Vulpe, Mouse, Lance and Fafnir
Vulpe had listened to Mouse whimper and moan through out the night and by now her rage had reached epic proportions. "Lo prenderò fuori, topa. Prometto. Non posso ascoltare questo più." She stalked the confones of her cell again, and then her fist flew towards the camera eye.
~*~*~*~
Upstairs, the soldier on monitor duty blinked as the cameras and sensors in the mutant's cell rapidly came off line. He depressed a button and leant forward to inform the soldiers in the bottom levels of the labratory. "We have a situation 24 alpha bravo in cell 15, repeat, 24 alpha bravo in cell 15."
"Roger that," a voice came from the speaker phone on his desk.
"I'll let you boys get to it."
~*~*~*~
Vulpe had been repeatedly hitting a corner high in the glass structure covering the front of her cell. Now, she ran towards the glass wall, and jump kicked at the target point. It didn't shatter. "Merda!" She went back and tried again. Mouse looked around dazedly as Vulpe continually jumped at the glass, trying to break through.
"Vulpe?"
"We're gettin' out of dis place, ragazza!" One smooth backflip, and then up again. Vulpe clenched her teeth in determination as her foot slammed into the glass. A crack ran from the top of the glass to the bottom and she yipped in triumph. "I be free soon, and then these americano bastardi find out what it is to be part of a vendetta! Rossinnis never forget, and we prefer to be paid in blood!" She hit the glass wall with her shoulder now.
~*~*~*~
Lance led the three aliens to the gates of the research compound. "Hey, Frank." He nodded to the sentry. "These are some students of mine...you heard I was taking up that job at the college?"
"Yeah, how's that going? Don't Danjermond pay you enough? Hey, Bets." The soldier reached out of his booth and patted Bets's head.
"We all know Danjermond's tighter then a cat's arse, Frank." Lance grinned. Frank laughed heartily.
"Oh, you are so right. Anyway, here's some vistors passes." He handed Lance three clip-on badges. "Remember to hand them back on your way out."
"Ta, mate." Lance smiled, feeling bad about decieving the man.
"What is it you Aussies say? No worries, mate," Frank said in an atrocious imitation of an Australian accent. Lance chuckled.
"Got the term down, soon you'll be true blue Aussie. Just work on that accent."
"Gotcha, Dr. Greene." Frank tipped his cap. "Have a nice day."
"You too, Frank, you too." The group headed into the compound.
~*~*~*~
Fafnirhad decided to wait with Taylor. He trusted Bets to get his Mouse out, and Taylor needed protecting. His ears swivelled and he got to his feet slowly, teeth opening in a grimace. "We got company, Pack." He could smell fire/ozone and that quicksilver flavour he was learning meant a mutant.
Kirk, Christian, Chloe and Taylor
As they walked through the door, Christian, Kirk and Chloe clipped the passes to their shirts/coat and gazed around.
"What a dump."
Chloe giggled a little at Kirk's not-so audible remark.
"Shut up you two. We're here to learn," Christian wiggled his eyebrows cockily.
*****
Taylor had just been praying, when he spun around and scanned the trees.
"What? Fafnir? What is it?" he got ready to run.
Fafnir, Lance, Vulpe and Mouse
"Mutant," Fafnir said briefly. "Probably here to get someone out." The wolf inched forward.
~*~*~*~
"Morning, Dr Danjermond." Lance smiled tightly.
"Greene...and who are these fine young folk?"
"Students. They showed interest in some of my bioloical assays...I decided to show them how I do my work here."
"Good to see young people showing an interest. By the way, did you finish those analyses on the mutant yet?"
"Yes. They're fascinating. As far as I can tell, the X-gene has in a way regressed. Theoritically, we share DNA with every animal on the planet. Some of the strands are pure fox."
"How intriguiung...well, carry on." Danjermond nodded at them once more and swept off down the corridor.
"Unfeeling bastard." Lance ground his teeth in rage. Bets whined and licked his hand as he led them down into the base.
~*~*~*~
"Vulpe?" Mouse called out weakly.
"Be out soon, topa!" The glass bowed outwards under Vulpe's rain of blows.
Gambit
"Hello dere," Gambit said, making his appearence. "And who do I 'ave da pleasure of meetin'? I'm Gambit by the way."
Fafnir, Vulpe and Mouse
Fafnir eyed Gambit warily, then his head swung back to regard the base. "Something's happening. I can't quite tell what though..." He whined deep on his throat and retreated to Taylor's side, cautious eyes still on Gambit.
~*~*~*~
Inside, Vulpe somersaulted outwards into the corridor in a spray of broken glass. "Si!" She cheered and then hurried to Mouse's cell. Mouse watched her with feverishly bright eyes. "Get you out soon, bambina. Prometto." Vulpe made some alterations to her costume, tearing off the bottom half of her shirt and using the strip of material to bind her hair back from her ears and using the sleeves from her shirt to form a type of bandaging for her feet.
"They're coming..." A tiny smile curved Mouse's lips.
"Who's coming?"
"Pack." Her eyes closed.
"Ehi! Topa!" Vulpe said with concern. Mouse's eyes stayed shut. "Oh, merda!"
Taylor, Christian, Chloe and Kirk
Taylor almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the man's voice.
"Ah..." he began, before knowing Fafnir would have attacked if he was a threat.
"Hey... Gambit... Taylor Hanson."
He looked him up and down warily as he held the backpack with the fuzzles.
