A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net
A/N 2: One week left until my four midterms, meaning that the chapters will come out slower. Now you're warned :P.
SilentPegasus: They have all the license plates they need, otherwise they'll just steal some. It's not very hard to do that *g*
Artickitty: I'm honored that you're reading the fic, even though you don't have a character in it :)
Maxwell Dark: Yup, there will be other pairings – both between already established characters, as well as characters that will be introduced later on (I just have to figure out *what* pairings ;)
Which reminds me – if any of you have any suggestions in regards to pairings, just tell me so, and I'll see what I can do to write it into the fic :)
Italics indicates thoughts
* * *
Chapter Fifteen: A Matter of Trust
* * *
Barely had the words left Jhonen's lips before Ryan's instincts took over. Thanks to countless practice sessions, he knew what to do to get his team out safely. Without Ryan even being aware of it, his mind was already studying the situation and choosing the best course of action.
"Seraphim, Tempest, pay attention. I'll knock out anyone who attacks us in here; Seraphim, I want you to temporarily blind those outside right before we exit the building; Tempest – stop the bullets if any of cops gets past us."
Deirdre and Kyle nodded, and Ryan turned to the others.
"The rest of you – grab the bags and follow us," he ordered.
They grabbed the bags, and as it turned out, it wasn't a moment too soon. Downstairs, they heard the sound of a door being kicked open, followed by the sound of footsteps.
Ryan waited until he was sure the cops were well inside in building, then concentrated on them. A moment later six bumps were heard as the humans collapsed on the floor.
Luckily, their room was on the first floor, so it didn't taken them long to get downstairs. Ryan motioned towards the door, and Deirdre nodded. She didn't have to use much strength to send the cops into a state of confusion – the sudden change from dark night to bright day would be more than enough to leave the humans disoriented for long enough to get away.
Around her, the other mutants closed their eyes and looked away. Deirdre smiled grimly and focused on the pale light from the few lampposts in the area. She held the light in a mental grip, then released it in a sudden blaze, lighting up the entire area.
Ryan could feel the confusion outside without even trying, and motioned towards his team.
"Let's move it, people!"
They hurried outside and past the cops. One of the humans managed to a shot off, but Kyle stopped the bullet before it could cause any harm, and the cop was knocked unconscious by a mindbolt before he could fire a second shot.
The team reached the cars and quickly split up.
"We'll lead," Ryan told Kyle, who nodded.
Ryan got into the first car, and started the engine.
"Where're we going?" Deirdre asked.
"Pittsburgh," Ryan replied. Big town, lots of places to lay low – it was perfect.
He waited for a brief second to make sure that Ryan was ready in the other car, then sped away from the hotel, followed by Kyle.
* * *
The night was silent. Calm and silent.
Almost ironic, actually, considering what they'd been through for the past few days. Blade, Jordane, and Zach had gotten back to the motel without any incidents. The only thing that hinted that something had changed was the slightly tense atmosphere between Blade and Jordane, but Zach had been too drunk (or more likely too smart) to comment on it.
When the three had returned, the others were already asleep, with the exception of Laetitia. It didn't take Blade long to realize that something was wrong – you didn't survive as a mercenary for almost a decade by ignoring your instincts – so he waited until Jordane and Zach were asleep, then motioned for Laetitia to come outside.
"Out with it," he ordered coldly.
For a short moment Laetitia considered lying to him, but decided against it. There were some basic rules when you worked for Blade – one, you didn't piss him off. Two, you didn't lie. Three, you did as you were told, no questions asked. If you broke rule two or three, you would also automatically break rule number one.
None of them wanted that to happen. When Blade got pissed, people died. It was that simple. They died, and Blade could get away with it, because damnit, he had business partners among Mafiosi and hitmen alike, and a bank account that could pay for their favors. And not even a trained assassin like Laetitia was brave – or stupid – enough to go against someone like that.
"The feds are on to me," she admitted. "One month...two at the most."
Blade nodded, and although Laetitia knew that he was surprised, he didn't show it.
"Laying low for a while?" he asked.
Laetitia shrugged.
"I'd prefer not to, but I might not have a choice."
Blade nodded again.
"There's more, isn't there?" he asked.
Laetitia looked down for a second before answering. What she was about to ask him would require a lot of convincing and more than a little bit of luck.
"Yes. There is. I need...I need to ask a favor of you."
