Choosing Grounds (AU/UC/XO/ADULT) Xander and Maria needed

[Anna-Liisa]

*waves a "keep-this-rpg-alive' sign*

[NightshadeIsis]

*LEX*

"Lex, Pride, Bray..." I heard the voice, but didn't register that it was Tai-San at first. But I turned my head, looking into her face as she spoke. "Let's calm down and allow ourselves to be centered. We should simply sit down and listen to what the woman has to say and remember those we care about back home."

"Centered?" I laughed, looking from Tai-San to the...the creature...in front of them. "But this is...this is..."

Staring into the face of this Medina character, a mixture of things began to slam me hard and fierce. The words that Tai-San spoke, of friends back home. Friends...well, I had the Mallrats, but that wasn't enough right now. Not without what I'd lost. Not without Zandra, and my baby. What on earth did I really have to go back to? But yet I watched what this woman could do, how she waved a hand, flicked a finger, and everyone in the room was at her mercy...

They had no choice. I had no choice. There was nothing to do. I had people back home that despite what I said or tried to make Myself deny, Ireally still worried and cared for. The Mallrats from MY time. The only friends and family that I had left. If I didn't play ball, I'd lose them too.

Then,I truly would be alone.

Sighing, I looked over at Tai-San, nodding sadly in agreement. "Okay," I whispered, biting mylip in angered frustration. "Okay. I'll shut my gob now, alright?"

[NightshadeIsis]

JP for Alex and Slade between Stormwolfstone (Alex,) and myself (Slade)

JP PART ONE:

With her hand holding a small piece of cloth to her head, Alex walked cautiously along the side of the building. She had no idea where she was or what she was doing. The only thing she knew was that she was in a light fitting pair of leather pants and a black leather chemise style shirt, while on her feet she had a pair of black leather biker boots. "How did I hit my head?" She asked herself softly, not able to remember being hit during the raid last night or even changing out of her Agency uniform. Had she somehow become a defector? She'd placed the half facemask in place, despite the fact that she didn't need it. Disguises had become something she was used to using and having Ana's faceplate might come in handy.

With a sigh, she continued to walk along the building, trying to find the sources of the talking when suddenly the sound of gunfire met her ears just as she was getting ready to move to the next building. She reached down, only to notice that her own gun was gone. What the hell? How had her weapons ended up coming up missing? "Damn." She muttered, planning to continue on even without the weapon.

The popping sound was the first thing that registered with him. He stirred once, twice, his eyes fluttering open. And then a after another burst of the noise went off, his eyes jolted open. His head shot up, but a wave of dizziness over took him, and he let his head fall back to the ground, banging against the hard ground with a sharp thud. Grasping his head, he yelped aloud in pain.

"Ah, bloody hell!" He grumbled. His name was Slade. And he had no idea as to how on earth he had gotten where he was.

Forcing back the wave of nausea, he stood, grasping the wall of the building beside him. He was in an alley? How? Had he had too much to drink at Ruby's or something? No. How could he have driven his bike all the way from Liberty to the city if he was drunk out of his mind? He tried to shake his head clear, but that only made the dizziness worse. "Ah bugger...what on earth happened?" he said to himself. "What did I drink? Or did I? Did someone put spike me?" Slade wasn't one to be easily snowed over, but had it happened? And what had that noise been that had shocked him awake?

Alex, as she was often called, began creeping past the alley as she followed the sounds of the gun shots; however she stopped and glanced around. Was that someone moving in the alley? She shrugged, thinking that it wasn't her problem if it was. Pulling the cloth back, she checked to see if it looked like the head wound had stopped bleeding. It seemed not to be flowing as bad as she reached up, but rather then deal with it; she replaced the cloth and turned to continue walking.

She wasn't about to act stupidly when she didn't have her weapons with her, but then again... She stopped in place again and sighed. What if it was 'him'? Turning down the alley abruptly, she called out softly, "Are you a low-jacker or an Agent?"

Slade was almost at the mouth of the alley, almost halfway there, when he stopped short, someone approaching it. The sunlight was blurring the figure. A silhouetted figure. Slender…a woman? Yep...her voice called out to him. Her question was absurd, however. He had no idea what she was referring to.

Leaning against the wall, holding his head in a feeble attempt to stop the incessant throbbing, he looked at the silhouette, chuckling in his confusion. "Neither," he called out. "In fact I don't know what you're talking about. I fly solo, and this is isn't my home. In fact I haven't the foggiest idea how I got here and I have a bad bloody headache, so if you don't mind, can you possibly tell me where I am so I can find my way back to my bike and get on out of here?"

Shaking her head, she heard the accented voice reply and shrugged as she stopped her approach, not about to risk herself. "I have no idea where this place is so I'm unable to help you." She replied and after a moments thought, she added, "However, with the gunfire not far from here, you may want to get off the streets." With that said she turned away and began walking along her previous path as she felt that he seemed fine and didn't need her, nor did she need him whoever he was.

"Terribly hospitable," Slade muttered sarcastically. He walked out of the alley as best he could, still dizzy and wobbly. His head was pounding...however he'd wound up on the ground, he had hit hard. Once he hit the mouth of the alley, he looked at the retreating form of the woman. She was slim, athletically built, with long sun golden hair. She certainly was beautiful, from the back. He wondered about the front. Slade started to shout after her, but as he took a step, he stumbled, the world suddenly beginning to spin again, but this time very violently. He groaned loudly, his hand swinging to his head before stumbling forward, hitting the side of the building and sliding down the wall to the ground.

Alex heard sounds from behind her and turned to see the guy falling and with a shake of her head, she moved back to his side. Kneeling beside him, she looked him over and shook her head yet again. He was attractive enough, but quite frankly it made her feel even less of a reason to trust him. Still, it was obvious he did need her after all. Glancing around, she saw a very strange thing happen. A trough of water appeared nearby with clean cloth's hanging over the sides. Standing, she walked over and took a couple, dipping them in the water before grabbing a dry one and then walked back over to the guy. Using one she had soaked with water, she began wiping his brow, hoping that she wasn't being an idiot.

Slade felt the sensation of cold water on his head, and looked up, seeing the woman that had walked off kneeling in front of him, pressing a soaked cloth to his head. She was attractive, no question. But the pain in his head was taking away from worrying about that at the moment. Besides, the wet cloth was feeling too wonderful. He had no idea how he had gotten this conk on the head, how he had landed there, nor what was going on, but he was thankful that this woman had suddenly changed her tune and came to his aid.

