Chapter XI: Stargazing


AN:

Hey there, Fan-fic-folks!

Long time no seen. So, it seems the universe is yet again conspiring to make anything I promise impossible. I've been dealing with so much fucking drama lately that if I told you the full story, you'd think I was ripping off the disorganised, wildly convoluted insanity that is Pretty Little Liars. Or was, since I believe it's been finally taken out back and mercy-shot in the head like it deserves?

Anyway, during the drama I had no time at all to write and wasn't actually near a computer to do so anyway. Since the drama was resolved a few days back, I've spent the last two or three days writing pretty much non-stop. So, yes. Here you go. New update.

I'm not an advocate of Astrology myself, but I'm a massive Astronomy fan. I love SPAAAAACE. Main reason I'd love to be immortal, just to be around when we get to go out there as a species and check it out.

Oh, and Kudos if you know where the strange creatures used for Ammo in this one are from.

Thanks for reading and, as always, please review.

SoloPlayer339:

It has been hard to keep her archery down. My Island stuff is more chronological than the flashbacks in the series, so I had to let it build up to the archery rather than just starting with it.

It's a possibility. I'd have to find out exactly who Count Vertigo was first though. When I say I know next to nothing about superheroes, I'm seriously not kidding. Definitely open to taking stuff from the canon though.

Guest:

Yep. Telling it in Flashbacks was going a little slow, so went for a full one. Glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, that thing was seriously creepy. Not one of mine, that whole bone pit moment was taken from a Critical Role episode, so full creepy-credit goes to the God that is Matthew Mercer, the guy who DMs for Critical Role.

Momijifan Low-Ki:

Wasn't it just? Was really trying to get a nice action-thing going there, so good to know I hit that note well.

And sure. Those little guys are adorable. Always happy to spread the cyoot. :)

Aaron Leach:

Thanks, Aaron. Good to know you're still liking this story. Hope you like this chapter too. :)


"Wow, Max. I had no idea anyone could be so wrong about something." She laughs and play-punches my shoulder. "But you proved me wrong on this one, Maxie. Congratulations, really."

I smile, trailing her out of the diner. She's still talking. Rachel talks a lot, I notice. She's like Chloe that way. They're both really...

"Maxie?"

I immediately stop as Rachel's face appears in front of mine. "Hey? Earth to Maxie?" She flashes me another bright grin. "I am making some amazing arguments here, Max, and nobody is listening and that is absolutely tragic." She tilts her head. "You ok?"

I shrug. "Sorry, Rachel. Just..."

"Distracted by my ethereal beauty?"

I flush. Rachel laughs. "Don't worry Maxie, I wouldn't blame you if that did happen. I am very distracting, you know."

I laugh at that, and Rachel's laugh turns into a grin. "You know, you do the cutest little snort when you laugh. It's really adorable." She reaches out and boops my nose.

I flush.

Again.

I really need to work on that.

"Come on, I've got something I want to show you." She turns and starts walking back to her bike.

I blink. Uh, what?

When I don't move, she calls back over her shoulder. "Come on, Maxie! You know you waaant to!" She singsongs teasingly.

I quickly hurry over, pulling on the helmet and climbing on behind her. She reaches down and puts my arms around her midriff. Then, she kicks the bike into motion, and we speed off towards whatever she wants to show me.

*flashback begins*

She didn't know how long she'd sat there, staring up at the stars, but the moon had disappeared and the dawn's light was cresting over the peaks of the mountain range.

She soon realised that she'd have to move. The underground had been chaotic and free, but the Prescott's controlled the surface. If she stayed here too long, a patrol would come across her. Either that or the Hound and his Mistress would find her when they made their way out.

The Hunter scanned her surroundings, looking for a way down off the plateau. She found it, after twenty minutes of searching, in the form of a small ravine. The steep sides had many hand and footholds for her to climb down. The Panther leapt down, landing comfortably. She followed her down at a slower pace, climbing down until she reached the mountainside proper.

