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Post by squeekness on Mar 9, 2007 11:58:12 GMT -5
(Seven) They entered the building through a bomb shattered doorway and made their way up a rickety staircase to the top floor. Bruce scrambled into a corner, wanting the security of some walls, and called for help on his headset radio. Almost at once, a Dognan ship swooped down and began firing. Valentin snatched at Bruce's headset and snarled into it with impatient rage into the radio. "Henry! Get us out of here!" "I'm sorry, Sir, but there's no one left!" Beast answered from the other end. "The next wave of pilots won't be here for another half hour! The rest are already there or shot down!" Wolverine could barely hear the response over the crash of bombs and artillery and he moved closer to Gambit protectively. The thief was leaning against a wall, ducking down and doing his best not to reveal just how terrified he was. He was way out of his league here and it showed, he made no snappy jokes or goofed around as his protective teammate came closer, he was white as a ghost and wanted no more of this. Buildings were exploding all around them. "Then send Fallen!" Valentin continued to holler into the headset. It was still attached to Bruce’s head and the man winced at his General’s tone. "Sir! The Lucky Dragon wouldn't last a minute in the crossfire!" Valentin’s anger exploded and he snarled, "I didn't say 'send her ship', you moron! I said 'send her'! Tell her to grab a harness and get her *** out here! There's only eight of us left!" He clicked off, furious. They were now trapped on the top floor of the abandoned six story building. The roof was gone and they were protected by only three walls, and those not for long. More Dognan ships flew overhead dropping bombs all around them. The building trembled and groaned in pain, not liking the abuse. The Dognan knew they were there, just not exactly where and were firing all over the place. Valentin turned his wrath on Bruce. "This is all your fault! I should just leave you here!" "I'm sorry! How could I know they would bypass our cloaks so soon?!" Bruce countered weakly. He was terrified of Valentin and it showed. "It's your job to know these things! I wouldn't have put my men at such a risk if you hadn't told me it was safe!" "I can only pass on what I've been told, Sir! I didn't make the cloaks!" "You are still responsible!" "How long will it take Fallen to get here?" Wolverine said, trying to deflect some of Valentin's rage off of the squirming man. Bruce might be an idiot but he didn't deserve to die for it. "Not long, maybe ten minutes. If we even last that long." Wolverine was surprised by Valentin's answer. Lucky was parked twenty miles away at least. With the fire fight going on, Fallen would be at great risk. Valentin saw his disbelief. "She's flown in worse than this," he said proudly with a smile. For a moment, Logan could see that Valentin valued her and on some bizarre level, even loved her. Logan just couldn't understand what it was between those two. They waited, all of them nervous and tense. Moments later, Logan heard a familiar rush of wings and Fallen touched down in the middle of the room. She was graceful and confident, a smile on her face as soon as she saw him. Fallen wore the leather harness and had a radio headset on. She carried the usual tangle of leather in her hands, harnesses for the rest of them. She tossed them down. "Two at a time," she commanded, instantly in charge. She appeared to be unafraid of the bombs and noise and Wolverine couldn’t help but admire her courage. She had a cloaking bracelet on her wrist and threw two more down on the straps. "These are set at a different frequency," she explained to the Clansmen. "Won't keep you from getting shot, but at least they won't have anything to aim at. I'll cover you with my TK as much as I can." Logan steered Gambit over to her with a gentle shove, silently insisting he go first. Logan wanted him out of here and back where it was safe. Remy didn’t argue. He and another of Valentin's men started putting on the straps and bracelets. They stood side by side and Fallen went between them, hovering slightly and clipping their straps to her harness. "Clear?" she spoke into the headset. "You're clear," Seth's voice came from the radio. He was monitoring the Clan and Dognan ships. "Ready. Steady. Jump!" Fallen grabbed the two men from their back straps and hoisted them into the air. She really didn't need to touch them, her telekinetic power held them to her. The straps were mostly for the confidence of her passengers. They winked out as the cloaking devices activated and were gone. "That's my girl," Valentin boasted to Logan. He had seen the feral alpha’s fine appraisal of his pilot. "She's not afraid of anything. She used to pull the Dognan men out of the battlefields when she first was made. Some of them are twice our size." Fallen returned for another round and flew off again. This wasn't taking long at all. A good thing, the bombing was getting worse. One of the walls collapsed and Bruce cowered in the corner, unable to hide his terror. Justin came over and stood above him protectively without comment, silently shielding him with his large body. Valentin watched this without comment, recognizing Bruce’s uselessness out here. He himself hadn't moved at all, he stood at ease as though the bombs would never touch him. All he needs to do is start talkin’ about napalm in the mornin’, Logan thought to himself, wryly amused at the sight of it. Fallen touched down again and Bruce snatched for the straps. He was trembling so badly, he almost couldn't get them on. A bomb exploded right next to them and he screamed. Fallen yelled into her headset. "Seth! We're getting slammed!" "You've got two ships on your right! The Clan's right behind them! Just sit tight! Wasayachay a recta set, Fallen. Don't worry!" Bruce blinked and looked up in surprise, momentarily distracted from his fright. "Was that Siskan?" he asked, an odd light in his eyes. Fallen ignored him, but she looked afraid for the first time. Bruce looked to Valentin who was watching Fallen with renewed interest. "No," Valentin answered for her, his voice betraying uncertainty. He motioned for Justin to put on a set of straps. "It's just some silly words they always say to each other." "Shreikedickt belanda krishna dect! Watch yer ***, Fallen!" Kimble hollered next. He sounded panicked. "Dontcha do nuthin’ stupid, girl!" "Who was that?" Bruce asked, unable to hide the renewed terror that blanched his face. It was unclear what had terrified him more, the situation he was in or the voice coming over the radio. He never got a reply. Another bomb exploded and Kimble was shouting into the headset again. "Fallen, gits outta there! Swing ta yer left an go 'round the back way!" "Left and back, aye!" she shouted. She said nothing more, only rudely grabbed Bruce and Justin and vaulted off into the treacherous sky. Now only Wolverine and Valentin were left. Valentin was thinking hard and didn't speak, working his mind around the strange exchange he had witnessed amongst his crew. Apparently Bruce’s response to Fallen’s computer personalities had peaked his interest. Logan didn't like the look in the First General’s eyes, like he was hiding something Bruce had made him realize. Fallen could be in danger and Wolverine considered killing Valentin right then and there. He had lots of good reasons, not the least of which was the way he abused Fallen. Just the thought of it made Logan clench his fists. It was too easy for him to forget just how much of monster Valentin was out here when his bravery and courage blinded him. These were the things Logan admired in a man. Still, it would be so easy to take him down in this place. He could say it was the bombs and no one would question it, especially not Fallen. Valentin suddenly looked at him as though he knew what Logan was thinking. He smiled a wicked grin and laughed. "Tempting isn't it? Just pop a claw and go to it, boy. If you think you can." "Heh. Too easy, Valentin. Yer not even worth the effort," Logan spat, his resolve gone. It just wasn't in him to kill a man he respected, not without a better reason. Valentin moved in front of him. "Go for it," he challenged arrogantly. At that moment, Fallen touched down, returning for the two of them. She saw them squaring off but didn't interfere, her pale blue eyes glittering. Valentin turned to look at her. "Saved by the angel in white," he sneered. "Don't be so sure," Logan grumbled with a laugh. Valentin looked into Fallen's eyes and didn't like what he saw there, she was actually considering her options. She tossed Wolverine a set of straps, but kept the other to herself. Her headset crackled. "Leave th' f--kin' bastard, Fallen!" Kimble shouted, his voice loud and angry. He could hear every word through the headset. Valentin stood his ground, boring into her with his eyes. "You going to do that? Leave me? What about the Four? You swore an oath. Honor, Loyalty, Courage and Sacrifice. You wear the Honor Sword of the Clan. You swore to protect your passengers at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing yourself. Kill me now and you violate all you hold sacred. Where's your honor now? Your loyalty? I am Clan! You are Clan! Would you sacrifice your honor for something stupid like revenge? I've never done anything you haven't wanted me to and you know it!" "Don’tcha listens ta him, Fallen!" Kimble insisted. "Grab Logan and run, girl! Do it now!" Another bomb exploded with a thundering crash. The building couldn’t take it, the second wall collapsed leaving only one. There was no way they wouldn’t be seen by the Dognan ships flying nearby. Wolverine stepped up. "You gotta decide now, Fallen. We got no time!" "You told me you would never be responsible for killing anyone else, Fallen," Valentin continued, changing tack and easing the forcefulness of voice into something more tender. He wasn't the least bit worried, he was just probing her. Logan shook his head, his suspicions of Fallen’s past confirmed. "Leaving me is the same as murder and you know it," Valentin said, raising his chin. Fallen looked at him, torn. A single tear trickled down one cheek. "I hate you," she said finally and tossed him the straps. "Aw, Fallen, don' be stupid!" Kimble complained. He knew what her last transmission had meant. "You ain't never gonna get another chance!" "Fallen!" Seth called, breaking his silence. He could hear as well as Kimble. "I'm sorry, guys," she whispered and shut her headset off. Valentin laughed as he slipped the straps on, his emerald eyes all over her. "Someday, you'll realize you need me as much as I need you. You'll never kill me. Deep down inside you know it's just you and me, Fallen. Forever." "F--k you!" she snarled and leapt into the air. Valentin laughed as she jerked both him and Wolverine into the dangerous sky. They clicked their cloaking devices on and became invisible. To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Mar 16, 2007 12:44:42 GMT -5
(Eight) Fallen flew them quickly over the bombed out city. She covered a lot of ground swiftly, spurred on by her anger. Logan watched the terrain go by in a blur, her scent telling him everything. She was hurt and angry, cursing herself for her honor. Like her, Wolverine was worried that she had made the wrong decision in sparing Valentin’s life, but understood that it wasn't easy to kill. It wasn't Logan's place to judge her so he let it go. Fallen dropped them off outside the ship and stomped up the ramp to the ship, saying nothing to anyone. Valentin watched her go, a strange look on his face. Logan was surprised to recognize it as genuine concern and shook his head. He would never be able to figure these two out in a million years. Logan made his way stiffly up the ramp. He wanted to shower and see if he could get any more of the crap jammed in his guts out. He wouldn't get it all, it would ease out slowly on its own, making him itch like mad. He still had some red blotchy scars from where the shrapnel had cut him and was smeared with dried blood, but the injury now looked worse than it was. Nothing that shower wouldn’t fix. He was making his way to the shower in the barracks room when he passed Bruce in the Main Room. Bruce was wandering around Fallen’s ship in a sort of daze, looking for something with a puzzled look on his face. He was bruised and battered from Valentin’s abuse, filthy from their mad dash through the city, and looked lost and confused. "You all right?" Logan asked him, concerned for the man. "Yeah, fine," Bruce replied, clearly lying as his eyes shifted around the room. He realized that Logan was studying him and nervously made his way into the galley. Wolverine watched him go, not sure what Bruce was up to. It vaguely occurred to him that Bruce was looking for the Siskans he'd heard chattering on the radio. Logan was aware that few, if any, of the Clansmen knew about the true nature of Fallen’s little program. She had asked Henry to keep their ability to come out as a hologram a secret, maybe there was good reason for that. Logan looked to the screen, but the control room there was empty, the twins were off hiding somewhere. As if on cue to Logan’s unspoken question, he heard Kimble and Fallen begin to argue loudly from below. The sliding trap door was closed, but Logan could hear them just fine. Kimble was put out over Fallen shutting the radio off on him and was making sure she knew it. He couldn’t believe she had given up the one chance to be free of her tormentor. Logan could hear Kimble’s pain and sympathized in spite of his own reservations against the Kimble personality. Kimble could do nothing to protect her, not even from her own bad decisions and it was obviously driving the Siskan crazy. Wolverine paused and shook his head, chagrined at himself. How could he be thinking this way about Kimble? The guy wasn’t real, his emotions were all programmed and artificial. Logan refused to see him as real, no matter how convincing the image. He was surprised Fallen allowed him to berate her so ferociously. He would have shut the guy down a long time ago. Logan turned when he saw Valentin come up the ramp from outside. He was limping and sore from his injury. His leg was still tied off with the belt and untended. Valentin paused when he heard Kimble let go with a spectacular stream of profanity, ending only when he started to bawl, his anger too great to hold back. Something slammed from below and the argument ended abruptly. Valentin laughed. "Oh, he's got quite the temper doesn't he? Stupid child." Logan stepped back when the door to the lower level slid open. Fallen came up in a huff, her face flushed and angry. She said nothing to them, but passed them to go into the galley. There was the sound of breaking glass and Bruce came out, Fallen's anger had frightened him from his hiding place. He quailed when he saw Valentin. He was out of the frying pan and into the fire. "You!" Valentin snarled at him. Apparently he wasn't quite finished chewing Bruce's *** out and was more than ready to resume the man’s punishment. "You allowed us to be seen! They know we will come again! Now we have to start all over again!" He slapped the man again, a heavy devastating blow. "All that time and planning wasted!" Bruce crumpled and continued to grovel. Blood gushed from his nose again and he trembled uncontrollably. The poor man was obviously teetering on some kind of edge and looked ready to break at any moment. "My, Lord!" he begged, hoping uselessly for mercy. "The information I had came from your spies out in the field! They’ve never failed me before! Something unforeseen must have happened! It’s not my fault, I swear!" "I am not interested in your petty excuses! Get out of my sight!" Bruce covered his face and fled, passing Logan without a glance. Valentin snorted in disgust and limped into the galley, looking for Fallen. Logan followed him in case he started in on Fallen in his frustration, but kept his distance. He leaned in the doorway and watched as Valentin went to his pilot and attempted to console her. Fallen stood over the sink, picking up the pieces of broken glass from her temper tantrum. There was plenty of it to pick up and room reeked of whiskey now. She was shaking with rage but doing her best to calm down. She tossed the glass into a bin and snatched another bottle from the rack, not letting one broken bottle keep her from her goal of blotting all of this out. She opened it with a claw and drank a large gulp of whiskey down as if it was nothing. Valentin stood behind her and carefully put his hands on her shoulders. "Why do you keep this Kimble fool around if he angers you so?" he asked her quietly. "You should have scrapped him long ago, along with all the other junk that never worked right on this ship." "He’s not the one making me angry," she snapped. Valentin grunted a laugh. "Surely, not I?" Fallen found no humor in his joke, her voice was quite serious as she said, "My service to the Clan is coming to an end, Valentin. Things between us will change." "How so?" He bent down and kissed her bare white shoulder. "This. This will stop." She turned and pushed him away firmly but without malice. He grinned. "No. I don't think so. You're mine and always will be." She shook her head. "I've come to terms with what I've done. I don't need you any more." "Really? You're releasing me from my duties?" he said with a contemptuous laugh. "I've grown much too fond of you, my dear. You'll not be rid of me so easily. Perhaps my hand has been a bit heavy, yes, but you've done well under it. You've come a long way from that snarling little she-b-tch Cerebus dragged from the pens." "I don't want to talk about that," she whispered and turned away. "You brought it up, my dear. Now, enough of this foolish talk of change. Tend to me." She looked back at him and saw that he was injured. His leg was still tied off with his belt and most of the bleeding had stopped, but it would need to be cared for. She nodded and helped him to undress, careful of his pants around where the piece of shrapnel protruded. Valentin sat on the table, stretching his wounded leg out in front of him, the other bent over the bench. The wound was still fresh and blood seeped out onto the table, flowing now from the movement. Fallen stood easy beside him and lay her hands on his thigh carefully, examining him. She ignored him as he sniffed at her and closed her eyes. She was using telekinesis to 'feel' the metal and gently slide it out, it would be less painful than if she were to dig it out with her hands. Valentin still grunted with pain in spite of this and grabbed a fistful of her hair, bringing her closer. He wasn’t really pulling on her, it was more like he wanted just to touch her as if this would give him comfort. To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Mar 16, 2007 12:45:21 GMT -5
Logan stood as he was, still watching them. Their body language spoke volumes. These two were bonded and in spite of their sick little game, had a relationship that was beyond abuser and prey. As brutal as Valentin had been to her before, now he was gentle and it wasn't just because he needed her to do something for him. Wolverine knew that in order to ensure Fallen would bring them home he had to get her away from this man. Now more than ever, he regretted not killing him. Funny how it was the gentleness that made Wolverine feel this way and not the vicious abuse. Fallen eased the long sliver out and Valentin relaxed, releasing her. He smoothed her hair out gently, putting her back in order. "You're so very good, my Fallen," he said, licking his lips. Fallen wouldn't meet his eyes and moved away. She tossed him the bottle of whiskey and ordered. "Drink this." He took it and chuckled softly at her arrogance, he seemed to like it when she bossed him around. Fallen paid him no mind. She took out a med-kit and some fresh towels and she began to clean his wound, being careful and doing a decent job of it. She was drunk now, but it didn't seem to affect her ability to care for him. Valentin petted her as she worked, smiling the whole time. He didn't acknowledge Logan's presence in the doorway even though he'd seen him there. Valentin's eyes were on her, glowing with a sick kind of love. He flinched once as she stitched him, but otherwise showed no sign that she was hurting him. She ignored his touch but didn't move away from him or avoid him. It was though she didn't care one way or the other. Logan shook his head. It was beyond his ability to figure these people out. "Y' know..." Logan drawled, getting back to business. "...the Dognan knew we were there today. Of course we got our cover blown. I'm guessin' they think we're gonna tuck tail an run. Let's go back in few hours anyways. We got nuthin' ta lose." Valentin rubbed his chin and looked at Fallen. "Can you reset the cloaks? We'll need at least twenty." "Yes, my Lord. If it takes me all night." He looked back at Logan, pleased that this alpha had read his mind. Again, he considered Wolverine's suitability for an officer's position. "First light, then?" "First light," Logan repeated as a farewell and left. Before he got too far, he heard Valentin say to Fallen, "All night? I hope you've got some time to spare for me." "Of course, my Lord," she whispered tonelessly. Logan left them and went for his shower, not wanting to hear any more. Whatever this thing was between them, he wanted no part of it. Wolverine freshened up and after a quick catnap, rose to find Fallen seated on the floor in front of the main room's big screen. The screen was blank, just swirling static. In one corner was a small window showing the control room used by Kimble and Seth. The chairs were empty, the brothers off in the system somewhere. Fallen sat, kneeling with her head down. The bottle of whiskey, now empty, sat in front of her. One of her wings was slightly bent and not folded completely, Valentin had bruised it in his passion. At least she was otherwise unharmed. Wolverine stood in the doorway of the barracks, watching her. The ship was empty, all the Clansmen were settling down to sleep outside where there was more space. Logan walked over to Fallen and crouched down beside her. "You okay?" "Kimble is angry. I need him to help me with the cloaks but he won't come." "You can't do it alone?" "He helped me build them. He knows them best," she explained in a soft trembling voice. She looked as though she was on the verge of tears, but it could just be the exhaustion. The stress of this was taking its toll on them all. "He'll be back." Wolverine put a hand on her shoulder, concerned about her. Her white skin was very warm like she had a fever. She was also very drunk. "He seems to care about you." "Do you like him?" she asked, proud in spite of her pain. Logan could see she'd been crying earlier, her eyes were red and swollen. "He's not all that different from you. My protector. It's why I made him look a little like you." He shook his head with a smile, amused by her crush. He didn't buy into her reasoning, though. Kimble was a child and reckless with his emotions and anger, nothing like him at all. Still, he said, "You really know that much about me?" "Oh, yes, I know all the legends. I knew of you long before I got taken. I know all about you X-men, how you would fight so gallantly for freedom and the rights of everyone." She sniffed, her smile wistful now. "Kimble's like that. He wants to protect me, look after me. Keep me safe. He takes it very seriously like you do. Only, heh, he's more of a clown than you are, more like my husband was." "You were married before?" "Yeah. Had some kids. They're all dead now. The Dognan took who they wanted, destroyed the rest,"she said quietly. "It was a long time ago." "I'm sorry." "It's okay." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Now Kimble is mad because I let Valentin live. I deserve what Valentin did to me tonight,"she said, flexing her wing slightly to reveal an ugly terrible bruise. "I should have let him die." "It ain't no easy thing, killin' someone. But I suspect ya already know that, though." He paused, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't, he continued. "You don't deserve what he does to you, though. I can't understand why ya think you do, girl. I've seen it before, women thinkin' that they've done some terrible thing and this all they're worth. Yer better than this, Fallen." "No, I'm not," she replied, keeping her eyes down. "You don't know anything about me." "Enlighten me then. What's yer trouble, darlin'?" She just shook her head and was silent. Logan looked up at the screen and at the empty chairs. "Maybe you should get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day." "I'll wait here. Seth will come in his place if I wait long enough." "Ya want me ta stay?" She gave him a tired smile. "No, I'll be okay." "All right, then." He stood and walked away towards the ramp, he wanted a little fresh air before going to bed for some real sleep. He looked back before he went outside, seeing her there. She was a tiny white figure crouched in front of that huge screen, lost. He didn't want to leave her, but there wasn't anything he could do to help her. Just as Logan turned away, he heard Seth say her name, the young pilot had come back to the control room. Wolverine watched as Fallen stiffly rose and walked to Seth's small window. He had put his hands up to the screen and she put her hands over his, taking some small comfort from that strange contact. They began to whisper to each other. They spoke in Siskan and Logan couldn't understand what they were saying. Seth was sad and his voice shook as he spoke. He started to cry and his Mistress soothed him, speaking to him with love and gentleness. It was the strangest thing Logan had ever seen. Unable to fathom it, he shook his head and walked out. To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Mar 23, 2007 8:17:31 GMT -5
