(Eight)

Fallen sighed and kissed Seth as he pulled away from her. It was afternoon now and they were back on the Dragon, finishing up a nice little play session of their own. Kimble had been safely put away back in his cell for a while, freeing Seth from his babysitting duties. The poor Siskan had spent most of the morning in the laundry room, bored out of his mind. He had read most of the magazines there until finally Henry had come to put Kimble away, giving Seth a break. Fallen had come with him, frowning when she saw Seth's downcast eyes and tear streaked face. When she saw his spirits had tanked so low, she knew the best way to cheer him up. He was a fool for a quick tumble. Of course it worked like a charm and he was laughing now and more like his usual self.

She didn't know the last time she had ever been this fit, this happy. This was a bliss she had never hoped to attain. She laughed softly and lay next to him, contented. It was warm in the ship and they were both sweating from their passionate workout.

"Kimble worries me, Fallen," Seth whispered after they had both settled down a bit.

"He's been good lately. He hasn't done anything bad since the cat. Besides, Remy will call soon. They'll talk on the phone and he'll be all right."

"No he won't be all right. It's been two weeks. Okay he hasn't been violent, but he's as good as dead, Fallen. He sleeps all the time and Lin is always so sad. Poor Kimble's heart has been broken. Besides, he's terrified of the phone, you know that. We have to do something else. Maybe you should try bringing him outside."

"Kimble isn't allowed out."

"Take him anyway."

"What are you suggesting?"

"If I was so sad, what would you do?"

Fallen answered without hesitation. "I'd take you to the flower field."

"So take him there. Spend some real time with him, Fallen. He's alone all the time."

"We have to finish work on the cloaking device for the Blackbirds."

"It can wait. Let's take him out to the wild flower field."

"I'll get in trouble."

"It'll be worth it if it brings Kimble back out again."

"All right. We'll go after lunch," she relented, doing this not for Kimble, but for Seth. She couldn't take another day of seeing her lover's face soaked with tears. His misery was more than she could bear.

Seth was pleased by her answer and gently touched Fallen's face. "You are so beautiful."

She laughed. "You're biased."

"Maybe. But it's true all the same. I love you."

"It sounds better in Siskan, don't you think?"

"Wasayachay natooroo, my Fallen."

"Wasayachay natooroo, Seth." She and kissed her Siskan tenderly and pulled him close, wrapping him around her. They snuggled down into the blankets and dozed.

After her nap and some lunch, Fallen found Kimble back in his cell. He was tucked under his bed, curled up tight in a blanket and snoring softly. It had been a while since she had been down here to see him and what she saw upset her greatly. He had been sleeping when they came to the lab this morning, and then spent most of the time after that snoozing on top of the dryers. There was no reason for him to be asleep again now. This was very wrong.

Worse than that was what he had left on the table. Once more he had been given paper and pencils with which to draw. He had left a few sketches out and she looked at some of the pictures he had drawn. They were all portrayals of violent sex between two men. The one always being beaten and raped was a crude rendition of a pilot, it seemed Lin did not draw as accurately as Kimble had, his scrawls were that of a child's. She didn't know for sure who the other one was, but the big claws gave her an idea. She shivered in revulsion. Maybe she should try talking to Karen about this, that was why she was here after all.

Fallen set the pictures down and came to the bed. She gave Kimble a nudge with her foot, trying to be gentle. "Hey."

Lin gave a soft Siskan protest. "Go 'way. We's dangerous."

Fallen sighed and crouched down, trying to swallow her temper. Kimble was still playing his ridiculous game and she would be forced to play along to get him to do what she wanted. Her Siskan was getting rusty from lack of use, but she managed. "C'mon, buddy. I need you to help me with something."

Lin pulled the blanket back from his eyes. "What do ya wants?"

"Come out to the Lab with me."

She had no intention of going to the Lab of course, she was going to take him the Lucky Dragon. Fallen knew that the only way to get Kimble outside without bringing the whole house down was to sneak him out by the waterfall. She would never get the tracking bracelet off of him without setting the alarms so she would have to hope that they would have some time in the confusion by being in an unlikely place. The flower field was close by there, maybe she could get Kimble out long enough for some miracle to happen.

"Okay," Lin said, not realizing what he was agreeing to. "But we's gots to be vera careful. Bein' with us kin be real bad."

