Sorry about the lateness of the chapter - too much homework, and too little time to do it in. Luckily I'm almost done with that, which leaves only the finals to study for.
A/N 1: As most of you have probably noticed, the fic has taken a turn to the darker, as I threatened it would. If a chapter is particularly dark, I will of course post a warning first. If any of you feel that the fic is too dark, and want your characters out of the story line, then now is the time to tell me. Not in three chapters, not when your character gets hurt, and not when the first character dies. If you want out, it's now.
To the rest of you: from what I can see, we're a bit more than halfway through the fic (maybe two-thirds if the unthinkable happens and I grow tired of the characters, or get a serious writer's block *knocks under computer*). As you have probably guessed, it's the darkest - and potentially most interesting - half that lies ahead. So if you're willing to leave you characters in my hands, then sit down, lean back, and I'll do whatever it takes to make this a ride you won't forget.
A/N 2: Rascal: *g* None taken. The better you know the characters, the easier they are to write about, and the better the writing gets. It's actually rather simple ^^. That's also why the story is becoming a bit darker - because by now I feel comfortable enough with the characters to write them like that. If I had the time, I would go back and edit/rewrite a good part of the first chapters. Unfortunately, there's a global conspiracy going on to keep me from my computer :P. And nobody is influencing Laetitia...at least not anymore. This was how she was raised and trained - usually, she just keeps her more twisted side hidden *g*. And Jhonen is innocent, in every sense of the word. Take that any way you want ^^
Maxwell Dark: Well, the definitions of the various levels depend on whom you ask, but most agree with the following power-classification:
Omega: The strongest (and rarest) mutant class. Depending on their particular powers, they can level entire cities and cause permanent changes in the Earth's weather systems or magnetic field.
Alpha: Second strongest. A lot of the X-Men would probably fit into this category. Alphas are basically your typical super-hero/villain.
Beta: Not nearly as powerful as alphas. They have superhuman powers, but generally not enough to be a stand-alone hero or villain, so to speak.
Gamma: Semi-dangerous. More powerful than an average human, but nowhere near beta or alpha level.
Delta: They're mutants, but either they're not very powerful, or the X-gene is dormant.
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
* * *
Chapter Thirty-Three: Dilemmas
* * *
At first it was a faint presence - barely more than a pale ghost in his mind - but as he focused on it, it grew stronger, more vibrant, more hopeful.
Ryan drew a relieved breath and smiled for the first time since Deirdre had returned from the failed attempt to spy on the Shadow Alliance.
Suzuka was alive. Worried, angry, and afraid, but she was alive.
Suzuka...he whispered, and he felt Suzuka perk up.
Suzuka, he repeated, and Suzuka's anger turned to relief as she felt his presence in her mind.
Ryan!
Her reply was more of a thought to herself than a message aimed at him, and he frowned. Something was wrong - usually, she would focus her thoughts on him, to make it easier to communicate.
Are you okay? What happened? he asked and couldn't completely hide his worry.
Suzuka sighed mentally.
I'm...as fine as you could expect, considering the fact that I'm being held hostage by a bunch of homicidal freaks.
Ryan smiled faintly. Suzuka-humor at its...well, not best, but close. It comforted him a bit - it meant that whatever had happened to Suzuka, it hadn't broken her yet.
Ryan...Suzuka continued. They drugged me. I don't know how they got it, but they've given me the same kind of drugs that the cops gave us in jail.
And suddenly everything made sense to Ryan - power-suppressive drugs. That was why she 'thought' to herself, instead of to him, so to speak. Any attempts to 'talk' directly to him would knock her out, like it had happened to Kyle.
Suzuka, are you okay? And I want the truth.
Suzuka sighed.
My head hurts. I have some bruises on my wrists, and I think I've hurt my right shoulder, too, she replied.
Bruises? What did they do to you? Ryan demanded and fought back his anger. If any of them had hurt her...
Nothing...yet. They handcuffed me to a couple of pipes in one of the rooms. I tried to get loose, but...
She trailed off, but the meaning was not lost on Ryan. Once, when he was young and foolish, he'd felt the kind of damage caused by trying to get out of a pair of handcuff. He knew that it hurt, and that the result was never pretty.
Listen to me, Suzuka - don't try to force the restrains open. You have to pick the locks instead.
I know. I'll try to find something to open them with, but I don't think I'll have much luck. They moved everything out of my reach, even the chairs, Suzuka replied with a sigh.
Keep looking, okay?
Ryan paused, then continued hesitantly.
Have they said anything to you? Anything at all?
More than I wanted to know, was the bitter reply, and Suzuka let down her mental shields to let Ryan take a look at her memories of the conversation with Nike.
Ryan quickly scanned the memories, then stopped as he heard Nike mention Jhonen.
Jhonen? *Jhonen* was the one who discovered you?
Yes. It didn't take long for that traitor to become their little pet, Suzuka replied angrily.
The spirits must have warned him. This could become a problem, Ryan noted with concern, more to himself than Suzuka. He shook his head, then quickly scanned the rest of the conversation.
"...We *will* kill you - we don't leave loose ends."
Laetitia's soft words sent a shiver down Ryan spine. Somewhere deep down he'd known that the Shadow Alliance would kill Suzuka the moment her usefulness ended, but he had desperately hoped that he was wrong. To hear the words spoken by Nike...
She's...she's serious, Ryan, Suzuka finally said in a quiet voice. That woman...she's not sane. She's--she's sick and twisted and...
Suzuka!
Ryan's sharp thought interrupted Suzuka, and she fell silent.
It won't happen, Suzuka, I promise. I know them, and I know that you're worth more to them alive than dead. Nike is only trying to break you. Blade will not allow her to harm you as long as you can be used against me, Ryan explained with as much confidence as he could muster.
