The Cat with Too Many Lives
By Miaka Mouse <?__)~
Beep? Beep? Beep.. Beep.. Beep. Beep. What was that infernal beeping?! Whatever it was, it was gradually increasing in frequency. Spike struggled to clear the haze in his mind. It hurt. He couldn?t pinpoint where it was coming from, but there was definitely pain.
?I think he?s waking up,? a hushed voice broke through the dark cloud of his disorientation. Finally regaining consciousness, he opened his eyes. Ow, bad idea. Too bright. He moaned softly. His throat felt unusually dry and rusty, as if he hadn?t used it in a while. ?Spike? Can you hear me?? The same voice again. It wasn?t Jet, that was for sure. Nonetheless, it was familiar. ?Spike?? Lin? He attempted to open his eyes again, this time slowly squinting. No, it wasn?t him. It was Shen. Lin was dead. Dead. Like? Julia? and Vicious. Dead. Like he should be.
?What the hell?!?? Spike?s raspy voice suddenly exclaimed. ?Why am I still alive?!? His eyes were wide open now, glaring at Shen accusingly. And then he noticed the bandages on his friend. And the hospital gown. The ridiculous hospital gown. He snickered to himself, his eyes closing lazily. ?Y?know, you look like an idiot in that gown,? he remarked, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. No pockets.
?You don?t look any better in it yourself.? Shen shot back.
?I don?t suppose I could get a smoke around here.? Shen shook his head. ?Damn. Oh well,? Spike stretched out his arms to put them behind his head, but a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. He flinched.
?Careful,? Shen warned. ?Bullet wounds take a while to heal.?
?Yeah. So tell me now. Why the hell am I still alive?? His tone remained calm and even, as if he were asking for the time.
?Vicious killed the geezers. You killed Vicious. The Syndicate is a wreck.?
?Excuse me if I don?t shed a tear,? Spike commented dryly.
?It needs leadership. It needs someone to pick up the pieces and start over.?
?So hop to it, my friend.? Shen seemed taken aback by this.
?I?you know I was never good at that kind of stuff. I meant??
?I know what you meant. I?m not gonna do it. I swore I?d never go back to the Syndicate. I sure as hell ain?t gonna be the one to resurrect that damned organization after what they? took from me. I won?t be the one to do that to some other poor sap.?
?That?s just it Spike. You can make it into whatever you want it to be. There?s nobody to tell you what to do. You have very specific skills, Spike. Why not put ?em to use? You?re just as good as Vicious ever was, but without his arrogance or lust for power.? Spike mused over the words and Shen could see he was debating over it. ?What else would you do, Spike? Where would you go??
I got my memories back? Faye?s dejected voice whispered in his mind.
?There?s nothing for me to go back to.? He looked Shen in the eye and gave him a nonchalant grin. ?I guess this cat has another life left in him after all.?
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