Title: Breathing.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairing: Hints of Ban/Fiona, though definite Thomas/Fiona.
Notes: Updates will be very erratic on this. Okay, not that erratic, but.. well, don't expect a chapter every day. I'm fickle and nervous and always so hesitant to post. ^^;; Give me time and patience, and I'll be a-okay!
Based.. toward.. I dunno. AU-ish, I suppose. Read and see.
- - - -
"Look, I got this handled," Ban all but snapped as he took her by the waist and heaved her out into the empty, glowing corridor beside him. She stumbled, but was definitely reluctant to listen to his commands. She found herself nearly falling to her knees though catching herself in mid fall, staring at him through wide, desperate eyes.
Explosions wracked the building and he frowned at her, motioning gently with his head. The intensity within his tone grew less and less as he briefly left his spot to help her to her feet, "Since when have I lied to you? Really. Get outta here!"
"You can't just –" She argued lightly, surprising herself by finding herself trembling furiously.
"I can," He beamed at her and winked, folding her into a reassuring hug. "And I intend to. We've got it handled, it'd be best if you got out, just in case."
She couldn't bring herself to move. The violent explosions didn't stop shaking the building; this was a no win situation, but he was never one to give up. He was going to – no. She sighed gently and buried her face into his shoulder, tightening her grip about his waist.
"C'mon – the situation isn't getting any better." He was hesitant to tip her head upward to allow her to meet his gaze, though he still smiled. "You know where to go. Just – hurry and wait for me, okay?"
She didn't speak, only unraveled her arms and drew back completely, clasping her hands before her, bowing her head. Another explosion shook the building, though this time, closer. The both of them had to spread their feet out in order to keep themselves from toppling over. Lacking much else, she simply blurted, "I hope you're not lying."
"Wha –"
" – Because I wouldn't forgive you if you were!" She finished with a determined look upon her face, and pecked him upon the cheek before fleeing. He watched after her, until she turned the farthest corner of the hall, before sighing gently. The Organoid beside him nudged at his arm, wedging his head between the aforementioned arm and his chest. With that accomplished, he rumbled reassuringly. Ban smiled weakly.
"I'm sorry."
- - - -
"She's moving, sir." He approached the high-backed chair quietly and saluted, his head bowed deeply in acknowledgement.
"Follow her and, this time, do not let her get away."
"Yessir." With another stiff salute, the man turned upon his heel and retreated.
- - - -
He's lying. He's lying. He's lying.
She attempted to rush down the steep ladder, though that accomplished little with the insistent slips and falls it brought on. At one point in time, she found herself slipping and nearly dropping and falling, head first, a good fifty meters.
She surprised herself once more by crying. Quiet, yet violent, sobs stopping for absolutely nothing – even when she attempted to reassure herself that he was, indeed, going to be coming back. She sniffed and rubbed the tears away with the back of her hand, repeating the action only once more, though against the over hanging flap of her skirt. She couldn't risk getting her hands damp, after all. The bars upon the ladder were dangerously slick as it was.
She returned to her descent, stopped only by the fact that an abrupt stampede of footsteps sounded just above her, coming from the direction opposite of the one she came in. This stampede stopped just outside of the opening for the narrow, circular ladder pipe and seconds later, the handsome, though vicious, face of one of the soldiers upon the opposing side took up the whole of her vision.
The man grinned.
"She's down here!"
"Don't let her escape!"
She cringed and quickly returned to her descent, risking absolutely everything – these men were armed and she was shivering so badly that she could, most likely, simply shake herself off the ladder and down the hole. She wasn't too terribly far down, so the man above her leaned in and attempted to grab her – vainly.
"Sir, she's moving too fast –" The man snapped violently and withdrew from the hole, unstrapping the gun from his holster.
"He doesn't want her injured!" Another barked and the handsome man was sent sprawling. This other person peered into the hole briefly. A gruff, almost frightening man, who looked almost like the priest of the Wind Colony – if he were to spend several years heavily drinking and frequently getting his face punched in. He drew back, sneering, and pointed around. "You – follow her down the hole! The rest of you come with me; we're finding another way down!"
The ordered group separated and did as they were told. She yelped as someone entered the tunnel above her and continued down. Only a few more meters. Only a few!