"Thanks," he mumbled, hand still against his head. "I'm just...just a little dizzy, that's all. I'll be all right though. I think I know where in the city I'm at, judging by this street. My way home is about a two hours walk south if I can't find my bike. I think I can make it alright."

"I'll believe that when I see it." She replied with a shake of her head. "What you need is rest, not a two hour trek." She continued to use the cloth, and reached up with her other hand as she spoke, "Let me make certain you don't have a concussion or signs of an injury that can cause one, and then we'll discuss whether I trust that you're alright." Of course, if she were being honest with herself, she'd admit that she was trying to ignore her own wound and the possibilities that came with it, but she sure as hell wasn't going to say anything about that. The bandana on her head would probably look like it was simply there for a headdress reason, not because it was covering the wound. "What's your name?"

She decided to ask, as she ran the cloth over his head, his hair, trying to make certain that there were no major wounds or bumps, and cleaning out the dirt that had gotten around him because of the walls and more then likely the alley floor.

"Slade," he replied, looking up at her in interest. She was quite the stubborn woman, wasn't she? She was helping him after suddenly trying to turn tail? He didn't quite understand. But as she continued to nurse him, he noticed her stern, strong glare. Not angry, simply stoic and almost battle worn. He found himself wondering just what kind of life that she had had to make her so strong backed. It was an appealing thought.

Noticing the bandana, it brought another question that he addressed, raising a hand up to brush it gently. "This some kind of symbol from your tribe or something?" he asked. "Kind of blank for a tribe symbol if you ask me. They're normally a bit more...extensive."

Checking over his head, Alex found that despite the dirt that she cleaned off there was luckily no blood, just a nice sized lump. "Tribe? I have no idea what you are talking about. It's just something I wear." She lied, not about to admit to having been weak enough to receive a wound and not even remember how. "We should see about finding some ice for that lump you've got." She said as she drew back and held her hand in front of his face, "Follow my finger," she said and began moving her hand slowly from left to right and then up and down.

This was ridiculous. Slade felt like he was a kid again, back in the physician’s office. Follow her finger…oh brother. But at least she’d come to help. Even though he hated admitting that he had needed the hand, sadly, he did. It couldn’t hurt to at least humor her. Sighing, he followed her finger as she moved it from side to side, trying to keep the disinterested look from his face.
"Well, even with that lump you don't have a concussion, but moving around on your own wouldn't be a good idea." Despite the fact that Slade didn't seem to be a threat there was an air of mystery around him that made Alex wonder why the hell she was even going to the trouble of helping him when there was no guarantee things would be fine once he wasn't so off kilter. She lowered her hand a moment while she simply perused him before coming to a decision.

"I'll be right back," she said as she stood and moved back over to the trough and then settled down before it while she removed the bandana and cleansed her wound. The entire time, she made it seem as though she was simply slowly wetting her hair. Finally after a moment, she dunked her head and then slowly brought it out of the water and squeezed the excess out. Using the cloth's she worked to dry off the wound and sighed when she saw that it still bled slightly. Keeping a clean cloth in place, she replaced the bandana over it, careful to hide the wound and cloth.

[StormWolfstone]

~Medina~

I watch my pets as they begin to take in the words I’ve said and of course the information that Marley gave them. I’m almost certain that many of them will begin thinking that they have no choice and begin to lose heart, but I have a few other things up my sleeve that they aren’t even close to being ready for. Oh, this was bound to be so much fun. More fun then anything else I’ve ever had… well other then of course a couple of others that I’ve been holding. Boy, wouldn’t he be trying to change the path of things if he had the chance.

I look at Liz as she realizes that her ring is gone. Now, that look in her eyes is simply brilliant. I love seeing that look of loss in her eyes. Oh, yes I know I’m sadistic, but they certainly haven’t seen my worst yet. No, not yet.

"Medina, please...my ring, please don't take it..." Ooh, her pleading tone sends shivers through me. I do so like the sound of it. And, not to mention, it looks like she’s the first to truly begin to break. This is going to be fun.

“Oh… my, I’ll consider your request.” I simply say and look around, smirking as I see the vampire angel glaring at me. “Oh, how do you like being able to walk in the sun again, Angelus?”

"What do you mean... incomplete?" I hear Kyle ask, and for the moment choose not to answer his question. "All of the humans are incomplete in a way. So... that shouldn't be a reason for choosing just us," I simply smirk at the boy, tempted to show him a few things. "At least I can't believe that's all... I just can't."

"How can you make us go through this? Meeting dead and those who betrayed us..." I simply look at him before turning as Angel decides to finally reply to me.

“I’m making do.” Angel replies simply and I grin. “Why don’t you just give the girl back her ring and let me have a go?” I shrug as I hold up the ring and shake my head.

“It’s far too much fun like this, especially when I doubt you’d risk coming up against me at the moment.” Just then one of my other toys who I had decided I was simply going to use as an example came walking idly into the room, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “Salene, so good of you to join us.” I commented coldly and waved a hand, forcing her to be thrown across the room into Angel’s open arms. I’d forced them open as well. “Now, Angelus, your food awaits.” I tell him and with a grin I focus a moment and then watch as he notices what I’m doing.

His soul removed, he vamps out and I nod, laughing. Salene begins to scream. “Feed from her, Angelus. Enjoy the warm blood.” I tell him and so that the others couldn’t interrupt I simply placed a small shield around Angel and Salene. I watched as Angelus glanced around a moment and then drew back his mouth, forcing Salene’s head to tilt before striking her bare neck, tearing into her flesh and feeding from her hungrily.

I watched her struggle and soon saw her fall limply in his hold. Yes, well that was one down. When Angelus tossed her down and went to step forward, I waved a hand quickly and before the vampire could react, he’d become dust with a wooden stake falling to the ground. “There, that was a temporary moment of fun.” I commented, not caring that the others would hear me.

Focusing on Salene, I waved a hand and the body vanished before I turned to look around at the others, “So, anymore questions?” I asked, holding Liz’s ring up again and smirking at her before tossing it toward her through the air. I’d have plenty of times to taunt her and get to her, or if I got tired of her, I’d simply kill her.

