CHAPTER 30: THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

T INA FELT THE jarring force of Cirra's body slamming into her, the blond's arms wrapping themselves around her neck and shoulders before the detective's balance was lost. In an instant she felt the cold hard metal of the catwalk floor against her back and then she felt the emptiness of space, her mind realizing in a split second that they were careening towards the floor. Instinct, like a long-forgotten skill she never had to think about, burst forth and Tina blindly reached up and out with both hands. Just the very tips of her fingers, hardly anything, touched against the surface edge of the catwalk. And beyond belief and beyond all reason, she caught herself with Cirra still attached to her back, swinging precariously above a piece of machinery that looked like a series of staves and metal rods in a deadly picket fence.

Mariel's body simply could not react, almost as if she were paralyzed, her eyes blinking at the sight of Tina high above the ground with Cirra's arms wrapped around her neck. It was like night and day, the detective's long dark hair was tangled with Cirra's white blond locks, both of them clad in mostly black, silhouetted in the light of the factory, dangling. In that one moment of suspended time, in that eternity that lasted a heartbeat, Mariel knew what it was like to feel complete and utter fear. Not for herself, not for her sister, not for anyone else in that whole damn factory. Every single ounce of that feeling was for Tina alone. The scientist had felt fear in the past, but this was beyond that. Way beyond. And then the scientist willed herself to move, to do anything, to risk everything. Taking a step forward, Mariel felt something hard and cold pressed against the back of her head and heard that unmistakable sound, the sound of the hammer being pulled back into place, the sound of a gun cocking.

"You move and you die."

Teddy's voice was low, spoken through clenched teeth. Reaching out, he roughly pulled the nightstick from the scientist's hand and glanced up at Cirra and Tina. No one was to interfere. Not when his mistress gave an order.

Cirra was laughing maniacally next to Tina's ear and the detective was gritting her teeth, her hold on the catwalk edge tenuous at best. The added weight of the blond clutching around her neck was not making matters any easier either. Looking down, the investigator saw the dangerous spikes of metal below her, the machine tool press dark and shadowed. Just in front of it, attached by tubes and piping, was a large chemical vat five feet in height, the wide circular surface covered with a dusty metal lid. If she could swing far enough out, she could clear the machine and land on top of the vat, its 10 foot diameter enough to provide a platform of sorts. Right now, she simply had to pray it would hold their weight.

As her arms strained to hold them up, the detective felt Cirra's fingernails start to claw into her shoulders and arms. Getting a better grip on the edge of the catwalk, Tina swung her legs forward and back, moving them in space as she picked up momentum.

"Wheeee!"

Cirra called out in an insanely high pitched voice as she dug in to the detective's body, her brown eyes glazed over. With one last swing out, Tina let go, twisting their bodies in space as they fell the distance. Mariel held her breath as she watched the completely crazy scene above her, the gun still at her head. She closed her eyes and whispered out a silent prayer until she saw Tina and Cirra land on top of the chemical vat, just clear of the sharp metal of the press machine. The two women rolled across the surface, coming to a clattering halt before regaining themselves, and moving to their feet. Now, Cirra and Tina stood facing each other in a deadly stance.

"Well, that was fun. Thanks for the ride."

Cirra's voice mocked as she smiled. Tina flicked her eyes over to her left, across the cargo bay, and suddenly saw Teddy, his gun pointing directly at the back of Mariel's head. Her hand moved to the .38 at her side instinctively.

"Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you, Tina. Teddy, shoot Tina's precious little...partner there if she moves."

Cirra called out across the cargo bay from their perch above the ground. Teddy nodded, shoving the barrel harder against the scientist's head. Cirra turned her eyes back to the detective, smiling at the torn look on the detective's face. Never taking her eyes off Tina, Cirra reached down to her boot and pulled the same shining dagger she had held to Caitlyn's neck out in one smooth glide. With a cock of her head to the side, she raised her hand and gestured as she spoke.

"It's just you and me."

Mariel almost took a step forward when she saw the glinting blade, her heart racing at the sight before she yelled out.

"Tina! Don't listen to her!"

Cirra spared a quick glance over at Mariel before she shrugged back at Tina, her dark eyebrow raising just a bit at the investigator. Condescendingly, she smiled until her white teeth fairly glowed in the light from above and spoke.

"My, but she's uppity. And here I thought you had better taste in women. Take what you can get I guess."

