To Ageless for the help with the writer's block. Love ya, babe ^^

A/N 1: Ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, ficlets, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net.

A/N 2: Ageless: Doing a MST/MiST means giving a bad fic or movie the Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) treatment. In canon-MiSTings it would be making Mike and the bots comment on it, and in less canon it would be grabbing some poor, random characters and force them to do that. It's fun ^^

MissNovelist: Poor thing...well, the best advise I can give you is 'study, guess, and bluff'. Nobody can remember everything they're supposed to, so a good bluffing technique can certainly come on handy (and I have the GPA to prove it ^^)

Archangel: *smug grin* Not telling.

Italics indicate thoughts/telepathy

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Chapter Sixty-Six: Questions Unanswered

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Amazing how much things can change in less than a day, Kyle mused absently, leaning against the wall just outside his and Suzuka's bedroom. It was nighttime...early morning, maybe. There were no clocks of any kind, so Kyle had only his instincts to count on. Instincts that were still all too groggy thanks to the recent events.

Currently, he had no idea of where they were - only hours after his conversation with Ryan they had been sedated once again and woken up here, wherever 'here' was. Looking around him, Kyle could almost delude himself into thinking that this wasn't a cell - with two large bedrooms, a decent bathroom, and something that could only be described as a living room, the area they now found themselves in could almost be mistaken for a hotel of some kind.

Almost.

Still there were no windows, still the floor that Kyle sat on looked more than a bit prison-like, and still the door was blocked by a solid lock.

But it was infinitely better than the cell they'd first woken up in, and Kyle wasn't about to complain about the change in locations.

The more pleasant surroundings didn't chase away the feeling of captivity, though. The constant, weak pressure from the collar served as an unpleasant reminder of their situation, and Kyle doubted that he would ever be able to ignore the feeling of metal against his neck. He reached up, trailing the collar with a hand, and suppressed a small shudder. The knowledge that this one metal band concealed enough explosives to kill him, was not a thought he wanted to linger on. Things were unpleasant enough without the equivalent of a gun to his head.

Kyle sighed softly and closed his eyes. He wanted to contact Ryan, to feel the comfort of their mental link, but he didn't want to weaken himself any further, not while the drugs were still in his system.

The faint sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts and he opened his eyes. Across the room, a small figure made its way to the couch, the dimmed lights in the room giving the person an unnaturally pale skin color.

Kyle watched silently as Jordane sat down, oblivious to the fact that she wasn't alone, and he took a moment to watch the girl.

She looked younger, somehow, and more innocent as her normal facade had partially disappeared, giving Kyle a glimpse of the young woman beneath the hard surface. No...not a young woman. A child, Kyle corrected himself. Melee was the hard, merciless woman who was Blade's partner. Jordane...Jordane was just a child, only a few years older than Suzuka. Watching her now, curled up on the couch and looking all too young for what life had offered, Kyle knew that he could never bring himself to hating her. No, he didn't agree with what she did, but he also knew that it was highly unlikely she'd ever been given a choice, not with someone like Blade around to twist her mind.

But now that she was alone...maybe she'd be easier to talk to. Part of her facade had collapsed during Blade and Suzuka's short fight - maybe being alone would have the same effect.

Kyle stood up slowly, deliberately giving Jordane time to notice his presence. He had no desire to see the girl pissed off, not even with his powers to defend him. Jordane looked up, eyes narrowing at the sight of Kyle, and in less than a heartbeat her facade was back up, strong as ever.

"What are *you* doing here?" she demanded, eyes following his every move.

"I couldn't sleep," Kyle replied, casually walking closer. Jordane didn't move, and Kyle sat down in one of the chairs, watching the other closely. "What about you?"

For a long moment Jordane was silent, then she shrugged a bit uncomfortably. "Same thing, I guess...this place gives me the creeps."

Kyle didn't reply, but merely nodded, understanding exactly how she felt. No matter how normal this place appeared, there was still something unnerving about it, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Whatever it was, though, there was nothing they could do about it - only do as they were told and hope to get a chance to escape.

