Board Thread:The Company/@comment-24930445-20140615054833/@comment-24930445-20140618003921

Axin & Kat

She found Axin several halls later. He wasn’t sprinting and, having run with Ry many times, her endurance was high enough to be able to catch Axin at his current pace.

He heard the footsteps behind him and, at the last moment, he spun to face his opponent. Ducking, he slammed his good shoulder into her stomach and lifted her off the ground then attempted to hurl her against a wall. Somehow, he never got the release on her body. The moment she was lifted from the ground, Kat had wrapped her legs tightly around his chest, her fists raining down on his head and shoulders. With no other recourse, he used her body as a ram, forcing her back against a wall and pinning her to it with his forearm against her throat and his free hand holding a wrist. The move knocked the wind from her for a moment, her body going limp, releasing him from her grip.

“What the hell are you doing, Katrylle? I told you to take care of Ilrea.” His face was mere inches from hers, his snarl nearly pressed against her lips.

“Fuck you, Axin.” She gasped as she lashed out at him with her leg, attempting to catch him in the groin with her knee. That maneuver had been tried on him many times and it had yet to work with Jos. Admittedly though, Kat did come very close to unmanning him. Her reflexes were faster than Jos’.

He laughed. “God, you even fight like her!”

Her rage settled, a slow smile playing about her lips as she stared him wickedly. “Do I?” The look in her eye and the memory of what had just happened to Darrak had him reconsidering their current position. No, she surely did not fight like Jos. Growling, he released her, letting her drop the few inches to the floor as he turned away.

“Why are you here, Katrylle? Are you going to finish what he started?” He faced her from several feet away.

It was her turn to laugh. “D’ye really think y’would hae heard me comin ifin I was ta kill ya? Oh, aye, y’would hae sensed me, but I’ve been married t’him fer a long time. He’s nae only my life partner, he’s m’sparring partner. I know how ye fight, Axin. I know how ye survive nearly as well as he does. All I need is blaster range an’ yer a dead man.”

He growled and considered pinning her against the wall once again, turning away from her instead. “I won’t be responsible for you. You’re on your own.”

“I’m not in this with you, Axin. I am going for my daughter. Get out o’ me way, er die tryin ta stop me, but my daughter will be home.” She moved to shove past him only to be stop by his hand on her arm. She stopped, looked down at his hand then slowly up to his face, her single eyed gaze dangerous.

“He let you come? He didn’t try to come for her himself?” Axin frowned down at her, not in anger, but as if trying to understand.

“She wouldn’t, would she? She’d send ye.. er some other flunky t’do her work, even if it was her own daughter in danger. Nae, Axin. He did nae send me. He had n’choice in lettin me go. Ye saw t’tha.” She wrenched her arm from his grasp and began to run down the hallway.

_________________

He kept pace with her easily, his mind a rush of thoughts. Lantis, for all his annoyances, was an expert at planning this assault, though Axin would never give him the credit he deserved. The man had determined the majority of the attacks would take place very close to the life pod docks.

He then commanded his security force to have the drones programmed so when the recall sounded, they would take a prisoner and retreat to the nearest life pod and launch. It was then scheduled to have the Angel pick up those pods and transport everyone back to the moon base. She would have her “volunteers” and her two targets would be safely hidden away for whatever purpose she had designed for them.

By they time they made it to the pod Axin knew Darrak would use, it was already launching. He had to grab Kat’s arm to keep from racing after it into space. He used his grip to pull her in a different direction. “Come on. I have my shuttle. We’ll get her on the Angel when it docks.”

Kat frowned, but followed. “Angel? Her ship is named Angel?” The laugh was short and ironic.

“Midnight Angel, actually. It fits her.” Axin didn’t notice the hesitation at first, but the sudden stop definately caught his attention.

“Midnight Angel?! Tha’ bloody bitch.” Kat growled darkly.

Eyebrows arched, he cocked his head. “I’m assuming this has meaning for you.”

“Aye, long time ago, I had… Nae mind. Doesnae matter. She jist cannae be an origonal, can she?” Kat shook her head, then gasped as Axin grabbed her by both arms, slamming her up against a bulkhead.

“Who’s to say you’re not the copy, Katrylle? Why does Joslynne have to be?” He punched the wall next to her head, causing her to flinch in the face of his anger. She knew her mistake the moment her back hit the wall. Axin’s hate for Ry always stemmed from his belief that, as a “copy”, he was never looked upon as being as good.

She held her ground, glaring at him before very softly snarling. “Let me go, Axin er I swear b’th’ gods I’ll crush yer heart from here.” She wasn’t sure she would. She had only done that once too many years ago and it hadn’t been a pleasant feeling, but if he kept her from getting to her daughter, she would have no qualms about making the attempt. Something in her glare must have transmitted that knowledge to him. He suddenly threw himself away from her and stormed off.

Taking a deep breath, she held it for a brief moment before following after him. She had no real plan, but somewhere in her mind, she knew he was her ticket to getting Aerli back.

