Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ All I Have ❯ Date With The Night ( Chapter 14 )

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

: Date With The Night :

Andy winced as Sam roughly applied the salve to his face, where the bruise from his drunken episodes had throbbed persistently. They were seated on one of the park benches, the squads lingering over dinner, haggling MREs with local food carts nearby. They had walked the five miles back into a section where the streets were lined with small, twenty-four hour shops and gated parks. It was clear to him now that they were somewhere in the South side, where the border into the East was ten miles their north. In the distance were rapid gunfire, sirens and police helicopters. The Skylar McLain freeway, suspended high above them, was busy with seemingly never-ending traffic, causing the streets and buildings below to shake with its activity. The park they were within was dark and open, but there was some type of sports game going on down the way, with cheers and shouts echoing throughout the street.

Sam was clearly upset, saying nothing as he used both exposed thumbs to press down on the area, to encourage the swelling to dissipate with the salve.

“I'm sorry, Sam,” Andy murmured. “For my behavior.”

Sam tightened his lips for a few moments, then pressed harder. Andy suspected that this administering of care was his way of getting back at him physically. The actions were unnecessary. He reached up to touch his hand, cradling it against his face for a few moments. “You shouldn't think too much into things.”

“Why are you saying that?” Sam asked low, glaring at him as he yanked his hand back, wiping the leftover salve on the gauze he'd spread over one knee.

“Because I think you're a lot like me in some ways,” Andy said in the same tone.

“Why were you two fighting?” Sam asked him.

Andy touched the bruised area of his cheek, feeling it tingle as the salve worked to correct the swollen, colored area. He wiped his fingertips on the gauze, shaking his head slightly. “A misunderstanding.”

He truly had no idea what to think, anymore. He was tired of thinking about it, and he was tired of feeling the way he did. He suspected that it was his fault in the first place, but he felt conflicted with it. Because it hurt to think that he was only a stand-in for Adam's longings, he decided that he should have been smarter. He should have realized it before he ended up hurt, but he'd allowed his loneliness and his dick to make his decision for him.

“Are you going to tell me about it?” Sam asked. “I want to know what happened.”

“No. It'll clear over soon.”

“Why do you think I shouldn't hear about it?”

“I…only because it's…it's private. It's…it's not that big of a deal, but—”

“If it's not, you can tell me about it, then.”

“I—I can't. It's…” Andy exhaled heavily. “My feet hurt. I wish I had shoes.”

“Quit trying to change the subject.” Sam wiped at the salve on Andy's face. “They were superficial injuries. This, too. Where did you get this, anyway?”

“I…don't remember,” Andy answered, looking at the pavement.

Sam gave him a disgusted look. “You need to stop drinking, Andy. You should have your liver checked out.”

“My last physical was fine, Sam.”

“Adam told me you had been drinking all that time,” Sam then said, glaring at him. “Maybe what you were fighting over involved that. You drink too much. I knew it'd get you into trouble.”

Andy wondered just how much Adam had told his friends of his visit. What his excuse was the next day, arriving back home hungover, with no memory of what he'd done the night before. But he doubted himself entirely, now. He had to wonder if what had happened had truly happened. “You're right, Sam. It was my fault.”

“I hate when you do that,” Sam said impatiently, starting to get worked up. “You're only agreeing because you think it'll appease me! If I hear about it later and find out that it wasn't, that you're just saying that just to say that, I'm going to be fucking pissed at you!”

“I just don't like to fight.”

“You think that you have every right to excuse that sort of behavior, thinking I'll just accept it as that, but I won't. It's bullshit, Andy, the way you try to get away with this shitty escape. It's not going to do you any favors! Just fucking stand up to whatever it is that's bothering you instead of trying to run away from it!” Sam cursed, wading up all his trash and stalking away from the bench.

Andy watched him go. Exhausted, he leaned back against the bench, awkwardly pulling up a foot to examine the bandaging. Unwrapping the careful work, he saw that the cream Sam had applied had healed over the broken blisters caused by walking on a harsh surface. Sam returned and batted his hands away to rewrap his foot.

“Sam, everything will be all right,” Andy murmured, reaching out to touch his chin.

“Don't touch me, I'm pissed at you.”

“I'm not the strongest person, Sam. It hurts too much, so I drink. And you're the same way, but you deal with it better. How do you do it?”

“Stop trying to flatter me with your stupid shit, Andy.”

“You handle it better than I do! You don't even need a vice,” Andy said, reaching out to slip his fingers underneath Sam's uniform collar, to touch his hot skin and be comforted with the fact that Sam was actually there.

Sam squirmed away from his touch. “Don't touch me. Your hands are dirty, and you probably didn't even wash them after pissing.”

Andy laughed softly as Sam jerked away, but for all his bluster, he knew Sam was just as comforted as he to have him next to him. This unconditional connection, binding and sure, reassured Andy in ways he never would have felt with anybody else. Sam reached out to wipe his face of the salve with a fresh piece of gauze.