"A favor?" Blade asked, and this time there was just the faintest hint of amusement in his voice.
Laetitia nodded.
"Yes. It's about Pheonix."
Blade motioned for her to continue, and Laetitia took a deep breath.
"If the feds get too close and I have to leave, I want you to take care of Pheonix. And I don't mean keeping her on the team, because we both know that she's too young for this shit. I want you to send her to a boarding school somewhere – Japan, or Brazil, or somewhere like that. Blade, I wouldn't ask you unless I had no other choice, you know that."
Blade raised an eyebrow.
"That's quite a favor you're asking," he noted.
Laetitia closer her eyes briefly.
"I don't a choice. I care about that girl, and I don't want to see her end up like me."
Blade was silent for a long time, weighing the pros and cons of Laetitia's request. Finally he nodded.
"I must be losing my mind, but...alright. Let's call it an extra payment for the time you've worked for me."
Laetitia drew a relieved breath.
"Thank you."
Blade just sighed.
"Get some sleep, Nike. It's been a long day."
* * *
It was past midnight when the Guardians finally found a suitable motel in Pittsburgh. Tired, both mentally and physically, most of the team had gone to sleep almost immediately, relying on luck to get them safely through the night.
Luck, and Ryan and Diana, although none of the sleeping mutants knew that their leader and second in command were still awake.
Ryan sent his sleeping team a look, then walked out on the surprisingly wide balcony. Diana only hesitated for a heartbeat, then followed him.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked and closed the door behind them.
Ryan sighed.
"It's a long story, D."
"We have time," Diana replied.
"I wouldn't even know where to start," Ryan pointed out.
"Maybe with the beginning," Diana said softly. "What happened? Why did I suddenly become so dizzy? Was it one of Blade's powers? And what did he mean when he said that you'd grown up?"
Ryan shook his head.
"You don't give up, do you? Okay...okay. To answer the easy question first – no, Blade was not to blame for your dizziness. At least not directly," he added under his breath.
"Then who was?" Diana asked.
Ryan smiled bitterly, and not for the first time Diana wondered just how much Ryan hid beneath the confident surface.
"Me," he replied.
"You? But you can't-"
"You don't know me, Diana. You don't know anything about me," Ryan interrupted sharply.
The shock was clear on Diana's face, and Ryan immediately regretted his outburst.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."
He paused, but Diana remained silent.
"When I was younger – a year older than you – I had another power. I could drain other people's strength. Not the physical strength, but the mental. Make them so confused and disorientated that they couldn't remain on their feet. My control was weak, almost non-existent, but since it was a rather weak power, that small bit of control was enough," Ryan explained.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Diana inquired. There were no accusations in her voice, just simple curiosity.
"Honestly...I thought I'd lost it," Ryan admitted.
"How could you lose one of your powers?" Diana asked confused. "I mean, you can't just lose a power - it has to be suppressed, doesn't it? I mean, there must have been a reason why you suddenly stopped using it. Was it a traumatic event or something?"
For a long moment Ryan looked like he was going to answer Diana's question. Then he sighed frustrated and shook his head.
"It's not important," he finally said.
Diana shook her head in disagreement.
"It is, Ryan. No more secrets. Tell me what happened."
Diana's words were soft, but still it was more of an order than a request. Ryan sighed. He didn't have to tell her anything, but...he owed it to her, didn't he? She trusted him; the least he could do was to tell her the truth.
Ryan turned around and just watched the lights of the city. So dark, so chaotic...so easy to just disappear forever. He shook his head.
"I was seventeen the first time I met Blade. I'd been on the road for a couple of years – three maybe – and I'd somehow winded up in Atlanta," Ryan began, never turning around.
Behind him, Diana leaned against the wall and listen intently. Ryan rarely spoke of his time on the road – personally, she thought it was because he was embarrassed of the things he'd done, but she couldn't be sure. No one really knew what went on inside Ryan's head.
"Blade must have been around twenty, I guess. He wasn't that much different from now, you know," Ryan confided. "A bit less in control, maybe, and certainly a lot less watchful, but all-in-all, he was already the homicidal psychopath that most people have learned to fear."
Ryan paused briefly before continuing.
"Anyway, I'd somehow ended up in Atlanta. It was in May, a couple of months before the first elections to the Council. There was a senator visiting the town at that time – Morris. Christopher Morris."
