2 : Leading the Blind Down the Alley
The strength of the soldier's opponent was almost as crushing as the darkness and the fear. The blinding pain and terror kickstarted a memory that surged forth and took control of his mind. That familiar darkness, the deafening silence, the absolute agony that clawed at his insides, it was too pervasive to escape. In that moment, he remembered the void they had left him in, where they changed him and molded him, where feeling nothing was beginning to seem like feeling everything.
"NO!" The stranger bellowed again, a desperate sob clenching the words off as they left his lips. The blackness of the tunnel only seemed to darken further, empowered by the fear in the asset's voice and taking from him his control. His body seemed to go limp within the brute strength of Tox's grip and he felt the blackness begin to coil up inside of him, erasing all traces of his humanity.
"HEY!" Another voice echoed, not nasally, not so deep, but low and smooth, and just threatening enough under the right circumstances. The asset was shocked out of his spiral, completely unaware that there was a third person in the tunnels with them, "What the hell is going on guys!? You were supposed to help with the delivery."
"Sid?" Thumper inquired, lifting his hand up to shield his eyes as a flicker of light appeared and then expanded to a torch.
"Jesus, what the hell was that sound?" Sid shuffled closer with a torch aflame in one hand, glaring at the slimmer man, "Thumper, come on, don't try and saddle me with — Tox!" There was a gasp when the light filled the small space and Sid could finally see the bloodied form seized in Tox's grasp, shaking and tense in his arms. The light rattled as Sid stumbled forward, closer to Tox with hands raised in a panicked question, "What —!?" The faint light closed in on the soldier, his eyes still distant, glassed over, trapped in some other place.
"What do we do?" Thumper mumbled nervously, obviously a wreck in disheveled clothes and covered head to toe in dirt and slime.
Sid sighed, the light expanded again and caught the asset's attention, breaking him from the memory and shoving him back into the situation with full-fledged panic. He eyed the new member: only a head or so shorter than Tox and somehow slimmer than Thumper.
Sid was a wisp of a person in clothes that seemed too large. A worn, clunky jacket sat upon a slight frame and a cap sat atop a plain face that took no hold in his memory — and he was ever thankful for that. The soldier glared back at them, trying to intimidate what looked like a dingy teenager staring back in slight fascination and what appeared to be pity. He wanted to spit in this new face for looking at him with such disrespect.
"Let him go." Sid commanded.
"But Sid, he —," Thumper began.
"Put him down, he's in pain and he looks terrified."
"He tried to kill us!" Tox defended, "He could be a threat to us! All of us!" He ground out, his arms aching and tired from holding onto the thrashing interloper.
"I'm not joking Tox, you put him down right now." Sid insisted with finality, "He's going to have burns over half his body and if we don't take care of him — shit, do you know what kind of backlash could come at us?" With frantic words, the firelight flickered over the face, instantly twisted in displeasure, a sharp fierceness to their countenance that wasn't there before. That face was young, still open to the idea of disappointment.
"Sid's right," Thumper added softly, "we cant have a body end up down here covered in chemical burns. If anyone is looking for him, they'll come right after us."
"So he's a liability," Tox added gruffly, "Then what —,"
"I said I'd take care of him, didn't I?" Sid replied with a cold authority that chilled the tunnel.
Every movement, every breath spread more of the noxious substance across his entire body and even though he had tried to stop fighting, it continued to drip down in rivulets, leaving trails of blood and brimstone along his skin. All he could focus on was the agonizing burn that ripped at every nerve in his body and his eyes began to flutter closed. The pain was excessive, but he could overcome it. He would heal, if they ever let him go. But if they tried to kill him, well, best of luck with that.
"Okay, so…," Sid seemed to be addressing the soldier directly, their voice smooth and calming compared to the sandpaper ripping at his inflamed skin, "Listen, my friend Tox here has a grip on you because he felt threatened, isn't that right Tox?"
"Well, yeah."