“It's gone, Andy. You're pretty again.”

“Hah, `pretty'. I'm just an old, wrinkled fart.”

“Wrinkled, yeah. This one here,” Sam drew a thumb over the side of Andy's mouth, where Andy knew that annoying crease was standing out, “got deep. Get Botox.”

“I'm not so metro to lower myself to get injected with chemicals.” Andy reached over to touch the faint one on the same side on Sam's face. “You're going to get it, too. Keep it up, and you'll get more than me by the time you're my age.”

Sam smiled back at him before Bridgette forcefully squeezed between them of them with a tray of hot dogs. “I saw you two touching and giggling over here and needed to be in the action. Can I be the meat?” she asked, passing them food.

“I don't think three dicks complete the equation,” Sam muttered. Bridgette shifted and shoved him completely off the bench before rising, complaining to Jensen over appearing too mannish. Sam climbed back onto the bench and bit into his hot dog. “Mm. I forgot to pack my food again.”

“They really take care of you in this unit, Sam,” Andy said, finishing off the `dog with a couple of bites. “Mmf. I was starving.”

“They're a bunch of useless bastards, really,” Sam mumbled. “But I like `em.”

“Here,” Ken interrupted, holding out a tall cup of coffee to Andy, who took it quickly, before Ken could take it back. “Drink that down. For fuck's sake, take a nap or something every time we take a break. Just looking at you makes me tired.”

“Thanks, Ken.”

“You gonna make it?”

“Yes.”

“Don't you have anymore painkillers or somethin', kid?” Ken then asked Sam, who hurriedly reached back to search through his pack for more.

“I took some earlier. Don't worry about it, Sam.”

“Go refill your canteen, kid,” Ken ordered of Sam, pushing him off the bench. As Sam hesitated, Andy recognized that Ken was going to say something to him, and gave Sam a slight nod to assure him he was going to be okay. Sam skulked away. Ken looked at Andy as he sat where Sam had and demanding, “Kurt, gimme a minute!”

“Minute given,” Kurt replied, mouth full of chips.

“Listen. Y'know, I only intervened like that cuz something happened. And don't even try to deny it, Murphy,” Ken then added once Andy started to open his mouth. “I was there the next day. You prolly don't even remember shit, do you?”

Andy studied the cup, horror coursing through him at the thought of Ken knowing. He had to wonder what he'd said or what Ken had noticed that had involved Adam. He took a long drink of his coffee.

“Seein' as you don't, I know enough,” Ken muttered. “You're an idiot, Murphy. What's th' point of drinking yourself into some stupor, when people like that guy take advantage of it? You report him?”

“I don't—I don't think anything was done where I would have to report someone.”

“Shut up, Murphy! You thinkin' to protect someone like that? That closeted predator? Someone like that in our uniform's allowed to walk free to do shit like he did to you?”

“I don't think you knew exactly what happened to run your mouth like that, Ken. That's a…that's a—a serious accusation.”

“I just told you I know enough to make a firm judgment on the situation,” Ken said, his expression turning murderous as he faced Andy. “I ain't pulling shit out of my ass. I know what he did to yours.”

Feeling color rush up to his cheeks, Andy looked down at the cup. “You don't know anything.”

Ken said nothing at that point, curling and uncurling his fingers into a fist. His jaw was set, and there was a spot of chew clinging to the side of his lip. He looked mean and angry, but Andy couldn't really see another side of him other than the one he was used to. One of his blond curls was visible just under the lip of his helmet, where it curved over his dark eyebrows.

“I guess I don't,” Ken then muttered in reply, lifting from the bench. He deliberately stepped on Andy's foot as he walked by, Andy flinging his emptied coffee cup at him in response.

Sam sat down as he left, giving Andy a look. “He's such a jerk. How did your unit ever get things done when all he and his brother do is fight?”

“It was a miracle,” Andy mumbled.

Before Sam could say anything else, Ian called his name harshly, both of them looking over to see his annoyed expression. He turned away with a touch to his ear, Sam responding in the same manner. Andy watched as some sort of dressing down occurred within their communicative pieces. Sam glanced at him with some remorse, nodding in response before rising from his seat. He didn't say anything as he walked away, Larson reaching out to give him a comforting pat on the back with a loudly spoken, “You understand, right?”

Andy figured it was a safety precaution to keep their relationship hidden from any spying Underworld members. But that sense of feeling like an exile started to creep over him.

“Well, Murphy, we've got the orders,” Barry said, walking over, wiping her mouth. “We're to keep you for awhile, until they can shift you around, again. We don't know if they're just watching and waiting, so we can't risk any movement back to your temporary quarters. Not until they decide what to do. That might take awhile. Once our shift's over, we'll be setting you in the care of another.”

“All right. Sorry. I wish it'd just end.”

Barry studied him for a moment, and then grimaced. “Shit, you take up drinking?”

