1.40{Part II}

Warnings: Nudity, language

As he stood over the tank with Hunter's eyes stared sightlessly up at him, he was suddenly overcome with an urge. Right now Hunter was defenseless. Sure, if he did kill Hunter he wouldn't get out of here alive but just the thought. He could wrap his hands around his thick neck and just squeeze until what was just a human in stasis would turn into just another lifeless corpse.
He didn't realize that his hands had risen to open the tank until he looked down to see Hunter staring at him. Really staring at him.
"You know you wouldn't have gotten out of here alive."

Taking a step back as the lid opened, Winston frowned.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The hell you don't. There was murder in your eyes. Or at least the thought of murder. Don't know if you would have actually went through with it though. You don't look like that kind of guy."
Winston's frown was real this time. "What kind of man do you think that I am?"
Hunter smirked as he sat up. "The guy that would purposely drop his soap on a rope. Glad that you could make it Winston. Sorry I'm not properly dressed. I...was more tired then I realized."
A man that would purposely drop the soap? Drop the soap?! Winston didn't know what to say to that statement so he wisely kept silently.

Groaning, Hunter climbed out of the tank. He chuckled when he noticed Winston look hastily away. "Sorry old boy. Don't mean to point out your own short comings."
"Anyone ever tell you how much of a prick you are?"
"Of course. Usually right as I'm pointing my gun at their head. But, that doesn't concern us does it Winston? You have something that you think will be useful to me. And in return you want what? We never got around to that part of the deal."
"Protection. The last few weeks Hannah has become...unstable. Something happened that night that she went to see that bitch."
"Which bitch are we talking about?" Hunter asked.
"Kaylee. Kaylee Ravensworth-Jameson."
"Ah."

They stared at each other for several moments before Winston cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. His boots made clanking sounds on the aluminum flooring.
"Is that all you have to say?"
"I could say that if you call that girl a bitch again I'll slit your throat but that would just muddy the waters."
"W-what?"
"Look, Kaylee is raising my son. She's doing a better job of it then I could ever do. To say that I left my son in less than capable hands is calling into question my judgment. And we don't want to do that do we Winston?"
A thread of steel had entered his voice causing Winston to swallow dryly. "Of course not."
"Thought not." Spinning on his heel Hunter walked across the room and stepped behind an old dresser.

"Besides, her mother was the bitch. A nice piece of ass but a bitch nonetheless. Though I know why she was a bitch to me." He rolled his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug before he rummaged around for some clothing. Winston heard him curse underneath of his breath.
"I keep telling them to keep a stack of clean clothes down here. Damn it!"
Winston rubbed at his chin when Hunter stepped out in a pair of tight boxer briefs.
"Don't even give me any shit about these," Hunter snapped as he strolled out of the room.

"-and I asked him what the fuck he thought he was doing eyeballing my girl. And I says to him: "Yo! Unless you want me knocking your teeth down your throat you'll look at-"
"Any reason why everyone is just sitting around, talking shit, instead of patrolling the area?"
"Mr. Hunter! Sir, we-"
"And if you weren't patrolling the area at least you could do is protect my back. When I woke up this asshat here," he jerked his thumb in the direction of Winston who froze mid-step, "was thinking about murdering me. Now tell me why shouldn't I just fire all of you and be done with it?"
"Mr. Hunter-"
"Sir, I-"
"We didn't-"
"Enough. Do your patrols. Winston and I will be upstairs."
"Sir, did you want one of us to stay near you? Just in case." Sean glared at Winston.
"To do what? Shoot the shit? I can take care of myself. Fiona, take the dogs and patrol the front, take the roof Corey and Sean you finish counting my money and then patrol inside."

"Do you think it's a good idea to leave him alone with that dude?" Sean asked as the two disappeared upstairs.
"If he makes one wrong move toward Hunter I'll have his head...regardless of how some of us in this room feel."
Fiona clicked her tongue and the dogs followed after her.