The ground around her was jagged and cracked, but still relatively stable. However, the hundreds of loose rocks and dozens of larger boulders that were scattered across the steep landscape meant the Hunter had to work hard to avoid causing an avalanche. She was far less quick and agile than the Panther was, so was stuck taking a slower and more careful pace. Eventually, the jagged and cluttered land gave way to a thin trail.

The trail lead her to a wide pass through the hills, down into one of the large forested valleys that this island seemed to be filled with. The air had been getting colder, something that the Hunter found immensely pleasant. She'd been so long in the unchanging clime of the underground that she'd almost forgotten about seasons, the feeling of the sun on her face.

A faint mist lay over the meandering river running through the valley. Although the valley would make an excellent sanctuary, the Hunter knew it was too close to the exit she had used. When the Hound and his Mistress made their way out, they'd search this area. She'd need to be far away before that happened.

Scanning her surroundings once again, she quickly found a small ford and crossed the river, heading directly for the other side of the valley. To most individuals, crossing the wet and unevenly set stones would be difficult, but the Hunter's agility allowed her to manage it easily. She leapt nimbly onto the other bank, springing over or around the rocks and crags there without thought.

She'd clambered up the valley wall and put a mile behind her before she realised she was being pursued. She never saw anyone, but the Hunter's instincts told her a truth beyond doubt. She darted through a thick copse of trees and skittered up the side of an incline to hide behind a large boulder, then she waited.

Nine shapes appeared out of the forest, carefully following her trail. Seven were humanoid, two had the largish form and rippling blue fur of tak-hounds. The seven humanoid figures appeared to be more offshoots, all of them grey-skinned. One was taller and bulkier than the others, their skin covered in some sort of dark armour.

She drew her sword and called the Panther over to her side. "There." The Panther peered over at their pursuers, who were starting to get uncomfortably close. As they neared the bottom of the incline, the Hunter spoke to the Panther once again. "Help me." She began to push at the boulder, shoving as hard as she could. The Panther pushed alongside her. With a final heave, they forced the boulder down the incline, sending it rolling onto the pursuers. They followed it down with a leap, weapons at the ready. Two offshoots were crushed instantly and two more found their throats cut open, one by the Hunter's sword and the other by the Panther's claws.

The three remaining all drew their own weapons. The armoured one had a large two-handed great-sword, the other two held spears out in front of them. Before the Hunter could move again, one of them launched its spear. It came at her in a blur, but the bad aim of the offshoot and the bad crafting of the weapon meant it merely grazed her flank. She caught it before it clattered to the ground, spinning and hurling it at one of the hounds. The spear caught it mid-leap, jamming into it's side.

The two smaller offshoots charged towards her, one brandishing its spear and the other now wielding a small knife. The Hunter raised her sword to meet them, but a shriek from the tak-hounds forced her to stumble backwards clutching her ears in agony. Their cries were horrific, akin to the ancient legend of the Banshee.

They shrieked again and the Hunter turned to flee. She ran back up the incline, trying to outrun the five foes she faced. There was no sense in risking facing the debilitating shrieks of the tak-hounds when she could simply outrun or outmanoeuvre her enemies to a better position. The path she took then ran fairly level, with the forest to one side and a steep rocky cliff-face to the other.

This was a grave error, as the Hunter ran straight into another waiting band of similar numbers, this one accompanied by a huge purple-splotched mole-like creature with large claws that swiped at her the minute she ran into view.

She quickly dodged back, ducking as the Panther flew over her head and landed on the mole-thing, clawing at its head. The seven offshoots all drew their weapons and charged, bloodthirsty and feral. The Hunter dipped low under the first one's slash, smoothly sliding her blade into its throat. As one came in from the left, she quickly spun the corpse to block, using the dead offshoot like a shield. Jabbing the corpse forward, she pushed the offending offshoot back before hurling it at one to her right, knocking both offshoot and corpse off the cliff.

