Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ All I Have ❯ Watch You Sleeping ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

: Watch You Sleeping :

The cabbie dropped them off at a discreet hole-in-the-wall that served Italian dishes, the restaurant low-key and relaxed. There were a few other patrons using the comfortable booths and the smells of the food made Adam hungry as soon as he walked in. Their waitress guided them to a table in the back, recognizing Adam right off and seating him in his preferred seat. After giving them menus and taking orders for something to drink she was off and Adam set his menu aside, already knowing what he wanted. He waited for the busboy to set a small tray of bread on the table, along with a tube of olive oil and a small plate.

He looked across the table at Andy, who looked at his menu with some worry, as if he was going to have trouble reading the fine print. Looking around the restaurant, he had to smirk, feeling that it was completely appropriate for it to already be in the midst of serving to at least two other gay couples, and a quiet family of four. He looked back at Andy, folding his arms over the table as he studied the combed, clean strands of blond that fell over Andy's forehead, his rounded eyebrows furrowing with concentration. That wrinkle was back, and Adam wondered why its cause.

Andy was dressed in a light blue tee and jeans, and the smell of some fantastic scent that Adam felt he wouldn't tire of. He wanted to reach across the table to touch him, maybe to smooth out the furrow in his brow. Or even kiss him, just to see what he'd do.

Studying him as he was, Adam realized that Andy didn't resemble Ian in any way; they were two completely separate people. Perhaps what made them similar was their coloring, their build. Ian's features were open and friendly most of the time, and Andy's was quietly hesitant, as if unsure what was going to be said and done. His shoulders were hunched slightly while Ian's were strong and held back, confidence pouring from every pore. Andy's blue eyes were darker than Ian's, surrounded by lighter colored lashes. His nose was small and straight while Ian's was large and quietly dorky.

But in that casual study, he felt an inward pang of guilt; as if he were stepping out with someone other than his significant other. Hating the feeling, but comfortable with its presence, he wondered if he'd ever get over feeling as if he and Ian had something other than intense friendship. While he felt for Andy in both a physical and intimate way, he knew that it would be impossible to leave Ian's side, to stop having feelings for him. He felt trapped, but at the same time, too comfortable to leave the feeling behind.

Andy swallowed hard, and Adam watched his Adam's apple bob quickly, lured by the sight of his neck, the peek of his collarbone underneath his shirt collar. As the menu was set down by hands with rounded fingertips, Adam looked at Andy to see if anything were going to be said, or if a look was going to be flashed. Instead he saw a tentative smile creep across lightly pink lips.

“I—I've never heard of this place,” Andy said with a slight stutter, looking down at the table once he realized Adam was looking straight at him. “What do you recommend?”

Adam deliberately took his time to answer, as if he were thinking of the choices. But what he was really doing was taking in Andy's blush, the way he avoided direct eye contact. Ian would never act that way around him, but it stoked his ego to see someone behave in such a manner around him. It felt good to be wanted and noticed, even if it were for a moment. He enjoyed the feeling for a moment before answering. “Well, the chicken parmesan's excellent. The angel-hair pasta-vegetable mix is good. But if you're into meat, the fish dishes are always a good choice.”

“I'm…well, so much to choose from, I guess.” Andy glanced around himself as he slid his hands to his lap and Adam watched him closely, unable to stop smiling as Andy caught sight of the two couples that were nearby. Watching him freeze for a moment before looking at him with a start was something that made Adam chuckle.

“They won't bite,” he assured Andy lightly.

“Oh! Oh, no, I didn't think—no, I'm just—surprised. That's all,” Andy mumbled, reddening as he looked back down at the table.

“You've never seen two men together?” Adam asked.

“I—no. No, I mean, I have, it's just…it's not…it's not something you see everyday on base,” Andy continued to mumble, and Adam watched his cheeks grow progressively red.

“We're not on base. So,” Adam busied himself with sticking a straw into his iced tea. “What's keeping you from patrol?”

Andy cleared his throat nervously then sat up straighter in his seat, glancing sideways as one of the men burst into laughter from their booth. Andy quickly looked away and explained the situation briefly. As he listened, Adam wondered if that was behind the reasoning of Andy's last visit to their house. But while it sounded interesting, something he knew would have Ian standing on alert and asking millions of questions, Adam didn't want to focus on work. He wanted to focus on the man sitting across from him. From his peripheral vision, he saw his phone lighting up with a call that would go Ignored. It secretly pleased him Ian needed him so much, to feel lonely without him.

