More Meteor Showers Bring Even Stranger Powers. (O/A)

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

From the smoke filled observation room, a black and red fleshy tendril with barbs at the end bursts forth and pierces the creature's head. A spray of black and red liquids spatter across Alec's face as he looks back to Kerana.

"Ke...ra...na"

Like a fish on a hook, the torso is yanked backward into the smoke. A horrible wet crunching sound emanates from the observation room, and then there are only footsteps.

Shane steps out of the smoke, the emergency lights kicking in. He looks nearly fifteen years younger than he did less than an hour ago, and he is also not wearing any clothing. He gazes at Annie through long unkempt hair and holds his hands out to the side. For a quick second he regards the amazing beauty that is Annie's sculpted nude form. That thought is quickly dismissed though as soon as reason kicks in. He can never be with her...not after what's happened.

"I don't want to hurt you Annie, but you can't stop me from getting out of here. Just step aside and let me out. The girls that helped me out of here are free to go too, just get out of the way so I can leave here without having to kill anyone."  

[PixelMuse]

Trinity layed there silently unconscious on the floor in front of the elevator. Her her body had been scraped up, battered and covered with ashes. She was facing the elevator her arms placed as if they were reaching out toward the girls. It is uncertain whether Annie would remember her they only met twice and the second time was to rescue her from Leviathan.  

[mc2]

"Well this is embarrassing. We haven't even had a proper date and we're already seeing each other naked," Annie joked about them both being naked, she would be embarrassed if the situation wasn't so serious. But, one thing she had picked up in the Daedalus Project was the more serious the situation was the more likely she was to crack jokes.

Annie sighed, pushing her auburn curls behind her ear, "No seriously, though, what do you plan to do with your new found freedom? If all you want is freedom, then fine, I'll step aside and let you go. Hell, I'll go with you. But, is it to try and bring Gidget back from the dead? Then no, I can't let you go. Is it to kill more humans? Then, no I can't let you go."

"I'll forgive you for the boy you consumed and for hurting Trinity," Annie said glancing over at Trinity lying on the floor scraped up, she wasn't even sure if Trinity was alive, but Shane was more important to her than Trinity ever was. It was the coldness of her heart, Annie supposed. "But... the question is what do you want to do with your freedom, Shane? Your answer depends on my action. Don't make me make you number 27 on my list of murdered."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Shane looks at her sadly. This was definitely the Annie he knew. Defiant and unwilling to move from a position she felt strongly about. However he couldn't lie to her.

"Don't you think she deserves to be free of that shell Annie? To be able to experience the world the way she was thirteen years ago. To actually be able to feel emotion instead of imitating it?"

"That is my goal in this life Annie. As wonderful as it sounds to be together...I have to give my sister her life back. I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Suddenly something inside of Shane sends a sharp pain through his brain. He growls and moans, clasping his head. There was a voice, a boy, the boy Alec. Telling him not to kill, to find another way.

"Augh, quiet! There...no...could it be possible...I...shut up!"

The voice silences itself and Shane slowly rights himself. He looks up at Kerana, "That boy...Alec...he really loved you."

He turns his attention back to Annie and says, "I have to get out of here before Trinity's security team arrives. They wont be willing to talk like you are, and I wont have a choice but to retaliate."  

[mc2]

Annie bit her lip, the air around her heating up as she began to draw on her power. Then, as suddenly as it began it stopped, drops of acid raining down around her, burning the floor but nothing else. Shane was right, Trinity's security team would arrive and casualties would occur. If Annie could get Shane one on one then maybe...

"Fine," Annie said. "I'm coming with you. Someone has to be your conscience. And, the thing about Gidget is something that they call "unresolvable differences" all couples have. But I know a place I can tolerate some people to go missing from. How do you feel about North Dakota? That is where the Daedalus Project's HQ is."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Shane looks over at Kerana sadly and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. What you saw is something that rarely ever happens. His feelings for you were so strong that they managed to survive the consumption process. The biomass that consumed him was weak, and could not fight it, so what was left of the boy's DNA resurfaced along with some of his memories. In a few hours the stronger memories that persevere in me will subside. I'm sorry, but he's dead."

