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“Rebirth”

“I've been dying inside, little by little. Nowhere to go, but goin' out of my mind…In endless circles. Runnin' from myself until…You gave me a reason for standing still” - Nick Lachey, “What’s Left of Me”

Chapter 8: You can run, but you can’t hide…

Kevin grumbles as he stalks through the desert. He had appointed someone in charge while he was gone, figuring they would least likely attack the ship. They want to give off the vibe that it’s been abandoned so it’ll be left alone. General Dorough had been far too foolish to go off alone like that and now Kevin had to go see if he could find him, though chances of surviving after that Mystyrian had flown off with him were bleak. He wipes his brow with a tired sigh, his jade eyes looking around for any sign of life in this desolate, barren, slowly perishing planet. The young pilot pauses, suddenly, for seemingly no reason. His gaze takes in the surroundings, nothing but the scarred brunt ground, more remains of the battle they’re losing. There is an eerie calm surrounding him. Still, one thing he learned growing up in his military family is to trust his instincts.

Family, that’s something he doesn’t need to think about right now, yet he does despite himself. He just recently learned Brian was one of the men on the ship before it had been destroyed, seeing as Kevin had only been transferred there a month ago. Brian had also left home long before Kevin while he had stayed behind to keep an eye on the family, namely their rebellious cousin Jersey. Kevin had joined about two months after Jersey pulled her vanishing act two weeks before the leaders of this war, her parents, his aunt and uncle, had been killed. For the longest time he kept word of her disappearance from Brian as to not distract him, led on like he was still home before eventually telling him. Besides what were the chances they would be on the same ship? Yet they had been and now Kevin wondered if Brian survived. He worried about both his cousins, if Brian made it, if Jersey was even alive, if she knew about her parents. He shakes his head. Now isn’t the time for such thoughts. They will only get him killed.

He turns towards the ship, his feelings screaming something is wrong. Immediately Kevin smells something odd. Smoke? Gas? What was it? Perhaps something his human senses never encountered before. Before he can react a crushing force shoves him back onto the ground before a deafening crash fills his ears. He gazes back to see the ship as it is consumed with flames, smoke, and dust. He ducks down, covering his head as rubble from the explosion rains upon him fiercely since he’s still somewhat close. He shuts his eyes tightly.

‘Thank you lord for keeping me safe….may you have mercy on my fallen comrades souls.” Is his only thought as the remains of the ship and the contents inside continue to fall.


****************


Jersey watches Howard as she expertly bandages his ankle without a second glance. Instinct takes over from when she grew up. Medical aid being one of the first things she was taught as a child. Once finished she rises a bit too quickly and winces with pain, hoping she didn’t reopen her wound but knowing its likely she did.

Howard examined his ankle and whistles softly with approval. It was done well enough so he could walk decently enough to get out of there. Once finished, the general looked at her in slight awe. Jeremy did that like a soldier would have, but he didn’t recognize him from his own ranks. He raises a brow. Then his mocha eyes catch sight of Jeremy’s pain.

“You alright?” he asks.

Jersey blinks and masks her face to hide the pain. “Yeah, small scratch from a Mystyrian encounter earlier is all. No big.”

Howie stands carefully and sees he’ll be alright as long as he doesn’t over exert himself and reverse what Jeremy just did. “You ran into one too?”

“Yeah, they know we’re here, what’s left of us. We have to get off before they try finishing us off. Where’s this other ship you mentioned, so we can go back and get the others before leaving this hellhole…” the two head outside and both pairs of eyes widen at the scene off in the distance, fire and smoke filled the air in a haunting dance almost mocking them.

“That was it…”

“Damn.”

It’s then they spot the young pilot approaching them, and Jersey’s eyes widen. But Howie speaks before she can. ”Kevin?!”

Kevin runs towards them, looking tired and dirty. Instinctively both of them knew he was the only survivor, they rush towards him, helping him back to where they had just been tending to Howie’s injury. Kevin sighs tiredly, his eyes narrowing on the young man with Howie. He seemed familiar. His gaze goes back to the General. “I went searching for you…next thing I hear is the ship…”

Jersey shakes her head with despair. “Those bastards, they want to make sure we’re completely extinct….” she muses until she realizes Kevin is watching her. “Hi, I’m Jeremy…one of the few to make it on this planet.”