Andy simply gave her a look, and she reached out to thump the top of his head with her palm before rejoining the older men, both of whom were having a serious discussion over their hotdogs and nicotine fixes. He looked over at the squads, missing his spot among his own. Being without the uniform and the privileges hurt. Though he had enough skills and experience to instantly qualify at a civilian job, it just wasn't going to be the same.

Minutes later, Barry called out their leave, and Andy wearily rose to his feet. They and his entire body protested, but he wasn't about to complain or draw attention to himself. The wrapping Sam had performed allowed him minimal protection, but it still wasn't enough to protect them from miles of walking upon the cement surface of the city streets. At least the painkillers had helped slightly with the other symptoms, but the shakes persisted, and his stomach protested the moment he stood. Concentrating on not throwing up, Andy walked slowly to join Nathanial, who reached out to pat his shoulder companionably.

Nearly an hour later, he sat gratefully upon a bus bench while a majority of the teams separated a Superhuman fight. He watched Sam and Bridgette easily pry a fighter from another, slamming the man facedown onto the street with an effortless twist, Paul and Ken knocking down the other while Barry shouted for order to be restored. The partiers that had grouped to watch the fight protested loudly with thrown beer cups and jeers, causing the other members of the groups to herd them away with patient orders.

As the Superhumans were cuffed with specially designed ties that kept their powers from activating, their drunken bellows marred by the street by which they lay facedown upon, Andy examined his feet. He unwrapped the material to see that he'd reopened a few wounds, his arches tired and his heels protesting. With a frown, he figured he'd have Sam attend to them again, wishing he had a pair of shoes.

“Whatcha doin', mister?” came a chirpy voice from the side, and he turned to see infamous Felicia Passage leaning against the bench, dressed in some metallic dress and diamonds flashing at her lobes. She smelled heavily of alcohol, a trail of it dumped on the skirt of her dress. Her teenage features screwed into a mystified expression as she examined the temporary dressing he wore, and pulled at the vest he had on over his t-shirt. “Why ya'll half dressed, an' ain't all fancied up like them?”

Unfamiliar with the teen, knowing her only through tabloids and entertainment channels, Andy gaped at her for a few moments before pulling himself together. She was shorter in person, he realized. She seemed just like an ordinary teenager, save for the millions of dollars that she wore.

“No reason.”

“Gotcher feet hurt, eh?”

“A little.” For a moment, Andy wondered why this celebrity, infamous as she was, was talking to a lowly civilian nobody like him. He felt as if he were in the presence of some big-time movie star, in awe over their simple proximity. He swallowed tightly to give himself a moment to recover. “Aren't you on the wrong side of the tracks?”

She gave an indifferent shrug, straightening away from the bench. “I do what I want. I was actually partyin' down here, but then those guys hadda bring in the po-po to break it up. So now's I gotta scurry on home before I'm discovered.”

“I'm surprised you're not part of the fray,” he said, remembering her exploits.

“Hell, if I'd been there, you know I would've. But I'm gettin' old, or something, cuz—wait.”

She exhaled slowly, and started over, her grammar fixed. “But I think I'm getting old, because I'm thinking I'm beyond all that nonsense.”

“You're sixteen. You're just starting out.”

“I've lived many lives,” she said with heavy weariness and a hair toss. “I think I can slow it down a little.”

“There's a lot more to life than partying and spending money,” Andy heard himself say, and wondered why he would bother lecturing a celebrity.

“That's what Peters says, but nobody listens to him.” Startled at the familiarity of his name coming from her lips, Andy looked at her with a start. But she was waving one tanned hand, diamond and emeralds glittering from her wrist. “Oh, yo, Byrons! What's up, my walking beer mug of manliness?”

“Get out of here,” Adam said impatiently, having seen her lingering around Andy while they were in the midst of the mess on the street. Andy looked away, feeling entirely uncomfortable with the man's proximity.

“Don't judge me because I'm rich,” Felicia said airily, returning to lean against the back of the bench. “So tell me, Byrons…you hear the joke about the fridge and the fairy—”

“I don't want to hear your stupid shit. Get out of here.”

“I thought we were tight!”

“Go. Away.”

“After we hung out the other night, and shared manly tips on stuff,” Felicia said woefully. She tilted her head to look at Andy. “Byrons and I have a special relationship. You wanna hear something I learned about him? He gets insecure with little people.”

“Passage, shut the fuck up and get on home.”

Andy looked at him, startled at the way Adam spoke to the teenager.

“Byrons, Dallas wants you to know you looked sexy the other night. He promised me a car if I told you that.”

Adam moved around the bench to reach for her, but Felicia hurriedly scurried away. “Fine, fine. Geez. Hail me a cab, then.”

“Get your own damn cab!”

“I can't. They always ignore me. Like I'm some dumb kid who can't hail a taxi,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“You are a dumb kid!”

“I'm going to tell Cooney you're being an asshole again. I totally recommend you get that pole looked at, buddy, cuz it sounds infected. Oi! Hey, Peters!”

