Shoot-Out at the Sini'Star Corral

By

Blackhawk
   
    Emily Hart hated Fenze.

    The small asteroid at the end of the Lightyear Limit was a haven for smugglers, pirates, and con men.  The asteroid was nestled in a large nebula know has the Light Year Limit, because it was located in the middle of a light years long asteroid belt.  Fenze was an oasis and had been serving as a space port for as long as anyone in Limbo could remember.

    The Lightyear Limit in addition to serving as a hideaway for criminals, also reeked havoc with all known types of communications, so law enforcement agents avoided the place like the plague since if you needed back up you wouldn't get it.  So criminals of all sorts flocked to Fenze, and it was where to go to find someone who didn't want to be found.

    One of the few things notable about Fenze was the infamous Sini'Star diner, a small cantina that was frequented by some of the worst scum Limbo had to offer.  Not that the bar was anything to brag about. They served a pretty mean Limbo cooler, but everything else was strictly average.  But Harry, the android bartender and owner of the Sini'Star, turned a blind optical scanner to almost everything that took place inside.  Making it the ideal place to conduct illegal dealings.

    Next to her, Emily's partner and twin brother Will, made a low growling sound, indicating his distaste as well.  And it wasn't just the disorder of the place that made Will uneasy but rather their current assignment.  Will just wasn't the undercover type.  He preferred a strait fight to sneaking around.  He understood when going undercover was necessary, but as he told Emily numerous times, that didn't mean he had to like it.

    Emily could understand that, she wasn't too fond of it herself.  Going undercover always got to her too, there were always too many unknowns, too many factors to take into consideration.  And in a place like Fenze, anything could go wrong.

    And the heavy, bulky outfit she was wearing as cover didn't help matters any.  The magcon field which held in Fenze's atmosphere, also held in heat, and the oxygen generators only added to the problem.  More recyclers than generators the oxygen generators recycled carbon dioxide into oxygen much like plants do.  But they put out a lot of heat and made Fenze a very uncomfortable place to live.

    Add the fact that traditional Randoonian traders gear, consisted of heavy bulky robes and you had one very uncomfortable Silverhawk.  Though she mused the Lieutenant was even more uncomfortable.  Since Jonathan Quick, aka Quicksilver, had removed a large part of his armor to play his role, he had to feel naked out there.  Hopefully though it wouldn't matter, they'd pick up their little snitch and be out of here no problem.  But on a place like Fenze, anything could go wrong.

    The Steel twins were Quicksilver's back-up and Bluegrass was standing by in the Mirage, but he had to maintain radio silence to insure that nobody knew that the Silverhawks were on Fenze.  Emily took a deep breath.  Trying to calm down.  Getting antsy wouldn't help her any.  She had nothing to do right now except wait for Grodd to show up, if he ever did, the little weasel.

    As they had several times over the last hour an half, she'd been sitting in the Sini'Star, her eyes drifted to the young man sitting at the end of the bar.  She'd noticed him when he entered and she could swear she'd seen him before.  But she couldn't place where.  She had also noticed the large lump under his coat which could only be a large gun, but guns seemed to be part of the dress code on Fenze.  Emily was thankful that the hood that covered her head gear also shielded her eyes so he wasn't unaware of anybody staring at him.

    "New boyfriend?" Will asked.

    "What?" Emily asked shaken out of her trance by her brother's question.  She wasn't even aware she'd been staring.

    "The kid, end of the bar.  Black hair, green coat.  You keep staring at him.  Gonna ask him out?"

    "Of course not," Emily growled.  "And I was observing him, not staring, you big lummox.  Something seems familiar about him.  It's like I've seen him before but I can't place where."

    "Doesn't ring a bell with me," Will said.

    "I don't know," Emily continued not hearing her brother.  "It's like I've seen him before, but I wasn't paying attention, like he was only in my peripheral vision.  And it's those eyes.  Something about his eyes."  Those beautiful, emerald eyes she added to herself, but her brother didn't need to hear that part.

    "Well, it's going to have to wait.  Look who just showed up." Will said.

    Emily glanced at the reflection in her glass as Grodd walked through the doors of the Sini'Star.  The younger brother of Zero: the memory thief, fancied himself an information broker, and had sold the Silverhawks useful info on several occasions.  Grodd was officially part of Mon*Star's mob, and he had contacted Commander Stargazer with some big information, unfortunately, Mon*Star was on to him, so he had arranged for the Silverhawks to pick him up on Fenze, and take him to Hawk Haven, to tell the Commander what was up with the mob.

    Grodd thought he was one step ahead of Mon*Star and Emily hoped he was right.  Emily and Will watched Grodd slide into the booth occupied by Quicksilver.  Now according to their plan, Grodd was going to order a drink, he and Quicksilver would sit and "chat" for ten minutes then they would get up and leave, then the Steel twins would wait five minutes then follow.

    Grodd slid into the booth and then Emily turned to her brother, and felt her blood run cold as she glanced at her brother's face.  Though partly cloaked by the heavy outfit, his clenched jaw that twitched like it always did when something was wrong was all Emily needed to see.  She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw Mon*Star walk into the Sini'Star Diner flanked on either side by Hardware and Mumbo Jumbo.