The foot of the man above her caught upon her hand and pressed down hard. Once more, she yelped and attempted to draw her hand back, only managing half that much. The man above her more so giggled than laughed and lifted his foot once more to crush her fingers. Though failed. She drew back just in time to narrowly avoid the foot and – fell.
"Shit." The man above her stopped and looked down just in time to see her gracefully fall upon her feet, much like a cat would and nurse her hand against her chest. Without even a fleeting glance above her, she pushed herself upright and scrambled off toward the automobiles.
Only her gentle, thudding footsteps thudded through the vast expanse of the parking lot, as she hurried toward something, which would, hopefully, move.
"Please, please," She quietly begged, as she slid into the driver seat of the first of a long row of jeeps. It lacked the keys and she lacked the knowledge to hotwire it into life. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly; chiding the tears, which desperately wanted out, and Ban for making her leave, and hurried to the next car.
Ten into the first row, she realized that none would have their keys. It was clear, every day knowledge to know that. And, ten cars into the first row, the second group was trouping into the parking lot and the one from the ladder was, also, showing his face. She cringed and ducked behind the back of a jeep.
"Scatter and find her, now. We can't procrastinate any longer."
"Yessir."
The suited men did as they were told and she desperately sought an exit. One wasn't too far away; it would lead into yet another tunnel, which crossed an incredibly long distance beneath the forest bordering the compound. One problem with it was that it was in plain view, though the door, nonetheless, was wide open.
"Find her quickly!" The commanding man suddenly shouted and moved quickly to close and bolt the doors, which they had entered through. More footsteps were sounding outside and – her heart jumped. She heard Zeek roaring triumphantly as the door violently shook and gained a large, head-sized dent. The lock snapped off and the doors swung open, revealing just whom she thought it would be, with a handful of reinforcements.
"Stop now and put your weapons down," Ban was at the head of the group and he had managed to, somehow, spot Fiona before the opposing people could. He swiftly aimed the gun in the direction of the head of who he supposed the leader of the rebel group would be. The man froze and the rest of the group was diverted, moving toward the leader to protect him, weaponry, bodies and all. "As we have been ordered that you're to be brought in dead or alive."
Ban didn't make even the slightest gesture in her direction, though she still mouthed a 'thank you,' in his direction before fleeing toward the open door. One of the rebel men turned in her direction, she supposed, possibly hearing the thudding of her boots and the last thing she permitted herself to hear was a single gunshot.
- - - -
Her feet, her calves, her thighs all ached from running an obscenely long, tremendous distance from the base to – wherever. Hell – just about everything did. But, to stop now would mean to surrender willingly, as she still had people following after her at nearly breakneck speeds. Whether they were in Zoids, or cars, she didn't know – she could only hear the deafening shouts of commands behind her, involving, for the most part, 'Get her!'
Move, move, move. Her mind chanted as she panted, dodging around the numerous trees, cautiously vaulting any branches, or protruding roots which would further increase her percentage of capture. She found her vision flickering, as the amount of air coming in was less and less – she needed to stop, and soon, or she would pass out.
"She's slowing! Hurry, men!"
Couldn't they just give up? She silently sobbed and, with a nonexistent burst of energy, found herself sprinting forward once more. She felt like a sheep being lead to her slaughter, but that meant little, as up ahead was something she could have very well considered euphoria despite the malevolence which radiated from it.
A house. A large house that took on a strange ominous facet due to the shadows and lack of moonlight. However, a single light was on within one of the front rooms and it shone brilliantly into the night.. While normally, this screamed 'wrong,' she took it as a divine sign and scrambled up the steps. The shouts of the soldiers behind her grew somewhat quiet; she had to have run a couple of meters ahead of them. Good, her mind cheered tiredly, though it wasn't the end.
While most establishments upon this side of the continent were, indeed, apart of the Republic, somewhere not. Some Imperialists, out of the fact that the two nations jointed, built numerous buildings upon Republic land. Some Imperialists and some Republicans were, also, in league with these rebels.
No matter.
She knocked furiously, nervously, demandingly upon the door, casting a cautious gaze backward every now and then. The dull yells had grown loud again and the lights upon the cars they drove flashed demandingly. She cried out sharply and continued her knocking, until the door swung open and she nearly fell forward with it.
A curious pause came and she tilted her head upward, eyes wide in fear – maybe this person was in league with the rebels.
No.
Whoever it was, was hesitant to move, though after another pause, he moved forward, taking her into his arms and setting her upright. She couldn't help but stare, tears gathering within the corners of her eyes. ".. Fiona?"
