Nope I haven't gotten me laptop back and it doesn't seem like I'm going to get it back anytime soon. Damn those slow as hell repair people. Anyways this chapter has been the longest I've ever written (I call seven pages long!). It's taken me a while to get it together only because I am neurotic when it comes to ideal characterization. That and I've been hopelessly stuck in the Once a Thief fandom…
My thanks to all those who've been reviewing it really does push a person to work harder when they know how others are receiving there work. A bigger thanks goes out to my bud FalconWolf3 who stuck with me through the late night conversations (and major brain storming!) on this one. Credit for the conversation involving Jesse goes out to her, (yes U Bren!) her understanding of Mr. Kilmartin has been surpassing mine as of late, hehe. Speaking of which what happened to JESSE?! (I need to know!!!!!)
Oh yeah, I seriously disregarded the third season plot twist in which the episode 'The Prophecy' spoke of. That was just ridicules it was just so full of
DARK ANGEL stuff that it wasn't even funny. (I shouldn't be talking) If you've seen it you guys know what I'm talking about, if not well sorry blushes. But getting back to my point in this time line the Prophecy about the child is out the window! Doesn't exist here.
One last thing I thought it would be nice to bring in another character from the show. So for the record the character Kelly Rice does not belong to me. There I said it. Ok enough from me go on and read the chapter, hope this reveals enough to get things rolling. If you guys have any questions or comments email me! Oh yeah and don't forget to review (Apparently it attracts me muse!!!!)
Latah
'What have I done?' was the question that played over and over in the Kelly's mind as she watched the last ray of sunlight disappear in the darkness. She had made a promise to herself long ago that she would never be coned into doing anything that would harm others. Not after everything she had gone through with the man known as Gabriel Ashlock. Rubbing the back her neck at the tattooed symbol she knew that was a promise that had been broken once before.
After Gabriel's life was taken she amongst dozen's of other New Mutant's who had been taken under his wing had been lost. Many of the New Mutants whom Gabriel called his Links either tried to continue on with out him or just went their separate ways. She was one of few that had left the city of his demise in hopes of making it on her own. But Kelly had found herself feeling empty with out her leader, the man she had come to love.
It had been a few weeks after when she found herself crossing paths with another man. One she would also come to love and later fear. Adrian O'Dell had been grieving over some loss for a long while when he took her in. They shared a common goal to protect those who were like himself lost and with no one to turn to. This should have been her first hint at what was to come. For the first few week's things had gone smoothly, she had a new home and family but the things in the back of her mind kept telling her it was too much like before and it would end terribly.
A few months after she had been branded in with both numbers and a symbol of her abilities, Kelly had come across a silver suitcase while waiting for Adrian to return home from one of his many nightly walks. Breaking it open out of sheer curiosity she found a small computer disks marked off with different names. Some marked with red crosses. Deciding to let her curiosity push her over she had used Adrian's laptop and opened the disk. What she discovered was that Adrian had been hunting down certain mutants. She had remembered Adrian telling her about those who had been with him before, the ones he thought of as his own siblings. She had been told that they had been turned against him and left. There abrupt departure had hurt him deeply but he had understood their need to be on their own.
The next hour she spent sifting through the files marked red. Apparently whenever Adrian found one of these people they would be found dead the next day. A Connor O'Brien registered to the local city morgue would mysteriously have the bodies transported to his sector and preformed an unknown amount of blood test specifically on their New Mutant DNA. They were looking for something specific, the red disk had been the ones who failed some sort of testing procedure. What she found on one of the blue disc; a list of names by numbers, some had already been deleted. Going into the next folder she saw files on Gabriel Ashlock and Twin girls who went by the name of Brenda and Brianna Mulwray. They looked like Genome X files. What would Adrian be doing with those? Kelly had made a snap decision and made copies of the files.
