Rant: too much drama? Hmm, what would you like then? Gratuitous sex is now
out, apparently, under threat of removal of story from this site.
All that's left is drama, action or angst (
Name your poison.
Alec sat on the edge of the bed, his sensitive hearing picking up Neil's words. Was he used to being challenged? It kind of disturbed him that others knew him well enough to understand how to get at him psychologically. They had done that at Manticore so many times, preyed on his weaknesses, forcing him to believe that he wanted to do something, when he really didn't. he had hoped that he had left that behind him when he had left Manticore. Yet Neil was pulling the same stuff on him. he felt uneasy, even slightly scared that people could control him still. It wasn't what he wanted. He rotated his shoulder slowly, checking for any pain. It felt okay. The door opened, and he looked up quickly. the nurse smiled weakly at him as she entered the room and moved across to the table she had been working at before. She didn't speak. Alec watched her for a minute, then shrugged, and went back to examining what he could do with his damaged body. The nurse turned and glanced at him, then kept her eyes on him when she realised that he wasn't taking any notice of her. She watched him move his leg, grimace in pain, then rub his knee. More than anything, she wanted to go over and talk to him, help him, do whatever he needed, just to be near him. Alec sighed, and looked over to her. "Do me a favour?" he asked her, smiling easily at her.
"Depends" she said cautiously. Alec laughed. "Don't worry, nothing that'll get you in more trouble with Neil" he saw her eyes widen. She obviously had no idea that he could hear that well. Neil, however, did know that. Alec was meant to hear every word.
She recovered quickly, then held his gaze, waiting for him to continue.
"Do you know Mole? Kinda lizardy, always smoking cigars?" she nodded, hesitantly.
"I need to see him. can you get a message to him?"
"Sure" she told him, relieved that that was all he was asking.
Shay sprinted across the enclosure, to a high fence. Without pausing, he leapt the fence and kept running. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going, but anywhere away from that place was a good start. He could figure the rest out later. Wherever he was, he was on the outskirts of a city, and that gave him a chance to blend in, camouflage himself. He slowed down to walking speed, trying to act casual. As casual as someone could appear who was wearing torn and dirty camo gear. He ducked into an alley, and pulled his shirt off. The colour was what was known as 'urban camouflage', varying shades of grey and black, designed for blending into shadows. The inside lining of the shirt, however, was black, and he reversed his shirt and pulled it back on. He looked slightly less military now, although not by much. He had to find a change of clothing, and soon.
"You summoned, master?" Mole wandered into the room, a grin on his face to see his leader kind of up and about. Well, sitting on the edge of the bed, which was much better than lying in it, attached to a few dozen mechanical beeping things.
"Talk to me"
"About anything in particular? I heard this rumour yesterday. You know Rhian? Female, 6ft, panthery in appearance? Well, I heard she has this thing for Dix. She was waiting for him yesterday."
"Shut up" Alec told him, shaking his head sternly, but his twinkling eyes giving away his true feelings.
"Okay, fine, so you don't want to talk about sex. That puts you in the minority in TC, you know that? Of course, you're actually getting some, which also puts you in the minority."
"Mole" expressionless.
"State the topic then" "The mission. Shay, Tim" Mole looked down, not wanting to meet Alec's gaze. He glanced quickly at the door, and not seeing Neil outside, lit a cigar, chewing on the end of it nervously. The nurse coughed, to remind him that she was there, and that she could see him smoking.
Mole looked over at her "You okay?" he asked, blowing a mouthful of smoke in her direction. "Cos, if you're sick, or something, you should leave. Alec's vulnerable, you know, you shouldn't be contaminating him with anything."
she stared at him disbelievingly, then turned and walked out of the room.
"Gone to get Neil" Mole commented, turning to grin at Alec.
"Vulnerable?"
"Sorry about that." He laughed around his cigar.
"Shay and Tim?" Alec reminded him Mole nodded. "Yeah, okay. I can't tell you much. everyone was basically on radio silence. I heard you yell out, then Tim, then not much. just noises. A lot of static that we couldn't seem to clear up." He shook his head. "Look, Max and Storm were in the best position to hear anything. they were underground, so the static wasn't affecting them. Yet, neither of them heard anything. its like, they were there, then they weren't."