At the collective groans that came from those in uniform, especially from 58, she laughed. “Hi, everybody! I'm rich and happy and delighted to be surrounded by such fine men in uniform! Except for you lesbians! Stop looking at me, Neilson. You abomination.”

Adam sighed heavily, muttering, “Fuck, I hate her.”

Before Andy could say anything in response, Adam then reached down to prompt Andy to his feet. Andy jerked away from his touch. “Let's go. It's compromised if she's here.”

“She's no trouble.”

“That's Merrick's fucking nit, Andy. Once they get here to pick her up, they're going to come in on you. Act a little smart, huh?”

Despite Andy's automatic reaction to Adam's harsh words, he realized that he was right. He glanced back to see Felicia talking animatedly to the others while the Superhumans on the street protested being ignored.

“I hate that word,” he then said lowly, keeping his distance. “`Nits'. As if being a superior race means something.”

Adam said nothing as he directed him towards a building entranceway, where Andy knew he was out of sight by those from the street. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and resolved to ignore the other man, no matter their proximity and their situation. Adam ignored him as well, using the bulk of his frame to hide him.

Nearly a half hour later Felicia was finally gone, Ian having hailed a taxi for her, and the Superhumans were sober enough to realize that they'd done wrong, arguing for the sake of argument. Barry was lecturing them over their conduct, the groups still surrounding them with small talk and boredom. Andy hid a yawn, struggling to keep his eyelids from falling shut for `just a moment'. He was leaning against the wall, trying to keep most of his weight settling completely on his feet. But his head kept bobbing and the need to curl up on the cigarette butt-littered ground was intense. Adam said nothing to him, replying to something that he heard through his ear piece from time to time.

After his third heavy yawn in a row, Adam turned to look at him, withdrawing a small orange packet from one of the pockets in his utility belt. “Here. Energy gel.”

“I don't want it.”

Adam gave an inward sigh, examining the packet and then lifting the cuff of his glove up to examine his watch. He replaced the gel back into its previous spot and said, “I understand you don't want to talk to me. But in public, let's be a little mature about things, okay?”

Andy said nothing, drawing his jaw tight and staring at the full can of trash nearby. Adam looked back at him to see if he'd at least been heard, and frowned at him. “Sorry I used that word. But it's no secret that I don't like that kid.”

Andy didn't want to say anything, to continue to pretend he wasn't there, but he couldn't. The words bubbled out before he could stop himself. “You and Ken are similar. Always feeling better about yourselves when you're picking on kids.”

Adam turned to face him, feeling irritated at being grouped with the obnoxious, hot-headed twin. “Well, it's true. I hate kids. I admitted that a long time ago. But I'm no where like that guy.”

“Right.”

“So you're going to stand here and say shitty little things like that for the rest of the night because you're mad at me for something you did. Isn't that a little childish, Murphy?”

Andy felt an inward twinge at Adam's first sentence, but he resolved not to reply to it. His inner voice kept telling him to hush and allow Adam to speak all he wanted, but another spoke for him. “Considering how insecure you are, I'll let you continue to make yourself feel better by allowing you to speak your mind.”

“You want to talk about insecurity? How's this about insecurity. You're the guy that has to drink yourself into some drunken stupor everyday because you don't like how the world works. How's that for avoiding reality?”

“Um, Adam, dude, I'm going to switch you off for a minute,” Larson interrupted sheepishly.

Growing frustrated, Andy glared at him. “Maybe I do turn the other cheek. You would know, wouldn't you?”

“You are still accusing me about that? You're hot one minute, then cold the next. No wonder you're alone. You don't even know what you want. That kind of thing probably happens all the time.”

“Does every man you sleep with have to resemble Peters in some way, or is it just one of those weird coincidences?”

Adam turned to fully glare down at him, but Andy resolved not to look away, no matter how intimidating the other man had suddenly become. “You accuse me of running away from reality, but you haven't even looked at yourself. You're in love with someone that'll never return your feelings.”

“Shut the fuck up, now.”

“Face it. Acting out your fantasies with other men won't help you much. Why don't you tell him and get it over with?”

“Why? You think it'd make me automatically run to you? There's nothing redeemable about you. You're boring, insignificant, and completely worthless for anything other than—well, hell, I can't even remember sleeping with you, so you're not even worth that much. No wonder nobody has any respect for you. Mix that with your JD's.”

Andy looked away.

Adam looked away as well, stung by Andy's earlier comments on Ian. While they were true in retrospect, hearing them spoken aloud by someone hurt. He looked over at the man, who was busy pointing out various vantage points in the area to Nathanial, both of them wearing their sniper rifles across their backs. He then looked over at the others in his team, noting that Sam was giving him a surly look. He regretted speaking so impulsively.

He turned slightly. “I'm sorry. I had no business saying things like that.”

