Out of the Future

Chapter 21: End Game





Steel digits fanning out behind her, Koiohla approached the two oncoming X9's. They attacked violently, synchronizing their kicks and punches. Koiohla fended them off with one arm. The X38 kicked Jesse out of the way before spinning around and swinging at Rachel with her clawed hand.

"Nails are out! Get the hell back!" she yelled at Max and Alec who stopped dead in their tracks.

"What does she expect us to do?" asked Max.

"To not get in the way," said Alec tugging at her arm.

The two stepped back, as Rachel went tumbling and Jesse jumped back to avoid a swipe from Koiohla's nails.

"So what, we can't do anything?"

"Was that Lo--that was Logan," said Alec who was looking over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Over there, and if he's-they followed us in."

"What?" demanded Max looking behind her.

Logan and Asha were looking out from their cover motioning for Max and Alec to get over there. And once it looked like the two transgenics weren't moving, the human and the other "human" got fed up and decided to come to them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Max hissed as she and Alec met Logan and Asha half way. The future transgenics were still going two-on-one.

"Don't freak out when I say we came in right after you guys did," said Logan

"Are you insane?!"

"Max listen to me, we set up some explosives to the far wall, all you guys have to do is get her over there!"

"How exactly do we do that? Her nails did that thing!"

"Why's Jesse still fighting?" demanded Asha

"What?"

They all turned back to the fight. Time seemed to slow.

Jesse was tossed aside as Rachel was slapped. Two crimson lines appeared on her face, blood running down her cheek. She regained her balance and slammed her fist into the side of Koiohla's head. Jesse took the opportunity to send her onto her back with a well placed kick of his own, Rachel moved to stand beside Jesse. The X38 rolled over her shoulder; she blocked Rachel's oncoming fists and grasped her wrists. The X9 was flung around and just when it looked like she was going to fly into Jesse, Koiohla held back and flung her to the right instead. She made to punch Jesse in the stomach with her left hand, and he moved just enough for her to hit his side. His voice caught in his throat as he felt something cold slide through him.

Rachel shook her head and looked up to see how Jesse was faring. Her breathing became laboured at the sight before her. Koiohla slowly pulled her bloodied nails out from Jesse's abdomen, letting him fall to the ground. His eyes screwed shut as he tried to choke back the pain. Koiohla stepped far back.

"Oh God," Asha was barely heard, a shaky hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Jesse," breathed Logan.

Max and Alec looked at them and at each other, and then to Rachel.

"Jesse…" she said quietly, "Jesse!" a bit louder. She crawled towards him she was soon by his side.

"Jesse, no, oh no." tears were mixing with the dried blood on her face.

"I'm not d-dead," he said shakily forcing his eyes open to look at her, "It just…hurts like hell though." He smiled and winced.

"Jesse?" Asha came running and slid across the floor towards him, "you have to stay with us." She pulled off her jean jacket and pressed it to his side to try and stop some of the bleeding.

Logan, Max, and Alec were all beside him now.

"Pathetic, really," came Koiohla's steely voice *click*, "But of course the half-breeds were never much of anything." *crack*

Popping and cracking noises were heard as the group turned to face Koiohla. Her eyes were a fiery crimson red, both her hands were clawed and her bones were trying to rearrange themselves.

"It's over, you lose," she rasped, "kiss your family, friends, and mongrel boyfriend good-bye kitten."

"You bitch," snapped Rachel blinking back tears, getting up and making her way towards Koiohla.

"Rachel!" Alec made a grab for her arm but was pushed away.

"You can screw with time, try unsuccessfully to kill my parents, beat the hell outta me but nobody messes with my boyfriend!"

Koiohla growled and swung at Rachel, who easily knocked her arm away. The X38 kept slashing at the smaller X9 but got blocked every time, even though the latter still received slight cuts and scratches. Koiohla swung both her arms at Rachel who caught her at the wrists.

"Oh and one more thing," said Rachel, "I am Perfect."

Holding the X38's hands out to the side, Rachel kicked out hard at Koiohla's exposed stomach. The force sent her flying into a wall, denting the solid metal behind her.

"Give me that control and get out of here, I'll be right behind you," Rachel told the others, grabbing the explosives detonator from Logan.

Logan and Alec grabbed Jesse, and hauled him off, Asha following close behind.

"What are you doing?" demanded Max.

"Making sure she stays here, get going I'll be right behind you."

Max looked at her skeptically, remembering her earlier speech about killing herself just to beat Koiohla.

"Would you go already? I'll be fine," said Rachel watching Koiohla struggle to her feet, "I'm coming out of here alive, I promise Mom."

"No, you're not doing this alone."

"I can ONLY do this alone!"

"Rachel…"

"Just GO!"

After a beat, Max finally turned on her heel and ran from the Lab, mentally cursing herself for leaving her future daughter alone with the X38.



^^^

Outside the Factory…



Jesse was lying on one of the van's seats, Asha's blood soaked jacket was under his back, as she pressed Logan's coat against his front. When they got Jesse there and inspected damages the found that two of Koiohla's nails hit their mark just under his ribcage on the left side, they went straight though him. Koiohla's third nail grazed his side. A nasty scratch went across his stomach from her thumbnail. The boy lost consciousness just before they got outside from loss of blood, they needed to get to a hospital and they needed to do it now.

"You guys go we'll stay," said Alec.

"Alec we…"

"Guys…"

BOOM! They heard the explosion and felt the ground shake, they could hear the middle part of the Factory implode and crumble.

"Rachel…" whispered Max, "where is she?"

A creaking was heard, and with it the entire Factory screamed out of proportion as the entire thing collapsed into a great heap of twisted metal and wreckage.

The group watched in shock, but then the realization about the Factory's age came into play. Thirteen years of waiting of being unkempt, a rock could have brought the place crashing down.

"I shouldn't have left, this is…"

"Max, don't," said Alec coming around behind her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, "you couldn't have done anything and you know it."

Dust settled from the falling building and smoke rose from the fires. An orange-red glow settled upon them, outlining their frozen features. Koiohla was finally gone, and so was Rachel.



~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: What a place to leave huh? What's going to happen now? Will Jesse make it to the hospital? Will he die on the way? , Did I really kill Rachel?

Next: Chapter 22: Out from the Ashes

Disclaimer: DA belongs to C/E etc.