(Nine) Logan made his way down the ramp and to the outside of the ship. Valentin's men were camped out all around in their tents, trying to get as much rest as they could before tomorrow’s raid. He decided to make a quick trip around the ship’s perimeter, years of being concerned with security were hard to ignore and Logan was a creature of habit. He was off around the dark side of the ship when he heard soft voices coming from the scrub close by. Instantly on alert, Wolverine went to check it out. He found Bruce and Justin alone by the one scraggly tree that leaned nearby. He didn’t make himself known to them, but approached them silently. They had stolen away to this isolated spot for a private conversation yet Logan couldn’t help himself but want to listen in. He wasn’t an eavesdropper by nature, but with everything that was going on, he found himself doing it more and more. He paused and crouched down to listen. "You’re worried about tomorrow, aren’t you?" Justin asked Bruce, his eyes lingering on his partner’s face. Bruce had a large, ugly bruise on one side from being struck by Valentin and he looked completely miserable. Justin was quick to soothe, "Don’t be. We’ll all be fine, you’ll see." "We came too close the last time. I always worry that we won’t make it back," Bruce said softly. He leaned forward and gave Justin a passionate kiss, seeking comfort for his pain. Logan balked a little at the sight of it, swallowing hard. Oh, so that’s how it was. Excuse me, please. He’d had no idea there was anything more than just friendship between them. Justin returned the kiss, laughing softly and pulling Bruce closer. He spoke gently now, happy to ease his lover’s pain. "We have to make this raid. It’s the only way to be sure everyone is safe. Once the Dognan are gone we will all be free. Any sacrifice made will be a small price paid." He brushed Bruce’s hair back in a tender, loving gesture. It made Logan shiver with revulsion, he wasn’t used to seeing that kind of intimacy between two men and it unnerved him a little. Still, he kept quiet, interested in what Justin had to say. Justin’s voice was sincere as he spoke, "Just remember that no matter what happens, I loved you from the moment I first saw you. I have never loved anyone else." "Don’t frighten me," Bruce whispered in a trembling voice. He was in pain and small and fragile here in this moment. "I couldn’t live without you. Not here. Not with Valentin and the others. Not anywhere. Promise me you won’t let anything happen." Justin shushed him with a dreamy whisper. "Shush now about all that. Forget about everything, lover. Let’s just pretend that none of this is happening and it’s just the two of us out by Pastor’s lake. The moon is out and bright. The fish are jumping just enough to break the surface of the water---" " — It’s spring and the chickburries are roosting down for the night," Bruce finished for him, his voice soft and wistful as he joined in the game. Justin had succeeded in calming him and he was relaxed now, happy to be here in his lover’s embrace. Justin laughed. "That’s right. Pastor’s lake and nothing but the fall hunt to look forward to." "I wish we could go back there again. I’m so sick of this war." "Just close your eyes and you will be." Justin tipped Bruce’s head back and kissed him again, this time more forcefully and full of passion. "Just close your eyes..." He reached for Bruce’s belt buckle and Logan took that as his cue to leave. Wolverine slipped silently away through the scrub and made his way back to the ship. He might not have approved of their relationship, but the intimacy and recollections of the two men filled him with a longing for home. He was tired of this dark and cloudy world. He wanted to see the bright moon and smell the crisp air of Canada. He no longer doubted that he and his teammates would get back home, but Justin’s comment about sacrifices pained him. He just hoped they would all come back alive. Logan was about to go back up the ramp when he saw Remy leaning against the side of the ship smoking. He wandered over to join the thief in a smoke, his homesickness making him feel oddly gregarious. Remy smiled at him as he approached. He seemed to have recovered from their horrible day and was his usual chipper self. " ‘Ey, short stuff. Fallen get dose cloaks done or what?" "Kimble's givin' her a hard time. She says she needs him to help her but he's still pissed off." "What 'appened out dere today? You an Valentin’ come back wit ‘er den she an’ Kimble went at it pretty hard." Logan briefly explained about Valentin and how Fallen had almost left him behind. He didn't mention Valentin's confirmation that Fallen had killed someone, he figured it was a private matter and Gambit didn’t need to know. He shook his head, thinking of Fallen and Valentin. "I’m never going to figure those two out." "P’etetre, if you wasn't so closed off, you'd see it a little better, non?" "Really? Enlighten me then." Gambit shrugged. "Fallen been wit Vally a long time. She comfortable now. She t’inkin' she done sumptin’ bad and she need to be punished. She chose Vally to ‘elp her out. He seems pretty qualified, n’est ce pas? Anyways, now she found sumptin' better. Now she not so sure what she wants to do cause she scared. Girl's are like dat." Logan grunted a laugh at the young man. "You know the ladies that well, huh?" "Bien entendu. Gambit is good. Gambit is wise. 'E knows many t’ings, non?" Remy laughed. Logan shook his head and grinned. "Right," he agreed sarcastically, thinking of all the flying dishes and debris from Rogue’s hot temper. These two could put up quite a ruckus when it came to their own domestic battling. "But yer wrong about Seth bein' better. The guy ain't even real." "Don' matter. 'E's real to 'er. Who's to say it ain't right?" Logan snorted and looked away. "She get more from Seth dan I get from Rogue," Remy offered. "You sayin' me an Rogue ain't real?" Rogue was Remy's girl. She was one of their teammates and like them, she was a mutant. Her 'gift' was that she could absorb a person's personality and life energy just by touching them with her bare skin. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for her or her victim. She would get swamped and lost with their psyche imprinted on hers and they would lose consciousness and become quite ill. Her power was so potent, she could kill just from prolonged contact. To protect herself and others, she covered herself from head to toe, cutting herself off from all physical contact. Remy's curse was that he was hopelessly in love with a girl he could never completely touch. "That ain't the same," Logan protested. "Non? Why, den?" "'Cause yer alive, okay? Flesh an' blood. Maybe you kids'll work it all out someday." "Yeah. Mebbe Fallen an Seth will, too if dey ever get de chance." Logan waited a moment and then asked the question that was really on his mind. "You gonna be good to go in the mornin’?" "Sure t’ing, patron. Dis boy de picture of readiness. Gonna kick some Dognan ***," the thief replied merrily but was betrayed by a shiver of fear his feral teammate could sense. Wolverine was quick to reassure. "You just remember what I said. This is a war. It’s our war whether we wanted it to be or not. We gotta do this thing. Just think about yer girl. Think about Rogue. Yer keepin’ her safe. Don’t want any of those Dognan creeps gettin’ their paws on her. We do this an they’ll keep away from our world, too." "Gambit’s with de program. ‘E won’ let you down." Logan didn't answer but gazed off into one of the nearby camp fires. He finished his cigarette and crushed it out. "I'm gonna get some sleep while I can. You should, too." "I'll be up in a minute." "Right." Logan left him and went up the ramp. Fallen was gone from the Main Room, but he could hear her and Seth talking below. Hopefully she was getting the cloaks done with or without Kimble. He went into the barracks and settled down on one of the beds. He was tired and dropped off quickly. To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Mar 23, 2007 8:18:12 GMT -5
(Ten) Remy stood outside the ship, waiting. The morning air was crisp but had no moisture in it, not like home. This area was little more than a wasteland now. The stark countryside did little to raise his spirits and he was not looking forward to what had to be done today. He wasn’t much of a practicing Catholic these days, but found himself saying a soft little prayer, "Please, just dis once, Lord. Let dis pitiful t’eif do de right t’ing. ‘E knows ‘e ain’t perfect, an’ ‘e knows ‘e ain’t never gonna be good enough to be wit you, but ‘e needs so much to know dis is really okay, comprenez?" He didn’t get an answer, but was startled when he felt soft, gentle hands touch him softly. He turned to see Fallen standing behind him. "Yes, petite?" he asked quietly. "Don’t be afraid about today. I won’t try to justify this for you with stupid, pitiful reasons, but just look at me, Remy. Look at me and see what they’ve done. They took me from my home, killed my people, and did this thing to me. Do you know how many human females die just so one pilot can be made? Huh? Eight. I don’t know what kept me alive. I like to think that when God or whoever is out there decides that it’s not our time, that there’s a reason. I think he kept me alive for this. To stop them from hurting anyone else. You’ve come close to death so many times and walked away. Don’t you think there might be a reason for that?" "I used to t’ink so, chere. Now, Gambit ain’t so sure. He ain’t no killer." "No, he’s the saver of lives. Lives saved for the lives lost." Gambit shivered, and she gripped him tightly. "Yes, I know about you, Remy, but don’t worry. You’re in good standing with me. I know what it’s like to f--k up and forever be apologizing for it." "You couldn’t know what dis is like, dis pain. Dere ain’t no greater crime dan mine." She kissed him gently with a sad smile. "Don’t be so sure." She pulled away from him and started to walk away from him, her head down. He watched her go, a pained, perplexed look on his face. It was true he did not know her well and couldn’t possibly know the pain and suffering she had endured in her life. He recalled Valentin’s savage beating and how she allowed him to do it. She had said something about a terrible crime to Kimble. He hoped she hadn’t fallen from Grace as far as he had. He couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else suffering his level of personal pain and internal persecution. She paused when she saw him looking at her with all of that so plain on his face and said gently, "I know you’ll do well today, my good Gambit. He’s out there looking after you, your God. Do your best and He will see it." "Merci, mon chere," he said, feeling a little better. "Maybe He lookin’ out after us all, non?" She nodded slowly and walked away to where the rest of the men had gathered. She began speaking to Valentin and Remy looked away, his spirits raised by their brief conversation. He laughed when he felt something large and blue bump him affectionately. "Woolgathering so early? Not a good idea on a day such as this. I trust you slept well and are ready to dive into battle, flags waving?" Henry said with a laugh. "Yeah, dat’s me all right. Yee haw," Remy replied, rolling his eyes. "Good. Remember your only mission for today is to come back alive. Don’t do anything stupid." "You mean, don’ do anyt’ing Wolvie would?" "I heard that," Logan growled good naturedly from behind Beast. He roughly grabbed both Henry’s and Remy’s hands in his own. "Nobody dies today," he said as a vow and released them. He didn’t wait for their response but kept walking until he stood next to Fallen and Valentin. "He’s certainly chipper today," Henry commented. "Dis is ‘is t’ing, mon ami. ‘E a closet general. ‘E probably all bummin’ dey won’ be givin’ ‘im a medal for dis." "No, they’ll just stick that big sword tattoo on him." Gambit grunted, " ‘E’s too short, homme. It be comin’ down round ‘is knees." "Too true, my friend." Remy turned as he heard Justin come up behind him. "You ready?" "Ready as Gambit’s ever gonna be, mon ami." Justin was going to be his partner on today’s little trip. Fallen would be flying the two of them — hopefully in secret this time — close to the Dognan base where they would sneak in and plant more of Logan’s explosives. Valentin and his group would create a diversion outside to draw out the soldiers and keep them from being detected. Unlike Remy, Justin seemed up for the job and was acting as though this was just an ordinary day and this a regular trip to the park. Justin shook his shoulder roughly. These Clan guys were very strong and Remy staggered a bit, something that amused the Clansman. "Don’t worry, I’ll cover your ***, little brother," Justin teased and slid his pack on. He was carrying two sets of leather straps as well and he handed one to Gambit. "Put this on. Hope that pilot doesn’t drop us on our asses. It’s a long way down!" "It’s quite nice, the Fallen express," Henry said with a smile. "It’s a nice view." "Gambit wouldn’t know. ‘E slept t’rough one trip, got shot at de other," the thief complained unhappily. "Well, try to enjoy this flight then. Just pretend it’s Rogue." Henry patted Remy’s shoulder and walked back up the ramp. He was co-ordinating the diversionary skirmish via head set with Bruce. "Who’s Rogue?" Justin asked, his teasing smile giving away that he probably already knew the answer. "She a girl back home." "I take it she can...fly?" Remy grinned mischievously. "Among other t’ings, oui." Fallen came up at a trot. "Ready?" They donned their leather reindeer harnesses and were soon aloft. Henry was correct about the view. Even this savage wasteland had a kind of beauty from this high up. Fallen was swift and sure as she navigated her way to the drop off point. In the distance, Gambit could see the huge Dognan complex crouching in it’s crater. This building was further away from the city and better protected. It was a large star shaped structure with many out buildings and parked vehicles. He remembered how Logan had chuckled over the blue prints, saying how the place had been designed so poorly. It was too spread out to give a proper defense, the biggest weakness being the wide sprawling duct work. Maybe the Dognan guys who made it couldn’t fit inside the ducts because they were so large and then assumed no one else could as well. Either way, whoever had designed it didn’t count on having Clansmen move in like this for crazy guerilla warfare. Remy prayed the cloaking devices were working as he could see patrols of Dognan soldiers running about. The Dognan slavers had an idea the Clan would up to something this day, but didn’t know what. They had people spread out all over, but Remy saw with relief that none of them appeared to notice the arrival of their uninvited guests. Fallen found the small out building that housed the air duct opening and dropped off her two passengers. They touched down lightly and Fallen collected her leather straps, hiding all evidence of their arrival. She checked her head set radio with the one Remy pulled out of his backpack, she would be keeping tabs on their progress inside and give them directions if they needed it. She had her own small backpack with a tiny hand held computer, a device she would be using to track them inside the building. She had given Gambit a transmitter just before they left the ship that was tied into that little computer, her hand held device had a map of the complex and she would guide them along if they got lost -- or heaven forbid, come in after them if things got really bad. After she was sure they were all set, she gave Remy a small kiss on the cheek. "Be brave. Be safe." "No worries, chere." She smiled gently and took off to hide behind some scrub bushes nearby. She would wait there for twenty minutes or so or until she heard a signal from them upon their return. Remy took out a small leather bag of tools and began working on the screen for the duct, his fingers swift and sure. He missed the fine set he had back home, most of those were battery powered and he could work more quickly. Before they left, Fallen had given him free reign in the shop, letting him take whatever tools and equipment he might need for this job. He had grabbed a small set of screwdrivers and wrenches wrapped in a leather skin and tied with a thong. It was a decent set and he was pleased when Fallen told him he could keep it. He had also taken another good sized bag of ball bearings, he had no intention of letting any of those cat guys get close. The screen came away easily and he set it gently aside. He slid inside and Justin followed. The ventilation shaft was very long and it would take some time for them to get to the energy generator. It was also quite dusty. He had anticipated this and had made sure they were both wearing some bandana sized rags around their necks to pull over their noses and mouths. One good sneeze could give them away. Gambit was dressed in his regular working clothes, they had been made for this kind of work and he was grateful to have them. He still wore his chest plate for extra protection, but it was made of a thick, rubbery plastic that allowed him to bend to a point. It didn’t restrict him from squirming around. He just hoped Justin could keep pace with him. Gambit was lithe and nimble, but he didn’t know if his larger, older companion had the required acrobatic ability to follow him. To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Mar 30, 2007 8:26:54 GMT -5