Andy said nothing, appearing as if he hadn't heard him. Adam looked at him, then away, inwardly wondering why he'd reacted so strongly. Perhaps it was the shame and horror over the revelation of his deepest secret. To hear of it spoken aloud by Andy was jolting.

He hadn't felt so much remorse for a subject as he did now. It was probably because there was just something about Andy that made him feel different things. His lips tightened, and he turned to face him. “Andy. I'm sorry. For everything. I just…seem to be making so many wrong decisions when it comes to you, and I say all the wrong things—”

“It's all right,” Andy interrupted tightly.

Adam studied him, feeling incredibly annoyed that he was brushed off so lightly in the verbal sense. “No, it's not `all right'. I'm apologizing to you and you're just saying things just to make it go away.”

“To be honest, I'd rather not continue this. I accept your apology so you can move on with your life.”

Frowning, Adam replied, “For Christ's sake, Andy, that was backhanded—”

Before he could continue, Ian caught his attention, tapping his shoulder and inserting himself between them, startling them. “Go ahead. They need you over there.”

“For what? There's plenty of—”

“Just go. Cooney needs you, and you've got your comm off.”

Adam frowned at him then looked back at the groups, both of whom were cooperating in loading the Superhumans into heavily armored police vehicles. He didn't know why he was needed when it was obvious they had the situation under control, but Ian was shoving him in that direction. Not really wanting to leave because he knew Ian had something on his mind to express to Andy, he hesitated. Cooney turned and gave him an expectant gesture, prompting him to leave.

Ian waited for him to walk away, and then looked at Andy. Andy wished the man would just leave him alone, knowing from his expression that he was going to say something.

“Whatever this shit is going on between you two, you need to drop it. I don't appreciate you taking over my teammate's time and energy over whatever bullshit you caused in the first place. Keep your shit focused—”

“First of all, I'm not encouraging anything—”

“Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking! You leave Adam alone! You leave everybody on my team alone! Sam doesn't need your kind of influence, not when he has so much potential to be the best in his field! I know you know what problem I have with you. I don't want your faggot shit anywhere near my best friend. I will make your life absolutely more miserable than it already is if you try and bother him again. He's not a fag. He's not like you. Stay. Away. From. Him. Is anything unclear?”

Andy looked at Ian and wondered if Adam would ever tell him the truth. Faced with the man's furious expression and hearing the low growl in his warning told him that Adam would never attempt to try. He wondered what it was about him that had Adam's attention and figured it was only history. His eyes slid over his shoulder and watched Adam quietly intimidate one of the unruly Superhumans that protested police treatment.

“Murphy?”

“No,” he finally replied quietly. “You've made your point. However small-minded it was.”

Ian's lip curled slightly, but he stood abreast of him as he looked back. “It's disgusting how people like you could serve alongside the rest of us. To think you put your hands on us under the excuse of medical intervention.”

Andy leaned against the wall. He promised himself that the moment he made it to his supposed `safe haven', he was going to drink himself back into a stupor. Things were too tumultuous to face. Thinking of Adam's words, he had to wonder why he even bothered to try at all.

By the time their shift grew to a close, Adam had had enough of the glares and nosy stares from his team. Sam was openly ignoring him, Ian was pissed over Adam's unwillingness to discuss the fight, and the others were curious as to know why the earlier exchange of insults between himself and Andy. Thankfully Larson had turned his comm off before Adam had insulted further. He still regretted speaking so impulsively, unsure of what it was that made him react so strongly to Andy.

Their last assignment was to make sure Andy was escorted to a Fast Trac station, where he would have to undergo a series of rides before meeting with a medical officer, who would meet him to guide him to his newest secure location.

Andy looked at Sam as both teams headed for the stairway going down under the sidewalk. He'd noticed the tension radiating off the younger man. The troubled features of his young face pulled at Andy's protective instincts, and he'd nudged his way from his former team to reach Sam's, seeing that Ian was busy securing the way to the ticket kiosks down the stairs.

He said quietly, “I'll call you. Don't make any attempt to locate or call me.”

Sam looked at him, brow heavily furrowed. His eyes were troubled as they searched Andy's for any sign of discomfort or fear. Seeing none on his older half-brother's face reassured him slightly, but he was having trouble seeing Andy off, knowing that they weren't going to see each other for an undetermined amount of time. But he nodded in response.

Andy reached out to touch him, to place his hand against Sam's helmet and whispered low, “Everything will be okay. I don't want you to think of me, all right? There are better things to think about.”

“Don't talk like that!” Sam complained with a jerk of his head.

“Sam, I'll be fine,” Andy said.

Sam studied him for a few moments, then looked away. Licking his lips, he said, “I'm sorry. For what I said. I just wish you had better. Y'know? I didn't think my team would have turned out to be such jerks.”

Andy smiled at him. “It's all right. If I don't see you soon, because if something happens—”

“Don't say that.”

