Insensitive
Summary: A young experimental soldier escapes Manticore and searches for clues to a memory she can't quite piece together. Logan, with the help of the escaped X5's, plans an attack in memory of Max. S1, postAJBAC, AU, no evacuation of Manticore or 'nomalies, but plans for Alec. Implied ML, R&R Please!
Pairing: ML implied
Rating: K+
Notes: Not too much action. Still trying my hardest.
Chapter 9: I've Had It Up To Here
The realization that Jo didn't necessarily care if she made it back to the penthouse weighed heavy on her shoulders and something must have shown through her eyes because Krit's resolve crumbled almost immediately. He tugged her towards him without much thought and wrapped his arms around her protectively. Jo felt silly just standing there, but she had no idea what to do. She was well versed in anatomy, physiology, reproduction and the gestation of most mammals, but never once did Manticore let affection or romance show through those lessons. Sure, Jo had heard some of the X5's and X6's make crude and suggestive remarks about how things happen on the outside during missions, and there was a rumor here and now about a soldier becoming pregnant by a guard, but she had never seen- never even heard of things like this.
Krit's right hand had her by the base of the skull, while the other slid around to the middle of her back. He was nearly a foot taller than Jo and she found herself unable to see anything but the unfocused corner of his shoulder. Johndy had hugged Jo a handful of times, sweetly tucking her into her side like a child, but this full bodied grasp definitely left Jo's realm of understanding.
It lasted longer than she thought it would, but apparently not as long as Krit would like, and soon he turned abruptly from her and led her by the hand further into the increasingly deep underground.
Jo distracted herself by watching as the hidden buildings became taller and the path became less traveled. It had been several minutes since they'd passed the last quiet homeless bundle of tattered belongings, seemingly the more treacherous and much darker areas were not a place even the desperate wanted to stay.
They'd only made it another block before Krit turned to her again and threaded his hand along her jaw and into her hair. For the second time that day Jo found their foreheads pressed together. Now that the threat of their previous follower was gone, her sensitized skin reacted interestingly to the feeling of a strange hand on her head. Krit still had her hand, and she let her other arm dangle uselessly as he closed his eyes and waged some war with himself.
Jo didn't know what was happening, couldn't even guess that Krit was arguing himself out of kissing her for all he was worth. The quiet, self-depreciating indifference that shone through her eyes when she realized she was probably not going to see many more days stabbed Krit with a desperate feeling he'd only ever experienced the night they'd lost Max. There was something up with this girl, something dangerous and not to be hugged and groped in the Seattle Underground, but he couldn't stop. Couldn't stop. He could tell she didn't know what to do about the affection he was showing her, but that didn't stop him either.
Finally, the thoughts of kissing her down in the damp darkness trickled out of his brain and a plausible cover story started to take shape for why their short walk had taken a handful of hours. He once again let go of her face and stared at her for a few long moments before dropping her hand and turning and walking towards a mostly concealed rope ladder hidden off to their left. Krit started up it, looked below him for a moment to make sure Jo was following, and then finally led them both out into the fresh air once again.
Krit waited for a brief moment while Jo caught up and offered her his hand to help her out. This exit was concealed at the back of an alley, hidden by dumpsters and out of sight of the passers-by. Krit first had found the underground at this entrance which was just a few blocks from Logan's, and knew his way home well. Krit kept a hold of Jo's hand until the entrance of Foggle Towers was in sight, but then dropped it nonchalantly knowing Logan had surveillance cameras all over the façade of the building.
"Whoo!" Jo flinched when Syl exclaimed off to her right as she and Krit finally made it back into the penthouse. "You two are ripe!" Syl was jokingly waving her hand in front of her face and took their jackets to keep them from placing the smelling fabric on Logan's furniture.
"Where have you been?" Zane asked Krit critically, eyeing the two of them critically.
Krit grinned and clapped a friendly hand on Jo's shoulder as he told the small welcoming party that he'd spent the last four hours showing Jo the underground. The grip he had on her shoulder was nothing compared to the gentle touches he'd spared her over the last several hours, even when he'd finally convinced himself she was keeping something big and dangerous from him. She wobbled under his force as he removed his hand and subtly ushered his brother into another room.
"Ugh," Syl placed a hand on her shoulder and regarded Jo's entire form. Jo knew she looked like a shell of a human, she was too confused and worn down to pretend to care about this strangely friendly exchange, and her arms hung uselessly at her side after Syl had peeled the jacket out of Jo's hands. Syl mistook the defeat as sleepiness and started to lead Jo towards the bathroom. "Ok, shower, then nap for you."
The two of them got Jo situated in the spare bathroom and Jo took her time undressing herself, not bothering to shut the door that had bounced back a few centimeters after Syl left. She could hear Krit telling the story of how they'd acquired a tail at the waterfront and descended into the underground to disappear. He did omit one very crucial factor though, he made sure the other trangenics understood that Jo knew nothing of the tail and was under the impression that she was being shown a hidden tunnel for fun.
Jo ran her hands over her face and stepped into the spray of clean water after setting the faucet at the exact spot Syl had placed it on her first day.
In the emotional wreckage of the day Jo actually did fall asleep after her shower. It was only midafternoon, but the day had taken a toll on her and she nodded off quietly on the couch laying in her usual position.
"It's weird, right?" Johndy asked Syl, looking on as the young girl slept with her body and limbs completely straight.
"It wasn't weird until she didn't fall asleep that way and ended up there anyhow." Syl answered, though she barely spared a glance up from the paper she was looking over.
Johndy humpf'ed and went back to her share of the documents. They were trying to catch Manticore's paper trail, and though it was not what the soldiers were designed for the mundane work actually helped calm them both down while so many things seemed to be out of control.
"You see how Krit looked at her today?" Syl asked very quietly, this time not looking up at all.
Johndy nodded her head even though they weren't looking at each other. A beat, then, "None of this is gonna be pretty."