"See?" Sid tried to smile, attempting to get the soldier to follow the conversation as his eyes darted between the brightness of the torch and the darkness of the surrounding shadows. Sid continued, eyeing him carefully, "He's just defending himself in the only way he knows how. He was scared and he reacted poorly — I think you can understand that, cant you?"
The soldier grit his teeth, sweat and blood dripping into his eyes from the earlier scrabble. He focused intently on Sid's voice, blurring out all else. This is what he needed, an anchor, something far away from everything else that poisoned his mind.
"I promise, we don't want to hurt you." Sid added softly, lifting up a slow, steady hand to rest on top of Tox's arms, where the stranger was gripping at his noxious skin. One finger rested gently atop the stranger's hand and he followed the sensation up the arm and to Sid's face where a single eyebrow rose in a question. He scowled for a moment but understood their intent and gently relinquished his grip on Tox's arm with a pained hiss. He could probably see down to the bone if he glanced at his hand. "I need to take care of my friends, okay? Injuries down here can go south real fast so please, let me help them?"
The soldier honed in on the voice, redirecting his sight to meet the muddy green eyes. He narrowed his vision and stared intently at the face before him, young and so seemingly unafraid. Innocent. It made the soldier want to recoil from the mere idea.
"If my friend here releases you and you refrain from attacking us, I'll heal you too —,"
"Sid!" Tox pleaded, unhinged exhaustion clear in his tone.
"Tox," Sid interjected evenly, "I got this, okay?" Though it was phrased as a question, the soldier noted the finality in the tone — how despite size and advantage, it seemed Sid's mere presence was enough to cause the other two to fall in line.
"Here's how this works: they let you go, you have a seat and wait your turn, and I heal them. No fights? I heal you." Sid emphasized with a slick grin. "No tricks, just a simple exchange between new friends. The last thing I want is for anyone else to get hurt —," Sid paused and eyed him carefully, his responsive look was stubborn, but tempted, "so, we cool, pal?"
The sincerity of the words struck the asset deep in his core. Something swept through him, but it was not pain or fear, it was a distinct familiarity. He tried to refocus, tried to hone in again, but it was futile, the pain, the blood loss, he was slowly fading between visions of blue eyes blinked back to muddy green. He'd see a slanted smile, one apprehensive, cautious, but pure, the other rounded, fuller, with an eased lilt to it that depicted comfort and confidence and innocence. Where blonde hair reflected the firelight, each flicker would send it pulsing back to a black knit cap atop a young, innocent face.
He shook his head, trying to find some clarity in these hallucinations, using the pain from his clenching fist to force the exhaustion away and entertain some focus, but he remained silent.
"Deal?" Sid repeated, the voice firm, honest, and commanding despite the easy patience resting along their brow.
The soldier looked them up and down and tried to find some flaw in this plan. All he could really focus on was the fact that at least it wasn't Pierce. His response after a lengthy minute was a slow and solemn nod.
"Ok Tox, let him go." Sid insisted with silent relief.
The soldier crumpled to the ground and Tox was not far after. Sid stepped forward and let Tox use them for support as they guided him to sit not too far away. Thumper followed slowly, gazing back at the soldier who, despite the pain, scrambled to his side and managed to sit himself against the moss which felt cool against his ravaged skin. He hoped that his usual regenerative capabilities would kick in quickly, before they would start their journey back to whatever triage could be set up under ground. At that point, all he had to do was escape and do his best to leave no evidence.
Unfortunately, now that they had seen his face, this was a struggle he had to reconsider. They had become a threat and he no longer could afford the luxury of allowing them to live. He knew that killing them was the easier route, it always had been before. Kill the target, complete the mission. Period.
"Here you go buddy," Sid said softly to Tox as he went to sit on the ground with Thumper at his side.
The soldier watched carefully as the torch Sid was carrying whipped away from their hand, shooting out in four different directions and into lanterns that the lined the walls, resulting in an unanimous hiss from light-sensitive eyes. With the small space fully illuminated, he watched as Sid pocketed a small silver lighter and removed a now smoldering, ruined jacket and tossed it to the ground.
