“I swear to God, Dominique, she won’t last a week. Not if she fucks with me again.” Livewire gave a murmur of frustration and slight pain as the man at her side finished wrapping the gauze around her wrist and forearm, giving him a look before turning to the rest of the group. Dead silence, typically, would have been the topic of the conversation, not to mention nicer. However, for the azure-metallic nineteen year old, the incident concerning the child had been all to interesting to just drop. Mixed with her argumentative nature, the Angels in the vicinity were being given a lot of unwanted insight on her opinion.
But for some reason or another, the fellow occupants of the room were still listening. Not that they wanted to; rather, be it fatigue or even laziness, they just didn’t care. Normally, Dominique wouldn’t care either. Every other week, she and the arrogant teen had their disputes, and while her mouth had always been an irritation, it was easily ignored or silenced. Unfortunately, though, this wasn’t the best of times, and the lack of nicotine entering her lungs had unsettled her greatly; not mention triggering another fierce headache for the weary pilot.
Dom had her eyes fixated on the corner of the room, looking over the LSR cannon that stood propped against the concrete surface. She had become tired of Livewire’s ranting; her eyes were almost drooping, chin rested against her palm, and she was beginning to ponder of various ways to execute the fellow crewmember as quietly as possible. A shame her new-favorite-toy wasn’t capable of quiet mode.
The Furious Angels who had decided not to fall asleep immediately after the alarm and the short episode with Psyche that followed it, had made residence back in the area where Dominique first introduced the child. The area was certainly a lot more vibrant, and the strained tension between them and the discussion being held had lessened, but that wasn’t saying much. It was becoming apparent to them all- except her, sadly- that Livewire’s banter was turning into a droning whine within the group, and if it continued, the aftermath wouldn’t be good.
’…And as always, there doesn’t seem to be an off switch on her skinny ass…’
Somewhere along the line, Dominique had lost her pack of cigs, and wasn’t exactly in the position to head out over to her room and pick up another. She was becoming extremely irritated, and as a lock of her sleek, blonde hair fell back in front of her eyes, she parted her lips and blew it away quickly, speaking up. She thumbed away at the lighter in her palm, at her side, sparking it irregularly and obviously unsettled in tone.
”You spooked the poor kid. Get fucked, you got what you deserved.”
Cube, one of the other occupants of the room, who sat crouched at the far wall, lifted her head slightly, as if brought back from the verge of sleep. It had been awhile after the mission, and she had reason to be tired, as well as cold: the Atlantic wasn’t exactly the best environment for one to clad themselves in only tank-top and working shorts. But then again, Cube never wore much else anyway. Along the opposite wall of her, and next to Phoenix, Raven turned her head to seemingly stare at the blonde, though her eyes remained hidden under a veil of long, dark hair. Dominique always assumed she never cut her hair, and it was an eerie rarity to ever see those dark eyes, which was probably her intent anyway. Having caught her eye, Dom returned the glance, and for a moment, she wondered if Raven was actually smiling under there.
And then her attention was averted, as Livewire’s fingers visible clawed into Haven’s knee, causing the auburn haired man to wince and push her hand away. He glared at the girl as she stood quickly, obviously angry, before resting his eyes against her ass, unashamed. Low-rise jeans were a commonality for her, and he was always one to take advantage of that fact. The Phoenix began removing her trench coat and thumbing her lighter once again, as LW continued.
”She tossed me into the fucking air, Dominique,” She stated a-matter-of-factly, obviously intent on getting the point across that a scraped wrist and landing on one’s back was a brutal and violent near death experience, even for a sky-bound criminal like herself. “She nearly broke my goddamn arm, and she’s nothing but-“
Dom’s hand clenched the lighter tightly, her eyes slowly gliding over to stare at Livewire, who was now pacing in her general direction. Becoming a bit edgy, she spoke quietly, yet in a commanding tone. “Sit down, Livewire…”
Fuming, and not taking the hint, she continued to traverse over to the taller woman, which even Haven began to taken notice at, despite the lewd stare he previously had initiated against her rear. ”Don’t fucking tell me to sit down! You tell Little-Miss Short Cake to keep her bitch ass out of my hair.” Her eyes flared in a bout of anger, as she stepped even closer, and Dominique cut in to keep her from saying anymore. Her fingers flicked away at the lighter even more erratically, as she decided to speak once more.
