Star-Crossed Melody
Star-Crossed Melody
Brim Star was in a ruckus. Mon*Star was throwing a fit over losing to the SilverHawks (again), Yesman was quivering with fear and the rest of the Mob was sharing our boss' frustration. Buzz Saw was quarrelling with Mumbo Jumbo, MolecuLar was being yelled at by Poker Face and Hardware was getting on my case. Lucky me. "I can't believe you missed that SilverHawk!" he cried.
"Are you saying it was my fault the SilverHawks got the best of us, Hardware?!" I replied.
"Exactly! For crying out loud, he wasn't even built for combat! Unlike the others!"
"If your stupid machine had worked in the first place, none of this would've happen! How was I supposed to know Blue Grass would show up?!"
"That is exactly your problem, Melodia!" Hardware snapped. "Every time that Cowboy comes onto the scene, you get off-base. He comes, you fight him, and he ends up winning!"
"Not all the time!" I protested.
"If I didn't know better," Hardware sneered. "I'd say you two were married."
That shocked me right then and there. No one ever insulted me like that, no one. "Me and that SilverHawk?" I cried. "You're nuts!"
"And why not? You two fight so much that some of us are wondering if there's a little crush going on."
"I'll crush you if you keep that up!"
"Melodia and Blue Grass sitting in a tree," Hardware started singing. "K-I-S-S-I-N-- YEOW!" I hauled out her Sound Breaker at Hardware before I stormed off in a fury.
"What in Limbo is that moron thinking?!" I mumbled to myself. "Me, have a crush, on Blue Grass?! Ridiculous!"
"Oh, Melodia!" two voices called. As if my day wasn't bad enough that I had to see Wind Hammer and Zero.
"Melodia," Zero started. "Sweet, innocent, powerful Melodia..."
"Stuff the flattery, Zero," I snapped. "I wouldn't go on a date with you if Mon*Star ordered it!"
"Of course not!" Wind Hammer cried. "Because you're going with me!"
"She is not!" Zero argued.
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"ENOUGH!" I wailed as I unleashed my weapon at the two suitors who went around the corner for cover. "I'm not going out with either of you, so either you get it into your heads I'm not interested and find someone else, or I'll break both your hearts much more literally than usual!" With that, I stormed right into my private quarters and locked it tight.
Inside, I felt at peace amidst all the arguing. My quarters weren't exactly a palace chambers, but it had everything I needed; a bed, a personal vanity, a karaoke machine for spare time, and a dart board with a picture of Blue Grass on it, to help my coordination. I began to relax by removing the dark green wig which made up my trademark look and flung it across the room. I straightened my shoulder-length light green hair, which was real. I took off the shades, revealing two pairs of emerald green eyes and looked in the mirror. This was the real me, the private person hidden from everyone else, except for Yesman, who's known me from day one. I reached into a drawer for my prized possession, a blank notebook which served as my diary. Not too many people know about it, but I keep it hidden, just to be safe, and I need something for my thoughts. I took out a pen and started writing.
Dear diary,
Today has been an awful day. The SilverHawks were right in our grasp thanks to Hardware's machine, but just when we were about to finish them off, he came again. That's right, Blue Grass. That country music-playing pilot who always manages to ruin my day. Oooh! He foils everything, the SilverHawks get away, and Hardware accuses me on having a crush on that Cowboy! Me! I don't even like the guy, let alone have a crush on him! But a guy is so hard to find these days. With Zero and Wind Hammer and their obsessions for me, and everyone else completely incompatible, I....oh! How can I explain it? I've been fighting him and his friends for years, and somehow, win or lose, he always manages to annoy me, with his country music, his gentlemanly manners--even though he is mocking--and that guitar! I can't even begin to describe my frustration with him! But as time went by, things began to change. I'm never my nasty, determined self, not when he's around. He's been winning more and more against me. What if....Hardware was right? What if I am developing a crush on Blue Grass? NO! It can't be! I can't fall in love with someone outside the Mob, and certainly not a SilverHawk! Especially not him! Oh, why does love have to be so complicated? Perhaps, if things were different, I would consider it. But no, I'm a member of the Mob. My job is to get rid of him and his kind. If I do have some feelings for him, perhaps the least I could do is give him a quick death. I can't stand the image of him suffering some slow, torturous death. Why am I feeling these things? He's the enemy, for Pete's sake! There's something about him that I admire, but it's certainly not his taste his music! Is it that annoying charm of his or that smile? No! I can't let my emotions get in the way, not now. Mon*Star's frustrated enough without having to know what my heart's saying--
"Jadine?" a voice called.
"Yeah, Yesman?" I answered in my normal voice. The high-pitch I usually used around others was merely for intimidation. I was glad to speak normally; lower, softer. The voice I used as Melodia always strained my throat. I knew it was Yesman by only one thing; no one else called me by my real name, and that was usually in private, so I also knew he was alone.
"Is everything all right, Jadine?" Yesman asked me.
"Why do you ask that?" I ask innocently.
"After all those marks from that weapon of yours?" Yesman commented. "I'd say you're stressed."
"A little," I admitted to my lifelong friend.
"Try and get over it. Mon*Star's called for a Mob meeting later this afternoon."
"I'll try," I answered. Yesman usually tried to keep me out of these Mob meetings, but this time he couldn't, so I'm assuming it's important. I continued writing in my diary.
I can't let anyone know how I feel; not Mon*Star, not Yesman, not even Blue Grass. Oh...of all the men in Limbo, why did I have to fall for a SilverHawk, that one no less? It's best that my feelings are hidden; we're all safe that way.
I sighed as I signed it with a flourished signature, a tear staining the page. Crying? Me? Man, do I have it bad. I put away the diary, put back on my shades, fixed my wig, and checked myself in the mirror. My trademark look was flawless, as usual. Whoopee. As I exited the room for the meeting, I looked at the picture of Blue Grass on the dart board, smiled at it and hurried to the Mob meeting.
Bolt. Wrench. Tighten. Bolt, wrench, tighten. Maybe if I keep my mind on this, I won’t have to think about anything else. About today’s battle. About her.
Something in me tightens up every time I see her. Something deep, something important. Something I can’t seem to control.
I never know whether to cheer or curse when I think about her, and me, and the dumb situation we seem to be in. If I’d never been assigned out here, I wouldn’t have met her. Seems good on the surface. She’s supposed to be my enemy, my adversary. Not the thing I wake up thinking about, the face that haunts my dreams.
What’s behind those glasses? What is in her head? Why can’t we be any two other people in the universe, people not on opposite sides of the law?
The Mirage is almost back together. It takes a lot of damage every time we go out, every time I have to face off against her and hope it’s not the end for either of us. The last fuse replaced, the last panel closed. Wish everything was as easy to fix, as simple to put together.
How can I see her? Find some way to meet on neutral ground, with no SilverHawks or Mob between us, and get to know each other. Except there don’t seem to be any middle ground in Limbo. And we wouldn’t even be safe out across the Light-year Limit.
Feet are clanking on the deck, and I turn to look over and see who’s interrupting me now. Emily Heart. SteelHeart. Probably cold as steel, too.
“How’s it going, Cowboy?” she asks.
As if you really care. Still, it’s a small station. “Just finishin’ up here,” I manage to reply.
“Anything I can do to help?” Persistence must be her middle name.
“Nope. I’ll manage. You can go on up.”
She gives up easily this time. Maybe I’m actin’ less social then usual. Good. The only person I want to be social with is half-way across the galaxy and regularly tries to kill me.
Ain’t life a bummer?
The Mob meeting was boring...they all were, at least the ones I attended were boring. Mon*Star was going on how we failed the mission. Yeah, like it was really my fault. I noticed Hardware, Zero and Windhammer a good distance from me. Good, because I was still a little peeved at them for earlier. Why me?
"Melodia!"
I immediately snapped to attention. "Yes, Planet Master?" I ask.
"There's an abandoned mine on one of those major asteroids in the Light-year Limit." Mon*Star explained. "I want you to check it out. If it's worth anything, the mine could be potential for our finances...if not, we can always use it for SilverHawks."
Wonderful. Me, on recon. Just what I always wanted. Still, I knew better than to question Mon*Star. "You got it, boss." I reply as I rushed to the Limbo Limo. I figured the sooner I take off, the less chance there was of getting paired up with one of the guys. I'll admit, the Mob's not exactly a fun thing to be part of, but some of us are in it mainly for the money and power. Others, like the robots, have nowhere else to go, and they see the Mob as family. For me, my reasons for staying were much more personal, and Mon*Star's the key. Putting that thought out of my head, I head towards the Light-year Limit, and pray I don't run into a certain SilverHawk on the way.
I was on routine patrol between Automata and the Light-year Limit. Everything was running pretty smoothly on Automata. Lord Cash said everything was secure on his end. It was business as usual on Fence. Man, was I BORED! Playing a couple sets with Sideman couldn't even break the cycle of boredom. I had to see some action soon before I lost my mind! I thought I got my wish when I say a suspicious vehicle weaving in and out of a group of asteroids near the Limit. I decided to go and check it out.
