Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[MzHyde]

Just by looking at everyone it was clear that very few of them had a peaceful and rested night's sleep for one reason or another. She hadn't, John and Kay hadn't and neither had Elliott, she had grown up around their future selves after all long enough to notice when her family had a shit sleep. It was like they all shared the minute details on their faces when it was the case, one that Fia could recognise easily enough without much scrutinising of someone's face. She saw she was the last one up and walked over to see the sword had now been given the dried blood detail on it and there was a scabbard suddenly beside it which asnt there yesterday. She looked at Elliott then the scabbard as he gave her next two important details, nodding in understanding. "makes sense to be honest. Had a feeling Zan would want to be there after I went to bed last night. Just striked me as something he'd wanna be around for" she replied.

"so has it been decided exactly where mum and Chas will be whilst we're in the trial and stuff?" she couldn't help but ask, pouring herself a cup of tea to start her day, before sipping it gladly but still wishing it was coffee. She took another look at the scabbard seeing that just as effort and time was taken on it as it was with the sword itself, replica and real thing. She was still not particularly liking the plan but she did still agree it made sense to be Kay and Chas, she just hoped it wouldn't backfire on them on a large scale. Yet she also knew she had to have more truth and faith in them both that they wouldn't get into any trouble before the handover happened.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The siblings had been surprised when Zan produced the scabbard the night before, neither having given much thought to where it had gone in the twelve years since the blade had been used to scar Elliott. It turned out that Mara had picked it up after she went looking for the sword only to find it had been already taken. Since then it had spent a good chunk of time in a lock-up and had until last night been kept in a compartment under the floorboards in Zan's flat. It had been wrapped in an old t-shirt and the leather had been treated (by Zan) on a fairly regular basis to stop it from drying out and cracking. Dan had not made the scabbard, that kind of leather work wasn't his area, but a makers mark inside it (and a search on the internet) said it had come from a bespoke leathersmiths.

"Not quite, we were just running through the options of what to do and where to go as well as the final details of the drop-off plan before you came in. Nothing had actually been decided on yet." Chas told Fia, before elaborating as to what these options were. "There is of course stay here in the flat until the right time, but that's probably going to get boring given. There's an open invitation to go down to the forge and hang out there and watch the others. We could also go around the city and see what else the place has to offer. And.... there's also the more risky option that we attend the morning session, then leave, go back to the flat and get the sword and meet the others at the drop off, which does mean we leave the blade alone in the flat. It's been agreed we're not going to leave the blade with any friend of Zan's no matter how unconnected with politics they are and how trustworthy he claims they are."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia listened to Chas as he explained that it hadn't be decided yet but options were given. She continued hearing the options being given, weighing them up as they were said which made her see exactly why they couldn't decide on a plan yet. She didn't particularly think the risky and last option was a good one in comparison to the others as if it was her doing the watching of the blade, she wouldn't want to leave it unattended at all for any reason. As she thought about it, she saw some toast on John's plate and stole it, biting into it straight away. A scenario that was pretty standard for her in her time. Except in her time she'd then give that closed mouthed grin as if she was totally innocent to get away with it. Gulping down the mouthful she had she finally spoke up, "well the last option seems like the most stupidest one to me because it is so risky and its a hell of a lot of travelling for mum to do which just wouldn't be fair on her" she started saying before continuing, "if it was me I'd personally say either the forge or walk around if there's a way to disguise the scabbard and hilt a bit for the latter option." she finished then taking another bite.

Kay thought that Fia made some valid points in her opinions as well as seeing that she was truly thinking about the pros and cons maturely as they were being told to her. For a teenager who surely did have her moments of acting like a typical teenager and almost childlike as was shown with her dislike of Kay being the one to look after the sword, she sure did know how to be highly mature about scenarios such as this. "I was thinking along similar lines as like Chas said, staying here will be massively boring and I think I'd rather be a smidge bit closer to either the court or drop off point than at the apartment" Kay replied. Fia nodded seeing where her mother was coming from. She could imagine the later they decided to leave the apartment, the less energised Kay would be to actually make the trip, so it only made sense that her mum would want to be already out. She also could see why no one would want to trust anyone Zan knew with such an item. To her that would be like trusting a starving wolf not to eat a rare steak that was right in front of it. It just wouldn't happen.

 

[_gallifrog_]

The last option was without a doubt the worst of them all, none of them liked it, but for the sake of covering every option it was suggested. "Yeah, we're all thinkin' that 'bout the last one kiddo. It was only brought up to be ruled out." John replied, huffing annoyedly that his toast was stolen, but as Fia knew, he wasn't going to remark on it (the slice she'd stolen was going to be his third, so it wasn't like he was starving ravenous and that was the first thing he'd eaten that morning). "And, as stupid as it sounds, given that this isn't even the real thing, I don't think the sword should be left unsupervised." Dan added. If this blade was stolen, they really were up shit creek. "I'm with you on that, being closer is just more practical especially if the plans change for some reason- which I really hope they don't." Chas added, before crunching down on his own slice of toast. "For disguising the sword, it was decided that we'd use my backpack" Jay indicated her big black backpack, which was leaning against the couch, having been emptied of all it's usual contents. "It's certainly big enough to fit it and with some extra items thrown in to break up the outline, you won't get spotted."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the first half of the trial the group, for the most part, managed to keep their nerves about the impending drop-off under control. Zan was in his usual spot, looking as unreadable as ever and not even giving a single glance in their direction. It was the second part where the nerves started to fray and the tics started to show. Cliff was the first to crack, his fingers tapping restlessly against her legs. Cal and Elliott followed not long after, and seeing Elliott playing with the hair right at the nape of his neck set John off gnawing away at first the hangnails, and then the sides of his thumbs. Jay was the only one who looked somewhat calm, but even her facade was cracking, Elliott could tell by the way she was clenching and uncurling her toes inside her shoes as if limbering them up. Luckily for them, their nervousness didn't ring any alarm bells in the assembled audience and legal teams. For the first time the defence side had an edge, and Elliott's legal side were left scrambling and trying to come up with good counters on the sly (and not always succeeding). By the end of the day Elliott's team had managed to win it back, but judging by their expressions as they left, the legal team were going to be putting in a hell of a lot more work that night to ensure they didn't get caught out so badly again. Finally the time came and they left the courtroom. It had been agreed that both groups would meet Zan in one of the quieter alleyways near a tunnel exit hatch. Zan was the first to meet the rendezvous point and chose to light up a cigarette while he waited.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded at John's words and gave him the 'you can't stay mad at me' closed mouth grin when he huffed about his toast being stolen off his plate because she indeed did know he wouldn't remark on it. She knew she would be sad if the day ever came when she wouldn't get away with such an action. With all the discussions continuing on, she glanced over at Jay's backpack and nodded, agreeing it was the best idea for disguising the sword.

