Needledrop

12

We got to the same place we parked my ship when we arrived. I pull my blaster from its holster and raise it to the person standing before us. Two more people stand behind him. There is a gunshot in his shoulder and he holds a shaking, crying Keya. Her hands are tied in front of her and she is gagged. Brett takes a step forward to go to her but is stopped when Giovanni grabs his arm.

"Hey baby girl." I greet Keya softly and kindly, ignoring the people behind her. "Are you okay?" I ask. She nods stiffly as the blaster against her head clicks. She whimpers and I see Brett trying to break free from Giovanni's iron grip. I spot a trail of red going down the front of her shirt. Blood. My anger rises at the sight.

"Hello champion." The man holding both the book and Keya greats me, his voice low and gurgles.

"I suggest you let her, and the book go." I tell him sternly, not allowing my blaster to fall from its target. I see a swift movement of orange then see Star sink his teeth into the man's leg, attempting to save Keya.

"Damned pest." The man lets out a gurgled growl, kicking Star so hard he flies across the room. Star lets out a loud yip and whimper of pain. My anger boils over and I fire my blaster, killing one of the three men. He falls to the floor as I move my gun to point at the man with Keya.

"Brett go check on Star and get Keya out of here." I tell him harshly. He does as told very quickly. I fire the blaster and hit the man holding Keya in the hip. He lets go of her and she runs to Brett. He takes her and Star out of the room, closing the heavy doors behind him. "I want him alive." I tell Giovanni as we both charge for the men. Giovanni takes on the other guy while I take the one holding Athena.

"This book is the property of Needledrop!" The man shouts as he flails his hands around. In this action I found an opportunity to strike. I holster my blaster and grab the book with my left hand, turning my back to him and taking a knife out from the other holster on my thigh. I bring the knife down on his wrist, cutting his hand clean off. He cries out in pain and passes out. I look over at Giovanni who has been pinned by the guy he was fighting.

I jog over and shove the man off, dodging the gun shot from his blaster. Giovanni and I fight side by side now, taking the man on. The three of us engage in a fight of flying legs, fists, arms, and feet. At some point the man's fist collides with my jaw, knocking me back to the ground. Giovanni is soon to follow me. I scan the ground for my blade as we both crawl back. I rush to my feet and dive for the blade. I distract him, giving Giovanni a chance to rush past the man and grab a sword that came out of nowhere I spotter earlier.

In a split second, Giovanni and I plunge two blades into him, Giovanni's sticking out of his abdomen and mine in his chest. We slice our blades towards opposite sides and cut through the guy. He falls at our feet in a bloody mess. The heavy doors to the room open as Giovanni and I stare at each other.

His pale skin is soaked in blood, bruises blossom across his face and around his left eye. His black hair that was tied back in a bun is now messy with stray clumps of sweaty strands sticking out. I can only imagine what I look like.

"Thank you both." Athena's voice fills my ears. I look up at Giovanni and know he heard her too.

"What's going on here?" Inezze's loud voice booms. Giovanni and I turn our attention to her with the same look on our faces.

"Needledrop got in." I tell her matter of factly. "Giovanni and I eliminated the threat. Jake was hurt and needs immediate medical attention." I say as I wipe my blade off on the dead body at my feet and holster the blade. Inezze is no longer looking at me when I turn my attention back to her. She stares at the shorter sword in his hand. The blade is beautiful, old in design with different scratches and nicks all down the entire length of the blade.

"Where did you get that?" She asks Giovanni in a whisper as she approaches him, hands raised to the blade.

"It was sitting on the floor over there." Giovanni refers to the spot he found the blade with the tip of the thing. Inezze reaches out to run her fingers across the smooth surface of the metal when the thing goes red and burns her.

"This blade belonged to your father. It was specially made so that only those he trusted most and those of his blood could wield it." A tinge of pain lit up her mismatched eyes. Giovanni stared down at the blade, wonder in his eyes and a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Giovanni!" We both turn our heads to where Lillian stands, her face worried, braid hanging over her shoulder, her hands and clothes stained with silver blood. Oriana follows her, the same dishevelled look. "It's Jake." Her voice has a sad tone to it, her face worried. She looks like she's about to cry. In that moment I know both my and Giovanni's worlds stop. I was really starting to like Jake and I know I have accepted Giovanni, loving him the way you'd love a brother. They were my family now, even if I haven't known them for all that long. Giovanni drops his blade, no care for it now, and runs alongside me to the medical wing. We get there and meet up with the doctor standing decide the door to Jake's room.

"Hello Giovanni." The man says with a sad tone. The man is at least seven feet tall with curving horns on his head and goat like legs with hooves for feet, his torso was like any human torso covered in a plain blue shirt and a white doctor's coat. His hair and skin were dark, thick rimmed glasses around his pale-yellow eyes.

"How is he, Billy?" Giovani asks frantically and breathlessly, eyes begging for good news. Billy references for us to follow him into the room. Jake lays on a hospital bed, tubes hooked up to him and a heart monitor beeping softly in the corner. A tube goes down his nose, likely supplying him with oxygen. His chest falls on the same rhythm, too slow for him to be awake. His normally perfect sun kissed skin is pale, his ombré blue and white freckles that cover his body pulse with a dull blue light. The pulse reminds me of a heartbeat. The light isn't too bright, just barely noticeable. Everything about this seems wrong. Jake is a lively, sassy guy full of energy not a pale, cold man laying in a hospital bed fighting for his life. He should be awake and smacking Giovanni for being reckless and yell at me for walking in on them earlier. I can feel Giovanni's pain and sadness.

Stepping forward I take his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze to tell him I'm not going anywhere and that it's going to be okay, even if that last one was a lie. Doctor Billy starts to talk, interrupting the silence in the room.

"You may want to say your goodbyes, I'm not certain if he will make it."