“So you're okay to come out here?” he then asked, furrowing his brow.

“As long as I have someone here with me, it should be okay,” Andy said with a sigh, resting an elbow on the table. Adam noticed that Andy was very aware of the couples sitting to their sides. “I'm not really angsting over it. I mean, I don't even know what it is that they want. Maybe they thought it gave me something, or something. But I checked out clear for anything that it could have spread.”

“Are they bothering you?”

“Well, to be frank, I don't even know if or when they are—”

“No, are they bothering you,” Adam said, pointing at the nearest couple. Andy flushed as he glanced at him.

“No,” he answered quickly. “No, not at all.”

“You keep looking over there.”

Andy busied himself with his drink. He shook his head tightly. “No.”

Adam started to say something when the waitress came back, and seeing that Andy was still flustered over things, he ordered for both of them. After she'd taken their menus, Andy exhaled steadily and said, “I can do things for myself, you know.”

“Oh? You want me to call her back so you can change your order?”

“No.”

“Then why are you so stiff?”

Andy seemed to turn a purplish-red color, his fingers entwining with each other before disappearing under the table. He shifted in his seat and gave a flustered bark of sound. “I feel like you're attacking me! Does this have to do with anything in particular?”

“No,” Adam answered, finding it amusing to torture the other man with his obvious discomfort.

“I just—I just feel like you're saying such specific things, and—and I know what's being said! Sam told me what you were saying—!”

“Ian brought it up. He was being a shithead.” Adam sipped at his drink. “Said you were making stupid eyes at me.”

Andy gave him a stunned look, mouth falling open and his eyes blinking rapidly. “I—I didn't—!”

“So you weren't?”

“I don't—? He—! Why is he—?”

“So you weren't.”

“I—no! No, when did he say that? I was making `stupid eyes'? What's that supposed to mean?”

“In his reasoning, it means you were checking me out.”

“I—!” Andy turned completely red, shaking his head from side to side, nearly knocking over his drink in his action to shift anxiously in his seat.

Adam frowned at him. “So I'm not good looking?”

“Well, I didn't say that—! But—!”

“So I'm not good enough to have someone checking me out. That's what you're getting at.”

“No! I mean, yes! I mean—! If I had made these, these `stupid-eyes' at you, I'm completely—I was entirely unaware of it. I mean, I wasn't looking purposely, I wasn't—”

“So my looks completely wipe away all coherent thought, then, huh?”

“I…I don't look at guys,” Andy said weakly, looking down at the table.

“I get it,” Adam said languidly, sipping at his drink. “I'm ugly.”

Andy stared at him in silence, then gave a nervous laugh, wiping at his forehead. “You are messing with my head, aren't you?”

“Yeah. You make it so easy.”

“I think it's because of the way you deliver your lines,” Andy said.

Adam set his drink down. “It's cute when you react. I can't help it.”

Andy blushed, and then caught himself. He shot Adam a look, and Adam could tell he wasn't sure what to say. But it was obvious from his expression that he was torn between wanting to know more and wanting it to stop.

He licked his lips, drawing Adam's attention to the action. “What are you doing? What is this about?”

Adam took his time to answer, feeling confident now, to make a decision on doing so. He rearranged his silverware and signaled for more iced tea. “I think it's obvious. We're having lunch.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No. You'll have to be specific,” Adam said, lowering his voice. “I'm a guy. I understand things better when things are spoken directly.”

Andy looked troubled at that point, his mouth held tightly. He glanced over the table with nervous eyes, spotting Adam's cellphone with a start. He then shifted around to pat his pockets and then gave a wince.

“Um…we're…we're having lunch,” he then said.

“Yes. Yes we are.”

Andy stared at him for a few seconds, then lowered his head, brushing hair behind his ears. He glanced at one of the couples that were rising from their table, holding hands and laughing as they did so. He looked away quickly, eyebrows pulling with worry.

Adam moved to prompt him along with the doors of the restaurant burst open, and he was startled to see both Powers brothers walking in, their expressions ugly with concentration and apprehension. Once they spied Andy sitting with him, they marched over, matching expressions turning mystified. Andy spotted them and gave them a startled look before wincing, touching his watch with some remembered action.