Then I decided that it was time to go ahead and reply to what Kyle had asked. Smiling, I let myself float over until I’m standing in front of him. “Let me ask you something, Kyle. Would you like to forget the pain, betrayal and loss? I can make you forget. I can make all of you forget and then you’d never know whether there was someone out there that is to be the one to complete you.”

I paused a moment, placing my hand on his shoulder as I looked into his eyes, “Dear boy. I can be nice. I can be kind. And maybe, just maybe you’ll have many chances. For now though, you will have two hours to talk amongst yourselves. Know this, the mall is locked up. You can not get out. When I return in two hours, I’ll decide how many of you stay together.”

I then turn and look at Lex and Pride, “Which one of you has Tai-San’s heart? Which one has her desires? Which one will lose her?”

With that, I vanished, but not before causing Tai-San, Isabel and Moon to pass out with a simple thought. I’d return to my favorite nesting place for the time being. I had other things to do, others to harass and a few things to plan.

[NightshadeIsis]

*Lex*

The woman that everyone had been calling Liz was really getting upset over this ring. Had she lost her spouse too? I suddenly felt a strong surge of sympathy for her, and a renewed sense of anger towards Medina. I shared her pain, knew how she felt. Something as simple as that ring could tear someone's heart out. It was easily done when you were hurting this badly.

But it wasn't until one of the other men, a tall dark haired figure, began to speak, that Medina even paid anyone any mind; she had been too wrapped up in taunting Liz to care.

“Why don’t you just give the girl back her ring and let me have a go?" he says, obviously as hard up to go after this freak as Lex was.

“It’s far too much fun like this," Medina chuckles, "Especially when I doubt you’d risk coming up against me at the moment.”

It was at that moment that a shadow passed my eye from the side, and I turned, seeing a familiar figure in the doorway. Someone I'd recently had a long talk with over Zandra's death. Someone I considered a good friend. One of the few Mallrats that understood me, and cared to listen. Dear God, she had to get out of here.

"Sal, just go!" I shouted, hoping and praying that she could find a way out of this mess back the way she'd came in.

“Salene, so good of you to join us," Medina cooed. I looked back at Medina in gritted anger. NO. No, she couldnt do this. Not to the only person I had left that I considered a sincere friend on this planet! I started to open my mouth and say just that, but as I did I watched Medina's hand flick, and witht he motion Salene went flying into across the room swiftly, and straight into the arms of the dark haired man that had challenged Medina. What good would that do? He'd look out for her. I was sure of it...

“Now, Angelus, your food awaits.” I did a double take as Medina spoke. His..his what? I almost laughed at how obsurd her words were. What was this...this Angelus guy, a vamp....

“Feed from her, Angelus. Enjoy the warm blood." Even as Medina spoke again, my blood went cold as I watched the change in the man in front of me. It wasn't humanly possible. That was rather understated honestly...it wasn't human at all. HE wasn't. And he had Salene. But before I could even make a move, my stomach was turning in sickness at the sight before me. The screams, the blood. He was...he was...

"NO!" I screamed, charging in. "God, no!"

Fists clenched I ran, intent on sending that freak sailing across the room. I had to get her out of there. I had to get Sal away from him! But only a few inches from them, I ran headlong into something so solid I grunted as the wind was knocked out of me, bouncing back slightly. Another of Medina's lovely tricks. I pounded fiercely on whatever it was, the invisible barrier between Salene, this creature taking her life, and myself, my fist growing sore. It wasn't until her body went limp, falling in a heap, that I stopped, staring at it wide eyed and stepping back in shock.

Nothing left. She was gone.

I don't even know if I noticed the fact that Medina took out the vampire at first. I was too busy staring at Salene's lifeless body. In a split second afterwards, it started to fade, and I jumped forward again, fists slamming once again against the barrier.

"No, don't!" I shouted. But as Salene completely faded from view, my head simply leaned against the invisible wall, eyes closing tightly in a mixture of anger, sadness, and a strong desire to risk allowing myself to be killed just for the chance to break Medina's neck.

Medina began speaking to Kyle, but I paid it no mind. Ididn't care. I was too angry to care. I couldn't focus at the moment, couldn't breathe. My wife, my child, and now the only person in that blasted mall that ever even cared to listen. I couldn't keep going like this. I just couldn't.


“Which one of you has Tai-San’s heart?" At Medina's mention of a familiar name, I lifted his head and glared at her, noticing that she was speaking to him, and to Pride "Which one has her desires? Which one will lose her?”

What on earth was she on about? I wanted so badly to scream, to charge her and just end it all. But before I could do any of the above, three of the women, Tai-San included, passed out before his eyes, and Medina vanished. Watching as Tai-San and the others hit the floor, I growled in frustration and made my way over to Pride's side to help with Tai-San.

There had to be a way out...

OOC: Pride post coming tonight

[NightshadeIsis]

*PRIDE*

This woman was sick. Sadistic. Their guest, this Liz woman...obviously she had lost her husband. Obviously that ring was all that she had left. How could Medina be so cold? How could she honestly not care about what was happening to a person, what someone was feeling inside? Did she have none herself? Had loss never been a part of her life?

"How can you make us go through this?" Kyle said, after a moment. "Meeting dead and those who betrayed us..."

I echoed Kyle's thoughts, looking over at Tai-San with a heavy heart. I knew exactly how Kyle felt. This was pain. It was pain in its worst form, and it was killing me. It was killing everyone. And all for this woman's amusement. I was used to hard situation's, staying strong for others, forcing myself to move ahead. But how on earth was I supposed to do that when I was staring at my wife, long since dead, and she wanted nothing to do with me? How could I stand on my own two feet and keep that going? How could I keep myself steady when I had to look at her, and she wasn't looking back the same way, feeling the same way? It was all too much to take.

“Why don’t you just give the girl back her ring and let me have a go?” the dark haired man standing near to us spoke up to Medina, obviously issuing a challenge. Medina seemed to love it, however, grinning madly. But it wasn't shortly after that a figure walked into the room, and my head turned. Salene? I had no idea that she was even here with us? Which reality did the creature pluck her from? Mine? Lex's? Tai-San's?

"Sal, just go!" Lex shouted, begging her to run. I expected that from Lex. They had ended up to be close friends in my reality, and obviously in this Lex's, it had ended the same way.

But Salene didn't leave. She didn't have the chance. A few sarcacstic words from Medina, a wave of a hand, and Salene flew into the arms of the man Medina addressed as Angelus.

