Subject: [OTL]: [Ana Lyon, Creed, Elizabeth Crowne] Newsprint and Leather: Holding Hands Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 04:07:29 -0700 From: Ana Lyssie Cotton Disclaimer: Ana Lyon is Shai's, as are Kevin, Jade, Elizabeth and Kim. Kayla is sort of mine, but is Shai's, too. Creed belongs to Marvel. No money is made, etc. Rating: PG13/R, violent. Continuity: This, hopefully, meshes neatly with the last several chapters of ShaiPeriHawk's "Crossroads" it's the third in the Newsprint and Leather installments. Both of which, along with Crossroads, can be found at Luba's. Dedication: To Shai. *smile* Happy sort of belated birthday, lovey. Newsprint and Leather: Holding Hands While the Walls Come Down by Ana Lyssie Cotton Tempest was booming, par normal. Elizabeth snorted as she stepped in, instantly recognised by the doorman. Andre was at the bar. The room was packed with people happily garbed in leather, lace and chains, PVC and the odd bit of body paint. Heels that threatened ankles and hairdos that outdid the 80s hair bands were the norm. Elizabeth spotted Kayla by the bar and headed toward her. "Hey, babe. Glad you could make it." A wariness in Kayla's gaze said she wasn't. With a shrug, Elizabeth dispensed with the pleasantries, "I believe there were some friends of yours I was to meet? Some information they had?" "Yeah, yeah." Kayla sighed and stood, "Come with me, Lizzie." They skirted past the dance floor and behind the DJ booth entered the side door. Inside was a small vestibule, beyond it was a medium-sized room with an oval table, the walls painted black. Two people sat at the table. The man was in his mid-20s, dark hair, neatly trimmed goatee. The image of the devil from every movie about hell and heaven. Elizabeth's lips quirked at her own silliness. His companion was a short Asian woman with a white streak in her hair and a no-nonsense look on her face. Kayla nodded to them both, "She's clean." "That's good." The man replied mildly. "Clean?" Elizabeth blinked, "Clean of what?" "Tails." Supplied the woman. "Get this over with, Kayla, we need to be ready." "I know." Kayla turned to Elizabeth, "Lizzie, these two are Kevin and Jade. They help run the little operation that's opposing the slavers. Guys, this is Elizabeth Crowne. She's the one who--" "Oh my." Jade's face paled slightly, "You were Laurell's friend. She used to talk about you occasionally." "She died because of me." Kevin snorted, "No, actually, she died because she got involved in all of this. Are you sure you want to?" "Yes." When they seemed to want more, Elizabeth shrugged and explained, "My sister was taken about eight months ago. She turned up dead a month later. I... I want them stopped. And Laurell was killed because I was investigating." Her hands clenched into fists. "I promised her. I promised I'd bring them down." "Revenge is all well and good, but are you sure?" Jade tilted her head to the side, watching Elizabeth as she paced restlessly. "Yes." "Good. Kayla, the two of you need to get back into the club. Circulate some more. There's a rumour going around that they're going to be in tonight, looking for more marks." Kayla saluted Jade, "Yes, boss." She caught Elizabeth's arm, "C'mon." "But, what about--" Kevin cut her off, "Later. Right now the priority is you two being out there so they don't suspect anything." -- They both spotted Kim at the same time. The child stood out like a sore thumb even as she tried to look as if she fit. Elizabeth ignored Kayla and sauntered toward the kid, trying to look normal and bored. Kayla flittered over to the bar to have a word with Andre, then turned back and gasped silently as two goons closed in on the kid. Before she made it a half-step in their directions, Elizabeth had caught the kid's hand and was dragging her back to the DJ booth. The sudden appearance of a tall guy who smashed the goons out of his way, and a shorter woman who skittered around him and dashed after Lizzie and the kid made Kayla's eyebrow raise. Really. If they were going to make a spectacle of themselves... "Andre? Get Fred and George over to take care of those... creatures." She gestured with distaste at the two suit-clad men slowly beginning to rise from the floor. "Yes, ma'am." -- Elizabeth listened as they all talked around her. As the discussion went on, she gleaned more about her sudden allies. The woman, Ana, had saved Kim. Jade and Kevin were not sure of her or her hulking friend. They all had one thing in common--wanting the slavers dead or destroyed. It was inevitable, really. Jade was the bait. And the newcomer--Ana--and her friend Creed would help watch her. Kevin wasn't pleased with it, but he wanted these people caught. She stood back and watched