"It'll be okay," she promised and helped him to come out. He was still bruised and little dusty from hiding, it made him look unkempt. Looking at poor Kimble's ruined body made her realize just how much she missed her playful friend. It was like he had been gone forever. She was filled with a surge of grief and Lin paused, feeling it.

"Yer sick. Sick from us. I kin feels it," he said, a tear leaking out. "I'm sorry we's so bad."

Fallen smiled sadly and kissed him gently to reassure. She was concerned he would retreat and all of this would be for nothing. "I'm not sick and you haven't been bad. Come help me, please."

" 'Kay," Lin agreed and shuffled after her, his head and shoulders down under his blanket shroud.

They left the cell and paused at the desk. As a condition of Kimble's restricted release, the Siskan had to be signed out into someone's custody. Fallen signed her name on the pad, stating that she was taking him back to the Lab. In his fog, Lin didn't question her. He did become aware however, that once they left the Security area, they turned the wrong way.

"Wheres we's goin'?"

"I need some things at the ship."

"Cain't go down there. 'S 'gainst the rules."

"I forgot something and it's easier to go back to the ship than put you back in your cell. It won't take long," Fallen lied once more, using the full extent of her deception powers against him. In his low power state, she was successful. Lin wasn't happy but he meekly followed her, his head down.

Once in the hanger, his head popped up. He looked up at the Lucky Dragon, a strange look of longing in his eyes. He hadn't been here since his return so it had been almost a year since he had seen it. It brought back some happy memories and he whimpered softly.

"What?" Fallen asked, seeing his wonder.

" 'S been so long. I ain't never seen it. Kim's seen it, but not me. It ain't like in the memories."

"Do you want to go inside?"

Lin shook his head. "Don't wants ta spread our sickness in there. We's gonna wait outside."

"Seth is there," Fallen offered. If he was willing to go inside, maybe she could get off the hook about bringing him outside. He looked a little more alert already from the short trip here.

"Don' wants ta be makin' him sick, neither. He's with us too much as it is."

"Suit yourself," she replied impatiently, still tugging on him. She was going to get in so much trouble for this. She resigned herself to her fate and they walked past the ramp of the ship without going inside.

Lin stopped, forcing her to pause. "Wheres we's goin'? You says you wuz gonna go inside."

"Change of plans."

Lin's face began to show sign of panic. It was big in here and he could sense trouble. "What change?"

"We're going somewhere else."

"Wheres?"

"Outside."

"Cain't go out!" Lin shouted, trying to jerk away from her. His blanket fluttered to the floor, exposing him even more. "We promised the Master! Gots ta stay in the small spaces where it's safe!"

Fallen had reached her end. She snatched at the flailing, struggling pilot and forced him along. With her telekinesis, he was easy enough to control. She dragged him squeaking and protesting through the hanger and down the launch tube to the outer door. She broke the lock on the sealed door with a blast of Ristle, not an easy task with the flailing Siskan in her arms, but she managed. They flew out past the waterfall and up into the sky. Lin's screaming reached a fever pitch in the bright white open and he dug his nails into her skin, leaving ugly, red welts on Fallen's arms. His former Mistress wouldn't let him go, not even when the house alarm began to chirp as Kimble's bracelet activated and sounded off outside the Mansion. They wouldn't have much time.

Fallen flew as quickly as she could out to the wildflower field and dumped her burden down near where some tulips and daffodils had begun to sprout. It had been a very mild winter and it was a warm and early spring. Some of the flowers had bravely bloomed early. She hoped Seth was right about this, she was certain to get in trouble for taking Kimble out of the house. Looking around her at all the bright flowers, she figured this was the only thing that would work. Beyond this, there was no hope for Kimble. No hope at all.

Lin landed with a grunt, crushing some of the flowers and making a cloud of petals in the air. He grumbled and crouched down, protecting his eyes. "Bitch!" he muttered as an obligatory response to being ignored the whole way and then tossed like so much garbage. He was angry and scared but it faded fast. The bright afternoon sun felt good on his cold skin. Very good, actually. It was an usually warm day for March, it was almost sixty degrees out and a treasure. Lin gave a soft cry as Kimble responded eagerly to the warmth of the sun and seized control with surprising ease.

Hey! Lin cried out from inside.

Sorry, little guy. You been here too long as it is, Kimble replied with a shiver of happiness.

"You okay?" Fallen asked, touching him lightly.

"Uhhnn...Fallen?"

"Hey, there," she said responding to the voice she had missed so much and kissed him.