    One glance at the Lieutenant's face told her he had seen them as well.  Smoothly and with purpose Hardware brought up his hands holding a large rifle to bear on the Lieutenant. 

    All hell broke loose.

    To Emily it was as if everything was happening in slow motion.  Harry, the bartender screamed, "No blasters!" as he ducked behind his counter and was quickly joined by green eyes who leaped over the bar to join him.  Jonathan acted quickly throwing up his table to act as a shield from Hardware's initial salvo.

    As Hardware opened fire, patrons in the bar panicked, some people fled to the door or the windows, whichever was closest and others took the shooting as the sign a free-for-all, and began punching other patrons.  Grodd was visible from behind, crouching by the end of the table and he produced a gun of his own.  Jonathan yelled at him and popped up from behind the table to return fire with the pistol he was carrying for defense.  Hardware scrambled behind Mon*Star and the rounds ricocheted harmlessly off the Planet Master's chest plates.

    Jonathan emptied an entire clip then ducked behind the table.  Hardware opened fire again and the flashes from the his gun cast shadows on the ground.  Emily suddenly became aware that the shadow that Grodd was casting wasn't his own.

    "Jonathan!" she yelled as she took aim with her shoulder laser. "That isn't Grodd!  It's Molecular!"  She fired with her laser and scored a direct hit on Hardware's gun, burning a hole clean through the barrel.  Will, acting quickly, likewise through a table up as a shield as Mon*Star became aware of their presence.  Though it didn't last long as two horns speared it, then lifted the table up in the air.

    Mumbo Jumbo snorted once, then tossed the table off, sending it crashing into a wall.  Steelhart fired her lasers at Mumbo but they just bounced off his armored hide as he reached down and grabbed her, holding her by the throat.  She squirmed and kicked at him, but wasn't even able to budge large creature.

    Suddenly Mumbo's grip loosened as Will tackled him, taking the much larger Minataur down to the floor.  Will sat up on Mumbo's chest and began punching the creature viscously.  Strong as Will was Mumbo was his equal as he kneed Will in the back and sent him flying face first into the floor.  Emily got to her hands and knees and saw Molecular struggling to his feet as well, and Emily assumed John had received her warning.

    Molecular took a kneeling stance and brought his gun to bear on Quicksilver, but he was unaware of Steelhart's presence.  She quickly snatched up a chair and brought it down over Molecular's head.  The shapeshifter stiffened then crashed to the ground.

    Emily glanced around and saw Mon*Star bring his pulse cannon up to bear.  She froze, that rifle would not only blow a hole through John's makeshift shield, but through his body and the wall of the Sini'Star as well.  Emily heaved what was left of her chair at Mon*Star.  The chair hit his arms and threw his rifle off balance and he staggered then turned, taking aim at her.

    Emily saw her life flash before her eyes when a deafening sound reported through out the diner.  Green eyes, who had taken cover behind the bar, was now firing on Mon*Star, a large pistol jumping in his hands.  The heavy rounds impacted into the Planet Master's armor, making small dents and causing him to stagger backwards and trip over Hardware who was kneeling behind him, rummaging through his pack and assembling another rifle.

    She kneeled and took aim at Hardware when a large form crashed into her knocking her to the floor.  She heard Will mumble an apology as he stood up and charged Mumbo Jumbo, who she assumed threw him.  Emily staggered to her feet and saw Hardware staring down the barrel of his gun at her.

    With barely anytime to react she pulled down her face mask which activated her shield.  But it didn't save her.  Hardware's rifle shot a bolt of lightning which picked her off her feet and threw her into the air.  She screamed as she felt the electricity dance over her body then she crashed into a wall and darkness over came her.



    Jonathan Quick heard Steelhart scream and wondered, not for the first time, where the hell Bluegrass was. He knew he'd only contacted the cowboy  moments ago, but he wished he was there all the same.

    Christ, what a balls up operation this was! Not only had they not gotten Grodd, they were in danger of losing their lives as well.  Steelhart had saved John's life with her warning about Molecular, but it might not matter, once Mon*Star started firing his Pulse Cannon, that would be all she wrote.  He was thanking his lucky stars for the guy hiding behind the bar who had knocked the Planet Master down, but it bought them maybe a minute at the most.

    Hurry up Bluegrass!  Quicksilver thought.

    "SIS!" Steelwill yelled as he grabbed Mumbo Jumbo by the horns and flung him into Mon*Star who had just staggered to his feet both of them then crashed into the wall as Will charged his sister's attacker.  Hardware wheeled on his assailant and fired his rifle at Steelwill.  Will dodged at the last second and threw himself to the floor rolling to take cover behind another upended table.  Hardware got to his feet and charged to get in position to fire on Will when an ominous chord resounded throughout the cantina and Hardware was blown off his feet and flew across the room into the bar.

