Chapter VIII: Forgetting a Grip

AN:

Hey there, Fan-fic-folks!

Okay, so, uh. Apologies for the second long delay. Or probably fourth by now, methinks. Either way, sorry. Life is busy as heck right now and since writing is half relaxation, half procrastination at this point, I've had to reduce my writing time to get all the real-life stuff done that I need to get done. Procrastinate responsibly, kiddos.

I wrote all of this in about a seven-hour long sitting today that I suddenly found myself having. No idea where that amount of free time suddenly came from, but here it is and here I am, using it as well as I can. Hope you enjoy the story, y'all.

Current plan seems to be to get A Hella Bad Day done as best I can, since it's the only story that's really coming as easily as I need it to so I can meet deadlines. Empire is also coming along nicely, so expect some updates of that along the way too.

Thanks for reading and, as always, please review.

The Two Whales Commissary stood at the head of a T-junction - we came in on the ninety-degree road, which was honestly just the worst. Out here, there were none of the sonic dampeners that the Inner Spheres had for their technology. All the noise was natural and unsoftened and oh so freaking loud. That, combined with the fact that we couldn't see around corners, meant we spent the long walk wondering what the heck we'd run into when we got there.

Chloe was trying to get the last, best suggestion. "Maybe it'll be sharks, but like, with a bunch of those hella weird sword-arm things like spider legs."

I blinked. "Sword-spider sharks?"

Chloe grinned, shot me with an acknowledging finger-gun. "Oooh, alliteration. Nice. Yeah, Sword-spider sharks. Or like-"

Something screamed and we all shut up. David and Copse both pointed their guns off in the vague direction of the screams. I couldn't stop the little shiver than ran down my spine. "What... what was that? Was that a person? Or one of those... things?"

Copse shrugged - he looked relaxed, but he was still holding out that gun. "Whatever it is, it's probably not enjoying itself."

He had a point.

I shuddered. "Let's just get to the Commissary. I don't like being out here in the open."

Copse and David both gave me approving looks. I was fairly certain David was about to remind me about constant vigilance, so I grabbed Chloe's arm and started moving us forward again. The others quickly started after us and we made the last stretch of road in a couple minutes of quiet, stopping a little short of the turn. Copse held a finger to his lips. He mouthed something to David, and he nodded, raising his gun.

Copse crept forward, skirting the outside of an upturned metal bin of some sort and peeking around both corners. We coiled ourselves up, ready to run. We waited. We waited some more. It was tense. Eventually though, he relaxed. He called back over his shoulder "It's clear. Come on."

We headed across and up to the front door of the Commissary. Joyce swiped her staff log-in card to deactivate the security and we go in.

The lights in the main eating area flickered on, but we jolt as several of them flicker back off again. Joyce glared at the ceiling. "Damned things. Prob'ly not getting those repaired now, I suppose."

Chloe chuckled. "Yeah, the electricians union frowns on working without a bathroom on-site, so they'd probably have something to say about a monster infestation." She paused. "They probably already have a plan and rules for it too. 'In the event of a monster incursion, fill in form 24-b for permission to terminate, yadda-yadda-yadda."

Joyce blatantly ignored Chloe's continuing rambling grumbles about paperwork and pointed toward the back room. I gave Chloe a grin and a thumbs-up for the joke. I'm a supportive wife, y'all. "The pantry is through there. We should be able to get things out to the transport sled out back."

"That's gonna be loud." I muttered.

Chloe shrugged. "It's not like we can lift all this shit ourselves, and we forgot to get a GRIP."

I clapped my hand to my face. "Shit. I can't believe we didn't do that. A Kinesis Module would totally be useful right now!"

She shrugged again. "If wishes were Kinesis Modules, we'd all be... well, probably throwin' shit all over the place."

Copse nodded emphatically. "Oh yeah. Big time. The guys back at base would play keep-ups with storage crates sometimes."

Chloe and I paused momentarily at the idea of hardened military men playing volleyball with massive boxes. Our delightful daydreams were interrupted as Joyce clapped her hands. "Come on, the faster we do this, the faster we can get back."

She herded us all - Copse and David included - into the back room and directed us to the crates we needed to move. Chloe took one end, I took the other. "Lift with your knees, Chlo'."

"Not the first time you've said that to me, huh babe?"

"Chloe!"

It took a couple of hours to empty the entire pantry. Chloe made ribald jokes the entire time, irritating Joyce so much she sent me out to the main office just to separate us. For a moment, I thought she was going to send Chloe out, but I realised something that meant that was never gonna happen - I am a weak-ass little photographer and my wife is so, so buff.

So buff.

I shoved another pile of file-readers out of the way and scooped up the medical kit, placing it gently on the pile of things to move.

