Dangerous Liasons.
Wednesday March 14th
..........................
He should really have known that it would end up like this. After all didn’t things always turn up in the very last place you looked for them! Sods law! That was what his father called it and Michael had to admit that the term was apt. But then again, from the little he had seen and heard of Madison nothing ever seemed to be easy where she was concerned, so why should he have expected this to be any different.? Still he had hoped that she would either have been in the apartment or her own room, and not just because of the prospect of having to trog down all those damned stairs to get to her is she wasn’t.
No, it was the whole idea of walking in on her in the danger room that had him wondering whether he should just drop the whole idea and let things be. After all Riley had looked at him as if he had lost his mind when the young Scot had suggested checking in on Connor's sister to see how she was holding up. Which couldn’t be a good sign when all was said and done now could it. And the advise he had given hadn’t been exactly reassuring either. Madison and Connor are head on, full throttle… they don’t take things half way." Riley had told him"If you want to offer her company, give it to her, if she tells you to go away, stay* And if she fights you, you fight back.* Michael repeated to himself. *Well lets just hope it doesn’t come to that ! But just in case it does. …better put this safely away before I go*
The astral mutant took the time to stop off in his room, easing the fragile looking globe that Scott had given to him out of the backpack and placing it on its intricate stand. It was as beautiful as he remembered and radiated the same sense of peace. He still couldn’t believe that it was his, or rather that he had charge of it now, as he had insisted on making clear when he had accepted it.
This was a treasure and he was going to give it back someday hopefully even richer in memories than when Scott had placed it in his care. Memories only he could collect Human. Fallible! Transient certainly but surely all the more powerful because of that? And in the meantime………merely sitting there on the bedside table it transformed an adequately comfortable living space into something special, personal. Less like a hotel room and more like home. And that was pretty spectacular in itself Michael had to admit. Though now wasn’t the time to sit and admire it.
One of the things Michael had learned since the accident had transformed his life and made movement difficult and rest all too tempting, was that once you decided to do something you kept going. And for better or for worse he had decided to find Madison. So with a sigh of regret he left his safe warm room and navigated his way down to the secret training area where she was most likely to be.
It seemed to miles away, though he knew it wasn’t really. Still he was ridiculously tired when he got there, hoping that perhaps he would meet her on the way out, wondering what he would do if he didn’t If maybe she wasn’t even there. Would he have the energy to look elsewhere? Would he even know where to start? In any case the question didn’t arise. One look through the viewing window told him all he needed to know. Madison was there all right! He just wished that she wasn’t.
Michael had only been in the danger room once before, a calm training session with his newly formed team just before they had set off for training island It had been exciting, informative, fun even in a serious sort of a way. What he was looking at now though was war plain and simple. A post apocalyptic setting of cyborgs and destruction that made his blood run cold And in the middle of it, graceful and deadlywas Madison! This wasn’t her gentler astral image. It wasn’t even the quick tempered firebrand who had saved his life in the cage at Harmony market. This was a fierce killer, whose claws caught the light as she plunged them into the bodies of her enemies and tore them apart.
Suddenly there was pain in his side, the feel of adamantium piercing him, then, malignently echoing from his recent dream; of fingers prising the wound open,and the sound of laugher. Michael gasped and stumbled to the changing rooms, reaching for the sink to hold himself up while he splashed water on his face in a desperate attempt to ward off panic. Because that was what it was. Not the apprehension that anyone might reasonably feel at the idea of interrupting someone’s training during such a programme. But stark fear that left his mouth dry and his heart racing.
He couldn’t go in there with her. It was too soon. He wasn’t ready. All good excuses to cover the one overwhelming reason. He was too scared to try. And yet…* If I don’t go now I never will * he realised. *Ill carry this fear inside like a poison and it will kill at least part of me. My confidence! My courage! All the things I need to be a good X man. And a good friend! Am I really ready to let that happen?*
His mind said yes he was, but then when things got bad, Michael always listened to his heart. And it was telling him that this was just another obstacle to be overcome, just as he had overcome so many others in the past. It was what had kept him going when everyone said he couldn’t. In the end it was what had attracted the demons who now activated this latent terror to him in the first place. Just as his ability to rise above it was what made them stay.
So he took a deep breath and forced himself to be calm, sitting down on the hard benches carefully, bracing himself so that he wouldn’t fall when he made the transition to Hood. Then simply he let go and slipped out of his body focusing all his remaining energy on his alter ego. The one who stood a chance to survive whatever Madison and her programme would throw at him. Even if at this moment in time he didn’t feel that it was a very good one. Then, before he could change his mind, he punched in the access code with shaking hands and joined Madi in her now not so private hell.
The perfect playground for someone who enjoyed breaking her little toys… And breaking is exactly what Madison was doing. The shattered buildings lay in rambles along the creaked streets, pathetic street lamps that still managed to stay standing blinked and stuttered occasionally while trying to light the late afternoon with some artificial light. Small and strange little helicopter like disks span through the air harmlessly, music seeming to pour from them loud and clear, an angry voice shouting out lyrics while the band thrashed it’s melodies in the background. Three of these disks seemed to fly through the air, ignored by the security in the environment, the punk rock songs drummed on regardless of the scenes unfolding beneath them.
Dark strands stuck to the sides of Madi’s face from sweat and water, tainted slightly with blood from now healed wounds, though a few cuts were caused from Madi’s own claws. The girls hair was tied back, the pony tail having gotten loose in the scuffles and untidy, her dark eyes lined sharply with black mascara, her body lightly covered in a black sports top and shorts, midriff visible. The boots Madison wore had only a slight heel, and it was thick, black gloves on her hands, the fingers of which were cut and the knuckles had specially designed gaps for the claws to slice through. Pain was life, and without it how did you know you really existed? Without it you were weak, and Madison rarely dressed with a caution to her style, if it was too thick it hindered her movements, if she was too well protected it showed weakness, at least here, where you’re supposed to train, to push yourself, Madi wasn’t going to stroll out into battle in her gym attire but she wasn’t going to let herself get off so lightly when training.
Though this wasn’t training… no, this was anger, this was retribution and hostility at it’s peak! If only Madison had been there, with her brother, together they’d have caused strife!! Connor should have never gone though, he was in no condition and he insisted he was fine, but it was obvious that he wasn’t, even to a twit it should have been so obvious! Now he was alone, without her, what if he was held in some cramp place? Sure Madi tended to neglect her brother’s claustrophobia when she was with him but that was only because despite being his sister she was never quite so sure how to handle his fears. But at least she had been there! At least she could glare at anyone who dared approach them or try anything! Why couldn’t people leave them alone though?! Just leave them be!!
Metal flashed, slicing through the air and hitting against the metallic form, striking weaker metal and cutting into it, ripping through the exoskeleton and digging into the cyborgs form. A shrieking mechanical cry gargled forth before being silenced with a fistful of metal blades stabbed right into its sinister face. Another one down, now for the next one, let them all join the scattered remains fallen about the area, some would fade away, others remained like the scrap heap Madison had left them to be.
A hand brushed over her brow, throwing aside some loose hair that fell over her eyes while fighting. It seem never ending, the more she brought down the more anger she was supposed to be relieved of and yet it felt as if she could continue on, careless of just how far she was pushing herself. The feral turned her face, casting her eyes back over her shoulders and peering off towards the one who dared invade her gameplay. Silver claws retracted into her clenched fists, it was the boy from the cell… her body turned to face him, her skin glistened slightly from the sheet of sweat and her toned physique was tensed with anger and adrenalin as her eyes settled on the intrusive figure.
"You better only be here to replace my jumper." Her chest heaved with each gulp of air she took, her eyes still alert on her surroundings with the occasional flicker about the scene. Without Connor around, and not having spent time with her father so much, Madi’s absorbed heightened senses had faded and left her to rely on her average senses which, compared to Connors (and what she was used to) was leaving her lacking. Yet it increased the challenge and that was exactly what Madison thrived for right now. Granted, Madison and her brother never let themselves get too attached to their clothes, what was the point, they would only be destroyed soon enough anyway… It wasn’t like Madi was hogging all the other danger rooms either, surely ONE of them had to be free, why was he here? See, people never left her alone, and the one odd time she wants to be found … well ok, she had been found in both the times she was taken, but hardly soon enough!
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
She was like a storm, a slim dark hurricane of rage destroying everything in her path. The music pouring out of the flying disks accompanied her movements, making a fitting soundtrack to her fury, harsh and violent, their words as much an attack to the senses as hers were to metal and wire. Michael shuddered as the cyborg screamed its way into death, knowing that it was only an illusion though that seemed little comfort For after all, so technically was Hood.
He wished the damned racket would stop. Punk wasn’t his style and this particular song was rapidly getting on his already frayed nerves. In fact it was very tempting just to put an arrow through the hovering machines and end to the dreadful cacophony once and for all. Still .. this was Madi's show. Announcing his presence by taking down the danger room equivalent of her I pod probably wasn’t the best way to deflect her anger from him. Oh yeah like that was ever even a possibility!
She was turning now, her face shining with sweat and her own blood, the dark eyes as fierce as the gleaming claws. Hood had no breath to hold but that didn’t stop him from trying. For a moment he thought she might spring at him sinking them into his face as she had done to the robot but then recognition sank in and the claws sheathed, though the anger that radiated from her remained. Directed at him, burning him with its intensity!
Why had he ever thought she might need or want company, especially his? It was stupid. And obviously not the case! Each one dealt with pain in their own way and this was Madisons. Solitary rage! Spilling her hurt out into this wrecked world, fighting it, killing it again and again. Anything to make it go away! As good a plan as any, except that it didn’t seem to be working.