    In the door way was Bluegrass, holding hot licks at the ready, cowboy hat tipped rakishly on his head.  "I reckon this shindig's gotten a bit out of control, eh Lieutenant?"

    "Am I ever glad to see you cowboy!" Quicksilver yelled as he lurched to his feet and sprinted for the doorway, joined a second later by Steelwill.  "Let's go!"

    "Where's the little lady?"  Bluegrass asked.

    "Shit!" Quicksilver cursed as he glanced back into the cantina.  "I don't know but we can't look for her.  We've got to get out of here!"  Inside Molecular, Mumbo Jumbo, and Mon Star were all getting to their feet, Hardware looked to be out cold.

    "Sir!" Steelwill screamed wheeling on Quicksilver with fire in his eyes.  "We can't leave her behind!"

    "I don't like it any more than you do!  But it's too dangerous to go back and look for her.  Look!  You know her better than any of us, and you know she's perfectly capable of looking after herself.  The back door's open, she'll find some place to lie low and get in touch with us once this blows over!"

    Will's jaw was clenched an he looked like he was going to deck Quicksilver and go in after his sister anyways, but fortunately he saw the Lieutenant's reasoning.  He nodded his head.  "All right.  Let's go."

    The three Silverhawks turned and ran from the Sini'Star diner to the Mirage.  Bluegrass jumped in the pilot's seat as John and Will hopped into the passenger compartments.

   
    A dark figure stood in the shadows of one of the stairwells overlooking the Sini'Star diner.  He watched as the Silverhawks retreated, followed minutes later by the mob.  Mon*Star led the way looking thoroughly pissed, followed by Molecular who was rubbing his head, and then by Mumbo Jumbo, carrying an unconscious Hardware over his shoulder.  In all the commotion they probably hadn't noticed only three Silverhawks had left the Diner.

    Which was just as well as far as the person watching them was concerned.  He waited as Mon Star boarded Sky Runner, and has everyone else boarded the space limos.  He shifted the weight of the burden bent over his shoulders as he watched them depart.

    Once he was sure they had gone he headed down the stairs to the basement rooms of the Sini'Star diner.


    The flight back to Hawk Haven was a quiet one.  Each hoping Steelhart was safe but each fearing they had lost one of their own.  Bluegrass kept a steady course through the Lightyear Limit, before setting the Mirage to auto pilot and setting the course to Bedllama.

    Bluegrass knew Will had to be beating himself up for not being able to save Emily but knew the big lug would eventual see they had no choice but to follow orders.  John was probably mad as hell for ordering them to retreat.

    Bluegrass closed his eyes and sank into his seat, wondering he might have been able to help if he'd gotten there sooner but shook his head.  He wasn't going to start doubting himself,  he'd gotten there as fast as he could,  it wasn't his fault, it wasn't anybody's.  Scratch that, it was Mon*Star's fault.  He sighed and sank into his seat.

    The proximity alert sounded and Bluegrass realized he must have dozed off as Hawk Haven loomed into view.  He guided the Mirage into the hangar and hopped out of the cockpit.  He was joined by John and Will, as they headed to the commanders office for a debriefing.

    They reached the commanders office.  Quicksilver did most of the talking explaining in detail about Molecular and Hardware and most importantly Mon*Star.  The head honcho of the mob rarely got himself involved in the mob's dirty work, which made things interesting.

    "What we need to figure out," Bluegrass said, "Is whether or not the whole Grodd situation was a work."

    "How so?" Stargazer asked.

    "Well, does Grodd genuinely have information for us, or was the whole thing just a set up to trap the Silverhawks?"

    "I think it was a little of both," Quicksilver stated.  "I think Mon*Star found out Grodd was going to betray him and worked it to his advantage.  Lord knows Mon*Star's opportunistic enough."

    "Then what happened to Grodd?" Bluegrass asked.  "Did Mon*Star kill him or did he flee from Mon*Star and is currently in hiding?"

    "Good point," Stargazer said.  "Any thoughts Steelwill?"

    Steelwill hadn't said anything since leaving Fenze, and now he just stood with his arms crossed chewing on his lower lip.  He looked up seeming a bit startled.  "Sorry," he mumbled.  "But I can't get my mind off Em.  I know the lieutenant's call was the right one, but... I just wish their was something I could've done."

    "I understand, Will.  I'll get in touch with Seymour and have him hang around Fenze to see if he can find Steelhart, but in the meantime I want you all to get some sleep.  We'll discuss the situation with Grodd at greater length tomorrow.  Until then, dismissed."


    Emily Hart's eyes slowly opened and she tried to take in her surroundings.  Unfortunately, her head swam and that made focusing on anything rather difficult.  She groaned as everything swam out of focus and was suddenly aware of some one talking to her.

    "Hey are you all right?"  She wasn't sure who was talking but she was aware of a glass being pressed to her lips.  She felt the water enter her slightly agape mouth and suddenly realized she was very thirsty.  She drank greedily, vaguely aware of water dribbling down her chin and running down her neck and onto her chest.

    Soon she had drained the entire glass and she again tried to her open her eyes.  The world swam again but she grunted through it and soon things cleared and she was able to take in her surroundings.

