Chapter 28

Paralyzed

. . .

Angie's breath hitched after just a few moments of running and the cold air scratched her throat. Every time a lightning lit up the sky in bright, white light, she would flinch in shock. When she had been running a good distance, she slowed down to catch her breath. That didn't really succeed for her, for she constantly looked around her in terror of meeting Charlie once again.

With her heart sitting in her throat, she backed up slowly as she could keep her eyes on the road she had come from. However, her breath was cut short when she backed straight into someone. That only triggered her defense-mode immediately, causing her to swing her fist without even thinking. First, when her knuckles made their impact with the victims jaw, she realized who she had bumped into.

"AH! Geez! What was that for?!" Jim whined in pain and held his jaw, feeling disorientated for a moment.

Angie's eyes opened wide when she realized and she covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh Gods! I'm so sorry - I didn't know it was you. Are you alright?!" She asked, her eyes filled with worry when she examined the boys jaw, her hands now resting on his arms to support him.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Ah. I guess," Jim said though he had to direct a bit on his jaw to be sure it still sat on its place.

Angie let go of a sigh in relief. "Oh that was good," she whispered to herself before her attitude completely changed into anger. "How dare you scaring me like that!" she snapped.

Both Jim and Morph flinched when Angie suddenly pushed Jim back by his chest in annoyance. "Woh! Hey, I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to scare you!" he said, only able to raise one hand since he held his broken solar surfer in the other and a bag over his shoulder. He didn't really feel like he deserved her fury.

"Well you did," Angie said sharply and crossed her arms like a pouting child, not wanting to look him in the eye for the moment. "You can't just leave like that - I thought they had captured you," she said, not able to keep her voice from cracking a bit. In fact, the whole reunion with Charlie had shaken her a lot, so she was vulnerable against everything that happened around her.

Noticing her state, Jim and Morph took a glance at each other before the boy let his voice soften, trying to calm her down. "Okay, look, all I did was going back to get the stuff that had been confiscated, it's not that big of a deal-AAH!"

Jim cried out in pain and clutched his side when a burning hot ball of light collided with the side of his body. The impact made multiple electrical shocks rush through him as his muscles withdrew together in cramping motions, forcing him to his knees.

Angie's body flinched when she heard the boy scream out in pain, only to see him fall to the ground, clutching his arm and side. "Jim!" she exclaimed in terror, watching the boy's muscles cramp painfully. Falling to her knees, she caught him in her embrace, as if that could take the discomfort out of him.

Jim's eyes were squeezed hardly closed and he had trouble breathing normally because of his cramping body.

Just from those actions Angie had seen, she could tell what was going on. "Paralyzing pistols," she whispered in both relief and fright, since that at least was better than a deadly bullet. Not that Jim's gasping and withering was much more comforting to witness.

With her heart sitting in her throat, Angie jerked her head up, her eyes opening wide when she realized who had fired off the shot. As if the meeting with his son wasn't enough.

"We should have done this at the very beginning," Commissioner Clarkson said firm as always and loaded his blaster once again, the smoke still rising from the previous shot. Just the sight of him made Morph scream and hide in the pocket of Angie's jacket. "Everything gets a lot easier when they don't move," The Commissioner said and handed the blaster back to the staff beside him. He didn't even seem to care about how much pain he had caused the poor boy.

It made Angie nothing less than furious to know, he didn't gave a damn for it. However, not a winkle changed the slightest in the Commissioner's old face.

To back up her thoughts, Jim inhaled sharply when another set of cramps caused through his body. The girl's eyes softened in pity when she directed her gaze down towards him, just holding him close to her. "J-Jim. Jim just breathe. It will be over soon," she assured, not daring to move her eyes away from him while he laid partly limp in her arms. She knew how unpleasant those shots felt. She had tried it before.

Bill watched the two intruders from a distance in silence, the staff members behind him just patiently waiting for him to give them orders. Though he wore the same serious expression as he always did, his brain was creaking and spinning with thoughts. And some of them referred to his son.

"Still no response from Officer Clarkson?" the old Mister asked, his grey eyes locked on the intruders. He didn't quite like calling his son by such a professional title, especially not in a situation like this. Yet he had to remain as objective as possible. That was just how it was.

