Chapter Text
Author's Note:
Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by!
I'm still busy with Scratch, so don't worry about that. However it will end soon and needs a replacement. So I've had this fic lying around for quite a while. I started it for another fandom and then didn't get very far with it. But I thought it was a pretty decent story, so I'm trying to adapt it for this fandom. The original had a lot of characters and pairings and trying to find counterparts for them from Gap was a headache and a half, so you're just going to have to go with this...
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Chapter 1: The Meeting
Sam slowly exhaled and closed her eyes. It was a mere second, if even that long, in which time seemed to stand still. She could feel the air gently moving in tendrils around her cheeks, playfully pawing at the loose strands of hair falling into her face. Gravity was steady and there was no inkling of doubt in her mind that the shot would be perfect. Her strong muscles trembled slightly while every sinew and tendon quivered with the taught string of her bow. She finally released her grip and felt the velvet brush of the feathers at the back end of her arrow glide past her cheek and through the fingers gripping the bow. Perfect.
The small crowd gathered around the archer erupted with delight as the arrow skewered a juicy red apple and hit the board above the head of a shaking boy that seemed like he was about a second away from wetting himself. By the time he had developed second thoughts about volunteering, it was already too late and he could not afford to lose face in front of his buddies and the girl he was trying to impress. Sam respected such an impulsive show of bravado. Though more calculated, she found herself doing much the same a lot of the time. Of course, who could resist showing off to a pretty girl?
"Don't you ever get bored of doing tricks for coins?" Kirk stepped up to Sam and gave her a solid pat on the shoulder as she finished taking a bow and grinning at her audience. They were nothing more than a small splash of nameless faces on a street corner between nothing and nowhere. The sun was lazily dragging its weight behind the tall and dilapidated factories and warehouses of downtown Bangkok and broken windows all around them illuminated the wet streets in fiery colours.
"A girl's gotta make a living." Sam shrugged and turned to face her old friend. The crowd would not disperse yet, their restlessness an indication that they wanted to see more.
"This is not what I'd call making a living, Khwam Tay. We could use your skills over at Idol base. You could make a killing working for Jisoo." Kirk's dark eyes had a hint of concern etched into their glossy surface. He didn't enjoy the thought of his oldest friend sauntering around the rough side of town alone. He knew she could handle herself, just like she always had, but he wanted a better life for her – the life he had found when he joined the Idols.
"See, that's the whole point, K. I'm not interested in the killing part." She placed a bitter emphasis on the word denoting death and turned around to face the crowd, her hand reaching above her head and behind her shoulder to pull another sleek black arrow from the leather quiver strapped to her back. Focusing her charm back on her admirers, Sam gave a Cheshire grin and asked, "So, who has a gun?"
Kirk's jaw clenched in irritation, but he stepped back to join the crowd none the less, shaking his head as Sam pulled an older – and meaner – looking fellow from across the way, a 9 mil glinting in his hand.
"Five paces, then turn, draw and shoot." Sam explained to the man what she wanted him to do, but the scepticism on his face was as hard as the silence was suddenly loud. The expectation that this would end badly vibrated in a low murmur through the crowd, yet Kirk sighed and watched. He was nervous, but he knew better than to doubt Sam.
The scene unfolded like a post-apocalyptic western as Sam and the fellow turned to stand back to back and started pacing in opposite directions. Every step was a painfully loud beat to every spectator's heart – another second closer to what seemed like certain death. What made it even worse was that Sam had both her bow and arrow hanging limply by her sides in either hand. Another step, another beat, another drop of sweat. The crowd seemed to collectively hold their breath…
BANG!
Sam dropped to the ground as a shrieking gasp ran through the crowd, but it took only one second and Sam was back on her feet, the realisation dawning that the bullet had been flung up into the air as Sam's arrow had pinned the fabric around the man's wrist to the wall behind him, the gun pointing upwards. He tried his best to free himself, but struggled for quite a while as Sam took another bow at the small crowd, cheering like their team had just won the World Chanpionship.
"How do you do that?" The man with the hardened expression finally faltered as he looked at Sam with pleading eyes once she had stepped up to help him break free from the snare of her arrow. "A lot of practise…" Sam shrugged as she placed the arrow back into her quiver, but the man was not satisfied with her answer. "You could have died." His brows hung heavily over his eyes as he placed one hand gently on Sam's shoulder. The small smile that settled on her lips was no smile at all. In fact, it was a rather poignant visual manifestation of her aching emotions. "That's the thing. I wouldn't have cared if I did." With a solemn nod she finally took her leave of the small group and skipped across the road.
