Disclaimer: I don't own The Hills Have Eyes!
First, thanks so much to Person Of A Strange Origin, Berry's Ambitions, and Little Pink Neko for their reviews! They mean so much to me! I'm so glad that y'all are enjoying this so far. I'm pretty nervous about this chapter, so I hope that everyone likes it! Thanks so much for continuing to read this little fic of mine!
Edge
Chapter Ten: This Fire Burns
Lizard searched his head for a word to describe what he was feeling as he trekked to the mines. Something that would encompass every single emotion that was running through his head. Anger. Betrayal. Restlessness. Anxiety. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was damned worried about his sister and what could be happening to her at this very moment.
A cold chill swept over him, and he was sure that wasn't because of the sun retreating behind the hills.
While his emotional state was roiling over like a boiling kettle, his physical state was anything but, at least to the untrained eye.
He hated to admit it, but he was really feeling the blood loss at this point. Some of the wounds had stopped bleeding, but the other, deeper, wounds had torn open in his journey. There was a squishy sound as he walked, meaning that some of the blood had seeped into his shoes and had yet to dry.
Sweat dewed on his brow, though he didn't bother wiping it away. The sand was loose underneath his feet, deeper in this area than in the tightly packed areas around his home. He lost his footing a few times - even tripped - and was glad that no one was there to see him. No doubt they'd laugh their asses off.
He kept going, though. Lizard saw the ending of this, and it pushed him on. Or, it could be the beginning of something else. Papa wouldn't take this lying down. More likely than not, it would start a battle between clans, if their numbers survived this day. He knew that the old man was going in with guns blazing. They had taken one of their own. Kidnapped his sweet little girl. There would be no boundaries Jupe wouldn't cross to get her back. As soon as Ruby was safely out of the way, Lizard had no idea what would happen next, and that excited him as well as put a sharp nudge of dread through his stomach.
Whatever happened, he hoped it involved his knife going through some poor bastard's gut, though.
If it was Hades himself, well, that was a plus.
The sun was moving slowly but surely behind the hills that corralled his home. He knew there was a good bit of daylight left, but hopefully they'd all be out before nighttime claimed them. It was no good to be on someone else's turf at night. The thought of it caused Lizard to groan.
Well, he thought wryly, unable to help himself, at least the dark'll hide Hades' ugly mug.
He wondered what the small rescue party was doing at this moment. With Jupiter's leadership, anything was possible. The man had an knack for strategy, after all.
Lizard kept walking. His vision was a tad blurry, but he was able to see the faint outline of the hills that housed the mines in which Hades' clan dwelled. Bout damn time.
He knew he wasn't up to climbing, knew he'd probably fall off as soon as he got so high up that falling would be fatal. He might be reckless, but he wasn't stupid. There was an entrance on ground level, if he could find it. Some of the older mutants - Grabber for one, blind bastard that he was - couldn't risk climbing down from the higher levels. Hades, who hardly ever left the mines, wasn't the most limber of individuals, and preferred leaving from the base of the mines. Sure, there were ledges and things that they perched on and scoped out the place, but to get down to land, that was their only route.
Lizard stalked around the bend of the hill. After some searching, he found the battered and rickety looking door that closed up the main ground entrance. He stepped forward, clenching the hilt of one of his knives in his hands. Alert as he could be in his condition, he tried his best to use his hearing to his advantage.
He heard it, then.
Nothing major. Anyone else would have missed it. A brief stirring of the rocks near the base of the hills. Felt like Hades - or one of his stupid lackey offspring - had decided to bring the fight to him. Lizard supposed that was good, after all. Less work for him to do.
Turning sharply, the door to his left side, he readied his knife and said, "Come on out, then! Ain't no reason to hide! Chameleon, righ'?"
Pluto lumbered out from behind the large cropping of rock.
Lizard lowered his knife. Annoyance powered his movements. "The hell you doin' here, ya big lug? You supposed to be - "
"Liz..." Pluto interrupted him, an odd thing for him to do. Underneath the dopey expression in his eyes, he looked concerned. "What...doin'...here?"
Lizard growled. He really felt like throwing the knife straight at Pluto, but he controlled the urge. After all, it wasn't Pluto he was mad at, it was Hades. "Findin' Ruby!"
"Liz...you hurt." Pluto raised a mammoth fist and pointed at him. "Can't...Ruby..."
"I can!" he shouted in protest. "I can! Don't you tell me what I can and can't do!" Lizard slapped his forehead, fingers threatening to dig into his eye sockets. The worn familiarity of his gloved hands eased him for some reason. "Where's everyone else, Pluto?"
"Up..." Pluto turned around completely, pointing up in the hills. "Papa...say...best...way."
"Yeah?" Lizard questioned. Well, he'd show them what was right. Even if Pop has a good point. "Let's go in, Pluto."
"Pop...say...stay here...guard..."
Lizard wanted to throttle him. Usually he was gung-ho to do whatever Lizard wanted him to, but when Papa gave the order, it was always Papa over Lizard.
