CHP6
"No!" Wes reached out a hand as if that would stop the young soldier from slamming his gun into Phade's head. She didn't offer any resistance and the loud 'crack' as the metal connected with bone echoed in his head. He watched her fall, watched her body crumple, watched the blood ooze from her forehead and lie still as death.
He didn't fight as the mob dragged him to his feet, didn't speak, didn't do anything… what was the point?
'We're all dead.'
He wondered if Angel- if he came back in time- would he know where to look? Would he come to save them as he had saved so many others? Most importantly, would Angel be in time?
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My head was pounding and any little movement felt worse. Hot pokers shoved in my eyes or splinters stuck under my fingernails couldn't feel any harsher than this. For the moment I was happy just to lay here- lay?
Where the hell was I?
Painful as it was I cracked an eye open and found a lot more light than there could possibly be in a sewer. After a moment of swallowing my own groans of pain and getting accustomed to the vast amounts of light I finally squinted both eyes and surveyed my surroundings.
"What the hell?"
This was my suite! How the- who- what was I doing back here?
"Ya desperto."
I recognized her voice immediately and the sickening stench wafted from her as well, as if I didn't feel bad enough.
"Mayahuel-." I tried moving only to find my hands tied- err, shackle really. "Take these- aah." Who was I kidding? No way the Potential was gonna let me go. Jasmine was driving.
"You're awake. Good." Her voice- the sick one- sounded entirely too pleased.
"Gimme a sec, I think I can manage to pass out again, unless you're gonna have my baby brother smack me."
Ok, so not smart but I never said I was a genius and the bitch had- has, she has my baby brother under her control.
"The girl will keep you comfortable, Fury. So long as you do not cause trouble."
"Oh gee, I think we're gonna have a problem then." I snapped. All I could do was lie on my bed and look up at the ceiling.
"Try my patience and I will put out your light. No Guardian can save you from that."
Now how the hell does she know what I am and about the Guardians? I looked at Mayahuel, sitting comfortably in my cushy chair by the window. The moon lit up half her face and cast the other side deep in shadow. It was eerie and her smiling only made it worse.
"You seem to know a lot." The smile never wavered, if anything it grew more smug. "Yeah, keep smiling; you know your time is up. Angel's coming back and then-."
"The vampire will die."
"Sure. You know how many times I've heard that in the last three years?" there was no one able to kill him, at least not yet and not that I'd seen.
"Make no mistake Fury. What he seeks is not-."
"Good for you. Yes, we all get that. What is it with you bad guys always going for the gloom and doom threat to the heroes?"
Jasmine laughed. She didn't seem the least bit upset about my jabs at her demise. I guess, when you're all powerful and have the whole of the human race at your command, one teeny tiny threat doesn't raise much of an alarm.
"After my address I think I'll… visit… with you first."
Oh bad… that sounded sooo bad in so many ways…
The smile on Mayahuel's face slipped a bit and then it was just her looking at me again with those dark eyes of hers. I wondered how long it was going to take to enslave the rest of the world and then what would happen to Sebastián and the others, my Dad and Ryan, the rest of the Hell'sAngel's…
'Hazth'ai ahthep…'
The soft whisper ripped away the hopelessness that had been crawling through me. I was still breathing and now awake. I could do something, anything…
I had to try and find them, the rest of AI. It would've been easier to do it like in the sewer but since I was still shackled and with no stone… well, I'd have to work the brain wave. I'm not sure how to do this but I figure if I concentrate really hard on one of them…
"Jazmin?" Mayahuel's voice sounded suddenly unsure. Turning to where she still sat I could see her face- the half lit by the moon- the poor girl looked… lost?
"Sra. Jazmin?" she stood, clearly agitated by some thing. A small hand clutched at her neckline while she faced the door.
"Que paso?" she didn't even look at me, didn't answer, didn't seem like she heard me. "Hello-o, estas sorda?"
Ok, that got a little glare, maybe some annoyance.
"No, ya veo que si me oyes-."
"Se caya. Y no se mueva." She glared; all of a sudden Mayahuel had grown some balls. She seemed to hesitate leaving me alone but as I jangled the shackles Maya caught onto the fact I wasn't going anywhere.
The door closed behind her and since I heard nothing but silence I tried to relax and focus on one. Little bits of sound- voices and conversations- drifted in and out. None of them sounded familiar…
"… tellite feed…"
"Moscow's on-line…"
"…almost envy them…"
"…more alive…been here…"
There were so many-.
"Cordelia's blood, it had the same power as Jasmine's…"
Wesley. I almost got up, so happy to finally hear one of them.
"…Mother and daughter…"
"…She's been moved…"
"…don't use Cordy's blood against…"
"…Not any more… Cordelia's so dangerous… why not kill her…"
"…maybe she can't…"
"…Hell'sAngel's weren't affected… not yet…"
"How…"
"…Ryan… stay away from media… web site…"
"She locked 'em down?"