    She noticed two things immediately.  First, she was in a bed that wasn't hers.  Second, she was naked.  She looked around and observed more of what was around her.  The room she was in was well lit, and one of her legs was lifted high suspended by several straps falling from the ceiling.  She turned to her left and saw the person who gave her the water sitting in a chair next to her bed.

    It was green eyes.  The young man from the bar.  "Where am I?" she managed to croak.

    "My place.  It's on Fenze, behind the Sini'Star diner.  Well underneath actually, but that's not really important. What is important is that you're alive, and you're damn lucky too.  If I wasn't a bio-technician you'd be pushing up daisies now."

    "What happened?  Who are you?"

    "Who am I?  My name's Lexington.  You can call me Lex.  As for what happened?  Well,  Hardware blasted you with his Disrupter, shorted out all you electrics, including you heart, which is why you probably have the migraine from hell."

    Emily winced at his reminder, and tried to roll over, only to find she was pinned in place by her leg which was raised lewdly in the air.  She was aware enough to realize that she since she was naked having her leg raised like that, completely exposed herself.  She tugged at the blanket and tucked under her to cover herself up.

    Lex saw this and laughed.  "Sorry about that.  But I needed to raise your leg to work on it.  Besides it's not like you got something I haven't seen before."  But Emily didn't hear him as she drifted off into unconsciousness.

    When she next opened her eyes she was still naked and still in Lexington's bed.  She looked down the bed and saw him using a laser welder on her artificial leg.  He had welding goggles over his eyes and wasn't aware she was awake.  She watched him work and he soon noticed her eyes on him, as he shut off his welder and propped his goggles up on his brow.  "Feeling any better?" he asked.

    "A little." she said, her throat parched.  "Thirsty."

    He nodded and pressed a button on the side of the bed.  It began moving levering Emily up into a sitting position.  Lex handed her a glass of water then stood. "You must be starving," he said before leaving the room.

    Emily glanced around as she downed the water and took in the room.  It was pretty plain.  The walls were bare, but the place was clean.  There was an end table next to her with a lamp and an alarm clock.  There was a small paperback on the table next to her.  She picked it up and glanced at it.  It was a biography of Al Capone.

    She put it back and glanced up as Lex enter the room carrying a tray in front of him.  She reached up to take it from him when she noticed her left arm was missing below her elbow.  "Sorry about that." Lex said, "but it took the brunt of Hardware's Disrupter.  Shot to shit."  He gestured with his head and Emily glanced to her left hand saw it laying on a desk, black and mangled.

    The tray had a set of legs and he set it down so it was straddling her lap.  The breakfast wasn't anything fancy.  A bowl of cereal, toast and a glass of orange juice. "Sorry,"  Lex said, "but I ain't much of a cook and the only decent restaurant on Fenze is currently closed for repairs."

    Emily didn't answer as she was too busy stuffing her face, it felt like she hadn't eaten in a month.  He sat back in his chair and picked his laser welder up again and resume work on her leg.  "Who are you?" she asked between mouthfuls of food.

    "Pardon?"

    "I know your name, but who are you?  How do you know so much about Bio-armor?"  she said knowing how rude it was to talk with her mouth full but not really caring.

    He smiled and went back to work on her leg.  "How do I know so much?  Well my dad used to be one of the best bio-techs in Limbo."

    "Used to?"

    "He's dead."

    "Sorry," Emily said falling silent.

    "Why?  It's not your fault.  Anyways I guess I was kind of like his apprentice.  He taught me everything.  I learned all about fusing electric and organic systems, how to make sure a body won't reject replacements.  I even have all his notes filled with sketches, diagrams, and three dimensional designs for test models and prototypes."

    Emily quickly finished the meal and carefully placed the tray next to her on the bed.   "Ah, so that's how you know so much about bio-tech armor," Emily stated.

    "Bingo," Lex replied.  "But enough about me; what about you?  You're a Silverhawk, right?"

    Emily thought about lying but decided against it, since he had been at the Sini'Star, and had seen she was indeed a Silverhawk, and he had saved Emily's life, she owed him.  Emily nodded, "Sergeant Emily Hart, code name: Steelhart."

    "Pleased to meet you," Lexington replied.  "So what are you doing on Fenze?  Bar hopping or some top-secret, classified, Silverhawks mission?"

    "Something like that," Emily said.

    "Ah, say no more," Lex said.  He suddenly sat back on propped up his goggles on his head again.  He turned to her and smiled.  "Finished."  He flicked a switch an closed the access panel on her leg as feeling suddenly blossomed in Steelhart's leg.  He released the straps holding her leg in place and it fell to the bed.

    "Well, try it out." Lexington urged.

    Emily rolled over and started to get out of bed when she realized she was still nude.  So she grabbed the sheet and kept it pressed up against her and swung her legs over to the side of the bed.  Standing and keeping the sheet wrapped around her like a toga she took a few steps around the room, testing out her recently repaired calf and foot.