"No Sire," one of the staff members said as an answer on his question. "There is no signal running through to the transmitter. All lines of communication has been mysteriously blocked,"

Bill furrowed his bushy eyebrows even more, only making the deep winkles on his forehead even clearer. "Very well. We must take care of that later. We have other things to finish at first," he said, though it hurt him to put his very own son aside like that. But of it was for the majority's best, then so be it. Yet he couldn't keep himself from giving the red-haired girl a blaming scowl, as if he cursed her in silent hate, for being the cause of every miserable phenomena in the galaxy. Such glare felt like an arrow shooting right through you.

Angie didn't care much about it. At least she didn't let it show. She just reciprocated his look with a similar scowl, though she knew the Commissioner well enough to be sure, that it wouldn't have the slightest effect on him.

The young girl's eyes softened once again, when Jim's body stopped cramping in her arms. That allowed him to breathe freely, but his teeth stayed gritted together while he clutched his side, the belonging arm limp from the shot. "A-ah," he groaned, followed by a sharp inhale through his teeth. "My arm. I can't move it. What the heck was that?" he spoke strained, his body still getting a short set of cramps once in a while.

Angie sighted partly in relief and partly in apology. "You've been shot by a paralyzing pistol. If they're shot right they temporarily paralyze the muscles which they hit," she explained and gently stroke his head. She didn't even know why, she just felt like it.

"That makes sense," Jim said, but groaned when another set of cramps caused through his arm. Angie couldn't help but smile a little at his commend, knowing that he would be alright in some time. Asking for herself, she was not so sure.

Bill watched the two in silence from a distance, just witnessing them as if they were a pair of untamed animals. "I don't want any more risks to be taken throughout this catastrophe," he said dead seriously, his eyes never once leaving their locked position at the intruders. "Shoot her," he then ordered straight and harshly, before he turned his back at the staffs, his worn hands held on his back all the time.

The officer which he had talked to, let his six eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

"Shoot her?" another one asked in shock.

"You heard me Officers - just get it over with," Bill said without even glancing back.

"But she is steady - unarmed even," a third one supplemented.

"That's just yet another reason for us to end this while we still can," The Commissioner spoke harshly.

"But Sir I-"

"I said shoot her!" The Commissioner ordered, his sharp voice echoing through the atmosphere. The officers flinched in shock when The Commissioner suddenly turned towards them, his grey eyes feeling as if they cut right through them. Those eyes alone could make anyone feel peony.

With the Commissioner towering above him, the officer which the order was directed at, lowered his head and nodded it a single time. "As you want. Sir Commissioner," he said, knowing he had nothing to say against this. When Bill had taken a decision, no one could rock his choice. The only person, who had ever been able to, was long gone.

Angie glared back at the officer when he loaded his pistol and aimed at her from further down the pathway, his hands shaking as he kept his arm straight. Actually, Angie's fury wasn't directed towards that certain staff member. She could spot a look of hesitation any time. No, her anger was directed straight at the Commissioner and the Commissioner only. Her body temperature were already changing, though she did her best to keep it under control, since she didn't want to harm the cramping boy in her arms.

However, before she could even reach to defend herself, she was met by the sound of a coughing engine, coming closer from behind. Angie's sight was constantly disturbed by the lightning storm that lid up the grey sky, but when she turned to look over her shoulder, a new form of light finally showing up in the distance, there was no doubt what it was.

"Sir. What is that?" One of the officers asked, though everyone clearly thought the same. Bill narrowed his eyes since he couldn't see much for the sharp front lamp on the motor cycle.

Angie couldn't help but let a smile spread across her lips when she realized. "Dustin," she whispered in relief, finally letting her shoulders fall back down, though the saturation were tense as ever.

The glowing light form Dustin's motor cycle was not to be mistaken, as it quickly neared the police station. Even though the relatively smoothly driving machine sounded like it would burn out and fall apart any time, it drove fast across the plain landscape.

"Keep your weapons loaded," Bill simply ordered, not giving any further explanation of the strange light. After all, all he knew was that he had a bad feeling about the situation.

Shielded by a worn motorcycle helmet, Dustin reached into the pocket of his jacket and found a round machine; much similar to the one Angie had stolen from Anthony. Pressing down a button, he started the engine before letting go of the machine as it drove across the moist ground with spikes to keep it from sliding around. The machine quickly reached its destination and stopped just between Angie and the officers, dogging its spikes into the ground before it exhaled tons of thick smoke from several holes in its hull.