And that was what held Michael there even as she rounded on him. The pain that could still be seen behind the anger. Maybe being here was a stupid idea. Maybe his presence was useless, as useless as all this destruction. But if there was even the slightest chance that it wasn’t, that it might actually help, even if it was only by giving her another target to aggress then that was worth the risk. He owed her that much at least, didn’t he? Even if he didn’t think the experience was going to be a pleasant one.
"You better only be here to replace my jumper." she told him bluntly, displeasure clearly written in every line of her body. “Aye well I haven’t forgotten about that” he replied with a wry smile. How could he? After all she had pressed it against his wounds trying to stem the flow of blood that threatened to carry his life away with it. “But the whole getting kidnapped thing has left me a bit strapped for cash,so it might take a while yet. In the meantime I thought I’d come down and see how you were doing. I’d have come sooner but I’ve been a wee bit….health challenged recently!” The tone was light, slightly self mocking as always though with genuine concern behind the easy façade if she only knew how to recognise it.
Michael realised he was on dangerous territory now and not just as far as the conversation was concerned. Madison might have been the centre of his attention but that didn’t mean he wasn’t alert to what was going on around him. Although they stood still the program continued, the hostile environment making no allowances for unexpected interruptions and awkward conversations. Suddenly there was movement behind Madison, dusty light catching on the figure of a cyborg set to pounce.
The programs safety settings would probably have cut in. Madison would in all likelyhood have been able to turn and rip the thing to shreds. It didn’t matter.The bow was in his hand, as quick as thought, his movements swift and sure as the arrow flew. The idea that it might miss never entered his head for Hood was his creation and Hood was above all else an archer. The arrow was like the bow and the sword and each toned muscle of this miraculous imagined body, a product of his desire. And he knew where he wanted it to strike. Straight and true it buried itself in the cyborg’s eye bringing it down before winking out of existence even as its target did.
“Sorry” he said with a grin. “You probably wanted to add that one to your score. Its just that well.. no offence to Dr McCoy but I’ve been spending way to much time in med lab recently. And Im damned if I’m going to let these guys send me back!”
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
“Aye well I haven’t forgotten about that” Either had she, and it disturbed her, in fact, ever since this guy stepped into her life, he’d done nothing but contradict everything she thought was stable! He made her questions things, even herself! And who was he to do that, who was he to dare upturn her life and prance around as if he was just another friend! He wasn’t her friend, she didn’t have friends, even people she thought were friends obviously weren’t, where was Garnet? Her other class mates, her darling little sister? Her father? The only one who ever reliably came was Connor… and now he needed her and again she couldn’t get to him!
“But the whole getting kidnapped thing has left me a bit strapped for cash,so it might take a while yet. In the meantime I thought I’d come down and see how you were doing. I’d have come sooner but I’ve been a wee bit….health challenged recently!” At least he was still here, still in the school, still safe, still being looked after. It was her fault the last time, when she let that manipulative bimbo into the school, what good were friends, she had them, she regretted most of them, the more resent ones the most. Though Joolishka had used her manipulative abilities to break through Madison’s usually tight knit barriers… though Connor had been curious of the new girl, Madison had seemed so happy with the new relationship that he considered it strangely refreshing as far as seeing his sister smiling occasionally.
But who was to blame this time? His team? Betsy Braddock? Each and every face in Connor’s team had let him down, they all deserved to face the consequences, Madison had dealt a fatal blow once, they better not think she’d be hesitant to do it again. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? That this Scottish youth had forced her to second guess not only herself but her own actions, her own thoughts, her own wishes. So caught up in her thoughts Madi took a moment before the visual actions of Michael’s projection clicked with her mind, when it did she found a split second where she froze, a blink of an instance where anger dissipated and thoughts blanked out. A sudden flash where distrust reigned and proof seemed undeniable, another traitor, another person who the Enright’s have, one way or another, helped bring into the school…
A thud, her face turned, dark eyes seeing the glimpse of an arrow, the silvery figure of the droid falling back… it was a trick, he was playing her, like that girl, they wiggle into your life, get under your skin, then like poison they strike you once they leak through your barriers and safety nets.
“Sorry” Was he? Madison’s eyes turned back to him, peering out from dark lashes, full of judgement and scorn. “You probably wanted to add that one to your score. Its just that well.. no offence to Dr McCoy but I’ve been spending way to much time in med lab recently. And Im damned if I’m going to let these guys send me back!” What was that supposed to mean? Was he still whining about the accident with Connor? She frowned, her brow furrowing as memories of Michael hobbling about in the hanger room resurfaced, he looked well enough there, pale and weak, sure, but better then when they last met in captivity.
"I don’t care about scores here!" She was better then that, and how dare he suggest otherwise, they weren’t real, nothing here was real, there was no victory, no winning, there was nothing but energy fuelled by rage. "Don’t bother with the jumper," Her voice was as accusing as the words that followed, "Just like everything else, they never last." Friends, family, homes, they fell apart, clothes, relationships, they were ripped apart and destroyed. The heavy breaths were struggled to be quietened, her eyes distracted with the movements around her, the mechanical beings continuously coming in an endless wave, one after another and repeated again. Fists were raised, a tired body looking ready for war once more…
"You wanted to see how I was doing, let’s see how long you can last in my world, then you can judge for yourself." She was doing well, superb! Hell, the trail of bodies was near countless! Let’s see how he handles himself, for a recently evicted patient Madi was damn well sure this was the last place he ought to be, and she’d make sure he left with that idea implanted in his tiny brain. If he had looked like more of a challenge, she’d have gone up against him herself, then again, she could think that, but if crunch time came, it’d not have been as easy as she thought it’d be… he was knocking her off balance, throwing her from the path that Madison was so sure about before having met the astral mutant…she hated him, hated him for making her think, making her confused! How dare he!
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
Her words scorched him, burning his spirit, the one part of Michael that was truly present in this encounter. "I don’t care about scores here!" He had known that was true, at least in some ways but he hadn’t been ready or able to convey what he had felt. This wasn’t a video game. That much was obvious. But still it was a test. The danger room always was from what he had been told. Whether you used it to hone your skills or push your powers to their limits. Or, as he suspected Madison was doing now, to vent your frustration. And so yes, every foe you took down counted. Whether you realised it or not!
*Maybe if I stuck George’s face on the ones I eliminate that would help me deal with things!* Michael thought suddenly.* At least here I could fill him full of arrows to my hearts content* It had been something that had been growing in his mind from the moment his brother had helped in his kidnapping and subsequent experimentation. Though it had come to a head after the revelations George had made to him in Harmony Market.
Realising that your whole life had been destroyed by your brother’s calculating actions was far from being something that was easy to deal with, and when he had made those threats from the cage he had meant them. His rage had been as intense as Madison’s was now. Though it hadn’t taken the same form! She was aflame with it whereas he…..he had been consumed with an icy coldness that had scared him? That still did. And one which he couldn’t , didn’t wish to access so readily.
"Don’t bother with the jumper," All at once he was caught up in anger that wasn’t his own. Even if it was just as valid! Even if he knew that he wasn’t the real target! "Just like everything else, they never last.”
He had wanted to be there! To help if she had felt the need! And perhaps she did. This was……….. a revelation he wasn’t sure she had been ready to make . Although it was one that he was certain he was ready to hear. And, more importantly, never let her know that he had. Until she was ready to acknowledge it that was.
If he had only seen the armour plated, destructive Madison, then surely he wouldn’t have been there in the first place. But that wasn’t the case. The combination of his power and hers had let him see her heart. Even if neither of them had expected it. Though maybe, just maybe, that was what kept her from shutting him out. Even if he had to admit that the door had been slammed and slammed hard.. It wasn’t her fault if he somehow decided that it might just have bounced under the impact. Reopening just a fraction
And surely the fact she was still talking to him was something; Ok one fragile straw you could cling to, but there nonetheless. And Riley had led him to believe that even that was a miracle where Madison was concerned. "You wanted to see how I was doing,” she said “let’s see how long you can last in my world, then you can judge for yourself”
You had to be pretty desperate to see that as encouragement and yet somehow he did! After all she hadn’t nasked him to leave this world she had constructed for her own torment. Instead she had invited him in…even if she though it might cost him dear to stay.
And yet he did. Working with her, not against her! Knowing when he was strong, and when she was. Making this, as it always had been, not about egos but about abilities. And understanding! If she thought less of him for standing back and letting her take on the foes that the computer generated in close quarters then so be it.All he could say was that those he could see approaching went down with an arrow in their throat.
He never once drew his sword. He knew he didn’t have to. Madison was there and now, despite the inevitable tightening of his gut as her claws flew, the memory of pain that her active presence seemed to ignite in him, he knew that intrinsically the leap of faith had been made before he had even entered the danger room. Whether or not she trusted him he trusted her. With his life. Just like before . And that was enough.
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
The lacking of the heightened senses Madison absorbed from her brother could have been replaced with those of her father, but he was busy running around looking for Connor without her and so she could only recharge that absorbed power when he happened to return long enough for her to see him. That didn’t Madison from noticing the proficient shots that whirled through the air and sliced into their targets. At least the guy didn’t have the nerve to try and help her with her targets, there was nothing Madison hated more then others ‘helping’ her but taking out targets she was sprawling with, as if they didn’t think her capable! It made team playing hard with Madison, because she was never more offended or frustrated then when someone aided her with the particular opponent she felt she was handling… Now if she was actually having trouble then fair enough, she’d whine but she’d not knock back the help as viciously as she would otherwise do, having pride and being suicidal may appear similar at times with her but she trained hard enough to know her limits when faced with challenges. And Logan’s eldest daughter would never recklessly throw away her life, she just wished people would respect that she knew what she could and couldn’t do, sure at times she pushed her limits but that’s only so she could grow and Madison knew when to pull back for help, she just didn’t like the idea of doing it one bit.