"Sorry gents, but I need to see to work." Sid smiled wide, pulling the cap from their head, unfurling a long thick braid that tumbled down what the soldier now considered her back — if he could judge by her very faint curves and thin joints after she removed the bulky coat. He was surprised when she turned, her features no longer as hard as they once were when she kneeled next to her friends and reached out to them.
"You're a woman." He blinked a few times, trying to get his head on right, the healing process bringing him a little more clarity as he pushed through the pain. Now that the tunnel was brightly lit, he could assess his would be captors to the fullest extent.
Sid glanced at him with a chuckle as she fiddled with her friends injuries, "When the mood strikes." The soldier didn't understand the comment so he remained silent and inspected the others.
The large one, Tox, stood at around six feet maybe five to seven inches tall and was almost as wide as he was lengthy. Aside from his clear blue eyes and the fiery red mop of hair on his head, his body was marred by a mixture of filth, soiled, tattered clothing, and large seeping wounds covering most of his pale skin. He looked to be absolutely exhausted, so as long as the soldier stayed out of his reach, he could easily escape.
The thin one, Thumper, was a slip of a man, a line of bone and body, and no apparent reservoir of meat or muscle on his frame, however the soldier knew better than to trust his looks. Ragged clothing covered his sickly looking body, one that was frail and bowed, and it tugged a memory out of place, a familiarity and a comfort in seeing someone look so delicate.
That caused him to glance back at the one they called Sid, she looked downright frail. But the slightness of her frame was made up by the kind smile on her lips as she reached out to the man with toxic skin. She was delicate with him and almost intimate. She did not shy away from his wounds or the lethal substance that coated him. Her fingers rested on him gently, without hesitation. She murmured something softly to him and he closed his eyes, finally seeming to relax under her touch.
The slim build of the stranger was reminiscent of another lie, another life that did not belong to him. Despite Sid's rich complexion and height in comparison to the jaded memory, there was a deep seated sadness within the soldier in recognizing a determined strength in her fragility. It didn't matter if the small blonde boy from Brooklyn he could see vividly in his mind bared no resemblance to her in anything but bone density. Nonetheless, it stung.
A chuckle rose in his throat but it escaped his lips in the form of a gasp when he realized that young boy and the man on the bridge were one and the same. Memories and flashes and information from the museum that he had originally glossed over screeched along the inside of his skull. He wanted to understand why the man on the bridge looked so different and why it felt so wrong.
"Hey…"
He opened his heavy eyes, weighted with his exhaustion and pain, and met the gaze of the mysterious Sid. Before kneeling, she stood at an abnormal height for most dames — not that he knew many. She had long legs, clad in military surplus type pants tucked into tattered boots. Her stomach was flat beneath a tight tank top and her chest wasn't even remotely impressive, though she stood with all the confidence in the world behind that small, smug grin.
Her shoulders were proportional to her hips, but seemed wider because of the lack of curves, throwing her body into an illusion of imbalance that had the soldier questioning their true identity. She seemed to be all hard surfaces and sharp edges, with smooth, ageless skin and strong arms that showed signs of physical labor. Her hair was black and matted from being beneath a cap for so long, and the hefty braid it was trapped in it fell down to the dip in her spine. Her features were acute as well, calculating and able to emote anything from friendliness to sarcasm with a single lift of the brow. Though he could pick out feminine features if he looked long enough, he was not surprised that he thought she was a young man. She seemed to carry herself that way with intent.
She was smiling at him now, unimposing and waiting for his reply. She knelt down slowly, keeping her body still as she came face to face with him, her braid sliding across the back of her shoulder in a simpering attempt to breach the obstacle so it could rest across her neck and chest. With a simple flick of her head and a dip of her shoulder, it was back behind her again in one easy, practiced motion that mesmerized the soldier for a moment with its grace.
"The other guys are fine now," she grinned, "but you sure scared the shit out of them." She chuckled softly, her voice deeper, slightly rough, with severe sort of sincerity to it, like refined honey on the tongue, "Of course, that's if you care."
