Everything Changes.

[Laine]

This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening. Adrian’s eyes were turned to the scene in front of him, as if he were a mere spectator, blocked off by a pane of glass. A scoff came from the other side of the room – Aiber, who looked asleep, suddenly turned, opening one eye. “I knew it. Coward.” Were the words that flowed out of his mouth, and he rested his head back against the floor.


Lydia’s face was one of cold severity. The blood-soaked saliva slowly flowed downwards, resting just before it dripped off her chin. “Without your rank, Cassidy, you are nothing but a criminal. A rouge time-traveller. Think about what you are doing.” She could tell by the satisfied look on his face, however, that the other had already made up his mind. Well fucking played.


“-And what about your drahy?” Lydia suddenly said, her words echoing in the room around them. She turned, her eyes scornful as they crossed the tides in Ade’s eyes, “-He sits and does nothing, as you are beaten down. He sits and does nothing, as the Time Agency takes heavy fire from a UGG ship. He does nothing as his whole life is torn away from him.” She was almost shaking – the calm and collected Lydia, the Captain – lashing out at a civilian, for her own, miserable failed plan to bring order to the situation. “-Do you want to resign from him, too?”


Lydia slowly released Cassidy from her grip, her shoulders tense in case he tried to retaliate. Infact, part of her wanted him to retaliate. But he didn’t, and instead she backed away, slowly wiping the saliva trail from her face.

 

[chellemrys]

Cas snickered, "Don't kid yourself. We're all nothing but criminals now." As Lydia began digging for points to get Cas on, he smirked. Hoping she'd wipe it off his face for him, just so he could piss her off more with a hardened resolve. His eyes glanced over at his drahy, and he acknowledged the truth of the accusation. She was right: His drahy was sitting and doing nothing as he was beaten. Adrian was doing absolutely nothing, as this entire situation played out. As the rest of their lives began. Cassidy was having to drag him everywhere, save him, take care of him.


Yeah, but that's your job. You promised. With that reminder, he turned his attention back to Lydia. "Not acting very Captain-y, are we Lyd?" He retaliated, not defending Adrian just this once. He shrugged her off as she released him, hopping to his feet. Hiding his own trembling. The shift from laying down let his crumpled nose fall a bit, into it's final position. He swallowed a gasp, and any other visible signs of the pain that spread across his face. It felt like his skin was burning, melting even. Blood was streaming from his nose, but he pretended not to care a bit.


Cas backed away, a smirk fading into a glare. Taking a downward glance down at Adrian, and making brief eye contact, he made his way to the door, backwards so he could watch Lydia. "Taking my leave now. Not that I need your permission anymore." Cas ducked out of the room before she could do anything, and hastily made his way down the hall. Not looking back to see if anyone was following. He turned a corner, keeping his face down in case someone happened to see the blood. He dabbed at it with his hand, willing not to ruin the sweater. He would be going through a lot of clothesl they needed to last so he could look somewhat like a civilian. Blood never helps that effect.

 

[Laine]

“…Cassidy,” Came a weak, solitary whisper from Ade’s lips, moments after his lover was gone, like a cruelly delayed reaction. He blinked, taking a quiet gasp in as he gathered his feet beneath him, pushing himself up the wall.


“You’ve missed your chance, Adrian.” Aiber’s voice once again rang out. He looked towards the engineer, whom patted the ground beside him, “Not that I’d want you sticking up for him. Drahy or not, that prideful idiot deserves to be found by the UGG.” Ade’s eyes flicked between Aiber and the door. Without acknowledging Aiber’s point, he continued, taking shaky steps out, his mind devoid of any rational thought as he wandered through homeless shelter.


Dane struggled up, standing by Lydia’s side, as if she were about to collapse. “Captain-“ He mumbled. He reached out to steady her, but she smacked his hand away.


“Lights out, Private.” She snarled, eyes frozen on the flecks of blood stuck to the floor. Her face snapped towards Dane, “Unless you want a broken nose, too.” The Private backed away, muttering a tiny affirmation, before obediently sitting on the floor. He lowered his eyes as he shrugged inside his sleeping bag, taking deep breaths to stop his hands from visibly shaking in front of Ahnna. The Captain stalked over to the light switch, flicking it off before shrugging herself to bed.


------


The Privates and Aiber stirred awake as the door creaked open, and Lydia’s face merely crumpled into a frown as the hallway light streaked across her face. It was early morning, and the Captain clearly hadn’t been asleep at all. She watched as the doctor retreated towards his own sleeping bag, sitting against the wall. The click sound of biting nails echoed throughout the bare room as he did so.


Thankful that Adrian had seen sense, Aiber held a voff out to him. Ade’s eyes stared out into space, gasping out a laboured sigh as he whimpered, “…I can’t find him. He’s gone.” Lydia turned over, arms folded firmly across her body. “What have I done?!” Came Ade’s despairing sob from behind.

 

[chellemrys]

Cassidy left the premises, Ade was right. He took off into the night, wearing only a sweater and thinking irrationally. He didn't want anyone to follow him, but after a while of Adrian not showing up he felt neglected, and overall bitter.


The light had been sucked out of the county town, and the stars glowed brighter here than they ever did in Boston, because in a country town there was almost no haze.


Cas strolled down a dirt road, a mile from the shelter, when Adrian came into the room crying about how he had gone. He himself was crying, and his legs shook like gelatin. Every passing car thought he was drunk.


