futures_of_ash | Werewolves are great crewmen!

Entry tags:

Werewolves are great crewmen!

Who: Rach and crew
When: Sometimes. IN SPACE.
What: It's an AU. IN SPACE.

She leaned her elbows on the low wall, ignoring the occasional catcall. The people behind the wall didn't matter, or the stands as long as the guards continued to not see her. Or the scalpers, because honestly, she would not handle being propositioned well right now. There'd been some rumors of Terrans that had made a splash in the ring...

Or so the fight drummers called out when she'd been walking past with the captain. "Terrans," he noted quietly to her.

"On it," she agreed, slipping away.

It seemed more accurate to say one Terran was making a splash, but viciously so none the less? Hmmm. ::They say you're contagious,:: she noted mentally when he was given a moment to rest. If he scanned the crowd he could see a red haired woman not at all concerned with leaning partially into the ring.

The usual round of security were wandering by, though one was snarling, watching a device in his hand, "Psy readings, I swear, but nothing to pinpoint, I swear if it's those damn white noise mice under the arena again..."

Rachel grinned, an expression more felt as she looked at him than anything else, ::go ahead and think at me hmmmm?:: As long as he had a mind to think with in that battle frenzy?

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He was leaning against the far wall, chest heaving as he kept his eyes lowered. He'd long since learned not to engage with the spectators: they weren't dealt with nearly as harshly as he was when he tore through the chain link separating them...and then through them.

He was hoping they'd only send one or two more because he was getting tired, but tonight with this crowd he didn't think they'd stop throwing more at him until he shifted. He spat a globbule of blood to the floor, watching the sawdust slowly absorb it. He hated shifting for them. Shifting meant he was going to kill his opponent, unless they stopped him in time. And he wasn't sure that was such a bad thing anymore: his captors had learned that his lycanthropy could be contagious, and now that was a major bargaining chip for them.

God how he missed stripping. Not that he thought anyone would pay for that these days.

As he caught his breath, a voice trickled through his mind. It wasn't a shock to him: Jean Claude used to do it frequently, and since coming to this shit hole there was often some...thing...in the crowd who tried having some fun poking around his head. He closed his eyes, putting as much irritation into his thoughts as he could. :I think you should leave me alone.:

::I could if you prefer,:: she admitted easily. ::And you're right, bid boards have eight more fights listed.:: Which could be a problem honestly. Especially if he was contagious, overwhelming someone was a good way to get 'accidental' infection that the host couldn't stop.

Hmmmm. ::If nothing else I'll grant you a bit of energy if you like. Not often I encounter another oddball Terran.:: Hence the interest beyond the captain telling her to go check it out.

He growled low to himself, lip curling slightly. Fucking eight more fights. Maybe tonight would be another Crash-through-the-fencing rampage night. He'd be out of commission for a while if he did that; the last time he was beaten so badly it was a couple months before he was back in the arena. And they were starting to get more creative with their punishments as they discovered what he could heal certain injuries more quickly than others.

The strange voice's offer drifted through his mind along with the words another and Terran. That peaked his interest despite his not wanting to engage with a spectator. He fought the urge to look for the source of the voice in his head. ::You're Terran?::

Money was not made in fair fights honestly, and spectacle sold even better. It was likely that the lure of him rampaging was quite the crowd draw!

That or they were just pissed Jason hadn't supplied them with more super fighters. Could go either way.

:: Bit sideways at this point, like you're sideways, this reality's Terra doesn't have people like you or me, but a Terra, yes:: Really they should start considering numbers for reality variants at this point! Dibs on Terra v 278.3! ::Rare either way since it's kind of a longhaul trip out to there.::

:: How long since you were snagged?::

::Too long::

And too far, apparently. He straightened, still not looking at the crowd but hearing the sounds of the handlers bringing up another fighter. In truth, he wasn't sure how long since he'd been taken... years? He just knew that they must have been watching him before abducting him as they were already well-prepared to keep a lycanthrope captive, and seemed to have a good idea of the most profitable use for him.

He shot sarcasm through his thoughts. ::Thanks for the chat. I guess you can enjoy the show with everyone else::

::I've no interest in paid fights,:: she snorted drily, wry amusement flavoring the comment. ::I came to see you and see if you needed out.:: Nothing but truth there honestly. Some enjoyed staying as fighters though so she tried not to force such without asking.

::Do you want that energy before I go or no?:: She might tell the captain to drop this station into chaos just on general principal honestly. They tried to disrupt slaving lines most places they went...

