This is just a one off Shalimar centric story. If however I get enough of a response I may think about doing a second chapter, but probably not...I like it the way it is.
Please review...
***
She stepped down from the bus and her feet touched ground. The sky above was dense with clouds and she felt like she was chewing on the air around her it was so thick. She was sweating in her leather jacket but she couldn't take it off. Nor could she remove her high heeled black leather boots which were repressing the muscles of her legs and causing the soles of her feet to scream through their nerve endings.
She walked through the foyer of the bus garage. An assortment of people were sitting in the hard plastic chairs, or standing reading the newspaper, or drinking coffee from styrofoam cups. Occasionally there would be a crackly announcement declaring that the next bus to LA would be leaving in 8 minutes. She walked straight through the air conditioned room and back out into the humid atmosphere.
***
'When's she getting in to the bus depot?'
'In about 10 minutes, so you had better leave now if you're hoping to pick her up in time.'
'The way Shal drives she'll make it in 20.'
Shalimar swatted at Brennan's head before putting on her sunglasses. Adam smiled as he handed over the keys to the Lexus.
'I'll be there in 5,' she yelled over her shoulder as she walked out of Sanctuary.
The Lexus growled into life and Shalimar was soon cruising down the freeway. The wind blew through her hair and picked up errant strands which flew around her face. She brushed them away with her hand and settled back in the seat. There were no other cars on the road and she knew this was one not often frequented by the cops so she kicked the car up a notch. Her foot pushed down on the accelerator and, keeping one eye on the road she watched the speedometer moving up. This was the way life should be, exciting, exhilarating, intense. She relished the feeling of freedom.
On the surface her life appeared to be full of liberation but once you dug a little deeper there were so many limitations, not least the ones she placed on herself. If she wasn't in Mutant X and hadn't been taught how to fully discipline herself by Adam she'd probably be more feral that she was.
She noticed in the wing mirror a car coming up behind her. She gradually cut her speed, not wanting to get caught out and be even more late for the new mutant than she had to be.
Adam had gotten a message over the secure website a couple of weeks before from a girl, desperate to leave her current situation. She had sounded scared and Adam had immediately made arrangements for her to come to their area of the country and be paced in the underground. Shalimar had talked with him about her and discovered that he remembered the girl from his days at Genomex. She had been one of the younger mutants, one of the one's he had worked with right before he had found out the full extent of Genomex's plans and left with the database. Of course Adam was still feeling guilty, Shalimar didn't think he'd ever get out of that state of mind. He was so caught up in what he had done to all the poor new mutants and much as they all, Brennan, Jesse, Emma and Shalimar tried to pull him out of it he wouldn't be dragged away from his mission. Shalimar figured that would be what killed him.
She saw the car move to overtake her out of the corner of her eye and she slowed down to let it. Whoever the occupants were they were clearly in more of a rush than she was.
***
Shalimar smoothly killed the engine and pushed the door open. She had finally made it, only a minute and a half late. She smiled proudly to herself. She had beaten Brennan's record time. She made a mental note to tell him about that when she got back.
She looked around her trying to find the girl she was supposed to pick up. Her eyes alighted on a brunette, standing not far from the open doors of the lobby. She was wearing all black and looked to be in some kind of discomfort, Shalimar assumed because of the outfit she was wearing.
She looked up and saw the blonde woman walking towards her. She assumed she was Shalimar, the resident feral of Mutant X. She suddenly felt a lot safer. She trusted Adam completely. He had helped her get out of Genomex and out from under the radar of the GSA, he had done a lot for her. But she felt more secure knowing that there was someone watching her, looking out for her and not just via e-mail.
***
The car stuttered once again. Shalimar banged her hand on the steering wheel, hoping that the stumbling of the engine was not what she thought it was. There was plenty of gas in the car so it couldn't be that. But atleast that was something Shalimar knew how to fix. If it was a problem with the engine she really didn't have a clue.
Suddenly they came to a stop. Silence filled the air and Shalimar leant her head back against her seat. She breathed out in a deep sigh and rolled her eyes.
'Sorry about this,' she said as she shoved the car door open roughly. She walked to the front of the car and pulled the hood open. Smoke billowed into her face and she was forced to take a step away from the vehicle.
She got out of the car and looked around her. There was nothing to either side of the road, just desert. The flat ground spread out for miles and blurred before her eyes as the heat from the sun pounded its surface. She could hear nothing but the sound of birds, high in the sky, ones which she couldn't see because of the suns glare. She scratched her head as she turned to look at Shalimar.
