Trapped in Tunnel (PG-13)

Seconds later, Neal opened his eyes; they were now standing in a dark underground portal. Tall city buildings looked down on them from every side.

Without thinking, Neal followed Kelly Andre Sharp inside the tunnel. They rushed towards it, checking every few yards that they were not being stalked or observed. Toads inside the tunnel stopped their shrieking as suddenly as they started. Now the only sound was the crackling of the dry leaves and muddy soil beneath his sneakers and -- "Kas?"

Where are they? The place had kept the moonlight in the corner of his eye. But now he couldn't see it.

"Kelly? Hey Kelly!"

No reply.

Neal trusted Kelly too much, following him, trapped in his own morbid thoughts. And now the place grew darker. At least until he could see the moonlight again. Or until he could find any light.

How far Kelly and Neal had wandered? What direction was Kelly going? Did he really know this place?

He turned around. Then turned around again, still gripping his flashlight. Nothing but blackness.

Silence.

Last edited by Neal Patrick Ackerman on Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:15 am; edited 2 times in total

In the dark, aimless tunnel; Kas was slinking ahead in the direction he thought was away from the cops. Sometimes it was a challenge to be sure- the absence of sky and light was disorienting.
So were the thoughts running amok in his head. Feelings of deja vu, memories of a small room with no windows, no light, no hope.
For an uncertain amount of time, Kas was standing frozen still, only vaguely aware of a fat, cold drop of sweat rolling down his spine as he stared wide-eyed into the darkness.

"Shit!" He hissed quietly after who knows how many times of Neal calling out. He wanted to smack himself for blanking out like that.. or smack Neal for being so loud. His head was beginning to feel like it was going to explode.

"So do you always get into trouble like this?"

Kelly could only wonder how Neal would have handled the situation without him. It probably wouldn't have been pretty, that much he was fairly sure of.. though they weren't safe yet.

The flashlight went off. "SHIT!" Neal smirked, tapping his flashlight against his thigh. Neal had no choice but to generate pulsing bolts of lightning.

And in a second, where was Kas?

And where was he?

He took a few steps forward, then turned around.He followed his beam of light through the curving tunnel. Sound of rushing water. He took few more steps, going forward. He moved his sparkling hand in a circle. He was spinning. Or the ground was spinning?

STOP!

He took determined steps, careful but determined, walking in straight line, the water splashing loudly beneath him.

"Kelly? You hear me?"

He stopped. But the splashing continued for a few seconds. He spun around. "Who is it?" No one answered, Had he just imagined it? It sounded like footsteps. He started walking again. Someone was there, he knew it. He swung his hand around, moving it slowly in a wide ark. No one. Was it Kelly, rats, toads? He dint know. Was one else lurking in this six feet deep incision?

Neal tried to keep his breathing slow and regular. He knew somebody was coming closer. It was going to be close. There was no way to avoid some fight. Neal hoped it was not Kelly who would harm him. It would’ve been better if Kelly had killed him a while ago than let the story unfold like this. Neal never liked to be betrayed. He'd watched a friend die but he never learned murder was more than okay. It was not pleasurable.

Dying, he’d thought about it many times but it never scared him as much as at this moment. Religion wasn’t a cornerstone of his life, but probably when he passed, hell would be waiting. What pleas could he make to God? He or She would shake his or her head sadly. Neal could imagine God’s voice, loud, booming, thundering and stern. "Boy, Boy, have you ever read my top ten don’ts?"

Or have Neal ever open a Bible and attend a mass, He didn't know. Maybe. He just couldn't remember. He just aware that at this time of his life, he had been lost, afraid, and alone in the world. It was easier to join chaotic life in the streets than to obey some rules and restrictions. Maybe he didn’t understand devotion.

Mage started walking faster. The footsteps of the guy in front of her also came faster. Mage was up on the balls of her feet, trying to tiptoe away, while the guy was trying to run over the impossibly wet ground.

"OHHHHHH!"

Her head and legs ached. She’d stopped for nearly few seconds. Hits drained her anyway. There was the tedium of preparing for the capture. Every detail had to be figured into the perfect moment. The adrenalin built during each phase: the planning, the stalking, the entrance and the capture. When it was over and her heart stopped its mad race, she was spent.

One of his fellow Morlock had once referred to it as a sexual high. She thought it an odd comparison, but to some, it must feel like that. To her, it was a quest to fulfill another mission and make her family happy. Another chance to earn an alliance, catch an intruder and then earn an approving nod from her mates.

At one time, she had found it exciting, tasting the moment when she’d attack an intruder or a potential alliance or sometimes, she'd just freaked them out. A flash, sometimes a half-scream and it was over. The rush was gone and she’d report back in to her boss.

