Hi guys, long time no see er…whatever. Anyway, I just really wanted to extend my gratitude to all the people that read my fic. I'd do individual thanks, but um…it's been so long since I've seen who's written what that I'll just extend and general great big THANK YOU to everyone. So THANKS!!!!
HAPPY B-DAY TO ME! I TURNED 17 ON JANUARY 7! WOOOO!
Now, onto the story.
Oh, and I live nowhere near nor have ever been to Canada. Forgive me because I have no fing clue as to what I am talking about.
Chapter 14: Let the Games Begin
X23 had pealed out on Logan's bike at three o'clock that morning when she left for the second time. This time, there would be no looking or going back. She'd tried to play it their way, his way, and inaction just didn't suit her. She'd spent a majority of her existence on the run, trying to change that now was like trying to make lead into gold. She'd taken all the cash she could find in the house put on her uniform, and booked it out as fast as she could. If you had seen her, moving through the house quickly, quietly, and with a purpose, you would have stayed out of her way. The look in her jade-hued eyes was as cold and dead as her hear was right now. If she bothered to scream ou the pain she felt, she was afraid she might never stop. So, her heart pounding in her chest from anger she turned her back and left.
She'd remained pissed all the way to the Canadian border. Once in, surrounded by the woods and venturing into the mountains she breathed a visible sigh of contentment. This was her element, her territory. She could thrive here, maybe…no, no point to thinking to the future. She dumped the bike halfway to where she needed to be and took off into the woods. Again, she breathed in the soft scent of the earth. She felt the warm brush of air against her face, whipping her hair in all directions. She opened her eyes, calm overcoming her for the first time in a long time. She'd never admit it but she felt safe here, like she was…home. She purposely strode into the woods, a death mask grimace of a grin on her face.
The game was on.
"Gauntlet, kindly keep up, she's moving again." Omega Red barked behind him in as quiet of a whisper as he could manage. After all, the point wasn't to hide their position from her, for now. Right now all they were trying to do was keep up with their target, not an easy task. They'd already lost her twice. It was eerie how easily she moved here, how well she blended into the woods. She fit here, and it made her that much more dangerous having an advantage like that. "I do no like the direction she's heading in. You don't think…?"
"That she's trying to get caught maybe?" Gauntlet stared passively in the direction of the quarry.
"I do not trust this, but we have no choice. Now keep up." he growled and quickened his pace in order to keep up. Again, he almost couldn't see her. Gauntlet quietly followed.
Logan stared taciturnly at the ground moving below him in splashes of bright green smudged with brown. The harsh wind of the high altitude sought to suck the precious oxygen from his lungs. He could breath, but barely. The cold wind churned around him whipping his short tufts of hair back from his face to snap in the wind. He wouldn't admit it, but he wasn't too sure about what he was about to attempt, mostly jump out of a jet from very high up. He couldn't use a parachute for fear he might alert some unsavory character of his presence, or more importantly alert X23 that he was there. Taking one last look around the relative safety of the jet, he let out a long breath of air, then squashed a helmet on top of his head and let himself fall out of the doorway he'd previously been standing in.
With nothing to slow his descent he fell fast and hard. The ground loomed immediate and intimidating in his vision. He fell spread-eagle trying to maximize on his surface area in order to slow himself somewhat. Near the end of his fall, he curled himself into a ball trying to keep from injuring too many internal organs. Bones he could easily regenerate in a couple of minutes, massive amounts of bleeding, not so much. He slammed into the first tree a couple of seconds later. Branches gave way with ease as his mass smashed through the canopy like a cannonball. It took all of his control not to uncurl himself as he hurtled towards the ground. He tried to twist into a better landing position, but an unexpected tree branch slammed into him spiraling out of control. He hit the ground making a dent in the soft loam that carpeted the shaded forest floor.
Logan moaned and tried to crawl towards a tree. Eventually he got there and put his back against it so that nothing could sneak up behind him. He'd definitely injured his shoulder in the fall and it seemed to be taking an abnormally long time to heal. Hearing a noise to the right of him, he scuttled to cloister himself inside a rotting log that was nearby.
"C'mon you stupid arm, heal already." He growled at his broken shoulder and elbow. Suddenly he ground himself hanging upside down by his ankles, a tight cable of a strange alloy twisting painfully around his ankles cutting off his circulation.
