it is. Safe was just… wandering, keeping me company for abit.” He stood and stretched, grimacing as he did so. “I think I’ll tuck. The landing was not a precise as I had hoped. She’s all yours.”
Seryn nodded as Wisp left, and sank into the vacated chair.
Safe continued to watch the stars, his coffee going cold beside him as Seryn kept glancing over at him waiting for him to say something.
When all he offered was silence, she took the initiative. “You wanna talk?”
Safe leaned forward in his chair and slowly stood, “yea, I suppose I do. Might as well get it over with now; less chance of being interrupted.”
“Listen Safe, I… that is…” Seryn stammered suddenly uncomfortable where this was going.
“Thanks Seryn,” Safe smiled at her unease. “But it’s not you I need to talk to.” He turned and walked out of the cockpit, his steps heavy and slow.
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Needy sat square on the floor, his back against the wall. His left foot was secured by a metal chain which ran across the floor and attached itself to the metal grating along the lower half of the wall. Still, he had room to move about the confines of the room. Even so he remained seated, his knees propped up as he stared at his own hands, open before him. He stroked the palm of his right hand with his left, and maneuvered each digit as if it was something new to him. He marvelled at how complex it was in design and yet so simple to control. His own body was a wonder and one he’d taken for granted.
The door to the room clunked as it was opened from the outside and Safe stepped in.
Needy took his eyes away from his hands and looked up at the man, an ambivalent look upon his face – a mix of determination and apprehension, or sorrow and relief. In truth he didn’t know what to feel. Didn’t know what to think. That’s why he was there, and Needy knew it.
Safe pulled up a crate and took a seat upon it, staring at the young man.
Needy looked to have aged some. He was still young looking, in his mid to late twenties. But his heavy stubble and scruffy hair was a far cry from the neat and well put-together companion that he had known before. His eyes were somewhat bloodshot and his skin pale. Of course, the gunshot he had sustained might have gone some way to explain his current appearance.
“So,” Safe began. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”
Needy smirked a little out of the corner of his mouth. “Julie put you up to this, didn’t she?” he started. “I would have said Kyra but, seeing how she reacted before, I don’t imagine she’s interested in talking to me anymore…” Then, Needy hesitated as he thought about the situation. “Unless of course, you’re just here to shoot me some more.”
Safe shook his head, mainly in disbelief. “And why the hell would I do that?”
“I don’t know,” he answered with a shrug. “Maybe cos I told you the truth about Milton. Maybe you could use getting some of your anger out and I’d make a good target. Kyra seemed to think so.”
“Yeah, well,” Safe patted his vest and his trouser pockets, “I guess I forgot my pistol.”
“Nah, you’re just worried if you got close enough I might use it against you,” Needy said with a smile. Safe didn’t know if he was being serious or not.
Safe shook his head slowly and answered. “No, I’m just not keen on wasting a bullet on a friend. I figured that’s what we were, friends right? Tell me I’m wrong.”
Needy didn’t answer, just stared at the man.
“See I can waste a bullet on you if you want, certainly make things simpler, but I think after all we’ve been through I owe you the benefit of a doubt. Can’t say that others on-board are likely to offer the same. But I figure you owe me the truth. I saved your life once. The least you could do is give me the truth.”
“The truth?” Needy says “I don’t think you could handle it.”
“Save it Needy, tell me what happened.”
“What happened? Well it’s up for debate. You tell me Safe, what do you remember? Do you remember Serenity?”
“What?” Safe said, unsure what the man was getting at.
“Serenity. She was a soldier, like you. She was involved with Soul.”
Safe shook his head. The companion had lost it.
“You remember saving me on Boros, but you don’t remember her. She was the reason why you found me. She was the reason why we’re here today.”
Safe scoffed. “Tell me the truth, Needy. Enough of this.”
“I’m telling you the truth. Just because you don’t remember, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Serenity. Commerce. Heinz, remember him, his face all scarred up.”
Safe’s eyes twitched, as if something said had unnerved him. He’d been on the verge of shouting at the man but then his voice had been silence. His brain had told him to shut up and listen. There was something altogether familiar about what the man was saying.
“Commerce. Serenity got herself kidnapped and we were there, you, me, Soul, Jennings, Grunt, SR… any of this ringing any bells?”
Safe didn’t want to admit anything. But the truth wa
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They walked in silence for a while, the desolate landscape around them silent, not even the wind whispering. Marshall walked slightly behind and to the left, and he took the time to study his new companion. Short dusty hair, several days’ growth of stubble on his cheeks, and an eye patch covering one eye. He wore what could only be described as a military uniform, but it looked more like a hodgepodge of dozens of military uniforms sewn together haphazardly rather than one specific design. A rifle of some sort hung across his back, an ancient revolver at his side, and no less than five knives were sheathed on his chest and legs. Dark boots covered in dirt and what looked like blood kicked up the dust as he walked, but even his footfalls remained silent. Despite his odd appearance, Marshall couldn't help but to feel safe and secure with the man.
"What do you remember," the Safe man asked him.
"The field. Images of a family, a house, but those are fading."
They walked a bit further in silence. As they went, the rifle was unslung. A hand was raised, and they stopped.
"Look", Safe commanded gently, pointing. "What do you see?"
Marshall held a hand over his eyes to shield them from the unyielding sun. At first, he only saw an unbroken horizon, but then he made out a small blot, moving quickly away from them. Safe handed over the rifle, instructing him to look through the scope. After a moment of fiddling, a figure came into view, a man in a long black trench coat, feet a blur as he chased the horizon.