Five remaining. The Panther had the mole-thing well in hand, jumping from its head to various rock faces and back again. Every time she swiped at it, gouging yet more long cuts down its head. The creature was getting angrier.

An owl swooped down over the fray, hooting loudly. A moment later, three small balls of fur flew through the air, each landing on an offshoot. The Hunter had no idea what they were, but she got a good idea when the little furballs started biting and the offshoots started screaming. Each one dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. The two still standing came on again.

The Hunter parried a clumsy strike from one of them, then jabbed at the second, cutting a wicked gash into its arm. With a lucky thrash, the giant mole-thing threw the Panther from its back, then charged to the aid of the offshoots. As it did, the Hunter heard the pain-inducing screams of the tak-hounds behind her and swore lightly.

Above her, the owl hooted again. Instead of three furry balls, two black-fletched arrows flew in, thudding into the mole-creature's back and sending it to the ground where Holly jumped on it once again.

The Hunter engaged in a frenzied parrying back-and-forth with the remaining offshoots. None of the three gained any ground, but neither did they lose it. She tested defences, quickly switching tactics and targets as her instincts directed. It seemed she wouldn't be able to flee before the two tak-hounds arrived.

Another hoot sounded and two more arrows thudded into the mole-thing, which cried out once and for the last time. One of the two offshoots turned at the mole-thing's dying sound and the Hunter buried her sword into its chest. She whirled towards the one remaining foe, pulling the corpse with her blade, once again knocking both offshoot and corpse off the cliff.

Then, she turned to face the newly arrived foes. The dagger wielding offshoot had regained its spear and, along with its compatriot, approached her warily with their spears extended.

The owl hooted and two more furballs flew from the sky to land on the two offshoots. The Hunter immediately ignored them and darted back a little as she spotted the two hounds enter the area. One was limping as it walked, blood dripping from its side. Her teachers had little advice to give on a face-to-face melee confrontation with these creatures, preferring to pick them off when out of range of their cries. She'd have to focus on the offshoot and leave the tak-hounds to her mysterious benefactor.

The armoured offshoot approached calmly and carefully, unlike its companions. This one seemed almost... intelligent. It circled the Hunter, its blade extended before it. The Hunter struck first, stabbing at the offshoot's chest. It blocked the blow easily, countering with a strike to her head that she dodged without thinking. Yet again, she fell into a back-and-forth of strikes and blocks. A tak-hound shrieked near her, but her concentration was totally on the battle and she barely heard it as more than a faraway numbness.

The offshoot was grinning, baring its teeth in a horrific rictus as it parried and countered and chopped. The Hunter never let up the pressure, trying to keep it on the back foot, but this offshoot could hold its own against her. That thought alone terrified her into concentration.

The offshoot scored a glancing hit on her arm, then reversed its blade to score another on her thigh. In turn, she managed to scrape across the inner elbow joint of the offshoot's armour. She cut through the leather strapping there, leaving the vambrace hanging by a few scraps. The offshoot growled and swung its sword, but the Hunter dodged out of its path. She took another swing, but her blade merely clanged against the hard black armour.

The offshoot looked down at where her blade had struck and grinned. It had the upper hand here, and now it knew it. It stepped back quickly and brought its sword up for a downward strike. When it brought the blade down, the Hunter reflexively snapped her blade up to block. Her blade collided with the black great-sword, bent nearly in half, and snapped at the hilt. She immediately dashed back, betrayed for the first time by her trusted weapon.

With a laugh, the offshoot came after her, swinging wildly now. All pretence at tactics or skill had gone, the creature now just wanted blood. She dodged every strike, blurring movements that came almost before the swing they were to dodge even started. The offshoot grew more and more frustrated with each miss, putting more force behind each blow. She could feel air blowing past her with each swing.

