Sunday, September 18, 2005

'Arr, come all ye scurvy sea dogs and ye earthy land-lubbers! Sit by Cap'n Liam's fire and he'll regale you a tale...



Arr! Today be the day of days, where scallywags and buccaneers alike walk the streets openly displayin' their love for the seas!

Ye ship or ye life ye bunch o' landlubbers!

Swear your fielty to none other an' Cap'n Liam will guard your back!

Arr, but if ye be traitorous dogs, then the cat 'o nine be taking the flesh off your bones until ye be jealous of the Jolly Roger's fine complexion!

Do I hear an aye aye cap'n?

Arr, that be more like it.

I be havin' a treat for you scurvy braggarts, and it be not like your good 'ole cap'n to be sharing sweeties amongst the crew, but today be a special day!

Yarr, it be my pleasure to be showin' ye a mixed work of both mine and the Lady A's work. We be workin' our fingers to the bone for ye lot, so ye better appreciate it, unless ye prefer Davy Jones for company!

No tales of me daring do and me adventures today, but they be coming. ['Tis a strange day where your good 'ole cap'n found a lady friend. Ye best remind me to regale that fine story to ye at a later date!]
~~~~

Rae felt the full impact of the situation hit her. Her entire world had just collapsed. Her entire family; Matt, Karen, all of them, were in so much danger. They could go to jail for war crimes, for using children soldiers. How could they even begin to fix this damage?

Liam felt her hands go cold.

He glanced at her sharply, noting the pallor of her cheeks and the slight tremble in her lips. He smiled and whispered in her ear, for all the world looking like a man who was totally in love with his fiancé. “Pull it together, Rae. It’s one hurdle at a time. Don’t think about that until we’ve gotten through this.”

She nodded, her face closed and tears shining in her eyes. Inwardly, Liam swore. No one would believe they were anything but about to die when she had a face like that. “And smile, dammit. Don’t lose your focus.”

He watched her try to pull it together for a long heartbeat. Two. Three.

He could tell that she was losing the battle. He squeezed her hand tightly, feeling her grip his fingers like he was on a deathbed.

Perhaps he was, he thought cynically.

He had to find something to distract her. For a second his mind drew a complete blank, and then he smiled.

“You know, considering how crap you were at marksmanship a couple of years ago, I have to say, you’ve surprised me…” – He had her attention now, he knew – “I honestly didn’t think you could get any worse.”

For a second she stared at him, stung, and then she let out a disbelieving laugh, and turned so that she was standing in front of him. “You know I could beat you to the floor right now. Don’t deny it,” she said, once again comfortable with this familiar banter. Liam smiled as her arrogance – something she said she’d picked up from him – came back.

“Oh?” He asked, taking in the formal black dress she was wearing. Tasteful, classy, but still young, it left her arms bear. No one would think that she was wearing Kevlar under that. “Let’s just see, shall we?”

Her arrogant smile disappeared. She still hadn’t forgotten how easily he’d thrown her into the elevator, still was disturbed by her absolute helplessness when it had happened. “No,” she whispered, stepping back. “No, no, Liam –” She let out a little squeal of real terror as he lunged forward and picked her up. It became a giggle of laughter when he twirled her around, keeping the appearance of the happy couple. She grinned at him. “Liam, put me down. You’re making a scene.”

He was. People had turned to look at Rae’s first little squeal, Natasha included. Now, they smiled and turned away politely, excusing the lovebirds for disrupting the peace. Natasha hadn’t.

Rae saw her in her peripheral vision, but pretended that she’d no clue Natasha was there. Liam set her down with a huge grin. Rae, faking a blush, buried her face in his neck. He smiled and stroked her hair, not realising, as Rae did, that Natasha had stormed out of the room.

Bradley and Zharra meandered up to them, with identical, broad grins on their faces. “You two do that too well.”

Rae sobered up instantly, then relaxed and faced them, her back to Liam’s chest. “Well, I am an actress at heart.”

Zharra looked at Bradley sarcastically, then back at Rae. “Yeah, that’s what it is.”

Rae lost her smile. “What else would it be, Zharra?” Her voice was deadly quite; the people surrounding them wouldn’t hear. Zharra knew the warning in Rae’s voice – she’d overstepped the limit.

Above everything, Rae was loyal. Sometimes that loyalty was misplaced, sometimes it got lost, but she would always stick by those she chose. The inference that Rae could be unfaithful to Callum – whether Zharra had forgotten or chose to ignore his existence – was an anathema to Rae. It was unacceptable.