“Now, Angelus, your food awaits.” Food? What on earth was she talking about? A human eating a human? It was unheard of! He wouldn't do that. She was out of her mind! "Feed from her, Angelus," Medina continued. "Enjoy the warm blood."

Warm blood? But that would mean that he was a...no. No, it wasn't possible.

Before I could react, yell, scream...do anything...the man began to change...disfigure into the most ungodly looking creature I'd even lain eyes upon. And even as Lex was clearing he distance, screaming in terror, the man was devouring our dear friend.

"Salene!" I screamed, staring in disbelief as Lex was thrown back by some invisible field, pounding on it in fury to get to her. I ran to join him, but before I could even take but a few steps, I was too late. Salene crumpled to the ground in a bloodied heap, and I simply stared at her, groaning aloud as tears escaped me. A hand went to my mouth in utter shock, watching as Medina not only made her disappear, but disposed of Angelus by just as gruesome a manner...driving a steak straight through his heart. The two vanished, and I looked at Lex, the man just as angered and shaky as I was.

Gone. Our friend, gone....

"She did NOTHING to you," I whispered. Whether she heard me or not, I couldn't tell. "She never did anything to a soul on this planet..."

“Which one of you has Tai-San’s heart?" At Medina's words, my head snapped up, looking at her in a mad rage. Mentioning Tai-San? Why? No...that had better not be a threat. She might not be my wife, but she...she...I don't know what she was to me. But she was all that I had.
"Which one has her desires? Which one will lose her?”

"Lose her?" I snapped. "No...don't you dare....!"

Before I could finish my threat, the woman vanished. And with her disappearance, Isabelle, Moon...and Tai-San hit the ground.

"Tai-San!" I exclaimed, my heart hitting my throat. I ran to her, skidding to my knees at her side, pulling her head up into my lap. My hand ran across her face as my heart beat almost straight through my chest. Not again. No, no....not another one. Please, not another one!

"Tai," I whispered, shaking her gently. "Please....please answer me."

"Come on, kiddo." I look up to see Lex on her other side, and smile in thanks as he leaned over, patting her face gently. "Get up, kid. Come on..."

She just had to get up. She had to. I couldn't do this without her, even if I didn't have her to begin with...

[NightshadeIsis]

Part Two of JP for Alex(Stormwolfstone) and Slade(NightshadeIsis)

PART TWO:

Sighing, Alex stood back up and walked back over to Slade with more cloths in hand. "So, do you think you can stand?"

“Think I can manage,” Slade grinned. “But you could always give a man a hand. After all, I am a poor, helpless invalid right now, you know.”

Alex looked at Slade and shook her head as she told him simply, “I’ll assist you, you can lean on me, but don’t you dare think to do anything more. I won’t hesitate in letting you fall on your ass if you try even the slightest thing.” She prepared to aid him with standing and taking some of his weight, “And don’t think that I aim to melt at that grin of yours.”

Her temperament brought a chuckle from Slade. She was a hard case of a high degree. This was interesting, to say the least.

“Don’t worry,” he said, waving a hand in a gesture of mock defeat. “I already figured you the type to not take lightly to a friendly flirt. Can tell you’re too quick for a guy to take advantage." Slade wasn’t sure if he was even in the mood to be flirting with anyone at this stage; it made him wonder what about this girl was making him even try. After what he’d just been through, what he’d left behind in Liberty…no…more to the point, WHO he had BURIED in Liberty…

Pushing himself up, Slade leaned in against her, the world still swirling, but not as badly now. "By the way...you have my name, but I never caught yours."

"That's because I never gave my name." She placed her arm around his waist to give him further support. "And, how would you think you'd even be capable of taking advantage of me?" She smirked as she shrugged again and glanced around; deciding that going into the nearest building would be the best idea. "The name is Alex."

Slade couldn't help but grin. She was definitely an interesting character. "Alex. Nice. And no, that wasn't a pass. That was just a compliment." He laughed. "I figured I'd save my skin by saying that." She was quite the tougher. He liked that. He really liked that.

Alex shook her head and sobered her expression, "Let's just move, the sooner we find a place that's safe for you to rest without having to wonder when the shots are going to be closer, the better." What she didn't say was that as soon as she was certain he was settled, she'd be on her way. She had no plans to stick around and nurse a stranger; in fact that was the farthest thing in her mind. She needed to find her earpiece and call in, find out what was going on and whether the raid had been successful.

"Well I have no idea where to look," he said. "Most of these places are pretty much taken over by the city tribes, and they don't take kindly to people coming in and dumping a stranger at their door." He shook his head, looking at Alex. "Look, it'd be best for you to just leave me to rest a bit and go. I can find my bike around here somewhere and get back to Liberty where I know I have a place to kick up my feet. There aren't many options around here that I know of."

Alex sighed and shook her head as she walked with Slade, heading towards the front of a building. However, when they reached the corner she stopped and simply peeked around. "Slade, this city of yours looks empty. So, how about you just simply shut up and let me make sure you are settled in enough to rest and then when I'm set I'll go." She noticed that whatever this place was, the building looked like it was some sort of magic shop or something. There wasn't any sign of people as she glanced at Slade, "Looks like this building should be just fine."

"Empty?" he said, looking around. Curiously, she was right. The streets were deserted. No one was around. What was going on? This was unusual. He was used to having to creep around this place, sneak around to find what he needed and sneak out again quickly. Now...it was a ghost town. He didn't say anything else to argue, however, as Alex lead him to a building. It was boarded up, as if no one had ever even been in it since the virus. What on earth was going on? It made no sense....

As they got to the door, she kicked it open and instantly glanced around only to find it empty inside as well. "Well, it looks safe." She muttered and stepped inside while still keeping an easy supportive stance. Once inside, she led him over to the table that was settled not far from the entrance and helped him to sit. "There, let me check this place out and we'll make certain that we're not invading anyone's territory." She walked back over toward the door and closed it, surprised to find that she hadn't busted the door. Once it was secure, she began walking around the building, careful at doorways and places where a person could hide. While she walked around, she managed to find antiseptics and such.

So, with those in hand she walked back out and moved in front of the mirror near where Slade was sitting. "Well, we're alone in the building. It's got some rather strange things in it, but I found some antiseptic in case you end up wounded more so then that bump." Deciding not to try and hide it anymore, she removed the bandana and the blood stained cloth and dipped her head forward, pouring some of the cleanser over the wound. Then she placed a clean cloth over it and simply rebound it again.

