Simply Survive

Summer followed along with the others, behind Sev and they were all doing well until the man slipped slightly and the red-head reached out to grab him. She steadied the male but it was at the risk of self-injury and Summer hissed softly as she looked at the large gash along her forearm, from elbow to near-wrist and then proceeded to ignore it for the moment as she made her way down to where Targas and the other men were.

Once she was settled on her feet, the woman lifted her arm, intent on inspecting the damage more closely....but there was nothing there. She stared, blinked and smoothed her fingers over her skin, blood smearing away, but there was no injury to be seen despite her torn sleeve and Summer glanced at Targas but didn't want to distract him. She said nothing to him yet and decided to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She HAD had a fever before they left...

Taking one of her knives, the female discreetly sliced a small cut in her finger and then watched, amazed as it healed before her eyes in a matter of seconds.

Okay. That was cool....and so incredibly creepy at the same time.
 
After several minutes and down to his last couple keys, one finally clicked and the door unlocked. Cautiously, he opened the door to the maintenance corridor and stepped inside.

"Well, hopefully this is either the corridor we need to get past the radiation or the one we need to find the weapons in..."

It was neither but let to a small series of rooms that would be a good place to hole up for the 'night.'

"Well, we can rest here and make our way back around in a few hours. Sounds like the best plan at this point. Im going to scavenge up what I can and then Im going to lay down, whatever happened to me earlier took a lot out of me."

He chuckled halfheartedly at that last statement and wandered off to search one of the nearby rooms.
 
Summer set her pack down, relieved to have it off her shoulders and after one quick glance at the others - in which Kilborn gave her a wink and Summer gave him the finger - she went after Targas. Part of the reason was because she knew none of them should be alone, but the other part was because she wanted to speak with him about what had happened to both of them....and she wanted to be near him.

That last part made her feel just a little awkward when she finally came into the same room he was, but it wasn't enough of a feeling to keep her from approaching. Summer found that the closer she grew to Targas, the less uncertain she felt and when she finally reached him, her arms came under his own from behind and then up to grip his shoulders, her head resting on his left shoulder.

She took a deep breath, feeling her heart rate skip to match his own in an odd way, but once done, a peace flowed through the woman and her voice was quiet. "You okay?"
 
Targas had felt Summer approaching, feeling the bond between them getting stronger as she got closer and then their hearts matched pace and that was still a rather weird feeling. Her touch was welcome in his heart and to his body, putting him more at peace with himself and he could feel a relaxing wave come over him.

He tilted his head back and giving her a kiss on her cheek, smiling to her.

"Yea, Im fine. Why do you ask?"

He reached his left hand up and placed it gently on the back of her head, running his hand though her hair.
 
Summer smiled at his actions, strangely reassured of her place again by them. Wait...what was her place? The woman's mind started to ponder on that before she pushed the thought away impatiently. No. She'd think about such things later. Right now, she just wanted to be happy with this, dammit! Why did she have to over-analyse everything? Frustrated with herself, the woman sighed and rested her head back on Targas' shoulder, letting her body relax as he played with her hair and she answered his question, a smile coming back to her lips.

"Because you went all Incredible Hulk earlier and you just mentioned that it took a lot out of you. Sue me for being a bit concerned." she teased softly and then turned her head so that her face was directed at his neck, looking at his expression and meeting his eyes.

"Thank you."

He'd protected her and wouldn't soon forget it.
 
"Ah, well to be honest, I dont quite know what happened. I saw one jump at you and then I saw red. Repressed anger combined with whatever else probably."

He said with a shrug, turning to face the Summer and pulling her into a hug.

"Are you ok? I felt a jolt of surprise from you earlier."

He held her in his arms, one hand trailing its way through her hair and the other one on the square of her back. He smiled to himself again and silently chuckled at the entire circumstance at how they ended up like this. He then focused his attention back on her, looking onto her eyes and putting his forehead to hers, enjoying the contact between them.
 
The woman relaxed in his arms completely, instantly and she didn't feel any shame in it. Her arms were around Targas' back and she could feel the heat of his own touch through her clothing, reassuring. It was his hand in her hair, though, that made her curl against him, and a purr started in her throat, something she didn't even really feel surprised about. She only moved when he brought their foreheads together and she smiled, her eyes closing as she inhaled his scent. It was something like wood and metal, gunpowder and sweat all mixed up together and to Summer, it was the most soothing smell in the world.