They crawled through the duct work as quietly as possible and weren't detected. Remy had memorized the directions Kimble had laid out, but wasn't worried. If need be, he could call up Fallen to get his bearings. This wasn't the first time he had to crawl through vast duct work to get to a destination and he was comfortable here. The only part of him squirming was his conscience. He just kept telling himself this was just another job, just another diamond or prized statue. He held Rogue's image in his mind. He was doing this for her, to keep her safe from another possible unannounced Dognan slave raid. No one else would be taken, he vowed. Good thing he had no fear of tight spaces. At times the duct work narrowed and he had to stretch and flex to get around corners. To his amazement and relief, Justin maintained a steady pace behind him, grunting softly here and there. At one point, Remy heard Justin's back crack with a loud pop as he navigated a particularly obnoxious bend in their path. He waited for the yelp of pain, but instead got a low chuckle and heard Justin calling himself an old man. In spite of the danger, Justin was having a blast. They were halfway to their destination when the heard the alarms go off. Right on time, Valentin had begun his diversion. Remy paused for a moment, happy as he listened to the sound of Dognan soldiers galloping by behind the wall, away from where they were hiding. He moved faster, not wanting to put Valentin's efforts to waste. Remy and Justin had no trouble until they got to the reactor room. The shaft they were in ran along the ceiling and Remy looked down through a large grate. He gave a soft cry of dismay when he saw that the room had easily twice as many workers as they had anticipated and more than a few guards as well. This was becoming a regular bad habit, always being outnumbered, and not a good sign. He used hand signals to communicate this to Justin, but Justin motioned for him to keep going anyway. They could do this, but would probably lose their advantage of stealth. Remy opened the screen quietly and they entered. Remy dropped down first, falling silently behind a pair of guards. He was quick and soundless as he dropped them efficiently with a well placed series of blows and nerve pinches. Justin was just as proficient and far more lethal, he was a well trained soldier with many years of experience and knew full well what would be required here. He went at the Dognan workers with gusto, taking down three of them quietly with his bare hands before he was even detected. He moved on, not even hesitating when the alarm was sounded in this area and they could hear the sound of heavy boots come running from outside the energy generator room's door. Gambit did his best to cover himself but couldn't help but balk at the idea of actually killing these men. It just wasn't in him to do it even though he knew these Dognan guys would just get blown up anyway. He bashed them about, knocking them senseless to the floor, but couldn't bring himself to finish them off. A small squad of soldiers came in and Remy was left with no choice but to bring them down, they were waving those horrible energy guns around, moving this to the next level. Remy gritted his teeth and shut off all of his emotions, using all of the training he'd received as both an X-man and a Thief as he cleared a path to the reactor. Justin and Remy were like two engines of death, coordinating things wordlessly as though they had been teamed up all their lives. Gambit kicked and spun with lethal accuracy, sending an energy gun flying. Justin grabbed at it almost instinctively and began firing, vaporizing three Dognan men before the tide stopped flowing, the next wave of soldiers lingered near the door without going in. Justin was a good shot and the Dognan soldiers learned quickly. Taking advantage of opportunity, Justin tossed the gun to Gambit. "Cover me while I plant the charges!" Gambit did as he was told, holding the weapon like it would burn him. He had never liked guns and thought of them as the coward's way out, though like today, they did sometimes come in handy. He cringed with every blast he fired, but held his own. He was a good shot, having practiced shooting as a means of improving his own accuracy with projectiles back home. He was keeping the soldiers at bay while Justin got the work done. The problem was, this was taking too much time. Justin was swift, emptying both his pack and Remy's quickly of their bombs, but he was still eating up precious minutes. Remy wondered, how were they going to get out of here? Things did not improve when one of the Dognan soldiers proved he was just as good a shot as Remy was. Clever enough to shoot high, he fired and hit some of the machinery above where the two men were crouched. These guns melted metal just as well as flesh and it come down in a torrent. Gambit's quick reflexes saved him from injury but Justin took the brunt of it, howling in agony as he was burned across his legs by the gooey mess. Remy was immediately concerned for Justin, but he had to cover the door, Justin's cries of pain were inspiring the Dognan soldiers to try that much harder to regain access to the room. Gambit was forced to almost continually fire to keep the way clear. This was going from bad to worse. "Justin, you goan' be okay? Should I call Fallen in to get us?" Justin had quieted and was doing his best to clear the molten mess from his legs. It was a useless effort, he was only making this worse and was going into shock. "No, there's no time. Give me the gun and go back. I'll stay here and cover the bombs." Gambit blinked, trying to fathom what Justin was suggesting. It wasn't that bad was it? "Quoi?" Justin gestured to his ruined legs, he wasn't going anywhere, not like this. "You heard me. We can't leave the charges unprotected. If we do all this will be for nothing." "You stay, Gambit stays," Remy said without conviction. His damn survivor instinct was sending him alarms, double time. It was hard not to pick up and flee. Justin grinned bitterly. "This was never your war, alpha. Take this box, there's something in there for Bruce. He's very special to me, understand?" "Non, no. You comin' back wit me!" Remy stammered, not wanting to hear this. "We can work dis out. Let me call Fallen!" "No, it's too risky. I admire your honor, alpha. Now, don't deny me mine. Give this to my Bruce. He won't be very happy with me, but I had to do this. I'm doing this for him. He's been the whole world to me." Remy took the small box Justin had shoved at him, trying to comprehend what he was being told. He'd seen the two of them hanging around a lot, but it never dawned on him that Justin and Bruce were anything more than friends. Justin saw the hesitation in Remy's eyes. "Do this for me. Your debt is paid to the Clan, my friend. Go back and be proud of what we've accomplished here this day." Gambit took Justin's box and crammed it into his pack which was now significantly lighter than it had been before. He opened the bag of ball bearings, charging a handful. He tossed them through the open door into the hallway and smiled with grim satisfaction when the Dognan fell back as they exploded. A chunk of the ceiling in the hallway fell over the door, blocking Justin in and giving him some more protection. They both knew it wouldn't be enough, the Dognan men were determined to get in and they would. It was going to be a question of whether or not they did it before the explosives went off and only Justin's use of the gun would determine that. Justin had made his choice and so with great reluctance, Remy backed off they way they'd come. He hauled himself back up into the duct, but hesitated a moment more, his red and black eyes full of pain and woe. Justin looked back at him, in pain but no longer afraid. "You've got no time, my friend. Get moving!" Remy said a quick prayer and made his way back, double quick. It was much easier for him on his own. He had a good memory and an uncanny sense of direction and he made it back without mishap, but did hear troops moving at a fast march through the building below him. Justin was surrounded and Remy heard echoes of him through the duct work. Justin was firing shots and shouting curses, laughing as if this was some kind of wild party and not his own death sentence. Remy came out of the duct, back where he had started, grateful to find it undisturbed. In spite of all the ruckus the Dognan slavers hadn't discovered how they got in. He gave a quick sharp whistle and Fallen came out of hiding. She looked behind him, seeing he was alone. "Where's Justin?" "We ‘ad some trouble." Fallen didn't question him. The troubled look in his eyes was answer enough. She started to unravel the leather straps, but the ground rocked beneath them as the first of the explosive charges went off. It wasn't close to being safe here and Fallen snatched at him without ceremony, vaulting them both up into the air. A moment later, the blast wave came from the huge core reactor exploding and hit them in a cloud of smoke and heat. They both cried out as they were buffeted and Remy shouted, terrified that Fallen would drop him. He had nothing to fear, Fallen raised a telekinetic shield around them, buffering them from the heat and turbulence. It kept them from falling out of the sky but they were both singed and smelling a bit crispy when the dust finally cleared. Fallen held him easily and took off towards the Lucky Dragon, their end of the bargain done. To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Mar 30, 2007 8:27:24 GMT -5
(Eleven) While Fallen was flying Remy and Justin in towards the large Dognan complex, Jacob teleported in a crew of his own. He had deliberately selected a landing site on the opposite end of the complex from where she had gone. The plan was for this second crew to cause enough of a diversion that Justin and Remy would have fewer soldiers to deal with as they worked. Jacob teleported his crew in near one of the loading bays and stepped back, exhausted from the task. He was not as powerful as Reese had been and the effort of moving so many people had tired him. Fortunately, this time the pilots from the alpha squad had been brought along to help spread the new squads out. They grabbed their pre-arranged cargo of men and took to the skies, spreading out the assault force into four groups. Jacob stood with Valentin’s group and waited. Once everyone was in place, they gave a loud cheer and attacked the building, startling the bands of soldiers milling about nearby. The Clansmen were cloaked with Fallen’s revised devices and the Dognan had no idea what was going on at first. The Clansmen were well organized and attacked the armed soldiers first, eliminating the worst threat. The Dognan fell quickly, unable to see who was attacking them. It was almost comical as the ones who managed to escape the first wave of attackers fired out shots at random, sometimes killing their own men, sometimes not. More Dognan men fell than Clansmen and the newcomers soon overpowered them. Jacob hung back from the worst of the fighting, not being a seasoned soldier, and watched in a kind of horrified admiration as Wolverine took to his task with gusto, growling and snarling. Blood flew about in all directions as Logan gleefully let go of all restraint and skillfully worked his way through the crowd. As talented in the martial arts as Remy might have been, this soldier was far more deadly. When he had free rein to act, he was as beautiful in his own deadly way as he was lethal. Six silver blades, at once covered with blood, sliced artistic arcs through the air with deadly intent, more often then not finding the intended target with no wasted motion. The screams of the mortally wounded added their own soundtrack, leaving no question that this was a dance of war. Valentin wasn’t far behind his mutant companion, hacking and slashing with his huge broadsword. Where Logan was good up close, short and sweet, Valentin was just as lovely, slicing his way through the crowd and showing just how well he deserved the title of First General. As he took down some of the armed men, Valentin distributed their guns and the Dognan were pushed back even farther inside the complex, repulsed by their own weapons. Logan stepped back, clear of enemies for a moment, and took a deep breath. This was going so well that he had to hold himself in check. It would be too easy to get carried away and dash off deeper inside the complex to follow his prey. Knowing that this building was going to go up any moment, that wouldn’t be such a good idea. He could only hope that Remy and Justin were getting along okay. It wasn’t long before the warriors heard a huge rumble and the ground trembled beneath them. Justin’s charges had gone off, signaling that it was time to wrap this up. "Take cover!" Valentin shouted and the Clan men raced for the outside. They hadn’t gone that far inside so it was only a short dash to freedom. They were joined by the pilots returning with their survivors, a short crew. Valentin had suffered some severe losses, but not as badly as the Dognan had just now. All in all, it was still a rousing success. Jacob gathered them all quickly and happily teleported them back to the Lucky Dragon, too excited and thrilled to care how the trip had exhausted him further. They had done it! They were free! To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Apr 5, 2007 18:45:51 GMT -5
(Twelve) Fallen made the trip back to the Lucky Dragon quickly and dropped down next to Valentin's men where they had gathered just outside of her ship, landing with her usual grace. Both she and Remy dusted off after they landed, they were covered in soot and dirt from the blast. Bruce came running up as soon as he saw them, a huge grin on his face, but he faltered when he saw that Justin was missing. "Where's Justin?" he demanded sharply. Remy kept his eyes down, wilting under the Clansman's tone of voice. This wasn't going to be easy or pleasant. " ‘E didn't make it. Sorry, mon ami, but ‘e left dis for you." Remy dug into his pack and took out Justin's box. Bruce, in clear denial of the situation, refused to even look at it. He turned very white and started to shake as he began to sputter, "No...no...We have to go back! How could you leave him there?!" Remy did his best to explain. "Dere ain't nuthin' left, de buildin' is gone. Je suis de'sole, mon ami. It was ‘is decision, Bruce, I'm sorry. ‘E wanted to stay. Gambit couldn't make ‘im go. ‘E done it for de Clan, ‘e done it for you. Dis what he say to me," Remy said quickly, wanting only to say the one thing that would take away the look of horror in Bruce's eyes. "No...No!..NO!" Bruce began to shout. He let out a piercing scream of tortured pain that brought immediate tears to the corner of Remy's eyes. Gambit couldn't imagine leaving Rogue behind in any situation and didn't want to. The pain would be the same. He had never heard a man scream like that and he never wanted to again. Logan heard Bruce's noise and came on the run. "What's goin' on?" "Justin didn't make it," Remy explained quickly, shaking his head. He was trying really hard not to cry but he wasn't sure he would succeed. This hurt horribly and he was just too sensitive a creature not to feel it deep inside. "Je suis de'sole. Dis de wors' f--kin' t'ing." Bruce had sunk down to his knees and covered his face, the grief swiftly overtaking his control. He was shaking hysterically and was screaming into the ground. True to the words Logan had overheard, Bruce couldn't imagine this place without Justin and the loss was more than he could bear. When Remy saw no one move to help the grief stricken man he went to Bruce and tried to comfort him. Bruce felt him come and shoved him away as though he was diseased. "Don't touch me! You killed him! You left him to die!" he blurted out, his pain making him say things his heart knew weren't true. Remy backed up with a soft cry and turned away, his head down as he wiped at his eyes. His battle not to cry was lost and a tear got away from him. It burned down his cheek, hot and wet like an accusation. He was flooded with guilt and now questioned his decision to leave Justin behind. Maybe he hadn't tried hard enough, surely there must have been more he could have done. This was all his fault. It ripped at him from all sides of his already guilt ridden conscience and he turned to run away, to hide away, but Henry's big blue body blocked his exit. Beast had come from the ship with a Med-kit, uncertain of the source of Bruce's screams. Once quick look at the situation told him the worst had happened and that Remy was well on the way to adding this lost soul to his already oversized collection of failures. The doctor was quick to scold in his firm, yet understanding tone. "Don't even think about blaming yourself for this, my Cajun friend. You did what you had to. This man's heart is breaking, don't take what he says that seriously." Beast gripped him and wouldn't let him go until he nodded slowly and stayed put. Logan stepped in, seeing Bruce's distress. He knelt down in front of him and said in his gentlest voice. "Yer friend was very brave. He wouldn't want ya to be sad for him." "What would you know about it?" Bruce snapped rudely, not wanting to hear it. His eyes were red and tears streamed freely down his cheeks. He was shaking violently and gripped his stomach as he started to heave. Logan was out of comforts for a grief on this level, his repertoire was rather small, and retreated to let someone with more experience take his place. Henry was right there and ready. Bruce knew Henry and didn't try to fight him. He sagged as he greyed out from shock and swayed unsteadily into Henry's arms. Beast laid him down on his side and reached into the Med-kit for a sedative. Valentin stood quiet through Bruce's whole display of grief with a look of complete disgust on his face, but couldn't hold his tongue when Logan came near. "What's his problem?" "Justin didn't make it back." "So? Clansmen die all the time. This should come as no surprise. He should take it like a man, not like some stupid woman." "They were close." Valentin sneered at him. "Don't talk to me like an idiot. I've known these two for almost twenty years, we're all from the same Clan. I know what good friends they were." "Maybe they were closer friends than ya thought." Valentin's eyes widened at his words and he snorted in disgust. "Oh, please! Justin was a fine Clansman, not some sniveling f-ggot boy. He would never be as you suggest." Logan shrugged. "Some folks you just can't tell. I saw the two of them together. It's true." Valentin looked down at Bruce who had grown quiet from Henry's sedative. Valentin couldn't hide his disgust and loathing. "I had no idea. If I had Bruce wouldn't be here." "It didn't keep him from holdin' up his end," Logan snapped defensively. "He worked just as hard as anyone else out there today." "No, but look at him now. If we were in the middle of fight what use would he be to me then? Look at him, weeping and slobbering like an old woman. Get him out of here or I'll kill him myself!" Beast closed the Med kit and heaved Bruce up into his arms, thankful for his superior strength. He wasn't obeying Valentin, he just wanted to get Bruce somewhere comfortable. "I'll lay him down in the ship. He'll be asleep for a while." To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Apr 12, 2007 15:02:40 GMT -5
Henry carried his friend up into the ship and lay him down on one of the barracks beds. Bruce curled up with a groan and covered up his face with his hands, still grieving even though he was no longer fully awake. Henry covered him up and stood for a moment, looking down at the man who had grown to be his friend. He recalled now the stories Bruce had told while they worked together. Bruce would often talk about how he and Justin grew up together in a small nomadic Clan that had joined up with the others at Nine when the boys were twelve. All told, Justin and Bruce had been together all their lives and were a couple for almost twenty years, having known they were meant to be together from the beginning. That kind of bonding left Henry no doubt at the depth of Bruce’s grief and anguish. They may as well have been married. That perspective put a light of understanding on Bruce’s breakdown and Beast grieved for him knowing that Bruce would suffer for a long time to come. Such were the casualties of war and the primary reason Henry did all he could to avoid it. Henry sighed and walked out, some of his early high at their apparent victory dissipating. When he left, he saw Fallen in the Main room watching the Dognan base burn on the ship’s monitors. She saw him and jumped up and down in her excitement, giving a cheer, and hugged him tightly in her joy. Beast laughed at her enthusiasm, letting her recharge his happiness. "We did it! We did it!" she squealed, squeezing him without mercy. "Yes, we did," he replied. Fallen took his hand as the door for the lower level opened on her mental command. She took him below and locked the door behind them, she was still protecting her secrets and didn't want any of the Clan to follow her. She let go of Henry and raced down the hall when she saw Seth already out in the hologram and waiting for her. She flew into his arms and lifted him with her power so as not to topple him, he was still pretty unsteady on his feet. She spun with him just above the floor in a lazy circle and covered him in kisses. "You're free, Fallen! You're free!" he cried, holding her close and laughing with joy. "It’s over!" "I'm going home!" she said. "We're all going home!" She continued to shower her love and excitement on Seth who received it gratefully. Her kisses grew more and more intimate and tender as she calmed down. She touched his face and ran her hands through his silky white hair. In her happiness, she was oblivious to everyone else except him. Henry watched them, an amused smile on his lips. He could see how much Seth and Fallen loved each other. The fact that Seth was technically not real didn't matter to him at all. Their love was so strong, so powerful, Henry could almost touch it himself. They reminded him of the many couples that formed on the team back home, being in such dangerous situations time and time again formed such strong bonds. Some loves were just too strong to be denied and this clearly was one as well. Henry noted Kimble was up on the viewing screen. He was in the control room, simply sitting in his chair, watching them from his work station. He had a peculiar expression on his face, his mouth was smiling --- it always was --- but his eyes were terribly sad as if he knew just what he was missing out on. Henry hoped he wasn't jealous. It was hard not to be, looking at two lovers like that. Seth kissed Fallen and whispered in her ear, just enough that Henry could catch it, "Tonight. You and me, my love. No matter what." She laughed softly. "No matter what. Don't worry, I'll help you." Kimble cleared his throat to get their attention. "Vally's cummin' up the ramp, Fallen." Fallen gave Seth a last lingering kiss. "Go, now. I'll be back for you." She set him down and he left her reluctantly, he was much too happy having her close and in his arms to ever want her to leave. He stood still with his hands across his chest and then his body suddenly shimmered and melted until all that remained was the grey block of particles. Seth’s computer image reappeared next to Kimble on the screen and he gave her a long, pained look of separation. Kimble stood awkwardly and tugged on him. "Let's go. We gots work ta do fer leavin'." He dragged Seth away, taking him out the rear door and back into the system. Fallen turned to Henry and led him back to the upper level, whispering to him all the while. "Listen, now. Quickly. Valentin will come and we'll go back to Station Nine to see Cerebus. Cerebus will ask you what you want. You must tell him you wish to return home without delay. Understand? We have to leave as soon as possible if we are to escape with little fuss." "I understand. Believe me, there is nothing I want more." They didn't have long to wait for Valentin and the others. The First General came up the ramp, his face split wide with a grin. He hugged her and gave her a kiss, his excitement mirroring that of Fallen’s would be lover down below. Fallen accepted it, but her expression was far less than she had for Seth. "We leave for Nine immediately," he ordered. "Yes, my Lord." She pulled away from him and went to the main screen. Kimble was already waiting for her and they began the preliminary preparations for departure. Seth came in the control room and stood behind Kimble, watching over his shoulder. Kimble made a remark in Siskan and they laughed. Henry smiled when he saw Logan and Gambit come up the ramp. They were dirty from the explosion and the fighting but thankfully otherwise unharmed. Both of them were grinning. They were going home!
