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azombiewritesTitle: A Man Reborn
Rating: PG
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
AU: Space Cowboys
Main Characters: All Seven.
Summary: Six men make up Team Seven, a group of professional bounty hunters. After a fellow bounty hunter’s cover is blown, he joins the team and begins the journey of changing his life forever.
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Spoilers: None
Status: Complete
Total Word Count: 58,220
Ezra could feel a sudden weight taking over his body. His shoulder throbbed in pain with each beat of his heart. He wasn't going to last much longer but he had to. If he collapsed now, they would be in control of his body. They would lock him in a room, tie him down and drug him, then return him to Travis. No! That wasn't going to happen.
He didn't realise it was going to be this difficult. He was sure that Larabee would have killed him, but for reasons only known to Larabee, he hadn't. Not even after, he had threatened to kill JD Dunne. There was the option of fighting his way out but Larabee was right, he was in no condition to fight two men.
The Infiltrator wanted to glare at Larabee but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to pull it off. So he stared out of the same window that JD had been looking out earlier. The Star System was easily recognisable; they were only a matter of hours away from Base.
'Ezra Standish!' Josiah's voice echoed through the passageway.
The small giant walked into the room a few seconds later.
Ezra had looked up to see Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner trying to hide their smiles. He hid his own worry and put his poker face in place. These men were hard, cold hearted, scary and caring. It was the caring part that scared him the most. He inwardly flinched when the one called Josiah Sanchez stepped into the room.
'You hollered.' Ezra gave the man a look, a look that told Josiah not to mess with him if he didn't want to be hurt.
Josiah ignored the look, knowing that Standish wasn't capable of hurting a fly at the moment. He moved towards the man that looked as though he was going to collapse at any moment. Buck followed him, knowing what Josiah's intentions were.
Ezra quickly jumped to his feet and prepared himself for a fight. The only thing he managed to do was to cause himself a bout of dizziness. His body had had enough and was warning it's owner that it couldn't take anymore.
Buck and Josiah moved forward to grab an arm each. Ezra reacted and threw a punch that Josiah easily ducked. Buck wasn't quick enough to move himself away from the kick that came quick and fast. It struck him in the stomach, causing him to double over and struggle for breath.
Ezra was too busy fighting his body's need to rest and the man that was trying to grab him to see Chris move like a cat towards him. The next thing he knew, a fist slammed into his jaw knocking him to the floor. He stared up through a fog at Larabee.
'Looks like I win.' Chris smiled down at what he considered to be a stubborn-pain-in-the-ass-who-doesn't-know-what-was-good-for-him-imbecile.
'Not the impending fight.' Standish warned.
Chris shrugged and watched as the man struggled against the oncoming darkness.
Josiah didn't watch as Chris did. He bent down and picked the man up, throwing him over his shoulder. He ignored the grunt of pain and short struggle to escape, a few seconds later his burden became inactive.
'That's how you do it Chris,' Josiah growled at him, 'you don't wait for him to fall flat on his face!'
'Oh, you mean I should hit him all the time.'
'That's not what I meant and you know it.' Josiah said as he began to carry Standish through the passageways back to the medical room with the others following him. 'What the hell were you thinking? Were you waiting for him to die? Is that what you want?'
'It was his idea.' Chris argued. 'He was the one that wanted to fight. I knew he wasn't in the condition to do so, so I didn't fight.'
'He wouldn't give himself up either.' Vin added to the heated discussion.
'Why didn't you do what I just did?' Josiah asked Chris.
'I was enjoying myself too much.' Chris smiled.
Josiah growled and returned his attention to Standish. The man had to be an idiot to attempt what he did. He'd nearly died, and yet after he woke up from a life saving operation, he was moving around, threatening people and willing to fight his way out of what he must have thought was a dangerous situation. Either that or he was scared about what was happening around him.
Josiah moved quickly and purposely to the bed in the medical room and laid he burden onto it, he then stepped aside so Nathan, who was still clad in only a sheet, could check on his patient.
'Well?' Josiah sounded impatient.
'His wound is bleeding again but apart from that he seems okay.' Nathan began to remove his clothes from Standish's body. 'He's lucky he's not awake. I'd give him a mouthful if he was.'
'Don't know if you'd get a word in Nathan. He's pretty talkative.' Chris told him.
'He hasn't talked to me yet!' Nathan growled.
Josiah moved until he stood in front of Chris and the others. 'Why don't you guys leave so Nathan and I can take care of Ezra here.
'All of you seem to be on a first name basis with the guy and you haven't even met him yet.' Chris spun on his heel and marched out of the room.
'Think he's jealous?' Buck asked Vin.
'Maybe,' Vin answered, 'but he's got a point . . . we don't know the guy and yet here we are trusting him and treating him like someone we've known for years. Why does he want to get away from us? He knows who we are and yet for some reason he's afraid of us. Why?'
'You just said he knows who we are Vin. That's probably why he's scared.' Buck boasted.
'There's nothing about you that would scare any man Buck!' JD responded.
'No but I've got enough to scare any woman.' Bucked fingered his moustache as it grew with his smile.
'Get out!' Josiah yelled at them.
His voice caused the man on the bed to move and moan in pain. Josiah knew that Nathan was about to start berating the man so he quickly intervened on Standish's behalf.
'Nathan, leave him be for now, he's scared enough of us at the moment, we don't want him to be terrified.'
'He's not a child Josiah, I'm sure he's quite capable of taking care of himself.' Nathan pointed to his head injury to emphasise his point.
'Okay,' Josiah stepped back, 'you're right. Yell at him all you want.'
'Help me get these clothes off him then I'll change the bandage, and then, I'm going to take care of myself.'
'Okay, sure.' Josiah shook his head and then did as he was told.
Six
Ezra blinked. His eyelids were sticky and were refusing to stay open for more than a few seconds at a time. He lifted an arm and wiped his eyes with the knuckle of his forefinger. A gentle cough caused his survival instincts to take control. He bolted off the bed, tearing off everything that was attached to his body. A large arm wrapped around his waist, stopping him from going any further. Ezra's body fought with all the strength it could muster.
'Ezra!' a soft voice hissed in his ear.
How does this person know my name?
Ezra pulled away from him and looked up into the face. This man was familiar to him but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. The gray-blues and three-day growth fought to bring a memory to the forefront of his mind.
'Let me go!' Ezra growled menacingly.
'Not until you're back in that bed!' Josiah retorted.
Ezra frowned and looked around the man's shoulder to the bed that he just escaped from.
'Bed?' his face filled with confusion.
'Do you remember what happened?'
'I don't even remember who you are.' Ezra looked around the room and saw all the medical equipment. 'Am I in a hospital?'
'No, you're on a ship. You were shot, we found you and brought you here.' Josiah explained.
It all started to come back slowly. Halis had shot him. He struggled to remember why. The memory kept its distance from him. His eyes travelled back to the man who held his arm tight enough to cause a bruise. 'Josiah Sanchez.'
'Yes . . . Do you remember us now?'
'Regretfully,' Ezra scowled at him. 'You can let me go now, obviously I can't go anywhere.'
'You going to get back into that bed?' Josiah continued to squeeze the younger man's arm in annoyance.
'No.'
'Then I'm not going to let go.'
'I gather then, that neither of us are going anywhere.' Ezra smiled revealing a gold molar on the bottom right side of his jaw.
'I wouldn't bet on it son.' Josiah began to pull Ezra back towards the bed.
'Mr. Sanchez,'
Josiah turned. He didn't see the right fist, it's speed and accuracy astounded him. The strength behind the punch also surprised him. He felt the blow, then the floor as he hit it a few seconds later.
'No one calls me son!'
Josiah rubbed his jaw and gazed up at the man he had called son. 'It's a term of endearment, it didn't mean . . .'
'I don't give a fuck what it meant. Never use that term with me again. Do you understand me!'
'I understand.' Josiah nodded. 'Are you going to get back into that bed or do I have to throw you into it.'
'Where are my clothes?' Ezra pulled his arm away when the larger man tried to grab him again.
'They've been destroyed.' Josiah simply stated.
'Why?' Ezra growled at him.
'They were covered in blood, they had holes in them . . . would you like me to go on?'
'Are there other clothes that I could wear?'
'Yes, but you're not ready to wear them yet.'
'I'm fine.'
'You nearly died Ezra.' Josiah heard the sadness in his own voice. He was a man that was saddened by a stranger's death. He hated the thought of anyone dying.
'I didn't die, I'm fine!'
Nathan Jackson took that opportunity to return to the medical room. 'So how come you're fine!'
Ezra quickly turned and a wave of dizziness caused his legs to buckle. Large hands grabbed him and half carried him back to the bed. He struggled against them but his strength was deserting him. The two men literally threw him onto the bed then strapped him down before he knew what they were doing.
'You can't do this!' Ezra told them.
'It's for your own good,' Nathan growled at him, 'I didn't appreciate it the first time you hit me and I don't want it to happen again.'
'I can't go back!' Ezra pulled at the restraint with his right arm. He wasn't going to be able to get out of this situation. They'll take him back, the wrong person will find out that he was still alive, and then they'll be after him again. He might not be so lucky the next time.
'Why not?' Jackson crossed his arms and frowned down at the man. 'You know, you're doing pretty well for a man who was on his deathbed. You haven't been taking some sort of drug have you?'
Josiah glared at Nathan. It wasn't the sort of question you should ask an AA operative.
'I don't take drugs!' Ezra spat out through gritted teeth.
'I was only asking.' Nathan shrugged. 'I mean, you hit me pretty hard, and then what you did with JD and the others . . . you shouldn't have been able to walk . . . and yet look at you. It's as though you only twisted a finger or something.'
'I can't go back there.' Ezra repeated in a whisper.
'Why not?' Josiah asked.
'That's none of your damn business. Now let me the hell off this bed!'
'No.'
Ezra stared at Nathan. 'I should have hit you harder.'
'You can always try again.' Nathan smiled at him.
'Thank you . . . I will.'
Nathan, at first, thought the man was joking but the anger in the green eyes told him that he was very serious.
'Okay, but you have to be a man next time and make sure I'm ready for you.' Nathan winked at Josiah.
Josiah though didn't react, he wasn't finding the situation funny at all. 'Nathan, do you mind leaving us alone for a minute.'
Both Josiah and Ezra watched as Nathan reluctantly left the room. Ezra then turned his head away from the larger man and tried to think of a something that would get him out of danger. Normally he didn't care but there were six other men now involved. If they forced their protection on him then they too would be in danger. Ezra knew that it was something that Larabee wouldn't do by choice but if Travis had anything to do with it, Larabee wouldn't have a choice. Ezra needed to get away and deal with this on his own, that way no one who was innocent would be harmed.
