Too. Much. Studying. Need. Sleep. Gaaaahhh...*collapses on stack of notes and starts to snore*
Translated: I can't promise more than a chapter a week for the next couple of weeks, since I'm neck-deep in finals and three years of history notes.
VivaGlam and her muse have written a kind of AU ficlet - 'Stopping Time, an interview with Kyle Sanderson'. The result can be found at: sorciere.freeservers.com / stoppingtime.html
Be warned - there's sex, booze, and manipulations, but if that doesn't scare you off, take a look at it - it's absolutely great ^^
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: Commander Blue: As I warned you, it will take a while before your character is introduced, so patience you must have, my young apprentice ^^
J.DeLuca: Don't worry, I don't mind if people don't review once or twice. It's the people who repeatedly 'forgets' to review that bothers me.
WritingMoose: *Lights up* Kill, you say? Hmmm...I sense some possibilities here...*eg*
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
'...' Indicates a conversation between Jhonen and a spirit
* * *
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Blood Moon Rising, part II
* * *
The bullet pierced the air, followed by the muted hiss from the silencer. Across the room, towards its unmoving prey, faster, closer -
- And froze less than two feet from Suzuka.
Laetitia's head snapped up, instantly searching for the mutant she knew was behind. A flicker of movement in the curtain that covered the window was the only clue she needed.
The window was open.
She raised her gun to fire again, but before she could finish the motion, a sharp pain tore through her mind, and she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Only seconds later the three Guardians made their way through the window, into the small room. Once inside, it took them mere moments to find the person they were looking for.
"Suzuka!"
The relief was clear in Deirdre's voice, but she deliberately made sure to whisper - the last thing they needed was any hostile company. The trio hurried to Suzuka's side, but there was no reaction from the girl - no reply, no movements, not a single sign that she'd heard them.
"Suzuka?" Ryan asked quietly and crouched next to her, but she flinched and tried to get away. Ryan and Kyle exchanged a concerned look, then Kyle kneeled in front of her, trying to calm her down.
"Suzuka? Come on, it's us," Kyle urged gently. "Suzuka?"
The girl looked at him, and Kyle winced. Several lines of dried blood ran from a long cut on her cheek, and her lips were bruised and swollen.
Christ...
"Kyle?" she whispered, for the first time really registering their presence.
"Yes...yes, it's me," Kyle replied gently. "We're gonna get you out of here, I promise."
Meanwhile, Ryan had pulled out a set of skeleton keys and begun to work on the handcuffs. The ever-present set of keys in his pocket was a bad habit from his time on the streets, but tonight it was a habit he was thankful for.
Kyle looked briefly at Deirdre and motioned towards the door. Deirdre nodded and quickly locked the door, and then jammed a chair between the handle and the floor, efficiently sealing off the room.
Ryan twisted the keys a bit, and heard the welcome click as the handcuffs sprang open. Kyle quickly helped Suzuka up, and Ryan nodded towards the window.
"Let's go."
* * *
'Jhonen! You've got company,' Erik warned, and Jhonen head snapped up. He had been lying on his bed, relaxing, since Laetitia had all but ordered him to get some rest before the mental strain on him became too great. Quite frankly he agreed with her, and right now Erik's company was the last thing he needed.
'What do you mean?' he asked, slightly suspicious.
'Three of your old teammates are trying to free Twilight. I suggest you do something about it - now!' Erik snapped.
"Fuck!" Jhonen cursed and got up.
Zach looked at him, his own tiredness instantly replaced by a healthy amount of caution. He had long ago learned to be in a constant state of alertness, even when he was half-asleep.
"What's wrong?"
"They're trying to free Suzuka," Jhonen explained, already halfway out of the door.
Zach didn't need any further explanations - he'd picked up the meaning almost immediately and hurried out of the door after Jhonen, unconsciously preparing an electric bolt. They hurried into Laetitia's room to warn her, but found instead Blade and Jordane sitting at the table, talking quietly.
"What's wrong?" Blade asked.
"The Guardians are here," Jhonen explained quickly. "Where's Nike?"
In an instant, Blade and Jordane were on their feet, both with their guns drawn, and Jhonen's worry for Laetitia kicked up a notch.
"She's with Suzuka," Blade growled. "Let's go!"
They hurried down the hallway, to the small room where Suzuka was, but found the door shut. Blade grabbed the handle, and it became obvious that there was something more than the lock keeping them out - the doorknob could barely move, and it felt like it was scraping against something.
"Fuck! It's jammed," Blade cursed, then turned to Jhonen. "Where's Nike? Is she clear of the door?"
'You heard him,' Jhonen snapped mentally.
'I'm not your personal slave!' Erik snapped back. 'I'm not gonna-'
'Where is she?!' Jhonen demanded furiously. 'TELL ME!'
He wasn't sure what he had expected - rage, anger, and annoyance, maybe, but certainly not fear. He was angry, yes, but anger couldn't hurt a spirit, could it? Whatever the reason, Erik flinched and in an instant his defiance had disappeared and been replace by something that could only be described as fear.
