A/N 2: The new characters *will* show up again, no doubt about that. And to those who are wondering – yes, I *do* intend to answer all the questions I raised in chapter eight ;) I have Ryan and Blade's past all mapped out – I only need to write it into the story. Eventually *he, he*.
Oh, and I'll go down to one chapter a week again. My wonderful vacation is over - *sniff* - so it's back to the hell that is the senior year of high school :P
'...' Indicates telepathy
[...] Indicates dreams
* * *
Chapter Ten: A Blast from the Past
* * *
[It was cold; the kind of cold that hurled invisible needles of ice into any exposed skin. It was cold, and it was windy, and while Ryan knew that this was nothing but a nightmare, he found himself unable to wake up.
He was back on the rooftop some six years earlier, back where he could see the lights from the ambulances and police cars far below.
It was chaos, created by blinking lights and muted sirens. Chaos, and unspeakable fear as Ryan saw the dark person move closer. Chaos, fear, and the knowledge that like a deer caught in the headlights, he was paralyzed. Nowhere to run, no chance of escape.
The man kept walking until he was so close that Ryan could smell the gunpowder from the still-smoking rifle. Then, painfully aware of his intimidating presence, the man leaned closer until Ryan was caught between the man and the concrete wall.
"You didn't save his life," the man taunted in a low voice. "The bullet was filled with poison. He's going to die a slow...agonizing...death...all because you wanted to play hero."
"I wasn't the one who pulled the trigger," Ryan somehow managed to say, despite of his fear.
"Oh, but you might as well have," the man replied, and sent Ryan a cold smirk. "If you'd left me alone, he would have died painlessly."
The man took a step back.
"Think about that tomorrow when you read the headlines," he taunted. He turned around and walked away-]
- And Ryan woke up with a gasp.
The adrenaline coursed through his body and brought back the memories from the day before – the checkpoint, Blade, their confrontation, escaping the police, finding an abandoned barn to sleep in...
Ryan took several deep breaths to slow down the frantic beating of his heart, but it took a long, painful minute before he was calm enough to think clearly again. He sighed and stood up, and brushed away the hay that stuck to his clothes. He looked at the blanket he'd slept on, then grabbed it and quickly shook it to get the dirt and hay out of it.
Ryan slowly scanned the barn. The others were still asleep in the small stacks of dried grass and hay that had been left behind, and judging from the faint glow from the horizon, it would probably take a while before they woke up.
Still tired, he sank to the floor and leaned against the wall. He sighed and closed his eyes, and tried to forget the nightmare, but it was impossible.
"Do you want to talk about?"
Ryan's eyes snapped open. To his left, a small shadow made its way across the floor, followed by the rustling sound of movement in the hay. Diana, with her blanket around her shoulders, stepped into the faint light, and sat down next to Ryan.
"What happened last night, Ryan?" Diana asked quietly. "What did Blade mean when he said you weren't a kid anymore? And what about my sudden dizziness? Was it one of Blade's powers that caused that?"
"No, that's..." Ryan stopped himself and sighed. "Listen, Diana, I appreciate your concern, and I promise I'll explain everything...but not now. Not yet."
Diana nodded understanding.
"Okay...okay. But no matter what it is, we're here for you, remember? Just because you're the leader doesn't mean that you have to handle everything on your own."
Ryan smiled, and felt the terror of the nightmare slowly start to leave him.
"I'll remember that," he promised.
Diana smiled, and the two fell into a comfortable silence while they waited for their teammates to wake up.
* * *
It was the blinding light of the morning sun that woke up Jordane. At first, she wasn't completely sure where she was – a small part of her desperately hoped that she would wake up in her bed in the warehouse – but the constant hum of a car engine brought her back to reality.
She yawned and sat up. Beside her, Blade was still asleep, and in the front seat, Zach was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel in a restless rhythm.
"'Morning," Jordane mumbled, and stretched as far as the car would allow.
Zach sent her a quick look in the rearview mirror.
"'Morning," he replied quietly, careful not to wake up Blade.
Jordane blinked and looked out the window. They had taken turns at the wheel all night, having decided to continue until noon, and then find someplace to rest.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"We passed Johnstown a while back. With a little luck, we should be able to reach Pittsburgh today," Zach replied. "Then we'll wait for the others, and cross the border to the Midwest."
Jordane nodded, and fell silent again. Next to her, Blade moved slightly, and Jordane was quick to grab the rare chance of seeing him vulnerable. Although 'vulnerable' wasn't really the word she would use – even in sleep, Blade had a hard look on his face. She raised her hand, paused briefly, then reached out and caressed his cheek. Blade moved again, and Jordane froze, one part of her hoping he would wake up, the other praying that he wouldn't. He remained asleep, though, and Jordane withdrew her hand.
With a content sigh she curled up on the seat and fell asleep again.
In the front seat Zach shook his head and pretended that he hadn't seen anything.
* * *
Back with the Guardians, things didn't look nearly as good. They had been on road for about an hour, and the atmosphere in the car was heavy with worry and unanswered questions.
It was Deirdre who finally voiced what everybody was thinking about.
"Ryan? Have you heard anything from the others?" she asked. The question sounded casual, but one didn't have to be a mindreader to sense the worry underneath. There were a lot of things that could have happened to Kyle, Jhonen, and Suzuka. They could have run into the cops. They could have met the FoH. They might even have had a confrontation with the rest of the Shadow Alliance.
Ryan sighed.
"I tried to contact them this morning, but they didn't respond. They were probably still asleep," he explained in as calm a voice as he could manage. It wasn't easy with the many worried thoughts he had been having in the past hour – nightmarish images of their three teammates fighting the FoH, or lying bleeding in an alley.
"Or maybe they were too far away for me to reach them," he added, and tried to suppress the growing unease he felt.
Apparently he sounded convincing enough, because Deirdre smiled slightly and seemed a bit less worried.
"You'll see, they're probably already in Johnstown when we get there," he said and managed a forced grin.
"Yeah...I guess you're right," Deirdre finally admitted. A normal conversation – or as normal as it could get – picked up among the two girls and Ben, and Ryan leaned back in his seat.
Yes, Kyle and the other would be at the rendezvous, no doubt about that. There was no need to be worried, Ryan decided.
But the nightmarish visions just returned with renewed force.
* * *
Cliffhangers – it's a way of life *g*. Yes, short chapter, I know, but my bed is calling. Trust me: 3 ½ hours of sleep = Bad Thing ;)
Coming up: Kyle, Jhonen, and Suzuka wake up in jail. Things go pretty much downhill from there.
