I just had to cook my own dinner. *And* eat it O.o - I'm buying takeaway tomorrow. I might be crazy, but I am not suicidal :P
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: Archangel: Don't worry, it's spring break now, so I'll get some time to write ;)
J.DeLuca: Sure, Blade has Ryan's abilities, but he's never been trained to use them. And Ryan, being a telepath, has learned to shield his thoughts. If Blade tried to get the information from Ryan by using raw force, he would most likely cause some serious damage to both of them. And don't worry, Jordane will get the chance to kick some ass...eventually *eg* (and maybe Blade will be less overprotective of her once I get my ass together and do something about that UST...)
Cherry Drop: Where the plot twists come from? Practice. Lots and lots of practice. And a couple of twisted muses on speed...
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
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Chapter Twenty-Four: Reality Check, part II
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Suzuka wasn't sure what alerted her – instincts, maybe – but whatever it was, it made her turn around just in time to see someone close in on them, partially hidden in the shadows.
"Kyle! Watch out!" she hissed, and Kyle spun around.
There was someone out there, all right. Two of them as far as he could see. The two Guardians slowly stood up, no longer bothering to hide – there would be no use in doing so, since the Shadow Alliance obvious knew where they were hiding.
Zach and Aaron exchanged a brief look, then stepped into the light.
Kyle quickly evaluated the situation. It was bad, but it could have been worse. Not much, though – both boys were fighters, and furthermore Zach could use his bolts of energy against them. Not to mention the fact that the rest of the Shadow Alliance was most likely just waiting for a chance to join the fight.
Zach reached inside his jacket and brought out his bo staff. A slight movement with his hand, and the metal staff had extended to its full length, just short of six feet. Aaron smirked and with a flex of the muscles around his canine teeth, the two long fangs became visible.
Suzuka looked questioningly at Kyle, and he nodded briefly in reply.
Suzuka closed her eyes, and created a detailed picture of a wolf in her mind. She kept a firm grasp on the mental image, then felt the muscles and bones in her body adapt to the new shape with agonizing, slow movements.
Finally her body had completed its transformation, and the wolf flexed its muscles to test them. Satisfied with the result, she growled deep in her throat and showed a set of long – and very sharp – teeth. Determined to protect her pack-mates, she took a step forward, still growling.
Zach and Aaron took a small step back, and Laetitia raised her gun slightly. But before she could do anything else, Blade had her wrist in a firm grasp. She looked at him, and he shook his head slightly.
"They can handle it. Trust me," he said quietly, and Laetitia nodded and lowered the gun.
Aaron sent Zach a questioning look, slowly pulling out the small knife that lay in his pocket. Zach nodded and took a tighter grip on the bo staff. Kyle and the wolf both tensed, sensing an impending attack, but not knowing where it would come from.
You better be ready, Zach, Aaron thought and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
He threw the knife at the two Guardians, not caring whether or not it hit a target. He wanted to get the wolf's attention, and he succeeded. Enraged, she snarled and attacked with a ferocity that chilled Aaron to the core. She charged, aiming to kill, but she'd forgotten one very important fact. By attacking, she had left the area that Kyle's powers could protect, and she was now as vulnerable as she would ever be.
She sensed the movement of the other enemy almost immediately, but it was too late. Zach lashed out with the staff, and the wolf fell to the floor with a startled yelp.
The wolf slowly shifted back into Suzuka's unmoving shape, and Kyle was suddenly on his own. He knew that he couldn't freeze all his opponents at the same time – and certainly not from that distance - so instead he raised his hands slightly, ready to strike the moment anyone tried to attack him.
Zach and Aaron watched him carefully, deliberately staying just out of reach. Aaron took a small step closer, and Kyle raised his hands a bit more.
Across the room, the others watched the fight, ready to step if needed, while keeping a firm grip on Ryan. Blade caught Jordane's eyes and nodded towards a dirty cloth on a table.