Walking into the top floor of the run down building was like walking into another place altogether. This was more like a penthouse.
"I brought this building and renovated it to exactly what I need it. Few people would expect to find me here. It's one of the many places I have when I need to get off the radar."
"Why are you laying low Hunter? It's not like anyone's after you."
Hunter cocked an eyebrow as he punched in a security code. "People are always after me. And that's just not paranoia. It's a simple fact. There are people that you can't even imagine gunning for me. Trust me when I say you wouldn't want to run into them. You think Hannah is bad? She's fucking Tinkerbell compared to them."

"Anyways, I have to clean up. Get comfortable. Pour yourself a drink. I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Hannah has that same poster," Winston said as he looked around the room.
"I know. I've been in the Bio-Aquarium before."
"When?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hunter asked as he headed toward the bathroom door.

"Hey, who are you taking to the ball? This dress is real old school. Looks like something that a debutante would wear."
Reaching out he had barely started to finger the fabric before his hand was yanked behind his back and his arm twisted sharply upward.

"Don't you ever, ever," Hunter twisted his arm up even higher, "touch that dress. Do I make myself clear? Do I?"
Winston threw his other hand up in the air as he winced.
"Jesus Hunter! What the hell? I didn't know."
"I asked you a question Winston. Answer me!" he snarled.
"Alright, alright! I won't touch the stupid dress."
"That dress...you-" Releasing his arm Hunter stepped away. Out the corner of his eye Winston could see him reach out and touch the skirt of the dress before he headed into the bathroom. The door shut silently behind him.
"Motherfucker!" Winston rubbed at his arm as he danced around the room to ease the pain. After the pain dulled a bit he found himself by the bar.
"What the hell," he muttered.

Okay, he thought as the burn of the White Russian numbed the ache in his arm. These were the things that he knew. One, Hunter wanted revenge for the murder of his fiancee. Two, he wanted the same aging rate as Hannah and the rest of the R'ouglians. Three, the man was a cold blooded killer. He didn't need to screw up right now. Not when he nearly had the protection he needed to get out from under Hannah's thumb. He was so close.
Swirling the liquid in the bottom of his glass he glanced around the room once again. His eyes stopped at the computer. Drumming his fingers on the edge of the bar he tilted his head. He could still hear the shower running. And what could it hurt to have a quick look see at the computer?
Tossing back the rest of his drink he quickly walked across the room and sat down in front of the desk.

Hunter gripped the razor blade in his hand as he stared at himself in the mirror. He was meticulous about his appearance. Having grown up dirt poor he knew how it was to be looked down on for something that he couldn't help. Maybe that's why he surrounded himself with the same kind of people regardless of the fact that he was now worth millions. And he had overreacted with Winston.
At any time that man could walk out the door and not look back. For whatever reason he wanted to get out from Hannah. Not that he could blame him . Hannah would bleed someone dry and then toss them aside like yesterday's trash. But Winston had been with her a long time. Fi had told him that he had been thirty something when she had known him. But she didn't know if he had been involved with Hannah around that time.
Shaking his head he brought the razor to his face. There were so many unanswered questions that he couldn't wait to hear the answers to. Sooner rather than later.

There was nothing on this computer, Winston thought as he clicked around in the files that were buried deep on the hard drive. Absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact it looked as if Hunter really hadn't even used this computer. With all the updates he had to ignore when he logged on it was apparent that this computer was just used for personal purposes.
"The man doesn't even have the computer encrypted."
"Don't need to. I don't even know how to work that stupid thing. Besides, computers leave behind evidence. Don't you watch TV?"
Winston jumped guilty and his eyes shot across the room to where Hunter was opening a bottle of water.

