Chapter Thirty-four
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
"We can't fight him!"
"WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" Matrix thundered, his one eye boring into the woman he loved.
"If you go out there, you'll be just like Willow!"
"She didn't have a gun!" Matrix exclaimed, raising his big gun as though the weapon could emphasize his words.
"We already tried that," AndrAla argued heatedly, "and you saw what it got us! This is one fight we can't take, Enzo! You said it yourself earlier: Some viruses can't be fought!"
"He's deleting our units left and right! We have to do something!"
"I wish there was something we could do, but . . . "
Matrix's thundering cry as he saw another friend, this time Kennedy, disappear into shattering ice, drowned out his beloved's knowing words. He could not simply stand here, debating attack measures with AndrAla and Bob, who'd fallen silent in hopes that AndrAla could talk some sense into him, when his friends were being killed all around him! He raised his gun, released another battle cry, and ran out into the open, shooting a spray of bullets directly at Frostbite's center.
A smoking hole appeared in the Elemental's center, and he cried out in pain as more of his own ice was shattered. Willow and Kennedy's attack had weakened him, but he would never give up his target until he had her in his clutches. His head swung toward the green-skinned man who had dared to attack him and who clearly had more brawn than brains.
AndrAla saw the attack coming even as Matrix continued shooting. "ENZO!" she screamed his name, her voice melding into Bob's yell and Frisket's barks. Her heart dared not beat as she ran for her lover. Knowing she wouldn't make it in time, she jumped into a flipping procession that sent her falling into Enzo just in time. She knocked him to the deck, sending his gun skidding, just as her back turned to ice.
"ANDRALA!" Enzo cried out in horror. The ice was quickly spreading, and in a heartbeat, he knew what they had to do. They had to leave. They had to abandon their friends and get out while there was still some chance that he might be able to save AndrAla. As he rolled with her out of Frostbite's path, the Elemental struck Enzo's back. His muscles tensed as they iced, but his hands moved with his last thought to the matching icons that he and AndrAla wore. His mind and body were both going numb, and the last movements he managed was to double click both of their icons.
Beneath Destiny's Ghost's Deck
Connor looked at Rachel. "Sorry he didn't wait for you! Can you help me? I've got to go down there! I don't know how to save them, but I can't leave Zora and Vang down there to die! They're my family!"
"Those other ones don't deserve to die a miserable death like that either! No Pirate should die like that, even an enemy Pirate!" He looked hopefully at her. "What can we do?"
Rachel stared at the boy through eyes clouded with the pain and fear of the thoughts of all the others that were screaming through her mind. The only thing she wanted to do right now was to be there for Kitty, but she knew she couldn't and she also knew what Kitty, her mother, her brother, and even her stupid father would all expect of her now. Though Connor's expression was one of hope, she knew his hope to be shallow and could see the tears hiding just behind the facade of hope. "We'll do what we can!" she assured him. "Go! I'm right behind you!"
She wasn't too certain that no Pirate deserved to die a gruesome death, though she knew Kitty would be, but she'd seen the human forms of the other Weres and knew both were beautiful women. If she could save them, or even just the kid's beloved Zora or any of the animals, she would. She'd known when Fred and Dawn had been turned to ice and shattered and prayed no one else would lose their life that night though she knew that that, too, was a false hope. She ran behind Connor.
Connor slid to a stop when he reached the cells. All except Vang seemed to be unconscious. Vang continued to growl miserably and roar his anguish out to the night sky. Connor knew he was scared, but he also knew that Vang was not in his right mind and would be no help.
"We won't leave you, Vang! I know you probably can't understand what I'm telling you right now! We're going to get you out of here! There's no way I would leave you and Zora behind! I love her; she and you are part of my family! I don't know where the rest of my family are, and I don't want to lose what I have left!"
He feared his fathers and his brother were dead. He did not have time to grieve properly for them now, but he would and, if he could find a way to defeat the monster who had killed them, he would. He looked hopefully at Ray. "What do we do now?" he asked.
Whereas Connor had been looking at the prisoners, Rachel had taken in the rest of the cell. She'd seen how the ice was spreading quickly up the walls, had already covered the floor, and was now beginning to crack. "There's not much we can do," she told him but continued speaking before he could protest, "except go down." She grabbed him and picked them both up into the air even as the floor shattered.
Connor barely had a moment for his mouth to fall open as he felt himself flying through the air. His eyes stayed constantly on Ray, waiting to see what she would do next. He did not want to be a hindrance, but he knew that he could not do anything to help the ones he wanted to help so badly. All that power rested in Ray's hands. He wondered what she'd do next.