"Khwam Tay, hold up!" Kirk jogged after her just in time to follow her as she slipped around one dark corner before sneaking around another, her outfit of black leather and denim allowing her to move through the shadows as if she was one herself. "You know we're not like that! The Idols are trying to clean up the streets and keep them safe for folks like your admirers back there." He reluctantly climbed after Sam as she jumped onto a rickety metal ladder leading up to a security stairwell on the side of a facebrick building, making her way upwards for about four floors before disappearing through an open window. "We're the good guys, Sam." He breathed heavily, finally settling on the windowsill as he watched her put away her weapons and kick off her boots.
"With Tigereye blood on your hands." She shook her head as she pulled two beers from her fridge and passed one to her friend before collapsing onto her barely still standing couch.
"The Tigereyes are pushing boundaries. Just last week they displaced twenty-eight people by burning down their homes and everything they had over on the Far East side. You know why they did it? Refused to push product. They were just trying to keep their street clean and their kids out of jail!" Kirk became more passionate the more he spoke, his plight heavy on his brow and on his lips.
"That doesn't make them free range targets, K!" Sam was visibly upset, quickly swallowing down half her beer and some of her frustration along with it.
"We only ever shoot in defense, and only if there's no other way. That's why we could use you on our side, Khwam Tay. You're lethal, but with the safety clip on." He grinned and pointed the neck of his beer bottle at her as if to cheers her. He had always admired her unbelievable skills with a bow and arrow and he knew that those were not the only weapons she was proficient in.
Freen snorted and shook her head. "No one calls me Khwam Tay anymore." The expression on her face was one of bitterness, the faraway look in her eye an indication of a dark memory she'd rather forget.
"Well listen, just think about it. It would be good to have you by my side again." He nodded almost sadly and finished the last bit of liquid from the bottle grasped in his hand, before placing the empty container on the floor next to his feet. "I'm meeting some of the guys over at Luna's, we've got business to attend to later. If you feel like coming along for the ride, you know where to find me."
Sam watched solemnly as Kirk climbed back out the window and disappeared down the steel stairs, leaving her to the maelstrom of thoughts storming through her mind.
"The only good Tigereye, is a dead one…" The words echoed through her mind as they fell from her lips in a soft whisper.
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The club was pulsating like the blood in an adrenaline junkie's veins. Each beat in the music was accompanied by flashing lights, while the low baseline vibrated right through the hot and sweaty bodies grinding together on the dance floor. Against the one wall sat a stage that housed the DJ box, flanked by a cage on either side where deliciously sexy ladies were giving it all they had for the entertainment of the patrons. Neon laser lights flashed across the glossy black floor and travelled to where the bar was lit up by black lights off to one side. Private booths dipped in wine and velvet sat across the room, accomodating gentlemen in immaculate suits discussing business, or just relaxing in the luxurious spot, often with a pretty thing serving hard liquor on one knee.
The crowd parted slightly as an airy woman drifted past, her sensational milky skin swathed in soft layers of black silk, flowing around her elegant curves and lean legs, while her short chocolate locks fell softly over her bare shoulders, leaving her beautifully chiselled collarbone on display. She finally reached the person she had been seeking in the form of a classical brunette beauty with large and excitable eyes. She was leaning against a banister as she allowed a young lawyer to try his luck in flirting with her. The shorter goddess whispered something in her friend's ear and they both walked off, solemn expressions settling on their lovely faces.
"We've got a problem." Jim said from her perch on the edge of her desk, Mon and Kade having just walked into the back office while the door slowly swung closed behind them, effectively blocking out most of the music. On the couch sat Yuki, comforting a clearly very distressed Ya. Kade rushed to the other side of her, trying to soothe the small girl. "What happened?"
"Th..the Tigereyes!" Ya broke down and sobbed into Kade's neck, visibly still shaken up by what had happened just earlier that evening at the establishment she managed.
Jim filled the rest in as she explained, "They took The Basement Lounge tonight. Killed the muscle, tried to threaten some of the girls to convince them to join their cause. They have effectively seized the joint as their own. We don't have the resources to take it back." She ran a frustrated hand through her smooth brown hair and idly chewed on her lower lip. It was obvious that she was desperately grasping at a plan that continued to elude her.
