Blue eyes cracked open like the opening of a seed. Lips, parched and dry, spat liquid onto the dry earth. Hair, matted, damaged, dirty swung around her head. Life went on.
The small lighter in her hand flared once, taking three attempts to finally catch, but she managed to get it to hold, just long enough to touch to the end of the cigarette that hung loosely from her mouth. She had had better times. She stretched slowly, and looked out across the scorched earth she stood upon. With her was little, she had a bottle of water, 3 packets of food, her long blaster at her curvy hip, and a sniper rifle across her back.
Her Eagle was far behind her.
She kept moving, knowing that the man she was hunting wouldn't be far, her brief rest to close her eyes had cost her longer than she wanted it to, and the clock ticked. Step after step, second after second she trod forwards, legs carrying her on towards the target she could not yet see.
And there, a glint in the dead of the day. The brilliant blue eyes flashed once, and the scope from the snipr rifle was in her hands immediatly. The compound shone brightly in the harsh sunlight, and reflected the suns rays in every direction. The wire mesh fence and dozen guard towers shone more than the black building, and she moved to a rock nearby. The sniper rifle rested peacefully in her arms, and she settled down to wait.
The Yacht stood magnificently on the landing pad, an incredible ship for an incredible man. Her target. She did not know his name, and merely referred to him as "The General". All she knew was that he was the primary source of Cardamine for this area, and she was offered 20 million credits for his untimely demise.
One finger flicked to the side of the rifle, and the safety disconnected. One eye slid silently shut as the other pressed itself to one end of the scope.
And she waited.
Time passed slowly, but her body did not untense. She watched, blinking quickly and rarely as the door remained shut, until... finally, it opened.
The man walked slowly out, two men in black, her target, and then another two men. She murmured quietly to herself as she watched them from 1.5 Kilometres away.
"Best to kill them all... make sure he's not posing."
Her finger squeezed three times. The first shot passing through the lead bodyguard, and into the second. The second shot hit the General in the heart, the third shot performed the same act as the first, killing both men in black in a single second.
She watched as all three fell, and as all three died. Then she slung the weapon back over her shoulder, turned her body, and ran. She could not be found here.
She remembered the days when life was good. When she could go out to dinner in the evenings, relax when she got home. When she could party until daybreak, and laugh until dawn.
She pulled a picture of herself from an inside pocket, smiling as she remembered how life used to be.
She breathed a sigh of relief as her Eagle came into view, her carefully folding the picture along two crease points and sliding it back into it's pocket. She opened the side of the ship with her electronic key, and quietly entered. Ignoring the stairs to the cockpit, she moved instead to a terminal at the side of the cargo bay.
"This is Sophie Kell, I've killed him."
The response came quickly.
"As we expcted. Transferring payment now."
She watched her neural net account, and smiled as it increased by 20 million credits. She shut down the terminal, and screamed as a hand grabbed her neck from behind.
Her arms were pinned to the side of her body and she struggled in the vice grip of 3 men.
"We've been told to take this niiice and slowly..." one whispered, and Sophie started to cry as they pulled at her clothing. She had made too many enemies, and leaving the ship door open was a foolish thing to do. She mentally berated herself as she prepared herself for the humilation of rape.
BANG.
Her eyes shot open.
BANG.
Her mouth emitted a gasp.
BANG.
Her naked body was splattered with blood. She was dropped from dead hands, and fell backwards onto the cold floor of the cargo bay floor. The three men lay next to her, each one with a blaster hole in them.
Greg Harrison stood over her and smiled his boyful, cheeky grin. Then she collapsed and his face was covered with concern.
His large and muscled, but so soft, arms wrapped themselves around her and lifted her easily. His foot reached out behind him to push the door shut, and he carried her up the stairs and into the tiny cabin behind the pilots chair. Laying her down, he pulled the covers over her naked body before returning to the cargo bay to remove the bodies.
He paused after the bodies had been dumped over the edge of a nearby plateau, and ran a hand through his hair. Trying to calm down, and get the sight of Sophie naked out of his mind, he instinctively reached for a cigarette, and then realised he had promised to give them up, and so didn't have them anymore.
So he stood there, and breathed deeply through his nose. The wind rustled softly through his hair, and he smiled. He looked upon the two ships there in fondness, Sophies Eagle, and further away, his Sabre.
He remembered Shuri, and Ada, and wondered where they were now.
To most who knew him, he was Hermes. Mercenary, death bringer... but to a few chosen friends he was Greg. A life he left long ago.
He sighed once more, and then re-entered the Eagle. As expected, Sophie was awake, now dressed in a tight black dress, her hands wrappd around a large bottle of Whiskey, and her eyes alight with furious flame.
"How did you know?" She uttered, not looking up.
He paused, remembering that she was smarter than the average woman he had to deal with.
"I heard you were being targeted" came his voice, low and quiet.
She coughed quietly, almost a hiccup, and he realised she was crying silently. He moved forwards, and she fell into his embrace. The hug was simple, but conveyed so much.
She felt safe, wrapped in muscle and strength. His clothes smelt faintly of hard work, his skin was calloused, but felt so smooth. She smiled and closed her eyes and relaxed.
Greg smiled and stood there, with her, for far too long.
He spends his nights on California,
Watching the stars on the big screen.
And then he lies awake and he wonders,
Why can't that be me?
Because in his life, he's filled with all these good intentions,
He's done a lot of things he'd rather never mention,
And just before he flies again,
He looks up, with a little smile, and he says,
If I could be like that,
If I could be anything,
Just for one day,
What would I do?
Greg left her in her bed, ignoring her sleepy mumbles of him joining her. He felt confused, betrayed. Why must life be so confusing?
He sighed deeply, entered his ship. Leaving behind the desert of that strange world, leaving behind a woman who had saved him from his own nightmares before. He remembered his past, remembered how he watched thousands of people die in the Nomad wars. Their screams burned themselves onto his brain. He remembered the explosions, the destruction, the stench of burning human flesh.
He wakes up in the middle of the night, screams at invisible monsters that lurk beneath a veil of darkness. How he aches to beat them, how he hungers to attack them, force them away, but alas, they hide just out of reach.
He locks his thoughts under a wall of unbreakable strength, hides his feelings so deep he can't unlock them. He idly fingers a small toy on his dashboard, a gift from Shuri. How he helps those who need it, while shrugging off any help they offer. He is strong for those who need it, and refuses to accept help in return.
Put on a strong face, smile at the world. Lie, pretend everything is alright. Starve your inner consciousness of it's darkest desires, and create falsehoods to hide behind when you're out smartened.
Greg smiled, and stared at the stars. How he wished, just for one day, that he could be one of them.