TinMan Challenge Stories - Ambush
Summary: A look at Adora and Jeb's time while with the Resistance
Author: dmr2158
Warning: implied violence and assault
Pairing: none
Rating: R
The Longcoat army marched silently through the woods. There had been reports of rebels in the area and General Lonot wanted them cleared out. The leader held up one armored hand to halt his troops. Within the silence of the woods, they could hear the quiet voice of a woman. The leader motioned for his troops to quietly move forward.
The woman’s voice grew louder as they neared her position. The Longcoat leader scanned the area searching for hidden rebels. He was certain this was some type of rebel trap. He motioned for two men to move forward to scout out the area and find the woman.
The rest of the men cautiously walked forward, weapons at the ready. A short feminine cry broke the silence. The leader hurried his men along. In a short clearing, his two scouts trained their weapons on a woman crouching in the middle of a pond.
“Who are you? What do you want?” The woman cried out.
The leader stepped closer. “In the name of the Sorceress, you must come with us.”
“What? No! I haven’t done anything wrong. I am just an innocent woman,” she pleaded with the man.
The leader’s eyes hardened. “You are in known rebel territory. You are a suspected rebel sympathizer. You will come with us now or you will suffer the consequences.”
Terror filled the woman’s eyes. She stammered, “All right. My clothes are by that tree.”
The leader smirked. “Well, then I guess we all get a free show. Now move it.”
The woman began moving slowly out of the water. The Longcoats’ eyes were glued to the white flesh that rose from the water. All thoughts of rebels were erased from the men’s minds at the promise of seeing her nakedness. The woman paused as the men pressed closer to her bathing spot. Her face showed a trace of fear at the rampant, animalistic lust on their faces.
The leader licked his lips in anticipation. A small noise from behind him almost drew his attention, but the woman chose that moment to rise more from the water. Her blond hair draped over her chest in a seductive manner. The leader felt his groin tighten at the thought of having her body beneath his own. The sudden slice of pain at his back startled him. He looked down to see metal protruding from his chest.
He turned around to face the hard blue eyes of a rebel fighter. Blood dribbled from the leader’s mouth. He looked around at the dead bodies of his men. They had been slaughtered like cattle. While they had watched the woman, the rebels had slipped behind them like a ghost and cut the Longcoat army down. The Longcoat leader fell lifelessly to the ground.
The blue-eyed rebel fighter pulled the sword from the dead man’s body. He then walked up the water’s edge where the woman waited.
“You okay?” He asked.
“I’m fine. Took you all long enough. Next time, find someone young to do this. I am not cut out to be a femme fatale.” The woman glared at the fighter impatiently. “Now get me a blanket. This water is cold, and I have no desire to stay here any longer.”
The fighter smirked before walking a few steps to retrieve a blanket. He glanced around the area to ensure the other fighters were not around before closing his eyes and holding the blanket open for her. He felt her hands take the blanket from him.
“Thanks.” She said.
“You’re welcome. You’re not hurt, are you?” He questioned.
“No. Slightly humiliated. Your father would have had a fit today, if he was alive. He didn’t hold with women being put in harm’s way. But times are different, and I am not going to sit back while my son goes out to fight,” Adora answered as she dried herself off.
Jeb’s face darkened at the mention of his absent father. For a moment, he felt like he had failed his father for endangering Adora. But she was right. Times were different. It took the combined efforts of men and women and even children to fight the Sorceress’s army. It was a dirty, brutal, and inhuman affair. There were times that no matter how much water he used, Jeb felt he would never be clean.
Adora glanced up and noticed the look on her son’s face. It was the face Wyatt used to wear after patrolling in the Sin District of Central City. She sighed inwardly. They were so much alike. Both felt the weight of innocent lives more than most men.
“Jeb, this is my choice. You are my son, not my keeper. I choose to fight the Longcoats. Not for you, or even for Wyatt’s memory, but for me and all the other women who have suffered at their hands. Do not belittle my efforts by thinking you could somehow stop me. You can’t. However, you can support me and carry on and stop the Sorceress.”
Jeb shook his head in agreement. He understood what his mother was saying, and he would respect her wishes. But, he would protect her as best he could, and some day he would kill the man responsible for destroying his life. For now, they had bodies to burn and a new strategy to plan. This was one battle in a never-ending war.