“Hey, Rae,” said Liam softly, even though his voice was a little colder than usual. “We know you’re just playing a part. They’re teasing.”



Callum had received the same SMS as the others, and, as the leader of the techies, had made the decision that it was vital that the Alpha team have as much protection as possible. He gave the order to bring the ammunition in.

Under the premise of ‘example computers’ for the teams’ demonstration to the audience – Brunai’s elite --, the techies would bring in all the weaponry that Rae had stashed for the team. The computer towers were big enough to hide some ‘special weaponry’ – Sig machine pistols and 9mm Glocks. They hadn’t been able to smuggle in the MS1, however, it would be waiting just 200metres down the road, if it were really needed. Rae had primed it before they left, but the trigger hadn’t been activated yet.

He’d been there just in time to see Rae’s little performance, had watched as Natasha had left the room. The techies brought the example computers to the fore of the room, and nodded to Liam to begin the demonstration, his jaw clenched. As Liam stood up and begin the speech, a smile on his face, Eve and Ryan, who had been lounging against the wall straightened up as one and left the room.

Callum turned to Rae. “Can you help me with something?” His fists were clenched.

Smiling, puzzled, she nodded and left the room with him.

Rae followed him through the hallway until they found a clear room. It was a conference room, with a redwood table and a dividing panel, obviously breaking one huge room up into two large ones. She gave him an unsure-but-game smile and perched on the table. “What’s up?”

He clenched his jaw, again. “What was that in there?”

Her eyes widened. “What was what in there?”

“The little performance with Liam.”

“Oh.” She was silent for a second, weighing up what the best way to explain this would be. “Well, Natasha was here, and she already knew about Liam and me, and –”

“Liam and you?”

She gave a flustered laugh. “What I mean is that she’d already met Liam and me, and so we had to come up with an excuse for both of us being there without blowing our cover, and so we-” she hesitated.

“You what?” His voice was cold and deadly.

“We pretended we were engaged. That’s all. What you saw was Liam helping me. I – I’d just heard about the leak in Australia and he-he was helping me get control back.”

“Yeah. Sure, that was all it was.” He sounded flat. She didn’t know if he believed her or not.

She smiled at him slightly. He turned around and hit the wall, his fist denting – but not actually putting a hole in – it. Rae’s eyes widened. “Callum?”

“Do you know what happened the first time I saw you, Rae? I was with your brother, and I saw you and thought, Wow. You were so strong, so confident, but there was a hint of vulnerability in you that made me want to wrap you up and keep you safe. Your brother saw me and grinned. He said, with no little amount of pride, That’s my baby sister.” He glared at Rae. “Do you know what he said then? But if you want her, you’ll have to fight for her. I looked at you again, and I knew I could and would fight heaven and earth for you. Then I met you, and there was…something, Rae. You knew it and I knew it.

“When I met Liam, I thought I knew who it was I had to fight.” He gave a little laugh. “But you know what, Rae? I’ve just realised – I’m not fighting heaven, I’m not fighting earth, and I’m not fighting Liam for you. I’m fighting an enemy I can’t conquer. You.”

He opened his mouth to say something more, shook his head, and walked to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around. “Why is it,” he asked quietly, “that girls always fall for the bastards?” He gave a short laugh. “I fought, Rae. Long and hard. But do you know what I realised just after I learnt who I was fighting? Someone who doesn’t love me isn’t worth fighting for.” He turned the door handle. “It’s over, Rae.”

He stepped out of the conference room, saying quietly, “Your back-up ‘friends’ are in the computers.”

The door clicked shut. Rae stood up shakily. She had to – to focus on – on the mission. She couldn’t let herself be distracted. The mission was everything. It was vital, and…and…

Rae fell apart.



Liam already had three of the computers running while on the overhead projector (“one for every community centre!”) he demonstrated the positive uses that these new machines could be put to. He demonstrated how much faster the new broadband connection was by opening the same website on a ADSL connected machine and a dial-up machine, drawing polite laughter as he said, “I think we might want to give this one a head start, shall we?”

