Well, we're trying to end this one quick.

kmf's stuff: yep. we want it over with. so if you were a fan of our first one, look for the next story. it should be out soon and better than this 1 was. and despite it bein a romantic interlude, its still gonna have action. think of our next story as a romantic building block of sorts.

curt's crap: shite, i have no clue what's happened in the last two chapters...

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Chapter Ten

"John, you said to come find you if anything happened with Trent and they had to move him. He's bleeding out and they can't stop it," Stuart said so fast John almost missed it, as he teleported in front of the pyro, who happened to still be muttering about deranged women at the time. Immediately, he stopped walking and stared at the other mutant. Stuart reached out and grabbed his arm. With a 'bamf!' they disappeared from the previous hallway they'd stood in and reappeared in the Infirmary.

The place was in an uproar, doctors rushing around, trying to find supplies they knew they didn't have. Trent was convulsing on the bed in which they'd moved him to, eyes wide open in a pained and shocked expression, chocking noises coming from him every now and then. The blood had gotten everywhere.

"What happened?" John demanded. The doctors went about their way, ignoring him as they tried to help Trent. It continued that way, with him convulsing and the doctors running around, for a good five minutes before Trent suddenly went limp and silent. His eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling. There was no doubt in anyone's mind: He was dead. No one could bring themselves to move, until finally, one of the doctors walked over to John and grabbed his arm, leading him from the room and into the waiting area. He vaguely recognised her to be Naomi.

"He was stable. We tried moving him. We lifted the bed sheets under him, but when we laid him on the bed, he was already bleeding. We thought it was safe to move him into recuperation. There's another patient coming in who needed the intensive care side of the room -- someone's powers backfired on them. There was nothing we could do. We weren't even equiped right to try. I'm very sorry."

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"Why'd you call a meeting, John?" Erika asked as he entered the room. He looked around the room and found Marie sitting next to Remy. Puzzled that he'd brought her to a meeting, he dropped heavily into a chair, wanting nothing more than to be sick. Those who looked at him could see it, too, in the paleness of his skin and the look in his eyes.

"Trent died," he said, his voice quiet and resigned, as though he felt it were all his fault. The room fell silent. No one had anything to say.

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They stood in the spot not far from where Ian had stopped travelling, looking out over the space between them and the mutants they knew waited for them. Gearson stood in front of everyone, encouraging them for the fight to come. There were maybe three hundred soldiers ready to fight the mutants or die.

"It's time for us to bring the fight to them. They've come to us twice. It's time we attack at the center of their union. The very base of their leader. They won't see this coming. That will give us the advantage this time. Now, gather your weapons. It's time to fight!" he shouted over the army, who errupted into cheers as he finished. They were sure, it was the day they were going to take down the resistance for good and force the mutants to be a part of society.

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No one knew they were coming until Rhane sniffed them out. She immediately ran to the hallway where John and Remy slept. Pounding on both doors frantically, she sniffed the air again and realized they were much closer than before. She could already smell the metal and the adrenaline.

"What?" John snapped, yanking his door open so fast it almost slammed into the wall. Remy opened his door only seconds later. When Rhane glanced into his room she noticed Marie standing back in the room in what she could have sworn was a sheet. Rhane smiled inwardly, but there were more important things happening that she had to warn John and Remy of.

"They've come, John. At least three hundred humans. I can smell them oan the air. They're lookin' fir a fight, the bastards," she almost yelled, grabbing John's arm sleeve and shaking him as she spoke. Every warrior had gotten used to sleeping in something they could get out of bed and fight in in seconds, and John and Remy were no exception. Remy had to duck into his room and pull a shirt and some shoes on, while John slipped on some shoes and disappeared down the hall, mumbling to himself much in the same fashion he had earlier that day.

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"C'mon, ma chere. I'm sure you done heard the ruckus," Remy said to Marie as he scrounged round for a shirt, settling on a grey T-shirt thrown in the corner. He pulled it over his head, hair sticking up wildly as he pulled it the rest of the way on, leaning forward and kissing Marie's cheek.

"I'll be along," Marie said. She'd noticed Rhane's fleeting, but nevertheless knowing glance. And now she was glowing red as a beacon, sheet that was wrapped about her pulled up and clutched tightly.

"Alright, then, cherie. See ya down there." Remy snatched up his black bandana and headed out, running to catch up with John.

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They had all gathered in the main hangar of the base. The council members stood around John and Remy, in a furious conversation with their leaders. Stuart, Shasa, Ryan and Erika were with the people they'd brought with them, filling them in. The rest of the army were standing around talking amongst themselves. When the council and the four met up, the conversations escalated to yelling.

"We have to go out there and face them head on. This is going to become a massacre if we don't. They'll follow us until we do fight!" Lance yelled. Several of the council members nodded their heads in agreement.

"We can't. We need to evacuate. Leave here and find somewhere else. This is not the place for our army to go up against theirs," Shasa shouted.

"The humans are severely outnumbered. We can take them." That seemed to be the almost unanimous sentiment.

"Stop arguing. It won't do us any good. We fight. Stuart, find some teleporters and have them get anyone injured or sick out of here and then come and find me. We're gonna need you. Marie, I know how much you want to be in this fight, but I really need you to not argue with me on this one. Please, take the children and anyone who can't fight. Find them a safe place to hide. Once you do, you can return if you think you would be a contribution. They think they're gonna bring this fight to us. They're wrong. We're takin' it to them," John's voice was quiet, yet commanding as he spoke. Nobody so much as whispered during his speech either. Marie stepped forward a moment later.

"I'll return after I find them a place," she said, suddenly realizing that he was trusting her for the first time since she'd joined up with them. Seizing the opportunity to get his friendship back and prove not all humans are worthless, she turned on her heel and went to get the children and lead them away.

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They had left the hangar in silence, all contimplating different things, worried of what the night might bring. The air was thick with tension. Not a single person spoke as they lined up on a hill outside the hangar, ready to defend themselves the best they could. It was something they had been preparing for since the resistance had been put together. John turned to look at Remy, who sent him a knowing look.

"We'll be a'ight, mon ami."

"I know. I'm more worried about the one's were leading possibly to their death than I am about us," John admitted, glancing behind him and scanning the crowd of mutants, all looking worried, but ready.

"Don' let it get to you, mon ami. Death is a part of war. They chose to be in that war. People will die, and it ain't gonna be your fault every time. Unless you killed 'em," Remy told him. John sighed and nodded, knowing he was right.

"Sometimes, I wonder where I would be if you hadn't of stuck with me," John said. They both smirked at each other. That was when the first shout was heard. Then everybody began yelling to get their attention, pointing to the horizon. The two turned to look and, sure enough, an army of humans were marching over the hill ahead of them.

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(The lyric in the page break is from "Violence Fetish" by Disturbed.)