Rant. ahh, comedy. Now I get it. Okay. I thought I had angst and drama
covered, and action wasn't doing too badly.
What is an R rating anyway? What are the limits??? ( they can touch, right
G
I'd love to write longer chapters, but what can I say. I'm a grad student with three part time jobs and a hectic sporting schedule. But I love reviews (
Max knocked on the door and walked into the hospital room, stopping dead as she saw Alec actually lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"No marathon running?" she asked him.
"Neil yelled at me" he commented, not moving.
"He did. what?" Max moved over to the bed.
"Well, not yell, but he laughed at me when I fell over, trying to stand up"
she sighed. "When you're quite finished feeling sorry for yourself, we have some work to do."
Alec rolled over onto his side and glared at her. "I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I'm doing what I've been told to do. Neil told me I had to rest." his expression changed to mock-hurt. then he grinned. "What work?"
"I've got Storm and Mole organising the troops. We're re-training, all of us. Whatever happens, I'm through messing around. we're going after Shay, and Tim, and Ray, and we're going to get them back. Then we take down White and his inbred family."
Alec stared at her. The expression on her face, it was one he had only glimpsed briefly before. And it was the one expression that had made him want to help her, risk his life for her plans, do whatever. "Is there a part in your plan for me?" he asked finally.
She laughed. "Only if you can stand up right now, and walk over here" she told him, smiling slightly, fully expecting him to take up the challenge.
He shook his head. "I don't think I can" he told her. Max's face dropped, and she moved over to him, sitting down beside him on the bed. "Alec?" she asked, wanting to know what was going on.
"it hurts, Max. my leg, it really hurts. If you want me to run, jump, whatever, I'll do it, but." he shook his head. Max took his hand in both of hers. "I'm sorry" she whispered. "I didn't mean to push you." Alec shrugged, shifting slightly so that he was touching her. "My leg gave out" he muttered. "I couldn't get to Tim, my leg collapsed."
Max tightened her grip on his hand. "I don't believe that." She told him, staring straight into his eyes. "Alec, you did everything you could. I know that, because I know you. You took three bullets, and still kept trying to help Tim. What more could we ask?"
"He's a kid, Max. and a friend. I want him back."
"Me too"
Shay ducked through a hole in the fence, and sprinted towards cover. The sector police never looked up. So far, so good. He turned two corners at random, slowing down to a jog, then finally to a walk, trying to blend into the surroundings. It was night, well, nearly, but there were a lot of people out on the streets. He fell into step behind an old man, and followed him for a block or two, glancing over his shoulder a few times to make sure he wasn't being followed. The man entered an apartment building, and Shay walked quickly on, before ducking down an alley. The building looked pretty open, easy to break into. On the second level, there was a small open window. Shay made a quick decision.
Glancing to the front of the alley, he checked for signs that anyone was coming. It was clear. He took a deep breath, and jumped, grabbing the window pane and pulling himself up and through the window. The room was dark, but his enhanced eyesight gave him limited vision. He looked around, then moved soundlessly towards the door. It didn't sound like anyone was in the apartment, but he could be mistaken, and if caught. well, it wouldn't be worth thinking about. He found himself in a hallway, with several door leading off it. This wasn't good. Too many doors through which people could suddenly appear. He ducked into the first room. there was no sound from within. He took a deep breath, and flicked on the lightswitch. It was a childs room, a rich boy's room. Shay looked around in awe at the piles of toys and games, things that had no purpose but to entertain. He had never seen anything like it. It was a room he wanted to live in. He shook his head. This wasn't his life, as much as he would have liked it to be. He moved to the wardrobe, searching for anything that might fit him. at random, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater, using no criteria apart from choosing things that weren't black, or grey. Shay looked around one last time, desperately wanting something like this life. He grabbed a baseball cap off the floor. at least it would hide some of the bruises on his face.
"Don't tell me you're actually taking my advice?" Neil entered the room, and smiled to see Alec still lying on the bed.
Alec glared at him. "You scared that nurse, you know" he told him. "She was terrified after she came back in here."
"Yeah, whatever" Neil grinned. "She got you to stay in bed, didn't she?"
"Neil, I need my leg working. I need to be fit." He told him.
"Yeah, no kidding" Neil sighed. "I need you the hell out of here. I remember what peace used to be like, when my nurses actually did work and not spent their time staring at you"
Alec smiled slightly, shifting away from Max, in case she chose to hit him. She did, and he laughed. "Come on. I'm hurt" he told her, grabbing her hand.
"You will be" she replied.
Neil rolled his eyes, and put his hand on Alec's leg. "Tell me if this hurts." He began to cut the bandage from Alec's leg, trying to be gentle. Alec grimaced, but said nothing. Neil got rid of the rest of the bandage, and shook his head. Max looked over, and winced. Alec watched both of them, then struggled to sit up, wanting to see what was wrong with his leg.