them get ready, frequently moving around her as if she didn't exist. A part of her fumed about that. She had as much right to be there as any of them--more so, since it was HER friend who was dead thanks to these... people. -- The plan went off without a hitch. The goons grabbed Jade, and left. Creed and Ana followed them. Kevin, Kim and Elizabeth took Kayla's car while Kayla ran interference with the local authorities to get them down there in time. Elizabeth herself had called into work and gotten a camera and tape recorder. Whatever happened that night was going to be recorded. The ride seemed to take no time, she thought dimly. One moment they were piling into the car outside the club, the next they were pulling up to a deserted gatehouse. Blood spattered the walls and several bodies littered the road. Elizabeth drove past, swerving to avoid another body further in. Full dark had fallen, with no moon. It gave everything the appearance of entering some dark tunnel. With a shake of her head, she pulled up in front of the small building. They all got out of the car in record time and ran for the house. Kevin was cursing under his breath as he slammed the half-open door back against the wall. Dead and dying people lay everywhere. Like a cyclone of rage, Creed had run through, killing indiscriminantly. Elizabeth found herself running past them, ignoring them as best she could. Kevin had the tracker and was following the beeps. He'd occasionally go the wrong way, and they had to backtrack. Ten minutes later, they burst into a room to watch in horror as Creed casually gutted a man. The man collapsed, death already covering his eyes in glass. "Creed!" The big man turned, casual, insanity glittered in his eyes as he slowly stalked towards them. Blood covered his suit in splotches, other things less definable coated the few clean spots. He growled. Kevin stepped back, bumping Kim. "Where are Jade and Ana?" "Yeah." Kim piped up, slipping around Kevin and glaring at Creed, "Where's Ana?" Sanity slid into his eyes, "I found Jade, she's fine. Ana is stashed." At that moment, the power went out, then flickered back on. A soldier barreled into the room and realised his mistake too late. Creed looked up from ripping his arms off and blinked, "This way." He set off down the corridors at a lope, Kevin directly behind him. Down a flight of steps, up another set of corridors, and then they were bursting into what appeared to be some sort of control room. Jade was sitting calmly at the counter, talking into a phone while she fiddled with several VCRs. A bank of monitors on the wall showed various sections of the building and the underground complex. One showed Ana lay strapped to a metal table. Creed swore and wheeled out of the room, knocking Elizabeth into the doorjamb. "Fuck!" Elizabeth yelped, clinging to the wall and trying not to fall over. "Damned asshole." "Kevin, I've called Mabry. They're entering the complex as we speak." Jade said calmly as she hung up the phone. Mabry was leading the few people in Jade's little underground operation, the plan was to storm the place while it was disrupted. Well, at least the revised plan was this. An explosion shattered the silence, and Kevin swore as two of the monitors went dark. "We should head for the surface to coordinate the police and FBI," Jade said as she stood. "Fine, fine." Kevin paused as Elizabeth caught his arm and stopped him, "What?" "Where's Kim?" "Shit." He whirled from the room, then came back in and jabbed at the monitors, "Can we find her on these?" Another explosion, closer this time, caused the lights to flicker. "Forget those, I've a pretty good idea where she went." Jade stepped out into the corridor, "Come on." Several corridors later, they found Creed outside a closet. Jade asked him if he'd seen Kim, he replied in the negative, but offered to follow her scent. Jade nodded and stopped at the next corridor to scoop up the small machine gun the body on the floor had no more use for. Several of Jade's people came into sight and there was a pause for a whispered conference, then the Underground began smashing in doors and dragging out the remaining slavers. They were hampered as several mercenaries joined the fight, efficiently killing and maiming the amateurs. Kevin dragged Jade after Creed, Elizabeth trailing as they fought their way down the sudden packed corridors. Creed slammed open another door and entered the room behind it. Kim looked up at them from where she crouched next to the metal table. "She was here! DAMMIT!" "I know, kid." Jade patted her head and turned to Creed, "Where is she?" He rolled his eyes and muttered something, but started back the way they'd come. -- Another explosion heralded their arrival