Bill's eyes opened wide when the smoke engulfed the entire area, and made it hard to breathe freely, let alone that it was stinging in their eyes and nose. Those who had been caught in the middle of it all, was coughing and gasping for fresh air, while they frantically tried to find their way out of the smoke. No one dared to shoot, since they had no chance of knowing who they would be shooting at, leaving them defenseless and all over lose sensation for their surroundings.

Angie quickly turned her head away and bent in over Jim's face, to shield both of them from the cough-provoking smoke. Not that Angie found the smoke further annoying to her eyes nor breathing. She was used to this kind of smoke. After all, she had participated filling it into the machine. Asking for the officers, they were not as lucky.

Coming as called, Dustin stopped the rumbling machine just before Angie and Jim, making dust and sand appear in clouds around him when he scotched the wide wheels across the ground.

Bill's eyes opened wide when he finally caught sight of the new offender through the thick cloud of smoke. Though he couldn't see much, he was more than certain, that what he saw was real. He would be able to recognize that wreck of a motorcycle any time!

"You?!" he almost spit out in contempt at the sight of Dustin's hidden appearance.

"Surprised?~" Dustin replied, playful as ever, before he swiftly dragged a pistol from the side of his motorcycle, only to fire off an electric ball of shorting material.

Bill's breath got caught in his throat, but he quickly acted. "THROW ALL WEAPONS!" he shouted, making the officers throw their weapons just before the ball hit the ground and made a net of shorting electricity fill the atmosphere. Those who didn't reach to let go of their weapons, would have a painful wave of chock course through them, forcing their bodies to give in an collapse. This spread panic through the group and made almost everyone lose focus from the original target.

"Quite a mess you got yourself in here," Dustin said when there finally was a hole to speak, the black shade of his helmet hiding his face entirely.

"Dustin, this is not the time," Angie said seriously, knowing they had to get out of there as quickly as possible. With a little trouble, she got Jim up standing, making sure to support him so he wouldn't fall.

"Right, right, I'll taunt you when we get home," Dustin replied in a playful tone, his voice muffled through the shade. In fact, he didn't really sound like he took the situation seriously. He definitely wasn't as tense as Angie was at this time.

Reaching out without leaving his place on the motorcycle, Dustin helped the tumultuous Jim stay upright.

Jim clutched his arm, the numb feeling embracing him all along the side of his torso. "Ah! Is this what you call an escape?" he questioned, so far not impressed by the get away vessel. The attitude of its driver wasn't pleasant either.

"You bet. First class even~," Dustin said confidently, only causing Jim to roll his eyes at him as he got himself trawled up in the seat. Though he was no longer unconscious, his sight was constantly shifting form clear to blurry, and he had to exert himself to make any sense of the sounds around him.

As soon as Jim was saturated, Angie took a firm grip on Dustin's hand. "Thank you for coming," she said and let him pull her up between himself and Jim. A dour and dull expression had found its way onto her face and the tone in her voice wasn't pleasant either.

"Don't thank me," Dustin simply said, just letting her wrap her arms around his torso in silence.

Jim didn't like her being so dull. Yet he couldn't make himself say anything that could cheer her up. In fact, he felt out of place. As if he was nothing but dead weight on the back of the motorcycle. He didn't even dare to hold onto nothing but the seat, only able to use one of his arms for securing.

Dustin, however, didn't seem to be effected by the gloomy mood. Hell, why should he? He hadn't even been there, still he was practically treated like a hero. All he had done was show up like another biker and pretend to be the greatest rescue the world has ever seen. It made Jim want to throw up.

"Perhaps you could come in the right time next time," The young man muttered, certainly not finding this 'savior' rather impressing.

As if he could read the boy's mind, Dustin glanced back at Jim, a smirk spreading underneath his helmet for certainty. "You should just be thankful I came to get you kiddo," he said and gassed up by pulling the handles of the rumbling motorcycle.

Jim frowned in dissatisfaction, just silently dogging his nails into the leather seat, pretending it was the impudent biker's throat, he was impaling in fury.

Despite his limp arm, the young boy managed to keep himself on the vessel when Dustin suddenly let go of the breaks, causing the motorcycle to jerk forward. All it took was a sharp turn and then they were speeding across the plain landscape, only a cloud of sand and dust left behind them.