Slade looked up at her with wide eyed shock, eyeing the injury in concern. She was tough to still be standing, for that to not be bothering her. But in the end, he only smiled. He had to admire that kind of fierceness.

"Only something you wear for show, eh?" he said. "Sure seems like it." He looked around, sighing at his surroundings. He couldn't stay here forever. He had to get going. He had to find his bike. He had to go after Josh. He knew now where to find his brother; it had taken him months of research, but he'd found him with the Technos. It was during that research, during that time going back and forth, that another blow was landed to Slade. It only served to make him want to push harder to get to Josh, to stop the madness… to save his brother from himself. Yet another person in Slade’s life that he’d had to bury. Josh was going to end up killing himself without realizing it. The entire city was breathing down his neck.

Slade had to get going, or he might lose his one chance. He didn't have time to sit and let Alex play Doctor to him, when she was injured herself.

"How long do we need to keep this up?" he asked.

Alex sighed as she tied the bandana back in place and moved to sit down, "Look, okay so I lied and didn't mention my damned injury. Just like you have things you want to do, so do I, but with the fact that we've got some gun toting maniac's out there, it would be a good idea to rest and determine a path rather then…" She paused a moment as her vision wavered and closed her eyes willing it to pass, "Rather then just going out there an inviting trouble. How far do you really think you'd have gotten without me helping you, Slade?"

Slade frowned, looking up at Alex. He didn't know if her tone was making him so perturbed, or if the fact that she was right was getting to him. "Listen, I never asked for help to begin with. I don't even know how I got there, alright? One minute I'm on my bike, the next I'm waking up in that alley. Something crazy is going on here obviously. And the fact that guns are involved makes no sense. Do you know how long it has been since this city has even SEEN a real gun?" He sighed, leaning back in the chair, the aggravation upsetting his dizziness again. "Fine, So I admit it. I'm on a rough patch. You helped me out, and I definitely do thank you. I'm sorry. Fair enough?"

Alex shrugged, "Look, you don't have to like the fact that we have no damned idea what the hell is going on. I don't like it either. However, we can either stick together and think things through or take chances separately. So, quite frankly it's your decision." She moved to stretch out her neck and attempted to hide the wince that came with the movement because the pressure in her head decided to double for the time being. She sighed and lowered her head, placing her hands under her chin as her elbows rested on her knees. She didn't know how much longer she could go on, but she could tell that letting herself drift out may not be a good idea. In fact, she was certain she had a mild concussion at the least.

"I was in the middle of a fight, trying to stop someone important to me from being arrested simply for loving music when I woke up outside of this city. I don't even remember being hit in the head, though I do remember the other injuries." Alex explained, though she wasn't going to get into the other one's she'd gotten from her opponent.

“For liking music?” Slade asked. “Is that some new law they’ve set up around here, or have I missed something?” Slade was beginning to think that not only was Alex not from around here, but she was from much farther than he had realized.

"The law has been in effect for over a hundred years, anyone caught dancing or playing music, watching certain movies or any other entertainment not approved by the Agency is arrested and sent to re-education camps. Horrible things happen there..." She trailed off, feeling herself shiver as she remembered some of those very things. "Very few ever leave."

“Okay, now I know you’re not from around here,” Slade was beginning to think that the injury on Alex’s head was more severe than he thought. Was she serious? It was like a bad sci-fi movie. “Alex, this city has only been like this for about six or seven years or so, since the virus attacked. Before that, everyone spent their days at the mall buying their CD’s and watching the music channels...even the cops.” He shook his head, pointing to the chair across from him. “Have a seat, love. I think that you need it.”

"You think I've lost my mind? Well, join the club. I felt like I did when I went against the Agency and tried to save a lowjacker." Alex shook her head and moved to sit down, her eyes closing as she leaned back. "I couldn't let them take him again. Not after what they'd done to him the first time. I had to keep him from suffering more. He'd escaped and been lucky, but they would have put him through the third phase, just like they had me. He'd have forgotten those he cared about, forgotten how to feel." She sighed and broke off; realizing she was saying more then she should in case this was a trick of some sort. After a moment, she forced herself to stand again, feeling as though she had to keep moving.

Slade sighed, grabbing his still swirling head. “Wait, wait please....this isn’t making any sense to me.” He sighed, pointing at the chair again. She was either very confused from her bump on the head, or dead serious. He didn’t know what was scarier. But before he ventured out into the streets to find his way out of there, with gun toting psychos suddenly making their presence known, he knew that he needed to know what was going on. “Just sit down, alright? I’m gonna get a bigger headache unless you just explain this to me in long form, instead of skirting details.”

"Almost a hundred years ago, Senator Haynes caused a ban to be placed on all art forms. This meant everything from art work, dancing, music and photography. Rights of free expression were no longer legal. The Agency was formed to make certain the people followed these new laws. A non-conformist when found was arrested and sent to a re-education camp where they were supposed to be 'cleansed'. No one knew what really happened in those camps because no one ever got out or if they did they were too scared to say anything. Or, they're memory had been messed with so bad they forgot." Alex sighed as she sat down, her eyes closing as she prepared to relate some of the things she'd gone through.

"They tried to make the camps sound nice, but in reality there were different levels that a person went through. You weren't allowed to talk during most of the things they did. Whether it was visual re-integration where they strapped us down and forced us to watch clips of things that were brutal. If we did make a sound, we were given shocks of electricity." She paused as she shook her head and leaned forward in the chair, taking her chin in her hands where they rested on her knees. She opened her eyes, staring off into space, the memories had only returned a few months before and everything still felt raw.

"Sometimes we were in a sound proof room and if we made a sound we'd get the electrical shock yet again. Both of these stages in themselves were awful, but it was worse when in the final stage. Food was withheld, threats were made. Still, that wasn't where it was the worse. Months were spent wishing for death as the beatings were performed on a regular basis. They knew what they were doing, knew that they were changing us. A programmer created a false recording of my mother, showing her going through what I was going through. He told me that if I gave in to their will, they'd stop her from experiencing this." Alex's voice cut off and she shuddered, remembering that even though she had finally given in, her mother had still been sent off to a camp as well.