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Post by squeekness on Apr 20, 2007 10:02:53 GMT -5
(Thirteen) The trip back to Clan Station Nine went smoothly. Logan and Gambit showered on the way in, they were all ready and refreshed for the landing, feeling like new men and excited by the prospects of going home. The Lucky Dragon landed in Nine’s great stone hanger, emptied out quickly and the party made its way down to Cerebus’ grand Hall. The celebration was well underway when they got there, the noise extravagant and loud. The hall was filled with laughing, dancing people. The main festivities were to be the next day, but you wouldn’t know it by the revelry they saw at this moment. Most of the Clansmen they saw were already drunk and shouting, but who could begrudge them this celebration? At least there was no violence, all seemed to be happy and cheerful as they partied. There were musicians playing all sorts of instruments and singing, the music deep and primal. There were many extra torches along the walls and bonfires, brightening the room. The tables were heavy with fine food and drink, the best the X-men had seen since they arrived here. At the end of the great hall Cerebus sat on his fur covered throne, surrounded by his attendants. Antius, the former white slave was among them. He nodded respectfully at Logan when he caught his eye and Logan returned the nod with a smile, thinking back fondly on their contest. Antius was no sore loser and it cheered Wolverine’s heart to see it. He almost wished Antius was going back with them, he would have served Charles Xavier well. The regret was fleeting, Logan wished only to return home. "Hey, guys! Wait up!" Logan turned to see Jacob coming up behind them, carefully towing a tiny white pilot behind him by one hand. Jacob was obviously thrilled at the day’s events, he rushed up to them and gave them all a round a bear hugs, he even had one for Remy he was so excited. Wolverine was grinning, his friend’s cheer raising his already soaring spirits that much higher. "We made it out in one piece," he grumbled as a reply to Jacob’s enthusiasm. "Rumor has it you guys are bailing out on us." "That’s the plan," Wolverine answered. He leaned in close to say, "Why don’t you try and sneak on, eh? Hitch a ride with us?" "I’ve got too much celebrating to do. Besides, I just asked Leena to marry me," Jacob said, bringing his pilot companion that much closer. Logan nodded. He had grown to know Leena a little these past weeks. She was a pilot like Fallen and in many ways more pretty and attractive, yet not one as finely made. She could produce the Ristle energy and fly, but she was a bit dim, not as smart or as aware. It was her child like state that attracted Jacob, she brought out the protector in him and they were both completely smitten with one another. Jacob had struggled with dating back home, Leena was the primary source of his improvement here Logan had come to learn. He considered it a good match and was happy for his friend. "Take her with you," Wolverine suggested. He was hoping to persuade Jacob to come back with them, he had been the reason all this had started in the first place. Jacob’s smile dimmed some. "They wouldn’t accept her there." The X-men, in their various ways, had worked hard to improve human/mutant relations, but it was a never ending battle. It was true that someone as drastically altered as Leena would struggle in public life. Fallen had enough spirit to carry her pretty far, this was not so with Leena. Logan knew Jacob’s answer to be true. "Besides," Jacob went on to say, "...there’s still work here to do, rebuilding this place. There will always be a place for an alpha like me." "Then we wish you the best of luck," Henry said, extending his hand. "Congratulations." Jacob shook with Henry and then stepped politely aside as Zekian came forward to greet the X-men. "Cerebus is ready for you. This way, please." The X-men followed as commanded and they were given spots of honor. They sat on comfortable furs to one side of Cerebus’ throne while Valentin and his men arrived to sit on the other. Fallen and Maylee were close by with another group, speaking softly to one another. They weren’t given long to chat, only moments later Cerebus raised his hands to get everyone's attention. He held up his gold cup filled with wine. "A toast! A toast to the great and powerful X-men!" There was a great cheer, loud in the stone room. "Let it not be said that Cerebus is not generous to those who serve him well! You! X-men! Rise and stand before me!" They complied clumsily, a little embarrassed to be shown off like this. In all their trials back home, they were for the most part unsung heroes that very few people even knew about. It was awkward but kind of nice in a self flattering kind of way. The Clansman leader laughed, amused at their nervousness, and clapped his hands. "Whatever you desire! Name it!" "You know what we want," Logan spoke, raising his voice so he could be heard by whole room. "We wanna go home as soon as possible. Immediately would be preferable." Cerebus looked disappointed. "Don't you want to rest? Surely you must be tired?" "Plenty of time ta rest on the ride home." "And so it shall be done. Who will take these brave men home?" Fallen stood. "I will." She strode tall and proud to their side and looked back at the gathering. "I am Fallen, First Pilot and recipient of the Clan Honor Sword. It is my right and my privilege. I will take them home. My ship is ready and I can depart in less than two hours. If we leave then, I can be back in time for the festivities tomorrow. Perhaps I could even bring back another load of alphas if they desire." Logan looked at her and she smiled. He returned it with heartfelt warmth, he was happy they were going. Fallen had kept her word, they would be leaving today! Not too soon if you asked him. "And so it shall be done!" Cerebus said loudly. "My good and wonderful Fallen, so eager to please!" She turned to go, but he stopped her with a raised hand. "Wait, Fallen. Don't go just yet. You, too, have served me well and shall have a reward as well. As a sign of my appreciation, I give you Valentin, First General and my finest warrior, as your husband." Logan heard the words coming, but was too shocked to stop the growl that came. Of all the things that might have hampered their escape, this was one he had not foreseen. He figured that with Fallen still having some time left to serve with the Clan, this decision would have been put off and left behind them, best forgotten. He vowed not to let this stop them, his mind was already shifting gears to the next plan before Fallen even had a chance to reply. Fallen almost choked at Cerebus’ words, her shock of his announcement obvious to all. Her face paled with terror and she stammered feebly, almost unable to get the words out in her haste to think if some excuse to refuse. This couldn’t possibly be happening! "Oh, no, good Sir. You do me too much honor. I couldn't possibly accept!" Cerebus wouldn’t have it. He was drunk on his wine and thought his offer was so magnanimous, the poor pilot was afraid to be so in his debt. He couldn’t see her horror for what it was. "Nonsense, child. It is my wish and his as well. He has asked for you himself more than once. I see no reason now not to grant his wish. The two of you together shall be the Clan's finest asset." "Please!" Fallen pleaded in a strangled wheeze. She could hardly breathe. "It’s too much!" "Look at you, Fallen. Anyone can see you are tired and are in need of rest. Take these good people home. Stay with them a while. Enjoy your husband. Get pregnant! Think of what powerful children the two of you shall bear for the good of the Clan!" Fallen trembled and sobbed in spite of herself, her hands rising and grasping at her mouth as she felt her gorge rise. She couldn’t stop the shudder of revulsion that rocked her. Cerebus noticed and his eyes narrowed in an irritated squint. For the first time, he questioned the wisdom of his choice. It was too late to take it back, he would not embarrass Valentin in front of this crowd. Besides she was a pilot and female, how dare she act this way? "Do you dishonor me by questioning my good judgment?" "No, Sir," Fallen whispered as she tried to compose herself. "I am weary..." her voice trailed off into nothing, the light already going out of her pale blue eyes. Logan took a half step forward, trying to think fast. There must be something he could say that might get her out of this, but the only words that came to mind would surely result in turning all of the men in this room against them, not a wise decision. It was just fate then, beyond his ability to stop. They would just have to deal with it and hope for the best. Cerebus beamed, happy now with her capitulation. "Ahh! It is done, then." He snapped his big fingers at this First General, ordering him to come forward. Valentin approached Fallen with Joseph who carried a small bag. Joseph smiled his wicked smile at his Master’s wife to be and took out a red sash, using it to tie Fallen's wrist to Valentin's. He was happy for the General and cared not one bit what Fallen had to say about it. Fallen began to shake, but did not cry. She would not dare, not here, not now. "Hear me, my Clan!" Cerebus' voice boomed in the big hall. "These two are now together as one. She is his as are all her possessions. Nothing can break them asunder save Death itself. So says the Great and Mighty Cerebus!" There was another great cheer in the hall, echoing off of the walls like thunder. The musicians beat their drums and glasses were struck in heady toasts. Fallen never heard it. Her eyes were glassy and dead as she stared numbly off to space, her heart and soul lost. Valentin moved her face to his and kissed her on the mouth, his greed for her plain to all. She did not return his kiss but stood still, lifeless. Valentin cared not a bit, he smiled a grin full of malicious intent as that other face of his, the face of the evil man who had brutalized her the first time the X-men had seen him, revealed itself. His eyes were bright as Logan heard him hiss, "You've no need of your pathetic little Siskan now!" in her ear. She shuddered again and this time a tear rolled down her cheek. They were still tied together and Valentin led her away from all the noise and revelry. She followed meekly, her head down, a criminal off to the gallows. The X-men watched her go, unable to help. They were escorted to a private table where they were given the best food they'd ever seen in this place. Sumptuous chunks of broiled meat simmering in real gravy, not pools of grease, lay in platters before them and fresh bread beckoned to be tasted. Bottles of fresh wine, whiskey and beer were placed out for them as well. Too bad, none of them were in any mood to enjoy it. They had two hours to kill and heavy hearts to bear. Logan growled impatiently and heaped food on a plate, just for something to do. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring a generous amount of it into a cup. He drank it down, saying nothing. "So what now, mes amis?" Remy asked, just for something to say. "We get ourselves home," Logan replied evenly. "Valentin ain't our problem any more." Remy’s red and black eyes narrowed at that. "What if de bastard comes wit us?" Logan didn’t hesitate, but offered the best solution he could come up with. "Then he's got himself a nice comfy stay in Holding Cell Three. I wouldn't let that monster loose fer a minute." Beast nodded, accepting it as their best option. As a member of the senior staff, he was quite familiar with the small security area set aside at the Institute for the unruly. Sometimes it was just better to rehabilitate a crazed mutant than to toss him into a prison that couldn’t possibly deal with his condition. The holding cells would work just as well on a dangerous Clansman just as well as any mutant. "I agree," he said. "I only hope Valentin doesn’t get a chance to delete Seth or Kimble before we leave." Remy grunted softly in agreement and Beast went on to say, "You should have seen Seth's face right before we left. He'll be devastated if Valentin comes back with us. Fallen will most likely honor the marriage if he does." "Seth ain't real. Kimble ain't real. The sooner you guys get over it, the better," Logan growled. He wasn’t blind to the situation, he had just adjusted his perceptions to better ease his heart. It was simply better to think this way and worry about the rest later. Henry wasn’t so eager to let it go. "Why is it so difficult for you to accept the possibility that they could be real in their own unique way, Logan? Computer programs don't behave the way those two do." "C'mon, Blue!" Beast shifted forward, insistent in his point of view. "You didn't see the way Seth was looking at Fallen, I did. You could feel the intensity. It was there, Logan, you could almost touch it. I haven't seen many real people look that way, never mind them. He loves her without a doubt, no matter what you may think." Gambit had his two cents worth to add and was quick to spend them. His voice was a little sharp as he said, " ‘Sides, you spend some time wit Lanlin, neh? If she was so fake, what you doin’ wit ‘er so much?" Logan squirmed a little, but wasn’t going to back down. He had made up his mind about this whole stupid business and was going to stick to his guns, stubborn as always. "That’s not the same thing. I ain’t in love with her --- it --- whatever! I know the difference between real and fake. Lanlin was just somethin’ ta pass the time an’ spend my money on, nuthin’ more." Gambit shook his head. "Does any’ting ever make you ‘appy, eh? Didn’t you ever get no toys at Christmas?" Logan looked at him sharply and Remy groaned inside, remembering that Logan probably didn’t remember any of his childhood. His memories had been wiped out and so screwed around with he really didn’t know what was real and what was fake anymore. "Toys’re toys. Not real people. That’s what reality is," Logan said firmly, rising. He walked off, his shoulders tense. Remy put his head down on the table. "Merde. Dis suck like nuthin’ else. Gambit jus’ wanna go ‘ome now," he complained. Henry put his hand on his shoulder. "Fear not, my friend. Two hours and we’ll be on our way." To read more, click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2508081/1/
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Post by squeekness on Apr 27, 2007 8:42:07 GMT -5
(Fourteen) Two hours later as promised, the X-men boarded the Lucky Dragon, relieved to finally be going home. Remy had boarded first and taking a seat in the front row, was relieved to see the control room on the screen and that Kimble and Seth were seated inside. Everything was quiet, the mood somber inside the ship. Logan boarded a minute later and looked over the seats as he entered. Bruce was still asleep from being sedated and had been laid across the seats in the last row. He was out cold and if Fallen kept her word about staying on Earth, would have a rude surprise when he woke up. His pack with Justin’s box safely inside had been crammed under his seat. Logan wasn’t happy about Bruce still being on board since it probably meant he wasn’t going to be the only one going along. His suspicions were justified when he saw Valentin and Joseph arguing in the galley doorway. "When this ship gets back, I'm gonna shut those freaks down." Wolverine heard Valentin say. "If they help her fly the ship, shouldn't you keep them?" Joseph was arguing. "We need this ship in case the Dognan return. We need a powerful space vessel. We can't fight the Dognan with our scrub fighters. Not in space." "Fallen flies this ship, not those two freaks," Valentin snarled in disgust. He walked into the galley and his Second followed him. The argument continued, but Logan wasn't interested in listening to any more of it. Logan finished snooping and took his seat next to Gambit. A deep sinking feeling of unease settled into Logan's gut. He tried to shrug it off and looked over to the cage. From where he was sitting, he had a good view of the inside. Fallen was on the closest of the two sticks, her head down. She had a cigarette burning but the ash was long like she was in a trance. "De pilot, she gonna be okay to go?" Remy whispered low. Logan turned to his teammate, trying his best to sound confident as he replied, "I suppose so, ain't nobody stoppin 'er." Remy almost groaned aloud when he saw both Valentin and Joseph take seats a couple of rows behind them. Again he whispered to Logan. "What's dis? We're not catchin' a break on nuthin'!" "Too late ta do anything 'bout it now. We'll deal with it." A moment later, Henry came up the ramp. He glanced over at the lethargic pilot hanging on her stick and scowled. Now more than ever, her cage room looked like the prison that it was. Knowing that Valentin was close by, he said nothing, but took his seat next to Maylee, hoping to offer the child some comfort. She had slunk into her seat only just before Henry had taken his, turning away to face the wall. She had been hiding out during the battle and hadn’t seen much of them. More than that, she was no doubt upset about Fallen's new living arrangements. It affected her and not in a positive way. Glancing up to the large viewing screen, Beast could see that Kimble was in his usual place in the cockpit room. He was working, getting ready for the flight. He would occasionally glance up at Fallen, but was silent. His face was drawn, serious. Seth was behind him in the control room for the launch. He sat in his chair, still and quiet as he stared off into space. He seemed as sad and defeated as Fallen did, he sat doing nothing. There really wasn’t anything for him at the moment, taking off was Kimble's job. Like Bruce, Seth was just here for the ride. "Boost sequence initiated," Lucky chimed. Kimble announced, "Boostin' in two." "Boosting in two, aye," Fallen responded without moving. Her voice was low and scratchy. Henry felt useless with all of this sadness and had to do something. He gently gave Maylee’s shoulder a nudge, making her look up at him with a slight smile. That was better. He said nothing more but lay a gentle hand on her arm, patting her slightly. Her smile grew a bit brighter and she leaned into him, suddenly grateful to have him there. He put an arm around her and comforted her like the child she was. Wolverine took a moment to quietly sniff out Fallen's condition. Even from this distance he could pick up Valentin's stink all over her. Her hair was tangled and dirty, she hadn't washed from Valentin's last dose of love and affection. Scores of new bruises decorated her arms and she had a nasty looking suck mark on her neck, Valentin had marked her as his. She looked terrible, but appeared calm and unhurried. She crushed out her cigarette and gripped the stick. Kimble counted down, "Ready..Steady..Boost!" Fallen shot of a bolt of blue Ristle energy from her hands. They boosted. "Boost sequence complete. Do you wish to continue?" Lucky prompted. "Yes." "Port exit initiated." The engine hummed into life with a low vibration. Fallen concentrated and Logan felt the ship move up. There was a thump as the landing gear was retracted, they were now floating in the bay. Using her powerful telekinesis, Fallen mentally piloted the ship out of the hanger and into Cerise airspace. The huge screen was divided into the six windows. Two for the **** pit, the other four giving different views of their progress. Logan watched as the blue sky of Cerise turned into the black starlit backdrop of outer space. The sight of it should have made him feel excited to be traveling, but all it did was increase his sense of unease. Lucky chimed again, speaking in his tinny voice. "Port exited. Do you wish to continue?" "Yes," Fallen replied. Fallen and Kimble negotiated the rest of the launch and they were on their way. Logan's unease still wouldn't go away. He looked around him nervously but nothing seemed obviously out of place. They flew steadily for about forty minutes, placing the light brown dustball of Cerise further behind them, until they reached the jump point. Kimble had been quiet all this time, but spoke up as it was time to prepare for the jump. He glanced up at Fallen again, his pale blue eyes serious. "Jumpin' in five." Fallen nodded. "Jumping in five, aye." "Still with me, girl?" Kimble mumbled low, concerned about Fallen's quiet and unable to keep it to himself. "Still here," she replied, giving him a wan, dismissive smile. She wasn’t about to air her grievances in a ship full of passengers. The time passed. Lucky chimed, "Jump sequence initiated." Kimble took his turn. "Jumpin' in two." "Jumping in two, aye." The jump clock came up on the screen and began counting down. The silence was broken when Fallen barked suddenly, "Command Override Lost Cause." Lucky responded immediately with, "Command Override accepted. Emergency procedures activated." Kimble blinked, startled. " ‘Scuze me, darlin’?" For the first time Seth moved. He looked at Kimble in alarm. "What?" Wolverine grunted as his seat belt locked tightly against his chest. Grids lit up on the floor like movie theater running lights. Something thumped from the lower level below and Logan's gut clenched. His hyper senses were going wild as his body surged with adrenalin and the hairs went up on the back of his neck. He just knew this was going to be bad, whatever it was. Lucky continued to announce in his strange mechanical voice. "Ristle power overload screens deactivated. Explosion safeties disabled. Command Override options negated." "Fallen, what're ya up to, girl?" Kimble asked nervously. When she didn't answer he snorted with impatience. "Lucky, abort jump!" "Unable. Second Command Override required." Kimble grinned angrily and shook his head. "Oh, yer in so much f--kin' trouble, Fallen. I ain’t got the words!" He began flipping switches but didn’t seem to be having any success. Lucky had more good news to offer. "Warning, jumping without safeties activated may result in implosion during the jump. Probability of successful jump without safeties engaged, two percent or less." "It’s all right, Lucky, we’ll be just fine as we are," Fallen replied, her voice sounding as far away from all right as a poor exhausted pilot could. "Leave the safeties off, if you please." Wolverine jerked in his seat at those words, now realizing to his horror that she intended to kill them all. As unforseen as her marriage to Valentin had been, this had been that much more off his radar. Fallen had appeared much too strong to him for such a lame move as this. Not about to take it sitting down, Logan was done with being restrained. He popped a claw and in a flash, slashed his belt, not caring that he cut himself in the process. Gambit was next to him and tried to free himself as well, but with no means of cutting his belt as Logan had, remained trapped in his seat. Logan heard Remy call out for assistance but ignored him, he was too busy trying to stop this nightmare. He stood and tried to move to the cage but was stopped by a force field. Lucky's voice chirped from a small speaker above him. "Security grid 3 activated. You are in violation of emergency procedures, Sir. Please return to your seat." "Violate this!" Logan snarled and slammed his fists full force against the containment field. No good. He wasn't going anywhere. Valentin shouted. "Fallen, what is this sh-t?! What's going on?!" He didn't get an answer. He shoved against his belt and reached for his long sword, but it was secured under his seat. With the seat belts locked, he couldn't reach it. Seth tried a different tactic. "Fallen, whatever you're going to do... Just wait a minute and let's talk about it." "It's too late for that now," she whispered softly, her head down. She was just hanging there on the stick now, like an abused rag doll that had nothing left inside. "Espe’re, Fallen, let’s talk about dis reasonable, s’il vous plait!" Remy called out. He had done his share of sweet talking, enough for him to try. He didn’t know if he could charm her from this distance, his persuasions worked best when he had eye contact and skin to touch, but he had to do something. "Come on, fille. You stronger dan dis, Gambit’s seen it in yo’ eyes. Dere ain’t nuthin’ so bad you gotta go dis way!" Fallen didn’t even spare the young thief so much as a glance. Once committed to her course, she wasn’t about to back down from it. The clock was still moving, only one minute remained. Fallen closed her eyes and began to recite in a loud, scratchy voice. She chanted, "Lo, there do I see my Father... Lo, there do I see my Mother, and my Sisters and my Brothers..." Logan recognized her words immediately as a butchered version of a Viking Death Chant and it only conformed his worst fears. "Fallen!" he cried out in a hoarse snarl, only increasing the panic of the others around him. "Command Override Frecketeshackt!" Seth ordered in hysterical scream. Lucky, "Access denied." Lo, there do I see the line of my peopleBack to the beginning....." Seth, "Command Override Zaresh didect a set!" Lucky, "Access denied." ...Lo, they do call to me, Bid me take my place among them...." Seth, "Command override Liteckt!" Lucky, "Access denied." "F--kin' do sumpthin’!" Kimble snarled at Seth. "...In the halls of Valhalla Where the brave..... shall.. live.... forever." Seth, "Command Override Seth predicta keteriackt!" Lucky, "Command Override accepted." "'Bout f--kin' time!" Kimble said, unable to hide his fear. Kimble and Seth frantically began flipping switches. Some of the security grids shut off, but the jump clock continued to wind down. Twenty seconds. Kimble swore again, they weren't going to stop it. Seth turned to his brother quickly and shouted. "Go! Go, now!" Kimble snarled in frustration and suddenly bolted from the control room, toppling his chair in his haste. He snatched a black bag from a shelf as he went, sending more items flying. He disappeared through the back door and into the system, slamming the door behind him. "Where's 'e goin’?" Gambit asked behind Logan. "Whatever it is, I hope he's quick about it!" Wolverine growled. Fallen watched Seth's distress impassively and finally spoke. "I love you, Seth. I always have." " Fallen!!!" Seth bellowed with a sob as he rose suddenly to his feet. The clock hit zero and Fallen responded, a huge burst of blinding energy flamed from her tiny body and into the stick. She threw her head back and screamed. They jumped. To be continued in Adrift.
