Shackled

[EklectikChik]

She sighed softly, feeling blissfully sated as she lay against him and as their bodies cooled, she slowly slid off and pressed herself to his side. They lay sprawled near the edge of the bed, feet dangling off the edge and not caring. Tired, Emma felt herself falling asleep, thinking about his words.

It'll be okay...it had to be. It just had to be. And though he was putting up a front, she knew he was worried. Possibly even scared. She knew she was, but there was no time to fall apart.

With a yawn, she kissed his shoulder and sighed again. "Whoever wakes up first makes breakfast." She teased and nuzzled his skin and on impulse slipped a hand up to turn his face to hers, wanting to see his eyes. He hadn't said the words...he'd been the first to speak them, but not was holding back again.

"Hey...It will be okay..." She told him, "Sweet dreams Lliam..."

They could tackle their feelings later...when the world was safe and they weren't worried about death and destruction. Closing her eyes, she slipped onto her back and stretched, the rolled, turning her back to his and giving him a moment as she closed her eyes and let sleep take over.

 

[Fish_Tales]

Emma slept as Hansen lay beside her and looked at the ceiling. It was dark, but the illumination from the various instruments and appliances was enough for him to make out the ceiling. He had turned to lie on his back and his hands were behind his head, listening to her rhythmical breathing and feeling her body’s small movements with each inhale and exhale. He hadn’t felt this close to anyone new since….

Your wife.

Thank you for the reminder. I’d nearly forgotten her. Dickhead.

No need to be touchy. Though, you have been rather…. touchy tonight, hehe.

You interrupt me for that? You’re slipping.

Liam, I’m here to stop you slipping.

I can see the logic in that. Talking to the voice in my head to stop me from going mad. Yeah, thanks.

So ungrateful….hehehe.

What do you want?

To help.

How?

Ideas. We can bounce off each other. I miss our adventurous life.

I’m not adventurous any more. In fact, give me some slippers, a pipe and glass of single malt and I’ll be just fine thank you.

I’m sure the people at SPF Headquarters disagree.

They’re such wowsers. Anyway, Voice-in-my-head, I should be sleeping, so what’s your idea?

The only way to keep Blaxland distracted from looking for the nerds is to create a bigger distraction, one that will command his attention.

I talked about that already….weren’t you there?

No need to be a smart ass.

Really? Fuck, I’ve been doing it for nearly forty years.

I’ve noticed.

Your idea….now….I need to sleep.

The Board.

What about them?

Blaxland answers only to them and they are the most important people. It’s because of them that he’s after nerd girl.

Her name’s Emma.

That’s what I said, nerd girl.

Fuck me.

You have plenty of other people offering that….hehe.

You keep doing this and I’m going to sleep.

Right. If something happens to a Board member, then Blaxland will certainly be directed to make that a priority.

Fuck, you’re not just a pretty Voice.

I’m in your head, Hansen, how the fuck could I be pretty?

Hey….

What I was saying, was that maybe all the Board members should be your target, but you should lay off Paul Lindeman until you’re ready for the final play.

Hmmmm…..the Chairman….you mean like take them out….except him?

Yes….slowly….one at a time. Make the tension rise, make them question who will be next, but leave Lindeman, he’s the big one, he’s got the control.

Over Blaxland?

With Lindeman alive, Blaxland will be running around like a blue-assed fly at a shit buffet.

That’s my line, mate.

Whatever. I didn’t realise shit and buffet were patented words. Do you understand what I’m saying?

I do. And I’ll enjoy that too. But I want Lindeman….in the end.

I know you’ll enjoy that and you will get the cunt in the end. Now….it’s probably best that you get some sleep.

Yes. I wish I'd thought of that.

Emma stirred beside him and Hansen slowly turned around to place his hand on her smooth hip. He felt a small stirring in his groin.

I mean it, Hansen. Sleep….

You’re not a romantic?

Is that what you call it?

Hehehe….goodnight….

 

[EklectikChik]

They shifted. Sometime in the night, their bodies had moved for comfort. Emma lay on her belly, dead to the world and sound asleep with the weight of Liam's arm over her hip. Once in a while, his hand would trail up the length of her slender back and then back down, each time his touch made her sigh or moan softly, even in sleep. It seemed to amuse him, enthrall him, the way she responded so readily to his caress.

Still, Emma slept on until the early hours of the morning before her eyes slowly blinked open and the call of nature made her shift, crawling reluctantly out of bed to rush off to the bathroom and relieve herself. Still naked, she hugged herself and returned to the warm bed and the warm body of her lover for a moment longer. Soon they would have to start working again...soon they would be separated while Emma worked with Simon on the cure.

