Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Holding her breath in her lungs, Leta pressed herself against the interior wall of the ship to hide and wait. And wait. And wait. It was only as she heard the Society crew yelling urgent orders ("get a gun, get to the ramp! We've got an ambush!") followed by a stampede of footsteps that she exhaled with relief.
Whatever distraction the C team was pulling outside, it seemed to be working.
"Looks like we're clear," said Finn beside her, relaxing as he lowered the pistol to his side. "We might actually be able to pull this off after all."
"Let's hope so," said Leta, pressing away from the wall and hurrying deeper past the ship's main cargo area, weaving past boxes and crates. She put two fingers to the COMM device in her ear. "Cy? We're in. Miraculously."
"Good," came the crackle of the speaker in her ear. He and Addy, accompanied by Corra, were operating from a different frigate. "So from where you are now, the security console is on the deck below in the northeast corner."
Leta nodded, though he could not see it, and quickly consulted the map she'd inked on the back of her wrist as she started down a set of stairs. They had mere minutes to execute: get to the console screen and dismantle the security systems so that Fiearius and his team could advance.
Finn followed quickly on her heels as she dodged downstairs. The stairs gave way to a long corridor, mercifully silent, save for their hurried footsteps on the grated floor. Leta couldn't help but notice that the shining black Librera was embedded into the walls, into the ceiling, onto the planes of glass everywhere she looked.
"Not exactly subtle about showing their colors these days, are they?" Leta muttered, and Finn grunted.
"Of course not, they're proud of it. Beacon has 'em too. The libreras. Well - you probably saw 'em. All over the main deck and in the bridge. Even the first mate's bathroom for some reason." He shook his head. "Think we're going to have to paint over 'em."
Leta smiled. "Please do."
"Take a right at the end of the hall," said Cyrus' voice in her ear. "Avoid the brig, there's going to be a security guard there."
Leta veered to the side, glancing over her shoulder to find the hallway still quiet and empty as her feet carried her forward quickly.
"So Doc," said Finn in an conspiring undertone at her side. "Mind if I ask ya somethin'?"
Leta had a feeling where this was going. So she muttered, "You probably shouldn't."
And of course - judging by the grin on his face -
"You and Fiear, eh?"
Leta simply shook her head, still striding forward. "I've no idea what you're talking about. And look, we're here."
She stopped shortly in front of the console screen embedded in the wall. Finn lingered over her shoulder, keeping watch, as Leta pressed her fingers to her ear. "Cy, Addy, we're at the screen. Can you still hear me?"
"Loud and clear!" Addy's voice filled her ear. "Go ahead with the entry code."
Leta swiped one hand across the screen and began to type with quick, deft fingertips. Behind her, Finn was pacing the floor and speaking as casually as if Leta were merely making dinner reservations.
"Y'know I've known Fiear for years now," he was musing aloud. "And I've never once see him do anything close to settle down with anybody. Which is fine, of course. Whatever ya wanna do is - "
"Are you keeping watch over there?" Leta hissed.
"Of course. It's funny, I had a feeling he liked you right when I met ya, considering how - "
"We're not talking about this. Cy, can you verify the code again?" said Leta quickly, as the screen flashed a warning that made her heart jump in her throat: USER NOT CONNECTED.
"It's 08-560-845-834," recited Cyrus, "and then you wait for the system to connect, and - "
"It's not," said Leta, as the screen flashed at her a third time. "It's not working."
"Yeah, I'm seeing that now," he said, a bite in his voice. He added to Addy, "I thought you said this was a sure thing, that it always worked."
"It usually does!" Addy cried. "Let me take a look."
Leta heard the sound of shuffling as if Addy and Cyrus were switching places. Then furious, hurried typing filled her ears.
"Hmm, this method has always worked on these models before," said Addy curiously.
"Well it's not working now," Cyrus snapped, which made Finn grimace in distaste.
"Cy, you're not going to win anyone's heart like that," he muttered knowingly. Leta clapped her hand to her forehead in dismay as bickering voices erupted over the line.
" - it's fully encrypted, which I can handle, alright?" Addy was saying. "Just give me a second to double-check the back-end - "
Cyrus groaned. "I knew I should have just gone with my gut and written a crash code."
"Oh please, that never would have worked!"
"It would have, I've done it before," Cyrus defended.
"On a 900?" Addy asked and Cyrus fell suspiciously quiet. "Yeah that's what I thought, those don't have the same sub-set blockade."
