Fang Face

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Bliss rested her slender frame against the door jam, her arms crossed over her stomach. Her semi-automatic was nestled tightly in the holster on her hip. It was full loaded this time. There was no point in taking chances, not even here in what was supposed to be a safe haven. She had already learned that the hospital wasn’t any safer than any place else on Sabatt. If she was nothing else, Bliss was a fast learner.

Her cool brown eyes scanned the street on the other side of the glass door. She wasn’t watching for anything in particular, not even for ole Fang-Face. He would be back, that was a given. He would keep coming back until he got what he was after or what he was after was not longer in the hospital. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Just a few days in town and she had already made an enemy. Not a small enemy either, Fang-Face was a major nasty-bad.

The smile grew a fraction as her mind turned over the puzzle that was Fang-Face. He definitely wasn’t a raider or any other kind of low life scavenger. He was too neat, well fed and dressed. From what she had been told he wasn’t the Freemen he claimed to be. It was mentioned that he was probably a member of the Church. This made sense. He was either that or a hired gun of sorts. A very well paid hired gun that could be working for anyone, a wildcard. Was he working with the Church or some other faction vying for control of the planet and it’s people? Didn’t really matter. To her he was simply a dead man that hadn’t the brains enough to know to fall down.

She didn’t like Fang-Face. His presence made the ever-present hum in the back of her skull spike to a near painful roar. That alone was reason enough to wish him dead. Bliss let out a soft sigh. Since she had started traveling to more populated areas, what had once been a mild tingle in her head, had become a constant hum. It made it hard to sleep, to rest. She called it a hum but thought it to be more like static. The more people around the louder the static. Few people made the hum soften. She idly wondered what would happen if the static ever peaked out.

Glancing about the lobby of the hospital she realized no one was watching her. She could go back up to her room, gather her belongings and probably walk right out the door without a problem. Of course she would be without her ride. She shook her head ruefully. She needed the ride that had been promised her. Strange thing was she believed the promise would be kept as long as she kept up her end of the bargain. This whole trip was strange. Not even ten minutes into town and she’d nearly lost her head to a thin line of wire strung across a back alley. She had to dump her Cycle, injuring herself in the process. Limping her way to the hospital was the longest walk she had ever made in her life. Would have been easier if she had known where to find the hospital. She figured they would treat her wounds and release her but they admitted her instead.

She turned her eyes back to the street. Her escape attempt had been embarrassingly inept. Stopped by an unarmed medic and a man in a wheelchair. Okay, the man in the chair had a gun, but it still was embarrassing. Thinking back on it she realized that she would have probably passed out cold on some street a short time after she got out of the hospital. She now knew she hadn’t been thinking too clearly that night. She had a new Doctor, Terra Skye and had met some of Terra’s friends, Garth Lowin, her fiance,  who also happened to be the man in the wheelchair that had stopped her escape and Mik. Ricoh Mikkaill Gideonn, his was a name and face she wasn't likely to forget anytime soon. Now she was embroiled in a mess she had little clue about. Fang-Face was after Garth and willing to kill a doctor to get him. It made her head spin if she really though hard about it.

“Oh well Bliss.” The small smile on her face blossomed. “If nothing else this will keep you from being bored out you mind.” Pulling herself upright she turned on her heel and headed back into the lobby. “If you’re really lucky you might learn something before you get yourself killed.”

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Freedom! Of a sort anyway. At least she was out of the hospital and far away from Fang-Face. Least ways until she went back. Bliss lay on her belly in the cool grass. No one was about at this early hour so she felt free to indulge in the child like activity of rolling in the grass. She’d never seen so much of it or trees this big for that matter. She looked around the little Haven she had been brought to and allowed herself the tiniest of smiles. So this is what the world looked like before the war. Green, alive. She rolled over on to her back and grinned up at the sky. She’d come to heaven as far as she was concerned. Fresh water, green grass, humans and Syrynykk living in near harmony, perfection in her mind.

Now if she could just figure out this Son of Derell business. That is what the Syrynykk called her companion, Justice, son of Derell. A legend in the making she had teased Garth at the hospital, not knowing that what she said was so close to the truth. It was the oddest of things. It didn’t make a lick of sense, but she had seen the statue in the temple. It was Garth Lowinn to a tee, but it had been made long before even his parents were born. This world just seemed to be a series of puzzles. It made her mind swim. Were the gods real or just legends made up by primitives to explain away their fears? That was Gramp’s opinion but her Gran had thought differently and had taught her all the ancient tales.

Were the gods awake again and dabbling in the affairs of mortals? Was Sabatt alive? Did her grandparents now sit with Lurudd? So many questions, so few answers. Every time she turned around there were new questions. The biggest one being how did she fit in to the scheme of this twisted game of the gods? She only knew one thing for absolute sure and that was that she was a very confused person.