Rachel was taking action even as she spoke to Connor. "I'm going to do what I can . . . " The doors to the cell and the cage opened, and they floated inside each as the doors opened to allow entrance. " . . . but I can't promise . . . anything . . . " One by one, starting with first Zora and then Vang, the chains around them began to snap apart. They dropped into the ocean below, but as Vang's claws slashed out at Zora, he suddenly fell unconscious.
Connor found himself falling into the nothingness of the ocean and prayed that the woman had not made a mistake in taking them this way. He tried to reach for Zora to hold his love in case this was his last moment. He made contact and pulled her into his arms, holding her close.
Rachel managed to keep a telekinetic grip on all in her charge as they passed through the hole. As they submerged into the ocean, she brought them around the ship, but as she began to carry them toward what she hoped was the surface, a large, dark figure fell over them. Rachel felt the others washed into the beast's mouth even as she herself was pulled in . . . Her last thoughts were of Kitty. Had Sam reached her in time, or was the woman she loved no longer among the living?
The Harlot's Deck
Donkey had made it to the railing at last. He looked forlornly over to the Ghost but could see no one on her deck except for two guys. The dark-haired one was unconscious, and the blonde was working feverishly trying to wake him. There was shattered ice everywhere. He knew there would be no help for him there.
Eddie opened his mouth to yell over to the guys whom he did not recognize for help when ice began splintering all around them. Instead, he yelled, "GET OUT OF THERE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" He closed his eyes tightly; he did not want to see the guys iced.
Elizabeth had been slipping in and out of consciousness, but Donkey's yell broke through to her. "D-Donk . . . Donkey, wha . . . What?"
"There's ice everywhere and no help for us!" he told her. "Hang on tight to me! Those two guys over there are fixing to get iced, and I'm going to move away so that I don't have to watch!" He had tears in his voice. "I saw Port Royal go down, and we're losing all our ships again and our people are gone!" He felt her arms tighten around him, and he began to walk away even as he heard one guy ask the other guy what was going on.
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
Derek opened his eyes just in time to see the ugliest thing he'd ever seen in his life. "What the Hell is that!" he asked Hansel even as the ice crept closer.
Instead of answering him, Hansel exclaimed, "Derek! Thank Gods you're awake! We have to -- " Hansel's sentence never finished, however, as ice exploded all around them and the two men vanished.
The Harlot's Deck
"Thank Gods we didn't have to see that!" Eddie said. "Tried to warn 'em!" It was then that his eyes caught sight of a very welcome sight. "FAITH!" he screamed her name. "HELP US!" he pleaded.
She was so far away that he only hoped she could hear him. He began to try to walk faster to get where she was even as he saw another group come out on deck and recognized them to be Phoebe and Joxer, who jumped overboard immediately, followed by Lex and Piper. He tried yelling Faith's name again but thought he was still too far for her to hear him.
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
Bob's tear-filled eyes watched the departure of his friends. He was heart-broken. Of all the things he had expected, he had not expected AndrAla and Enzo to be deleted nor had he expected to see it happen in front of his eyes. He barely managed to react in time to grab Frisket, who lunged forward, biting at the icy being who had taken his best friends.
He had no idea as to where Mouse and Ray were. Had they been deleted already? He held Frisket to him and buried his face in his fur, crying unashamedly over the death of his little brother. He would not let Frisket follow them, and he would go in search of the other two as soon as he was able. For now, he let the tears flow.
Elsewhere On Destiny's Ghost's Deck/The Harlot's Deck
As soon as Lex gained the deck, he spotted Faith, who was covered in blood, wearing only Dawson's shirt, and stinking to the seven heavens. He did not know what they had done to her, but she looked worse than a seven-day old rotten corpse. "Hang on, Piper! I'm going to try to take Faith with us! She's standing here, looking for a fight, and she's not in any better shape than you are!"
He heard Donkey's mouth calling but didn't have time to register what was going on as he made a daring grab for Faith, hoping to pull her over as he and Piper dropped. Just as he connected with Faith, she snatched away and yelled at him, "TAKE CARE OF DAWSON!"
He felt her push him, and it made him angry as he had been intending to push her over. "COME WITH ME, FAITH!" he yelled back at her. "YOU CAN'T STAY THERE! THE WORLD IS ENDING AS WE KNOW IT!"
From where Donkey stood, his head fell low in rejection. He had just saw his last chance going, and then, suddenly, Faith was still standing on the deck only Lex was nowhere to be seen. This time, he gave it everything he had in yelling her name. "FAITH! HELP US PLEASE!"
