I thought I loved her.
But she never loved me.
She said that she did... once.
She also said that she had never loved anyone before.
But now she's gone...
"Leon! Call for you on line one!"
I stared down at the blinking light, waiting for me to make it stop blinking.
Guess the day had to start some time. Push.
"Yeah? Whaddya want?"
"Woah. You sound like you had a bad night!"
Daley.
Shit, I really didn't want to get into this right--
"You're not still upset about your rock and roll girlfriend dumping you, are you? Leon, I've told you a hundred times that I'm here for you, but you just never--"
"Can it Daley. I'm not in the mood. Now tell me what the hell is going on."
"Well, if you're gonna be that way about it... Okay, listen here. I'm down at the warehouse. Aerial Recon shows three boomers inside, and some kind of huge tank as well, and from the initial scans it looks like it's armed and ready to play ball. I think we're gonna need backup, and fast."
"I'll be right there. Just don't piss them off."
"You know me so well. --click-"
What a way to start this miserable fucking day.
Goddamn rain. How the hell is a guy supposed to look cool when it rains so much?
I really should get the AC fixed in this--
Not like it mattered most of the time really, since I usually leave the windows down.
Where's the goddamned turnoff? I thought he said--
Hmmm. Lotsa lights over there... must be the place.
Holy shit Daley. Ten... thirteen, fourteen, fifteen cruisers. Sure you called in enough backup?
"Glad you could make it."
"You mean you're glad I could get here to save your butt."
Daley grinned.
"So, what's the plan?"
"We do nothing."
Daley didn't say anything, but the look on his face was enough to convey his intrigue.
"Someone should be along shortly."
"Ah," Daley replied. "You have a lot of faith in them. Maybe too much."
Faith? They'd never let me down yet. Well, at least not the other three. But her, she let me down real good.
Goddamn rain.
"So how long do we wait?"
I turned to look at Daley, his eyes squinting and his hair soaked. "Not long. They'll show."
"Leon it's been over half an hour. We can't wait any longer, we have to move. The chief is starting to yell."
"So?"
Daley didn't laugh. "Now he's yelling so loud that I can't even understand him."
Oh. That wasn't good.
Dammit, where are you? You're supposed to be--
An explosion?
The warehouse we were watching appeared to breathe for a moment, the sides pushing in, and then suddenly blasting outwards, showering us with wood, bits of metal and plastic.
And then they were there. The Knight Sabers.
I just about gave up on you...
I couldn't see very well because of the rain, but I didn't need to see perfectly to know that things weren't going well. In fact, this didn't look good at all.
And then it was over.
And she was dead.
"Priss! Don't do this! Don't!"
I wanted to shake her, to wake her from the long sleep she was slipping into, but all the blood and the wound in her side made her look so fragile, like she'd break if I even tried to hold her. Yet she had always been so... stubborn. But there was nothing anyone could do. The paramedics were already packing up.
"Leon... you knew her?"
"Yeah... Daley... she's... she was, my rock and roll..."
Daley blinked.
"Leon... I--".
"Forget about it Daley. Go home."
He turned to go, then stepped back towards me, and placed his hand on my shoulder for just a moment. Then he left. And I was left with her beautiful face, staring up at me with open eyes. Eyes that would stare forever, and never see me, if I let them. I placed my hand gently over her brow, and ended the eternal gaze. I watched the rain collect around her eyes, then drizzle down her cheeks, like tears.
And all I could think about, with the rain falling, and the lights flickering, and the voices echoing... was how much I loved her. And that she would never know...