"That's the second of our businesses in the past month! They'll have us bankrupt before the year is out!" Yuki raised her usually timid voice, hands flailing for emphasis. "Not to mention that they're dropping bodies like flies; our bodies – our patrons, our customers, our employees. Jim, how long before it's us?"
Jim sighed and shook her head. She felt lost, like a child – a feeling very foreign to the strong young woman. "Mon…What are you thinking?" She cast her eyes over to where Mon was leaning against the wall by the window, idly watching the city lights flash in an ocean of darkness.
"We have a way out." Mon gave a small smile over her shoulder at the girls, but Kade was quick to protest as she leapt to her feet and raised her voice to an unusual level of panic. "Mon, no! We've discussed this and we've all decided that there's no way we would allow you to make that sacrifice!"
"Kade, it's not a sacrifice!" Mon spun around and stepped towards her friends, her smile growing bigger and more genuine in that almost sad, self-sacrificing way that Mon had mastered. "You make it sound like you guys are about to sell me off to the slave market. Freen is gentle and kind and has always been good to me. Standing by her side would hardly qualify as punishment."
"Yeah, but Mon, it's not exactly the great romance that you've dreamt about. You shouldn't have to push your own happiness aside for our sake." Jim stepped towards Mon and placed a hand gently on her shoulder as she spoke with concern lacing her voice.
"I love Freen. I have loved her all my life, ever since we had been children. I could be happy with her." Mon tried to sound confident, but as she pushed past Jim she seemed to falter, her tongue slipping on the last few words she uttered, causing them to sound clumsy and unconvincing.
"There's a big difference between having love for someone… and being in love." Yuki breathed out, a look of pity crossing her features as she eyed Mon. "Look, I'm sure if we just asked Freen for her help she would give it to us. Why do we have to trade you for protection?"
"It's not like that, Yuki. It just wouldn't be fair to her. You know how she feels about me. It wouldn't be right to just take advantage of her like that. I owe her my dedication." Mon shook her head fervently, trying to convince herself more than anyone else in the room. However, soon determination set in as she walked over to the desk and picked up the phone.
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"How have you been, Mon? I miss our chats." Nop placed his hand gently on top of Becky's as they sat side by side in the backseat of a moving vehicle bound for Idol Base. It was about 3 am the same night still and Mon was on her way to see Freen.
"Holding in there, my friend. Eager to see your boss lady." She smiled at him and bumped his shoulder with hers. "Jim says hi, by the way."
Nop blushed but clenched his jaw, the thought of Jim clearly bringing up mixed emotions for the strapping young bodyguard. "That's funny. I thought I was just a kid. Now look who's being childish." Mon snickered at his discomfort and rested her head on his shoulder, her arm swinging around his torso to give him a hug.
There was a history that permeated Mon and her friends when it came to their relationships with the Idols. There was a time long ago when they were all just kids playing cops and robbers and damsels in distress. It was hard to believe that they had grown up to live a very similar reality. Most of them had attended the same high school, while some of them suffered through that time from their own side of the tracks. However, even though the class divide was palpable back when they were all teenagers, it now did not matter much anymore as they had integrated and found joy and reassurance in each other's company and relationships.
Mon had met Nop in her junior year as she was starting to come to terms with her sexuality. Nop, on the other hand, was an outcast that many kids had feared. He was sullen and broody and had a knack for always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many regarded him with disdain, but he had found a friend in the sweet Mon. He doted on her for giving him the chance to show himself, while she adored him for the same reason as he was the first to reassure her that the only difference between her and most girls was the fact that her heart was pure, and not the issue of her attraction to women instead.
"How is she doing, Nop?" Mon's smile faltered briefly, but she placed a greater deal of effort into making it seem more sincere as she turned her head to regard him curiously.
"She's well. She's amazing. Strong as ever, an inspiration to her gang. She's really trying hard to make a difference, you know?" He smiled with reassurance and nodded towards Mon. "She'll be beside herself to see you finally. She doesn't let on, but sometimes the loneliness shines through."