Faith's plans usually came quickly, on the sperm of the moment as she liked to refer to it, but her tired mind was having trouble figuring things out. All she knew was that Dawson and Lex were now both in the water and Spike had reached Angel. She was still trying to think of where Jack, Salem, and Katrina might be when she heard a voice yelling her name. She turned slowly, as though in a daze, and peered through the swirling snow only to see Donkey calling her name.
She was too tired to quirk an eyebrow as she recognized the braying jackass and the dippy blonde draped over him. She managed a half-shrug. At least, they were a start. All she really had to do was get over there and throw their asses in the water. Grabbing a rope, she flipped over.
"All right, jackass," Faith stated matter-of-factly as she landed behind Donkey, "you and the bit are going in the water." No sooner had she spoken the words than she placed both hands against his rump and shoved.
Donkey screamed from the pain and then from the surprise of falling head forward into the water. He only hoped that Elizabeth did not fall off. He would try to stay afloat as long as he could, affording her a chance of rescue even if he died.
Frolicking Monkey's Deck
When she'd first ran out onto the deck, Kat had frozen in terror, watching the scene before her unfold as a monster in the sky, who could only be the Devil Ace had warned her of, attacked Destiny's Ghost and the Harlot. Snow was piling up on her deck, and the cold made the Irish woman's teeth chatter.
She'd felt Ace come up behind her and slip his arms around her. She hadn't stopped to consider if he was trying to warm her, speak to her, reassure her, comfort her, or just trying to reassure or comfort himself. It hadn't mattered. What had mattered was finding some way, any way to escape the monster before his wrath could be turned upon her animals. She'd noticed that all their birds, turtles, and even their one crocodile seemed to be gone, but there were still mammals whose lives she was entrusted with and the monster had yet to begin truly attacking their ship.
She'd shaken herself out of Ace's grasp and barked out an order to set sail. Bishop had turned to her, demanding what of the others, and she'd told him that they were just going to have to let them die. She'd seen the horror in Bishop's eyes; felt Ace's horror, though she hadn't dared to turn to look at him; and heard Chong mutter something dark in Chinese. She'd given all three the same ultimatum -- do as she said or she'd burn their asses straight to Davy Jones' locker.
She'd been pacing ever since, praying to Bast that they managed to pull out in time and leave unnoticed by the Elemental, doing all that she could to stay away from Ace while keeping an eye on him at the same time to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, and keeping her other eye on their progress and the battle that raged just beyond their own ship. She'd seen Willow and Kennedy destroyed, watched as others dove into the water, and witnessed Matrix perform a foolish attack, be saved by AndrAla, and cause both of them to be iced. They disappeared in a shattering of ice, and Kat knew they were gone.
It was then that Frisket's barking snapped her emerald eyes to the dog, and her eyes shot wide, her jaw slackened, and her skin paled even more as she watched the dog, who appeared to have just broken free of Bob's grip as the blue-skinned man stumbled behind him. "Damn it!" she muttered. It had already been all that she could do to turn her back on the people, several of which she had, at times, called her friends and one of which she'd even considered family, and the animals she knew were undoubtedly on the other ships, but to ignore an animal whose life was about to be taken was something Kat O'Hara could have never done.
As Frostbite's attention swung to the frantically barking animal, Kat shouted out. "LEAVE HIM ALONE, YE BLOODY BASTARD!" Two gusts of fire streamed from her raised fists and blazed right into Frostbite.
The fire took him by surprise, at first, but then Frostbite turned to meet the blaze head-on. His hands raised, and an ice shield formed. He spoke a quick spell under his breath, and Kat's fire turned back toward her. Even as the fire headed back to its creator, Frostbite called out, "CRYSTAL, YOU KNOW IT'S ONLY YOU I WANT! COME TO ME, MY LITTLE POPSICLE!"
"COME TO ME BEFORE I KILL ALL THESE . . . BEINGS!" He knew that the murder and torture of animals got off with his niece even more than that of two-leggers, and so now he turned his attention to the one ship he hadn't attacked yet, to the ship that seemed to be filled to overflowing with animals. A giraffe was the first to go, followed quickly by a snake and then two monkeys.
Kat had dashed away from her returned fire just in time, but she screamed as she saw her animals begin to turn to ice and shatter. She continued screaming while turning back to Frostbite, raising her hands, and letting go of more fire. She aimed at a dozen different places on the monster at once, but still her fire came back at her . . .