"Well, well, well, look what we've caught Gauntlet." Omega Red turned to discover his partner engaged in a battle with X23. He fired at her with no result except making gauges in the grass. X23 slammed into Omega Red so hard that Logan went swinging into another tree. At least Omega Red was knocked unconscious for the time being.
"Move!" X23 growled hauling him to his feet. Logan winced and hobbled after her.
"What's the matter with you?"
"Fell out of a plane." Logan gasped at her.
"Yeah, well that was pretty stupid. Why aren't you healing?"
"Hey I ain't as young as I used ta be." Logan whispered defensively.
"Well, you're just going to slow me down. Go home Logan."
"Not until I talk to you."
"I don't have time for this!" They both stopped and had a brief glaring contest. It ended with X23 muttering, "Just leave me alone." And turning away. Logan, who'd finally healed quietly just followed her.
X23 appeared as a green silhouette in Gauntlet's sight. He knew he'd be no match for both of them combined. He knew he'd be no match for both of them combined. He'd have to wait them out. He gave an audible sigh and moved off to find Omega Red.
Logan and X23 made their way deeper into the heart of the woods. Logan had eventually healed, but he still moved stiffly as if he were still in pain. He was constantly alert, sniffing the air at every other step. Something wasn't right. X23 plunged ahead, unaware and uncaring of her surroundings. Apparently, when X had a score to settle nothing else mattered. Logan reached out and grabbed her arm not caring when her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Hang on a sec. Something's not right. This feels like a trap. Wherever you're going, you need to calm down and use your instincts. You can't just burst in "guns blazing," you're just going to end up hurt." X23 shrugged off his arm and stoically pressed on, obviously no interested in sage advice. Logan sighed, rolled his eyes, resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her or worse, kick her in the ass, and then carefully followed. At least he could try and be alert enough for the two of them.
Gauntlet and Omega Red had abandoned following X23 and now moved in a more offensive direction. Omega Red was now the one who moved slowly and had he been any other "side kick" Gauntlet might have gloated. As it were, he ran ahead and peered down from their vantage point of a large cliff. It bulged in odd places making lots of nooks and crannies that could be used for them to hid or easily make their way down.
"Do you see them?" Omega Red whispered, anticipation oozing out with every word. Gauntlet ignored him and focused in on their prey.
"300 meters to go, be ready." With that, he moved off to mimic Omega Red's actions of prying off a large chunk from the cliff's face.
"X, will you slow down? This doesn't feel right!" Logan yelled at the back of a girl who still strode purposefully ahead. He was beginning to wonder if she might actually want to get caught. As they approached the narrow gorge ahead, walls of rock began to gradually close them in. Every nerve in Logan's body screamed at him to run, fast and far. Before he could voice his opinions of the situation again, a large shadow engulfed X23. He looked up and began to move, because as he looked back he realized X23 wasn't going to. He lunged at her pushing her out of the way and catching the back of his legs in the crushing blow. He bellowed in pain and anger and immediately began to try and get up. X23 slightly stunned wavered as she too gained her feet. More rocks began to fall and she had no choice but to run as Gauntlet and Omega Red herded her towards a narrow alcove that had her completely cornered. Gauntlet calmly approached her and as she lunched for him slapped one of her own discs on her forehead, sending an electric surge through her body potent enough to even drop her.
Omega Red still loomed above Logan's helpless form grinning town menacingly at him. Logan continued to try and stand. Omega Red dealt a harsh blow to Logan's head and then began to move the rock off of him. He then proceeded to pick him up and toss him over the edge of the cliff. He couldn't help it; he indulged himself in a good laugh. He turned to find Gauntlet staring oddly at him. "Omega and Friends one, X-Geeks, zero." Was all he would say in explanation. Gauntlet merely shrugged, an odd gesture considering what he was carrying and then they both turned and proceeded to deliver their package to their employer.
A/N: I know, I know not a very long chapter, but it's something after so long. That's better than nothing right?I'd also like to state that I know nothing about jumping out of planes, so um…I hope what I know about physics compensated a little. All right, hopefully I'll have time some time to write more.
Oh and I have helped create a website so um…heh heh, Episodic wanna give em the url, please, pretty please….Lauren? Hey come back here!
Yeah, I'll look it up for next time. Hope you all come and visit!