'You want to tell me what's going on Ezra?'
There was no reply to his answer.
'Ezra?'
'I have to get out of here, isn't that enough.'
'No, it isn't. Maybe we can help you with whatever it is.' Josiah suggested.
'Help me,' Ezra turned his head to the right to stare at the man next to the bed, 'you don't even know me, why would you want to help me.'
'You're AA, one of us, we look after our own.'
Ezra started to laugh. 'That's funny . . . look after our own.' his voice then became serious. 'Who ever told you that!'
'I don't need to be told, it's in my nature to help people.'
'I don't need help. I take care of myself. No one else does it for me and I don't do it for anyone else.'
'Must be a lonely life not having any friends.' Josiah sat on the edge of the bed. There was more to this man than he had originally thought.
'I didn't say that I didn't . . . '
'You didn't need to. You look after yourself, no one else that means you can't afford to have friends, they might need your help and you won't give it to them.'
Ezra chuckled again and shook his head. 'You've got that wrong Mr. Sanchez.'
'Josiah . . . and why don't you tell me your version.'
'No.'
'Why not?'
'Because it's none of your business.'
'Why did Halis shoot you?'
'I don't know.'
'Are you lying?' Josiah asked him. He received a glare for his answer.
Ezra glanced over Josiah's shoulder when he noticed a darkly dressed figure enter the room. Chris Larabee, the last person he wanted to see right now.
'You're not up to something nasty are you Josiah?' Chris slapped his friend on the back and fingered the restraints that held Standish's arms.
'He tried to get away again.' Josiah explained.
'You are one stubborn son-of-a-bitch aren't you Standish.'
'You have no right to keep here like this.'
'Why do we have him here like this?' Chris asked Josiah.
'So he won't get away again.'
'It's not like he's got anywhere to go.'
Ezra looked from Chris to Josiah then back again.
'He might hurt himself.'
'Like I care about that.'
Chris undid the first strap and leaned over Ezra's body to undo the other strap. He expected Standish to hit him or at least try to push him away but he didn't. He just lay there with a stupid expression written on his face.
'I hope you're not as stupid as you look right now.' Chris pressed against the man's stomach to help himself up.
Ezra let out a gasp of breath and swore at the blond man.
'Now that's not nice.' Chris shook a finger at him.
'I need some clothes.' Ezra said.
'Josiah.' Chris's simple use of the man's name told him to get Ezra some clothes.
'Chris, are you sure?'
'I'm sure.' Chris smiled again. 'Hell, for all I care he can jump ship and break his neck while he's doing it.'
'You're too kind.' Ezra sneered at him.
'So, how did you manage to make it look like you were dead?' Chris got straight to the point, he'd had enough of the small talk already.
'Purely accidental, I assure you.'
'You're lying.' Chris stated coldly. 'You weren't breathing and you had no pulse.'
Ezra shrugged and pushed himself up into a sitting position. His hissed out in pain when he pulled at his injury.
'How come you're lying there as though you scratched a finger instead of someone who came pretty close to dying?'
'I'm not using drugs.' Ezra insisted again.
'Didn't say you were.'
'You're doctor said I was.'
'Are you?'
'No.'
Josiah returned to the room with some fresh clothes for their passenger.
'You sure about that.' Chris watched as Standish caught the clothes that were thrown at him. 'There has to be a reason why you're recovering so well.'
Ezra threw his legs off the edge of f the bed and held on for dear life when the vertigo threatened to take him. He felt like shit but he wasn't going to allow these people to see what he was feeling. It would only make him look weak.
'Crap.' Chris leaned forward and slapped Ezra's injured shoulder.
Ezra bit his teeth against the cry of pain that emitted from his mouth. He lost his grip on the bed and began to fall towards the floor. Someone caught him and held him up. He tried to get his balance but the pain radiating through his shoulder caused his body to tremble. His mind couldn't register a coherent thought.
'Just what I thought.' Chris nodded.
'That wasn't a very nice thing to do Chris.' Josiah growled at him.
'What? You told me to hit him.'
'I also told you, that wasn't what I meant!' the larger man retorted.
Chris lifted his hands in surrender and stepped back.
When the arms that were holding him up let go, Ezra began his second trip to the floor. His fall was stopped inches from the cold floor.
'Let's get you back on the bed Ezra.' Josiah's voice was full of kindness.
'No wonder that man has a reputation.' Ezra muttered as he allowed Josiah to help him back onto the bed.
'You don't have anywhere to go, you can't leave this ship, so you may as well stay in bed and get some rest.'
Ezra nodded in resignation. 'How long till we arrive?'
'Just over three hours.' Chris told him from the doorway.
Ezra nodded again and closed his eyes. 'They're going to kill me, you know that don't you.'
Josiah glanced over his shoulder at Chris then back at the man on the bed.
'What are you talking about Ezra? Who's going to kill you? Ezra?' Josiah prodded the man's good shoulder. He was asleep already. 'What do you think that was about?'
'Don't know.' Chris shrugged and for the first time since he'd met the man he'd taken an instant disliking to, his interest had been activated.
Seven
Just because he was now curious in regards to the comment Standish made before he had fallen asleep, didn't mean that he liked the guy any more than he already did; or didn't in Chris's case. Yes, he was interested in finding out what was going on, but he had no interest in helping the guy.
'Why not?' Josiah asked for a third time.
'Because I'm the boss and what I say goes!' Chris stood in the center of the room with his hands on his hips and his right leg slightly bent. He felt like a prisoner being interrogated.
'That's not a good enough answer.' Vin argued.
'Why should we help him?' Chris retorted.
'Because he needs help.' Josiah answered.
'That's not a good enough answer.' Chris smiled at him.
'Chris,' Josiah stepped forward and faced the man, 'he's one of us, his goal is the same as ours. He wants to help defeat the Rebellion. You remember who they are don't you, they're the people that want to destroy what's been the best thing for mankind since before the war. He thinks someone is out to kill him. He needs our help and we're going to give it to him.'
Chris contemplated what Josiah had said. 'Nice speech Josiah but I don't buy it. The guy doesn't want our help.'
'I thought you wanted to know what was going on.' Vin also stood and moved to confront his friend.
'I do. It doesn't mean that I want to help the asshole.'
'You can't do one without the other.' Buck had joined the two men that were trying to intimidate a man that could not and would not, be pushed into changing his mind.
'I'm Chris Larabee, I can do whatever the hell I want.'
Josiah looked at each man in turn and they all nodded in acceptance.
'We're going to help him.' Josiah told their boss.
'No we're not.' Chris bit back his anger.
'We're not talking about you. We, as in the rest of us, are going to help him. You'll be without a crew for a while, which I'm sure . . . '
'You're disobeying a direct order?' Chris narrowed his eyes and his men took a step back.
'Chris!' Vin's eyes held a touch of fear for his boss. 'If you didn't give us a direct order, we wouldn't have to disobey it.'
'I'm giving a direct order! We'll leave him at Travis' office, then leave.'
'I thought you wanted to find out what was going on?' Buck smiled at his long time friend when he repeated something that Vin had already said; he knew how to deal with Chris, always did, and that constantly pissed Chris off.
'Not anymore, this guy is already causing us enough trouble.'
'You don't want us to help him?' Buck continued to smile.
Chris frowned at his friend. 'I've given you a direct order not to.'
'We're going to disobey that order my friend,' Buck moved forward and slapped Chris's arm. 'When you're ready to help us help him, let us know will you.'
'I'm not going to want to help him.' Chris growled through clenched teeth.
'Yeah, that's what you keep saying but I know you Chris, you'll changed your mind. Underneath this gruff exterior, you're as soft as . . . as . . . JD here.'
'I'm not . . . soft!'
'We're going to be docking in thirty minutes. Why don't you take care of Halis' chip while we take care of Ezra.' Buck suggested then turned and walked away.
'I'm not soft!' Chris repeated to the five retreating backs. 'DAMN IT I'M NOT SOFT!'
******
Ezra had been searching for twenty minutes and he still couldn't find a decent place to hide himself until after they docked. He was unaware of the time but knew they could be arriving at any moment. He smiled in relief when he came across something that he should have found ten minutes ago. Cells. There were only two of them but one was enough for him. He knew how most people thought, they wouldn't look for him here, and he wouldn't even have to hide. He would be able to rest on the bed. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that he still wasn't being followed. He moved quickly into the cell and lay down on the bunk.
Sleep wanted to claim him but it was fighting a losing battle against the thoughts that raged through his mind. He needed to know who wanted him dead. The only person or persons he could think of was someone who was part of the Authorities. They were the only people with the knowledge of who he was and where he had been. They had known that he was going in to work on Halis and Larabee's team. He had never been given a reason as to why he was supposed to stop Larabee from taking Halis in. The plan hadn't worked. Halis was now dead, his chip on its way back to base, and somebody had hired Halis to kill him.
There was no way he could run his own investigation. He knew no one, had no friends. Other AA's didn't trust him enough to even talk to him let alone give him any of the information he required to answer the numerous questions that bounced around in his head.
Sanchez had offered to help him. No! He violently shook his head to try to vanish his mother's voice. He hardly ever saw her physically but whenever he became doubtful about what he should do, her voice was there to remind him of what she had ingrained in him since he was born.
'Trust no one Ezra, not even your own mother. Everyone will betray you, including me. You are number one in your life and you only look after number one.'
It was those words that told him that his mother cared more for herself than her only child. She used him for financial gain. Yes, she loved him, he believed that, but . . . it wasn't a love that he enjoyed or even cherished. He could easily do without it and for the last five years, he had.
Five years ago, he had been a collectable bounty, thanks to his mother's selfish actions. A crime that she was committing had gone wrong and she had left him to take the fall. He'd become a wanted man. When he was caught - which was only a matter of hours - he landed in Travis' protective domain. Travis knew about Maude Standish, knew what type of mother she was to her son. It was then that Ezra Standish's life had changed for the better. But six months ago, it had all gone wrong, he now lived in a nightmare that was ten times worse than his childhood.
He couldn't go back. He would run. It was the only alternative left to him. Run and hide from everyone and everything that could hurt him.
******
Chris Larabee was angry enough to kill just about anybody. But he decided that anybody wouldn't do. No, he wanted to kill Standish. The smug bastard had wormed his way onto his ship and now had control of its crew. They were willing to do anything for the man, including losing their jobs. If they wanted to be that stupid, then so be it. There was nothing he could do about it now.
He slumped further down into the flight deck chair and began to flick at certain switches to prepare for docking. A memory suddenly filtered through his mind. His lids closed over his green eyes in attempt to make the image clearer. Even though he still had pictures of his family, it was getting harder and harder to see them clearly in his mind. He knew what his wife Sarah would say to him if she were here and aware of what was going on.