A misstep and a lucky strike knocked her to the ground. Her battle focus disappeared instantly, her mind turning from fight to flight. Before she could move, a meaty foot was planted on her chest, and the offshoot raised its sword for a killing strike.

The owl hooted, but no bolt flew. Instead, a small crackling ball fired over her and hit the offshoot in its exposed face. Small flickers of electricity danced out from the strike across the offshoot's body, making its limbs flail about like a rogue marionette as it screamed in pain. She skittered back on her hands, narrowly avoiding being crushed when the armoured offshoot fell to the ground.

She looked around. The two tak-hounds were covered in a strange webbed substance and the offshoots that had been attacked by furballs had fallen silent.

The battle was over.

The owl circled above her once again, hooting loudly. She quickly moved to a crouch, scanning the brush around her for the mysterious archer and bracing herself for another shot. She could catch or dodge an arrow if need be, but she'd need to see it. Whatever the strange ammo the archer had used would be significantly harder to counter. After a few heartbeats, she realised no arrow would be coming. Instead came the archer.

She could barely see anything through the thick mist, but she could make out the faint outline of a humanoid figure making their way down towards her. Whoever it was moved quickly and confidently, picking their way down the hillside with the ease of long practice. As they closed on her, she caught her first clear look at her saviour.

She was tall and wiry, with a long mane of greyish hair sprouting wildly from her head. A large crossbow was mounted on her right forearm, occupying her entire arm from wrist to elbow, and the head of two bolts on it pointed towards the Hunter. Although, this was not the woman's most notable feature. Her most notable feature was in fact her eyes. Their milky whiteness would've made the Hunter believe the woman was blind, had she not seen the earlier archery display. They also had, in place of the usual circles, cats-eye slit irises, a mirror of her own.

The telltale sign of a Child of Ratigan.

The Hunter watches her walk up warily. She had escaped, but many of Ratigan's creations were still loyal to their corporate masters. This one wasn't marked, but she still might be on retainer.

The woman said something in a language the Hunter did not understand, then another, then another, and another, before arriving at English. "Who are you?"

The Hunter cocked her head. The woman repeated the question.

"I'm... Max."

She nodded. "And what are you?"

"W-what?"

The archer doesn't take her eyes off the Hunter. "What. Are. You?"

"What do you-"

The woman snorted, her derision evident. "You know exactly what I mean. Tell me your number."

There was... something in the woman's tone that gave her hope. She pushed the Hunter back, then gave it. "M23-6b."

The woman's eyes bulged in surprise. "You're an M-series? I thought you'd all been purged months ago."

She... I shrug. "They tried. I... I survived."

The woman stared at me, and it was like she was staring into my head. I could feel the Hunter retract into the back of my head, trying to hide from her gaze. "No matter. You are my prisoner now."

I was careful not to look, but I spotted Holly crawling forward behind the woman. She slunk over, closing the distance until she was within range for an easy spring. Her ears flattened and her teeth were bared as she let out a low, throaty growl.

The Hunter grinned.

The woman's expression never changed. "Friend of yours?" She asked, calmly.

The Hunter nodded.

"Big cat?"

The Hunter nodded again.

The woman lowered her arm and the limbs of her crossbow flicked inward and the scope retracted into the main body. Her eyes fluttered closed, her head tilted back, and she seemed to fall within herself for a moment. After a second, she rolled her shoulders back and breathed out hard.

Behind her, the Panther suddenly... relaxed. Her mouth closed and her ears came up. She walked out past the old woman, sending the owl flapping frenziedly away, moving to stand over by the Hunter. Apparently she'd relinquished all concerns that the old woman was an enemy.

The Hunter watched her in confusion for a second, calm to all outer appearances but seething inside. The old woman looked back at her and the Hunter retreated once more. "Good cat."

I stood, relaxing my grip on my sword. "Good cat." The old woman repeated. "I am Artemis," She said, proudly. "Well met, Max."

