Out of the Future
Chapter 23: Phoenix Tears
Her eyes slowly opened, as the room started to come into focus. She was lying in a hospital bed; it was in a small room, with peeling paint like all the others. The beeping of her heart monitor was all she could hear as she tried to clear her head. Closing her eyes, Rachel ran a hand through her hair and let out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding. Opening her eyes again everything came back. The Factory, Koiohla, the explosion, how she got away…
When she set of the explosives, Rachel used all of her speed to make it to the edge of the Lab, where that drop was. Half caved in tunnels ran out all along the bottom. The Factory started to crumble all around her as she ran. The tunnels finally took her out on the other side of the destroyed building. The entire Factory came crashing down after she got out, smoke and dust rose up into the air. When Rachel heard Koiohla break out of the ruin she broke into a run; after a couple steps she tripped and fell onto a piece of jagged metal that tore up her thigh That's when the X9 found the metal bar; she picked it up and took it with her. If Koiohla transformed her neck would be exposed. That metal choker she was wearing couldn't withstand the size that it would undoubtedly grow into.
She kept going even though it felt like she couldn't take another step. The earlier fight with the X38 took more out of her than she thought. When Koiohla's transformation came into view it didn't even notice her, the beast was too focused on Max and Alec. Standing not even ten feet away Rachel threw the metal bar hard at Koiohla's neck like a javelin. It struck its mark, jammed through the back of her throat and protruding from the front. The future transgenic went down. All Rachel could do was smile before darkness invaded her senses.
Rachel laughed and started to sit up. Her body still ached but it didn't matter. She stopped, the smile slowly fading when she was hit by a flashback.
Jesse.
Where was he? She remembered him being impaled by Koiohla's nails, he could be dead!
Rachel pulled out the IV and other tubes stuck in her skin then went about locating her clothes. Jesse had to be okay; but…she didn't see him with the others…
^^^
"Why can't I go back in there?" demanded Max.
Alec was pushing her down the hall, further and further from Rachel's room, with that big, stupid Alec grin on his face.
"She's not going anywhere Max."
"Who made you the medical expert?"
"Look she's going to be fine, Carr and Shankar are both here," he said.
"So what? Remember the last time I was in a hospital? CDC and White ring a bell? I mean what if something like that happens again?" said Max, "I can't believe they believed that stupid story you came up with about their injuries."
"What did you want the truth? Excuse me but our kids were mauled by a crazy transgenic who wanted to kill us but got them instead so…"
"We would've got faster service."
"And news crews reporting the violent tendencies of all transgenics."
"But really Alec."
"Hey farm accident like that happen all the time," he said.
"You told them Jesse fell on a pitch fork and Rachel was trampled by cows," said Max.
"What would you have said?"
"Shut up."
"Good one."
"No, Alec really," said Max, "shut up."
"It's over Max."
"Is it ever going to be really over?"
"Probably not, but at least we don't have Koiohla to worry about anymore, our daughter took care of that," said Alec, "and did you see that throw?"
"Our daughter," said Max looking back at Rachel's hospital door, "do you have any idea how warped that still sounds?"
"It's not that bad Maxie."
"You're looking for a beating aren't you?"
"You want me and you know it," he said ducking her fist, "Besides I still say it was…heat!"
"ALEC!"
"What?" he asked innocently.
"What is with you and that?"
"When is your cycle anyway?"
"Not telling," said Max.
"Why not?"
"Cuz you're being an ass."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too!"
"You can never admit when you're wrong can you?"
"Because I'm always right."
"You are not," said Alec.
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"We're getting nowhere with this you do realize right?" said Alec.
"You're an ass and you know it," said Max.
"When?"
"Let's see, the first time we met-you were an ass."
"I was doing my job."
"When you lost me my baseball-you were an ass!"
"Correction that was MY baseball."
"You are such an ass."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Can we not get into this again?" asked Alec.
Max rolled her eyes, "why do we always fight?"
"Because it's fun," said Alec smiling, "cats always play fight with each other and we are part feline Max, don't you just find it…fun? I think it makes our relationship interesting."
"So, we're in a relationship now?" she said wrapping her arms around his neck moving into a hug. Alec wrapped his arms around her waist.
"The only thing I can really think of right now is that alcove by the hotel," he said dreamily.
"I'm three seconds away from beating your ass."
"Max, what's with you and this obsession with my ass?" asked Alec, "I'm going to beat your ass, I'm going to kick your ass, I'm going to boot your ass, you just like looking at my ass and Max, to tell you the truth you got a nice one too."
"Here's a new one: I'm going to kill you."
"I think you've told me that before but here I am, going to be the father of your head strong daughter who acts just like you."
"And looks like you, and she acts more like you."
"Well her determination and stubbornness is definitely something she inherited form you," said Alec, "and she had your eyes."
"Oh well spotted."
"Well you…"
"HEY!"
The both turned around to the direction of the new, yet familiar voice.
"Rachel," they both went running up to her, "what the hell are you doing up?" demanded Max wrapping her in a hug.
"I'm fine really."
"You should be lying down," said Alec.
"I heal fast remember?" said the X9.
Both X5's had her in a tight hug; she had obviously found the new clothes that Original Cindy had brought for her straight out of Max's closet.
"Tell me I killed her."
"Koiohla's dead, it was really gross how she went though, with the disintegrating and all that."
"Where's Jesse?" asked Rachel.
^^^
Jesse's hospital room.
"Why didn't it kill him?" asked Logan, "I mean when she got Alec it almost killed him."
"Well maybe it was because Alec got scratched not impaled, or maybe her nails were a different length, or they lost their toxic properties."