'Help him Chris . . . help him like Buck helped you.'
Chris grimaced at the thought. If it weren't for his friend, he would be dead now, much like his wife and son.
'The guy's a pain in the ass.' Chris answered his wife's voice, the one that now communicated with him through his mind. He would often talk to her. He had used the voice to repeat many of their conversations and create some new ones; like the one he was having now.
'How would you know?'
'Because I know.'
'You once thought the same about Buck remember.'
He could almost picture the smile that she would have worn when speaking those words.
'Yeah I did.' he could feel the moisture begin to fill his eyes. God his missed his wife and child.
'Help him Chris.'
'I'll think about it.'
'That's good enough for me.'
The voice drifted away and he made one last attempt to create it once more. Maybe he should just do something stupid now so he could go and join them. It would be simple enough, a quick bullet to the head. The only thing that stopped him was the thought of his wife slapping him across the face when he reached the other side. She then wouldn't speak to him for at least an hour and after not seeing her for five years, that hour would be hell for him.
He wiped at his eyes when he heard someone enter the room.
'What's up?' Buck stepped into the flight deck.
'Nothing, just thinking.' Chris muttered a response but refused to look at Buck.
'Sarah?'
'Yeah . . . how'd you know?'
'I always know Chris.' Buck gripped his shoulder. 'She misses you as much as you miss her.'
'Yeah, just wish I could remember what Adam's voice sounded like. It's not the same making one up for him.'
'I can't help you there pard, I don't really remember either.' Buck's voice had filled with regret.
'I want to join them Buck. I don't think I can keep going on like this.'
'You know they're waiting for you, isn't that enough to keep you going?'
'That and what her reaction would be if I did something so stupid.' Chris smiled.
'Don't forget that you'll have to answer to the rest of us when our time comes.'
Now Chris winced in mock irritation. 'Did you have to remind me?'
'Let's put it this way Chris,' Buck became serious, 'if you did do something that stupid, I'll be right behind you and I'll make your afterlife a living hell. You got that!'
'I got it.'
It was this that kept Chris Larabee alive. Friends that cared about him, friends that he could care about, friends that were now his family.
******
Headquarters was a space station that had been abandoned by Earth after the final war. The view from the station reminded the Authorities of what had happened. Gone were the blue waters, white clouds and colourful landscapes. Instead, the planet was covered in dark substance much like dust, making it hard to see anything beneath it. They had thought about moving the base to a different location but deep emotions required that they stay close to what had been lost to them.
The docking at headquarters was a simple procedure. Five minutes after it had started, it was finished. Chris was ready to get drunk and sleep for the rest of the week. He didn't really have anything else to do. Not now that the others were going to spend their free time helping the asshole. That's what he was going to call Standish from now on. Asshole. It seemed to suit him, either that or the smug bastard. He could use both terms to address the man.
Buck walked beside his friend as they made their way to the main exit. He knew what Chris was going to do. The man beside him no doubt thought that he was going to get drunk then sleep. But Buck knew Chris's conscience wouldn't allow that. He was going to change his mind and help them help Ezra.
They were only a few steps from the door when it was forced open. The two men stepped back and became tense at the sight of so many Authority guards standing before them, ten to be exact. Why would ten Authority guards force their way onto his ship? Chris narrowed his eyes when a familiar person strode through the middle of the group; they had stepped aside for their boss.
'Something I can help you with Magot?' Chris couldn't help but smile at the look of disgust that filled the ugly features.
'The name is Margot, and you very well know that Larabee!' Margot squeezed his long nose with stubby fingers.
'What do you want Magot?'
This time Margot ignored the mispronunciation of his name. 'We've come for Standish.'
'Who?' Chris didn't even flinch.
'Ezra Standish.' Margot nodded to his men and they began to move out.
'They can't come on my ship unless you have . . . '
'He's in your second cell Larabee.' Margot, Chief of the Authority guards began to follow his men.
'There are six men on this ship, and none of them go by the name of Standish.' Chris growled.
When the man continued to ignore him, Chris threw a quick glance at Buck who shrugged, then ran after the men who had invaded his ship without his permission. Chris knew that Standish wasn't in the cells. The asshole, . . . smug
bastard was in the medical room. There had been no reason to keep him in a cell.
But for some reason, Magot was sure of where Standish was. How did the guy even know that Standish was on board? Chris knew that no man on this ship would betray the team, they weren't like that. The men that made up Bounty Seven were loyal to each other and the Authority.
Chris Larabee found it hard to hide his shock when they did reach the cells. Standish was sleeping on the bunk bed in Cell Two. This meant that the man had escaped a second time. Stubborn bastard, that was Standish's name from now on. Chris grabbed Buck's arm when his friend moved forward to stop what was about to happen.
The ladies man turned to Chris, the anger that he was feeling was written all over his face. He didn't question Chris when his boss shook his head. He trusted Chris, he knew what he was doing, and it wasn't just a matter of not wanting to help the guy anymore.
Four men moved forward and pulled the sleeping man from the bunk. They threw a sluggish Standish against the wall in an attempt to make him more coherent.
'There's no need for that!' Chris stepped forward to help Standish but six men stepped in front of him.
Margot though, thought there was every need for it. This man was scum. He deserved everything he got.
Ezra, on the other hand, was shocked. It took him a few seconds to realise what was going on and when he did, there was nothing he could do to stop the situation from getting out of hand. A cry of pain escaped his throat when his injured shoulder hit the wall. His eyes glazed over and he bit his teeth against the nausea that hit him suddenly.
'Get up Standish!'
He recognised the voice immediately. Margot. Was he the man responsible for Halis almost taking his life?
Ezra lifted his head, his eyes caught a glimpse of Larabee, and suddenly he knew this man had betrayed him. This is what his mother had always taught him.
'Trust no one Ezra, everyone will have the opportunity to betray you. Destroy them first Ezra because if you don't, you'll be the one to suffer.'
Chris physically flinched at the look of betrayal in Standish's eyes.
Margot nodded to the four men. They moved forward and lifted Ezra onto trembling legs.
'You want to tell me why you're doing this?' Chris moved to block the path that Margot and his men would take.
'Doing what?' Margot replied.
'Taking Standish. Is there any particular reason why you're doing it?'
'You mean this man,' he pointed to Ezra, 'the man that you claimed wasn't on your ship.'
'Yes this man that I didn't know was on my ship.' Chris crossed his arms and a frown covered his features. 'How did you know he was on board, but more important, how did you know his exact location?'
'That's none of your business Larabee!' Margot violently nodded to his men to take their prisoner away.
'No Magot, that's where you're wrong.' Chris smiled.
Buck knew the smile, he felt like saying 'I told you so', but it wasn't the right time.
'This is my ship,' Chris continued, 'you have forced your way onto it. Now that in itself is enough to piss me off but I'll let it go for now.'
'That's so good of you.' Margot sneered at him.
'I haven't finished,' Chris glanced at Ezra, the betrayal was still there, 'and unless you can give me a good enough reason . . . you're not taking Ezra anywhere.'
It wasn't spoken in a threatening tone but Margot knew Larabee's reputation. If and when this man put someone under his protection, he would die before he allowed that person to be harmed in any way. It had happened before and it would happen again. Larabee had many important friends, including Travis.
'Well?'
Margot glared at Standish. 'He's a spy for the Rebellion.'
'Oh . . . so that's why Halis tried to kill him.'
'If you stop me from taking him in, you are committing a crime against the Authority and will be dealt with accordingly!'
'Yeah, whatever, tell me another one.'
Buck chuckled then broke out into a full belly laugh at the expressions worn on both Margot and Standish's faces.
Margot wore a look of pure anger and Ezra's mouth was hanging open in shock. Buck wanted to step forward and close it.
'So where do you plan on taking him?'
'Again, that is none of your business.'
'I guess you're going to have to leave him here then.'
'He's not staying here, he is under arrest.'
'You said that already.' Chris dismissed the guy with a wave of his arm and stepped toward the infiltrator.
'What do you think you’re doing?' Margot demanded to know.
'I'm taking him back to the medical room, Nathan is going to make sure he's okay, then I'm taking him to Travis.'
This caused Ezra's mouth to close. The betrayed expression returned. 'I think I have a say in where I go.'
'You can shut the hell up!' Chris growled at him. 'You're the one that got me into this mess in the first place remember.'
Ezra pulled at the hands that held him but his attempt didn't loosen their hold. 'I don't believe that any this is my fault . . . I didn't start any of . . . '
'Stubborn-pain-in-the-ass-who-doesn't-know-what's-good-for-him-imbecile. That's what you are Standish!'
Standish's mouth dropped open again.
'What?' Chris stared at him, 'hasn't anyone spoken to you like that before.'
'Not by the look of it.' Buck nudged his friend's arm.
'You a mamma's boy?' Chris asked him.
The cold glare told him that Standish was quite capable of killing him with a look. No doubt, it was something that Standish would bring back up later so he could retaliate.
'Sorry, guess that was a stupid question.' Chris apologised but knew that it hadn't done anything to ease the growing anger in Standish.
'Move out of my way Larabee!' Margot ordered him.
'No.'
'I will shoot you if I have to!'
'You'll shoot me?' Chris laughed, 'don't you mean you'll have one of your men shoot me. You Magot, don't have the guts. Leave now and I won't hurt you.'
'There are ten of us.' Margot reminded him.
'There's two of us,' Chris said simply, 'so we out number you . . . let's see . . . two to ten I think it is. Am I right Buck?'
'Yep, you're right. Ten of them and two of us.'
'You Mr. Larabee are an idiot!' Ezra growled at him. 'You'd risk your life and his just to stop them from taking me in?'
'It won't come to that Ezra.' Chris assured him.
'No it won't,' Ezra agreed, 'so if you would please move out of the way, Magot here has somewhere to take me.'
'Excuse me?' Chris wasn't too happy about being undermined by an asshole.
'I'm not going to be responsible for your death. You're not going to put that on me. Please, move out of the way.'
'You sure about that?' Chris could see something in the green eyes but he wasn't sure what it was or what it meant. He quickly decided to go along with what Standish wanted.
'Yes.'
'If that's what you want.'
'It's what I want.'
Chris moved to the side and grimaced at the smile of satisfaction on Margot's face.
'You really going to let them take him?' Buck had also moved aside and was now whispering in Chris's ear while he watched the guards take away a passive Standish.
'You heard him Buck.'
'I heard him Chris but I don't agree with him.'
'Neither do I but there was a look in his eyes Buck.'
'Yeah, I saw it too.'
Eight
He was determined not to look up. A man of his age and wisdom could out do any hard case that stood in his office. If they think they could make him look up before he finished what he was doing, then they were wrong. The nerve of them walking into his office without knocking. What did they expect him to do? Jump. Never. They could, and were, going to wait for him.