Tina narrowed her eyes and growled low in the back of her throat. Cirra just tipped her head back and laughed before she pointed over at the detective, her arm stretched out and a finger extended. Silky and saccharine sweet, her voice was a low purr of sardonic intent.

"Oh, I know all about you, Tina."

The detective glared over Cirra, before she reached down to her own motorcycle boot, grateful for having packed her switchblade earlier in the evening. It was too dangerous right now to use her gun, she'd have to play by the blond's rules for now until she got a break and could get Mariel out of danger. Letting a menacing smile of her own show, Tina spoke in clipped tones, enunciating each word clearly.

"You know nothing, Cirra."

The lanky blond started to circle around the perimeter of the chemical vat in a predatory move, the detective followed suit, moving in the opposite direction. Each of them sized the other up before Cirra stopped, bringing the flat of her blade to rest idly against the her cheek. With a grand smile, she shifted her body and put a hand on her hip.

"Any new brothers since the last one died?"

Tina's eyes narrowed, anger filling them at the thought that Cirra somehow knew things about her, had spent years digging through her past, or worse, may have been responsible for things that had happened to her and the people she loved. That was it; she had been pushed to the limit by the blond's endless taunts. Lunging, the detective brought her knife arm back across her own body in a perfect swipe, arcing the blade through the air out towards Cirra's leather-clad body. With a short jump to the side, the blond sidestepped the stab and spun around, her booted foot coming up and delivering a solid kick to the detective's ribs. Doubling over as the force of the blow almost pushed her back into the pressing machine behind her, Tina's hand went to her side at the pain. Cirra just laughed.

"What? Didn't think I had it in me? Oh, I'm full of surprises, Tina."

Taking a breath, the detective squared her shoulders and stood back up, her hand gripping the switchblade firmly as she circled Cirra, her blue eyes blazing. In a sarcastic voice, Tina sneered over at the blond.

"Yeah, you're full of something alright."

Lunging with her right hand and the knife directly towards the blond, Tina anticipated Cirra's response to move left and pulled short, her left hand coming across her body and backhanding Cirra across the jaw, the deadly woman's face snapping to the side on impact. Cirra stumbled a bit and recovered, turning towards Tina as she put a hand to her busted lip, pulling back and seeing red blood against her fingers. Drawing her eyebrows together, Cirra's face instantly transformed into rage and she let loose another high pitched scream. Running, she launched herself at Tina.

The detective just had time to brace herself when she felt Cirra's weight collide into her again, this time knocking her back to the ground, the switchblade falling out of her hand to clatter to the cargo bay floor. With her back against the metal floor of the chemical vat, Tina's head came to rest over the edge, her long hair falling down the side. Smiling at her seeming victory, Cirra settled her weight on the detective, straddling her body and bringing her own knife blade to Tina's throat. In a mocking tone of voice, she spoke.

"Looks like someone's going to die tonight."

Mariel had been watching the whole deadly dance, forgetting about her own danger and the gun, her focus and attention only on Tina. When she saw the glint of the Cirra's blade move to the detective's neck, she couldn't help herself and screamed out.

"Noo!"

Momentarily, Cirra was distracted by the sound, just enough for Tina to move a bit, bending her powerful knees under the blond's body. Gritting her teeth, she looked at the crazy woman on top of her bent on killing her and her partner in what amounted to revenge for a debt she wasn't entirely responsible for incurring. She ground out her words, determination winning out over guilt.

"Not this time, Cirra."

And with that, she pushed out, her legs easily thrusting Cirra's body from hers in a massive display of brute force. The kick propelled the blond to her feet, her balance shaky and precarious as she tripped backwards, her right boot halfway stepping on the edge of the vat platform. For a moment suspended in time, Cirra balanced there, her eyes focused solely on Tina. A fleeting look of respect look passed between them in that second. And then Cirra fell backwards, her body landing in the middle of the tool press machinery behind her, tangling in the hoses attached to the chemical vat she had just left.

Tina moved on her knees over to the machine below the vat, warily seeing Cirra's twisted body in the mangle of the press machine. As the blond looked down at herself, she noticed that a sharp metal rod had impaled her. Almost with studied indifference, Cirra gazed at the rusty shaft of metal piercing her leather bustier through the middle of her chest, the red blood flowing on the shiny black surface. 'That color almost matches my fingernail polish', the absurd thought drifted through Cirra's warped mind. Lifting her eyes up to Tina, she looked at her with something that resembled gratitude. Almost. Tina shook her head, her words measured.