With a yawn, she snuggled against him and kissed his bare shoulder, nuzzling his neck as he pulled her closer. No words were shared for the longest of moments, each lost in their own thoughts. She wanted to declare her love for him again, but couldn't stand him no responding to her the way she wished he would. When this was over and they were safe, then what? Would they test their feelings and live normally as a couple? Or would he run, leaving her as he had Bonnie and Laura? The thought petrified her. She didn't want to lose him, but he was not a man to be tamed.

Finally when she could no longer stand it, Emma raised herself up and smiled down at his shadowed face. “Morning...” She murmured and kissed his stubbly chin. “We better get a move on, hmmm? Your turn to get the coffee.”

 

[Fish_Tales]

(OOC: Hansen would approve – I know that. For a fact.)

Back To The Wall

We are living in desperate times
These are desperate times my dear
There's no way out of here
There's no way out my dear
I've been holding back all my tears
Just so the pressure don't show
Like a time bomb ticking away
I might blow up some day

Don't push don't shove
Better watch what you do
When my back's to the wall
I might do anything at all
When my back's to the wall
I might take any chance at all
When my back's to the wall
I might do anything

You've got the upper hand
Well I've got nothing to lose
When I'm trapped in a corner like this
I might light a fuse
Don't push me too far
You better watch what you do

Don't push me too far
You better run for your life

I've got nothing to lose
I might light a fuse
Yeah yeah
Don't come any closer

(RIP Chrissy Amphlett )

Hansen woke when Emma stirred and got out of bed. He lay on his back, staring at the shadows on the ceiling cast by the red and green lights of the various electronic appliances and equipment in his home. When she slid back into bed, he rolled and pulled to snuggle her closer, but he gave no indication that he was fully awake.

He liked his quiet time before he rose, but all he could think of was blood.

It always came to that.

Blood.

He could hear Emma’s soft breathing, but he didn’t know if she was asleep. He gently lifted his arm and moved it across her, cupping her hip and he heard her soft murmur. He smiled to himself in the murky darkness as he thought of their lovemaking just hours before. He was worried as well, seriously worried, at how much he cared for her. Nothing good came to the people he cared for or loved.

Love.

Fuck.

The Voice was quiet, one of the rare times he had been lately. That also had him worried. It meant they agreed on what Hansen thought was the right course of action. The Voice was not one to stay quiet if he felt something was not going well or if he disagreed. The Voice was amoral and brutal and his agreement was not necessarily something that should make him feel better. In fact, it scared him.

I’m a killer, it’s what I do.

Kill.

He had to take the Board out one by one and he would make it dramatic. People had to open their eyes eventually.

Didn’t they?

Blaxland had to be occupied. He was good, too good to be left to chase them unfettered. The chances then would be that he would get them. He had the SPF at his disposal and unlimited resources. Hansen wanted Lindeman. He’d told the Voice that, but he wanted Blaxland the most. The fucker had destroyed his mind, turned him into what he was today, and for that he’d have to pay.

Innocence.

Joy.

Tenderness.

All taken from him and now he was a freak. How could anyone love him? How could he love anyone?

He needed it. Blaxland. Him. At the end, once it had all been done. No risks, nothing at stake. Just two heartless motherfuckers in a fight to the death. It was the way of all life. The old and the new. Shakespeare, Homer….all of those guys understood. There was only room for one bloodthirsty, amoral fucker in this place and when all the pretenders had been weeded out, it would be just them.

Blaxland.

Hansen.

It would be fairer on everyone if they both lost….He had his back to the wall and that was when he was at his worst. Hansen knew that his “mental programming” always surfaced when he was under pressure. He’d never really spoken to Laura about it. He knew she felt guilty, so he never raised it. He knew that people did things under certain circumstances that weren’t “them.” He didn’t blame Laura. God knew what he’d done since his recruitment. Some things he remembered, many he didn’t.

Horrible things.

Yet still his team accepted him and his leadership. They all had traits that were savage, the propensity to kill and hurt, but it was Hansen that had it all.

The Holistic Killer….the complete package.

He felt Emma move in closer to him again, his hand now draped over her and touching her belly.

Laura.

Bonnie.

Carl.

It would be them and him. The others would look after Emma and the doc. Only certain people could do certain things and they were….

Certain people.

Finley, the Chans and the others could more than handle protecting Emma if Blaxland was distracted. Jimmy would get all the information, the data, on anything they needed.

