FIC: Where the bad things are (1/?) HIMYM AU (Changed!Verse)
Where the bad things are
There was a single, echoing drip-drip noise from somewhere behind her, maybe outside of her cell. Lily huddled in the corner, both palms pressed hard against her forehead as if to ward off the visions before they could invade her mind once more, filling her with horrific knowledge of a future that she wanted no part of.
Truthfully, she wanted out. Out of this stinking, filthy cell; out of this world. If there were anything sharp in the cell, anything she could use, she would have taken it and carved into her arms, let herself bleed out. She was under no illusion that she'd be rescued, or that there was any hope. Occasionally, just to torment her, she felt him, felt her captor, move around in his stronghold, felt the flare of heat between her legs and Lily let out a strangled, involuntary moan of desire. She ached, she twitched and she longed for the hand of a man on her flesh almost to the point of madness.
Oh yes, if there was anything she could use, she'd open a vein.
In her despair, she stifled a cry as another vision hit her. Maybe if she was quiet, she told herself, maybe if she didn't scream this time, they wouldn't know she was having one and they wouldn't come for her. Maybe this time she could hide it.
But the horror of the vision washed over her again and again and she saw monsters. It was the same, every time. It was the same, awful desolate future.
Everywhere, there were monsters.
*--*--*
There was a muffled thump which caused the big, brutish guard to look up and shake his head, a tusk peeking out from his bottom lip as he snarled, his huge fingers curling around his club. There were also voices, hushed as if engaged in a whispered argument.
"Dude! I told you there wasn't enough room to land in this courtyard!" A voice rang out in an incensed tone. "It's bad enough having all this black gunk on my wings. Ted! Camouflage is no excuse, I just-"
The guard pushed hard on the heavy wooden door, opening it onto the deserted street and seeing what looked like some kind of ghostly spectre of a man, with huge, demonic wings, shouting at thin air. He growled under his breath, lunging forward to take hold of the apparition, when he was struck from behind; a stinging blow to the back of the head.
He crumpled down onto the sidewalk, an unconscious dead weight.
"Dude!" Barney said, his sooty face splitting into a wide, white grin. "That was awesome!"
Ted grinned sheepishly from behind the insensible guard. "Sorry it took so long. Walking through walls is harder than it looks. For starters, you've got to get the right wall-"
"Ted," Barney interrupted him. "Now is not the time. Let's do what we have to do? Let's go get Lily."
Ted nodded grimly and ducked back into the building. It was a disused police station which, although it had only been abandoned for a few months, since the second wave of The Change had hit New York City, it seemed like it must have been deserted for years. A thick patina of dust hung over everything, choking them and coating Barney's wings. "Oh man, at this rate I might not be able to take off. Seriously…" Barney complained, while Ted ducked out of the way when Barney's wings sent a couple of trays of mouldering paperwork flying across the lobby.
"C'mon!" Ted hissed urgently, worried about attracting the attention of more guards, and the two of them hurried across the room in the direction of the cells.
As far as they knew, from intelligence gathered by some of the other members of the Manhattan task force, this Police Station was shortly to be abandoned as the enemy force moved further back into the centre of Queens. This might be their last chance to pick up Lily and bring her home.
They just hoped there was something to bring back.
Wendy The Waitress, who was fast becoming Wendy the Seer, had told them that their friend had only a few hours left before she was going to meet a horrible end. Neither Barney nor Ted wanted to see that.
But neither of them were exactly brave, superhero types.
"Not like there's anyone else left, Bro," Barney had pointed out.
Ted had agreed.
And so Barney had flown them both here, to the centre of the enemy's territory - Queens. They only hoped they weren't too late.
*--*--*
If people had thought that the first wave of The Change had been hard, it was nothing to the second wave. Whereas the first wave had mutated human beings with incredible physical attributes, created mermaids, angels and psychics, the second wave twisted those that were left into creatures of dark, and possibly evil, purpose.
Those that had been spared the first wave, succumbed quickly to the second.
Marshall and Robin, the only two of the gang left without powers, had tried their best to help Lily, Ted and Barney go through their change, to give them sympathy as best they could. But in the second wave, when Marshall had grown hair and fangs, and Robin had tried to bite Ted, thirsting for his blood, it was hard to return that kindness.
Overnight, Marshall and Robin both became monsters.
This second Change was far more catastrophic and devastating than the first. As hard as it was for the hospitals to cope with hundreds of people crippled by the first wave, at least those changed humans weren't rampaging out in the streets trying to eat everybody.
A sullen, frozen terror descended on the city and it took the authorities way too long to do anything helpful. Pitched battles took place in the streets, between those Changed in the first wave and those changed in the second.
Vampire and werewolf on the ground fought with angels and dragons in the sky (once Barney and the dragons had settled their differences that was). Eventually they were driven back, the Queensborough bridge was destroyed and Marshall and Robin had both disappeared.
