A Dangerous Game (H 1.6)

I am sipping a drink while balanced on the edge of blade. Seeing Lucky again, in this foreign environment, makes him seem even more rugged and dangerous than usual. I swallow a bit more liquid courage, before I answer. "Not yet, no. That's why you're here. I know you'd like to own that ship free and clear." I move my gaze to Wells. "I know you want me." I lift my drink a bit to both of them. "And I want the treasures of the Vault." I take another small sip. "Trading me for the Merrimack is a win-win...win. For all three of us." I meet Lucky's eyes, trying to convey to him that there's more to this too, more that I can't say aloud. "This...is what you asked me to do for you." I take a short breath. "But if you don't want to let me go, then I guess there's nothing we can do." I glance at Wells when I say "we" as if he's a part of it; as if Lucky is obviously the one in control here who could end all of this.

I go still when Lucky leans in to Whisper to me, realizing now that his weapon could just as easily be used against me as it could against Wells. I whisper back, "You can have both."

Everything is happening too fast and too slow all at once. My heart races at Lucky's demand, and Wells' move. I realize that Wells could be going for a weapon, and he needs Lucky more than he might need me. Lucky is the key to the library, I'm just some floozy who doesn't want to go through his medical tests before he beds me. Wells would do better shooting me to keep me quiet than shooting Lucky.

But if I can calm Lucky down, I can calm Wells down too, and I can still walk away from this.

I stand up, hands up in surrender and try to step between Wells and Lucky, my eyes on Lucky. "You're right. You're right. I owe you that. Just get Nuport and I out of here and we can talk, okay?" I nod toward where Nuport sits, hoping it might be enough to distract Lucky and de-escalate things.

Lucky meets your eyes - he'll agree to this. You pulled him here, somehow - he'll get you out. Wells, however, knows you know who killed Hard Strike and he doesn't trust you not to rat him out - here and now. In fact, he suspects this was all a setup to get him in a vulnerable position. You can feel it, Helix. It's all slipping away - the calm, the control, the peace. Wells will not allow this, and you're the single piece that is a true threat to all he's wanted.

"Run! Run away!" a Whisper screams in your head. You push the warning aside: surely, the Whisper's only yelling at you for being a fool thinking you could hold sway with these two animals from different zoos.

When you look over at Wells to try and find some way to soothe his worries, you see it. Through the window that looks out onto the water, you see a little pencil-sized something floating in the air and coming closer - fast. You notice a plume of white smoke trailing behind it. You've never seen anything like it, but you can tell it is coming right the frell at that window. Which is right in front of you.

You have just enough time to turn and try to run before it slams into the window and explodes, sending glass through the entire vault. The explosion throws everyone to the floor and your ears ring louder than the Whispers can scream warnings. Your vision is blurry and swimming when you look at the open space where the window used to be.

Before you lose consciousness, you look up to see someone swing on a line into the room - a woman with a metallic jaw and a very big gun. She stomps over to grab you and throws you over her muscular shoulder to carry you out of this sudden warzone before you pass out.

End Scene