The Harlot's Hold
Though Logan held desperately to her, Ororo was not even aware of his arms around her squirming body. She continued to scream though her lungs burned. Tears raced down her panicked face, but she was not even aware of them. Her legs, arms, and hands jerked out from her body, kicking and hitting like a wildcat. Still, she screamed and struggled to break away from Logan.
Logan held on. He felt as though he was holding on to a dozen hellcats instead of one scared woman. "RO, BABY," he called to her, "IT'S ME, LOGAN! I WON'T LET NOTHIN' HAPPEN TA YA! LOOK AT ME! SEE ME! I LOVE YA!"
He continued to hold her as best he could despite the fact that his hands were now itching. He knew his claws were about to pop and was glad for their safe return. He only hoped now that he could bring 'Ro back to her senses. He had watched in shock and horror as all the others had fallen through the hold, and he had been helpless to help.
He knew it was only a matter of time before the ship completely let go for it had taken a beating worse than any it had ever been meant to take. No storm had ever equaled the fury of what had attacked them and was even now trying to tear them apart, one by one.
He continued talking to 'Ro, and then his eyes were drawn back to Brendan and Prue making their way out of the cell. "PRUE'S GOING TO BE HERE IN A MINUTE, BABY, AND SHE'S GOING TO NEED YER HELP! I DON'T KNOW HOW BAD SHE'S HURT, BUT SHE'S GOING TO NEED YOU DESPERATELY! YOU MIGHT EVEN HAVE TO CONTROL BRENDAN! HE'S COMPLETELY WOLFED! AND I NEED YOU! I LOVE YOU!"
When she'd heard Prue's name, Ororo's mind had slowly began to come back to the surface. Prue? What was wrong with Prue? Brendan's wolf? Was that Logan talking to her? But it was so dark . . . and the walls and bodies were still pressing down upon her . . . "L-Logan?" she whimpered, never realizing that she was breaking her word to him.
"Yes, baby, it's yer Logan! I need ya! Keep fightin' it!" He prayed that she was about to come back to him. He could handle the wolf, but he didn't think he could do anything to help Prue and the poor girl looked as though she was half-dead already.
Ororo's body ceased its wild struggles, but she continued to tremble in his arms. "B-But it's . . . it's so d-dark . . . " Her eyes remained shut as her adult mind fought to overcome her scared inner child. "A-and the . . . the s-smell . . . s-so b-bad . . . M-Mommy . . . Wh-Why i-isn't she . . . she m-moving?" Then, Ororo's voice changed, questioning in a more firm, though still scared, tone, "W-Where are you, Logan? I -- I can not see you!"
"I'm holdin' you, baby," he told her and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I've been holding ya for a while. Please come back to me. I need ya desperately."
He breathed deeply, smelling her. The one sane thing in his now-crazy world was her scent. She smelled heavenly, like the moisture of a fresh, Spring rain upon the petals of a rose. He kissed her hair and then her cheek and then her lips, trying to prove to her that yes, it was him and that he was waiting for her.
Logan's kiss shook Ororo's world. The images that had engulfed her mind broke apart to give way to the sensations his touch filled her with. As their lips parted, her lips quivered. "L-Logan?" Her eyes slowly fluttered open.
The first thing Ororo saw was Logan's handsome face. His wounds had healed, but she could see the fear in his face. She knew others would not see it, but he could not hide from her. "Wh-What happened?" she asked fearfully.
"All Hell broke lose this night, my darlin'. Gone . . . Almost every one's gone. Jack's gone." His voice broke. "Kitty . . . an' . . . Paige . . . Will . . . Cole . . . an' even little Carl . . . I dunno know 'bout the others. Brendan is totally wolfed." He turned 'Ro where she could see Brendan slowly and painfully making his way with Prue.
Logan's words filled Ororo with dread and grief, but when she saw the look on Prue's face, she knew she had to help Prue, even if she was their last living child. No, she reminded herself, Brendan is also our son. She thought of bringing the couple into the cell the rest of their way through her winds but was uncertain as to how the Werewolf would react should the wind rise up suddenly around him.
Logan felt 'Ro's indecision. "We can't approach 'em. There's no tellin' what his wolf would do if he thought Prue was threatened. We have ta let him finish comin' out on his own. Ray tried ta help him a minute ago, an' Brendan growled at him an' almost slashed at him. We just have ta wait fer him ta make it out . . . unless . . . they start to fall . . . "
Ororo nodded and looked around. Her blue eyes fell on Wesley, who was crumpled on the floor with a blue light shining from his chest. Her eyes widened but then returned to normal as a closer look assured her that it was only Crystal's necklace.