"That wasn't then end. That was only the first stage that they placed us through." She shook, her eyes closing as she felt her eyes water. With the memory came the familiar sweats, she began ringing her hands together and trying to calm the beating of her heart, "I joined the Agency and helped send others through the same hell before I could remember anything that had happened to me." And for that, she thought to herself, she would never forgive herself.

Slade had been leaned back in the chair, trying to rest his still slightly spinning head. But now, he found himself sitting upright, staring in wide eyed disbelief at the woman in front of him. The things she was spouting off about. She was completely out of her mind. He had never heard such ridiculous blather in his life. One hundred years? Music banned? The virus had obviously made this girl go over the edge. He'd seen it before; some kids just couldn't handle what had happened to them, happened to their parents, the change in their lives. It drove them mad. But looking at her, she didn't look very young. She looked mid twenties; the virus would have struck when she was over eighteen. She should be dead.

Slade sat and continued to listen, noting the spaced out look in her eyes, the fear, her gestures and fidgeting. He was beginning to wonder if he should be more worried that she was crazy, or that she honestly believed all of this. It was easy enough to deal with someone who was trying to feed you a load of bullocks...even if they were a gorgeous bird. Problem actually was, however, if she was actually crazy. That could mean trouble if he had to make a break for it. Who knew what she would pull if he tried to escape, and he was still a little wobbly.

"Who on earth are you?" he asked, shaking his head with wide eyed shock. It was all he could manage. He wasn't sure at first what else to say. After a moment, his head cleared enough to speak. "We've had music the entire time, movies, this is New Zealand, twenty first century. The virus wiped out all the adults a few years back, remember? We're it. The world is empty of anyone that wasn't an adult at the time it struck. We're running the show now, and I hate to break it to you, but we still have music too, love. And there is no Senator Haynes in these parts. Never was that I recall."

Alex shook her head and stood up, her head swam but she forced herself to ignore it as she turned away from Slade. "Whatever. You think I'm nuts, fine. It's obvious we aren't in either place we thought we were, but you believe whatever the hell you want to believe." She made her voice sound as distant as she could, despite the fact that the memories had caused her to feel choked up and a part of her now wanted nothing more then to have an emotional release, one she’d never before had the chance to have. "I'm going to check things out..." She started and before she'd taken a couple steps, she was reaching out to hold onto a nearby crate to help with balance. Obviously, she'd now gotten to the breaking point.

"Whoa there..." Slade stood, moving over to Alex, grabbing her by the waist. Whoa…stupid bloody move…made his head spin yet again, a renewed throbbing pounding in the back of it. But he paid it no mind, holding gently to Alex as he eyed her intently.

"Looks like your little love tap took more out of you than you're ready to admit. I think we should just make ourselves comfortable here for the night. We're neither in any shape for a long trip. We both took a good hit. By tomorrow, we'll have shaken it off, and we'll figure out what the deal is. Right?" She was quite serious, obviously. Whatever she had been put through, she believed every bit of it. He didn't know what had been done to her, but he knew that he did feel sorry for her. She had obviously been thrown through Hell and back. The look in her eyes showed him that much. Maybe if he could show her around the city, show her some of the sights here, she would snap back to reality. Maybe she was from around there, maybe she had a tribe she'd forgotten about. And, in the process, he could hone in on Josh while he was at it. Kill two birds with one stone.

If Alex had of had the energy and inclination, she would have thrown a fist to his face when he took hold of her waist, but instead she simply found herself stiffening and fighting off other memories. "Let go of me, Slade." She said simply, yet she didn't miss the edge of fear in her voice and for that she silently cursed herself. "I'm not about to stay here with someone that thinks I'm a loon." She added, hoping to cover up her light emotional blunder even as she attempted rather weakly, the wound really getting to her, to escape his grasp which she realized easily he wasn't even using all his strength and yet, she was forced to stop struggling, though she kept herself from dropping her head on his shoulder like she was tempted to do.

Her fear was slowly building and she could also feel exhaustion seeping in, but she didn't dare go to sleep. She didn't know if she could do so without fear, without the threat of danger that could come through the door at any moment or for that matter the danger from the mysterious Slade.

"Look at you," he said. "You can barely stand up, same as me. Just drop it. Get comfortable and rest. I have no qualms about following you if you try to be a hot head and go it alone. But then you'd be putting two injured people in danger. Live with that on your conscience." She was stubborn, angry, and a fighter. He liked that. But if she wasn't going to listen to reason, then he'd lay a guilt trip. And if that didn't work, well then, he'd have to resort to acting on the threat he'd just made, light headed or no.

"Fine! Just get your fucking hands off me!" Alex exclaimed, her eyes blazing as she turned to look at him. "And don't get any wild ideas in your head about taking advantage or anything along that line. I'm not afraid to add to your injuries if you do." A part of her wanted to smile at the thought that somewhere behind all that strange talk of his, he seemed to be concerned. Another part of her wanted to knock his head in for not releasing her the first time she'd said something. Then the other part wondered if she'd fall the instant he did release her, but with her stubborn will, she figured that she'd be fine.

Slade couldn't help but smile as he stepped back, tossing his hands up in a gesture of submission. "Hey, no worries. Thought never crossed my mind. Who knows what parts of me would wind up missing the next morning if I did with a rough type like you." He fought a chuckle as he walked off, taking off his leather jacket and folding it over, tossing it on the ground. He would have offered it to Alex to sleep on, but he had already figured out enough about her to know that it would be a cold day in Hell before she'd even accept the gesture of wearing that jacket in subzero weather, let alone sleeping on it. So he didn't bother. He slowly eased himself down onto the ground, fighting the urge to groan with the wave of dizziness and nausea that threatened him as the shift in gravity began to affect him.

Laying his head down on his jacket, he stared up at the ceiling of the building, trying to piece together the last moments before waking up in the alleyway. Obviously, talking to Alex anymore at this point in time wasn't going to do him much good. She was so angry at him that she would break his neck for breathing the wrong way. She assumed he thought she completely mad. Suffice it to say, he was entertaining the idea. But he was secretly debating his own sanity as well. How did he come to the place where he had met her in the first place? He had been on his bike, he hadn't been riding for long. He was on his way to the city. The dizziness overtook him, things went black...he remembered his bike swerving off of the road, but he didn't remember crashing. He must have blacked out before it and he had hit the dirt. But still...how had he wound up in that alley, without his bike or rucksack?

