A Wedding Song Chap. 3--- Stand By Me...
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"Kid. Hey kid. Look at me. You gotta know we won't let this happen. There's no way in heaven or on earth we're gonna let you just murder your friends here."
The boy in the center of the group slowly turned his eyes on Bobby, but the older man immediately wished he hadn't. The child's gaze was haunted and utterly empty.
"This isn't murder. Survival of the fittest is the priority. Only those prepared and able to live in the world to come must be allowed to move forward into it. Mediocrity only perpetuates mediocrity. We die to make way for those who will rule the future."
The lack of any emotion at all in the boy's voice told Hobbes that the speech was nothing but a set of words that had been repetitively burned into the child's impressionable mind until he didn't know what was true anymore.
"Yeah. You recited that Chrysalis party line real nice, kid. Don't change anything. Still not gonna let you pull the trigger. Whatever sick garbage they stuffed in your head can be pulled back out. You can be normal, go to a real school.... live the life you should be livin'."
"You'll never understand. There is no reason for us to live. We don't have a place in the future that Chrysalis will build. Our sacrifice is our gift to those who made us. It is necessary so that the plan can proceed the way the leaders have foreseen it."
Trying hard not to make it obvious, Hobbes stole a look at his watch for a fraction of a second. Realizing that the planned tear gas assault was only seconds away, he steeled himself to deal with the effects of the chemical, knowing he would have to ignore his own pain in order to quickly and effectively disarm the boy.
"That's a load of bull an' you know it, kiddo. They just don't want their mistakes around as reminders of how shot full a'holes their weird theories are. They're also cowards who can't stand the thought of gettin' their hands dirty so they're happy to let you off yourselves. I'm not a coward, kid. Crazy.... that's a definite maybe."
"Your words mean nothing. You can't stop us. Today we die for the future. We die for the truth that is Chrysalis...."
The child raised the weapon away from his side just as the tear gas canister rolled down the hall and stopped up against the ankle of one of the younger girls. The moment it began hissing out its heavy, stinging mist Bobby, went into action. Eyes watering and lungs protesting, he crashed through the group of children and tackled the boy with the pistol, making sure the muzzle remained pointed straight up until he was able to wrestle it out of the boy's hand.
"Fawkes! The gun's secure! Get the other teams up here to grab the kids! Warn 'em they're gonna have a battle on their hands! They won't go easy...."
Within an hour all the children had been dragged kicking and screaming out of the building to a spot where Claire waited with sedation. They were then packed into two trucks and driven away.
"Where'll they go, Claire?" Darien asked, tension and sadness warring for control of his voice.
"Ever since we learned what Chrysalis was doing with children, we've been setting up a state of the art deprogramming facility. It was finished two weeks ago.... just in time it seems." She replied, turning to face him as she spoke. The pain in his eyes prompted her to reach for his hand, eager to comfort him. "They'll be alright, Darien. We can save them..."
"It's not alright, Claire. Stuff like this.... there's no way I can be objective about it anymore. Before Bobbi... I could've handled it without blinkin'. Not now. The last thing I want is to do this four more times... but none of us have a choice."
Walking to where Bobby stood talking to a few various members of the other teams, Darien whispered in his ear briefly. Hobbes looked up and back at his partner, questioning with his eyes. Darien nodded and Bobby handed him the cell phone.
"Yeah, it's me."
"And sooner than I expected. The children?"
"Claire says they'll be okay.... the ten we found, anyway."
"Ten.... Chrysalis split them up."
"Got it in one. Good for you. We need new intel as soon as you can get it to us. We've got four more locations to get to in the next.... forty- five hours." he reminded the Official.
"Yes, well intelligence has become considerably more difficult to gather and distribute since you turned my assistant into a wet-nurse."
"You've got Alex. Use her. You're probably the only guy in California who hasn't."
"That was totally uncalled for, Fawkes."
"Yeah, according to you maybe." Darien shot back just before he hit the end button and returned the phone to Hobbes.
"Fawkes..."
"I'm okay. I have to be okay. Once we find the other kids and make sure they're safe then I'll go home and I'll wrap my arms around Bobbi..... maybe even say a prayer if I remember how. For now, we have work to do."
"Yeah. I guess so. When we do get home.... whatever you need for as long as you need it, right?"
"Thanks. Just knowing you'll be there.... knowing I have somewhere to go with this.... that means everything to me. You mean everything to me...."
Leaning close Bobby squeezed his fiancée's arm and spoke quietly.
"It's gonna be okay, baby. I'll always be here. I love you." he whispered before turning away.
Darien smiled grimly, shook his head a little and moved off to find Claire.
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7:00 THAT NIGHT
"It's not enough, Hobbes. We only found half the kids that are left an' that took us all day....."
"We still have tomorrow. We did all we can do for now. It's time to go home. We gotta eat, get some sleep..."
"Sleep? How am I supposed to sleep? Those kids are still out there.... maybe they're already...."
"Okay, stop. Enough, Darien. Don't take all this crap on your shoulders. Havin' the Q gland makes you special.... it don't make you superhuman. Let's just go home. By mornin' the fat man'll have the other two locations...."