Fear of me, Jhonen realized with surprise, but suppressed the thought and focused on the task at hand.
'Well?' he repeated impatiently.
'In the left corner of the room,' Erik replied almost reluctantly, and looked away. 'She's clear of the door.'
"Left corner of the room," Jhonen relayed, and Blade nodded.
"Good."
He raised one of his guns and fired repeatedly at the lock, destroying the metal and part of the chair behind the door. A well-placed kick splintered the remains of the lock, and the door slapped open. The four mutants entered the room, ready to shoot at anything that moved, but it was too late - the uninvited visitors were already gone, and had taken Suzuka with them. Jhonen looked around frantically until he saw an unmoving shape in one of the corners.
"Laetitia!"
He hurried to the woman and instinctively checked for a pulse, then breathed a sigh of relief as he found it. He looked up and found Zach watching him with a concerned look in his eyes.
"Just unconscious," Jhonen said softly, and Zach let out a small sign of relief.
"Over here!" Jordane called from the window.
Down on the parking lot, three people were making their way away from the hotel, supporting a fourth, and obviously weakened person. Zach got up and hurried to the window, while Jhonen stayed where he was, watching Laetitia. Blade sent Zach a look, and the meaning was impossible to miss.
The boy nodded and quickly formed an electric bolt in his hand, then threw it at the four mutants. They would pay for hurting his teammate, he would personally see to that.
The bolt flew through the air, but collided with an invisible shield less than four feet from the Guardians. The blast hit the barrier, then spread out until it covered almost half the shield, creating a glowing, sizzling half-dome. As quickly as it had come, though, the shining dome frizzled and died out, leaving only a faint smell of ozone behind.
Sanderson, Blade thought coldly. Smart choice, Cretes, but you put too much faith in him. That shield can't last forever.
Jordane looked questioningly at him, and Blade reached a decision.
"Keep them occupied," he ordered, and the meaning was clear.
Wear them down.
Jordane nodded and drew her gun. Zach sent another bolt after the four mutants, but like the first, it frizzled and died as it encountered Kyle's shield. Several bullets followed close after as Jordane took over while Zach took a moment to recharge - none of the bullets actually hit the Guardians thanks to Kyle, but Blade hadn't expected them to, anyway. He watched for a moment, then handed Jordane an extra cartridge and left the room with quick strides.
* * *
The room Blade and Jordane shared was almost eerily silent - all sounds were strangely muffled by the walls, and the gunshots and the electric blots had been reduced to hollow whispers. Blade headed across the room, to the window, and almost as an afterthought, he picked up a small gun from his bag.
He watched carefully as the four Guardians made their way across the parking lot - the bullets, combined with Zach's lethal powers, would soon begin to wear Kyle down, and that was exactly what Blade waited for. Once the strain became too great, Kyle wouldn't be able to keep up the shield all the way around them, and he would be forced to concentrate on the main threat - Jordane and Zach.
Another blast of energy hit the shield, only to fizzle and die. This time, however, something had changed. It wasn't much, but it was all Blade needed to see. As the blast had clashed with Kyle's powers, the energy had spread almost halfway across the shield, but at the edges, a few, small sparks had forced their way past the protective barrier. The shield was still wide enough to protect Kyle, Deirdre, and Suzuka, but Ryan was several steps ahead of them - it wouldn't make a difference to Jordane and Zach, as they wouldn't be able to hit him, but from Blade's position things looked a lot different.
He would only have one chance, though - if he miscalculated and aimed too close to Kyle, the full shield would be up in less than a heartbeat. Any shot he fired from this angle would only result in a flesh wound, but it would be enough.
Blade raised the gun and aimed it at the solitary man with slow, calculating movements.
Goodbye, Cretes.
* * *
Two bullets tore through the air, less than a heartbeat apart. Kyle reacted instinctively and strengthened the shield around him and his teammates. He spun around, expecting to find the bullets hanging in the air, but found none. It took him less than a second to realize his mistake, but by then it was already too late.
He heard a sharp gasp from Ryan, and as he turned around he saw the telepath clutch his wounded shoulder tightly.
"Ryan!"
"Get in the car!" Ryan managed between clenched teeth. "Let's get out of here!"
Kyle nodded, and got into the driver's seat. Deirdre quickly got Suzuka into the seat beside him, then helped Ryan into the backseat, all the while looking for something to use for a makeshift bandage.
"Let's go!" she said, and Kyle sped away from the hotel, towards the safety of their temporary residence.
* * *
"You missed. It hit him in the shoulder," Jordane said as Blade returned to the room. "He'll survive."
Blade just smirked coldly.
"No. He won't."
* * *
Coming up: Just what is Blade talking about? Can Ben heal Ryan before it's too late? And how will Laetitia react to Ryan's mindbolt? Answers to come...eventually *eg*