A cough? What? Did they think that was going to work? Another cough, this time louder. So they were starting to get impatient. Good. Let them. He was a patient man, he could out wait them.
'Sir?'
Damn! That meant he was going to have to answer. They had a nerve, they really did. But still, he wasn't going to answer straight away.
'Excuse me, Sir!'
How dare he raise his voice to me! Who does he think he is? That was it, now they could definitely wait longer. He wasn't going to give into their impatient demands. He was stronger than they were, more determined . . . more stubborn.
'Sir! We can't stand here all day, a man's life is in danger.'
He was about to look up when someone else began to speak.
'Does that mean you want to help him now.'
'I never said I wasn't going to help him.'
'Yes you did!'
'I did not.'
'You Chris Larabee are a liar.'
'You're calling me . . . a liar.'
'Yes I am. You said you didn't want to help, you even gave a direct order not to help, and now you're saying you never said that. Well I have five witnesses that will say you did.'
Travis had looked up at this point and he almost smiled at the sight of young JD Dunne standing up to Chris Larabee. The kid had guts. More than the others who seemed to be finding other things in his office more interesting than the conversation.
'I don't see them.' Chris Larabee smiled down at the youngest member of his team.
JD looked at the others and saw that they weren't ready to back him up. 'You have cowards working for you!'
'What do you want?' Travis had finally lost his patience.
'Ezra Standish.' Chris said.
'You want Ezra Standish? Why? What did he do to you?' Travis did his best to hide his surprise and he was sure that he succeeded.
'He didn't do anything to us except piss me off.' Chris growled.
Travis laughed. Ezra Standish was one of the few men that were capable of making him laugh these days. He liked Standish.
'What's so funny?'
'Why do you want him?'
'Someone tried to kill him on Algera.' Nathan spoke up. 'We actually thought he was dead . . . '
'He didn't have a pulse,' Chris added, 'and he wasn't breathing . . . '
'Then we found him on the way back to our ship.' Vin finished.
'He was dead, then wasn't.' Travis muttered. 'Son-of-a-bitch! I told him if he ever used that stuff again I'd kill him myself.'
Chris turned to Nathan, the man was frowning in confusion.
'Where the hell is he?' Travis had stood up and was making his way to the door.
'Magot's got him.'
'Magot? . . . You mean Margot?'
'That's what I said.' Chris shrugged.
'Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I have something to take care of.'
'Judge,' Chris gently grabbed the Judge's forearm to stop him from leaving the room, 'we want to help him find out who's trying to kill him.'
'Why would you want to help him?'
'Well, you see . . . I don't, they do and I'm out numbered.'
'I told you!' JD shouted in triumph. 'I was right, you are a liar.'
'You call me a liar one more time JD so help I'm going to hurt you!'
'This is why they're scared of you.' JD nodded in understanding while he moved to hide behind Buck.
'Come with me then, but stay out of my way.' Travis moved forward knowing that all six men of Bounty Seven were intending to follow him.
******
Ezra Standish was still in one hell of a mess with no way out. He gave the sparse room a quick glance then turned his eyes back to the man who sat in the chair on the other side of the large table. Usually the tables were smaller, but this one was wide, too wide. It gave the impression that the interrogator didn't want to be anywhere near the suspect.
The other man's eyes tried to boar into him but Ezra just returned the stare. This man didn't scare him.
'What are we going to do with you Standish?' Margot knew he could break this man, he was confident in his interrogation abilities.
'We?' Ezra raised an eyebrow at him.
'We as in you and me.' Margot smiled.
'If I have any say . . . I would say . . . let me go.'
'Can't do that.'
'Why not?'
'You're a spy for the Rebellion.' Margot pointed out what he thought was obvious to everyone.
'That's your opinion.' Ezra laid his right arm on the table and kept his left arm resting in his lap.
'Not only mine.'
'It's a rumour.'
'A rumour that will be proven.' Margot was happy with the way the questioning was going.
Ezra stayed silent. There was nothing he could do to prove that the rumours were false.
'You're not going to defend yourself against these rumours?'
'There isn't any use in trying to defend myself. You're not going to believe what I have to say.'
'You're right there.'
Ezra could feel his fear growing. He had no idea what was going to happen. He could easily be lost in the system, his body never found.
'How's your mother? Have you seen her lately?' Margot enjoyed the pain that flickered through the green eyes.
'I don't know and no.'
'She hasn't been keeping in touch then?'
'It goes both ways.' Ezra answered.
'She's your mother Ezra. Mothers like to know how their only child is doing. She can't think much of you if she hasn't been in contact in what . . . five years now isn't it.'
Ezra wanted to crawl under a rock and hide from this man, the man that knew every intimate detail about his childhood, his life and his mother.
'I spoke to her last month on Okania.' Margot told him.
The door opened and Ezra almost let out the breath that had been sucked into his lungs. He needed an escape and perhaps this was it.
'Magot . . . I mean Margot, you can leave now.' Travis shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
'Sir, I must insist on continuing my interrogation into the rumours that this man . . . '
'He isn't and that's all you need to know.'
'With all due respect Sir, you are letting your emotions make your decisions for you.'
'Do you like your job?' Travis stepped up to Margot who was now standing.
'Yes Sir.'
'Do you want to keep it?'
'Yes Sir.'
'Then get out!'
Margot didn't question Travis' tone. He left the room without another word. When he was gone, the Judge moved around the table and sat on the edge.
'Ezra?'
Travis smiled when the younger man refused to look up at him. 'I thought as much. What did I tell you?'
No sound came from the man in the chair.
'If that's the way you want it.'
Orin Travis was a man who knew how to deal with a difficult child, he'd had one of his own but his son had been murdered a week before his twenty-eighth birthday. Standish, in his own way, reminded him of his dead son. He stood up, grabbed the left ear of Ezra Standish in a painful grip and pulled him from his chair.
'Would you please let me go!'
Ezra attempted to use his right arm to swat Travis' hand away but the Judge growled at him and Ezra realised it was better to take his punishment like a man. He relaxed his body and obeyed Travis' angry body language. The young infiltrator thought that if he cooperated the Judge would let go of his ear. Travis didn't. Instead, he continued to pull Standish through the doorway and down the corridor.
The pain radiated through his ear but he wasn't worried about that. It was the fact that he was being treated like a child in front of men that were capable of killing without hesitation that worried him. His cheeks filled with embarrassment when he heard the laughter trailing behind him.
This wasn't right. He still couldn't understand why he let this man treat him this way. Maybe it was because Travis was the first man he'd ever met that he could trust. He had also come to deeply respect him, something that he would never admit to him.
Ezra tried to raise his head so he could see where they were going. When he recognised the route, he began to fight. There was no way in hell he was going in there.
'Don't you fight me Standish!' Travis pulled even harder on the ear and was satisfied when he heard a grunt of complaint. 'You know we can do this the hard way or the easy way.'
'The hard way!' Ezra replied.
Travis stopped and leant down closer to Ezra. 'The hard way it is then, and son, if I find out that you've used that drug again, there's going to be hell to pay!'
'I haven't used it!'
'You're lying. You wouldn't look like death warmed up if you haven't been using it.'
'I look like this because someone tried to kill me.'
'We'll discuss that at a later time. Right now, we're going to sort you out!'
'Do we have to?' Ezra pleaded with him.
'Ezra, we've had this discussion before,' the Judge's voice had softened, 'you can't keep going like this, look at what it's doing to you.'
'I'm fine.'
'Let's get this over with shall we.' Travis smiled at him then began to pull him by the ear again.
Ezra tried to dig his heels in but his boots only skidded along the floor. It felt as though his ear going to be pulled from his skull. He wasn't enjoying this at all, but it was about to get even worse.
Suddenly he was pushed from behind. He tried to use the momentum to escape but when he realised it was Larabee that had pushed him he gave up. He wasn't going to be able to fight seven men. Maybe he should just go along with it. Surely, it would be over in a matter of minutes. The last speech had only lasted two. The Judge had become to frustrated and angry to continue it. That was his solution, the harder he fought, the longer it would take. So he stopped fighting and walked by the Judge's side. The man still didn't let go of his ear though.
When they entered the small medical ward, Ezra began to shake. The two men that ran from the ward after seeing who had entered it didn't make him feel any better. They may have been afraid of him but the doctor wasn't.
'Again?' the doctor smiled but his tone was serious.
'Again,' Travis nodded, 'test him. If he won't cooperate, these men will make sure that he does.'
'Ezra?' the doctor spoke to him.
'I haven't used it!'
'Really.' the doctor was still smiling. 'You look like shit.'
Ezra could only sneer at him.
'What happened to your shoulder?' he moved forward and took his regular patient to the examination table.
Chris watched the three men interact. His own confusion grew. They seemed to know each other well, which meant that Standish spent time at the base, and yet he had never heard of Standish before.
'I was shot by a man who was extremely jealous of my good looks.'
'Who told you, you were good looking?' Zachary, a very patient man was one of the best medical men around. He was an excellent doctor with a wonderful bedside manner. He treated every man differently. Either with patience, guidance, anger, force or kindness, it was his emotional traits that had made him an excellent candidate for medical programming.
'Get up on the table Ezra.'
'This can be done with me standing.'
'Get up on the table Ezra.' Zachary spoke with more authority.
'I don't agree with any of this.'
'I don't care, so do as you're told.'
Ezra struggled to get himself up on the table. It took a few moments but he managed it without any help.
'When were you shot?'
'Yesterday.' Nathan Jackson answered for Ezra.
'He used it again.' Zachary informed Travis.
'You can tell that without a test?' Travis knew Zachary was good but not that good.
'Look at him Orin.' he bent down. 'You Ezra Standish are a dead man and I don't feel at all sorry for you.'
'How long do you want him for?' Travis asked him.
'Just let me check his shoulder then you can have him.' he winked at the young infiltrator, 'I'll be here when you're finished with him.'
'Aw hell.' Ezra grumbled.
******
Chris Larabee was leaning against the wall, his left heel also rested against it. His arms were crossed and he wore an expression of impatience. His light green eyes glanced at his watch; they'd only been standing here for two minutes but to him, it already felt like hours.
'Why are we here?' he asked the group of men that were huddled around Travis' outer office door.
'You don't have to be.' Buck retorted.
'He'll be fine now, he's with Travis.'
'You said that his life was in danger and that you wanted to help him find out who tried to kill him.' Buck reminded him.
'I said it to get his attention, he was ignoring me.' Chris growled back.
'We're going to help him, you know that so get used to it Chris.'
'What the hell did I tell you last time Standish!'