“Realistically, Sam…just know I'm—I'm out of here, I'm going to follow the rules. So that Center can deal with what they need to do. It's pretty much something only they can do, and I ruined it the first time. This time, I'll be following orders. I'll get a hold of you after, okay? But I just don't want you wasting your time worrying on me.”

Sam stared at him for a few minutes. Irritation crossed his features and he ordered Larson to give him a minute. Once he heard the familiar follow-thru, he said, “Don't do anything stupid, Andy. I mean it.”

Andy gave him a reassuring nod, tired smile accompanying it. “I promise, Sam. Nothing stupid.”

Sam mimicked the nod. “Give your feet some rest. Once you get there.”

“I will. Goodbye, Sam.” Andy looked over to see Ken giving him an impatient look, gesturing at both his watch and the stairs, signaling he was holding them up. He and his brother were posed at the top of the stairs, with half the team still lingering around the middle. 58 continued to wait at top, passing time by pointing out the various stores and people that were occupying the South Side streets.

Sam reached out and grabbed his shoulder as Andy turned to leave. Looking at him meaningfully, he ordered, “Don't leave me, Andy.”

“Well, I kind of have to—”

“You know what I mean.”

Andy stared at him for a few moments, then left without saying anything, bare feet taking the stairs two at a time. Sam's face hardened as he watched him go. He thought of the possibility of never seeing Andy again, feeling awful at the recognition of the thought. He inhaled calmly, telling himself he was just being irrational, that his age was causing him to doubt. At the hand on his shoulder, he looked over to see Ian standing next to him.

“At least he's safe now—” Ian trailed off as Sam jerked away from him, sullenly standing near Jensen. Ian watched him and sighed, shoulders slumped.

Adam grit his teeth, wondering if he should make that last effort to try and talk to Andy again. But he figured that if such measures meant something, the time to do so would come again. Kurt stumbled forward with a startled curse, catching his attention. She immediately reared up and shoved Paul to the side. As the protests began, Larson stumbled into Bridgette, nearly sending the woman down the stairway hadn't Adam reached out to catch her.

“Fuck, it felt like somebody just shoved me,” Larson whined, looking behind him, at the civilians that paid them no mind.

“Me, too,” Kurt said in bewilderment.

Ian's brow furrowed, and he quickly reached for Larson, shoving him around. He immediately saw the small dark hole that had burst through the heavy-duty pack, and knew instantly that the bullet had impacted with Larson's communication pack.

“We're disabled! Under attack! Get him in there fast!” he then shouted, Larson calling into his piece and finding nothing in return. Flailing at the loss in communication with base and with his team, he cursed, running down into the station and startling Ken and the others near the ticket kiosk, where the medic was retrieving Andy's ticket.

“We're under attack!” he warned, ripping off his pack and cramming himself into a corner of the stairway and wall, anxious to get to working on the equipment. “They deliberately cut out our communication with base!”

Ken armed himself with a shout, drawing his SMGs. Civilians took note and immediately rushed off, screaming and pushing at each other in their rush to escape whatever it was that had caused the soldiers to draw. Andy quickly made the decision to just get out of there, racing for the train that was set to leave.

Before he could reach the open doors, gunfire sprayed along the windows and metal siding, forcing him to duck as passengers screamed in reaction, diving to the floor in panicked haste. At that same moment, the doors slid shut and the train began to leave. Andy turned and hurried off for cover, grimacing every time some rushing person stepped on his feet. The sounds of gunfire being exchanged up on top of the street echoed down into the station, and he saw that people were taking cover behind anything they could find. There was a homeless man trying to put the bead on him with a handgun, but he wasn't having any luck. He finally moved to blend in with the crowd, retreating back to whatever group he belonged to.

His eyes flit to a woman holding a baby in one arm, trying to hold a toddler with the other, her stroller overturned in front of them. They had been caught near the restrooms by the stairway. Gunfire forced him to duck again, and he saw that Ken was busy holding off a surge of people in black. Bullets were ricocheting within the station, cracking the heavy plastic plating of posters that hung on the impersonal walls.

He looked back at the woman, hearing her children cry as she used her body to protect them. Movement to his right caught his sight, of Ganglish Aliens cramming their heavy bodies into the narrow hallway from the street, the escalators at a standstill. Their eyes were focused right on him, and he gave a heavy sigh, looking down the platform and seeing various people in white coming up from behind. He gave a groan, looking over to seeing both teams fighting back the groups in black. He shouted out to Nathanial and pointed out the Aliens. Nathanial and the medic quickly dropped back to fire warning shots at the creatures, but their answering roars of distemper caused the people to clap their hands over their ears, more panicked shouting and racing about commencing immediately after.

Because of the chaos, the soldiers pulled their weapons up, unable to fire anymore shots. The medic caught sight of those in white and hollered for backup, the rest of their team crowding in. Superhumans dressed in white flung various obstacles from their course, trashcans, benches and people being tossed into walls and onto the tracks as if they were nothing.