"You're a mutant... what are you doing here?"
*****
"Mutant? Oh, the other," Christian raised an eyebrow, then lowered it again.
"Yeah, he sounds like an asshole," Chloe murmured, before Kirk hit her.
When they were out of anyone's hearing range, Christian shook his head.
"You know... we've learnt all this crap in school. If these guys would try to get along with aliens - knowing that would never happen - they could just tell them. You know. Duh, we're basically human apart from certain obvious aspects."
Kirk chuckled.
Lance
"It's true. Alien phyiology is very smiliar to human physiology, except for the aspects controlling your powers and your DNA has some fascinating permutations..." Lance looked at them and decided to shut his mouth. "Sorry. My work, up till now, has been one of the most important things in my life. One of the things I loved best..." His mouth tightened into a thin line. "Working on a problem and figuring it out. Goddamn Danjermond. It would never have come to this under Reichs, the former head of department." He shook his had and continued on, leading them down into the bottom levels.
Gambit
"I might be askin' yo da same thin'," Gambit replied. "But if yo' must know, I've gome for a mutant named Vulpe, who I believe is bein' held here, and also an alien."
Red took the moment to peer out of his pocket.
Taylor, Chloe, Kirk and Christian
"Boy have you got alot to learn," Kirk chuckled as Christian rolled his eyes.
"The only difference between us is the blood, the powers, and the fact that we get high on antifreeze instead of marijuana, and drunk on kerosene," he offered.
"Which is pretty fun," Chloe giggled, but sobered as a cleaner approached.
*****
"Mouse? You know about Mouse?" Taylor's eyes widened, not noticing the fuzzle.
"She, she and a mutant... Vulpe? Nice. Ah... I'm, I'm Mouse's boyfriend. We're on a rescue mission at the moment... three inside."
Gambit
"I see," Gambit replied. "Den I'd better go join dem."
He paused, then picked up Red.
"Woul' yo' mind keeping an eye on Red fo' me? Wouldn' want ta lose him," he said, holding him out.
Fafnir, Lance and Vulpe
"God, not another fuzzle." Fafnir eyed the ball of red fluff in distaste. "We'll look after it for ya."
~*~*~*~
Lance rolled his eyes as the three aliens basically laughed at him. Don't get angry, you need to get Mouse and Vulpe out, and you need their help to do that, he told himself firmly. Snotty little anklebiters. Deserved a good clip round the head, the lot of them. And then a few more soldiers started to rush past them. "What's going on?"
"Nothing for you to worry about, sir," a seargent told him briskly. "Roger that, we're on our way," he barked into a handheld. "Situation alpha charlie fiver one. We'll be right there." Lance ran it through his mind, and then his eyes widened as the small group of soldiers disappeared down a service elevator.
"We might wanna hurry this up. I bet Vulpe flipped it." He hurried to a different lift and swiped his keycard through its cardreader. It opened, and he punched buttons as the aliens hurried in after him and Bets.
"God, I hate this place," Bets said as she pressed in closer to Lance.
~*~*~*~
Vulpe snapped a foot into a lab assistant's chin and he went down like a ton of bricks. She garrotted him with his own scarf and then rummaged through his pockets. "Soon, Topa, soon." Booted feet started to pound down the corridor, and she looked up, startled. "Merda!" Sirens started to wail.
Taylor, Kirk, Christian and Chloe
Taylor's eyes widened.
"Oh..." he began, then opened his backpack, "he... he can keep mine company I guess. Hope you don't mind. There's eight in here."
*****
"What's happening?" Chloe's eyes darted back and forth as the lift's doors closed in front of them.
"It's them, isn't it?" Christian's fists clench.
Kirk turned to Lance.
"Thanks for getting us in this far. If something drastic has actually happened in here, involving them, we'll take over as soon as we get there."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Trust us."
Gambit
"Thanks, I'm sure he'd love da company," Gambit said.
He put Red into the bag and started walking off.
"I'll be back soon," he said.
Gambit headed for the building.
Lance, Vulpe, Mouse and Fafnir
Lance looked at them, and laughed shortly. "I don't trust the three of you as far as I could throw you. But Mouse and Vulpe need to get outta this hellhole, and as far as I can see, you're it." Bets bared her teeth and growled. "Hush, Bets." He patted her head.
~*~*~*~
Fafnir's sensitive ears picked up the sounds of sirens. "I don't like the sound of that...I think maybe it might be harder to get out, then it was to get in."
~*~*~*~
Vulpe sprang at the soldiers and twisted one's neck economically, as she backflipped from his falling body and grabbed his gun. She slipped the action onto automatic and soon the gun spat death into the group of soldiers. She inhaled the scent of blood, and slipping it back onto single fire, killed the ones who had survived. She went to open Mouse's cell door with the now bloody keycard.
"Vulpe? What did you do?" Mouse whispered in horror, shivering with the aftereffets of the deaths.
Vulpe flashed her a grin as the door opened. "Vendetta, Topa. Vendetta."
Christian, Kirk, Chloe and Taylor
"Well not all aliens are trustworthy," Christian smirked, "I was a hunter myself. And a damn good one too if I do say so myself."
"Yeah, well you had the perfect tutor," Kirk pointed out.
Christian shrugged.
"I'm kinda worried about when I'll see him again. I miss him like crazy, but... if he saw me now, he probably wouldn't believe it was me," he chuckled a little.
Chloe put a hand on his shoudler.
