Disclaimer: I think we all know the drill by now. I don't own it, don't make any profit with it, I only do this for fun, yadda yadda.
Author's Note: I can't believe how close I am to completing this fic! Heh, the other night, I even wrote the first chapter to the sequel, since it genuinely looks like it's going to happen. Go me! And the title of this chapter is a little nod of acknowledgement for how long it's taken me to get this up. Sorry, folks!
OUT OF THE ASHES
Chapter Twenty-Two
End of Eternity
They'd decided to wait for their prisoner to come around before doing anything else. Major Boyer's hands and feet were bound, and Major Elliot seemed to take a sadistic delight in seeing his predecessor trussed up like a turkey.
They'd found their way back to the café, and Neil was sitting at the counter again. Jane took a tentative step towards him, then changed her mind and took a seat across the room, near the unconscious bastard who'd treated her like a guinea pig. She hoped they'd let her kill him when they were done questioning him. She'd start by freezing his extremities…
Not that they'd let her, of course. Boyer was too valuable; he was going to be presented to the Council when they reached Chicago. But for now, she could dream. It was certainly much better than thinking about what happened back there, when she'd nearly died…
Jane shuddered at the thought. She still had vivid memories of her final moments in the hangar, when Neil had been killed during his moment of triumph and she… let herself die. She'd been out of ammo, yes, but there'd been a narrow escape route between the Meta's tentacles. But escape had been the last thing on her mind. Neil had been dead, and the sensation of her spirit being pulled from her body had hurt less than Neil's loss…
Why? Why did she still care? She'd rejected his kiss, knowing that, deep inside, she wanted him. After all these years, she still loved him. Their fling at the HMA had meant more to her than she wanted to admit to anyone, especially herself.
And she'd almost told him, that moment when he'd held her in his arms, as he hadn't for so long… Her gaze strayed towards Neil, and she watched the small man for a moment. No, he wasn't much to look at, but the mind contained in that thin frame was so unlike her own that it drew her.
No… minds! There are two men in there now… Both of them responsible for my death. How could she love a man who had two distinct personalities? She crumpled a napkin in frustration, then flung it at the prisoner.
"Temper, temper," a familiar voice said calmly. "Don't you know I'm too valuable to damage?" Major Boyer was awake, and he didn't seem too perturbed by his situation.
Jane stood up and glared down at him. "Too valuable to kill, yes," she corrected harshly. "But you can survive a little damage." She iced up the fingers of her right hand, holding them over him. She wanted to see the fear in his eyes. She wanted him to feel like the helpless victim this time.
But all she got from him was a cold smile that didn't reach his dead blue eyes.
* * *
She could feel her sanity leaving her. Something inside of her mind had broken, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she succumbed to madness. Insanity would be welcome. Then she could forget…
Aki sank back against the wall, putting all her weight on her chafed wrists but no longer feeling any pain. After Ash's last "tender" ministrations, she couldn't feel anything any more. If only she could just die…
But oblivion wasn't forthcoming. As madness slowly ate away at her, she only had her memories to help her lose herself. And, even in her desperate condition, she still maintained her scientific curiosity.
Her so-called powers were what occupied her mind when Ash wasn't present. She'd doubted him at first, but once she got over the initial shock of her torture and could think a little more clearly, she began to think Ash was right.
When she'd gone to help the Deep Eyes during the Phantoms' attack on Houston, something had kept Neil safe from a Phantom. She'd felt something, an odd stirring sensation within her, but had dismissed it as nerves.
Then there was the rescue of Dr. Sid. The ovo-pack had died, but they'd remained protected from bullets.
And the transfer to the Black Boa. Something had seemed to pluck Neil from the sky and bring him to safety. Again, she'd felt the stirring sensation.
Lastly, there was the shield that had saved her from Ash's inferno. Did she have magic, too? Was she using it automatically? If so, then couldn't she learn to use it, as Jane had?
No. Not with the way she felt, not now, when she could barely even remember her own name. (I can help you…) Not when she was losing what was left of her mind. (Just let me in… I can help you learn, help you heal…) Not when she was now hearing voices in her head, and seeing images in her mind of a fiery bird too fabulous to exist. Who are you? she demanded, though she didn't expect a figment of her imagination to explain itself.
(Just hold on a little longer,) was the voice's response. (Let me help you. I can't keep you safe, but I can help you until your friends arrive. They're looking for you. Just let me in… let me help…)
Without knowing quite what she was doing, Aki opened herself to the voice, and finally letting the madness overwhelm her.
* * *
Hein was back, lurking in the far reaches of Neil's brain. The Phoenix's appearance seemed to have drawn him out, for the general's presence had been very strong when she'd been speaking to them. But he'd said nothing to Neil since his attempt to take over Neil's body.
