Subject: [FFML] Cynic [Fanfic][SM-ish] Chapter 4/11
From: "Django Wexler" <dwexler@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 1/23/2003, 7:41 PM
To:


	Sorry this took so long.  I've been busy with
beginning-of-semester and whatnot.

	As usual:  I own the original characters, but not any of the
shows referenced/parodied.  C&C is definitely always appreciated.  I
haven't set up the website for this, but please e-mail me if you need
past chapters.

Django Wexler (khaine)
khaine@mindless.com

   "Look, Hobbes, I got a paint-by-numbers kit!  It's really fun."
   "But you're not painting in the lines, and you're not using
the colors that correspond to the numbers."
   "..."
   "If I did THAT, I'd get the picture they show on the box!"
   "Ah."
			Calvin and Hobbes 

Chapter Four 

    "What the hell is *that*?"

    "Bladething."  Ayre kept his voice to a whisper.  Kei wasn't
supposed to be here, after all, and while normally Tsuiren would not
exact horrible vengeance on someone who wanted to catch a glimpse of his
departure, he was currently not in the best of moods.  "Tsuiren built it
himself."

    [Not to mention I'm planning to blatantly defy his authority.  If he
knew that, though, I'd be dead by now.]

    The creature in question was almost ten feet high, with an outer
skin that glittered and rippled like mercury.  It was only vaguely
humanoid, two stubby legs and a pair of arms that ended in four-foot
blades, skewer-thin and razor-sharp at the edges.  Its face was a blank
metallic mask, and its elbows and knees were adorned with cruel barbed
spikes.  All in all, Kei thought, it seemed to be a damned effective
killing machine.

    [Maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe they'll catch her this time.  This could
all be a big mistake.]  She shook her head, trying to drown that feeling
out.  [I'll show them I'm not some toy.]

    "Who are you taking?"

    Ayre ticked off the name on his fingers.  "Myself, Pyros, and the
daemon."

    "That's it?"

    "Tsuiren says more would only get in the way."  Ayre's face showed
what he thought of *that*.  He caught Kei's expression.  "What are you
looking all worried for?  You're the one running off to commit suicide."

    "Right.  I'd forgotten."

    Her stomach, assuming that her body possessed such a thing, was
twisting into knots.  Tsuiren was putting the last few finishing touches
on his daemon while Pyros stood quietly in one corner of the massive
Hall of Departure, a grand name for what was essentially a landing pad.
Ayre and Kei were off to one side, staying out of the way and avoiding
the Dark Lord's attention.  This wasn't hard, since the Hall was crowded
with statues and works of art Tsuiren had looted down through the ages.
Kei concealed herself behind a marble statue of a woman embracing a
slavering wolf-thing and kept her eye on the portal.

    "You'll have about five minutes," whispered Ayre, "so don't rush.
Tsuiren will open a hole in the barrier to send us through -- all you
have to do is follow."

    "I *know*."

    "Once you get to the other side, run for it.  When the enemy shows
up, we'll be handling it.  You can stay out of the way."

    "Ayre, we've gone over this a hundred times.  It's not that hard."

    "Okay."  He patted her gently on the head, an odd gesture from the
normally unemotional lord.  "Be careful."

    "Likewise."  Kei crouched further behind her statue as Ayre walked
to the portal.  Tsuiren waved his demon aside and spoke to the pair, but
Kei was too far away to hear what was said.  Finally the Dark Lord waved
his hand grandly and opened the portal into the Timestream.

    Kei felt her mouth go dry.  With as much disdain as she had for
Tsuiren's intelligence, she sometimes forgot how powerful he was.  The
great Barrier that separated the Timestream from the Outer Realm was
hardly easy to pierce, but the Dark Lord swatted it aside with barely an
effort, providing the energy for the daemon, Ayre, and Pyros to jump
into the other world.  She tensed as the bladething stalked through,
unconcerned, followed by the other two.  Tsuiren watched a moment
longer, then faded from view -- presumably returning to his chambers.