"That man doesn't have a heart. Not to say that we're perfect angels."
"But he does," Christian glared, "no one saw it, because everyone just sees him as a killer or a rapist. No one's given him the chance... not that he'd want it now. It's too late."
He was shaking his head.
*****
Taylor smiled at the fuzzles as the younger ones began to play with Red, then clsoed the backpack.
"Let's just hope they get out in one piece," he said finally, looking around worriedly.
Lance, Mouse and Vulpe
Lance refrained fom commenting. He didn't know anything about them, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. The lift door slid open on a macabre scene. Red blood painted the walls and lifeless contorted bodies sprawled in the middle of the corridor. Lance sucked in a breath as he saw Vulpe standing regally in the middle of it, hair restrained with a scrap of black material, remnants of her shirt barely covering her top and jeans covered in blood. She waved with her gun.
"Doctore! Wondering when you'd turn up? Who's el oler malo tres with you? Ah, no mattah. Come, Mouse is very ill." Vulpe swiped a keycard through the cardreader and as Lance saw the body of the lab assistant, he knew how she'd obtained it. The door opened and he hurried to her side.
"Vulpe? Lance?" Mouse's voice came faintly from the room. Lance stepped over an outflung arm, swallowing down the urge to throw up. Bets slunk along at his heels. Mouse's teeth chattered and her head moved restlessly. He knelt beside her and picked her up. She whimpered with pain, but clung to him as he got to his feet. One of her hands trailed and Bets nosed it, whining slightly.
Vulpe leaned on the door of the containment cell, and licked at her bloodcovered hands. "Bastardi. See what merda like this gets you." She kicked one of the bodies. "Quise capar ustedes, pero esto harán." She looked lazily at the three aliens and then shrugged, senses on high alert.
Taylor, Christian, Kirk and Chloe
"Nice," Christian nodded his approval at the bodies lying around as he stepped form the elevator.
He eyed off the fox with interest, before following Lance.
Kirk cracked his knuckles as he looked down at one of th bloodied bodies with a grin. Chloe followed Christian.
"Give her to me," Christian beckoned, knowing he may as well carry her because he wouldn't be the one to lead them out.
Without his telekinesis, he felt useless. Mainly because there wasn't anyone to kill...
Without waiting for an answer, he took Mouse from Lance.
"Let's get out of here," he insisted.
*****
Taylor was holding the left side of his neck with a frown. Slowly, it seemed to be getting hotter, as the right side seemed to be getting colder.
He hoped he wasn't getting sick - this definately wasn't the time.
Lance, Vulpe and Mouse
Lance's lips thinned, but Vulpe snarled ferally as Christian took Mouse. "Dat *my* girl you holding, so I suggest you hand her back to il doctore, adesso." Her tail lashed from side to side and the muzzle of the gun started to rise. Bets trotted to Christian's side and licked at Mouse's hand. Lance put his hand on Vulpe's shoulder. She looked at him askance, fury gleaming in her red eyes.
"Vulpe. Calm down."
"I don' know them, and I don' trust them."
"Tay?" Mouse moaned, swimming in and out of consciosness, and then her talents focused themself. "NONONONO!" She started to struggle wildly. "CONNARD! I hate you! Where's Tay?!" Vulpe flashed forward and caught Mouse, kicking upwards with her foot and sending Christian flying as she cradled Mouse to her chest. She didn't care that she was now lying in blood.
"Bambina, it Vulpe. Shh, Topa."
"LANCE?!" Lance knelt beside her and she swung frightened eyes on him. "Don' leave me wit' him!"
"Ok, kid, I won't." Mouse flung herself into his arms and he patted her back awkwardly. Bets snarled at the three aliens, hackles rising. Vulpe had the gun trained on them from her position on the ground.
"Ok, you tre have about cinque seconds to explain why my amica freaked." Her finger tightened on the trigger. "Or you all die."
~*~*~*~
Fafnir eyed Taylor and whined slightly. He hoped they got Mouse out soon. He shoved his head under Taylor's hand and shivered slightly. "I'm worried for Mouse."
Gambit
Meanwhilst, Gambit had made it to the building. He attempting to slip in, but there was too much alarm for him to do this unnoticed.
So he pulled out his cards, charged them, and started a nice series of explosion. That should keep them busy. Then he saw a group of people, and considering they were consisting of kids, he decided that they may be worth talking to.
Hmm... that foxlike person must be Vulpe. And holding a gun no less. My, she certainly had changed since they last met so many years ago.
"Vulpe! Is that yo' Cheri?" Gambit asked. "Don' know if yo' remember me, but I'm Remy, or Gambit if yo' prefer."
He eyed the rabble. One of them looked remarkably like the boy he had spoken to outside. A rather faint looking girl must be the alien he had heard about initially.
"I've go' the people out dere," he pointed his thumb behind him, "runnin' 'round like chickens with deir heads cut off. Ta coin a phrase. So maybe we shoul' take dis li'le conversation outside, before dey have time to regroup."
Vulpe, Mouse and Lance
Vulpe got to her feet gracefully, gun still on the three aliens. "Si, Gambit." She looked at Lance and Mouse. "How is she?"
"We need to get her out of here," Lance said as he got to his feet. Mouse whimpered in pain, and he smoothed her hair back from her face. "The bandages need changing, and whatever is in her system is making her feverish and delerious." Bets whined and nudged at his legs as he shifted Mouse carefully in his arms to try and prevent putting pressure on her burns.