Mon and Freen shared a more complicated history that left a bittersweet taste in the mouths of both women. They had been close all their lives as they lived on the same block and played in the streets until the sun disappeared in the evenings. Even at such a young age, there was a special connection between them, a certain spark that could not be vocalised. It was Freen that eventually tugged at Mon's sense of self when she lit the flame of desire within the soft beauty during their teenage years. Eventually love blossomed between them, but it was not meant to be. Freen had always been considered a troubled youth, especially with the influence of her friends, and slowly got pulled into the seedy underbelly of the town and the workings of the youth gangs. It was not long after that Freen had found herself in a spot of trouble with the law. Mon's parents outright refused that she had anything to do with Freen any longer. They parted ways sadly and turbulently and Mon heard or saw nothing of Freen for years. It was only once they had reached a good deal into their adult lives and Mon had settled into business in the nightlife scene with her friends that stories of Freen and her gang of Idols started surfacing again. Eventually Freen had reached out to Mon, but Mon tried to keep her distance for the most part, not wishing to dredge up old baggage, even though she still had a strong sense of fondness for the girl. Admittedly she was scared. Scared of losing herself in Freen again. Scared of losing herself, losing her independence.
"Mon… You're scared. It's written all over your face… You know that you don't have to devote yourself to Freen for her to help you and the girls out. The guys and I would be more than willing to offer protection." Nop's voice was nothing but sincerity laced with concern for his old friend, trying his best to offer her as much support as he could.
Mon smirked and shook her head as that same sentiment washed over her for the second time that evening. "I wish it was that easy. This is not just a case of a few break-ins. Things are spiralling out there. Our best chance at true survival is to join with Freen. We can't approach her empty handed."
"So buy her a nice bottle of wine. You're not chattel. And I'm sure she doesn't expect you to act as such. Freen is…" Nop stopped abruptly.
The sweet catch-up session was quickly cut short as their car screeched to a halt. Glancing out the windshield past their driver, they could see two black jeeps blocking the road, another one visible in the rear view mirror as it came to a halt behind them.
"Tigereyes! Mon, get on the floor, now!" Nop finished shoving his friend down just in time to have the back window shatter as a bullet went flying through the car. He pulled two pistols from their holsters against his ribs and started shooting at the jeep behind them. "Drive! Drive! Drive!"
Their car lurched back into motion as it screeched in a semi-circle, trying to turn halfway around and shoot down a side street. The black jeeps, however, followed as they chased Nop and Mon's vehicle down the streets of the warehouse district. "Need backup, heading for the South Bridge Cross! Three vehicles in pursuit! Bullets flying!" Their driver shouted over his radio in an attempt to get help.
Nop shoved a tiny revolver into Mon's hands before he went back to shooting out the back window. He finally hit one of the wheels on the jeep behind them and watches it jacknife into a wall. The other two quickly passed the crashed vehicle, still hot on their tail. "Shin, I need you to enter the next back street and do a slide before exiting again. Mon, when the vehicle slows, you need to jump. Run into the first alley you can find and hide. As soon as backup finds us I'll come find you, I promise!"
Mon was terrified, to say the least. It's not that she lacked bravery or has never been in a scrap, but this was a whole new level of crazy and she definitely was not dressed for the occasion. "Nop, I…" She stuttered, trying to move onto her knees on the floor of the car, but before she could protest any further she was flung from the car with Nop's help. She rolled a few feet on the wet cement and then skidded an extra few inches, her revolver sliding a little further than she did. She knew there was no time to cry, though, and scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could muster, grabbed the pistol and bolted into a dark alley with the sounds of heavy footsteps coming after her.
She spun, taking one dark corner after the next, sticking to the blackest shadows in an attempt to hide, but she could still hear them coming after her. Suddenly her motion was halted by a strong hand wrapping around her face, effectively covering her mouth and stifling any attempted scream. Another arm wrapped around her middle and forcefully tugged her behind a dumpster just as three Tigereyes, guns at the ready, turned the corner. "Stay here…" The voice whispered sternly into her ear before the body moved away, leaving Mon to shiver as she curled up close to the ground.
"Guys, I don't know what you've been taught about girls, but generally when they're running in the opposite direction… you're doing it wrong." The cocky voice took shape, but stayed in the shadows as Mon watched the scene unfold from her little corner. What happened next seemed utterly unreal.
The shadowy figure sent one arrow flying towards the men pointing their guns, just in time for the projectile to pierce one of the guys through his skull, having found entry via his left eye. He dropped lifelessly to the ground, but his friend on the other hand was pulling the trigger at a rapid pace. Shadows, however, are hard to hit, so the figure ran towards the side of the building, ran right up the wall before jumping after a few feet up, flipping over backwards and coming to land on the metal stairwell running up the side of the opposite building. This manoeuvre gave the vigilante enough movement to avoid the bullets, but also enough time to ready another arrow. By the time boots could be heard hitting the metal landing of the stairs, the second gunman slumped down to his knees and keeled over, an arrow pierced right through his throat.