Well, so far, so good. I managed to see the asteroid Mon*Star told me about. But wait a minute. Oh, great! The SilverHawks! Please don't let it be Blue Grass....I turned my head and saw the Mirage. Okay, Jade, don't panic. So, it's the Mirage...so what if it's usually Blue Grass who flies that ship? He's not the only one who can fly it...still, I couldn't take chances, not now. I put the controls for autopilot, heading straight for the asteroid, and started attacking the Mirage from a distance.
What in tarnation?! I was being attacked. I knew whoever that suspicious person was sure didn't want me around. It took me a few seconds to recognize the sound of the weapon being used against me. It was the Sound Smasher. Doggonit, I'd recognize that racket anywhere.
I watched as the Mirage separated. Oh, great! Just my luck. I had to come against Bluegrass, twice in one day. "This is definitely not my day." I mumble to myself as I switched off the autopilot and rushed to the asteroid full speed. I don't care if this part of the Light-year Limit is dangerous; I'd rather crash than face him again.
That crazy, green haired heifer was coming at me with all the fire power she had. She obviously wasn't watching where she was going. That's not a good idea when you're in the Light-year Limit. Some of the asteroids there were moving at breakneck speed and one wrong turn could leave you as nothing but space dust.
I finally crash-landed the blasted limo and took cover behind some rocks. Okay, so driving isn’t exactly my forte, but when you're in the Mob, anything goes. The Hotseat finally landed and looked as Bluegrass went out to search for me. God, he's handsome...what in Limbo am I thinking?! He's the enemy! Crush or no crush, I have to get rid of him. Good, he's turned his back from where I was. I crept up behind him, my Sound Blaster in hand. "Don't make another move, SilverHawk!" I screeched.
"Don't make another move, SilverHawk!" someone screeched. I turned around to see Melodia, her Sound Blaster pointing right at me. Whoo-wee, this really isn't my day. First I trash Hardware's little gizmo to save the others, I end up fighting the Mob's best forces and I have a crush on their moll! As if my life wasn't complicated enough. Oh, well, at least no one else knows about this, not even her. It would be bad enough me liking her without our respected leaders finding out. Man, that figure holding her weapon, the way her hair flies with the space breeze, and those shaded eyes, a mystery.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked me. Oh, drat!
"Nothing special." I reply. "So, you come all this way just for me, Lady?"
"None of your business!" she snapped. Boy, she sure is cute when she's angry. "If you must know, you're just a bonus." she told me. "This asteroid is what the Boss wants." Mon*Star. I should've known.
"Why in tarnation would the great Mon*Star want with a measly little asteroid?" I went on.
"Why don't you ask him when I send him to you... in pieces if you don't shut up."
"Then I guess I'm going in pieces." That's it, just a little angrier. Whoa! I might've overdone it when she fired her weapon right at my feet, barely missing my package. She must've shot in a sensitive spot, because then, the ground began to cave in on the both of us and we fell right into the developing hole. Who knows what happened after I went unconscious.
He was mocking me, again! I had enough, I aimed right between his legs and fired.
The ground began to open up, and next thing I knew, I was falling. I landed heavily, into darkness, seeing stars. I had lost the Sound Smasher, oh boy, was I in trouble. I reached up to my glasses; concealed in the frames was a tiny, but powerful light. I turned it on, and looked around me. I was in a roughly oval cavern, with a slanting "roof" of rubble the had collapsed in on top. luckily, it had all gotten wedged up about 10 feet over my head. BlueGrass was laying to my right, unconscious.
He groaned, and I scooted as far away as possible, the butterflies in my stomach whirling.
He looked at me, and blinked fuzzily. He sat up, and looked around him.
Seems he was missing his weapon, too. Hot dog, I wasn't in quite as much trouble; yeah, right.
He looked straight at me, as I braced myself on the ground with my hands, my legs pulled up against my body.
He gave me a crooked grin, and said "Well, Miss Melodia, it seems we are both without weapons, so how's about we call a truce 'til we get outta here?" This time, his tone was respectful, not mocking.
I just nodded, not trusting myself to talk.
We both sat there, staring at each other, the silence growing heavier and heavier each passing second.
Oh. My head was sure pounding as I got up. I noticed that my weapon was lost. Great... just what I needed. I then noticed Melodia, without her weapon, and was as cuddled to the ground as a bunch of calves to their mother. Well, can't say I blame her. "Well, Miss Melodia," I said. "It seems we are both without weapons, so how's about we call a truce 'til we get outta here?" She nodded. That was it. So, we just sat there, in silence, waiting for backup. "So," I said, hoping to make some conversation to pass the time. "Any ideas on how to get out of here?" Nothing. "What, cat got your tongue?" Still nothing. "You okay?" I noticed something wet going down her face. Luckily, her little light allowed me to see clearly. Blood.
"It's nothing," she said. First two words since this little fiasco. Surprisingly, her voice was a lot softer than usual. Almost, normal.
"It looks like something to me," I replied.
"Well, it isn't, okay?" she snapped. Her voice may have been softer, but it still contained the same ol' sharpness.
"So?" he asked me a few minutes later. "Any ideas on how to get outta here?" I began to sit straight, and then my hand felt something wet on my face. Great. I must've gotten cut by those rocks when we fell. "What, cat got your tongue?" For a moment, I forgot I wasn't alone. My head was bleeding on top and was dripping down my face. I was surprised I didn't get a concussion. "You okay?" Bluegrass asked me. His face turned from worry to concern, a feeling I was new to, as he saw the blood on my face.
"It's nothing," I said. I covered my mouth as I realized I spoke to him in my normal voice. I guess I must be tired if I did that. No one's heard my real voice except for Yesman.
"It looks like something to me," he argued.
"Well, it isn't, okay?" I snapped. I was in no mood for this. Compassion was a feeling of weakness. I know it got me quite a few beatings from Mon*Star.
"Are you always this ornery?" he asked.
"Only to those who annoy me," I replied.
"I guess feelings are something not taught in the Mob, huh?"
"Feelings are for the weak, Cowboy. They'll only get you killed."
"Let me take care of that cut for you."
"I told you, I'm fine." But that didn't stop him from taking a look at my cut. Yeah, like he can do anything about it.
"It would've been worse if it weren't for your thick skull." he said a few minutes later.
"Look who's talking," I answered.
"I don't push people away."
"I don't let people get too close."
"So you do have feelings!"
"The only feeling I'll have is satisfaction when I turn you into scrap metal, SilverHawk!" We started to have this argument for who knows how long.
" LOOK OUT!" he cried as he suddenly pushed me into an opening deeper in the mine. I was quite surprised when he did that.
"What in Limbo was that all about!?" I shouted. A few seconds later, the roof in the previous area caved in. We could've been killed if Bluegrass hadn't...wait a second! The most annoying SilverHawk in Limbo, Bluegrass, had just saved my life?! Oh, boy, Mon*Star will love this!
"You're welcome." he simply said.
We both were startled when my built in communicator went off. I could tell it was the Commander, but there was so much static I couldn't understand what he was saying. I replied with the coordinates to our location, hoping Stargazer could understand my message. I just got more garbled talk in reply. This was useless.
"Well, Lady, looks like were going to have to figure out how to get out of this ourselves. The metal in the asteroid must be causing interference."
I noticed the Mob Moll looked a little scared, but she tried her best to hide it.
Oh, no! Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, that blasted Cowboy got a call from Stargazer. It was mostly static, but I was still nervous. "Well, Lady," Bluegrass told me. "Looks like we're going to figure out how to get out of this ourselves. The metal in the asteroid must be causing interference." I don't know whether it was a good thing or bad thing, but I was nervous. Bluegrass noticed I was scared, but I could only give him an understatement. I was terrified! I learned long ago to hide my feelings from others. I wasn't very good at it, but my shades helped a lot. My mother, the legendary Lina Star, always told me that the eyes were the windows to our souls. Then again, my eyes are always cloudy. Does that mean my soul is cloudy, too? I've been really confused about myself since I destroyed the Mob's contract with the MATI, a Mimian terrorist group, about a month ago. No one even suspected me, which was good, because I knew Mon*Star would kill me if he found out.
"Lookie here," Bluegrass said as he picked up a piece of rock. "This rock looks about as shiny as a diamond."
I looked at the rock more closely. "That rock is covered with bits of iron and silicon," I explained. "The asteroid is mostly composed of carbon, but it's possible that the energy from the Light-year Limit is going into the silicon, which may be causing the interference." There was quite a bit of silicon, but not enough for a financial gain for the Mob.
"Ya know," Bluegrass said, almost impressed. "For someone whose idea of a good time is mayhem and off-beat music, you sure are smart." I nearly blushed at his comment. Yesman was the smart one, having me continue my schooling as soon as I came back from the Mob. I was only twenty when I officially joined, and I learned a thing or two about worth growing up on Fence.
"Just because I like to shoot things doesn't mean I don't have a brain," I replied.
"Man, you sure know how to take a compliment."
"I know worthy stuff when I see it, and this asteroid is worthless. Mon*Star will be real pleased with that."
"Okay, then, since you're so smart, tell me this: Why is a seemingly talented girl like you doing with the likes of Mon*Star and his cronies?" He had to ask that one, didn't he? Of all the things that came to that thick head of his!
"Why would you want to know about that?" I asked him.