"Where's Twilight?" Jordane asked, interrupting Kyle's train of thoughts.

"Asleep," Kyle replied, watching Jordane for a moment. "Why?"

The girl shrugged, but didn't offer any explanation to the question. It was, however, clear to Kyle that she hadn't asked out of courtesy or concern. If anything, her voice had sounded almost suspicious.

"You don't trust her," Kyle noted. That much was obvious, of course, but it just might be able to get Jordane to explain what was going on.

"I don't trust you either of you," Jordane corrected, a vague annoyance shining through.

"And we don't trust you," Kyle replied. "But you don't see me think the worst just because I don't know where Blade is. What did Suzuka do to make you this worried?"

"I'm not worried," Jordane snapped in the typical reaction of an angry teenager. "And Suzuka tried to kill us, remember?"

Kill them? Kyle frowned. What is she---the motel. The motel where they captured Suzuka, he realized, a small chill following the words at the thought of Suzuka's ordeal.

"She didn't try to kill you," Kyle objected, trying to defend Suzuka, even though he knew it would be useless. "All she wanted was to find out where you were going so we could avoid another fight."

"And she just *had* to turn into a poisonous snake to do that, huh!?" Jordane bit out. "She was in our *room*! She could have killed us!"

"She wouldn't have done that!" Kyle bit back, his patience starting to wear thin. It was too early and he was too tired to deal with Jordane's accusations. "We're not killers - we don't murder people in their sleep."

"I won't trust her," Jordane stated again, the teenage anger partially replaced by the colder, more suspicious attitude of someone years older.

Kyle sighed and could feel the beginning of a headache at the edges of his mind. He was in no mood for arguing and would quite frankly prefer to go back to sleep, but this was one argument that needed to be handled without Suzuka around. Jordane would be hard enough to talk some sense into - with Suzuka around it would have been impossible.

"You have to," he replied. "Because quite frankly, none of us have a choice. Do you think we like this any more than you do? Do you think I *like* the fact that I'm all but putting my life in Blade's hands?"

"I'd be more worried about Suzuka if I were you," Jordane half-growled, angry at Kyle's words. "Her stupid sense of honor is going to get us all killed. With the way she keeps arguing, it's only a matter of time before she tries something stupid."

"Suzuka knows what's at stake," Kyle disagreed. "And she's too smart to do something like that. She might argue, but she's not suicidal."

"How do you know?" Jordane demanded. "Have you ever been in a situation like this before? How do you know she won't snap under the pressure?"

"I could ask the same thing about you," Kyle retorted. "How do we know that you won't suddenly snap and go berserk?"

"Because I won't," Jordane snapped. The anger was clear in her eyes, but Kyle wasn't too worried - as far as he knew, it would take more than this to make Melee's patience snap and if it did, he would still have his powers to offer him some sort of protection.

"But how do we know?" Kyle asked, echoing Jordane's words. "Have *you* ever been in a situation like this before?" He paused momentarily and watched Jordane for a long moment, carefully picking his words. "Or maybe you have - knowing your team, I wouldn't be surprised if something like this has happened before."

The words were calm, collected, but the biting tone was impossible to miss. Kyle had spent two years on the streets when he was only a teenager - he'd learned exactly what to say to people to get the reaction he desired. Living with the Guardians, it was something he rarely used, but now, trapped with Blade and Jordane, it might very well be his only way of finding out exactly what kind of people he was dealing with.

And right now, that was his top priority - if he had to work with them, he wanted to know as much as possible about them, and Jordane would be the best way to get that information.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jordane snapped, and Kyle knew he'd hit a sore spot.

"I don't?" he repeated. "Come on - don't tell me that what you and your teammates do isn't dangerous, because we both know it is."

Jordane didn't reply and Kyle continued, this time with a softer, more understanding voice.