”Sit down, Kaitlyn…” She spoke through clenched now, letting out a sigh after a moment.
The addition of her name didn’t seem to help, though. It only fueled the fire, and the ranting increased in volume, worsening. “We should have tossed her in the fucking ocean- I’m going to toss her into the fucking ocean. God, if you hadn’t have-“
Dominique quickly jolted to a stand, grabbing Livewire by her collar and twisting the upper end of the shirt in her hand, choking the girl, swinging around, and slamming her into a nearby wall. The lighter flared to a start, to the side of the young woman’s neck, almost as if being brandished as a weapon. Her eyes stared viciously at Kate, who was caught off guard and incapable of breathing the way she’d like, nearly being lifted off her feet, and level with burning, angered eyes. Raven took a step back slowly, to give the two a bit of room.
”Since when in the hell do I listen to a damn thing you say, Livewire? Since when do you have a word, a fucking syllable in disagreement, over my decisions? Since when do I put up with your lip, and your selfish, conceited attitude? Drag. Your. Sorry. Ass. Out. Of. Here. Now. I really, truly, don’t want to hear a word anymore. And I especially don’t want you fucking with the kid, with Psyche, ever again. Or else I’ll suspend you from flying- No, fuck it, I won’t even suspend you. You will take your shit and hit the road. And if it ever comes to that, believe me, Kate: the only person that will be tossed into the ‘fucking ocean’, on my watch, will be your scrawny ass. I’m tired, Livewire. Now go.”
The flame, as well as the lighter, retreated into her palm, as Dominique’s grip released. She aptly turned away, resuming a previous search of her pockets for a rogue cigarette, and looking about the room at the rest. Haven had his head down a bit, either trying very hard not to make a comment, in fear of his own well being, or stifling a chuckle, again, in fear of his own well being. Cube gave a gracious smirk toward her captain, inwardly chortling herself, and Raven pulled back the dark curtain her hair with one hand. Raising an eyebrow at both Livewire and Phoenix, she gave them a look, and then shrugged, staring off in discretion.
LW stood still after a moment, brushing back her own multi-shaded hair and feigning composure, yet still obviously embarrassed. The lunge had made her quiet, at any rate, and that’s all Dominique really cared about. Lowering the bandaged hand down to her side, and picking at the end of the dressing with her other hand, she nodded in partial agreement and looked over to Haven, before heading to the door. He seemed to get the message, and stood up, following, and doing his best to avoid pissing off Dom before he made his leave. The far exit to the area slid open quietly at her approach, and she plastered on a fake smile. “…Well then, I am… Glad… To be a part of the Furious Angels’ Daycare Center.”
Dominique stretched for a moment, watching the exodus of the two, and stood still. As always, footsteps in the outside corridor could be heard, and when they became faint enough for her liking, she mouthed something obscene at the door, a smile curling on her lips.
“I believe Livewire should have diaper-duty,” Raven suddenly spoke, in an informal, but quiet tone, shaking her head. “She’d fit right in with the toddlers.”
Cube leaned forward and let out a jovial laugh, impressed by the display and the comment from Raven. “Well I’ll fucking be, did Raven just crack a joke? This night is just full of surprises…” Raven nodded slowly in agreement, and Dominique was quite sure she was smiling, this time. Cube slowly stood, stretching and watching the other two. “So, we’re just going to lay low for the time being, right? I think it’d be best if we didn’t start any fires for awhile.”
Raven stayed quiet and nodded, and Dominique replied quickly, albeit, still pretty grieved about her lighter going unused for the moment.
‘Good luck with ever trying to quit, Dominique…’ , she thought to herself, not too impressed with the fact she hadn’t had a smoke in an hour, and already was jittery as fuck.