Hansen liked running these things through his mind, making sure he had it down pat. Someone needed to. He probably had the most effective and skilled team that had ever been assembled when the aim was destruction.

In the name of justice and freedom.

What a joke.

He felt Emma move again and he squeezed her hip.

“Morning...” She murmured, kissing him softly after she’d rolled and raised herself. “We better get a move on, hmmm? Your turn to get the coffee.”

He smiled. She was always a welcome distraction when his sense of life became moribund.

“Morning, Irish. No more sleep for me, I guess,” he said with a grin and mock sigh. “Making coffee, saving the world….does it ever end?”

He slid out of the bed naked and padded barefoot in the dim light towards the kitchen to prepare the coffee and his thoughts returned to what they had to do.

Dramatic.

Messy.

Dirty.

It would have to be like that to scare the Board and keep Blaxland busy, he thought, as he filled the metal filter with ground coffee from the fridge.

Fucking messy.

Fucking dirty.

He winced as he slotted the filter back into the percolator and switched on the stove.

Would it ever end? Could he ever escape the cycle of carnage? He’d tried to, but it hadn’t worked. He’d kept contact with his team and he’d hunted down government sympathisers for payment by the rebels. Was he really that bad? If Lady Macbeth had blood on her hands, then he was swimming in a sea of blood, drenched in it.

Maybe I like this? Maybe they’ve fucked with me so much that I’m really the bad guy?

He heard a chuckle in his head and frowned.

Never too much, dear Liam. You or them. It’s Darwin. Simple.

You, he sighed.

Hehehe. At your service.

I don’t need you.

Hansen stepped away from the stove. Maybe if he just ignored him….

“Hey, Irish, you want to get that wanton ass of yours up out of bed and get ready?” he said playfully. “We have a lot to do today.”

He leaned against the counter.

Actually, my man, you really don’t need me this time.

No?

I couldn’t think up anything better.

That’s what worries me. Your methods are usually more Old Testament than Ghandi.

Wasn’t he that skinny little bloke that got killed in the end?

Fuck off.

Blood, Hansen. We need blood and lots of it. It’s the only way to end this.

I told you, that’s what worries me.

Well stop worrying. I’m serious. There is no other way.

I think so too, unfortunately.

Thatta boy.

Stop saying that.

Ok….good boy?

Fuck me.

Hehehe.

He could hear Emma moving behind him as she got up and then the percolator made its familiar gurgling sound as it was nearing the end. It was nearly time for coffee.

The outline of a plan had materialised in his mind.

What….the….fuck?

Hansen’s lip curled up in amusement at the Voice's surprise.

Yeah. It'll work.

You’re kidding aren’t you? Please tell me you’re kidding. The others won’t buy that, not even Laura.

They don’t have to. My plan, my job.

Ewwww. I never thought you'd use....that....ever again.

Squeamish are we, mate?

You really are a sick fucker, Hansen.

You should know.

For once I wish I could get out of here for a while.

Well, you’re stuck.

Fuck.

Hansen was tired of talking to the Voice, plus, if he thought any more about his plan, he doubted that he’d be able to eat breakfast and keep it down.

“Ready, Irish?” he called.

A few moments of respite.

Just a few.

Before the rivers of blood began to flow....

 

[EklectikChik]

Emma grinned at Lliam's teasing tone and stretched like a lazy feline on the bed and watched his fine sexy ass walk casually across the room to start coffee. She enjoyed the view for a while. The way he seemed so comfortable in his skin, the way his muscles rippled under his skin, so powerful and sleek. She felt heat pool low in her belly and swallowed by a moan. Lord but she could easily go again! She wanted him back in bed, in her arms, with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Safe and sound, together.

“Hey, Irish, you want to get that wanton ass of yours up out of bed and get ready?” he said playfully. “We have a lot to do today.”

She groaned and let out a dramatic sigh, giving him a pretty pout before she wiggled her body off the mattress and stood. "Yeah yeah...I know. Can't blame a girl for hoping that you'd rejoin her in bed after your shot of caffeine."

The pout turned into a teasing smile as she blew him a kiss and slipped inside the spartan bathroom. She smelled like him and sex, reluctant to wash away the evidence of their love making. She didn't want it to go away. Didn't want to face the harsh reality of their situation yet again. The cold shower made her shiver, but she bathed quickly and efficiently, then wrapped herself up, emerging just as he began to complain.

"Ready, Irish?"