"…better than being un-…"
"Look…"
"Cordy might be our…"
"We have to find her…"
"…and we're looking for Phade as well… she's part of Angel Inc..."
I sucked in a deep breath feeling like I'd been drowning.
They were all alive. I didn't realize I'd been thinking they might not be. Deep down I'd been afraid of Angel's reaction, I did tell him we'd all be waiting here when he got back.
"…stuck by me…"
And damn, he had to go and get all honorable on me, especially now. Sighing I had no choice but to go and get them out of the cage. That had been a good idea at the time but the cage was beginning to turn into all sorts of bad. It couldn't keep Angelus confined or Cordelia from harm- you know, it wouldn't have been half bad had Angelus sucked her dry, least there'd be no 'it' enslaving mankind. Now the stupid thing was holding in the cavalry and no matter how much Gunn kept kicking at the door I doubted it would yield. Powers That Be just aren't giving us a break. Secretly, I'd been hoping to sneak some time in with Sebastián. I got him back and barely spent time with him thanks to the perpetual night we had going and once that got cleared up I send him off with my 'new' husband and his gramps.
He's gonna hate me. Si no me odia ya.
All this was making married life a lot harder and even though Ryan put on a smile and let it slide I know he's not happy. He wants more and I'm not sure that I don't…
At first I was happy; he's off with the Hell'sAngel's doing his thing while I do mine at AI. Absence makes the heart grow fonder right?
I just-. I'm too old- too set in my ways to have some guy come and order me around. My Dad never did so why should I let some one else try? Just because I signed a piece of paper doesn't mean I belong to some one. I still have a brain and know how to use it- I like my freedom. I like not having to tell some one where I'm going or what I'm doing. I pay my own bills so… men aren't something I need to have. I'm self sufficient, I've been getting on fine without a man but they do come in handy certain times in the year when you just have to scratch the itch…
Ryan… oh God I've never had such a good itch as I've had with him but sometimes… sometimes I'm afraid I'll get tired of him or maybe he'll get tired of me or see that I'm not what he thought he wanted. Ryan's taken on so much in such a short time- what if I'm running him off?
"It won't matter if Angel doesn't come back."
The sound of my voice offered little comfort but I had to focus on the situation at hand instead of wallowing in self doubt.
I moved myself into a half sitting position, resting my eyes as the pounding in my temples started up. The side of my face felt hot and any move had the skin pulling tight. I grimaced at the gross image of dried blood on my face, I must really be filthy… the cut still hurt though.
"Hard as a rock…" the gray light helped me see my bedroom. It looked strangely dusty for me having been gone only two days… Both hands were now hard as rocks and at first impact echoed it as well. I tried being quiet as I pounded on the shackles glancing at the door repeatedly.
"Con una chingada…" the damn things didn't even dent and my legs were covered in dusty flakes. "Great."
I shook my hands out hearing the metal jangle and once again the only light in the room was the moon.
I lay back, resting for a moment because my temples were 'yelling' though I should've been the one complaining. I mean, what was up with my powers?
I answered, I learned to control my elements-err, one anyway and only because of Xyne. I'm still not sure I know how that happened but the Fury imparted all her knowledge on the stone to me. I wonder if that's how it's done.
The dizziness returned. I could feel them, all the adoring worshippers… it made me sick but I refused to chuck my empty stomach. I saw them all gathered in the lobby, a mass of people, cameras and news paraphernalia and in the shadows of the hallway, Mayahuel. She stood there, a smile on her innocent face… pobre nińa. With everything that had happened to her I doubt there's much she can smile about.
It pissed me off to see her face light up with that things lies. This was not a Utopian society and I wasn't just going to lie here any more.
"Fire." My eyes snapped open at the thought. "Pero que bruta." How could I not have thought of it before? All I needed was a little fire, just around my wrists. I could feel it start in my chest. The tight, breathless feeling and my skin itched. I kept my eyes on the shackles which began to glow immediately. The faint orange-red tint turned a bright yellow and then white hot. It melted, sliding off my wrists and onto my lap-.
"Aah!" I slapped at my thighs scrambling off the bed. "Fucking moron! Ah! Hot, hot, hot-hot!"
I really do have better control over the stone otherwise I wouldn't have flared up and charred a spot on my floor.
"Damn."
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So I was free. My floor had a huge scorch mark and I ruined a perfectly good set of clothes. As much as I hated missing all the fun I needed to chang-err, get dressed and of course I healed the burns on my thighs. I even cleaned up my face but a real healing would have to wait until later.
