Wings
By: Starlight -x1
Rain stood, hands covering the still warm microphone. "Just missed her." His thoughts tumbled over in his mind as he considered where to go next. He had to hurry. If he didn't Yuca would find her…
"You're too late."
Rain swung around to see Yuca standing behind him, a boot held negligently in one hand. His expressionless eyes gazed up into Rain's face. "She's dead." That horribly cold voice said as Yuca dropped the boot casually to the floor in-between them.
Rain stared down at the boot, shock, disbelief, and finally fury rising inside him. He lunged forward, his large hands encircling Yuca's throat.
Yuca stood there passively, staring up into Rain's face. "Will you kill me now?" There was the slightest tinge of hope and disappointment in his voice.
Rain gritted his teeth, desperately longing, yet unable to force his fingers to tighten around that delicate throat, a child's throat. He let out a wordless cry of agony, hot tears spilling from his eyes to splash on Yuca's upturned face.
"Rain, it's all right Rain. I'm not going anywhere. We'll be together forever. I promise to stay by your side. I – I love you Rain."
Rain shut his eyes, feeling again her tender hands cupping his face as they brushed away his tears. Only a memory, so fleeting.
"No, Rain, I promised to always stay by your side. I won't leave you."
He'd promised too. He'd promised to meet her at the border, but he hadn't kept his promise, forcing her to come search for him and now she was dead. Rain groaned.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Methuselah?" Eury's shocked voice cut through his memories and self condemnations. "Your little friend's in trouble. She needs your help."
For a moment Rain stared him in disbelief. "Machika? She's alive?" His hands loosened, falling away from Yuca's throat and he took a step towards the door.
Eury nodded. "Yeah, now hurry."
Rain followed him out of the room at a run.
His heart leaped to his throat as he saw her high above, clinging precariously to a metal spar jutting out of the side of the building. There was no way he'd be able to reach her before she fell. His mind raced trying to devise some means of rescue. His gaze fell on the blimp floating lazily along among a sea of towers. If he could bring it underneath the spar…
"Eury, I need you to shoot that blimp with some kind of grappling hook or something. Can you do that?" Rain pointed out the plate glass.
"Sure, but why?" Eury looked puzzled.
"Just do it."
"All right." Eury ran off and Rain pressed his face against the glass, peering upward. Machika lay on her stomach, arms wrapped around the metal spar, one bare foot dangling as she clung desperately to the only thing between her and certain death.
"Hold on, don't let go." Rain stared up, willing her to survive.
> > >
The drop beneath her stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. Machika lay on her stomach, cheek pressed against the cold metal. Her ribs ached from her collision with the spar. She felt battered and sore, but her physical hurt couldn't compare to ache inside her heart. She felt herself sliding to one side and tightened her grip on the spar.
But why should I hold on? It would be so easy to just let go. If I let go would I see you again, Rain? Tears welled up in her eyes and she swallowed a sob. All of her hope had been torn away from her with one careless sentence.
Live Machika. Rain's last words filled her mind.
You're all I have to live for! Her own words responded. If he was dead, what was the use of living on?
A wind seemed to come at her from all sides and Machika could feel her grip slipping. Her fingers scrabbled for a grip on the spar, found none and then she was falling. Terror grabbed her, rousing her out of her stupor and she screamed, barely knowing what she said as she fell. "Rain, help me. I'm scared. RAIN!" The wind that whipped past her ripped tears from her cheeks.
Death. I wonder what it'll be like? Will I find you Rain? Will you be there?
Something softer then the concrete she was expecting interrupted her fall. For a moment Machika just lay there. "I called to him." She had called and she hadn't died. She sat up and looked down, unable to believe her eyes. There he was, staring up at her. She reached for him, calling out his name, trying to bridge the distance between them with her small hands. But the blimp moved too swiftly and soon he was only a speck and then nothing.
Machika collapsed on top of the blimp, weeping out her relief. He was alive, and she would find him, somehow, somewhere.
> > >
Yuca stood there unnoticed, watching Rain. His surprise at his failure to kill Machika had settled into cold resolve. This child form had its disadvantages along with its advantages. He would just have to remember to compensate. This time he would ensure the success of his plan. As he continued to watch Rain and Eury's antics he began to feel the slightest twinge of irritation. He pulled the switch that operated the emergency shield doors.
As the doors ground closed. Rain and Eury jerked around and finally noticed him standing there. Yuca lifted his gun and aimed it toward them.
Eury, ignoring the gun, began to babble. "Oh, hey Ys. I just want you to know I didn't have anything to do with this. It was all his idea..." He jerked a thumb toward Rain.
Spineless worm. Yuca didn't look away from Rain as he pulled the trigger. Eury let out a shocked curse as he realized that he had been the target Yuca had aimed for, not Rain. Yuca watched dispassionately as Rain's intervention allowed Eury to escape. He met Rain's gaze. "You know," He began calmly. "I thought there was enough of that drug in your system to restrain you. Obviously I was wrong."
Yuca closed his eyes, smiling at his mistake. "It seems like I'm always looking up at you. It's almost like you have wings. You always surpass my expectations both in body and spirit." He paused, crossed his arms, the gun held limply in one hand. When he spoke again the surety of victory was in his voice. "But by now you must be at your limit. The dream's over. Time to come back Rain."
With a grating noise as startling as when they'd shut, the emergency shield doors opened. At the same time Eury's voice blasted over the speaker system.
"Methuselah, can you hear me? I managed to hack into the security system but you don't have much time. A minute at the most. Good luck."
Rain took a step backward and glanced over his shoulder. Yuca closed his eyes; his plan was falling all to pieces, drifting away from him. He took a deep breath and prepared to salvage what he could. "Impossible. Your strength is just about used up. If you jump from this height you'll die." He could feel his grip on Rain slipping away. Yuca looked up at Rain, pleading almost. "Don't go."
For a moment he saw just the hint of uncertainty as Rain hesitated. But then Rain's eyes softened. "Yuca," His voice was gentle and his smile sad. "No matter what I lose or how long I live I will never become like you. I won't give up on people, because I can't." He turned then and took another step closer to the edge.
Yuca wanted to run and pull him back but did nothing as Rain looked over his shoulder. There was nothing sad about his smile now. "I have wings. I will fly."
Yuca watched, feeling the last trace of any hold he'd had vanish as Rain jumped. He hurried to the edge and peered over, watching as the man known to so many as Methuselah plummeted straight down. He lost sight of Rain all too soon.
Why? Why had he done that? The answer came to him, slowly breaking over his consciousness. He'd lost sight of Rain a long time ago. Yuca stared ahead, unseeing.
A light broke over the eastern horizon as the sun rose.