"Si. So, let's go! I'll settle with yo tre, later." Vulpe blew her fringe out her eyes. "My vendetta with these bastardi will have to wait. Which way, doctore?"
"The lifts will probably be shut down soon." Lance bit his bottom lip in thought.
"Maybe I go through the vents? Get me to the control room and I can open everything and crash the system." Vulpe's lip curled up. Lance nodded and he set off, Bets ranging ahead.
"We'll need to use the stairs."
"Mirrors and ice, gleaming..." Mouse's head moved restlessly. "Fox run faster, Reynard. Oh, the cold burns like flame..." Lance quickened his step. Mouse's pupils were fully dilated and she had started to sweat. Where he felt her skin, she was burning up. He needed to get out of here and get her to his house. He had enough medical supplies there that they could at least get out of town and a few days drive before needing to stop.
"Let's step it up, and take as many of these soldatos down as we can on our way out." Vulpe reloaded the gun. "Truce for now. We'll figure the rest out once we've escaped this hell."
Kirk, Christian, Chloe and Taylor
"Who... who the heck is that?" Kirk pointed at Gambit.
"Didn't you hear him?" Christian frowned, brushing himself off.
"Cut it out," Chloe frowned, before turning her attention to Lance, "just get us down to the ground level and find a wall to outside. We can open it."
Vulpe's threats had hardly unnerved them at all.
*****
Taylor held his head in his hands.
"I know, Faf', I know," he almost whimpered, the pain getting more intense, "oh God, what's happening?"
Vulpe, Mouse and Lance
"Pffft," Vulpe said, rolling her eyes. "Gambit a Thief, I'm a Thief, if that filthly bastardo Vindichi hadn't darted me, I wouldn't be here. Rest easy, bambinos, and watch the masters. Well, Master. I'm just an apprentice." She grinned nastily.
"Blood, oh god, blood..." Mouse's head rolled weakly from side to side. Lance led the way to a stairwell, and Vulpe put her hand up for silence. She inhaled the scents drifting down from above, and then nodded her head sharply.
"It's safe." She bounded up the stairs and Lance hurried after her.
"Faces bleeding, rain on high, sheep in wolf's clothing and together we die..."
"No one's dying, kid," Lance said grimly. "None of us anyway." Bets barked in agreement. A chatter of machinegun fire and Vulpe looked down over the banister to the others.
"They're dead. Hurry up." She disappeared again. "How many floors to th' ground?"
"Two."
"Merda."
~*~*~*~
"Mouse, what happening down there, Pack?" Fafnir whispered, and then he licked Taylor's hand. "We'll find out soon. They'll get out."
Kirk, Christian, Chloe and Taylor
Christian felt it wise not to inform Vulpe of his past activities. He wasn't so used to using his atom manipulation to defend - rather to attack.
Damn he needed his telekinesis back.
"Alright," Chloe nodded, a hand on Kirk's shoulder as they rushed down the stairs, "we happen to be theives as well... well, not blondie. But we don't do it often. We have bigger fish to fry."
"This isn't the time," Kirk shook his head, throwing her hand off, "let's just get the girl out and to her man."
*****
Taylor's head darted up, his eyes getting caught in the rising sun.
"They're coming," he squinted, grabbing the backpack and standing up.
Vulpe, Lance and Mouse
Lance led them up to the ground level. They didn't need to fight most of their way out as Vulpe could warn them of any soldiers approaching in time to find a new direction or duck into an empty room. When they reached the ground level, Vulpe stopped at the top of the stairs. Lance looked at her, worried. "Vulpe, come on. We need to get going." Vulpe shook her head.
"I'm gonna shut this place down. Vendetta, doctore. It's very important." She placed a kiss on Mouse's sweat beaded brow and smoothed the younger girl's hair back. "Get her out."
"Vulpe..." Lance said worriedly. Vulpe blew him a kiss as she backed away, then jumped and disappeared into an air vent with an agile scramble. "VULPE!"
"Ice, burning cold...I'm so cold, so cold..." Mouse shook in his arms and he cursed, recalled to the more pressing responsibility.
"You being the three with the boasting and the powers, get us out then, mates."
Vulpe crawled through the vents, pausing occasionally to send bursts of gunfire into the crowds of people below her. She found another airvent and cleared the room before dropping through it. Computers. Lots of computers. She went to one and quickly accessed the system, then went to her special database. In a few moments, a more or less unstoppable computer virus was eating their accumlated data and destroying systems as it ran rampant through their system. Vulpe then set to getting out as lights started to flicker and the compund generally began to die.
~*~*~*~
"Mouse..." Fafnir stood and looked down to the compound. "C'mon, Pack."
Kirk, Christian, Chloe and Taylor
"There," Christian pointed to the wall.
All at once, Christian, Kirk and Chloe focused their atom manipulation on the wall. Suddnely, there appeared a tunnel right through to the outside.
"Let's go," Christian insisted, as his companions nodded and began to advance.
A soldier suddenly darted out from a corner, aiming his rifle at Chloe.
Before he could fire, Kirk's atom manipulation had caused the rifle to fall into a cloud of dust, and Christian had grabbed the back of his shirt and slammed him against a wall - rendering him unconcscious.
"Come on!" he insisted, rushing the doctor forward.
*****
Taylor could see the tunnel from where he was. At first he backed off into the thrush, expecting soldiers to file out. but then he realized that only an alien could have done that without shrapnel flying everywhere.