***********************************

At the trial Fia was just as nervous as the rest of them, those nerves only becoming more apparent as the trial continued, but if there was one tiny consolation for being and looking so nervous, it was the fact the defence side was tying Elliott's team up in small knots, making them really work hard at grabbing the upper hand once again. She never thought she'd would ever think of something like that but here she was being proven otherwise greatly. She was glad when the trial was over but that didn't stop the nerves from sticking around however, knowing that now was the even more nerve wracking part of the day.

During the day of the trial Kay stayed with Chas as planned whilst walking around the town nearby the court, the backpack firmly on her back the entire time, never once taking it off even when they stopped for food and a drink or she just needed a rest in general. She also never once removed her hood from her head, only ever finding she had it off if the breeze or a sudden turn of her head made it fall down, to which she just pulled it back up. She acted like she just required the comfort from the hoodie gave her when the hood was over her head slightly, hands firmly pushing deep into the hoodie pockets. When it came to getting to the meeting point, she headed where they needed to with Chas, and saw Zan standing there cigarette lit up.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas did manage to do a bit of shopping while in the town, looking for things that were suitably alien that he could bring back for his wife and daughter both as gifts and proof that yes, he had indeed visited and lived on another planet. Though he suspected both the women in his life would be more interested in the photos, especially those of Cal (both knew of the woman from Elliott's stories) and Cliff (who they most definitely hadn't heard of, but would no doubt be incredibly interested in). The time finally came to group at the meeting point. He wasn't surprised that Zan was there first, that had been the way they arranged. He was however surprised to see the man smoking, even though he knew the man smoked he still couldn't think of him as a stress smoker in the way John was. "Now that is a man who smokes when stressed" he remarked in a low murmur to Kay as they walked towards him. "He's doing all thing the things John does when he's smoking as stress relief."

At the sound of their footsteps in the alleyway Zan looked up and upon seeing who it was removed the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out against the wall. He didn't say anything just gave a nod of recognition. A few minutes later the main group arrived, all having put on some form of game-face. Had Zan not been around they would have been throwing around all kinds of reassurances about how they were gonna pull it off and Dakkon was going to believe them. But with Zan there the group was very much thrown off-balance no wanting to say too much around him in case it came back and bit them in the ass. Jay had received the drop-off address during the lunch break of the trial. It wasn't too far from the court, but it did take them into the more grimier areas of the city, more precisely a block of buildings that had been condemned and were due to be demolished in the coming days. Both Dakkons were already there, and it was clear now why both John and Jay had called the future Dakkon battle worn. The lizardkin from this time had some scars, but the future one was littered with them. His clothes were different too, far more military than the younger Dakkon's and the boots had a post apocalyptic fighter vibe going on. Dakkon spoke first, though his comment was in Darriluxi, directed at Zan, and very clearly an insult. The man scowled before shooting back an insult of his own, venom clearly audible in his tone. This went back and forth for a minute or so, and while Zan was clearly annoyed, whatever it was that was being said to Dakkon was getting right under the lizardkin's skin. "As much as I'd love to stand here and listen to you two flirting all day, lets get on with business." Jay interjected. Dakkon looked outraged at what the assassin was insinuating where as Zan just took it in his stride with a sardonic smirk. "I knew he was into fucking up kids, didn't think he was into fucking them too." Zan was the oldest in their group, but by the age standards of Dakkon's race he was barely an adult. It had been decided that Jay was doing the handover, even with the affect the paradox was having on her, and as they spoke the assassin gestured for Kay to pass her the sword.

 

[MzHyde]

During the day if it wasn't for the fact she had a replica sword on her back, she could have believed it was just a normal day out with Chas. But it never fully ever felt like that, apart from the times when she 'helped' Chas pick out souvenirs for his wife and kid back home. Now here they were reaching the meeting spot just before the rest of their group but after Zan. She nodded at Chas' words about how Zan was a stress smoker. "we'll just never speak of this to John" she murmured back at him, knowing Chas would get exactly why she said it. John didn't need any other reminders that there was another small similarity linked to the already known similarity which annoyed John to no end. As they got closer and she saw him stub out his cigarette, she just nodded back her acknowledgment of his presence, deciding that if he was going to be mute on this situation then so was she.