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll talk about that tomorrow. We need to figure out how the Chilastra went down; we can’t have that happening again. No more close calls. As for me, no, I need to check on the others- Oh, and by the way…”
Cube nodded and shook her head, as if knowing what the blonde was ready to say. ”Listen, Dominique… I respect you as a leader, and as for the kid, you know… I just want to let you know what you did, I mean, bringing her back, we’re cool with that. Right, Raven?” She looked over sideways at Raven, still partially removed from the conversation, off in her own little world.
”I really don’t care.” She said bluntly.
Cube blinked and nodded, trying her best to smile, despite it. “Err... Right, well, the girl, Psyche, was it? I fully support her staying, yeah. After all, she’s just a kid and-” She was turning as she talked, as if speaking to the air, and Dom abruptly cut in, snatching her brown trench coat back up and preparing to leave.
“That’s good then; Listen, I got to do some stuff, I want you to go check on her. You know, spend some time with her, she doesn’t feel exactly comfortable with the rest of the Angels, and if she’s staying here...” She trailed off, nodding.
“Okay, what the fuck? You mean I have to go play babysitter?” She looked a bit startled, almost verging on annoyed.
“Yeah, whatever- Just do it, alright?” Dominique didn’t feel like arguing, and instead, decided to head the large double doors, pushing her way through and pausing in wait for a reply.
“… Oh, no. No, you have got to be kidding. Why can’t Raven do it?”
Dominique grinned devilishly and looked at the both of them silence, gesturing a hand toward the gothic throwback that stood motionless at Cube’s side. “Would you want to spend your time alone in a room with her?” She pulled away from the door, heading en route to her room, and it closed slowly, scraping against the floor as it slid back into place.
“…Point taken.” The pony-tailed woman rolled her eyes and gave an apathetic sigh, looking over to the other occupant of the room, who seemed to have no intention of leaving, unlike the rest.
Raven raised her hand and her fingers tauntingly waved in good-bye.
Cube raised her middle finger in appreciation soon after, and muttered incoherently, not too enthralled with giving the child company. She left on a rather low note, spitting a remark half at Raven and half at no one in particular. “Thanks. That’s just… Perfect.”
* * *
“Come off it, it’s not that bad, you know. As for the little girl, who cares?” Haven grinned and slowly moved his arms around Livewire’s waist from behind, attempting to lower his head against her shoulder, but failing, as the lithe woman slid from his grasp and turned to face him. She stopped completely as they walked through the corridor and only their footsteps and once, whispering voices could be heard. Her tone was haughty, almost verging on a pout, and her hands rested at her sides. Blue eyes narrowed at him in semi-disbelief, and her collection of earrings vibrated and chimed against each other as she spoke.
“Ugh, I can’t believe you. You act like… You act like I wasn’t even hurt!” She was beginning to start fuming again, which was something Haven was hoping to avoid. Her mood, as of late, was extremely tenacious. While she had good reason, it had sincerely begun to irritate everyone, and it would be not only to his benefit, but the benefit of others, if he kept her quiet. The halls of the Typhon rig were good at carrying sound; something they had all learned as of late, and had become a problem for those aiming to get sleep.
“I didn’t say that, I’m just saying, it’s…” He was careful with his words, but under the pressure of her cold gaze, what was said didn’t come out as well as he had hoped. “It’s… More of a scrape, rather than a wound…?” He quickly plastered on a smile and shrugged, methodically slapping himself over and over in his mind.
‘You’re an idiot.’
Livewire sneered and looked off in a fit of angst, mumbling something that was more than likely obscene, and faced him once more after a long and quiet moment. “Alright, whatever, I guess it wasn’t that bad.”
Haven raised an eyebrow and replied slowly, “You’re not still upset about Vegas, are you?” She wasted no time in snapping back, though her touchy demeanor had lessened.