He glanced at Fafnir, then ran towards it.
Vulpe, Mouse and Lance
Fafnir bounded forward to be greeted by Bets. They touched noses, and then Fafnir went to Mouse. Lance looked down at the worried wolf, and smiled slightly, his glasses hanging half off his face. "She'll be alright, but we need to get going."
"Hope that's right."
Pack? Mouse's mind was fuzzy and indinstinct. So cold there...so lonely. I'm so tired...thought you'd all left me.
Could never do that, Pack, never.
Vulpe ran out after them, half turned and sprayed the entrance of the tunnel with bullets, yipping with laughter. "Ustione nel hell!" She barked gleefully. "L'anima deve essere pagata nell'anima. Consideri questo un pagamento di parte! So, let's go now, doctore!" She looked halfwild as she turned to face them, lithe body liberally streaked with blood, hair tangled into a frenzy and red eyes gleaming.
"You're a bonza sheila, Vulpe." Lance halfgrinned. "Ya look like a Maenad." Vulpe laughed and stalked over to them.
"Italiano, the blood run hot, si?" She grinned cockily. "They lose their computers now. My virus is eating them all up. Vulpe is more then just a pretty face."
"I suggest we retire to my house, so I can at least change Mouse's bandages. If the burns are not to get infected, that will be need to be done before you go." Lance looked down at her pale face and sighed. And after that, there was a gun waiting...he'd send Bets with them. There really was no other option for him, he realised with resigned fatality. Mouse's eyelids fluttered, and she moaned.
"Don't..."
"Shh, kid. We need to get you out. Vulpe, clean yourself off a bit, please." Lance started down the road, keeping to the trees. Bets and Fafnir padded after him. Vulpe sighed, and then shrugged as she started to clean herself with her tongue, totally unselfconscious about the somewhat sensual picture she created. She walked after Lance, still cradling the semiautomatic. Her tail flicked from side to side and her ears were pricked. At the moment, the people in the base were too busy trying to save their infomation to worry about where the escapees could have got to.
Taylor, Chloe and Kirk
Taylor froze at the sight of the small group, as Christian and Kirk turned to seal the wall again. Chloe noticed him, as his eyes fell on Mouse.
"Oh. My..."
His bag fell from his shoulders as he ran for her and stole her from Lance's arms. Then he fell to his knees, tears beginning to stream from his eyes.
"M-Mouse? Jane? Please..." he shook his head, running his fingers through her hair, ignoring the pain he felt in his sides as he hugged her to him.
"Jane? Jane? Speak to me, please," he begged.
A hand suddenly fell onto his shoulder, making him jump.
"We have to move," Kirk insisted.
"NO!" Taylor almost screamed, "Jane?!"
Mouse, Vulpe and Lance
"Oh, it's so cold, so cold..." Mouse's teeth chattered as sweat rolled down her forehead. Her eyes were bright and glazed with fever. "It burns like ice. Ice burns, you know. Like fire, but it's soooooo cold." Fafnir whined. "God, it hurts. And they don't stop, they don't stop..."
"Taylor, we need to go. The soldiers will come soon. She's strong, she'll hold out until I can give her some basic treatment at my house." Lance pushed his glasses back onto his face. Vulpe vibrated with impatience.
"C'mon, ragazzo. Topa needs help, and she won't get it if we stay here, si?"
"So alone, so lost..." Mouse moved her head restlessly. "I don't think I exist. They don't see me." Her eyes focused in a moment of lucidity. "Je t'aime, cher..." Her eyelids flickered as she fell back into delerium. "Stop, please, I won't do it again. Please don't. So cold. So dark...all alone."
Here now, Pack. Fafnir nosed her hand.
No, you're dead. All dead. I'm all alone...worthless. Useless. Oh, so cold...I can't find my way home. Dieu, it's so dark in here and she won't come down for ages. And those sounds...crying. Someone's crying, moaning. It never stops.
"Rapida, andiamo!" Vulpe could smell the sickness radiating off Mouse. "She one sick ragazza. Let's go so il doctore can look after her!"
Taylor and Kirk
"They're right, Tay. We've gotta go," Kirk insisted.
Taylor cupped Mouse's face in his hands and bent over to kiss her.
"Come ON!" Kirk tried to pull him up.
When Taylor finally let go, he shook his head, but stood.
Adjusting his arms so he had a better hold on her, he leant in to kiss her forehead again, then looked up at Lance with tear-filled eyes.
"Help us... please..." he whimpered, his bottom lip quivering.
Lance, Mouse and Vulpe
"Anyway I can," Lance promised. "You have my word." Vulpe shifted from foot to foot uneasily.
"Any boun Thief knows the end of a job is when you're far away from the scene." Her tail lashed. "I love Topa and this is all very touching, but can we go?"
"Cold..." Mouse whimpered. "Mon dieu, I'm so cold..."
Taylor and Christian
"Je comprends, mon amour," Taylor kissed her forehead again, hugging her closer, "svp, prise dessus. Je t'aime."
Christian spotted the backpack with the fuzzles, and went to fetch it.
"Let's go," he looked between the group.
Gambit
"Dis way," Gambit advised. "I hotwired a van eariler as I expected company. Maybe not this much company but I'm no' complaining."
He started off at a decent pace to where he had parked the van. Then he opened up one of the doors.
"Welcome to Gambit Tours. First stop, far away from 'ere."