“I’m Kevin…it may not be an accomplishment to have escaped alive if we’re just going to be killed here.”

“There are others who made it here…”

Howard sighs, running a wiping his dirty, sweaty brow. “And they’re captured by another entirely different species; we need a plan to rescue them.”

Jersey looks at them expectantly. “So… any ideas?”


************


Within the cages the captives swing gently back and forth, and they can see their fate before them. Skyla’s emerald eyes skip around for any type of answer. Her life has changed so rapidly. Just a few weeks ago she was running as these strange aliens destroyed her home, escaping on the first refugee ship she found. It had been so hard to leave it all behind but she knew she had to. She had felt so alone… Her gaze settles on AJ McLean and she sighs. Then she met him, and although they haven’t known each other long, he made her feel safe, secure. There was something so addicting about him that keeps drawing her in. His hand reaches through the bars and she does the same as their cages swing next to each other. They hold each other’s hand tightly, the only form of comfort any of them know. Skyla looks around in fear…at least if she dies this time, she won’t be alone.


***********


She slinks along the caverns in interest. Sure the elders had told Rhade to stay out of any of the affairs involving the humans. But so what? They seemed interesting. She had slipped on a pilot’s uniform that fit her new form’s curves snugly to wear and now she was off to find out what all the chaos was about. It was all anyone in the Milky Way Galaxy could talk about. The incoming extinction of the most egotistical race around. She peers into a room and spies what she figures to be one of the captured humans.

It was odd for she never thought them appealing…but this one is different. Despite his dirty and worn out appearance as he was chained to the wall she was drawn to him. His soft skin, his chocolate eyes, and the curly coffee locks. His shirt torn and ragged so she could see his nicely toned chest as well as the battle scars that covered him. She slips into the room quietly as to not cause attention in case the room is being watched. Rhade doubts it however; the human seems to be locked up tight with no chance of escape. His eyes close tiredly as she hears a yawn escape him. She sneaks up behind him, but before she can do anything, he struggles suddenly.

“Who is that!? I told you I’m not going down without a bloody fight ya bastards!” He fights against the chains violently.

“Shhh! Unless you want me to get killed too.”

“Who is this?!”

She forcefully turns the chair that helps hold him down towards her, hearing the metal snap and break. “Rhade….and you are?”

He looks at her defiantly without a trace of fear in those hypnotic eyes. “Bloom….Orlando Bloom…”

She stepped back, she was impressed. This was an adventurer known in many planets, someone who would fight any battle he saw as a challenge. And the current war against the humans was nothing if not a challenge. “So you’re Orlando…so tell me…” she smirks as she sits on his lap, known those chains to the floor would keep him from moving her. If he even wanted to. “Before I help you free…just how did you of all people get captured?”


**********


Jersey, Kevin, and the general rush down the abandoned building with hopes of saving the others. In reality they didn’t have much of a plan. More of a guest-a-mate of what they were about to attempt with their limited people and resources. Still, they couldn’t just run and leave them there. Kevin’s jade eyes gaze around the corner to the cages where the others were still captive. He turns to them.

“They seem alright still…”

Howie nods. “Alright so we know the plan?”

Jeremy snorts. “What plan? It’s a lets wing it and hope we don’t die.”

She smirks as the general rolls his eyes in annoyance. He was definitely too high strung. He needed to try and relax, who knows when they’ll get the chance to again given their current situation. “For that, you can keep them busy.”

“No prob, just don’t drop the cages…” she teases and loads her gun as Kevin and Howie sneak around her and duck behind some metal crates. She fires a wild shot at the wall, knowing the proton blast was bound to cause commotion. The shot hit its mark, creating a large melted hole within the wall and many of the creatures turn towards her angrily.

“Do you know how to count? Cauuuse if you did, you’d have known you forgot one earlier. One pesky little human.” She fires another shot, as they rush towards her. This one striking one of the leaders who collapses immediately. She runs and hops onto a crate. “Whoops now did I do that?”

Brian grumbles as he slowly uses his dying laser to melt the lock. “Come on…break break!” He hears all the noise and turns his head. “What the hell…” he murmurs.

“Hey don’t watch him, unlock yours so you can help us get the hell outta ours!” Nick demands annoyed.