I liked this job. It was quiet, gave me time to think. And what I thought about was Kate. This had all started when we'd helped her release the containment on that thing in the EarthGov base. So, what the heck was it? Dog. I can't believe she'd want something like this to happen.

Would she? Chloe would say yes, I know. She always was stubborn about hating people. I think I was the only person who ever changed her mind, but what we went through together kind of was cheating. I guess the fact she trusted me utterly before helped, too. Even David, who'd been there for at least part of it, she still more tolerated for her mother and my sake than actually having changed her mind about him.

I sigh, a long, deep breath, and one of those rare moments where everything feels silent as the grave occurred. But it wasn't quite entirely silent.

"Max."

I whirled around, surprised by the sudden voice. Did we get ambushed? The room behind me was empty. What? Who is..?

The lights flickered and something in the walls whirred. The room went dark and cold for a heart-stoppingly long millisecond before it spoke again.

"Help us."

The voice was imploring, desperate, begging. I could almost feel my heart pounding in my chest as I listened, my heart feeling like it was almost literally trying to go out to whoever was suffering. Trying to escape the prison of my ribcage.

"Help us."

I took a breath and tried to stay calm. Maybe it's just a faulty intercom, or there's a comm hidden in the wall somewhere from one of Chloe's idiot pranking phases. I didn't recognise the voice, not quite, but I knew somehow that it was someone I trusted, someone I wanted to help. "Help you how? What do you need me to do?"

The voice crept closer, little whispers and static between the words almost tickling the back of my neck. I whirled again, but I was still all alone in the office.

"Turn it off."

I blinked. Turn it off? "Turn what off?"

"Turn it off."

"Turn what off?" I asked again. I still wanted to help, but dog the vague repeating bullcrap was getting irritating.

"Maaax."

The voice sang like a songbird, but underneath there was still that whispering. That buzzing. That noise.

"I'm listening!" I blurted. "What do you want me to turn off?"

"Turn it off. Make us whole."

The voice thrummed with vibrant energy, a sense of power and sheer, unending depth washing over me like a tsunami. It came from all around me, swirling like whirlpools and tornadoes. Everything about it felt so natural. I hadn't felt anything like this since Chloe and I had been planetside on Utopia Majora. Nowhere else had ever had that sense of serene strength. Until now.

"I want to help you!" I called out, this time louder. Maybe they just couldn't hear me? "Just tell me what to do!"

The lights flickered and flashed more, things moving in the darkness just beyond perception. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there. The hairs on my neck were standing so straight they practically shrieked it.

"Turn it off. TurnitoffTurnitoffTurnItOffMAKEUSWHOLE!"

A harsh slap struck me across the face and the voice vanished. I blinked and suddenly Chloe was there, looking half terrified and half concerned. "Max? You okay? What the fuck just happened?"

"I..." What did just happen? What was that? "I don't know. I heard... something. A voice. It wanted me to help it and I wanted to help it."

She eyed me confusedly. "I didn't hear anything, Maxie. You, um..." She flushed, clenched her jaw, and forced herself to keep eye contact. "You sure it wasn't because of..?"

"No, Chloe. This isn't his fault. I know the lights don't work, but it's not that dark in here." A flash of hair and teeth and a dark, glass lens flickers in my mind. I shuddered as little tingles skittered down my spine.

Chloe, sweet, concerned Chloe, leaned in and wrapped me in a tight hug. "It's okay, Maxie. Whatever it is, we'll kick it's arse together, right?"

I grinned widely. "Right."

She patted me down, dusting what I suspected was entirely non-existent dust off my suit. I gave her the time she needed to get her brain together again, matching her grin again when she looks back up at my face. I very much ignored the feel she copped before doing so.

She winked. I rolled my eyes.

I did feel strangely better though.

She took my hand and pulled me over to the moderate pile of stuff. "We're finished outside. Lets grab your loot and we can scram. David thinks there might be some of those monster things around here and we wanna get outta here before we get their attention."

We collected everything together - she took a bigger portion than I did - and started for the back. The office door lead to a small corridor that connected the kitchen and the front area. Joyce used it mostly for tool storage, so basically everything here had been taken already. No Kinesis modules, but Chloe had grabbed a couple of Stasis modules with utterly adorable glee. Before Copse and David had nabbed them off her, anyway.

Chloe lead me out through that corridor and into the kitchen. The Pantry door was wide open, and the formerly full room was completely barren. We continued through and stepped outside, coming face to face with a familiar face above a spinning, flashing knife.

Chloe grinned. "Frank! You're not dead!"