Shane's eyes could not meet Kerana's. This consumption was too heavy, too shameful. The biomass had chosen him because he seemed to be a loner. Maybe so, but this loner had one hell of an emotional tether.

There is a ding from the elevator. The numbers begin to count down to their level. Shane says, "They are almost here now."  

[mc2]

Annie narrowed her eyes as she watched Shane show remorse over the boy he consumed. Maybe there was hope for him... then there was the sound of the elevator. Annie's brown eyes widened as she saw the numbers count down.

Taking a deep breath she spoke up, "Well, Shane, I think now is our exit. I can escape through the air vents but I'm not sure what you are going to do to get out. Remember you said no more casualties if I let you through, which I more or less am doing. I'm just going with you."

Annie still had too many questions to ask before she was just going to let him walk out on her. And, like she said earlier someone had to be Shane's conscience. The only question was, would Shane trust her?  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Shane smiles at Annie and approaches her slowly. He stands nearly toe to toe to her and looks down into her eyes. "They are going to know you let me escape. Are you alright with that?"  

[mc2]

Annie threw up a peace sign and smiled largely, most of it fake but part of it genuine, "That's why you're taking me with you."

Putting down her peace sign she tapped Shane on the chest, "I'm your responsibility, Shane Morris. I let you escape, that means you owe me. And because of that you have to listen to me, within reason. It is only fair."

Turning to the girl, Kerana, Annie sighed. Turning back to Shane she snapped, "Did you really have to consume the girl's first love?"  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Shane looks to Kerana, then to Annie. "I had no control over the bio-mass."

He sees the numbers counting down and then wraps his arms around Annie. He whispers, "You've become one hell of a woman Annabella Soulsmith."

He lets go of her while still holding his hands on her shoulders. "But there is no way for us to escape here together, and I can't let them hunt you the way they will hunt me. Come find me in North Dakota."

Praying that he is fast enough to catch her off guard before she can liquefy, he thrusts a fist into her solar plexus with inhuman speed, in an attempt to knock the wind out of her hard enough that she goes unconscious. He leans in as his fist goes forward and whispers again by her ear, "There will be no more death's today. That is my promise to you."  

[mc2]

Annie gasped as Shane's fist met her unsuspecting body. Falling to the ground she managed before blacking out (or at least thought she managed aloud), "Dang it... only person ever to land a hit on me since...." I acquired the trait liquid body. The last part of her sentence finishing in her head as blackness consumed her.

Thoughts spun in her head as she lay unconscious on the ground. Thoughts of how she betrayed the others. Thoughts of how she was going to explain letting Shane leave when she woke up. Thoughts of getting to North Dakota, not to stop a complete massacre, she really didn't care about the doctors who used her as lab rats but their families mattered... and the other meta humans there mattered. And would Shane keep his word and not kill anyone else for today?

What did it all matter? One thought crossed her head more than anything else, When I wake up, Gidget is going to kill me.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Shane cradles Annie as she falls to the ground. He looks at her once more, how peaceful she looked when she was sleeping.

He stands and looks over at Kerana. "I'm sorry, but If anyone asks Annie put up a fight and lost. It's better this way...I'm sorry." He just feels like he can't say that enough to her.

He looks over at the triplets. "Thanks for your help. Now will be the best time to make your escape."  

[Tatsoi]

They had watched the events before them in silence, taking in the awesome powers of the person they had helped to release. It was also during this time that the sisters had one of their infamous silent talks.

Jezebel took, small patches of dried blood still on her face as she looked to each of her sister's slowly. One by one, they nodded. They had no love for anyone here, and in fact, they had wanted nothing more then to leave. But a new plan was forming. When the man spoke to them, Jezebel took a step forwards. "We're coming with you." Her spoke defiantly, as to tell him there weren't any other options, and they were coming along wither he liked it or not. Both Kali and Liadain also stepped forwards, as if she show they would back up any decision made by their eldest sister as she often spoke for the trio.