Breathing like he was having an asthma attack was hard, and painful, in the chilly air. His nose was numb; it must be late fall, he thought. He had been on Earth barely long enough to learn their seasons. Besides, there were these things called 'Christmas Decorations', that's what Ade called them, around. He had no idea what a Christmas was, but now he regretted not asking. The lights people strung on their homes from a distance resembled gleaming stars.


Cas eventually collapsed on the side of the road, huddling in he drainage ditch of a field. The Gliesian let himself fall backwards, tangling his fingers in his own hair. He could feel the voff in his pocket, teasing him, but there was no way to use it. So he laid in that ditch for hours, sobbing into a dirt patty and grabbing at the long strands of grass hat tickled his face.


Cas eventually fell asleep, despite the cold. He woke to the horn of a truck, passing feet away from his head. Snapping into a fighting position, Cas screamed and jumped to his feet. It was barely morning; a twilight blue was beginning to lighten the field all around him. Maybe they had left him; he couldn't quite remember how he got out here. But he wished they would leave him now.


Cas walked all the way back to the shelter, the sun coming up as it rose into sight before him. The ex-Lieutenant crawled into the car once there, and dug around to change his dirt and blood soaked clothes. Finding a blue sweater this time, and a very tall jeans, he slid into those, and threw the others on the ground. Letting himself collapse into the seat, not bothering to scrape the dried blood off his jaw.


****


The night before, Lydia had seemingly ignored Adrian when he came in. Just turned over and felt bad, but did nothing to fix the situation. The only thing she did was bark at Ahnna, who began frantically worrying the the UGG had located and gotten Cas.


The next morning, she ordered them all to pack, and coldly ignored the others curious looks of disbelief. But she didn't want to acknowledge that maybe she had made a mistake.

 

[Laine]

“Are you alright? There was an awful lot of noise coming from your room last night.” The homeless shelter’s owner eyed the group in front of Adrian with suspicion, as they walked out of the door. She put her arm gently on the doctor’s back, giving him a sympathetic look. “I can put you in touch with someone who might be able to help, if you like. I have the number – they’re very confidential, and they can help with…domestic difficulties, and the like.” Her voice was quiet and low, as if she had sensed Lydia was the cause of the trouble.


“Have you seen him?” Was all Ade responded with, his face tired and pale. What fitful sleep he’d had was haunted by yesterday’s events, punctuated by the loss of his other half. She shook her head sadly, and handed Adrian the card anyway. The doctor’s mind reeled as he walked out – anything could’ve happened to the Lieutenant-Private-ex-Agent over the course of the night, especially in his mental state. He held his breath, finally resigning himself to travel with the group of Time Agents, until they got caught. In his mind, the worst had already happened.


“I bet you – he has hopped forward.” Dane said, keeping his voice low as he and Ahnna approached the car, with Lydia writing a detailed itinerary behind them. Aiber’s heavy bag was balanced on his back, and he grunted under it’s weight, “He was so mad. The engineer said he would’ve gone to confront the UGG. And there’s no way he’d make it back after that.”

 

[chellemrys]

Ahnna hadn’t known Cassidy for even a day, but she couldn’t help but worry for him also. Besides, if he was taken then who was next? It was a two-way street, and she didn’t appreciate Aiber’s rambling on about how he deserved what he got. If he got it. But she was more timid than most agents, and she didn’t speak a word against the engineer. Not that it would do any good anyway; it didn’t take much to see how stubborn and conceited Aiber was. She couldn’t help looking at Captain Lydia in a new way though. Never had she seen such a lack of control out of her commanding officer. Warily she watched the woman, who was now writing an itinerary without much caring showing on the surface at all. Weren’t they friends less than a day ago?


They all approached the car, Aiber mildly joyous that the ex-Lieutenant was gone, and Adrian on the verge of hysterics. Dane tugged the back door open, “So- who is going to drive no-” He had half slide into the car, and smacked his behind into Cas’ head. Cas jolted, as agents also did, into a defensive position. After seeing the private, whom he thought of as puny, he calmed and relaxed. Aiber grumbled at the sight of Cas; Lydia stopped writing and looked up with slitted eyes. Cas rolled his own eyes, sitting back and smirking, “I see you guys were going to leave without me. Thought you would.”

 

[Laine]

“Correction – you left us. Private.” Aiber sneered. He thumped Dane in the shoulder, before pointing a pudgy hand towards the trunk. Dane reluctantly stumbled over and threw the bag inside, scowling as Ahnna fussed over the ex-Lieutenant.


The doctor raised his head at the sound of Cas’ voice, and he pushed past Lydia, face crumpled into a weak smile as he saw the other. The wispy hair caked in mud and the bloody, filthy clothes screwed up behind him alluded to what kind of night he’d had, and he once again felt remorse and guilt that he hadn’t said or done more to protect Cassidy. But the other was still breathing, and so he was able to dismiss the fears that he would never be forgiven, for now.


Ahnna looked at the doctor, backing away as the auburn-haired man approached. “What - H-how…are you doing?” Adrian asked quietly, changing his question mid-sentence. He held his breath nervously, as if he was speaking to his crush for the first time. He widened his eyes - in the early morning light, the crook in his nose was painfully visable, decorated by the dark bruises on the flesh surrounding it. Dried blood remained in patches here and there on his chin and around his jaw, and despite the usual grin there was tiredness behind it. “...I was worried about you.”

