Time to Live

LA, LA, LA... That though just went over and over in her head black curly-cue head. If she could just get to LA, she would be protected by the covenant. Many called people like her witches, so they'd just eventually began to use the same terminology. Her own town's coven had been all killed and captured despite her own efforts. Old Marie... Janice... Karen... All the women that had been Moves and especially all the annoying Eyes... A few Fires and Books had gotten away. But everyone else was gone. When the SWAT team came in while she was packing up her bag - she'd sensed their truck and their weapons as soon as they got within her range. She had been ready. The bed put and held against the door by her power. She had to admit she didn't expect the bombs though... That, she hadn't been ready for. It seemed they finally had enough... Using a piece of wall to shield herself, pulling it right from where it had been to reveal a man cheating on his wife with the town bimbo, she didn't let it drop till their guns were pulled from their very hands. "Sorry, boys..." She actually looked hurt that she had to kill them. She wouldn't have if she knew they wouldn't come after her. But she knew their orders, and knew about the big bonuses they were guaranteed if they brought her in. She wondered idly as she positioned the guns to the men's foreheads - the quickest kill - if they'd changed the "Wanted Alive" status to "Dead or Alive" yet.

Her dark blue eyes stayed open as she watched the guns go off in the mens head, some blood splattering over her fine pearl skin and white tank. Even the machine guns only fired one clean bullet before she turned to the window. Grabbing her second bag, she pulled out a few bound wads of cash and put them on the table among scattered debris, writing a note 'For the families of the deceased'. It wasn't much, but she killed the poor bastards, she supposed the least she could do was help with the funerals. She knew some would see it as an insult and not take the money, but she also knew that those that did would end up with more than needed because of it. She shook her head. She'd have to think about her own funeral if she stayed much longer. She grabbed the backpack and the duffle, she knew better than to go out of any of her room's exits and crawled her way through into the cheater/bimbo's room. Both huddled into a corner and giving sharp screams as they saw her. She frowned, she hated when people did that. Going to the window, she raised a currious eyebrow as she brushed some drywall of her jean clad knee - there wasn't anyone outside...

Noding, she jumped out the window without opening it, the crashing sound was loud as she fell, slowing her decent only as she landed to keep from hurting herself. Car, she had to get to her car and then she'd be fine. The engine of her little piece of crap sprang to life as the doors unlocked. She always left her keys in the ignition, unlocking wasn't so hard.

He sat in the back of the army truck the red light barely lighting the area as a map is laid out before him. His dark brown hair is buzzed short as his light gray eyes glance down at the map. His head comes around as he hears the gunfire begin silently praying that the SWAT teams accomplish there goal. Despite his being a soldier he hated hunting down the women known as witches. Zac glances again towards the outer wall of the truck hearing the explosions echo out from town. Shaking his head slightly he begins cracking his knuckles as one of the scientist steps forward locking the collar around his neck. A shudder which is quickly suppressed passes through him as the collar is snapped into place. "Remember your job here Zac. We want the girl alive." He nods quickly as he closes his eyes waiting silently.

A few moments after closing his eyes he feels the hand on his shoulder shaking him. Most of the others he has worked with would be shaking, but hes never gotten the shakes before today. He swallows heavily as he stands moving to slip out of the back of the truck. His mind quickly recalls the map as he breaks into a jog cutting through a thick stand of trees heading for the hotel that their target was reported to be in. As he runs his shaking hands slowly stop. Stepping through the smoke just on the edge of the trees he pauses waiting a moment before hearing the car starting up.

With a simple flick of his wrist flames dance around his hand as he pauses watching the car scanning the area realizing she might be near. "If your hear just step out and surrender. I..I dont wish to hurt you, but I must follow my orders." He swallows heavily as he intensifies his flame ready to blast the car thinking her to be inside.

"Like hell," she said, seeing the man, the flame was probably just a flame thrower, easily enough averted... She was in the car by then, looking at him from her rear view. Wanting to get him out of the way, she felt out, looking for a way to get him out of the way. That's when she felt it. He didn't have any weapons...

She blinked, was that really a man? She turned around in her seat and got a look at him, that... Was definately male... She pushed the door open, stepping out, looking at him more. "You're.. You're a guy..." Men weren't supposed to have a working gene, it needed two X chromosomes to work... She stepped away from the car, "What do you want?" Was he the reason her mother was killed? Her coven? She'd heard rumors, but she'd never thought the government had actually done it. It'd made a male Witch. As that thought passed in her head, she growled softly, searching out again. She would hate to do it, but... She wasn't going to end up like her mother. "If you think I'm going to their little labs to be tested on like some freak, you can think again, buddy."