    She smiled at Lexington.  "Good as new.  Thanks."

    "You're welcome."  He stood up and stretched.  "Now I take it you probably want to freshen up.  Well that room right there is the bathroom," he said pointing to a door on Emily's left.  "Now I don't carry the latest line of feminine apparel but help yourself to whatever you can find."

    "Okay," Emily told him as he gathered up his tools and the mangled remains of her left forearm, and left the room, leaving Emily alone.


    One hot shower and use of the facilities and Emily Hart felt better than she had since the attack in the Sini'Star.  Lex was right on the assessment of his wardrobe but Emily found a pair of sweatpants and a tank top that would do until she got back to Hawk Haven.

    The thought brought her up short.  The rest of the team must think she's dead.  She thought about trying to contact her brother telepathically, but she wasn't sure if her thoughts could carry such a great distance or through the Light Year Limit.

    Oh well, she'd just surprise them when she got back.  She ventured out of the bedroom into Lexington's apartment.  It was small and nondescript, from the bedroom it opened up into a sitting room that was split by a counter that separated the living room and a small kitchenette.

    Lexington was sitting on a couch and was leaning over a coffee table poking through the remains of Emily's arm with a pen, while munching on a sandwich.  He acknowledged her presence with a nod of his head as he continued to poke at her arm. 

    She walked over to where he was sitting and sat down in a chair that was situated next to the couch.  She looked at what was left of her arm and surmised that Lex's earlier diagnosis was pretty much on the mark.  Shot to shit.  "Pretty bad, huh?"

    "Nothing pretty about this mess.  You know anything about bio-mechs?  Outside routine maintenance?"

    Emily nodded her head.  "I'm a fully certified bio-technician."

    "Cool, then you can attach that," Lex said pointing to something on the table.  Emily glanced at what he was pointing at and discovered it was a stripped down mechanical arm.  It wasn't very strong and it wasn't pretty, but it would serve in a pinch.

    She plugged the arm into the jack at her elbow then, picking up the wrench laying on the table.  A few adjustments and Emily had a fully functional arm again.  "All right," she said, mainly to herself as she held her arm up and examined it.

    "Anything useful?" she asked.

    "Not much," he told her.  "Some of the casing is salvageable as well as some of the wiring, but everything else, gears and servos are just so much scrap metal.  I have plenty of parts at my shop though,  I can repair it no sweat.  Even upgrade it.  I can add weapons, advanced communications, even boosted shielding if you want."

    "You have a shop?"  Emily asked, police instinct kicking in.

    "Own and operate," he said, a touch of pride in his voice.

    "You got a license?"

    "Nope.  Don't need one," he responded, as he began separating the salvageable material from the wrecked arm.

    "Don't need one?  Don't you know it's illegal to run an unlicensed bio-tech shop?"

    He turned a gave her a patronizing smirk that made her want to smack him.  "Not on Fenze, sweetheart.  The galaxy council decreed that anything beyond the Lightyear Limit, was outside any police force's jurisdiction.  That includes Silverhawks."

    Emily frowned as she mulled it over. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.  While it was okay for the police to arrest criminals on Fenze, that was only if the crime was committed elsewhere.  If the crime took place beyond the Lightyear Limit, the perp couldn't be touched.

    "So you do illegal upgrades." Emily said after a period of silence.  She saw Lex tense in the shoulders, a move so minor anyone who wasn't trained to read body language probably would have missed it.  "Hidden weapons, advanced circuitry.  You give people who want to be stronger and faster, bionic limbs.  Robotic eyes, that can see body heat and every part of the spectrum.  And if some hood gets wrecked in a scuffle with the law, you fix 'em up. Right?"

    He was silent and had a look in his eyes Emily couldn't place. Guilt, perhaps?  "It's a living," he said quietly.

    "A living?" Emily said, offended.  "How many people have you helped along the way to the grave, just to earn 'a living'?"

    "What makes you think I only design for criminals?  There's regular civilians on Fenze too, you know.  People who just don't want to put up with the hassle  of governments.  Who just want to be left alone. I help them.  I help bounty hunters and cops who an extra edge on criminals.  And criminals?  Yeah I help them too.  Can't afford not too.  At least not on Fenze.  But most of the violence criminals inflict is on each other.  As they jockey for position in the underworld."

    "And if innocents get caught in the crossfire?"  Emily asked, slightly put off by Lex's don't-give-a-shit attitude.  "You just turn a blind eye, and when an old lady takes a stray bullet, from some mobster you worked on-"

    "I don't work for the mob!!" Lex screamed so loud, Emily almost tipped over her chair trying to jump back.  He was on his feet and towering over her in an instant, a hatred in his eyes Emily had never seen in a person before, burning fiercely.

    He stood over her for a moment, and Emily wondered if he was going to attack her.  She might not be in her armor, but she was far from helpless.  Then he just seemed to snap out of it.  The hatred fled from his eyes, and he sank back down in his seat, a sad, pensive look coming over his face.  "Sorry, about that." he said quietly, almost a whisper.