"Yes yes...can a girl get dressed first?" She shot back and eyed his still naked body. "Perhaps you should as well." She grinned and stripped the towel off her damp body and tossed it him. He caught it was ease, his eyes sliding over her curves with appreciation as she sauntered over to the wardrobe and pulled out a fresh shirt before wiggling into her jeans, commando.

When finally she was dressed, she returned to the kitchen, enjoying the scent of coffee and their simple breakfast. He looked a million miles away, deep in though when her cool fingers slid over his naked chest. "Hey. You should eat...keep your strength up." She urged, pressing her lips to his shoulder. "Like you said, we have lots to do today, right?"

 

[Fish_Tales]

Hanson shook his head at Emma with a wry grin on his face as he caught the towel, watching her walk naked to the cupboards and dress herself. He wrapped the towel around himself, suddenly self-conscious of his nakedness as he went back to the fridge for some frozen bread to toast.

He poured some coffee for each of them and then Emma was there, nuzzling at his shoulder.

"….we have lots to do today, right?" she asked.

“Yes, we both do,” he said with a quick nod. “Today, you and Simon start on finishing the vaccine. I hope you realise that’s the most important thing in this whole mess.”

He felt her nod and heard her murmurs as his hand slid up her back and then nestled in her hair, twining gently and pressing her close.

“My job is to make sure you have the time to do it,” he continued.

He heard the toaster finish and went to get two plates and placed two slices of bread on each one and brought them back. He was about to take a bite of his toast when he noticed Emma’s look and then went back to the fridge to get some spread. They called it butter, but these days he doubted that it came from a cow. He placed the tub and a knife on the bench next to her plate and then proceeded to take a bite of his own dry toast.

Hanson watched her as he chewed slowly. He didn’t feel the need to tell her what he was going to do, besides the briefest of outlines. He thought that it would be for the best. She knew what he was capable of, but he still felt uncomfortable with showing her too much of who he was.

Not that even he knew who he was.

I know I’m a killer.

A sick fuck.

Hopefully something good comes from it.

He casually looked over at Emma, forcing the thoughts from his mind, trying to feed off what he felt for her, to feel different, to feel better, if only for a while.

“Have you ever met Steven Krick, the head of Energon?” he asked.

She looked at him with a tilt of her head, looking puzzled.

Besides Chairman Lindeman, he was one of the most powerful people on the planet and managed the globe’s rapidly diminishing fossil fuels and most other forms of energy. Hansen doubted that Emma would have met him, it was just his idea of small talk.

He smiled and ran his fingers through his short brown hair, the way he always did when he was thinking.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t know him. I met him once, a long time ago. I did a job for him and he’s not a pleasant person at all.”

He smiled at his use of the word pleasant and took another bite of his toast, washed it down with a sip of his coffee and left her to think about his remarks as he took his cup and went back to the sink. Once he finished breakfast, he would send out a message on the comms unit and the End Game would begin.

“And don’t buy shares in Energon," he said, smiling at her as he ran some warm water into the sink. "I think they’re about to go through a rough patch.”

He mockingly made a pretense of being domestic, placing his cup and plate in the water and smirking at her.

“Another coffee.....dear?”

 

[EklectikChik]

Emma was reluctant to move away from Lliam, but time was ticking away. She relished the moment of comfort, inhaling his scent and committing the feel of him to memory. Her gut clenched, nerves making her skin prickle. This could be the last time they saw each other....

Refusing to let herself fall apart, she drew back and nodded. “I know how important it is. No worries. Simon and I will get it done.” She sounded confident, she just hoped they could deliver. She had faith in Simon and herself, but time was of the essence. Thankfully they had Lliam on their side. She knew he wouldn't let them fail. He would die for this cause. That's why she hated this so much.

They'd come so far in so little time and God, but she loved the man. By all accounts they were night and day and yet she felt alive around him and in his arms. He made life worth fighting for. So she only hoped that he would do all he could to return to her. It was hard to know what was truly running through his head. He always seemed to be on a suicide mission.

The coffee tasted bitter and the toast bland, but she drank and ate dutifully as she listened to him and then smiled. “I'm sure they are. I'm sure they will experience a hardship they did no expect. And no thank you.” She smiled, but it looked a little sad as her warm gaze met his. “I have faith in you. Just do me one favor, okay?”

Now it was his turn to tilt his head a little, regarding her. Reaching up, she pressed a hand to his cheek, rubbing her thumb over his bottom lip as she studied his handsome face. “Come back to me, someway, somehow.” She laughed without humor. “I know, it's a lot to ask, but it means the world to me.”

Dropping her hand, she turned to the sink. “Go change. I'll handle this.”