No time to cry! Her mind screamed and he seemed to take notice of this fact, as well. Straightening her even more, so that she would be standing upon her own two feet instead of leaning upon him, he quickly brought her inside. She immediately collapsed, lacking the ability and want to stand as of that exact moment, and allowed herself to watch, hopeless.
"T-Thomas," She blurted and lifted her hands, burying her face within her palms. He, Thomas, had set about, locking the door and toying with a number- riddled pad beside it. Never once did she consider questioning that, only set upon sobbing. "They've got weapons and they've – Ban! Oh – I heard a gunshot and –"
Much like before, a duo of violent explosions wracked the building, though, much to her surprise, nothing collapsed. Things rattled and fell from their places upon shelves and the wall, though that was it. She whimpered into her hands, curling into an upright fetal position, clinging to herself.
Ban, Ban, Ban, Ban..
"You're alright now." He reassured, lacking anything else to say – he didn't know what was going on. He did know, however, that there was supposed to be an attack at the base a couple of hundred meters away – though..
"You don't –" She began once more, between sniffles and sobs, dropping her hands to wipe at her cheeks, to possibly make herself even somewhat presentable. Another violent explosion wracked the building and a string of angry curses followed it. Thomas was shaken to his backside and grimaced, scooting tentatively toward her. "You don't understand! I left Ban and Zeek – they're still at the base! There were gunshots and –"
Ban was – she was insinuating that Ban was dead? He looked toward the window; normally, the plain night sky would be seen, though now it was covered by a veil of translucent, gentle blue. Being a mechanical genius had it's ups and downs – an up being the fact that he could produce a shield that would protect himself from being killed in this sort of situation. Beyond the shield was a face of one of the rebels, looking incredibly angry. The rebel snarled, drew back a foot and cocked his gun before shooting off a round into the shield. It did nothing. Thomas looked back at the crying friend and found himself unable to produce words, stuttering quietly in the place of the gentle reassurances he wanted to murmur.
She took no notice of his stuttering and launched herself forward, forcing herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. She was reduced to a sobbing mass, while he vainly tried to comfort her back into coherency.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairing: Hints of Ban/Fiona, though definite Thomas/Fiona.
Notes: Updates will be very erratic on this. Okay, not that erratic, but.. well, don't expect a chapter every day. I'm fickle and nervous and always so hesitant to post. ^^;; Give me time and patience, and I'll be a-okay!
Based.. toward.. I dunno. AU-ish, I suppose. Read and see.
- - - -
"Look, I got this handled," Ban all but snapped as he took her by the waist and heaved her out into the empty, glowing corridor beside him. She stumbled, but was definitely reluctant to listen to his commands. She found herself nearly falling to her knees though catching herself in mid fall, staring at him through wide, desperate eyes.
Explosions wracked the building and he frowned at her, motioning gently with his head. The intensity within his tone grew less and less as he briefly left his spot to help her to her feet, "Since when have I lied to you? Really. Get outta here!"
"You can't just –" She argued lightly, surprising herself by finding herself trembling furiously.
"I can," He beamed at her and winked, folding her into a reassuring hug. "And I intend to. We've got it handled, it'd be best if you got out, just in case."
She couldn't bring herself to move. The violent explosions didn't stop shaking the building; this was a no win situation, but he was never one to give up. He was going to – no. She sighed gently and buried her face into his shoulder, tightening her grip about his waist.
"C'mon – the situation isn't getting any better." He was hesitant to tip her head upward to allow her to meet his gaze, though he still smiled. "You know where to go. Just – hurry and wait for me, okay?"
She didn't speak, only unraveled her arms and drew back completely, clasping her hands before her, bowing her head. Another explosion shook the building, though this time, closer. The both of them had to spread their feet out in order to keep themselves from toppling over. Lacking much else, she simply blurted, "I hope you're not lying."
"Wha –"
" – Because I wouldn't forgive you if you were!" She finished with a determined look upon her face, and pecked him upon the cheek before fleeing. He watched after her, until she turned the farthest corner of the hall, before sighing gently. The Organoid beside him nudged at his arm, wedging his head between the aforementioned arm and his chest. With that accomplished, he rumbled reassuringly. Ban smiled weakly.
"I'm sorry."
