Ororo felt her heart beat thud against the wooden knife pressed against her
throat, breathing slowly, trying to keep her breathing under control,
trying to ignore the slow trickle of blood already tracing down her flesh.
The other members of the X Men lay in a pile, some sitting, some
unconscious, close by her feet, those that were the strongest, those that
meant the most to the scared children hiding in the woods, waiting to see
the outcome.
God a morphine addict! A suicidal 15-year old~ that was their one chance at escaping. And all Stryker or one of his men had to do was hold up a bag of needles and Alaster would surely give in. The act of raising the arm to offer the drugs might prove to be the hardest task-Alaster was channeling Magneto and keeping each man's gun firmly loaded and cocked against each forehead. With a sick silent sigh that ran round and round her head like a mantra, Ororo realized, he was not enough to keep them alive. Alaster was not strong enough.
Wordlessly she watched as a man down the line of soldiers did what Stryker ordered him to and moved- reached a hand to try a point the gun away. The man didn't have time to close sweaty fingers around the cool barrel before it fired. She fought the urge to flinch (doing so would only slit her throat against the blade), to turn her head away from the blood and flesh that splattered all with in trajectory. She looked up to the roof to see Alaster's face, prominent cheekbones, scared eyes, before he ducked back behind the doghouse, trying to think she imagined, trying to clear his head and remember a suitable military tactic Stryker had drilled into his head. What to do in case of stand off. For a minute she heard his voice in her ears, in her head, faint but still quite there, 'I didn't mean to kill him. I flinched'. She thought back as hard as she could, thinking of Alaster, the way he had to come to be here, the way she knew him, and hoped he heard her when she said, 'I know. Kill them. Shoot them. Don't mind me.'
Then his voice, fainter (he was growing weaker she realized), 'I can't. Too much blood. Too many innocents.' For a moment she couldn't understand- the soldiers? Innocent? Then she realized he referred to the people piled at Stryker's feet, well within his reach, referred to her. She thought of him again, thought hard, 'Please.' Please do something. Please make a move, please think of something. This, waiting! This standing while her legs cramped, while Marie cried softly, this mad desire to just have something happen so she'd know whether she was to live or die, this future standing her in the face.
"Give in or she dies!" called Stryker with the air of one commenting on the weather. "First!" he added as an after thought, nonchalant. She dies? thought Ororo, as a new surge of adrenalin began pumping through her veins, her hands beginning to shake; she began clutching her pants to quell the movement. She dies? That was not the deal from before. Before it was give in, and I let them go. Sure the chances of Stryker holding true to his word were slim, but she very much did not want to die. Alaster's out stretched, fingers spread, hand shook visibly for a moment; he closed it, making a fist, lowered it and with every inch as it moved closer to the roof's hot baked shingles, the weapons lowered from the soldier's cheeks, skulls and chins.
Alaster emerged from behind the doghouse, strode to the edge of the roof and jumped down the 3 stories. Landing in a crouch he stood and moved to be within Stryker's reach, who pushed Ororo away; she landed on the ground crumpled, her sore muscles screaming. She thought for a moment she'd rain down fire, brimstone, lightening, but Alaster caught her eye, shook his head slightly no. '..be dead before your eyes..' she heard. Stryker eyed up Alaster and Alaster, to his credit did not break the stare, refused to let his shoulders shake or turn in like they did when anyone looked at him. Ororo noticed he had removed his necklace, the short, link chain with his brother's cross and parent's wedding rings. His parents' will had been so precise, she remembered from the reading, even dictating who received their CD collection and their wedding bands. She supposed it must have hurt Alaster how many people had arrived to hear the will read, making it seem as if they were there only to know what had been bestowed upon them.
Stryker cleared his throat, said softly, "Welcome back." Alaster spat in his face and Stryker only smiled. Wiped the spit off with the back of his hand and said, "On your knees. Now." Ororo knew every X Men watching, and all the children in the woods were asking, begging Alaster not to scumb- perhaps if Jean wasn't unconscious.. Alaster knelt; Stryker took another man's gun and hit Alaster strongly against the temple with it. Alaster fell to the ground, putting up no fight to defend himself.