"Stay down" Neil told him, pushing him back down gently, before returning his attention to Alec's leg. The leg was badly bruised, and swollen. A gunshot wound was healing slowly on his thigh.
"Okay, I want you to try to bend it. Take it slow."
Alec forced his leg to bend at the knee, struggling slightly with the stiffness in his knee joint.
"Hold it there" Neil pressed down on the side of his knee, and Alec gasped, closing his eyes briefly. He felt Max's hand grip his tighter.
Neil nodded, and withdrew his hand. "It's getting better" he told Max, glancing over at Alec. "You should have heard him scream last time I did that."
"Did not" Alec protested, opening his eyes. Neil laughed. "Stay off it for another day. the wounds seem to be healing pretty quickly, but I just want to make sure." Alec nodded, flexing his knee again.
"Hey" Neil smacked his leg. "One day, I said. Then you can run off and play hero again." Alec nodded.
Storm jumped the perimeter fence and blended into the crowd on the streets. He had been doing this a lot more, lately. Being an X series made it pretty easy, and no-one looked twice at a young boy wandering around. humans were pretty stupid sometimes. He grinned as he circled through the streets, and finally came back to a place not far from where he had started. the perimeter fence of TC. He pasted a grin on his face, acting like a kid, eager to see a transgenic freak. The crowd was larger than usual, a lot of men and boys, not much older than himself. Most of them seemed drunk, and all of them were talking, telling stories about run-ins they had had with transgenics. Storm moved closer, curiosity getting the better of him.
"And this. thing. it broke into our house. Green it was, with these weird teeth, and blood red eyes. It snarled at us, and I went after it, trying to protect my family. We chased it off, but I reckon it'll be back, with more of its kind."
"Yeah" another one chimed in. "we have to kill them all. None of them can be left standing."
"Do they all look like that?" Storm asked, unable to resist. The men turned to look at him. "I've never seen one, not for real. Are they all green?"
the first man laughed, and shook his head. "No, boy, some of them are even weirder. Some dont look even remotely human, white, black, furry, you name it. But some" the man continued. "Some look just like us. They're the ones we have to look out for. They look human."
"So, how do you tell them apart from us?" Storm realised that he should probably shut up, and leave, but he couldn't resist.
"You don't. until they do something strange. See, they're all freaks, human looking, but not human on the inside, you know? For all I know, you could be one of them, and the only way I could tell." the man took a step forward, towards him. Storm's breath caught in his throat, and he took an involuntary step back. The man laughed.
I'd love to write longer chapters, but what can I say. I'm a grad student with three part time jobs and a hectic sporting schedule. But I love reviews (
Max knocked on the door and walked into the hospital room, stopping dead as she saw Alec actually lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"No marathon running?" she asked him.
"Neil yelled at me" he commented, not moving.
"He did. what?" Max moved over to the bed.
"Well, not yell, but he laughed at me when I fell over, trying to stand up"
she sighed. "When you're quite finished feeling sorry for yourself, we have some work to do."
Alec rolled over onto his side and glared at her. "I'm not feeling sorry for myself, I'm doing what I've been told to do. Neil told me I had to rest." his expression changed to mock-hurt. then he grinned. "What work?"
"I've got Storm and Mole organising the troops. We're re-training, all of us. Whatever happens, I'm through messing around. we're going after Shay, and Tim, and Ray, and we're going to get them back. Then we take down White and his inbred family."
Alec stared at her. The expression on her face, it was one he had only glimpsed briefly before. And it was the one expression that had made him want to help her, risk his life for her plans, do whatever. "Is there a part in your plan for me?" he asked finally.
She laughed. "Only if you can stand up right now, and walk over here" she told him, smiling slightly, fully expecting him to take up the challenge.
He shook his head. "I don't think I can" he told her. Max's face dropped, and she moved over to him, sitting down beside him on the bed. "Alec?" she asked, wanting to know what was going on.
"it hurts, Max. my leg, it really hurts. If you want me to run, jump, whatever, I'll do it, but." he shook his head. Max took his hand in both of hers. "I'm sorry" she whispered. "I didn't mean to push you." Alec shrugged, shifting slightly so that he was touching her. "My leg gave out" he muttered. "I couldn't get to Tim, my leg collapsed."
Max tightened her grip on his hand. "I don't believe that." She told him, staring straight into his eyes. "Alec, you did everything you could. I know that, because I know you. You took three bullets, and still kept trying to help Tim. What more could we ask?"
"He's a kid, Max. and a friend. I want him back."
"Me too"
Shay ducked through a hole in the fence, and sprinted towards cover. The sector police never looked up. So far, so good. He turned two corners at random, slowing down to a jog, then finally to a walk, trying to blend into the surroundings. It was night, well, nearly, but there were a lot of people out on the streets. He fell into step behind an old man, and followed him for a block or two, glancing over his shoulder a few times to make sure he wasn't being followed. The man entered an apartment building, and Shay walked quickly on, before ducking down an alley. The building looked pretty open, easy to break into. On the second level, there was a small open window. Shay made a quick decision.