Andy ducked behind a pillar, seeing the Ganglish easing their way into the station, one long arm knocking Nathanial to the side. It also managed to knock down a supporting pillar, the material crumbling away like a pile of Legos, spraying cowering people nearby. Civilians, having no where to go, crammed themselves into various positions against the walls, hovering over the edge of the platform near the tracks. Andy looked back at the woman and her children again, watching as Jensen tripped over her on his way in, his gun hitting the cement with a loud crack of sound.

Before he could move, the quick, powerful movement of Samsara caught his eye—his black coated frame shot over the heads of the soldiers and landed in a slight skid on the cement. One of the Ganglish spotted him, reaching for him with a discovering roar. Andy watched with horror as the figure in black spotted him with a turn of his head, moving for him with a lunge forward. The Ganglish grabbed him by the ankle, the Superhuman bouncing once off the cement floor as the Alien hauled him upward with one arm. The resulting crash against ceiling caused the lights to flicker as a panel crashed into the floor, raining glass and plastic shards. With a snap of its arm, the Ganglish tossed Samsara back into the stairway, where he slammed into various soldiers and fleeing civilians.

The Aliens' wide, heavy bodies were causing the hallways walls to tremble, for the tile under their feet to shatter. Imagining them causing chaos within the station was horrid. He looked up and around, figuring that sense the station was equipped to withstand train accidents, it could withstand a firefight between the groups.

Andy quickly raced to his feet and ran for the woman and her children, snatching the toddler and ducking as gunfire caused more rounds of shrieks and panicked pushing. Curling his body around the child and the woman as best as he could, he watched as Samsara sprang away from the stairway with gunfire trailing after him, the soldiers blasting back with their weapons, the explosions deafening within the narrow area.

“They locked us out!” the woman cried, gesturing at the restroom door.

Samsara whirled around and spied him again, fluidly exchanging one gun for the sniper rifle Andy had seen days before. With horror he moved to cover his head with his free arm, and felt a rush of air and a slide of weight trail down his arm. He looked up to see that Ken's watch had been shot clean from his wrist, and before he could completely absorb that, Samsara was exchanging the rifle with two handguns, moving toward him. The Ganglish sluggishly moved after him.

Andy grit his teeth as he searched for a way to escape with the three. He looked over the platform, mentally picturing the rails below. Scanning downward, he saw that if they took the rails all the way down to the other end of the station, they'd be away from the firefight. Decision made, he grabbed her arm to prompt her to move when he remembered Samsara. With a frustrated curse, he looked back to see how far away the East Sider was, and ducked against the door as he realized just how close he was.

Instead, Adam was there, using the butt of his weapon against Samsara as he leapt at Andy. The impact of gun against Superhuman made a loud cracking noise, the Superhuman stopped short with an enraged mechanical roar, hands moving up to his face. Adam looked at his assault rifle to find that it had bent the metal up and back, the magazine curled inward at an angle that would make it unusable. He then used his weapon again to knock Samsara back, and put all his weight and strength into a hooking blow. The resulting action was Samsara flying backward, slamming hard into one of the support pillars. It cracked and slipped noticeably. The Ganglish immediately turned to attack, knocking various bodies around, Samsara now occupied with getting away from them in one piece.

Adam tossed his now useless gun aside, and turned to address the pair when a loud, bright explosion caused bodies to fly, for the station to rattle with upsetting force. The force burned hotly and caused the lights to burn out, shards of debris showering everything. With their proximity near the blast, the five of them were sent skidding over the platform, Andy reacting quickly to catch the baby, Adam using his frame to keep all of them from sliding down onto the tracks.

A moment's notice told him that someone had sent a couple of vehicles down the stairway, resulting in a tremendous explosion that should have killed people, hadn't the soldiers reacted quickly to block the impact with their own armored forms. Instead it had exploded within the stairway and had sent the unfortunate soldiers flying. The vehicles were burning, leaking gasoline and various other fluids into the station. Ian was on his feet and quickly hustling people through the hallway the Ganglish had used to come in.

He heard a steady hissing sound, the hairs on his forearms rising as he once again looked in that direction. It didn't sound good, and Samsara's rising shouts of ire weren't encouraging either. He looked over to see him rising to his feet, shaking off burning debris from his frame and withdrawing a gun. He was walking their way, and Adam caught Ian's eye, the sniper quickly withdrawing his weapon and shouting out an order. The others around him snapped to attention, Samsara whipping around to fire at them and the South Side that had caught him in their sights. Unable to do otherwise, everyone fired back. Various Superhumans from both sides engaged into heavy combative battle, rattling walls and knocking tiles from the floors, and the soldiers had to deal with keeping out of their path as well. The chaos was jumbling.

Adam cursed and bent down, feeling bullets bounce off the surfaces around them, flecks of cement and tile bouncing off his exposed forearms. He cursed as pain registered then, quickly covering the woman with his frame and seeing that Andy was already jumping down into the tracks with both kids in arm. He quickly hauled the woman with him, bullets flying everywhere as Samsara shot the station up in his efforts to take out the South Side members, soldiers returning fire in mere reaction.