“What you doin' in town?” Ken demanded, Paul wiping the sleep grit out of his eyes. “You ain't cleared to come out, and what you doing hanging out with him?”

“Why ain't you answered your phone, either?” Paul asked sleepily. “Save us a damn trip in.”

“I must've forgot it at home,” Andy answered, face shifting from indecisiveness to annoyance.

Adam quietly studied the way the three of them interacted with each other, noting the way both brothers crowded around the lighter blond. Their harshly cut hair with blond curls were askew and there were sleep lines on Ken's face. Both of them were wearing plain shirts over sleep pants, with Ken wearing sneakers without socks and Paul in flip-flops. It literally looked as if both had just rolled right out of bed.

“Once we saw you weren't on base anymore, we came out,” Ken said, sliding into the booth beside him while Paul pulled a chair up from a table nearby, yawning loudly. Ken looked at Adam. “What'chu doing here, pussy-brow? That's what your face reminds me off. Pussy.”

“Ken, Paul, now that you see I'm fine, could you just go away?” Andy asked impatiently. “Let's not get into any trouble here, all right?”

Ken reached out and curled his fingers over his arm, saying, “We're here to make sure you weren't in trouble! Least you could do is pretend yer appreciative!”

“Woke me up just to get on out here, you might as well as treat us to something to eat,” Paul said, reaching over to take over on his drink.

“That's fine,” Adam said before Andy could say anything. Seeing the way Ken touched Andy in a possessive manner made him uncomfortable. “We'll get you something to eat. I think Andy said something about going to the bathroom, first.”

Andy gave him a look, but Ken was rising from the booth to shoo him out of it. Confused, Andy headed for the bathroom while Adam looked at Ken and said, “We got our plates coming along. I've got to take this phone call. Can you order when it arrives?”

“Yeah whatever,” Ken said with a disgusted tone, as Adam picked up his cellphone and flipped it open to see that Ian had sent nearly twenty texts and left ten messages on his phone. There was even a few from Sam and Larson. He glanced back to see both Paul and Ken talking about something that involved a lot of cursing, and headed over to the direction of the bathrooms. Andy was standing outside the men's room with a confused expression, so Adam nudged him ahead, prompting him to walk toward the back door.

They left the restaurant, Andy looking back to see if Ken or Paul had noticed the smooth exit. At that moment, Adam grabbed his arm, pulling the watch that hung loosely to him and set it atop of the awning that hung over the door. He then indicated that Andy walk with him, pushing his hands into his pockets so he wouldn't be tempted to touch him again.

Confused, Andy walked with him. “How'd you know…?”

“We'll come back for it after we're done. I remember that being Ken's watch. It looked too ugly to be yours.”

Andy gave a nervous chuckle, moving to match his stride as he flashed nervous looks back at the restaurant. They walked around the restaurant and onto a pathway that would lead them through a narrow walkway between two apartment buildings. Assorted living activities occurred loudly above their heads, with someone shouting threats and someone singing at the top of their lungs. Various cooking smells drifted in thick mixtures around them, and someone hung out their laundry over a full line.

He took some time to admire the diversity of the area, the café with its stylish chairs and tables and the pet store that was nearly hidden behind large trees and shrubs. Adam gestured for them to take the crosswalk, so he followed, glancing back to see that they'd be hidden from the street as they took a wide walkway into a park.

“Well, now what?”

“Guess we'll just find something else,” Adam said with a shrug, putting his cellphone away. “I'll go back there and pay for things later, so they'll continue to allow me around.”

He stopped in mid-step, glancing around himself. The park was full of activities—there was a live band playing a distance away, with a street vender fair occurring close by. The man-made pond had loud bird-life, with families occupying the playground to their left. Bikers, walkers and joggers took up the surrounding walkway they were currently on. Nearby, a woman sang while strumming a guitar, passerby tossing money into her open hat.

“I don't like to play games, or get into all that head stuff,” he then said, giving a one-shouldered shrug as Andy looked up at him curiously. “I want to be direct. I want to know if you're into me as I am into you. I like you. Once I heard them talking about you like that, I thought that I'd at least give it a try.”

Andy gaped at him.

