The epilogue and the final author's notes will be up soon as well. We edited the three epilogues a bit to combine them to one chapter and an epilogue - the characters insisted.
A/N 1: The page with the ficlets has moved to sorciere.freeservers.com / journey / index.html (without the spaces), and will (hopefully) stay there. There'll be a couple of ficlets added within the next couple of days ^^
A/N 2: Rascal: *amused* We still have the epilogue to go. You'd be amazed at what I can manage to do with something like that ;)
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
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Chapter Eighty-Eight: Endgame
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The sound was deafening, followed by a scorching shock wave, burning through the heavy afternoon air, and Hal looked over her shoulder, half-afraid that this was a trap, a way to capture them this close to freedom, but-
-Smoke, flames, fire, a faint tremor below her feet, a dark mushroom cloud rising in the air, and this couldn't be a trap, she knew that, not something this big, not something that must have killed dozens of their own men, engulfed in flames-
-And for a moment she was back in the mutant camps, watching the same dark cloud rise above them, wondering what had happened, never realizing that the funeral pyre had been Nike's, and-
No!
The realization hit her hard, forcibly pulling to her back to reality. Blade and Jordane had been over there, in the burning rubble that had only minutes ago kept them safe from bullets. Nike had killed herself rather than let the humans take her down...Hal had no doubt that Blade would have done the same.
And Jordane?
Red eyes widened as Hal watched the inferno, fear for her friend all too visible. Jordane had been over there, too. If she'd been trapped in that explosion...
"Hal!" Zach's voice cut through the chaos, once again pulling her back to the real world.
If Jordane got trapped in that explosion, there's nothing you can do, her mind whispered, and Hal reluctantly agreed, and let herself follow Zach, away from the flames and the smell of burning fuel.
Focus. Gotta focus. Need to get away - cars!
Her head snapped up at the sight of the jeeps partially hidden behind a building, and she quickly surveyed the area, looking for a particular person.
"Ryan!"
The telepath reacted instantly, blue eyes finding red ones, and he said something to Kyle, then ran over to her. Hal was only vaguely awake that the others followed him, her sole attention on the jeeps as she quickly checked them.
"Will they work?" The was a hint of exhaustion in Ryan's voice that Hal recognized from herself, but it didn't matter - hopefully, in just a few minutes they'd be out of there, and safe, and-
"I think so," she breathed. "I think so."
The keys weren't there, but it didn't matter - combined, they had enough people who knew how to hotwire a car to have the jeeps running in no time, the urgent situation no doubt making them work even faster than normal.
Hal looked up, eyes resting on the border, on the area around them, just waiting for soldiers she knew would arrive, the roar of engines, of guns, hungrily closing in on them and-
"Let's go!"
She didn't hesitate but got into one of the jeeps with Zach, still watching the border, waiting for the soldiers. It was a matter of minutes at the most, she knew that, but before she could finish the thought she saw a cloud of dust, barely visible among the heavy smoke, and several military vehicles appeared among the wreckage, forcing their way past the still-burning rubble among them.
Shit!
"Zach, let's go!" she snapped, the order coming naturally, instincts forcing their way past shock.
Zach reacted instantly, and Hal felt the machine jump to life beneath her as they sped away, a quick look in the rearview mirror making sure that the others were still with them. Her eyes returned to the newly appeared cars, expecting to hear the sound of gunfire any moment, but none came. She frowned, confused, then saw one of the military cars come to a sudden stop, the car behind it hammering into it as its driver failed to react in time. Hal kept watching, expecting more vehicles to show up, but none came. In fact, not even the people in the two collided cars had moved...
Ryan.
He'd mindbolted them, that was the only explanation.
Yes. The reply was soft, almost inaudible, and the mental voice made her look up and focus on Ryan.
Thank you, she sighed, keeping her attention on Ryan, aware of how faint their mental link was. Guess we owe you one.
No, you don't, Ryan replied, faint amusement in his words. But Hal...we should talk.
She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. Yeah...we should, she admitted. If nothing else, then for Zahra's sake, and give her the chance to talk to Daryn before they parted. But there was something else in his words...concern? Worry? She wasn't sure, but if it were, she couldn't blame him. Even *she* was worried about what lay ahead, and she was supposed to be in charge.
Find somewhere to pull over - we'll follow you.
Hal nodded. Got it, she replied, and looked over at Zach who had remained oblivious to the brief, mental conversation.
"Zach?" He looked up questioningly, and she continued. "When we're clear of this, find some place to stop. Preferably a place without any human company, okay?"
The boy nodded and Hal leaned back in the seat. Almost safe now.
Almost.
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It was perhaps an hour later when Ryan and the others drove down a small, bumpy side road, following the small trail of dust that hung in the air from the two jeeps ahead of him. A quick check confirmed what Zach had assumed - they were the only people in the area, and having left the main road a while back, it was unlike that someone would just show up unexpected.
They drove around a low hill, and there, on the other side, the others had stopped, safely out of view from anyone who might show up.
"Ryan?" Ben asked questioningly, and his emotions conveyed what his voice didn't - wariness, suspicion, distrust, and-
"It's okay," Ryan replied, and he felt Ben's worry fade away a bit, settling as a low, persistent hum at the back of his head. "Just...park over there."
Ben nodded and complied, and when they got out, Ryan saw Hal and the others waiting by the jeeps, not moving to greet them.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Suzuka mumbled, and Ryan sighed. No, he couldn't blame them for being suspicious of the whole thing, but still...