- - - -
"She's moving, sir." He approached the high-backed chair quietly and saluted, his head bowed deeply in acknowledgement.
"Follow her and, this time, do not let her get away."
"Yessir." With another stiff salute, the man turned upon his heel and retreated.
- - - -
He's lying. He's lying. He's lying.
She attempted to rush down the steep ladder, though that accomplished little with the insistent slips and falls it brought on. At one point in time, she found herself slipping and nearly dropping and falling, head first, a good fifty meters.
She surprised herself once more by crying. Quiet, yet violent, sobs stopping for absolutely nothing – even when she attempted to reassure herself that he was, indeed, going to be coming back. She sniffed and rubbed the tears away with the back of her hand, repeating the action only once more, though against the over hanging flap of her skirt. She couldn't risk getting her hands damp, after all. The bars upon the ladder were dangerously slick as it was.
She returned to her descent, stopped only by the fact that an abrupt stampede of footsteps sounded just above her, coming from the direction opposite of the one she came in. This stampede stopped just outside of the opening for the narrow, circular ladder pipe and seconds later, the handsome, though vicious, face of one of the soldiers upon the opposing side took up the whole of her vision.
The man grinned.
"She's down here!"
"Don't let her escape!"
She cringed and quickly returned to her descent, risking absolutely everything – these men were armed and she was shivering so badly that she could, most likely, simply shake herself off the ladder and down the hole. She wasn't too terribly far down, so the man above her leaned in and attempted to grab her – vainly.
"Sir, she's moving too fast –" The man snapped violently and withdrew from the hole, unstrapping the gun from his holster.
"He doesn't want her injured!" Another barked and the handsome man was sent sprawling. This other person peered into the hole briefly. A gruff, almost frightening man, who looked almost like the priest of the Wind Colony – if he were to spend several years heavily drinking and frequently getting his face punched in. He drew back, sneering, and pointed around. "You – follow her down the hole! The rest of you come with me; we're finding another way down!"
The ordered group separated and did as they were told. She yelped as someone entered the tunnel above her and continued down. Only a few more meters. Only a few!
The foot of the man above her caught upon her hand and pressed down hard. Once more, she yelped and attempted to draw her hand back, only managing half that much. The man above her more so giggled than laughed and lifted his foot once more to crush her fingers. Though failed. She drew back just in time to narrowly avoid the foot and – fell.
"Shit." The man above her stopped and looked down just in time to see her gracefully fall upon her feet, much like a cat would and nurse her hand against her chest. Without even a fleeting glance above her, she pushed herself upright and scrambled off toward the automobiles.
Only her gentle, thudding footsteps thudded through the vast expanse of the parking lot, as she hurried toward something, which would, hopefully, move.
"Please, please," She quietly begged, as she slid into the driver seat of the first of a long row of jeeps. It lacked the keys and she lacked the knowledge to hotwire it into life. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly; chiding the tears, which desperately wanted out, and Ban for making her leave, and hurried to the next car.
Ten into the first row, she realized that none would have their keys. It was clear, every day knowledge to know that. And, ten cars into the first row, the second group was trouping into the parking lot and the one from the ladder was, also, showing his face. She cringed and ducked behind the back of a jeep.
"Scatter and find her, now. We can't procrastinate any longer."
"Yessir."
The suited men did as they were told and she desperately sought an exit. One wasn't too far away; it would lead into yet another tunnel, which crossed an incredibly long distance beneath the forest bordering the compound. One problem with it was that it was in plain view, though the door, nonetheless, was wide open.
"Find her quickly!" The commanding man suddenly shouted and moved quickly to close and bolt the doors, which they had entered through. More footsteps were sounding outside and – her heart jumped. She heard Zeek roaring triumphantly as the door violently shook and gained a large, head-sized dent. The lock snapped off and the doors swung open, revealing just whom she thought it would be, with a handful of reinforcements.
"Stop now and put your weapons down," Ban was at the head of the group and he had managed to, somehow, spot Fiona before the opposing people could. He swiftly aimed the gun in the direction of the head of who he supposed the leader of the rebel group would be. The man froze and the rest of the group was diverted, moving toward the leader to protect him, weaponry, bodies and all. "As we have been ordered that you're to be brought in dead or alive."
Ban didn't make even the slightest gesture in her direction, though she still mouthed a 'thank you,' in his direction before fleeing toward the open door. One of the rebel men turned in her direction, she supposed, possibly hearing the thudding of her boots and the last thing she permitted herself to hear was a single gunshot.