"We have to find them" Alec spoke quietly, his voice full of resolve.
"Of course." Mole replied, in the same tone he would have used if Alec had told him that the sky was blue. "We will"
"Storm" Max spoke his name softly, and he looked up, surprised. Neither of them had said anything for about half an hour, both of them just content to sit in Alec's room, staring at the walls.
"If I hear that you've been drinking again, I will punish you. Things go wrong, we figure out how to fix them, we don't try to forget they happened. It doesn't work."
Storm took a deep breath and nodded. "So, what are we going to do about it?" he asked her.
"First consideration in preparing for a mission?" she asked him, using the same words that had been drilled into them at Manticore.
"Know your strengths" he responded.
"Exactly. The familiars want a battle, they can have one. I'm sick of this messing around."
"Me too." Storm told her. There was something in her face that he hadn't seen before. Pure determination, more fierce than it had been before the last mission. But also something more, something unidentifiable. Something powerful.
"We start to retrain." She told him. "Everyone, all of us, even the non-combatants. The humans owe us, for the sacrifices made by Shay, Tim and Alec. Even if they don't know it. Time for us to start collecting."
Shay moved into the street, trying his best to blend in, not draw attention to himself. It wasn't a place he recognised, but he didn't know Seattle all that well. He couldn't assume that they had taken him out of the city. he changed directions randomly, not having a direction in mind, just trying to keep moving until dark. He turned one corner, and noticed three policemen wearing armour gear. Sector police. Just what he needed. One of them glanced in his direction, his gaze travelling over the clothing he wore. Shay moved back slightly, in the direction he had just come from, getting ready to run if the guard kept looking at him like that. The guard looked him in the eye briefly, then turned away, taking a sector pass off a girl and examining it. Shay breathed a sigh of relief and kept walking. Whatever sector he was in, he was stuck there until dark. One good thing though, he had noticed the badge on the front of the policeman's jacket, and the word 'Seattle' on it. He wasn't that far from home.
Alec sat on the edge of the bed, his sensitive hearing picking up Neil's words. Was he used to being challenged? It kind of disturbed him that others knew him well enough to understand how to get at him psychologically. They had done that at Manticore so many times, preyed on his weaknesses, forcing him to believe that he wanted to do something, when he really didn't. he had hoped that he had left that behind him when he had left Manticore. Yet Neil was pulling the same stuff on him. he felt uneasy, even slightly scared that people could control him still. It wasn't what he wanted. He rotated his shoulder slowly, checking for any pain. It felt okay. The door opened, and he looked up quickly. the nurse smiled weakly at him as she entered the room and moved across to the table she had been working at before. She didn't speak. Alec watched her for a minute, then shrugged, and went back to examining what he could do with his damaged body. The nurse turned and glanced at him, then kept her eyes on him when she realised that he wasn't taking any notice of her. She watched him move his leg, grimace in pain, then rub his knee. More than anything, she wanted to go over and talk to him, help him, do whatever he needed, just to be near him. Alec sighed, and looked over to her. "Do me a favour?" he asked her, smiling easily at her.
"Depends" she said cautiously. Alec laughed. "Don't worry, nothing that'll get you in more trouble with Neil" he saw her eyes widen. She obviously had no idea that he could hear that well. Neil, however, did know that. Alec was meant to hear every word.
She recovered quickly, then held his gaze, waiting for him to continue.
"Do you know Mole? Kinda lizardy, always smoking cigars?" she nodded, hesitantly.
"I need to see him. can you get a message to him?"
"Sure" she told him, relieved that that was all he was asking.
Shay sprinted across the enclosure, to a high fence. Without pausing, he leapt the fence and kept running. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going, but anywhere away from that place was a good start. He could figure the rest out later. Wherever he was, he was on the outskirts of a city, and that gave him a chance to blend in, camouflage himself. He slowed down to walking speed, trying to act casual. As casual as someone could appear who was wearing torn and dirty camo gear. He ducked into an alley, and pulled his shirt off. The colour was what was known as 'urban camouflage', varying shades of grey and black, designed for blending into shadows. The inside lining of the shirt, however, was black, and he reversed his shirt and pulled it back on. He looked slightly less military now, although not by much. He had to find a change of clothing, and soon.