Five men jumped back from the door when Travis' voice reached them.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
Master Fan Fiction List
Rating: PG
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
AU: Space Cowboys
Main Characters: All Seven.
Summary: Six men make up Team Seven, a group of professional bounty hunters. After a fellow bounty hunter’s cover is blown, he joins the team and begins the journey of changing his life forever.
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Spoilers: None
Status: Complete
Total Word Count: 58,220
Ezra could feel a sudden weight taking over his body. His shoulder throbbed in pain with each beat of his heart. He wasn't going to last much longer but he had to. If he collapsed now, they would be in control of his body. They would lock him in a room, tie him down and drug him, then return him to Travis. No! That wasn't going to happen.
He didn't realise it was going to be this difficult. He was sure that Larabee would have killed him, but for reasons only known to Larabee, he hadn't. Not even after, he had threatened to kill JD Dunne. There was the option of fighting his way out but Larabee was right, he was in no condition to fight two men.
The Infiltrator wanted to glare at Larabee but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to pull it off. So he stared out of the same window that JD had been looking out earlier. The Star System was easily recognisable; they were only a matter of hours away from Base.
'Ezra Standish!' Josiah's voice echoed through the passageway.
The small giant walked into the room a few seconds later.
Ezra had looked up to see Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner trying to hide their smiles. He hid his own worry and put his poker face in place. These men were hard, cold hearted, scary and caring. It was the caring part that scared him the most. He inwardly flinched when the one called Josiah Sanchez stepped into the room.
'You hollered.' Ezra gave the man a look, a look that told Josiah not to mess with him if he didn't want to be hurt.
Josiah ignored the look, knowing that Standish wasn't capable of hurting a fly at the moment. He moved towards the man that looked as though he was going to collapse at any moment. Buck followed him, knowing what Josiah's intentions were.
Ezra quickly jumped to his feet and prepared himself for a fight. The only thing he managed to do was to cause himself a bout of dizziness. His body had had enough and was warning it's owner that it couldn't take anymore.
Buck and Josiah moved forward to grab an arm each. Ezra reacted and threw a punch that Josiah easily ducked. Buck wasn't quick enough to move himself away from the kick that came quick and fast. It struck him in the stomach, causing him to double over and struggle for breath.
Ezra was too busy fighting his body's need to rest and the man that was trying to grab him to see Chris move like a cat towards him. The next thing he knew, a fist slammed into his jaw knocking him to the floor. He stared up through a fog at Larabee.
'Looks like I win.' Chris smiled down at what he considered to be a stubborn-pain-in-the-ass-who-doesn't-know-what-was-good-for-him-imbecile.
'Not the impending fight.' Standish warned.
Chris shrugged and watched as the man struggled against the oncoming darkness.
Josiah didn't watch as Chris did. He bent down and picked the man up, throwing him over his shoulder. He ignored the grunt of pain and short struggle to escape, a few seconds later his burden became inactive.
'That's how you do it Chris,' Josiah growled at him, 'you don't wait for him to fall flat on his face!'
'Oh, you mean I should hit him all the time.'
'That's not what I meant and you know it.' Josiah said as he began to carry Standish through the passageways back to the medical room with the others following him. 'What the hell were you thinking? Were you waiting for him to die? Is that what you want?'
'It was his idea.' Chris argued. 'He was the one that wanted to fight. I knew he wasn't in the condition to do so, so I didn't fight.'
'He wouldn't give himself up either.' Vin added to the heated discussion.
'Why didn't you do what I just did?' Josiah asked Chris.
'I was enjoying myself too much.' Chris smiled.
Josiah growled and returned his attention to Standish. The man had to be an idiot to attempt what he did. He'd nearly died, and yet after he woke up from a life saving operation, he was moving around, threatening people and willing to fight his way out of what he must have thought was a dangerous situation. Either that or he was scared about what was happening around him.
Josiah moved quickly and purposely to the bed in the medical room and laid he burden onto it, he then stepped aside so Nathan, who was still clad in only a sheet, could check on his patient.
'Well?' Josiah sounded impatient.
'His wound is bleeding again but apart from that he seems okay.' Nathan began to remove his clothes from Standish's body. 'He's lucky he's not awake. I'd give him a mouthful if he was.'
'Don't know if you'd get a word in Nathan. He's pretty talkative.' Chris told him.
'He hasn't talked to me yet!' Nathan growled.
Josiah moved until he stood in front of Chris and the others. 'Why don't you guys leave so Nathan and I can take care of Ezra here.
'All of you seem to be on a first name basis with the guy and you haven't even met him yet.' Chris spun on his heel and marched out of the room.
'Think he's jealous?' Buck asked Vin.
'Maybe,' Vin answered, 'but he's got a point . . . we don't know the guy and yet here we are trusting him and treating him like someone we've known for years. Why does he want to get away from us? He knows who we are and yet for some reason he's afraid of us. Why?'
'You just said he knows who we are Vin. That's probably why he's scared.' Buck boasted.
'There's nothing about you that would scare any man Buck!' JD responded.
'No but I've got enough to scare any woman.' Bucked fingered his moustache as it grew with his smile.
'Get out!' Josiah yelled at them.
His voice caused the man on the bed to move and moan in pain. Josiah knew that Nathan was about to start berating the man so he quickly intervened on Standish's behalf.
'Nathan, leave him be for now, he's scared enough of us at the moment, we don't want him to be terrified.'
'He's not a child Josiah, I'm sure he's quite capable of taking care of himself.' Nathan pointed to his head injury to emphasise his point.
'Okay,' Josiah stepped back, 'you're right. Yell at him all you want.'
'Help me get these clothes off him then I'll change the bandage, and then, I'm going to take care of myself.'
'Okay, sure.' Josiah shook his head and then did as he was told.
Six
Ezra blinked. His eyelids were sticky and were refusing to stay open for more than a few seconds at a time. He lifted an arm and wiped his eyes with the knuckle of his forefinger. A gentle cough caused his survival instincts to take control. He bolted off the bed, tearing off everything that was attached to his body. A large arm wrapped around his waist, stopping him from going any further. Ezra's body fought with all the strength it could muster.
'Ezra!' a soft voice hissed in his ear.
How does this person know my name?
Ezra pulled away from him and looked up into the face. This man was familiar to him but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. The gray-blues and three-day growth fought to bring a memory to the forefront of his mind.
'Let me go!' Ezra growled menacingly.
'Not until you're back in that bed!' Josiah retorted.
Ezra frowned and looked around the man's shoulder to the bed that he just escaped from.
'Bed?' his face filled with confusion.
'Do you remember what happened?'
'I don't even remember who you are.' Ezra looked around the room and saw all the medical equipment. 'Am I in a hospital?'
'No, you're on a ship. You were shot, we found you and brought you here.' Josiah explained.
It all started to come back slowly. Halis had shot him. He struggled to remember why. The memory kept its distance from him. His eyes travelled back to the man who held his arm tight enough to cause a bruise. 'Josiah Sanchez.'
'Yes . . . Do you remember us now?'
'Regretfully,' Ezra scowled at him. 'You can let me go now, obviously I can't go anywhere.'
'You going to get back into that bed?' Josiah continued to squeeze the younger man's arm in annoyance.
'No.'
'Then I'm not going to let go.'
'I gather then, that neither of us are going anywhere.' Ezra smiled revealing a gold molar on the bottom right side of his jaw.
'I wouldn't bet on it son.' Josiah began to pull Ezra back towards the bed.
'Mr. Sanchez,'
Josiah turned. He didn't see the right fist, it's speed and accuracy astounded him. The strength behind the punch also surprised him. He felt the blow, then the floor as he hit it a few seconds later.
'No one calls me son!'
Josiah rubbed his jaw and gazed up at the man he had called son. 'It's a term of endearment, it didn't mean . . .'
'I don't give a fuck what it meant. Never use that term with me again. Do you understand me!'
'I understand.' Josiah nodded. 'Are you going to get back into that bed or do I have to throw you into it.'
'Where are my clothes?' Ezra pulled his arm away when the larger man tried to grab him again.
'They've been destroyed.' Josiah simply stated.
'Why?' Ezra growled at him.
'They were covered in blood, they had holes in them . . . would you like me to go on?'
'Are there other clothes that I could wear?'
'Yes, but you're not ready to wear them yet.'
'I'm fine.'
'You nearly died Ezra.' Josiah heard the sadness in his own voice. He was a man that was saddened by a stranger's death. He hated the thought of anyone dying.
'I didn't die, I'm fine!'
Nathan Jackson took that opportunity to return to the medical room. 'So how come you're fine!'
Ezra quickly turned and a wave of dizziness caused his legs to buckle. Large hands grabbed him and half carried him back to the bed. He struggled against them but his strength was deserting him. The two men literally threw him onto the bed then strapped him down before he knew what they were doing.
'You can't do this!' Ezra told them.
'It's for your own good,' Nathan growled at him, 'I didn't appreciate it the first time you hit me and I don't want it to happen again.'
'I can't go back!' Ezra pulled at the restraint with his right arm. He wasn't going to be able to get out of this situation. They'll take him back, the wrong person will find out that he was still alive, and then they'll be after him again. He might not be so lucky the next time.
'Why not?' Jackson crossed his arms and frowned down at the man. 'You know, you're doing pretty well for a man who was on his deathbed. You haven't been taking some sort of drug have you?'
Josiah glared at Nathan. It wasn't the sort of question you should ask an AA operative.
'I don't take drugs!' Ezra spat out through gritted teeth.
'I was only asking.' Nathan shrugged. 'I mean, you hit me pretty hard, and then what you did with JD and the others . . . you shouldn't have been able to walk . . . and yet look at you. It's as though you only twisted a finger or something.'
'I can't go back there.' Ezra repeated in a whisper.
'Why not?' Josiah asked.
'That's none of your damn business. Now let me the hell off this bed!'
'No.'
Ezra stared at Nathan. 'I should have hit you harder.'
'You can always try again.' Nathan smiled at him.
'Thank you . . . I will.'
Nathan, at first, thought the man was joking but the anger in the green eyes told him that he was very serious.
'Okay, but you have to be a man next time and make sure I'm ready for you.' Nathan winked at Josiah.
Josiah though didn't react, he wasn't finding the situation funny at all. 'Nathan, do you mind leaving us alone for a minute.'
Both Josiah and Ezra watched as Nathan reluctantly left the room. Ezra then turned his head away from the larger man and tried to think of a something that would get him out of danger. Normally he didn't care but there were six other men now involved. If they forced their protection on him then they too would be in danger. Ezra knew that it was something that Larabee wouldn't do by choice but if Travis had anything to do with it, Larabee wouldn't have a choice. Ezra needed to get away and deal with this on his own, that way no one who was innocent would be harmed.