 

[chellemrys]

Cas couldn't see Adrian at first; only Aiber, Lydia, Ahnna, and Dane. Everyone except Adrian. Briefly his mood lightened; although he wouldn't want Adrian to be stranded here, he thought maybe he was not thinking of abandoning him. Then his knight in shining armor elbowed his way through the crowd. The slight smile faded off his face, and he crossed his arms, glaring at Adrian through slitted eyes. "I am fine, thanks." Sarcasm rang the last word as if it was a mallet hitting a bell.


The ex-agent sniffed, shifting to get out of the car. With a scowl he rubbed the sore patch around his face, trying to get the dried blood off. The second time this has happened in two days; it was beginning to irritate his skin. Besides the yellowish bruises surrounding the crumpled bridge of his nose, there were dark circles under his eyes. "Were you, dear?" He whispered, bitterness biting each word. Cas looked Adrian up and down twice, standing before him with the harshest, judgmental eye brow raise he had ever directed at his drahy. Cas handed the keys to Lydia, smirking. "Don't think I can handle this heavy-duty machinery anymore. Since I resigned, after all. But, the whole contraption works differently than in the 51st century. Guess you'll have to get Adrian to drive."

 

[Laine]

“I – er – could be better.” Ade mumbled, squirming as Cas looked him up and down. He hadn’t felt this uncomfortable around him since – well, since they’d first met.


“No – he will not.” Lydia barged in, staring daggers at Cas. “I decide who drives. And, I say –“ She tossed the keys to Dane, “Private Cohl. You have driven similar vehicles before.” She sniffed. The private was caught off guard, and after a hasty attempt at catching, the keys dropped to the floor with a plink. The others stared at him nervously, but Lydia asserted her apparent authority, climbing into the passenger front seat.


Dane chuckled nervously, stooping to pick them up and opening the driver’s door. “Ha…ha. Sure, Captain.” He flicked a dark curl out of his face, before putting a hand to his chin. After a few seconds, he finally found the ignition, and jammed the keys in.


With reluctant urgency, the remaining Agents climbed into the car. Aiber dashed around the other side of the car, shoving Ahnna in first to he wouldn’t have to sit next to Cassidy. Ade stood awkwardly, edging towards Cas’ side and clearing his throat. “Guess er, this is where I’m sitting.” He huffed in exasperation, lifting a leg to climb in as Dane revved the engine.

 

[chellemrys]

Cas lifted a surprised brow, smirking at Lydia's agitation. Alright, Dane can totally drive a 21st century vehicle like Ade or I can. Cas climbed into the vehicle, inching close to the door. Forgetting that Adrian was going to have to sit on him. As the doctor climbed in, he looked up mild surprise, and sighed. Not wanting to be around this at the moment.


This was one of the rare times that Private Ahnna would speak up. "Erm-" She interrupted Adrian from sitting on the tinier man. "How about Cas sits on someone's lap instead?" She didn't dare look at Adrian, but instead glanced over at Cassidy. He considered for only a brief second, before reluctantly nodding.


"Yeah, good point." He hastily got out, letting Adrian take his place. Cas climbed Adrian, stretching his legs out across the three people's laps. He sat in Adrian's lap by default, but his legs rested on Ahnna's, and his feet in Aiber's. Being much shorter, it was more comfy for all. Plus Cas was more graceful, so he didn't accidentally smack someone in the face with his boot either. Ahnna placed her arms on top of his legs, not looking at him, but staring ahead out the window. The car was silent now, and Cas began rubbing at the remaining blood on his face.

 

[Laine]

Ade looked down at the other, cocking a brow. He sighed, the stress obvious on his face as the other ignored his presence entirely, despite lying on his lap. “You’d be better off with a wipe.” He said quietly, distracted by the other’s vicious face-rubbing. Cassidy's lack of response made Adrian nervous, terrified that the other would never forgive him. He reluctantly pulled at the backpacks stacked up behind him, and started digging through the first-aid kit again.


Adrian handed the other a sterile wipe, trying to distract himself by staring out of the window. Every so often, his eyes flicked backed down to the Lieutenant, and his badly broken nose. About halfway down his cheeks it abruptly slanted to the side, making his whole face like slightly out of place. And without the futuristic technology to fix him up, it was likely to be a long-lasting look for the ex-agent. That combined with the bruising and swelling made Ade’s medical expertise gnaw at the back of his mind.


“You know,” Ade suddenly murmured, biting his lip as he got the other’s attention, “Your nose. It’ll stay like that permanently, once it’s healed.” Lydia’s eyes scowled at him through the rear-view mirror. “If you want…I can, er…adjust it back for you.” He added, staring once again out of the window.

 

[chellemrys]

Cas had some firm dignity, but he took the wipe without looking at Adrian. The cloth felt refreshing against his dirt covered skin; soon he was wiping not only just the blood off his jaw and chin, but the dirt on his forehead and cheeks. Besides his hair, he looked clean and fresh... Besides the bruises lining the bridge of his nose.


Cas could feel Adrian staring at him; he felt the other's urge to say something. But what, he couldn't tell. Mainly because he lacked a desire to talk. His dark eyes flicked to look at Adrian when he whispered to him, avoiding eye contact. The ex-Lieutenant's lips parted, obvious confusion striking his features. Yes, he was right. His nose would stay that way unless someone adjusted it. No more agency... He internally cringed, a mild pang in his chest as he thought of all the injuries to come that could no longer be fixed easily. Countless times had he been saved from being crippled or deformed because of the medical center on Andromeda.