"Where did-? How did you get out of the bathroom so quietly?"
Hunter wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm a killer. It would be kind of pointless to go stomping around everywhere letting your enemies know where you are. Anyway, there's nothing on there. Figured I'd use it as a decoy. Let some idiot spend time digging around for something that isn't there. Fi installed a worm on there that transfer to their computer if anyone tries to download the hard drive. She said it would wipe their entire system in less then two minutes. She seemed sort of excited about that."
"Fi always did love technology." A small smile twisted Winston's lips as he got up from the desk.
"Hmm..."

"Have a seat. Let's talk business," Hunter said as he sat behind his desk. He waited for Winston to get comfortable on the couch then crossed his leg.
"So, what brings you all the way here Winston? You haven't been out of Serenity Cove for what? Thirty? Forty years?"
"It's been about that long yeah. I mean it's not good for me to be seen outside the Cove. Someone might recognize me. I can't do the whole skinwalker thing like the R'ouglians can do. Not one of the attributes of having mated with one of them."
"You mated with Hannah?"
Winston absently scratched his arm. "Yeah. One of the worst mistakes of my life. I forced her to. I was an idiot. Still drinking and still looking for a fix. I had dreams of living the good life forever. My life is nothing like that now. I'm pretty much just a hired lackey who is sometimes her blood bank."
"Her blood bank?"
Winston sighed. "You know Hannah is an abomination to her people. She shouldn't be alive as it is. Somehow, some way, she gets her energy from feeding off of people. Specifically, for her, it's babies."
"What is she? Vampire?"
"No, she hides behind their shadows. Covers up the deaths well. The people in the Cove hate her. Hate the whole Bio-Aquarium actually."
"So, why did she want Kaylee there?"
"As much as it pains me to say it Kaylee is at the top of her field. Hannah was going to woo her over to her side. Have her genetically make what she needs."
"And what does she need?"
"What she's always wanted. What she continually talks about. Being in charge. Being the savior so everyone will bow down to her. She wants to be-"
"Like me."
"And you want to be like her."

Getting up Hunter walked across the room and sat down next to him. He smirked when Winston shifted away.
"Don't worry Winston. I don't swing that way. Although I have the feeling you do. Have an eye on someone in the office do you? Don't want Hannah to get jealous huh? Don't know what she'll do."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Look, it doesn't matter what side your swinging for. Or is the saying pitching? Either way it doesn't have anything to do with our arrangement. So, you want my protection? What's in it for me?"
"I've bio-engineered the very thing she wants. It's taken me longer than she would have liked but it's done."
"And that is?"
"I want your word that you'll protect me. Nothing fishy. Just straight up."

Rising, Hunter walked back to his desk and motioned to the picture that was there.
"I was going to go straight you know. We were going to get married, settle down with the whole fucking American family image and be happy. And then one night it was all ripped away from me. I said I was going to get my revenge and I plan to. I'm nothing if not straight forward. If I say I'll protect you I'll protect you. But you have to show me some sort of proof and if you even think of double crossing me I'll kill you without a second thought. Are we clear?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think we are."

"Did he leave?"
Hunter didn't know how long he had been sitting in the chair going over the entire night. Winston had questioned him extensively on his own cryogenics chamber and he had questioned him on his own engineering techniques. There was something in the pit of his stomach that told him he shouldn't have let Winston go.
"Sir?"
"Yeah, he's gone."
There was a pause and then Fi cleared her throat. "Then we should go as well, sir. This place has been compromised. We can't come back here for awhile...if ever."
"Yeah, yeah you're right. I just need to do one more thing."
"Of course."

"Hey babe. It might be awhile before I can come back and see you but you know that you're not far from my thoughts right? God, I miss your smile, your voice. I just miss you. You have no idea how much. It was good between us. I was a better man then wasn't I? But I'm glad I got to walk with an angel before I danced with the devil. I love you Abagail."
Touching the edge of the headstone Hunter stood and, without looking back, walked away.

"Oh Winston! It's what I've always wanted. And you kept it a secret from me? And it's not even my birthday. I didn't know you cared. How long have you been working on this?"

"Winston? Winston?"

"Oh Winston! What have you done to yourself?"