As the others arrived just before the two Dakkon, she took close notice of how they all were having their game faces on and being as stoic and unreadable as possible for not wanting Zan to hear or see anything that they were thinking. She even noticed how Fia had a rather impressive poker face on, seeing truly for the first time just how it would easily get her into buildings she probably shouldn't be in, in her timeline. The grimier area of the drop off point that they had to go to was one of the main things that both Kay and Fia noticed, thinking that it couldn't have looked anymore like a movie scene if Dakkon had tried. Seeing the two Dakkons side by side it was quite something to see, Fia particularly seeing what Jay and John meant by battle worn of future Dakkon. It also brought up very faint and blurry images in her head of when she saw the numerous Rinaa's but it was so blurry she couldn't work it out or how she had it in her head. It was still heavily blocked from her and it felt like when someone tries to rattle a locked door open even though they know it won't work.

She mentally shook it from her mind and watched on as Zan and Dakkon threw out clear insults at each other even the ugh it wasn't understood what precisely was bring said. It was their body language and venom in their tone of voices that gave it away. Both were glad when Jay interrupted them to make the two men stop verbally attack each other. Zan's comeback about kids however did not sit well with Kay in the slightest and she had to truly fight with herself to not let her anger at the comment show on the outside. Luckily for her, Jay helped her attention move on by gesturing for her to hand the sword over which she gladly did. She pulled off the backpack, pulled out the sword and handed it to Jay carefully despite it being wrapped up and in the scabbard. She figured the more carefully and seemingly begrudgingly she did it, the more authentic it would come across.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Zanand Dakkon insulting each other most definitely hadn't been part of the plan, but when the politician continued the insulting, while at the same time managing not to look that outwardly offended by whatever it was that the lizardkin had to say Jay suspected that Zan was trying to rattle Dakkon on purpose. Which she had to admit was a plan that was both clever and stupid in equal measure. Clever because the insults would throw Dakkon off balance and make him less likely to spot that the sword was a fake and stupid because pissing off a very powerful lizard was never a good idea, and this lizard ran a whole spy department. This theory was confirmed when Zan made his sardonic quip in response to her flirting comment.

Jay took the sword, wrapping both hands around it, one around the hilt and one around the scabbard, moving it up and down as if weighing it up. There was a noticeable focusing of both lizardkin's eyes at the sight of the blade, their eyes following the minute movements of the scabbard. Jay glanced back at the main group who all nodded (even Zan) and she pulled the blade from it's sheath in one fluid move to prove that they hadn't just shoved any old random sword in that scabbard. The older Dakkon's eyes were downright predatory at the sight of the blade. After turning it around so they could see both sides, the workings on the hilt, handle and guard Jay slipped it back into the scabbard, but despite the older Dakkon's outstretched hand she didn't pass it over, instead passing it to teh blacksmith who attached the scabbard to the side of his belt.

"Ah, ah, ah, not yet." Jay told them. "Before either of you even TOUCH this blade, you're making an unbreakable bond on your blood." The younger Dakkon wet to say something but Jay cut him off with a glare. "You want the blade, I.... we want reassurance. No bond, no blade. That goes for both of you" She told them firmly. The two Dakkons looked at each other, clearly having some kind of wordless and/or psychic conversation. Jay didn't bother waiting for them to come to a decision reaching for the backpack Kay had been carrying around, which also contained the necessary equipment to make the Isogrii blood bond. As future Jay had calculated the Dakkons agreed to the bond, their desire for the blade outweighing their reluctance to be tied in such a way to Jay (this was what future Jay had said in the holo-message her native tongue). The assassin had spent a good chunk of her morning pondering the exact wording to go with bond, and had had all the others in the group proofread it to make sure there were no loopholes in it. The bond encompassed never wielding the any element of blade in any form or in any time (past, present, future or paradox) against Jay's family by blood, jay's family by adoption, John's family by blood, Elliott and Cal's family by blood (including Zan), Chas' family by blood and by marriage, Cliff's family by blood, Dan's blood family and a select list of other people that were deemed important enough to warrant such protection. The Dakkons repeated the words and the gestures perfectly, though were clearly surprised by how long it went on for and how many people the bond encompassed. With all sworn, marked and blood mixed, the sword was visibly reluctantly passed back to Jay (Dam glaring daggers at the lizardkin). The assassin also held onto it for a few moments before grudgingly passing it over to the older Dakkon, reiterating the brutal things he would do if he broke the bond. With business concluded the two lizardkin walked away further into the building site.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and Fia both let Jay take charge of the exchange, knowing it could only be her really who did it, especially as they knew of the bond that needed to be done. They both observed the two Dakkon's actions and body language, seeing how predatory the older one was looking at the blade as Jay took her time with showing it to him. They saw how he stretched out his hand but was glad that Jay was able to stop that from happening for the time being before handing it to Dan for safe keeping as she explained about the blood bond that was the clause for the Dakkons getting the sword. As they looked at each other. The two women were slightly concerned for a brief moment that they'd just go for the sword and make a run for it, but luckily they agreed to the bond. Satisfied that Dakkon 1 and 2 were in agreement to the bond and reciting the bond word for word it certainly eased both Fia and Kay's mind that no matter what neither of the lizardkin could go after any of their large family. With so many of their family, it didn't take much to imagine how much power the lizatdkin could abuse and rip from them with the sword if given an inch of an opportunity.

With Jay's hesitation to hand over the sword which only sold the illusion that it was the real deal even more, they watched as Dakkons took it and without saying a word or wasting any time, just walked off further into the abandoned building site. It was only when they walked away did Kay and Fia both breathe a sigh of relief that the exchanged went relatively successfully. If it wasn't for Zan being there still, they would have commented on the exchange but chose not to, instead keeping their reactions to their simple small sigh they both did. For Fia it was also because it went successfully throughout the entire day and nothing went wrong for Kay and Chas either. Eventually though Kay couldn't stay completely silent, choosing to say something eith very carefully chosen words, "well that went as smoothly as we could imagine".