The Phoenix… What was she? They hadn't mentioned her to the others yet. How could they explain something they barely understood themselves? Neil was half-convinced she'd been a delusion… except that the pain from the bullet hole in his knee was completely gone, and the tissue there was scarred, as if from an old wound. It had been more thoroughly healed than when Ryan had touched it. And then there was Jane… Hein was uncharacteristically silent on the subject, so he had no help there. Had they really seen her? He wanted to ask Jane what she remembered, but… but he was scared to talk to her. Had she really been trying to say what he'd thought he'd heard?
So he just sat quietly, watching the others out of the corner of his eye. Only Ryan and Major Elliot seemed to be busy; Jane, like himself, was off on her own, keeping a watchful eye over the prisoner.
I should talk to her, he thought. I need to know where things stand between us. But is it the right time to ask? In front of the others? He snarled in frustration. I was never good at this sort of thing… At this point, he would even have welcomed Hein's advice. But the general was still shying away from Neil's mind.
A new thought surfaced. Did I hurt Hein when I tried to trap him? Could a disembodied personality be injured? It would explain why Hein was staying away. Great; he really didn't need another thing to worry him! His thoughts were already busy with too many other matters!
Luckily, he was saved from this line of thought by Jane's shout. Their prisoner was finally awake, and all of them gathered around Major Boyer.
The major, despite his awkward position, didn't look particularly threatened. He boldly met their eyes, though Neil thought the major's gaze lingered on him longest. Hein's right, he has such cold eyes… Dead eyes! Then Boyer's gaze met Elliot's shrouded features, and his face hardened. "You," he hissed. "You're the rebel leader, aren't you?"
"We ask the questions," Major Elliot said firmly. Boyer's eyes narrowed, and his lips were a hard line. Neil wondered if Boyer recognized his successor. "Where is Dr. Ross being held?"
Boyer blinked. "Dr. Ross?" he repeated, sounding genuinely puzzled. "What about her?"
Ryan, after a quick look at Elliot, stepped forward. "She was taken by Ash," he said coolly. "Where is she?"
Boyer's eyes actually widened. "Shit," he murmured. "If Ash has her, then all I can say is that it's best to assume she's dead."
"What did he do to her?" Ryan demanded in a strained voice. "He's under your control; what did you tell him to do?"
Major Boyer gave a short bark of laughter. "My control?" he snorted. "I have no control over him."
Ryan and Elliot were clearly taken aback by the major's reaction. Jane tensed, and Neil could see ice form along her clenched fingers.
(He's nervous.) For the first time in hours, Hein spoke, a tentative edge to his voice.
What? Neil started. How can you tell? Boyer's expression hadn't changed much; Neil couldn't see any expression on the man's face to imply that he was nervous.
(Major Boyer's losing control. Ash is too much for him and General Ryder to handle.) Now Neil could almost hear the smirk in Hein's voice. (Add in your escape, and things aren't going well for them at all.)
Things aren't going well for us, either! We lost Dr. Sid, remember? Neil snapped. Then he turned his attention back to Boyer. "You don't know where they are, do you?" Neil asked.
Boyer's pale eyes met his, searching his own for… what? What did the major see? "No. Ash cut communications with us and vanished, presumably with your Dr. Ross. So having me with you if you are foolish enough to confront him won't protect you."
Ryan ignored Boyer. "This makes things more difficult," he said grimly. "While we won't have to worry about General Ryder's men guarding her, Ash could be anywhere in the city."
"And he's more powerful than all of Boyer's men put together," Major Elliot added softly. "Do you wish to continue this?" His tone made his preference clear, but he was still deferring leadership to Ryan, Neil noticed. Even after his experience with the rebels, he was still a born follower, it seemed.
"If she's still alive, I don't want to leave Aki alone with that… that monster," Ryan said. But then he turned to Jane, then Neil. "What do you think? If you want to leave, you can. The Council still needs to know about this."
Neil met Jane's eyes. He remembered cradling her dying form to his chest… And then came the unwelcome memory of his own death in the hangar, the fear, the pain, the nothingness… Did he want to risk death again? Or face losing another close to him? They'd already lost Dr. Sid, and it might already be too late for Aki.
Jane had a curious expression, as thought she was waiting for his response before making her own. Neil flashed her a cocky grin. "Of course we're not leaving without Aki. She came for us, right? Sure, we died once because of her already and have the right to expect the same from her, but I say this ain't the way for her to go."
"That was very touching, Neil," Jane said with a roll of her eyes. Ryan chuckled.