“What did you say? No.” She answered her own question for him, but it was apparent he had struck a nerve. The incident at Vegas two weeks ago had been a wild one – and nearly got her killed – after the covert operation was spoiled when Cube tried to befriend one of the local gamblers and the botched robbery almost had Livewire pinned down by Grav-Police units. Ever since then, she had become extremely adamant about the group and their interaction with outsiders; enough to cause her to become more confrontational with Dominique than usual. Her mood had slowly worsened, and Haven had been doing his all to mend it.
“I think you just need to relax Katie.” He smirked, and with that, quickly moved her against the door to the closest room, arms around her waist. The movement was quick and obviously not practiced, but Livewire certainly got the idea.
“You really think so…?”
“Yeah, you do…”
“I like your thinking.”
* * *
Seth didn’t bother to join the others; he didn’t want to hear the complaining. He was too tired to listen to Livewire complain about the girl again. He just stuck himself to the halls, drowsily walking along, keeping himself to his thoughts. He decided to finally go and join the others, if anything to see if the girl was all right.
As he walked toward the room he saw Dominique leave. He stopped his walking and looked over to her. He wanted to ask her something, though she seemed to be preoccupied with something else and she looked a bit grumpy, tired even. He went ahead anyway, as he may not have had the chance anytime in the future.
“Hey Dom…I wanted to ask you something. I’m not going to complain like the others, though I would like to know why you brought the girl back. I’m just curious.”
"Hey, Seth. Just felt like a good idea at the time."
“Oh, well, what exactly are we going to do with her?”
"What do you mean, 'do'? She stays here for the time being. I don't know. I'll think it out."
“I saw what she did to Livewire though. What exactly are her powers? I know she’s just a kid, but what if she decides to do that to someone. Or even use them again to try and escape…”
Dominique paused for a moment then replied. "...Escape to where? We're in the middle of the Atlantic. I doubt her ass can fly a couple hundred miles."
Seth chuckled. He knew the question was stupid. “I don’t know. I just don’t know how you expect us to be able to trust her. Not with what she’s done already.”
"Seth, we're a couple of con artists and convicts. Surely you can control your fear."
“It’s not fear. Maybe we just need to adjust. Sorry I bothered you about it, you’ll figure something out I guess. I do have another question though…”
"No, it's cool Gryphon. Things have been hectic lately... And just what would that be?"
“Well, I’ve always wondered why I’m here. Why’d you take me in? I’m probably just dwelling into things. I just haven’t been sleeping, and when I do I’m not exactly dreaming peacefully. I just don’t know what my purpose is…” Seth leaned against the wall. He didn’t know why he asked, but he did and he’s already begun to regret it.
"You say it almost as if I needed a reason, Seth. Don't worry about it. Think of it as... An escape, you know?"
“I would, but I haven’t escaped. My past comes back to haunt me every time I go to sleep. I see all my memories over again. I’m still trying to escape.”
"Then I really don't know what to say. We all have bad dreams sometime... And as for you, I suppose it just felt like a good idea at the time. Hell, maybe you're right about the kid."
“So... What, do you regret bringing her here…?”
“...We’re criminals. We live in our own world, here. What did I really do? I plucked her from one prison and tossed her right into another. I don’t know what went on there, but… Come on, she wasn’t the only one. I regret her still being in a fucked up environment. You know what that’s like, right?”
“If there were others, she’s one of the lucky ones.”
“Not to sound poetic or anything… But in this world, there don’t seem to be any lucky ones. Get lots of rest, tomorrow we’re going to see what the hell went wrong.”
“That should be interesting. Getting lots of rest is easier said then done.”
Seth walked away, as well as Dominique. He thought of seeing the girl, maybe he could get her to talk. He doubted it, but he could try, and he didn’t have much else to do. He passed by the deck along his way, where Icarus was attending to something. Seth and Icarus never did get along. He never did know why either, he just ignored him most of the time. Seth would have ignored him now if he didn’t call out his name. He turned around to face Icarus, for whatever he wanted.
"Just came out for a bit of fresh air, eh?"
“Uh, no. I’m on my way to see the girl, so if you’ll excuse me…”
"Funny how she doesn't even have a name. Isn't it?"