She had been reaching for the last blue disc when a sound from the end of the hall caught her attention. Moving faster than she had ever thought she could Kelly had shut down the laptop, and placed everything back the way she had found it. The fallowing week it was said that three more people had disappeared and later found dead, there bodies would be discovered missing from city morgues. There was no question about where they had gone. Kelly knew and couldn't stand being with Adrian any longer. So after carefully planning her escape, she let Adrian and that part of her world go…
Unfortunately it didn't want to let her go. So she spent the better part of the last two years running for her life. Foolishly she had thought Adrian had forgotten about her, and put all thoughts aside about those missing mutants. But now she feared he had resurfaced.
Any money bet that this Gage was in more trouble than she was. If Gage was the person who's blood Adrian had been searching for. But what she didn't understand was what did the test do? Holding herself Kelly wish she had seen the last disk or at least taken it with her. The name Mulwray sounded familiar enough to her, but she was having a hard time trying to remember where she had heard it from aside from reading it off the files.
Tucking her blond hair into a messy bun she pulled on her helmet making a decision that would either make her a good person or a known cowards. Turning the key in the ignition to the right letting the gas rev up a bit Kelly Rice took off.
What in the world had Abby been thinking bringing her back here to this place? It held nothing for her but a slight picture in her head of the blond man who had saved her life. Had gone completely solid in front of her and protected her without a second thought. Gage stood sitting on the hood of the borrowed Dark Blue Evolution, across the street from the entrance of the underground parking lot. Her sister had pulled a Houdini on her the other day after she had announced the race. That was two days ago today she had called and asked her to meet her here. Why she had requested her presence here was beyond her. Gage smiled as she pictured the man who saved her life. Jesse… she wondered what he was doing now, and if he was thinking about her as well.
Abby walked out from the shadows of the ten-story building behind her sister's car, donned in a black mini skirt and black denim jacket. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had to get this… what?" she stopped at the indignant look on Gage's face.
"Where have you been?" Gage asked.
"Trying to score us a ride for tomorrow nights race your welcome."
"Not that I ain't grateful Abby, but it doesn't take more than a day to do that."
"And it doesn't take more than a day to tell me about Adrian now does it." Abby retorted standing in front of her sister her hands posed on her hips.
"That ain't entirely accurate."
"And yet you still wanna go through with the race knowing he could be scouting."
"We already talked about this Abby."
"Brianna…" dark brown eyes shot up to meet their identical other; she hadn't been referred to as Brianna since she was ten years old. "You remember what he was like."
"Yeah I do, I also remember that we can't make it with what we've got." Gage snapped back. "Fine you wanna play suicide fine." Abby reached into her pocket and handed over a set of keys similar to the ones that Lexa had given to Shalimar and Jesse. "A bike?"
"It was last minute so it was all they had."
"I would have been happy racing with the EVO."
"Yeah well, consider this a nice bonus besides I scoped out the terrain and your better off with the bike. I'm gonna head on home after the market, you need anything?"
"Yeah for you to stay out of trouble."
"Funny I remember it as me having to bail your ass out of trouble." Abby replied as she walked away back into the shade of the building. Gage smiles at this, the two of them had changed so much during the last eight years it almost scared her. For she knew how much trouble she had gotten them into when they were younger, after they had ran away Gage had been the one to suggest the odd jobs to earn money. Occasionally violating the law in order to do so. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if they hadn't had there powers to bail them out of the tightest jams…
"You know if we keep running into each other like this, shouldn't I at least know your name?" Gage turned around on the hood of the car facing the front of the car, almost slipping off it all together, to see the man who had been on her mind just before Abby had showed up, he was leaning against a Silver Audi. "Nice ride."
"I could say the same thing." He retorted sweetly making his way over till he was standing directly in front of her, arms crossed on his chest. "So do I get a name this time or do I have to refer to you as the girl who can phase?" She smiled at his playful tone and replied in a similar manner. "Gage,"
"First or last?"
"The only name I go by so you could call it a first."
"That's unique."
"I'd like to think so."
"I'm Jesse."
