Ageless, babe, I don't know what I would have done without you. *amused* Probably deleted the story by now ;)
A/N: Bunny Angel: *blinks* Wow...anyone who actually starts to read a fic with 99 chapters has my outmost respect. *grins* And hey, the chapter list make even *me* cringe when I see it ^^. And you're more than welcome to e-mail me with suggestions - I might even use some of them ^^
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Chapter Seventy-Six: No Man's Land
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The camera felt heavier than it really was, dragging down Ryan as they approached the building, growing increasingly heavier with each step they took. It was psychological, he knew that, a figment of his imagination, but still it didn't help on the feeling. He reached out carefully with his mind, brushing lightly against the thoughts of the humans around him, but found no sign of danger. Curiosity from some, annoyance at the many guards from others, but no thoughts directed at himself or the three with him. Still, he wouldn't help the feeling of paranoia - he had a constant feeling of being watched by someone, and even though he could sense that nobody was after them, it still didn't help on his mood.
"Calm down...if you keep looking around like that, someone's going to get suspicious," Hal told him, keeping her voice low enough not to attract attention.
Ryan nodded and forced himself to suppress the feelings of paranoia. It wasn't easy when you felt like a walking target, but he knew that Hal was right - they needed to act perfectly normal, otherwise someone might get suspicious. And the last thing they wanted was to be discovered - the others were nearby, but if it got to a fight, it was still doubtful that the backup would be able to get there in time.
Ryan sent a brief look at Daryn who walked beside him, checking on the boy. He seemed to be doing well, showing no visible signs of nervousness, even though Ryan could sense the tense feelings radiate from the boy, without even trying to. Feeling his own paranoia kick up a notch as they approached the entrance, Ryan forced himself to calm down once more, then handed his camera to a guard and walked through the metal detector. He watched as the others followed, tensing for a moment as Zach went through. He half expected the boy to try to smuggle some sort of weapon inside the building, but thankfully nothing happened. For a moment he watched the guards ahead as they checked the IDs of the various reporters, then turned to Hal.
"I hope you got the right papers for us," he remarked quietly, his voice barely audible above the noise that surrounded them.
"You know, so do I," Hal replied, her voice every bit as quiet, then sent one of the guards a flirtatious smile as she handed him her ID. The guard checked the card and flipped through the papers, sending curious looks at the pale girl in front of him.
Ryan felt himself tense again, suddenly worried that bringing Hal along might not be a good idea afterwards, but relaxed a bit as he saw that the guard who checked his own ID seemed too busy watching Hal to pay much attention to the papers in his hand.
The guard handed Ryan the papers, and motioned down a wide hallway. "It's that way, just follow the signs," he instructed, his attention already on the next person in the line.
Behind him, Hal accepted her own papers with another smile, before heading over to Ryan and the two others. "Told you so, didn't I?" she asked, not without a certain smugness in her voice.
Zach smiled wryly. "Yes, you did. And I'm sure we'll have to hear that for days to come," he replied, smirking at Hal's mock-glare.
Ryan sent the two a pointed look, although he had to admit to himself that the break in tension was welcome. "Let's go. We have a job to do."
Hal nodded, switching back to the calm professional again without missing a beat, and headed down the hallway with the others.
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Jordane clenched the fabric of her jacket for a moment, her knuckles turning white as she tried to force the discomfort aside. She wasn't sure exactly what the drugs had done to her, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. Her body had never shown any signs of allergies towards the various other drugs she'd been exposed to over the years, but this one...she slowly let go of her jacket as the nausea passed, and she allowed herself to relax slightly again. She knew from experience that as soon as things got rolling, the adrenaline would take care of this, but right now she felt downright miserable.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Blade asked quietly, and reached out to stroke her cheek lightly, a faint frown crossing his face as he felt her temperature. Even through the cool air from the air conditioning in the van he could still feel the touch of fever on her skin.
"No...I'm not," Jordane finally replied, for the first time really admitting to herself that something was wrong. Up until now she'd tried to ignore it, then pretend that it would get better with a bit of rest, but now it had reached a point where she'd giving up on denying. Something was wrong, she knew that.
"One we get out of this, you need to see a doctor," Blade continued, still watching her carefully.
"*If* we get out of this," Jordane corrected, her mood taking a turn for the worse thanks to the constant discomfort.
Blade smiled faintly, the hint of a confidence that didn't belong in a situation like theirs. "We'll get out of this, Queen. Trust me."
"I do," Jordane replied, then sighed. "But...we're alone in this. Suzuka's useless, and Kyle-"
"-Isn't entirely a lost cause," Blade finished. "And we've survived worse on our own. This shouldn't prove too much of a problem."