Vulpe and Lance
"We need to stop at my house first." Lance looked at Gambit. "Mouse needs some basic medical attention before you all leave."
"More cars...better then motorbikes, anyway." Fafnir rolled his eyes and got into the van. Bets followed him.
"Molto buon," Vulpe said, smiling. "Ya need a hand, amico del Topa?"
Gambit
"Okay, yo' better in in front, den," Gambit said to Lance. "'Cause I have no idea where yo' live."
He paused and looked at Taylor and Christian.
"Coul' I have my li'le Red back now?"
Taylor, Kirk, Chloe and Christian
"The ah... the red fuzzle in the bag," Taylor looked to the bag Christian was holding, then quickly launched himself and Mouse into the back of the van.
Kirk and Chloe both got in as Christian opened the bag and saw the fuzzles.
He found the red one playing with Aricin and Dorian, reached in for him, and held him out to Gambit.
"Here," he said, handing him to him, then closing the bag and getting into the back himself.
Taylor had moved back into a corner, just holding Mouse to him and rocking back and forth silently.
Lance, Vulpe and Mouse
Lance got in the front of the van, frowning slightly with worry. Fafnir moved next to Taylor and Mouse and put his head near Mouse's hand. Bets curled up on the other side. Vulpe got into the van, after wiping the gun clean of prints and abondoning it.
"Hey, it's empty. I got a bit carried away...dose bastardi just lucky they took mio stiletto." Vulpe pouted slightly as she thought about her favourite knife.
"Lost...it's so dark..." Mouse clung to Taylor, tears streaking her cheeks. "Don' leave me 'lone..."
Taylor
Taylor began to cry again, hearing her sound so lost and fightened.
"I'm never leaving you again, you hear? I promise. Never again," he shook his head, then resting his cheek against her forehead as he continued to rock her.
Lance and Mouse
Lance directed Gambit to his house, glancing back at Taylor and Mouse occasionally. Mouse's shivers were becoming worse, almost convulsive and that couldn't be good for her healing burns. Fafnir and Bets licked at her hand, trying to comfort her but she shook and whimpered, lost inside her head.
"So cold...so dark..." Mouse's teeth chattered violently. "I can't, can't get out...my hands! Oh god, my hands!" She wailed, seeing the scene in her head again as the doctors placed her hands inside a silver box and slowly lowered the temperature. Cold, icy and burning, numbing her fingers into blocks of wood. "No! Please, please, please...not my hands!"
Gambit
BANG!
"What da - dan' it..." Gambit exclaimed, peering into the window. "Dey've spotted us! Dey're following. And dey've got guns."
BANG!
"Yo've go' powers, no? Den use 'em!" and saying this, Gambit flipped out a card, charged it, then flicked it out the window at the pursing vehicle.
Kirk, Chloe and Christian
"Jeezuz," Kirk frowned, standing and making his way to the back of the van.
"Come on Steel, shouldn't be a problem," Chloe grinned, as she joined him, "you work the van,a nd I'll get the bastards."
Kirk nodded, making the back of the van bullet-proof. Chloe looked through the now-bullet-proof glass and focused on the car.
She turned the weapons she could see into dust, then turned the wheels of their car into square stone blocks.
Then she laughed at the looks on their faces as the car - which couldn't stop that fast - rolled.
Christian looked up, having been preoccupied with the fuzzles.
"What happened?"
Gambit
"We lost a tire, dat's what happened," Gambit replied in annoyance.
The van swerved. Despite Gambit's best efforts they went plowing off the road.
Vulpe, Mouse and Lance
Vulpe braced herself against a corner of the van, and let of a string of curses in Italian. She noticed Taylor's look and stuck her tongue out at him. "How far are we from la vostra casa?"
"Not that far. Maybe a kay more?"
"And for la gente who aren't australiano, that would be how far in miles?"
"Struth, no bloody idea. Not far, anyway." Lance gripped the dashboard in front of him. "Try and make sure Mouse doesn't bang too hard against anything!"
Christian, Chloe, Taylor and Kirk
Taylor couldn't believe Vulpe's attitude. Not when Mouse was the way she was...
"Where are we going from here?" Christian demanded worriedly.
He wouldn't have a problem with the situation if he had his telekinesis.
"Don't worry about the bastards in the car, I'll handle them," Chloe winked.
"Don't..." Kirk began, before she turned to him.
She grinned, then patted his cheek.
"Trust me. I won't kill them if I don't have to."
"Yeah, well it doesn't take much."
She chuckled as the van came to a stop. Running a hand over the front of shirt she changed the top layer into a bullet-proof vest, then opened the back doors.
"Where is she going?!" Christian demanded as Taylor held Mouse tighter.
"Don't worry," Kirk looked back at him, before she slipped out of sight.
Once out, Chloe turned to the car on the road, where the agents were getting out and beginning to follow.
Focusing her power, she sent a sharp pain shooting up the legs of the ones she could see, making them fall over clumsily.
Tanya and Gambit
"Whoa hold it!" Tanya said. "We've got action ahead."
"We do?" said the driver.
He barely had the question out when they saw the crashed van and a lot of shooting going on.
"We have friends that need our help," Tanya said. "Lauren, there are injuries."
"Okay."
After having spoken to Christian, Tanya had gotten a team together. It was a relief to get away from those amplifiers, that was for sure. Although, the only reason why she had been allowed to go was because she pointed out that Taylor would be there and he had missed his last treatment.