Kevin starts fighting the creatures off as he and Howie run for the chain pulley to get the cages back over solid ground. Jersey sees that and keeps firing shots as she runs and dodges the rain of fire starting to head her way from the weapons being shot at her. She hopes they got the others free soon for she’s not sure how long she can keep this up.


**********


Rhade and Orlando run down the hall as alarms and screams echo throughout the crumbling building. Orlando grabs her hand and pulls her down a corridor. “Do you know how to get out of here?!” he yells as they reach where it splits up into three separate paths.

“No…do you?”

“Shit!”

“Just pick a direction!”

“Don’t you remember how you found me?!”

“No!”

“Oh bloody hell…” The rugged man mutters and picks the center one, racing down it. As they do they hear more fighting and commotion.

“Now what…” Rhade wonders…”you humans just seem to attract nothing but trouble…” They run in to see cages swinging over the water with prisoners, two men trying to pull them back, and another young man running and firing like crazy. She looks to her companion. “You help them get the cages over…and I’ll help the other one keep these Lakniks busy. Stupid creatures should have just let you guys get killed on your own…”

“I give orders, I don’t take em love. And thanks, glad you care.”

“Does it matter who gives them? Come on adventure boy…show off.” She grabs a nearby weapon and helps the odd young man fend off the Lakniks approaching him. Those things were worse than humans, in her eyes. Green blood splatters around them as she starts killing them. Orlando sighs and goes to help the two other men. Howie and Kevin see him, and never bother to question it, seeing how they needed to get out fast before more enforcements came.

Skyla and Jynx both scream at all the fire coming down around them. Brian finally gets through the lock and pushes his metal door open. He tosses the small laser to AJ who catches it easily causing his cage to swing, but the tattooed man ignores it and gets to work on his own lock.

“Great I have a way out but nowhere to go, the drop to the water is too far…perfect.” he thinks to himself annoyed. It’s then he sees the half ladder leading to the ground floor they came in here from several feet away. Too far for a jump however. Brian sets his jaw and looks around. With all the chaos he could go unnoticed till he was down and could help the others out. He sees Kevin down there fighting alongside the general to get to the pulley and relief fills him. But it’s not something he needs to focus on right now. They were outnumbered and outgunned so they needed all the help they can get. Its then he looks above the cages and sees the chains holding them up. If he could swing his cage hard enough, he could get close enough to the ladder to jump and grab it. Worst that could happen is he falls in the water. He starts swinging his cage violently, trying to get a good motion going.

“What are you doing?!” Skyla asks in horror, afraid the sweet strawberry haired man would fall to his death.

“I’m ok, watch…”

“You’ll fall!” Jynx yells, knowing Jersey would flip if her cousin died doing something crazy.

Nick watches and his eyes widen, catching on to what Brian was trying to do. “No it’s cool; he knows what he’s doing. Watch.” He looks over at AJ as he mutters every human curse and several otherworldly ones as he works on his lock. He glances back at the seemingly crazy redhead before watching the scene below them. He sees Jeremy fighting with some unknown woman to keep the creatures distracted. Howie and Kevin kept trying to get to the pulley but are constantly getting intercepted. Alarms shrilly resound through the building and Nick knows it won’t be long before there’s too many to fight. This thing had to work soon or they’d all be goners.

Brian swings the cage faster, getting rhythm and momentum going. He sees this will be as close as he gets to it so his small frame leaps out of the cage and reaching for the ladder as if he was an acrobat. He feels the bar of the ladder under his fingers and sighs with relief as he slowly pulls himself up. He suddenly ducks down as a shot is fired at him and almost loses grip before regaining it again and scurries up the ladder like a chipmunk up a tree. He races to the pulley and starts trying to bring the cages back to him. Kevin is soon up there with him while Howie and Orlando start helping Rhade and Jeremy fend off the Lakniks that have just entered due to the alarms.

Jeremy smirks as he ducks down behind some steps and spots the general. “About time I get some help! These guys are reproducing like bunnies on speed.” She leans around the corner firing off several blasts before ducking behind again.

The two cousins finally get the cages over and Kevin uses his high powered laser to eat through the locks. Within moments everyone is free. Skyla hugs AJ immediately in a tight embrace. Nick brushes himself off annoyed and shoves Kevin down to avoid an incoming blast. “Hate to stop the love fest but we should ditch this party about now!”