A slow sigh escapes from between his lips as he sees her in the car. "Please exit the car miss." To emphasis his point he hurls a ball of fire that scorches the roof of her car. "I dont wish to hurt you, but I must bring you back alive. A soldier must follow his orders." His last line is said with no heart almost like a line practiced to much to be truly sincere.

His hand clenches shut into a fist the fire racing up to his elbow as she steps out of the car. He takes a few steps trying to keep her in full view. "I just want you to come along peaceably. No one else has to get hurt...please just come along." Swallowing again he takes a step towards her, hesitating at her declaration. His eyes close for a moment as he shakes his head. "I dont want to make this a fight. If you come along it wont have to go that far." He opens his eyes as he lowers his second hand as flames spread across the fingers. "Just lay down on the ground and allow me to cuff you."

"That's what they told my mother," she spat angrily, reaching out with her power, she didn't need to move like most with her power to actually move things, her mother's talent and brain passed very well onto her. She stepped back, however, reaching and grabbing a lighted lamp from a wall, jerking it out, it's wires snapping as the thing was flung at the fire wielder. A distraction, it turned out, as the car behind him - a nice new red Camaro, the poor owner - had it's brakes disabled, and was pushed his direction at good speed. After that work, she moved to get into the car, intending to drive it right out of there and away from him. She panted softly for the exertion and cursed as she knew what the growing headache was about as she managed to get into the seat, reaching for the ignition.

"Please dont make this harder then it has to be." His hand comes up as he flings a fireball at the lamp as it comes towards him. "Why...." Is words are cut off as the car hits him hard. His body rolls over the car shattering the window as he rolls over it his momentum carrying him over the roof to the ground behind the car. His right arm hangs limply his shoulder having been dislocated by the initial hit. His eyes are squeezed shut as he fights back the pain his flames vanishing. Slowly despite the pain beating in on his senses he stands recalling the flames albit weaker. "Why must you make it harder for yourself?" He hurtles a flame towards the back window of her car.

"Shit," she ducked as the glass broke, cursing as the fireball pushed glass into her arm, scorching the ends of her long dark hair. How did he survive that? She'd hit him square on! "Harder for you you mean! I'm the one that's going to get killed either way," she shouted at him, scrambling out of the car, it wouldn't provide protection for her anymore. "Shit," she cursed as she grabbed her bag and started running away from the hotel, glad of the forest trees nearby - better to take this where normal people wouldn't get hurt. Her feet padded softly as they ran along the pine, this was asking for a forest fire, she knew, but... She wanted to live. She didn't want to die. And from her mother's experiences, from what happened to her coven... That was exactly what would happen if he got his hands on her, she'd determined.

He coughs softly as he holds his arm watching her scramble out of the car. "Please dont run." He sighs softly as she does take off for the trees. A moment of pure rage washes over him as he hurls several fireballs into the trees trying to narrow the path that she can run along. Stumbling slowly he begins to follow her into the trees. He throws a few more fireballs into the trees his anger making them burn hotter. "You hit me with a car. Im only doing what a soldier must do. I follow the orders I am given." His feet stumble alittle more over the uneven terrain as he falls against a tree pain shooting throw his right side almost causing him to fall.

"Soldiers are supposed to protect the people, not lead them to slaughter," she shouted back at him as she was herded by the fire, coughing at the smoke. She moved dirt when she could to cover up flames to make a new path for herself, "I've got as much right to live as you do, you jackass! And I'm pretty sure I've got the right to defend myself when someone else infringes on my rights!" She kept running, barely able to keep up with the fire, before long, however, it overcame her, and she was having to move the dirt around her to keep it from burning her up. "Damnit... Shit!" She coughed more, trying to move the dirt now to clear the air around her as the smoke fumed about her. She whimpered, the smoke starting to get to her.

"I dont want to harm you miss. I just wish to bring you back as I was ordered." He swallows as he passes a tree on fire pulling the flames to himself extinguishing the fires. Letting out a slow breath he lets the heat wash over him finding it abit comforting. Pausing beside a tree he sighs softly the pain increasing as he coughs from the smoke glancing around again. "I dont want to kill you miss. Ive only aimed near you with my fireballs. I dont even want to harm you, but I do have orders. Please allow me to take you back." He coughs again holding his arm as he closes his eyes taking a few deep breathes. "Your the one who has tried to kill me remember?"