He was going to open up a web stream of BBC World News, but owing to current events, it didn’t seem like too brilliant an idea. Instead he downloaded music and compared rates, achieving more applause when he complimented the Sultan on his generosity for his people. He played a bit of a Seinfeld DVD and music, showing the brilliant colour displays (“just like the real thing, folks!”) and various educational games that would be donated to schools.

This was Liam’s field of specialty. He would have quite happily ripped the cover off the nearest computer and gushed over the latest and greatest pieces inside of it. Unfortunately, he had a job to do and play time had to finish soon. He wound down the presentation to a finish and invited the crowd to inspect the machines, opening up Google in the browser and promising that they could find anything in this window to the world. He received a smattering of applause and stepped down from the stage, face flushed from the momentary escape from reality.

Bradley and Zharra greeted him, Bradley complimenting him on his performance. Zharra looked alert, but not suspiciously so. Liam had no doubt in his mind that somewhere, deep down, a little scrap of panic was struggling to be free of Zharra’s unshakeable determination. He’d never say it out loud, however, or he’d risk meeting her fierce retribution.

“Eve and Ryan took after Natasha,” Zharra said simply, “she left while you were busy feeling up your fiancé. She didn’t look too happy while she was leaving, either.”

Liam ignored her comment, he knew it was a swift jibe only taken because Rae wasn’t present. But where was Rae?

Bradley read his mind as he said, “speaking of your girl, she went with the delivery boy, had to sign for all the equipment you were showing off just then. She should be right back.” Bradley caught Liam’s eye. “…or you could just go out that doorway and find them. She went left. There’s probably something you have to sign for too. Er.”

Liam had already started moving at a brisk pace and had almost reached the door when a slender arm shot out and blocked his exit.

“Going somewhere?” A stern, German voice asked.

“Yes, actually. Do you mind?” Liam said brightly, turning to face Natasha’s roommate.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know, when Natasha dragged you home, I was thinking, “this could be good boy for her,” but it turns out you are a poison.”

Liam’s expression didn’t change, he really didn’t have time for this.

“But karma does work in favour of her, you be cheating on Natasha for another girl, and this girl be cheating on another boy with you.” The girl smirked, folding her arms. “She almost ran after him. You could say…wild horses not hold her back. He probably taking her, right now! Despite of this-” she gesticulated wildy “-wedding you supposedly have!” She smiled smugly and shifted her weight, looking straight into his eyes.

Liam smiled broadly, despite feeling like he was going to be sick, and patted her on the head. While doing so, he said happily “excellent power of deduction my dear! Here, have a floppy disk.”

With that, he handed her a blank disk and exited through the door.

As soon as the door shut with a faint click, Liam started a brisk walk, and brushed shoulders with Callum almost immediately. Callum looked indifferently at him, giving a shrug and stepping out of his way. Liam watched him go, and was surprised to find that he had the sudden urge to push him down a flight of stairs.

“I love you too, Callum!” He called out.

Callum stopped dead in his tracks and came walking back. In a few furious strides he was face to face with Liam, radiating hatred like an intense heat. In those few seconds of movement Liam truly appreciated Callum, not as a technician, but as an SYF agent. Callum stood defiant in front of him, forehead inches from his and with both his fists clenched and at his sides.

“You know what?” Callum said finally, after seething for a few seconds. “I don’t have time for this. But there’s one thing I’m going to say, Liam, and that’s that you completely screwed her over.”

“We’re engaged, isn’t that what I’m supposed to…oh, okay not a joking time?” Liam smiled slightly at the accusing finger that Callum had whipped up and pointed at his forehead.

“Always the cocky bastard, aren’t you?” Callum said, still pointing. “You’ll win though, your type always does. But when you’re done with her, I won’t pick up the pieces. She can sort that out for herself!” His last words were a shout, directed at an ajar door down the corridor.

“Steady on there, mate.” Liam said, eyeing him warily. “Are you forgetting where you are, or do I have to remind you where we are?”