Adam had to smile, finding his shocked expression to be amusing. He leaned down to say, “You can just say `no', and we'll forget this happened. I'd even buy your drinks for you.”

Andy's mouth opened and closed a few times, but he jerked his head in some negative motion. He took a step back, saying, “My God! I—is this some sort of set-up? Are you—did you and your unit spend time thinking something up just to—?”

“No.”

Andy looked at him, feeling as if he were being watched closely. Looking around them, he couldn't see any familiar faces, but there were plenty of places to watch them from various vantage points throughout the area. He swallowed hard, feeling his heart race in different directions, for his mind to blank as he both cheered at the confession and felt conflicting dismay. He couldn't come up with some snappy comeback to lighten the mood, or even a fake anger display.

He looked at him again and saw an expectant expression as Adam waited for him to say something. He swallowed hard. “How do I know? How do I know you aren't just setting me up? I don't know if whatever answer I give will be something that'll prompt a beat down—!”

He found himself silenced as Adam leaned down and kissed him, and Andy's brain felt as if it'd just shorted out. His kiss was strong and warm and just the very contact stopped his breath, his entire being singing out with joy. Adrenaline engulfed his body and caused his head to spin. He closed his eyes and responded eagerly, forgetting where he was and his earlier freak-out. All that mattered was that he was being kissed and it was so very nice.

Adam pulled away from him and Andy stumbled forward, dazed. Adam reached out to catch him, giving an amused chuckle. “I didn't think I was that good of a kisser,” he said with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Andy then pulled away from him, his face turning red as he glanced around himself, noting that the woman strumming the guitar had stopped just to watch them with a lecherous expression. He looked away as Adam leaned in to kiss him again, his hands large and warm against the back of his neck and head.

“So are you?” he asked against Andy's lips, Andy too dazed to even remember what it was he was supposed to be answering. Adam kissed him again, enjoying the feel of his lips, silky and firm, with the masculine smell of his skin pressed against his. He liked the way Andy responded to him, his actions speaking much more loudly than his words could. His tongue snaked out, feeling over his teeth before moving in to meet his, Andy clutching onto his biceps as he accepted the wet invasion of his mouth.

He pulled away again, but not before planting a softer kiss against the wrinkle that had caught his attention, brushing his nose against the curve of Andy's cheek. He wanted to continue kissing him, but he'd just heard the loud shouts of the kids in the playground and the sounds of an approaching jogger, reminded where they were. Andy stilled looked dazed, his mouth enticing as he pulled his lips in briefly, as if he were tasting the last of Adam's kisses. He focused up at him for a few moments then pulled away with a start, instantly reminded of their location once he looked away.

Adam reached out to snatch his hand, using his thumb to massage over the quivering he felt there, Andy's skin warm and smooth within his. Andy gave him a frantic expression, but he stilled as he finally made direct eye contact with him. Bringing his knuckles to his lips, Adam kissed them lightly, not looking away from Andy.

“Well?” he prompted, watching Andy's face turn confused.

Andy inhaled deeply, but he didn't pull away. “I…I like you, too. I'm going to have to. If there's more like that waiting for me.”

Adam laughed lightly, releasing his hand to draw him in close by his waist, feeling the way Andy fit against him, hearing his nervous hitch of breath. “Good. I was hoping you'd say something like that right away. I'd hate to have to resort to plan B.”

“And what was that?” Andy heard himself ask, growing more distracted with the way he was being handled, for the very contact he was coming into. His mouth was still tingling from their kisses, and he couldn't help but want more, giving Adam's mouth a longing look.

“Can't tell you if plan A worked. You taste good, but I'm still hungry,” Adam then said, indulging with a couple more short kisses before pulling away, running a hand briefly over Andy's lower back before releasing him completely. “And we'll have to head back there, in a bit.”

Andy wasn't sure if he even remembered how to walk, feeling dazed and completely overwhelmed by what had just happened. He was still glowing over the fact that another man had touched him, had kissed him; he was lost in the memory as he moved to follow after Adam, stumbling slightly as he did so.

The woman with the guitar thanked them for the show as she moved onto the next song.