"What do you think they're gunna do to me when you get me there, huh?" She glared at his general direction, her blue eyes sparking in her anger. "Poke me, prod me... Cut me open like a god damned fermented pig, that's what," she growled at him through her coughs. She didn't trust him, she didn't trust anyone from the government. She coughed again and again, whimpering as the oxygen around her was slowly being consumed by the flames, only to be replaced with the toxic smoke. She shook her dark head, trying to clear the air around her but unable to move particles so small. "Damnit... Just let me go!" With that shout, she pulled the earth up and pushed it out, trying to get more room - more air - between her and the flames. The pine needles were pushed away from her, allowing her the short reprieve she took onto her knee, gasping at the small amount of sweet precious air into her lungs that she'd managed to get.

Her words give him pause as he hears her anger behind them. Swallowing softly he begins moving towards the sound of her voice once more. "I..I dont have any control over that." He coughs softly as he reaches out beginning to draw in more of the flames to keep the fire from spreading. Pressing his good arm against a tree he slides down slightly, his knees sinking into the dirt. "Why would they cut you open?" His question makes it obvious that his only orders were to retrieve her, while nothing else has been told to him. "I cant let you go. If I fail they will punish me for it." He pushes himself to his feet once more his pained steps sounding loud in the forest.

"What do you think," she told him angrilly, "Your a man! You think men just naturally have the powers you do? You don't! Your fucking government killed my mother to give you those powers. 'Unobtrusive procedures', they said, mom had so many scars it wasn't even funny when she came home." Especially when she died the next day. Internal bleeding, the coven doctors said. The bastards hadn't even bothered to stitch her up right. She might have had a chance if they had. She coughed some more, her oxygen supply failing again, but the pain in her head told her she couldn't use her power to gain air again like she had. All the stress... It was breaking her. She looked up as she heard him coming, glaring at him through the flames as they came ever closer, burning up the pine needles beneath the trees. If she fought now... She knew she'd be dead... If she went... Waited for the pain to stop... Maybe she'd have a chance. No... if there was one like him, there'd be others. She had to get away. She took a big and stinging breath before she jumped up and started running again, running through the flames, she brushed up dirt against her legs when they started feeling too hot. After a few moments, her headache got worse again, making her stop with a gasp, stumbling to the ground. "Dammit..."

Pausing as he sees her form in the smoke listening to her words once more. He swallows heavily her words starting to weigh heavily on her even as he tries to push it away. His training takes over as he clamps down on the emotions threatening to force his steps back the way he came. Knowing if he went back failing in his mission he would be punished some how. The Colonel had created new ways to punish the soldiers who failed him. He was determined not to be a failure on his first mission. Training once more kicks in for him as she takes off running his body reacting slowly due to his injuries as he takes off after her. "Wait. Please dont keep running." He summons the fire once more feeling the heat from the flames as he starts to tire. With a tired sigh he throws a small fireball aimed to sail just past her.

He didn't need to tell her to wait as she continued to cough, the smoke and her headache overwhelming her. It seemed her family had a knack for developing survival tricks. Her mother had stronger veins than the normal witch, letting her train harder and longer. And she herself could feel when those strong veins were getting strained. It stopped her from working as long as her mother had - at her age, her mother had been better - but, it also kept her from accidentally killing herself while training or fighting. She coughed more, trying to see the fire wielder through the flames, trying to figure out how she'd get away from him.

Ripping a piece of his shirt free he holds it against his face trying to filter some of the smoke out as he moves towards the sound of her cough. Pausing as he sees her form come into view. "Were both going to die if we stay inside here. I started the fires, but I cant control the smoke that it produces." He starts to move towards her slowly once more. He offers the ripped section of his shirt to her as he knees just a few inches from her. "Try putting the cloth over your face to breath. It doesnt keep all of the smoke out, but it does help some." He coughs as he watches her turning his head to glance around for a moment.

"Sonnova..." She coughed more, glaring at him even as she took his help. Her head was pulsing, she wasn't sure what was wrong... Maybe a weak point? She needed to wait and let it go away, let the artery heal. Which meant she couldn't fight. As a particularly bad cough racked her, she took the cloth and put it over her mouth to breath, holding onto him to keep herself upright. Her chest rubbed against his arm as she did, giving her an idea. But for right now... They needed out of the damned smoke. "Dammit... Can't you shut it the fire's down," she asked him, her voice muffled by the cloth, holding onto his arm tightly.

