Brimstone - Eleven, Eleven. Eleven, Eleven.
By Alison Sky and Sylvana Lorrdain
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Her gut was telling her something was wrong. Everything looked calm today,
the other loonies here all eating their breakfast like they had everyday
since she had arrived. There was conversation, some with others, some to
themselves. There was nothing that would strike out as abnormal… at least
abnormal at Perdition, the psycho ward of the New Republic.
But her father had trained her to never ignore her gut. Corellians were
born with a sixth sense, he once told her. We're able to sense danger,
which as long as we recognize it, it protects us.
Well, Crawler's gut was going insane at the moment, and she was sure it
wasn't from the morning gruel.
Looking around the room, her eyes focused on a few men at one table,
whispering to each other and looking at her over their shoulders. When they
saw her, they all went back to their meals. She narrowed her eyes and made
to stand until a hand clasped her shoulder.
"Found you!" Sylvana's seemingly cheerful voice surprised Crawler as the
Terran walked around behind to sit across the table, setting the bar she
was using as a cane across her lap. "I figured that mayhaps sitting with
you would at least make this meal a bit more exciting," she grinned, her
teeth almost flashing a brief moment in the light.
Crawler couldn't help but smirk at her best friend's sense of humor. It was
killing her not to be able to tell Sylvana who she was. But everyone in
Rogue and Wraith Squadron, and especially herself, were not allowed to
reveal her identity to the Terrans. She was dead to them, and no matter
how much she loved her friend, she couldn't disobey an order.
Her father's secrets were at sake.
"I don't think anything will save this stuff," Crawler said with her
customary smirk. "We should just throw it out the window and eat whatever
animal dies from trying to eat this."
Sylvana's eyes opened wide. "But the poor animals! Why do they deserve to
have this type of treatment?" she half teased.
"What have we done to deserve this treatment?" Crawler replied, putting her
spoon into the gruel and lifting it a bit, letting it fall back onto the
tray with a "slurp".
Sylvana leaned closer. "They say we're crazy," she whispered in a hushed
tone, wiggling her eyebrows conspiratorially.
Crawler chuckled. "They're right. We've been crazy our whole lives… took
them long enough to realize it." She pushed her plate aside, then looked
up, only to find Sylvana staring at her. Crawler narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"You've only known me a few days… how do you know *I've* been crazy my
whole life?" Sylvana asked.
"I assumed," Crawler shrugged.
"No, you didn't...." Sylvana frowned softly then her eyes widened
imperceptibly in recognition. She smirked, "You meant it. Just like all
the other adventures we had in college."
"I think you're mistaking me for someone else," Crawler sighed and went to
pick up her tray.
"And like you knew I would fall head over feet for Hobbie when you sent him
down to visit me," Sylvana continued.
"Hobbie who?" Crawler raised an eyebrow in feigned ignorance. She knew
that Sylvana was digging, and she couldn't give up anything.
"Or... the time we tried to scare the people in the theatre by walking
along the running track and making ghost noises, and you ended up sneaking
down and grabbing that hot senior's ass!"
"I did not grab his ass!" Crawler stated, then opened her eyes in shock.
That was an argument that they had shared for years… and her mind gave the
automatic response.
Kriff.
Sylvana smirked the moment Crawler had spoken, then she grinned and jumped
up to hug her from across the table. "I knew it! I knew it, I knew it I
KNEW IT!" She kissed her best friend's cheek, standing back and grasping
her shoulders. "When we were fighting, you kept saying things that
reminded me of you, but I wasn't sure... and the dreams. But... how?! I
thought... they told me you were dead!" She scowled, "I'm so kicking
Hobbie's ass next time I see him."
Crawler put a hand over Syl's mouth and gave her a look, shutting her best
friend up instantly. They had gathered the attention of the guys at the
table, and Crawler flashed them a look that told them to mind their own
business. She then grabbed Syl's arm and dragged her out of the cafeteria
and to the walkway that led to the gardens.
Once there, she let Sylvana go and took a few steps away. "You're not
supposed to know I'm alive," Crawler stated, not able to look her best
friend in the eyes.
"Why the hell NOT?!" Sylvana leaned on her bar, reaching out to touch her
shoulder; but Alison Sky-Danziger Fel shrugged it away, no longer able to
keep up the Crawler facade. "What happened?" She asked in a quieter tone.
"That's classified," Alison replied, turning to look out over the gardens.
"Since when did the classified rule apply to our friendship?" Sylvana
frowned.
"Since I was recruited into New Republic Intelligence." Alison turned
around to look at Sylvana.
"NRI? You mean Cracken's group?" Sylvana came closer.
Alison sighed and nodded. "Syl, I can't tell you anything… sith, I've
already told you too much as it is…"
"No you haven't. Answer me this. Why would Cracken want you up there,
when you could be down on Terra with us?" She held up one hand, her fingers
curled tightly as she pointed at Alison's nose. "And DON'T pull that
*classified* garbage. If I recall correctly, that was MY line."
Looking past Sylvana, Alison let her mind get lost in her own thoughts for
a moment how to answer that without revealing the real truth to her best
friend… there were things that she had NEVER told Syl about her past.
"Let's just say I'm a special case."
"Join the club," Sylvana muttered with a sigh. "Fine, whatever. Don't
answer me. But, remember this, Alisky. I know you better than anyone
here, and I know when you're lying to me. Your whole Intel act can go to
hell." Her expression changed, pained a bit, "You used to trust me."
"I *do* trust you," Alison said. "It's just complicated."
"Well, when you get uncomplicated, you know where to find me." Sylvana
snapped. "Be careful and just... take care of yourself; but then you've
always been good at that, haven't you?" She sighed. With that, Sylvana
limped away towards the gardens.
Alison watched her go then sighed.
Trust your gut, her mind told her.
But what if my gut tells me to do something that I know I shouldn't?
Your gut won't. That's why you should always trust it.
Taking a deep breath, Alison made to follow Sylvana, planning to screw all
of NRI's classified rules regarding her existence to any member of Terra
group, when suddenly she felt the stab of a vibroblade on her back as a
hand came to wrap around her mouth.
"Don't try anything, Fel, or I will stab this into your spine faster than
you can cry for help from your crippled friend," a dark voice whispered
into her ear, and pushed the point of the blade further into her back to
get his threat across.
"What do you want?" she mumbled from behind his hand.
"Revenge." With that, she was pulled backwards and into a room off to the
side, then trapped in darkness.