"Well, if I figured out how you came to them, maybe there's a way to get you out." Get me out? Of the Mob?! No one leaves the Mob alive! Mom knew that, and she left.
"What if I don't want to leave?"
"Why would you want to stay?"
"It's something personal, okay?"
"What, have a boyfriend in there?"
"You lame brain!" I shouted. "I'll have you know that it's not easy being a person in the Mob, especially when everyone else is the opposite gender!"
"I'll take that as a no, then." he said.
"We're wasting time standing around here," I said. "Let's find a way out of here and get it over with!" He looked pretty disappointed, and what? Hurt? I haven't seen that feeling since--get it out of your head, Jade. That was a long time ago. Oh, Bluegrass, if only you knew just how personal my reason for staying with the Mob is... then again, you may never understand at all.
Sheesh! Talk about touchy. Still, maybe I did go a wee bit overboard with the questioning. But I couldn't help it; man, I really have it bad. I figured if she could get out of the Mob, there would at least be a chance... give it up, Rawhide. She'll never care about the likes of you. But deep down inside, I knew there had to be some good in her. There just has to be. If it takes both of us being trapped in what seems to be an old silicon mine to get that goodness to light, then so be it. I was still impressed with her about identifying the silicon, and I meant it when I said she was talented.
"Tell me something, Bluegrass," Melodia said to me. Wow, she's actually speaking to me. "Are all Terran males this annoying or is it just you?"
"It's my own original charm, Lady," I answer.
"I pity the girl who falls for it."
That comment made me chuckle. "Then I pity the guy who falls for your music."
"You mean that Sound Blaster I carry around all the time? Ha, it's just a weapon."
"Which sounds like a cat with an ulcer."
"Your taste in music isn't that great, either."
"At least I play what I'm good at."
"So do I; I just don't use it as a weapon, unlike some people."
"Then what do you play that's so darn good?"
"None of your business."
"You ever learn your manners?"
"Maybe." She had stopped walking and was facing me. She looked pretty pissed. "What of it?"
"Maybe you should start using them."
"Who are you to tell me how I should act?!"
"You are so obnoxious! Didn't your mother teach you how to be respectable?"
A pause came. It was as if she couldn't believe what I had just said. Next thing I knew, she slapped me and screamed, "No, she just killed herself!" When I recovered from that attack, she was gone. Way to go, Romeo. I had to go and do that, didn't I? Without hesitation, I went after her.
I finally became aware of my surroundings again. My eyes were burning, my hand stung from when I slapped him, and I was running as fast as my legs would take me. In that one moment, I could have killed him, I'm surprised I stopped at slapping him.
I slowed from running into a fast walk. I became aware of the sound of his voice. "Melodia, Please stop! Please! Melodia!!" I stopped abruptly, and turned back toward him
"I'm sorry, Melodia, really sorry. I didn't know. I shouldn't have said that." Wow, he actually looked kind of distressed. Because of me? No, I must be imagining it.
"Please," he said, stretching his hand out toward me.
I snarled, and stormed away from him. Next thing I know, I stepped into a hole, twisting my foot. As I fell, my head hit the shaft wall. I lay there, head reeling, seeing stars.
Man, oh man, I really screwed up. Why in the galaxy couldn't I think before I speak? When I finally caught up with her and apologized, she just went off in a huff. I practically begged her, but I knew deep down, she was really angry. I soon noticed she was heading towards a hole. Before I could warn her, she had stepped into the hole and fell. She hit her head and collapsed. Luckily, the hole wasn't deep, so I was able to get her. I lifted her out of there and felt the bump on the back of her head. Drat. This hair of hers is too thick for me to treat the wound. I felt the back of her head until I found two metal clamps. I undid those and the part of her hair that is dark green fell off. I guess that was a wig. I noticed that her light green hair was real and it was stained with blood. Wow... that bump was worse than I thought. Along with the cut she had earlier, she was seriously banged up. Golly, I'm a pilot, not a medic. If she doesn't get medical attention soon, who knows what could happen. I heard water dripping, and followed the sound to an underground spring. I used my bandana to dress her wounds as best as possible. Please God, help this woman I love.
The first thing I saw when I came to was a pair of big, beautiful brown eyes. It took me a few seconds to realize I was in Bluegrass's arms. It felt kind of nice being held.
"Are you all right Melodia? You had a pretty nasty fall."
I could hear that there was genuine concern in his voice. To my surprise I found myself relaxing in his arms as if that was the perfect place to be. But it only lasted a few moments.
"Jadine, are you crazy?! You laying in the arms of an enemy! Snap out of it!" one part of me thought. But another part thought, "Geez, he's got pretty eyes." I'd never realized it before because I'd never been that close to him before.
Her eyes opened slowly, as I gazed down at this woman in my arms. Her pupils were dilated, nearly obscuring her leaf green eyes. I was afraid of that, she seems to have a concussion. All I knew is that she wasn't safe to move, and I couldn't allow her to go unconscious again.
She stiffened in my arms, and then relaxed.
"Wha...what happn'd...” she slurred, in that low sweet voice I had heard earlier.
"You fell, Melodia, hit your head pretty hard. I think you have a concussion."
She started to shake her head, I gently restrained her "Don't try to move, you might make it worse."
"But..bu….” She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.
"Shh... We'll have to stay here for a while, I don't want to see you hurt worse,” I told her.
"W-Why?" I knew what she meant, she was asking me why I cared. Ok, Cowboy, it's time to quit hiding, and fess up.
I took a deep breath "Because, I...I love you." There. I said it to myself, and to her.
She went still, staring at me, her eyes unfocused.
"Loving me is going to get you killed, Bluegrass"... she took a deep breath "But,” she continued, her voice getting faint, "loving you may be the death of me."
I couldn't believe what I just heard. Did she really mean it? Or was this just a sign of her injury? Her eyes fluttered closed.
"No, Melodia, you mustn't, don't go to sleep, you must try to stay awake... keep talking..please, say something, anything!"
If only he knew. My head was swimming as I laid there. Did he just say what I thought he said, or am I hallucinating because of my injury? Perhaps it's easier if I... NO! When Mom killed herself, I promised myself I'd never end up like her; that I'd keep on living, no matter what. I'm not going to break that promise now, not after all I've been through. I opened my eyes and looked at the cyborg Terran looming over me.
"What's...what's going to happen to me?" I manage to ask. Stupid question, but I had to stay awake.
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm no doctor, but you have to stay awake."
"Not the injury, Rawhide. I mean, what's going to happen to me if your friends find us? I know I've done some awful things and I wouldn't blame them if they send me to the Penal Planet right away."
"They do have a ward. But maybe you could negotiate for a plea bargain if you told us how to get Mon*Star."
"I can't. Mon*Star, he'll kill me, or worse..."
"You told me your mom killed herself. Why?"
"Good question. I've been trying to figure that out ever since it happened. They might use her to get me a life sentence."
"What do you mean?"
"She was the first Melodia. I'm different from the others."
"While they all joined for fame, fortune and power or drafted by Mon*Star, you were born into the Mob, weren't you?"
Amazing. He actually has a brain beneath that thick skull. "Yes, I was. You can even ask Stargazer about it, too. He knows."
"Do...do you have any other family in the Mob?"
"I...have two fathers," I explained. "Yesman's been a surrogate father to me ever since I was little."
"And your biological father?"
"I'd rather not talk about that. He... never was much of a father to me anyway."
"Okay. What was it like, growing up in the Mob?"
"From what I can remember, it wasn't easy. When I was about five, Stargazer and the original SilverHawks raided Brim Star and captured the original Mob. My mother and I managed to escape, but barely. We stayed on Fence where I grew up, and joined the Mob as soon as we heard they escaped."
"Was that before or after..."
"After. My biological father didn't exactly treat her well."
"What was her name?"
"Lina."
"I can't believe ol' Stargazer knew about this."
"He offered to help us, but that meant putting me in a foster home and never seeing my mother again. She wasn't about to do that. She always told me that the foster homes weren't that great. A lot of Mobsters came from there, and they'll tell you the same thing."
"So you spent your life hiding from the law, then reuniting with people you've known since you were little."
"Not exactly. Poker Face, Yesman and Mumbo Jumbo were some of the original Mobsters. The others are pretty much new, like me."
"But there were more."
"Four other members, known as the Mob Elite. I don't remember them well, but I know they're dangerous. Even worse than the MATI."
"The what?"
"Didn't you ever learn about them?" He shook his head. "The MATI are a terrorist group. They're the Mimians Against The Impure. They dedicate themselves to ridding their world of Mimian hybrids. You should know; you helped put away MolecuLar when the Mob had a contract with them." What was I doing?
"I remember. The Mob had a hit on a friend's enta...entwan."
"It's 'entawan'," I said. "In their language, it means 'pre-destined lifemate' or 'spouse' to you Terrans. And, yes, the Mob had a hit on the Kidd's entawan. The MATI saw the opportunity to have her killed, and took it."
"You know about that?"
"The whole Mob does. After that informant exposed the whole thing, Mob security's increased. However, despite the fact the Mob failed to uphold their end, the MATI paid them for their trouble."
"How so?"
"Mon*Star's been considering re-opening a drug ring in Limbo, and the MATI has given us supplies to make drugs local to their world. Problem is, no one, not even Hardware, knows how to make them, and there are rumors that the Elite could come back to Limbo."