    [It's now or never.]  Kei was already running, her feet skidding
across the marble.  [This is idiotic.  The stupidest thing I've ever
done in my life.  Likely to be the *last* stupid thing I do in my life.]
Halfway to the glowing pillar of light.  [Ayre will kill her, I'm sure
of it.  Why bother with this?  Tsuiren will hunt me to the ends of the
Earth -- I know how petty he can be.]  Almost there.  [Stupid, stupid
*stupid*.]

    Kei dove into the pillar.  The unpleasantly familiar sensation of
being wrenched apart instantly and just as quickly reassembled passed
almost before it had time to hurt.

 

    Mary was trying to read a book and failing.  Fighting with Robyn had
rubbed her raw, and she'd spent most of the day closeted in her room.
Now she looked up, eyes still a little red, and stared out the window
across town.

    "That's it."

    Aku popped into being.  "You feel that?"

    "Yup."  Mary jumped off the bed and wrestled her shoes on.  "Looks
like a big one."

    "Like lambs to the slaughter."  Aku rubbed his hands together.  "You
ready to kick some ass?"

    "I don't recall you doing much ass kicking."

    "I'm an advisor."

    "Right."  Mary opened her door, bounded down the steps two at a
time, and streaked past an amused Lia in the living room.  "Going out,
see you later!"

    "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of me?"

    Mary stopped in the doorway.  "Take care of yourself."

    "Fine.  I'm having a coke orgy while you're gone."

    "Plenty of coke in the fridge."  She let the door slam on her
sarcastic little sister and started down the street at an easy jog until
she was well away from the house.  Then Mary summoned her power and
leapt into a jet-assisted parabola that ended on the nearest rooftop.

    Aku hovered alongside as she moved in a series of easy jumps,
outrunning the traffic on the lazy streets below.  It was already well
past sunset, and the town beneath her was like a distant ocean of light,
accompanied by the staccato bellows of car horns and the shrill
whistling of the traffic lights.

    "Maer.  You sure you're okay?"  The little demon looked embarrassed
to even be asking the question.  "I mean, you seemed kind of upset
earlier."

    "I was."

    "So..."  He paused.  "Anything I can do?"

    "Not really."

    "You seem a bit cheerier now."

    Mary smiled, her hair whipped back around her by the speed of her
passage.  "That's because I like blowing things up."

    

    Rin woke up with a start, the gaping wound in the barrier throbbing
in her head.  She twitched the covers aside, dressed only in an
over-sized T-shirt, and glanced at the other bed.  It was empty, and she
was alone but for the cracked, staring eye of the television.

    "Agent Deus?"

    

    Robyn found herself dawdling at the entrances of alleyways to make
out.

    Her partner, a stick-thin but well-muscled college freshman by the
name of John, was enthusiastic if not particularly effective.  She
endured his pawing and kissed him back mechanically, tasting beer and
cigarettes.

    Moping had been the order of the day.  The fire she'd felt at Mary's
house had faded shortly thereafter, leaving Robyn with a desperate need
to go back, to apologize.  Only a few smoldering embers of anger and a
stubborn pride kept her walking all the way home.  [Let her feel bad for
a while.  She deserves it.]

    That, however, left her with the question of what to do for the rest
of the day.  Unable to concentrate on books or TV, not interested in
games, Robyn found herself taking to the streets in search of
distraction.  While she'd never really done something like this before,
she had read about it enough times to understand how it worked.  Her
plan was to find a bar, start drinking, and not stop until one of the
guys that hit on her seemed halfway attractive.

    It had worked, at least as far as that went.  Now, halfway home, the
alcohol was wearing off and Robyn was starting to wonder why she'd
bothered.

    John pushed her against another wall, and Robyn closed her eyes and
tried to ignore him.  His hands started at her shoulders and slid slowly
lower; when they got to her hips, she pushed him away.

    "Aw."  He looked hurt.  "Come on."

    She shrugged.  "Not *here*, we're in the middle of the damn street."