Despite the strain the hand on hand combat caused, Madison felt it still had become too easy, who the hell was he to step in and help her anyway, she didn’t want it, she didn’t need it and she didn’t care if he was trying to play nice for whatever reason he had in mind. Be it sympathy or otherwise. Minutes dragged onto more minutes and finally there was a growl as Madison shoved a foot of hers flat into the chest of one of the mechanical beings, knocking it back hard with the thrust.
"Pause program." A hand brushed across the brow to remove the sweat that threaten to slip into her eyes, a moment was given to stare across at the fallen heaps scattered about her and the farther off in the distance, half having already faded away while others lingered slightly longer for visual effect. It was good to get it all out and beat the hell out of things but she’d been doing it for a while and had worked up a thirst now. Like her brother the Enright’s metabolism needed constant supply of food and drink to burn off and right now Madison felt as if she could grind paint from wood with the dryness of her tongue. Her head turned to the side with an almost smug smile creeping on her lips.
"I need a tea break." The claws slide in, the sound of the metal grinding metal resonating as the blades vanished, the open wounds slowly knitting closed and leaving her skin once again clean of any marks, the residue of blood that wept out quickly brushed away by rubbing her hand over the knuckles. Madison didn’t end the program, just moved to where she knew her water was sitting, well the three bottles out of five that were still full, the amount of water her and her brother drank while training was more then most families did a day these days. Picking up one of the newly opened bottles, Madison popped the lid and squirt some on her face before placing the nozzle against her lips and letting the cool liquid wash down her throat.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
OOC In Michael's defence all I can say is.....will you LOOK at Madis siggie! He didnt stand a chance!
......................
“Pause program” Michael blinked, the notched arrow that lay along his cheek vanishing as suddenly as the enemy it was aimed at. He had lost track of how long they had been in the danger room. Time he had noticed seemed to change when you were fighting, each second lengthening to accommodate the swift movements needed to save your life or take your opponents. And Hood moved so well.
Oh Michael was under no illusions. He knew that compared to Madison’s subtle dance of death he probably looked as clumsy and untrained as a baby taking its first faltering steps and just as apt to fall. But that he could live with, after all he was horribly new at this and yet despite that he was at least holding his own. And the possibilities for improvement were staggering. Acrobatics, swordplay, nothing was out of reach if he worked at it for, unlike his own, Hood’s body was limited only by his determination and God knew he had plenty of that to spare. So despite his initial forebodings he found that he was smiling when he turned towards his companion somewhere along the line having actually started to enjoy the work out though he knew he was going to pay dearly for it later.
There was no sheen of sweat on him as there was on Madison making her top and shorts stick as closely to her body as the leather did to his. Nor was he breathing hard. Well technically he wasn’t breathing at all. Watching Madison smile though he could almost feel the breath Hood didn’t possess catching in his throat. "I need a tea break." she announced sheathing the long claws back into her flesh with a sound like swords crossing and making her graceful way over to where some hitherto unnoticed bottles of water sat in a line near one of the ruined buildings that still made up their holographic surroundings. Helplessly his eyes followed her noting the sleek curves as she bent to pick up a bottle, the way the water clung to her lashes when she splashed it on her upturned face, the movement of her lips as she drank………..
*This is bad, really, really bad* Michael told himself *must…..look away now….* It was no good of course. Only a saint could have turned away and despite all his good qualities that was one thing that Michael most certainly was not. He was seventeen and she was……….quite simply the hottest thing he’d ever seen in his life. As well as being one of the most dangerous. And, astral projection or not, he could feel his body react to her in a way that was all too human. Ah god no, if she noticed that it would be so far past embarrassing he’d never find his way back.
The threat of total humiliation finally broke the spell, letting him sit down or rather almost fall down where he stood, his head bent studiously over the longbow he still held in is hands, fiddling with the cord as if it needed readjustment. Which of course it never did! That didn’t matter. All that counted was looking busy. Looking anywhere rather than at her. Till he stopped blushing stupidly and regained some control. Still he couldn’t just ignore her…
“Sure” he said his voice unsteady and slightly husky. *Please let her think I’m just tired… Pleeeaasse. *“A break would be…..nice” Nice! Had he really said that? * Oh crap. Just let the earth open up and swallow me right now* he thought with a groan. *Though come to think of it, it probably doesn’t need to. I’m pretty sure I’ve dug a hole big enough to be buried in all by myself!*
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
The sting of the sweat was washed from her eyes with the fresh spill of water which helped Madison feel refreshed for the moment after as she drank, the bottle lowering as Madison paused for a breath of air, her hand wiping across her brow before taking another sip. Madison was a flirt, or at least she had been when she was younger, Connor had been slightly over protective of her when she started running around at 13-14 flirting with her male classmates but there was little one could ever say or do to dissuade Madison from something she felt inclined to do and more importantly made her happy in some way. A pretty girl, it wasn’t hard for her to get attention but even still it wasn’t always intentional and to be honest this was another one of those times. Someone walked in on her and she was hot and overworked, she’d have done the exact same thing had she been on her own at this point.
“Sure” Fingers brushed back her hair, curious eyes turning to Michael as he sat there focused on the bow with an almost desperate need. There had been quite a few months the previous year where Madison avoided guys all together, save for flirting with the boyfriends of girls she particularly wanted to annoy, though never taking it further. That had changed with Lachlan… but there was a brief stare at Michael as he seemed to act just as Lachlan had early on in their meeting just when he started noticing the female feral. It was hard to tell with Michael, he wasn’t normal, not right now anyway, no scents could be picked up, even if she wasn’t was acute as Connor or her father Madison still was better then the average human and yet Michael didn’t have anything she could pick up on. Even the heat from his body as she’d expect just wasn’t there, and it left Madison blind to what he was really feeling.
“A break would be…..nice” The lid of her bottle was screwed on as Madison approached Michael, he sounded awkward, his voice sounded off and considering he held himself ok enough in the battle sequence Madison raised her brow slightly at the change of behaviour. There were possibilities she was all too well aware of, and yet it seemed she was unable to offer proof towards any of them. That didn’t stop her from blindly dropping a comment for the humour of it.
"Nothing like a work out to get hot and bothered eh?" A flaw of Madison’s was that in her mind things did tend to revolve around her, she was the most important person in her world and everyone else came after, if they even deserved the recognition of being noticed as existing. That didn’t mean she’d always be like that, or that it was so painfully obvious to people who didn’t know her, but Madison’s lifetime of hate and distrust towards people sculptured her attitude to what it was now. "Not that I don’t enjoy a good thrashing in the danger room, but why are you here?" The thrashing of course wasn’t directed to Madison, but to any of Madison’s victims, and one would be amazed at how many students still take her up on her requests for fights in the DR, even if they just want to try and show her how much better they’ve gotten. It was never easy as often students found themselves basically three to one, it was never fun facing a mutant who could master random mutant powers, you never knew what to expect. It also didn’t occur that Michael might want to discuss something on his own accord, not unless he intended on either telling her or her brother off and he’d be in worse condition then her brother left him if Michael tried to give the high and mighty rant about how Connor had been wrong to hurt him.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
She was getting closer. Resolutely Michael kept his eyes down head feigning concentration on the bow when in fact his thoughts were anywhere but there. "Nothing like a work out to get hot and bothered eh?" Michael groaned inwardly, his head dropping even lower as he tried to hide his embarrassment. The comment could he supposed have been innocent enough but somehow he doubted it. Besides it had been too much to hope for that she wouldn’t have noticed something, after all he had probably been gaping at her like some sort of pervert. Though come to think of it…… If that had been the case surely Madison would have been cleaning his guts off her claws at the moment. Whereas, if anything, she just sounded mildly amused.
"Not that I don’t enjoy a good thrashing in the danger room,” Oh yes. She had definitely noticed, the innuendo in her words making that all too clear. Michael was wondering if he should just fall on his sword and have done when she went on to ask the question he had been expecting since the moment he first set foot in the danger room. Even if he was no surer now than he had been then, of how he was going to answer it. “but why are you here?"
He raised his head then, looking her in the eyes, awkwardness receding before his genuine concern for both her and her brother. “I didn’t realise till earlier today that Connor was still missing” he told her quietly. “Like I said before I’ve been pretty much out of things since training island. Otherwise I’d have come sooner.” He wasn’t going to go into the details of why or how. What he had done for Paige was his own choice and his own business. But he did owe her some kind of explanation as to what had kept him away.
“Anyway….. “ he went on “Your father came to see me today, asking about that woman who had wanted to buy Connor… Amlarie, he said her name was….. Seemed to think maybe she was mixed up in all of this somehow.” Michael remembered the barely hidden tension in the man, the lines of worry around his rather fierce eyes. “I told him what I could……explained how she had made me feel in those few seconds when she had looked at me…….the way she had seemed to make Connor want to follow her more than anything else in the world.”*even more than getting you out of that cage* Those words remained unspoken but he thought them none the less. And that alone was proof enough that Amlarie had done something to Connor at least as far as Michael was concerned.
“I doubt I said anything that would give him an actually lead though.” he went on with a sigh. “I just hoped it helped a little. And that’s sort of why I’m here.”