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Post by squeekness on May 4, 2007 9:23:32 GMT -5
Adrift ~ Book four of my Kimble series. (One) Kurt Wagner, a most peculiar young man, was warm in the May sunshine, planting flowers. It was an odd thing to see a person who looked as he did doing such a pleasant and simple thing – Kurt was covered from head to toe with velvety indigo fur, a much shorter and darker version of Henry’s own. Kurt liked to joke that he wasn’t furry so much as ‘plush’, a phrase that always brought on a round of good natured teasing which he never minded all that much. He was demonic in appearance, having the pointy ears and sharp teeth, with a complimentary prehensile tail that came in handy in a tight spot. He also had three fingered hands, something that may have looked a bit odd, but actually increased his grip and flexibility. He had the uncanny ability to blend into the shadows and in dark places was almost invisible. His striking outward appearance had earned him the Codename Nightcrawler. Appearances aside, his primary mutation was the ability to teleport. Now that was a handy thing, the ability to transport not only himself across short distances, but others as well. He could be counted on to get his teammates in and out of a tight spot. He had trained long and hard to hone his craft and he was a valuable asset to the team. Kurt’s physical appearance may have been flashy and strange, but his clothing wasn’t. He was dressed in simple black, almost priestly in it’s severity. In fact he had come close to joining the priesthood on several occasions, his strong, personal faith taking him on many strange paths. Today, however, the clothing was simply keeping the grass from staining his knees as he bent to his task. Tomorrow was Memorial day, a day of remembrance, and he wanted to keep the cemetery looking fine. He had an assortment of flowers all neatly arranged for planting -- pansies here, marigolds there. He loved to plant fresh young flowers, to beautify this world with gifts from the Father, but today, he couldn’t stop his eyes from staying to a small square staked off with sticks and tape in the corner where the memorial statues were placed. It didn’t happen often, but there had been a disastrous mission or two where more than one person was killed and the bodies not recovered. In those instances, the students used their various talents to create and erect lovely granite statues in honor of the departed. It hadn’t been widely discussed, but that area in the corner had been staked off with three unrecovered teammates in mind. As quickly as the strange disappearances had started, so too they had ended, the last one a mere two weeks after Logan, Henry and Remy were gone. Still no one had claimed responsibility, an odd thing considering how many militant factions there were out there operating in their world, both mutant and human alike. One particular new mutant terrorist had been especially active, a cheery fellow named Jael who simply loved blowing up buildings and racking up his body counts. No one had seen his face or knew where he was, but he was quick to make sure everyone knew he was the one reaping such bloody havoc. In this case, the X-men waited for news, but even Jael didn’t come forward on the disappearances. It was disappointing, at least Jael was a physical being that would be tracked down eventually. He had a name. Whoever had stolen their teammates was a faceless, nameless ghost and with each passing day, it grew less certain the missing X-men would return. Of the three missing teammates, Kurt missed Logan the most. His priestly intentions aside, Kurt loved nothing more than to sit alongside that seasoned warrior as they both had a few frosty mugs of beer and debated the secrets of the universe. Not that Wolverine was all that talkative, but there were moments, occasionally, after a difficult mission when Logan needed some kind of justification for the hard facts of life. People were mean, people were cruel, and for all of their efforts, bigotry against mutants still continued. Nightcrawler often acted as Logan’s conscience, trying to get the feral mutant to think a little more about his actions. He was teaching Logan that killing wasn’t always the best first option and his words, spoken with patient understanding, had been working their way in. The effects of those conversations had been seen by all, Wolverine had been slowly becoming more tactful and less violent. Kurt hated to think of all that work wasted. At best, he could only hope that if his dear friend was dead, that God had appreciated Logan’s efforts enough not to judge him too harshly. Nightcrawler was as complicated as his dear friend. He loved the action of a good mission but at the same the time, craved the solitude and contemplation of the holy life. He was torn at times and it was this uncertainty that kept him here as an X-man, serving both as a teammate, but also as a natural confidant and councilor to many. It was in this capacity as unofficial confessor that had kept him busy the past few weeks. The disappearance of Henry, Gambit and Wolverine had affected a large number of the senior staff and in their mourning, they had come to him for comfort. This he did not mind, he was well suited for it and it pleased him that he could help ease their pain. The X-men team here was large and the talent best divided into squads. Logan was quite active and crossed over into many squads, one of them being Kurt’s group. Kurt was obviously closest to the members of his own squad and the first to come to him was Storm, their resident weather witch. She was a longtime team member and had come on the same time Kurt had. She was a lovely African American, her chocolate skin complimented by her shock white hair and soft blue eyes. Once, on a mission that had taken her undercover as a jewel thief, she came home with a real one of her own, one Remy LeBeau. They had become fast friends on the mission and at first, no one had questioned her judgement. Gambit’s powers had complimented the team and everything worked out well until Remy’s terrible secret had come out. Storm had been a major participant in an outreach group the Professor had set up to try and reach the surviving Morlocks of the Massacre. She had been there first hand, witnessing the aftermath of that horrific crime, and in helping the unfortunate, had come to feel that the Morlocks were in some way her own. The discovery of Gambit’s involvement in that crime had been shattering to her. She simply couldn’t equate her playful heroic thief with the heartless monster who had lead those vicious killers down into the tunnels. Their friendship had strained to the breaking point. While she didn’t denounce Remy to his face, even after his return from exile, they were no longer close. The next to seek out Kurt’s patient and compassionate ear was Jean. Jean Grey Summers was a powerful telepath, though not on a par with the Professor. She was also telekinetic and an active team member. Jean was one of Xavier’s oldest students, a fiery redhead with a strong spirit. She was the wife of Scott Summers and they had a good marriage, but it was well known that Scott had a rival for her affections in Wolverine. There had been a spark between Logan and Jean, one that had never been acted on, but it was there just the same. Jean missed Logan in her way and had come to see Kurt, seeking his kind and gentle ear. Kurt was safely neutral and never passed judgement, a man with an endless ear for listening. Just his ability to let her unload her pain with passive patience had made her feel infinitely better. She was coping well with the loss. Also part of Kurt’s squad was Bobby Drake, the class clown. Everyone had to have one, the guy who couldn’t keep still and was always joking around, breaking the tension. Bobby was an original student of the Professor’s, but he was also one of the youngest. He was the least tragic of their little squad, he looked like a normal human but could create and control ice from the ambient moisture in the air. If he worked hard enough at it, he could even transform his body into a living, moving statue of ice as well. Of the group he was taking the disappearances the best, he just seemed to be acting on the principle that the three of them would just waltz in that front door, casually asking what they had missed on X-files while they were gone. Bobby was fresh and blonde, his hair spiked and a clean shaven face except for a tuft of blonde fuzz on his chin. He had to be different and never failed to make Kurt smile, even through the bad times. Kurt finished with the pansies and grabbed a crate of marigolds, moving on to another marker. History was taught here at the school and some events couldn’t – or shouldn’t – be erased. There was also a large memorial here in memory of all the Morlocks who had been killed in the Massacre. The Massacre had taken place five years ago, but for the last three, just before Memorial Day, someone had gotten to it with fresh flowers before Kurt could. At first Kurt couldn’t figure out who it was, Storm perhaps, but after that fiasco in Antarctica, well, by then everyone pretty much knew who it had been. Even during the six months Remy had been cut off from the team, he had still stolen his way over the fence to tend to the marker, it was the first sign Kurt had been given that their dear friend had in fact survived that most severest of sentences. This was the first year in the past three that it hadn’t been tended to, an agonizing reminder that Remy might not be coming back at all this time. Kurt sighed and gently whispered this soft prayer for his missing friends, "May the Lord bless you and keep you;May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." Not all of Kurt’s squad members had taken the loss as he had anticipated. Of all the ones closest to the missing, the one that troubled Kurt the most was Rogue. He had fully expected her to be one of the first to come to him for comfort but oddly, she had not approached him at all. Always concerned, Kurt had kept a watchful eye on her. He understood that the relationship she shared with the Cajun thief was not one of those smooth and steady rides like Jean and Scott were having. Rogue and Remy were one of those two months on, two weeks off kind of couples, coming together and separating with the same amount of passionate energy. They were loud at times, especially when they argued. It might seem pleasant enough on the surface, just a game to the spirited thief, but Kurt was aware that there were times that Gambit staggered into the Institute after a night of binge drinking, an unhealthy masochistic gleam in his eyes. Kurt would often try to get Remy to open up, they shared a common Catholic background, but since Antarctica, Remy was shy when it came to personal matters. Before this last mission Kurt had been especially hopeful for the couple, they’d had the longest streak of together time, just over three months without a fight. They had seemed especially close and affectionate, spending a lot of time together. This made Rogue’s present behavior all the more puzzling. Rogue was not sulking or off crying in a corner somewhere. She had been moody for a week or so, but then she did an odd thing. She had cut her long, flowing hair quite short and went shopping, buying a whole new wardrobe. Kurt had raised an eyebrow at this but had said nothing, perhaps this was the way she grieved, but he couldn’t help but sense she was feeling something other than loss for her dearly departed. She looked, well, almost relieved he was gone. Kurt tried to tell himself he was mistaken, but he feared for his friend’s return. If by some miracle the small team returned, what was Gambit going to find? In times of trouble, it was only natural to turn to their leadership and Kurt had been watching over the Professor as well. Charles had been doing his best to watch over them all and was keeping up a good face, but everyone knew he was worried. He would see them through this, he always did when one of their own had died, but Kurt was hoping it wouldn’t come down to that. Kurt sighed again and shifted on his knees, feeling the tension in his legs from kneeling for so long. He smiled, thinking he should be used to this. Planting flowers was the same as saying a prayer and so he spoke another, whispering soft words of gratitude for his blessings and yet, offering a humble request for the safe return of his friends. He had no desire to see yet another marble statue standing in the place of the missing. If only they knew where the three had gone, that alone would make this so much easier. Kurt couldn’t help but frown. If they were still alive, where had they gone and what could they possibly be doing right now? To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on May 4, 2007 9:24:09 GMT -5
(Two) Wolverine was the first to wake. He was foggy and disoriented from Fallen’s disastrous jump. Soft voices trickled into his dim awareness, Seth and Kimble were arguing from somewhere around him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Logan groaned and wiped his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. He was on the floor just outside the cage, he hadn't been tossed very far when they jumped. He looked inside the cage room and saw Fallen lying motionless on the floor behind her stick. It didn't look like she was breathing. He could smell burnt plastic coming from the lower level. He saw the trap door was open and took a big sniff. Burnt but not burning. Thank God for small favors. He got to his hands and knees in a daze but paused when he saw a white figure walk briskly out of Fallen's lav with a med-kit. It was the Kimble hologram. No, wait, Logan thought to himself. That wasn't possible. The hologram was supposed to be restrained, never mind running. He blinked, squinted. No, it was real. Kimble was really there. Wolverine got up and walked on rubbery legs over to the cage. He tried to enter through the door, but a security grid lit up in the doorway and a force field blocked him. "Security grid 6 activated," Lucky chirped helpfully. "Hey!" Logan grumbled, frustrated. The Kimble hologram was kneeling on the floor next to Fallen. He was shirtless and dressed only in the tight fitting black jeans. He had the med kit open and ignored Wolverine as he rummaged around inside it. His hair slid down over his shoulder and he tossed his long dangling pony tail behind him in irritation. He gently turned Fallen onto her back, being careful with her head and neck. Wolverine thought he saw a dim glow of blue light where Kimble touched her bare skin as if there was some kind of static charge between them. Kimble paused for a moment, puzzled, and looked with wonder at his hands. When Wolverine had first seen the Kimble hologram and recognized something different and special about him, he had been quite correct. What he couldn’t possibly have known was the impact Kimble would have on all of their lives. Kimble was in fact quite sentient and more than a little clever in his own way, but he was clueless about what to do when Fallen overloaded the ship with her Ristle power, it had all happened too fast. Seth was quicker, ordering Kimble about. Seth knew the overload would destroy the ship so he rerouted as much of the power as he could to keep the ship from imploding as Lucky had warned. It worked, but Fallen would still be injured from the backwash as the power was routed through the ship's systems. Someone would have to get to her as soon as possible after the surge had passed and Kimble got elected. Seth had frantically activated the hologram program before the surge had burnt itself out. Being the most capable to use it, Kimble flung himself into the hologram, dragging his personal files with him, represented by the black bag. All this took less than a couple of seconds. Once Kimble was in the hologram, Seth used an access key to unlock the last of the Siskan program codes. These codes would 'finish' the hologram and restore it to what it should have been originally. Seth had discovered the key just before they left but had been waiting to use it. He had wanted to wait for Fallen to help him with it but now she'd taken that option away from him. Seth had no choice but to try it alone. He believed Kimble had a better chance of helping Fallen with the hologram whole and complete. Kimble’s personality had only just fully loaded into the hologram cube when he saw a blinding flash of light. Fallen’s volatile Ristle energy overload next surged from the ship into the hologram as it had all the other ship systems, changing the chemical nature of it and turning it into something else. The restraining cubes exploded violently from the overload, freeing him from the limited area of the shop room. Kimble thought he heard a scream from somewhere far away, he realized afterwards that it had come from himself. He had felt a kind of searing pain as a torrent of brilliant sensory data flooded his thoughts. These things had been muted before because the hologram hadn't been complete. The sharpness of his senses assaulted him now. Sight, smell, sound, touch. His mad dash from the lower level to the cage was a blur of sensation and brightness. Now, here in the cage room, the lights were almost too dazzling for his sensitized eyes. He could feel the vibrations of the ship through his furry bare feet on the floor. His hands tingled with every contact of Fallen's skin. When he recognized the sensation as a pale reflection of when she powered the ship, it came to him that he was absorbing tiny amounts of her Ristle energy as he touched her. As part of the onboard operating system, he got a taste of her Ristle power every time she rode the stick. It was a wonderful, orgasmic rush whenever she fired off a big bolt to launch or boost. He could never explain why he felt what he did and never told Fallen about it. He thought it might have something to do with the Siskan pleasure programming codes but he couldn't be sure. If Seth felt the same thing he never said anything and so Kimble kept his little secret to himself. Now he had to try and ignore all that was happening to him and take care of Fallen. It was in the nature of a Siskan Courtesan to care for its Master or Mistress and Kimble was no exception. His greatest difficulty was that he didn't know how much longer his current power supply was going to last or what would happen to him once it was gone. Fallen needed him now and she was his only priority. "Okay, Seth. What now?" Kimble growled towards the screen in the Main Room, doing his best to hide the panic that was shaking his words. "What do I haves to do next?" Seth’s portion of the control room now took up the whole screen, making him appear larger than life. It revealed the full extent of his grief and anguish, he was barely able to keep from crying. "D-do a Med-scan," he answered in a quivering voice. "Easy, kid. Let's jus' do this," Kimble said without looking up. He was terrified by the whole situation, but needed to keep Seth calm and so he gave the appearance of patient tranquility. If Seth knew how frightened he really was, this whole thing would only get worse. Kimble put the Med Strip on Fallen’s forehead as directed and Seth began a scan. Lucky read off the results. "Ristle energy backwash. Damage to the Neural Ristle Process. Severe trauma to the left quadrant. Shock. Bio- rhythm failure." "Sh-t! What do I do now?" Kimble growled again. "You have to do CPR," Seth replied. "I'm sending you the file now." Kimble paused as instructions on CPR flooded his mind and came up on in a small box on the screen. Even though he was out in the hologram, Kimble had a kind of telepathic link with Lucky, similar to a wireless modem, that allowed information to be sent back and forth between himself and the ship. Fallen had installed this capability in the hologram when she first began to restore it and it was this that allowed him to link up with Lucky and 'borrow' Lucky's resources to learn and store data. Kimble laced his hands into position and began pumping Fallen's chest, his fingers still glowing slightly from the contact with her skin. His execution of the procedure was perfect, he breathed into her mouth and pumped her chest with skill as he repeated the process. Working harder now, he began to mumble to himself angrily. "Stupid! Stupid, kid! F-ckin' quitter! No g-ddamn f-ckin' patience!" "Bio-rhythm resumed," Lucky chirped. Kimble heard and sat back on his ankles, wiping his chin. He was sweating from his labor and from the rising tide of the panic he was trying to hold back. He knew how to take care of people, sure, but he had never had to rescue anyone like this. He didn’t want to think about Fallen being gone. He was getting overloaded with sensations and it was hard for him to stay focused, it had been far too long since he'd been out with all of the hologram intact. His hands were tingling and it was distracting him. Maylee joined Wolverine at the cage's edge. "Kimble? But how..?" She saw Fallen lying still. "What are you doing?" "Bio-rhythm failure," Lucky prompted again. "Damnit!" Kimble cursed and went back to work. Pump. Pump. Pump. Breathe. Pump. Pump. Pump. Breathe. "C'mon, Fallen, ya stupid little b-tch!" He smiled angrily as he worked. "Give me a command override, will ya?! I'll give you a command override --- F-ckin' breathe!" he shouted into her face. "Bio-rhythm resumed." Fallen convulsed and inhaled deeply from her mouth in a startled gasp. She coughed and moaned in pain, her eyes open now but unfocused, seeing nothing. Kimble held her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. So pale blue, so beautiful he could fall into them forever. He had always loved the look of her. "Fallen? Fallen, kin ya hears me?" She mumbled something incomprehensible. "Hey? Ya in there, girl?" Her eyes closed. "Bio-rhythm failure." "F-uck!" Kimble snarled in frustration. He began pumping her chest again. Seth cried out, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He was helpless and trapped in the control room, in no position to help. He stood up and put his hands to the screen and sobbed, "Fallen, please! Don't you leave me! Not now!" "Don'tcha bail on me, Seth!" Kimble hollered without looking up from his task. "You bail an' I'll go back in there an' kick yer f-ckin' ***!" "Let me in, Kimble!" Maylee demanded from outside of the cage. "Let me help her!" "Bio-rhythm resumed." Kimble sat back on his ankles again, his sides heaving. The Honor Sword rippled darkly against his bright white skin as he breathed, a detail that only enhanced the reality of his actually being there. He wiped his face and looked at the sweat on his hands, not quite believing it was really there for him to feel. He was real again, alive. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to scream. His panic and the sensory data overload was making it hard to maintain his control. The tinny voice of the Lucky Dragon clicked on again, this time offering advice to the badly frightened hologram alone in the cage with his poor, damaged Mistress. "Bio-rhythm stabilizer, substance code: B21, recommended. Fallen. Body mass 92 pounds. Dosage12cc." "Help me, Seth!" Kimble ordered, dismissing his mesmerizing sensory overload and dutifully turning back to the screen. "Gimmie the f-ckin' file!" "Sending!" Seth replied, gasping as he tried to control his sobbing. Kimble turned to the open med kit and pawed through the bottles. They all had tiny labels on them with numbers. He selected the one Lucky said and grabbed a syringe. As he ripped the sanitary paper wrapping open, instructions on how to inject blinded him. He swayed unsteadily and blinked, trying to absorb it all. "Kimble, let me in!" Maylee repeated, angry at being left out. She was the medic after all. "Seth! Kimble won't let me in!" She was ignored. Kimble plunged the needle into the bottle and expertly drew out 12cc. He traced Fallen's arm, found the vein, injected. He startled visibly when Valentin slammed his fists against the cage. To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on May 11, 2007 9:22:51 GMT -5