    "That's right."  This voice was more of a rumble.  "You never know
who might be watching."

    Robyn's breath caught as three over-sized shapes detached from the
shadows.  John turned angrily, aggravated by drink and desire.  "What
the hell do you want?"

    The leader, still just a shape in the darkness, chuckled nastily.
"We've got some business with your friend here."

    "You got a problem?  Fuck off!"

    Robyn squeezed her eyes shut just in time.  There was a nasty crack,
and the sound of a body hitting the floor.  When she dared to open them
again, the three shadows were standing closer, barely recognizable in
the glow of the distant streetlight.     

    "Ed."  She nodded, slowly.  "Chris.  Jake."

    "What a coincidence, meeting you here."  Ed loomed closer; his
companions sniggered.  

    "Y...yeah."  She tried not to show anything in her expression.
"What's up?"

    "Sorry to spoil your plans for the evening.  I seem to have knocked
out your little boyfriend there."

    "He was boring me anyway."  Robyn pushed off the wall and tried to
walk past him.  "I think it's time for me to head home."

    "Not quite."  Ed pushed her by the shoulder until her back was once
again against the brick.  "I said I had some business with you."

    "So talk."  She was proud that her voice didn't waver.

    "See, the guys and I didn't really have anything against you.  And
we were real sorry about the other night; that just got out of hand.
But you had to have your fuckin' goons teach us a lesson, didn't you?"

    "I don't know what the *hell* you're talking about."

    "Right."  He slammed his other hand against the brick for emphasis.
"Well, here's the thing.  Some fed was asking me questions, and he says
your daddy and his pals are all in jail.  So we figured, well, fair's
fair.  We need to teach *you* a lesson."


    "What are you *talking* about--"

    He raised his hand, an inch from her face, and Robyn suddenly got
very quiet.

    "Good.  Very good.  I like a girl who knows when to shut up."  He
grabbed one of her wrists.  "Now come with me."

    They managed to get into the alley without her arm actually being
wrenched out of its socket, and finally Ed tossed her to the ground
while his two friends blocked the exit.  Robyn closed her eyes for a
moment, not quite believing what was going on.

    [Jesus Christ.]

    "Get up."

    She obeyed, hesitantly, and Ed leaned closer again.  

    "Okay.  We can do this the fun way, or the not-so-fun way.  Get it?"

    [Jesus Christ.  This is *not* happening.]

    He shrugged off his jacket.  "And in case you get any funny ideas
about running for it, just remember it can always get worse.  Now..."
He twitched the collar of the jacket aside and put one hand on the top
of her T-shirt.  With a sudden, violent motion he pulled downward, the
collar nearly throttling her before it snapped and the whole front of
the shirt tore away in his hands.

    [Oh.  Jesus.  I can't believe...]

    She could feel his hands on her breasts, but distantly, as though
she were drifting away.

    [This is *not* happening.  This is where I find out I have magical
powers and kick their asses.  Or when the prince on his white horse
shows up.]  She squeezed her eyes closed, tears leaking through, as he
slid the jacket off of her shoulders.  [Please...]

    "I hate to be involved in such a clich�, but I'm going to have to
ask you to take you hands off of her."

    Another figure was outlined against the light at the entrance to the
alley; Chris and Jake turned on him with a snarl.  The figure shrugged.

    "Please.  When one man challenges three muscular thugs in a dark
alley to save some girl, there's only one way it can turn out.  Do we
really have to do this?"

    Ed took a threatening step forward, and the other two charged.  The
figure raised his hand, and Robyn felt the hair on her skin rise as
electricity crackled around her.  There was a crackle, muted like
distant thunder, and the sudden sweet scent of burned flesh.

    Robyn hardly dared breathe out.  [It happened.  It actually
happened.  The heroine never actually gets raped, it's all just a
game--God, Robyn, you're merging fantasy and reality again.]  She opened
her eyes.  [Although, given the circumstances, I might be forgiven.]