Several minutes of silence, Cas trying his hardest to ignore Adrian. He shifted in his seat to make himself more comfortable, forgetting that he was sitting on Adrian's lap. The flesh squished beneath his weight, the warmth of Ade's legs reminding Cas of the proximity of his love. He crinkled up his shoulders, hunching slightly away and angling his face downwards, joining his own two hands and hiding them between his knees. A creeping guilt snuck up on Cassidy, and he directed a single glance at his drahy. He realized he often forgot what he had married; he hadn't married another agent, or someone even close to being like him. Adrian had been paralyzed when the action was taking place, and he had never seen him do much more than that in stressful situations anyway. He had almost attacked him mere minutes before, and on top of it- the only reason why he was upset was because Lydia had pointed it out. If he was trying to spite her, why let her words win and isolate them from each other? Adrian had his own way of taking care of Cas, and this was it. What he was offering was inherently tough to do actually; to have to hold down Cas, and inflict a great deal of pain on his drahy would be naturally a hard thing to do. It took the sort of guts that Adrian had as a doctor, completely different from Cas' brave and sometimes idiotic behavior in the face of adversity.


Cas' lips parted, and he could see Adrian's shifting glance as he inhaled to speak. He shifted again, this time his arm brushing against the doctor's bare one. Cas winced, glad that Ahnna was looking out the opposite window and hadn't noticed how he briefly trembled. The dark haired man leaned back, so his head rested on the window pane behind him that Adrian was staring out of. "You can fix this?" He whispered, timidly raising his eyes to meet Ade's; guilt became weights on his ego, and he couldn't help being shy now. Afraid he had messed up.

 

[Laine]

Ade gave a large sigh of relief, surprised by the ex-Agent’s own sudden timidness. He dared to meet the other’s eyes, giving a weak smile as he saw that the look he gave was genuine – and not a kind of cocky prank that sought to degrade him further. He dragged out the hand that was buried in his hair from stress. “Mhmm. Yeah, of course.” He nodded, “Well – I am a doctor.” He said the words as if he himself had briefly forgotten. The others in the car also looked confused, and he felt Aiber glance out from the corner of his eyes.


Adrian shuffled in his seat, raising his hands so both palms hovered over the other’s bruised cheeks. He leaned in, scanning the other’s face, “It just needs, er…pushing back into place.” He showed him by making a motion with both of his thumbs, pushing them up and together, mere inches away from Cas’ broken nose. He made it sound so simple, and yet he took a certain pleasure in bestowing his medical expertise on the other, as if he would finally be of use to the other. Their sudden closeness seemed to wash away the extreme arguments and disagreements from the previous night.


Ade bit his lip, turning his head slightly and about to lean in further. At that moment, however, Dane sent the car hurtling violently over a dip in the road, and it’s occupants jolted as he struggled to keep it under control. While Lydia yelled at the Private, Ade was at least thankful he hadn’t been closer to the other, otherwise he’d have sent blood streaming from the broken protuberance on Cassidy’s face. He laughed nervously, lowering his hands onto Cas’ lap, “We'll uh – wait until we stop, though. I wouldn’t want to break it any further.” The doctor smirked, although he glared at Dane through the rear-view mirror.

 

[chellemrys]

A smirk crept onto Cas' face, "I know you're a doctor." Cas had never really seen Adrian do much. Every once in a while Cas would screw some limb of his up, and Adrian would hold it steady, and once he quickly patched up a wound. But he had never had an injury that Adrian had to fix ultimately alone. The ex-agent 's smirk wasn't there for nothing, for next came the remark, "Except most of the time you sit around not doing anything. Like the doctors from my time."


Cas closed his eyes, bracing for the pain as Adrian explained the process. He half expected him to just do it- mid-sentence. He had had combat nurses do stuff like that to him before, and it wasn't pleasant. But it sure happened fast, and it surprised him. And then it was done and Cas was usually a bit better. With a gasp, Cas' head smacked into the window at the swerve with a heavy 'clunk', and he directed a fiery glare at the driver and his commander.


Afterwards he agreed, and rubbed his head. Slowly settling into Adrian, timidly resting his head against his shoulder and staring out the window.

 

[Laine]

Following Lydia’s direction, they continually moved between bounding along country roads and using the interstate. Ade thought to ask a few times where they were going, but was anxious to hear the answer – or lack thereof. He instead focused on the other, resting on his shoulder, and the gratefulness he felt that he wasn’t tearing at his throat, or ignoring him. A few times the doctor managed to close his eyes, resting his chin on Cas’ head and sighing deeply as they rattled through the country in the car.


“I need to take a leak.” Aiber announced out of the blue, breaking the silence between them. Much to his annoyance, no-one responded, and he repeated himself even louder, adding or I’ll piss on the clothes at the end.


The Captain turned around in her seat. “What part of we need to keep moving don’t you understand?” Lydia snapped, shaking her head. “We lost 8 hours of travel last night. The UGG are gonna be up our asses as it is. We keep moving.” She huffed, turning back to her map and marking on it.


“Alright.” The engineer grunted, shrugging as he leaned over the bag of clothes positioned in front of him, “If you wanna wash the smell out of these-”


The Captain groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. She glared at Aiber as she pointed for Dane to pull over. “Fine. Cohl and Malkov need to switch over anyway. Before he causes an accident.” The Private looked tired as he indicated, blinking rapidly as he tried to focus on stopping the car. They rolled up outside a wooded area, and Lydia sighed, turing around to face the four in the back. “You get three minutes. Anyone not back in the car at that time gets left behind, capisce?”

