shiratorijun

"It's bad enough that he is disrespectful to his wife, but why would he be disrespectful to me too? Don't hire prostitutes within hearing of my husband you nasty man."

"Hey, lady...what I do is what I do. Wife knows. It's kinda like being maried to a Rock Star, you know?"

*Derek has already hid face in hands"

"You nasty nasty man." *whap*

Jun goes to hit him with the heel of her hand.

"Skunk, I'd shut up if I were you."

"Hey! What part of 'my wife knows' didn't you hear?"

Jun backhands him, aiming for his face. Being much faster, she manages to smack him, hard, and he flails back.

"Whoa! Jesus, lady!"

"I suggest you stay down." She says, standing forward. "Shut up about my husband. Never intimate he'd do such a thing in my hearing again."

"Wha? Old chastity pants there? Shit, he wouldn't--"

Derek: Skunk. Shut up.

She's holding one hand over her midriff. She's cracking the knuckles of her other hand, one at a time. "I owe you, family man. I owe you for my trouble the other night. I would have gotten your daughter and wife out had I known, but instead you manipulated me."

She's wearing her pretty-patience face. The kind that would come on when she'd refresh her lipstick then set a charge. "We're on very bad terms right now, Family man. Very bad terms. Don't try me."

"Now listen here, lady," Skunk gets up, "If your idiot of a husband wouldn;t be such a prick about his responsibilities, we wouldnt have this problem."

"What responsibilites? What problems? That you're so bad off you need an 'idiot' to rescue you?"

"He said no, they can;t get him, so he comes after us, including my family. Not my fault his profile is so fucking easy to read."

"I'm sorry?" Jun's not at all apologetic.

"We got used just as hard as you didn't. lady. Because they knew he'd come back if they did. Maybe if your damned husband was less of a saint, they would have left the rest of us alone."

If she had a knife, it'd be drawn by now. "Never make the mistake that I'm as good a person as my husband, Skunk." This is a woman who has cut down battalions with concussive force and fire. This is a person who's been in the business of killing human beings since she was a girl. Not vampires, not monsters. Flesh and bone people with families waiting on them.

"Lady, I don;t make mistakes, just calculated risks. We got fucked just as bad. And as for my married life, you have no idea what agreements me and my wife have."

"So I would appreciate it if you stayed out of my bed."

"I don't care. I owe you and your world nothing. Where were you when Derek was Chihuahua? Where were you when he went to Popo? You sold out the one person who would go the distance for you. I don't care about your wife. I don't care about your kid. I don't care about you. Once, you would have had my backup but you sold out my husband and you sold out me. He gave you refuge, breathing space, and you tried to play me against him. You snake." He's burned his bridges with her.

"Life's a bitch, lady. He knows the risks and the lifestyle."

"Husband," Jun said, her eyes on Skunk. "What do you decide? May I?"

Derek looks up at them. He's been staying quiet this whole time, face nuetral. Jun might be the only one that can see the anger hidden deep down. He's quiet, he;s calm...but that's because he's making himself be that way. Skunk raises an eyebrow at Derek as if to say 'I can't believe this.' Derek shrugs, "I know the life, Skunk. But you know me," he looks to Jun, "Better you than me. Don't kill him."

It's a methodical beating. Artless and efficient. She doesn't maim him, but it will keep him in bed a day or two. When Jun's done, he's passed out. She searches his person for anything that might pertain to 713 or the ninjatai. "Have you been through his personal effects yet?"

Derek shook his head, "Haven't been able to find where he was holing up just yet," he responded, looking down at the prone body. He'd stayed out of it, letting Jun have her way; the only time he'd reacted was when Skunk had tried to grab hold of Jun. He'd stood up. He'd given the man a warning glare and Skunk had subsided. Which was good. Jun might have beat the hell out of the man...but Derek would have killed him. All Jun finds when she searches are Skunks dogtags, a gun, two clips, and a few knives hidden here and there.

