Thank you all for reviewing, it's great to see someone is interested in following the story lol! I hope you enjoy this chapter even more than the previous.
Just want to answer Niffer's review, as I can't email it: no, I didn't base my description of Gabriel on Ben Foster, because I had no idea what the guy look like until I just googled him a few seconds ago lol (he is kinda cute thought)! But the name Gabriel is indeed related to the archangel, although I always imagine Gabriel (the angel) as being dark-haired and dark-eyed and kind of cynically evil even though he's holy. I imagine Michael as the blonde, blue-eyed I'm-hopelessly-romantic-and-devote kind of guy, but the name Michael was used for a human character at the start of my story, and I wanted to change 'my conception' of the archangel Gabriel. I'm terribly imaginative in my daily life…
(0)
1967, two years later, in the Nevada desert.
He was nothing more than a dark shape shooting across the night sky, long angel wings beating the hot air soundlessly, holding her huddled form in his arms. He could feel her warm blood running down his fingers and falling to the earth, could feel his heart bursting with panic and worry as he tried to get them as far from Las Vegas as he could so they'd be safe while he checked her wounds.
He spotted a small hill a long way from the highway and decided to land there, keeping hidden in the shrubs. No one would be able to find them, if anyone was still looking…
Gabriel set Chelsea down into the dusty ground, on her back, hearing her ragged breath as her chest rose and fell rapidly, showing the pain she was in. Her eyes were closed, irises going wild behind her lids and her forehead was burning up already…
He ran gentle hands over her shirt and she flinched, groaning in her unconsciousness as he lifted up the cloth to expose the ugly wound that barred her stomach… he noted that several bullets had penetrated her skin, most of them exiting through her back, some remaining buried in her insides…
The angel gritted his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes at the sight of his love dying slowly in the sand, right in front of him, while he slowly understood that there was nothing he could do to save her… they were miles away from help and besides, it was most unwise to return to Vegas to get her healed. They'd pushed it too far this once, playing with their luck one time too many, and it was time to pay.
"Damn it…" Gabriel wasn't the swearing type, but it was all he could utter as despair got him in a vice grip. He knew, both of them knew, that she had no healing factor like he did, no indestructible skin and yet they had still decided to live the life of thieves, so dangerously taunting fate with every casino they tricked and robbed, every bank they assaulted and emptied…
And why? Just for the feeling of power it gave them, just to break the routine of eternity the angel had fallen into and live a little, always dumping the money in some places where it was needed, never keeping any of their wins… had it been worth it, in the end? Was it worth to watch the only creature he loved die right before his eyes as he stood by worthlessly, only because it had seemed like the right thing to do?
Chelsea let out a pained moan, shifting slightly. He could feel her slipping, as she slowly exited the world between the worlds to move on beyond that, in the cold, eternal arms of death…
"I won't let you down." He whispered like a promise, grabbing the girl's head and lifting it up gently. Gabriel noted that one of her hands had no transformed back into that of a human, so he pressed his bared wrist against it harshly, letting her feline claws dig into his flesh so hard that it finally started to give in, finally started to bleed.
His blood ran from the wound, silver and thick and his body was already starting to heal itself… quick, he suppressed the natural power, letting the gash stay open, spurting silvery liquid to the ground to mix in with the red blood already there.
Not even sure of what he was doing, Gabriel pressed his hurt wrist to his love's mouth, forcing her to accept the blood he was loosing, forcing it down her throat and into her belly… she chocked, coughed and tried to fight him back meagerly, but he suddenly knew that she had to take in as much of the silver substance as she could…
The world was becoming blurry, the various arteries he had sliced were letting him die rather fast as he emptied himself of his blood like a simple human would…
Everything faded slowly into darkness, but Gabriel knew he wasn't done yet. Chelsea had slipped far into the realm of death, and he was getting her back out no matter what.
(0)
1974, seven years later, present time, secret Team X base
Major William Stryker signed, sitting down at his desk. He pulled a couple files closer to him, opening them without much interest… this had been a long couple of days for him, filled with too many problems that just seemed to pile up one after the other.