"But, but he's fine, he's okay."
"Miracles happen," said Asha putting her hand on Logan's shoulder.
He put his hand on top of hers and smiled, then looked down at their son.
"You want to go get something to eat, Rachel should be up and through that door in a few seconds."
"Is it just me," asked Logan, "or is there something going on between them?"
"It isn't you," said Asha, "but I don't think they even realize it yet."
"Come on."
With one last glance at Jesse, they headed out the door.
^^^
Max and Alec knew they'd have a hard time getting Rachel to not run down the halls to where Jesse was. Like when she went tearing down the halls to find him the last time they were in a hospital. So the two transgenics ushered her down the halls.
"Is he dead?" asked Rachel, "the reason you're not telling me where he is, it's because you're taking me to the morgue aren't you?"
"He's not dead," Alec reassured her, "and the reason we're not telling you is because the last time you ran into a lot of people on you're way to the lobby before White's attack remember?"
"How hurt is he?"
"Uh, well, two nails went through, and he's got some nasty scratches on his side and stomach."
"Why isn't he dead then? Shouldn't he be poisoned or something?"
"Well maybe your generation is all immune to it?"
"I don't even know why it doesn't effect me. I could probably drink rattlesnake venom and be okay."
"You're not going to are you?" asked Alec.
"What do you think? Where's Jesse!"
"Room 306, just up the hall, don't…" Rachel broke into a sprint, "run."
Max and Alec watched as she disappeared into a room down at the other end of the hallway.
"Why doesn't anyone in this family listen to me?" asked Alec.
Max just cuffed him in the arm and started walking the other way, and indicating that she wanted him to follow.
^^^
"Jess?" said Rachel stepping into the room.
She turned around and quietly closed the door behind her. She made her way closer to Jesse, who was lying motionless on the bed. The only sounds in the room was the beep of his heart monitor and their light breathing. He didn't look any worse than she did from what she could see. A split lip and a slight bruise just under his right eye, with transgenic healing his minor scrapes would most likely be gone by the next day. Rachel slowly limped over to his bedside (her leg still a bit sore) and sat down on the edge. She smiled lightly, Jesse's hair was still stubbornly spiked, it was cute. Rachel took his hand in hers.
"I thought you were going to die," she whispered, "I should have known you'd be too stubborn to go."
"I'm stubborn?" he squeezed her hand.
"How the? When, how long have you been not sleeping?!" she demanded as Jesse's smile got wider, "you're going to reopen that cut on your lip if you keep smiling like that you bastard."
"I got you didn't I?" Jesse opened his eyes to look at her.
"I really hate you," she said smiling.
"Rachel I'm okay, come here."
She lied down beside him and draped an arm over his chest.
"Does it hurt?"
"Only if I breathe in deep, try to move, or something pushes on it," he said, "you wanna see it?"
"Not now," she laughed.
"Probably just as well seeing on how they've got me all wrapped up anyway, think it'll scar? Can you imagine the look on my Dad's face when I tell him about this?"
"You're a freak."
"We'll be freaks together then."
"Why aren't you dead?"
"I've been thinking about that," said Jesse, "I have a few theories."
"You and your theories," said Rachel.
"Anyway, the theories are that Koiohla's nails were only toxic for a limited time, it was that time of the month, it depends on her mood, or the length of the nails at the time, she wanted me to die slowly from massive blood loss, she can control when her nails are poisonous, or all of us NextGen'ers are immune to poisons. I mean transgenics in general are all immune to that poison stuff the familiars use to decide who's worthy and what not, your Mom was the only one who didn't show any effects."
"That it?"
"Pretty much yeah."
Rachel hugged him tighter and he started playing with her hair.
"So how do we get home?" she asked, "any theories?"
"Each one as unlikely as the next."
"So as far as we know, we're stuck here."
"We're going to get home Rachel," said Jesse.
"You can't be sure of that."
"Our parents aren't just going to leave us here Rache."
"They will if they're dead," she argued.
"Do you want to go home?" asked Jesse.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I do!"
"Then stop saying it won't happen!"
"But-"
"No buts."
"Jess-"
"Shhhh."
"Humph!"
"Remember when we were fighting Koiohla when she stabbed me?" asked Jesse trying not to smile.
"How could I-," she looked up at him, "waaaaaait, why?"
"Well was it my shocked induced imagination or did you call me your boyfriend?" he was trying so hard to not smile but was losing. Badly.
"Your imagination," said Rachel.
"So if I asked around everyone would tell me the same thing?"
"…uh, maybe?…"
"You've totally gone past the 'ten shades of red' Rachel," she tried not to laugh.
"It was an accident! I didn't mean to! Total slip, mistake, you're not buying this are you? … heat of the moment speech?" she drabbled on.
"Now if I didn't feel sorry for you I'd keep on teasing you."
"Don't pity…" she whined.
Jesse couldn't help but laugh, and that turned out to be a mistake, "ouch," he winced.
"What? What did I do?"
"Nothing, Rachel, oh, ow, laughing equals pain, owww."
"You're an ass."
"And you're cute when you blush, I've only seen you do it maybe three times."
"You think I'm cute?"
"You kicked Koiohla half way across the lab for me?"
"Shut up, I'm starting to think you got impaled on purpose."
"Yes Rachel I meant for this to happen," said Jesse.
The looked at each other and laughed, or in Jesse's case smiled and winced.
They were safe, their parents were safe, and hopefully the future too, was safe.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Chapter 23/25 is complete. In the next chapter recovery is underway and how the hell are R/J going to get back home? I'm currently 3/4 done the last chapter.
Disclaimer: DA belongs to Cameron/Eglee etc.