Funny how that had happened.

"I'm all right. Apparently I have accelerated healing, though. I got cut earlier and by the time I went to deal with it, the injury was gone."

Summer bit her lip, opening her eyes and pulling back just a little so she could look at Targas more clearly. "I almost lost control. I...I've never felt that way before. Targas, it was almost like I could understand them."
 
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"Well, Im glad that nothing else happened but we will have to keep an eye on a lot of things now but it is rather interesting that you have regenerative properties."

He let go of the hug but still held an arm around her and turned to face the room.

"This used to be a bunk room of a sorts and there are still some decent beds, surprisingly enough. Probably from this region being locked off."

He walked over to a bed and sat down on it, testing its strength and pounding the dust off of it. The bed groaned under his weight but held. He laid his rifle up against the wall and began to remove his armor, giving Summer the chance to see him without the gear on. Every other chance to see him, he was usually in his armor or in his room. His arms were mostly solid muscle, with the exception of the large scars down his right arm. He placed his discarded gear next to his rifle and lay back on the bed, sighing as he tried to relax.
 
Yeah. Interesting was the word. Summer's amused skepticism was clear, but she merely smiled and shook her head, facing the room when he did and letting her eyes trail over everything. Beds. Good! Time with the Legion had spoiled her and Summer would easily admit she didn't like sleeping on the ground anymore. Oh, she would, but given a choice... Yeah.

When the male smacked the dust up, the woman sneezed almost predictably and she gave him a look through watery vision, but said nothing as she watched him closely, feeling nothing but fascination....okay, there was some attraction there, too.....as she took in his form. She liked what she saw. She stuck her tongue out a little through her teeth, smiling and moved over to Targas' bed, climbing in without hesitation and simply curling against his side, arm draped over his torso, behaving for all the world like a feline.

The bed creaked a bit with her weight, but continued to prove that it was stronger than it looked and Summer really couldn't have cared if it collapsed at the moment. She was content and her pale blue eyes looked over the scar on Targas' arm, her fingers reaching out to brush against it.

"How did you get that?"
 
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He was happy to see Summer climb into the bed with him and curl up against him and he slipped an arm under her neck and held her close, taking in the warmth of her body and the pleasant touch of her fingers brushing his arm.

"Hmm? Oh, that. Eh, well it was a rather terrible day for the whole lot of us..." He began his story shakily as the images of what had happened flooded his mind, not having time to brace himself or shelter his mind from the surge, mainly for Summer's benefit.

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He was standing in a scrap heap, searching through the debris for anything valuable. There was a woman and two men with him and one of the men looked like Delta. Delta and the other merc man were standing guard on the edge of the debris pile when there was a scream. Targas looked up and immediately drew his rifle, seeing the twelve leapers coming for their group. Everyone was firing and managed to kill the majority of the Leapers but some were still able to get by. Two of them tore into the woman and killed her within moments. A blind rage filled Targas' eyes and he charged at the two Leapers, pouring bullets into them and jumping at the one who survived the barrage. He fought tooth and nail with it, getting clawed in the arm but still killing the creature. Everything around them was dead but he, Delta and the other merc.

Targas fell to his knees and began to cry, images flashing through his mind about who the person was. Her name was Amily and she was his wife from before the bombs fell and was his last connection to the past. He remembered holding their daughter in the same way as he held her then and his heart broke. His mind sealed itself away and all the anger built up inside of him as he carried her corpse back to the base for a proper ceremony.

For several days, he fought the disease off with a heavy fever and contemplated ending his own misery to save others the trouble but decided to use all this pent up anger to better himself. He survived the infection and survived the depression, steeling himself from the rest of the world and his heart was dead and devoid of any love or compassion.

His mind flashed images from when he was on the roof of that store a few weeks ago, watching in admiration of Summer fighting off the horde and his heart leapt. Visions of her kept flashing through his mind of her progression, her face, her smiles and the sounds of her voice. Everything about her was remembered and it made him feel alive again, like his heart had a reason to be.

He thought back to a few hours ago and now it all made sense, he couldnt let the one thing to bring back his ability to love and feel compassion be killed and he would do anything he could to stop it.

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He just lay there blinking away tears at what he had just witnessed in his head, silent.
 