After they had lunch at a fast food place, Adam directed him back to the restaurant, where Andy could snatch Ken's watch from the awning. Adam went inside to apologize and pay for his previous order while Andy lingered outside. He wondered when the Powers twins realized they'd been ditched and wondered where they went. He thought about calling Ken and apologizing for leading them around but figured he'd do so once he was safely on base.

As he waited for Adam, he glanced around himself, trying to get a glimpse of the street names so he could remember to come back here and try the restaurant out. Anything to get closer to Adam. He planned asking the waitress about him, just to learn a little more about him from another point of view. As he dropped his eyes to the street, he realized that every parking spot was occupied, the sidewalks cleared of activity. He become conscious that the picture was very odd, noting that every vehicle was white or light in color; there were people lingering nearby, dressed in white or cream.

He stilled, realizing that the street was crawling with East Side members. He looked at the nearest street sign, and recognized that Adam had brought them on neutral territory, being that of the west side. His stomach clenched with some apprehension as he felt eyes on him, as if everyone was staring at him all at once. Before he could do or say anything, Adam walked up to him, holding a bag. He was munching on a bread roll, and indicated for Andy to take one.

He shook his head and felt extremely self-conscious, starting to walk alongside with Adam as the taller man headed for the street, looking for a cab.

“Something's happening,” he said in a low tone, Adam looking down at him with some consideration before glancing around himself. He noted what Andy had and made a face, pulling them both back onto the sidewalk.

“Well, let's get out of the way,” Adam said, looking for a safe place to go to, while pulling his cellphone out from his pocket. “I'll call it in.”

“They're watching us,” Andy reported, glancing at the occupants of a decked-out SUV, seeing that all their eyes were on him.

Adam saw that this was so, brow furrowing as he realized that every visible member was watching them, making no other show about it. Paused in the middle of locating Ian's number, he glanced around for any sign of the South Side, or for any visible landmarks that may have been their target.

“Jesus,” he said with a chuckle. “They're up to something.”

Apprehensive, Andy fiddled with the watch on his wrist. A startling thought occurred to him. “What if…what if they…what if they saw…?”

“Saw what?” Adam looked at him, then grinned. “What, two guys kissing? Hell. Their employer's more flamboyant than anybody. His number two hench is just the same. It's nothing new.”

“Well—!”

“Why would they be focused on us?” Adam continued, sending Ian a text. As he snapped his phone shut, he then paused in mid-step, looking back at Andy with a start. “Wait. What was it you were saying earlier?”

Andy reflexively touched his head. Adam saw movement and realized that some of the nearby members were climbing out of their vehicles, focused entirely on their direction. Guns were being drawn, and he grew startled at their bold action, unconsciously reaching out to grab Andy, shifting him behind him. He moved to draw as well, but remembered he was in street clothing.

Andy shifted away from him to say something when the men lifted their guns and began to fire, the explosion of their weapons causing his hearing to deafen. Adam shoved him to the ground as he followed suit, hearing the discomforting return of firecrackers from behind them. He glanced up to see that the street behind him was now crawling with black-clothed South Side members, moving vehicles smashing aside those in white. At the screams of men and women that gave their lives away for their employer, the firing explosions of their guns, Adam covered his ears and rose to his feet, seeing that Andy was already in motion. Both of them raced for cover, the uncomfortable sensation of bullets flying around them. The wall at his hand exploded with pinpoint pricks of debris, and he ducked and shoved Andy to run out of the line of fire down the alleyway.

Instead they were faced with two elephant-sized Ganglish, reptilian creatures that focused upon the pair of them with beady red eyes, their wide mouths opening with discovering screams. Their bulky, spotted bodies shifted to crowd the alleyway, humanoid action causing their forms to quiver with anxious energy. A man in black shoved himself from between them, pointing his submachine gun at the pair of them, prompting both to straighten with their hands rising to indicate their lack of weaponry. Behind them was another bark of order, two men in white shadowing both Adam and Andy, and before either could say anything, all three of them were shooting at each other.

Adam ducked and then reached out for an man in white, startling him as he grasped him by the arm and swung him aside, forcing him to catch the man in black's bullets. As his partner noticed, Adam then used the unfortunate soul as a shield, the other man in white shooting at him in response. Hearing bullets crack through his human shield, Adam shoved him aside and rounded the corner, seeing that Andy was snaking his way through the throng, pushing and shoving men that were focused on battling each other. When one would reach for him, Andy would throw a punch or use a quick defensive move to escape. Watching him for a few moments, Adam could comfortably say that nobody would think of the other man as a weakling. He definitely could handle his own.