“She does, I’m sure. She just doesn’t want to give it away I guess. I don’t blame her.” Seth was a bit confused at Icarus’ friendly manner, especially toward him.
"Yeah, neither do I. Though, she wouldn't even be here if the crash hadn't have happened. In fact, Gryphon, what did happen out there?"
“Good question, really it is. Why don’t you ask the Twins?” Seth knew where this was going now.
"No, I thought I'd ask you. That is of course, unless it's a problem."
“It’s not a problem. But since I had nothing to do with it, you’re not going to get anywhere by asking me.”
"Oh, I wasn't assuming anything, don't worry. It's just dangerous out there. I suggest you be more careful- A lot more careful. We wouldn't want another incident."
Seth chuckled. “Me, be more careful? Right, well, I don’t know why you’re telling me that, since I had nothing to do with the incident.”
"Cut the bullshit. I will find out who did it, and believe me, when I do..."
“What bullshit? And, what exactly will you do Icarus?”
"It's late. See you bright and early, later, my friend."
“You never answered my question.”
"As if I have to?" Icarus walked away.
Seth just smirked. “I guess you don’t have to answer, if you don’t want to. Just one last thing Icarus, I’m not your friend. Later, boy.”
"Have a good one." Icarus said it with a sneer and pushed Seth back, causing him to stumble a bit. Normally Seth would have just let it go and walked on, but he perused it, if anything because he was in a lousy mood and didn’t want to put up with an attitude from the likes of Icarus.
So instead of dropping it Seth walked up behind Icarus and pushed him back. It made him feel a bit better. Icarus turned around with a grin on his face, while Seth remained emotionless. Icarus kept grinning, but in an instant his formed a fist and swung at Seth. Seth managed to dodge it however and merely jumped out of the way.
“Trying to hit me now Icarus? That’s real noble like of you.”
Icarus didn’t respond, instead he came at Seth once more, though Seth failed in dodging this time. Icarus managed to punch Seth in his stomach, which disoriented him for a second. Once Seth regained his composer and came back at Icarus, delivering a blow to his side with his fist. Icarus jumped back, but kicked Seth as he did. Seth fell backward, but rolled and threw himself back up.
Icarus came at him once more, only to be thrown to the ground when Seth threw his foot into Icarus’ stomach. Icarus fell to the ground but quickly got back up. Icarus was still ready to fight, but Seth wasn’t as into it as Icarus was. This wasn’t Seth, he wasn’t the “let’s fight for no reason” type of person. Either way he would end it somehow, before it became too serious.
Icarus came at him again, but Seth barely dodged his attack. Once Seth tried to get his balance once more Icarus grabbed him and threw him into a nearby wall. Seth hit his head, which caused him to bleed. He was a bit upset now, so instead of shaking it off and grabbed Icarus and swung him around until there was enough momentum for Seth to slam his elbow into Icarus, which he did. Icarus stumbled back, then ran up to Seth and got in a few punches. Seth kneed Icarus in an attempt to get him away from him.
Icarus stepped back, and then attempted to swing at Seth once more, but before he could he was stopped by Sphinx, who must have heard the fight from the other room. Icarus gave Sphinx an annoyed glare, then left the deck. Seth sat down on the ground with his back leaning against the wall. He touched his forehead and winced when he touched the cut.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Good. Now get the hell up and take care of that cut. Don’t want it to get infected.”
“Yes sir.” Seth said mockingly as he left the deck. Sphinx stayed behind.
“I’m sure Dominique will love to hear about this. Fucking idiots.”
* * *
'Thank God, time to get reacquainted with the long, sleek and handsome Mr. Nicotine. Where are you, lover…?'
For a moment, Dominique’s headache had dwindled as she approached the entrance to her living quarters aboard the Typhon, and her eyes closed in loving approval as the door slid open silently, whilst, in her mind, a concerto played that could instill happiness into even the most irritable of pilots.