"You summoned, master?" Mole wandered into the room, a grin on his face to see his leader kind of up and about. Well, sitting on the edge of the bed, which was much better than lying in it, attached to a few dozen mechanical beeping things.
"Talk to me"
"About anything in particular? I heard this rumour yesterday. You know Rhian? Female, 6ft, panthery in appearance? Well, I heard she has this thing for Dix. She was waiting for him yesterday."
"Shut up" Alec told him, shaking his head sternly, but his twinkling eyes giving away his true feelings.
"Okay, fine, so you don't want to talk about sex. That puts you in the minority in TC, you know that? Of course, you're actually getting some, which also puts you in the minority."
"Mole" expressionless.
"State the topic then" "The mission. Shay, Tim" Mole looked down, not wanting to meet Alec's gaze. He glanced quickly at the door, and not seeing Neil outside, lit a cigar, chewing on the end of it nervously. The nurse coughed, to remind him that she was there, and that she could see him smoking.
Mole looked over at her "You okay?" he asked, blowing a mouthful of smoke in her direction. "Cos, if you're sick, or something, you should leave. Alec's vulnerable, you know, you shouldn't be contaminating him with anything."
she stared at him disbelievingly, then turned and walked out of the room.
"Gone to get Neil" Mole commented, turning to grin at Alec.
"Vulnerable?"
"Sorry about that." He laughed around his cigar.
"Shay and Tim?" Alec reminded him Mole nodded. "Yeah, okay. I can't tell you much. everyone was basically on radio silence. I heard you yell out, then Tim, then not much. just noises. A lot of static that we couldn't seem to clear up." He shook his head. "Look, Max and Storm were in the best position to hear anything. they were underground, so the static wasn't affecting them. Yet, neither of them heard anything. its like, they were there, then they weren't."
"We have to find them" Alec spoke quietly, his voice full of resolve.
"Of course." Mole replied, in the same tone he would have used if Alec had told him that the sky was blue. "We will"
"Storm" Max spoke his name softly, and he looked up, surprised. Neither of them had said anything for about half an hour, both of them just content to sit in Alec's room, staring at the walls.
"If I hear that you've been drinking again, I will punish you. Things go wrong, we figure out how to fix them, we don't try to forget they happened. It doesn't work."
Storm took a deep breath and nodded. "So, what are we going to do about it?" he asked her.
"First consideration in preparing for a mission?" she asked him, using the same words that had been drilled into them at Manticore.
"Know your strengths" he responded.
"Exactly. The familiars want a battle, they can have one. I'm sick of this messing around."
"Me too." Storm told her. There was something in her face that he hadn't seen before. Pure determination, more fierce than it had been before the last mission. But also something more, something unidentifiable. Something powerful.
"We start to retrain." She told him. "Everyone, all of us, even the non-combatants. The humans owe us, for the sacrifices made by Shay, Tim and Alec. Even if they don't know it. Time for us to start collecting."
Shay moved into the street, trying his best to blend in, not draw attention to himself. It wasn't a place he recognised, but he didn't know Seattle all that well. He couldn't assume that they had taken him out of the city. he changed directions randomly, not having a direction in mind, just trying to keep moving until dark. He turned one corner, and noticed three policemen wearing armour gear. Sector police. Just what he needed. One of them glanced in his direction, his gaze travelling over the clothing he wore. Shay moved back slightly, in the direction he had just come from, getting ready to run if the guard kept looking at him like that. The guard looked him in the eye briefly, then turned away, taking a sector pass off a girl and examining it. Shay breathed a sigh of relief and kept walking. Whatever sector he was in, he was stuck there until dark. One good thing though, he had noticed the badge on the front of the policeman's jacket, and the word 'Seattle' on it. He wasn't that far from home.