He had been nowhere near the city when that had occurred. He had been barely outside of Liberty, just by a few kilometers. It had no sense. Had someone dragged him there? Made off with his bike and belongings? It was the only explanation. Ah, bugger...he loved that ride. Well, that solved one problem. Or did it? Who would drag him that far just to mug him? Oh goodness...his head was hurting again from all of the thinking. It was just too much for the moment…

'The Rough Type', Alex thought to herself as she watched him walk off. What the hell did he mean by that? 'Men are so infuriating', she thought to herself. With a shrug, she forced herself to move and settled on the floor away from Slade. She didn't have a reason to trust him and thus, her back was against a wall, so that no one could sneak up on her while she was watchful during the night. Even in sleep, she was a light sleeper so she'd awaken easily.

It frustrated her that he didn't believe her. That he was so certain that she was crazy or simply lying. Yet, how could she expect him to believe her when the idea of a virus wiping out adults wasn't something that she would normally fathom, but she at least was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. That somewhere, there was a thread of truth. She sighed as she turned onto her back and then winced against the pain the movement caused.

Slade had decided to give up on pondering his situation for the moment. Either his head was simply spinning too much to give too much room for thinking, or there were too many holes in the whole mess for it to make any sense. So he simply gave up. His attention would have been quickly taken anyway, however, by the sight of Alex moving to a nearby side of the room, trying to get situated for sleep. That was her idea of getting comfortable? She slept like some battle-hardened soldier, ready to jump at the first sign of danger. But who on earth was he to talk about the odd way people slept? He was still wearing his boots, for goodness sakes. But still...for a girl that seemed to be so off, something in her mannerisms made him wonder. Her story was completely out there. There was no one left on the planet that could possibly believe something so ridiculous. But…just how much of her history could really have some truth? Just what of her past made her the way that she was?

"Alex?" he asked, ready to speak to her, ready to ask questions, to try to talk. But just as quickly as the urge hit him, it quickly went away. She was probably not in the mood.

"Goodnight," he said instead, deciding that was the best thing to end on.

Alex easily heard Slade call her name and was tempted to respond, the silence deafening and yet she also couldn't help but feel anger that he didn't even seem to want to understand her and yet she had stuck around to help him. Sure, he'd said thanks but what good are those words when there's no sign of belief when being told something? She sighed as he spoke again and simply called in return, "Goodnight, Slade. May the morning bring us both the peace that we seek." She replied softly and shifted in place, trying to get comfortable.

[KatnotKath]

OOC: hope this works

~Liz~

"Oh... my, I'll consider your request..."

Medina's manner makes me angry. She's taking pleasure in the pain she's causing, she's soaking it up it seems, and worst of all perhaps I'm giving her exactly what she wants, and I can't do a thing about it... I try to be strong, I try not to let it affect me, but that ring means so much...it's important in a way that is difficult to explain...

I swallow, biting down hard on my lip to keep from asking again. It's what she wants I know, and I can't give her that control, I have to be strong, I have to keep it together...I can't lose it, people need me...

"What do you mean...incomplete...?"

He's angry and confused, demanding to know why we've been chosen, and why she's doing this. I think I already have the answer though, she finds it fun...she's inhuman in that way, revelling in other's suffering it seems... Something which seems to be confirmed as one of the other guys - Angel - she calls him, suggests giving me back my ring and she refuses...

What angers me further is the fact that she's right of course, when she says she doubts we'd risk coming up against her... I won't do that at the moment... Later, maybe...but not right now...not until I know more...

Suddenly another woman walks into the room, and in an instant, at the same time as greeting her, Medina throws her across the room into the arms of this 'Angel'... She calls him Angelus, and speaks of food, and before my eyes, I see that this 'being' is as far from an angel as is possible it seems...

Years ago I would have said it wasn't possible, that it wasn't real, but that was before I became the wife of an alien King... What is real or not...? What exists and what is myth...? I try to keep an open mind - I believe what I know, and anything else is no less than possible... Witches, demons, just because I haven't met them until now doesn't mean it isn't possible...

The sight of the woman - Salene - makes my blood run cold, but there's nothing I can do to stop what's happening, and a moment later, both she and Angel are dead in a moment of 'fun' in Medina's mind...

She makes the body of the woman vanish, after dusting the vampire, and then holds up my ring again. My heart pounds hard as I wonder if she's going to make that vanish too, but instead, she tosses it towards me through the air, apparently deciding she's done with that bit of fun for the moment at least.

She reminds me of the Tess I knew to some extent - whether the one here will be the same has yet to be shown, but I won't trust her... The way Medina looks at us though, as though we're so inferior... I clench my fist, trying to block out my feelings of anger and hate as I focus on the small metal ring travelling through the air, guiding it carefully, although discretely, right into my hand in which I 'catch' it to the view of the others, placing it back on my finger even as she floats over to Kyle, standing in front of him and asking if he wants to forget what happened. Forget that there was someone out there which made him feel whole.

I shake my head mentally, I can't believe that she can do that, I won't forget, I will remember... I curl my fingers into a fist, looking over at her, and listening as she says she's going to leave us for two hours, mentioning a few other things before vanishing.

As she disappears from her sight however, my gaze is drawn to Isabel, as she, and two others, pass out. I drop down next to her automatically, reaching for her hand and closing my eyes. *Isabel...?*

All others seem to fade into the background for the moment as I try and make a connection with her, but without her looking at me I can't get in. "Isabel, Isabel please, open your eyes, I need you to look at me..." I tell her, pushing her hair back from her face as I try to get in. *Isabel...?* I stroke her cheek gently, fighting to try and get in and fix whatever Medina just did. I can't let her down, I have to do this, I have to protect her... A feeling of helplessness flashes through my mind, but I refuse to take heed, shaking my head. No...Medina hasn't beaten me yet!

[isabelle]

*Zeus*

I can't believe what I just saw! The way Angel just changed, his face morphing before my eyes into something not quite ... human. And then he bit that girl Salene in the neck and drank her blood. Killed her. Just like a vampire from the legends in pre-collapse fairy-tales! Zander said something about vampires and demons. I thought they were putting me on. Can this possibly be real? I know Medina said she was bringing people from different realities, but I if they're not all people -- then I gotta figure out a whole new set of rules and do it damn quickly.