 

[_gallifrog_]

The look the older Dakkon was giving the blade was more than enough to confirm their theory (the one theory every single one of them agreed on) that whatever plans the lizardkin had for this blade, they weren't good. Jay felt even more justified in making both Dakkons swear the bond. It ensured that they couldn't kill any version of Elliott to make the blade (which had been a major worry for all of them now that they truly grasped just how powerful a MindWalker Elliott actually was). This wasn't the first time the assassin had made a blood bond, they weren't as serious as a forfeit bond, but they did come with a special side effect if it was broken which was that the bond could be used like a homing beacon by the other bonded person to track down the one who had broken the bond. As she threatened when passing the blade over, Jay was more than willing to dedicate the rest of her life hopping through time hunting down the lizardkin should they break the bond.

Withe the lizards gone there was no point in hanging around so they left the building site, exiting from a different side to the one that they came out of. Only when they were well and truly out of earshot did Jay let allow her shoulders to slump slightly and let out a long slow breath. There was nodding at Kay's statement and even a noise of agreement from Zan (the first word he'd directly spoken to them that day). "They've bought it alright" Jay confirmed, from her experience with the lizard she was 70% certain the two had believed they were being given the real sword. It wasn't higher because she couldn't claim to know the lizardkin well enough to spot all his tells or read all his thoughts from his micro facial expressions. "And now it's out of our hands. Though I hope they fail to convert it, it'd serve 'em right. Especially the older one. That look on his face....." "Arsehole doesn't even begin to cover it."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia was glad to be leaving the area now that the exchange had happened. It was just a depressing area to be around which only was amplified by the reason for them even being there in the first place. It was just such a relief to know that the lizardkin actually bought the ruse and Jay's 70% of certainty was in fact all correct. Both her and Kay nodded at Jay's words about hoping his plan all fails on him just to make a point that he can't have everything fall to his favour no matter what it was. At the mention of the look on his face, both agreed that it said so much to them. "asshole doesn't begin to cover it just like smug git doesn't. Pretty sure there isn't a word in any dictionary that would appropriately describe that look he had when looking at the sword" Fia commented back. Kay had to smirk ever so slightly at Fia's response, thinking she hit the nail perfectly on the head with her own summary of what just had gone down. "think smug git is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg with Dakkon" Kay agreed.

With the talking going on, they both knew all they could do now was hope that nothing would come along and bite them in the arse, which results in the blood bond with Jay to be broken and head back to Cal and Cliff's apartment so they could completely relax without having to put on a front around Zan or anyone else they couldn't trust. Kay particularly was finding having this front on mentally tiring as she hadn't have had to do it for a little while until all this trial and meeting Zan came up. She had gotten used to letting her guard drop slightly around this new extended family of hers since she got saved by John and Chas, and now she was finding her guard having to be almost constantly back up. She was convinced that if she wasn't pregnant she wouldn't find it nearly as mentally tiring as she did right now. Whereas Fia was always to switching between having her guard up and relaxing from her nights and days of sneaking out whilst completely looking over her shoulder.

 

[_gallifrog_]

There were smirks and chuckles at both Fia and Kay's comments, all finding them to be spot on when it came to the negative aspects of Dakkon's personality. "Not in the English or Attili dictionary anyway." Cliff smirked when the topic turned to Dakkon and their mutual dislike of the lizardkin. It made sense now why Jay had called him an ally as opposed to a friend, she trusted him to do his job and have her back, but only when it suited his own purposes or interests. A dangerous man to get on the wrong side of. "I've spent SO LONG pouring over them when learning the languages. Although...." she tipped her head to one side slightly as she considered "there IS a word that might do the trick in my native language, but it's really a slang thing kids use as opposed to a serious insults used by adults." "I'd put my money on German if we were picking Earth languages, they have all kinds of crazy words that just don't translate easily to English." Jay remarked. She didn't speak German, but had spent far more hours than she would care to admit looking through internet sites of hilarious untranslatable words when bored or procrastinating.

While the others were discussing Dakkon Zan had fallen behind the group slightly, having received a text on his phone. The building site was uneven and covered in piles of rubble, which forced him to slow down so e could first read and then answer the message. As the group just wanted to get out of the place and back to their respective apartments they'd taken a short cut through a building that had had a whole blasted in the side of it. His eyebrows furrowed together in surprise at the message and he quickly typed a reply. The response was almost instantaneous and made the man stop dead in his tracks. He looked up at the group in front of him, then back and the phone, comparing the image that he'd been sent with real life in front of him. A look of complete horror came over his face at the sight of a bright red targeting dot on the back of Elliott's head.

To the rest of the group it would initially appear like Zan had lost his mind. The man bolted out of nowhere and with one firm hand to the centre of Elliott's back he pushed his son hard, causing Elliott to sprawl to the side, landing hard on the dust and rubble laden ground. Then the shot rang out and Zan followed suit, falling face first onto the ground, bullet entry wound clearly visible in the back of his head. The "OI what the fuck was that for?" that John had started died and was replaced with "fucking bollocks, somebody's shooting at us!"

 

[MzHyde]

Fia felt particularly proud of herself when the others smirked and chuckled at her comment about Dakkon being a smug git. She didn't always use that term for describing people as to her it always brought out the borderline cockney accent in her accent which she despised, considering she was always well spoken. Not posh sounding but nowhere near illiterate either. Yet for this particular conversation it seemed the right time to use the term. She chuckled at Cliff as did Kay, when Cliff said there probably wasn't one in either Attili or English, but possibly was in her native tongue, with Jay saying possibly German. At first neither her or Kay noticed Zan flagging behind because of messages coming in on his phone. Both were focused on the chatter and watching where they stepped (especially Kay) because of the sheer amount of rubble on the ground.