Glancing to the front of the alley, he checked for signs that anyone was coming. It was clear. He took a deep breath, and jumped, grabbing the window pane and pulling himself up and through the window. The room was dark, but his enhanced eyesight gave him limited vision. He looked around, then moved soundlessly towards the door. It didn't sound like anyone was in the apartment, but he could be mistaken, and if caught. well, it wouldn't be worth thinking about. He found himself in a hallway, with several door leading off it. This wasn't good. Too many doors through which people could suddenly appear. He ducked into the first room. there was no sound from within. He took a deep breath, and flicked on the lightswitch. It was a childs room, a rich boy's room. Shay looked around in awe at the piles of toys and games, things that had no purpose but to entertain. He had never seen anything like it. It was a room he wanted to live in. He shook his head. This wasn't his life, as much as he would have liked it to be. He moved to the wardrobe, searching for anything that might fit him. at random, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater, using no criteria apart from choosing things that weren't black, or grey. Shay looked around one last time, desperately wanting something like this life. He grabbed a baseball cap off the floor. at least it would hide some of the bruises on his face.
"Don't tell me you're actually taking my advice?" Neil entered the room, and smiled to see Alec still lying on the bed.
Alec glared at him. "You scared that nurse, you know" he told him. "She was terrified after she came back in here."
"Yeah, whatever" Neil grinned. "She got you to stay in bed, didn't she?"
"Neil, I need my leg working. I need to be fit." He told him.
"Yeah, no kidding" Neil sighed. "I need you the hell out of here. I remember what peace used to be like, when my nurses actually did work and not spent their time staring at you"
Alec smiled slightly, shifting away from Max, in case she chose to hit him. She did, and he laughed. "Come on. I'm hurt" he told her, grabbing her hand.
"You will be" she replied.
Neil rolled his eyes, and put his hand on Alec's leg. "Tell me if this hurts." He began to cut the bandage from Alec's leg, trying to be gentle. Alec grimaced, but said nothing. Neil got rid of the rest of the bandage, and shook his head. Max looked over, and winced. Alec watched both of them, then struggled to sit up, wanting to see what was wrong with his leg.
"Stay down" Neil told him, pushing him back down gently, before returning his attention to Alec's leg. The leg was badly bruised, and swollen. A gunshot wound was healing slowly on his thigh.
"Okay, I want you to try to bend it. Take it slow."
Alec forced his leg to bend at the knee, struggling slightly with the stiffness in his knee joint.
"Hold it there" Neil pressed down on the side of his knee, and Alec gasped, closing his eyes briefly. He felt Max's hand grip his tighter.
Neil nodded, and withdrew his hand. "It's getting better" he told Max, glancing over at Alec. "You should have heard him scream last time I did that."
"Did not" Alec protested, opening his eyes. Neil laughed. "Stay off it for another day. the wounds seem to be healing pretty quickly, but I just want to make sure." Alec nodded, flexing his knee again.
"Hey" Neil smacked his leg. "One day, I said. Then you can run off and play hero again." Alec nodded.
Storm jumped the perimeter fence and blended into the crowd on the streets. He had been doing this a lot more, lately. Being an X series made it pretty easy, and no-one looked twice at a young boy wandering around. humans were pretty stupid sometimes. He grinned as he circled through the streets, and finally came back to a place not far from where he had started. the perimeter fence of TC. He pasted a grin on his face, acting like a kid, eager to see a transgenic freak. The crowd was larger than usual, a lot of men and boys, not much older than himself. Most of them seemed drunk, and all of them were talking, telling stories about run-ins they had had with transgenics. Storm moved closer, curiosity getting the better of him.
"And this. thing. it broke into our house. Green it was, with these weird teeth, and blood red eyes. It snarled at us, and I went after it, trying to protect my family. We chased it off, but I reckon it'll be back, with more of its kind."
"Yeah" another one chimed in. "we have to kill them all. None of them can be left standing."
"Do they all look like that?" Storm asked, unable to resist. The men turned to look at him. "I've never seen one, not for real. Are they all green?"
the first man laughed, and shook his head. "No, boy, some of them are even weirder. Some dont look even remotely human, white, black, furry, you name it. But some" the man continued. "Some look just like us. They're the ones we have to look out for. They look human."
"So, how do you tell them apart from us?" Storm realised that he should probably shut up, and leave, but he couldn't resist.
"You don't. until they do something strange. See, they're all freaks, human looking, but not human on the inside, you know? For all I know, you could be one of them, and the only way I could tell." the man took a step forward, towards him. Storm's breath caught in his throat, and he took an involuntary step back. The man laughed.