Her job wasn’t like working at the bank. It wasn’t like she could turn in a two week notice, so she concentrated on the positives. Her job didnt involved any money but there's a terrific feeling of being above everything, the law, human beings, everything. In the end, it all boiled down to doing what she knew and this was what she’d been trained to do since he decided to be an outcast.

Finally, Mage was just right behind Neal. She grabbed Neal's shoulder roughly and kicked his sparkling hands.

In the blackness left after Neal's flashlight died, he stayed frozen still, not even taking a breath.

Kas had no idea that here underground housed the outcasts of outcasts. The mutants who weren't pretty enough to fit in with the established cliques and the Institute lived here; in the subways and sewers, which were all connected. Even they had to band together, if for no other reason than to survive.

While he'd been worrying over someone following them down from the surface, Kas hadn't realized there was already a stalker in their midst, until Neal's electric flickering drew his attention. There were sounds of footfall in the dark, but they echoed off the tunnel walls, and he couldn't determine where to look. Neal asked if he was being heard; but Kas gave no answer, too paranoid now to give up his location. He could feel the breath of two people. Someone was right there, so close..

Then he heard a dull thumping sound, and everything was black again.

It was a very rare thing for Kelly to experience fear. He'd been conditioned since birth to be a machine, capable of carrying out orders without letting feelings complicating anything. Like all people, though; he wasn't perfect.

"Don't fucking touch him! Just back off, and I won't have to crush you like a beer can!"

He still didn't know who he was talking to, or where they were, but Kas was working a bluff and hoping whoever it was skulking around in the dark would take him seriously.
The effect was highly diminished here in the underground, but Kelly turned on a sort of vacuum around himself. Swirling downforce spiraled around, pushing down and away, and moving the dry old leaves and layers of dust away.

With less panic and more of a low warning to his voice, Kas addressed the unnerving blackness again. He couldn't keep this up long. His head was pounding like a bass drum at a Sepultura concert.
"There's no reason to attack us. We're just trying to hide out here! Leave us alone, and we'll leave in peace."

Someone in the dark kicked his hand. Neal tried to twist free. But the hand held tight, squeezing his shoulder harder as he struggled. He realized he was gasping for air. The sharp pain from his shoulder was spreading down his arm, down his side, down his entire body.

The grip on his shoulder tightened. He felt hot breath against his cheek.

His mouth was dry. He needed to swallow. Hell, he wanted to hurt someone. His heart began beating as it did when he worked, hard, fast and determined. Survival instincts took over, forcing him to react instead of waiting for pain. In one motion, he generated a lightning bolt.

Neal finally saw the face of his attacker, she nearly beamed as he readied to hurt and torture him. The act made him glow.

With one desperate surge of strength, he pulled himself out of the suffocating grasp. He lurched forward and sent a gust of wind. He heard Kelly's voice. Without knowing the area, he had few options. He ran until he saw a large hole in tunnel wall, that turned to the right. It was a small hole. Neal took it and backed in there, sparkling hands ready to hurl another lightning bolt.

Mage bagan to stumble. She was out of balance. She raised her hands to grab the guy. But there was nothing to grab. She was sitting on the wet ground, in a deep, foul-smelling pile of junks. "SHIT!" She muttered.

Adrenalin kicked in and she ran again. Blood streamed from her fingers. "What? Where did I get this?" He whispered to himself. She couldn’t hear his footsteps. He might’ve already saw her chasing him and hid. He wouldn’t
risk another close catch. She needed to track him wherever he was.

Behind her a twig snapped. She spun around. The he heard a man shouting. She was completely exposed here, trapped between these two men of the outside realm.

"WHO ARE YOU?! What the hell are you doing here?!" The Mage exclaimed.

It wasn't polite to hit a lady, but there were times he thought about it.
Flailing around in the dark was just a bad idea, besides. Neal's lightning a short distance away made him see nothing but spots. Despite the fact Kas had found his source of illumination again, it wasn't helping him much.

"Just fuckkin stop, okay?" He snapped, aiming the dim backlighting of his phone ahead, and squinting. It seemed to Kelly that the walls of this tunnel were closer every time he managed to see them.. and now Sparky was gone.

"I didn't know there was anyone else down here, but hey.. You found this absolutely fascinating place first. Just look out for the idiots chasing us." Kas grumbled impatiently.

As one hand rubbed his temples, Kelly tilted the black smartphone around to glance at the time. The fake cops could have gone by now, or decided to stake out the surface and wait for reinforcements. Or they could just be really stupid, and try sneaking up in the dark. That didn't seem so terribly concerning at the moment though.

"I told you not to touch him, y'know."
Kas sighed and started to look around, taking the light off his other worry at the moment. If this curiously strange woman was going to seize the chance to attack him, then so be it. Kelly let his arms fall at his sides, giving up on using sight in this place and conserving his dwindling battery power.