"I suspected as much, the sergeant said. "We just have to narrow down the search – "
"Or we could get Major Boyer to help." Major Elliot was standing with his thin arms folded across his chest, staring down at Boyer. "He was alone in the city for a reason, and he's always been the one with Ash whenever we came upon them. I think he doesn't know where Ash is, but he was searching for him and has the means to find him… and Dr. Ross in the process."
Boyer glared up at them. "It's not like I have a choice, do I? Very well, I'll help you find your precious Dr. Ross… and your graves while we're at it."
* * *
Finding himself a captive of the Deep Eyes had come as a surprise to Major Boyer, but he hadn't been alarmed. While they had proven themselves to be more adept survivors than either he or General Ryder had suspected, they were still only four people. Unless, of course, the rebels were involved, but from the snatches of conversation he'd heard, only their leader was still in the city.
Major Elliot. Boyer suppressed a snort of amusement. He'd never have suspected the older man of having the backbone to stand up against Ryder's soldiers. Wouldn't Ryder be surprised…
But he wouldn't be there to see the look on his so-called superior's face. Instead, he was sitting in the back of his mangled jeep, with the ice-bitch and the sergeant on either side of him. The hands clasped together on his lap were encased in a sheath of ice, a more effective bond than the ropes they'd pulled off him.
In the front seat, Corporal Fleming fought to keep the jeep going straight; its frame had been twisted slightly in the crash and tended to swerve to the left. Major Elliot kept his eyes glued to the scanner – or so Boyer thought; it was difficult to tell with that tattered hood covering his face.
He'd explained about the scanner willingly enough. It was long range, and set to find spirits that showed a big percentage of green, without showing the spirits of those in the jeep, which would confuse the matter. They would have figured out how to use the scanner on their own, Boyer knew, but a complacent prisoner would be given more freedom than a rebellious one…
Not that he could do much. His hands were frozen together past his wrists, with the ice seeping even into the folds of his skin, making movement impossible. Not that wriggling his hands would do any good, anyway, since the ice couldn't be loosened like rope would. It would melt off, eventually, but he knew Corporal Proudfoot would just renew the ice.
He'd lost all feeling in his hands, and knew he'd probably come out of this with frost bite. He doubted his captors cared, so long as he could testify against Ryder later if they got out of the city alive. What would a few lost fingers matter?
Boyer didn't care. They hadn't even had the brains to notice that the blood that stained the jeep's dashboard was more than what should have come from the small cut above his eye.
So he sat back and watched his captors with an air of bemusement as they drove along the city's empty roads, searching for Project Ash and their probable doom. He paid special attention to Corporal Fleming as he searched for some sign of whatever it was about the man that chilled him. What was he? He wasn't one of the power-users, that was obvious. An Undead, maybe? No, he didn't have that strange look in his eyes, the one that spoke of the pain an Undead lived through. Sergeant Whittaker had it, though no one seemed to notice. Boyer hadn't seem Major Elliot's eyes, but he could see enough of the man's ruined flesh to know that he was Undead as well. And he was a power-user… What did that mean? Boyer filed that question away for later consideration. If Fleming wasn't an Undead or a Mage, as he'd heard the Deep Eyes call the power-users, was he a Duo? But why would that be so sinister? Was there an edge of madness to him that Boyer was picking up on?
You look pretty good for a dead man, he'd said. Did Neil have someone inside of him who knew?
* * *
He'd come back, and Aki felt herself die a little more inside. This cruel fiend with Gray's face was slowly tearing her apart, piece by piece, as though he were a child curious about how something worked. And like a child, he was frustrated by his inability to discover the powers he insisted were within her, and he took his rage out on her.
But she no longer noticed the pain. Her whole body hurt so much, what was one more cut or bruise? What did it matter anymore that she suffered from burns on one hand and frostbite on the other? Or that her back was scored with electrical burns?
"You're hurting," his voice said, sounding distant to her ears but she could still hear that strange mix of child-like petulance mixed with an adult's mature tones. "Why won't you cooperate? Show me your powers and it won't hurt anymore."
Why? she wondered. What did he care? Her dull gaze fastened on the stitches clearly visible beneath the short fuzz of hair on his scalp. They'd messed up his mind so much, it was hard to believe he'd done this for something like love.
Then again, they said love hurt. Aki quelled the hysterical laughter that threatened to escape her split lips. Ash, she'd learned early on, hated being laughed at.
But he seemed to expect some sort of response from her, so she forced a word out of her aching throat. "Can't," she murmured thickly.
Ash's lips thinned, and Aki couldn't help but shudder at the man's suddenly brutal expression.