"I know. We met remember?" His shy like smile made her insides feel fuzzy as he continued on. "So… What brings yah down here again, I mean this isn't exactly the worlds safest place."
"Sister seems to like this place, you?"
"A close friend lives in the next building over." He replied glancing back to where he indicated. The building in question seemed to be more than one over. Gage had the question in her head of why he would park further from the building that already had a garage, but let it sit for now. "As fun as this has been I've got to get back." She said sliding off the hood of the EVO, fishing the keys out of her jacket pocket. Jesse leaned on the leaned on the hood.
"Hey wait…"
"What?"
"How 'bout you join me for lunch? I know this great little pizzeria not too far from here."
"You're asking me out on a date?" she asked liking the effect he had on her.
"Maybe, if that's what you want to call it."
"And what would you call it?"
"Two friends having lunch."
"You don't even know me," she smirked as she felt her insides kind of go from fuzzy to knots, it had been such a long time since she had last felt like this.
"But I'd like to." He replied stepping closer to her. How could she say no with out sounding like a big brush off? "Ok," that wasn't saying no.
"Your ride or mine?" he asked. Gage looked back at the EVO thinking it over for a second before placing the key inside the rims. Walking back over to Jesse when he pointed a finger back at her car. "Are you sure that's safe?"
"Has been before." She replied as the two walked off to the Silver Audi never noticing the stranger who'd been watching them the entire time, the stranger pulled out a cell phone, pressed a few buttons and waited.
"Yeah… only its not the EVO… I'll know more tomorrow night… alright then." Hanging up the phone the stranger walked back into the shadows.
()
The wonderful smell of oven fresh pizza had urged her stomach into the warm seemingly friendly place, of course it did help to have the nice handsome blond man with her. The two mutants had managed enough of a conversation on the way that it looked as if they had been long time friends. She had learned that his line of work fell between helping people like themselves find a safe heaven from rough places, and working with his 'family'. She in turn told him about her own make shift family conveniently leaving out the details of how they had gotten together, and their illegal activities. Upon entering the cozy place they were directed to a small booth near the back by a lovely waitress who gave the two a smile commenting on young love, her smile growing wider when she saw the young man's ears turn a bit red. A half hour later the two had finished off a large pie and were now relaxing talking quietly. "Are you kidding me?"
"Ah come on you're gonna sit there and tell me you never done anything like that?"
"Well, not like that." Jesse replied.
"You never wa…" Gage lowered her voice a bit. "You're gonna sit there and tell me you never walked through the girls locker room wall?"
"Well…" at his silent admission Gage grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Maybe once or twice, but I swear the first time was an accident."
"Right." She laughed somewhere between there gazing at one another the younger molecular had caught sight of a familiar presence just outside the pizzeria. "So what about you have you ever used your abilities fo…" His voice had faded from her hearing as for her sight it was set on the man just across the street. At first she thought she had imagined it, but he had been there for sometime. Loitering was the word that had just leaped out of her mind; he'd been standing in the same place for the past fifteen minutes or so. Gage placed a hand over Jesse's own, her gaze returning to meet his. "You know what… um… I'll be right back…"
"You feeling ok?"
"Yeah."
Jesse stood up as she slid out of the booth her shoulders brushing against his. He watched as she went around the corner towards the restrooms. Sliding back into the small booth he looked down at the hand she had touched. For a moment he had the ridicules thought that there had been some sort of electric tingle from her skin. Wondered if every touch from her would feel the same. The heat flushing his face quickly rid him of those thoughts as well as the voice coming from his comm.-ring.
Hey lover boy where are yah? An obviously annoyed Lexa. Is this thing working?
Yeah it's working, what's up? Yah find out anything on Annie?
No but close. We got another update about those missing mutants
Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like this
Because the ones that were found were messed with
Messed with how
Meaning someone is taking these marked mutants from these races, days later they're dead. Doesn't stop there, someone seems to be making off with the corpse of certain mutants
Grave robbing
Doesn't stop there, my contacts tell me that the bodies have been drained of there blood
That's just sick
Yeah well it's a sick world we live in.