"They sound dangerous."
"Yesman said they went to another galaxy when the Mob escaped. Who knows if they're still alive." From what Yesman told me, and my own childhood memories, the Elite were dangerous and I really hope the SilverHawks, especially not you, Bluegrass, ever meet up with that bunch.
I couldn't believe all the inside information I was getting from Melodia. She was practically spilling her guts! Well, as long as she was awake and alert, I was glad. I was also glad that we got our feelings for each other out in the open. But that was only one of many obstacles we were facing. What would my fellow Hawks say? The only one who could possibly understand my situation would be Mikel. He made a big sacrifice to be with his one true love. The question was, would I be able to do the same thing.
Until Melodia told me, I had never heard of this MATI. Apparently the Kidd didn't know about them either because he would have definitely told me about it. I also learned that the drugs that the Mimians would be providing were called "Liquid Love" and "Stardust" a couple of powerful narcotics. After a while, I decided to ask Melodia something I had wondered for a long time.
"What's your real name, gal? Mine's James Holton, but you can call me Jimmy if ya like."
"It's Jadine...Jadine St..." Her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out in my arms. Oh my god! What am I gonna do now?
"Jadine, wake up! You gotta stay wake, gal! Come on, baby, you can't die on me now! I got so much to tell ya, sweetheart!" Boy was I glad to see her eyes open back up. She kind of smiled and laid her head on my chest.
I can't believe all the things I'm saying to him. I haven't spilled my guts like this to anyone in years! But, it is so easy to talk to him. I have to say I'm surprised. I thought he'd judge me only as a Mob girl, not as a person. Looking in his eyes, I can see he really is concerned for me, maybe it is love? Oh how I want it to be, and at the same time, I hope it isn't. How could we ever make it? It's just so hopeless, he'd never leave the Hawks, and could I really leave the Mob? Could I face up to what I have done, and could I really leave it all? and yet, this SilverHawk has given me more in a few hours than my sire has given me in my entire life. And yet, if I do leave, I would simply end up in jail, I doubt the other Hawks would show me any sympathy.
Finally, he spoke. "What's your real name, gal? Mine's James Holton, but you can call me Jimmy if ya like."
It was an effort, but I answered him. "It's Jadine...Jadine St...” then my world went black.
I awoke to his frantic talking. then, it hit me. I told him my ultimate secret, my real name. He has seen the real me, my face, my hair, my voice, everything. And yet, it all felt to right. I leaned against him, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
I could see Melodia really needed medical attention badly. I hugged her close, praying that she could hold on until help got here.
"We gotta get outta here, gal."
As if in answer to my prayer, I heard movement above us. Pretty soon I could see a shaft of light overhead.
"Bluegrass! You down there? Can you hear us?"
It was SteelWill!
"Will! You gotta get us outta here! I got an injured person with me down here!"
"I'm on it, Tex!"
I could here SteelWill removing the rocks from the cave in. Sounded like he had some help from his sister too.
"Hey, Cowboy, can you see out yet?" she called.
"Not quite, but I do see some light above us. Keep at it twins!"
"What's... happening?" I asked.
"Help's on the wa,." he replied. I could only hear a little. Oh, God, no! The SteelTwins! Okay, Jade, time to decide. Somewhere, deep down, I knew what I had to do; something I should've done a long time ago. Gathering all my courage, I turned to my savior.
"Bluegr--James," I said. "When we get out, you have to promise me something."
"Anything."
"I know I'll be sent to the Penal Planet for everything I've done, and we've only just revealed our feelings for each other. But you have to make sure Mon*Star doesn't find out I've defected."
"I'll talk to the Commander and see what we can do."
"He can't find out I'm leaving, he can't!"
"I don't suppose your dad's working for Mon*Star by any chance, is he?"
"You bird brain!" I snapped quietly. "You don't get it, do you? Mon*Star is my father!" My greatest secret out in the open at last.
"What?"
"You heard me. About everything I've done, everything I've been through was just another way to make him notice me. All my life, he's treated me as another minion, an accomplice, never a daughter. He practically neglected me."
"Why didn't you leave sooner?"
"I couldn't. Not only did I want his fatherly affection real bad, but he threatened to hurt Yesman should I sway."
"What about that time you tried to rip him off?"
"That crazy stunt with Poker Face? That was just a ruse to get his attention. I screwed up by showing fear when he introduced his 'lie detector'."
"So you're giving up on an opportunity to run the Mob for me?"
"I may be Mon*Star's daughter, but I'm not his heir."
"Is there any other family you have? Anyone?"
I started to think. "I was searching for someone. Last I heard, this someone was in Chicago, on Earth."
"A sibling?"
"Half-sibling. We have the same father, but her mother was raped to produce her. She's Mon*Star's true heir, but he's never found her."
"What's she got that you don't?"
"The ability to absorb and control the Moonstar's powers. Mon*Star wants his heirs to have that ability at birth. We're tested for it by being exposed to the Moonstar's rays. A lot of my siblings died from exposure. Aside from the heir, I'm the only one who survived it."
"This heir you're talking about. Do you know who she is?"
"I've never seen her face. Mon*Star killed her mother four years after she was born. All I know about her is that her name is...her name is..." I was starting to feel like I was going to go unconscious again.
"Stay awake, Jadine. You have to stay awake, you have to!"
"Her name is..." I manage to spit out. "Sa..ra.." Then my world turned black as I heard more rocks cleared out.
Within moments, we were free from our temporary prison. I stepped up to the edge of the rock pile and lifted Jadine towards the Steel Twins.
"Will, you gotta help her quick. She's hurt real bad! Serious head injury."
"Bluegrass, are YOU alright?"
"I'm fine, SteelWill. Just take care of her fast, will ya?"
"Sure, I'll get right on it." As Will took Melodia from my arms, he gave me a strange look. I guess my voice had a bit of desperation in it. At that point, I didn't care what was going through his mind, as long as Jadine got the help she needed. I planned on being right there to make sure nothing bad happened to her.
My world swam back into focus, and I was in the arms of the twin, SteelWill. I looked around wildly, and saw the female helping Bluegrass out of the mine shaft
I attempted to call his name, but all that came out was a moan. Bluegrass hurried towards me, and I reached out an arm.
SteelWill handed me back to Bluegrass, and the nausea finally overcame me. Will held my head, as Bluegrass held me, until my sickness subsided.
"Definitely a concussion,” Will said, and felt along my head. Oh, that hurt. "But, there's no evidence of a skull fracture that I can see."
"Well, if she's that nauseous, we'll have to transport her in the Maraj, there's no way she could handle riding in the Sprinthawk", SteelHeart said, as she walked over to the rest of us. "Will, see what you can do for her, while I check out the Maraj. I'll go get the medkit out of the Sprinthawk. She then walked away.
She came back a moment later, with a small bag, which she handed to her brother.
"What about Melodia's vehicle?" I heard Bluegrass ask. A moment of silence, then SteelHeart said, "Well, unless she's got an attachment to it I'd suggest leaving it here, as is. That way, if the Mob comes to investigate, they may think she's dead. that would give us some breathing room.
"Melodia?" Bluegrass asked.
"Leave it" I managed to croak.
"Alright, honey. I'm going to set you down so Will can help you, while I help Heart get the Maraj going. You're going to be Ok, we're going to help you.
He walked over, with SteelHeart to begin repairs on their ship.
I was afraid now, I had cast my dice, and I had no idea how they were going to roll. Will was trying to be gentle, but it still hurt so much, and my world faded to black once again.
I opened my eyes to a sea of blue. It took me a moment to realize that it was blue glass. I could faintly see the stars beyond it. I would have tried to sit up, but I could see there wasn't much room. They had me in one of the pods in the Maraj. I don't know what SteelWill did, but my head felt much better. The nausea had passed. There was nothing for me to do for the duration of the trip except relax. Once I was fully awake, I noticed that someone was singing. It was James. Since his guitar was still damaged, he was singing a capella. The song sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
During the trip back to Hawk Haven, I felt inspired to sing an ancient ballad my parents used to sing to each other.
You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayer from up above
From now on it's just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you...
I had to sing it a capella because my weapon/instrument was still pretty banged up. SteelHeart told me she shouldn't have any trouble repairing it.
Singing that there song did get a good deal off my mind. But problem was, I couldn't remember the rest of the words. That's when I heard something coming from the pod where Jadine was in.
From this moment,
As long as I live
I will love you
I promise you this.
Right beside you
Is where I belong,
From this moment on.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The girl may have been bad, but she sure could sing! "Did I make a wrong turn to Heaven or something?" I asked. "'Cause I just heard an angel singing with the most saintly voice I ever did hear in my life."
"Word of this to anyone, and I'll break your neck." she replied. I guess she meant to sing that in private. She still can't take a complement; with her life, who could blame her?
I slowly remembered the song. It was one of those old Earth songs. Mom used to sing to me when I was younger, and this was one of her songs. Yesman used to tell me she was a great singer, but had stopped when she hooked up with Mon*Star. I was always told I was like her in a lot of ways, and from my savior's comment, they were right. I had unintentionally sung the chorus when Bluegrass made a complement. I didn't mean to snap at him; Mon*Star always beat me and my mom whenever we sang, that's why she had given it up for a while. I just hope he can understand that it's going to be a while before I accept praise from anybody.