I watched her warily. "Well m-met. W-will you let me go? Or am I your prisoner again?"

The woman shrugged. "Maybe. You've helped me deal with a significant problem today, so I kind of owe you one. I want to offer you a safe refuge, with me."

I focused on her face. I wasn't the best at reading people, but she seemed honest. However, I'd learnt to be wary. Few that seemed friendly actually were. "Where... where are your loyalties?"

She smirks. "Not with the Men in The Mountain, I assure you. Or the... Doctor of our mutual acquaintance."

I... I nod. "Okay. Lead on."

She smiles, then turns to head back up the hill. After a second or two, the Panther and I follow.

*flashback ends*

"We're here."

I raise an eyebrow. "Here? It's a parking lot."

She doesn't answer, just smiles and hops off the bike, sauntering off up a trail by the side of the lot. I follow along, grumbling.

The trail leads through forest for a short while, then angles upward, following the curve of a hill. Rachel leads me up to the top, then spins around with a grin. "So, back in the diner, you were talking about how you like the night sky, right?" I nod, and she spreads her hands. "Well, here we are."

"...Where are we?"

Rachel's grin drops, as she throws out her arm, proud magician revealing her rabbit. "Maxine Caulfield, welcome... to Whatsthe Point."

I sigh, as I suppress a smile. Badly. "Whatsthe Point?"

She shrugs nonchalantly. "I think it's an Indian name."

That, I laugh at. I'm not sure if that says more about her or me, but still. Her mouth spreads into another pleased grin. Swinging about, she wanders over to a small grassy incline, then carefully lounges back onto it. "Come over here, lay down next to me."

After a few seconds of hesitation, I walk over and lie down. I leave a few centimetres between us. Rachel frowns a little at the distance, but starts talking anyway. "So, do you know anything about the stars?"

I did, but... I shake my head. "Not much."

Her face lights up again. "What's that thing that Chloe's always saying? Awesomesauce..." She draws the word out, dramatic and full of promise, like she's the narrator for one of those old radio shows William used to listen to in the car with us. I can almost hear the echo of sauce... sauce... sauce... drifting past us and up to the sky. Her voice takes on that note I can't identify again. "The Fates are up there, Max..."

I, um. What? She keeps talking, oblivious to my confusion. "It probably seems super hokey to you, Max, but I really believe that." She waves a hand up at the sky again, "What happens up there plays out again down here, Max. You and I. From the stars we came, and to the stars we return."

I tilt my head. "That sounds like a quote."

She shrugs. "Something my Mom used to say. She taught me about all this stuff." Rachel sighs, then shakes her head. She shuffles up next to me, uncomfortably close, until I can feel her warmth on my side and points up at the sky. "You see that bright one? That's the North Star. If you kinda follow it down and to the left, you've got the ladle of the Big Dipper. That upside-down trapezoid thing?"

She waits for a second until I nod in acknowledgement. "Ok, so if you draw a line from the handle through Megrez and Merak," She frowns for a second, moving her finger around as she searches. "that leads down to Gemini, and if you wanna find my sign, Cancer, you just go to the left and it's sort of..." She grins in triumph. "Right there. That upside down Y, do you see it?" [A1]

I shake my head. "I... I don't see it." I'm strangely disappointed. The sky is darker here, the stars are... harder to see. She shuffles closer, uses one of her arms like a scope. The other hand gently moves my head until I'm looking in the right place.

That's when I realise she's put her arm over my shoulders. I clench both hands as I swallow a snarl. No! Please, no! Not now. Not. Now! The Hunter is rattling the bars of her cage, but she's still securely contained. I sigh. Good. "So, what's your sign?" I blink as I realised Rachel hadn't stopped talking.

"Uh, what?"

Rachel smirks. "Come on Maxie, no need to be shy. What's your sign?"

I sigh. The Hunter's screams had faded now, so... "Virgo, I think. My birthday is in September."