The Harlot's Deck
Faith ran over the deck, her eyes desperately trying to look everywhere at once. She passed dead body after dead body, but none were of her crew . . . of her family. Then, as she rounded another corner, she found herself looking at the heaving back of some woman who appeared to be human other than having a tail. A man lay on the deck before the woman . . . the woman who Faith did not know. She could not see who the woman was attacking, but whoever he was, if he turned out to be an enemy, she'd simply chop his head off.
Catra whirled with a hiss as some one rushed her from behind. She caught a glimpse of a girl whose scent instantly assailed her nostrils and caused her to screech aloud. Faith ignored the woman's reaction as she plunged her sword into her ribcage and brought the blade up.
Blood and guts rained down upon Autolycus, who barely felt them as he lay, full-length, upon the deck, exhausted and unable to move. As Catra's remains fell to the deck and Faith caught her breath once more, she was able to make out the man. She stepped closer to Autolycus. "Hey . . . You alive?" She reached out and tapped his side with her sword.
Autolycus moaned. "Go ahead if you're going to kill me," he muttered to her. "Get it over with."
"Get your damn thieving ass up before I decide to gut ya. It's not like you're worth a shitt in a fight any damn way." Yet, inwardly and though tired, Faith almost wanted to smile at the realization that he still lived.
He slowly got to his knees and looked up at her. "If I'm gonna die, I'd just as soon do it here." He flopped backwards on his back. "Hell has broke lose and wants to swallow me, and I'm tired of fighting it."
"Maybe ya are," Faith shot back at him. "Hell, who ain't? But ya got a piece of ass waitin' fer ya in the water. Now, are you going, or am I gonna have to snatch ya up by the balls and throw ya after 'em?"
"She made it?" he whispered hoarsely. "Thank the Gods. Give a guy a hand?" he asked. "I don't think I can get up on my own."
Faith took another step closer to Autolycus and peered down at him. Blood covered his face and poured from his left side. She squinted closer. Could that possibly be a bit of his gut hanging out? Nah. That was just Catra's. She could have easily insulted him at his request, but for once, she didn't. Instead, she just lowered her free hand to him.
He accepted her hand gratefully and allowed her assistance getting to his feet. The stench overwhelmed him. "What the Hell hit you?" he asked. "I know you did his ass in." He peered out of his one good eye, taking her appearance in. He waved away the smell with his hand.
"It's more like what didn't hit me," she admitted, "but if you can complain about the smell, you're gonna be just fine. Now get your ass moving for the water."
"The water?" he asked. "I don't think I can swim. Why the water? I'll drown!"
"If I go down there with ya, I won't be getting back up, but you've gotta get in the water. He's here. Crystal's uncle."
"I know," he told her. "I knew before this last fight, but I had to save Elizabeth and bless Donkey's little heart! It seems he made it to safety with her. I owe him big time! I owe you too. Thanks, Faith."
He limped along as best he could beside her. "Why won't you come in the water too? I don't think there's any one left up here to save." He looked down into the black, swirling water.
"They're down there somewhere," she told him. "They're hiding. And I can't. Not until I've seen to Jack and Salem and Katrina . . . " Her voice trailed off. "Tell Dawson and Lex that." Her hand shoved into Autolycus' back.
He fell hard and made a rather big splash in the water. He still didn't see any one down there in the water. It was then that he saw a redheaded woman who he didn't recognize. "Hello?" he called.
He heard a big splash and turned around to look behind himself at the biggest mouth he'd ever seen. He knew he'd only be one bite! "Good-bye, cruel world!" he called out loud even as he felt the mouth close down upon him and knew no more.
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
From her place in the shadows on Destiny's Ghost, Emma could see all the attacks happening on the monstrosity called Frostbite . . . and also witnessed each fail in turn. She knew that the latest attack from the other rescuing ship would also not last long, but there was one thing that had not been tried. Her blue eyes zeroed in on the ice monster's snarling face, and she began to concentrate . . .
Frolicking Monkey's Deck
Ace was breathing heavily, gasping for air. He had tried desperately to reach each of the animals to knock them out of the way but had missed them by bare seconds. Why the ice had not reached him yet, he did not know. He felt Clyde clinging desperately to his leg and one hand snuck down to pat him reassuringly on the back.
What could he do to save their children! It seemed to be a hopeless thing! They could not fly away nor swim away, and they were merely sitting ducks to the monster! He had seen Kat's fireballs fail for the first time and knew that that was not a way out. He barely missed getting his head blown off as a shot reverberated beside him and knew that Bishop had now joined the attack.