I snuck down the hall as quiet as I could but with all the noise downstairs I wasn't sure they'd hear me anyway. I did catch the sound of footsteps coming my way just as I turned into the left hallway. For a moment I just stood there, unable to move and behaving like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Hola." I greeted with as much of a smile as I could muster. Really, the Powers That Be weren't giving us any breaks on this one and I didn't want to have to hurt the girl.
"NO se mueva!" oh great, you say hello to the mind controlled jailer and all of a sudden it's 'Don't move!'.
I really didn't want to hurt her, she's just a kid, she's lost so much and its not her fault- then again, this little Potential had been paying attention in class. She was amazingly adept for having a couple of weeks training.
"Mayahuel!" I ducked under her kick, surprised she got that close but I was more concerned with not hurting her. "Pinche chiquilla, vena qui." I grabbed her, slipping an arm across her chest and pushing her arm between us. Mayahuel pushed off the wall and we hit the one behind me with surprising force considering she's so small. My head smacked the plaster hard as I tried getting away from her head butt.
"Screw this." I grumbled shifting my hold until my arm was around her neck. She jabbed an elbow into my side but I refused to let go even though I had trouble sucking in air. I wasn't going to get smacked around by some little girl, Potential or not. It wasn't like they cared about me.
As the pressure increased Mayahuel's struggles grew weaker until she finally passed out. I waited a moment before opening the nearest door and pulled her in. The mattress in the corner tipped over easily though it raised clouds of dust. I made a face at the dirt but at least she'd be safe here. My fingers found her pulse, strong and steady so no worries on the dying.
"When you wake up, this will all be some dream." I ran a gentle hand over her hair hoping I was right. These girls were so young… children forced to grow up fast and for what? Because the Powers That Be didn't have the balls to fight their own battles?
The sudden noise outside had changed, it was louder and not in the good loud. I stepped out closing the door behind me and headed towards the lobby being careful to check the connecting halls for loonies. The cries became clearer as I got closer they sounded… "Panicked?"
That alone had me sprinting down the hall heading to the lobby. The yelling was definitely fading and I knew the quiet would be bad. No noise was always bad at least in situations like this.
"Oomph!" my back hit the wall, my elbow going through the plaster. "Ou-ow!" the sweet stench was worse than before.
"You!" looking up, there stood Jasmine, at least the real version.
"Where'd the maggots go?" granted, it's not the smartest question nor important but I was curious. Did they get scared and hide?
"You- you're all to blame!" she cried. Her rotting arm reached down easily lifting me from the floor. She had a pretty good grip on my neck. "Your kind always cause trouble. Your war means nothing; your death won't make a diff- aah!"
She dropped me real quick and finally able to drag in a breath of air I leaned on the wall.
"Cant take the heat…" I should've seen it coming. Dante always said my smart mouth would get me in serious trouble if it didn't kill me. Eh, what the hell did he know?
I heard the snap of bones and then the burning as I went through a wall. The next thing I know, I'm lying in plaster, splintered wood and covered in dust. I gotta look like a ghost and the sharp pain in my shoulder- I almost passed out again.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"What I had to."
"… haven't you learned anything?... you chose this!"
I struggled not to loose them and get up at the same time. I had to get up and help…
"… because that's what you took from us…"
"Leave me alone."
"Sorry…"
She looked sad, even with the rotting flesh, her body and voice expressed a deep sorrow. She truly thought…
"You've taken everything…"
"I'll die before I let you hurt anyone else."
"You're already dead!"
"It ends right here."
"Why do you hate me so much?'
"Rain of fi-… blotting out the-… enslaving mankind… you eat people!"
"…how many will die because of you?..."
"… Our fate had to be our own…"
He was right about that. We had to be free to choose and while I kept raging against the Powers That Be hadn't I chosen to answer the Od VaiLumen? How were they different from each other?
"…I loved this world. I sacrificed everything I was…"
"So you could rule us?"
"Because I cared. The other Powers don't. Never really did."
Now that was news. The Powers That Be didn't care? Then what the hell were we all doing here?
"I was forged in the inferno of creation… the prophecy… says in the time of the Apocalypse you'd play… major part…never knew what side whether you'd be on the side of good or evil… now you know."
"This isn't my fault!"
"Phade?"
I lost their voices, lost them…
"Phade. Damn, you look like a ghost."
I felt him grab at my arms and the pain- oh God it hurt. All because the bitch couldn't take a little fire and now this fool was trying to be helpful-.
"Get off!" he let go immediately and once more I was on my ass on the floor.
"Just lending a hand." He grumbled.
"In pain here, can't ya tell?" I snapped trying to keep from whimpering. I felt sweat trickling down my forehead and I just knew there were little tracks in my face dust. Gunn did help me up, this time staying away from my hurt and increasingly pain-filled arm. A glance at the rest of me showed white dust, couple of tears and
"Why the hell did I change in the first place?"