    "I don't work for the mob.  At least I try not too, and then I don't do good work.  I use shoddy parts, deliberately sabotage them, so they'll break down, and they'll need repairs.  So I bilk them of money.  And for the competition?  The best parts: weapons, that can beat scanners; shells, that shred plate armor like paper."

    "I've never seen such hatred before," Emily whispered. Once she overcame her shock at Lex's outburst.

    "Mon*Star killed someone very close to me," he said quietly, the hatred returning to his eyes.  "This is my way of fighting back."

    Emily was quiet for a while, before speaking.  "That why you're helping me?  'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"


    "That, among other things" he told her.

    "Huh?" Emily asked confusion etched on her fine features.

    "I have my reasons."

    "Like what?  You gonna ask me out?"

    "Not exactly." Lex replied leaning back in his seat. "But if-"

    "No." Emily stated simply.  Sure she thought he was handsome, with his bright green eyes, and swept back, jet black hair, but she had no intention of getting involved with someone she just met and didn't know if she could trust.  True, he had saved her life, and she hadn't been with a man since arriving in Limbo, about a year and half ago, but she didn't want to become attached to someone who's occupation was shady at best.

    "Heh, can't fault a guy for trying can you?" He said in a soft voice with a wistfulness in his eyes that told her it had been a long time for him too.  "Oh well," he said rising to his feet.  "I'm going down to my shop.  You're not a prisoner here, you can leave if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it.  A cop on a planet full of outlaws?  Besides if people see a cop hanging round my place, it be bad for business, ya know?

    "I won't be gone long, I'm just going to see if I have everything I need.  So make yourself at home."  With that he gathered up the few salvageable parts of her arm and headed out the door.

    Emily watched him leave, and it didn't take her long to give into her police instincts and start snooping.  She didn't look under his bed or ruffle through his drawers, but she did take a look around to try and learn something about her mysterious benefactor.

    The lack of personal effects was the first thing Emily noticed.  Beside a few books, and a television set, there were very few things that suggested somebody actually lived there.  It was the small things that made a home.  It was the small things that were missing in Lex's apartment.  No family photos hanging on the walls, no personal phone book, nothing that gave away any clues on his personality or history.

    It was frustrating, a handsome young stranger, with enough knowledge in bio-armor to run his own shop, saves her life at the risk of his own, and asks for nothing in return. Or make that yet, she decided.  He hadn't asked for anything yet.  Maybe he wanted a connection in the Silverhawks, a "you scratch my back, I scratch yours," kind of deal.  Someone to get the 'hawks to look the other way if he decided to set up shop on Bedllama.  That would make sense, but for some reason it didn't fit.

    Emily felt a rather acute cynicism towards most life.  Like most people she wanted to be a cop to help people, but after a few years of dealing with people, who thought only of themselves, and their own greed, she'd lost faith in humanity.  But every once in a while, something, restored her faith a little bit.  Had Lex helped her out of a jam because he was just really nice?

    She decided that was unlikely, but seemed to fit him for some weird reason.  That, plus the increasingly strong feeling that she had seen him before, made her believe his motivations were pure.  Of course, deciding that he had her best interests at heart put her no closer to figuring out who he was.  She knew his name, but that was it.

    She ran her fingers through her hair, and sat down sinking into the overstuffed chair.  She thought about having a more detailed search when the door opened and Lex stepped through a small smile on his face.  "Good news," he said cheerfully.  "I have an arm that I can part with.  It's not the right shade, and won't match your arm precisely, but it's not that big a deal, and you can take care of that yourself at Hawk Haven, most likely.  So you can leave pretty much as soon as you're ready." he said walking into the kitchen.

    "That's it?"  she asked.  "I can leave just like that?"

    "I told you, this isn't a prison.  So unless you want to retract your earlier reply of no, and hop in between the sheets with me, or if you really need to see the Fenze evening news,"  he said as he busied himself in the kitchen, "I really don't see any reason you not to head on back to your nest, Silverhawk."

    "Gee, it almost seems as if you're kicking me out," Emily mumbled.

    "Sorry, but you've been out for around two days, and-"

    "TWO DAYS!?" Emily shouted jumping to her feet.  Lex stared at her frozen in his tracks, with a deer caught in the headlights look.  "Why didn't you say anything?"

    "You didn't ask." he shrugged and went back to whatever it was he was doing.  "Like I said, you've been out for two days, and I imagine, you buddies are pretty worried.  Also I'm pretty strapped for space, and don't really enjoy sleeping on the couch."

    "Well what are we waiting for?  Let's go," she said standing up and heading for the door.

    "Hold on just one second," Lex said, stopping her.  "You plan on going like that?"

    Emily glanced at her attire and mumbled something incoherent.

    "Wear these," he instructed opened the closet door and handing her a long trench coat and hat.

    "Won't these look too suspicious?" Emily asked.  "Won't I look too much like I'm trying to hide my identity?"

    "That's the point.  Besides people who don't want to be recognized, following me around is a common enough occurrence for people not to pay much attention.  'Don't ask, don't tell,' is pretty much law on Fenze."