Our landing at Hawk Haven was kind of bumpy. I figured it would take me, the Twins, and the Kidd to complete all of the repairs. However, the most important thing at the time, to me at least, was to make sure Jadine was going to be alright. I felt pretty confident that she would since she had the strength to sing. Quicksilver and the Kidd were there to meet us in the hangar. When I opened up Jadine's pod, Will lifted her out and carried her to the sick bay.
"I'm going to have to scan her skull to see if there are any fractures. So, how are you feeling, Melodia?"
"I..I'm feeling much better. Just a little tired though."
When Jadine noticed I wasn't coming along, she gave me a worried glance.
"Don't worry, gal, I'll catch up with you soon. I gotta get started on these repairs. SteelWill will take good care of you."
Don't panic, Jade. There's nothing to be afraid of. Yeah, right, I'm getting ready to get the grilling of my life.
SteelWill noticed my tension.
"It's ok", he said, "I'm just going to run a full body scan on you, to make sure you're not seriously injured. You're going through some pretty serious shock right now, and Bluegrass has mentioned you've been going in and out of shock sleep"
We reached the sick bay then, the medicine smell is unmistakable. SteelWill carefully laid me down on one of the beds, and reached up to pull the scanner dome down over me. I hate these things, I really do. I always feel trapped by them. I closed my eyes and started counting slowly, to keep myself from panicking. When I reached 100, the scanner dome lifted away.
"Well?" I asked.
"you got pretty banged up in there, Melodia. 2 cracked ribs, a badly twisted ankle, and a slight skull fracture."
"Any good news?" I asked sourly.
"Well, there's no pressure in your brain, so you're not likely to stroke out. You will need to stay here overnight so we can monitor you."
I didn't like that idea, but I was in no position to argue.
Just then, Bluegrass walked in. "How are you feeling, Melodia?"
Melodia? Oh, right, the others didn't know my real name yet. How sweet of him to consider that.
"Well, my skull isn't as thick as you say, I managed to crack it, but SteelWill says there's no big danger."
Bluegrass looked up at SteelWill, who nodded. "Well, it coulda been worse, considering how much we got tossed around in there."
I blushed, remembering that I was the reason we got tossed around.
SteelWill cleared his throat. "Hate to interrupt the reminiscing, but you need to get some real sleep, Melodia, not the shock sleep you've been getting."
He handed me a small cup of red liquid. I eyed it suspiciously. "It's just something to help you sleep." SteelWill said.
"Gee, thanks,” I said wryly, taking the cup from him and draining the contents.
"By the way, my name's Jadine."
If there was an answer, I never heard it. That stuff worked well. My last thought as I went to sleep was that SteelWill never did interrogate me...
The next morning, James stopped by the sick bay to pay me a visit.
"So, did you have a good night's rest?"
"Yeah. I feel great! Um...thanks for all your help, James. I really do appreciate it."
"Happy to oblige, gal."
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see we had a little visitor in pajamas standing in the doorway. I was surprised to see a little Mimian girl staring at me. I assumed she must be the Kidd's daughter that I had read about in his file. A few seconds later, she ran up to James and started signing frantically. I don't know much of Mimian language, but I could tell she was excited. I figured she was saying something about me because she kept pointing in my direction.
"James, what's she saying?"
"That you're the pretty green haired lady she's been seeing in her dreams."
Dreams? What in Limbo is that all about? And what did they have to do with Jadine? I could tell Jadine was confused when she saw Camiel. "I thought organics couldn't survive the trip to Limbo." she said.
"We found a wormhole several months ago." I explained. "It makes a direct connection between Limbo and Earth. We had just made it stable so that organics could travel through it." I then remembered that I didn't introduce Camiel to her. "Doggonit, I plumb forgot!" I cried. "Jadine, this is Camiel. Camiel, that's Jadine."
"The Kidd's kid, I presume?" she asked. "Doesn't look like him."
"That's what I said." I then noticed Mikel come in. He looked suspiciously at Jadine, then at me, and shook his head. Camiel said something to him I couldn't quite understand because they both spoke in their native tongue.
"Camiel said that Melodia's a friend." Mikel translated. "She's been having dreams of a green-haired woman aiding our people against a dark force."
"How long has she been having these dreams?" I asked.
"About a few days after that mess with Mon*Star and the MATI."
"You know about that?"
"Are you kidding? After Lady Pijol was arrested, we found out that her late entawan, Tilor Ritua, was a leader of the MATI terrorist group. She has been working with them for years, aiding them in many things, including the murder of my in-laws."
"You're kidding?"
"Marana testified against Pijol and her lover, another MATI leader called Tkkla Ataka, for the murder of Adran and Jawan Valentine, the attempted murder of my wife and family and conspiracy against the whole planet."
"What about MolecuLar?"
"Charged as an accomplice of the conspiracy and for the ra--attempted murder of my beloved. He escaped a few days after his sentence."
"I noticed." I looked at Mikel, and noticed he was pretty upset. "Mik," I asked. "Did MolecuLar hurt Detia?"
"A lot. That monster! Trying to kill my wife was one thing, but raping her..." Dear Lord! I knew MolecuLar had done something to Lady Detia that was sure awful, but I had no idea...
"Don't worry." I assured him. "We'll get MolecuLar for this, I promise you."
"Come on, Camiel." he said to his daughter. "Mahda's going to have my head if you're not dressed and ready to meet her." He took Camiel by the hand and started to leave, but not before giving me a look of concern and worry.
"You knew about this?" I asked Jadine.
"During his last call in during the job, MolecuLar did mention something about having a little fun." she replied. She seemed almost as much disgusted by this as I was. Mikel's my best friend and I hate to see him hurt. What MolecuLar had done granted a lot more pain than can be measured.
Just then, a knock came in. I turned around to see the Commander, and saluted. Jadine looked like she was a pig being hung by its tail.
"Bluegrass." he simply said. "How's the patient?"
"A little better, sir." I answered.
"Then you won't mind if I talked to her alone, now do you?" he half demanded, half asked. Reluctantly, I looked into Jadine's eyes, told her I'd be back and left the room, just about listened at the door.
Well, if they're going to grill me, they may as well get it over with. I tried my best to put up a neutral face as the Commander looked me over. "Hello, Jadine." he said.
"Stargazer." I replied.
"Bluegrass tells me you want out of the Mob."
"What if I do?"
"It's not going to be easy; even with a plea bargain, you'll still have to face a few warrants and probation."
"So what? A few disturbing the peace charges, some assaults and robberies. It's not like I killed anyone."
"You tried to kill a few people."
"But I didn't succeed, did I?"
"No, you didn't, fortunately for you and the rest of us. Plus, I think it's my duty to repay you for a certain tip about Mon*Star and the Planet of the Mimes." How did he find that out!? "Don't think I know about that, huh?" he asked. "Well, I had that little conversation of ours recorded and analyzed. You're good, Jade, but not good enough. Despite lowering your voice, the computer still got through to the voice disguising program and recognized you. Then, there's the envelope. That handwriting was pretty feminine, and unless the Elite have come back, Heaven forbid they do, I'd say the culprit was obvious. Finally, those dreams little Camiel was having was a teeny bit coincidental. You were the informant during that whole MATI thing, weren't you?"
"Let's get right to the chase, Stargazer." I said. "Yes, I was the one who leaked about the Mob hit so it'd get around. Yes, I was the one who recorded that conversation with Mon*Star and Lady Marana and sent it to Bluegrass, and yes, it was me who told you about Mon*Star's little trip to the Planet of the Mimes. I even e-mailed you about Mumbo Jumbo and Buzz Saw's escape. It was all me, 100%. I foiled the entire contract between the Mob and the MATI over a month ago, and what for? So that a little girl doesn't lose her mother like I lost mine."
"Attempted murder and suicide are two different things."
"Dead is dead; does it matter how it's administered? Let's just say I'm a little soft when it comes to dealing with families."
"You do realize what will happen if Mon*Star finds out what you've done."
"Do I look like I care? So far, Daddy Dearest doesn't have a clue what happened; he never notices anything I do. But get this straight; I'm not leaving the Mob because of some guilty conscience or just following my heart. I'm a lot smarter than I look, rustbucket, and I've found the one thing Mon*Star's been looking for long before he met my mom; I know where his heir is." That got a facial response from Stargazer.
"One word, Jade." he said. "How?"
"It was pretty easy." I explained. "After Mon*Star killed her mom, all I had to do was search and hack into every foster child file in the system. It did take some digging, mind you, but I find my little half-sister is in Chicago as a ward of the State. They don't know about her powers, Stargazer; she's been suppressing them, otherwise they would've shown up in her file. But a complete DNA description and research on the child confirmed my findings. I almost pity the brat; having to spend most of her life in foster homes and institutions. From what I can tell, it's been a living hell. To think you recommended that for me."
"Limbo and Earth are two different governments, Jadine. They have different ways of dealing with their wards."
"Like forbidding them to see their parents again? My mother and I would've been separated indefinitely if we had followed your advice."
"Surprised you remember."
"I remember it like it was yesterday."