He froze at that, chancing a glance around at the spectators. A red-haired human-looking woman was leaning on the low wall of the fighting pit and looking at him. A fairly attractive red-haired human-looking woman, but that didn't mean much here. If she wasn't here for fights, maybe she was just here for fighters. But get out? Like, Out out?
He quickly dropped his gaze again.

::There's no way they're going to sell me:: There was a tinge of hopelessness in that thought that he was trying to push away: he didn't need any distractions if he had eight more fights coming his way.

::Not for fighters, we're down crew, we're kinda pirates, but we're going to shatter the slave trade here regardless,:: she admitted, deciding that and informing the captain all in one go honestly. Only so much decent sorts could take honestly. ::Most of us were snagged like you and got out.:: So.

Yeah.

::If you don't want in with us that's fine, just be ready to bolt. I suggest stealing a ship once things go to hell here.::

::Steal a ship and do what? I don't know how to fly and I have no idea where we are::

The crowds in the arena started buzzing as the next fight was being announced.
This time he raised his head and sought out her eyes. He did what he could to keep himself guarded: for all he knew she could really be just another slaver.

::You'll take me out of here?::

::Yup, no strings, though I have to tell you our Cook is a grump at times, in an ex-military sergeant way, and most ships have some sort of emergency autopilot in case you can't fly.:: Because information was good?

::Were you caught alone? Does someone else need out as well?:: Mainly because heavier fighters tended to have 'insurance' to keep them in hand. Twisted bastards.

And yes, that girl was meeting his gaze easily, flame shimmering for a moment in her eyes.

A sudden flash in his mind of Nathaniel, face twisted in anguish as he looked back over his shoulder...Jason quickly blocked it out.

::He's gone. Sold::

He flinched back slightly, dropping his eyes to her face at that flicker in her eyes. He didn't know what she was, but his life with vampires taught him to be wary of direct eye contact.
And here...

::Ok. But can we do this quick?::

::...we can find him,:: she noted simply. They could, with someone who knew him.

Ah, quick...::yup, brace yourself!:: A word to the captain and then the lights on this floating asteroid arena were flickering out...then the gravity generators went too! ::What kind of restraints do they have for you?:: He wasn't shackled in the arena, but did he have a skin chip? Poison they had to give antidote to every day...?

Despite the warning to brace himself, he wasn't expected to suddenly start floating off the floor. He flailed an arm out and caught a finger into the fencing to hold himself steady. As carefully as he could, he called forth just a bit of his power, and his eyes reflected an inhuman green in the flickering darkness as they shifted. The one and only good thing about his ordeal in this shithole was that he came to a very good understanding of himself and his beast, or more appropriately that it wasn't some entity he was fighting. It was just a facet of himself. Once he accepted that, he found he was much stronger than he'd previously thought.

He was trying to remember what she'd asked before all hell broke loose. ::I'm not sure? Something at the back of my neck. Not sure what the trigger is but it makes it so I can't move::

And hurts like a motherfucker.

His wolfish eyes saw much better, but the cacophony of screaming and shouting guards were hard to block out. He grabbed the fencing with both hands, tearing it apart easily and slipping through the opening. He held on, feeling flailing figures bumping into him as they floated by helplessly and swiftly kicking them off if they grabbed on for anchorage.

The woman who'd been watching him was just walking, easily, toward him, a flicker of amusement on her face as she ducked some flailing, pissy patrons. There was a moment where some secondary lights kicked in, but a laugh and they died out again. The brief flashes as the grid fought was probably more disorienting than no light at all! ::This way, want your feet on the ground or are you good?::

Oh, eh, ::nasty that. Do you want our healer on hand before I go at something near nerves or no?:: Valid offer? He'd be fine either way (probably) but most weren't okay with teke surgery?

::GROUND!::

It was more a snarl of frustration, especially seeing flashes of this woman casually walking towards him. All he knew with any certainty was if this was his chance to escape, he was going no matter the consequences. Still, if whatever triggered in his neck took him out during the escape, then he'd be at the mercy of a new set of strangers.

Still better than this...

::Drag me out if you have to and we'll worry about the rest later!::

::Ground,:: she agreed, a flicker of warmth touching him and then his body was reacting exactly as if he had normal gravity. ::So you don't want me taking it out now,:: she nodded.

::Our medical has much better people skills anyway!:: To say the least. ::Follow me.:: Out of the fit pits and away from the bars toward one of the docking arms.

::Fair warning, if things get hairy I'm taking us out an airlock.::

He wasn't about to let her take time out of his escape to fiddle with some implant. His feet touched down and he stumbled slightly, then was moving surprisingly fast alongside her, his energy urging her faster.

He didn't know his way around: in the time since his abduction he'd been shown a glimpse outside the ship once, which was followed by a very traumatic introduction to the airlock to prove that there was no point in trying to escape.