    The man at the end of the alley shrugged his shoulders, and power
crackled off him in little sparks, crawling along the edges of his coat
before earthing itself.  He was thin but well-built, with dark blue hair
to his shoulders and a faintly knowing smile.  One eye was pale,
fishbelly white, the other the black of smoked glass; aside from this
minor irregularity, Robyn noted absently that he was actually quite
handsome.

    He walked down the alley slowly, so by the time he spoke she'd
managed to collect her thoughts somewhat and draw her jacket closed.

    "Good evening."  He nodded politely.  "I'm sorry to interfere, but
I'm afraid I just can't stomach"--he waved a hand vaguely--"this sort of
thing."

    "No.  I mean, God, no.  Thank you."  Robyn shook her head violently.
"If you hadn't shown up, I don't know what would have happened."

    "I suspect I do."  He nudged Ed's recumbent body with his foot.
"Feel free to kick them, if you'd like."

    "I...I think I'll pass."  She stumbled past the three of them,
almost falling against the wall; the stranger put one hand gently on her
shoulder.  He was wearing gloves, black leather, but she could almost
feel the bite of electricity even so.  Robyn took a deep breath.  "That
was amazing."

    He shrugged.

    "No, I mean, really amazing.  You just--"

    "I know."  They'd reached the entrance to the alley, and he stopped.
"Will you be okay for the rest of the evening?"

    Robyn stared at him, almost in shock.  [No.  It is *not* getting
away this fucking time, I *not* going to let it.]  "W...I mean..."

    "I'm afraid I have things to take care of."  He settled his coat
around his shoulders.  "If you'll excuse me--"

    "No!"  It came out more forcefully then she meant it to.  "You
can't."

    "No?"

    "Look.  You're a wizard, or a magician, or something like that."

    "Something like that."

    "You can't just pull a stunt like that on me and walk off into the
fog, okay?  I'm tired of this!  You people have some weird *game* going
that I'm not part of.  I want *in*, okay?"  She was aware this was not
totally coherent, but it was the best she could do on the spur of the
moment.  [I can't just let him walk away.]  "I'll do whatever it takes,
whatever you want.  Just...please."

    The man seemed taken aback.  After a moment, though, he shrugged
again.  "Well.  If you put it that way."

    "I'm sorry.  I just wanted...I want..."

    "I understand."  He put one hand on her shoulder, and again she felt
the little crackle of power.  "What's your name?"

    "Robyn.  Robyn Masters."

    "Hmm."  He looked her over carefully.  "My name is Ayre."

    "Ayre."

    "I assume you don't mind following me, then?"

    "No!  I mean, not at all."

    "Or that it'll be dangerous?"

    Robyn shivered a little.  "I...no.  I don't mind."

    "As you will, then.  Come with me -- I suspect we'll be too late as
it is.  Kei screwed up the balance, and the portal went a little
funny..."

    He started down the street, and Robyn trailed after him, holding her
jacket closed at the front and barely able to think.  

    

    "Where are they, Aku?"

    Another rooftop passed underneath.   Mary looked over the town as
her demon calculated frantically on his fingers.

    "I don't know, hang on--something screwed up the dynamics, there
wasn't enough energy for a stable transport..."

    "I don't care about the physics.  Just find where they came
through!"

    "It looks like they split up.  Or got split up, anyhow."

    "Where?"

    "Two are pretty close.  Over by the mall."

    [Shit.]  "It's only nine.  There might still be people there."

    "They'll probably just drain energy--"

    Mary doubled her pace.

 

    The mall hulked dark and silent against the skyline as Mary cleared
the last line of houses and landed in a crouch in the parking lot.  She
covered the rest of the distance to the building at a dead run, and
paused for breath next to one of the doors.  There were only a few cars
left in the lot, and the building seemed reasonably deserted.

    [Count your blessings, Mary.]  She summoned her disguise and readied
a few daggers of white-hot plasma before entering.  Like any empty
public place, the mall at night had a dead feeling that was made even
eerier by the d�cor -- everything was hung with silly, cuddly dragons in
celebration of some marketing gimmick.  She stepped carefully into a
corridor lined by darkened shops guarded by metal grilles and walked
towards one of the major plazas to get a better view.