Everyone nods in agreement. Kevin yells down, “Come on! Time to go!” Everyone races out the door and away from the creatures firing after them screaming in a mixture of English and their own native tongue. Orlando leads them into a random room and waits till the group of Lakniks run by in search of them. Everyone is silent as they wait till they feel it safe to utter even the softest sound. Jersey hugs her best friend immediately, having been so worried her closest companion had been killed while she had slipped away. When there is no sound of them with the exception of the alarm that will never die, Howard speaks up.

“We’ve got to get out of here and we’re too large a group to escape together. There’s one ship I saw when a Mystyrian had me hidden between two large sand dunes. Its due east of here. We should split up and meet there. If you’re not there in an hour then we’ll have to go for we won’t be sure who’ll be dead and who’ll survive.”

AJ looks over at Howie. “That’s my ship, I know where it is.”

Orlando raises a brow at him. “Wait one minute mate. I’m not part of your little brigade.”

Rhade looks at him in disbelief. “If you want to get out of here alive both of us are for now. Unless you want to go back to that lovely room I found you in again.”

Howard rolls his eyes. “Alright you two…” he points out Orlando and Rhade. “Go one way. Kevin, Jynx, Brian, and myself will head south and maybe draw some our way. The rest of you go north but be careful not to get stuck underground like before. Got it?”

Everyone nods silently seeing this was the worst time to argue. AJ pulls Skyla into a gentle embrace before kissing her slowly and deepens it with passion. She kisses him back just as filled with emotion before they pull away. Rhade watches them with a curious kind of interest. The general just sighs. “Good lets move.”


*********


The adventurer and his alien companion head down a calm path. His eyes narrow. It appears to be too calm with all they had gotten themselves into. He looks behind him, keeping up a healthy paranoia. Rhade snorts at him and he looks at her annoyed. “What is wrong with me now love?”

“I’m not love for one. Two stop glancing around like a creature in heat scared of the wrong mate finding him. I’ll hear them before they get us.”

“Oh you mean like you heard them before when we ran right into the fight.”

She flips her long russet tresses behind her casually. “I did but I was curious as to why there were more humans so I didn’t mention it so you wouldn’t back out. Also you are known for loving adventure, you should be glad I led us that way.”

“Then why did you help me?”

“You mean save your two legged ass? Because you interest me Mr. Bloom. And…” She pauses before yanking him into a tiny cramped room filled with different types of ammunition. Moments later they hear Lakniks running by them in search of them. Shooting off the weapons at different rooms hoping to destroy them, yet leaving the tiny forgotten weaponry room unchecked.

Orlando moves to check and she pulls him close to him, shaking her head. Before he can protest she pulls him into her, kissing him the way she had seen the humans do it before. She tried the same technique she had seen AJ use and then lets him go and pulls away. The young robust British man stares at her as he catches his breath. “What was that?”

“I wanted to know what I had seen moments before was?”

“It’s a kiss…its something you do for pleasure…in a- err small sense.”

“Oh…and that’s it?”

He narrows his eyes and opens the door, peeking out and seeing no sign of them. This time they would be quieter. “Let’s just go.”


***************


Nick, Jersey, Skyla, and AJ race down the hall with the aliens not far behind. They were running out of places to try and lose them. Shots fly past them in blaze of fury. Jersey fires what’s left in her gun at them before tossing the actual weapon at them and knocking one out. AJ stares at her and she shrugs. “What? My damn gun is out…”

Before they can really debate more shots are fired and everyone just runs for cover. Before she can blink an arm grabs her and drags her down a corridor. The two run a distance before finally pausing. She looks up to see its Nick. She pulls her arm away and stares at him. “I can handle myself man.” She’s beginning to hate this pretending to be a guy thing.

“You were about to get fried.”

Jeremy looks around. “Great where’s AJ and Skyla?”

“There they are!” they hear a creature shriek.