She smiled weakly at his lack of response, his emotionless eyes assessing her rather than seeing her. She knew that look and she knew it well — trauma? Defensiveness? It didn't matter really, because she could see his blatant fear in those clear blue eyes.
"Will you let me take a look at you?" She curled her lips further into a smile, her eyes softening as she tried to catch his attention, "I have a knack for this sort of thing, they say." She shrugged noncommittally and motioned towards the two men watching them. "If you'll let me, I can help. It shouldn't hurt, ask them. I promise, they're actually really nice — just a bit protective of each other."
"Just tingles," Tox began, tiredly eyeing the stranger with caution, his voice held no biting edge to it, "No pain at all." He cleared his throat and leaned forward, looking sheepish but in good health, "I'm sorry that I hurt you." He mumbled and the asset was actually shocked.
"He gets a little carried away sometimes," Sid added, leaning in closer to the soldier in a joking way, "Tox and Thumper over there are regular soul mates — platonic, that is." She sent a wink flying back at her two friends.
"Little hard to be anything but platonic with old lava lips over here." Thumper quipped, nudging Tox's elbow who somehow blushed through the grime on his face.
"Easy there bean-pole," Sid shot back with a humored grin. She turned to the soldier, giving him a genuine smile, "Either way, we don't want to hurt you. We are just genuinely and rightfully protective of our home."
The soldier eyed her carefully. She was no soldier, no spy. He didn't recognize the usual signs of professional or amateur espionage. The lot of them were civilians, dangerous ones maybe, but civilians nonetheless, hell bent on protecting what was theirs, something precious — family? friends? lovers? What did he know of precious things?
"Home?" He finally ground out, his voice hoarse from disuse.
She nodded, surprise tempering her smile as she replied, "Yeah," she sat back on her heels and shrugged with open arms, "promise not to kill-and-tell and I think we can manage to get you cleaned up, maybe grab a meal?" She added with allure and watched as the soldier swallowed heavily in thought, a clear desperation peaking in his eyes.
She slowly leaned in closer, keeping eye contact with him until the last moment so she could inspect some of the holes the acid burnt through his clothes and skin, "I can help with clothes and I'm pretty sure I can help you with these," she nodded to the burns generally, "though they don't look nearly as bad as when I first turned on the lights." She returned to eye level, a cordial grin on her lips and curiosity burning in those dark eyes, "I can get you up and running, but you should probably see a doctor or something to get yourself back to 100%."
He shook his head, not wanting anymore exposure, "I'm fine." He used the wall as leverage to get to his feet and she scrambled back at the speed and fluidity of his movements. Tox and Thumper were exhausted but reacted anyway, trying to get themselves to their feet quickly if the soldier decided to become confrontational again. Clenching his jaw to ward off the pain of his ravaged skin against his tattered clothing and the annoyance from social interaction, the asset brushed some of the hair out of his face and stared down at her.
He noticed that she put up a hand to stop the two others from coming to her aid. She got her feet back under herself and stood to her full height as well — only about a half a head shorter than him.
She met his eyes and did not seem afraid, she actually seemed smug. Crossing her arms with a charming grin, she leaned forward and spoke, "Your weak ass attempt at machismo don't impress me much." She stepped forward and raised one hand to his chest and another to his forehead. Before her fingertips made contact with his skin, she eyed him with a coy tilt to her lips and a dare in her eyes.
"Trust me?"
Before he could formulate a calculated response, a distant reply rolled off of his tongue in a voice that seemed unfamiliar, "Wanna give me something good to rely on, doll face?"
Her grin widened for a short second and she cleared her throat back to impassivity, "Nice." She muttered sheepishly before she placed her hands on him.
His vision abruptly illuminated and with that came a feeling of utter weightlessness. When his vision cleared, he blinked heavily, an ease of spirit washing over him that was daunting and strange. He looked down at the young woman who was standing before him, flippant and grinning and he just watched as she sized him up.