Diana's eyes widened slightly.
"I think I've heard about him. He was killed, wasn't he?" she asked.
Ryan's grip on the railing tightened.
"Yes. He was," he replied with a frightening lack of emotions.
Diana fell silent, and after a moment, Ryan continued his tale.
"I was standing on the roof of one of the buildings, watching the parade they had arranged for the senator...and suddenly I felt a faint tingling in the back of my neck, like when you know that someone is nearby. I looked around and saw someone hiding behind one of the large ventilation systems. Being the curious teenager I was, I had to take a closer look."
Again he paused and seemed to re-play an inner movie that only he could see.
"That someone turned out to be Blade, armed with a sniper's rifle. Even to someone as young as me, his intentions were obvious."
"And then he noticed that you were there?" Diana guessed
Ryan shook his head.
"No. Like I said, he was a lot less watchful than now. He must have thought that he was safe on the roof because he was completely absorbed in his...assignment."
Ryan paused and laughed; a short, bitter laughter that sent a small shiver down Diana's spine.
"Back then, I was arrogant in the way that only teenagers can be. I was sure I could handle anything, assassins included. I could have knocked him out with a mindbolt. Sure, I wasn't in complete control, but there was no one else around I could have hit."
He paused and sighed.
"But I didn't. In my infinite arrogance, I wanted him to know who'd done it. I wanted him to see the man – boy – who had been able to best him. I used my ability to drain his strength...and it should have worked. If he'd been a normal person, I could have brought him to his knees before he could have fired even a single shot."
"But Blade isn't a normal person," Diana reminded him quietly.
Another bitter laugh before Ryan continued.
"No...he isn't. And he was able to fight me for long enough to pull the trigger. I was so shocked that I lost my mental grip on him, and his strength started to return. I desperately hoped that the bullet had missed...but it hadn't. Morris had been hit in the shoulder...and for the briefest of seconds I thought that I'd succeeded after all, that Morris would live."
Ryan trailed off, and Diana put a hand on his shoulder.
"What happened then?" she asked softly.
"...I learned that Blade never leaves anything to chance. The tip of the bullet was hollow."
"Poison?" Diana guessed. Maximum destruction, follow by lethal poisoning...
That man is sick.
"Yes. Some industrial product – a deadlier version of cyanide," Ryan confirmed. "They took him to the hospital, but..."
He trailed off, but the meaning was clear.
Oh, God. And he's kept this to himself all this time? Diana thought. No wonder he's obsessed with getting even with Blade.
"I checked the reports later," Ryan continued impassively. "It took him nine hours and forty-six minutes to die. He suffered for almost ten hours...because of my goddamn pride."
"You didn't-"
"-Pull the trigger?" Ryan interrupted, and his voice held a note of hollow amusement unlike anything Diana had heard before. "I told that to Blade, you know. He replied that I might as well have. And he was right. I condemned Morris to a slow, agonizing death...just because I was arrogant."
"So you made a mistake...tough luck. It happens. We all screw up at some point - no one is perfect, you know," Diana replied, but her words sounded meaningless even to her own ears.
Ryan smiled, but it was an empty smile that never quite reached his eyes.
"Sure...we all shrew up. The difference is, I got someone killed."
He turned around and headed inside the hotel room again before Diana had the chance to reply. She shook her head in quiet shock, then walked to the railing and watched the pulsating city. There were more questions to ask – how he'd survived after Blade had discovered him, for one – but right now, she didn't care. She'd gotten the first pieces of the complex puzzle that was Ryan's past, and for the moment that was enough.
Diana watched the lights of the city and mentally replayed the conversation with Ryan. First once, then twice, until she knew every word by heart and could have recited it in her sleep. Spread out before her, the city vibrated with life, unaware of events it had been witness to.
It took several hours before Diana finally headed inside.
And only then did she discover that Ryan was gone.
* * *
A/N 3: To those who had hoped for some dark, criminal past for Ryan – sorry to disappoint you, but it's been done so many times before. I wanted to show that he makes mistakes, just like everyone else. And in this case, he actually was to blame – at least partially. No need to leave him angry and brooding because of something he couldn't have prevented, anyway ;)
Coming up: Ryan and Blade decide to settle things once and for all. Unfortunately, something goes wrong, and both teams have to deal with the consequences.