"Who is that?"
"You don't remember?"
Lowering the rifle, Marshall sighed. "I feel like I should know who he is, and who you are, but..."
Safe took the rifle. "Take a look around you. What do you see?"
Marshall spun in place. "Nothing. Just barren, emptiness."
"Look through the scope again." Safe handed the rifle back and pointed in the direction the man had gone.
Marshall peered through, but instead of the man in the trench coat heading away from them, he saw another figure moving towards them, seeming to float along like a wisp on the wind.
"Your problem isn't so much your memory as it is your vision," Safe explained. "You spend so much time looking at the big picture, at everything around you that you lose sight of the things, the people that really matter."
"How does that help me?"
"One thing at a time." Safe placed a hand on Marshall's shoulder. "We're here."
"But we haven't moved--" Marshall began as he lowered the rifle, but the words caught in his throat. The ground in front of them was gone, ending in a ragged line only a few inches in front of their feet. In the void, clouds stirred, giving fleeing glimpses of something beyond them as they churned. The hovering figure he had seen through the scope was now hovering just beyond the precipice, a floating wisp wearing the face of a boy, but with eyes that looked far older. The boy smiled softly, and turned to Safe.
"How is he, old man?"
"He's on the way," Safe replied with a growl. "Keep him going, but don't let him turn back. He's not ready for that yet."
"Ready for what?" Marshall asked, turning; Safe shot out a hand and stopped him.
"You're not ready," he stated again, this time with steel in his voice. "You've got no foundation yet. You try to face what's behind you, what's past, it'll destroy you. Again."
"What do you mean, again?"
Safe shook his head and spoke, this time softer. "I've walked with you as far as I can go. You need to go on." He turned away from the cliff and raised the rifle, aiming past Marshall and chambering a round. "I'll keep you safe as long as I can."
The boy with the haunted eyes held out his hand. "Time to fly," he said, and then grinned. "Man, that
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“William! William dear!” The lady cooed trotting down the dirt street towards him holding her skirts high so they wouldn’t catch on the dusty ground.
Wisp turned and smiled at the approaching mass of petticoats “Mrs Hubbard, What can I do for you this fine morning?” He rested the ladder he had been carrying over his shoulder and paused waiting for her to catch up.
She quickly met up with him wafting herself with an oriental fan trying not to show she was feeling the scorching desert heat. “I’m so glad I caught you! You see my freezing unit has decided today of all days to pack up an die with no regard for the women’s association coming round this afternoon for iced tea. Could you be a dear and come and have a look at it for me?”
Wisp grinned wildly “Of course Mrs Hubbard. Lemme just drop my ladder off at the saloon I was going to finish the condenser on their water tower but that can wait till I’ve dealt with this emergency”
“You my boy are an angel! You sure the maker didn’t send you to us?” She replied with a giggle.
“No ma’am” He dropped into a comical boy “I'm but a mortal man handy with a sonic screwdriver”
“And a hammer, and a computer, and a cocktail shaker, and a side arm. You are a genuine renaissance man.”
“I try my hardest. Give me ten minutes to get the rest of my tool’s and ill have you enough ice for a bucket of iced tea.”
Wisp had been on Blessing for around three months now and had fully ingrained himself with the locals. After his public and violent break up with Vixen he had got himself a berth to this newly terraformed planet on the rim. Still a might too hot and dry for full colonisation he was one of the first settlers making the place habitable. He’d come to the town of Campbell as the residents were at the end of their rope. Help had been abundant at first building a houses and shops for everyone butthings had begun breaking down and seizing up and no-one had the know how to repair things. Then Wisp had shown up from the heavens in a barely functioning shuttle to answer their prayers. In no time he had fixed everything and built a few things to make life easier. He was a month away from being made mayor everyone joked. In payment he only asked for hospitality and aid in fixing his ship.
The town only had a few hundred people living in it but everyone knew Wisp and most had had something fixed by him. In his evenings he even worked in the saloon as a barkeep regaling all with jokes and tales of adventure across the cosmos. The clientele didn’t know how much was fact or fiction but they were entertained nonetheless. The young women in the town had taken an extra special shine to him and many of their fathers had approached him saying that if he decided to stay they’d be honoured to have him as a son in law.
Wisp welcomed the change of pace from the stress of interstellar crime with an abusive psycho girlfriend. It was good honest work for people who needed help and he was happy to do it. He was still repairing his shuttle when he got a free moment but it had slipped from his priority list. He had a little place that was slowly creeping into his psyche of somewhere called home. He got to the saloon and lent his ladder against the wall as the landlady came out onto the porch to greet him.
“Morning William, you finishing that condenser off today?”
“Afraid not Chloe. I was just on my way to do it when I got collared by Mrs Hubbard. Her freezing units broken and heaven forbid her and her lady’s might have to drink only cold tea”
Chloe let out a light and gentle laugh as an honest grin took hold of her. Campbell had only one saloon which served as entertainment and watering hole for all its residents. Chloe O'Shea was the landlady, barmaid, cook, manager and bouncer until Wisp came along, willing and eager to take off some of the burden. He had also taken upon the job of keeping her company after the bar had shut usually leading to him helping opening the next morning.
Chloe stood at a tall and slender 5'6 ish with long blonde hair that refused to be tamed in the dry
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