Bishop was firing again as Ace turned to look at his friend. Cat was barely hanging on with claws dug in to Bishop's shoulder as the gun was so powerful it almost knocked him from his body. His eyes went hopefully toward the Demon only to see that where the bullets went in, they passed through, and the ice quickly resealed the hole.
Ace looked once again at Kat and knew that he had to get her out of the attack for she was on fire with her own fire yet continuing to throw more fire at Frostbite. He raced toward her and rolled her in the snow, praying at the same time that Bishop's gun would take affect before they were all destroyed.
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
Bob knew he had to do something to help or he'd see the rest of his little family deleted. He had seen Kat on fire and realized that she was not able to do anything against the Demon. When Ace had struck her to the deck, he prayed that she would be all right. Bishop's gun was shooting right through the Demon and didn't seem to be having any effect.
His eyes glanced frantically around the deck. Since he had not moved any further, the Demon was not paying much attention to him. He saw Enzo's gun and made a dash for it. Rolling to his back, he aimed the gun at the Demon and began to let go with all the power the gun contained.
Frolicking Monkey's Deck
Bishop continued firing. He didn't know who was helping him over there, but maybe together they could do something. Maybe together, they could save their family?
The Harlot's Hold
Delvira had been barely holding on to the cell. She'd managed to grab a bar with only one hand and had yet to get her other arm up high enough. Finally, she managed to catch another bar and began to slowly and painfully pull herself up. As her head popped above the planking, her black eyes turned toward where she'd last seen Jareth . . . and her dead heart ceased beating.
She screamed at the sight of a Werewolf attacking her husband, but her iron gag silenced her scream. Energy flowed back into her veins as desperation to save Jareth caught hold of her, and the Vampiress flipped herself toward the open hole of the cell.
Brendan's Werewolf had almost gotten his mate to the doorway of the cell and had just been placing her hand on the last bar when something barreled towards them. He growled savagely and slashed at the Vampiress. His claws tore away a chunk of her flesh, spattering Prue and his arm with Delvira's blood but not slowing the Vampiress.
Delvira continued on despite the new pain. As soon as her bare feet touched the planks, she raced straight for the fight. She only realized that the Werewolf was Wolf when she got closer.
Wolf almost had the damn owl when another Vampiress came upon the scene! Why did she have to appear! She wasn't going to get to eat his appetizer!
Jareth was quickly growing tired! He was flapping his wings and slashing at Wolf with his talons, but he felt himself going fast. Relief washed over him as he saw and heard Delvira coming to his rescue. He knew she could not do much in the way of defending him if he didn't get her bonds off. As Delvira hit Wolf with her chains, Jareth flew a little ways away and changed himself.
Once in human form, he regained his strength and moved in between her and Wolf. He hit Wolf as hard as he could across the muzzle, knocking him to the floor. Wolf lay as though he had been pole axed on the floor. Keeping one eye upon him, Jareth turned to the task of releasing Delvira from her bonds.
As Jareth worked quickly on Delvira's bonds, Elvira finally broke through Helvira's last attempt at fending her off. Her hands shot out for Helvira's throat, and she broke her head off of her neck. Smashing her sister's skull between her massive hands, the She-Wolf looked down at the top of the Vampiress' head just as the skull broke apart like a piƱata. Her brain flew up . . . and straight into Elvira's waiting mouth!
The gut-wrenching sound made Jareth's startled eyes fly to where Elvira had been fighting Helvira. The sight of Elvira eating the brain was almost more than he could handle. "She's your sister!" he said as he freed Delvira. "You handle her! I think I'm gonna be sick!" He turned slightly to the side and threw up.
Wolf had still not moved. He was dazed. Not fair! his bemused mind thought. I want some of that, and she's eating it all! The smell of Jareth's vomit did nothing to dissuade Wolf's stomach.
His stomach rumbled loudly even as he got to his feet and headed back to where Elvira was. One paw reached out and raked flesh from Helvira's body. Wolf gobbled it up greedily. He then began to chew on the crumpled body with a veracious appetite, never noticing the black cloud in the room.
"When they move from there . . . " Delvira answered Jareth, her own stomach being made queasy from the sight of both Werewolves chowing down on Helvira's brain and body, " . . . then I'll . . . I'll handle it." She looked away and shook her head. "Werewolves are always so disgusting in their eating habits."
Jareth wiped at his mouth with his bare hand. "Never been around them too much myself. I thought Ludo was messy enough. I wonder what happened to him? Is he here in all this madness?"
He moved over to stand beside his wife. "I'm so glad you made it, my darling! I couldn't do anything to help you. Hell, I couldn't even help myself! I've never felt so powerless in all my life!"