"Why do you do it, Jordane? You're nineteen - why would you risk your life again and again like this?" he asked, watching the girl carefully for any reaction to the words. "For Blade's sake? It's only a matter of time before something goes wrong, you know that."

"Shut up!" Jordane ordered sharply, eyes glaring at Kyle. "It's not like that! He keeps us safe - he'd never ask any of us to do something we didn't want to do."

"Keeps you safe?" Kyle repeated. "By putting *teenagers* in potentially deadly situations? That's not exactly what I would call 'safe'. You've already lost Laetitia - sooner or later, you'll lose someone else."

"Well, we've managed to stay alive so far, haven't we?" Jordane snapped. "And do you think you're any better? Walking around with delusions of some grand world where humans and mutants can live together peacefully? You have no idea of what the real world is like."

"I lived on the streets for two years," Kyle stated, cutting neatly through the argument. "I know very well what the real world is like. But I also agree with Ryan - mankind isn't evil by nature. The problem is the people who have the real power."

Jordane snorted.

"So you've seen the worst mankind has to offer, and you still think that Ryan is right and that they're willing to accept us? How can you follow someone like him? He has no idea of what real life is like."

"How can you follow someone like Blade?" Kyle challenged, tossing back Jordane's question. "You know what he is, what he's done - how can you follow someone like that?"

"Because..." Jordane trailed off, all fight in her body suddenly gone. She wasn't used to people questioning her like that, wasn't used to anyone besides Blade who wasn't afraid of angering her, and she found herself deeply confused about the whole situation.

"Why, Jordane?" Kyle repeated softly, encouraging her to continue. He didn't at all like what he'd just done - confusing and even manipulating a teenage girl - but it could very well be a matter of his and Suzuka's survival. They had to know what they were up against, had to know if Blade and Melee would pose a real threat to them in a situation like this, and for that reason alone he would have to forget about his guilt and conscience, at least for a short while.

Jordane sighed, then looked up, and for a moment Kyle could have sworn that he saw someone younger, more vulnerable in the dim lights. "He keeps me safe," she replied quietly. "He cares about me."

The look on the girl's face left no doubt about the truth of the words, and of all the possible replies, this was the last one Kyle had expected to hear. To hear Jordane, of all people, talk like that...Kyle shook his head imperceptibly to clear his mind. Jordane wasn't the only one feeling confused tonight.

"Jordane," he said softly, for the first time that night speaking solely out of concern for her. No matter how much Jordane seemed to believe in Blade, Kyle wasn't convinced. "How can you be sure he's telling the truth? That man is-"

The sound of footsteps interrupted Kyle and as he turned around he found Blade watching him coolly. "Is what?" he asked, prompting Kyle to continue.

For a moment it was silent as the two men stared at each other, both of them unwilling to look away, then Jordane got up, deliberately putting herself between the two. Some of the dizziness she'd felt earlier returned, making her lightheaded, and she took a step towards Blade, close enough to lean against him.

"Blade," she sighed and felt one of his arms wrap around her waist, a hint of possessiveness in the motion.

Blade sent Kyle a dark glare, silently warning him to mind his own business, then turned his attention to the girl in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, watching Jordane carefully. "You look pale."

"I feel a bit groggy, but I think it's the drugs," Jordane whispered. "It took a while before they were completely gone last time, too."

Blade nodded slowly. "Probably, yeah." He sighed, then motioned towards their bedroom. "Get some sleep, Jordane. You need it."

Jordane nodded and walked over to the bedroom, towards the rest her body yearned for. Blade waited for a moment, then sent Kyle another glare and followed Jordane into the bedroom, purposefully shutting the door behind them.

Kyle watched the closed door for a moment, his still-groggy mind slowly catching up with the conversation. The distrust, the argument, Jordane's admission, Blade's downright possessive behavior around the girl...

Kyle sighed and sat down on the couch, the thoughts still circling his mind and chasing away the last, faint hope for sleep.

This was going to be a long day.

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