.

4

It's Right Here so Take It

"Cut the boyish charms Wade before I cut something off for you with these bag lady nails."

"Come on now, I'm just curious as to how such a girl like our Elixir here could be amongst men such as ourselves day in and day out. With men, I might add, who still have no clue as to what her real power is. You know, the useful one? We all have our fighting, warlord type skills, yet Elix has, what? We all know what she can do, but have we actually seen its true form, in combat? The only chances she gets to use them, you two always stand in the way. Thus, I can only assume her real ability is having outstanding tolerance for constantly being chained to you and barf bag over there."

"You're pushing it pal," Logan managed to hold back a sickening moan before clinging fast to his knees.

"Fine. Why don't I quit the third-person talk and ask her directly if she'll even look at me."

"She's busy," Victor stretched his claws to their full length, an obvious emphasis.

"No she's not."

"Yes she is so just shut up and let her finish without your voice buzzing."

Logan breathed deep, deeper than the last, trying to get some kind of relief but wasn't given any until I could let go. He lowered his fists, looked around in blinks. "Thank you," and settled in appreciation. While I pulled away, looking over anything I missed. No, the nausea was completely gone.

"Honestly, if you ever fly without her, we'd have to equip this tin can with a room full of sick bags," he wasn't sitting this close before.

"So her power is to nurse you pups back to health? Don't you already heal?"

"She took his sickness away idiot."

"Elixandra," Stryker stood, motioning to the front with a slight snap.

Now? He expects me to do it now? "Give me a minute," I tried to face front but couldn't find the strength just yet. Still pressing into Victor and now crossed into Logan. He probably doesn't want to feel sick again but that's gone, it's something else. Give me some room guys.

"We don't have a minute. Bradley's going to need a clearing soon."

"She said she needs time so give her a few seconds."

"No, it's okay," he doesn't need to show it yet, especially for something like this. It was already resurfacing but in a neutral glide, a rise no less. Wobbling a bit, I managed to push off the seat, resulting in Victor nearly pulling back down. But I already took the aisle before he could. "Relax."

He narrowed his gaze, retracting the claws. Were they really out that long? Yes, nearly scraped some skin off. But perhaps I overuse the meaning of that word too often, to him.

Stryker opened the pilot door further, stepping aside. "Not too much. We don't want to alert our arrival. Make it subtle," he pointed out to the landscape very near to our flight path. Too near.

We needed the perfect diameter yet where we needed to land was where an infestation of growth dominated. But he didn't care how difficult it would be to clear such a place, especially from this high altitude, he wanted it done.

"There a problem?"

"No."

"See to it then," he smiled and left for his seat where I could just look over the still annoyed Victor and precarious Logan. Not much has changed.

There, the perfect landing spot, not many trees, soft grass breaking through the terrain like a knife. I could widen it, just enough for the plane to fit snugly.

"Bradley," I called, the pilot controls twitching slightly as I passed between them and the seat. He looked around to the others timidly, somewhat with excitement, before slowly squeezing through the door.

"Already?"

"Yes, what do you think?"

It was clear enough to point out yet I didn't expect him to see it so fast. "Sir?" he poked his head back through. "We have one."

"Good, let's get it done."

Back in. "What?"

"I wasn't ready to tell him yet," if I could close the door I would. But whispering would have to do for now.

"Why?" He did.

"I wanted to talk to you first," and there he goes. Why does he always do this? Whenever we, on certain missions, need to collaborate alone, he flares up with useless nerves. It's his nature I know but it always makes me feel so, isolated. Even more because it's not just him. The men shy away. Nothing to do with being a female presence, that I've crossed out, but it has everything to do with Logan and Victor. Even Wade doesn't act like he normally would, especially around a woman. "About the situation."

"Situation?" he cringed slightly, the plane reacting in a hovering circle. "You mean the clearing?"

"No," Should I? "I mean, what are we doing here? In Africa? Don't you ever question what this is, what he's having us do? Doesn't it make you- Suspicious?" Too late.

"Well-"

"And why did he tell you to shut off our communication with the base?" Slow down.

"You know, secrecy. He has his reasons and we have ours for being here. I wouldn't have thought- I mean, why are you asking me all of this? Don't you usually- You're always with-"

"Oh come on Bradley, if it wasn't for those two out there ready to curl into a ball and pounce on Wade, I'd be talking to them. Just hear me out without reacting like I'm some viral epidemic for once," not what I wanted to say. Definitely not like that. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"Why is this plane not descending any lower?" Stryker didn't peek through, merely raised his voice but got the focus he intended. Bradley swallowed another weak, unknowing response and moved towards the soft chuckling in response to a lewd joke mumbled from Wade.

"Come out when you've cleared a space, okay?" he smiled briefly.

I nodded, the fail of this conversation still thick. It was awkward enough, yes but I still needed someone to speak with. Surely not Wade or Fred or even John would relate. Maybe when we land, if Logan and I can separate somewhat, I can speak my concerns but it's unlikely we'd be given a chance.

Wait, of course, why haven't I- Have I really become this dense? They were listening in. Both of them were. And one such brother wasn't going to wait for the chance to scold these thoughts from existing.

"Bradley, really?" Victor snapped the door, turned the lock, plopped into the co-pilot's seat and spread his legs sluggishly into the edge of mine. "I mean really?"

The roots of the trees ran deep into the soil but they had already, quite enthusiastically, agreed to tame their strengths. The bushes, however, and few animal inhabitants were much harder to reach. They weren't going to move easily.

"There was one thing you were spot on though, Wade was indeed very close to having his pretty little mouth clawed shut, permanently. But everything else Elix, somewhat disappointing."

Almost there. Just one more nudge outside the border, perfect! With gentle guidance, a few pleas and promised rewards, the trees were cleared, bushes were uprooted and local wildlife has safely departed the new clearing. Subtle yet successful.

"The clearing is set, take us down Bradley," I placed the headsets gently back on the controls, making sure the off switch was more than serving its purpose. The pilot and co-pilot's sticks were already in motion.

"Well done," his mouth watered the tip of my ear with breath and hand grabbed the length of my hair in a leash.

No need to face him directly, he's close enough to avoid even twitching. "I'm only concerned for our involvement."

"Our involvement is something we can't afford to screw with. This is our life now. And these thoughts I'm hearing Elix, they're not good."

"For you or for us?"

"Easy now," he tugged down until the now frizzing strand from his warm, sweating grasp pressed into his ribs, the side of my head on him as well. A leash? More like a choker. "I'd watch that mouth of yours, especially around those who aren't us. I can't have you getting close to any one of them out there, so keep your thoughts with us and mouth in ours, understand?" his voice drummed so loud I had to lean away.

"Don't I always?" But even as I did so, he was still much too close.

"Do you?" He shouldn't have come in here.

"What does Logan say about this?"

"What does he always burden himself with? Your concern, your bearings, his values, his conscious."

"And what you want is far from any of such things isn't it? Only of your gain, your future, your desires. Not ours."

"See that's where you've officially pissed me off. You think I don't know what ours truly refers to? You and Logan."

"Over a century and you still don't know the answer to that when it's always been yours for the taking."

"Run it by me again."

The landing gear met the earth with a soft metallic plop, signaling the end to this dispute and end to what it meant for us both. A choice was going to be made soon, between one life and another, and it wasn't going to be my decision, again.

a / n

For those of you who may have checked out the YouTube Vid, what'd you think? Was it to your liking? Just curious.