Delvira's hands cupped her husband's tired face, the pale fingers of one of her hands running up through his deflated blonde spikes. "Are you okay, my love?" she asked him, her concern clear in her face and voice. Her eyes sought answers in his gaze, and as they looked at each other and the Werewolves dined, no one noticed that a certain Vampire's body was pulling itself back together or that a black cloud was settling down into it.
Jareth pulled Delvira into his arms. It felt so good to hold her and have her touch him once again! "We have to get out of here and soon! We may be the only ones still alive! So many have fallen to their deaths!"
"I know," Delvira agreed with a nod, "but we can not go quite yet . . . not until we can find a way to deal with Elvira and Wolf . . . " She could not leave her sister to die, even with Elvira being completely overtaken by her wolf.
Frolicking Monkey's Deck
Frostbite was amused by the attacks that continued to try to do him in. Could not these foolish mortals understand that he could not be defeated by any means they had? Did they not see that their guns and fire were worthless when used against him? His laughter filled the night sky, and he threw ice shards at the two men who continued to fire at him.
Chong had been only feet away from Bishop when he'd started shooting. The gun had scared him so much that he'd nearly wet himself, but as he watched the big, black man's muscles straining and the sweat glistening on Bishop's dark skin, despite the freezing temperatures, his sword sprang to life. He muttered in Chinese at his protruding member, then turned his frantic gaze back to see Frostbite's reaction.
Bishop barely managed to dodge the shards as they came flying toward him. "DAMN YOU!" he hollered back at him and renewed his attack, hoping that his ammunition would not run out. Pausing only to load his gun again, he glanced around to see where the China man had gotten to. He was startled to see that he was out in the open, quite literally. "GET BEHIND SOMETHING!" he muttered to him. "PROTECT YOURSELF!"
Chong's eyes were glued to Frostbite, whose beady eyes were now narrowing in on their location. He answered Bishop in a questioning tone in his first language, not really paying attention to exactly what it was that the African was saying.
Bishop could see he was not going anywhere, and again told the China man. "GET BEHIND SOMETHING! PROTECT YOURSELF BEFORE HE USES YOU FOR A TARGET!"
Even as Bishop warned Chong, however, it was not the Chinese man that Frostbite was targeting. It was the African, instead, and as Chong saw Frostbite's eyes narrowing in on Bishop, he reacted with lightning-fast reflexes. He flipped from the deck and through the air, barreling straight into Bishop and knocking him and his yowling tomcat over the railing.
"DAMNED IDIOT!" Bishop told him. "NOW THEY'RE UNPROTECTED UP THERE! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" He grabbed Chong by the throat and shook him.
Chong was surprised at Bishop's attack and had no time to explain that he'd just saved the ignorant man's life before the African grabbed him by his throat. Even as Bishop cut off Chong's air, the Chinese man's face went a paler shade of yellow and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
Bishop released Chong's neck so that the man could talk before he exploded. "What the Hell -- !" he tried to ask Chong as the man's eyes still bugged out.
Chong pointed a shaking finger at the huge thing that was lunging up behind Bishop. His Chinese word of explanation quivered and then froze on his tongue. He again threw himself at Bishop.
Bishop had had just about enough! First, Chong had knocked him off of the ship when he needed to be up there, protecting Ace and the Captain, and now he was trying to drown him! He fought desperately to get Chong off of him even as he felt his fully-aroused member poking at him. "Told you to put a damn sheet on! HOLY SHIT!" were the last words that came out of Bishop's mouth as a huge mouth came down upon him and swallowed him, the cat, and the China man!
Cat had been yowling ever since Bishop had first started attacking Frostbite, but now, as the mouth came down over them, the poor cat fainted and fell off of Bishop's back at long last.
Chong griped back at Bishop in Chinese even as they were swallowed and swept down a massive throat . . .
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
Bob had watched the descent of Bishop, the Chinese man, and a yowling cat. He had paused only a second in firing to see them swallowed by something so horrible that he had no idea what it was! It had the biggest mouth, and it swallowed them whole! They were gone, and now he knew that only Ace and Kat were over on the other ship with a few animals!
He felt at a loss as defeat crawled over him, making him slump and forgetting to fire his gun. Only the whining Frisket at his feet kept Bob conscious enough not to do something stupid, like hit his own icon before he hit Frisket's. Kat and Ace were gone; they had not moved for a while from what he could see. They had lost.