Angel's gone now. Medina just took him out for no reason. Was he the only vampire? What about Zander and Willow? They seemed to all know about the vampire stuff. Are they like that, too? Weren't they teasing him about stuff? I'm guessing he's not, but I think I'd rather know for sure.

"Xander? Are you and Willow ... like that, too? A vampire?" I ask, quietly.

This new drama almost made me forget what Medina was rambling on about before. Incomplete. I'm not incomplete. I don't need anyone to make me whole. I am exactly who I am and that's fine by me.

I shoot a look at Quixote, seeing the shock in her eyes as well. Hmm. Seems like maybe she doesn't know her new friend as well as she thought, eh? Maybe she should be rethinking how she's playing this game but I'm not going to say anything like that aloud. At least, not just now.

Turning towards Medina, I gird myself, hoping I'm not about to doom myself and my world to death.

"They didn't do anything? Why destroy them? You said you'd not harm us if we didn't challenge your game."

I wait anxiously for her answer, wondering if that answer will be death. She's threatened us with death for challenging her or for disobeying. But if she kills us when we don't do those things, what's the benefit of playing along? ... Well, I guess it's our worlds and all those people there, not to mention avoiding centuries of torture and servitude. But how the hell are we supposed to be doing this if she won't keep her word? What if she destroys our worlds anyway, even after we do what she wants? None of my toys would ever be able to stop her... Well, not unless I can figure out how her abilities work...


*Max*

Vampires. Well, why the hell not. We're aliens. I wonder if there are other 'non-human' people in the crowd. Even more, I wonder how the hell we're going to get out of here. This Medina has power that stuns my imagination and I'm guessing we've only seen the surface of the ice-berg.

I turn to watch Liz as she gets her ring back. Her wedding ring. A ring symbolizing a marriage between her and a different Max Evans. A wedding that will never take place on my world. No, Liz has turned away from me forever, I'm sure. Kyle has challenged Medina about calling us 'incomplete' but I know it's true. I have only half a heart anymore. I'm going through all this the way I need to, but it would be so much different if I could be whole. I see the pain in Kyle's eyes and I'm guessing he's feeling exactly the same way. I don't know why he's trying to deny it. He must be hurting as deeply as me. I've only had a few clues about his world and who he lost. I haven't put it together yet, but I feel we might have a whole lot in common.

Seeing the way Liz has been treating me, I know I won't find any temporary subsitute for what I'm missing there. Why couldn't Medina have brought a Liz who did like me? It wouldn't be real, I know, but to temporarily feel something good ...

This Liz seems to look at me like I was some inferior dupe ... I understand that. She's not my Liz, either, no matter how similiar she seems on the surface. I've seen enough glimpses of what's beneath to know she's not the girl I loved although I'm thinking that maybe once, she was.

Liz is trying to get Isabel's attention. She seems to have passed out. I know Liz doesn't like me and this isn't my sister, but I still care about her. I don't know what happened to her, but I'm still a healer.

"Can I help?" I ask Liz, knowing that if I act without asking it won't go down well.

.

[NightshadeIsis]

OOC: Storm gave control of Bray to me so here he is!

BIC:

*BRAY*

This was insane. It was absolutely insane. No...not insane. A dream. That was it. A dream. None of it was real. I wasn't really here, Kyle and and my friends weren't either, Amber was really waiting on me somewhere and not with that...that...

I never have been one to believe in anything other than what you put in front of my face. I've didn't have time to. I've had enough on my plate with taking care of things on the homefront as it was to believe in anything else other than the Mallrats, other than the city, other than a future. But this woman, this Medina...she was completely throwing everything that I'd thought about out the window. There was no way that I could but one of two things. Have Kyle hit me VERY HARD to wake me up, or simply chuck my entire belief system in a matter of minutes.

Maybe I'd rather Kyle to me him.

Watching as the woman taunted their new guest Liz, I was half tempted to step up and make Medina stop. This was horrid. Liz was obviously suffering some horrid loss. You just can't do that to a person! But I had seen enough already to know that the second I did, I would be physically stopped by the creature. It would do no good.

"What do you mean... incomplete?" I hear Kyle ask, and turn my head to listen. "All of the humans are incomplete in a way. So... that shouldn't be a reason for choosing just us. At least I can't believe that's all... I just can't. How can you make us go through this? Meeting dead and those who betrayed us..."

"Kyle," I say, putting a hand on his shoulder reasurringly. I'm just as angry as he is, just as confused and frustrated. But I'm also afraid that challenging her will get Kyle in some hot water, will get anyone in the room in hot water. It might be best to just stay quiet for the moment.

But that idea is shattered when the other man, whom some had called Angel, spoke up, and seconds later, Salene walked in.

"Sal, just go!" I hear Lex yell. He tries to warn her, tries to get her to leave. But it does little good. I find myself glued to my spot, frozen only in absolute shock as I watch Salene being dragged across the floor into the waiting arms of Angel. But what comes next. Dear Lord....what comes next....

Lex's screams only mirrored those of Pride's and my own. Our friend. Our friend! I look at Kyle in absolute shock and fear before running to aid Pride and Lex, pressing against whatever field Lex was blocked against, unable to push through.

"It won't budge!" I yell. "Medina! Please!"

Begging will only make her more happy. But it's all that I can think to do. The sight before me is making my stomach turn, but I can't turn my eyes away as I watch what Angel is doing to her. And there is nothing that we can do to stop it. As Salene falls to the floor, I stare in open mouthed shock for a moment, tears blurring my eyes thankfully. I don't think I could have bared to have seen the sight without tear shaded eyes. Pounding the barrier in frustration, I cry out, turning away to stare at the wretched woman who caused this, who could had the heartless ability to take the life of someone that I cared about without remorse at all!

"You..." I stammered, tears still blurring my vision. "You...you..."

I can't manage to get out what I want to say. Even if I could have, I wouldn't have been able to finish before she spoke to Pride and Lex, Tai-San, Isabele, and Moon all hitting the floor quickly. I held my tongue, knowing that now there were more important things. Tai-San, for one. Taking off after Pride and Lex, I cast a glance back towards Salene, but she and Angel were both now gone. Clenching my fists in anger, I continued on, kneeling down with the boys, fighting back the anger to focus on Tai-San.

Watching Pride craddle her in his arms I became curious. Was he from a reality where they were together? Must be.

"Is she just unconscious?" I asked, holding my voice steady.