Disclaimer: Please skiddle on over to my bio- I have explained everything. Thank you. I am also looking for someone willing to look over this story's chapters as I am writing it- making sure I'm clear and concise- 2 things I rarely am. Thank you again.
God a morphine addict! A suicidal 15-year old~ that was their one chance at escaping. And all Stryker or one of his men had to do was hold up a bag of needles and Alaster would surely give in. The act of raising the arm to offer the drugs might prove to be the hardest task-Alaster was channeling Magneto and keeping each man's gun firmly loaded and cocked against each forehead. With a sick silent sigh that ran round and round her head like a mantra, Ororo realized, he was not enough to keep them alive. Alaster was not strong enough.
Wordlessly she watched as a man down the line of soldiers did what Stryker ordered him to and moved- reached a hand to try a point the gun away. The man didn't have time to close sweaty fingers around the cool barrel before it fired. She fought the urge to flinch (doing so would only slit her throat against the blade), to turn her head away from the blood and flesh that splattered all with in trajectory. She looked up to the roof to see Alaster's face, prominent cheekbones, scared eyes, before he ducked back behind the doghouse, trying to think she imagined, trying to clear his head and remember a suitable military tactic Stryker had drilled into his head. What to do in case of stand off. For a minute she heard his voice in her ears, in her head, faint but still quite there, 'I didn't mean to kill him. I flinched'. She thought back as hard as she could, thinking of Alaster, the way he had to come to be here, the way she knew him, and hoped he heard her when she said, 'I know. Kill them. Shoot them. Don't mind me.'
Then his voice, fainter (he was growing weaker she realized), 'I can't. Too much blood. Too many innocents.' For a moment she couldn't understand- the soldiers? Innocent? Then she realized he referred to the people piled at Stryker's feet, well within his reach, referred to her. She thought of him again, thought hard, 'Please.' Please do something. Please make a move, please think of something. This, waiting! This standing while her legs cramped, while Marie cried softly, this mad desire to just have something happen so she'd know whether she was to live or die, this future standing her in the face.
"Give in or she dies!" called Stryker with the air of one commenting on the weather. "First!" he added as an after thought, nonchalant. She dies? thought Ororo, as a new surge of adrenalin began pumping through her veins, her hands beginning to shake; she began clutching her pants to quell the movement. She dies? That was not the deal from before. Before it was give in, and I let them go. Sure the chances of Stryker holding true to his word were slim, but she very much did not want to die. Alaster's out stretched, fingers spread, hand shook visibly for a moment; he closed it, making a fist, lowered it and with every inch as it moved closer to the roof's hot baked shingles, the weapons lowered from the soldier's cheeks, skulls and chins.
Alaster emerged from behind the doghouse, strode to the edge of the roof and jumped down the 3 stories. Landing in a crouch he stood and moved to be within Stryker's reach, who pushed Ororo away; she landed on the ground crumpled, her sore muscles screaming. She thought for a moment she'd rain down fire, brimstone, lightening, but Alaster caught her eye, shook his head slightly no. '..be dead before your eyes..' she heard. Stryker eyed up Alaster and Alaster, to his credit did not break the stare, refused to let his shoulders shake or turn in like they did when anyone looked at him. Ororo noticed he had removed his necklace, the short, link chain with his brother's cross and parent's wedding rings. His parents' will had been so precise, she remembered from the reading, even dictating who received their CD collection and their wedding bands. She supposed it must have hurt Alaster how many people had arrived to hear the will read, making it seem as if they were there only to know what had been bestowed upon them.
Stryker cleared his throat, said softly, "Welcome back." Alaster spat in his face and Stryker only smiled. Wiped the spit off with the back of his hand and said, "On your knees. Now." Ororo knew every X Men watching, and all the children in the woods were asking, begging Alaster not to scumb- perhaps if Jean wasn't unconscious.. Alaster knelt; Stryker took another man's gun and hit Alaster strongly against the temple with it. Alaster fell to the ground, putting up no fight to defend himself.
Disclaimer: Please skiddle on over to my bio- I have explained everything. Thank you. I am also looking for someone willing to look over this story's chapters as I am writing it- making sure I'm clear and concise- 2 things I rarely am. Thank you again.