“Now I know you and your dad have probably got all the help you need” he said, getting up and slinging the bow once more on his back “I mean I expect the whole school’s mobilised, so this is going to sound pretty daft but…… well sometimes talking to someone… bouncing ideas off them……….going over details, things Connor said, places he might have gone to…. ” He smiled ruefully…… “Probably all been done before I know but ….. the offer is there. Or if there’s anything else you can think of that I can do to be useful then just tell me and I’ll do it. I just wanted you to know that, for what its worth”
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
Even as a young 14 year old Madison had always been a flirt, though she’d never really been able to be a sister and in some ways that had hurt Connor, because as alike as the two were they were also so awkward with being near each other and showing their affections. Where as any attractive guy had a chance of winning Madison’s softer side, at least that’s how it felt to Connor who could see his sister getting close with her boyfriends and yet couldn’t himself get close enough to give her a hug. Even if Connor could change that part of his own inhibitions he’d also need to change Madison’s and it just wasn’t so easy to start changing their personalities at this point in their lives. There were moments where Madison hated that she felt so hopeless when Connor needed her, and yet the thought of Arisa comforting Connor successfully where she herself fails was just as upsetting so Madi did struggle and she did care… she just showed her affections in different ways, and Connor understood them, just as she understood his.
“I didn’t realise till earlier today that Connor was still missing” Not exactly the best way to spark a friendship with Madison, but instead of snapping at his lack of knowledge towards her precious brother Madison pressed her lips together. How many others weren’t aware Connor was gone? It could explain why so many students were prancing around so happily despite Connor being in need of help. “Like I said before I’ve been pretty much out of things since training island. Otherwise I’d have come sooner.” Sure he would of… ok, no, Madison had to admit he really did sound sincere and considering how no one else seemed to care even her cynical nature had to appreciate the show of interest in her brother’s disappearance. With the brotherhoods appearance on the island it was possible that caused something that resulted in Michael’s delay… or he got sick, or hurt himself, Madison had heard one girl got sick and taken off the island and another girl got bitten by a snack, a few tales got around the teams, though if Madison knew it was Shalimar who got bitten then what little sympathy the feral had would instantly be gone and replaced with a smug contentment.
“Anyway….. “ There was a grudging silence as Madison listened, giving him a chance despote her urge of just yelling and shutting him out. There had to be a point to this, if there was she’d listen, if not… well then Madison would just have to make sure Michael gets the hint that she’s not one to be played around with or needlessly interrupted. “Your father came to see me today, asking about that woman who had wanted to buy Connor… Amlarie, he said her name was….. Seemed to think maybe she was mixed up in all of this somehow.” Amlarie huh? Stupid name… just like it’s owner. How dare she… Madison’s jaw tightened, that woman tried to take Connor once and she didn’t succeed… so she tried again, this time winning through, even the stupid get lucky… and there comes a point where everyone’s luck runs dry eventually. Madison was going to be the ending of this woman’s reign of stupidity, the nerve of taking Connor!! It was hard to keep the anger in, the urge to stand and walk off, get dressed, and disobey orders to go look for Connor herself growing all the more stronger with everything that was said. Not that she was really needing much help, Madison was on the verge of sneaking out even if Michael didn’t come… she just wasn’t sure yet, though she also wasn’t sure what was keeping her back.
At least Logan was talking to someone about Connor, about time the old man did something, it was hard trying to convince Connor their dad wasn’t all that bad when at the same time he was never around when they had needed him the last few times they’ve been taken. Maybe Logan was finally getting the hint, there were people after his kids and it was about time he started putting effort into helping find them again when one or more go missing. If Madison came home with Connor he’d be pretty proud of her, but at the same time, if Logan came home with Connor, than Connor would be very proud of him. At this point in Connor’s life he needed their dad a whole lot more then she needed him, in her opinion anyway. But at the same time, Madison hardly cared who did what, all she wanted was her brother back and the ones who took him to be diced apart.
“I told him what I could……explained how she had made me feel in those few seconds when she had looked at me…….the way she had seemed to make Connor want to follow her more than anything else in the world.” The image of that returned, that b!tch kissed her brother, it boiled Madison’s blood all over again to think of that… unspeakable slut touching her brother! The way she played with him, how dare she! “I doubt I said anything that would give him an actually lead though.” Surely her dad would go to the Market over in Harmony, check things out there again… Madison wanted to go again on her own, just to have a look around, see what she could see and hopefully try and sniff something about as well. “I just hoped it helped a little. And that’s sort of why I’m here.” He’s here because he hoped he helped out a little despite doubting he helped out at all? Oh that made sense.
“Now I know you and your dad have probably got all the help you need” Right. Her dad and her weren’t exactly pack animals as far as hunting down things went, they could use the help to find Connor but Madison knew for sure that most of Logan’s time would be out there on his own, and the guy wouldn’t let her out to help! It was irritating and she didn’t care if she got captured or not, she wanted to help her brother and she wasn’t going to just sit around here doing nothing.
At that moment, as Michael stood, it finally clicked, the most obvious thing in the world and yet Madison totally was blind to it for the first little while, Michael was on crutches, this Michael was not however… how daft that she missed that. This was the power Michael had, she knew this, and she knew it was his Astral projection but at the same time she hadn’t really thought of him standing here now as not being the same Michael. The lack of smell, the lack of bodily sounds… her hearing may not be as great as the males in her family but she wasn’t that bad that she couldn’t hear a heart beat while standing next to the guy. Perhaps it was a good thing that Madison wasn’t out in a field, her mind really wasn’t with things right now, not that she’d admit that, or care if it were true or not.
“I mean I expect the whole school’s mobilised, so this is going to sound pretty daft but…… well sometimes talking to someone… bouncing ideas off them……….going over details, things Connor said, places he might have gone to…. ” Connor? Go places? Ha. It was a miracle to get the guy down to the club or the movies, and he had to wear special ear plugs that made him virtually deaf. Younger he used to get nasal injections that stopped his sense of smell, but only because he used to start having coughing fits and choking in places which contained particularly potent odours. “Probably all been done before I know but ….. the offer is there. Or if there’s anything else you can think of that I can do to be useful then just tell me and I’ll do it. I just wanted you to know that, for what its worth” What was up with this guy? He was like one of those pesky teacher pets going out of their way to impress, the irritating thing was that he wasn’t doing too bad as far as putting a foot in the door and stopping her from shutting it in his face. On top of that he sounded like he really wanted to help Connor and that was something Madison needed to hear.
"Connor doesn’t go places, the only reason he even leaves the school is because Riley and Torrence have occasionally dragged him out. Things need to be in order for Connor, he doesn’t have control of that order outside the school and he gets stressed and frustrated, so he doesn’t leave." Heaven forbid walking the streets with Connor, the amount of times he looked ready to run off and clean up some random mess was uncountable and if you didn’t know how to keep a tight leash on the guy he’d be lost in his need for cleanliness and order, even if that perfect was at the price of a family outing, he just couldn’t help himself and people had to learn to know when they could scorn him and when to appease his compulsion. Madison stood up as she spoke, an air of irritation in her voice and flowing through her very body.
"I wouldn’t know if people are out there looking for him, nice to know dad’s doing something this time, he needs to make up for last time… and the time before that and the time before that." It wasn’t that Madison was angry that Logan was only this time taking a more noticeable role in finding Connor, it was that he was doing it and refusing to let Madison help. "Actually, dad doesn’t know this… since he wasn’t there… but last year, the first time Connor and I were taken, when they…" Madison lifted her hands, her body perhaps a touch too close for comfort to Michael as she took another step towards him, the feral’s fingers curling closed to form fists, the grinding sound on metal sliding out as the blades cut through skin and reached their full length. "…upgraded us, from bone to metal. They weren’t very considerate, put us in little capsules, locked us in there and filled it with some liquid or another, Connor’s claustrophobic." If Michael had half a brain he’d still remember the panic attacks Connor had in the cells back when they were being held, so it was spoken with a more ‘remember that?’ tone to it then a revealing statement. "He woke up, panicked… didn’t take long till his heart stopped, actually, Jarod Xavier saved him, not that Dad knows this, or anyone else, they never really asked, Connor wouldn’t tell them… added another phobia to the list Connor has now though, took him weeks before he could shower properly, months before he could go near a body of water and he still can’t be fully submerged." The claws slid back into her knuckles as Madison lowered her arms, an obvious struggle to keep her temper down visible, much as the raw emotions had been while Michael had spoken.
"If they hadn’t removed us from being on the same team, I’d still be with him," Even if that meant she was a captive herself! "So unless you can get me to him, there’s little ‘comfort’ you can give, and I don’t weep on peoples shoulders, so you lucked out. I’m sure some little a grade student’s whimpering about something that’ll be a far easier target for you to snag up." That seemed to just slip out, than again when she got angry things didn’t always make the most perfect of sense, making a point wasn’t always the reason though, most of the time it was just trying to hurt the other as much as possible with as few words as one could manage. Though at this point it wasn’t hurt Madison was trying to stake through Michael’s heart, he seemed decent enough, and he didn’t look like a typical sleaze, but that didn’t matter, he was trying to cosy up to her, and that just wasn’t something Madison knew how to handle. If she got him to turn and walk away than he’d leave her alone and she’d be able to say he had been the one to walk away, not her, he gave up first. It happened often enough, the feral expected it and yet also accepted the possibility he’d not leave, she just trusted that her insult would get him to leave more, people didn’t usually put up with getting shot down, even if their intentions were decent instead of selfish, people just didn’t tolerate being abused. In some ways, it made things more fun for the feral to see how easily she could get under peoples skin, Connor was harder to upset, but then again, he was really easy at the same time, as long as she hit his weak spots, and everyone had weak spots, and Madison was someone who sought them out.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
At least he could look at Madison now without his teenage hormones spiralling out of control. Waiting to see if your offer of help would be accepted or if instead you would be handed your head in your hands, perhaps in this case a very literal manner, tended to do that. In the end though neither one of those things immediately happened, at least not in an obvious manner. Though perhaps what did, in itself, made his journey to the danger room worthwhile. For Madison began to talk to him. And from what Riley had said that was a rare occurrence.