'You want to tell me what's going on Ezra?'
There was no reply to his answer.
'Ezra?'
'I have to get out of here, isn't that enough.'
'No, it isn't. Maybe we can help you with whatever it is.' Josiah suggested.
'Help me,' Ezra turned his head to the right to stare at the man next to the bed, 'you don't even know me, why would you want to help me.'
'You're AA, one of us, we look after our own.'
Ezra started to laugh. 'That's funny . . . look after our own.' his voice then became serious. 'Who ever told you that!'
'I don't need to be told, it's in my nature to help people.'
'I don't need help. I take care of myself. No one else does it for me and I don't do it for anyone else.'
'Must be a lonely life not having any friends.' Josiah sat on the edge of the bed. There was more to this man than he had originally thought.
'I didn't say that I didn't . . . '
'You didn't need to. You look after yourself, no one else that means you can't afford to have friends, they might need your help and you won't give it to them.'
Ezra chuckled again and shook his head. 'You've got that wrong Mr. Sanchez.'
'Josiah . . . and why don't you tell me your version.'
'No.'
'Why not?'
'Because it's none of your business.'
'Why did Halis shoot you?'
'I don't know.'
'Are you lying?' Josiah asked him. He received a glare for his answer.
Ezra glanced over Josiah's shoulder when he noticed a darkly dressed figure enter the room. Chris Larabee, the last person he wanted to see right now.
'You're not up to something nasty are you Josiah?' Chris slapped his friend on the back and fingered the restraints that held Standish's arms.
'He tried to get away again.' Josiah explained.
'You are one stubborn son-of-a-bitch aren't you Standish.'
'You have no right to keep here like this.'
'Why do we have him here like this?' Chris asked Josiah.
'So he won't get away again.'
'It's not like he's got anywhere to go.'
Ezra looked from Chris to Josiah then back again.
'He might hurt himself.'
'Like I care about that.'
Chris undid the first strap and leaned over Ezra's body to undo the other strap. He expected Standish to hit him or at least try to push him away but he didn't. He just lay there with a stupid expression written on his face.
'I hope you're not as stupid as you look right now.' Chris pressed against the man's stomach to help himself up.
Ezra let out a gasp of breath and swore at the blond man.
'Now that's not nice.' Chris shook a finger at him.
'I need some clothes.' Ezra said.
'Josiah.' Chris's simple use of the man's name told him to get Ezra some clothes.
'Chris, are you sure?'
'I'm sure.' Chris smiled again. 'Hell, for all I care he can jump ship and break his neck while he's doing it.'
'You're too kind.' Ezra sneered at him.
'So, how did you manage to make it look like you were dead?' Chris got straight to the point, he'd had enough of the small talk already.
'Purely accidental, I assure you.'
'You're lying.' Chris stated coldly. 'You weren't breathing and you had no pulse.'
Ezra shrugged and pushed himself up into a sitting position. His hissed out in pain when he pulled at his injury.
'How come you're lying there as though you scratched a finger instead of someone who came pretty close to dying?'
'I'm not using drugs.' Ezra insisted again.
'Didn't say you were.'
'You're doctor said I was.'
'Are you?'
'No.'
Josiah returned to the room with some fresh clothes for their passenger.
'You sure about that.' Chris watched as Standish caught the clothes that were thrown at him. 'There has to be a reason why you're recovering so well.'
Ezra threw his legs off the edge of f the bed and held on for dear life when the vertigo threatened to take him. He felt like shit but he wasn't going to allow these people to see what he was feeling. It would only make him look weak.
'Crap.' Chris leaned forward and slapped Ezra's injured shoulder.
Ezra bit his teeth against the cry of pain that emitted from his mouth. He lost his grip on the bed and began to fall towards the floor. Someone caught him and held him up. He tried to get his balance but the pain radiating through his shoulder caused his body to tremble. His mind couldn't register a coherent thought.
'Just what I thought.' Chris nodded.
'That wasn't a very nice thing to do Chris.' Josiah growled at him.
'What? You told me to hit him.'
'I also told you, that wasn't what I meant!' the larger man retorted.
Chris lifted his hands in surrender and stepped back.
When the arms that were holding him up let go, Ezra began his second trip to the floor. His fall was stopped inches from the cold floor.
'Let's get you back on the bed Ezra.' Josiah's voice was full of kindness.
'No wonder that man has a reputation.' Ezra muttered as he allowed Josiah to help him back onto the bed.
'You don't have anywhere to go, you can't leave this ship, so you may as well stay in bed and get some rest.'
Ezra nodded in resignation. 'How long till we arrive?'
'Just over three hours.' Chris told him from the doorway.
Ezra nodded again and closed his eyes. 'They're going to kill me, you know that don't you.'
Josiah glanced over his shoulder at Chris then back at the man on the bed.
'What are you talking about Ezra? Who's going to kill you? Ezra?' Josiah prodded the man's good shoulder. He was asleep already. 'What do you think that was about?'
'Don't know.' Chris shrugged and for the first time since he'd met the man he'd taken an instant disliking to, his interest had been activated.
Seven
Just because he was now curious in regards to the comment Standish made before he had fallen asleep, didn't mean that he liked the guy any more than he already did; or didn't in Chris's case. Yes, he was interested in finding out what was going on, but he had no interest in helping the guy.
'Why not?' Josiah asked for a third time.
'Because I'm the boss and what I say goes!' Chris stood in the center of the room with his hands on his hips and his right leg slightly bent. He felt like a prisoner being interrogated.
'That's not a good enough answer.' Vin argued.
'Why should we help him?' Chris retorted.
'Because he needs help.' Josiah answered.
'That's not a good enough answer.' Chris smiled at him.
'Chris,' Josiah stepped forward and faced the man, 'he's one of us, his goal is the same as ours. He wants to help defeat the Rebellion. You remember who they are don't you, they're the people that want to destroy what's been the best thing for mankind since before the war. He thinks someone is out to kill him. He needs our help and we're going to give it to him.'
Chris contemplated what Josiah had said. 'Nice speech Josiah but I don't buy it. The guy doesn't want our help.'
'I thought you wanted to know what was going on.' Vin also stood and moved to confront his friend.
'I do. It doesn't mean that I want to help the asshole.'
'You can't do one without the other.' Buck had joined the two men that were trying to intimidate a man that could not and would not, be pushed into changing his mind.
'I'm Chris Larabee, I can do whatever the hell I want.'
Josiah looked at each man in turn and they all nodded in acceptance.
'We're going to help him.' Josiah told their boss.
'No we're not.' Chris bit back his anger.
'We're not talking about you. We, as in the rest of us, are going to help him. You'll be without a crew for a while, which I'm sure . . . '
'You're disobeying a direct order?' Chris narrowed his eyes and his men took a step back.
'Chris!' Vin's eyes held a touch of fear for his boss. 'If you didn't give us a direct order, we wouldn't have to disobey it.'
'I'm giving a direct order! We'll leave him at Travis' office, then leave.'
'I thought you wanted to find out what was going on?' Buck smiled at his long time friend when he repeated something that Vin had already said; he knew how to deal with Chris, always did, and that constantly pissed Chris off.
'Not anymore, this guy is already causing us enough trouble.'
'You don't want us to help him?' Buck continued to smile.
Chris frowned at his friend. 'I've given you a direct order not to.'
'We're going to disobey that order my friend,' Buck moved forward and slapped Chris's arm. 'When you're ready to help us help him, let us know will you.'
'I'm not going to want to help him.' Chris growled through clenched teeth.
'Yeah, that's what you keep saying but I know you Chris, you'll changed your mind. Underneath this gruff exterior, you're as soft as . . . as . . . JD here.'
'I'm not . . . soft!'
'We're going to be docking in thirty minutes. Why don't you take care of Halis' chip while we take care of Ezra.' Buck suggested then turned and walked away.
'I'm not soft!' Chris repeated to the five retreating backs. 'DAMN IT I'M NOT SOFT!'
******
Ezra had been searching for twenty minutes and he still couldn't find a decent place to hide himself until after they docked. He was unaware of the time but knew they could be arriving at any moment. He smiled in relief when he came across something that he should have found ten minutes ago. Cells. There were only two of them but one was enough for him. He knew how most people thought, they wouldn't look for him here, and he wouldn't even have to hide. He would be able to rest on the bed. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that he still wasn't being followed. He moved quickly into the cell and lay down on the bunk.
Sleep wanted to claim him but it was fighting a losing battle against the thoughts that raged through his mind. He needed to know who wanted him dead. The only person or persons he could think of was someone who was part of the Authorities. They were the only people with the knowledge of who he was and where he had been. They had known that he was going in to work on Halis and Larabee's team. He had never been given a reason as to why he was supposed to stop Larabee from taking Halis in. The plan hadn't worked. Halis was now dead, his chip on its way back to base, and somebody had hired Halis to kill him.
There was no way he could run his own investigation. He knew no one, had no friends. Other AA's didn't trust him enough to even talk to him let alone give him any of the information he required to answer the numerous questions that bounced around in his head.
Sanchez had offered to help him. No! He violently shook his head to try to vanish his mother's voice. He hardly ever saw her physically but whenever he became doubtful about what he should do, her voice was there to remind him of what she had ingrained in him since he was born.
'Trust no one Ezra, not even your own mother. Everyone will betray you, including me. You are number one in your life and you only look after number one.'
It was those words that told him that his mother cared more for herself than her only child. She used him for financial gain. Yes, she loved him, he believed that, but . . . it wasn't a love that he enjoyed or even cherished. He could easily do without it and for the last five years, he had.
Five years ago, he had been a collectable bounty, thanks to his mother's selfish actions. A crime that she was committing had gone wrong and she had left him to take the fall. He'd become a wanted man. When he was caught - which was only a matter of hours - he landed in Travis' protective domain. Travis knew about Maude Standish, knew what type of mother she was to her son. It was then that Ezra Standish's life had changed for the better. But six months ago, it had all gone wrong, he now lived in a nightmare that was ten times worse than his childhood.
He couldn't go back. He would run. It was the only alternative left to him. Run and hide from everyone and everything that could hurt him.
******
Chris Larabee was angry enough to kill just about anybody. But he decided that anybody wouldn't do. No, he wanted to kill Standish. The smug bastard had wormed his way onto his ship and now had control of its crew. They were willing to do anything for the man, including losing their jobs. If they wanted to be that stupid, then so be it. There was nothing he could do about it now.
He slumped further down into the flight deck chair and began to flick at certain switches to prepare for docking. A memory suddenly filtered through his mind. His lids closed over his green eyes in attempt to make the image clearer. Even though he still had pictures of his family, it was getting harder and harder to see them clearly in his mind. He knew what his wife Sarah would say to him if she were here and aware of what was going on.