Angie held onto Dustin's shirt while they drove, pulling herself up close against his back as she could lay her head between his shoulder blades. The wind was harsh and cold against her skin, but her body temperature stayed the same. Either way it wasn't the warmth she wanted from him. It was the protection. The knowledge that he was right there and that he would keep her far away from Charlie, from Commissioner Clarkson and everyone else that would hurt her.

With the tears scratching in her throat, Angie tightened her grip on Dustin's torso and squeezed her eyes closed, just breathing in the scent of his clothes. Had he only been there when she needed him, perhaps she wouldn't feel so terrible now. But that was just not Dustin's way to do things. She knew him well enough to be aware, that he practically lived in his own time zone. Still she had, had a small hope that he might have arrived sooner this time. But he hadn't. Still his appearance at the very moment helped her find comfort within all the misery she felt. That was one of the main reasons she liked him, eventually.

. . .

When the thick smoke finally dissolved into the atmosphere, the damage finally revealed in the befuddled group of officers. Those who weren't effected or unconscious by the electrical shock, were coughing and calling assistance for the ones who needed it. Soon everyone gained their orientation back and the situation slowly got under control. Luckily the electrical shock hadn't been as strong as they would course further significant damage to the individuals, but the weapons were as good as useless by now.

Coughing as his voice turned hoarse, Bill waved away the last smoke from his face, just watching the intruders disappear on their motorcycle. The fact that he was practically powerless made the rage pump through his vanes, his knuckles turning white from him squeezing his fists so hardly closed.

"Sir?"

"WHAT?!" The Commissioner's eyes lightened in fury when he jerked his whole body around, only to confront a flinching officer.

The poor staff barely dared to speak in fright, but managed to pull himself together. "I-I was just going to ask what we are s-supposed to do. N-now when the intruders has escaped," he stammered while he sank deeper and deeper down between his shoulders, the Commissioner's rage cutting right through him. "…Sir," he swallowed hard, not daring to move his eyes away from the threatening officer.

The Commissioner gritted his teeth so hardly together that the muscles in his jaw highlighted. "What to do?!" he exclaimed, coursing the poor officer to flinch once again when the Commissioner placed his forefinger on his chest. "I want a patrol following that creaking vessel right away! I want the communication system back on track, I want every single one of the aching officers on the mend and I want it immediately! I want this situation under control NOW!" he practically shouted, his voice reaching the point where it rattled through the officer's bones.

The now shaking staff member nodded his head quickly, trying to stand up straight despite the Commissioner now leaned in over him in fury. "O-of cause Sir - W-will happen Sir," he stammered, before hurrying down the gradually crowded pathway, where officers were in full swing on gaining control of the situation.

Bill took in a deep breath, mostly for the sake of not exploiting in rage. Standing up straight, he directed on his uniform as he let out a huff, but he only reached to take a single step before he froze. The winkles returned to his forehead when he realized he had bumped into the smoke machine that had coursed their disorientation. Picking up the machine, an exasperated expression taking place on his face, the old Commissioner squeezed the metallic machine hardly in his hand, the iron giving in between his fingers.

However, his thoughts were interrupted when a well-known voice spoke up behind him. "Commissioner,"

Bill immediately jerked his head back when he recognized his son. "Charlie?!" he exclaimed, a slight sight of relief and surprise showing in his voice. However, the sight he was met by was far from what he had expected. The officer he had left to take care of his duties, were now looking as if he had been rolling down the highest mountain on Montressor. His face was scratched and muddy, his metallic leg cracking beneath him and his trousers were ripped apart. Still he acted the best he could, as if everything was in perfect order.

"What happened here? This looks like a warzone," Charlie asked in shock while he came limping closer, trying hard to ignore the stinging pain that coursed through his swollen thigh.

Nevertheless, it only took a single glance at his leg before Bill's voice turned straight back to its usual, strict self. "Are you serious questioning me that when you, yourself is showing up in this condition?!" he hissed sharply as soon as his eyes caught sight of the wide open wound that had colored Charlie's ripped trousers bloody red. "What in the galaxy have you been doing Officer?! How dare you leaving your group like that?!" He said, his eyes wide in both anger and concern. The anger was showing the most though, as he rushed up to his wounded son, grabbing a tight hold on his jaw to examine the flick mark that trailed along the young man's face.