 

[chellemrys]

Cassidy blinked his eyes open when Aiber announced to everyone it was time for him to take a piss. At this rate, Cas sure wished he would piss off. He hoped that he would take more than three minutes, and that they would leave the bastard there.


Cas crawled out of the vehicle first, so everyone else could. Private Malkov eyed the doctor curiously as he hopped out, following Cas a few meters away from the vehicle, toying with his face and crumpled up nose. Lydia opted to stay in the car, and took no notice of the activities. Trying to remain superior to the lower ranked passengers who desired a break.


Outside was windy; the breeze made Cas' dark tufts of hair float up around his face. He kept trying to push the loose hair from his eyes as he was dragged by Adrian over to the tree line. Knowing what was coming, Cas began bunching up the sleeve of his sweater- to bite down on so he could scream into it. "So... How are you going to fix this with your 21st century witchdoctor magic?" Cas had a tough time believing that Adrian could help him without advanced machinery or a 51st century hospital. Apparently he was simply going to use his hands...

 

[Laine]

Ade tugged Cassidy into the treeline, backing him against a trunk, just to where the light was hitting it. The crook in his nose was beginning to bother the doctor more and more, and he quickly cupped the other’s face in his hands, thumbs focused either side of his broken nose. He scanned the other’s face with a professional enthusiasm, eyes glazing over the faded freckles and swollen cheeks. “Oh, I won’t fix it.” Ade said offhandedly, tipping the other’s head backwards and squinting at the shape of the bridge. “I’ll just…reduce the...fracture. It’ll still take…a few weeks to heal.” His words slowed as he continued to analyse, making sure his fingers were placed just right so it would only a few tries to set it.


He pulled back, realising he wasn’t meeting the other’s eyes. He smiled, before lowering his eyes to look at the nose again. “You ready?” He murmured softly, giving the other a second to brace himself. He murmured a soft “Okay, exhale for me,” before rapidly pressing hard at either side, pushing on the displaced wedge of cartilage. The doctor scrunched up his face as he did so, gritting his teeth in effort. Eventually, the broken part gave way, and a tiny crunch was audible to even Ade as it slid back into place. Well – almost. Cassidy instantly recoiled, crying out in pain through the sweater beneath his teeth. Adrian looked at the wound, still dissatisfied.


“Ah – ah, come back,” He mumbled, holding the other’s head in his hands. Adrian slotted his thumbs back into place, “Take a few deep breaths through your mouth.” He said, waiting until the other had exhaled for the second time before trying again. This time he pushed back and mostly to the right, and almost instantly another, louder crack sound sounded which made the other yell again.


Ade let out a satisfied sigh as he leaned back, admiring his handiwork and grinning. “Much. Much better.” He waited until the other had finished doubling over, before wrapping a sympathetic arm around the other’s waist. The auburn-haired doctor pecked on him on the cheek. “All done, dear.”

 

[chellemrys]

Cas backed into the trunk, and let the other toy with his head for a minute. Adrian twisted his face in all different directions while Cas ignored the burning sensation the pressure of his fingers caused on his bruised skin. Cas' hands hung in the air below his chin, hesitating to move now because Adrian was working. 'Oh, I won't fix it.' Cas gulped, wondering if twenty-first century technology was advanced enough to ever heal him. Besides, what if they ever went back in time. He wasn't exactly sure about the centuries surrounding the present time he was in. Not even a century before he was certain that they had a rough understanding of bacteria. And that knowledge was non-existent before that even... After around the twenty-third century, technology and science really took off and things looked brighter in history.


The ex-agent's eyes rolled to the front again to look at Adrian as his head was pulled down, leveling eye contact with his drahy. Nodding, Cas shoved the sleeve hem of his sweater into his mouth, clamping his teeth down on the blue yarn. Taking a deep breath, Adrian began pushing from two different directions on the bridge of his skewed nose. At first he managed to stay silent, but as the nose neared snapping into place, he yelled into the yarn. Adrian released, and he gasped for air, taking the cloth from his mouth. He moved away a bit, bending over slightly, before Adrian called him back. Again? He thought, reluctantly standing up and leaning back against the trunk.


Cas expected the pain this time, but now that Adrian had popped it one time, it was twice as sensitive. Throbbing before Adrian even touched it, it hurt more than it had ever before. Squeezing his eyes shut, he braced himself for the next round. The loud crack prompted a muffled scream from the ex-agent, and as Adrian backed away, Cas doubled over. A warm arm slipped around his waist, and he slowly straightened. Letting the hands cupped around his now straight nose, he shook his head like a dog. He needed a second to recover, because his vision was blurry and dark from the pain.


"C-Can 21st century technology fix injuries?" By fix, Cas meant healed completely. That is what the technology he used to have access to could do. It was soothing, and instant relief from the consequences of injuries. Within hours all injuries could be fixed, skin could be graphed, and bones and cartilage could be remolded and reset perfectly to their original structures. As long as they had a skeletal scan of the person.

 

[Laine]

Ade rubbed the other’s back, rubbing his chin in thought, “Mhmm. Well, it’s less technology, and more…waiting for things to heal.” The other looked distressed by this idea, and Ade only chuckled drily, “No, it’s not like sitting in a machine for 20 minutes and having everything back to normal. Be thankful that your injury was minor.” He pretended to prod the ex-agent’s tender nose. They slowly stalked back to the car, where Lydia was impatiently waiting, undoubtedly unsatisfied with his attempts at healing his lover.