Tanya and her team got out of their van and went forward. Tanya reached out with her mind and started talking out the pursuing humans, one by one. Fred, who was a temperature manipulator, started burning the guns out of their hands, and other such things. Lauren raced for the escapees and rescuers to tend to their injuries. The driver just stayed in the van, but he turned it around so it would be easier to get away, just in case.
"Who be yo' cheri?" Gambit asked, seeing Lauren. "And yo' friends?"
"I'm Lauren. YIRAAS agent, and a healer. I believe you have injured among you?"
Gambit gestured towards Mouse.
"I believe she's the worst."
Lauren nodded and knelt beside Mouse. She barely noticed Christian and Taylor.
"Tanya's here. She can do your treatment Taylor. And restore your powers, Christian."
Christian, Taylor, Chloe and Kirk
"Please, just help her," Taylor cried, sitting Mouse up a little and putting his other hand over her cheek.
Kirk and Chloe stood back a little as the team had approached.
Christian looked up curiously. Tanya was here? Oh man...
He shrunk back into the van a little, grabbing the backpack, worried.
Gambit
Gambit started helping by throwing his exploding playing cards. One by one their enemy was falling.
Lauren focused her healing powers on Mouse. They hadn't treated her very nice, that was for sure. Poor girl.
Mouse, Lance and Vulpe
Mouse moaned, then sighed as her pain started to fade. Fafnir growled softly in his throat, but let the woman do what she had to do. Bets whined and crept closer. Vulpe bounced slightly, then yipped and ran towards the action. Vendetta was not something you let others do for you...it was so much more satisfying when you did it yourself.
Lance saw his house near by and started towards it, mind curiously calm. He knew what he had to do, all that was left, and Mouse was in safe hands now. Bets glanced after him but stayed with Mouse. He entered the front door and wondered dazedly how it had come to this. He had had such high hopes...he headed to his study, feet sounding unsually loud on the wooden floor and hearing the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. He sat down in his comfortable chair and slid out the top drawer of his desk. Dull silver gleamed back at him and he picked up the gun. He loaded it and placed the barrel at the side of his head.
Mouse's eyes snapped open and she screamed. "NOOOOOOOOOO! LANCE!" Vulpe knocked out the soldier she was fighting with and looked over. "VULPE! FIND HIM!" Vulpe lifted her head and ran, following Lance's scent. She entered the house and leapt into the study, to be greeted by a single shot. Lance slumped forward over his desk, and the pistol fell to the floor with a thud. Mouse went mad. "NOOOOOOOO!" Bets howled mournfully as Mouse wailed.
Vulpe put a hand to her mouth and slid down the wall. "Oh, il mio dio. Non avete dovuto fare questo..." Tears started to fall and she got to her feet and turned him over. She closed his eyes gently. "Il dio di maggio recieve voi in cielo. Li avete fatti più allora avete realizzato. Addio, amico. Il dio li benedice." She kissed his forehead, ignoring the exit wound and left. "È guasto. Il dio di maggio recieve la sua anima con bontà, dato che era un buon ed uomo nobile." She bowed her head. Bets howled in heartfelt pain.
Christian, Taylor, Kirk and Chloe
Chloe and Kirk decidedly left the killing to the professionals.
Taylor looked up, hearing the Italian.
"Era un buon uomo. Posso avere soltanto conoscerlo alcune ore, ma ho saputo. Potrei dire a," he agreed softly, rubbing Mouse's face, leaning his face against hers again, feeling her strength return.
"He did what he had to do," he whispered, closing his eyes as he continued to rock his girlfriend.
Christian bit his lip, watching silently everything that went on. Normally he'd be gone by now, but Tanya was out there...
Kirk tapped Chloe on the shoulder.
"What do you say we grab a bike from his place and blow this joint? These guys will get them home."
Chloe nodded.
"Hey Christian, you with us?" he raised his eyebrows.
Christian just shook his head.
Mouse and Vulpe
Mouse wept into Taylor's shirt. "Why does everyone die? I couldn't, oh god, I couldn't *do* anything! And he helped me, and now he's dead."
Vulpa padded over to them and crouched down next to Taylor and Mouse. "Sono così spiacente non ero abbastanza veloce," she said softly. "I wil light a candle for him when I go to Mass. He was a good man." Tears dripped from her eyes as she thought about Lance. Why did he have to go and do that for? Because he felt dishonoured, she answered herself.
Bets kept howling, the long undualting sounds of an animal in pain rolling from her throat in ceaseless waves. Lance, oh Lance...
Fafnir laid his head over her back and looked at Taylor with arctic blue eyes. Can we go? All this town has brought us is pain.
I'm not leaving. Bets said stubbornly. He is dead, and I will not leave him here. I will stay.
You can't stay. Bets. He wanted you to come with me. He wanted you to live. Mouse reached out blindly and wrapped her fingers in Bets's fur.
It hurts, oh, how it hurts.
It always does.
Taylor
"Provati, non vi incolpate di," Taylor insisted, looking into Vulpe's eyes.
"We will go," Taylor turned to Fafnir, speaking wolf, "when Mouse is well enough to travel. We shall follow the agents."
He looked between them, searching their eyes for answers.
"Can we go? How will we get back?" asked in English.
Tanya and Gambit
"Interesting," Tanya said, practically purring as the last humans went down.
"What's interesting?" asked Fred.
"JUst the stuff in their heads. These people have issues."