"Listen, can't you - "
A banging sound cut him off, followed by a sharp shriek. Lizard whipped around, holding the knife in his hands, and saw what had caused the echoing, eerie sound. The door had been slammed open, almost to the point of splintering the wood of the door even further, and out of the cavern came stumbling a young woman. The only thing that distinguished her as a woman was her long hair and feminine features, her body was covered with an army uniform, disguising any form of a body she might have. Her skin was dark, her hair darker, and she was covered in muck, grime, and blood.
On her back was Ruby.
Lizard, for once, was speechless. Motionless. His eyes widened with recognition as soon as they locked on his sister's. Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when a large, meaty hand grabbed the mystery woman's collar and tried to pull her back. She fought, though, fought for the escape she could see.
The intensity of the moment was what moved Lizard into action. He screamed something - Ruby's name? - and hurled his knife. The blade landed true, striking Hades' hand with a long practiced precision. He howled in pain and let the woman go. She was bleeding - had he hit her as well? - and then fell to the sand, sprawling in an uncomfortable position and, as a result, Ruby was thrown from her back, landing just a bit in front of her.
"Lizard!" Hades growled. It sounded more animalistic than human. He tried to step forward, ripping the knife out of his hand, and then pointing it at the other mutant. "D'ya know what you jus' did, boy?"
"What? Hurt ya hand, did I?" Lizard sneered. "Shoulda aimed for your throat, you fuckin' - "
"You jus' started somethin'," Hades continued. "Ain't no goin' back from - "
"You the one who took my sis' to breed with!" he shouted, going for his spiked belt. Hades reached for his own belt and produced a rusty meat cleaver. He stepped forward, coming out of the mine and closer to Lizard. Murder was in his eyes.
A cruel smirk overtook Hades' mouth. "You too injured from before. Could finish ya now. No problem."
Lizard snarled at him, whipping the spike belt from his waist and preparing himself. He might be injured, might be close to death himself, but he would not go down without a fight.
Pluto then decided to make his presence known. How Hades had gone so long without noticing someone as large as Pluto was beyond Lizard. Damned stupid, he thought.
"Liz!" Pluto gave a concerned yelp as he maneuvered himself in front of Lizard. It was something that pissed Lizard off, but what could he do about it? No one could actually move a determined Pluto without spraining something.
Only now did Lizard notice the ax dragging in the sand behind him. Pluto lifted it with no problem whatsoever, with only one hand, and faced Hades with no sense of fear and no sense of that usual innocence that surrounded him. He knew who this was. This was the man that had possibly orchestrated the kidnapping of his sister. That pushed her and his brother off a cliff. Nearly killed them. Lizard felt a strange sort of pride towards the large man, for recognizing the situation and rising to the occasion.
A roar erupted from Pluto's mouth as he charged forward. Hades knew that he was outnumbered - though, Lizard's actual condition made him less than one man, at this point - and outmuscled and underarmed. Hades might have the same kind of supernatural strength that Pluto had, but he was older and slower. Pluto was young and strong and spry. And he definitely knew how to handle that ax.
The two stared at each other for a moment - a long, agonizing moment.
Ruby was trying to get to her feet, obviously a little disoriented from the fall. Her shaky fingers clenched her knees, and then she looked back to the fallen soldier. "Hey..."
Hades lurched for her, his grubby fingers grasping around one of the young woman's boots. Still unconscious, she didn't move, but Ruby screamed for her, her tiny hands grabbing the bulk of her uniform top and pulling. Hades knew that he was outmanned and was at least going to leave with a prize. Lizard felt sick to his stomach.
Pluto charged forward, waving his ax at Hades as if trying to scare him away. Ruby screamed as she hung on to the woman for dear life.
This bothered Lizard, more than usual. He wasn't sure why, but he did not want Hades to get his dirty paws on this woman, the woman who saved his sister.
He lashed out with his spiked belt, utilizing it as a whip and allowing it to encircle the entirety of Hades' shoulder joint. With a pull, the spikes set in, piercing flesh and causing Hades to let go of the soldier with a pained shout. He tried to disengage the spikes from his shoulder, using his large hand to wrap around the spiked strip. He pulled, causing blood to seep from the wounds on his shoulder and the developing one on his hands.
"Lizard!" his father's voice came, concern and anger wrapped into one.
Lizard didn't look back, but he was relieved that his father had decided to join the party, at least. He was in what seemed like a game of tug-of-war, one that he was losing at the moment. He damned his weakness, damned his limbs for not functioning properly, damned the blood loss that crippled him so. He grit his teeth and growled as he tried desperately to retrieve his spiked belt from Hades' grip.
Hades, seeing the rival clansmen, gave one final tug and relieved Lizard of his beloved weapon. Doing this, he let go of the woman, and Ruby was able to pull her further away from her would-be kidnapper. His sister's face was more fierce than Lizard had ever remembered seeing. She glared down Hades, and was only interrupted when Pluto came forward and enveloped the small girl and the soldier in his large arms, lifting them both easily.