    Emily dutifully donned the hat and coat, and followed Lex as he led the way to his shop.  They stuck mostly to back alleys and side streets, as a result, they only saw a few people, mostly drunks and junkies, spaced out and not seeing much of anything.  They had been walking among one of the many unmarked buildings, when Lex pulled out a set of keys and unlocked a set of doors.

    Emily felt her jaw drop open as she surveyed Lex's shop.  It was a garage, high ceilings, concrete floors, and was much bigger than it had any right in being.  The place was huge, nearly as large as the hangar at Hawk Haven, and there would be no problem parking the Mirage inside.  "You work on ships too?"

    "Nah, guy before me did though.  I really don't need this much space," he told her.  "But it came up on the market, and the price was right, so I snatched it up.  It's much better than my old place, let me tell you."

    "Wait a minute.  You bought this place?  You didn't steal it?"

    Lex let a loud laugh, that echoed through out the expansive interior.  "How do you steal a building?  Of course I bought it.  Listen, just because there's no "law" on Fenze doesn't mean it's complete anarchy.  There are unwritten rules on Fenze that everyone is expected to follow.  Why do you pay for your food in the Sini'Star?  If there's no law, why not just take stuff without paying for it?  Because there's rules, and just because they're not written down, doesn't mean they're not there.  Fenze takes care of it's own."

    Emily stared at Lex as he led her to a table, on which rested her armor.  She was surprised at the condition it was in.  It had been shined and polished, tiny dings and scrapes removed.  It looked as good as it did the day it came out of the factory.  "Wow," she murmured as she inspected it handling each piece and looking for flaws, which she didn't find.  "You do good work."

    "Told you, and not to toot my own horn, but I am the best.  There's a reason people pay my prices without complaining." he sounded extremely arrogant, but Emily figured he had reason to be.  His work was excellent.  "Since most hadn't of your armor hadn't been damaged I had a lot of time to work.  It's pretty sophisticated stuff, but there was room for improvement.  I boosted your lasers a bit.  Nothing drastic, but I gave them a bigger kick.

    "Now I seriously suggest you get rid of the standard wing design.  I imagine it's bit awkward, and it gives you a horrible spread eagle profile.  The wings themselves aren't very durable either.  If you want I can upgrade you to these," he told her pointing to a table that had a very odd piece of machinery bolted to it.

    "What is it?" She asked as she stripped and pulled on the black body glove, that hooked her up to her armor.  She began to don her armor, starting with her boots.

    "They," he corrected.  "And for lack of a better term I've been calling them wings.  They're actually rockets.  They fold into the dorsal plate when not in use, and unfold when issued the command.  They're faster, more maneuverable, and more durable, than what you're using."

    "And more expensive I wager."

    "True," he said shrugging his shoulders.  He picked up a remote and thumbed a few keys and the wings flared to life.  Emily almost dropped her armor as the surprisingly quiet engines, strained against their restraints, and if the table hadn't been in bolted to the floor, she was sure they'd have smashed into the far wall the second after they'd been activated.  The small engines erupted blue-white flame and Emily saw that they did indeed resemble wings.  He shut them off.  "But I think they're worth a few extra pennies.

    "They also keep your hands free.  So you can carry some stronger artillery.  You Silverhawks must have some brass ones to go up against Mon*Star, with only a few lasers and smoke jets.  And what's up with those smoke jets anyways?  Keeping the exhaust in the system is pretty unhealthy, and if it's not released often enough they can get clogged pretty easily.

    "Oh and while working I noticed your armor had several stress fractures.  Nothing major, but if you're going to use it for heavy lifting make sure you check for them often.  Leave 'em unchecked and they can come around to bite you in the butt."

    "Your armor, it's Sadaitshi, isn't it?" Lex asked.

    "Yeah.  It's pretty advanced too.  The doctor's kept claiming everything was latest model, top of the line.  I thought so too, but after seeing the stuff you've done," she trailed off.

    "I don't like the Sadaitshi," he mumbled.

    "Me neither," she said adjusting the last pieces of her armor.  "You're pretty arrogant, but nothing compared to the doctor's who designed my armor.  They kept strutting around like they owned the place, taking as it insult when I asked little questions. You'd expect them to know what they're doing.  Then my heart rejects the armor."  She glared up at him.

    "I've had this damn arm and leg for five years, and now my heart rejects implants?"

    Lex turned to look at her.  His mouth was slightly agape, his face was ashen, and he looked horrified.  "Your heart rejected your implants?"

    "That's what the doctors said," Emily told him, standing up and sliding the last piece into place .  She stretched and checked to see if everything was in working order.

    "That's just sloppy."

    "Huh?"

    "There's no way your heart should reject your armor.  It just shouldn't.  Making sure it doesn't happen, is one of he first things you check for when you design armor and implants for a person.  In fact your medical records should've shown the exact process the doctors who designed your arm and leg used.  Them losing you heart is inexcusable."

    He sighed and shook his head.  "That's why I dislike Sadaitshi.  They think since they practically invented bio-armor that they can do no wrong.  And when you get sloppy, innocent people pay the price."