(Three) Valentin had been one of the last ones to wake and when he saw the crowd gathered at the cage's edge, he knew there had been trouble. Ever cautious, he had taken the time to recover his sword, reaching under his seat silently and without being noticed. He gripped it now in a white knuckled hand, furious. He had been stunned when he saw Kimble in the cage. Sure he knew the Siskan existed in the computer, but since he had never known about the personality’s ability to come out in a hologram, his shock was doubled. But what had truly enraged him was seeing the Honor Sword Mark proudly displayed on Kimble chest. Valentin had always wanted the Mark for himself but was never quite good enough. Now Fallen had put the Mark on this freak. He now understood why Kimble and Seth had always worn shirts when in his presence. Fallen had given this Mark to her freaks and had been hiding it all this time. Her insolence knew no boundaries and she would pay dearly for this. "What the hell is going on?!" Valentin bellowed in his outrage. Wolverine gripped Valentin's shoulder and heaved the First General away from the cage. He spun him around and shoved him back into Joseph who had come to his aid. Logan snarled, "Back off! The guy's a little busy!" Valentin advanced, but paused when Logan popped his claws. "Not a good idea, bub." Valentin unsheathed his sword and tossed the scabbard aside. Joseph moved in behind him and followed suit. "We should have left you to rot on Cerise!" Valentin snarled and lunged at Wolverine. One thing about arrogant men was their predictability. Logan knew he was going to charge and when he did, sidestepped him easily with a well trained grace. He grabbed Valentin's sword arm as he came forward and stuck his own leg out, tripping him. Logan used the big man’s momentum to spin him around while still gripping his wrist, snapping both bones in his forearm. There was a sickening crack as the bones gave way, a sharp report like the sound of a gun going off, and Valentin howled in pain. All of this took less than a second. Joseph never hesitated to aid his Master. He stepped up and plunged his sword through Wolverine's stomach, a mad grin on his lips. His hands still full with Valentin, Logan never had a chance to defend himself. He didn’t give the scream of pain Joseph was seeking, he had experienced far worse than this, but only grunted loudly as the blade slid right through him. Wolverine released Valentin involuntarily, his body going into shock even if his brain didn’t quite catch up with it yet. He fell back into the seats, taking Joseph’s sword down with him. Valentin, now released, finished his forward motion as his legs buckled and his sword fell to the floor with a clatter, signaling his defeat. Gambit had revived from Fallen’s suicidal jump just after Logan and was on the ball quickly, all of his training coming to serve him well. He’d sensed the impending attack just as Logan had and reacted immediately to the Clansmen’s advance. He was too far away to stop Valentin but next dove at Joseph, protecting his teammate from being stabbed again. He was worried for Logan sure, but had compartmentalized it for now, seeking only to keep the damage to a minimum. Logan would heal if given the chance. Remy clothes-lined Joseph across the neck and dragged him to the floor before smashing Joseph's face with a sharp crack of his elbow, stunning him. Beast was up now as well. He looked past all this to observe a half drugged, drunken Bruce stagger woozily to his feet. Bruce had woken from the sedative he’d been given just in time to see Valentin rush the X-men. He didn’t comprehend what he was seeing, only knew that he was supposed to back up his Master in any situation and had risen to do so. He held a sword in his hands, but was clearly in no condition to use it. Bruce’s foggy brain understood only that Valentin was howling in pain and he was somehow supposed to do something about it. He jerked forward in a sloppy lunge with the sword, but Beast easily grabbed his wrist and twisted it with just enough force to make Bruce to drop his weapon without actually hurting him. He had more control than Wolverine and had no desire to see his friend injured. Bruce growled with pain and staggered back as he was released. "What’s going on?!" "Just calm down and take it easy," Henry tried to soothe, but though he saw only fear and disbelief in Bruce’s eyes, explanations would have to wait for a calmer moment. He moved closer and blocked the aisle before Bruce could try to do any more harm. Bruce backed up and grumbled with frustration, but stayed put. Meanwhile, Valentin had gathered some of his wits. He reached again for his sword with his good hand, but cried out in surprise when Maylee stomped down on his fingers, pinning him. She stood over him, holding a small dagger in her trembling hands, an unspoken threat. Valentin, outnumbered and now injured, pulled back and sat back on his haunches to reassess his situation. He sensed Henry looming behind him and gave it up — for now. Wolverine tried to regain his footing, but kept getting the sword that was still trapped in his guts hung up on the seats. He cursed through a snarl and slowly drew it out, tearing the flesh that had foolishly tried to heal around it. Blood gushed out in a warm river down his legs, but stopped almost immediately once the sword was removed. The cut had sealed itself, preventing blood loss, but the internal injury itself would take longer to heal. It was still very painful and he shut it out as the long years of his life had trained him to do. He would worry about that later, when he was sure the fighting was done. He did notice a large rip in his shirt and swore again, he should have known better than to put his good Earth clothes back on. This was the second time in two days he had his guts ripped to pieces. He could heal, but two such serious injuries in so little time made him tired and sore. He heaved himself up with a grunt and took a step towards Valentin who was still crouched in the aisle. "Are we done?" Logan grumbled at him impatiently. Valentin raised his hands in surrender and said nothing, but his eyes were wild with defiance. Logan looked at Maylee. "We got anything to tie these guys up with?" "I think Fallen's got some rope in the galley." She left to retrieve it. Gambit had Joseph pinned quite nicely, and snorted with his usual arrogance. "Not much of a contest if you ask me, homme." "Yeah, well, you didn't get stabbed," Wolverine complained. "Heh, mebbe next time." Maylee returned with the rope and they began to tie up the Clansmen. Valentin glared at Bruce. " ‘Bout time you woke up, you f--ckin' f-ggot. Not like you did us any good," he hissed with real contempt. Bruce just lowered his eyes and allowed himself to be bound with no argument. He had no clue what was going on. He had no idea where they were, or even why he was on the ship at all, only that some kind of mutiny had taken place. As he was tossed back into his seat, he looked with wonder at the scene playing out inside the cage. To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on May 18, 2007 12:07:06 GMT -5
(Four) Kimble dismissed the activity outside of the cage, he simply didn't have time for it. He reached behind him and yanked the blankets off the cage room bed. He pulled them over Fallen and wrapped her up, tucking them under her with swift and practiced hands. She had begun to tremble from shock and moan with pain. Kimble asked for a full bio-scan with enhanced shots of the Neural Ristle trauma while he worked. Seth did as he was told and the data scrolled up on the screen. Pictures flashed rapidly, too quickly for a human mind to follow, but Kimble saw it just fine if he sat still and concentrated. A final picture settled on the screen. "Neural Ristle trauma. Left quadrant damage critical. Ristle production disabled," Lucky announced, speaking Fallen's doom without passion. He was, after all, just a machine. Maylee was still standing in the isle. She turned to the screen and groaned. "This is bad!" She started to shake, Fallen was like a mother to her. She couldn't bear the thought of her pain. Undone, Seth broke down completely. He pulled his legs up and hunched over in his chair. "Aw, Fallen! What didja do?!" Kimble wailed, shaken. "Stupid–stupid, b-tch!!" He was instantly furious, growling. He grabbed a handful of bottles from the med-kit and in his wrath, threw them against the wall. They shattered explosively, filling the air with a medicinal smell. What were they going to do now, he wondered. What a stupid f--king waste! "Hey! Take it easy in there!" Wolverine snapped, uncomprehending the seriousness of the situation. He staggered drunkenly to the edge of the cage, still in pain from Valentin’s abuse. "She's still breathin’! How bad can it be?" All this drama was wearing on him. "Let me in, Kimble," Maylee pleaded. "Let me finish this. Don't let her suffer." Wolverine looked at her in surprise. "What are ya talkin' about?" Kimble tried to control himself. He had to slow down and think, he could figure this out if he could relax and concentrate. Deep breaths, he told himself. That was all he needed. She's breathin’. She’s still alive. Okay. Wait. Wait just a minute. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, concentrating. A moment later, he knew what he needed. He called out to his brother, but when he got no answer, Kimble looked up and saw his twin had broken down. "Seth! Damnit! Seth!" Seth looked up slowly, but said nothing. His eyes were filled with sorrow and defeat. "Gimmie the file on the Red Sky," Kimble demanded, his voice level and calm now that he had his solution. He was sympathetic to Seth’s situation more than his brother could know, but he had to tend to his Mistress first. "Wh-why?" Seth asked wiping his eyes and shivering. "Just send it fer me, okay?" Seth did as he was told and Kimble scanned the file as quickly as it was sent. He smiled wearily and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he saw what he was looking for. There. There it was. Fallen would be angry but she'd understand. She'd left him no choice, really. He got to his feet and hopped out of the cage room window in a perfect imitation of Fallen's bird like grace. The trapdoor to the lower level was still open and he went down quickly without looking back. Maylee tried to follow, but she was blocked as another security force field lit up on the floor. "Security grid 12 activated," Lucky chirped. Maylee was furious, Kimble was trapping them at will, using mental commands to activate security grids that had been implanted into the floor. He clearly didn't want anyone to interfere with what he was doing. "Kimble!" she shouted, uselessly beating her hands against the invisible barrier. He didn’t answer her but returned quickly with a small white box in his hand. It had a Chinese style Dognan character on it. Maylee recognized it immediately. "Oh, don't you even think about it! Where did you get that!" Alarmed by Maylee’s reaction, Seth demanded from the screen. "What are you doing, Kimble? What is that?" Kimble ignored everyone and hopped back into the cage. He sat next to Fallen and grabbed another syringe, unconsciously rubbing his wings together nervously, the tension and strain of all of this was starting to wear on him. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm and relaxed. He had to do this. He had to do this for her. He opened the box he'd brought up from below and removed out a slim white bottle. He ripped open the paper on another syringe with his teeth before closing his eyes to concentrate. "Substance Code: White Lightning. Neural Ristle Process Stimulant," Lucky recited, prompted by Kimble's mental question about the dosage. "Fallen. Body mass 92 pounds. Minimum dosage 5cc every seven hours." Kimble loaded the syringe, the liquid from the bottle was clear and harmless looking. Maylee knew otherwise. "Don't do it, Kimble. Please!" "Gots no choice. She ain't wakin’ up without it. She don't wake, we die," he responded firmly, finally acknowledging her. Gambit and Wolverine looked at each other in alarm. This was news to them. Maylee continued to plead. "Don't! If you care anything about her, let her go." Kimble paused and gave her a long hard look, his anguish obvious. She couldn’t possibly comprehend what Fallen meant to him so he said nothing and tore his eyes away. He traced Fallen's arm again carefully and found the vein. "Warning," Lucky continued. "Illegal substance. Use of this product may cause seizure, violent behavior, psychosis, hallucinations, and dependence. Body mass less than optimum. Increased risk of stroke, heart failure, and hemorrhage." "Sweet jeezus!" Wolverine muttered under his breath. Henry stepped up to the cage for the first time. "Maybe we should discuss this." "T’ain’t nuthin' ta discuss," Kimble replied without looking up. He was firm in his conviction that this was their only option for survival and they were in no position to stop him. He inserted the needle and pulled back on the plunger. A small trace of blood swirled and danced with the poison inside. He closed his eyes, hesitating. "Kimble, please!" Seth said quietly. "Ya knows I gots ta do it. Jus' tell her -- jus' tells her it wuz my idea, none of yous had anathin' ta do with it." "Don't!" Maylee sobbed. She bowed her head against the cage, defeated. Kimble opened his eyes to look at Fallen's troubled face. He could see and feel her pain. How many nights did he silently watch over her like this, just to see her sleeping calm white face? Too many to count. Lord knew, he loved her. It was like a white hot pleasure blasting through his very soul. It was killing him to watch her suffer, but he wasn't going to give her up without a fight. She was his responsibility and it was up to him to take care of her the best he could. Nothing would ever tear him away from his duty. "Fergives me," he whispered and injected. Maylee shoved away from the cage, upset. "You a--hole! I hate you!" Kimble pulled the needle out and tossed it, the deed done. He cursed his Mistress for forcing him to decide this and he crouched next to her, his head down. Seth hunched over again, exhausted. A window popped up on the screen labeled "Ristle Production Level." It was scrolling a flat line. Fallen shuddered and calmed noticeably, the Lightning was doing its work. Kimble sat still for what seemed to him to be a long time. He needed to move now, or he'd go crazy. He rose stiffly and started picking up the glass from his earlier little tantrum. There was a lot of it and he couldn’t fit it all in his hands so he walked into the lav and returned with the bucket. He put the glass inside the pail, focusing on the task and not on the racing emotions inside of him. He was excited and frightened, thrilled to be out again and yet terrified of being so exposed. He refused to look at the others or at the window on the screen, not wanting to jinx this. He walked back to the lav and dumped the glass in a garbage bin, grabbing a towel to mop up the cage floor. He paused when he saw the jar of cigarettes on the bathroom vanity and took one impulsively. He lit it using Fallen's snap trick, discovering that he stored enough of the Ristle he'd absorbed to do this. He inhaled and felt the smoke flow inside of him. Strange how he could taste it now, feel the chemicals pass into his system, soothing his jangled nerves. When he smoked as a program it meant nothing, it was just a series of actions that calmed him because that's what the data instructed. Smoking now relaxed him in a more tangible way, serving him chemicals that actually affected his physical body. He caught his reflection in the mirror and stopped, his curiosity getting the better of him. There were no mirrors in the shop and so he'd never actually seen himself in this skin. He'd had many different forms over the years, it often changed with each new user. Now a stranger peered back at him. He ran his fingertips along the Honor Sword mark. Different how he could feel the touch both on his skin and his fingertips. He had forgotten how nice this was. It had been a long time since the hologram had been fully restored. He could sense memories of another time, of pleasures just waiting to be felt again. It was just as well that Fallen had never indulged him sexually, he thought to himself. It would have been a waste compared to what he was capable of feeling now. Any desire to return to the main system he may have had evaporated instantly. Looking at himself, Kimble remembered how proud Fallen was when she'd received the Honor Sword Mark. Proud enough to give to both of the twins as well. They'd earned it together, she'd said. He liked the look of it on his skin, the bright colors pleased him. He had always liked colorful things, especially glass because of the prism effects from the surrounding light. He inhaled from his cigarette again and watched the red tip of it glow as it burned. Smoke drifted lazily from his parted lips. His eyes followed it in the mirror, fascinated. A small fan came on overhead, activated by the smoke. He felt the slight breeze tickle the hair on his arms. He shivered and felt gooseflesh rise, snickering with amusement. He was whole again. In the next room, Wolverine was growing impatient, no surprise with his ill tempered history. Kimble had gone into the lav and not come out. It was too quiet. Logan was none too pleased to be trapped in one place like this. Why would Kimble isolate them if he wasn't up to something? "What's he doin' in there?" "I'm sure he's fine," Henry replied. " ‘Ey, mes amis," Gambit interrupted, pointing to the screen. "What’s dat?" To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on May 25, 2007 8:33:35 GMT -5
(Five) Kimble was drifting away, distracted by the smoke. It was easy to lose his place with so many wonders to remember. He closed his eyes and did a quick scan of his files. The access code Seth had used unlocked some memory files from the original program, he now had some restored memories from before he was broken. He already had a few shattered, fragmented memories from before, splintered but priceless. They were all he had and he had kept them to himself, protecting them fiercely, even from Seth. Now he was tempted to check out some of the new ones, to recall what he'd lost. Some part of him screamed in protest. It was better to forget and just go on as he was now. Still, he was curious by nature. He peeked into one, thrilled to learn that this was a pleasure program memory...and oh, how pleasant it was indeed! He shivered from a sudden, fierce arousal, his face flushing instantly, and decided it was best to put that one aside to amuse himself with later in private. He peeked into another, but this time grunted with shock and surprise from being assaulted by a vision of violence and bloody mayhem. He'd seen a flash of himself in another skin wielding a bloody, dripping sword. This Kimble had been overcome by rage and despair. There was a flash of light as he was blasted away by some kind of electrical weapon. Kimble quickly closed the horrible file and banished it as far away as he could. Where the hell did that come from? He bent over the basin and coughed as his belly heaved, doing his best not to actually vomit. He looked up at the mirror and suddenly never wanted to see himself ever again. His reflection frightened him. "Hey, you!" came a voice from outside the cage, one that sounded like Wolverine. Kimble ignored it. He wiped his mouth with a trembling hand as the other strayed unnoticed to his ear in a Seth like gesture of terror. That memory had been mistake. It had to be. No way was he some kind of violent killer. Someone had corrupted his files, that was it. He had someone else's stupid memories. Everyone knew the Clan programmers all sucked. Yeah, that was it. He had files that didn't belong to him. He took a deep trembling breath and cleared his mind. Those files would remain closed. He would delete them at his earliest convenience. Just the thought of dumping them calmed him and his spell of nausea passed. Seth came on the lav screen. "Check the data, Kimble." Kimble nodded, glad for the excuse to do something else. He tore himself away from the mirror and walked out of the lav. Maylee and the others were watching the scrolling line. The flat line was wavering slightly. Kimble went to the cage window and leaned on the sill. He waited patiently, smoking now to calm himself, his misadventure in the lav forgotten for the moment. Blip. The line bounced significantly. He cocked his head, interested. Waited and smoked some more. Another fan came on above him and he glanced up at it. Why does Fallen gots all these stupid fans, anaway? he thought to himself, distracted. Blip. The line was bobbing steadily now, just not very high. "Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" he asked no one in particular, a huge grin breaking out across his face Logan glanced behind him as Bruce suddenly gasped. Bruce had turned quite pale and cowered back into his seat, his eyes wide. Something about what Kimble had said had caught Bruce's attention. Logan could smell his fear and was hard pressed not to growl once more. This was now the second time Bruce had reacted this way to Kimble’s voice and that was something the X-man could no longer dismiss or ignore. Now was not the time to investigate that fully, but he would be certain to find out what was going on when it was. Kimble was oblivious to it all. He crushed out his cigarette in Fallen's ashtray by her stick, noticing several butts still sat in there, a trace of her presence. He saw a vision of her there on her stick, laughing at one of his jokes. The memory was startlingly painful, bringing the sting of tears to his eyes. He didn't want to think of being here without her. Seth was excited now, rocking in his seat. "Talk to her, Kimble! See if you can wake her up!" Kimble obeyed, walking over to where Fallen lay. He straddled her tiny waist and crouched down, looking at her. Her face was very still. Fallen?" he called out softly. He reached down and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. Brushed her cheek. He watched with fascination the soft blue glow of his fingers as more of her Ristle energy seeped into him. It was stronger now than before and it felt warm and good as it passed into him. Her eyes flickered, but didn't open. "Find me. I'm right here," he whispered. He moved closer, both hands on her cheeks now, and rubbed her face with his thumbs. The line on the screen wavered with more enthusiasm. "Fallen, kin ya hears me?" "Uhhh...." she wheezed softly. Her eyes opened just a little. "Talks ta me, kiddo," he pleaded, his eyes earnest. "Who..Who's there..?" Her voice was very weak. Kimble smiled broadly, relieved. " La ShaRain natay LaRoo." "My guardian angel? What? Seth?" "Humph! Seth ain't got the skills ta do fer you!" Kimble grumbled, offended. "Kimble, it’s you. Sorry. But the restraints...?" "Blown out by a really stupid big power surge. Go figger," he said, still grumpy. She laughed, coughed. "Very....funny." "I'm here, Fallen." Seth said from the screen. "I'm still in the system." Fallen turned her head towards his voice but couldn't see him. "Seth?" Kimble grew stern, his eyes flinty. "Look at me!" he growled, turning her head back to face him. "That wuz a really, really stupid thing ya done. How couldja do that ta yerself? Ta alla us?!" She turned her head away again, not wanting to hear it, but he carefully moved her back to look at him. "We had this all worked out. We had a plan!" "Too late...Valentin.." "No! It wuzn’t ever too late!" He raised his voice without yelling. "Ya gives up too easy!" "You don't know what it's like with him!" she spat out, her anger reviving her "Oh, like what's like?!" he returned, pulling his hands away in his displeasure. "Like watchin' him treat yer Mistress like garbage, beat 'er up --- f--kin' rape 'er!