Jupiter had reached them at this point, followed by the rest of the members of the rescue party. Lizard idly wondered how his pop knew to bring everyone down here, where Ruby had clearly been found. One look at Pluto's belt told him everything he needed to know: walkie. Of course.
"Hades," Jupiter warned.
"Why, hey, ol' Jupe," Hades greeted jovially. "What brings you 'ere?"
Jupiter raised his shotgun to Hades, level with his head. "You know why."
"Do I? Naw. I ain't got no idea...why," he said, trailing off as he looked at the two women currently in Pluto's strong grasp. He smiled.
"I'll tell you this once," Jupiter said, adjusting the gun. "You stay away from my family. I won't be so generous next time."
"Pop!" Lizard protested, fighting to stay on his feet. "You know he'll...do it again! He...don't care! He..."
Jupiter looked at him. "You'll understand, son."
"We have to...attack...now! Our...only...chance...!"
"You're almost dead," Jupiter snapped. He the tore his gaze from Lizard and lifted his eyes to Hades. "Take this as a kindness."
Hades smirked sinisterly. "Of course."
"Get outta my sight before I change my mind."
Hades shrugged. "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss me." He held Lizard's spiked belt in his hands, twirling it over in his large, meaty hands. "I think I'll keep this 'un. In case you come back."
With one last look at all of them, Hades retreated into the mines, slamming the tattered door behind him.
"Papa...what...the...hell..." Lizard spluttered, but his words felt sluggish and strained, as if he were trying to speak around a mouthful of food. "He's gonna...gonna..."
Jupiter glared sharply at his son. "It's all 'bout the timing, boy," he scolded. "If we were to fight now, we'd lose more than we'd gain. Ruby's here, and then look at you. We need to be at our full strength when we come back."
"He...was 'lone, Pop..." Lizard insisted, though the idea that they were eventually coming back to deal with it was a comforting one.
Jupiter pointed a singular finger to the tops of the hills. Lizard's gaze followed and saw a figure standing right in line with the sun. He was tall and slender, though the sun blotted out any distinguishable features. He figured it was Chameleon.
"Best for us to leave," Jupiter said. He gave Pluto a look. The larger mutant let down Ruby, allowing her small feet to come into contact with the sand. She looked as if she were fighting against hugging her father, but she didn't, knowing that would make him look weak in front of his enemies. Her small hands twisted in her large shirt. "C'mon, Rube," he said, holding out a hand. Jupiter looked up at Pluto, "I'll take the girl." He nodded at the soldier. "Lizard's gonna need your help comin' home."
"I don't need no one's help!" Lizard exclaimed, then swayed on the spot. Pluto put a large hand on his shoulder and he shrugged as if to remove it. Though it was a weak motion, Pluto took his hand from his shoulder.
Pluto handed the girl over to Jupiter, who slung her over one shoulder and started to move. Goggle took up position in front of Jupiter, while Cyst lingered behind Pluto and Lizard, taking up the rear. The group of them started to head back to the test village, but Lizard could find no comfort in that, for some reason. Not only because of Hades, but...because of something else...
"Look!" he called, remembering his observation from before. The dark haired girl's uniform seemed like a beacon, even in the setting sun. "That girl...she's military! What we gonna do now...that they've sent the army!"
"She...save...Rube...Pop," Pluto blurted out. Now, that was weird, getting input from Pluto without directly asking for it.
Lizard noticed that his father's shoulders tensed. His honor was warring with his sense of self-preservation, but eventually he said, "We let 'er explain for herself when she wakes up." He adjusted the girl on his shoulder, as if emphasizing his point. "Anyway, we owe her a debt for what she's done for us."
Lizard couldn't argue with his father's logic, but...that didn't mean he liked it. Just seeing that army uniform set his teeth on edge.
He found himself staring at this woman, the woman who had saved his sister's life. He remembered her appearance vividly, as short as it was - more specifically, her eyes. Dark and large in her face, terror fighting with rationality. Though she might pose a problem later, he had no doubt that she had won his father's favor just by saving his daughter.
Though grateful himself for the fact that she had saved Ruby, Lizard didn't like the fact that the military were so close. As far as he was concerned, this woman might have a second agenda that they didn't know about.
But if she had another agenda, a voice whispered across the back of his mind, why was she captured by Hades?
The answer was a clear one: for breeding.
Lizard tried to shrug off the cold that had seeped over him, one that he was sure was due to blood loss and not due to the fact that he felt sorry for anyone. Now that would be a problem, right there.
"You 'kay, Lizard?" Ruby asked, her timid voice breaking the deafening silence around them.
"Fine," he said, though his voice was a bit weaker than he'd like. Pluto reached out to grasp his shoulder, but pulled his hand back at the last second. Good, he thought.
Though, as they walked toward their home, Lizard couldn't be sure if he was fine or not - not just because of the blood loss, but because he kept stealing glimpses of that soldier's dark hair as his father carried her to the test village.
End Chapter Ten.