()
Gage hadn't been so lucky, slipping out of the place there had been no back door near the rest rooms so her only way out was right through the walls of the bathroom. Making sure there had been no one else in the restroom with her, she nervously stood at the tiled wall. Placing a shaky hand on the cool surface she closed her eyes, feeling the wall shift underneath her skin. The tiles becoming less dense for a moment there was a stinging sensation as if the wall had slipped back together. That lasted for a moment before the molecules faded, Gage stepped forward through the soft mass feeling the blood in her body race as she walked right through the wall and into the alley of the Pizzeria. The wall behind her snapped back into its solid form, Gage yelped cradling her hand to her stomach. Lately making things less solid had become more difficult, it was starting to hurt more. Shaking off her pain the young mutant made her way to the opening of the street.
It hadn't been her imagination a few seconds ago the man across the street had been looming around Jesse's car. She was pretty sure it was impossible for the man to be even alive. Gage moved further up to the entrance for the street looking at the Silver Audi, the man was now gone. A sweep up the street gave her nothing, she had just decided that the guy must have took off or maybe she was just being paranoid when she was grabbed from behind and slammed against the brick wall. "Not a smart thing Mulwray."
"David." Gage gasped as the man in front of her tightened his grip on her throat. His dark brown eyes had shifted to a golden feral state. Shaggy brown hair fell around his olive toned face. There was a jagged scar just below his squared jaw. "What…"
"You thought you were so smart running from him didn't you?" David's voice was husky and almost threatening. "Left the rest of us high and dry, because of you we ain't safe anymore!" he snarled. Over her shocked state in haven't seeing this man in almost twelve years, Gage tried to take a breath but the grip on her throat tightened. "You can't go ghost if you can't breath." He leered at her. "He's been taking us out one by one, and it's all on you!"
"What…"
"It's all on you. So I'm gonna do us all a favor."
"What… that?"
"Take you out. It's better this way you know… what he does to you when he gets you…" The man actually shuddered a moment before he brought his hand back into a fist. From the sleeve of his ratty jacket came a silver knife. Gage flexed her fingers bits of electrical current jumped from them, grabbing his wrist she sent out a large dose of coils from her hand to his body. The larger man wriggled in pain, his hands lost their strength and Gage slumped to the ground coughing up for air. "Sorry, not gonna happen." She watched him flop on the floor like a fish out of water. This didn't look so good, "David?"
Gage lightly kicked the man in the ribs, but there was no movement from him. Taking a look around she yanked the sleeves of her jacket forward covering her hands, leaning down she grabbed him under his arms and managed to drag all a hundred and twenty pounds across the dingy ground. Gage hid him behind the dumpsters covering him with the cardboard pieces. She took a deep breath, she hadn't been close to the guy but they had once been friends. Giving him one last glance she made her way back to the wall.
()
Jesse got up from the booth and walked towards the counter reaching into his pocket he pulled out a few bills depositing them on the counter. Turning back to the seat he did a double take, his car. It was gone!
()
Jesse sighed as he fallowed the directions that Lexa had given him through Sanctuary's GPS system. He'd managed to ignore the woman when she berated him for trusting Gage so openly, but he knew that there had to have been some reason for her to have just left like she did. He found himself standing where he had first asked Gage to join him for lunch. Shaking his head he was about to curse himself stupid when he the afternoon light glint off something in the alleyway. Jesse walked into the alley finding the Silver Audi safely parked, there was something seemed to be protruding from the windshield. Reaching over carefully he tried to pluck the napkin from the window but it seemed to be stuck, as if someone hadn't phased it all the way. Looking around he leaned over the hood concealing what he was about to do from anyone's view and phased the napkin out. He smiled as he read the message.
Jesse,
Sorry I bailed, promise next time I'll stay for dessert… who knows maybe more.
Thanks for Lunch.
Gage
PS
Keys are where you left them!
()
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