Many thanks to Epona and Red Witch for reviewing! And Epona, it's supposed to be Scottish Gaelic. Maybe I went to the wrong dictionary.
Title: Àrisaidh Seun
Author: Kris Ice
E-mail: wknightmare@yahoo.com
Kit led the way through the thick underbrush, slipping through the dense vegetation with ease. He kept the pace slow enough that Low Light could keep up, but fast enough that the man didn't protest. Suddenly, he paused, listening to a voice his companion couldn't hear.
Low Light froze when Kit stopped, straining to pick out what ever alerted the young man. He didn't hear anything except the usual symphony of night noises in the jungle, nor did he see anything, but he suspected that his companion was scanning the jungle with more than five senses. His guess was confirmed when the pale boy eased him down to his knees.
Kit leaned close enough to whisper in the man's ear. "Stay here. They're getting close; I'm going to have to take care of a couple of them."
Low Light caught his arm before he could move off. "Are you insane? They'll kill you."
Kit shook his head, eyes shining softly in the faint light. Something in his face changed, a change so minute that Low Light almost missed it. "They designed me to be an unseen killer. They won't even know I'm there until it's too late." Then, he slipped out of the soldier's grip and vanished into the shadows.
Low Light cursed, moving further into the underbrush until it was impossible to see him. He waited, hating to wait but knowing that he wasn't going to make it out of the jungle on his own. His leg wouldn't support his weight and he'd lost too much blood. He pressed a hand to his thigh and wasn't surprised when it came away wet. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold up. Long enough, the stubborn streak said. Just got to make it long enough to make the LZ. His rifle snapped up, before the rest of his mind realized that there was someone leaning over him. He hadn't heard or seen anything. It took him a moment to realize that the barrel of his rife was pointed between a pair of startled amber eyes. "Sorry," he muttered, lowering it.
Kit shook his head. "It's alright. Good to know you can still defend yourself."
Low Light snorted. "I've been looking out for myself for years, I'm not about to stop now."
Kit grinned, lifting the older man with ease and slipping his left arm over his shoulders again. "Let's go. The other teams are no where near us."
Low Light grunted, but didn't ask how the boy knew. There would be enough time for explanations later, when he could think straight.
Kit frowned, worried about the older mutant. The man had lost a lot of blood and was clinging to consciousness by sheer stubborn will. He had noticed earlier that the bandage was soaked with blood again, but there was nothing to use to change it, unless he used part of the man's jacket or sacrificed one of their pants. He shook his head, determined to get a bit further before insisting on a break. The sooner he got the man back to his people, the sooner he'd see a real doctor.
Low Light woke up sometime later, blinking at the brighter light. He glanced up and judged it to be just after dawn. He must have passed out again. He managed to sit up, but raised a hand to his head when it started throbbing.
"Move slowly," a soft voice advised, "you've lost a lot of blood."
He blinked, clearing his sight before looking around the small clearing to find Kit sitting beside him nibbling on a fruit.
"Here," Kit said, holding out one of them. "They're juicy; they should take care of some of your hunger and thirst."
"Not hungry," Low Light replied, looking around him, trying to figure out how much further they had to go.
"Yes, you are," the younger mutant said, still holding out a fruit.
Low Light raised an eyebrow. "And just how do you know that?"
"I'm empathic," was the prompt answer.
Low Light sighed and reached out to take the offering, studying the boy. In the early morning light, he could see that the boy's hair was a dirty auburn color, and his skin didn't look as pale, nor did it have the bluish cast. Warm golden amber eyes regarded him with amusement in their depths. The older man looked regarded the odd fruit for a moment before turning back to his companion. "What is this?"
Kit shrugged, taking another bite. "Don't know, but they taste pretty good."
The soldier was about to warn him about the dangers of eating things he couldn't identify when the boy smiled again. "Don't worry; I see the monkeys eating these all the time."
Low Light shook his head, taking a large bite of the fruit. There was no sense arguing with him, might as well hurry up and eat so they could get out of there.
They made several rest stops during the day despite Low Light's protests. Every time Kit noticed his energy was flagging, he insisted that they stop. They ate a few more fruits and stopped at a couple of springs for water as the day wore on. Completely lost in the undergrowth, the sniper had no idea how close they were to the LZ and hated the fact that he had to rely on a stranger to get there.
"Relax," Kit murmured, "we're almost there and no one is following us."
Low Light snorted. "I'll relax when I'm dead."
Kit snickered, pausing for a moment to orient himself before heading off in another direction. "Just a couple more hours."
The sun was starting to dip below the horizon when they came to the edge of a huge clearing near a massive waterfall. They paused for a moment to admire the beauty of the place before Kit eased the taller man to the ground. "Your people should be here soon," he said, crouching beside the Joe sniper.
"Thanks," Low Light replied, pressing a hand to his thigh to try and dull the ache that seemed to have become a permanent fixture in his life.
Kit gave him a sad smile as he stood. "I'd better go."
"Wait, where are you going?"
Kit shrugged. "I don't know. Wherever I can to get away from Cobra, I guess."
"Come back with me."
Kit blinked, startled. "What?"
Low Light looked away. "You saved my life. The least I can do is give you a chance to live yours in relative safety."
Kit hesitated, chewing on his lip. A silent chiding voice pointed out that this was an opportunity to get far away from those who hunted him and he could always escape from them if they turned out to be as bad as the ones he was running from. "If you don't think anyone would mind."
Low Light chuckled, thinking of the Misfits. "Trust me, you'll fit right in."
They sat in companionable silence until the last of the light faded from the sky. Low Light was about to say something when Kit suddenly sat up, staring off toward the east. "What is it?" the soldier asked, thinking that their pursuers were back.
"A helicopter's coming."
Moments later, Low Light heard the steady approach of helicopter blades in the distance. "That'd better be them."
Kit nodded, slowly drawing closer to the trees so he wouldn't be immediately observable.
"Relax," the soldier murmured, smiling in relief as the familiar Tomahawk settled down in the center of the clearing. "Come on," he said, turning to the boy. "I need your help to get out there." Gotta give him something else to think about so he doesn't panic.
Kit wavered for a moment before sliding forward to help the taller man to his feet. He said nothing as he supported the older man. Together they hurried over the dark maw of the Tomahawk's side door.