Then Lily went missing as well.
*--*--*
Go to Part Two.
There was a single, echoing drip-drip noise from somewhere behind her, maybe outside of her cell. Lily huddled in the corner, both palms pressed hard against her forehead as if to ward off the visions before they could invade her mind once more, filling her with horrific knowledge of a future that she wanted no part of.
Truthfully, she wanted out. Out of this stinking, filthy cell; out of this world. If there were anything sharp in the cell, anything she could use, she would have taken it and carved into her arms, let herself bleed out. She was under no illusion that she'd be rescued, or that there was any hope. Occasionally, just to torment her, she felt him, felt her captor, move around in his stronghold, felt the flare of heat between her legs and Lily let out a strangled, involuntary moan of desire. She ached, she twitched and she longed for the hand of a man on her flesh almost to the point of madness.
Oh yes, if there was anything she could use, she'd open a vein.
In her despair, she stifled a cry as another vision hit her. Maybe if she was quiet, she told herself, maybe if she didn't scream this time, they wouldn't know she was having one and they wouldn't come for her. Maybe this time she could hide it.
But the horror of the vision washed over her again and again and she saw monsters. It was the same, every time. It was the same, awful desolate future.
Everywhere, there were monsters.
*--*--*
There was a muffled thump which caused the big, brutish guard to look up and shake his head, a tusk peeking out from his bottom lip as he snarled, his huge fingers curling around his club. There were also voices, hushed as if engaged in a whispered argument.
"Dude! I told you there wasn't enough room to land in this courtyard!" A voice rang out in an incensed tone. "It's bad enough having all this black gunk on my wings. Ted! Camouflage is no excuse, I just-"
The guard pushed hard on the heavy wooden door, opening it onto the deserted street and seeing what looked like some kind of ghostly spectre of a man, with huge, demonic wings, shouting at thin air. He growled under his breath, lunging forward to take hold of the apparition, when he was struck from behind; a stinging blow to the back of the head.
He crumpled down onto the sidewalk, an unconscious dead weight.
"Dude!" Barney said, his sooty face splitting into a wide, white grin. "That was awesome!"
Ted grinned sheepishly from behind the insensible guard. "Sorry it took so long. Walking through walls is harder than it looks. For starters, you've got to get the right wall-"
"Ted," Barney interrupted him. "Now is not the time. Let's do what we have to do? Let's go get Lily."
Ted nodded grimly and ducked back into the building. It was a disused police station which, although it had only been abandoned for a few months, since the second wave of The Change had hit New York City, it seemed like it must have been deserted for years. A thick patina of dust hung over everything, choking them and coating Barney's wings. "Oh man, at this rate I might not be able to take off. Seriously…" Barney complained, while Ted ducked out of the way when Barney's wings sent a couple of trays of mouldering paperwork flying across the lobby.
"C'mon!" Ted hissed urgently, worried about attracting the attention of more guards, and the two of them hurried across the room in the direction of the cells.
As far as they knew, from intelligence gathered by some of the other members of the Manhattan task force, this Police Station was shortly to be abandoned as the enemy force moved further back into the centre of Queens. This might be their last chance to pick up Lily and bring her home.
They just hoped there was something to bring back.
Wendy The Waitress, who was fast becoming Wendy the Seer, had told them that their friend had only a few hours left before she was going to meet a horrible end. Neither Barney nor Ted wanted to see that.
But neither of them were exactly brave, superhero types.
"Not like there's anyone else left, Bro," Barney had pointed out.
Ted had agreed.
And so Barney had flown them both here, to the centre of the enemy's territory - Queens. They only hoped they weren't too late.
*--*--*
If people had thought that the first wave of The Change had been hard, it was nothing to the second wave. Whereas the first wave had mutated human beings with incredible physical attributes, created mermaids, angels and psychics, the second wave twisted those that were left into creatures of dark, and possibly evil, purpose.
Those that had been spared the first wave, succumbed quickly to the second.
Marshall and Robin, the only two of the gang left without powers, had tried their best to help Lily, Ted and Barney go through their change, to give them sympathy as best they could. But in the second wave, when Marshall had grown hair and fangs, and Robin had tried to bite Ted, thirsting for his blood, it was hard to return that kindness.
Overnight, Marshall and Robin both became monsters.
This second Change was far more catastrophic and devastating than the first. As hard as it was for the hospitals to cope with hundreds of people crippled by the first wave, at least those changed humans weren't rampaging out in the streets trying to eat everybody.
A sullen, frozen terror descended on the city and it took the authorities way too long to do anything helpful. Pitched battles took place in the streets, between those Changed in the first wave and those changed in the second.
Vampire and werewolf on the ground fought with angels and dragons in the sky (once Barney and the dragons had settled their differences that was). Eventually they were driven back, the Queensborough bridge was destroyed and Marshall and Robin had both disappeared.
Then Lily went missing as well.
*--*--*
Go to Part Two.