As Bobby spoke, Darien fully turned away from his own personal issues for the first time that day and really saw his partner; the gas-reddened eyes that still hadn't stopped tearing up hours after exposure, the strain clearly etched into the lines on his brow.
"Bobby. I'm so sorry. The gas... I didn't realize how hard it hit you.... Claire!"
"I'm okay, Fawkes. Don't bug her. She's as tired as we are..."
"That stuff could cause problems with your eyes. I just wanna be sure, okay? Indulge me for once."
"For once? I let you get away with murder an' you know it!"
"What is it, Darien? Are you alright?" Claire asked as she approached.
"Yeah, I am. Bobby's eyes look bad though. I thought you should check him over."
Peering closely at Hobbes, Claire frowned.
"You may be right about that. Nice catch, Darien. Both of you come with me over to the med unit. The light's much stronger there."
"I don't need to be doctored, Claire. I got eye wash at home. I'll use it when I get there, if I ever do...."
"It'll be another hour at least before you make it back to the apartment. It's already been four hours since you were exposed. Any longer without treatment and...."
"Okay, Okay. I don't wanna know. Let's just get it over with." Bobby groused, slowly walking toward the small medical van that had followed them everywhere that day.
"You too, Darien."
"Me? What for? I told you I Quicksilvered my eyes when I took my turn with the teargas."
"You know how much Bobby hates this kind of thing. You should give him your support."
Darien shifted his eyes down guiltily.
"Yeah, well I wasn't gonna walk off and leave him. I only meant..."
"Besides, I want to check your blood pressure. It was a little high at your last check-up."
"Crap. I knew it. I do have... planning to do, ya know! Important things on my mind! Who wouldn't be a little stressed out?" Darien shouted at Claire's retreating back. After a minute or so, he followed her, knowing he'd pay dearly later on if he blew her off.
Half an hour later, both men had been poked and prodded to Claire's satisfaction and released to head home.
"So... you're okay?"
"Me? You were the one with the fire-engine red eyes. I should be askin' you."
"I'm not talkin' about that. I meant... the kids. If you decided to stay home with Bobbi tomorrow, I'd understand."
Darien chuckled softly.
"I was just thinkin' the same thing about you. I mean, Claire said no more teargas work.... I figured you might wanna..."
"No. No way. I started this, I'm not quittin' till every one a'those kids is safe."
"Me either. Bobbi loves Eberts an' I know he'll protect her. It's just one more day. I'm seein' it through."
"Man. Am I starved. Chinese take out on the way home? My treat."
"Sounds like heaven, but we dutch it."
"Deal."
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TBC.....
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"Kid. Hey kid. Look at me. You gotta know we won't let this happen. There's no way in heaven or on earth we're gonna let you just murder your friends here."
The boy in the center of the group slowly turned his eyes on Bobby, but the older man immediately wished he hadn't. The child's gaze was haunted and utterly empty.
"This isn't murder. Survival of the fittest is the priority. Only those prepared and able to live in the world to come must be allowed to move forward into it. Mediocrity only perpetuates mediocrity. We die to make way for those who will rule the future."
The lack of any emotion at all in the boy's voice told Hobbes that the speech was nothing but a set of words that had been repetitively burned into the child's impressionable mind until he didn't know what was true anymore.
"Yeah. You recited that Chrysalis party line real nice, kid. Don't change anything. Still not gonna let you pull the trigger. Whatever sick garbage they stuffed in your head can be pulled back out. You can be normal, go to a real school.... live the life you should be livin'."
"You'll never understand. There is no reason for us to live. We don't have a place in the future that Chrysalis will build. Our sacrifice is our gift to those who made us. It is necessary so that the plan can proceed the way the leaders have foreseen it."
Trying hard not to make it obvious, Hobbes stole a look at his watch for a fraction of a second. Realizing that the planned tear gas assault was only seconds away, he steeled himself to deal with the effects of the chemical, knowing he would have to ignore his own pain in order to quickly and effectively disarm the boy.
"That's a load of bull an' you know it, kiddo. They just don't want their mistakes around as reminders of how shot full a'holes their weird theories are. They're also cowards who can't stand the thought of gettin' their hands dirty so they're happy to let you off yourselves. I'm not a coward, kid. Crazy.... that's a definite maybe."
"Your words mean nothing. You can't stop us. Today we die for the future. We die for the truth that is Chrysalis...."
The child raised the weapon away from his side just as the tear gas canister rolled down the hall and stopped up against the ankle of one of the younger girls. The moment it began hissing out its heavy, stinging mist Bobby, went into action. Eyes watering and lungs protesting, he crashed through the group of children and tackled the boy with the pistol, making sure the muzzle remained pointed straight up until he was able to wrestle it out of the boy's hand.
"Fawkes! The gun's secure! Get the other teams up here to grab the kids! Warn 'em they're gonna have a battle on their hands! They won't go easy...."
Within an hour all the children had been dragged kicking and screaming out of the building to a spot where Claire waited with sedation. They were then packed into two trucks and driven away.
"Where'll they go, Claire?" Darien asked, tension and sadness warring for control of his voice.