He frowned back at her, a sharp distaste for whatever she did to cause that evasive freeing sensation, but then he noticed that the pain had all but subsided. He raised his hand to stare at his previously blistering knuckles and was surprised to see the melted skin already healed over and a hell of a lot less irritated than before. Burns that would even take him days to heal were now peeling off in places with fresh skin underneath.
When he looked back into her eyes, he couldn't help the glare he leveled at her that caused her to take a tentative step back, "What are you?" He growled, more out of shock than anger. He had experienced many odd things, or so his brain rationalized, but this was a whole new level of strange.
She simply shrugged, looking unhindered by the fact that she had just healed him like some messiah of old. She smiled up at him, the type of smile that made the room a little less grim as she placed a delicate hand on her chest, "I'm what's called a Sid. And what, exactly, are you?"
A buh sound formed on his lips but he stopped himself before the sound escaped his throat. He flexed his metal fist, the whirring sounded troublesome.
"James." He muttered.
She nodded, "Nice to meet you James."
Sid extended her hand to him and he stared down at it, almost unsure of what to do. He glanced back up at her and she had an expectant grin on her face. He reached out, slowly and took her hand in his.
She shook his hand only twice and then took a step back to allow him some space. "Now why don't we get back to the main tunnel and get some clothes and food?" She turned back to look at Thumper and Tox who nodded an uneasy assent.
He frowned heavily, unsure of how to interpret her actions and behavior, but to his credit, the other men looked just as befuddled as he felt, "I don't understand."
Sid softened her smile, "Not from around here, I'm guessing?"
He coiled himself tight, ready for her accusations, ready for another fight, ready for the kill should he need to bolt and escape without leaving a trail. A plan was forming in his mind quickly.
"Homeless?" She eyed him carefully, "Maybe from D.C. or the outskirts of New York?" She added and apprehension curled in his gut, he didn't want to kill — well, at least, he didn't want to kill her, now that he had a choice and all. "A lot of people got displaced because of what happened in New York with the whole alien thing." She continued, blasé, "It's not exactly better now since D.C." Her tone took on a serious note, "You aren't the only one to have your life destroyed by what's happening. I know someplace that you can rest, but you have to make good with the Morlocks first. You've been squatting in their territory without permission and injured two of their own." She rocked back on her heels and grimaced slightly, "There used to be a harsher penalty for behavior like that, but we're trying really hard to restructure down here. There's enough murdering assholes topside, I figure." She finished with a shrug.
He felt a jolt shoot through him at the mention of the Morlocks, the name sounding familiar though he didn't know why. So James, as he so aptly named himself, tried not to sigh as he sized her up. She oozed honesty, wearing emotions and behaviors for all to see and it made her easy to read. What she offered was something he sorely needed. As of right now, he had no resources, no agenda, and no weapons. With a little help, he could successfully get back on his feet and decide which direction to go in. He adjusted his stance and rolled the tension and anger out of his shoulders, adopting a more relaxed, submissive pose, "Agreed."
Sid smiled wide again, insurmountably pleased, "Good." She nudged him gently on his metal arm with her fist and paused for a moment at the feeling of it under his sleeve, but quickly shrugged it off with a grin on her lips, "We'll do some vague introductions and mediation with a friend of mine, James." She turned on her heel as she pulled something out of her pocket and with a flick of her wrist, the lanterns extinguished as the fire shot back towards her, causing James to stumble back in surprise. She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Sorry, I should have warned you about that, but I think that out of any place you could be, here is where you'll find the most comfort. Even if it's odd."
He watched intently as the flames licked across her skin, an inferno at her fingertips, but it did her no harm. His eyes widened in disbelief, but he made to follow her, keeping a small distance for safety's sake, "And where exactly am I?"
Tox and Thumper followed at a discreet distance, so he focused in on Sid as she began to lead him through the myriad of tunnels with a grin on her face, "Welcome to The Alley, James." She turned to watch his reaction and seemed pleased with the stern scowl on his face, "Everything you think you know, just got weirder."
He wanted to be suspicious of her, he honestly did, but the mischief in her eyes and the drawl of her words gave every indication that he would probably never doubt her again.
Wow sorry for the glitch in formatting!