Ryan felt Suzuka's fear diminish, and he continued.
We'll do whatever it takes to get you out of there, Suzuka. Don't forget that.
I know, Suzuka replied, and Ryan smiled as a wave of trust followed her words.
I'll be in touch later.
Suzuka nodded mentally, and Ryan broke the connection and opened his eyes. He could feel a headache coming, but it didn't matter, not when compared to the sudden hope he felt. Suzuka was alive. She was alive, and he would do his damned best to make sure it would remain that way.
Whatever it takes, he repeated softly. Whatever it takes.
* * *
In the main room, Prue, West, and Ben had gathered, waiting impatiently to hear what Ryan had found. The others were nowhere in sight - they were probably in some of the other rooms or outside, since most of them were too worried to be social. West, naturally, was more than a bit confused by the whole thing, and Prue, being a newcomer herself, hadn't been able to explain things that well to him.
"Who are they? I mean, you guys have been talking about them all morning, but everybody's been too busy to explain it to me," West complained.
Prue sent him an apologetic smile.
"I think Ben can explain that part better than I can. He's been on the team for longer."
West looked at Ben, who sighed and joined the other two in the sofa.
"The Shadow Alliance is a group of criminal. They're mutants, and all of them are more or less against humans. Their boss wants Ryan dead, and from what I can see, that feeling is pretty mutual."
"Mutants?" West repeated. "Then why would they hurt another mutant? It doesn't make sense."
"There are not a whole lot of things that make sense where the Shadow Alliance is concerned," Ben replied. "They...services...are for sale to the highest bidder. They don't feel loyal to mutants in general...only to each other."
He grimaced.
"So now you know what you're getting into - a personal vendetta against a group of mercenaries."
"Damn," West breathed, half in worry, half in amazement.
"Yeah...'damn' covers it pretty nicely," someone said, and the trio looked up and found Ryan standing in front of them.
"Ryan...?" Ben asked, but Ryan just shook his head.
"Find the others. We have a serious problem."
Ben wanted to ask what Ryan had found out, but knew that he would find out soon enough. He nodded, then got out of the sofa and headed out of the room to find the others.
* * *
"We have to act fast," Ryan explained once the team was gathered around the table. "Suzuka got inside the hotel in the shape of a poisonous snake, and the Shadow Alliance believes that she was there to kill Blade and Melee."
"What?!" Diana demanded. "But Suzuka would never use her powers to kill someone!"
"Obviously, they believe otherwise," Ryan replied and sighed. "They have given her power-suppressive drugs and are keeping her chained to a set of pipes in one of the rooms on the first floor. She's not being guarded, but the pipes and the handcuffs are strong enough to keep her trapped." He paused briefly before continuing. "And there's more. Nike told Suzuka that they're not holding her for ransom - they intend to kill her."
"They'll kill her?!" Deirdre repeated. "We have to do something!"
"But what? We can't risk a direct attack," Kyle objected. "It would be too dangerous, especially for Suzuka."
"A mind-bolt might be an option, but I'd have to be almost in the same room as them to use it, and it's unlikely that I'd be able to knock out all of them at once," Ryan said.
"And we don't want to endanger the lives of any of the other guests at the hotel," Diana added.
"Umm...do we even know how many people are staying on that floor?" Prue asked hesitantly.
Ryan frowned.
"There weren't that many when I was there, but it might have changed, though."
West bit his lower lip, silently debating whether or not to join the discussion. He didn't know much about the people they were talking about, but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes helped.
"If they're holding her hostage, wouldn't it be most logical for them to make sure that there are as few people as possible on that floor?" he finally asked. "I mean, that way there would be less people to ask potentially dangerous questions."
Ryan nodded slowly.
"Point taken. When we get closer to the building, I should be able to sense how many people are on that floor...but that still leaves us with another problem: if we attempt a direct attack, they'd most likely kill Suzuka before we got anywhere near her."
"Is there any chance she might be able to get free on her own?" Kyle asked. "She knows how to pick a lock, doesn't she?"
Ryan shook his head.
"They cleared the area she's in. I told her to keep looking, but..." he sighed. "They're not stupid."
"What if we attacked from two places at once?" Deirdre suggested. "Can't we-I mean, what if we attacked them as a distraction? Then Kyle could sneak into Suzuka's room and free her. He could always freeze them if they tried to hurt her."
Ryan and Kyle exchanged a slightly doubtful look.
"It would only work against one or two of them - you know what they did last time Suzuka and I faced them," Kyle finally said.
"What about as a backup plan, then?" Diana asked. "If she doesn't find something to open the locks with, it might be our only option."
Ben, who had so far remained silent, nodded slowly.
"I must admit that I agree with Diana and 'Dre. It might not be the best option, but it's all we've got for the moment. We'll give her a chance to find a way out of her restrains, and if that doesn't work, we'll have to go with 'Dre's idea."
Ryan sighed
"Alright...alright. It's not like we have much of a choice. We'll give it a day - that way Suzuka might be able to get the locks opened, and we'll get the chance to come up with a better plan."
"We can't afford to wait that long!" Diana objected. "You just said they planned to kill her."
"I know how they think," Ryan said with quiet confidence. "And I know Blade won't kill her as long as she's still useful to his team. They wouldn't have bothered with power-suppressive drugs if they had planned to kill her this soon."
Diana closed her eyes briefly.
"I hope you're right," she whispered.
So do I, Ryan wanted to add, but he remained silent.
* * *
Coming up: Jhonen faces Suzuka for the first time since he left the Guardians, and Suzuka learns that there are more dangerous things than Laetitia out there.