"Cirra, it didn't have to be this way."

The blond laughed a soft laugh before she choked, blood coming up and a little thin trail running out of the corner of her mouth. In pain, she spoke.

"Oh, but you see, Tina, it did. There was no going back for me. Not now. You made sure of that years ago."

The words weren't spoken in a mocking manner, but in resignation. Shaking her head, the detective looked at Cirra, a regretful but firm look on her face.

"I made a mistake and I'm sorry but I won't take the blame for what you've done since then. That's your cross to bear."

Cirra closed her eyes and shook her own head back, feeling like a hot white fire was searing her from the inside out. All that she had done, all that she had planned had come to this. Was this all there was? Was the so-called guilt Tina felt enough? Did she feel better now? Opening her eyes, she let them gaze at the detective without emotion.

"All these years I've spent living to destroy you, thinking that if I could only give you the same kind of pain that you gave me, that I'd be rid of it."

Continuing, Cirra looked up at the ceiling and took a labored breath, before her eyes found Tina again.

"But you know what? I don't feel any better, just empty...."

A lazy smile crossed the blond's face, the blood still streaking down from her mouth in a path of red, almost looking like a lipstick mistake. Reaching up, she weakly fondled the metal protruding through her body in an altogether sick way.

"Well, except for this."

She laughed weakly as her eyes looked down at the metal shaft through her body. 'It's so nice to be insane, no one asks you to explain, you're a little touched you know, Cirra baby.' Yes, it appeared that it was all in vain. All her revenge and her plans didn't bring back her family, didn't make anyone pay but her. Well. That really, really sucked now didn't it? If she was going to leave this fucking hell called life, she was taking what she could get, dammit! Let them clean up the mess!

"Teddy, shoot the bitch!!"

Tina whirled around at that instant back towards Mariel and Teddy as Cirra reached up and found the start switch to the press machine, the loud noise deafening in the factory. Shouting above the crunch of metal against bone and the burring drilling sound of the tool making machine doing its job, the detective drew her .38 in a flash.

"Mariel! Duck!"

Mariel saw what was happening and crouched down, her elbow driving back into Teddy's crotch, before he could fulfill his mistress' last request. Groaning, he stepped back hunched over, the gun lowering a bit before he raised it, aiming it shakily at Mariel's head as the pain made him clench his teeth. The scientist felt her life pass before her eyes as she watched Teddy's finger start to squeeze on the trigger.

With pinpoint accuracy, one shot rang out above the noise of the press machine. Standing in a crouch on the top of the metal chemical vat, Tina Amphipoli's aim was true and right on mark. A clean bullet hole in the head from a .38 Special fell Teddy dead where he stood. Gun still smoking, the detective, satisfied that Mariel was no longer in danger, turned back to the press machine and took in the sight with hardened nerves born of seeing too much of the dark side of this life. Reaching over and down, she turned the switch off, the sudden silence filling the factory just as fully as the noise did. Holstering her gun, Tina sighed before she leaned over, her hand grabbing the edge of the press machinery as she used that to swing down from the top of the vat to the cargo bay floor below. Adrenaline still pumped fast and furiously through her body.

And then, in a blur of black and blond and bare skin, Mariel launched herself across the cargo bay floor and right into Tina's arms, the scientist clutching tightly around the solid muscled body of the detective who still thrumming with tension. Just to have her arms around Tina, to know that she was safe and unharmed, was all Mariel could concentrate on as she buried her face in a black t-shirt, feeling strong arms hold her just as tightly. It felt...so good.

Tina's body shook, part from the fact that she almost went half out of her mind when she saw Teddy raise that gun to the scientist's head and part from the surging power that still remained in her body from all the fighting and the excitement. Mariel was safe. She was safe. And nothing, or no one was ever...ever going to come that close to the woman in her arms again. She decided that right then and there. Pulling back, she looked down into Mariel's eyes with fierce protectiveness and strong emotion. Clear of present danger, all Tina could think about was never letting this woman go.

Needing to ground herself against the dizzying wave of energy moving through her, Tina leaned down and pressed her lips against Mariel's in a breathlessly rough kiss. The young doctor responded with the kind of intensity driven by profound relief and simple primal attraction. Hard, the detective crushed her lips against Mariel's, her own body shaking slightly at the contact. It was as much of a reassurance as it was seeking solace in each other after a harrowing night. After long moments, Tina simply pulled the scientist tighter to her and leaned her head down, resting her face against Mariel's soft cheek. She felt the young doctor breathe out words against her ear.

