Table of ContentsPage 47
"A... spy." Shaw tried to take a step back, forgetting that there was no room to move. "A corporate spy. On MY ship. All this time.... you're spying on me?"
"Not just you. The-"
"The WHOLE goddamn time!?"
"Yes. But listen, you opened this up so you need to hear all of it. Only now's not the time, so could you please reserve judgement-"
"Reserve Judgement!? You tell me that you're a lying corporate ASSHOLE sent to spy on me and I'm supposed to reserve judgement?! You're on my crew! You... you were my FRIEND! I actually CARED whether you lived or died and you're nothing by a damned TriLinear stooge reporting everything I did!?"
"You're a pirate, Shaw. One of waaay too many out there. You run undocumented cargo in illegally modified ships, with no control and no oversight-"
"It's called freedom!"
"You can do whatever the hell you want, Shaw! The company isn't trying to stop you! We just need to keep an eye on things so-"
"So when we do something they don't like, they've got enough on us to lock us up for a nice, long time. AFTER they commandeer our ships, that is."
"No, so that people like STRYGER don't make use of your 'freedom' to hurt other people."
"Oh, well FANTASTIC JOB you're doing there, Ethan! Stellar!"
"Some undocumented ships are just profiteers. We don't care about those... but some are terrorists trying to hurt people, Shaw. We can't tell one from the other; not from the outside! So we put people on the INSIDE, so we know who to go after and who to leave alone. You, Shaw... you're left alone."
"Alone... with a spy on my crew!" Shaw slid away from Ethan started down the corridor toward the control room. After a quick glance at the tools he hadn't sorted through yet, Ethan followed.
"Shaw, wait-"
"For what?"
"In case you haven't noticed, the situation hasn't changed here. We're still in this pretty deep; we need to stick together."
"We were never together, Ethan. You just told me that."
"Can you get past the 'spy' thing and think!? Just think! I've always had your back! I've never tried to stop or control anything you've done! I've ALWAYS followed your lead, no matter what!"
"Meanwhile you reported on me and my friends. Oh, and let's not forget: If there hadn't been a spy on my crew, I WOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE! The way I see it, this whole thing is YOUR fault. My ship is wrecked because of you. Bernard is dead because of you. I might die here on this rock because of YOU!"
"Okay..." Ethan trotted beside her. "I accept that. My fault... my responsibility. Can you at least let me keep you alive and make this right?"
"TriLinear gonna buy me a new ship? What about Bernard, what are they going to do for him? What's your big plan for making THAT right?"
"My plan for that is to make sure what Stryger has planned doesn't happen. To make sure I stop him AND keep you alive so you can hate me for a long, long time. How's that sound?"
They's arrived at the control room. The door was closed. Ethan stepped in front of it.
"We good?"
"We are NOT good."
"But are we together?"
"We are NOT together."
"Shaw, please. I'm your only way out of this."
"Okay. Fine. We're 'together' just like Stryger and me on that ship out there. I cooperate under duress, because the situation demands it and I'd rather be alive than dead. But the INSTANT that situation changes, I will not hesitate to STAB YOU IN YOUR FUCKING FACE! TRAITOR!"
Ethan watched her eyes for a moment, then stepped aside and entered the access code on the panel beside the door.
The door hissed open smoothly, revealing the empty control room beyond.
Ethan started inside, then froze.
"Hold on..." Ethan muttered. "Something's not-"
A fast shape reached out from Ethan's right, grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him inside. Ethan screamed as he spun out of view... and then scream ended suddenly as something hit the wall beside the door.
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