Fic: First Meeting
Sep. 24th, 2011 04:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseTitle: First Meeting
Fandom: Original Fiction [Aura]
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1000 approx
Prompt: For the 30 days of fiction meme prompt #4 a hostage situation
Summary: The first time Carter met Aura he found himself in trouble. It rather set the tone for their relationship.
Warnings: None
Notes:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dorothydeath asked to see Turning the Tables from Carter's perspective, so here's the lead up to those events from his human point of view
"You like this one?"
Carter shrugged, turned to look at the woman. "I'm not sure what it's supposed to be," he admitted.
She leant over to read the tiny title plate below the painting. "Convolution. Well, that doesn't explain much, does it?" She straightened up and held out one hand. "Aura."
He'd clocked her as just another society lady, slim in her little black dress, hair artfully arranged over pale shoulders. Now he noticed a thin scar that marred her face, starting at the corner of her lips – she wasn't wearing lipstick, he realised, though her eyes were weighed down with green and purple eyeshadow that made him think of peacocks. Why draw attention to the flaw, he thought, and tried hard not to trace the line of the imperfection.
"Carter," he replied, shaking her hand.
"This doesn't seem like your thing," she said, gesturing vaguely with one hand to indicate the event rather than this painting in particular.
He was used to reading, not being read. Carter gestured with the champagne glass and tried to distract her. "I thought with this amount of prestige attached it had to be worth checking out."
"Prestigious yes, and invitation only," Aura said. She sipped at her own drink. "You know the host?"
"Something like that." Was she involved with the gang? Had she made him? Carter tried to stop his thoughts spiralling out of control. There was no guarantee that the thieves would strike again, let alone strike here; no reason she would be involved with criminal activity and no reason for her to suspect that he was a cop. Neutered cop, he thought bitterly, and pushed the thought aside. That way lay only anger and despair, and he wasn't going to fall into that trap again.
She tipped her head. "It looks better from this angle."
He laughed and realised that she was beautiful, that he'd do anything for her, that – wait, wait, what was that? She was pretty, scar or no, but not the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.
He stepped away. "Excuse me."
"Of course."
Carter pretended to stare at a sculpture. His cop instincts were screaming that Aura was dangerous, and he'd never been wrong before. He surreptitiously watched as she glided over to a tall man in a very expensive suit. She touched his arm and he bent down to kiss her. He had to look away quickly when Aura glanced over in his direction, her companion following her gaze.
Then there was a sudden flash of light and a loud bang, smoke, screams. Carter reached for a weapon he didn't have. When the smoke cleared a little the security guards were all on the floor, dead or unconscious, and four men wearing black balaclavas were corralling the guests into one area of the exhibit.
"Quiet," one was yelling. "Move."
Carter glanced at the fire exit to his right – maybe it wasn't secured – but one of the men waved a gun at him. "You too."
Carter lifted his hands in surrender and moved to join the rest of the guests.
Another of the men – he was assuming they were all men, but he was only guessing – had one of the elderly guests by his lapels.
"I said shut up, grandpa," the thief was yelling.
Aura's companion, leaning nonchalantly against the granite pillar near the centre of the room, straightened and moved to intercept.
"No need for violence," he said.
"Yeah?" The thief shoved the elderly man aside and faced the newcomer.
"Nikki," Aura said, but she didn't sound as afraid as Carter had expected.
"Don't do anything you'll regret," the man, Nikki, said.
"I'm the one holding the gun," the thief said, and Carter wasn't sure if Nikki was brave or suicidal when he laughed loudly at that.
"There are other weapons," Nikki said softly and Carter shivered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
The man who was apparently in charge was speaking again. "Sit down," he ordered. "On the floor, now." The guests were obeying, some with difficulty. Aura sank gracefully to the floor, Carter saw. He knelt, still trying to assess the situation. Nikki had not done as he was told.
"You. Floor. Now."
Nikki turned distasteful eyes on him. "You really have no manners," he said. "Why don't you put the gun down?"
For a moment the ringleader stared at him, and the gun barrel dipped just a fraction. Then he shook his head. "Fine, you get to be an example."
Carter bit his tongue hard as the shot rang out. He lowered his head, ashamed of his cowardice in staying down while these people executed an innocent man, even though he knew reacting would only have brought about his own death.
When he looked up again, Nikki was sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. Carter flicked his gaze over to Aura. She looked annoyed, as if someone had brought her the wrong drink rather than shot her companion. Maybe she was involved, Carter thought, they both were, and now the crew was trimming down the members of the group.
Aura might be only mildly perturbed, but several other guests were crying and on the verge of hysteria.
"Now, this is how it's going to go," the ringleader said, pacing in front of them. "Shut up and do as you're told and most of you will get to live."
"You will regret that," Aura said, voice steady.
Carter held his breath as the man levelled the gun at her.
"I don't think so," the thief said.
She shrugged. "The evening is young," she said, looking at the large windows on the back wall of the exhibit, and was then mercifully silent. Carter had no wish to see her executed too. It was no comfort that he'd been right about the next hit when he was alone, unarmed, without backup, and in the midst of a hostage situation. The best he could hope for was that they got out of this without anyone else being killed.