::WHAT?!::

She leaned toward him a moment, more to adjust her stance than anything, then she was moving exactly as a hound would. Not a wolf, but certainly a predator, sometimes body language was more reassuring, especially when running, than anything else. Even though she was leading the way she wasn't pushing the 'stay behind me' so much as 'this is how a pack runs'.

Yup.

::I won't let us die if that happens, don't worry, Captain just almost strangled me when I did it without warning with him! Oh security got mag boots!:: Wasn't that cute?

What had he gotten himself involved with?

He growled low in his throat seeing security on their feet and coming after them. He couldn't pick out The Masters in this group, but he knew most of them. He'd seen the worst of all of them. He felt his power surge up and he welcomed it, coaxing just enough of it to teeth and claws.

Not all the way; not with a stranger

Then with a snarl and a blur of motion, the nearest guard let out a scream that quickly gurgled into wet, choking sounds. More screams followed.

She chuckled softly beside him, falling back to let him have at the guards; they'd wronged him, so it was his call. Her job was to watc his back through this annnd...

...oh that was a mousy little man with a button he was fumbling for. She didn't know if it was a panic button or one that would drop Jason, so she did the sensible thing and reached out to casually crush that guy's hand. Her new friend could tell her if the man should live or not! ::Blocked the reinforcement call,:: she noted easily.

There were the dull, thick sounds of impact and grunts of pain from the tangle of bodies that were Jason and the guards. He emerged moments later, his body slick with other peoples' blood. No one followed.
As he passed the mousy little man who cradled his hand, screaming, Jason casually grabbed him by the hair and tore his throat out with his teeth.

There was a moment that he let his head loll back blissfully as the blood trickled down both his chin and the back of his throat.

::Thanks. Let's move.::

Another time, he'd have just escaped. He'd have considered that these were lives being lived, just as his own.
They'd beaten that out of him, and he had no pity for them.

Unfortunately, in addition to the panic buttons, The Masters had also installed perimeter proximity switches. Jason, having never been this far in the ship, had no idea where they were, or even that they existed. Until he set one off.

He immediately stiffened with a strangled gasp, twitching as he fell to the floor. He couldn't think through the pain: it was simply agonal static.

Blood was always a good way to balance out some of the harm done to a person yes. She liked it herself in most cases, though she probably wouldn't have wasted teeth on the gimpy man in her hands. Ah well, he had better teeth than she did anyway!

Hell, things were almost cheerful until Jason dropped, then there was a deep, guttural growl and the slicing feel of shadows and blood as Rachel caught him and lifted him to her shoulder to tote out. ::I can handle the pain at least,:: she admitted, siphoning a lot of it away somehow.

She could not make his nerves function better without knowing him better though, so, they needed a better distraction!

Want to know what was terrifying in space? Fire. Fire was terrifying in space, and that arena way behind them had such lovely layers of sawdust and floating patrons...

...it let them wander almost leisurely to their berth and key in. Inside the ship smelled...clean, fresh, like herbs more than anything!

"Lady Rachel..."

"New guy," she smiled at the woman heading toward them. "Implant."

Khem's lips thinned in a healer's hatred for such things, "this way, hurry, it cannot be kind for him..."

"I'm on pain control," she sighed, laying the were down on a table in medical.

"My thanks," she offered, her tool cool and supportive where Rachel's was hot, her ability seeking out..."these were monsters, Lady. They embedded it within his spine. It will be a moment, keep him steady."

"Of course," Rachel agreed, hand on Jason's chest.

There was a fine tremor that was the only motion that could break through his stiff, slightly arched frame. Even his teeth were clenched hard; his face strained under the mask of blood.

Whatever the red-haired woman was doing, he had snippets of thought through the static. Memories of nearly identical pain during the implantation coming in white hot flashes. He could hear distant echoes of the conversation around him, but couldn't make out enough to know what was happening.

"Would sleep be kinder?"

Rachel tilted her head, considering, "no. I think being knocked out would be a nightmare for him."

"Alright," Khem sighed, peering at the man's face worriedly, "this will hurt, immensely, for a short time lord, then shall ease, on my word." That said there was no point in delay, she had enough ability to keep any true damage from the nerve but pulling the damn thing was going to chip vertebrae in his neck and that would take some time more to cushion and heal...

Immobilizing pain was broken by whatever the hell was happening in his neck, and his mouth flew open in a ragged, seemingly endless series of screams.

His body tried to jerk against the attacker, but without conscious thought. Fresh blood started to pool under him as his clawed hands balled into even tighter fists.

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