"Connor doesn’t go places, she told him by way of a reply. the only reason he even leaves the school is because Riley and Torrence have occasionally dragged him out.. Things need to be in order for Connor, he doesn’t have control of that order outside the school and he gets stressed and frustrated, so he doesn’t leave
Michael didn’t even move let alone speak. He didn’t want to jeopardise the moment, almost certain that the girl didn’t realise she was indeed confiding in him. Giving him an insight into Connor that he hadn’t had before and at the same time, if indirectly, a glimpse into her own nature as well. Something he suspected she had never intended to do, even if it was obvious that these things were preying on her mind.
"I wouldn’t know if people are out there looking for him, she went on , the statement bringing a look of surprise to Hood’s handsome features. How could she not know? She was Connor’s sister for god’s sake! Why would she be kept out of the loop? Then her next words sent even that line of questioning out of his mind. “nice to know dad’s doing something this time, he needs to make up for last time… and the time before that and the time before that." And with that a big piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Michael had already been told that the kidnapping which had resulted in them all ending up sharing a cage at Harmony Market , while an as yet unique experience for him, had unfortunately been just one in a long line of such occurrences for the brother and sister. Just as he had already borne witness to Connors bitterness where his father was concerned. If they had been taken before and he hadn’t acted that would account for a lot. Still… he couldn’t imagine the strong and passionate father who had visited him earlier that day just standing by and doing nothing while his children were missing. No, in his mind there was something very wrong with that picture. Though perhaps you had to be on the outside to see that!
And Michael did. Just as he also saw that Madison was opening up, perhaps for the first time, about things that had hurt not just her brother but herself. He only hoped she wouldn’t regret it later on, though he firmly intended to give her no cause to do so. He had after all offered his help, in whatever form that help might take. And listening was something he was at least good at. As was keeping a secret. Nothing of what was spoken here and now would go beyond these walls. For if there was latent anger in Madison’s voice there was also suffering and that was something Michael understood only to well and which he would never betray.
"Actually, dad doesn’t know this… since he wasn’t there… but last year, the first time Connor and I were taken, when they…" She had moved closer as she spoke and he had stood his ground, though his courage almost faltered as the metal claws shot out scant inches from his face, awakening again the phantom pain in his side. Only long practice keept him from showing just how much it hurt, though Madison was so passionately involved in her own story, and rightly, so that he thought he got away with it . "…upgraded us, from bone to metal.” If Michael floundered on the details, he grasped the principle. Experiments. Something else they had in common, even if he sincerely wished that wasn’t the case. For their sakes as well as his “They weren’t very considerate,”.*They never are* he wanted to reply, remembering the conditions of his own imprisonment. Illness and hunger and petty cruelties that had almost broken him.
But this wasn’t about him It was about Connor and Madison. Their experiences and what it had done to them. And the miraculous fact that Madison was telling him about it. “ put us in little capsules, locked us in there and filled it with some liquid or another, Connor’s claustrophobic." Michael winced in sympathy. He had seen that back in the cell, noticed how Connor, brave competent Connor had been brought close to panic by the confined space. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for someone with that fear locked inside them to have been enclosed in the manner Madison was describing. Nor how hard it must have been for her to have watched him suffer!
"He woke up, panicked… didn’t take long till his heart stopped, actually,” Michael gasped at the thought. He had literally died of fear! God that was truly awful! Before he could ask how Connor had survived Madison answered the unspoken question. “Jarod Xavier saved him” Xavier. Like the name of the institute! Though that was as far as Michael could take that train, of thought. He was too new, too lost, to have an idea who this Jarod person might be. All he knew was that he was glad he had intervened. Then his mind was caught up again in Madison’s tale and the growing realisation of just how privileged this information she was sharing with him really was.
“not that Dad knows this, or anyone else, they never really asked,” Madison said “ Connor wouldn’t tell them… added another phobia to the list Connor has now though, took him weeks before he could shower properly, months before he could go near a body of water and he still can’t be fully submerged."
Would Connor have wanted him to know that? Michael didn’t think so. But the fact was that, deep down, Madison needed to say it. And he had come as much to help her as anything else.What he had done to earn such trust he didn’t know. Though maybe he was just at the right place at the right time! Whatever the reason, it was said and couldn’t be unsaid, and he had no intention of ever making her wish she hadnt. "If they hadn’t removed us from being on the same team, I’d still be with him," There were so many emotions in that simple phrase. Anger!. Frustration! Endless guilt! As if she should have shared her brothers fate no matter how dire. It was hardly surprising that some of it should spill over onto him.
"So unless you can get me to him, there’s little ‘comfort’ you can give, and I don’t weep on peoples shoulders, so you lucked out.” He wished he could get her to Connor, There was nothing that would have given him greater pleasure than to see them reunited but he was in the end like her. Helpless until given some direction. Though he could at least bear the brunt of her anger, giving her a target that could respond in ways the holograms could never hope to do, for after all if this borrowed body was a false as theirs, the feelings inside it were all too genuine. I’m sure some little a grade student’s whimpering about something that’ll be a far easier target for you to snag up."
“I didn’t offer comfort” he said steadily “I offered help. And though I haven’t known you for very long I’ve seen enough not to take you for the weeping kind.”Michael looked around at he remnants of the carnage that surrounded them. “And its obvious you can more than take care of yourself. But….” He looked down for a moment, frowning slightly before raising his grey eyes to hers once again.
“Did you know that Connor did for me what Jarod did for him?” he asked suddenly “Hood got caught in some weird anti spirit trap back at the centre of inquisition and shattered into a million little pieces. The shock was too much. My heart just seized up. Connor got it going again.” Michael gave her a rueful smile and spread his hands with a shrug. “Rest assured I’m not normally that high maintenance. Having my life saved twice in the one day is exceptional even for me!. But the fact is that he did. And when he came back the Institute, even after all he’d been through, he recommended me for a team.”
She had given him honesty even if perhaps she didn’t realise it just yet so he gave her back nothing less. “For me that’s a big deal. To be given the chance to do for someone else what the X men did for me……..Or maybe just to know that someone saw beyond the crutches. So… if you think I’m down here looking for something from you then you’re wrong. The fact is I liked what I saw of your brother. And I liked what I saw of you. ” he told her candidly . “And the thought of him being lost out there again bothers me. As does the thought of you being stuck here waiting for word of him. So though I may not be of much help, Id like to do what I can. Even if that just means……. waiting with you.”
“I didn’t offer comfort” The statement was like a double edge sword as far as Madison cared, so he was just sitting here annoying her pointlessly without the effort or kindness any brat tended to throw about, or sitting her just being plain old nosy. “I offered help. And though I haven’t known you for very long I’ve seen enough not to take you for the weeping kind.” Arms folded across her chest, which still heaved with deep breaths as she listened with a disgruntled air, “And its obvious you can more than take care of yourself. But….” Damn right she could! Someone had to take care of her after all and Connor wasn’t always around to do that, so she had to tend to things herself and pull herself out of whatever mess she was in, though more often than not, it was a mess she got herself into in the first place.
“Did you know that Connor did for me what Jarod did for him?” Madi frowned, though her attention focused more on the athletic projection than her previous irritated stare that had constantly drifted off elsewhere. Connor was a good guy, Madison was as proud of him as she was irritated by him at times, extremes in all ways, even if she couldn’t admit it outloud she did love him and there was something about someone else voicing gratitude towards her brother that stirred a gentle array of emotions. Sometimes it was pride, but at other times it could also be jealously. She had to share her brother’s attention enough with Arisa, last thing Madi wanted was to lose him to a social group of friends. “Hood got caught in some weird anti spirit trap back at the centre of inquisition and shattered into a million little pieces. The shock was too much. My heart just seized up. Connor got it going again.” Of course he would have, Connor would never just leave someone there to die. Though… it didn’t seem as if Michael was really rubbing the fact Connor stabbed him in her face, that was always good… for his own survival anyway.
“Rest assured I’m not normally that high maintenance. Having my life saved twice in the one day is exceptional even for me!. But the fact is that he did. And when he came back the Institute, even after all he’d been through, he recommended me for a team.” Yeah well… Madison couldn’t explain that one, maybe Connor was just guilty for what he did, it wasn’t like he was in the right frame of mind. She hated talking to him, knowing he needed her to say something for once that really dragged him out of whatever misery and trouble he was in, and yet she had no idea what it was she should of said.