    "There she is."  The voice was high-pitched and giggling, and it
came from above -- Mary's gaze snapped upwards.  A man, dressed all in
white and bald as an egg, was sitting on the railing of the third floor.
His eyes shone with their own inner fire, and she would have pegged him
as a demon even before he opened one hand to reveal a ball of flame.

    "We don't need you here, demon.  Run along home."

    The man smiled thinly.  "My name is Pyros, girl, and I'm afraid I've
been sent to make sure you leave chargrilled.  Don't take it
personally."

    He closed his hand, quenching the little fireball, but Mary was
already moving.  The ground behind her erupted in a towering sheet of
flame that marched closer almost as fast as she could run, and she
retreated towards the plaza after hurling her own counterattack into the
maelstrom.  Pyros swatted the plasma bolts aside playfully -- [not much
surprise there] -- and stepped off the railing into the air, floating
along at a leisurely pace.  Mary turned and sprinted forward.

    [Okay.  Let's get some room to dodge and we'll see if this guy likes
ice as well as fire.]  She skidded around a corner, catching sight of
the open space of the plaza ahead of her, and made it there just ahead
of the wall of flames.  Pyros followed, cackling; his barrier remained
at the edge of the corridor as he unfolded himself and sent out a
rapid-fire barrage of nearly solid blasts of heat.  Tiles cracked and
exploded as Mary dodged, and one of the fountains took a hit and
instantly flashed into steam.

    Her last jump took her over the edge of a wishing pond, and Mary
splashed across, dipping one hand into the water as she ran.  A handful
of flying droplets solidified in mid-flight and became scything daggers
of ice; the demon melted the first couple, then ducked aside as the rest
slashed past him.

    [Not so tough.]  She dodged behind a kiosk to gather her thoughts
for a moment, feeling the whole thing jump as fire slammed into it from
the other side. [If I can catch him off-guard--]

    For all its size, the bladething was nearly silent.  Mary had only a
moment of warning as it charged from a narrow corridor between two
storefronts, swinging one of its razor-arms at waist height.  The
position was wrong for a dodge, and she threw everything she had into
blunting the blow.  The impact still picked her up and tossed her across
the plaza.

    

    Sumiko watched from the rafters as Pyros aimed at the area where
Mary had landed and engulfed it in a wash of flames.  She shook her
head, cursed silently, and mouthed: 

    "Eternity!"

    

    The dust cleared, slowly, and Mary got to her feet.  One of her
hands was pressed against her stomach, and when she leaned on a wall for
support she left a crimson print.  She was also coughing and rather
heavily singed, and it took her a moment to find her balance.

    [Sloppy.  I'm getting sloppy.  That could have cut me in half.]  She
was safe for a few moments longer, lost in the billowing cloud of steam
rising from the fountain Pyros had incinerated.  There was enough water
in the air now that she no longer needed to dip her fingers into the
pool -- moisture shimmered for a moment and solidified into a sword
wrought from ice, whisper thin and hard as diamond.  Mary gathered
energy in her off-hand and smiled.

    [It's been a while since they challenged me.]

    The steam was clearing, and she caught a flash of light off the
bladething's metal carapace.  Mary charged out of the cloud, sword
raised, and skidded to a halt on catching sight of the other slim
figure.

    [Christ, no.  She's trying to get herself killed.]

    

    Sumiko dropped noiselessly to the floor and crept up behind the
monster, wrapped in her yellow aura.  The bladething was intent on its
prey, stalking forward through the steam cloud, and she was almost able
to get to it before it noticed her.  She aimed a kick at the back of its
left knee, and immediately noticed two things: first, it was *fast*.
The bladething spun aside, taking the blow on its shin; the magical
force behind it was still enough to send cracks racing through the
monster's metal armor.