He was still unsure of the location of the meteorite that carried adamantium, having found to actual lead in Africa and the whole damn expedition had ended in a fiasco when Logan decided to walk out on them. Thankfully, Creed had decided to stay, the advantages presented for him in Team X remained far greater than to follow his younger brother into nothingness.
But now, Stryker found himself with an incomplete team that was not strong enough for his taste with the members it had, and he realized he would need someone new to take Logan's place… the ideal would have been to find a feral with a regenerating ability like Creed and his brother had, but they were unique cases that had not been located anywhere else.
'Wait a minute…' He frowned, searching through the files on his desk. He had recently received one concerning a feral, but had not had enough time to fully check it out. It lay on the corner of his table, collecting dusk that he brushed off before setting it down in front of him and flipping it open.
He was looking down at the face of a young female with auburn hair and dark brown eyes… the picture was poor, as it had been taken with a security camera, but it was clear enough to unmistakably show who she was.
"Name: Hersom, Chelsea May; Date of birth: May 31st 1948; Age:…information unconfirmed? What the…" Stryker was interested now; wanting to know what this was all about. He furthered the description. "Ability report: Feral transformation when attacking, fully human appearance when at rest. Possible lack of aging, immortality (?). Regeneration factor theoretically not present, but unconfirmed. Please read note at the end of file concerning often-seen partner."
Stryker moved the few pages around, trying to find the last one. As said, there was a small note written on yellow paper that referred him to an entirely different file that contained information about another mutant. He opened it and saw the picture of a young man with striking blue eyes and messy, light-blond hair that had a set of giant, white wings opened up widely behind him. His picture was also taken by a security camera, but was a lot clearer than the girl's.
The major read the file, his eyebrows rising with every word he took in. The mutant's name was unknown, his DOB unconfirmed and his age a total mystery. The only thing specified was that he had angels wings that enabled him to fly and had often been seen turning into indestructible metal and that no weapon was able to cause damage to his skin. The file specified that he was always with Chelsea May Hersom, the two of them ripping off banks, casinos, mobsters and rich bureaucrats for nine years already.
The pair had never been caught, never been stopped although a small note suggested that Chelsea had supposedly been shot several times by the mobsters owning a casino in Vegas, even if the two had fled quickly before any damage done to her had been confirmed.
Stryker smiled knowingly to himself. The girl would be an ideal replacement for Logan, an interesting addition to his team of male fighters and the mutant accompanying her would prove his worth if they managed to analyze his DNA and get something out of it. The major thought briefly about his secret project of creating the ultimate soldier, combining several different powers to make one mutant absolutely invincible. It wasn't advancing well so far, as the abilities he tried to mix were volatile and prone to destroying one another in the end… perhaps this 'angel' would be an advancement to the experiment.
He pressed an intercom button on his desk and spoke into it calmly.
"Bradley, find Zero, Creed, Wade, Wraith and Duke and meet me all in the entrance hall at fifteen hundred hours. We've got a mission on our hands."
The answer came immediately from the young mutant, who could respond kinetically through the intercom. "So soon, sir? We've just got back."
"I know, but it's of outmost importance. Now go." Stryker ordered briskly, knowing he had a few things to look into before they would have to leave. He had given himself and his soldiers a few hours to prepare, but he would need the time more than they would.
"Yes, sir I'm on it."
(0)
Chris Bradley left his room, from which he had received the intercom message from Stryder. He was slightly disappointed on having to leave so soon after getting back to the base, but work was work and he had signed up to be ready for missions at any moment of the day or night. It was now eleven in the morning, they had been back for two hours only and would be leaving at three in the afternoon, which left him with just enough time to relax, rest up and be ready for use.
The young blonde walked through the corridor that held the dormitory rooms on either side of it, passing the bathrooms at the end of it (there were four in total, which was often enough to accommodate them all, seeing as no one seemed to be sleeping and living at the same hours here) and made it to the large living room at the far end.