“For me that’s a big deal. To be given the chance to do for someone else what the X men did for me……..Or maybe just to know that someone saw beyond the crutches. So… if you think I’m down here looking for something from you then you’re wrong. The fact is I liked what I saw of your brother. And I liked what I saw of you. ” Slight confusion etched itself into her expression, the way Frost waltzed about printing photos of Madi in the cage was hardly something one would consider flattering, but apparently that’s what Michael seems to think. Maybe he just has a thing for girls in chains? The mused thought was nudged aside for something more serious, her angry mind at least registering more firmly that Michael was really trying to do something for Connor, even if he wasn’t sure what it was he could do. “And the thought of him being lost out there again bothers me. As does the thought of you being stuck here waiting for word of him. So though I may not be of much help, Id like to do what I can. Even if that just means……. waiting with you.” It was like when she was upset and Connor tried to comfort her, she didn’t really open up to people, but either did Connor, sure he did more than her, but not by much at all, rare and far between such times. His form of comfort however wasn’t always with words, usually more times than not it was actually rather silent, as long as he was in the room, or sitting next to her, sometimes it was better when he sat beside her, but someone it was better when he occupied himself with other things but remained in the same room with her. And somehow Connor had learned how to read her so well he usually got it right when he tried to figure out the best way to comfort her. It didn’t always make things easier for Madison, because he knew when to come and he knew when to stay away, and she knew the same in turn for him more often than not, however returning from the Auction had Connor all over the place, lost and emotional, so unlike his usual self.
"Can I have a shower while we wait, or do just I stink as well as starve as elegantly as possible?" Consideration and kindness was always a hard thing for Madison to respond to, she wasn’t used to it and couldn’t really handle being on the receiving end any better then being expected to give it out. But who was she to complain if he wanted to lounge around here, as long as she could do her own thing she was hardly going to complain if someone else wanted to occupy the danger room as well. She wasn’t being rude when she spoke, but in typical Enright fashion she worked up a vicious hunger with her workout and getting the sweat off would be nice if she was going to be having any kind of company… not exactly the most appealing thing to be standing around reeking while the other didn’t seem to have broken a sweat.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
Had he gone too far? Michael had to admit that it could well be the case. Yet from what Riley had told him it seemed that extremes were the only things Madison and her brother understood. And so that was what he had given . Extreme honesty at least, though he had to admit he had crossed every finger he possessed as he did it.
After all if there was one unwritten but never the less deeply engrained rule to dealing with girls of whatever size or shape it was, don’t tell them out front that you like them. But of course he had done just that and now there was no going back. All he could hope for was not to either have his throat ripped out or be to laughed all the way back to his room with his reputation; provided he actually had one that was , in tatters behind him.
So it was understandable that if he managed to await Madison’s reply with an outward show of calm, inside there was nothing but a flood of fear and trepidation. It was all very well for Riley to tell him to persevere. If she shot him down now it would be almost impossible to get back up. No matter how much he wanted to.
But miraculously enough she didn’t. Instead, if her answer wasn’t exactly overjoyed it was still borderline friendly and for Michael that was more than enough. "Can I have a shower while we wait, she asked. or do just I stink as well as starve as elegantly as possible?"
“Oh I’d say showers are definitely the order of the day”he replied with a grin “After all Hood may be able to pull this kind of thing off and come up smelling of roses but unfortunately I can’t do the same. And as for starving….”
He swung the bow into place on his back as he stood up. “Well I can’t exactly buy you lunch…. due mainly to the fact that I haven’t a penny to my name But Dr McCoy did say it was available on demand at the cafeteria…..So that sounds as good a place as any to grab something don’t you think? “
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
“Oh I’d say showers are definitely the order of the day” For a moment Madison wasn’t sure if that was agreement or some sort of retort towards her, then again, Michael didn’t seem to be the kind of guy that Madison usually found herself hanging around… the kind that didn’t mind pointing out the negatives as if it was their god given right to do so. “After all Hood may be able to pull this kind of thing off and come up smelling of roses but unfortunately I can’t do the same. And as for starving….” Michael stood, all the grace an athlete could muster seemed to come easier for him and with that there was something both familiar and yet strange about it. Perhaps that’s because she grew up with people of a similar build. He didn’t seem like the guy withering away in the cage not so long ago… Everything seemed to be going too fast, one thing happened after another and there didn’t seem any time to breath. Hard to imagine back then that he’d be standing here, Connor missing yet again, some crazed attempt of soothing her own wound just as she had tried to tend to his.
“Well I can’t exactly buy you lunch…. due mainly to the fact that I haven’t a penny to my name But Dr McCoy did say it was available on demand at the cafeteria…..So that sounds as good a place as any to grab something don’t you think?“ Sometimes Madison took things for granted, other times she just thought nothing about what she was blessed with. Hearing Michael talk about having a readily available food source was strangely catching her attention, because as far as Madison cared food was a readily available source, a freely offered standard daily routine that wasn’t able to be denied to her. If it wasn’t her father then it was the school itself that provided for her and if all else failed then… well… if Connor was around… then Connor would always be there, but he wasn’t there now… so if he wasn’t there now it was clear he wouldn’t always be there. Damnit. Too much thinking, a flaw of hanging around this guy she was discovering… he always forced her to think about something, and she wasn’t appreciating it.
"Well see.. there lies the problem most people have with me. I don’t think." It made her appear selfish and arrogant, and sometimes that’s exactly what she was, but other times she just didn’t know any better. Perhaps it was about time this guy realized that. A wickedly coy smile touched her lips as she backed towards the locker room, "It’s always more fun that way." At least at first… but hey, if Madison never let things get too close, then it was always easy to pull away before she got burned. "So… think you can manage a shower, or might you need extra hands to help?" It was always fun being a tease, though admittedly Madison was usually more of a tease then someone who really intended what she said, which caused her to retort negatively to anyone who actually took her up on her more intimate offers… luckily for Madison, she could tease more dangerously then most girls, because in the end, Madison just wasn’t like most of the other girls. Then again, not many students from Xavier’s were.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
Talking was in Michael’s nature. Not the uncontrolled babbling that went with nervousness or the long boring monologues that the self obsessed inevitably turned out. Just easy communication! Even if sometimes that was the most difficult thing of all to achieve.
And so, in truth, Michael had never really had trouble talking to girls. Not chatting them up or flirting with them of course, those were things he was as inexperienced at as a kid of ten, but just talking, yes, that had always come naturally to him. Even if, apart from conversations with the inevitable nurses that recent year’s events had strewn in his path, he hadn’t had a whole lot of opportunity to actually do so.
It was probably easier for him than it was for a lot of boys his age because, on top of his own gregarious character, since long before the time his teenage hormones had kicked in causing him to look at them oh so differently, he had understood that girls wouldn’t respond to him in the same way. Or at least not any of the girls he ran across back home.
Even if they had liked him a little, to have said so would have been the equivalent of committing social suicide. His grades had seen to that way back, tracing an invisible but nevertheless impenetrable circle of ‘uncoolness’ all around him. The geek zone he had called it, trying to turn it into a joke, even if sometimes it had been far from funny.
He had been used to it though. His own family at best had treated him as some sort of intellectual cuckoo that had been accidentally dropped into their un-academic nest, to the general surprise of all concerned. And at worst.. well he figured being sold to demons probably counted as an all time low even for him. But none the less he had kept plugging away, treating those around him with a politeness that threw bullies like George off balance, backed as it was by a resolute will not to give in, and a humour that few, if any had fully understood.
What he certainly wasn’t used to, were girls of any description, let alone ones who looked like Madison teasing him in anything remotely like a sexual manner. The tongue in cheek innuendos that had gone before he had put down to a result of his all too obvious embarrassment. And when she had told him "Well see.. there lies the problem most people have with me. I don’t think." he had chuckled readily enough, accepting the comment as the sort of joke he himself could easily have made. The mischievous smile that followed however made Hood’s non existent heart miss a beat and when she added "It’s always more fun that way." he feared that all the good work he had done in getting his hormones under control had just gone for nothing.
‘Oh this is ridiculous’ he told himself sternly ‘Michael Grant you get a grip right now before you make a complete fool of yourself! Or even worse, before you screw up any chance you have of being Madison’s friend. I hardly think she’s going to believe that you came down here with only her best interests at heart if you stand there salivating every time she as much as looks at you. Reality check! She’s hot. You’re Michael. Now live with it! ’
Though looking the way she did Madison wasn’t making it easy! “So” she said, her voice still wickedly seductive. Michael groaned inwardly though he tried his best not to let any of what he was feeling show on his face.. or anywhere else for that matter. “… think you can manage a shower, or might you need extra hands to help?"
She meant it playfully, of that he was sure. It was even possible that in that moment she had completely forgotten that he wasn’t really the strong archer who had fought beside her and who would certainly only have one way of interpreting such a comment. Maybe for him it was a lucky break, the fact that she had inadvertently hit a nerve. It certainly brought the reality check he had called for into immediate and sobering perspective.
Showers for other people might be fun. People who could stand up that was. For him they were slippery and dangerous and just plain difficult! And sometimes, when things got bad he did need help. Though he had to be pushed to his limits to accept it. God, the thought of anyone seeing him like that, naked and helpless was humiliating enough. The thought of Madison seeing him like that was downright unbearable.
Still she hadn’t meant to hurt him. Tease him yes. Wind him up so tight he might explode…. almost certainly. But hurt. No. Not this time at least. And so he was damned if he was going to let her see that, if only for an instant, she actually had!
“Oh” he said with a slow smile and eyes that were now, by a conscious act of will, as mischievous as her own. “I think Ill struggle by…. though if I find there’s a bit I can’t reach….. you’ll be the very first to know!”
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
“Oh” Being a human lie detector had it’s advantages, though for the moment Madison had allowed herself to think of Connor, and the powers she was so used to mimicking off of her brother, she also realized even with them it’d be pointless. This wasn’t a normal person, but instead an illusion of one.. or something like that and Madison hardly cared to stress herself with any further thinking on the matter. “I think Ill struggle by…. though if I find there’s a bit I can’t reach….. you’ll be the very first to know!” There was almost a smirk, though it was hard to tell if the flick of her head was a good thing or not, the way she turned and walked off so typical a Madison trait however.