--------


“Shh – shh, quiet - !” The agent furiously tapped buttons, tiny drops of sweat falling down her brow. Her eyes flicked up continually, peering through the small peephole they had made in the plaster wall. Squatting on some desert planet in the 31st century, the four Agents gathered around the one working hopper – their final hope. The abandoned building they were trapped in was narrow, and cramped, and for the last three days they had been cooking and feeding on whatever they could catch with their bare hands.


“Oh, helmi, it’s working-!” An excited voice echoed through, and the owner of it received a violent thump on the shoulder. They had all grown superstitious of the U.G.G., and so noise of any kind had not been tolerated. Despite being actually safer than any other refugee group, isolated and off-camera. That is, until the hopper randomly come online, of it’s own accord. Another Private had to reach out and steady the girl’s shaking wrist so the projection did not wobble.


Cast against the wall, was the fuzzy-blue static slowly stabilised, into a Kerschnaille symbol which translated to Captain Andler. It beeped for a few seconds, before the shocked and appalled face of their very own mentor appeared. They all shrieked like wild animals in delight, tears streaming down one or two faces.


“Captain! Captain, you’re alive!”


“Helmi – where are you?!”


“There are others too?! I knew it - !”


Lydia’s stammered a simple greeting, and suddenly the faces of two other agents they knew appeared by her side, looking equally as shocked. She took a deep breath to speak, attempting to calm them with a wave of her hands. The crying and shouting out continued for several minutes, before the older, more sensible one of the group seized the wrist of the girl, begging Lydia for instructions. She opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted as Aiber suddenly grabbed her shoulder, practically screaming in her ear; “-Shut it off, Lydia! Quickly!”


Before she had time to react, a shrill, high pitched squeal rang out – like a scream. A shot burst through the wall from a sniper-esque weapon, sending one of the Private Time Agents’ heads hurtling into anothers. On Lydia’s side, the hologram fuzzed and then stabilized, showing a sideways view of the peephole, it’s size now exaggerated by the bullet fired through it. There was a sharp, violent gasp, before all chaos broke loose, and the three remaining agents ran screaming, tripping over the body of their fallen other and attempting to break through the heavy wooden doors.


The transmission abruptly cut off, and behind Lydia, the two Privates failed to suppressed their own, terrified screams of horror.

 

[chellemrys]

Cassidy and Adrian were in the gas station, Cas heading up to the counter with a tiny box of food for the road. He placed it on the counter with a grin, "Hey there~" He said, Adrian behind him rolling his eyes as he emerged from the grungy station's restroom. Cas was trying to distract the clerk, while pocketing those items that hung beneath the edge of the counter. A smooth thief's dream display.


Behind the counter, the girl was obnoxiously chewing on some bubble gum. Paying no mind to the slight movements of his arm every once in a while. Mainly because she was focused on his face and words, "Must get lonely in here, all alone working in this gas station... Lilly~" That killed Adrian, who just couldn't appreciate the art of fine acting Cas thought. But Adrian couldn't act to save his life. He would have gotten nervous and she would have noticed or something. That was why he wasn't the one distracting while Cas stole bigger items. Besides, convincing Adrian to steal was like trying to get a cat to take a bath.


Cas stealthily slipped bags of chips and candy bars into a backpack he had resting on the floor, dropping them into the open flap below. The young redhead behind the counter smacked her gum, "You're sweet." She replied, not really caring that she was flirting with a stranger, while she was supposed to be working. Adrian came to his side, and he pointed at the bag on the ground. He leaned down, "Here's your backpack, broski." He had heard that on television once, and it sure made his act a little more authentic. He zipped it up, handing it to his drahy. "I'll see you in the car, in a moment." Quick wink, the girl taking it as one thing, Adrian something else.


Tugging Adrian's wallet out as said person left, he handed the lady the cash and she slowly began working for change, glowing at her cute, flirty customer. Just at that moment, a creak of the bathroom door drew the ex-agent's attention. His eyes rose to the circular mirror that all gas station's had above the counter, and found a woman emerging from the men's bathroom. And then a man. A pesky grin filled up his face; his eyebrows rose. Getting some in this awful place?





Cas thanked the girl, grabbed his change and items, and turned to find that woman standing behind him. Like she was already waiting in line. "E-Excuse me," Cas said, eyes drifting down to her shoes. The only thing she had wrong was the shoes. People never figured they should change those- the idiots. Right away his polite smile dissipated. Right across the side was a logo. In kershnaille.





Cas' eyes flicked back up, and he dropped everything he had in the same instant, bringing an elbow up to her nose. She screeched, flailing and toppling back into a display. He ducked immediately, figuring the man would shoot at him, and he was right. Too bad the plasma bolt ripped through the cashier's stomach instead of hitting any thing else though.


Screeches filled the station, the girl collapsing and unable to quiet herself. Cas rolled towards the door, getting down and behind a display. The next bolt shot through the glass of the door, bursting outside and hitting pump, causing the thing to burst into flames. The woman recovered quickly, and was already moving towards his hiding spot from one end, while the man from the other. "I've got him. Go get the others." One yelled, confident enough to tell Cas their plan.