"It didn't have to be forever; when your mother had repaid society, she could've gotten you back."
"You may have been here for a while, Stargazer, but you are totally clueless. Do you have any idea how Limbo government treats the children of criminals? Goes to show you don't need the Moonstar to be an outcast among outcasts. They would've treated me like a monster, and back then, I'd rather be a Mobster shunned for my crimes than some defenseless little girl despised for my lineage."
"Things have changed since then. The foster homes are much better than when you were younger. Look, I know you've resented me for leading that raid. I'll even assume you blame me for your mother's suicide. But that's all in the past, Jadine. How do you know Mon*Star won't come for his heir?"
"He's too busy dealing with you. Besides, I seriously doubt if the heir even wants this. She knows her powers and she knows her heritage, yet she dismisses it to try and lead a normal life. If she wanted the inheritance, she'd be here by now to claim it. Hard to believe Mon*Star neglected a loyal, dedicated daughter like me who would do anything for him without question just so he could have an heir with the same powers as he does. If someone like Mon*Star's heir could defy him, why not me?
"For years, I've tried to prove myself to him. Finding Sara showed me that all my efforts, all my sacrifices have been in vain. What the point of staying if nothing will be gained?"
"What makes you so sure you'd get anything from leaving the Mob?" Stargazer asked.
"I'll have to pay for my crimes, I know that, but at least I'll have my freedom afterwards. My life. No more watching my back, no more hopeless devotion, no more unrequited love. I know it'll be hard, and I know the price is high, but I'm willing to pay it, and work for it."
"What about Yesman? I know you two are close."
What about him? Leaving the Mob meant leaving my closest, and possibly, my only friend. But I knew what I had to do. "I've caused quite enough trouble for him. He's been great, and I appreciate all he's done for me, but it's for the best, for both of us, if I leave." Yesman, I'm so sorry.
I had no idea what Stargazer was thinking at the time. But I had a bad feeling it wasn't good. "I'll see what I can do." he said. "Perhaps once you face those warrants, you'll have the opportunity to go into a witness protection program." Witness protection?! That meant disappearing forever. Just when I thought things couldn't get anymore complicated! "Does anyone else know your real name?" he asked me.
"Only Yesman." I reply. Mon*Star didn't even care I existed; what made him think he'd care about my name?
"Then maybe you won't have to disappear." he said. "Perhaps a bit of community service, a few years of probation and a low profile could get you started on a new life. Right now, those are your only options." Disappear from Limbo or carry out my sentence. Great choices.
"No need to go into extremes." I said. "I'll face my charges any day. But don't ask me about the MATI; all I know about them are their involvement in the drug ring and two of their leaders." That was true; no further information was on the MATI except for that; they were very covert.
"Then what do you say we get started?" Stargazer suggested. "After your injuries completely heal, that is?"
"Fine by me." I said. A new life after my sentence was completed; didn't seem too good to be true.
As I eavesdropped on Stargazer and Jadine's conversation, I noticed someone headed in my direction. It was Detia. I knew she wasn't coming there for a check-up because Will wasn't in sick bay at the time.
"Hey, Jimmy, how are you?"
"I'm doing just fine, ma'am. And how are you?"
"Curious...I'd like to meet the person who helped save my life, and this baby's life, if that's possible." She put a hand on her belly.
"Well, she's busy with the Commander right now. I could ask her if she'd like to talk to you."
"You know, Jimmy, I don't understand why she did it, but I am grateful that she did."
"Maybe you can ask her for yourself."
At about that time, Stargazer came out of the sick bay. I saluted him and he nodded in reply. He greeted Lady Detia briefly and headed towards his office.
"Well, Detia, looks like you might get your chance. I'll go ask her if she's still in the mood to talk."
Mon*star's growl rumbled through Brimmstar.
"Where is she, Hardware?"
The engineer looked up from his tinkering. "She ain't back yet, boss. I ain't heard form her since she left to look at that asteroid."
"Well, get moving. I want that information today, do you hear me? Today!"
Grumbling, Hardware abandoned his project.
The surface of the asteroid, Hardware decided, was cold, hard, and empty. And the remains of the limo spread across the surface. This, he had to report.
"Boss, this is Hardware," he shouted over the static. "Bad news. The limo is toast, and there's no sign of Melodia. Just a huge hole in the ground."
He waited several long minutes until a reply came through. "The boss says get the samples and get back here," Yesman quavered. "He says we'll look for Melodia later." His voice was distraught, and if Hardware didn't know better, he'd have said Yesman was trying not to cry.
"I hear you. Over and out."
That grilling wasn't too bad. In fact, I'd say Stargazer went pretty easy on me. I wonder why? Not long after he left, James returned.
"Hey, Jadine, you mind if you have another visitor?"
"Oh brother, not more grilling. Who is it this time?"
Just then, an unusual looking woman walked in. If it wasn't for her dark skin and full features and unusually tall height, I would have guessed she was Mimian. I figured she must be Detia Meglouse, the elusive target of the Mob hit.
"Jadine, I'd like you to meet Lady Detia Meglouse. Lady Detia, Jadine."
For a minute we just stared at each other. I guess we were both wondering what the other was all about.
Finally, Detia extended her hand to me. "It is a pleasure to meet the person who helped save my family."
I took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad my information did help you."
She paused for a moment, her brow wrinkling, then blurted "But why? Why did you do it? Why did you risk yourself to save the family of a foe?" She waited then, her whole body tense, for my reply.
I took a deep breath, then I told her the truth. "There are many things I can tolerate, heck, I've seen, if not been involved, in a lot of them. But leaving a child orphaned, that's wrong. It doesn't matter whose child it is, it still wrong. I will never knowingly let a child be deprived of her parents."
I was shaking slightly when I finished. Admitting what I think and feel is new to me, but, I think it is for the best right now.
Detia smiled at me, with tears in her eyes. We had, for a moment at least, a clear understanding of each other.
Detia and Jadine had a nice little conversation going. They even talked about Camiel's dreams.
"When she kept telling about a pretty green haired lady, I had no idea who she was talking about. My husband told me that the only green haired lady he knew of was you. I knew there had to be something to those dreams when the Commander got interested in them."
"It's a good thing Mon*Star didn't figure out it was me."
"Yeah, Jadine, that would have been bad news, gal."
All of us were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn't notice Mikel walk in on us. He cleared his throat to get our attention.
"Detia, Seymour is here to take you and Camiel down to Bedlama."
I couldn't believe it. After all this time, I would finally get a new life. It was only a matter of time before I knew what my fate would be. However, I heard the faint click of a trigger being squeezed. Years in the Mob had given me some experience in this area. Just as the Kidd was opening the door, I cried, " GET DOWN!" Sure enough, a sniper all cloaked in black was shooting at us. Luckily, the Kidd and Detia got my warning just in time and the sniper missed. James and I ducked from the fire, the bullets barely missing us. The Kidd tackled the intruder, but then his gun went off and a bullet was heading for James. In instinct, I shoved him out of the way and screamed like hell as the bullet dug into my spine. Then, there was blackness.
It all happened so fast! The Kidd opened the door, I heard a click, Jadine shouted "GET DOWN!" then all hell broke lose! Mikel managed to tackle the intruder down and get his weapon from him. Jadine had pushed me out of the way when his gun went off. She had screamed something awful when she did that, so I knew she'd been hit. Mik forced the intruder down to his knees and restrained his hand behind his back. He then pulled the black hood from his head. The attacker was Mimian! He then started making some kind of clicking noises with his mouth. About the only one who could understand him was Detia, who's a translator/interpreter.
Pretty soon, Will and the others had made it to the sick bay.
"What's going on here!" Will looked down at the Kidd and the intruder then looked over at me and Jadine.
"Will, she's been shot! Help her!" That bastard had shot my love in the back! As if Jadine hadn't already been through enough.
While Will took care of Jadine, Mikel, Detia, and the Commander took the handcuffed intruder to the interrogation room. I stood outside the one way glass to watch and listen.
"Now, who are you, who do you work for, and how did you get in here undetected?"
Detia asked the criminal the Commander's question in his language. He responded then spit in her face. Mikel grabbed him by the neck, but the Commander ordered him to let him go.
"Kidd, step outside while I take care this." My friend hesitated. "You're too emotionally involved in this, so get out of here, now!" Mik quickly saluted and left the room, slamming the door behind him. The Commander gave Detia a handkerchief to wipe her face. "So, what did he say?"
"He says he doesn't speak to half-breeds."
Mikel stood by my side clenching his fists. I'd never seen him so angry. It was a scary sight, I tell ya. I could understand why he felt that way. I wouldn't want anyone treating my wife like that.
I soon noticed SteelHeart coming towards me. "How is she?" I immediately asked. I was concerned for Jadine.
"Not good." 'Heart replied. "Will's taking care of the injury on her spine, so she'll live. But so far, she's in a catatonic state. No response to anything; pain, sounds, nothing. She's gone completely silent." SteelHeart looked a little worried, and I noticed her gaze shift towards our intruder. "What do we know about our friend?"
"He's definitely a member of the MATI, that's for certain."
"The MATI?"