_____________

No one stopped them as they made their way to the shuttle bay on Nash. It wasn’t until they stepped through the doors that Axin had even begun to sense danger. “Wait here.”

“I dinnae think so. Where ye go, I go until Aerli’s safe.” She followed him the few steps it took to refuse his command. He stopped so suddenly, she nearly ran into his back.

“Damn it woman… “ was all he could get out when the first blaster shot hit. He was already moving, dodging and rolling before it honed in on him. Her own reflexes had her evading the blaster shot easily. Not only had Kat trained with Ry and Mogneio, but during her pregnancy with Aerli, it was determined that, in order to keep the baby, she would need to spend a few months as a Felinoid. The transition had boosted her genetics slightly, giving her better than average reflexes. She would never be able to compare to Axin and Ry’s abilities, but she wasn’t a slouch when it came to her own.

“Hold yer fire. Katrylle Morghan o’ the Company. I’m escort....” Another blast cut her words short.

Dodging the second shot, she reached for her blaster, only to remember that she was effectively unarmed having left them in the hallway with Ry and Brandy. In her rescuing of Aerli, she had reasoned that if need be, she would get herself captured and she highly doubted they would leave her with her weapons. So, off they came. She currently regretted her logical decision.

“Not yours, I assume.” Axin smirked at her from behind a barrel.

“Probably some o’yers realizing wha’ an ass y’are. I count five.”

Axin shook his head. “Eight. Three on the landing to the north. Probably snipers, though definately cover fire. No weapons, huh?”

Kat sighed heavily. She had already gained a decent headache from her power surge with Darrak, but, having no weapon, she also had no choice. The first of the five men she had seen suddenly launched backwards, landing with a sickening thud three quarters of the way up the huge bay wall, then free falling to the floor. If he hadn’t died on impact with the wall, the floor was certainly his end. “Says who?”

“Don’t suppose you could aim those bodies? Maybe take out more than one at a time? They’re going to get antsy and start firing.” She couldn’t tell if he was teasing her.

“Fuck off, Axin. Dinnae see ye bein’ any great help here.”

He glanced out from around his barrel, the ducked back in cursing. “Lantis.”

“Lantis? What does that old pencil-neck hae ta do wi’ this?” She glared at Axin who was searching the small space around him. He smiled suddenly, hefting what looked to be a rusted bolt. Winking at Kat, he stood, then flung the object. He ducked quickly as another blast flew over his head just before a man’s scream was heard.

Peering around the metal i-beam, she could see that his shot was dead on the mark, right between another man’s eyes as he crumpled to the floor dead. She shrugged, seemingly unimpressed, and rolled back behind the beam.

“Lantis?” She reminded him.

“They’re his security goons.” Axin growled.

“Wait. Lantis is.. he works for her? Wondered where that bastard had gotten off to. And he runs security for her?” Kat shook her head. “Lovely. So why they’ shootin at you?”

“Lantis… lets just say we’re not the best of friends.” Axin shook his head and chanced another look at the goons.

“I dinnae think either o’ye know th’ meanin.” Kat also checked positions, then smirked as she flicked her wrist and a full metal barrel fell out of a loft and onto a third man.

“Do you have to do the hand gestures with that thing you do?” He smirked at her.

“Test me an’ find oot, Axin. Please… “ She snapped at him.

Another bolt was launched from behind his barrel and another perfect shot was made. Axin chuckled. “We’re still even.”

“This ain’t n’bloody competition, Axin. I’m pretty sure they’re oot fer ye an’ I’m collateral damage. Wha’ th’ hell did y’do to Lantis ta piss him off?” A shove with her hand sent number five into an entire pyramid of heavy crates dropping them all and crushing him..

“Fancy.” he critiqued. “I don’t know, Katrylle. What the hell does anyone do to anyone to cause them to want to kill?” He shrugged.

“Yer pissin me off ta tha’ point right now, fur-ball! Kin ye hit yer three from here?” Kat growled.

Axin chanced another glance. “I’m not sure. Its a bit of a distance and these things aren’t very aerodynamic.” He shrugged, then stood and slingshot a bolt at one of the snipers. At the same time, Kat raced into the open floor, headed for two blasters that had been dropped by the downed men. Tucking and rolling, she came up with both and fired blindly.

Axin’s bolt hit one of the three even as her two shots nailed the others. All three toppled from the catwalk. Standing, Axin brushed his hands together and strolled from behind the barrel only to freeze as Kat’s blasters came up quickly, aimed at him. She never said a word as her fingers tightened on the triggers and a blast of energy shot to either side of him, singing fur at his elbows.

“Nine an’ ten.” was all she said as he heard the bodies fall behind him. Turning, she strode towards the shuttle, the blasters tucked comfortably into her waistband at her back then covered by the tail of her tank top. Axin blinked with the realization that she had just saved his life.

Glancing down at the bodies, he frowned, then called after her. "How did you know the blasters would work for you?"

She never stopped or turned, but he saw her shrug as she called out over her shoulder. "I dinnae."