'Jesse?' Shalimar called into her ring. She didn't want to have to leave the Lexus behind but she didn't like being out in the open for too long, it made her and the girl easy targets.
'Yeah,' came Jesse's voice.
'The car broke down.'
'What?'
'You heard me. Anyway, I need you to come pick us up in the Helix.' Shalimar turned away from the gaze of the girl and walked around the car. 'We're on the freeway and I don't want to be here for too long.'
'I understand. We're on our way.'
The link broken the two women were left in silence.
***
'We could hail a ride.'
Shalimar looked in the direction indicated by the girl. A black car, still in the distance was driving towards them.
'Mutant X is coming to pick us up, they'll be here any minute.' She leant back against the windscreen of the car and felt the sun beat down on her face. She forced her eyes shut until she could see bright spots dancing before her. This was the first time she had received a chance to relax in a long time and she fully intended to make the most of it.
She watched as the car drew nearer along the road. To her it was just a blob of black on the otherwise earthy landscape but she was pretty sure Shalimar already knew the make and registration of the vehicle. She stood back against the Lexus to allow the other car to pass.
***
Shalimar looked up at the skid marks of the fleeing vehicle. It was going at such a high speed that clouds of dust were being drawn through it and out at the back. The world seemed to be glittering from the heat of the sun and the landscape was shimmering before her eyes. She lowered her head again to the body held in her strong arms. The blood spilled across the ground and formed puddles in the dirt. Shalimar didn't know what to do. Should she cry desperately, scream to the sky? She couldn't seem to feel anything inside her, let alone express it. She had never seen anyone killed, atleast not in such a violent manner. She felt her heart beating against the walls of her chest, it was like she could hear it beating in her ears so loudly that everything else was tuned out. The wind which had struck up was silently buffeting against her body but she couldn't feel it, couldn't hear it whistling through her ears. She couldn't feel anything.
She leant her body against the wheel of the Lexus, feeling an incredible weakness overcoming her. The spots were still dancing in front of her but everytime she blinked they were shoved roughly out of the way by images of the girl falling to the floor, of bullets flying into her body and blood coming out the other side. Shalimar felt her chest compressing, she felt her breaths getting shallower and then there was nothing but the blackness, the dark which rapidly overwhelmed her body, shutting out everything but itself.
Please review...
***
She stepped down from the bus and her feet touched ground. The sky above was dense with clouds and she felt like she was chewing on the air around her it was so thick. She was sweating in her leather jacket but she couldn't take it off. Nor could she remove her high heeled black leather boots which were repressing the muscles of her legs and causing the soles of her feet to scream through their nerve endings.
She walked through the foyer of the bus garage. An assortment of people were sitting in the hard plastic chairs, or standing reading the newspaper, or drinking coffee from styrofoam cups. Occasionally there would be a crackly announcement declaring that the next bus to LA would be leaving in 8 minutes. She walked straight through the air conditioned room and back out into the humid atmosphere.
***
'When's she getting in to the bus depot?'
'In about 10 minutes, so you had better leave now if you're hoping to pick her up in time.'
'The way Shal drives she'll make it in 20.'
Shalimar swatted at Brennan's head before putting on her sunglasses. Adam smiled as he handed over the keys to the Lexus.
'I'll be there in 5,' she yelled over her shoulder as she walked out of Sanctuary.
The Lexus growled into life and Shalimar was soon cruising down the freeway. The wind blew through her hair and picked up errant strands which flew around her face. She brushed them away with her hand and settled back in the seat. There were no other cars on the road and she knew this was one not often frequented by the cops so she kicked the car up a notch. Her foot pushed down on the accelerator and, keeping one eye on the road she watched the speedometer moving up. This was the way life should be, exciting, exhilarating, intense. She relished the feeling of freedom.
On the surface her life appeared to be full of liberation but once you dug a little deeper there were so many limitations, not least the ones she placed on herself. If she wasn't in Mutant X and hadn't been taught how to fully discipline herself by Adam she'd probably be more feral that she was.
She noticed in the wing mirror a car coming up behind her. She gradually cut her speed, not wanting to get caught out and be even more late for the new mutant than she had to be.