--- and not bein' able ta do anathin' abouts it?! Huh? Ya know what rapin’ is ta me! Takin’ without askin'! I’m Siskan! It f--ckin' rips me up! Yer not the only one sufferin' in this!" "You're just a program," came the weak reply. "Kimble, please!" Seth pleaded. He could see his brother was gearing up for a nice big fight. Kimble ignored him and sat back on his haunches over his Mistress, his eyes blazing. "An’ Seth? Is he just a program, too? Huh? Last I checked you wuz in love with him! Doncha ever f--kin' insults me like that again!" He was furious Fallen began to sob weakly. "I'm so sorry... Sorry!" Kimble caved almost immediately. He sighed heavily, blowing out his rage in one long breath. "Don' do that, baby doll," he protested in a much gentler tone of voice as he leaned forward to wipe the tears from her face. "Stop this now." He got off of her and she curled up into a ball, bawling. He didn’t hesitate but pulled her up to him with the blankets and wrapped his big arms around her protectively, swallowing her up inside them. She seemed so tiny there and it made him sad. "I don' wanna fights witcha, Fallen. You jus' scared me really, really bad, is all." Kimble’s thin veneer of control wavered slightly and a single tear dripped down from one cheek. He rubbed his face against her head, trying to hide it. He was painfully aware of their audience of big strong men outside of the cage and he couldn't afford to let them see his weakness. He took another deep breath and calmed himself. He rocked her gently and petted her until she stopped crying. He whispered to her in Siskan and kissed the top of her head, hardly believing he was actually holding her. It wasn't so much that he was real to her as she was so very real to him now. He could smell her tears, feel the heat coming off of her body. He could feel her soft breath on his arm as she calmed. She was so close now he could breathe her Ristle energy from the air. Seth watched him from the screen, saying nothing, but eyeing Fallen possessively. He'd never seen Kimble touch Fallen like this. He was never around when Kimble came out as a hologram to comfort her from her nightmares. He trusted Kimble but was uncomfortable seeing his brother do the same things he did to comfort her. "I'm so sorry ... I almost killed you... I'm so sorry," she whispered finally. "Fergits it." He kissed the top of her head. Her smell was there again, almost overwhelming him. He was so tired now, sad and tired down to his very core. "It's done. We'll deal with it." Fallen sniffed. "I can feel what you did. The Lightning." He continued stroking her head gently. "We'll deals with that, too." Valentin jerked against the cage. "And what about me, boy? You gonna deal with me? That's my wife!" Kimble looked up slowly, his eyes flinty and cold. Sharing Fallen with Seth he could deal with just fine, but this monster? There was no way in hell. He fixed Valentin with his heat and growled deep and low like a large mean watchdog. It was not a natural sound and there was no mistaking the malice. "You waits yer turn," he warned through gritted teeth. Looking at Kimble, that hateful angry look on his face, Logan felt all of his earlier concerns about Kimble’s mental stability were justified. Kimble gave off an air of danger Fallen put her hand on Kimble's chest and whispered to him. "Shush. He'll kill you." Kimble continued to stare at Valentin, his eyes burning with his unconcealed hostility. He smiled wickedly, showing long, sharp canine teeth and his voice noticeably dropped in pitch as he growled, "He's a steamin' pile of maggoty dog sh-t what needs puttin' down." Wolverine stepped up. "It ain't up ta you to do that." Valentin looked up at his new challenger and sneered. "Oh, and you are?" "We got enough problems right here without this. The two of you can settle up later." Valentin returned to Kimble. "You and me. Soon. Very soon." "I'll be there. You kin counts on it." Valentin turned his head away no longer interested, but Wolverine surely was. He thought about the time he watched Kimble dance. Kim could move, sure, but he seriously doubted Kimble would be good enough to take Valentin down. What was Kimble really? Nothing more than a fancy dancer with a smart mouth. Valentin was a hardened warrior with many years of experience. To a point, Logan even respected him. It really was a shame he was such an ***-hole. Kimble couldn't even come close on a good day. Kimble didn’t care about any of that. He scooped Fallen up easily and lay her down on the cage room bed. She moaned softly in the sudden comfort of it and turned onto her side. He put a pillow against her belly and she curled around it like always. He tucked the blankets around her with practiced hands. "Git some rest." He started to pull away when she caught his wrist with her tiny hand and said, "Thank you." "Fer what?" "For being there. For always being there for me." "Anathin fer you, kid," he whispered gently, a gentle smile just for her. He looked up sharply as Seth came up on the small viewing screen next to the bed. "We should keep the Med-scan running," Seth said, needing to say something. He wasn't comfortable with the way Kimble was looking at Fallen. It disturbed him in a way he didn’t fully understand. "All right. Now I gots ta go take care 'a some things," Kimble said to Fallen. "Git some rest." "Don't go too far." "I'll stay close by, don' worry. Fayed rowth, my Fallen." He moved away, standing in the center of the small room. He concentrated and sent a mental command, happy when the lights dimmed in the cage. He went to the doorway and then looked at the others. "We'll talk, but not here. In the galley." Logan nodded and they filed out of the main room. To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on Jun 1, 2007 8:54:21 GMT -5
(Six) A moment later, they were gathered in the galley. Joseph, Bruce and Valentin were tied to the fixed benches of the table. Maylee had another med-kit out and was putting a brace on Valentin's arm. They were all waiting for Kimble to compose himself so the meeting could begin. Kimble was standing in front of the galley viewing screen, arms folded, watching streams of data go by. Seth was there and they were talking softly in Siskan to each other, conferring. Seth was informing him about the condition of the ship, looking worried as always. In one corner was the readout of Fallen's Ristle energy scan, the Med strip was constantly updating itself. Kimble flexed his wings and rubbed his arms absently as he read it. He wasn't sure how to say what needed to be said. He was studying her levels, concerned. Logan was using this opportunity to clean up a little. Kimble had shut the security grids off outside of the cage, allowing Logan to grab a fresh change of clothes. He'd changed into Clan leather pants with no shirt and was using a damp towel to wipe off the blood from when he'd been stabbed. He'd been watching Kimble since he came into the galley, noting that the first thing Kimble had done was drink a large glass of water. He was a hologram but required fluids. He recalled the pilot had also drunk the last time he'd been out, when he had been dancing. Logan cataloged this knowledge in case he needed it later. Any weaknesses he knew of would be valuable. As Logan cleaned up the blood, he couldn't help but notice how Bruce was also staring intently at Kimble. Bruce didn’t seem to be as afraid now, only curious, as if he was trying to figure him out. Like maybe he recognized him somehow but couldn't place him. Logan thought he heard him whisper a name --- Zander. Bruce leaned over to whisper something to Valentin, but was brushed off by the older man. "You've got a lot of med-kits here," Beast noted as he watched Maylee skillfully set Valentin's arm and place it gently in a sling. "Fallen gets hurt a lot," Maylee answered, giving Valentin a hard, angry look. The Clansman just smiled back at her, his eyes flinty and cold. Seth told Kimble he was going to go back and watch over Fallen. He left and Kimble finally turned to the others, beginning this. He cleared his throat to get their attention and they quieted, anticipating what was to come. "Okay, here's the deal. We made the jump okay. We're just on the other side of Clan air space meanin’ we're in the right dimension ta git y'all back home. Problem is the engines're fried." Someone groaned and Kimble put his hand up. "Don' panic just yet. Me an' Fallen kin fix 'em --- if she's able." Logan shook his head. "What do ya mean, ‘if she's able’?" "Fallen seriously injured herself. She went and overloaded the stick. I never dreamed she wuz so powerful.... Anyhow, me an’ Seth sawr what she wuz gonna do, but didn't have enough time ta stop it. We wuz able ta reroute some of the overload inta the life support batteries---" "What batteries?!" Valentin snapped. Kimble kept going, ignoring the interruption. "---and use some of it ta free up the hologram but it wuz still too much. It backwashed inta Fallen and caused some real damage." "Maybe you should have just let her do it," Maylee said softly. She was still upset over Kimble's decision. Kimble turned to her. "Do what, kid? Kill herself? Kill us all? Lucky would've exploded. We'd all be dead now if not fer me and Seth." "It took her a year to get off that crap, Kimble! You didn't see it!" Maylee started to cry again. "All she did was scream. The nightmares!!" "She wuz alone then. She ain't now. It wuz my decision. Seth an me'll take care 'a her." "What does the White Lightning do?" Henry wanted to know. "It enhances the chemical connections in the brain that allow fer the Ristle energy ta be produced," Kimble answered. He and Henry next exchanged a medical volley so complicated no one else could understand. It was startling just how much Kimble knew in spite as coming off as uneducated and stupid. Henry knew exactly what Kimble was talking about even though he didn't pronounce the scientific terms as well. Kimble could tell the others were left in the dust so he put his hands up to put Henry on hold and addressed them himself. "It stimulates the area of the brain that keeps her Ristle energy production active. The Ristle energy process is also tied inta the part of her brain that controls consciousness and rational thought." He paused to organize his thoughts and reached to the table to take a cigarette from the glass jar there. He snapped to light it and took a deep drag, squinting as another stupid fan came on. "If Fallen wuz normal, the drug would produce a kind of euphoric high. She's so far gone now, all it's doin' is keepin' her from slippin' into a coma," he said soberly, unable to hide his concern for her. He paused and smoked a little before speaking again, considering his words. "The Dognan designed the pilots so that if they wuz so injured they couldn't ever fly, they'd go in a coma and die cuz they couldn't be used." "How could you possibly know all this?" Valentin demanded. "Fallen told Seth. Seth told me." "Why would she tell you and no one else? None of our other pilots are like that." "They are, you just don’t knows it. How many of them wuz ever in this kinda trouble fer yous to see it? She's got a lot of Dognan memory implants, too. The Dognan never taught any of ‘em how ta do stuff, they used implants --- Salvage, Technology, some basic medical files 'bout herself. How do ya think she built this ship and evrathin’ else she has? She knows lotsa things she don’ talks about. She talks ta me an' Seth when she does cuz she trusts us. I don’ think the same can be said fer you." "You lie!" Valentin tried to rise. The ropes slipped a little, but held him. "I'll bet we're stuck like this because of something you did. How do we know you didn't screw us up doing this thing you did to yourself?!" Kimble turned to the group and raised his hand like a kid in class. "Who doesn’t think Fallen tried to kill herself?" They were silent. "Anaone? Anaone? No?" He glared at Valentin. "You a--hole!" "Why would she do that? She would never put her passengers at risk!" "Don’ think she cared about too much anamore, Vally. Prob'ly figgered she wuz better off dead than married to a piece of s--t like you." Valentin roared and heaved against the ropes. They snapped and he was suddenly free, lunging for Kimble with all the violence he could muster. Gambit scrambled for him and missed as Valentin vaulted across the table. Even injured, he was formidable. Kimble still dodged him easily and used all of his strength to slam a fist into his opponent’s face, using his momentum against him. Kimble's fingers exploded with pain from the contact, but the power and the ability to act against Valentin sent a thrill right through him. Valentin's legs buckled from the power of the blow, but he didn't fall. He reeled and Beast grabbed his good arm, pulling him back. Kimble wasn’t done. He advanced towards Valentin, snarling, but before he could continue, his head was yanked brutally to one side. The pain in his scalp was enormous, horrible, and totally unexpected. He couldn't help but squeal from the shock of it, the cigarette flying from his mouth. Wolverine had twisted his ponytail tightly around one hand and then used it to fling Kimble into the wall like a child's plaything. Kimble looked like a man, but his inorganic body was not quite as heavy, Logan had tossed him easily with more force than he had intended. Kimble hit the wall hard with a startled grunt. Instantly angry, the pilot snarled and shoved back, trying to defend himself, but Logan easily pushed him again and pinned him with his much heavier body. His fist came to Kimble's face. Snickt! Kimble jerked with a gasp as three shiny claws jumped from the back of Logan’s fist and cut into the wall next to his left eye. "Don't f'kin' move," the older man growled with real authority. "Don't even breathe." Kimble did as he was told, but trembled with indignant rage at his mistreatment. Unlocked memory files threatened to open again, prompted by the suddenness of his anger. Images flashed before his eyes but he couldn't really make them out. He shoved them away, not wanting a repeat of what happened in the lav. They closed down, but he was left with an acid burning in his gut. The depth of his own anger frightened him a little, it had been a long time since he'd felt pain on this level or the anger that followed. Kimble looked into Logan's eyes and saw only malice and unquestionable superiority. The man's arrogance galled him, but there was nothing he could do about it. Wolverine’s earlier assessment of him had been quite correct, he had only a handful of fighting files, all of them useless against a warrior of this caliber. He could feel he had lost energy, too. The force he had used on Valentin had cost him, increasing his anxiety, he didn't know what he was going to do when his power was gone. He then remembered how Fallen had made his hands glow, maybe she could recharge him like the cubes did if he touched her long enough. He had to get out of here and back to Fallen to find out. Logan kept Kimble pinned but looked back to see how Beast was making out with Valentin. Henry had wrestled the man down and now Maylee and Gambit were tying him back to the bench, using a lot more rope. He returned to Kimble hologram, boring into him with his eyes, trying to get a bead on just what he had here. Whatever the brothers had done, it made a big difference in the hologram’s appearance. This new hologram was perfect and completely convincing in its representation of Kimble's "skin". He appeared to be real and alive. Wolverine could tell Kimble remained different from Lanlin, though, he didn't share the deadness of her eyes. Kimble's were a pale blue and blazed with the intense fire of his intelligence and obvious fury. His skin seemed almost to glow with energy, the Ristle perhaps, but it exposed him as unnatural, alien. He wasn't human at all, not even close, and yet he was beautiful like an angel might appear. Ghostly and seductive to one not able to resist the draw of something from some other place. It was hard not to look at him. Up close like this, yes he was beautiful, but also dangerous. Lovely and dangerous like a cobra just before it strikes. This was how he appeared to Logan. Sweet jeezus, Logan thought, what did Fallen bring out into the world?
"Lemmie go!" Kimble hissed, squirming helplessly in Logan's grasp. He squinted a little as if Logan’s very presence was hurting him somehow. Logan ignored him, not yet ready to let this stupid pain in the *** go. He figured Kimble for a troublemaker from the get go and so far the ersatz pilot had done little to change that opinion. Beast was still working on Valentin so Logan continued his scrutiny of his prisoner. He'd been surprised by the squeal that had come from Kimble when he'd turned his head like that. He would have thought a guy as cocky as this could take a little pain. Whatever. It would only make him easier to control. Beast was finished now. Logan withdrew his claws and released Kimble. Kimble slithered away from him along the wall, his hands fisted but not raised. Their eyes were still locked in silent battle. Kimble was outraged and didn't want to back down, his usual response to Valentin’s bullying was to push back, but out here he had to be so much more careful. Out here he could be hurt for real. Logan made sure Kimble knew he knew it, too. "Don't make me do that again, boy," he warned, his authority not to be questioned. To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on Jun 8, 2007 8:41:09 GMT -5
Kimble swallowed heavily and tried to regain his composure. He picked up his fallen cigarette and straightened his hair, thinking his long ponytail was now going to be a liability. He thought maybe he could cut it or something, but wasn’t sure just how much control he had over his own programming. He was going to have to learn and quickly if he was going to survive in this environment. Fortunately Kimble was a quick study. The others were uncomfortable from the obvious tension between Kimble and Logan. Beast wasn't so sure that Logan's manhandling of Kimble had been necessary, Kimble had only been defending himself after all, but the doctor kept silent about it for now. He would back his teammate as long as things didn’t get out of control. "Okay. The engines're down," Kimble continued gruffly. He had to finish this stupid meeting so he could try to recharge from Fallen. "We got enough power in the batteries fer five days of life support." "What batteries?!" Valentin repeated. "There's no such thing!" Kimble grinned a nasty, toothy smile at the man. "Fallen's a lot smarter than you losers ever gave her credit fer. Maybe if ya spent a lot less time smackin' her around--" "Watch yer mouth!" Wolverine warned. "That’s enough of that crap!" Kimble backed away, growling, he couldn't help himself. "Fallen's real smart," he continued, trying to sound casual, instructional, but he was still angry and it came out in his voice. "She built the Lucky Dragon and alla the machines in it. She's got technology here the Clan's got no clue about. She figgered if you bastards found out you'd all chain her up ta some kinda mass production line." He paused, smoking. "Yeah, the ship's got batteries. They hold enough Ristle energy ta keep us alive fer five days or so. Hopefully that'll be long enough fer Fallen ta recovers a little bit. We needs her ta power up the batteries ta keep us alive. If she keeps boostin' 'em we kin hang here fer quite a while." "What about food and water?" Logan asked. "We always carry enough food fer six months. All the water is recycled. It's pretty much unlimited. We resupplied right b'fore we left sos evrathin' should be pretty fresh. Worst case scenario, we crawl to a habitable planet an' do some scroungin’. Fallen and us've done it before, just fer kicks. But it shouldn't come ta that, hopefully." "Hopefully," Logan repeated. "Anything else?" "That's pretty much it," Kimble said and crushed out his butt in an ashtray on the table. "Now if you'll ‘scuze me, I gots ta check on Fallen --" He started for the door, desperate to escape. He sighed angrily when Wolverine blocked him. "Hold up there, bub. How do we know all this is on the level?" Kimble squared up to him, daring to raise his chin. "Guess yer just gonna hafta trust me." "I don't trust that easy. ‘Specially not some stupid sensual physical contact toy that thinks it's real when it ain't," Logan sneered arrogantly. Valentin snickered at Logan's words, his eyes bright with malevolent glee. Logan continued, ignoring it. "I'm not so sure yer up to the responsibility. You'd better step back and let the real folks handle this. Maybe you should just show me these batteries you supposedly got and the supplies." Kimble was furious and trembling, offended beyond belief. Valentin's laughter and Logan's criticism had cut him deeply. sensual physical contact toy? Oh, this was too much! Kimble was so much more than that and he knew it. "I ain't no f'kin' sensual physical contact toy, ya hairy little a$$hole! I'm Second in command on this f'kin' ship! I'm real enough, old man, and this is Fallen's ship, not yers! She powers it! I controls it! Just what exactly do ya think you kin do without us? Huh? You ain't in no position ta take over nuthin'!" Logan advanced, growling, and Kimble retreated a little and put up his hand, asking for patience he didn’t deserve. He had to remember that out of the system, he could be retaliated against for his mouth. He had to watch what he said. "Wait. I don' wanna fightcha, man. My job is ta take care of Fallen, so's she kin take care'a yous. You wants ta sees the batteries and supplies? Fine. But not 'til I check up on her." "How about now." Logan wasn't budging. Kimble was cornered, but tried to maintain his position. "I haves ta see her. I needs ta know she's okay." "Look at her med-scan," Maylee offered helpfully, she knew Kimble well enough to know he was hiding something. Kimble hesitated, feeling the red rage rise dangerously. Crap! How was he going to get out of this without a fight. He didn't have the energy to defend himself, he could already feel himself starting to discorporate a little as it was, a sensation he didn’t like in the least. He was running out of time. Wolverine wasn't that stupid. He peered into Kimble's eyes. Sniffed him. "What are you hidin', boy? What's yer problem?" "Nuthin'. I just wants ta see her, that's all. Let me go!" Wolverine wasn’t about to wait for Kimble to tell him another lie. He impulsively stuck his hand out and pushed it against Kimble's chest, an attempt to pin him in place. He startled as his hand sank partway into Kimble's body as if Kimble was a ghost. Logan's eyes went wide and he jerked his hand back as if it had been burned. It was quite the opposite actually, it was ice cold, like he'd stuck it in a bucket of ice water. "What the f--k is this?!" "F--k you! Get outta my way!" Kimble insisted with a twisted snarl, his frustration finally overtaking him. Wolverine blocked him, still trying to control the situation, but Kimble shoved against him, straining from the effort. Logan grabbed his arms and refused to let him pass. Like before, his hands sank partway into Kimble's body, but still held him. The two of them locked against each other and it became another battle of wills. Kimble wanted nothing more than to just get past this guy. He made the wish in his mind like a child wishing on a star and was startled when his desire was actually granted, just not in the way he expected. His body suddenly lost solidity completely and his pressure against Logan propelled him right through the other man's body. Both of them gasped in shock and surprise. Logan was blasted with an ice cold shock wave as Kimble's inner core passed right through him. The Adamantium didn't react well with the cold and Logan fell awkwardly against the wall, shivering. He couldn’t be sure, but for a second he thought he caught a sense of Kimble’s panic, as if he had read Kimble’s mind for just that one instant. It was a panic that competed with a strong sense of responsibility for the poor shattered pilot in the next room. Logan shook his head in confusion, maybe he’d just imagined it. You didn’t have to be telepathic to read what was on Kimble’s mind, it was plain on his face. Kimble looked back at him, shocked and horrified by what he'd just done, but the need to recharge was even worse now. Whatever he'd done, it had taken energy to do it, energy he didn’t have to spare. Unable to wait any longer, he went for the door again. The others parted quickly, letting Kimble pass. Kimble bolted to the cage and walked through the security grid like it wasn't there. He was shaking uncontrollably now, it was taking all of his will to remain as solid as possible. He didn't know what would happen if he discorporated completely and didn't want to find out. Seth called out to him as he entered, but Kimble didn't hear him. He fell clumsily to his knees by Fallen's sleeping body and took her hand. His fingers began instantly to glow with the exchange of energy. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief as the waves of Ristle energy washed into him. Fallen half opened her eyes and breathed his name. Wolverine was pissed. He didn't like anything he couldn't control and this whole situation certainly applied. He stormed out of the galley and to the cage. Seeing the feral mutant was on the verge of losing it, everyone got out of his way just as they had with Kimble. Unfortunately, the door to the cage was as far as he got, the force field in the doorway still blocked him. He slammed his fists against the cage. "Hey!!" he bellowed just as Valentin had earlier. "I'm talkin' ta you!!" Kimble couldn't have answered if he wanted to, he was a million miles away. He gripped Fallen's hands in a trance as her power cascaded over him. She was still weak so her power didn't come into him as a gush, more like gentle ripples of blue shimmering energy. An endless sea of warm gentle caresses. He could feel her presence in his mind. He was riding the stick. He was riding her. It was pure ecstasy. He lost control and moaned as an orgasmic shiver took him. To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on Jun 15, 2007 9:25:56 GMT -5
