artus
Viper Pilot
Posts: 140
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Post by artus on Jun 15, 2006 13:00:09 GMT -6
Artus shook his head, as if he wanted to demonstrate that he was trying to overcome the dizzyness associated with being stunned.
"I'm doing allright, considering the circumstances."
He smiled a disarming smile.
"I understand you had to do that. It's allright, I believe that wat ever was affecting me is gone now. I feel a lot better for it."
He then leaned in closer to Brie.
"You know it could probably heal faster. It doesn't even have to hurt. And even old age can be cured these days. You'd be surprised what a younger man can do for you..."
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Post by Brie on Jun 15, 2006 13:38:18 GMT -6
Brie was totally taken aback by the comment. It was wrong on so many levels. Artus had proclaimed his love for Amy less than a centar before and now...at least it was obvious that he didn't know that Brie was Amy's birth mother. Even all that aside Brie was Artus' commanding officer, a line that Brie wouldn't cross for anyone.
But maybe it wasn't Artus speaking. Maybe whoever, WHATEVER it was that had been there before still had a grip on him. Artus had claimed that it was gone, but isn't that what it would want Brie to think? He knew that Brie had been the one who had shot him, but centons earlier he hadn't even known what he was doing in the med lab. Brie realized that she had made a big mistake, thinking that she could handle this on her own. She considered calling for help, but help from what? If it was just a line she'd give the entire security department something to gossip about in their spare time.
Or maybe she just took the comment totally wrong. Maybe it was just about her leg wound. Why did she automatically think that Artus was hitting on her? She was slightly ashamed of herself. She knew better than to jump to conclusions based on what other people had said or someone's reputation.
And as Amy had told her several times, age is just a state of mind.
She stared directly at Artus and said the only two words that her lips would form. "Excuse me?"
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artus
Viper Pilot
Posts: 140
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Post by artus on Jun 19, 2006 0:59:26 GMT -6
Artus looked into Brie's eyes.
"Don't worry, relax. I understand what it must have been like for you all this time. After all, they do say it's lonely at the top. And with you losing your husband like that, I must imagine that you simply don't know who to turn to anymore."
He put his hand on her leg, very gently.
"I understand the difficulty for you, and I only want to help. Nobody would need to know about this, just me and you. I could be your safe harbour during the storm"
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Post by Brie on Jun 19, 2006 13:04:34 GMT -6
Okay, Brie thought, I was right. Frack. She still wasn’t sure what was going on. Two possibilities came to mind. The first was one obvious, Artus was a total scumbag. He had earlier sat on this same bed, declaring his love for Amy, and now he was making totally inappropriate suggestions in Amy’s room. If this was what was happening she would first request that Artus be transferred to a different squadron and second make sure that Amy never was anywhere near him again. Amy had such lousy taste in men and she would protect her daughter at all costs.
There was a second possibility. Artus was still possessed by whatever. It was making the suggestion, not Artus, it was just using Artus’ natural charm to try to work on her. Brie decided to go with that thought, Artus was a member of Gold Squadron and Gold Squadron held to certain codes of ethics. So he must still be possessed. Whatever it was wanted Brie to think that it was Artus talking, so she had to be convincing.
“If you don’t remove your hand from my leg this micron I’ll shoot you again,” she said calmly.
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artus
Viper Pilot
Posts: 140
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Post by artus on Jun 20, 2006 1:42:02 GMT -6
"But major.."
Artus pulled back his hand, and then said;
"by the Lords of Kobol..."
a little too loudly.
He smiled a very reasuring smile.
"You seem to completely misunderstand me. I by no means wish to take your husband's place. Neither am I referring to anything, ehm, sexual..."
At this point Artus did a very good impression of turning red.
"Oh, my, the implications alone..."
He shrugged and looked normal again.
"I'm just saying that if you need a friend, I can be there for you. Seeing as we're both off active duty at the moment, I can be the one that eases your mind by listening to the stories you have to tell. Don't you finally want somebody who actually does listen to what you ahve to say. Not just as a major, but as a woman?"
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Post by Brie on Jun 20, 2006 9:49:33 GMT -6
Brie breathed a sigh of relief as Artus removed his hand. And if she was to be totally honest with herself he was kind of cute when he blushed, she could see what Amy saw in him. But she was more convinced than ever that there was a lot more going on than what it seemed. Every now and then Artus himself seemed to surface for a micron. Fight it, Artus. I know that you’re still in there somewhere, she thought to herself.
The best thing that she could do was keep him talking. She needed to somehow turn the conversation away from herself and back to him. “I know how most people perceive me,” she said at last. “They think that I’m as cold as ice. They think that the military is my entire life. But that perception is my choice. Believe it or not I DO have friends, close friends. They listen to me if I need to talk, and they also respect my space if I need it.” Brie realized that she was doing a lousy job of turning the conversation around. She decided to take a chance, mention something that it knew but Artus wouldn’t. “Amy, for example. We’re so close that I sometimes feel like we’re family.” She hoped she wouldn’t regret saying it.