Thoughts flying to Adrian, Cas squeezed his eyes shut and banged his head against the doughnut case he was behind. He gripped his own gun, and swung out to randomly shoot a few shots at the approaching woman, who had to duck for cover. The bolts smashed through the windows on the other end. The man who was exiting the door almost got hit, and he rolled. Cas ducked towards the door, backing out and firing more shots as rapidly as he could to ward off his pursuers, exiting the station running backwards.

 

[Laine]

The backpack was heavy on Ade’s shoulders – the tendency for Cassidy to steal at every opportunity was beginning to get tiring, especially when he was the accomplice. Although the idea of getting caught by the cops wasn’t particularly threatening to the lifetime law-abiding citizen, now he was a fugitive, getting caught by the U.G.G. was a very real one, especially when glass exploded from the window behind him. The doctor snapped his head around, stunned, watching as the body of the red-headed cashier hit the ground. His first thoughts were clouded with panic, and he instinctively searched for his lover, crying out in fear. The screech of tyres suddenly occurred behind him, and Lydia’s face popped out of the familiar car window.


“Adrian, get in, now!” She yelled, and the doctor scrambled hastily, practically crawling towards the open door and letting Ahnna drag him in. The car began to pull away, with Aiber at the wheel, and the doctor screeched in protest, “What about Cassidy?! What about - ?!”


“He can hold on!” Lydia said, and she gave Aiber the indication to go. Crashing and gunshots still sounded outside, and another nearby gas pump caught fire. Dane and Ahnna did their best to hold Adrian down, ensuring his struggling head did not bob up above the windowsand make a target for the perfect shot. The car sped off, away from the gas station pumps.


Adrian screamed, panic making his chest tight and a tide of nausea wash over him. “You – can’t leave him – behind!” He gasped in choked agony. His arms strained to pull himself up from the seat, and he kicked at the passenger door futilely. The two Privates that were holding him strained, their faces gaunt and horrified at the chaos around them. Suddenly the car pulled to the side, swinging in a dramatic 180 until it faced the gas station again. From far away, a lone figure was standing, although it wasn’t clear who it was. It quickly got bigger and bigger as Aiber hit the gas pedal, causing the car to pick up rapid speed and hurtle towards it.


“There!” Lydia barked, pointing to a female-looking figure standing outside. She had a gun pointed at a gas pump, which the ex-Lieutenant was crouched behind, doubled over in pain. She turned her head – and her gun – towards the car as it approached, firing several shots at the windscreen as it ploughed right through her, into the store itself, imbedding dozens of broken glass pieces into her stomach, torso, hands – everywhere. Aiber instantly made the car back out, not bothering to check behind him as he swerved away quickly. The other U.G.G. agent was nowhere in sight, and the Private in the back risked opening the passenger door, sprinting out and rushing to Cas’ side.


She ducked down and pulled his arm over her shoulder, gasping as he hauled him to his feet, “Quickly, Cassidy.” Ahnna huffed, tugging him towards the car merely 12 feet away. At the same time, the male agent crept out of the hole the car had made, gun to his side as he stayed out of sight.

 

[chellemrys]

Cas clung to the pump, crouched down and trying to peek around for the car without being shot. He had no idea where the assassins were, and could only hear the screech of wheels. A hand clung to his side, blood oozing in a light flow from between the finger tips and a hole in the t-shirt he borrowed from Adrian. Leaning out from behind his dangerous cover, he gasped, beginning to barrel backwards at the scene of the woman agent sighting in her pistol at the pump he was behind.


He ran backwards into the pump in the next row over, jumping as the car skidded past and swept her away. Next he knew, the private with the albino hair was hopping out of the car and fast approaching. Grabbing his arm and pulling him close to be supported, she was practically dragging him towards the car. Every shift of his side made him gasp in shock at the sharp pang that traveled up his ribs. He could feel some foreign object deep in his side, and it had been there since he rolled over the glass.





As they ran, Cas was farthest away from the man emerging from the rubble of the station. The haze of the settling dust shielded him from being seen, but it didn't stop him from seeing the car. Expertly firing, he shot the rubber of the front tire. The wheel burst, and he aimed and rapidly fired another shot, taking out the second one even. Inside Lydia screamed curses as the car suddenly dropped to one side, and then leveled out as the second wheel popped.


Ahnna's eyes followed the shots to the rubble, and she pulled Cas behind her in one fluid motion, letting go of him. He fell from the slack of his arm falling, but looked up in time to see her get into stance with her legs shoulder-width apart, proceeding to dodge a well-aimed shot at her head, and retaliating with a better shot to the other man's head. All while leaning backwards to barely avoid a plasma bolt that almost grazed the tip of her nose, landing a bolt in the center of his forehead.


Cas sat on the ground, mouth agape at the type of shot she just made. That a private just made. A real life matrix move that he was sure he would have fallen on his ass trying.

 

[Laine]

“Shit shit shit,” Lydia screamed, already tapping on her hopper. She knew they would be followed if they hopped – that was almost guaranteed – but the time difference between the hop itself and the U.G.G. receiving their wormhole information bought them a few minutes at least. It was far better than the alternative – staying here, in the parking lot, with no transportation, no backup, and the U.G.G. knowing their exact location.


Ahnna immediately straightened up, turning around and pulling the Lieutenant to his feet again. She didn’t notice, or acknowledge his shock at her move, or else she would’ve attempted to explain herself, and instead she timidly dragged the other away, towards the now-unusable car. Adrian rushed out as soon as Dane released him, sobs in his voice as he rushed out towards the injured other. “Cassidy?! Oh my God, are you okay?” He panted, eyes now focusing on the torn, blooded spot on his shirt.