There, he immediately saw Fred Dukes practicing some hits on the heavy punching bag attached to the ceiling while several other of the things lay in a corner of the room, broken in half and spilling their sandy guts over the floor. He seemed to be about to split that punching bag open as well, close to sending it to the mass graveyard already accumulated on the ground.
Further in the room, seated on the sofas behind the foosball and ping pong tables, watching the huge TV screen that currently displayed the world news, where Agent Zero and Wade Wilson, the former calmly undoing and washing his guns while the latter impatiently sharpened his swords, glancing at the TV, annoyed.
"Seriously, Big O, can't we watch anything else than this? There's a Nascar race on and I'm not particularly interested in who ran over a kangaroo in southern Australia." Wade finally snapped at the Asian gunman. He got no reaction whatsoever and just kept sharpening his katanas while grumbling to himself.
"Uhh, guys?" Bradley piped up, trying to get their attention. At that moment, Fred Dukes sent a final blow at the punching bag and it split open vertically, emptying itself of the light-colored sand that filled it. The big man turned around, panting slightly, sweat running down his brow.
"Hey, Bradley." He wheezed. The two others seated on the sofa turned around vaguely, eyes curious.
Chris nodded back. "Stryder asked me to tell you to be ready at fifteen hundred hours in the entrance hall. We're leaving on a new mission."
Dukes squinted, confused. Wade noted the expression and rolled his eyes, shaking his head sadly. "That's three o'clock in the afternoon for you, Fred."
Sadly enough, that answered cleared all doubt from the big blonde man. Zero turned back around indifferently, continuing to work on his guns, but Bradley knew that the information had passed: the Agent was mostly quiet, but always keen on pleasing Stryder, so he'd be ready when he had to be.
"Where can I find Creed and Wraith?" Chris asked before they fully turned their attention away.
Wade gave it a moment's thought, staring at the ceiling. "Well, Kitty Claws in probably in the Fight Room, getting the bad out of himself, and John must have gone to sleep, knowing him…"
"Does Creed know you call him Kitty Claws, Wade?" Dukes chuckled.
Wade smirked back, turning his head to the TV and trying to enjoy the useless worldly information that was passing on it. Bradley left the room without another word, heading for the Fight Room's observation area, from where he'd be able to see if Victor really was there.
The FR was a huge, circular room about fifty feet across, the ground made of dark-colored sand and with the ceiling rising about forty feet into the air. It was full of cylindrical-shaped towers of various sizes, some of them thick and small, others tall and slim, which were used in the various exercises the place offered: it could be sparing between two team members, bullet dodging (paintball guns were used to see how many bullets had been dodged) or holographic-image fighting. Either way, the place was great for one to practice his powers and general physical combat. Needless to say, Bradley wasn't in there often, as his powers were more defensive than offensive, and he had a whole team of psychotic mutants to keep him safe while he worked in the background.
The observation room was a glass paneled, small area situated about twenty-five feet from the ground that allowed one to watch how the person in the FR was fighting without missing a thing. It was accessible only by an elevator, which the young mutant used, powering it with his mind.
He got into the room and walked up to the glass wall, glancing down into the room. Immediately, he knew that someone was in there, but whether it was Creed or Wraith, he wasn't sure: dust was rising and falling everywhere, sand exploding this way and that as the paintball bullets rained from the guns at the ceiling, trying to catch whoever was dodging them.
Bradley squinted and with a little luck, spotted Wraith for a second when the mutant popped out of thin air from one place to another at surprising speed. Running around on all fours, bouncing off the walls and cylinders was also Victor Creed, who seemed bent on catching the phasing mutant that was in the room with him, all the while trying not to get hit by paintballs.
Chris walked up to the computer monitoring the exercise and shut it down with a blink of his eyes. Everything stopped and down below, Creed looked up at him angrily.
"Hey! What the hell?" He barked, showing his teeth. Bradley had always been kind of afraid of the man, so he made his reply quick and to the point.
