Sable's Experiences

[Toaster]

July 21, 827 A.S.

The plan was simple. Intercept Perno on his way to the meeting with his client, kill him, hide the body, depart the station. What could go wrong?

What could go wrong?




Olivia crouched in the small space between two large atmospheric filtration units, pipes and tubing criss-crossing above her head, water vapor venting around her, the noise of the machines close to deafening. Beside her stood her toolbox, lid open, contents neatly lined up in front of it. She assembled the short rifle with deft hands, inserting the magazine and power pack, tightening the scope on top, and screwing a silencer on to the end of the barrel. The machinery may be loud, but she didn't want to take any chances at being discovered.

Once it was done, she placed it in her lap and leaned back against one of the rumbling machines, waiting. Assuming the meeting was to take place punctually, Perno had ten minutes. He would walk by Olivia's hiding place, coming from the elevators. She would step out behind him and put him down with a well placed shot to the head. Then it was just a simple matter of hiding the body among the machinery and leave. All the while, a small camera attached to her flightsuit's chest piece would be recording for her employer's pleasure.

The racket of the filtration units around her made hearing any approaching footsteps impossible and the deck vibrated too much for her to be able to sense footfalls through it, either. So she had to wait and stare out from her cover at the narrow corridor before her, so as not to miss her mark walking by.

Two more minutes passed.

Finally, a man carrying a large crate in his arms strode by her. Olivia gripped her rifle and ducked out from between the pipes and ducts, raising it to her shoulder, ready to take the shot. Instead of the back of the man's head filling the sight of her rifle's scope, however, what she saw was the crate flying through the air, straight at her. Before she could react, it crashed into her, sending her stumbling backwards, dropping the rifle. She regained her balanced just in time to see her target come barreling towards her.

Perno leapt at her, throwing his full bodyweight into the tackle. The two went down, Olivia reflexively kicking up her legs as she fell onto her back, catching the man between the legs with her shin. The momentum sent him flipping over her, landing hard on his back. Without pause, both of them rolled over onto their hands and knees, staring at each other. Olivia tried to catch her breath, but Perno was already charging her again, crashing straight into her, forcing what little breath she still had in her lungs out explosively through her mouth. Their heads collided and there was a soft crunch as his nose gave in against her forehead.

The charge sent them sprawling to the deck again, Olivia on her back, Perno on top of her. Before she could scramble out from under him, he had his hands wrapped tightly around her neck, squeezing down on her trachea. Olivia desperately kicked her legs, but her opponent shifted his weight to pin them down, rendering her practically immobile as he slowly crushed the life out of her. She tried to reach for the knife holstered to her right thigh, but his torso covered it, too heavy to get her hand underneath.

Blood and sweat dripped onto her face as she stared up into the face of the man she was supposed to have killed by now. Darkness started creeping into the corners of her vision as her body thirsted for air. She gasped, desperately, her tongue bulging in her mouth. Her hands gripped his wrists in an attempt to loosen his vice-like grasp on her throat, but his muscular arms were like hardened steel, her strength fading too quickly to release them.

Olivia tilted her head to the right, not wanting to look the man in the eyes as he suffocated her. Her fading sight landed on an object on the deck...

Her rifle.

Her eyes widened and she reached out for it with her right hand. The weapon was barely out of reach, mocking her with the inch of space that lay between the tips of her outstretched fingers and its grip. Her fingers shook as she stretched her arm as far as she could, pain shooting through her shoulder as the joints protested against the tension. The world around her grew ever darker, as the last bit of oxygen escaped her body.

With one final groan, she yanked her arm outward. Her fingers brushed over the textured grip of the rifle and clasped down on it. With the last of her remaining strength, Olivia swung the weapon up into the air, bringing it down on Perno's temple. The vice around her neck disappeared as the man yelped in pain and rolled off of her.

Olivia gasped loudly, arching her back as she desperately gulped in the musty air surrounding her. Her vision cleared up as oxygen shot through her body and she rolled over onto her hands and knees, struggling not to collapse from exhaustion. She glanced over at her opponent. He lay on the deck beside her. A bloody gash had opened across the side of his face where the rifle had struck him, blood oozing from between his fingers as he covered it with his hands.

Trembling, she stood up. The corridor spun around her as she dizzily stumbled backwards, crashing into one of the air filtration machines behind her. She remained there, leaning her back against it and panted heavily, raising her left hand to her throat to loosen her flightsuit's collar. She stared down at the man before her.

"Fuck you, Pedro," she muttered to herself as she grasped her rifle in both her hands and took aim at Perno's head. The man's eyes widened in fear and he reached out one hand towards her, pleading.

"Please! Please, don't!" He cried desperately. Olivia swallowed hard. "Please, please!" He shouted over the noise of the machinery around them. "Don't!"

Olivia pulled the trigger.

---

Olivia Sable