"Yes, I am. Trust me, all right?"
A slow nod from Suzuka, still not looking entirely convinced, and Ryan crossed the short distance to the others, stopping a few feet from Hal. He was aware of Kyle and the others just behind him, but for the moment his attention was on the young albino, already evaluating what he saw. Because even if he wouldn't admit it, he was still concerned about the mutants in front of him. Yes, Hal had showed some real potential, but back then, Blade had still been in charge. One thing was being a leader when you knew that there would be someone there to prevent you from making too many mistakes. Another thing was handling that responsibility on your own.
It wasn't easy, Ryan knew that, and the question now was if Hal would be able to handle it - without Blade and Jordane, she would carry the whole responsibility, and that could very well be heavy enough to break her.
For a moment it was silent, as both tried to find something to say, but was interrupted as Daryn reached them, his features lighting up with tired relief as he saw a familiar figure.
"Zahra!"
The girl smiled and accepted Daryn's embrace, secretly welcoming the sudden closeness as he held her, trying to make himself understand that she was okay, that she'd gotten out of there safely.
"You okay?" she asked quietly. There were no visible bruises on the boy, but still...
"Yeah...I'm fine," he said and let go of her again, then took a step back.
Hal smiled faintly, relieved at the brief break in tension before she focused on Ryan again, asking the one question she was almost afraid to hear the answer to.
"Can you...sense them?" She looked up, red eyes meeting deep blue, and Ryan sighed almost inaudibly.
"No...I'm sorry," he said quietly. "They might be out of reach, but...I doubt it."
He looked at Jhonen, silently asking him to use his powers as well, and the boy frowned for a moment as he focused. Silence reigned for an endless moment, then Jhonen sighed.
"They're gone," he said quietly, almost apologetically, and looked at the ground, fatigue clear in his every motion.
Hal nodded slowly, forcing her sudden feeling of loneliness away, focusing on the situation instead. So Blade and Jordane were gone...that meant she was in charge now, and that she was responsible for getting the others to safety. Her personal feelings would have to wait. She would grieve later...right now she had a responsibility to live up to.
"Thank you," she said, and Ryan nodded slightly in return.
Silence, then-
"What do you intend to do now?"
Hal looked up at the soft words, meeting Ryan's eyes again, and she felt a bit of determination return. Yes, she was in charge now, she would damn well live up to that responsibility. "We'll leave. Find some place to settle down, and then take things from there."
"And you're sure you can handle that?" Ryan asked, a frown crossing his face. She seemed determined, but still...determination wasn't always enough.
"Yes, we can, Cretes. I'm not a kid."
The words were almost biting, and Ryan smiled faintly at the reaction. They might have a chance of making it on their own, after all. From what he'd seen, Hal was a capable leader, and it sounded like she had the drive needed to handle the responsibility she now faced. All in all, they could have been a lot worse off.
"All right," he relented, dropping the argument. His eyes lingered on Hal for a moment longer before moving to Zahra, watching the girl carefully. "And what about you?"
"I'm staying with Hal." The reply came instantly, and even if Ryan had expected it, it was still a bit of a disappointment.
Daryn looked at her, and Zahra smiled faintly, almost apologetically. "Sorry. I just..."
"I know," Daryn replied, and the soft tone of his words left no doubts that he really *did* know and accepted it, even if he didn't like it. He didn't want to leave her, but he also knew that she'd never get along with his new team, and he would most definitely never get along with hers. This was, all things considered, the best option there was.
"Just be careful, okay?" Quiet, whispered words, just loud enough for Zahra to hear, and she smiled again, this time with a hint of regret in the motion. "I will. You do the same, okay? I won't be there to bail you out next time."
"I know."
Their hands touched for a moment, fingers tangling, trying to keep the other's presence with them for just a few more moments. Another faint, regretful smile, and Zahra let go, returning to Hal's side.
A dark hand touching Hal's pale one lightly, and Hal sent her a concerned look. "You okay?"
"I will be," Zahra whispered, barely audible, and Hal nodded. Zahra was right...she'd be okay, eventually. And Daryn was in good hands, and that would help a bit, too. Zahra would miss him, but it was better this way, they all knew that. Daryn was too innocent to survive with them - Ryan would be better for him.
She looked at Ryan for a long moment again, then turned to the others. "Let's go. We should get out of here before someone starts to get suspicious."
The others headed back to the jeeps, following Hal's lead, and for an endless moment Zach hesitated, his eyes lingering on Deirdre. She smiled faintly, the hint of a blush touching her cheeks, and Ryan saw a smile tug at the boy's lips.
"Zach?" And then the moment was broken, and Hal raised an eyebrow questioningly. "You coming?"
A pause as another endless moment passed, then Zach nodded. "Sure." A last, brief look over his shoulder, and he'd disappeared into the jeeps with the others, the sound of engines breaking the silence.
Ryan watched as the jeeps drove away, and for a moment he almost imagined he could feel Hal's mental presence again. Then the moment passed, and the jeeps disappeared from sight, leaving only a heavy silence behind.
"Ryan?" He turned his head and found Deirdre watching him, concern clear in her eyes.
"They'll be okay. Hal can handle it," he replied quietly. For a moment he watched the thin column of dust that followed the jeeps, then nodded slowly to himself. She could handle it. She had to.
Almost regretfully, he pushed the thought of her away from his mind. Yes, Hal could handle herself - his main concern right now was his own team. One last look at the horizon, and he turned around to face the others. "Let's go."
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