He slowly reached down and double clicked Frisket's icon and then double clicked his own. He felt himself free falling out into nothing and knew that he would never forget this night. Its horror would live on as long as he lived and replay nightly in his CPU. He would also never forgive himself for failing Enzo and AndrAla when they'd needed him the most, and he knew that Dot would want nothing to do with him once she learned what had happened.
Destiny's Ghost's Deck
Sean had been standing as close to Emma as he could without getting in her way. He knew that she was more powerful than he, and therefore would not hinder her in any way as she concentrated. He knew what she was doing. Could her mind destroy the creature that was now destroying them?
As he waited, he also prayed. Where had Aphrodite gone? She had been gone an awful long time! He prayed for Her return, because he felt that they needed Her strength now more than ever before.
Emma stood as still as a statue, the icy winds blowing her blonde hair away from her face. Her eyes remained closed even as snow piled up around her feet. It was now to her knees, but still she stayed where she was, concentrating and breaking steadily through Frostbite's mental barriers.
Sean stood motionless by Em, wondering if she was managing to get through. He wished there was something he could do about the snow that was steadily piling up but did not dare to disturb her.
Elsewhere on Destiny's Ghost's Deck
There were tears in Joseph's eyes even as he struggled to keep his hold on the woman he was pressing down against the deck. His tears ran down his face, spilling onto her hair, but he would not relinquish his grip. Every time she squirmed or wriggled, he shoved her back down.
"Rogue . . . " he breathed her name through his gasps. "You can . . . not . . . do this!" It tore at him to fight against the woman he loved, and he felt as though his heart was being ripped asunder and his soul raped, yet still he continued fighting against her, knowing what would happen if he was to relinquish his grip and allow her to attack Frostbite.
"Ah have ta do this, shugah!" she said even as she struggled wildly against him. "Ah'm the only one who stands a chance! If Ah don't do it, we all gonna die! But if Ah can do it, we stand a chance! Let me go, Joseph!" she pleaded with him even as tears filled her green eyes.
She didn't want to do what she knew she was soon going to have to do, and that was to hit Joseph and get free, but if she didn't get away from him, their one chance would be gone. "Let go of me!" she demanded through clenched teeth and went soft for a moment, gathering her strength for one last attempt. "Kiss me, shugah," she invited him enticingly.
Joseph lay across Rogue's back as she went soft, but still his grip on her remained firm. "Do not . . . Do not tempt me, my . . . my love . . . " he had to struggle just to get the words out as fighting her had winded him. "You know . . . there is . . . nothing . . . nothing I . . . I would like better . . . and . . . you know . . . I would not . . . would never . . . fight you . . . unless I had to."
More tears ran from his blue eyes. "You saw what . . . what happened with Willow . . . and . . . and the others! If you . . . If you attack him, you will never . . . You will never reach him! I . . . I can not allow . . . allow you to be killed!"
"You could help me. You could draw his attention while Ah sneak around from behind. We could defeat him togethah, mah love. We have ta try!"
She tried once again to convince him, putting off what she knew she might end up having to do. She didn't want to hit Joseph. She'd never hit him before, not even in play. She loved him too much, but she had to do what she could to stop the monster or she could never live with herself.
"Trying would only get us killed!" Joseph argued. His tears stung his eyes and blurred his vision. "Do you not . . . Do you not understand, beloved? Rogue, even if . . . by some miracle . . . you were to manage to reach him . . . without . . . without being iced . . . you could not handle his . . . his power . . . his energies! It would be . . . be too much!"
"Ya don't know that fer certain, mah love. Ya know how powahful Ah am. You're not a coward, Joseph, an' ya wouldn't be able ta live wit' yaself without at least tryin'! Ya can't tell me different!" She was getting ready to hit the man she loved more than life itself. She only hoped it would be enough to knock him out long enough for her to escape him.
Joseph laid his face across Rogue's long, silky hair. His tears wet her hair. He pressed a kiss to her hair, but still his hold remained strong. "There you are . . . are wrong, my love," he told her. "True, I am no coward, but . . . If I attack him, it leaves you open to attack him . . . attack him and be killed . . . I could never live with myself if I . . . if I failed to protect you."
"Sometimes," Rogue told him, "we only hurt the ones we love. Ah hate to do this," she said as she thrust herself upward, knocking him off of her, "but you leave me with no choice!" She pulled back her fist and hit him as hard as she could. He crumpled to the deck as her tears fell like rain.
She reached out and laid him gently down on the deck and then kissed him. "Ah'll return, mah love. You'll probably hate me fer this, but Ah have ta do it!" She flew in circular motions toward the back of the Demon that was attacking, hoping to get behind him and do her best to do him in.