It was only when they making the short cut that they realised Zan was lagging behind and looking at his phone then at their group then at the phone again, wondering what had gotten into Zan. They were just getting more confused when what felt like in a blink of an eye Zan was shoving Elliott out of the way and onto the ground before rapidly dropping to the ground himself with a bullet hole in his skull. Kay wasted no time getting out of the way when John exclaimed the obvious. "and something tells me he wasn't the target" Fia remarked, gesturing at Zan on the floor and Elliott having been pushed over and out the way. "we need out of here now" she added firmly, instantly taking cover and trying to work out where the hell the shot came from. She didn't want to risk someone taking another shot at Elliott or their group yet she also knew it was dangerous staying put.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott had no idea what was going on, one moment he was fine, the next he had a face full of construction site rubble. He'd barely managed to throw his hands out in front him before he'd hit the ground, and as a result both his hands and one of his cheeks were grazed and bleeding lightly. Any 'what the fuck was that for?' remarks he was going to make died at the sound of the shot and a body hitting the ground. 'If Zan hadn't acted that would have been him lying there on the ground bleeding out. At the sound of the Jay had thrown herself sideways behind a large chunk of rubble, her military and Isogrii training kicking in before her conscious brains did. Cliff's instinctive reaction was to form a dome of thick, transparent ice around herself, Cal, Dan and Zan's body. John and Chas took wasted no time in taking cover after the shot had fired, going blindly for the nearest piece of cover which meant that Chas ended up with Kay and john with Fia.

"Agreed this place is a fucking kill-box" Jay hissed back, eyes scanning the upper floors of the surrounding area, looking for potential sniper positions. Zan's phone had fallen right in front where Chas and he picked it up. The text message that had shocked Zan said simply 'I've changed my mind, you're not next, he is.' Zan's reply had been one word- who?. It was the response from the shooter that made Chas blanch in the same way that Zan had earlier, an photo of their group from behind, a laser light clearly visible on the back of Elliott's head. He threw the phone to jay, knowing she had the best chance of all of them of matching where the photo. "JAY! USE THIS! Shooter took it from their vantage point." Jay grabbed the phone in mid-air and glanced at the screen.

It was then that the second shot was fired, again in Elliott's direction, but it was stopped by Cal melting it mid-air with a bolt of fire. it was this shot that allowed Jay to get a location seeing the muzzle flash of the rifle. Without warning she ran from behind the cover of the boulder towards the half demolished stairwell and leapt at it, scaling the metal railings like a spider until she reached the third floor of the building. "Everybody get behind the ice! It's the safest place!" Cliff called to the others, opening a hole either side of the dome

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded at what Jay said, finding that her training she had had from Jay in the future was paying off as she could one hundred percent see that Jay was right. If they didn't find a way out of here stat then none of them be safe, summarising that any of them could be next for protecting Elliott, having figured out that Ell was indeed the target from how Zan came charging in and throwing Elliott out of the way. She was also glad that Chas managed to get to the same side as Kay into cover, whilst noting that John got to her side easily enough with Cliff managing to shield the rest of them. Kay spotted the phone at the same time as Chas did, finding he beat her to it when it came grabbing the phone, as she looked over his shoulder to see the series of texts and picture before he threw it to Jay. Seeing that Elliott truly is the target made her stomach drop, knowing if they didn't get out of here and get Elliott tobl safety soon, they'd have more than two dead bodies on their hands because no way would any of them let Elliott die without risking their own lives in the process.

Out of natural reaction, Kay and Fia shielded their heads as another shot came flying toward them before Cal managed to melt it with her pyrokensis. Yet this unknown shooter was utterly stupid trying to take out Elliott when Jay was in the facinity, as it gave her honed skills the chance to figure out their location and make a run for it. With Cliff opening up a section either side for the rest of them to get into the ice barrier, Kay and Fia felt they didn't need telling twice as they quickly got inside the barrier. Neither knew what to say, just glad to be in some sort of safe section, Fia checking if Elliott was okay, just noticing the grazes from the fall. "you okay Ell?" she asked anyway. Then there was the other part of her that just wanted to run out and help Jay by going the other side but she knew deep down in this situation there's no way any of them would let her leave. She felt conflicted because she wanted to stay to help keep everyone safe, including her unborn self, but she wanted to give Jay backup as well.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott and John did both consider for a brief moment running after Jay to give her back up, but decided against it. Elliott knew that as he was the target running out from behind the safety of his block of rubble was an incredibly stupid idea. He'd only lifted his head up for the briefest moment and the shooter had taken another shot, so he quite willingly threw himself through the hole in the ice when it opened up, very nearly landing on top of Zan's body. John on the other hand had spent his entire life running towards danger, but even he could see that running towards this particular piece of trouble wouldn't do any good. In fact he'd just be more of a hindrance than a help, Jay had scaled that metal like it was effortless, but John new it was anything but. It was also a condemned building and he was far heavier than Jay was. Use the stairs and he'd arrive too late, so John chose the ice shelter, letting Fia go first.