She broke off a blade of grass and held it up to her nose inhaling the sweet scent of it. Where did she fit in with the Son of Derell, the Syrynykk, the strange talking machine and the plan of the gods? The last of which she wasn’t sure she even believed in. A short bark of laughter escaped her. "I’m a sidekick." She lay in the cool grass for a long time just laughing. It was cleansing, it was silly and she prayed no one else was awake yet to catch her doing it lest they think she had lost her few remaining sanity circuits. "You are a fickle creature Venexx!" It was too funny for words. She had become a sidekick to a man who was supposedly a son of a god.

She sat up on the grass pulling the thin cotton shift she wore down over her knees. The sun was nearly fully up. Soon another day would start in this sleepy little Haven. People would wake, eat breakfast and go about their daily lives. Soon the Son of Derell would want to talk to her about schemes for bringing justice to their wounded world. She had a few ideas she wanted to share with him. If there was to be legend made she was going to make damn sure it was a legend that would last far beyond either of their life spans.

Bliss stood slowly, her eyes closing as she wiggled her toes in the grass. "Okay Venexx, if you are out there and awake, hit me with your best shot! I need the inspiration of all time and I Bliss Nadine Lovejoy challenge you to give it to me!" She grinned wide turning her face towards the sky. "Don’t fail me Venexx, cause if you do, when I die I’ll kick your scaly butt from one side of eternity to the other. And that’s a promise."

Chapter 4

Bliss stared up at the unusual blue sky to be found in Havenn, her mind turning over recent events in her life. The grass was cool against her back but she hardly noticed. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. These strange impulses she had suddenly taken to following. It wasn’t like her to be impulsive. She planned things out from start to finish. Now she found herself rushing headlong into things with out giving a thought to the consequences.

At least one danger was over. Fang-Face was dead. Good and dead. Justice, Garth Lowinn's alter ego,  had killed him, quickly and cleanly. Some weird spear given to him by the Priestess of Derell had done the job. One thrust through Fang-Face’s wicked heart and he was down for the count. She hadn’t looked as Grendel drained the blood from the near dead Reverend. She had barely glanced at the body as she poured the accelerant over it and set it aflame. He was dead, no longer a threat and his empty shell was of little interest to her. She felt no guilt about his death. He as a danger to Terra, Justice and herself. He was too stupid to live anyway. One would have thought a bullet in the head would have at least served as a slight deterrent to his continued harassment of Terra, but not for Fang-Face. It was a hell of an ending to a hell of a night.

Bliss had been pleased to see Caine at the hospital. She had come down in the elevator after having her arm x-rayed and there he was. She was thrilled when he told her that her refitted Cycle was parked outside.

Then there was the gift. A small box containing four chocolate bars like the one he had given her a few nights ago. That candy bar had been, as he put it, for customer relations. These were from a customer whose name he could not reveal because it would be breaking a confidence. She tried to send them back but was informed that it was not an option. It was after she slid the box of candy safely away in her pocket that she brought up the glasses.

She didn’t know why she had worked so hard to find a pair of mirrored sunglasses for Caine. All he did was mention that he wanted a pair and she has searched all over city to find him a pair. Maybe it was just the urge to have something he wanted and didn’t have yet. She had meant to trade them to him. To see how much something he wanted was worth to him, but he made no offer. He merely leaned down and kissed her. Bliss couldn’t have been more surprised if he had bit her instead. She’d only been kissed one other time in her life and she hadn’t like it. This kiss was entirely different.

Caine’s kiss made her tremble as a strange warmth spread through out her body. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. By the time her brain caught up with her body he had deepened the kiss, his hand slipping behind her head. Bliss honestly didn’t want it to end. This, whatever it was, felt good. Just the memory of the kiss started that funny warmth to blossom inside her. Bliss giggled at herself. It was silly for a memory to stir her as it did. Then her mind replayed the feeling of his tongue sliding against hers and she abruptly stopped laughing as a moan threatened to erupt from her lips.

Bliss shook her head trying to clear out the memories. The memory of Daniel’s kiss didn’t affect her like Caine’s was doing. It wasn’t as if Caine had any feelings for her. That was made clear by him when she had seen him at the hospital last evening. His offer to broker a deal consisting of her selling her "purity" to the highest bidder had made his lack of caring for her crystal clear. Business was his only concern and he saw in her a chance for profit and little else. It had been foolish of her to think for an instant it was otherwise. The first gift of a chocolate bar had been exactly what Caine has said, customer relations. She wondered who sent the other bars to her but she didn’t hold out much hope of ever finding out.

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