"The Mimians Against The Impure. They're a terrorist group with an unbearable hatred towards Mimian hybrids. Their leaders were the ones who put up that Mob hit on Lady Detia a month ago. If it weren't for Jadine..." If it weren't for her, those cretins would've gotten away with everything.
"I get ya, Cowboy." SteelHeart said. "I guess because of the Mob's failure, the MATI are taking things into their own hands."
"They're very covert, usually." I explained. "But one of their leaders has a personal score against her."
"I'll go see if there's any improvement in Melo--I mean, Jadine." SteelHeart then shuffled to the sick bay.
"Why?" Mikel said. "Why in Limbo would she risk everything for my family? For you?"
"Look, Kidd." I said. "I know Jadine's done some bad stuff in the past, but she has a good side. From what she told me, she helped us that day because of Camiel."
"Camiel? What does she have to do with anything?"
"Jadine's had a hard life in the Mob, believe it or not; no friends, no love, no family. In a sense, she's an orphan, and she doesn't want anyone to suffer the same way she did."
"I still don't get it."
"You're stuck here in Limbo, Mik. If something should happen to Detia, at least your family could take care of Camiel. Jadine has no one. Her mother died when she was young and she has no father. The Mob's been her only friends and family. But it doesn't matter. In her mind, Jadine doesn't want a kid to lose her real family, especially not her mom. Family love and affection are touchy subjects to her and she wouldn't even dare to orphan a child willingly."
"I think I understand." Mik said. "My Mahda had similar experiences. The one thing that saved her from a lot of depression was when she met my Pahda. I think you can save her, Jim. Maybe not physically, but emotionally and mentally."
"It's that obvious, huh?"
"I've had... to deal with events like this one. When Marana was freed as a result of a plea bargain with the Chitau, my brother Sirobo married her. In a sense, they saved each other--Marana from her Mahda's influence and Sirobo from his isolation."
"What in tarnation?" Now that was something I didn't expect. "What about Pidro?"
"Pidro was an artificial pregnancy using Marana's egg and Sirobo's sperm. In other words, he's my nephew, not my son."
"But the paternity test..."
"You forget, Cowboy, that I am the youngest of a set of quadruplets. Our DNA is pretty similar and the test was taken in Hnn country, where there's less legal junk to go through. I had to admit, it was pretty clever."
"Golly." I said. Wow, hard to believe something like that could happen in your own family. An artificial pregnancy, I could guess, but I almost figured they'd use Jodan as the sperm donor. He was a lot similar to Mikel; heck, if it weren't for their different hairstyles, I'd never be able to tell them apart.
After a moment, Quicksilver came up, to be backup for the Commander. I was feeling pretty useless here.
"I'm going to see how Jadine's doing" I told Mikel.
He nodded, eyes glued to the scene in front of him, his fists still clenched.
I made my way down to Sickbay. The twins were still there. Jadine had been changed into a hospital gown, to make it easier to treat her, I suppose.
Will was holding one of her hands, and SteelHeart was at her feet. They were doing a massage of some sort.
I walked up and asked "What are you doing?"
My puzzlement must have showed, and SteelHeart smiled reassuringly as she answered. "We're trying metamorphic stimulation, to try to get responses on a subconscious level. Any response will be a good sign."
"Can I help?" I asked.
"Sure. Take her other foot, and copy my movements. I'm putting pressure on and massaging the pressure points in her feet and legs."
I watched her carefully, copying her manipulations. We three continued for what seemed like hours, then SteelHeart said "There, that's something" A second later, one of the myriad machines hooked up to monitor Jadine beeped.
"How did you know?" I asked her.
"The bond between me and Will, it's an empathic variant. I can read other people if I need to, but it takes a great deal of effort. But, any effects on Jadine are going to be very slight at first, and won't always show up on the monitors, so I’m concentrating on her."
"Oh". It seems we were learning new things about each other all around. It's kind of hard to believe it's only been three days since Jadine and I fell into that mine shaft, so much had happened since then.
The three of us continued our vigil, as the Commander tried to get information from the would be assassin.
While unconscious, it was like I was in a sort of dream state. I was seeing all kinds of crazy stuff! There was one particular image I've never forgotten. I saw a man with his back turned to me. His hair was wild and reddish. At first I thought it was Mon*Star, but something wasn't right. I reached for his shoulder to make him turn around, but his skin was burning hot! He finally turned around on his own and caught me in his piercing gaze.
"Don't make me have to destroy you, human..." he hissed.
"Who...who the hell are you?"
"The day you find out is the day you die!"
That thing must have scared me awake because my eyes flew open and I heard someone screaming. Took me a few moments to realize it was me.
Jadine woke up screaming like a pig being hog tied. She practically jumped off the gurney straight into my arms. After she calmed down she kind of looked around like she was lost or something. She sat down quietly on the gurney.
"Well, Melodia, it's good to see you're awake!" SteelHeart commented. She sounded very relieved. I went over to Jadine and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You mind tellin' us what all that hollerin' was about?" She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing ever came out. She sat there for a while looking a bit confused.
Oh no. SteelHeart said Jadine was in a catatonic state. Whatever happened in that head of hers seemed to make it worse. I tried to reach her in any way I could, but no response. She just sat there, silent and confused.
"Bluegrass!" I heard the intercom shout. "My office, now!"
I looked at Jadine, and at the SteelTwins, then made my way to the Commander's office.
"The Twins have informed me of her condition." Stargazer began. "Catatonic and a shot spine. It's not good."
"What about the sniper?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Quicksilver's with him. Hopefully he'll have better luck of getting any information and Hotwing just returned from patrol and is with the Kidd. Right now, we need to talk.
"Jadine's physical damage is severe, but repairable. But I'm more worried about her mental damage. Since she helped us with foiling that hit and asked for protection, I've convinced the Council to go easy on her sentence. However, because of her current condition, she'll be spending most of her sentence, if not all of it, on the Asylum Planet."
"The Asylum Planet?!" I couldn't believe it. "With all due respect, sir, Jadine's not crazy! That place is for the criminally insane!"
"I know, and you're right, she isn't crazy." Stargazer said. "She's just a very confused human being who's made some bad choices. I'm hoping the place will help her get out of her catatonic state. Afterwards, she could be paroled into my custody."
"But--"
"It's the only way, Colonel. Don't worry. I know the doctor in charge. He'll take good care of her, trust me."
"All right." I said. "Want me to tell the SteelTwins the news?"
"Go right ahead. It'll save me the trouble of telling them myself. Dismissed."
I saluted and left the office. I still couldn't fathom it. Jadine in the Asylum Planet? Then again, it seemed like the perfect hiding place. If the Mob see through our ruse and come looking for her, they'll never think of finding her there. I made my way back to sick bay to tell the Twins what's up.
So, I was going to be sent to the Asylum Planet. Just great. What was Stargazer trying to say? That I'm insane? Well, after seeing that monster, I did feel like I was going crazy. But something inside me told me that vision was more than a nightmare. I wanted to find out who or what it was, but for some reason, I couldn't speak. It was like my words formed a pile up in my throat and wouldn't come out. Finally, I put all my effort into saying one word. If I could just say one word! I forced it out.
"Fire!" Fire? Why the hell did I say that? That's not what I intended to say! I meant to say "NO!" as in "I don't want to go to the asylum Planet!" But all that came out was "Fire!"
I got back to sick bay just in time to hear Jadine finally say something. I didn't expect her to shout "Fire!" though.
"SteelHeart, what's she talkin' about?"
"Have no idea, Cowboy."
Jadine then kind of whimpered in pain. She was holding her left hand. Will took a look at it.
"What in Limbo?! Bluegrass, look at her hand!"
The palm of her left hand looked blistered and raw, like it had been burned.
At about that time, the Commander's voice blared over the PA system.
"All Hawks report to my office immediately! Except for you Steel Twins, you take care of Melodia."
When I got to the office, Quicksilver, The Kidd, and Lady Detia were already there.
"Well, SilverHawks, looks like we've had a breakthrough with our failed assassin. Tell them what you found out Quicksilver."
"We found out how he got in undetected. He had this around his waist. It's a short range teleporter. Which also clues us in on where he teleported from. His ship must be nearby, but somehow he entered our air space undetected.
"Lady Detia, you also had some information for us."
"Yes. From the language he speaks, and his colorings, I know he is Tch. I also found this attached to the teleporter." She laid some sort of broach on the Commander's desk. "It's a servant's broach, sir. And according to the symbol embedded in it, it's from the house of Ataka."
Ataka. That was the name of the other MATI leader Jadine knew about. "Did you find out anything else?" I asked.
"No." Quicksilver replied. "He still won't talk. Not that we don't know any vital information."
"Talk about strict loyalty." I commented. "But what could the MATI be doing here?"
"As you already know," Detia explained. "One of the MATI leaders, Pijol Ritua, has a personal grudge against me. But last I heard, she and Tkkla Ataka were still in prison."
"Commander!" the PA system blared. "You better get down here! Something's happening!"
We rushed down there real quick and saw Hotwing tossing magic at the assassin. "What in Limbo..."
"He suddenly started bursting into flames." Hotwing explained. "I'm trying to put them out, but something's blocking my magic." The assassin said some things only Lady Detia could understand, then fell to the floor in a smoking heap.
"It's no surprise that the MATI will commit suicide to protect their secrets." Detia said.