"Stryder wants us ready at fifteen hundred hours, in the hall. We're going on another mission." He used the intercom to communicate with the FR. He saw Wraith phase onto the top of one of the highest cylinders, nodding.
"Got it, Bradley. Now start this baby up again!"
He and Creed were fighting with renewed energy when the young blonde mutant left through the elevator.
(0)
At three p.m. sharp, the team was piling into one of the base's two helicopters, Stryder having decided to fill them in while they were on their way to find the two mutants. He'd made a few phone calls, reaching the right people, and had pinpointed their targets all the way to their current location, which was in a popular, go-go girl casino in South California. He'd learned that the feral girl was working there for a couple weeks already, undercover, and that no one was aware of her powers. Her pet angel was watching from the sidelines to make sure she was safe and the pair had probably set up this charade to eventually backstab the owners of the place and be gone with their loot.
"We are going to bring back two new mutants to the base to recruit them to Team X." Stryder announced through the microphone headsets they were all carrying in order to hear each other over the chopper's noise.
Everyone seemed suddenly a lot more interested, especially Creed, who was keen on knowing who would be replacing his brother.
"How are the new guys called?" Wade asked immediately, hands tapping his swords impatiently.
"Guy and girl, Wade. The female is a feral mutant with unconfirmed regeneration abilities; her name is Chelsea May Hersom. The male accompanying her is unknown, but his powers are angel wings and indestructible skin." The major explained.
"Nothing is indestructible." Creed growled, probably more to himself than to anyone else. But it was easy to tell that he was intrigued by the presence of a female on the team. Dukes was already grinning broadly, chewing on a piece of gum.
"Is she purdy?" He asked, making nearly everyone roll they eyes in response.
"Thinking of getting a new tattoo, Fred?" Wade asked back, but the bigger man didn't get the pun, ignoring him completely.
"Hey physical appearance remains human until she starts to fight, from where she turns into a feral. I have no other information about that, Dukes." Stryder sighed.
"Good, at least we won't have another member in constant need of a manicure." Wade said, amused.
"We might have a member in constant need of a new head, if you keep this up, Wade." Creed growled with an animal smirk.
John sighed audibly. "Hey, c'mon boys, play nice."
(0)
They landed a couple hours later to a location just outside of town, from where they took two land rovers to reach their final destination. It had been determined that Wade, Bradley and Creed would stay outside in case something went wrong and that the others would follow Stryder inside to approach the girl and her angel. The major wanted to be alone when he talked to her, so those with him were instructed to make themselves invisible and stay on standby; the man wasn't worried about anything going wrong: he was used to recruiting new members, knowing what to offer them to make them change their minds.
The casino was filled with half-naked girl dressed up in various, sexy costumes. There was a cowgirl (Wraith found himself staring at her), a femme fatale, a geisha, a pirate and dancing gracefully on the bar, with several men hooting at her, an army girl with long, auburn hair that fell all the way to her ass. Dukes wolf-whistled excitedly, until he caught the look Stryder sent at him and slunk off into a corner of the room to make himself invisible.
Wraith walked off, seating himself at the bar and trying to seem uninterested by the half-naked females walking all around him. Stryder moved a bit closer to Zero, taking to him in a low voice so they wouldn't be overheard.
"The angel mutant, he's in the far left corner…"
"Yes, I see him." Zero confirmed with a nod.
"Make sure he doesn't interfere. The girl's obviously the one leading the two of them, so she's the one that had to be approached first. If he tries to fight, neutralize him at you best."
The Asian man nodded curtly. "Yes, sir." He walked swiftly away, approaching the angel, who kept is wings hidden beneath a beige trench coat, trying to stay undetected yet close. It wasn't hard to do, as the blonde mutant was watching the dancing army girl intently, following her every move like a lover who wants to make sure nothing harms the one he loves.
This was not going to be easy.
(0)
Okay, I'll stop here and throw all the crazy-ass action in the next chapter. Hope you like this and that I haven't made anyone OOC.
Please review, tell me what you think.