The figure dropped back down to the ground but remained tense. "That was…wow…" Mon stepped slowly from behind the dumpster, but the shadow held up one hand to silence her.
"There were three…"
"Three?"
"Three men…"
Mon held her breath, but her weariness came too late as she was suddenly grabbed from behind, the cool barrel of a gun pressing into her temple. "Don't move, or I'll kill her!"
The shadow slowly turned around and raised her hands. For the first time Mon was able to make out the features on her almost-rescuer's face. The girl was breathtaking, though clearly she has seen some battles her in years judging by the storm in her eyes. Her raven hair hung in loose and rebellious strands down her neck, perfectly framing a set of mesmerising features and a defiant little smirk. There was a jagged scar running through her left brow, thin and white and only served the purpose of making her look impossibly sexier.
"What's the use in killing her? It's not half as much fun if she's not squirming and moaning!" She dropped her bow to show that she had no intention of harming him.
"What… What are you talking about?" The gang member was clearly still nervous as there was a light tremble in his voice.
"Come on, Jack! Don't tell me you haven't thought about it. I mean…" She stopped her steps and whistled, her head canting to one side as she bit her bottom lip. "Just look at her…"
"I have orders to follow, fool! Stop talking shit!" Now he was getting restless.
"Jack, no one has to know… Look at her face, Jack… She wants it…" Mon's face looked nothing but utterly petrified, though this was still hidden from the gunman's view. She was, however, incredibly confused and completely outraged that this stranger was simply standing there, acting cocky and spurring on a gang member to...
"How do you know?" His voice went up a notch.
"Just take a look, Jack. We can make it a party, just the three of us…" She nodded over at Mon, then grinned at the gunman she has effectively named "Jack".
Spinning Mon around in his tight grip, gun still pointing at her head, he gave a wretched smile as he took in her beauty, his eyes immediately starting to brim with lust. "Oh well now, gorgeous… Let's party…"
His breath was vile as he leaned in to kiss Mon, but before his lips could even touch hers, a shot rang out the silent alley, echoing off the walls. Jack dropped to his knees, then onto his back, bleeding out from his abdomen. A still smoking pistol dropped from Mon's hand onto the ground next to the dead body.
"Well done." Mon's partner laughed as she picked up her bow and moved towards the shocked girl. "You really ruined his night."
Mon was shaking violently as the girl picked up her pistol and held it out to her. The frightened smaller beauty grabbed it and held on tightly. "Easy now, we don't need any accidents. Come on." The stranger urged calmly.
She reached for Mon's hand to lead her off, but Mon quickly jerked back and pointed the gun at her. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't." The smile tugging at the corners of her lips was cheeky and confident as she stepped closer to Mon, allowing the gun to press against her chest right over her heart. "But what are your options?"
"My escort is out looking for me. He said he'd come find me." Mon trembled as she lowered the gun slightly.
"Babe, in this neighbourhood, you'll be dead before he does. A pretty thing like you all by yourself – you'll draw unwanted attention very quickly." She tried to reach for Mon's hand one more time, but again Mon pulled away.
"You're insulting me!" Mon quickly turned defiant, vibrating with anger. "First you try to help me, then try to see me molested! Then…" Her words were cut off in her throat as she found an impossibly warm pair of the softest lips she had ever felt pressed firmly against hers. Her head spun in a mixture between anger and excitement. Her body was completely confused at the sensations suddenly coursing through it, but too soon she was tasting nothing but cold air again.
"Now I've insulted you. Everything else was to save your pretty ass."
Mon's expression went from dazed and slightly dreamy to furious in one second flat. She pulled her hand back quickly and slapped the face before her as hard as she could. The other girl clutched her cheek and looked stunned, but only for a moment before irritation took over.
"Look, princess, we don't have time for this 50 Shades crap. We need to get out of here." She took a few steps towards the shadows but turned around as she realised Mon wasn't following her. However, all it took was a few angry voices and gunshots echoing in the distance to make the smaller woman change her mind. She quickly skipped towards the denim and leather-clad girl with her arms folded tightly.
"And you had better keep your hands to yourself!" Mon barked.