Liam said these words through gritted teeth as he watched and waited for some late party comers to enter the hall. As soon as the door closed he lifted Callum up in one smooth movement and slammed his back against the wall.

“Right, now are we going to keep a happy tone in here for the people anxiously listening through the door, or am I going to have to help you keep your mouth shut?” Liam spat his words out in one steady line, not stopping to take a breath.

Callum didn’t reply, he just stared blankly at Liam, eyes slitted.

“Good enough.” Liam eased him carefully down to the ground. “You need to sober up right now, and remember exactly how much we’re screwed, okay? After you’ve done that, you need to go back to your crew and continue work like nothing ever happened, but they need to be armed, and ready. Okay?”

Callum straightened his jacket and said, stiffly, “they always are,” before stalking away.

“Just one more thing,” Liam called out. “If Rae is in the state I think she is, and I’ll know that you did it, you and I better never meet again. You hear me?”

Callum didn’t stop walking, and Liam watched him until he was out of sight before making his way to the open door. He slipped in, and closed the door behind him. He saw Rae, and instantly felt his insides squirm unpleasantly.

She was just sitting there, slumped on the ground with her back to him. He head was bent forward and her breathing told him that she was sobbing silently to herself. She was most certainly in her own world, sorting out the problems before her. Liam assembled what he knew, thinking of everything and everyone that she held dear that could and would be lost because of the dissolution of the SYF. Her entire family would be lost, and she could quite possibly never see them again.

Hiding in the world forever more, never being able to see her family or friends again and now she suddenly lost her boyfriend because of the mission. Sure, they could have avoided the whole “engaged” thing, but nothing else could have tied it all together in such a neat little package. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so forthright and believable in his affection…

Liam suddenly felt as though he really shouldn’t be in there. He backed out slowly, placing a hand on the door, ready to push it open. But what was he thinking? This was Rae, for crying out loud! She sorted out his issues time and time again, he should be able to return the favour.

“Please…don’t go.”

Rae’s whisper carried through the air, to his ears and instantly his anxiety ebbed away. Gallantry threw up a card, one that Liam knew very well. He walked over to her and grabbed her hands, gently pulling them up.

“Come on sweetheart, we’ve got to go.” He said, smiling slightly.

Rae didn’t move, but she looked at Liam, the full extent of her pain written on her face. Her eyes were red and two fine black lines traced down her face, mere memories of mascara. She was so pale that Liam almost started, she looked as though she was at death’s door, just waiting for her ticket to come up.

“Come on, Rae.” He said again, bobbing down to her level. “Look, if this about that time I borrowed your knife to shave, I’m sorry but it’s damn hard to find a razor some mornings.”

Rae didn’t reply, she simply stared straight through him with her cold, lifeless eyes.

Liam was unperturbed and simply gave a theatrical sigh. “Don’t worry about Callum. We’ll go to the pound tomorrow and pick up a new boyfriend for you. We can only pray that a car will send your old one where he belongs.”

Rae tilted her head, a single tear blossoming and rolling down her cheek. Liam caught her chin and brushed the tear away with his thumb. He looked at her, honest concern shining from his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Rae. We just don’t have time. I know you need it, but we have a mission to do. I love you Rae, but we have a job to do.” He whispered his words as he knelt and gathered her up in his arms, picking her up gently off the ground.

“Besides,” he added, “the last thing we want is Zharra and Bradley to walk in while we were totally making out.”

Liam didn’t look down, but he could tell that Rae was smiling slightly. She was going to be okay, but Liam knew he would have be there to pick up the pieces when she really had time to sort this through.

“Liam.” Her voice was whisper soft, and there was none of the vibrancy or love for life that normally shone through. “I don’t think I can do this.”

He looked down at her, looking so young and fragile in his arms; “You can Rae.” You have no choice “I know you can.”


Arr, if this not be drawin' out me Mimmi, I know not what will.
Comments (0)