For as long as we'd known him, the scruffy, blond-haired man had worn the exact same panelled leather RIG-jacket. It was currently stained with blood down one side. He gave Chloe a nod. "Hey, Chloe. Thought I saw you lot in there. Find anythin' good?"

Chloe and I shared a look. "A few things. Why?"

He chuckled. "Just wonderin'. Thought you might like to help an old friend out in his time of need."

"What-" I started, but Chloe cut me off.

"What do you need?"

He shrugged. "A little food. Some medical supplies. We've got a safe place, but a few of us were injured by those... things. Damn Unitologist bastards." He eyed us. "It's not like you five really need all of that food out there in the truck, right?"

Frank always did pay attention.

And he was still playing with that knife.

Chloe shrugged, trying to make herself seem completely at ease. She couldn't stop herself taking one quick look down at that knife, though. "Suppose not. What do you suggest?"

"Well, I suggest that you go back inside, and let your folks know that me and mine're gonna take a couple of those boxes." He nodded to the pile. "And leave one or two of those medical kits."

I could see Chloe bristle, and elbowed her quickly. I stepped forward and put two kits down. "That seems more than fair, Frank. Just let us put this in the sled and we'll go right inside, okay?"

He nodded, stepped back, and let the knife vanish into his jacket. "Go right ahead. Thanks fer your consideration."

Around a dozen people melted out of the shadows around us, each and every one of them putting away some kind of weapon or other. It'd've made a really interesting Where's Wally book picture, that's for sure.

"Absolutely not."

Chloe rolled her eyes at David's tone. "It's fine. He's probably hella long gone by now, anyway."

"And where the hell do you get off givin' away our supplies? We need those, Chloe!" David had long ago gotten (been forced out of) his corporal punishment mindset, but I still twitched whenever I saw his hands move about as he expressed his anger.

"Frank is a friend and he needed help. And he was right, it's not like we're gonna use all this." Chloe's shoulders were tight as she glared down at David. "We gave it over, complaining about it is hella fucking pointless."

"And if he's got all that food, he won't be following us to find anything else." She added, very slowly emphasising the last few words, looking at him with highly uncharacteristic cunning.

David growled and slammed his fist into the table. Joyce quickly skittered to his side, mumbling something into his ear and running a hand over his shoulder. Her southern charm worked its magic and his anger quickly faded into mild irritation at most.

Chloe sighed. "Great. Now can we get going already?

David shoved the doors open and limped outside, Joyce hot on his heels. Copse quietly watched them leave, then turned to us with a thrilled grin. "You have the most interesting ways of dealin' with people, Chloe."

When Chloe turned to glare at him, he just followed the Madsens out with a laugh.

I put my hand on her shoulder and Chloe sighed, then stalked out after him. I just shook my head and ran to catch up. Damn long legs.

David parked the sled up outside the secret entrance. He turned in his seat to face Chloe. "So, how're we getting all this in there anyway?"

Chloe shrugged. "No idea. I was just gonna call inside, get them to deal with it."

Copse snorted with amusement. "Good plan. I like it. If at first you don't succeed, get someone else to do it. Guess that works for 'if at first you don't wanna bother' too."

Everyone turned to stare at him.

He frowned. "What?"

We shook our heads, and the bafflement faded. Good to have the quippy Copse back rather than the grumpy one, I guess. When nobody moves, I reached over and poked Chloe. "Ow! What-"

"Are you going to go get some engineers or not?"

"Oh yeah, right." She smiled sheepishly at me. "Back in a sec."

I watched my wife hop off the sled and hurry over to the door, tapping a few keys before vanishing out of view. Joyce and David both sighed fondly and Copse chuckled. "Ever inimitable, that girl."

Damn right, sparky. That's my girl.

Chloe reappeared a few minutes later, a small detachment of engineers in tow that she began directing toward the sled. One of them pointed toward the back of the sled and a box flew out, slowing to a halt and hovering about a metre away from the figure. I checked closer and - yep, they all have Kinesis modules. Awesome. This'll happen way faster, now.

Once the engineers were occupied, Chloe rushed over to us. "We got this shit done way quicker than they though we would, so they want us to head over and help out at the Docks. Temba thinks David'll be able to point them around his ship and we can help out with the other crap."

David and Copse shrugged. "If it's a choice between that and loiterin' around, waiting to die, count me in."

Copse grinned. "Couldn't agree more, Davey-boy."

David scowled. "Don't call me that."

"Sorry. Message acknowledge, Dave-meister." Copse practically beamed innocence out of every pore, but every last one of us can see it's complete and total bullshit. He knew exactly what he was doing, the little sneak.

David looked between Copse and Chloe and sighed the tired, beleaguered sigh of someone who's just realised something really, really terrible. "Oh Lord, there's two of them now."

Copse and Chloe both grinned.