Summer hadn't known what to expect when she'd asked her question, but she'd assumed the answer would be something along the lines of a war story or perhaps he'd simply brush it away as 'merely a scratch'. The last thing she'd thought would happen was what did and the woman both heard the story and watched it, the images so strong in Targas that they spilled over into her like the emotions between them did and she watched in horror as his life shattered.

His wife. He'd been in love, had had a daughter, a life. And it had all been violently ripped away.

She could better understand his hardness now, Summer thought, but even as the realization came to her, she watched as his memories of HER flashed through him next and to say the auburn-haired female was stunned by what she saw was an understatement. The hold she now knew she had on him was scary, but oddly not a heavy burden and when he quieted, she watched the male with soft eyes, wishing she could take away every pain from him, but knowing she could not and if it meant he would not remember Amily, she knew he wouldn't accept it anyway.

And she wouldn't ask him to.

Summer sat up and turned slightly, leaning on one arm as the other came to caress his cheek, her fingers gentle against his skin, her thumb brushing under his eye where a small trace of wetness had escaped his steel-gray gaze. "I am sorry. I wish I could change the past for you." she whispered, sincere in every word and hurting for him.

It was in that moment for Summer that she realized it wasn't just the bond between them. Somehow, she'd grown to care for the man before her all on her own. The alien energy....it had simply latched on to that, brought it forward, made it stronger, but the emotions....they were her own.
 
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He turned to face the woman and smiled, one of genuine happiness.

"The past is in stone and nothing can change it. I see no point in staring at the ground and wondering what could have been when I could just look up to the sky and hope for change. Thats how I live now, I live for the future and whatever it may bring and now, I will dream for blue skies so I can right the things that have been wronged in my life and I will protect the woman that I love with all that I can."

That last part took him by surprise, an expression blatantly visible on his face. Yes, he just said what he thought he did. Part of him was happy he did but the other was worried and he looked into Summer's blue eyes, watching for any hint of rejection. He wasnt sure what was going to happen and that scared him, he didnt want her to be pushed away and his mind began to flood with images again but he closed his mind out from her so she didnt see. His face showed the pain of the fear of loss as he was trying to fight away the thoughts trying to take control of his mind. It took a few moments but he was able to regain his composure but the look of fear and worry was still in his eyes.

"Im sorry, I dont..." His voice trailed off, unable to speak.
 
Summer felt like the very air she breathed had been stolen from her lungs at his words and she hovered over Targas, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes. For a moment, she wondered if she'd imagined it, heard wrong, but the look on his face, the surprise in his eyes told her otherwise, told her that yes, this had happened just as she thought it had. And that it had startled him, too.

As he struggled with his mind, his fear of rejection and losing her, Summer struggled with the rational - was it rational anymore? Everything seemed so topsyturvy - part of her mind that said this was too soon, wrong, that she didn't know him, that it was the bond, some alien voodoo and nothing more. It was a voice given life by distrust and fear, bitterness and anger, a cold aloofness and distance from people. It had no true place when it came to Targas, not anymore and the woman found herself easily pushing it away, not even really listening to what it had to say as she watched his changing expressions.

When he gained control, nothing but fear and worry in his gaze, she found that all she wanted was to sooth it. So when he spoke, unsure, faltering, she knew now wasn't the time for words. No, words wouldn't reassure him quickly enough for her tastes.

But this would.

Summer leaned forward and without hesitation she brought her lips to his, the kiss soft, but lingering before she pulled back and a smile danced in her pale eyes. "You talk far too much." she teased lightly though her heart pounded within her chest.
 
He froze and his brain stopped and his heart skipped a beat. Oh yes, thats right. He had a heart again and that was a kiss. That was something he hadnt felt in a long time and he didnt know how to react at first. Slowly, his brain regained the ability to think but speaking was far beyond him at this point, words lost to the annals of time. He just stared into her pale eyes, immediately losing all the fear and worry in his heart and mind and smiled.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, letting out a big sigh of relief as if he wasnt breathing the entire time..and now that he thinks about it, he wasnt. She was right though, he did talk too much and smiled at her words and kissed her in return, feeling the sparks dance through his body and his heart now pounding. He pulled back and looked into her eyes again, quite content with just laying here with her and losing himself in her features.
 