Fire. He's terrified of fire, he whispered in her mind, and Jordane smirked.
She grabbed the rag, and noticed with a bit of satisfaction that it was partially covered in oil. It was perfect. She quickly found her lighter and crossed the floor, and stopped about fifteen feet from Kyle. Before the man had a chance to react, Jordane lit up the thick piece of fabric. It took mere seconds, then the small flames reached the oil and turned the rag into a fireball at an alarming rate.
"Hey, Sanderson!" Jordane shouted. "Catch!"
She threw the rag only seconds before the flames would have reached her hand. The burning cloth flew through the air, followed by a tail of thick, dark smoke.
Kyle spun around, ready to fight, but paled visibly as he saw the globe of fire that came sailing through the air. The terror was obvious in his eyes, and while his mind screamed at him to defend himself, his body refused to move.
The burning rag was just the distraction Aaron needed. Before Kyle could react, Aaron had reached him and sunk two sharp fangs into his hand. The sudden pain tore Kyle out of his paralyzed state and he froze the fireball before it could get any closer.
He turned around to get back at Aaron, but it was already too late. The world started spinning in a kaleidoscope of surreal colors, twisting the surroundings into draw-out, deform shapes. Kyle tried to fight against the effects of the poison, but to no avail. The kaleidoscope started to spin faster, and Kyle sank to the floor.
Aaron stepped closer and checked for a pulse. It was slow, but it was there.
"He'll live. It wasn't a lethal dose," the boy said and licked his fangs. A look of disgust crossed his face and Zach frowned.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
Aaron shook his head.
"No, but he tasted like fear. I hate that taste," he complained and spit on the floor to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth. "I really hate it."
Zach just smirked and clasped Aaron's shoulder, and they followed Jordane back to the others.
Nice trick, Jordane noted, referring to Kyle's fear of fire.
Remember it next time you run into him, Blade replied. He's downright terrified of fire. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find out why.
Jordane shrugged and stopped next to Blade.
Who cares, as long as it works?
Blade smirked slightly and put an arm around her waist, unconsciously caressing her hip.
Have I ever mentioned that I like the way you think?
Jordane's only reply was a playful smile, and Blade forced himself back to reality, almost regretting that he'd have to give up that particular aspect of Ryan's powers. Telepathic communication would have been *very* useful, especially in business dealings and any possible fights they might get into.
Blade looked at the two unconscious Guardians, then at Ryan. A cruel smirk appeared on his face, and Ryan started to feel more than a little bit nervous.
"I heard you've had some *horrible* nightmares the last couple of days," Blade noted casually. "Something about seeing your teammates getting killed, wasn't it?"
Ryan didn't reply, having already realized where things were heading. Unfortunately, his silence was the only answer Blade needed.
"It can't have been pleasant. Must've been a comfort to know that it was only...a nightmare," he finished in the same deceptively casual voice.
Ryan glared at him, but they both knew that it was only a symbolic sign of resistance. All it would take to make those nightmares a reality was the swipe of a knife, and Ryan all too aware of that.
"Asshole," he sneered.
Blade just smirked.
"Maybe. But I'm the asshole that holds your life in his hands. Now, what were you saying about cooperating with me...?"
Ryan closed his eyes briefly and sighed. He didn't have a choice, and he knew it. He could cooperate, or he could watch Kyle and Suzuka being killed. And he did not want any more innocent blood on his hands.
Besides, if they for some reason remained in the wrong bodies, it would only be a matter of time before Blade learned to control Ryan's telepathic powers, and even the mere possibility of that was enough to send a shiver down Ryan's spine.
"All right...all right. I'll cooperate," he finally gave in. "Just leave them alone."
What he didn't add was the question that had run though his mind since he had first woken up in the wrong body.
How do you undo something you're not sure how you did in the first place...?
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Coming up: The final part of 'Reality Check' – Ryan has agreed to cooperate, but is it enough to undo the mindswitch? Or will the result be some serious damage to both Ryan and Blade?