Elliott got up onto his knees and moved right beside John. At Fia's question he shrugged. "We've just given away a copy of the sword that scarred me to some power hungry lizard kin, somebody just tried to kill me, my estranged birth father just saved my life and now Jay's going after some kind of assassin in a derelict, condemned building. I have no idea what I'm feeling right now." John wrapped an arm around Elliott, words wouldn't help in this situation, now was the time for comforting gestures. Cal meanwhile had pulled out a phone and was calling the relevant authorities, reporting gunshots fired and one person shot dead. Cliff meanwhile, took a hold of Zan's shoulder and gently rolled the man onto his side. What she expected to see was most of his face blasted away, exposed blood and brains everywhere as the bullet had ripped out of his head. What she saw surprised her, only part of his temple had been blasted away, there was skull visible, but also the metal of neural implants. She couldn't help but let out a gasp as she reached for his wrist and neck. "He's still got a pulse, it's weak, but there, get back-up, but call a bloody ambulance too!" She yelled at Cal in the assertive 'I'm a bloody doctor, do as i say' tone she used when working in high stakes situations, which this now very much was.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia let Elliott get closer to John but stayed on his other side protectively as he answered her question in such a way that she should have seen coming. She just nodded and placed her own hand on him comfortingly deciding to not say another word other than "right.. Sorry". She really hoped that Jay would be able to get to the shooter without getting shot herself, Fia feeling very much antsy over the whole feeling and forcing herself not to do the reckless thing of going after Jay. She had made the decision to stay eith her family and she continued to tell herself it was very much the safest and most rational decision. Last thing they all needed was her being reckless and risking her life as well. She listened and saw as Cal instantly called in for the authorities whilst Cliff checked Zan over, feeling shocked that Cliff even found a pulse, having assumed the head shot he took would have killed him instantly.

At Cliff's authorative tone, Fia and Kay both knew that no one was to fuck with her or question her when she gave orders which meant they knew Cal not to do the same thing. Kay was doing her damnest to try and remain as calm as possible, knowing this was the worst scenario for her to be in right now but she was also heavily focused on keeping an eye on Jay as much as possible from where they were, hoping that they wouldn't be saying no to Elliott on this day. Yet she also felt so incredibly helpless in her state, knowing if she wasn't in the state she was she would have been able to do so much more as she would be the one less likely to die for good from this attack, depending on the metal of the bullet. So she kept thinking to herself 'please let the backup be speedy in getting here' along with 'who the fuck is the shooter?!' whilst subconsciously being highly protective of her bump.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Cal's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Cliff said there was still a pulse to be felt from Zan's body. She'd taken him for dead, they'd seen the photos of Mara's body and how the entire back of her head had been blown off. She couldn't say for sure, but some instinct was telling her that this was the same shooter, and seeing Zan and Elliott together had made him/her/them realise that the two were actually on speaking terms of sorts. She couldn't help but reach out her free hand and feel Zan's other wrist. It wasn't that she doubted her wife, but at the same time Zan's survival was so completely unbelievable that she had to know for herself. Like her wife she let out a gasp when she felt the very faint pulse and immediately began making it clear that they didn't need a body bag, they needed an ambulance of a field trauma team or whoever the hell was available and nearest that had the equipment to treat a head shot and transport the victim to the nearest operating table.

When Cliff turned the body over Elliott initially turned his head away, not wanting see the blown apart mess of skull fragments, blood and brain bits. Cliff's initial gasp wasn't enough to make him turn back around or open his eyes again. But her words, Cal's answering gasp and john's "buggering Hells!" did. Like his sister he couldn't help but seek a pulse, a confirmation that this really was happening. The moving of Zan caused th bullet to drop from the man's skull. Elliott knew enough to say that it came from some kind of high powered sniper rfile. Had anybody objected to her calls for an ambulance/medical team for Zan Cliff would have glared at them, saying something along the lines of 'I am a doctor and this man has been shot in front of me. Whatever my differences with him personally are, I won't let them stop me from doing my job' .

At the sight of Jay coming after them the shooter had fired anther few shots with their sniper rifle, only one of them actually hit her, grazing her upper arm very slightly. When it became bullets weren't going to stop Jay, the shooter chose instead to run, jump and parkour through the ruins of the building in order to attempt to escape. But Jay had locked on, she'd smelt blood and seen red and there was no way she was going to let this one go. Which was why when the emergency team arrived they were treated to the sight of first the shooter, and then Jay throwing themselves out of a second floor window. The shooter landed badly on top of their rifle, shattering their leg, while Jay landed in a slick roll and crouch. the shooter was hissing in pain, but that didn't stop Jay from questioning them for the answers she wanted. Cliff took charge of the medical people, giving her hypothesis on why she thought Zan was still alive, taking the bullet from Elliott to give to the doctors. cal took charge of explaining what exactly had happened, as well as making the case for a media blackout on the matter.

 

[MzHyde]

The moment Zan was turned over Kay also instantly turned away, not wanting to see the bullet's damage on the man. She normally would have a stronger stomach, but pregnancy was making her much less capable of coping seeing such things. Like the others she was just as shocked to hear that Zan was alive still, albeit in a critical condition. If she was either Cal or Elliott she probably would have wanted to see for herself if the pulse was there also, so she couldn't be surprised that they checked it for themselves to try and make their minds believe it more. She glanced down as Elliott picked up the bullet that dropped dout of Zan's head as he was turned over, not personally recognising the caliber but it was clear to her that Elliott did recognise it, which was to her was more important than her knowing it.

Fia kept looking out toward Jay, trying to keep up with her swift and fast movements, noticing when she got hit but not critically. She also couldn't help the tiny smirk of pride for Jay when she saw the sniper realise they were utterly fucked and only had the option to try and run away. She also knew running from someone like Jay would be utterly pointless as if anyone could catch them up with ease, it would be Jay. As the emergency team showed up at the precise moment Jay and the sniper came crashing out of the upstairs window, both her and Kay couldn't help but watch with mouths slightly agape as the sniper landed badly on their rifle, wincing as they just knew that kind of fall had to have fucked their legs badly. As the medical team made it to the rest of them, they stepped out of the way so the team could do their job. Jay's questioning of the sniper didn't go amiss either on Fia. "I hope Jay gets answers" she muttered.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott spent what felt like ages just gaping at Zan's body, rolling the bullet back and forth between his fingers. His mind was already starting to go into shock, logically he knew that Zan had been shot, but was still alive, but all he could wonder was why. Why had Zan been a target? Why had he Elliott been a target? Why had Zan saved his life and taken a bullet that should have killed him? The man hadn't exactly shown much fatherly affection to him before then, expect maybe in the few moments where nostalgic things from the past had come up. Had Zan not noticed, it would have been Elliott sprawled on the ground dead. He couldn't compute how Zan was still alive, his brain unable to make the connection between the metal implants in Zan's head and the man surviving. It was only at the sound of a loud crash from above that he looked up to see the shooter jumping across one of the gaping holes of the floor above, quickly followed by Jay who leapt across the void without any hesitation like some kind of predatory cat. Cliff heard the crunch of bone from where she was standing and winced "Ouch, that's got to be shattered, there's no way it was anywhere near a clean break."