Adam hurried after him, hearing the man in black give chase, shouting orders to those nearby. Not slowing down, he punched the face of a man in white that turned to look, grabbing his weapon and turning him around so that he caught the bullets of a woman in black. He shoved him aside and ducked behind another, yanking the arm of an Alien in yellow and shifting her into a vehicle just to knock her weapon from her hands.

Andy darted into the Fast-Trac entrance only to pause short and back up as more Ganglish Aliens roared in discovery, shifting up the stairway with their bulky frames. He turned to look for more options as Adam knocked him to the ground, a flying body slamming off the concrete wall and bouncing onto the sidewalk. A car followed soon after, and Andy gave a shout as Adam used his bigger frame to cover him as metal debris showered the area. The Ganglish shot out onto the street, sweeping their long, frog-leg arms from side to side, knocking various men and women in white from the street. The other Ganglish were tossing vehicles aside, entirely focused on the two Normals that were crouched near the Fast-Trac entrance.

A woman in white reached for Andy, only to have two men in black slamming into her from the side. As a South Side member reached for him, two other men in white prevented the grab with inserts of their bodies. Andy kicked the ankle out from one, reaching in to smash his head off the sidewalk while Adam snatched the outreached arms of the other, maneuvering his large frame around to jerk the man down. With a simple twist of his body weight, he managed to break one wrist, the man howling in pain.

“They are after you!” Adam raised his voice to be heard over the deafening explosions of gunfire all around them. The wall above their heads exploded, prompting them to maneuver away. As they sought cover underneath the broken frame of the thrown car, he looked at Andy again. “They are after you! Why?”

“I don't know!” Andy answered, glancing around himself. “I don't know! I told you, something happened!”

“You don't know?”

“I don't know!”

“And Intelligence delayed your psy-appointment?” Adam asked incredulously, ducking again at the spray of bullets around them. A woman in white hit the sidewalk with a dramatically hard bounce, blood and matter spraying around her as she came to a rest at their feet. “Jesus! They are causing a street war just to get at you!”

“I don't even know what they want!” Andy nearly wailed, hands over his head as bullets tore through the vehicle with menacing zips. Seeing them embed into the concrete sidewalk intact made him eke a noise of dismay, wishing for the comfort of his uniform.

Adam glanced around, wincing at the feel of debris hitting him from the side, but he saw that every member was engaged with each other. The Ganglish were closer then he liked, Andy snatching his shirt to prompt him to run, both of them darting away from the vehicle just as one of the large Aliens lifted it with a vibrating roar. It tossed it at him, Adam shoving Andy out of the way as it slammed into the wall of a building and bounced off the sidewalk. Its back end still managed to clip Andy's leg, sending him into a sprawl. At the sight of him falling, several people in black darted over while another group sprayed surrounding whites with their weaponry. Adam reached out to grab him only to find himself shoved aside, a Superhuman ensnaring his shirt within a fist and tossing him off his feet. He hit the wall of an apartment building, air knocked out of him and body crumpling from the collision. He hit the sidewalk with a clumsy flail of limbs, struggling to inhale. His back was racked with shock, and he had to assess himself to see if something had been broken.

“This is ours!” the Super shouted, voice ringing off the street as the whites looked on with dismay. “Back off!”

Adam struggled to a stand, finding at least three guns pointing at him as members of the South gave him a warning look. Andy looked completely lost, one of the Ganglish venturing close to touch him, moving into place to protect him with its bulk. Another crowded him from the side, and Adam realized they were setting up an entry way toward him—a black SUV was crawling over the sidewalk, engine gunned. Helpless, Adam moved to intercept, only to pause short with a gun barrel pressed hard against his cheek. Andy glanced over at him with panic, the eerie silence of a battle lost ringing throughout the street. All around them were the normal sounds of the city, and Adam could see people watching the event from their windows high above. The sound of an approaching ABAV was still too far away—by the time the military would reach the scene, Andy would be long gone.

Suddenly bodies, black and white, were tossed away. Vehicles spun in mid-air, the running SUV lifting up from the back end and forced hood first into the sidewalk, a spectacular sound of crunching metal and exploding glass forcing out all over sound. An eerie silence had taken over the city, and Adam felt every hair on his body rise.