"Just don’t expect me to wait around forever," Came her impatient retort, unintentionally cool in tone and lacking any air of playful tease, her intolerance was almost legendary around the school and few but her brother and father managed to grasp the workings of Madison’s reactions. While they grew up Madison seemed unable to act without her brother someone how knowing what she was up to, the way she breathed, the way Madison’s eyes moved, the way she moved, the very steps she took, all somehow told Connor all he needed to know and warm him if she was up to anything she shouldn’t have been. In a lot of ways Connor had protected her more then even Madison realized, the young girls flirtatious attitude and need for connection drove her to finding that special bond she yearned for in all the wrong ways. And any random guy had seemed to hold the key to such possible happiness, even if they were just moments of joy to be smothered in pain and neglect. If the guy didn’t seem to be there for Madison’ welfare there wasn’t much Connor had to do to scare him off, and it had been very few occasions that Madison managed to pin Connor down as the one who broke her contact with a few particular guys.
For a while Madison had thought she found everything she had wanted in the arms of Lachlan Summers, their relationship had been content, passionate, and understanding had even seeped its way between them. Though that didn’t stop Madison’s wild moods and eventually her attitude caused Lachlan to loose control of his own temper and in turn his power. It didn’t matter how fast Madison could heal, he refused to be responsible for hurting her, which in some ways hurt more then just randomly being dumped. There was no point in hoping for the fairy tale love, and Madison wasn’t looking for it, she just wanted freedom, she just wanted to have her way and nothing more, nothing else mattered but getting what she felt like and what she wanted. And guys would always come and go… especially when you tended to outlive all of them in the end, what was the point of finding ‘love’ if you’d just watch it die anyway. The only person Madison cared about was Connor, and right now she wasn’t even being given the chance to help find him, and going by (in her opinion) the slack efforts of the last rescue teams she had little faith that he’d be returned swiftly.
A shower would hardly easy Madison of her fretful worries and angered concerns, though as she entered the female showers and peeled away the layers, Madison found at least the hot water a comfort against her flesh, washing away the sweat that would have undoubtedly gotten a few wrinkled noses if she had walked through the halls without washing up. Work hard. Play hard. The rules Madison lived by, and there never seemed to be any rules to her world and it’s simple yet pleasantly taxing commandments. And while Madison didn’t like being kept waiting herself, it never phased her the thought of keeping others waiting, it wasn’t like she was asking them to wait for her, she hardly cared in the end, they could do whatever they wanted to do, it usually never bothered her.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
Apparently he had got away with it, managing successfully to keep the momentary hurt hidden behind his mask of banter. Nor did the , for him, rather daring comment seemed to have overstepped the boundary that Madison kept around her self lie some invisible minefield just waiting to explode. So all in all Michael considered himself pretty damned lucky to have come this far unscathed and still, apparently, if not exactly welcome then at least tolerated. Even if her parting comment wasn’t brimming over with warmth and enthusiasm.
"Just don’t expect me to wait around forever," she told him as she left the danger room, without as much as a backwards glance. Michael hadn’t expected her to wait around at all. Though if he didn’t get his act together she might just have to. “End programme” he said quickly before letting Hood melt away and heading back to his real and oh so less cooperative body. Fatigue hit him like a wave, while muscles he hadn’t used protested against Hood’s abuse of them.
Michael gasped and tried to sit up. He had known this whole little stunt was going to be hard on him but he hadn’t realised just how hard. Sweat stuck the fabric of his shirt to his thin back and plastered his too long hair to his forehead, while the blood pounded in his ears, and his vision wavered sickeningly. ”Oh great” he groaned quietly as he tried to pull himself together.”This is just bloody typical. Hot chick waiting to go to lunch and I can’t even stand up. Story of my life! Well not the hot chick but…..all the crap yeah that’s pretty much par for the course”
He didn’t have time for this. If he didn’t turn up clean and as near to presentable as he could manage in the next fifteen minutes then she would walk and everything he had achieved up till now would be wasted. “Come on How hard can this be” he muttered to himself as he grabbed his crutches, making sure he had a good grip on them as he forced himself to stand, knowing that if he fell now he wouldn’t be getting back up on his own. And he did get to his feet even if it took all the energy he had left just to do it.
*I’ll feel better once I’m in the shower* he told himself encouragingly. *Hell I could hardly feel any worse..and theres only the major hurdle of undressing to get over before I’m there.” It wasn’t a graceful process getting out of the sweat stained clothes but then all of Michael’s grace had been left behind when he relinquished Hood.” if I find there’s a bit I can’t reach….. you’ll be the very first to know!” he had told Madison but that had never been true. This struggle was private and savagely humiliating and in the end there was little he could do but stand there as the hot water finally hit him and washed away the outward traces of Hood’s battle in the danger room, clinging stubbornly to anything he could to keep himself upright.
The heat as usual did help a little though, easing his muscles sufficiently for the ordeal of dressing to become at least an option as opposed to a non starter. The clothes the Institute had provided for him were simple but adequate and if they hung loosely from his underweight frame then Michael didn’t care. At least it made them slightly easier to get in and out of and at this moment in time that was all that mattered. Michael pulled the clean ones out of his backpack and got into them as best he could. then still conscious of the passing of time he stuffed the dirty ones in and took a deep breath.
He hurt everywhere and it showed. The reflection that stared back at him from the changing room mirrors told him that. Nor was it exactly something any girl would hang around to see let alone someone like Madison. Despairingly he towelled his hair a little drier and combed his fingers through it in a vain attempt to restore some semblance of order. Then he gritted his teeth and got to his feet.
The jeans started to slip as soon as he moved. Damn it all! The others had been slack but this was ridiculous. Oh come on God please, just give me a break! Michael whispered despondently. “Just one little break…. its not a lot to ask.” But much as he had expected no heavenly belt materialised on the bench beside him. Though that had perhaps been too much to hope for!
The backpack Michael thought suddenly.. “maybe it has removable straps or even just some way of fastening it round my waist that will get me through this.” It proved not to be the case though and the young Scot was running out of ideas even faster than he was running out of time. Close to actual despair he checked through every pocket in the bag with the dogged determination of the truly answered. And if the miracle he had asked for came in a most down to earth manner then at least it did come. And for that he was sincerely grateful.
Why the previous owner of the rucksack should have left a piece of string in it he couldn’t even begin to imagine. All he knew was that they had…. and that it was long enough to slip through the tabs on his jeans and let him tie it in a stupid looking but nevertheless thankfully efficient knot. It did nothing to enhance his overall appearance but he was beyond caring. After all finding yourself with your pants suddenly down at your ankles was a hell of a lot more humiliating than this was.
He did have some pride left though or at least if not pride then a desire not to show Madison up too badly, so he pulled the shirt out of his jeans and arranged it as best he could to cover up his unorthodox fashion accessory then, with a resigned sigh he made his way out of the changing room to meet her. Provided she was still there that was!
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
Having difficulty dressing wasn't only restricted to those with a hindering physical disability such as Michael, Logan's kids for example had more run ins with tattered clothing in a month then most kids in a year. Though it was decreasing for Connor, and Arisa almost never ripped her clothes any more, Madison was still finding her claws coming out at the wrong times, at least with Connor he scratched himself when getting worked up over something usually, not while half way trying to dress.
Though Madison gave a disgruntled roll of her eyes the three shred marks that ran across her lower stomach were not all that bad... Some people had that sort of stuff as a fashion statement so Madison always insisted she was just sticking to fashion if anyone was stupid enough to question her about it. Connor's main problem targeted about his thighs, whereas Madison usually ruined her tops while either putting her hands through them and shredding the sleeves or ripping them while trying to pick them up. Who cares anyone, it wasn't like she was out to impress anyone and she was long since used to ripping things, as long as it wasn't in a changing room of a clothes store, as had been the case on a few occasions, then she was more then content with dealing with it... her dad would end up replacing it anyway so as long as it wasn't her favourite shirt it didn't matter!
The three evenly spread stab holes that sat over her stomach, slightly off center, had Madison's fingers momentarily fidgeting with them as the feral moved towards the doorway, her other hand finishing the final touches of drying her hair as she walked. The jeans and white tank top gave her a casual yet still stylish look, a brown belt wrapped about her slender waist, the silver buckle clasping it securely. Madison liked to show she was more then able to get peoples attentions, she liked being seen, but also liked people to know that it was completely up to her if she sees them notice or not, and it was her choice just how much attention she'd let people realize she was giving them in return.
For a moment Madison found herself staring down at the small tares in her top, it was obvious something had ripped through them, and anyone who knew about their claws and had seen their claws would possibly notice that the rips were similar width apart. But again, Madison didn't care, she'd put up with it, and if anyone tried to point out she ruined her top, she'd ruin theirs in turn.. it'd be worth the scolding her father would give her when he finds out, because he always ended up getting told about her scuffles.. Not that it ever made her reconsider her actions.
There was a pause Madison looked into the Danger Room, she hadn't turnd it off, and that was always something Connor pointed out to her, it wasn't like she always forget.. she was just used to someone else turning it off, and in this case, it seems Michael had done it.. that or finally someone put in an automated shut off for when no ones in the stupid room. Somehow the first option seemed more likely, just because she was sure if there would have been anything like that, it'd have been added years ago. there was no way Madison happened to be the only one ever to walk out without shutting off the system!