(Seven) Fallen was dreaming. She was falling down slowly in the middle of a big empty room. She was on her back looking up as she drifted down, but could see little else besides a dim light coming from an unseen source above her. It wasn’t very bright, it didn't hurt for her to look up into it. Her descent was gentle and easy so she wasn't afraid of it at all. She wasn’t alone in her journey. Kimble was lying on top of her, his big arms wrapped around her securely. He looked like he was asleep and dreaming happily from the expression of absolute peace on his face. She was warm and comfortable with the heat of his larger body against her and still felt no fear, even as she looked below her and saw the ground rushing up to meet them. She braced for impact, but instead they landed lightly onto a big black silky mattress. They rolled slightly as they sank into the deep cushion of the bed and Kimble giggled out loud like a small child who'd been tossed. She looked into his face and watched, surprised, as he groaned and shuddered against her from the rush of her power cascading into him. There was no mistaking his reaction for anything less than orgasmic ecstasy. He opened his eyes to look at her, drunk from the rush, and started to speak. He was cut off as Lucky's mechanical voice chimed, "Unpassworded client. Connection failure." Both of them abruptly woke back in the cage on the Lucky Dragon and gasped as they looked around themselves, bewildered. Back in her bed, Fallen looked into Kimble's eyes with confusion. "What was that?" Kimble was fiercely aroused from the unexpected rush and heat of her power. He wanted to kiss her mouth and taste her for real. He wanted to plunge into her body and feel her heat consume him. He desired only to hear the thunder of her heartbeat followed only by her screams of joyful ecstacy as he made love to her again and again. He knew he could do it, oh, yes. He could make her feel things she had never dreamed of, it was his one true purpose after all. He was trembling with a bright white lust for her, but the look of fear and jealousy on Seth’s face was enough to cool him down. He knew Fallen did not belong to him so he just gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Nuthin’. Fergits it." Fallen sensed Kimble’s powerful desire for her and how he'd squashed it. Spooked and momentarily frightened, she yanked her hand away and withdrew away from him towards the wall. Kimble stayed as he was, giving her space, hoping she would calm down. He waited a moment for her to say something. When she didn't he said, "Don' be scared. I ain’t never hurt ya an’ I never will." "What just happened?" "I needed ta recharge. The cubes're gone. I thought if maybe I touched ya, you could still power me up. I wuz right. I gots ta take from ya directly fer now," he explained slowly so she would understand. "Are you okay, Fallen?" Seth asked, concerned. He'd watched the whole exchange in confusion. He had full access of Lucky’s cameras and viewing screens, but still wasn't clear about what he just saw. "Yes, Seth. I'm fine." She gave her attention back to Kimble. "I saw you in my mind." "I sawr ya, too," he replied, the teasing smile comfortably back in place. "How?" Kimble sat down and shrugged. "Gots no clue. It wuz fun though, huh?" "I suppose," she said, calming down. She lay back down where she had been before, seeing he meant her no harm, and motioned for him to come closer. He came and slowly raised himself up to her, putting his arms on the bed. She reached out and brushed his face, looking at him closely. He was more beautiful now than she could ever have imagined. He was vibrant, intelligent and very much alive. She noticed a thousand little details that hadn't been there before. She could tell his eyes were a pale blue, but now they were flecked with grey. He had lines around his eyes, not from age as he was still young looking, but from perpetual laughter. She could see the individual hairs of his long black side burns and the pores of his skin. She touched his lips and felt the warm air of his breath from his nose. When he returned her smile, he had her elongated canine teeth. "You guys unlocked the last of the codes, didn't you? The ones I couldn't figure out." "Well, what do ya know 'bout that?" Kimble teased. It was his favorite expression of discovery. She had never programmed him to say it, it was just one of the quirks of his pre-existing personality. It came with the drawl and never failed to make her smile. "I found the access code," Seth said, wanting his share of credit. "When did you do it?" "Right before we left. I was going to tell you, but it didn't work out. We were busy." He didn't want to talk about Valentin and their horrible last day with the Clan. "Are you okay with it?" "Are you?" Fallen asked Kimble. "Guess I hafta be. Don’ knows if I kin go back. Sumpthin' happened in the power surge." He looked a little nervous when he said it. Fallen tried to reassure him with a brush of her hand. She knew how much he liked to be touched. "Why did you do this?" "Cuz ya needed me," he said simply. "Now I needs ya ta do sumpthin' fer me." "What?" "I needs ya ta make me yer Second fer while I'm out." "You always have been, you know that." "That wuz different, I wuz part of the ship. Now I'm out. I wants ta be yer Second fer real, Fallen. Decisions gots ta be made. I needs ta take care'a ya. Make me yer Second sos the others knows ya trust me." Fallen turned to their audience, noticing them for the first time. Wolverine still hung on the cage, slouched now with his permanent scowl. He looked really angry and she wondered how he could stay so intense without exploding. Gambit and Henry stood behind him, waiting to hear what she had to say. Maylee greeted her with a silent wave, looking drawn and tired. Fallen sat up slowly on the bed, her body complaining with every movement. She faced them, locked eyes with Logan. "I name Kimble as my Second. His wishes are mine." "That don't mean crap ta me, darlin'," Logan drawled, his accent so close to Kimble's. "Yer sick. Fer all we know, he's controllin' you." Kimble looked up at Fallen amused and grinned when he saw her face flush with anger. This was going to be good. He hoped she kicked Logan's ***. "Kimble is not controlling me," she said with ill concealed fury. "This is my ship and I'm in charge." "No, yer in bed 'cuz yer crazy an decided to kill yerself and us, too. I don't think yer qualified to decide anything." Fallen shook her head and Kimble groaned in mock dismay. She swung her tiny legs down to the floor and carefully placed her feet. She rose unsteadily and Kimble’s amusement changed to sudden concern. He moved to stop her, but she pinned him with a sharp look. He held his hands up in mock surrender, knowing better than to argue with his willful Mistress. Fallen put her hands against her stomach in obvious pain and shuffled slowly to where Logan stood. He moved from the fence to the door opening so they could see each other unobstructed. She wasn't much shorter than he was and they stood to face each other, eye to eye. She held her chin up high and showed him her teeth in an irritated smile. Logan could see the strength in her, that the force of her will was equal to his own. For a brief moment, it called to him and he wondered what it would be like to take her like some insane wild animal. That’s how it was with any woman that looked at him so fearlessly, it was the same with Jean and it was the same with Fallen. He just knew she could take anything he could dish out, take it and then some, the answer was right there in her eyes. He immediately dismissed the idea as absurd of course, and met her challenge. "What," he said arrogantly. "I am Captain of this ship, Logan. I power it. It goes nowhere without me. I won't fly for anyone but me. You're not going anywhere without my co-operation. Is that clear?" He looked into her pale blue eyes. "Yeah," he said with a short laugh. "Kimble is my Second. No one knows this ship as well as he does. I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you. Is that clear?" A ghost of a smile played across his lips. "Yes, ma'am." "I give him full authority to deal with all matters of this craft. I name Seth as my Third for matters of my care should I be unable to address them. Maylee will be his advisor. Is that clear?" "And in matters of Security? As in the Clan fer example?" "You and Kimble can work that out. I could care less what you guys do. Dump them out the damn airlock if it pleases you." She almost laughed then and he knew she was under no one's control and never would be. It just wasn't possible. They were very much alike, the two of them. "All right. Fer now. Yer boy said somethin' about batteries and supplies. I wanna see 'em. I hafta be sure my people're gonna be okay." She squinted at him, tilting her head just slightly in confusion. "Why are you so concerned about the supplies? Earth isn't that far from here." Kimble came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "We gots trouble." She turned her head to look back at him. "What kind of trouble?" "Both engines 're down. I don' know how bad. And yer sick, Fallen. Real sick. We ain't goin' nowheres fer a while." "Sick?" "Hurt. Hurt bad. Worse than the time ya got shot down in the Red Sky. I checked the files. It's how I found out about the Lightenin'. I sawr ya used it ta keep up then, so I tried it fer this." Fallen closed her eyes and started to shake as she realized what Kimble was saying. Logan wanted to reach out to her. He was so close, not even a foot away, but the security screen that Kimble controlled still blocked him. Kimble was there for her. He slid his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, pressing her against him. The heat of her body warmed him and he had to shove back his desire again. He needed her to listen. "S'okay, baby doll. Doncha worry 'bout nuthin'. I'm gonna help ya. That's whatcha gots me for. We're gonna take care 'a this like we done evrathin' else. Just you an me together." "I was so stupid...." "Yeah, but we'll git over it," he teased with a chuckle. "I gots some things ta do ta git started, but I gots ta git ya squared away first. I wantcha ta git some rest. You shouldn't even be standin' up right now." "We have to get these people home," Fallen continued to protest. Kimble turned her to face him, putting his hands on her shoulders. He locked her with his eyes. "We ain't goin' nowhere fer a while, I toldja that already. The engines're fried and yer in no condition ta fix 'em. Accept it." Fallen cursed and put her head down against him. He gently put a hand on her head. "Ferget it. We'll worry about that later." He looked at Wolverine who was still waiting. "The X-men wants ta see the ship. They needs ta be shure 'bout the batteries and the supplies. I'll shows them round. It won't take long. Have a bath. Relax." He grew stern. "Doncha take nuthin'--Ya cain't use with the Lightnin'. Better yet, let's have Maylee sit with ya, make shure you behave." He paused and the security field shut off at his mental command. Maylee walked into the cage and Kimble looked at her, willing her to obey him. "Git some Rishna. Have her sip it," he ordered with his usual authority. Maylee nodded, going along with this only because it was what she would have done anyway. She hadn’t forgiven him for any of this, it was clear in her eyes. She left for the galley. "What's Rishna?" Beast wanted to know, his question directed at Kimble. "It's a high calorie, high protein drink that pilots use on long flights. They don't hafta git offa the stick ta eats. Fallen hates it, but she's gonna drink it fer me like a good girl, ain'tcha?" "I'll throw it up." "No, ya won't," he scolded as if to a child. "You'll drink it and keeps it down. Ya gots ta clean up and put on some weight if we're gonna git out of this." Maylee returned with a cup and a dark colored bottle. Wolverine could smell the Rishna as she walked by, it smelled sickly sweet like Coke syrup and he could see why Fallen wouldn’t like it. Kimble opened his arms to let Fallen go, but she leaned against him, wanting his warmth. "I gotta go, kiddo. I won't be long," he said and moved away. She swayed unsteadily and Maylee took her arm. She allowed the girl to lead her into the lav. Seth went with them, changing screens. Kimble watched them go, concern all over his face. Showing the X-men around was clearly the last thing he wanted to do, but Wolverine wasn't going to let him off the hook. Logan cleared his throat and Kimble nodded. "This way." To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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Post by squeekness on Jun 22, 2007 9:42:56 GMT -5
(Eight) Kimble led Wolverine and Henry down to the lower level. Remy volunteered to stay behind to keep first watch on the Clansmen. They went down the stairs and Kimble took them to the door marked Storage. Kimble didn't put his hand on the security panel but clicked off a button instead. He said, " Kimble, La ShaRain natay LaRoo." Lucky answered, "Command override accepted." "No palm print," Kimble explained with a shrug and the usual laugh. The door unlocked and they went inside. The room had rows of scaffolding shelving. Some of the shelves held large bins of various sizes while others had an old guitar and some books among other loose items. Kimble unlocked one of the bins on the closest shelf and slid it off. It was heavy but he managed it just fine. Apparently he was very strong in spite of being so light. He opened it and displayed its contents. It was filled with small packages of preserved meals. The packages had the Chinese style Dognan markings on them. "This's all Dognan stuff, okay? The highest quality. Clan cain't make stuff like this. Fallen scrounged it up on her raids, just like alla the rest of the pilots do. Alla the good stuff we got is Dognan. We raided the pens close to the Dognan so much she gots more of it than most, is all. Alla this stuff is preserved. It don't need ta be refrigerated. We kin heats them up in the galley. Most of these bins here have food." Logan looked around and nodded in satisfaction. There were a lot of bins, plenty to go around by any reckoning. It would have to do. "The rest have more blankets, some clothes, soaps and stuff like that. Medicines. That Lightnin’ I used wuz stashed down here by Fallen. Me an’ Seth inventory this stuff alla the time sos we usually have an idea how things stand as far as stored goods go. Alla the fresh stuff like the fruit we scrounged, sos once that's gone, too bad, I guess. Maybe we kin finds more if we gits in a real jam an’ hafta lands someplace." "What about water?" "Tanks're in the Engine Room." Kimble replaced the bin and fastened it back to the shelf. They left the Storage room and crossed the hall. Kimble used the same code phrase to by-pass the security panel. The room was quite large, the largest on the ship itself. Three large clear containers the size of refrigerators stood out against the back wall, easily noted because of their size. Two were filled with some kind of thick liquid that appeared to be blue gel. Another large tank nearby was clearly marked "Water" and was also full. Pipes led in and out of it, connected to the ship’s systems and what was probably a filtration and recycling system beside the tank itself. What was the most surprising, were the ship’s two engines, planted neatly in the middle of the room itself. They were small, only about the size of compact cars and were unlike anything the two X-men had ever seen. They were complicated and had a lot of running parts, not simple motors that Henry had seen before. Here was the source of that burnt plastic smell. Yup, they were fried, all right. Small vapors of smoke still wafted up from one of them. It seemed this room was more than prepared for that problem to be dealt with. On the back wall of the room was a long storage rack stacked with tiny boxes and spare parts. Another cabinet made of drawers sat beside it, all labeled neatly. A worktable was fixed beside that as well, the area above it covered with tools all neatly arranged and hanging. Fallen was tidy and organized, there was no doubt they were in good hands. Kimble jerked his thumb towards the engines. "When Fallen's better, she kin works on those. Maybe in a coupla days. I might be able ta gits some of it done myself b'fore then. Don' know fer sure." "You can repair the engines?" Logan was surprised. Kimble tapped his head. "Yeah. I gots the maintenance files. Fallen's got tools. Not a big deal. I’ve done work likes that in the hologram all the time. I likes the work, it keeps me busy." "How long will it take?" Henry asked. He was really interested in the motors, his brilliant mind going into overdrive with near orgasmic excitement. He was touching them and poking about, eager to explore. Many times he’d had opportunities to learn from others, times he had cherished. He was always quick to remember and incorporate what he’d learned for the team’s use back home, his memory near perfect. He was trembling with delighted fascination now, already thinking of how he might be able to apply this technology back home. Kimble would have all the help he wanted right here, right now. Sign me up, if you please. Kimble laughed as he spoke next, sensing Henry’s unveiled interest. " ‘Pends on how many parts I kin fix and what she has t' modify. I'd say a few hours. She's got lotsa spare parts, enough ta rebuild one of them completely at least. It ain’t no big deal. Now that we’ve jumped already, we kin gos pretty far on just one engine if we hafta." Henry looked at him in surprise. "Surely you jest. These engines can't be big enough to fly this large a ship by themselves." Kimble laughed. "They're Siskan, like me. Full 'a surprises." "I’ll just bet," Henry replied playfully. Back in an environment where his prodigious brain might be used, he was much too excited to be anything but eager and happy. "We heard that Siskan technology was rare and hard to find. How does Fallen have so much of it?" "When Fallen gits bored, we fly 'round some of the dead worlds that the Dognan leave behind. She looks fer downed vessels, junk yards. She's got lotsa Salvage implants. She knows what ta look fer, the Clan don't. She picks stuff up and fools around with it -- kinda like me," he said with a smile. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't. It took her a long time to get those things workin' right. Lotsa bottles of whiskey, lotsa swearin'." He laughed, reminiscing. "I sometimes wonder if the value of her projects kin be measured out in bottles. Anaways, once she got 'em right --- bang! Those locks went on the doors. She didn't dare let the Clan see what she'd done. So far, no one bothered ta ask why Lucky wuz so powerful. They just assumed it wuz cuz her Ristle is so strong." He pointed to the two large tanks filled with blue plasma gel. One was dark, the other one glowing. "Those're the batteries. One is out from the jump, but the other's got a pretty good charge on it. 'Nough to run the life support machines fer about five days." "Speaking of life support, you need Ristle to keep alive, don't you?" Henry asked abruptly, his curiosity overriding his better manners. "Seems that way, I guess," Kimble answered warily, he obviously didn't like to talk about himself. "Can you charge from the batteries directly? Maybe it would be better for Fallen." Sensing only eager curiosity from the big, blue doctor, Kimble pointed to a small lamp on the workbench. "See that light? That's me. I'm that tiny light compared ta that huge battery. Remember the boost?" Henry nodded. "That boost charges both of them power cells. Fallen kin boost in her sleep when she's full strength. My tiny light bulb ain't nuthin' more than the energy it takes fer you ta scratch yer ***!" he laughed. "Yeah, I probably could charge off the battery, 'cept I gots no way of gittin' the power from the battery inta me. Looks like I gots ta have direct contact through my skin. Even so, I ain't puttin' my hand in that thing! Don' know if it'll fry me or what! I knows it's safe to touch Fallen." He cocked his head and grinned. "Lot's more fun, too. I'll sticks with her, thanks." "You said she had damage to her Ristle Process. If she can't charge the batteries right now, or even fix the engines, doesn't your draw hurt her?" Kimble shook his head. "Doubt it. The 'gram never used all that much." He walked over to another viewing screen. He concentrated and Fallen's med scan came up. Henry watched him, observing that Kimble had maintained the telepathic link with Lucky that Fallen had spoken of before. It made sense, he supposed, that as a separate entity the hologram might have a modem or some other such connection to the primary computer system. It explained how Kimble and Seth had switched the use of the hologram so quickly, and some of the conversation he’d overheard upstairs while Kimble was tending to Fallen. It didn’t mean this was Kimble’s only talent, Henry was much too wise to assume that. He wondered what kind of abilities the Kimble hologram now possessed and if he was dangerous. Maybe Wolverine could handle him, maybe not. They had to learn as much about him as they could. Kimble called up a graph, oblivious to the doctor’s internal musings. "See the red? That's where Fallen is now. She's producin' Ristle even in her weakened state. The Lightnin' is keepin' her from fallin' all the way down. You kin sees she's just under the yellow. That ain't too bad. See that little dip in the scroll line? That's when I drew from her. It didn' even drop her ta how low she wuz when I first started the scan. See? Nuthin' ta worry about. When she's midway in the yellow, she kin fix the motors. See the blue? She'll be able to boost, maybe fly us a little. The green? Well, we'll just hafta wait an' see. I'm not convinced she'll ever jump again, or if she should even try. Seems ta me this dimension's plenty big for alla us ta play around in. We’ll git ya guys home, worry ‘bout the rest later. Fallen’s gonna be fine." To read more click here: www.fanfiction.net/s/2519458/1/
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