Immediately, the doors of a black Town Car nearby shifted open, and an Asian woman in black scurried out. Other vehicles were lifted by an upright raise of her hand, shooting away from her with a protesting shift of metal. People found themselves lifted from the streets, startled cries leaving their mouths as they were added into the telekinetic display. Seeing that the others were occupied with trying to escape the pull of the woman's mind power, Adam hurried over towards Andy.

But the Ganglish faced him with warning growls, their sweeping arms darting at him. He knew he'd be seriously hurt if he allowed their touch, so he backed away in frustration. At the spectacular crush of metal, he looked over to see various vehicles smashing into each other in mid-air, flattening with the consistency of cans. As debris and glass rained over the ruined streets, gunfire resumed between those still holding the streets. Adam glanced up to see where the ABAV was and saw several of them struggling to break through an invisible wall. He looked once again at the main combatants, trying to determine which of them was going to walk away with their prize.

Kawakura was dressed all in black, her club/rave clothing skimpy and fitted, her heavily made clown makeup melting only slightly with the hot temperatures and with her efforts. Yoshida Smith was dressed in her usual hooker ensemble, her cupid's bow lips smeared with red lipstick and her fire-engine red hair pinned up in a messy bun. Her stick arms and legs were covered in some mesh material, and her ankles seemed to roll with every step she made within her cage-heel shoes. She looked like she was having fun as she shifted a psychokinetically held vehicle in mid-air to crush one of Kawakura's.

To see the street enveloped within their mind-controlled energy was something Adam found himself enraptured by. It didn't matter how many times he'd seen the outcomes of their mind-matches, or even watching a battle while in uniform. To see vehicles being handled as if they were toys, flying through the air to crush an opponent or cause serious damage was something to marvel at. To know that both were trying to hit each other by car or human while keeping military run vehicles out of the area was another. All with the power of their minds.

The Ganglish were moving again, two scurrying away from Andy and heading for Yoshida. The teen with the smeared makeup glanced at them, tendons in her skinny neck flexing as a heavy SUV crushed itself in mid-air, then ripped apart to form a pair of sharp missiles. Hearing impact with metal through Alien body was enough for Adam's stomach to roll, and he looked away upon hearing the anguished screams of the Aliens as they reacted to the pieces of car embedded into them. Kawakura then picked up the fatally wounded Aliens with a thrust of her arm, hurling them at Yoshida. Yoshida gave a bark of maniacal laughter before she moved, catching the Aliens with a silent command, holding them in mid-air. They battled for dominance, the Aliens twitching in mid-air, pulled and pushed by invisible forces. Cars continued to lift, but Adam noticed that Kawakura was straining on her end. Yoshida grinned at this, fire hydrants, street benches, bus signs, and streetlights pulling from their anchored positions on the street. They hurled at the Asian woman, who used the bodies of the Ganglish to shield herself.

He looked back over at Andy in time to see him fighting to keep from being pulled into a car, four men struggling with his combative efforts. The Ganglish stood around, acting as large walls of cover while their reptilian faces registered their confusion over their next move. Adam started forward with a shout, the Ganglish focusing in him, shifting around to face him. One of the men released Andy and began firing at him, forcing him to take cover.

Before he could move again, the man in black's brains splattered over the Ganglish, one of which turned clumsily. Its head burst out from behind as well, two of the men dropping Andy and whirling around with their weapons ready to fire. One lost his hand, gun dropping to the sidewalk while the other slammed into both Andy and the remaining member, having lost half of his head. Out of no where, a body appeared from tech-camouflage, slamming onto the roof of the car and firing down at the man that'd lost his hand. The Ganglish roared in protest while Andy quickly darted away, Adam moving to follow until gunfire forced him to take cover again.

The newest figure shifted up, welding a sniper rifle that was nearly half his size. Dressed head to toe in black, with a fitted hood and mask over his face, his swagger boasted of male confidence. Broad shoulders and a trim torso outfitted in a protective vest with a well known athletic brand-shirt covered his arms. Black flack pants fitted to strong legs made up his lower half. He wore a sub-space carrier, a halter-style article that clung over his vest, producing weapons with a miming of motion. His boots were fitted up to the knee but light and flexible at the feet, appearing almost as dance shoes. Gloves with fitted bands of hard substance over the knuckles prevented any sliver of skin for exposure.