Without the ability to communicate with his team, Adam had no idea what to do or where to go. He then saw Andy moving down the tracks, ducking low, the woman quickly moving after them. Following, ducking to avoid being seen by those deep within the firefight atop of the platform, Adam watched as Andy quickly peeked over, waving a hand to catch someone's attention. Once he got it, he instructed the woman to crouch, and quickly peeled off the vest the medic had given him earlier that night. Adam watched him bunch the crying toddler and screaming baby together and slip it over their small bodies, pulling the straps tight. He glanced over the platform to see Sam and Jefferson hastily moving through the firefight to hide behind the pillars nearby. They would still be a distance away, caught between the warring East and South Side, the Ganglish and the firefight between Samsara and the others.

He felt the rumble at his feet and looked up with a curse, seeing the single headlight of a Fast Trac train coming in. Although there was the audible noise of squealing brakes, the train's operator struggling with his emergency and backup brakes to avoid touching base with the station, Adam knew that the train was going too fast. He looked over to seeing Andy pushing the woman onto the platform, still holding onto the two kids. Gunfire sprayed overhead, the woman screaming as she automatically ducked and curled into a ball.

Adam jumped up onto the platform, reaching for her and then half shoving-half throwing her to the two that were waiting nearby. They caught her awkwardly, bullets spraying the walls around them. A bone-shaking blast caused everyone to hit the floor, water from the ceiling spraying over everything, drenching the surface below. Heat and resulting shock force caused Adam to fall to his knees, seeing that the woman was currently being protected by both Sam and Jefferson, both of them shielding her from the blast. A rumble of noise touched his hearing briefly, but there had been so many deafening noises in the past five minutes that he couldn't separate it to identify it.

Looking back, Adam saw that the cars had exploded once more, sending those closest to it flying. The Ganglish were running about, on fire, spreading it from person to person while resulting chaos had the station in shambles once more. He couldn't tell Underworld member from soldiers, not with the flames, smoke and debris demolishing what light had remained. Until he saw Samsara perform a running kick into one of the fiery Ganglish, knocking it completely through one of the remaining pillars, straight through one of the walls near the back of the station. It rolled from the platform and onto the tracks. A loud cracking sound caught his attention, and he jerked his attention back to the chaos before him. He then realized that two of the support pillars were down, and the rumbling that he thought was the effect of the blast began to grow louder. With some horror, he realized that the ceiling was coming down.

He turned to get Andy when he saw a bundle flying at him. He caught the kids quickly, the ceiling raining down around him, dust and debris blacking out what he had been able to see. He turned to run, paused to realize that Andy was still down in the tracks, looking over to see that the train was still coming into the station. The burning body of the Alien lay over the tracks, nearly spelling out the resulting picture that was to come next. The situation played out on Andy's face, and it prompted Adam to react. He turned and saw that Sam was looking, gesturing wildly, so Adam threw the children to him. Once he saw the medic catch the bundle and football cradle them both to the hall for his escape, Adam turned and raced back over the platform, the headlight blinding him. He turned to clear his vision and saw the lit tracks down the tunnel, along with various doorways that were sure to be opened if prompted.

He shoved Andy ahead of him, barking at him to run. The station was deafening with the collapse from above, smoke and dust making it impossible to see. But Andy caught his words and started to run, both of them sprinting away from the deafening squeals of the forcefully slowing train.

The train blasted its horn in warning, a tremendous crash of noise filling the tunnel and drowning out the sound. In panic, Adam looked behind him and saw the station completely disappear—but it looked as if the tunnel itself was starting to droop as well. Heavy chunks of ceiling started falling, but were suddenly blasted forward, the train reappearing with a sudden catch of speed. He cursed as the tunnel filled with light, but the horrifying sound of the machine leaving the tracks, jack-knifing within the narrow area nearly deafened him. Looking back, he saw that the train was rapidly catching up to them, careening and bouncing off the tunnel walls on its left side before tottering completely over. The resulting weight and force of its back end pushed it forward, even as the tunnel continued to collapse over it.

Andy caught his arm and he looked over to seeing a service door, barely outlined within the tunnel's walls. He gripped the handle, finding it locked, and cursed as the headlight blinded him again. Shoving outward, he broke the door open, metal protesting as he and Andy pushed into pitch black darkness. Unable to see what the room looked like, Adam reacted by turning and shoving the door closed, hearing the incoming noise of the toppled train. Not liking the way the walls were bouncing and rattling, he shifted away from the door with another curse, hearing Andy shout. The room itself seemed to explode, knocking them into the darkness, another deafening thunder drowning out all sounds.

Adam felt himself forcefully shoved back by the shock wave caused by the blast, heat burning at his exposed skin. He felt a tremendous strength against his front, a suffocating leave of breath, and a massive explosion that took away his consciousness.