"Are you ok?"

Mariel's voice was hesitantly soft and a little ragged from the contact. Her arms were wrapped firmly around the detective, her hands smoothing over the solid strong muscles in Tina's back, feeling the humming tension begin to ebb from her body. She felt the investigator's hand come to tangle in the back of her hair as the other held her lower back close. One last squeeze and Tina pulled back, taking a deep breath, her hands coming to the sides of Mariel's face as she smiled and spoke softly.

"I am now."

Mariel let out the relieved breath she had been holding before hugging the tall dark woman in her arms again, both grateful for the safety of the other and the end of one long, painful night. Pulling back, Tina let her careful eyes search the scientist's body, her fingers gently probing for any injuries. Seeing nothing obvious and letting out her own breath of relief, the detective murmured.

"How you doing, huh? You ok?"

Mariel smiled and stepped back before she looked down at herself, smudges of dirt here and there from all the wrestling she had done, her blond hair tousled, a tiny cut on her hairline from the blow she took on the ladder, a little red mark on her chin as well, but otherwise, she felt fine.

"I might look like hell, but I feel great."

The pride was evident in the scientist's voice. Tina nodded, letting her own eyes gaze at Mariel before she shrugged.

"I happen to like that lived in look, myself."

Mariel smiled. They had done it. They had solved this case and taken down a dangerous woman. Sure, it was messy and more violent than she would have liked, but Mariel had to admit, when lives were on the line, it was sometimes necessary to do whatever it took. They had worked together, followed leads, worked the field, took care of business. And that feel really, really good. Glancing around the factory, she looked back behind her a bit and then suddenly remembered. Lisa!

"Tina! My sister! I found her here with Caitlyn!"

The scientist's face was a mixture of anxious tension and overwhelming excitement and her voice echoed that reaction. Reaching out, Tina put a hand on Mariel's shoulder and stepped closer, lowering her voice at the impossibility of it. She remembered the photo in the scientist's bedroom, now realizing the young girl next to Mariel in it must have been her sister. How did she get mixed up in this?

"You're kidding.."

Mariel shook her head, acknowledging how crazy it all sounded. She needed to make sure Lisa got help and then she'd call her parents. There was so much to clean up after this case.

"No, and she's sick. I think they doped her up with heroin. Can you help?"

Tina's eyes were serious as she nodded. Glancing around, she checked on all the damage done. Three dead, three she had wounded, who knew how many Mariel had taken care of. Well, whatever it took, she conceded. Sighing, she let a small reassuring smile cross her face.

"Sure, let's go. We'll call Eph and Sam from upstairs real quick and then go take care of them."

As they started to move towards the stairs that led up to the damaged control room, Tina put her hand to Mariel's elbow, leading her far away from the bloodied bodies on the floor. She wished the young doctor didn't have to be a part of this side of her profession, but Mariel had proven to be an invaluable partner and a courageous woman. Both of them had found a way to balance their styles and get the job done. She would have never thought she'd be able to find someone who worked so well with her, who instinctively knew what to do, who was brave...who she trusted.

Just before they got to the stairs leading up, Tina stopped Mariel short, watching the surprised look on the young woman's face before she pulled her into a warm embrace. Letting her lips find Mariel's ear, she softly spoke.

"Thank you."

Mariel pulled back, a smile on her face as she reached up and let her fingers touch lightly against the detective's proud strong jawline. Murmuring, her eyes looked into blue.

"For what?"

Tina gently smiled as she took the scientist's hand and lightly kissed her fingers before she spoke, the smile replaced by a look of honest feeling.

"For staying with this. For being here. With me."

Mariel nodded, squeezing Tina's hand in her own gently before she smiled. Letting her voice convey everything she was feeling, she lightly shrugged.

"That's what friends do, they stand by each other..."

Tina chuckled and nodded. Both of them recognizing that there was something more to what they had together, something more than just friendship now. It was profound and it had come on quick and strong. Love was like that sometimes, unexpected but completely right in time. To be honest, both of them were looking forward to the infinite possibilities that lay ahead. With a smile, the detective spoke softly.

"Come on...let's finish this up so we can get out of here."

No argument from Mariel on that one.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 582