    The second thing was that the other demon had been watching her from
above.  Pyros gave a cackle and spread his hands, raining down fire from
the heavens, and Sumiko was forced to jump, dodge, and jump again as
miniature meteors blasted craters in the floor.  In the confusion she
barely noticed the shrouded figure of Reaper charging out of the steam,
sword in one hand.

    "You *idiot*!"

    

    The bladething spun again, back to its original opponent, and Mary
met its first stroke on her own sword.  Her arm shivered with the
impact; even with all her power behind the block, it was still
unbelievably strong.  It was also faster than it had any right to be,
given its size, and she was quickly forced to reassess her plan as the
creature drove her tirelessly backwards, looking for a corner.

    "Reaper!"

    It took Mary a moment to recognize her assumed name as she ducked
under one stroke, countered with a lunge that took a tiny chip out of
the demon's side, then dove frantically to avoid having her head removed
by its other hand.

    "Get *out* of here!  I warned you!"

    "You need the help!  You can't--"  Eternity's answer was momentarily
drowned out by the roar of flames.  "We can take them--"

    "Damn it, Sumiko, I told you I work *alone*!"

    The bladething advanced, forcing Mary to give way; its arms
flickered almost faster than her eyes could follow.  She didn't dare
distract herself, even for a moment, to try to attack, and it was
quickly becoming obvious that her current situation was untenable.  She
seethed inwardly.

    "All right.  If you're going to help me, *do* something!"

    "I'm on it!"

    And Sumiko suddenly jumped, high enough to reach the balcony on the
second floor.  Pyros shifted his aim, but she only landed long enough to
jump again, this time up to the third level.  Railing and faux-stonework
exploded as the demon fired again, always one step behind her.  Sudden
realization hit, and Mary dodged the bladething's strike and danced
back, out of range momentarily--

    Sumiko finished another jump, this time alighting gently on the
metallic creature's head.  It spun with silent rage before she could
jump again and caught her in the leg just after she pushed off, slicing
through with a spray of blood.  Pyros completed his turn and fired again
as she crashed to the floor, the firebolts knocking the bladething off
its feet and slamming back into a wall.  Before he even realized what
he'd done, Mary darted forward.

    "You're *mine*."

    She snapped her hand forward, lobbing the icesword towards him -- in
mid-flight it shattered into a thousand razor shards that slashed
forward with preternatural speed.  Pyros wailed and tried to turn in
time; he didn't make it.  The demon vanished in a spray of steam and
gray-green blood.

    Mary stalked over to where the bladething had fallen before it could
regain its feet, summoning her power into a white-hot plasma lance.  The
creature rose, whirled with startling grace, and took the thin line of
destruction in the center of its featureless faceplate.  Another small
explosion later, the mall was once again quiet.

    Quiet, that was, except for muffled cursing in Japanese.  Mary shook
her head and hurried to where Sumiko had fallen.

    "Fuck, fuck, fuck, *fuck* that hurts."  The floor was awash in
blood; luckily, Mary had long ago overcome any inherent queasiness.  She
knelt next to Eternity, who was still cursing.  "*Fuck*."

    "Shut up and hold still for a second."  Mary did a quick evaluation.
Not great, but not as bad as it could have been -- from the power behind
the bladething's strikes, she'd half-expected to find the girl's leg all
the way across the room.  Instead a deep horizontal slash went almost to
the bone, dripping blood in heavy pulses.  "God.  What did I tell you?"

    Sumiko managed a shaky smile, with gritted teeth.  "We...won, didn't
we?"

    "By rights I should just leave you to bleed to death."

    The other girl's smile remained fixed.  "If that's what you need to
do."

    Mary rolled her eyes.  "Come on."  A cushion of air floated the
injured Eternity, wrapping itself tightly around her leg.  Sumiko
squeezed her eyes shut, breathing in ragged gasps.  "You want to go to
the hospital?"

    "No."  She spoke very deliberately.  "Back to my house.  Got some
healing stuff there."  Sumiko let out a tense breath.  "I think I'm
going to...pass out, now.  Okay?"

    "Go for it."