'Help him Chris . . . help him like Buck helped you.'
Chris grimaced at the thought. If it weren't for his friend, he would be dead now, much like his wife and son.
'The guy's a pain in the ass.' Chris answered his wife's voice, the one that now communicated with him through his mind. He would often talk to her. He had used the voice to repeat many of their conversations and create some new ones; like the one he was having now.
'How would you know?'
'Because I know.'
'You once thought the same about Buck remember.'
He could almost picture the smile that she would have worn when speaking those words.
'Yeah I did.' he could feel the moisture begin to fill his eyes. God his missed his wife and child.
'Help him Chris.'
'I'll think about it.'
'That's good enough for me.'
The voice drifted away and he made one last attempt to create it once more. Maybe he should just do something stupid now so he could go and join them. It would be simple enough, a quick bullet to the head. The only thing that stopped him was the thought of his wife slapping him across the face when he reached the other side. She then wouldn't speak to him for at least an hour and after not seeing her for five years, that hour would be hell for him.
He wiped at his eyes when he heard someone enter the room.
'What's up?' Buck stepped into the flight deck.
'Nothing, just thinking.' Chris muttered a response but refused to look at Buck.
'Sarah?'
'Yeah . . . how'd you know?'
'I always know Chris.' Buck gripped his shoulder. 'She misses you as much as you miss her.'
'Yeah, just wish I could remember what Adam's voice sounded like. It's not the same making one up for him.'
'I can't help you there pard, I don't really remember either.' Buck's voice had filled with regret.
'I want to join them Buck. I don't think I can keep going on like this.'
'You know they're waiting for you, isn't that enough to keep you going?'
'That and what her reaction would be if I did something so stupid.' Chris smiled.
'Don't forget that you'll have to answer to the rest of us when our time comes.'
Now Chris winced in mock irritation. 'Did you have to remind me?'
'Let's put it this way Chris,' Buck became serious, 'if you did do something that stupid, I'll be right behind you and I'll make your afterlife a living hell. You got that!'
'I got it.'
It was this that kept Chris Larabee alive. Friends that cared about him, friends that he could care about, friends that were now his family.
******
Headquarters was a space station that had been abandoned by Earth after the final war. The view from the station reminded the Authorities of what had happened. Gone were the blue waters, white clouds and colourful landscapes. Instead, the planet was covered in dark substance much like dust, making it hard to see anything beneath it. They had thought about moving the base to a different location but deep emotions required that they stay close to what had been lost to them.
The docking at headquarters was a simple procedure. Five minutes after it had started, it was finished. Chris was ready to get drunk and sleep for the rest of the week. He didn't really have anything else to do. Not now that the others were going to spend their free time helping the asshole. That's what he was going to call Standish from now on. Asshole. It seemed to suit him, either that or the smug bastard. He could use both terms to address the man.
Buck walked beside his friend as they made their way to the main exit. He knew what Chris was going to do. The man beside him no doubt thought that he was going to get drunk then sleep. But Buck knew Chris's conscience wouldn't allow that. He was going to change his mind and help them help Ezra.
They were only a few steps from the door when it was forced open. The two men stepped back and became tense at the sight of so many Authority guards standing before them, ten to be exact. Why would ten Authority guards force their way onto his ship? Chris narrowed his eyes when a familiar person strode through the middle of the group; they had stepped aside for their boss.
'Something I can help you with Magot?' Chris couldn't help but smile at the look of disgust that filled the ugly features.
'The name is Margot, and you very well know that Larabee!' Margot squeezed his long nose with stubby fingers.
'What do you want Magot?'
This time Margot ignored the mispronunciation of his name. 'We've come for Standish.'
'Who?' Chris didn't even flinch.
'Ezra Standish.' Margot nodded to his men and they began to move out.
'They can't come on my ship unless you have . . . '
'He's in your second cell Larabee.' Margot, Chief of the Authority guards began to follow his men.
'There are six men on this ship, and none of them go by the name of Standish.' Chris growled.
When the man continued to ignore him, Chris threw a quick glance at Buck who shrugged, then ran after the men who had invaded his ship without his permission. Chris knew that Standish wasn't in the cells. The asshole, . . . smug
bastard was in the medical room. There had been no reason to keep him in a cell.
But for some reason, Magot was sure of where Standish was. How did the guy even know that Standish was on board? Chris knew that no man on this ship would betray the team, they weren't like that. The men that made up Bounty Seven were loyal to each other and the Authority.
Chris Larabee found it hard to hide his shock when they did reach the cells. Standish was sleeping on the bunk bed in Cell Two. This meant that the man had escaped a second time. Stubborn bastard, that was Standish's name from now on. Chris grabbed Buck's arm when his friend moved forward to stop what was about to happen.
The ladies man turned to Chris, the anger that he was feeling was written all over his face. He didn't question Chris when his boss shook his head. He trusted Chris, he knew what he was doing, and it wasn't just a matter of not wanting to help the guy anymore.
Four men moved forward and pulled the sleeping man from the bunk. They threw a sluggish Standish against the wall in an attempt to make him more coherent.
'There's no need for that!' Chris stepped forward to help Standish but six men stepped in front of him.
Margot though, thought there was every need for it. This man was scum. He deserved everything he got.
Ezra, on the other hand, was shocked. It took him a few seconds to realise what was going on and when he did, there was nothing he could do to stop the situation from getting out of hand. A cry of pain escaped his throat when his injured shoulder hit the wall. His eyes glazed over and he bit his teeth against the nausea that hit him suddenly.
'Get up Standish!'
He recognised the voice immediately. Margot. Was he the man responsible for Halis almost taking his life?
Ezra lifted his head, his eyes caught a glimpse of Larabee, and suddenly he knew this man had betrayed him. This is what his mother had always taught him.
'Trust no one Ezra, everyone will have the opportunity to betray you. Destroy them first Ezra because if you don't, you'll be the one to suffer.'
Chris physically flinched at the look of betrayal in Standish's eyes.
Margot nodded to the four men. They moved forward and lifted Ezra onto trembling legs.
'You want to tell me why you're doing this?' Chris moved to block the path that Margot and his men would take.
'Doing what?' Margot replied.
'Taking Standish. Is there any particular reason why you're doing it?'
'You mean this man,' he pointed to Ezra, 'the man that you claimed wasn't on your ship.'
'Yes this man that I didn't know was on my ship.' Chris crossed his arms and a frown covered his features. 'How did you know he was on board, but more important, how did you know his exact location?'
'That's none of your business Larabee!' Margot violently nodded to his men to take their prisoner away.
'No Magot, that's where you're wrong.' Chris smiled.
Buck knew the smile, he felt like saying 'I told you so', but it wasn't the right time.
'This is my ship,' Chris continued, 'you have forced your way onto it. Now that in itself is enough to piss me off but I'll let it go for now.'
'That's so good of you.' Margot sneered at him.
'I haven't finished,' Chris glanced at Ezra, the betrayal was still there, 'and unless you can give me a good enough reason . . . you're not taking Ezra anywhere.'
It wasn't spoken in a threatening tone but Margot knew Larabee's reputation. If and when this man put someone under his protection, he would die before he allowed that person to be harmed in any way. It had happened before and it would happen again. Larabee had many important friends, including Travis.
'Well?'
Margot glared at Standish. 'He's a spy for the Rebellion.'
'Oh . . . so that's why Halis tried to kill him.'
'If you stop me from taking him in, you are committing a crime against the Authority and will be dealt with accordingly!'
'Yeah, whatever, tell me another one.'
Buck chuckled then broke out into a full belly laugh at the expressions worn on both Margot and Standish's faces.
Margot wore a look of pure anger and Ezra's mouth was hanging open in shock. Buck wanted to step forward and close it.
'So where do you plan on taking him?'
'Again, that is none of your business.'
'I guess you're going to have to leave him here then.'
'He's not staying here, he is under arrest.'
'You said that already.' Chris dismissed the guy with a wave of his arm and stepped toward the infiltrator.
'What do you think you’re doing?' Margot demanded to know.
'I'm taking him back to the medical room, Nathan is going to make sure he's okay, then I'm taking him to Travis.'
This caused Ezra's mouth to close. The betrayed expression returned. 'I think I have a say in where I go.'
'You can shut the hell up!' Chris growled at him. 'You're the one that got me into this mess in the first place remember.'
Ezra pulled at the hands that held him but his attempt didn't loosen their hold. 'I don't believe that any this is my fault . . . I didn't start any of . . . '
'Stubborn-pain-in-the-ass-who-doesn't-know-what's-good-for-him-imbecile. That's what you are Standish!'
Standish's mouth dropped open again.
'What?' Chris stared at him, 'hasn't anyone spoken to you like that before.'
'Not by the look of it.' Buck nudged his friend's arm.
'You a mamma's boy?' Chris asked him.
The cold glare told him that Standish was quite capable of killing him with a look. No doubt, it was something that Standish would bring back up later so he could retaliate.
'Sorry, guess that was a stupid question.' Chris apologised but knew that it hadn't done anything to ease the growing anger in Standish.
'Move out of my way Larabee!' Margot ordered him.
'No.'
'I will shoot you if I have to!'
'You'll shoot me?' Chris laughed, 'don't you mean you'll have one of your men shoot me. You Magot, don't have the guts. Leave now and I won't hurt you.'
'There are ten of us.' Margot reminded him.
'There's two of us,' Chris said simply, 'so we out number you . . . let's see . . . two to ten I think it is. Am I right Buck?'
'Yep, you're right. Ten of them and two of us.'
'You Mr. Larabee are an idiot!' Ezra growled at him. 'You'd risk your life and his just to stop them from taking me in?'
'It won't come to that Ezra.' Chris assured him.
'No it won't,' Ezra agreed, 'so if you would please move out of the way, Magot here has somewhere to take me.'
'Excuse me?' Chris wasn't too happy about being undermined by an asshole.
'I'm not going to be responsible for your death. You're not going to put that on me. Please, move out of the way.'
'You sure about that?' Chris could see something in the green eyes but he wasn't sure what it was or what it meant. He quickly decided to go along with what Standish wanted.
'Yes.'
'If that's what you want.'
'It's what I want.'
Chris moved to the side and grimaced at the smile of satisfaction on Margot's face.
'You really going to let them take him?' Buck had also moved aside and was now whispering in Chris's ear while he watched the guards take away a passive Standish.
'You heard him Buck.'
'I heard him Chris but I don't agree with him.'
'Neither do I but there was a look in his eyes Buck.'
'Yeah, I saw it too.'
Eight
He was determined not to look up. A man of his age and wisdom could out do any hard case that stood in his office. If they think they could make him look up before he finished what he was doing, then they were wrong. The nerve of them walking into his office without knocking. What did they expect him to do? Jump. Never. They could, and were, going to wait for him.