(It will be all right,) the soothing voice whispered into her mind. Aki started; she'd forgotten about the speaker! It seemed that this was a figment of madness that wasn't going to leave her. (Just hold on,) the voice continued. (Your friends are on their way.)
I don't want to hold on any more… I want to drift away…
Ash had reached out on hand towards her when he suddenly froze. Then he whirled, facing the door. Fire flared from his skin, rippling across his body in a wave. Something had him on alert, and Aki's curiosity stirred her from her stupor. (Your friends,) the voice in her head said smugly.
They have no chance, Aki thought numbly. Their combined abilities weren't enough to defeat Ash…
Then there was a brilliant flare of white, engulfing Ash in a pillar of light he couldn't escape. In the seconds before the light faded, the Deep Eyes ran inside, skirting the spell that held Ash and making their way straight towards Aki. As the light vanished, Neil and Ryan took up a defensive position around Aki, drawing their weapons while Jane sliced through Aki's bonds. Aki sagged limply against the other woman, and she dimly heard Jane curse when she saw the shape Aki was in. "Sarge, you're gonna have to carry her."
Ash straightened, recalling the flames that had dissipated when he'd been hit. But before he could ready himself for an attack, Ryan and Neil opened fire, each bullet pounding against Ash's hastily erected shield and driving the man back.
But there was no way they'd be able to make it out of there alive. While Ash couldn't evade or maneuver inside the small room as well as he could in an open area, he could still put up a fight. He was better with his powers than any of them, and he could use a wider range of attacks more rapidly. He was able to melt the gun from Ryan's hand, and knocked Neil to his knees with a barrage of ice. Jane, still clinging to Aki, couldn't manage to get into the fight.
They're going to die, Aki realized with horror. Because of me, they're going to die again! "Stop," she croaked as Jane shifted Aki so the soldier could stand with her teammates. She tossed a bolt of ice that Ash easily deflected. "Stop!" Aki pleaded as Ryan began to choke, a globe of water surrounding his head and making breathing impossible. They had to get out of here, to leave her behind so they could run. But she couldn't explain this to them, couldn't get the words out of her mouth. All she could do was gather all her breath into one earsplitting scream. "Stop!"
And to her astonishment, the battle did.
* * *
"What the hell?" Neil asked as the water flowed from Ryan's face and splattered on the floor. He drew in great gulps of breath as his teammate climbed slowly to his feet. He wasn't so distracted by breathing, however, that he didn't see what had stunned the others.
Ash was standing in the middle of the room as though frozen. There was no twitch of muscles, no blink of his eyes. Only the rage that still simmered in the depths of his pupils showed he still lived.
Wary of a trick, Ryan picked up Neil's gun, ignoring the pain in his singed hand that his status as an Undead made impossible to heal. Ash only glared at him as Ryan drew closer, and his finger tightened on the trigger. I should kill him now… But his hand shook, and he lowered his arm. He turned his gaze away. I can't… Whatever he is now, he was once our captain. I can't do it; he was my best friend!
"Let's get out of here before he snaps out of it," Ryan said softly.
"Sir, what about… Ash?" Jane said, as she tried to keep Aki on her feet. My God, what did he do to her? Ryan couldn't see anywhere under her tattered clothes that wasn't bruised, cut, or worse.
Ryan handed the gun to Jane, then gently scooped Aki into his arms. After her scream, she seemed to have lapsed into a semi- consciousness. She was awake, but unaware of the surroundings. "If you can kill him, do it. I can't." His tone was agonized. I failed my best friend…
He left them, going out into the hallway where Major Elliot waited with the captive. Jane and Neil were right behind him. So she couldn't do it, either.
"What happened?" Elliot demanded when he saw them. He pulled off his cloak, offering it to Ryan, who wrapped it around Aki.
"Magic. Something froze Ash… stopped him, actually," he corrected himself, remembering Aki's shout. There were two green spirits on the scanner when we found them. Could she…? "We need to get out of here. It's not going to hold him forever."
Once again, they found themselves running, slowed by a reluctant captive and Ryan's own burden, who hadn't responded well to the healing he'd done on her before they were on the move. Ryan expected any second to be blasted from behind by the enraged Ash, but they made it safely to where they'd left Dr. Sid's body. No one argued when he told them to take the corpse, and Jane lifted it easily. Then they were on the move again, heading downwards, and finally past the barrier through the entrance they'd used an eternity ago, and were out of the city.
* * *
Deep in the bowels of the city, Ash's still form twitched. Then he seemed to explode into motion, destroying the room around him in his fury. When there was nothing left but splinters of furniture, Ash swept out of the room, running towards the building's exit. His gaze scanned the area around him, searching for his lost prey. When he found no sign of them, he threw back his head and screamed.
To Be Continued…