"New look?" Gunn asked completely straight faced. I swear, if I hadn't been in pain I would have used my arm to smack him for the not funny, funny.
"That's two sets of clothes ruined." We stepped into the hall and with his help I didn't limp so bad. "Guess the rescue is kinda pointless now."
"Rescue?" Gunn questioned. "You mean you-." He laughed. Chocolate boy laughed like it was some joke.
"I still got some fire left…" I threatened but it didn't get rid of the laughing. "Baboso."
We got to the balcony where the others were gathered.
"Love what you've done with the place." I knew that voice. I pulled away from Gunn and stumbled to the stairs where I banged my elbow. Sharp jolts of pain suffused my entire side and I couldn't help the short yelp I let out.
"Phade?" Wesley's voice drifted up sounding surprised.
"Nah, her twin." I snapped with a grimace of pain.
"What happened?" Lorne asked as Gunn helped me down the stairs. He was careful of my hurt arm.
"Not much, ran into Jasmine, she's not… happy."
"Here." Wes shoved things off the couch making room for me.
"She did this?" Fred's mousy voice sounded frightened and looking at her I found Lorne beside her. They really did look concerned.
"I might've… said… something…?"
Wes touched my shoulder and I couldn't quite contain my yelp of pain. Hey, it hurt and he got me by surprise.
"Sorry."
"No problem, but this one hurts." I'd figured out early in life there was a better way to work through the pain than crying it out. Whining was no better and neither looked pretty. I spent a lot of time laughing, not just for the funny stuff either. Scraped my knees, smacked an elbow, fell off my bike… there I was laughing instead of crying. Then I got older and laughing didn't seem to work so well in certain situations.
Sarcasm. I used it often as a teen but it came in real handy about the time I started seeing Dante. Somehow laughing at his cheating face while he had some girl on his arm- well, como que no verdad.
"…Phade, you've dislocated your shoulder…" they were talking to me and here I was spacing out.
"Perdon, yo que?" the little furrow in his brow clued me into the sudden language switch. I'd been doing it more often lately, likely because of Mayahuel-.
"Err, I can set it…" I nodded absently because I was more concerned with the girl I'd left upstairs. None of them spoke any Spanish and if she came looking for me, which I didn't doubt, there'd be all kinds of drama.
"Wait, set my… Um, okay?" the insecure look didn't faze him. He grabbed onto my wrist gently then nodded to Gunn who still sat on my other side.
"This'll hurt." He told me and like a dummy I just nodded. I mean, how bad could it be? I got knocked about by all sorts of demons and monsters, fixing my arm couldn't be as bad. "Hold her please."
Gunn tightened his hold on me and before I knew it Wes yanked on my arm. The pain came swift and sharp and I screamed.
Stupid question, that's what I get for asking a stupid question even in my head.
"All this noise for a little bump." I clenched my teeth and glared searching for the owner of that voice. "I though you were tougher, little girl."
I got up, pulling away from Gunn and Wes who tried to hold me back. The warmth I felt had nothing to do with my pain, though the throbbing in my side seemed to hurt less. As soon as I cleared Fred and Lorne I let the fire flare from my hands up to my elbows.
"We'll see if you have a higher tolerance for pain when I turn you into a flaming lump of charred evil dead!"
"Phade, wait!"
If Wes hadn't put himself in front of the skinny-. I wanted to go through him but for some reason the ex-Watcher still held a place on my good list.
"Angel!" Fred exclaimed, the relief in her voice mixed with excitement. I turned to the doors and there he stood, looking equally surprised.
"Oh, my God. You're alive."
"Hey," I frowned. "Said we'd be waiting." Hadn't I said that? I remembered saying that. Did no one listen…
"Jasmine's dead. Brought back her name and her powers were destroyed… Connor killed her." He sat on the steps. His shoulders slumped, face bruised…Angel looked- defeated.
"I've never seen him like this. He wasn't hurt or angry, he just… killed her. And his face, it- it was just blank, like he had nothing left."
As he spoke I left the skinny bitch behind. She wasn't important just then; what ever I'd suffered I was willing to put aside for the moment. Payback's a bitch and I wasn't going anywhere.
I placed my hand on Angel's shoulder trying in some way to let him know he wasn't the only one feeling- feeling- I don't even know how we feel.
"He'll be ok…" it was all I could think of to say.
"I've got a bad feeling." He shook his head. "He's just…given up. I think he's gonna do something. You know, he might-."
"End world peace?" Angel looked up sharply. He didn't move or speak. I still had my hand on his shoulder which I tightened. He knew how I felt about her- that bitch took the one thing that mattered from me and in some ways she'd done the same to him.
"Well, you already took care of that. Congratulations."
**********
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