Mouse and Natalia
Mouse tried hard not to cry as she raced through the dust storm, Natalia clinging to her back. The other girl had no qualms about crying and wept hard into Mouse's back, wetting her t-shirt with tears.
Ohohoh. So bad. She was being so bad. They'd be so angry. The Masters would be furious. She was a bad, bad girl. Natalia cried harder.
Mouse could feel the waves of hopelessness and terror rolling off Natalia. She tried to soothe them, but she was so tired and upset.
"Oh, I'm a bad girl, so bad..."
"You're not a bad girl, Natalia." Mouse gritted her teeth as she gunned the bike and leapt over a small hill.
"We're going to get caught..."
"No, we're not. We're going to get the hell out of here, and then I'm going to go back and get Tay. Gotta get to a phone first though, cherie."
"What does that mean? Cherie?"
"Means dear in French." Soon, this line of conversation led to Mouse singing to Natalia in Creole. She could sense it soothed the tortured girl's mind, so Mouse kept singing in a low, husky voice. After about an hour of driving, they hit a highway. Mouse got onto it and slowed down to the speedlimit. She didn't want to be picked up. Too hard to explain. The cuts, the bruises on both of them and her face...she could feel her nose throbbing still, even though Allan had set it. How Natalia was coping with the whipping she'd taken...Mouse saw a sign. Carson City 50 miles.
They drove into the city limits and Mouse relaxed slightly. With this many people around, it would make it harder to be recaptured. But it also meant that the chances of them being spotted and tagged was higher. She licked her lips uneasily, then decided she'd best put some of her talents to use. She drove into a parking lot, and stopped the bike.
"What are we doing?" Natalia asked her breathlessly, her violet eyes shining with tears again.
"Well, you're going to watch the bike, and I'm going to pick a few pockets. Just stay here." Mouse melted into the crowds and managed to get some cash. She came back and hopped back on the bike. "Let's go get some proper clothes." Mouse started to cruise, looking for a Walmart or something smiliar.
Gambit
Gambit was just entertaing the crowd with some card tricks (to distract them while he picked their pockets of course) when he realised that someone else had been doing some pocket picking. Thus he became more alert and looked out for this other thief. He or she might have some information.
He didn't see anyone at first, but a few minutes later he was certain he saw a familiar girl. He finished up with the crowd, one eye on the girl (who was with a second girl) at all times. Then he went after them, careful to be discreet. The second girl, he noted, had purple eyes. Well, that meant she was either a mutant too, or she had contacts on.
When he got closer, he knew who the first girl was, and decided to make an appearence.
"Good day cheri," he said, moving up to them. "Remember me? I'm Remy."
Mouse and Natalia
Mouse whirled around, bringing the gun up, then breathed out a sigh of relief. She stuck the gun back into the back of her pants. "Merde, don't scare me like that." Natalia had started to hyperventilate, eyes wide and staring like a frightened animal, hands over her mouth as she cringed back. "Hi. Welcome to lab escape take two. This is Natalia. Don't worry, Natalia, he's a friend." Mouse put a hand soothingly on Natalia's shoulder. The other girl yelped in pain.
"Ah!"
"God, Natalia, I'm sorry." Mouse took her hand off quickly. Natalia slowly edged behind Mouse, still regarding Remy with frightened eyes.
"Is he a Master?"
"Oh, god no. Don't call anyone that, Natalia. Please." Mouse's eyes flashed with anger.
"He looks like a Master. He's wearing a coat like they do." Natalia tilted her head, the black collar and cuffs showing at the edges of her shirt.
Gambit
"Always good ta be on yo' guard, says I. And da only t'ing I'm master of is a t'ief, but don' spread it around 'honest' folk," he paused with a grin, then went on, "Looks like yo' ladies have been havin' a tough time. I happen to know that Tanya and some o' her friends are looking for yo' and Taylor too. Is he with yo'?"
Mouse and Natalia
Mouse's eyes welled with tears. "He's still back at the base. He made the bike, and then...he didn't have enough energy to make another one for himself. He told me to take Natalia and get the hell out. I'm so worried for him."
"He's a bad, bad boy and the Masters will punish him," Natalia half sang. "I told him, and told him. Didn't listen. Master Blakesley will play. Knives and whips and fire and ice. I know." She shivered suddenly, wrapping her arms about herself. "Oh, it hurts so much to be bad. It's cold outside. I want to be a good girl." She swayed from side to side whispering to herself.
"She was in that...hellhole for two years," Mouse told Remy quietly. "She's come out kinda broken."
Gambit
"So I see," Gambit replied with a curious look at Natalia. "So, yo' ladies just escaped did ya? Hmm... well, yo' can't stay out 'ere. I'll give Tanya a call. I don' have the facilities ta get yo' two home safely."
He pulled out his mobile phone and started dialing.
"Dere wasn' anythin' special yo' ladies were intending on doin' before I showed up was there? Other than escaping and findin' help, dat is."
Mouse and Natalia
"Clothes for her. She kinda wasn't wearing any there...I liberated the clothes she's wearing now from the receptionist." Mouse almost grinned. "Shoulda seen the look on the woman's face when Tay held a gun on her. Wow. He was scary."
"They itch," Natalia said clearly. "And they're sticking to my back." She twisted and went to pull it off. Mouse tugged the shirt back down.
"No." Natalia pouted at her, then rubbed her head alongside Mouse's arm. "Stop it, Natalia." The mutant went back to pouting, one hand tracing the curve of the collar around her neck. "Medical attention would be a bonus. She was whipped. I only got slapped around a bit."
Gambit and Tanya
Gambit was about to reply when Tanya picked up.
"Tanya, dis is Remy. I thought yo' might like ta know that I've found Mouse, along with another escapee named Natalia"
"You have? Is Taylor there too? Where are you?"
