July 2000
Category: Adventure, Action, Friendship.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing with them not seeking to make any sort of
money. ((Except for Shelby and Penny.. they're mine. :> ))
Pairings: Those established in my timeline (Companions of Fate) this is
just Duo and Quatre out and about at the moment.
NOTES: As I've said before 4th Colony in L2 is NOT A NICE PLACE!! This part in particular is very dark and rather wicked. It also brushes lightly across Non-Consensual flashback. Please do not read if such upsets or squicks you. I'm not here to traumatize anyone but this part doesn't pull any punches. BE WARNED!!
Feedback craved and begged for shamelessly!!
Quatre caught the door and slid like a small shadow into the building behind Duo. The music assaulted his ears. The smoke made him choke and his eyes burned. He blinked a couple of times, fighting to focus on the dark clad figure that wove it's way through the crowd ahead of him.
Duo stopped at the railing, looking down into the center of the gutted building. It didn't take him long to spot what he was looking for. These buildings were all the same. Built around a large central room with tons of small corners for people to wander off into and enjoy their *purchase.* Half clad women danced lethargically around, hoping to trade their bodies for a hit or the money to buy their own. Hard faced young men lurked at the edges of the room, hoping for the same.
Most of the place was lit by strobes. No one really wanted their face seen and no one was really interested in seeing anyone else's features however, just off to the side of the dance floor there was a small island of steady light. It shined down on a comfortable looking couch upon which reclined a couple of men and their companions. Duo reached over and gave Quatre's sleeve a quick tug, pointing towards their destination.
Quatre nodded his understanding. Shelby had given them more details as they had stood around getting the meager dinner pulled together for the children. The Druggers, were the only people who made any sort of profit on the 4th colony and there were gangs all over the cities. Many different drugs were run through the 4th but territory wars would erupt when two gangs marketing the same merchandise tried to run the same territory.
The current dispute was between the incumbent Contentment Drugger and a young upstart. Duo had chosen to speak with the incumbent dealer first. It would show a certain level of respect...
"Respect?? Duo these people deal in drugs and sell people for sex." Quatre had been unable to hold his tongue any further.
"Yeah but that doesn't mean they don't have a highly evolved sense of hierarchy. Listen ... polite world rules don't apply here. I've seen your eyes, you know what this place is. It's a jungle. There are four types of people here. Alpha, Beta, Omega and Loner. If you're Omega you're anyone's meat and you'd better be ready to roll over and show your belly and prove you're no threat. You're Beta... then you'd best be looking for your opportunity to move up the food chain before some Alpha comes along and decides to take you out. Alpha you're constantly fighting to hold onto your position and you punish anyone who doesn't show you the proper level of respect." Duo had actually spoken in a normal tone of voice, without hint of snap or snarl. Something about cleaning his gun seemed to be soothing him.
"What about the fourth." Quatre had asked quietly, oiling the joint of the switchblade Duo had thrust upon him.
"Hmm?
"The fourth, Loner?"
"Oh. Loner you're walking around waiting for someone faster or stronger then you to kill you."
Quatre had subsided, looking thoughtful.
FC was a Loner.
FC was there as back up to Maxwell's play. Duo would do all the talking and negotiating. Quatre would stand there and look, dangerous. Well... FC would stand there and look dangerous.
Duo slide with sinuous ease through the sweaty crowd towards the beacon of light. He didn't need to look back to know Quatre was staying right with him. He could sense the way people parted to let the little Arabian flow past. A part of Duo's mind chuckled. Who knew Quatre could be so good with the patented *Yuy Death Glare.*
The braided boy stopped just short of the table and looked around for the enforcer. Had to observe the niceties. Finding the burly ox standing just a little in front of the table, arms crossed across her massive chest, Duo sidled up to her.
"Hey... I need to talk to your boss."
Stony eyes moved away from the young male dancers towards Duo. "You and a whole lotta folks kid. You speaking his language?"
Duo shook his head. "Naw... I don't do that stuff, fogs the mind. Nope... I'm more into real estate." Duo gave her his best manic smile.
Stony Eyes quirked a heavy brow. It was actually normal for the *real estate* brokers to be clean. You needed a clear mind to handle yourself and the drugs on the 4th were addictive as hell. Druggers were always interested in anyone talking *real estate* so Stony Eyes held up a thick finger and turned, moving with surprising grace around the back of the couch and leaning down to talk to a burly man who reclined in the center.
The man was busy fondling a young woman perched on his knee and he frowned a little as Stony Eyes interrupted him mid-grope but his dark eyes became sharp as the conversation progressed. Those oil slick eyes flickered towards Duo and he flicked a finger at the American dumping the young woman unceremoniously off his lap, causing her to pout and glare at Duo as he approached.
"Honey tells me you might be worth talking to." The man's voice was raspy and his face held a certain level of challenge in it.
"Yeah.. but not to you." Duo replied with maniacal cheerfulness as he crossed his hands behind his head and rocked on his heels. He felt Quatre ghost up behind him, slightly off to the right sticking to the shadows.
The man frowned darkly and leaned forward laying his arms on the table. "I don't know what sort of game you're playing at kid but you wanna talk business, you talk to me."
"I don't think so. You're Beta. Where's the Alpha." Duo kept his arms up, hands still tucked behind his head.
"Listen..." The man began snarling. Both his meaty hands landed on the table as he stood up and leaned on his arms trying to intimidate Duo with his height. The man's snarl turned into a gasp and gave way to a whimper.
Quatre didn't let himself think. He just reacted. Reacted the way FC would react. As the man had lumbered to his feet, he'd slid forward just past Duo into the light. The snick of the switchblade had sounded in his ears and he'd felt the small knife snap into place in his palm as he turned the hilt about and drove the point down through the back of the man's thick hand.
His small fingers still closed around the hilt, Quatre regarded the slender blade where blood welled slowly around the steel, then he looked calmly up at the man, blinking at him almost owlishly, cocking his head to the side. His blue eyes held an expression of..
~'Oops.. how did *that* get there?'~ It was not an all together sane expression.Duo held his breath. Quatre had just taken a hell of a gamble and one that he'd not expected. You did not openly attack even a Beta unless you didn't give a shit about the Beta's protectors coming after your ass. Quatre could no more have declared himself a Loner then if he'd started wearing a shirt with it printed on the front. Duo looked over towards Stony Eyes, his muscles tensing in case they needed to make a quick escape.
Everyone was perfectly still. Stunned expressions all around. Duo began to fear that they were going to have to break the standoff when a deep voice sounded from somewhere in the shadows.
"If you would have your friend remove his knife from Erkin's hand. We'll talk."
Duo froze, his heart slammed into his throat. He knew that voice. His nightmares knew that voice and the shadows that surrounded it.
~Pretty pretty baby, roll over for me, what a pretty boy...~
End Part 6
Laekin
Please send comments to: seregill@aol.com
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