    Mary paused for a moment to catch her breath.  Then she glanced at
the magical girl hanging limply in mid-air, shook her head again, and
ran for the exit.

    [After all, it wouldn't do to be around when the police get here.]

 

    It was a cold night, and wandering around town with no shirt on was
not exactly the activity Robyn would have chosen.  

    Reality was beginning to reassert itself, in the underhanded way
that it always did.  Ayre, after his initial display, seemed to be doing
nothing but walk and mutter to himself.  The silence gave her too much
time to think, letting the impact of what had almost happened hit home.
Robyn felt herself shivering uncontrollably.

    [God.  I almost...he was...]

    [What the hell am I doing here?]  She was afflicted with a sudden
desire to run home and hide under the covers, or more accurately to run
to Mary's house and hide under [her] covers, which was her traditional
response to adversity.  It took Robyn a moment to remember that she was
mad at Mary, and even longer to remember why.

    [I'm sure she'll forgive me.  I'll go to her, tell her how stupid I
was, and she'll forgive me.  She always has.]  Robyn shook her head,
silently.  [Stupid.  I'm so stupid -- how can I blame her?  She's never
done anything but protect me.  *I* was the one who went crying to *her*
every time some little thing went wrong, so what the hell did I expect?
Of course she doesn't want to get me involved in something dangerous.
She must be so sick of my whining.]

    The thought of going to Mary was suddenly repugnant.  [Crying on her
shoulder again?  But...]  Robyn tried to rein in her feelings.  [No --
this isn't getting teased in school.  I was almost raped; this is
serious.  She'd come to see me, wouldn't she?  If something similar
happened?]

    Robyn tried to picture Mary on her doorstep, frantic and crying.  It
didn't fit.  She tried to picture Mary in the alley, being menaced, even
raped; that didn't fit either.  The only image that worked was her
beating the thugs to a paste, it was the only thing that fit with her
image.  [But real life doesn't work like that.  No matter how cool
someone acts...]

    Ayre pulled up short, and Robyn almost bumped into him, tied up as
she was in her own thoughts.  They were walking on the verge of a
highway, headed, as best she could tell, towards the mall.  Why Ayre had
chosen to walk instead of taking a bus was a mystery; she'd been
following him, blindly, as she tried to work things out.

    "Damnation."

    He stood in silence for a moment, Robyn afraid to interrupt his
thoughts.  A police car approached at high speed, lights howling, and
dopplered into the distance.

    "Um..."

    Ayre shook his head, decisively.  "That's it, then.  Time to go
home."

    "Time to...what?"

    "Go home."  He waved a hand.  "My reason for being here has
vanished; my friends started the party without me and were duly
defeated.  So now I get to go home, probably to a scolding."

    "Okay..."  Robyn let out a deep breath.  "Look.  I'm sorry if I've
bothered you, and I really do want to know more about...what you do,
but...I'm not exactly in the best of states right now.  You understand?"

    "Not really.  The emotional states of humans have never been of much
interest to me."

    "The...of *humans*?"

    Ayre took a step forward and put one hand on her shoulder, his
mismatched eyes twinkling.  "You're going to want to hold on tightly, I
think.  If you let go of me I don't know where you'll end up."

    "But...I just wanted to go..."

    She could feel the static charge building around him, making her
hair stand on end.  Little crackles of power started to run along the
grass and concrete.  Ayre smiled.  "A bit late for that now."

    "Oh *sh*--!"  Robyn could feel the discharge coming, and she stepped
forward and wrapped her arms around the stranger as tightly as she
could.  There was an odd moment of hyper-awareness -- her heart thudded
like a bass drum, and she could feel the scratchiness of Ayre's clothes
against the bare skin of her breasts.  Then energy erupted from the
ground like a reverse lightning bolt, scything into the sky.  The heat
of it was incredible, enough to vaporize her body instantly; she had
only a moment to wonder why she was still thinking before the fabric of
the universe split long enough to spit the two of them through and then
sutured itself over the gap.

    In short, Robyn teleported out of the Timestream.







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