A cough? What? Did they think that was going to work? Another cough, this time louder. So they were starting to get impatient. Good. Let them. He was a patient man, he could out wait them.
'Sir?'
Damn! That meant he was going to have to answer. They had a nerve, they really did. But still, he wasn't going to answer straight away.
'Excuse me, Sir!'
How dare he raise his voice to me! Who does he think he is? That was it, now they could definitely wait longer. He wasn't going to give into their impatient demands. He was stronger than they were, more determined . . . more stubborn.
'Sir! We can't stand here all day, a man's life is in danger.'
He was about to look up when someone else began to speak.
'Does that mean you want to help him now.'
'I never said I wasn't going to help him.'
'Yes you did!'
'I did not.'
'You Chris Larabee are a liar.'
'You're calling me . . . a liar.'
'Yes I am. You said you didn't want to help, you even gave a direct order not to help, and now you're saying you never said that. Well I have five witnesses that will say you did.'
Travis had looked up at this point and he almost smiled at the sight of young JD Dunne standing up to Chris Larabee. The kid had guts. More than the others who seemed to be finding other things in his office more interesting than the conversation.
'I don't see them.' Chris Larabee smiled down at the youngest member of his team.
JD looked at the others and saw that they weren't ready to back him up. 'You have cowards working for you!'
'What do you want?' Travis had finally lost his patience.
'Ezra Standish.' Chris said.
'You want Ezra Standish? Why? What did he do to you?' Travis did his best to hide his surprise and he was sure that he succeeded.
'He didn't do anything to us except piss me off.' Chris growled.
Travis laughed. Ezra Standish was one of the few men that were capable of making him laugh these days. He liked Standish.
'What's so funny?'
'Why do you want him?'
'Someone tried to kill him on Algera.' Nathan spoke up. 'We actually thought he was dead . . . '
'He didn't have a pulse,' Chris added, 'and he wasn't breathing . . . '
'Then we found him on the way back to our ship.' Vin finished.
'He was dead, then wasn't.' Travis muttered. 'Son-of-a-bitch! I told him if he ever used that stuff again I'd kill him myself.'
Chris turned to Nathan, the man was frowning in confusion.
'Where the hell is he?' Travis had stood up and was making his way to the door.
'Magot's got him.'
'Magot? . . . You mean Margot?'
'That's what I said.' Chris shrugged.
'Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I have something to take care of.'
'Judge,' Chris gently grabbed the Judge's forearm to stop him from leaving the room, 'we want to help him find out who's trying to kill him.'
'Why would you want to help him?'
'Well, you see . . . I don't, they do and I'm out numbered.'
'I told you!' JD shouted in triumph. 'I was right, you are a liar.'
'You call me a liar one more time JD so help I'm going to hurt you!'
'This is why they're scared of you.' JD nodded in understanding while he moved to hide behind Buck.
'Come with me then, but stay out of my way.' Travis moved forward knowing that all six men of Bounty Seven were intending to follow him.
******
Ezra Standish was still in one hell of a mess with no way out. He gave the sparse room a quick glance then turned his eyes back to the man who sat in the chair on the other side of the large table. Usually the tables were smaller, but this one was wide, too wide. It gave the impression that the interrogator didn't want to be anywhere near the suspect.
The other man's eyes tried to boar into him but Ezra just returned the stare. This man didn't scare him.
'What are we going to do with you Standish?' Margot knew he could break this man, he was confident in his interrogation abilities.
'We?' Ezra raised an eyebrow at him.
'We as in you and me.' Margot smiled.
'If I have any say . . . I would say . . . let me go.'
'Can't do that.'
'Why not?'
'You're a spy for the Rebellion.' Margot pointed out what he thought was obvious to everyone.
'That's your opinion.' Ezra laid his right arm on the table and kept his left arm resting in his lap.
'Not only mine.'
'It's a rumour.'
'A rumour that will be proven.' Margot was happy with the way the questioning was going.
Ezra stayed silent. There was nothing he could do to prove that the rumours were false.
'You're not going to defend yourself against these rumours?'
'There isn't any use in trying to defend myself. You're not going to believe what I have to say.'
'You're right there.'
Ezra could feel his fear growing. He had no idea what was going to happen. He could easily be lost in the system, his body never found.
'How's your mother? Have you seen her lately?' Margot enjoyed the pain that flickered through the green eyes.
'I don't know and no.'
'She hasn't been keeping in touch then?'
'It goes both ways.' Ezra answered.
'She's your mother Ezra. Mothers like to know how their only child is doing. She can't think much of you if she hasn't been in contact in what . . . five years now isn't it.'
Ezra wanted to crawl under a rock and hide from this man, the man that knew every intimate detail about his childhood, his life and his mother.
'I spoke to her last month on Okania.' Margot told him.
The door opened and Ezra almost let out the breath that had been sucked into his lungs. He needed an escape and perhaps this was it.
'Magot . . . I mean Margot, you can leave now.' Travis shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
'Sir, I must insist on continuing my interrogation into the rumours that this man . . . '
'He isn't and that's all you need to know.'
'With all due respect Sir, you are letting your emotions make your decisions for you.'
'Do you like your job?' Travis stepped up to Margot who was now standing.
'Yes Sir.'
'Do you want to keep it?'
'Yes Sir.'
'Then get out!'
Margot didn't question Travis' tone. He left the room without another word. When he was gone, the Judge moved around the table and sat on the edge.
'Ezra?'
Travis smiled when the younger man refused to look up at him. 'I thought as much. What did I tell you?'
No sound came from the man in the chair.
'If that's the way you want it.'
Orin Travis was a man who knew how to deal with a difficult child, he'd had one of his own but his son had been murdered a week before his twenty-eighth birthday. Standish, in his own way, reminded him of his dead son. He stood up, grabbed the left ear of Ezra Standish in a painful grip and pulled him from his chair.
'Would you please let me go!'
Ezra attempted to use his right arm to swat Travis' hand away but the Judge growled at him and Ezra realised it was better to take his punishment like a man. He relaxed his body and obeyed Travis' angry body language. The young infiltrator thought that if he cooperated the Judge would let go of his ear. Travis didn't. Instead, he continued to pull Standish through the doorway and down the corridor.
The pain radiated through his ear but he wasn't worried about that. It was the fact that he was being treated like a child in front of men that were capable of killing without hesitation that worried him. His cheeks filled with embarrassment when he heard the laughter trailing behind him.
This wasn't right. He still couldn't understand why he let this man treat him this way. Maybe it was because Travis was the first man he'd ever met that he could trust. He had also come to deeply respect him, something that he would never admit to him.
Ezra tried to raise his head so he could see where they were going. When he recognised the route, he began to fight. There was no way in hell he was going in there.
'Don't you fight me Standish!' Travis pulled even harder on the ear and was satisfied when he heard a grunt of complaint. 'You know we can do this the hard way or the easy way.'
'The hard way!' Ezra replied.
Travis stopped and leant down closer to Ezra. 'The hard way it is then, and son, if I find out that you've used that drug again, there's going to be hell to pay!'
'I haven't used it!'
'You're lying. You wouldn't look like death warmed up if you haven't been using it.'
'I look like this because someone tried to kill me.'
'We'll discuss that at a later time. Right now, we're going to sort you out!'
'Do we have to?' Ezra pleaded with him.
'Ezra, we've had this discussion before,' the Judge's voice had softened, 'you can't keep going like this, look at what it's doing to you.'
'I'm fine.'
'Let's get this over with shall we.' Travis smiled at him then began to pull him by the ear again.
Ezra tried to dig his heels in but his boots only skidded along the floor. It felt as though his ear going to be pulled from his skull. He wasn't enjoying this at all, but it was about to get even worse.
Suddenly he was pushed from behind. He tried to use the momentum to escape but when he realised it was Larabee that had pushed him he gave up. He wasn't going to be able to fight seven men. Maybe he should just go along with it. Surely, it would be over in a matter of minutes. The last speech had only lasted two. The Judge had become to frustrated and angry to continue it. That was his solution, the harder he fought, the longer it would take. So he stopped fighting and walked by the Judge's side. The man still didn't let go of his ear though.
When they entered the small medical ward, Ezra began to shake. The two men that ran from the ward after seeing who had entered it didn't make him feel any better. They may have been afraid of him but the doctor wasn't.
'Again?' the doctor smiled but his tone was serious.
'Again,' Travis nodded, 'test him. If he won't cooperate, these men will make sure that he does.'
'Ezra?' the doctor spoke to him.
'I haven't used it!'
'Really.' the doctor was still smiling. 'You look like shit.'
Ezra could only sneer at him.
'What happened to your shoulder?' he moved forward and took his regular patient to the examination table.
Chris watched the three men interact. His own confusion grew. They seemed to know each other well, which meant that Standish spent time at the base, and yet he had never heard of Standish before.
'I was shot by a man who was extremely jealous of my good looks.'
'Who told you, you were good looking?' Zachary, a very patient man was one of the best medical men around. He was an excellent doctor with a wonderful bedside manner. He treated every man differently. Either with patience, guidance, anger, force or kindness, it was his emotional traits that had made him an excellent candidate for medical programming.
'Get up on the table Ezra.'
'This can be done with me standing.'
'Get up on the table Ezra.' Zachary spoke with more authority.
'I don't agree with any of this.'
'I don't care, so do as you're told.'
Ezra struggled to get himself up on the table. It took a few moments but he managed it without any help.
'When were you shot?'
'Yesterday.' Nathan Jackson answered for Ezra.
'He used it again.' Zachary informed Travis.
'You can tell that without a test?' Travis knew Zachary was good but not that good.
'Look at him Orin.' he bent down. 'You Ezra Standish are a dead man and I don't feel at all sorry for you.'
'How long do you want him for?' Travis asked him.
'Just let me check his shoulder then you can have him.' he winked at the young infiltrator, 'I'll be here when you're finished with him.'
'Aw hell.' Ezra grumbled.
******
Chris Larabee was leaning against the wall, his left heel also rested against it. His arms were crossed and he wore an expression of impatience. His light green eyes glanced at his watch; they'd only been standing here for two minutes but to him, it already felt like hours.
'Why are we here?' he asked the group of men that were huddled around Travis' outer office door.
'You don't have to be.' Buck retorted.
'He'll be fine now, he's with Travis.'
'You said that his life was in danger and that you wanted to help him find out who tried to kill him.' Buck reminded him.
'I said it to get his attention, he was ignoring me.' Chris growled back.
'We're going to help him, you know that so get used to it Chris.'
'What the hell did I tell you last time Standish!'
Five men jumped back from the door when Travis' voice reached them.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three
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