"I could have made it work," Cyrus argued.
"Guys?" Leta prompted, throwing glances down the hallway. "Still here - on enemy ground, you might say - "
"Well we didn't use a crash code, did we? So something else needs to work," Addy grumbled as she continued to type furiously. "Ooh!" Relish filled her voice. "Did you know this ship has a C4 mapping capability? Gods, it probably has the power to detect ants on the sidewalk -
"Focus, Addy, focus!" Cy groaned.
"I am focused, quit hovering like that - "
"They could use some relationship advice," said Finn wisely, tapping the side of his head. Then he pointed at Leta. "Luckily, I know just the couple -"
"You know we have no time for this?" Leta yelped, shooting Finn a look of pure malice. "Cy? You realize we're standing in the middle of a Society ship alone? So if at any point you wanted to help me out here - "
But it was then Cyrus interrupted, "Wait, wait, wait," short of breath, anticipation flooding his voice. "The sub-set blockade? Is it the same one they use on the-"
And then Addy let out a squeal of excitement. "The Barralions! Yes!"
"So that means we can just-"
Addy laughed. "Crash the blockade and trigger the failsafe monitors boot. Oh man, yes! Why didn't I think of that sooner?"
More hurried typing filled the line. Cyrus relayed the steps to Leta until all at once, the screen before her simply shut off.
"That's supposed to happen," Cyrus assured her. "We're in. We got it."
Leta felt dizzy with relief. "Let's go shut down the communications," she breathed, pulling away from the console and hurrying down the hall with Finn on her heels. She touched her earpiece.
"Security's done, on our way to shut down communications now," she said to Fiearius. "How's it going over there?"
"Peachy," said Fiearius through gritted teeth as he darted down the long row of the docks, marched up the ship's ramp and swung his fist into the surprised face of a junior Society agent. He careened backwards into the ramp so easily that Fiearius almost felt pity for the young man: these were just agents-in-training, after all. Barely armed, barely aware of what was going on and entirely unprepared. Meanwhile, Dez and Eve were firing their weapons rapidly, but just over the agent's heads - making them scatter like insects.
"Everything alright on your end? Run into any trouble?" Fiearius asked over the chaos and noise, hoping Leta and her team was making short work of them too.
"Yes. The trouble is Finn," said Leta dully. "Can I ask why you've paired me with the biggest pest - "
"No trouble over here, mate," interrupted Finn's loud voice. "Taking real good care of Leta! Y'know, your girlfriend - "
Then, as if this call weren't frivolous enough, Corra's voice suddenly chimed in. "I didn't tell him! I don't know how Finn knows! It wasn't me! I'm serious!"
"Just finish the job and get out of there, alright?" Fiearius growled, to murmurs of agreement.
"You be careful too," added Leta sternly, and then the line cut out.
Turning around, Fiearius marched through the ship's entryway as more agents flooded into the cargo bay, the poor blokes. Although, as one brave soul came plummeting towards him with a knife and a battle cry, Fiearius supposed it was better to been over-prepared than under-prepared and he whipped his pistol out from his hip and shot him in the leg.
Free from mild danger, Fiearius glanced back at Dez who was ramming the butt of his rifle into an agent's side. Nearby, Eve, perhaps in an attempt to pass her test run with flying colors, had hopped up onto a shipping crate and was making good use of her rifle, firing off rounds with booming authority.
Fiearius nodded at her, impressed.
Minutes later, they had practically chased off all the young agents. A couple unfortunate bodies lay scattered across the dock. A few more wounded writhed around in pain, but most of the agents seemed to have gotten the message pretty quickly: run.
"We good to board?" Fiearius asked into his earpiece.
"We're good," replied Cyrus briskly. "Lockdown's been lifted. Should be able to make it to the bridge unhindered."
"Unless you run into anybody," Addy added, worry in her voice.
"Nothin' we can't handle, right cap'n?" said Eve at his side, cocking her gun and beaming up at him.
Fiearius nodded into the ship. "Let's go."
Fortunately, whether they could handle it or not wasn't an issue. As the group rushed through the great cold halls of the Satieran frigate, ready to fire at anything that moved, they passed barely a single soul.
At last, they stalked into the bridge. It was a wide, circular room - so unlike his cramped space on the Dionysian. But as large as it was, there was only one woman inside at the captain's chair. Instead of putting up a fight, she stood up with her palms in the air.
"Hands up, weapons down, step away from the console," Fiearius shouted, crossing toward her with his gun aloft, directly at her chest.