Summer laughed softly when he pulled her to him, half laying on the man now, but the mirth stilled when his lips met her own again and her eyes closed in a bliss she'd not felt since she was sixteen and this...this completely overshadowed that experience a thousand times over. Her fingers curled into his shirt, heat streaking down her spine and the woman gave a small, dazed sort of smile when Targas pulled back, her pale blue eyes opening slowly to meet his powerful gray.

She was purring again, a deep vibration that started in her chest and worked its way up her throat, almost echoing around the room it was so loud this time.

Summer chuckled to hear it and she let her head drop, her face against the male's neck and shoulder as a sigh escaped her, a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I swear I can't control it." she said with a giggle and then looked up again, her hair framing her face and brushing against his neck and chin, falling across Targas' chest.

"I guess I'm just happy." She smiled then, her fingers coming up to brush against his lower lip, feeling a contentment and joy - stars, she'd forgotten what that felt like! - curl through her, warm like a welcome friend. He did that to her and Summer was beyond questioning why at this point. It didn't matter.
 
Targas chuckled a little at her comment about not being able to control it.

"To be honest, I find it kind of cute."

He cupped his hand to her cheek and caressed her face with his thumb and was content with his life but something felt off. His face twisted in thought and mind racing to find what it was. The Trackers.

Targas gently but hurriedly got his way out of the bed, sad that the time for relaxation was over but his priorities to protect Summer demanded that he take action. He hastily donned his armor again and grabbed his rifle and took position by the door, peeking his head out into the corridor. He could...smell them? That was strange. That would mean that they..were...

He looked up and watched in silent horror as the two Trackers that escaped were crawling on the ceiling and being as silent as a mouse. He knew that he wouldnt be able to shoot them both in time. He thought for a moment and decided to play hero, something that you never do in a situation such as this. He ran into the corridor, firing at the closest Tracker and yelling as loud as he could to get their attention...and he did.

The one he had been shooting dropped from the ceiling in a writing mass of flesh and blood, screeching in pain. The other one turned its head and lashed its tongue out at his neck and was able to wrap it around. Holy hell was it strong. It started to lift him up into the air, closer to its jagged maw of teeth and bony plates. The other one turned over and recovered from its attack and latched onto his leg, tearing into it.

Targas let out an unearthly scream of pain and rage as the creature bit into his leg and he kicked down at it with his rage-fueled strength surging through him. The kick was solid but did little to dislodge the creature on his leg as its jaws had locked to keep the prey in close range.
 
Summer had been startled by his abrupt movement and she'd watched Targas with a puzzled look, brow raised but reasoned that if it had been safe to talk, he would have. Still, his movements - getting his armor on and picking up his gun - worried her and she got off the bed, drawing her own weapon and moving slowly toward the door with him. Still, it was Targas who saw the Trackers before she did and Summer smelled them right about the time he darted out into the corridor.

She cursed herself then. She'd been so caught up in the male's scent, in the sound of his voice and heartbeat that she'd neglected to focus on anything else and now they were paying for it. Inwardly berating herself, the woman started to follow the male out of the room, but she found herself frozen for a split moment at the sight that greeted her, horrified all over again.

It was Targas' scream that woke the blood rage in the female, that turned her fear into rage and her eyes swam a literal red, slit like a feline's as her fangs elongated and Summer gave a snarling roar of fury. She leaped up, not thinking, just reacting as her body hit the Tracker there and she tore into the creature with fangs and newly developed claws alike. The thing screeched and abandoned its hold on Targas' neck, turning its attention to its attacker as it tumbled from the ceiling, taking Summer with it.

They landed in a heap of growling flesh and it was hard to tell who was more savage in that moment; the Tracker or the auburn-haired woman covered in blood.

And then...it was easy to determine as the Tracker started to whimper, disengaging, backing away and Summer snarled horribly, crouched, the message clear: Mine. The Tracker didn't dispute it anymore, limping away and the female turned her attention to the one she'd left Targas to deal with and whether he was free or not, she started to advance, the growl in her throat lethal and full of warning.
 
Targas, filled with rage, rolled over onto the tracker on his ankle after being dropped by the other. He let out a savage snarl as his muscles bulged in size again, making them increasingly bigger, as he began to mercilessly beat the Tracker. He raised his fist for a heavy punch, determined to crush it's skull in one blow, and felt his fist becoming extremely dense. The bones in his hand began cracking and realigning themselves as he drew his fist back and let it come crashing into the creature's skull, decimating it and its hold on his leg.