Adam had no idea who this person was, but he was familiar with his style. Working for the East Side, he was always paired with Yoshida, providing backup for the girl if her capabilities were already engaged. With an athletic swagger and a penchant for hand-to-hand combat, the combatant was fast and nimble, diving into action that was already overwhelming. Adam had heard the name `Samsara' a few times, but he wasn't even sure if it applied to him or if it was some Alien curse. Hearing Kawakura shout the name and a curse made him decide that it was the name indeed.

Samsara shoved the rifle barrel into the Ganglish's mouth and fired repeatedly before one long arm smacked him off the roof of the car. Blood and matter spewed from the Alien's mouth as it stumbled, crashing over the car with flailing movements. Samsara was already up from the pavement and firing repeatedly at Kawakura, who had to rip some of her attention from Yoshida just to toss a few cars at him. The rifle disappeared into some sub-space unit on his person; Adam had no idea how many sub-space containers he wore, but it seemed that every time he saw this henchperson, he had something working in either hand.

Samsara quickly ducked the flying vehicles, performed a sprinting turn, and slammed into Andy before he could reach safety. Adam flew out from his spot, picking up bloodied guns from the sidewalk, and fired in their direction. He watched in dismay as they bounced up and over Samsara's shoulder, as if they were harmless debris.

Once Samsara released Andy to look at him, withdrawing twin handguns from his back, Adam quickly jumped behind a crushed vehicle, in time to watch bullets spit through the broken steel frame and embed into the sidewalk. He took a deep breath, pivoted and fired back in his direction, seeing him take a running leap up a wall and somersault backward toward him. Adam abandoned his post and threw himself underneath a parked car as Samsara landed on the perilously settled vehicle, which shifted and moved under his weight. He rode it down onto the sidewalk and fired repeatedly at Adam. Adam barely had the room to move, considering his larger frame, but scooted out from the car, firing back. He saw Andy hesitate before running and diving underneath the fallen Ganglish's body, taking cover there.

Samsara suddenly disappeared as a thrown pickup truck slammed into him from the side, and both Superhuman and vehicle tumbled away before settling, Kawakura's spew of accomplishment leaving her in loud Japanese.

Yoshida hurled several large cars in the woman's direction. Kawakura broke her hold and ducked, the street splitting open with impact. As asphalt rained down around them, Adam peered out and watched Samsara climb to his feet, running right at Kawakura with an arm outstretched. Kawakura whirled in time, hurling the Super away from her. Instead of splattering against the building wall, Samsara used the impact to push away from the building and fell over the Ganglish Andy was hiding behind.

Yoshida threw her arms up with a celebration yell, Kawakura giving a loud curse.

Suddenly, mist exploded over the street in systematic order, and Adam quickly covered his mouth and nose, recognizing the gas that the soldiers used to break up Superhuman and Alien activity. Soldiers spilled out from the Fast-Trac stairway and from the opened doors of the buildings around them, shouting commands from underneath their gas masks. Yoshida disappeared from sight with a disappointed groan while Kawakura screamed orders, racing for a vehicle. That vehicle spun its tires before careening down the street, various members in black and white racing for escape.

Samsara shook Andy once, leaning in to say something that Adam couldn't hear, then tossed him away. Using the dead Alien as a springboard, he leapt up into the air, catching hold of a street light, and forcing himself into a throw that landed him neatly at the edge of a rooftop. He was gone.

Adam quickly raced over to Andy, reaching out to grab him and pull him to safety while the squads hurriedly gathered those trying to escape. The street was in ruins—buildings marred by impact. Metal, glass and bodies littered the sidewalks. Bodies in black overwhelmed those in white; he thought of the rifle Samsara had been using, and figured he'd worked in those shots before engaging into physical combat.

He looked down at the other man, who looked dazed and confused, his left side covered in matter and blood.

“So…would you go out with me again?” he asked, needing to lighten the mood. Andy gaped at him in shock. Adam chuckled and ruffled his matted hair, looking over as familiar squads hurried over to them, holding out gas masks as the mist spread. They both fitted them over their heads as gas enveloped them.