"Right, yes, of course, I'm unarmed," said the woman quickly, voice shaking. She dressed head to toe in Society's wear, the black librera stitched near her shoulder.
Fiearius nodded towards the console and Dez started over to it. "Oh I didn't contact anyone, the communications are down anyway, and I - "
"You the captain?" Fiearius barked. "What's your name?"
"Y-yes sir," she replied obediently. "Leisa. Leisa Fardan."
"Where's the rest of your crew?" Fiearius demanded, still not lowering his own gun from her in case she changed her tune. Judging by the fear in her face, he doubted it.
"After the attack started, I told them to evacuate," she breathed hurriedly. "They're just kids y'know. Didn't want 'em to get hurt - "
Fiearius eyed her skeptically, but it didn't seem like she was lying. The agents on this ship were just kids, trying to meet one stupid requirement to secure an easy desk job. If he were her, he would have done the same. Gradually his grip on his pistol started to loosen.
But as Fiearius was considering her, her mouth fell open in shock as recognition filled her eyes.
"You - you're him, aren't you?" she whispered, making him blink in confusion. "You're that rogue Verdant! But you're supposed to be dead!"
"Well," Fiearius muttered, wrong-footed. He tightened his grip again. How much did she know? He suddenly felt very much in dangerous territory. "Obviously I'm not."
But if this woman knew what being Verdant meant, knew that she was a few feet away from taking all the power of the Society in her hands, she didn't show it. If anything, she showed, confusing as it was, excitement.
"Wow, I can't-" she began, stumbling over her words. "This is so incredible, I can't believe it. You're - you're a legend!"
Fiearius could only stare at her, perplexed. He glanced sideways: Dez looked puzzled, and Eve just raised her brows at him curiously.
"I'm a traitor," he reminded the woman carefully.
"To the Council maybe," she admitted. "Always been a legend to me and mine." She lowered her arms, but when both Dez and Eve repositioned their sights on her, she threw her palms back in the air again. "The way you escaped, the way you just kept on eluding capture even after all that time and all those people they sent after you - people are talking," she added in an excited whisper, as if her employers might swoop down at any moment.
"Talking?" Fiearius muttered.
"You're an inspiration, sir! Really." Suddenly, her face fell with sadness. "When we heard they'd finally gotten ya, we were so disappointed. Maybe gettin' outta this nasty web wasn't as possible as we'd hoped. But-" The grin returned. "Here you are. In the flesh. I can't believe it."
Neither could he. Dez and Eve was looking to him for instruction, but all Fiearius could do was stare at this strange woman. Society agents, his old colleagues, actually admired him? People were, as she said, 'talking'?
The bridge sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment too long until finally Eve asked boldly, "If you wanted to leave the Society too, ma'am, why don'tcha?
The captain grimaced. "It ain't that easy. Lot of us don't have the resources to try and leave. Nor the bravery…"
Bravery? Resources? Was this woman nuts? Fiearius wondered. It wasn't bravery nor resources that lead him to flee. She had no fucking idea. No fucking clue what had happened. No clue who had to die to bring him to this. "But you have a ship," he pointed out suddenly, feeling his confusion turn towards irritation.
"Well, yes, but-"
"You have a ship, you have free reign to just go whenever you want," he snapped. "An old, crappy ship they won't even chase you down to take back." A wave of rage rushed over him. "You're free. They don't give a shit about you. You are so fucking free, there is nothing stopping you from leaving, how fucking dare you make excuses?!"
He hadn't realized that he had taken a step closer, adopted a more threatening stance, tightened his grip on his pistol until he saw the woman's expression change, very quickly, from excitement to utter fear.
"P-please," she begged quietly, holding up her palms to him. "Please don't kill me. I have a family. A husband. Two little boys. Please. Take the ship, just please don't kill me."
Fiearius' stance slackened, the heat of anger leaving him. He took in a deep breath and let out a sigh, his arm dropping to his side. "I'm not gonna kill you." He shook his head. "I just-" Lost control of myself for a moment. Must have been the pill he'd taken a few hours ago, getting the best of him. Fucking Flush. Even 'free' from the Society as she seemed to think he was, he was still caught up in their hold.
"I'm not gonna kill you," he said again, shoving his pistol in its holster at his hip. "Just-promise me one thing." The woman looked up at him, relaxing, if only a little. "Go home. Get your family. And leave." Before it's too late, he added silently.