    Silence permeated through his workshop, until Emily remembered something.  "I seem to remember you offering me an arm," she said holding up the temporary one attached to her elbow.

    That seemed to snap Lex out of his trance.  "Oh, right.  Over here," he said leading her to a large locker.  He tapped a few keys and the door swung open.  He reached in pulled out a left arm, very similar to the one she lost.  “I know it's the wrong color, but like I said before it's no big deal."

    Emily regarded the hand, it was the wrong color, it was too blue, but other than that, it seemed perfect.

    "Now it's not exactly standard issue, it's got a few surprises, but it's all I got."

    "What do you mean, a few surprises?" Emily asked.

    "You'll see," he said as he instructed her to sit down and began attaching he arm.  He worked quickly his deft fingers flying over tiny switches and bolts.  It took about a minute at the most until he sat back.  "So?  What do you think?"

    "Hmm," she muttered as she held her and in front of her and flexed it a few times.  "It seems a bit stronger...  but feels weird.  Like there's something inside."

    "There is," Lex said matter-of-factly, smiling.

    She looked down at it and concentrated, she wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she searched anyways.  There was a quiet hiss and Emily started as a line appeared on her arm, and two plates split, revealing a rather large gun.  It rose from her arm before stopping, leaving about an inch between the barrel and her hand.

    Lex smiled.  "It's synchronized with you neural system, and you should get a pair of cross hairs in your visor," Emily checked and saw she did indeed, she felt incredibly steady, and it probably had something to do, with the neural hook-up Lex was talking about.  "It's also stronger, and more durable.  The comm has pretty advanced encryption programming, and an in/out jack that will allow you to plug into nearly any computer.  I suggest you get pretty familiar with most systems, before you try that though.  The shielding is probably stronger than what you're used to, but not nearly as strong as some of my newer stuff.  So?  What do you think?"

    "It's nice," she said.

    "It's nice?  That's some of my best work, and it's just nice?"

    "Well, what do you want me to say?  "Ohmigod, it's got this and it's got that, it's so cool!"?  It's very nice. Good craftsmanship, and solid engineering.  Hey, does this comm operate on civilian channels?"   

    "Of course,"  Lex told her.  "There's a switch near your wrist, press it and a panel with a keypad will be exposed. You might want to put the gun away though."

    She put her mask up, and after a little concentration, the gun retracted, sealing up.  She searched and saw the rather tiny button near her hand.

    "You can also program numbers into your suit's memory, for hands free dialing."  Lex told her helpfully.

    She quickly tapped in a number, and heard the ringing directly in her ear.

    "Seymour's cab service.  Zeek speaking how can I help you?" a familiar voice said.

    "Hey Zeek," Emily said, smiling. "Let me talk to Seymour, okay?

    "Sergeant is that you?" Zeek asked.  "The Silverhawks have been worried-" he was cut off by another voice, and suddenly squabbling broke out over the line.  Emily laughed as she caught bit's in pieces of.

    "Seymour here," a breathless voice said.

    "Hey Seymour, it's Steelhart."

    "Sergeant?  Oh boy am I glad to hear you, you know what I mean?  The Silverhawks are going crazy wondering about you.  Calling us up every two minutes, asking if I heard from you.  Your brother especially is driving me crazy, you know what I mean?"

    "I think I do," she murmured.  "Listen, I need you to pick me up. I'm at a guy named Lexington's shop.  You know where it is?"

    "Yeah, pretty popular place on Fenze, Steelhart.  But some of the people who go there give me the creeps.  You know what I mean?"

    "Yeah, well, that's where I am.  I need you to pick me up."

    "You got it.  We'll be there faster then you can say, you know what I mean? You know what I mean?"

    "Thanks Seymour," Emily said, smile blossoming on her face. Seymour was such a sweet heart.

    "Eh, no problem.  That's what I'm here for, you know what I mean?"

    "Thanks, see you in a bit."

    "Okay Sergeant.  Over and out."

    "So, I guess this is good-bye," she said turning to Lexington.

    "Guess so," he murmured.

    "Well don't get all choked up or anything," she muttered. "Listen I just wanted to, you know, say thanks."

    He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.  "Don't worry about it.  Oh , here before you go take this."

    "What is it?"

    "My card," he said smiling.  "You know, just in case."

    "In case what?" she asked narrowing her eyes as she regarded his card.

    "In case you change your mind about doing  business with me."

    "Or sleeping with you?"

    "Well I wasn't going to be so crass, but if you change you mind give me a ring!  But seriously, it's bad business to let a potential customer walk way with out at least letting her know how to get in touch with you."

    "Sure," she said suspiciously as Seymour's cab pulled up outside.  "Well that's my ride.  You take care, okay?"

    "You too, Sergeant," He said walking her to the door.

    She took one last look at him as she reached the cab.  One last look at his vibrant emerald eyes, at the mystery that swirled behind them.  She smiled.  Emily Hart was a cop.  Solving mysteries is what she does best.

~fin~

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