He snarled again and turned to the one limping away. He charged at it, at first attempting to run on all fours from his semi-crouched position but inevitably charged by feet, ignoring he injured pains in his calf. His footsteps thundered against the now silent corridor as he came up on the retreating Tracker and leapt on to its back. It whipped its tongue back in retaliation, screeching at the sudden assault on its body but Targas caught it in his hand and proceeded to wrap it around its neck and constrict it. The Tracker began to flail around wildly but he just held it down and using his new reign-like hold on it, began to smash its head into the concrete.

Satisfied with the crunching noises of the other Tracker's skull, he stood up and turned to face Summer and invariably the rest of the group who was just standing in mute horror, guns at the ready but not entirely aimed at anyone. He slowly walked over to Summer and looked into her eyes and looked over her person to make sure she wasnt hurt before slowly starting to return to his average size.

Calm. Calm. Calm. Hush. Calm. Safe. We're safe. Hush. She's safe. Hush. Calm. Calm. We are safe. She is safe. Time to calm. Hush my love. Its time to calm.
 
Red. All she could see was red. Scents and sounds were the only things that held meaning in the state her mind had slipped into. Instinct ruled her actions and Summer snarled in a pleased way when the Tracker died, her eyes on the male who'd committed the feat. And then a noise from behind made her turn and the female growled deep in her throat, no recognition in her eyes at all when she beheld the three males with guns.

Threat. Kill.

She'd already taken a step forward when Targas came to her side and her attention snapped to him, now hesitating, looking for direction. This was her mate. She'd follow him anywhere and she'd bend her own will to his if he demanded it. The auburn-haired female heard his voice then, the words making little sense at first, but then forming in her mind, becoming something she could understand and Summer's body, her demeanor slowly started to change.

Her claws shrank away, fangs staying but returning to normal size and she became 'human' again, taking a deep breath as her red, cat-slit eyes faded back to a pale blue, the last to go.

She became aware then of the blood and matter that coated her fingers and arms, her clothes and face, even her hair. She became aware of the healing cuts on her body and the taste of foreign blood in her mouth. Summer became aware of the burning stares of Delta, Sev and Kilborn, she became aware of the stench of the dead Trackers and the mess around her. But above all these things, Summer was aware of Targas and her eyes searched his, her hands finding his face, his neck and then her arms wrapped around him, holding him close for a moment before she pulled back with a furious expression.

"You IDIOT! Don't EVER do that again or I swear by all that is holy *I* will kill you myself!"

The fear she'd felt at coming so close to losing him was obvious, but so was true anger that he'd acted without her. Mixed up in it, however, was incredible worry as she scanned him, finding the bite mark on his leg and the woman's expression steadied, becoming stern. "Sit. Now."
 
He didnt so much sit as he did collapse, like he did before but this time a lot heavier as his leg was injured. His ankle felt twisted at a bad angle and he pulled it close to him and snapped it back into place, growling in pain as he did so. He could feel the virus surging through his body but he could also feel his own changes inside of himself reacting to the threat and going to attack it. He snarled as he got back up and went into the room, shuffling slowly and eventually making it to the bed and collapsing on it.

She was upset with him and rightfully so but his commitment to everyone dictated that he act. He brushed away the thoughts as he focused on the virus inside of him. Hunger. He felt hungry, really hungry. Not for human flesh, no. Not for canned foods, no...but something foul. He was hungry for...He growled rather loudly as he sat up and forced his way onto his feet, limping his way over to a deceased Tracker and he slowly dropped to his knees and pulled out a knife and began to cut a portion of its flesh off.

He looked over the piece of infected muscle and forced himself to put it into his mouth, chew it, and swallow. It was repulsive and literally the worst tasting thing he had ever experienced but his hunger felt sated. In fact, he felt a load better. Everything about him felt renewed and even his ankle felt better. He looked back to his wound and found it starting to heal but it wasnt enough. Sighing to himself, he set to cutting off another slab of the flesh and began to eat it, ignoring the horrified looks on his companions' faces. Within minutes, he finished and stood up.

"What? Its like you have never someone eat a dead creature before."
 
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