Fandom: Original Fiction [Aura]
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1000 approx
Prompt: For the 30 days of fiction meme prompt #4 a hostage situation
Summary: The first time Carter met Aura he found himself in trouble. It rather set the tone for their relationship.
Warnings: None
Notes:
dorothydeath asked to see Turning the Tables from Carter's perspective, so here's the lead up to those events from his human point of view"You like this one?"
Carter shrugged, turned to look at the woman. "I'm not sure what it's supposed to be," he admitted.
She leant over to read the tiny title plate below the painting. "Convolution. Well, that doesn't explain much, does it?" She straightened up and held out one hand. "Aura."
He'd clocked her as just another society lady, slim in her little black dress, hair artfully arranged over pale shoulders. Now he noticed a thin scar that marred her face, starting at the corner of her lips – she wasn't wearing lipstick, he realised, though her eyes were weighed down with green and purple eyeshadow that made him think of peacocks. Why draw attention to the flaw, he thought, and tried hard not to trace the line of the imperfection.
"Carter," he replied, shaking her hand.
"This doesn't seem like your thing," she said, gesturing vaguely with one hand to indicate the event rather than this painting in particular.
He was used to reading, not being read. Carter gestured with the champagne glass and tried to distract her. "I thought with this amount of prestige attached it had to be worth checking out."
"Prestigious yes, and invitation only," Aura said. She sipped at her own drink. "You know the host?"
"Something like that." Was she involved with the gang? Had she made him? Carter tried to stop his thoughts spiralling out of control. There was no guarantee that the thieves would strike again, let alone strike here; no reason she would be involved with criminal activity and no reason for her to suspect that he was a cop. Neutered cop, he thought bitterly, and pushed the thought aside. That way lay only anger and despair, and he wasn't going to fall into that trap again.
She tipped her head. "It looks better from this angle."
He laughed and realised that she was beautiful, that he'd do anything for her, that – wait, wait, what was that? She was pretty, scar or no, but not the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.
He stepped away. "Excuse me."
"Of course."
Carter pretended to stare at a sculpture. His cop instincts were screaming that Aura was dangerous, and he'd never been wrong before. He surreptitiously watched as she glided over to a tall man in a very expensive suit. She touched his arm and he bent down to kiss her. He had to look away quickly when Aura glanced over in his direction, her companion following her gaze.
Then there was a sudden flash of light and a loud bang, smoke, screams. Carter reached for a weapon he didn't have. When the smoke cleared a little the security guards were all on the floor, dead or unconscious, and four men wearing black balaclavas were corralling the guests into one area of the exhibit.
"Quiet," one was yelling. "Move."
Carter glanced at the fire exit to his right – maybe it wasn't secured – but one of the men waved a gun at him. "You too."
Carter lifted his hands in surrender and moved to join the rest of the guests.
Another of the men – he was assuming they were all men, but he was only guessing – had one of the elderly guests by his lapels.
"I said shut up, grandpa," the thief was yelling.
Aura's companion, leaning nonchalantly against the granite pillar near the centre of the room, straightened and moved to intercept.
"No need for violence," he said.
"Yeah?" The thief shoved the elderly man aside and faced the newcomer.
"Nikki," Aura said, but she didn't sound as afraid as Carter had expected.
"Don't do anything you'll regret," the man, Nikki, said.
"I'm the one holding the gun," the thief said, and Carter wasn't sure if Nikki was brave or suicidal when he laughed loudly at that.
"There are other weapons," Nikki said softly and Carter shivered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
The man who was apparently in charge was speaking again. "Sit down," he ordered. "On the floor, now." The guests were obeying, some with difficulty. Aura sank gracefully to the floor, Carter saw. He knelt, still trying to assess the situation. Nikki had not done as he was told.
"You. Floor. Now."
Nikki turned distasteful eyes on him. "You really have no manners," he said. "Why don't you put the gun down?"
For a moment the ringleader stared at him, and the gun barrel dipped just a fraction. Then he shook his head. "Fine, you get to be an example."
Carter bit his tongue hard as the shot rang out. He lowered his head, ashamed of his cowardice in staying down while these people executed an innocent man, even though he knew reacting would only have brought about his own death.
When he looked up again, Nikki was sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. Carter flicked his gaze over to Aura. She looked annoyed, as if someone had brought her the wrong drink rather than shot her companion. Maybe she was involved, Carter thought, they both were, and now the crew was trimming down the members of the group.
Aura might be only mildly perturbed, but several other guests were crying and on the verge of hysteria.
"Now, this is how it's going to go," the ringleader said, pacing in front of them. "Shut up and do as you're told and most of you will get to live."
"You will regret that," Aura said, voice steady.
Carter held his breath as the man levelled the gun at her.
"I don't think so," the thief said.
She shrugged. "The evening is young," she said, looking at the large windows on the back wall of the exhibit, and was then mercifully silent. Carter had no wish to see her executed too. It was no comfort that he'd been right about the next hit when he was alone, unarmed, without backup, and in the midst of a hostage situation. The best he could hope for was that they got out of this without anyone else being killed.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-25 01:52 am (UTC)Also, I love haughty!Nikki ;D
no subject
Date: 2011-09-25 08:22 am (UTC)