"We're in Carson City, umm..." Gambit gave the address for the general area. "Taylor's still with whoever kidnapped dem. The girls need ta get demselves some new clothes. We'll go to da local Walmart. Meet yo' dere?"
Tanya considered this.
"Don't wait for us there. I'd rather you'd get the girls out of sight."
"I agree. I'll give yo' a call den, when we move."
"Good. Thank you very much, Remy. I really appreciate this."
"No problem cheri. But get 'ere soon. As talented as I am, I don' t'ink I can handle da kind of folk involved 'ere on my own. Poor girls are in need of medical attention."
"I see. We'll be there as soon as possible."
And the two hung up.
"Well, den," said Gambit. "Let's get yo' ladies some new clothes."
Mouse and Natalia
"Please. I lifted some wallets." Mouse got them out
and rifled through them. "Well, people do get stupider
as they get older." She retrieved a coupl of hundred
then dumped the wallets in a nearby garbage bin.
"C'mon, cherie. We're gonna get some brand spanking
new clothes."
Natalia looked at her confused. "What?"
"Shopping. I'm sure once we start, you'll get the hang
of it." Mouse grinned at Natalia and the violet eyed
girl tentavively smiled back. "So. Walmart. Oh, joy."
Gambit
Gambit smiled and led the girls into Walmart. So. Mouse had been the other thief. He filed away that particular tidbit of information away for future reference.
"Well, den, I'll let yo' ladies to da walking."
"While I keep an eye out for unruly fellers," he thought to himself.
Mouse and Natalia
Mouse led Natalia over to the women's wear and guessed
at her size in undergarments. Apparently, she had a
pretty good eye. Mouse grabbed some stuff for herself
as well, then took Natalia to get some proper clothes.
Tight blue jeans and a black baby-t with 'bite me'
scrawled across it in red lettering for herself.
Natalia nibbled her lip and looked worried. Mouse
rolled her eyes.
"Pick something, Natalia. The stuff won't bite you."
"I don't know what to choose." Natalia turned wide
eyes on Mouse.
"What did you use to wear?"
"I can't remember," Natalia said softly. "I like this
top though..." Hesitantly, Natalia reached out and
stroked the velvety top in front of her. The black top
was extreme gothic in look, and Mouse wondered vaguely
how anything that dripping with lace and ribbons got
into a Walmart.
"It's in your size. We can get it."
"I can have it?"
"You can have it." Mouse kept her voice soothing for
Natalia while she fumed with anger inside. "Pants or a
skirt? We better stick to comfy shoes for your feet
though. If you haven't worn shoes for over a year,
they'll probably pinch a bit."
"Ok." Natalia looked around, and then grabbed a long
black skirt that was made of an almost see through
black fabric that hung in long elegant folds. "Do we
pay now? I remember something..."
"Yes. I pay, then we go to the toilets and get changed
into these." Natalia nodded, relieved someone was
giving her orders. It was so noisy out here. There
were too many people. She followed Mouse to the
checkout.
Gambit
Well, this was certainly one of Gambits stranger days. Shopping with a couple of teenage girls.
He watched the payment of the clothes carefully and then led the girls over to the bathroom.
"I'll just wait out 'ere," he told them. "Look a little suss otherwise."
He hoped that having them out of his sight wasn't going to be dangerous for them, but he refused to dwell on that.
Mouse and Natalia
Mouse got dressed quickly, then went and helped
Natalia. She was relieved to note the collar and cuffs
didn't look that out of place with what she was
wearing, since Natalia refused to take them off. The
girl had gotten near hysterical when Mouse had tried
to undo one of the cuffs before they put the shirt on.
She washed some of the blood from her own face, and
brushed Natalia's hair. The long gleaming honeyblonde
length of it shone in rippling waves and Natalia
almost purred with pleasure. Mouse plaited it and then
quickly spiked up her own hair with a bit of gel. They
went out.
"So. Tanya? What news on the rescue front?" Mouse
asked Gambit. Natalia kept her eyes to the floor, the
lights were too bright and they hurt her eyes. It was
all too loud. She didn't know what she meant to do,
and she wanted to be good. Natalia choked back a
muffled sob. "I really want to get back to Tay as soon
as possible. Blakesley is a sick saidistic bastard."
Gambit and Tanya
"We're going ta go find a place to hide out," Gambit replied. "And den I
contact Tanya again and tell her where we are. SHe'll met up with us and den go
after Taylor. By da looks of t'ings, dey aren't people I can handle on my own.
Better let da professional rescusers do da job. I know just the spot."
And he led the girls out of the Walmart and to a local, somewhat seedy, inn.
Gambit let the locals think what they wanted of him showing up with two
obviously underage girls, and got themselves a room. Once inside, he locked the
door, and called Tanya again.
"Bad traffic," Tanya told him. "It'll probably be a number of hours before we
get there. Maybe even not until tomorrow."
"Okay den."
Gambit told the girls what Tanya had told him.
Mouse and Natalia
The corner of Mouse's eye twitched and she let out a
breath slowly. "Very not good. She better have a
Healer on hand, because Blakesley is gonna be pissed
that me and Natalia escaped. He'll take it out on
Taylor, I know it." Natalia was sitting crosslegged at
the floor at Mouse's feet.
"Bad, bad, bad. Oh so bad." Natalia nibbled her bottom
lip anxiously. "He talks too much. The Masters don't
like it when you talk back. I'm a good girl, so I
don't. Quiet. Good. I'm good, aren't I?"
"You're a good girl, Natalia," Mouse said because it
was what Natalia needed to hear. The mutant girl
beamed before ducking her head again submissively.
Gambit
Gambit raised and eyebrow, but said nothing. He got them some dinner a bit later. Soon they all went to sleep.