In any case, brushing her hair with her fingers having taken up a lot of time, and the general typical dawdling the younger of the Michelle Enright's two birthchildren, Madison seemed to be out only mere minutes before Michael appeared, and again Madison's eyes settled on him as he hobbled over. That was the face she wsa more accustomed to.. even if it didn't look as physically appealing as the astral projection, the fact Madison had issues with Michael's powers hardly warmed her up to either him or his illusionary self. One thing she hated most was the forced need to think about things, and since meeting Michael it seems her mind has forced her to think and for that Madison's not been best pleased.
"Finally." It wasn't that Michael had taken his time, or that Madison was impatient, the comment could be made out to mean a lot of possible things but for Madison she was just glade that there was something more real for her to interact with. The stral projection may be worth the company in a fight or for eye candy, but Madison would always prefer that of flesh and bone compared to a ghost-like thing... at least she knew what to expect from someone who was made of flesh, and she knew if needed she could protect herself against them. Madison was reminded in recent months that people weren't to be trusted! And the last person she let in real close ended up using her to get to Connor, and try to get to her as well, and stopped Madison from even being able to help Connor when he needed her and she was right there with him!! Not again, not ever again. People weren't important, only family mattered, and in the end Connor was the only family she cared about.... well... and her dad she supposed, he was ok when he was around.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
She was still there. Unbelievable as that seemed to Michael when he finally and painfully hauled himself out of the changing room! Did she see his sigh of relief? He didn’t think so. But then again that may just have been wishful thinking. In any case, if she had then she didn’t mention it. Just as she chose to turn a blind eye to his less than suave appearance!
"Finally." The comment could have been seen as harsh given the circumstances but Michael didn’t take it as such. He was just amazed that Madison had actually hung around long enough to scold him. And that she didn’t look on him as something the cat had dragged in. After a particularly undiscerning night!
She on the other hand looked…. amazing. Though it was true that in Michael’s opinion Madison could probably have worn a bin bag and still looked fantastic. She had after all the physic of an athlete and the nonchalance of a top model Besides he thought wryly her jeans were in no danger of falling down that much was certain. And as for her top… Oh god!
Michael had no way of stopping the reaction that surged through him as he saw and interpreted the marks left in the white material. Claws had cut through it, slicing it apart in much the same place that Connor’s claws had severed his own flesh.
Maybe, in any case, it would have been enough to provoke fear, or at least enough fear for someone with Madison’s senses to pick up on. But with the malicious impetus of his resident demons behind it, pushing visions of their cruelty to the forefront of his brain, linking the moment when Connor’s claws had torn into Hood’s insubstantial matter to all the suffering he had endured to save Paige and their own wanton abuse of the situation, then it was clear that he stood no chance of feigning indifference. Far from it.
Even as his mind reached for words that might explain, if not excuse his reaction, his body had already betrayed him. The lung that Hank had assured him was perfectly recovered suddenly seemed to shut down leaving him gasping painfully for air. Air that wasn’t coming! Just as it hadn’t come back in the cage!
As if from a great distance Michael could hear it wheezing in his chest as it tried to push its way through whatever blockage, physical or mental stood in its way and the grey eyes that that had unexpectedly filled with shock when they had seen the tears in Madison’s clothing, shut now as he struggled simply to breathe.
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
To say that Madison was used to being stared at was in most accounts true, people stared at her for various reasons, but the careful flicker of eyes that Michael had graye over her was not one of something thinking 'Mutie' but instead the more focused attention a few guys gave her way. It never really bothered Madison, as long as it wasn't from someone she particularly was repulsed by..
Though, regarding repulsive reactions, Michael didn't seem at all happy with something, and as Madison let her eyes drift down to her stomach to match the line of gaze Michael had, she wondered what his issue was with her slightly tattered top... Surel he wasn't that judgemental towards attire! With a slight impatience, Madison looked back up at Michael, though his reactions hadn't improved at all, which just confused her all the more. He knew she had claws! Surely he could figure A plus B equals she's obviously clawed herself, get over it already..
Though getting over it didn't seem to be high on Michael's to-do list, the look of fear that engulfed him caused Madison to glance over her shoulder, just to make sure there wasn't something spooky standing right behind her to explain whatever it was Michael was freaking over, because he was definitely freaking! A loud intake of air drew Madison's attention back, she'd pretty much figured there was something upsetting him, but what? The torn shirt? Or something else, because if he thought she was going to strip down to her bra for him, he had another think coming!
Speaking of thinking, what WAS he thinking? Damn it, if only there was a random telepath around who she could mimic abilities from... than again if someone else was around they could deal with this strange guy themselves. Though as Madison thought that, her irritation faded to give way to a slight concern as Michael's efforts to breath grew even more strained, should she call Hank? Talia? Some sort of shrink? Who was best suited to help in this situation? It sure as hell wasn't her! Though even as Madison inwardly protested, a step was still taken towards Michael, though she paused, if he was freaked by her, or something, wouldn't that make things worse? Oh she wasn't sure if she could put up with things getting any randomly worse!
Perhaps she should do something.. walking off would be so much easier, though he did come all this way to see her... not that she asked Michael to check up on her! Madison almost sighed, it was easier with Connor when he freaked out, because she knew he didn't need a hug or anything.. she wasn't going to go up there and hug the guy, sheesh! What did she look like? What else could she do? Madison spent a moment thinking... and decided to stick with the comfortable basics and progress from there.
"..You want me to call someone?" He wasn't looking at her anymore, he'd shut his eyes and personally Madison had preferred that compared to getting looked at as if she was about to pounce on him and rip Michael apart for the thrill of it. Sure it was always possible for her to do such a thing, but he hadn't really given her a reason to do so towards himself.
‘I spend so much time hurting others, that I sometimes
forget that I’m on the side that’s supposed to help others...'
Re: Dangerous Liasons.
He was caught in the eternal dilemma of the asthmatic, knowing he had to calm down in order to catch his breath but on the other hand needing to breathe in order to be able to calm down. Desperately Michael tried to fight his way out of the sea of fear that had been unleashed by the sight of the claw marks on Madison’s tee shirt, but it all too literally felt that instead he was drowning in it.
It was as if someone with vertigo had suddenly found themselves in the middle of a rope bridge suspended over nothingness. Somewhere inside the mind might scream that the bridge could still be crossed. The body on the other hand refused to move. So now, this lung that Michael knew had worked perfectly up until an instant ago, simply withered into uselessness in the wake of the unreasonable terror that, without warning, stranded him over a void he couldn’t hope to pass.
If the images that assailed him had stopped even for an instant then maybe he could have regained control. But they didn’t. Laughing demon faces. Helplessness! And those words… It had been a dream… If he had any hope of sanity then it had to have been a dream. But they were still there. Forced into his mind by beings who had bought their way into his soul! *Take this as a reminder that you have been touched.*
Michael shuddered, the mere idea of those hands on his body more than he could bear, his vision starting to darken as his body cried out for oxygen and failed to receive it. Then there was.. what?.. movement?.. slight but there.. beside him. And a voice asking something he was too far gone to understand.
Madison. An image of her, claws raised and ready to strike, flashed through Michael’s mind, savage and frightening but yet despite that infinitely more acceptable than the sadistic visions that had gone before. For an instant it cut through the stranglehold that the demons had on him, setting his mind free to at least search for something; anything, to use as a shield against the fear.
Words. Something dredged up from the well of poetry that ran bone deep within him. They had never failed him in the past but now they skittered across his mind, made slippery by terror and manipulation, until he despaired of ever catching them. *Please, please. I need something to make this go away.* he asked franticly *Just one thing I can hold onto*
And then, suddenly there it was. Not a poem. Not even literature in the strictest sense of the word, though a classic none the less and by the very unexpectedness of the source it blindsided the defences that his enemies had set up to keep him from doing what he was about to do. Winning free of their grasp before they were finished with him!
Where even Shakespeare had been withheld from him science fiction came to his rescue. Dune! A tale of burning deserts and spice that had captured and fired his imagination as much as anything he had ever read. And which held the one thing he needed above all else. A fictional litany against fear that he now made real by the force of his belief and the depth of his need.
*I must not fear. *Michael recited silently. *Fear is the mind-killer.* Deep within him the demons hissed with displeasure as his mind steadied and cleared.*Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.*Breathe! Even just a little!*I will face my fear* Again. In out . In out.. Air. Still not enough but there all the same, giving him hope and strength. *I will permit it to pass over me and through me.* He could feel his muscles starting to relax and his lung flutter briefly back to life;*And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.* Now Michael could hear his own laboured breathing, harsh and unsteady but there all the same and surely getting better. *Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.* he went on stubbornly Only I will remain!
And suddenly , staggeringly it was true. As effectively as any exorcism the words drove the demons, unsatisfied, back into the depths, leaving him hauling in great gasping breaths of much needed air, but clearheaded and himself once more. The relief was overwhelming, leaving no room even for the embarrassment he should have felt at having made such a scene in front of Madison. For the moment though all he could do was breathe and he continued doing just that till the world steadied and his heart stopped feeling as if it was going to explode in his chest. Then he looked across at Madison , noting the concern in her eyes, knowing he had put it there and tried to smile though it was a wan effort at best..
“Good god” he said faintly.”that was….” How to explain it. He couldn’t . Even he didn’t fully understand what had happened but he had to say something“unexpected….Though I suppose after the past few days it was bound to happen sometime. Like a mental furball waiting to be coughed up. I’m just sorry you had to watch me do it.
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