Imperfect (Part 1)

Private Shuttle

Middie looked at the shuttle. I can't believe this. It felt like her worst nightmare. At least Gin was being a supportive Uncle. She never even knew Finn. Gin was relaxing on the shuttle with her, trying to dab her face.

"You got blood on you again when you fell." He tried to gently wipe her cheek. "Sorry, One Song. I really am."

He had been. Middie knew that, still he couldn't stop it or say anything. He was under the thumb of both his mother and father. He told her if she had the chance, she should take the hit on his dad. But his mom? Oh no, she was off limits. Her hitting was for good. It just helped them determine the truth better. Sure. Meanwhile his father?

"How's the splint?" Gin looked at her hand that she didn't use for a gun.

Middie nodded. At least the enemy didn't see it. If he realized the finger on her other hand was broken, he probably wouldn't have given her the knife. Why did he do that? She didn't know but she didn't trust anyone trying to be friendly right now. It could just be a trap to get her comfortable. There was no reason anyone would go out of their way to rescue her. They would only go out of their way to kill her.

"Don't worry, real soon. They've got some kind of quarantine thing going on according to mom," he told her. "It's real hard to shut us out though. We'll get this Dorothy Catalonia."

We'll? Big talker, but Middie would probably be the one who had to fire. They had nothing to gain from me. It wasn't about that though. The present wasn't a thing to RTL. It wanted justice for the past, even if she hadn't done anything personally to children, she knew now why she was selected. "Do you have the pictures on you?"

"Yep. Made small ones too for the wallet," Gin said as he showed it to her. "I won't forget it. Dorothy Catalonia. Smug face." He showed it to her. She took it with her better hand. "Platinum blondie, just like you. A bad girl though, unlike you," he pointed out. He took out the second picture. "Catherine Bloom. If you see her, let me know right away."

Sure, so he can hide. Catherine Bloom. Catherine Bloom, No Name's sister. Catherine and No Name both lost their parents, and for a long time, each other in a raid. No Name would have been so young still, almost a baby.

Middie didn't want to believe it. No Name sounded so sincere when he was at her apartment, but he was No Name. A poker face. Reading him was impossible. Besides, once she had the information, it was easy to look it up. She could look it up right now. Catherine Bloom had fit the absolute bill. The right time. Lost a sibling and her parents during an air raid. Perfect case. Why wouldn't No Name be helping his sister? Just wait now. She handed the pictures back.

"I doubt we'll run into this Bloom girl, so don't worry," Gin said to her. "She's on Earth. All we gotta do is find and take care of Catalonia. We are going to bring her to justice."

Middie had played the 'stick 'em up, we're kidnapping game' before. Never worked out. Unless Catalonia went peacefully, they would have to shoot her to make RTL happy. It was the only good thing about having Gin's dad show up. She knew what was wrong, what was at stake, and what to do. It was the only thing good about him showing back up. Gin put the pictures back in his wallet.

"I hear it's pretty up there," Gin told her. "Maybe after all this is over, we should go up there. Mom would lend us the money to get started."

"Maybe," she muttered. Middie didn't know what to pick for her future right now. Gin was offering help, and so was his wretched mother. Her baby was Finn's, and that made it family to Gin's mother. While it made it family, 'Uncle' Gin wanted to take care of Middie strongly away from the family. Something she couldn't disagree with considering the options.

"We'll get this squared away first, then we'll decide," he told her. "Momma says you gotta be in permanently, either way. You're carrying Finn's baby."

"I know." A little rougher than she meant to be.

"Inheritance, shady family, you're in more trouble being separate," Gin said again. "Up there, we'll be free if you just want to live the same kind of life as before. If you want more, we have to stay down. Either way. August? That's not too far along."

"Fine."

"Maybe September? That pushing it?" Gin asked her.

"September is fine." Any day would be fine. "Any arrangements you want from flowers to guests to music." Middie Une didn't need to be involved in it. She wanted no part of it! That wasn't an option with Gin's family. Crime families didn't accept 'no' for an answer. Even though Gin said he'd just go to outer space and take care of her, his mom shut it down real quick. Whether they wanted part in business or to be separate, a wedding would happen. The heavy bruising on her face alone was a reminder from his mother. She wouldn't embarrass them.

"No part at all?" Gin asked again.

"No." Then, she tried to give him the nicest but fakest smile she could muster after all the hell. "Weddings aren't my thing but it's okay. I've been through worse." Much worse. "You know why I killed your dad."

"Yeah, I can guess." He tried to hold her good hand. "I'll never know what mom saw in him."

She knew. Gin said it once before while his mother was there at the mansion, and when Middie uttered the word 'money', she earned the ability to limp from that woman. Gin was okay. His family was not. His dad. His mom. What was the rest of his family like? She didn't want to think about it. "The colonies." Yeah. Gin was right, it did sound nicer. Living from day to day on minimum wage. It was a much better lifestyle than staying down there with his mother. She felt the shuttle starting to move. Goodbye a chance at a normal life.

She had to get drug back in again. She tried to do it all correctly. A decent job. Her paintings. Nothing nefarious. No more spy work. Still, RTL dragged her back into the hell. A killer or not, she still had to end a young woman's life, the same age as hers. She still had to be No Name's enemy.

Then afterward, she had to be married into a crime family, pulling her own child into a dangerous life she never would have chose for it.

"Middie!"

Aye? That voice. That was rare. She knew it, but to hear it shout? She turned around and already saw No Name.

"Don't worry, we've already lifted off," Gin assured her. "There's no way someone like him is getting through to the colonies right now, not with this quarantine. It took beaucoup bucks to get through just for us. It's okay."

Middie felt him pat her back as she continued to stare below. No Name didn't look like he was out for blood. When he was at her apartment, he didn't seem like he was out for blood. He looked . . . hard to tell with him. Always hard to tell, and now too far away.

"One person and it's done," Gin assured her one more time. "One evil killer, one gun, and it's done, One Song. I promise." He held her hand.

It was no self-assurance.