Dangerous Games Part 5: Fate worse than Death
Title: Dangerous Games
Part 5: Fate worse than Death
Part 4:Blood on the Asphalt
Part 3: Deep Impact
Part 2: Faith in Strangers
Part 1: Into the Heart of Texas
Verse: Custom
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Action
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Year: October 1998
Characters: Cassandra, Seth, James Gysborne, Various people
Synopsis: Cassie takes a job and ends up way over her head
Gysborne watched the entire scene from the safety of the Van. At least he thought he was safe. After witnessing his entire team massacred by a freak with a healing factor and Cassandra the mighty water girl, he suddenly thought he should turn on the ignition and run with his tail tucked between his legs. But he’d rather die a thousand deaths then be remembered as a coward. Although he asked his men to find out anything they could on the girl’s mysterious man, so far he hadn’t gotten a reply back yet. But if he were a gambling man, he’d say the mysterious stranger used to be Special Forces.
Taking the spare M-16, even though he knew it would prove useless against the two, he set it on automatic and stepped out of the van. Although he looked as young as the others the graying hair on the tips of his temples betrayed his age. The only protection he wore under his suit was a Kevlar vest. He might be older, but that didn’t mean he would allow them to take him down so easy.
“Looks like you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. Back off and I won’t kill you,” Gysborne challenged. “None of this wouldn’t have happened if you,” he stared at Seth, “Would have simply minded your own business and stopped playing the Hero.” Gysborne kept his distance as he shouted.
“Why the hell are you helping her? She’s a murderer, she’s a freak, she’s a useless piece of trash that deserves to be locked away for a very long time,” he said and then cocked his head. “Or is it that you feel the need to help any stray dog that comes along your way?”
“You son of a bitch!” Cassie said.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” he turned the gun and hit her with a spray of bullets. He knew she’d just do her ‘water trick’ and heal but he also knew it would hurt like hell. Gysborne grinned with satisfaction as Cassie screamed in pain, fell backwards and hit the back of her head on the pavement.
“Or is it the other way around? “Gysborne said as he slowly squeezed the trigger, “Are you nothing more than a dog?” He said pressing hard on the trigger and aiming at Seth. He knew he wouldn’t survive the night but he also knew he’d go down trying.
The First spray of bullets cut through his shoulder and torso. Some stuck and others went right through Seth. The force made him lose his equilibrium and he fell backwards, landing on the pavement. Seth rolled over on his stomach as the bullets popped out and another spray hit him in his kidneys, buttocks and thighs. He screamed in pain and looked upwards. For a moment he wasn’t in Texas, but in Vietnam, lying in a mine field.
The mine blew up under his stomach, and the explosion triggered his dormant mutant powers. He was only 18 at the time, not ready for war, not ready to die. But death came to him, but could not claim him
Not then, not today.
Seth rolled over and pushed himself up. He headed towards Gysborne and when Gysborne ran out of bullets, Seth grabbed the M-16 from his hands, expertly flipped it and aimed it at Gysborne.
“That’s right,” Gysborne said. “Why don’t you just do me a favor and kill me now. That way when my body is sprawled bloody and left for dead on the street the whole world will look at you as nothing more than a murderous mutant, who destroyed a handful of government agents. Doesn’t fair very well for your kind now does it? Just goes to show that all of you should be exterminated!” Although his voice was filled with false bravado, there was no mistaking the fear in his heart. It hammered against his chest, and he could feel his stomach clench in anticipation of what would come.
Seth spun it around and jabbed the butt of the rifle in Gysbornes temple.
“I’d rather be the Hero then a douchebag like you,” Seth said. “But you’re not going to die today brother, not by my hands at least.”
By the time Seth incapacitated Gysborne, Cassie stopped seeing little birdies flutter around her head. It was about the same time she felt the immense pain from the bullet wounds. Son of a bitch, she said feeling the burn shoot up her thigh and towards her stomach. Bastard shot me in the stomach, she thought weakly.
Using he ability she transformed and reformed. All her wounds healed, but she still looked like a wet, blood soaked refugee of a war gone bad. She ran towards Gysborne just as he fell on the ground.
“I should have killed him, but he’s not worth it.” She said as she came to terms with what she’d done. After all, you can’t go back you can only move forward.
Turning towards Seth, she almost felt afraid looking at the intense expression on his face, but someone once told her that almost doesn’t count. After today, she doubted she’d ever be afraid of him, even if she knew she should be.
“I want to say its over,” she said in an unusually calm voice, “but it will never be over. They’ll keep coming, not just for me, not just for you, but for all of us. I could have killed him, and you didn’t kill him which makes me wonder one thing,” she said walking in front of him. “What could possibly be worse than death is exactly what he deserves,” she said softly. “I want to give him what he deserves.”