The others watched as Jay dusted herself off and made her way to the fallen assassin, kicking the sniper rifle to one side where it was picked up by one of the military rescue people to be bagged and tagged. From their distance, with the sound of the rescue team coming in it was impossible to hear what was being said, and Cliff's brief attempt to lipread also failed. What was visible however was the murder in Jay's eyes as she reached down and pressed the heal of her hand hard against the shattered leg bone, causing the shooter to scream in agony. One of the rescuers went to step forwards to stop jay, but a signal from Cal and Cliff stopped them in their tracks. After that all was a blur. Zan was put on a stretcher, various drips and a blood bag added (Cliff knew his blood type having read the file) and into the waiting vehicle. The assassin was also taken, but she (and Jay would be heading to a military facility) the shooter was being taken for treatment and questioning- though not necessarily in that order, jay to help do the questioning and because it was the only way the could convince Jay to get her own wound treated. Cliff went over first to Cal and gave her a long list of instructions, her wife nodding, before pulling her in, hugging the doctor tightly, then kissing her. She then came over to the main group. "I'm heading to the hospital with him" she jerked a head in the direction of Zan. "I'll keep you as updated as I can, but he'll be going straight to scans then surgery when he gets there."

 

[MzHyde]

Everything just felt like it was going nought to sixty in seconds to Kay and Fia. One second they were thankful for the exchange going to plan, then the next Zan was on the floor with a head shot wound barely holding on, Jay seeing red and going after the sniper and the rest of them wondering what the fuck was going on as the back up came in and helped them get Zan the help he very much needed as well as bringing in the sniper for questioning. As Zan was put on a stretcher and into an ambulance to head to the hospital with Cliff declaring she was going with them which seemed completely logical considering she wad the doctor out all of them and could give more than enough information on the way of what happened and Zan's state.

They nodded in agreement, strangely hoping that the guy would pull through. Even if it was for Cal and Elliott's sake more than Zan's, but both neither to sya it out loud to know they were thinking the guy didn't deserve to go out like that. "go, we'll head back to the apartment" Kay told her, putting an arm round Fia who still had some form of hold on Elliott. She knew there was nothing else they could do as Jay had things in hand with her agreement in going to the military facility to help with the questioning of the assassin, and Cliff had things in hand with the paramedics and Zan. Right now the rest of them needed to be there to help Elliott through his obvious shock that had kicked in. "we got things here. If anything happens we'll let you know as well" Fia said, following on from Kay's words.

 

[_gallifrog_]

It wasn't a great surprise to anybody that Cliff was choosing to go to the hospital (especially not to Cal, who knew how seriously Cliff took being a doctor). This kind of injury was Cliff's general area of practice so Cal knew that her wife would be donning her scrubs and helping the surgery team in whatever way she could. Elliott just nodded mutely. Whatever adrenaline had been in his system had now gone and he was now being hit by the full shock of what had happened. He couldn't do much more than lean against John for support (both physical and emotional) and all he wanted was to get the hell away from the site and back to the apartment which he knew was safe. "Do what you have to, we'll look after this one." Chas told her and by 'this one' it was clear he meant Elliott. "Yeah, you go do that." John told Cliff with a nod, his tone rather than his words emphasising what Chas was saying.

They didn't bother with the long train journey back, instead taking a lift back to the apartment block in one of military vehicles. Cal sat up front giving directions, while the others sat on the bench seating behind. Nobody said anything not, knowing what to say, or what there even was that was worth saying. Back at the apartment Elliott flopped onto the sofa, curling up next to John the way he used to after a particularly bad nightmare as a teenager. John wrapped an arm around him, saying nothing just occasionally rubbing circles on Elliott's back. The blank, slightly glazed eyed expression on Elliott's face told the others that he was retreating into his head as a way of dealing with and processing everything he'd just seen. Cal meanwhile made tea, under strict instructions from her wife on what to do should anybody start exhibiting symptoms of shock. (Cal was pretty sure she herself was starting to feel it and after placing the various hot mugs on the table made her way to Dan's side (knowing that he adoptive father would be able to provide the same kind of comfort for her than John was providing for Elliott).

 

[MzHyde]

At the apartment after Cal had made tea for everyone, putting the mugs on the table Kay and Fia nodded their thanks to her, unable to say much more knowing full well that Elliott was retreating within his mind, the signs of shock more than visible right now. They both grabbed a mug each just wanting the comfort of holding hot mug in their hands that the heat always brought them. They felt absolutely helpless in this moment as Elliott retreated into John and Cal into Dan, which they both knew was they're right places to be but it didn't stop that need to help and not able to give it any less strong in their minds. Fia wasn't exhibiting the first signs of Shock at this moment in time, but she had a feeling it would hit her massively a little later on. Instead she was using her training from Jay and her attachment and love for Elliott to try and keep her as mentally stable as possible. It was proving difficult though as of all the situations she had been in, the other end of a sniper had not been one before now.