Jordane sent him a pale smile, not entirely believing his words, but comforted by them nonetheless. They *had* survived some bad situations before, and at least they had a chance of getting out of this, however small that chance may be.
Another light touch against her cheek, and Jordane looked at him again.
"Just a few more hours, and we'll get you to a doctor, all right?" Blade said quietly. "Just a few more hours."
Jordane nodded slowly, and Blade felt a bit of his concern fade away. Much as Jordane could act like a teenager she was whenever they were home from a job, she could also push aside all signs of childish behavior when they had something to do. And right now was definitely one of those times.
One of the soldiers opened the door to the van, and the two mutants stepped outside, waiting for a moment before Kyle and Suzuka appeared from the other of the two vans. Blade lifted his camera, quickly checking the fake panel again, making sure that nothing had been damaged during the ride.
One of the other soldiers - dressed in civilian clothes to fit in - motioned towards the building. "Let's go."
The four mutants exchanged a brief look, then grabbed their equipment and followed him.
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From the outside she looked calm, confident even, ignoring the brief, curious looks she drew as she crossed the room with the three others. But if only to herself, she had to admit that she was feeling nervous. This wasn't exactly a safe situation, and even though she and Zach had been in a lot of dangerous situations over the past couple of years, this was different. Up until now, either Blade or Laetitia had always been in charge, and although Hal had watched and learned how to deal with situations like these, there was still a hint of uncertainty in her mind. Because while she knew what to do, she still didn't have the experience to back it up. Walking into a situation like this made her all too aware of the fact that she was still just eighteen, and what worse was - she was likely to be the one of the four with the most experience in something like this. Daryn had no idea of what to do, and Ryan...while she'd come to like and respect him, she also knew that he had no knowledge of this kind of thing. He was a good guy, and good guys had nothing to do on the wrong side of the law.
And Zach? Hal looked at her friend, the hint of a soft smile touching her lips. He was a wonderful guy, and a good fighter, but she still knew that he didn't have what it took to take charge in a situation like this. Honor had always meant a lot to him, and much as Hal hated to admit it, that honor was also likely to make him blind to options that might save his life. Neither Hal nor Zach agreed with cold-blooded dismissal of human lives as Blade and Nike did, but unlike Zach, Hal knew it was sometimes necessary.
And with Zach out of the question, that left...her. Hal shook her head. She had never wanted to become a leader, and she most definitely didn't want to be responsible for other people's lives. But at the moment she didn't have a choice, and she knew that all too well.
With a faint sigh she stopped with the others, and prepared for the long wait before they were let inside the conference room.
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The entrance was at the back of the building, just below the ground, probably meant for delivery or as a fire exit. Whatever it was, it wasn't guarded, and one of the soldiers swiftly unlocked the door. Reluctantly the four mutants followed the humans inside the building, hearing the door shut behind them. This particular floor was silent, and mostly used for storage, as far as Kyle remembered from the blueprints. It was the perfect place to sneak inside, and he had to wonder if the security people in the building hadn't thought of it. But then again...maybe their military guards dogs had handled that. Considering the lack of a guard outside, Kyle wouldn't be surprised.
The camera in his hand felt heavy, constantly reminding him of the situation they were getting into. He knew he shouldn't give up hope, that there was still a chance of getting out, but he still couldn't help the depressing thoughts - if something went wrong, there were dozens of guards inside the room, and if they didn't hit them, Kyle had no doubts that the ever-present collars around their necks would do the job. And if Ryan was there, too, there was a real risk that he might get killed, too.
The thought sent a stab of fear through him, but he forced it aside - if he allowed his worry to get control, it would only make the situation worse, and that was something they couldn't afford. Partially out of fear, partially out of a need for reassurance Kyle reached out with his mind, hoping that the mental bond between him and Ryan would still be strong enough to reach the other. With the worry and fear and anger to cloud his mind it was quite possible that the mental whisper might drown in the other emotions, but he had to try. A slow, calming breath, and Kyle felt his body relax before he focused on the memory of his friend.
Ryan...
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The word was soft, barely audible, and all but lost in the chaos around them, but it was still enough to catch Ryan's attention and make his head snap up.
Kyle? He asked, already knowing the answer - he knew his friend, knew how his mental presence felt, and even the mere knowledge that he was there was enough to make Ryan feel better.
Hey... the reply was followed by a wry smile, clear even though they couldn't see each other, and Ryan smiled faintly, reaching out with his trust and care and devotion, doing what he could to chase away the dark thoughts in Kyle's mind.
"Ryan?" Hal watched him, red eyes curious, and Ryan nodded, responding to the unvoiced question.
"They're here."
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