Adam had gotten a message over the secure website a couple of weeks before from a girl, desperate to leave her current situation. She had sounded scared and Adam had immediately made arrangements for her to come to their area of the country and be paced in the underground. Shalimar had talked with him about her and discovered that he remembered the girl from his days at Genomex. She had been one of the younger mutants, one of the one's he had worked with right before he had found out the full extent of Genomex's plans and left with the database. Of course Adam was still feeling guilty, Shalimar didn't think he'd ever get out of that state of mind. He was so caught up in what he had done to all the poor new mutants and much as they all, Brennan, Jesse, Emma and Shalimar tried to pull him out of it he wouldn't be dragged away from his mission. Shalimar figured that would be what killed him.
She saw the car move to overtake her out of the corner of her eye and she slowed down to let it. Whoever the occupants were they were clearly in more of a rush than she was.
***
Shalimar smoothly killed the engine and pushed the door open. She had finally made it, only a minute and a half late. She smiled proudly to herself. She had beaten Brennan's record time. She made a mental note to tell him about that when she got back.
She looked around her trying to find the girl she was supposed to pick up. Her eyes alighted on a brunette, standing not far from the open doors of the lobby. She was wearing all black and looked to be in some kind of discomfort, Shalimar assumed because of the outfit she was wearing.
She looked up and saw the blonde woman walking towards her. She assumed she was Shalimar, the resident feral of Mutant X. She suddenly felt a lot safer. She trusted Adam completely. He had helped her get out of Genomex and out from under the radar of the GSA, he had done a lot for her. But she felt more secure knowing that there was someone watching her, looking out for her and not just via e-mail.
***
The car stuttered once again. Shalimar banged her hand on the steering wheel, hoping that the stumbling of the engine was not what she thought it was. There was plenty of gas in the car so it couldn't be that. But atleast that was something Shalimar knew how to fix. If it was a problem with the engine she really didn't have a clue.
Suddenly they came to a stop. Silence filled the air and Shalimar leant her head back against her seat. She breathed out in a deep sigh and rolled her eyes.
'Sorry about this,' she said as she shoved the car door open roughly. She walked to the front of the car and pulled the hood open. Smoke billowed into her face and she was forced to take a step away from the vehicle.
She got out of the car and looked around her. There was nothing to either side of the road, just desert. The flat ground spread out for miles and blurred before her eyes as the heat from the sun pounded its surface. She could hear nothing but the sound of birds, high in the sky, ones which she couldn't see because of the suns glare. She scratched her head as she turned to look at Shalimar.
'Jesse?' Shalimar called into her ring. She didn't want to have to leave the Lexus behind but she didn't like being out in the open for too long, it made her and the girl easy targets.
'Yeah,' came Jesse's voice.
'The car broke down.'
'What?'
'You heard me. Anyway, I need you to come pick us up in the Helix.' Shalimar turned away from the gaze of the girl and walked around the car. 'We're on the freeway and I don't want to be here for too long.'
'I understand. We're on our way.'
The link broken the two women were left in silence.
***
'We could hail a ride.'
Shalimar looked in the direction indicated by the girl. A black car, still in the distance was driving towards them.
'Mutant X is coming to pick us up, they'll be here any minute.' She leant back against the windscreen of the car and felt the sun beat down on her face. She forced her eyes shut until she could see bright spots dancing before her. This was the first time she had received a chance to relax in a long time and she fully intended to make the most of it.
She watched as the car drew nearer along the road. To her it was just a blob of black on the otherwise earthy landscape but she was pretty sure Shalimar already knew the make and registration of the vehicle. She stood back against the Lexus to allow the other car to pass.
***
Shalimar looked up at the skid marks of the fleeing vehicle. It was going at such a high speed that clouds of dust were being drawn through it and out at the back. The world seemed to be glittering from the heat of the sun and the landscape was shimmering before her eyes. She lowered her head again to the body held in her strong arms. The blood spilled across the ground and formed puddles in the dirt. Shalimar didn't know what to do. Should she cry desperately, scream to the sky? She couldn't seem to feel anything inside her, let alone express it. She had never seen anyone killed, atleast not in such a violent manner. She felt her heart beating against the walls of her chest, it was like she could hear it beating in her ears so loudly that everything else was tuned out. The wind which had struck up was silently buffeting against her body but she couldn't feel it, couldn't hear it whistling through her ears. She couldn't feel anything.
She leant her body against the wheel of the Lexus, feeling an incredible weakness overcoming her. The spots were still dancing in front of her but everytime she blinked they were shoved roughly out of the way by images of the girl falling to the floor, of bullets flying into her body and blood coming out the other side. Shalimar felt her chest compressing, she felt her breaths getting shallower and then there was nothing but the blackness, the dark which rapidly overwhelmed her body, shutting out everything but itself.