Water and Blood: Part 1
by Binkeee
"Madre de dios! Did you see that?" Rictor blurted out to Shatterstar.
"See what Julio?" Shatterstar asked taking his eyes off their intended target
"You didn't see that light just now?" Julio asked switching his eyes from Shatterstar to the ice-covered lands that lay before him silent and still. Shatterstar shrugged and brought the binoculars to his eyes again. Julio let out a small breath of frustration that turned into a thin white cloud. After a few minutes of staring into the white bleakness, Julio finally gave up and returned his attention to their mission at hand. The sharp cry of a girl broke the heavy silence of the uninhabited woods.
Julio jumped from the tree where they had been sitting and started off towards the outburst. Shatterstar reluctantly followed his friend. The iciness of the air stung their faces, as with every breath it felt as though millions upon millions of sharpened needles entered their lungs and exited as steamy white puffs of smoke. A deck stretched into a lake. Along the snow covered deck imprints of two sets of shoes seemed to have walked along side a long cleared path where something had been drug, and then thrown off the deck into the frozen water, leaving a hole where the lake's water shown through.
The voice rung out again, this time from the hole in the lake, it was the same voice that called before. Julio started to run down the icy wooden planks of the deck, and hesitated before he dove into the water. As if knowing he was going to jump in, thousand of icy fingers griped his bare skin, the water seem to jerk him back, causing him to slow to the girl. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the freezing girl, his eyes felt frozen open after the time span of ten seconds, the girl reached out her hand as she continued to sink deeper into the lake's inky blackness. Grasping onto her frozen wrist, he started to tug her up toward the opening. As soon as his numb fingers touched the air, his air supply ran out.
Rictor reached out in vain, clasping the jagged ice he tugged himself forward. Bringing his head out of the water he gasped for air, he managed to take in more air before the ice that supported him gave way sending him back into the lake's painful waters and leaving a deep gash in his palm.
"Cable, we have a problem." Shatterstar stated pressing his communicator.
"Is he dead yet?" Tabitha Smith's voice asked as her fallen teammate, Rictor, slowly began to regain his hold on the conscience world. Opening his eyes, the scenery appeared to be swirling around him, with a bright fluorescent center. He could feel the eyes on him, the heaviness of their stare was forgotten when an unwanted needle pushed its way through his skin.
"No Tabitha he's not dead, but if you don't shut up you might be a different case." Cable warned pulling the needle out of Julio's arm and placing it back on the steel tray. "And if he doesn't want any more needles or other medical equipment put in him, I suggest he better get up."
"I'm up! " Richter wheezed out, clamping his eyes shut trying to block out the bright light above him. "What happened with the girl?" Shatterstar snorted at the question, and Tabitha threw in a few choice comments of her own.
"That's what I thought, and she's fine but you can judge for your self." Cable added pointing behind him to the other side of the room, Richter attempted to lift his head, and the darkness swarmed in on him before he could feel the back of his head hit the pillow.
"How long has he been like this?" Hank McCoy asked, taping on his clipboard with the tip of his pen.
"I'd say about three hours." Shatterstar answered with the distinct stiffness in his voice that he was known for. Richter just wanted them to be gone as soon as he could hear them, his head was throbbing with pain, and his thoughts were jumbled together. He still felt cold as the lake and burning up inside all at the same time.
"And what about the girl?" The doctor inquired switching from Richter's bedside to hers.
"I do not know, neither do I care."
"Apparently." McCoy muttered under his breath. "Well Mr. Star I need you to step out side while I check her over."
"Why?" Shatterstar asked looking confused. McCoy rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Because I doubt she'd like two complete strangers staring over her when she's uh- this exposed." Beast added leading 'Star out from the room by grabbing his wrist and shoving him out the door. Sighing deeply as he shut the door in Shatterstar's face, Beast started to jot down the readouts. Richter attempted to open his eyes, finding no swirling colors or painful light; he let out his own sigh of relief. Gripping the side of the bed he slowly began to push himself into a sitting position.
"Madre di Dios, what happened?" Richter asked half to himself, cradling his bandaged hand. The last thing he remembered about the lake was that he cut his hand long and deep, and then that needle on the plane. Hank turned around and looked annoyed that he was taken away from his patient. He started to ask something before Cecilia Reyes threw open the door.
"Where are they?!" She demanded taking them both by surprise. Pushing the other Doctor out of the way she started to poke and pinch at Julio. He fell out of his shocked state when she started to pick up a needle and began to fill it with clear liquid. He tried to get off the bed, only to fall on the floor face first.
"What is it with men and needles?" Cecilia asked as she assaulted Rictor's arm with the second needle today. He flinched as she started to push in the medicine, his arm tensed and the pain increased.
"What is it with women and them wanting to constantly stab us?" Rictor snapped.
"After what your mother was put through, and whatever you might put any other woman through it's the least we can do." She smirked and threw the used equipment away. Cecilia had full command over the medical room, and Beast had to finally wait outside as she pulled him out by his ear. Rictor crawled into his bed eagerly as she threatened more needles if he didn't.
"Who are you any way Miss high- and- mighty?" Rictor asked as the commanding woman inspected the girl beside him.
"Dr. Cecilia Reyes, and I am your goddess as long as your in my care." She retorted, he snorted as he watched the girl's arm being jammed with the silver stick.
"Hey can we come in?" Tabitha asked poking her head into the room.
"No." Cecilia snapped.
"Yes!" Julio corrected her.
"Needles."
"No." he screamed waving his hands toward the door, trying to push them out with his hands.
"Well one of the X people can be taught." Cecilia laughed out before leaving the room, and slamming the door.
"Whatever." Julio whispered to himself. He hated being pushed around or told what to do, and now he was stuck in a bed with a bossy woman taking care of him. Sighing deeply he knew he'd be stuck there for the rest of the day, like it or not. A sound caught his ear as he started to feel the medication kick in.
He tried to ignore it at first, closing his eyes he made himself comfortable, but the scratching seemed to get louder. He clamped his eyes shut so hard it hurt. He didn't need to play hero any more today. His body still ached from the last time he decided to play that. But the scratching started to ring in his ears. He could only think of the horror story his brother used to tell him about the cabin and the boys scratching at the door with their bloody fingers.
"I don't want to go there. " Rictor whispered to himself. He didn't want to think how those boys ended up. Pulling the covers over his head, he waited, and during his wait, he fell into a nightmarish sleep...
Yeah yeah yeah, I know "typical beginning" but it works darn it!
Stay around for part two, Ric's nightmare and introducing Kipper! Yeah!