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artus
Viper Pilot
Posts: 140
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Post by artus on Jun 21, 2006 7:21:39 GMT -6
Artus took Brie's hand in the most reassuring of ways.
"But you are family aren't you? I know she grew up on the agro ship, but you will always be her mother..."
He looked deep in her eyes, with nothing but compassion.
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Post by Brie on Jun 21, 2006 12:49:34 GMT -6
That was all that she needed to hear. "Artus wouldn't have known that..." Brie mumbled.
He smiled. "No, of course he wouldn't. Artus doesn't know you like I do. I know what's important to you, Brie. If you will let me, I can heal Amy and her child. Your grandchild."
"No, you can't do that," Brie said, shaking her head. "You don't have that kind of power. Leave Amy alone."
"You have no idea how much power I am capable of," he continued. "But without us working together, Amy and her child will die. We could accomplish great things, working as one. You don't need to be afraid. You don't like being afraid. I will protect you, make sure nothing bad will ever happen to you." He paused, then smiled again. "That must have been terrible. Just seventeen yahrens old, and you were trying to help him! He used your own compassion against you. You felt weak, helpless, feelings that with me you will never experience again. We could have our revenge against Ange. Revenge for not only what he did to you, but what he did to Amy as well."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Brie lied.
"I think I do. Poor Amy. Such a pretty girl. She never received the respect that she deserves. Wouldn't you like to do something to help her? Not only heal the baby, but get rid of its father as well? I know how you feel about Charybdis, you thought he was your friend but he's let you down so many times. He has so little faith in you and when you needed him he couldn't even bother to fit you into his schedule. And worst of all, he used your daughter. Messed up her thinking for the most important mission of her life, and then left her pregnant for the Cylons to experiment on. It's his fault that she's in surgery now, dying......together we can fix all of that. Just say the word and not only does the baby survive but the test results were wrong. It's not his baby after all. And Charybdis himself? We can make sure that he's not able to hurt Amy ever again. You'd like that, wouldn't you. You never thought that he was good enough for your only child."
"Shut up!" Brie shouted, pulling back her hand. "I don't want to hear any more."
"There are several ways we could do this," he said, leaning close enough to whisper in her ear. "Some more pleasant than others. We could both really enjoy it, and since you've realized that Artus is no longer in control all those pesky little moral problems that have been bothering you would just.....disappear. I promise, I can bring you more pleasure in the next few centons than you have even known in your whole life." He put his arms on Brie's shoulders and gently but firmly started to push her down.
For a micron Brie flashed back to when she was seventeen. She could smell the grog on Ange's breath, see the sweat on his face, feel her own helplessness as she realized what was about to happen. "No," she screamed, pulling out her laser. "Not again!" She fired once, hitting Artus squarely in the chest. A shocked look crossed Artus' face. He put a hand on his chest, stared at the blood and fell to the floor, unconscious.
The door flew open and the two blackshirts who had been waiting in the hall came running in. "It sounded like a laser shot," the first one said.
"Holy frack!" the second one exclaimed. "What happened?"
"I need one of you to get a medical team here immediately," Brie said calmly.
"I'm on it, Ma'am," the first guard said. He took off at a run.
"What do you want me to do?" the second one asked.
Brie handed him her laser. "You'll need this. As soon as the forensics team arrives I want you to escort me back to my quarters. I'm placing myself under house arrest."
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Post by Brie on Jun 22, 2006 13:46:01 GMT -6
The medical team was there within five centons. Artus was whisked away. Brie sat on the edge of the bed, her head feeling like it was going to explode. “What happened?” the remaining blackshirt asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
“We shouldn’t be talking,” Brie said at last. “You’re a witness, and I don’t want to be accused of trying to lead your testimony.”
Enoch and Jared arrived before the forensics team. “What’s going on?” Jared asked the blackshirt.
“We heard a shot, and so we entered right away,” he explained. “Lieutenant Artus was bleeding on the floor. Major Brie handed me her sidearm and said she was placing herself under house arrest. That’s all I know.”
“We’ll escort Major Brie back to her quarters and keep her under guard,” Enoch said. “You stay here and give your statement.”
The guard pulled out a set of restraints. “You’ll want these,” he said to Enoch. “After all, she is under arrest.”
Enoch shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”
Jared approached Brie. She was covered with blood. “Are you okay?” She nodded, but didn’t say anything. “There’s no reason for you to stay here. We’ll take you home, you can make your statement just as easily from there.”
“Okay,” Brie said. She stood up, realizing immediately that there was no pain in her leg. The wound that had been giving her trouble for so long was completely healed.
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