- - - -
Her feet, her calves, her thighs all ached from running an obscenely long, tremendous distance from the base to – wherever. Hell – just about everything did. But, to stop now would mean to surrender willingly, as she still had people following after her at nearly breakneck speeds. Whether they were in Zoids, or cars, she didn't know – she could only hear the deafening shouts of commands behind her, involving, for the most part, 'Get her!'
Move, move, move. Her mind chanted as she panted, dodging around the numerous trees, cautiously vaulting any branches, or protruding roots which would further increase her percentage of capture. She found her vision flickering, as the amount of air coming in was less and less – she needed to stop, and soon, or she would pass out.
"She's slowing! Hurry, men!"
Couldn't they just give up? She silently sobbed and, with a nonexistent burst of energy, found herself sprinting forward once more. She felt like a sheep being lead to her slaughter, but that meant little, as up ahead was something she could have very well considered euphoria despite the malevolence which radiated from it.
A house. A large house that took on a strange ominous facet due to the shadows and lack of moonlight. However, a single light was on within one of the front rooms and it shone brilliantly into the night.. While normally, this screamed 'wrong,' she took it as a divine sign and scrambled up the steps. The shouts of the soldiers behind her grew somewhat quiet; she had to have run a couple of meters ahead of them. Good, her mind cheered tiredly, though it wasn't the end.
While most establishments upon this side of the continent were, indeed, apart of the Republic, somewhere not. Some Imperialists, out of the fact that the two nations jointed, built numerous buildings upon Republic land. Some Imperialists and some Republicans were, also, in league with these rebels.
No matter.
She knocked furiously, nervously, demandingly upon the door, casting a cautious gaze backward every now and then. The dull yells had grown loud again and the lights upon the cars they drove flashed demandingly. She cried out sharply and continued her knocking, until the door swung open and she nearly fell forward with it.
A curious pause came and she tilted her head upward, eyes wide in fear – maybe this person was in league with the rebels.
No.
Whoever it was, was hesitant to move, though after another pause, he moved forward, taking her into his arms and setting her upright. She couldn't help but stare, tears gathering within the corners of her eyes. ".. Fiona?"
No time to cry! Her mind screamed and he seemed to take notice of this fact, as well. Straightening her even more, so that she would be standing upon her own two feet instead of leaning upon him, he quickly brought her inside. She immediately collapsed, lacking the ability and want to stand as of that exact moment, and allowed herself to watch, hopeless.
"T-Thomas," She blurted and lifted her hands, burying her face within her palms. He, Thomas, had set about, locking the door and toying with a number- riddled pad beside it. Never once did she consider questioning that, only set upon sobbing. "They've got weapons and they've – Ban! Oh – I heard a gunshot and –"
Much like before, a duo of violent explosions wracked the building, though, much to her surprise, nothing collapsed. Things rattled and fell from their places upon shelves and the wall, though that was it. She whimpered into her hands, curling into an upright fetal position, clinging to herself.
Ban, Ban, Ban, Ban..
"You're alright now." He reassured, lacking anything else to say – he didn't know what was going on. He did know, however, that there was supposed to be an attack at the base a couple of hundred meters away – though..
"You don't –" She began once more, between sniffles and sobs, dropping her hands to wipe at her cheeks, to possibly make herself even somewhat presentable. Another violent explosion wracked the building and a string of angry curses followed it. Thomas was shaken to his backside and grimaced, scooting tentatively toward her. "You don't understand! I left Ban and Zeek – they're still at the base! There were gunshots and –"
Ban was – she was insinuating that Ban was dead? He looked toward the window; normally, the plain night sky would be seen, though now it was covered by a veil of translucent, gentle blue. Being a mechanical genius had it's ups and downs – an up being the fact that he could produce a shield that would protect himself from being killed in this sort of situation. Beyond the shield was a face of one of the rebels, looking incredibly angry. The rebel snarled, drew back a foot and cocked his gun before shooting off a round into the shield. It did nothing. Thomas looked back at the crying friend and found himself unable to produce words, stuttering quietly in the place of the gentle reassurances he wanted to murmur.
She took no notice of his stuttering and launched herself forward, forcing herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder. She was reduced to a sobbing mass, while he vainly tried to comfort her back into coherency.