"How?" the woman breathed in disbelief. "W-where do we go?"
That's not my fucking problem, Fiearius wanted to reply. But after a moment, the answer hit him. "Carthis," he said shortly. "Go to Carthis. You'll be safe there." And without really knowing what he meant, he added, "Tell the others too."
The woman seemed to understand. She nodded seriously. "I will. I promise."
Fiearius turned his back to her, unable to look at the woman any longer. Sighing, he put his hand to his ear and spoke into the earpiece. "You know my routing number, Quin. Think you owe me some credits."
"That so, Soliveré?" came Quin's voice in reply. "Got your bridge all secure?"
"Sure do," he replied, glancing at the woman who was quickly gathering her bag and supplies. "The captain was surprisingly cooperative."
"Oh that's nice," Quin mused and after a moment, added, "I had to shoot mine."
Fiearius raised his brows in surprise and glanced down at the captain who, horribly, heard that. She dropped her bag in shock.
Fortunately, Quin provided a distraction as she went on, "C teams, head in to secure the ships. A and B teams, meet on the docks for debrief."
Eve and Dez moved toward the hallway. Fiearius lingered for a moment, his eyes on the captain.
"Follow me," he told her suddenly. "I'll make sure you get passage back to Satieri."
"Are you - are you sure - "
"Do it," he snapped, and she slowly nodded her head, looking thunderstruck.
"Thank you, I don't know how - "
He nodded grimly, ready to end this, but then she put her hand on his arm. "I'm not the only one, y'know," she whispered. A smile pulled across her face. "You're not alone."
Silence passed between them; Fiearius could think of nothing to say. Not alone? What did that even mean? Was the Society losing control? Could it mean -
Suddenly, behind Fiearius, both doors slid sharply closed with a thud of metal, blocking Dez and Eve in the hallway. Tensing his hand around his gun, Fiearius spun around, ready -
A rush of black clothing went past his eyes and then, before he could blink, before he could move at all, white-hot pain was exploding down his shoulder. The intruder had sliced him clear open with a blade and he let out a guttural yell as hot sticky blood flooded down his arm.
"Who is it?" cried Leisa, wheeling around, thinking perhaps the intruder was one of her own. "Stop! Stop, whoever you - "
Gritting his teeth, Fiearius manically scanned the room, trying to catch up with the figure that was darting behind walls, crouching behind consoles, expertly dodging in and out of sight. Wounded he may have been, but he was more prepared: another rush of dark clothing passed his eyes, and he ducked out of the way as a blade swung over his head. He shot out his leg, making contact with a thigh.
He jumped back to his feet and grabbed his pistol. This time when the figure darted past, he glimpsed a blur of slick white-blonde hair. There was something familiar about it …. About her …
He had no time to search his memory. The strikes were unrelentless, untiring, again and again he ducked from her blade, blocked her blows. The blade knicked his arm, sliced the back of his hand until finally he gave up defending and suffered a nasty cut on his neck for the chance to deliver a forceful punch to the figure's head. She was knocked off balance, and her blade clattered to the floor.
Seizing the moment, Fiearius stood upright, squeezed the trigger halfway and then - as soon as he got the first true look at his assailant - he froze. The blonde hair, the tight jawline, the tattoo on her neck. The cruel narrowed eyes staring him down. Recognition flooded his senses.
" … Varisian?" he breathed, like he'd seen a ghost.
Ophelia Varisian. That was her name. On Satieri, she'd been the next rising star in Internal Affairs before Fiearius' abrupt departure. Quick, deadly, clever, she was more motivated than any of their contemporaries: while the rest of the department was drinking in the Entertainment District on a Friday night, she could be seen in the HQ gym, training alone. She'd even refused to work with a partner. On one memorable occasion, she cheerfully informed Fiearius that she intended to become the next Prime once he'd been killed. He'd laughed at the time, though it was decidedly less funny now.
Because here she was: on Archeti, ready to kill him.
Ten feet away, the captain Leisa suddenly let out a shaky cry. Ophelia crouched and picked up her fallen blade gently from the floor. Before Fiearius could move, the blade flashed past his eyes, flew through the room and embedded itself directly into the captain's chest.
Transfixed, horrified, Fiearius watched as Leisa fell to her knees. She went eerily still, then dropped face-forward into the floor.
Ophelia turned back, gun in one hand and blade in the other.
"Dov'ha rei'ja, Soliveré," she said coldly, bidding him a final Ridellian farewell as she raised a gun to his head.