The lights weren’t on, but it didn’t really bother her; the gentle glow from the hallway was light enough, and she seemed to have left the bathroom light on, as from under its door shone a smooth beam of luminosity. She immediately passed by her bed and made her way to the desk, tossing her coat carelessly onto to mattress and quickly snatching up the pack of cigarettes that she had so callously left behind.
She loathed smoking, but loved it just as equally. It wasn’t the lack of a decent cigarette that had caused her to be jittery, as without it, she’d have pretty much been the same. The fumes calmed her nerves.
And in her business, she needed that. It was her only way of handling her rather nasty mood swings, and for the last year or so, it had worked well, though there were instances – like earlier, with Livewire – that it wasn’t always foolproof. It wasn’t the healthiest of practices, but it got the job done well enough.
‘Besides, life is too short anyway, so what the hell, eh?’ As she brought the cigarette to her lips and lifted the lighter proudly against its end, and taking a slow, euphoric drag of the newly revived smoking habit, she smiled to herself in the partial darkness. Unfortunately, the smile was never meant to last; a fact which annoyed the Phoenix greatly. It quickly faded, as she realized that she never left the bathroom light on, and for a second, she could almost hear conversing.
’What the fuck…?’ The lighter snapped closed and she aptly dropped it to the ground, walking over to the entrance of the washroom and opened it quickly, pulling the cigarette casually from her lips to exhale.
As the door slid open, propped up against the counter that was home to her personal sink, was Livewire, clinging to Haven, and for a few long seconds, blissfully unaware of the presence of the blonde. She was a screamer – in more ways than one - it seemed, and the auburn haired man didn’t realize it too soon either, caught up in utter carnal lust as the scene of lovemaking was interrupted by the intrusion of the room’s owner. It would have been humorous to an observer, but as the cloud of smoke billowed ahead of Dominique, and her eyes fixed itself on the scene of partially clothed couple engaging in an act of pure, unadulterated sex, something snapped inside of the Phoenix. A boiling feeling, that seemed to rise within her for an eternity, when in reality, it was mere seconds.
She was angry. And tired, and hungry, and now the cigarette had slipped from her fingers. It landed silently against the tiled floor at her feet. And now she was angry.
There was a bit of yelling, mostly on Livewire’s part, as Haven was quickly pulled away and tossed abruptly and violently to the floor of the room, wincing in pain and acknowledging that the impact of her boot against his chest wasn’t a happy feeling. Dominique ignored the ranting of Kaitlyn, standing at her side, and trying her damned hardest to stop the enraged blonde from harming Haven, but failing miserably, as he continued to be used as a means for which Dominique could let off pent up stress.
”What the hell are you doing! Stop it, just stop it, alright!?”
“Fuck- Damn it, Phoenix- Christ!”
A chain of nonsensical, and anger ridden obscenities were uttered from her lips, as she finished with a sharp, and unnecessary blow to his gut, causing him to make a noise in the wake of the kick, signaling that it had done a great deal of damage. She pulled her arm away from Livewire vehemently and pushed the girl away, nearly sending her to the floor stumbling. Her eyes flared and she became totally silent, though the look on her face said enough: Leave. Livewire protested, only to be met with a toothbrush to the forehead, and a comment about fucking amongst her personal hygienic tools, and how someone or something was going to die. Haven carried himself off, dazed and broken in both ego and, most likely, ribs as well.
And Dominique felt the resurgence of the sharp, stabbing pain throughout her head, almost causing her to blackout. She reached around the floor for the cigarette, hoping that in the few seconds it was abandoned, it was still lit, and thankfully, it was.
She sat down against the wall; her legs sprawled out along the floor, as she took a long, calming drag from the cigarette. Her fingers slowly found her brow and she brushed back her hair slowly, doing her best to rid herself of the desire to annihilate something.
The anger subsided, and soon, the restless angel found her self lost in a dreamless sleep, and hoping that perhaps, tomorrow, would be a little easier on her weary nerves.
-------
------- [Previous entry: "The Conspiracy Of Silence"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Fool"]