"Yep, definitely a Virgo. Okay, so..." She stares back up at the sky. "If you follow the handle of the Big Dipper down..." Her hand points, then draws a line downwards through the sky. "You see that bright, orange one? That's called Arcturus. If you keep that line going... you get to Spica. That's the big white-blue one. It's the bottom of your sign." She smirks. "Kinda literally. It's where her butt is."

This one I spot immediately. I'd... learned to see it... from someone else. I find a smile creeping onto my face. "So, my fate is a butt, huh?"

"Yep. Looks like it is." She grins. "Or just to be one."

I stick out my tongue. "Har har." She laughs again, flopping down onto the grass.

As we both stare back up at the sky, I lean back on the grass next to her. "This is nice."

Rachel grins happily at me. "Yeah?" I know I'm not the best with people but... Rachel sounds nervous.

I grin back. The Hunter is quieted, the stars are bright, and Rachel is smiling. "Yeah."


I rolled out of bed and onto my feet in a second.

Morning.

Urgh.

I dress quickly and head out. I make it three steps down the empty corridor, until I hear a door open behind me. "Oh, of fucking course you're up, Island Jane. Did they have fucking cockerels on that Island to wake you up early or something?"

I turn. "Good morning, Your Majesty."

Victoria smirks. "You remembered. I'm impressed." Her smirk drops. "Now answer the fucking question. What are you doing up this early?"

I shrug. "Just woke up. Couldn't get back to sleep."

"Bullshit. You're a bad fucking liar, Jane." She scowls at me, leaning back and crossing her arms.

That's when I notice how she's dressed. Sweatpants and a running top. She's also not wearing make-up. I tilt my head. "Going running?"

She snorts. "No, I'm dressed like this for classes." When I don't react, I'm fixed with a scathing look and an eyeroll. "Jesus, of course I'm going running." She tries to muscle her way past me, blinking down at me in mute shock when she's stopped in her tracks.

After a few seconds, I step out of her way. She stares at me for a full minute before storming off to the exit with a huff.

I watch her go. When the door swung closed, I smiled.

Heh. That was fun.

I promptly dismissed the event from my mind as I left too. I had places to be.

I stopped.

I checked my watch.

Shit. It is early. I needed to kill some time, so I headed out to the mine. I could make it back in time.


"So, rumour has it you've had another run-in with the Queen Bitch herself."

I looked up from my breakfast into Rachel's smirking face. "What?"

She swung her leg over the bench opposite mine and sat down across the table from me. "The Queen Bitch? She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Bitchtoria?" I started to giggle as Rachel rattled off nickname after nickname. "The Blondest Wonder? Icky Vicky? Ringing any bells?"

My giggle ends in a snort as I reply. "Oh. That. She, um..." I look back down to my breakfast. The food here in the cafeteria wasn't very good. "She was just being cranky. I think." My mouth twists in mild frustration. "People are still confusing."

Rachel snorts. "People aren't that complicated, Max. We're all just slight variations on a theme." She reaches over and pats my shoulder. "You'll work it out."

I shake my head and sigh, pushing the lonely sausage around the plate with my fork. "I don't know, Rachel." I give her a wry smile. "I'm not good at talking to them."

Rachel shrugs. "You're pretty good at talking to me." When I don't nod, she leans forward. "Riiiight?"

I frown. "I guess? But you're..."

She reaches up and puts a finger on my lips. "But nothing. You're gonna kick ass someday, Max Caulfield." She checked her watch. "But today you're gonna get your ass to class."

My shoulders sag. "Okay. I have English now, I think."

"English?" Rachel grins. "You're totally gonna love this."

Oh, dog...


AN1 - Unfortunately, I'm taking some 'artistic liberties' with the whole stargazing thing. It's pretty damn near to impossible to spot Cancer nowadays, unless you're on a hill on a clear night in the middle of nowhere.