Jun keeps the knives. She takes his credit cards just to make him sweat. And his identifying papers because she'd like to practice forging documents. She leaves the cash. "Well...shouldn't we figure that out before we go? Just what we need for a gatesite to be leading into 713. And I need to know if he sent photos of the Godphoenix over here."

"He didn't. I checked the banks in the mainframe and on the satellite remains. Nothing went through. All they have is heresy in that arena," Derek answered quietly, "And the gates are completely shut down. That's what Ken and I were doing. It's sealed off from here. They can't get back unless someone with a pinpoint takes them. And no one here has a pinpoint."

"He betrayed us so easily. Like it was nothing."

Derek only nods. He doesn't have the heart to tell her that that was the norm, even among partners.

She pinched Skunk's face and shook her head at him. "He'll manage." She stood and took off her gloves. "What next?"

"I know where they have the girls and the kids...couldn't figure out how to get to them though. In the middle of a base. Well protected..."

"Do you want to try?"

"Yeah...They at least...didnt have anything to do with it."

"Derek, I really don't care." Her chin wobbles.

"These guys...they might not give a shit for eahc other when it gets really bad...but they do try and keep their families safe..."

"How many?"

Derek is silent for a moment, "Ten wives...three of which have children...total of seven between them."

"Seven babies?" Her thick lashes shade her eyes. "It's a trap though."

Derek looks at her, head cocked a little. He reaches out, gently cups her face. "Yeah, it is."

She shook her head. "And my entire world needs me...and you've given hunters and...You've given them so much. And if they take you I'll give myself up. And if they get me..."

He's silent.

"But we have two pinpoints."

"Yeah, we do. Might be easier to let them think they;ve killed me though."

She closes her eyes. "And I beat up Skunk who's incapacitated. He'll live," Derek's voice is flat.

"Have you found a body that resembles yours?"

"No. But I have regen."

"And a few drugs that will slow everything down enough to be convincing"

"What do you want?"

"What do you want to do?"

Derek is silent for a long moment. The tell tale system of muscle twitches along his jaw starts up. "Can't leave them there. Eventually, they'd up the leverage...let them shoot me. Then get me out of there...Get the families out...let them shoot me...then...it'll end. Whatever trouble 713 gets into after that will be their own business."

"I can stand behind that."

"All right then."

"Hardest part will be getting them out....easiest will be getting shot. We can probably combne the two iff you think you cna get ths last batch out by yourself. Use them shooting me as distraction..."

"Because they will shoot me if they find me doing that."

He's such a good man. I love this man. He's such a good man. "Okay."

"Once they do shoot me...you have to leave me there for a few hours. Let them get a real good look, make sure I'm 'dead'. Wait until they stick me in the coroner's truck to take me to 51..."

"I can't let them do that. What if I can't get you out?"

"If you dont leave me there for a while, they'll know it was a ruse. The coroner's truck has to travel to Nevada from Texas, though. Plenty of backroads...could probably even stick a replacment body in at some point when you get me out. They wont know at 51 until it's too damned late. Just let them take a pitstop. It'll all be dead bodies...less to be paranoid about guarding...Less guards for you to deal with."

"I don't want to do that. I don't want to put you in that truck. Please."

Jun frowned. "I'll blow up the truck. Burn it. How's that work? I can keepdoing things to i."

"Jun....if I dont get put in that truck? Then you'll have to steal me out of the base...and they'll know I didn't die. It'll just start all over again. At least if I'm in it, it'll leave the base, take me out of the base, they'll think I'm dead. That's the whole point of letting them shoot me, right?"

"Will you keep a pinpoint on you? And a T-watch?"

"Yes. I promise."

"You don't have to promise, dear man. It's good as. Better, even."

He nods.

"No, really." She looks down at the bruised man passed out before them.

Derek glances at Skunk as well, then at Jun, smiling a little.