"Ah!" Charlie cringed in pain, his hurting leg nearly collapsing under him when he tried in vain to move his jaw out of his father's strong hold. Knowing he wasn't going to escape this, the young man opened his narrowed eyes, only to see the furious and frustrated face of his father. He didn't even try to come up with a bad excuse for his condition. He knew it was for no use. Still there was no pity to find in his father's eyes. At least not what he could read. All he saw was disappointment and that somehow hurt more than any of his wounds.

"They did this. Didn't they?" Commissioner Clarkson questioned through clutched teeth, never once moving his eyes away from his son.

"It was no big deal," Charlie said a little strained, since his jaw hurt, but he was soon brought to cringe once again when Bill released his grip on him with a harsh motion.

"Don't you dare avoiding the question Officer!" The Commissioner snapped, his eyes lightening in fury. "This was your last chance - You knew so! Still you go straight against my orders of staying together with your group! Look what mess you've brought yourself in now! What mess you brought everyone into!" he hissed furiously his glare feeling as if it cut right through Charlie.

The young man didn't even dare to look his father in the eye anymore. He just lowered his head like a guilty dog, suddenly feeling puny beside the Commissioner. And that craved a lot for him to feel.

Having his frown create even deeper winkles in his forehead, Bill stood up straight, now towering above his ashamed son. "I should have trusted my intuition when it told me you wasn't ready for this," he muttered, the guilt of having part of the blame of his son's condition still not shining through his rough facade.

Taking another glance on Charlie's wide open leg, the old man's expression changed just a bit, the sight of the painful wound shooting a sharp wave of regret and worry through him. As if the metallic replacements didn't concern him enough already. He had been so close to lose that impudent lad before, he couldn't risk it once again. Hell, he loved him more than anything else in that godforsaken galaxy! He just didn't know how to say it. All he knew was that he had taken his last risk in this case.

Frowning in certainty, The Commissioner raised his head to look at his son. "I mean what I said. I promised you a second chance and that you got and failed as expected," he said, the disappointment making Charlie sink deeper down between his shoulders, knowing what was laying ahead of him.

With a straight expression on his face, The Commissioner pressed the smoke machine against Charlie's chest when he stepped up on the side of him. "You only have yourself to thank for this," he muttered harshly, having the disheartened Charlie take the round machine before he passed him. "Get your wounds cleaned and wrapped up. I'll have a nurse see you as soon as this is over," Bill spoke over his shoulder, his voice just a tad softer this time, though it didn't show as much pity and loving as one would expect from a father.

Charlie let his shoulders fall back down, not daring to look back at his father at that moment. He had failed big time. Screwed up once again! He had, had the chance to catch both the offenders, but because of his hesitation, he too failed on that task. How could he even call himself an Officer?

"Yes. Sir Commissioner," Charlie simply sighted, his voice dull and discouraged as ever.

Bill nodded his head a single time, not feeling as if his job was done just yet. Still he couldn't find anything else to say. He had never been good at words. They always ended up coming out wrong in some way or another. The whole part of cheering up his son when he had managed to hurt himself or course trouble in some way had always been the job of his wife. Now that burden just laid on his shoulders as well. It had done for some time.

With a discouraged sigh, Bill laid his hand on Charlie's shoulder, giving it a fatherly squeeze before he walked off with hesitating steps.

Charlie didn't really react on his father's touch. At least not external. When he walked off, the young man raised his gaze from the machine in his hands, a frown finding its way on his face. Though the intruders were long gone in the distance, it was as if the cloud of dust and dirt they had left behind still infected the atmosphere.

As he stood there, his hurting leg shaking beneath him while the blood soaked his pant leg, the young officer felt the rage pump around through his veins. Perhaps he had part of the blame for this misery, but he definitely wasn't the only one! Those intruders had brought him into this. Angie had brought him into this! Now when he thought about it, she had been the course of so many of his failures. She deserved the punishment of humiliation, not him! How dared she even showing her face after what she had done?! Who had really betrayed who here?!

With the fury filling his entire body like hurt and hateful energy, Charlie's eye replacement turned bright red as he squeezed the smoke machine in his metallic hand. "You won this time Fire Conqueror," he practically spit out in contempt, his eyebrows creating deep winkles on his forehead. "But this means war," he hissed before he completely scrunched the smoke machine together, breaking it as if it had been a can of soda. This was the last time he would make himself responsible for her mistakes.

. . .