"What did he brag about?" I asked.
"Before the flames finished him," Detia explained. "He said, 'My mission is complete. The Star child has been dealt with by my master. Though the half breed lives, my people are avenged as the human infidel who dared to interfere with our affairs succumbs to His will. I now join and will spend eternity in the greatness of Wendabar. May His followers carry out their sacred missions of purity.'"
"Wenda-who?"
"Wendabar." Detia said. "The Bringer of Destruction. He's the Mimian devil, so to speak. He thrives on the destruction of others. The MATI are sometimes known as the Followers of Wendabar."
"Because what better source for destruction than hatred and prejudice?" Stargazer concluded.
"The assassin said the Star child has been dealt with by his master." I pointed out. "Who in the..." God Almighty! Jadine! He was after Jadine all along! I raced to sick bay as fast as I could.
I hit the door to find a horrifying scene. The whole room seemed blacked, and the acrid smell of smoke hung in the air. I looked over at the bed where Jadine lay, she seemed to be no worse off, thank goodness. I saw the occasional flash of blue light that told me a shield had been erected about her. I looked around, and saw the Steeltwins picking themselves off the floor on the opposite side of the room. Their faces and flesh arms were red and blistered.
"What happened?" I asked, looking alternately at them, and Jadine.
"Got a bad feeling" SteelHeart said. "Will put up a shield around her, and then the room exploded. What is going on around here?"
"I think that assassin was after Jadine the entire time" I then explained what Detia had told us the would be assassin said.
"It was close" Will said, "one second more, and she would have been dead. Anything strong enough to burn us would have killed Jadine."
He walked over to a cabinet, opened it, and spilled out the contents. He then selected a tube. "Slightly burned, but it will still work. Emily!"
As the twins tended to each other's burns, Will asked if there was anything else we learned from the assassin. I recounted everything I had heard since leaving sick bay.
About that time, Stargazer and Quicksilver came in. They surveyed the damage around them with wide eyes.
My mind was starting to clear and I found my voice coming back to me. When I saw my surroundings, I noticed it looked like an explosion occurred. From the way things appeared, I knew I should have been dead. But somehow I survived.
"What the hell happened here?"
I waited for an answer but everyone just kind of stood there staring at me. Then something else unexpected happened. The Kidd's little girl pushed through the crowd of awestruck onlookers and ran straight for me. She climbed up on the gurney and put something in my hand. It was a necklace made of little white beads.
"This for you," she said in her little high pitched voice.
"Thanks, Camiel." It was a pretty little thing. But somehow I figured she didn't give it to me for looks. I also realized it was the same kind of necklace Detia was wearing around her own neck.
"You're in more danger than I thought." Detia told me. "The MATI aren't only terrorists, they're fanatics following our local devil. The necklace will protect you from any more of Wendabaran's attacks."
"I see..." I didn't believe in the Devil, but in this case, I'll make an exception. "The assassin..."
"Dead." Stargazer replied. "Cremated himself. The MATI were after you this whole time, or so we believe."
"They must've found out who foiled their plans last time." Crap! Was my helping Detia in the news or something?! I know I took every precaution that day.
"If the MATI know about what happened last month," Stargazer continued. "Then it's only a matter of time before the Mob learn about it, too."
"Oh, joy. Daddy Dearest will love hearing about my betrayal as well as my sabotaging the mission." This really isn't my day.
"Which means the sooner you're on the Asylum Planet, the better."
"Which part of 'I am not crazy' do you have trouble understanding?!"
"This isn't about your sanity, Jade, it's about your life. Once Mon*Star realizes you're alive, he'll be looking for you. You need to be somewhere he won't think of looking."
"Like with a bunch of lunatics?"
"Exactly."
"A Mob member was sent there before, rustbucket. Not as a defector, mind you..."
"One of the Elite... I remember. But you need to lay low for a while." He began to lean towards me. "Besides," he whispered. "I think the therapy will do you some good, considering what you've been through." That's putting it mildly.
"Excuse me?" a voice said. We all turned around to see a small creature with a lab coat and an alien-like face. "I'm Dr. Mindprobe of the Asylum Planet." he said. "I was told I would be getting a new patient."
"Mindprobe." Stargazer said, shaking hands with the small doctor. This was the guy in charge of the Asylum Planet? Doesn't look like much. But I've learned not to underestimate others, a mistake I made when I was first sent to the Penal Planet. "It's good to see you again, old friend." Stargazer continued.
"Likewise, Commander." Mindprobe replied as he looked right at me. "Is this the new patient you told me about?"
"Yep."
"I don't believe it." Mindprobe looked up and down, as if he was seeing things. "Is this Lina Star? The hair is a lighter shade of green and all, but those features! She looks almost exactly like her!"
Tell me something I don't know. "Sorry, Doc." I answered. "But I'm Jadine Star. Lina... was my mother."
"I note the resemblance."
"We're ready to began transport whenever you're ready, Doc." Stargazer told him. Let's just get this over with.
"Seeing as how your sick bay is in shambles, Commander." he started. "I'd say the sooner, the better."
"All right. Bluegrass, you escort the good doctor in the Mirage. SteelTwins, escort Dr. Mindprobe and his new patient to the hangar bay. We'll be lifting off as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir." the Twins replied as they took me and the doctor to the hangar bay, where we boarded one of the Asylum Planet's standard transports.
Dang. Jadine was on her way to the Asylum Planet and I didn't even get to tell her good-bye. Not the way I wanted to anyway. I wanted to at least give her a hug and a kiss. But I had to be careful about showing affection towards her in front of the other Hawks. We ended up just shaking hands.
"Thanks, James...for everything."
"Much obliged, ma'am. I'll be keeping in touch. You take care, hear?"
"I will." She then turned to Lady Detia. "One question. What's so special about this necklace?"
"If you look closely, you'll see a letter embedded in each bead. It spells out a prayer of protection."
"Interesting."
After everyone said their good byes, Jadine and Dr. Mindprobe boarded the Maraj. I knew before the bay doors even opened that I was going to miss that gal.
"Blast you, Mon*star." Yesman grumbled in his quarters. "It's not bad enough you use your own daughter against me, now you had to sic your little friends on them, too." Yesman paced around, recalling how everything became messed up.
It started after Hardware returned. They found no trace of Melodia, and no one, not even Mon*Star, knew if she was alive or what. A MATI reprehensive had arrived at Brim Star as Hardware did a maintained check on the communications console. He found a deleted message dating back to a month ago, the day the Mob had that job for the MATI. When Hardware played back the message, it revealed Melodia telling Stargazer that Mon*Star was going to the Planet of the Mimes to finish the hit and updates on the hit itself. Mon*Star was furious when he found out who sabotaged the hit that day. Yesman could understand his old ward's actions. She herself had no mother and was very sensitive to family. But Mon*Star had had it with her. When the reprehensive told him she would pay for her interference, all the Planet Master said was, "If you're going to kill her, do it slowly to draw out her suffering. The little brat's been a thorn in my side for too long!" Unfortunately, it didn't stop their shipments and they had received a full load of Liquid Love, Stardust and the supplies to make them. All they needed was the Elite to understand the formulas.
"The Elite." Yesman pondered. "I wonder if they've changed..." The Elite were some of the original Mobsters, not counting Yesman, Poker Face and Mumbo Jumbo. They had left the galaxy one by one and no one's been able to find them. Yesman could hear Hardware mumbling something about the machines.
"Stupid troll." Yesman hissed. "Those rookies don't know just how superior I am to them. I could break Buzz Saw in two if I wanted to. But no! He's the Pet Mobster, and as long as Jadine was still here, I'd never get away with it." For years, he wanted her out, but not like this. Yesman, though seemingly meek, was in fact, a tough cookie; and a smart one to boot. He could teach Hardware a thing or two about anything. But Yesman was also rebellious and too bold for his own good. He was, until Jadine was born. "Mon*Star threatened to kill her if I so much as think about plotting against him." he recalled. "Twelve years... a new record. He usually double-crosses someone within a few hours. My meekness, my incompetence... it was all an act. An act I plan to continue until I can launch my revenge.
"I know the SilverHawks will hide her somewhere Mon*Star won't think of looking. She's a survivor; like her mother. She'll make it." He then picked up an old picture. It was of him and Jadine when she was younger. The picture also contained an older woman with short, dark green hair. "Oh, Lina," Yesman whispered. "Why in Limbo did you have to kill yourself? Jade's been desolate without you. I can't blame you, though. You've always been depressed ever since you entered the Mob; and for what? So Mon*Star would spare your old man's life....you probably found out about it, didn't you? That's what pushed you over the edge, wasn't it? To have lived in terror and torment for so long all for nothing. How I wish you could see us now. Jadine's out of the Mob, sort of. But don't worry. Before I draw my last breath, I promise you that planet tyrant's going to pay for what he did, to both of you."
Yesman then tossed a small stone cylinder in the air, caught it with his tail and crushed it to mere pebbles without breaking a sweat. The snake man smirked; he still got it. "Watch your back, Mon*Star," he thought to himself. "Your days are officially numbered, because Rattler Junior is back; though no one will know it until it's too late." An ironic cackle escaped from his sides, a cackle long-suppressed by compassion and fear.
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