The others filed out of the car, with Lydia snapping off glowing bracelets and handing them out quickly. “What, now, Lydia?!” With no time to even examine the wound, Adrian snapped his own bracelet on, before taking to Cas’ side and ducking his head under his arm, forcing Ahnna to awkwardly sidestep out the way. Meanwhile Lydia tapped her hopper against everyone who had one, sending the orders instantly to them. The now-familiar blue light began to shine around the huddled group as the hopper started to go, with Lydia not even mentioning where they were headed.

 

[chellemrys]

What was almost more shocking than Ahnna's maneuver was Adrian's rush to his side; this was the first time he had seen Adrian so willingly head into combat to get to him. Adrian was a foreign entity to combat in Cas' mind, so when he ducked beneath his shoulder and supported him he did a double take. "Yeah, I-" Sticking out his arm to sync his hopper made him wince and bite his lip, "I don't know what's wrong." Cas squeezed the tiny wound, as if it would make the pangs of pain whenever he barely moved. Clutching Adrian's shoulder, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the trip coming.


The worm hole sucked all six up, pulling and pushing their matter in all different directions, playing with their bodies like putty as they fell through time and space to the twenty-fifth century. Cas usually landed on his feet, but between clumsier Adrian attached to him, and the glass sticking into his flesh, he couldn't manage it. He landed on his side, on top of Adrian, and began howling. Rolling off his drahy, he wiped at his brow, sweating already. It was a tiny wound, he knew it. But the glass must have been scraping on his ribs or just stuck in a sensitive area because every shift of his weight caused a riveting pain to explode up his side now as it tore more and more.


Opening his eyes, sputtering and coughing between pain filled gasping, he found that their supplies were all over the ground around them. Aiber had managed to grab his bag, and it was the only thing closed and safe. The clothes, the first aide kit- that stuff was everywhere. Someone had grabbed Cassidy's new backpack, but had not shut it. Causing all its contents to go flying around the forest. He groaned, resigning to just shutting his eyes instead of dealing with the situation.


"Up- up- up!" Lydia yelled, Cas knowing was right. Struggling against his urge to lay there unmoving, because it made the pain dull, he forced himself into at least a sitting position. Holding back another sharp howl, he tried desperately to ignore the scraping of the glass against his flesh and ribs. He mended it in the only way he knew how temporarily: putting a clamp of a hand over it, and pretending it was nothing.


"Where are we?" Cas looked around hastily, as if any second more U.G.G. agents would discover them.


"The twenty-fifth century. We're in the Fraienglads." Cas' eyes flitted around, observing the dense brush around them. Dark vegetation ruled the land surrounding the clearing, and the buzz of insects droned in the background. Through the vines the shimmer of dark water could be seen, and the vague outline of a small community. The planet Verdanse. Known for the jungles that made up the majority of the planet. It was closer to its sun than Earth, and caused a climate globally around Earth's rainforest temperatures.

 

[Laine]

“We have minutes, not hours. Move!” Lydia said, shoving Ade hard in an attempt to wake him out of the shocked state he was in. With legs like jelly and breath barely escaping from his lips, he shakily stood, eyes looking miles away from where they really were. Reaching out to Cas had been a surprising, almost reflexive move – but Adrian was quickly back to his old self, unable to make rational decisions or move efficiently, much to the Captain’s dismay. Aiber and Dane were hastily grabbing the splayed objects, shovelling them into Cas’ bag as Lydia attempted to orient herself. The doctor only realised the other, still sitting on the ground, as he heard a cry of pain.


Ahnna had her hand around Cassidy’s waist, once again using his arm as leverage to help him stand. The wound was painful but not serious – especially not serious enough to warrant risking their lives waiting around for the U.G.G. to find them. She murmured encouragingly in the ex-Lieutenant’s ear as she pushed him forward to move, nodding to Adrian to follow in the direction Lydia was heading. The Captain had chosen a direction – towards a swampy lake, only a couple miles away. The group mobilised as quickly as possible, with Ade, Cassidy and Ahnna lagging at the back.


“We’ve – been here before, Dane,” Ahnna said, tiny gasps in her voice as she carried both her own weight and the majority of Cassidy’s. The forest was dense and the air around them was humid, causing dark patches to form almost immediately on their clothes. The other Private seemingly ignored her, and carried on marching a few paces ahead. His face was gaunt and pale, and there was a wobble to his gait, as if one of his legs were not correctly in it’s socket. “We had – this mission, to work under tropical conditions.” Ahnna said, eyes flitting over to Cas in order to distract him from the pain he was in. “It was my first time hop. I couldn’t stand for minutes.” She chuckled weakly, picking up the slack and practically dragging the other forwards.


She turned her head, looking over her shoulder. Sticking out like a sore thumb, Adrian wandered behind, trying his best to keep up with a clouded mind. The roar of bullets firing and the car engine still echoing in his ears. He stared blankly at his hurt lover, sensing the closeness between the one holding him, but unable to do anything about it. “Come on Ade, move!” Ahnna said, beckoning him forward with a gesture of her hand.


Lydia yelled out to the group behind her, “If we move quick, this place will buy us some time.” She said, waving her hands as if she was holding an invisible map, “There is no surveillance, barely any technology that they can track. Provided we can get far enough away, they will have to search for days, maybe even weeks to find us.” She urged the group to move faster as they neared the lake, dashing ahead to poke her head out to the clearing around it.