"Ever since we learned what Chrysalis was doing with children, we've been setting up a state of the art deprogramming facility. It was finished two weeks ago.... just in time it seems." She replied, turning to face him as she spoke. The pain in his eyes prompted her to reach for his hand, eager to comfort him. "They'll be alright, Darien. We can save them..."
"It's not alright, Claire. Stuff like this.... there's no way I can be objective about it anymore. Before Bobbi... I could've handled it without blinkin'. Not now. The last thing I want is to do this four more times... but none of us have a choice."
Walking to where Bobby stood talking to a few various members of the other teams, Darien whispered in his ear briefly. Hobbes looked up and back at his partner, questioning with his eyes. Darien nodded and Bobby handed him the cell phone.
"Yeah, it's me."
"And sooner than I expected. The children?"
"Claire says they'll be okay.... the ten we found, anyway."
"Ten.... Chrysalis split them up."
"Got it in one. Good for you. We need new intel as soon as you can get it to us. We've got four more locations to get to in the next.... forty- five hours." he reminded the Official.
"Yes, well intelligence has become considerably more difficult to gather and distribute since you turned my assistant into a wet-nurse."
"You've got Alex. Use her. You're probably the only guy in California who hasn't."
"That was totally uncalled for, Fawkes."
"Yeah, according to you maybe." Darien shot back just before he hit the end button and returned the phone to Hobbes.
"Fawkes..."
"I'm okay. I have to be okay. Once we find the other kids and make sure they're safe then I'll go home and I'll wrap my arms around Bobbi..... maybe even say a prayer if I remember how. For now, we have work to do."
"Yeah. I guess so. When we do get home.... whatever you need for as long as you need it, right?"
"Thanks. Just knowing you'll be there.... knowing I have somewhere to go with this.... that means everything to me. You mean everything to me...."
Leaning close Bobby squeezed his fiancée's arm and spoke quietly.
"It's gonna be okay, baby. I'll always be here. I love you." he whispered before turning away.
Darien smiled grimly, shook his head a little and moved off to find Claire.
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7:00 THAT NIGHT
"It's not enough, Hobbes. We only found half the kids that are left an' that took us all day....."
"We still have tomorrow. We did all we can do for now. It's time to go home. We gotta eat, get some sleep..."
"Sleep? How am I supposed to sleep? Those kids are still out there.... maybe they're already...."
"Okay, stop. Enough, Darien. Don't take all this crap on your shoulders. Havin' the Q gland makes you special.... it don't make you superhuman. Let's just go home. By mornin' the fat man'll have the other two locations...."
As Bobby spoke, Darien fully turned away from his own personal issues for the first time that day and really saw his partner; the gas-reddened eyes that still hadn't stopped tearing up hours after exposure, the strain clearly etched into the lines on his brow.
"Bobby. I'm so sorry. The gas... I didn't realize how hard it hit you.... Claire!"
"I'm okay, Fawkes. Don't bug her. She's as tired as we are..."
"That stuff could cause problems with your eyes. I just wanna be sure, okay? Indulge me for once."
"For once? I let you get away with murder an' you know it!"
"What is it, Darien? Are you alright?" Claire asked as she approached.
"Yeah, I am. Bobby's eyes look bad though. I thought you should check him over."
Peering closely at Hobbes, Claire frowned.
"You may be right about that. Nice catch, Darien. Both of you come with me over to the med unit. The light's much stronger there."
"I don't need to be doctored, Claire. I got eye wash at home. I'll use it when I get there, if I ever do...."
"It'll be another hour at least before you make it back to the apartment. It's already been four hours since you were exposed. Any longer without treatment and...."
"Okay, Okay. I don't wanna know. Let's just get it over with." Bobby groused, slowly walking toward the small medical van that had followed them everywhere that day.
"You too, Darien."
"Me? What for? I told you I Quicksilvered my eyes when I took my turn with the teargas."
"You know how much Bobby hates this kind of thing. You should give him your support."
Darien shifted his eyes down guiltily.
"Yeah, well I wasn't gonna walk off and leave him. I only meant..."
"Besides, I want to check your blood pressure. It was a little high at your last check-up."
"Crap. I knew it. I do have... planning to do, ya know! Important things on my mind! Who wouldn't be a little stressed out?" Darien shouted at Claire's retreating back. After a minute or so, he followed her, knowing he'd pay dearly later on if he blew her off.
Half an hour later, both men had been poked and prodded to Claire's satisfaction and released to head home.
"So... you're okay?"
"Me? You were the one with the fire-engine red eyes. I should be askin' you."
"I'm not talkin' about that. I meant... the kids. If you decided to stay home with Bobbi tomorrow, I'd understand."
Darien chuckled softly.
"I was just thinkin' the same thing about you. I mean, Claire said no more teargas work.... I figured you might wanna..."
"No. No way. I started this, I'm not quittin' till every one a'those kids is safe."
"Me either. Bobbi loves Eberts an' I know he'll protect her. It's just one more day. I'm seein' it through."
"Man. Am I starved. Chinese take out on the way home? My treat."
"Sounds like heaven, but we dutch it."
"Deal."
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TBC.....