Like Fia, Kay hadn't ever been in the situation they just were. Yet unlike Fia, she was showing the beginning stages of shock over it, having found that out of everything she had witnessed seeing someone almost die in front of her by a shooter they couldn't even see apart from Jay, was a lot to take in. It felt so much worse when the reality was really kicking in that they almost lost Elliott today and would have if it wasn't for Zan's quick thinking and actions. She may have gone through this whole time not trusting the man, but there he was throwing himself in the line of fire to save his estranged son. Ignoring the fact that he was suicidal, that he had done so much wrong in the past, he still did a bloody heroic act in her eyes. She didn't even have the energy to lift her mug and actually drink from it, just still as it remained in her hands whilst she pondered over absolutely everything. Fia then started to think about Jay and the assassin at the military base, wondering if they'd succeed in getting any answers about who this person was and why they were attempting to murder Elliott.

Like the others, Fia couldn't talk but she could at least sip on her tea as her pondering plagued her mind, feeling glad that she wasn't anywhere near the assassin as she would have choice actions and words for them herself.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott didn’t drink anything from his mug, though that was hardly surprising. What he really wanted was the feeling of a warm mug in his hand. He was well and truly in shock now, it had finally hit home that by all right he should be the one dead, that this may well have been the assassination attempt that killed him in Rinaa’s timeline, For him, death would have been instant, there was nothing in his head to stop a bullet tearing right through his skull, splattering his brains on the ground. Attilian medicine was far more advanced than that of Earth, but even they hadn’t managed to find a cure for a direct headshot yet, though for a deflected one like Zan’s however, there was hope that something could be done.

John was cursing and thanking Zan in equal measure. Had it not been for Zan’s crude, but effective shove, John would have witnessed Elliott dying before his very eyes, unable to do anything about it. Out of all the people in the room, Elliott was the one John wanted to see die the least, knowing that his loss, more than anybody else would tear him apart. And they had come so close to that, so close to losing him. He now owed Zan a serious debt, something he wasn’t exactly happy about, but would take it any day over Elliott being dead. When he’d remarked in the past that it would take a miracle for Zan to redeem himself he hadn’t actually given any thought to what such a miracle could be, but this might well be it. If Zan was willing to throw himself in front of a bullet, it was the surest possible indicator that he still cared. It took balls and complete selflessness to do that. If Zan did pull through John vowed to himself that afterwards he’d actually talk to the man (and thank him wile very much meaning it) instead of trying to pick a fight with him

An indeterminable amount of time passed before the silence was broken by the sound of Cal’s mobile ringing. Had it been anybody other than Cliff ringing from the hospital Cal would have declined the call, put the phone face down on the table and continued trying to wrap her head around what the hell had just happened. But it was her wife (no doubt ringing with news) so she didn’t. After speaking in private for a minute Cal put the phone on speaker and placed it on the table so all could hear. “Hey all, I’m at the main hospital- the one I work in, that’s where Zan was taken. I’m not breaking any ethical rules by telling you this- both Cal and Elliott are down on the paperwork as next of kin- I’m there as well actually, which is surprising.” Realising she was rambling slightly Cliff switched back to the point. “Anyway, I'm just ringing to give the update… Zan’s still alive and the necessary scans have just finished. It’s pretty much as I expected, his neural implants saved his life…. To be frank” the others could practically hear Cliff shaking her head in disbelief over the phone “he shouldn’t have survived that shot. It’s ONLY because his neural implants are prototypes- apparently he still works as a beta tester.” Cliff couldn’t keep the surprise and slight edge of fascination out of her tone “- and so they aren’t implanted in the usual brain sites that he’s still with us. The bullet hit and ricocheted off one and travelled around the edge of the brain and exited at the temple as opposed to going straight through it. We’re prepping for surgery right now, it'll take a couple of hours and I'll update you all as soon as we finish. The lead surgeon is my boss, Cal and Dan know who I mean, but for everybody else, he’s got an impressive track record and is one of the leading neurosurgeons in this country, so Zan’s in good hands." There was a pause as Cliff considered how to phrase her next bit of news. "I know this isn’t exactly the time and it’s the last thing we need to be worrying about, but it's best you hear this now- the information’s been released. Zan’s heart stopped on the journey here, we managed to bring him back, but he was dead for long enough that the dead man switch kicked in. Already there’s signs of a shitstorm of epic proportions brewing. The government keep trying to wipe the information, but it just keeps on coming.”

 

[MzHyde]

John wasn't the only thinking that they owed Zan a serious debt. Kay and Fia both were for various reasons. Kay because she knew how badly it would affect John, it was a situation she did not want to witness, not only that she had grown fond of Elliott as well and didn't want to lose him either. With Fia it was because she knew what his death would create. That other timeline would win out, war would rage, John would be an emotional mess and become an utter puppet to her and Kay, who would become utter monsters. It terrified her also of that fact as she did not want to grow up without him being there for her. She knew it would be her grief that makes her cold hearted and callous. She also didn't want her unborn self to be brought up in a world without Elliott in it. So for all those many reasons, it felt like they all owed Zan so much if he pulls through. A tough revelation to swallow and accept but it was one needed to be accepted nonetheless.

It felt like forever with no one speaking until Cal's phone started ringing with Cliff giving them giving them an update. When it went on speaker, they both listened intently at the information being said, not wanting to miss a single word. Hearing that it was indeed Zan's implants that has all but saved his life was of some relief to them both. They didn't think they'd ever be relieved to hear such news about Zan but here they were feeling exactly that. As Cliff continued the information, they both got shocked that Zan died long enough to trigger the dead man switch, leaking all the information he knew out to all of Attil. "bloody hell..." Fia gasped. With everything being leaked out, she just knew this whole situation had now gone from 0-60 metaphorically speaking in that five minutes of Zan's death. She and Kay just knew now that there was no stopping this and nothing the government did would stop this tidlewave of secrets from ambushing Attil.