The last trickles of red sun disappeared below the horizon, and the golden orb of Helios emerged above the opposite side of the polluted brown river, as though the sun itself was rising in the wrong place. Night in River City held no warmth or beauty. It was the only thing that could be said for certain.
The bounty hunter stood on the rusty metal balcony of her fire escape, looking down upon the choppy brown river beneath her. A cold breeze kicked up, chilling her bare limbs. Any other time she might have retreated inside for her thin layer, but it would not happen tonight. She draped her tech coat over her shoulders.
The yellow pad was folded into her pocket. She pulled it out and tapped it a few times on her palm, thinking about her prey again. He'd dashed his bonds with his own clever little trick a few days ago. He'd turned the interplay between the court and the defendant into a wild goose chase, to ensure that he could never be jailed for violation of bond. The shame of it had sent him into hiding. He'd known about the bounty hunter—why did he save his own freedom, only to abandon her? Did she remind him of something?
She'd pursued the bounty hunter tirelessly. Her relentless pursuit ended when she found the fugitive, well ensconced in some local seedy bar. It was a shame to ruin the woman's night. It wasn't every day that a bounty hunter might bump into one of her own marks. Still, she needed to do her work.
The bounty hunter slipped onto the fire escape below the fugitive. She secreted the balcony door key in her pocket, causing a painful clink when it struck the large piece of data chip. The bounty hunter ignored the sound. She unholstered her pistol, keeping the laser light off as she ascended the fire escape. When she was even with the fugitive, she tapped the barrel of her pistol against the outside wall, causing a hollow sound to echo through the still night air.
The fugitive straightened out of his fetal position, and turned his head to the bounty hunter. She watched as he gathered on his feet with her, pacing forward with her own stride. She tensed, waiting for the arrest to begin.
Suddenly, the fugitive turned toward her and grabbed her, attempting to kiss her. She let him.
"Theodore? I don't know what I was thinking." She said between hot kisses. "Forget about the bounty hunter—nothing matters but you and me. We've had a thousand nights where I've forgotten about hunting you, and you've forgotten about the costs of being a fugitive. Come back to me, you old dog."
"Ah! " A smile broke across the bounty hunter's face. "No matter how many times I see that face, I'm so glad that I bought it on the black market years ago. I didn't think that I'd ever use it. What are you doing in River City, you're not working a job at all, are you?"
"You don't have to worry about me—you've run off on so many times, so many jobs. I had assumed that I was nothing more than a job to you."
"I love you. It was never about the job with you. I just couldn't handle your personality after a while. You were always grating. I was so obsessed with you, but you were still just a job to me. A job I never got sick of, and a job that sustains me. You know, I don't want you to know this, but I have the video of how you escaped from the Orbital Prison. For a while, I tried to convince myself that you really were guilty. I just couldn't handle it.
"I've done all the legwork, skipping out and being arrested on so many jobs and never being caught. Your reputation even went so far as to get you a job in the Orbital Prison. For a while, I thought I might still be able to catch you. But you've ruined me.
"I've never even gotten up the nerve to wear this, never have I worn this. You know I love you, Theodore—all of you—on so many levels. I guess we've just become so damn familiar, too familiar for me to deal with. I'm tired of being just another bounty hunter. You should just be flattered that you have two real inspirations in your life.
"I know you're not this…bandit anymore. You've made too much of yourself over the years and I just couldn't handle it anymore. You know, I tried to contact you. I did my background research on you, your little jobs and all your possible aliases and return addresses. I wanted to find a way to get in touch with you—to make it right, but it was just too hard. You changed too much, Theodore.
"I finally called the guy I was working for. I didn't think that it was working out. I just wanted you to know that I've changed. I was a bounty hunter. I wanted to keep my promise to you—protect you, but I've changed. I don't want to be bounty hunter anymore, Theodore.
"I've changed, Theodore. I'm no longer the bounty hunter that you hate.
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