He slid his shirt off over his head and stretched, opening his wings. He flapped them vigorously to shake off some of his numbness and then fanned them out to better absorb the heat from the sun. Lakotashay still kept their hair loose and it shimmered around him now in a bright black sea, catching the bright shine of the sun. For the first time in a long time, he felt beautiful and very much alive. He looked around him, really noticing where he was for the first time. He saw the pretty flowers and was enchanted by all the colors. He touched their petals and smelled them, smiling.

Fallen sat down beside him and closed her eyes, smelling him. "You look better."

The bright lovely sun filled his body with warmth and he felt amazing. He was waking up, thinking clearly. He grunted at her happily. "I feels better. Sun's good."

"No sun on Cerise. Not like this."

"I don' ever wants ta go back there again."

"We won't. That's a promise." She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling him. He was warming up quickly and becoming more alert.

'Shay was protesting from the Black Room as vigorously as Lin had been. This was not good for her at all. We gots ta go back inside! she complained. She looked for any excuse to get them out of the warm, life giving sun. It's against the rules!

I don't care, Kimble replied, not giving in to her. He smiled and flapped his wings some more, enjoying the stretch. This feels too good.

"You want to fly around?" Fallen asked, concerned by his silence. She was unaware he had been talking all along, just not with her.

He laughed. "Fool around?" It was the first joke he had made in a long time.

"Fly, silly."

"Don' know if I kin do that no more."

"Why don't you try?" she suggested.

"I don't think so, bub."

Fallen looked up into the face of an outraged Wolverine. He and some of the others had come from the house, alerted by his bracelet's alarm. They had gotten here quickly, given a lift by Max. He was standing close by, harnesses in hand.

Kimble saw Wolverine and crouched down submissively. He felt Lin swirl and struggle for control, demanding that his tiny warning be given. Instead, Kimble said, "I ain't done nuthin' bad. Fallen brung me out."

"Kimble?" Henry inquired from behind Logan, his face breaking out into a smile. "What brings you out?"

"The sun," Fallen replied, answering for him. "Feel how warm he is."

Kimble whimpered fearfully and backed up, but Henry caught him easily. "Easy, Kim. No one's going to hurt you. How do you feel?"

"I dunno. Better. Why's evraone all starin' at me?"

"It's been a long while since you've spoke to any of us. We've missed you. You feel stronger?"

Kimble looked up into Wolverine's hostile eyes with real fear and answered Henry's question. "Yeah. I ain't so sleepy now."

Henry turned Kimble's head away, not wanting him to be frightened by the crowd that had now gathered around him, Neal and Warren had been on patrol and came down to join them. There was quite the little party going on down here. "He must be absorbing plasma from the sun," Beast offered, agreeing with what Fallen said. "It makes perfect sense. Victor Creed said Mary's power came from the sun, Neal's does as well. If it charges him, but not as much as a plasma blast itself, there just might be some hope for this guy. We should stay here and run some tests. I'll need some equipment from my lab."

"This is a violation of SHIELD orders," Wolverine protested. "He shouldn't even be out of the holding cells as much as he is, never mind out here. 'Sides, if he charges up, what's keepin' him from gettin' all rowdy again?"

"Kimble isn't rowdy. 'Shay is and she's not out at the moment. Kimble needs to charge. You're not a scientist, but even you can see he hasn't been functioning properly. Look now, the bruises under his eyes are already fading. I suspect the bruises on his neck will heal as well. Logan, please."

Wolverine fidgeted nervously as he tried to decide. Henry had a point, Kimble was looking much better, but he had security issues to consider here as well. "You wanna run yer tests, fine. But not here. We all go back to the house and he stays out on the patio. It's too open here."

"Fine," Henry agreed happily.

"I want his bracelet changed. He flies past the perimeter markers of the house, he gets a shock. We all know he can't take electricity. I won't have him takin' off like this."

"I took him," Fallen protested. "This is my doing."

"Can't figure out why, seein' as you don't take his game no better than I do, but it don't matter. He ain't goin' nowhere, understand?"

"I'll have the containment bracelets fitted on him immediately," Henry promised, getting in between them. He was eager to begin his tests.

Logan was still uneasy. He tried to think of everything. "I don't want them filament locks on them, neither. The Cajun already taught this guy how ta pick 'em. He ain't gettin' another chance."

"Absolutely." Henry eased Kimble to his feet. "Let's go."

"What's goin' on?" Kimble whimpered, confused by the exchange of words.

"We're going to help you. Come with me."

To be continued in Finding Angel.