"They always have issues. Xenophobic bastards."
Tanya nodded in agreement and turned to Gambit.
"That's an interesting skill you have there."
"Why t'ank yo' cheri. Da name's Gambit, but yo' can call me Remy."
"I'm Tanya. This is Fred. Mutant?"
"Yo' bet."
"Alien."
"Dath or Sem?"
"Dath," Tanya looked impressed. "You've spoken to us much?"
"I make it my business ta," Gambit smiled. "I even have one of your fuzzles as a pet."
"Cute. Well, I guess we'd better see how everyone's doing," and on that she turned towards the crashed van, Fred and Gambit behind her.
Lauren looked up as they approached.
"She'll be fine now," she told Tanya and then turned to Fred. "I hope you froze limbs off those jerks!"
Fred grinned and didn't say a word either way.
"When we get going I'll start your treatment, Taylor," Tanya said. "It'd not good for you to miss, you know. Christian? There's no point hiding. Come on out where I can see you."
Christian, Taylor, Kirk and Chloe
Christian cringed as Taylor nodded.
He grabbed the backpack with the fuzzles and stood, making his way to the back of the van before he jumped to the ground. He spotted Kirk and Chloe nearby as he put the bag onto his back, and refused to look Tanya in the eyes.
"So ah... I'm kinda glad you found us," he glanced at her for a moment.
Tanya
"Kinda?" Tanya grinned. "Come on people, we should get going. People have things to do and homes to get back to."
Tanya put her hand on Christian's shoulder and thought for a moment.
"There you go. Your powers back."
Christian, Chloe, Kirk and Taylor
Christian flinched at her touch, and pulled away when she was done. When Kirk saw how uneasy he was, he approached him.
"Come on man," he patted him on the back, then pulle dhim over to Chloe.
"So... are you coming with us?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know," Christian looked back at the van.
Taylor was slowly emerging, with Mouse still in his arms.
"It's up to you. It'll take us a few days to get back to Tulsa, but if you want to stay with them... go for it," Kirk shrugged.
Christian just shook his head head.
"I'd better..." he began, but cut himself off with a frown.
Kirk squeezed his shoudler again.
"Keep the fluff balls with Taylor, ok?" he grinned.
Christian chuckled.
"Ok."
"We'll see you when we get back to Tulsa, or whenever we catch up with you."
"Ok."
And with that, Kirk put him arm around Chloe's shoulders, and they headed down towards Lance's house to fetch the bikes. Kirk took Taylor's, thinking he might want it back. Chloe took Christian's, and Kirk used his atom manipulation to turn his into a pile of dirt. Soon enough, they were heading back to Tulsa.
Christian close dhis eyes, listening to the bikes leave, then headed back over to Taylor.
"Where... how are we going? The van?" Taylor looked between the agents.
Vulpe and Mouse
"I just want to go..." Mouse's eyes were almost black with pain and grief. Vulpe clucked hertongue in almost motherly concern.
"You look after y'rself, ragazza. Me, I gotta go ring my poppa. I want to hear about how Vindichi died. If I'm very lucky, he might have taped it for me." The foxgirl bounced slightly. "Vendetta...Dio, I'm such a bitch." She chuckled and then brushed a hand against Mouse's forehead. "Be good." She looked at Taylor. "Look after her, or I swear by il Dio, I will make you pay."
"Vulpe...I'll be fine. I just need to go home, Mouse sighed.
Bets had stopped howling and crouched miserably on the ground, small whimpers making their way out of her throat. Fafnir nuzzled her consolingly. Pack? Bets can come with us, can't she?
Of course. Mouse reached out and ruffled his ears. He sighed in relief.
Good.
Coming with, Bets?
I guess... The malamute sighed.
Tanya and Gambit
"Let's go," Tanya said.
They all headed into the van. Tanya got into the back this time, and Fred got into the front passanger seat.
"Sit next to me Taylor. I want to give you your treatment."
Gambit got into the back of the back.
Taylor and Christian
Taylor maneuvered himself and Mouse closer to Tanya, then closed his eyes and leant in to Mouse's chest.
Christian sat across from them, watching silently.
Vulpe and Mouse
Vulpe shrugged and slunk into the van when Mouse turned her big brown eyes on her. She'd stay...until she had to go. Mouse eyed Christian carefully, but decided not to comment. He had come and helped, no matter how much she despised him for playing Taylor and deceiving her into...ugh. Don't go there. That way lies madness and crying and scrubbing to get the unclean feel off. Her eyes slid shut.
Bets lay down and Fafnir curled up beside her, head protectively over her back. She still whimpered occasionally but the grief was fading away. Lance was dead, and life continued. She shifted her frame slightly and nudged Fafnir with her nose. Reassuringly he licked her face and she sighed, settling. The two canines eyes closed to sleep.
Vulpe kept her eyes half slitted to watch the people in the van. Never let your gaurd down. That lesson had already come around to bite her in the ass once. Mouse's hand came out and touched her on the head and the fox almost purred.
"Sleep, Vulpe. We're safe...for now."
"You sleep." Vulpe raised an eyebrow. "I watch."
"Suit yourself, but it's a long ride." Mouse snuggled into Taylor's chest. An almost soft smile touched Vulpe's lips. She decided to take Mouse's advice but damn, dried blood *itched*. She scratched her arm and slumped down slightly to sleep, ears still pricked and one eye slitted open to watch her surroundings. The van drove on.