outside the closet door. Creed dragged open the door, letting light fall into the room. "ANA!" Kim darted past him, ignoring the other body on the floor. Falling to her knees, she pulled something from her pocket. "Oh, no, Ana." Elizabeth stopped to take a pulse on the man who's throat was crushed. She jumped when Kim shouted for Jade and Kevin, then turned and looked out the door. One of the slaver mercenaries stood there, gun pointed at her. He smiled as he caught her eye. Elizabeth froze, fear filling her completely. She was about to die, her life unfinished, her sister unavenged. Laurell, I'm sorry, I-- The man's face went slack and the gun fell from his hands as he slid the floor. Behind him, retrieving her knife stood Kayla. She nodded to Elizabeth, then turned away. Elizabeth turned back to find Creed kneeling next to Ana. Blood pooled on the floor around her, and Kim was frantic, begging them to get her to a hospital. Then Jade was dragging them away, leaving Creed to tend Ana. They had to get to the surface, had to report on everything. Her mind in a blur, Elizabeth stumbled past the dead merc, then stopped and looked back. Creed had hoisted Ana onto his shoulder and started down the corridor, going the wrong way. She took a step, then stopped. Explosions were beginning to become continuous as the slavers destroyed the evidence of their activities. Something slammed into her back, and Kayla was grabbing her arm, dragging her, "We've got to go, Lizzie! This place is about to go up!" Gone were the dangling earings and artistic clothing. In their place were black pants, jacket and shirt. And a knife, Elizabeth recalled muzzily as she stumbled after Kayla, being pulled along like a dog on a leash. The thought jarred her body, sending her sliding to the floor, falling into a pile of bodies and viscera. With a gasp of revulsion, she scrambled away on back onto her feet, grabbing Kayla's hand. And then she ran. Behind them, the explosions became one continuous roaring sound. -- It was later that night. Almost morning, really. Kim had fallen asleep in the back seat of Kayla's car, covered by someone's jacket. The police and FBI had been all over the destroyed complex, they still had their forensics teams crawling around inside. Everyone had been interrogated, then told not to get involved with such things again. Elizabeth yawned as Kayla wandered over to where she sat on the hood of the car. "How are you?" "Now there's a stupid question if I ever heard one." "It's not, though. You look like shit, Lizzie." "Bite me." Kayla leaned against the car and snorted, "Yeah, right. Silly child, I'm your friend." "You saved my life." Elizabeth tried to smile, but failed. "Thanks." "What's the matter?" "She's dead, Kayla. They all are." Distance entered Elizabeth's gaze as she stared blindly past Kayla. "Who?" "It doesn't matter who." An ironic look covered her face, "Kayla, did you know that if the FBI had followed the leads they had two weeks ago Laurell would still be alive?" "I was afraid you'd heard that." Kayla sighed and reached out putting her hand on Elizabeth's arms. "They might not have been able to do it, though." Elizabeth shrugged and looked straight at Kayla, eyes dark. "We'll never know, though, will we?" She moved, stiffly hopping to the ground and turned towards the woods that surrounded the estate. "Not that it matters. After all, she was just a girl." "Lizzie..." "Just don't Kayla, okay? Don't." Elizabeth stared down at her hands, tears slowly slipping down her cheeks. At some point, someone had given her a handiwipe to take the blood off of her. It hadn't helped much, and streaks still decorated her fingers and nails. With a sound of revulsion, she leaned against a tree and threw up, bringing up the little she'd eaten that evening, and the coffee someone had given her earlier. Kayla silently wrapped an arm around her. Elizabeth cried, tears scalding her face as they slid down. She staggered away from the tree, wiping a hand across her mouth, then fell to her knees and sobbed into Kayla's shoulder. Kayla held her tightly, her own tears mingling with Elizabeth's. Finally they stopped and just held each other. "What am I going to do?" "With what?" "Kim." Elizabeth sighed and straightened, releasing Kayla, "She told me Ana said to stay with me. She's just a kid, Kayla..." "You'll do fine." Kayla snorted as she staggered to her feet. "Damn, I'm getting too old for this." "I am SO sure." Elizabeth chuckled tiredly as she accepted the proffered hand and stood. "Anyway, let's think about this after a hot bath and a nice coffee." "Good idea." -30- ===== 'Innuendo and out the other. (Acetal)' http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/LysAna/index.htm