Nick shakes his head, his blue eyes widening. “No time!” The two dashes down the path and Jersey hopes AJ and Skyla are alright. But for now, she needs to save herself first before she can even consider helping anyone else. Blasts rain upon them as they try to flee. Jersey feels one graze her, making her already injured stomach scream with pain and she almost slips. Nick keeps her up screaming, “Come on!” The two race down the maze of paths and corridors, Jersey trying to keep up but knowing she’ll need a break soon as the pain increases. In a moment both blondes are forced to skid to a stop when they face a dead end, with their pursuers not far behind. Nick glances around rapidly, sapphire eyes showing his fear as he searches for a way out. Jersey sees something and immediately leaps for the rope above her head despite the pain. She catches hold and starts climbing up into a small hidden alcove above them. She winces at the pain, almost losing grip. She holds on tight and finishes her climb. Breathing heavily as she rests on the small ledge. The young handsome blond sighs as he reaches it as well, pulling the rope up behind him so it would stay unseen.

For moments the two just sit silently, watching each other. Then Nick sees the damage done to Jeremy’s side where he remembered her getting injured once before earlier that day. “Dawg that looks bad, let me look…”

Jersey pulls away immediately despite how it inflames to throbbing. “Man I got it covered.” She lies, wondering just how she was going to fix this with no medical supplies around her.

He reaches for her again. “Don’t be stubborn man, you need that checked out.”

She backs away, knowing she was in trouble. “I said I’m fine! Her back hit’s the wall roughly, knocking her cap into her lap and she hears metal clicking and she curses. The corset turned off. No. This could not be happening. One stupid injury could not be ruining it all.

Nick stares at the person before him as he hears a mechanism of some kind shut off. The person seems to almost morph before him from a secretive young man to a stubborn, injured, and frustrated young woman before him. His mind refuses to process what he sees. “Holy shit…you’re a…”

Jersey sighs, knowing when it comes to Nick at least, her façade is up. She sighs, taking him in for the millionth time. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him even though she wanted to in this awkward moment. This had to be the oddest moment in the twenty two years of her life and she hasn‘t exactly had a normal one. “I’m a chick….yeah…”

“What about that girl Jynx? How…”

“My best friend, posed as a girlfriend to help keep the image of it going. She knows dude.”

He stares at her, knowing all the things everyone had found odd made sense now. Still, she was pretty when you saw the real her without being hidden in the disguise. Its then he sees why everyone thought “Jeremy” familiar. “You’re not just any girl you’re…”

She rolls her eyes, of course she’s known. Even better. She pushes her short golden hair away from her eyes. “Jersey Shantlle…the missing daughter of the revolutionaries who lead this war…yeah I freaking know.”

“And what the hell are you doing hiding and running off with us?”

“Oh like you got room to talk, you were gonna desert had the ship not been attacked.”

“How do you know…”

“It was obvious.”

“I’m not the one who’s supposed to be leading this race to victory! You are…”

“Why is it ok for everyone else to be selfish as hell but not me? Look Nick…you tell me your story and I might just explain to you mine and then you’ll have the tiniest idea why I’m doing what I am…aight? But only if you swear not to tell anyone. We‘re gonna be stuck here awhile anyway”

He sighs, “Fine.”

“Good.” She smirks smugly as she lifts up her shirt partially, making a face at the new raw red wound she has.

Nick softens watching and reaches over as she starts trying to rewrap her bandages to cover it since it was all they could do for now without any medical kit. “Here, let me…” He gently begins to do it for her and the two are silent with each other once more before he speaks up to break it. He smirks in a teasing way. “So while I’m doing this, start talking Jersey…”


*******************


While Nick is helping Jersey tend to her injury and listening to her story, AJ and Skyla have gotten the bulk of the group following them. They start closing in rapidly, shooting at them and trying to pull them down. AJ shoots behind him as much as he can and she does the same. He curses as he turns down a random hallway, not caring at all where they’re going as long as it’s away. Skyla pushes crates behind them as they run to try and slow them down. Anything that can hinder them she shoves at them while AJ reloads and keeps firing. They slow down when they see it split into two corridors. Skyla pulls a scrunchie off her wrist and throws it down one hall, before following AJ down another. Both are hoping that the Lakniks see it as a clue and head down the wrong way. AJ looks around for a place to hide for now knowing they can’t outrun them. He sees a room that can be locked from the inside and he pulls her in, locking the door securely behind him and prays the metal door will hold if they’re discovered. The petite blonde girl catches her breath as her ever-changing blue and green eyes meet his own dark soulful brown ones. He just wraps her in a tight embrace and the two hold each other snugly as if there is nothing else in the world.