A/N 1: Idéer til handlings- og karakter udvikling, spørgsmål, plotbunnies, forslag, flames, karakterbilleder, ficletter, rettelser, tilføjelser, kommentarer, og alt her imellem kan mailes til hack_heaven@usa.net.
Italics indicate thoughts/telepathy
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Thirteenth Interlude: Compromises
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"How the hell can you agree to work with that maniac?!" Suzuka demanded the moment the door to the cell had closed, leaving the four alone once more. "You're going to get us all killed!"
Blade spun around, the calm facade giving way to barely suppressed anger.
"On the contrary, girl - I just bought us the time we need to escape. You, on the other hand..." he stalked closer, stopping only a few steps away from Suzuka. "*You* almost got every single one of us executed because of your complete lack of common sense." He sent her a disgusted look, and Suzuka clenched her fists in anger.
"Well, I don't see you doing any better!" she snapped. "In five days, we're supposed to kill an innocent man, and I really don't think they intend to set us free after that!"
Blade snorted. "Of course they won't - they're not stupid. But at least this way we'll get five days to find a way out of this mess...unless, of course, you *want* that collar around your pretty, little neck to blow up." He narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Suzuka. "The human wasn't exaggerating about the thermite - if that collar blew up now, it would take your entire upper body with it, at the very minimum. Of course, if it goes off, it wouldn't really matter how strong it was - you wouldn't be alive to see the result, anyway."
Suzuka unconsciously reached up, touching the collar briefly, and Blade knew the argument had gotten through to her.
"Is that what you want, girl?" he asked, arching a brow. There was no reply from Suzuka, only a harsh glare, and he continued. "No? Well, in that case I suggest you shut up and do as you're told, before you get all of us killed."
For a moment it seemed like Suzuka's temper would snap and she would attack him, collars and potential death be damned, then Kyle walked up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders to calm down the girl.
"She has a point," he noted. "I'm not saying that this is the wrong decision, because this was the only choice we had, but in five days we're supposed to kill a senator. What happens if we haven't escaped by then?"
Blade looked at Kyle evenly. "Then we'll kill him and fight our way out."
"We can't do that - he's a pro-mutant activist, remember? He's on *our* side," Kyle argued. "If we kill him, we'll only add to the bad reputation of mutantkind."
"Come on," Jordane said disgusted, walking up beside Blade. "How much can one politician do to stop this shit? Nothing - not a fucking thing."
"He's an innocent man!" Kyle objected. Much as he hated to admit it, he could have understood their point of view if the victim had been against mutants. But an innocent man who actually worked to *help* their kind...? No.
"And we don't care," Blade replied coldly. "If he has to die to get us out of this, then so be it."
"How can you say that?" Suzuka demanded. "You're talking about killing a man who's actually trying to help us!"
Blade arched an eyebrow. "I can say that because unlike you, I don't have any delusions left, Twilight. I know how the world works - it's kill or be killed, and as you can see, I'm still alive."
"I know how the world works, too, and you don't see me turning into some psychopath!" Suzuka snapped, glaring at Blade.
The man just snorted. "You're naïve, Suzuka," he said, watching her coldly. "You've deluded yourself into thinking that you know what's going on, but deep inside, you're still hoping for some miracle that will make all the bad things go away and give this fucked up world a happy end."
"I don't need a miracle to keep myself alive!" Suzuka said angrily. "I'm not some little kid anymore."
"Really?" Blade replied, arching an eyebrow. "Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you believe that what you and the rest of your little teammate do, honestly makes a difference?"
"We're not trying to make a difference - we're just trying to survive," Suzuka said, the anger in her eyes burning with undiminished strength.
"And so are we," Blade replied, unaffected by the anger Suzuka showed. "When it all comes down to it, we're not that different, Twilight - the only real difference between you and me, if the fact that I've learned to deal with the real world, and not just hide beneath a shield of so-called 'honor'."
"I'm not like you!" Suzuka denied hatefully, disgusted at even the mere thought that she and this---this psycho had anything in common. They couldn't be more different - he was insane, a killer. He didn't even know the concept of honor.
Blade smiled faintly. "Yes, you are...beneath that good girl facade, you're more ruthless than any of your teammates know. That girl you nearly killed during the martial arts tournament...that night you transformed into a tiger snake and tried to kill Jordane and me...we're two of a kind, Suzuka. You just haven't admitted it to yourself yet."
"Enough!" Kyle snapped, stepping between the two before things escalated. Suzuka looked at him, surprised to see him lose his temper - it took a lot to make Kyle's patience snap, and when it finally did, people listened.
Blade smirked and allowed Kyle to break up the argument - his point had been made, and although Suzuka adamantly refused to listen to him, the first uncertainly had already started to creep into her subconsciousness. Suzuka would never change sides, Blade knew that, but it was still amusing to play with the girl's emotions - certainly amusing enough to almost be able to tolerate her presence.
Kyle sent Blade a brief look, then turned his attention to Suzuka.
"Listen to me...if we want to get out of this alive, we have to cooperate," he said, his voice reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "I don't like this any more than you do, but we have to do this, all right?"
"I can't work with that-that psycho!" Suzuka snapped and glared at Blade. "You can't ask me to do that."
Kyle sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Suzuka, but we don't have a choice. I know that you have every right not to trust him, but right now we have to." Suzuka didn't reply, and Kyle turned around to face Blade instead. "And you..."
Blade raised an eyebrow, the gesture deliberately arrogant.
"Is there a problem?"
Kyle's eyes turned cold. "Yes, there *is* a problem - you have just as much at stake here as we do, Heron, don't forget that. If we want to survive, we have to cooperate. So just for one week, let's try to put our differences aside and not get each other killed," he snapped.
A smirk from Blade, but none of the anger Kyle had expected. "Since you ask so *nicely*..." he replied, the sarcasm clear in his voice.
Kyle took a step closer. "Don't underestimate me," he said quietly, making sure that only Blade would hear him. "If you hurt her, you *will* regret it, I promise you that."
For a long moment the two just stood there, eyes locked in a battle for control, then Kyle turned around and walked back to Suzuka. Blade watched him for a moment, then smiled faintly. Maybe Tempest wasn't quite the calm and even-tempered good guy that everyone thought him to be.
This could prove interesting after all...
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