Glancing back over his shoulder as he coughs again trying to draw in more of the flames hoping to keep even more of the forest from burning. With her hand on his arm she can feel his skin get warmer for a few moments as he draws in the flames. Coughing harshly he begins to lead her out of the fire drawing in more of it causing him to stumble. "Im afraid Im almost at my limit. The car hitting me hurt me pretty badly." He nods towards his right arm hanging abit uselessly at the moment. "Drawing in anymore might cause me to expell more of the fire into the woods." He coughs softly turning away from her as he leads her towards the edge of the forest.

She coughed as he drew out the flames, making them go away by absorbing the energy of them into his body. She held onto him as he lead her out, leaning against a tree along the outer edge that wasn't on fire. "Shit..." She coughed a bit more, tears stinging her eyes from all the smoke. She breathed in the clean air deeply, licking her lips as she finished and looked at him. She didn't know what to think of him. Other than he was just a dumb grunt. She coughed again, spitting out some dark flem from the smoke that she'd inhaled. "That's why I hate Flames," she grumbled, feeling entirely too warm for such a time of year. She let the cloth fall from her lips, breathing in more beautiful air. Well, it certainly helped her head some, she determined, some of her headache going away. Not enough to trust herself though. She wondered idly what was going on up there.

He coughs softly turning to spit out some dark flem as well. "I wasnt intending to set the forest on fire. I was alittle angry after that car hit me." He glances around quickly looking for a landmark from the map he viewed. "Flames? What is that exactly?" Turning back towards her he takes a moment to actually study her having been to busy chasing after her to really pay attention to anything else. Reaching back behind his back he release a pair of cuffs causing them to jangle against his leg. "I still have to take you in miss." He reveals the cuffs as he steps towards her slowly. "Please dont throw anything else at me."

"I'd die quicker if I did," she said sourly. "Flames, Candles, it's what we call witches like you - ones who can start and control fires," she continued on, breathing deeply. She saw his eyes sweep along her shapely body, her round and full breasts would have been a bit more than a hand full for his hands and her belly was wonderfully trim and flat, leading down to a pair of welcoming hips and long legs. "Why don't you take a picture," she said as she noticed his gaze run along her, glaring at the hand cuffs. "You really think that those are going to keep me," she asked him, giving a bark of a laugh, "God... You really are a grunt!" Raising her hand to help her concentration, she held her middle and thumb fingers together and pulled them apart. And with that movement, the chain that attached the cuffs to each other broke quite easily. "They really need to make that shit out of better metal," she said with a grin. "I'll go with you. Just don't think badly of me when you end up dead and I'm on the run again."

He frowns softly at her words as she explains what a Flame is. "I dont think anyone has ever used that term for." He sighs softly as she seems to be angry at his examining her. A flush spreads across his face hidden partially by the soot on his face. "I didnt mean to offend you miss. The only pictures Ive seen of you were face shots. That way I could find you in a crowd if needed." Blinking slightly he lifts the cuffs after she breaks it. "You dont like making things easy do you?" He moves around her his eyes unable to help but glance down at her again to look at her long legs. He slips his hand around her arm starting to push her along slowly. "We need to get back so the doctor can set my arm back."

"Considering you fuckers are going to kill me... No, I don't like making things easy," she growled, holding her forehead as he looked at her, missing the eyeful he got. "You really like the 'make sure she doesn't get away' things don't you," she said, glaring at his hand before she went back to nursing her head. "Damn... Something's wrong," she said softly, wishing her head would stop hurting. Did she hurt one of the blood vessels in her brain? She wondered if it was possible to do that. All she ever knew was that if she pushed herself too hard, then her head started hurting.

"Why are you so certain your going to die? If they wanted you dead dont you think they could just give me the order to do it instead." His hand tightens on her arm as he keeps walking with her. Pausing as she begins to nurse her head his eyes suddenly full of concern for her. "Whats wrong with your head?" He lets go of her arm as his hand moves to touch her head softly. "We should try to hurry if your in pain. I can try to carry you if you would like?" He winces slightly as he starts to move his right arm moving to get ready to lift her up if she consents to it. "So if Im a Flame, what are you you then?" He swallows softly his concern real even if his orders conflict with them.

"Mover, duh," she told him, "And I'm fine, just been pushing myself too hard... Didn't want to hurt anyone not involved... And you're an idiot if you think that. They want me alive to study me, like they did my mother." She still could remember her mother coming home. Her father said it was a happy day once they got her cleaned up a bit, but all she could remember was all the blood and then her father breaking down when her mother passed away. At least the government didn't want her anymore after that. She didn't remember the happy bit at all. "Only good thing about her death is that the government backed off," she said, "Now they're killing us again."