"We are just here to hide!" Neal shouted. "We come in peace." Neal stopped suddenly, startled, thinking about swamp or tunnel monsters. He must admit, the face of the lady was scary as hell. But then, it took a minute to realize over there was pretty well nowhere in particular.

Neal was still in the hole, peering blankly into the concealed unknown ahead of him. It seemed nobody was moving.

The faint beam of the moonlight at the top of the tunnel ceiling outlined the smoky shadows drifting down and slipping out. The heat and smoke combined with the angry whine, making him decide to wait for better light.

He waited, spending the time thinking what might the lady could possibly do. The thought didn’t soothe him. He couldn’t wait any longer, he walked, signifying he was ready to attack. He’d do anything to convince the lady that they were not enemies, but if she insists, then  Neal had no choice but to fight her.

He killed a few more minutes with the thought. The smoke didn’t let up but the sound of the vehicles above fell off to less than intermittent. The silence cheered him. In a world of no mercies, neutrality made him happy. No noise meant no friction, no heat, less chance of her exploding into flame.

"SHOW YOURSELVES!" The Mage exclaimed.

Eden wasnt certain why these city guys chose to hide inside the tunnel. Didnt they know that rats, toads and insects are the usual tenants here? She glanced at her right side. Junks were everywhere. A crossbow, an axe and a knife hung on the tunnel walls. No wonder Mage never had friends.

How could she bring friends here?

And being friendly, she’d never been good at that. Her fellow Morlocks hadn’t helped things. On Mage's 25th birthday, she’d invited a woman of her age who accepted her and considered as a friend, to celebrate a party inside the tunnel. Of course, being a Morlocks her guests consisted of paupers and creepy creatures. All of them had taken to Eden and didn’t like the thought of some human in her life. She never found out which of the Morlocks had threatened the woman, but she made a hasty exist before the food was served.

The Mage must’ve been so lonely growing up with no one to openly talk to. She never attended school. By the age of twenty, she was with the Morlocks.

"Why are you hiding?" The Mage asked. "Oh let me guess, you're being chased by the Purifiers in black suit? Or by the M.R.D.'s phony cops? Or by the mutants of Factor Three?"

"One of those, I guess. I'm not familiar with who's-who of the haters in this city." Kas shrugged, answering in his usual monotone to the dark. He had a voice that could put people to sleep, when he wasn't speaking out of anger or fear.

"They are persistent bastards, though. I would keep your strength for surprising them.." As opposed to fighting with himself and Neal. "We're all in the same boat here, anyway. They're only after us because they're sure we are all dangerous, yeah?"

Somewhere in the blackness, he thought he heard Sparky yelling something.. but as quick as he tried to hone in on the sound bouncing off the walls, it was gone. He glanced up and back at the entry to this charming little 'cave', and flinched. The flashing red lights made his head throb even more.

"We're not here to hurt you. Unless you want that. Personally, I'd rather save all the hurting for the guys who were shooting at me."

Neal heard the woman's voice. A quick look and he saw two silhouettes. He heard Kelly's speaking. He cast another look and suddenly he hurled a lightning, setting the junk nearby into fire as it's light washed over him. He walked towards them. He felt stiff and awkward. He knew he had waited too long for nothing.  

"So you know all those bastards, huh?" Neal asked. "Actually they all want to get us! They all tried to capture us a while ago at Time Square." He steadied himself against the wall. The water flowed down the tunnel hallway.

For few minutes, Neal remained silent. He glanced around and felt pity for her. Why was she living here? In this mist of not quite interesting, Neal could see himself. It was as if his soul had become bored and vacated his body. He watched the dirty water flow, and the rats scattered around.

He looked at the lady, he fit in, she didn't deserved this place to live in. Neal didn't knew why the humans treated her as an outcast. "Hmmm... wait a minute. Dont tell me she is also a mutant? Oh Lord, why this world is so cruel! I am tired of this bullshit!" This was it. His mind grew numb.

Neal hoped soon he’d wake up with his family and a house in a countryside. It wouldn’t be so bad. He wanted a normal life, but when did this become normal? Had he seen too much to find happiness, experienced too much to find contentment in the everyday?

"There are bunch of haters there." Magel looked up the celing instead of Kelly.
A hit would be called and everyone would’ve seen those hater as a strong group. Mutants could die in the street like a mongrel.

For a moment, she frowned, imagining she and his fellow Morlock in the fetal position left in a ditch along a dirt road. She always imagined Ms.Scarlett Hawthorne or Prof. Fremont Wolfson handling the hit. Those craps might even pop them on the toilet. Their naked smelly ass exposed for all to see.

She wondered if M.R.D. and Purifiers wouldn’t have done an unauthorized hit. There might be unemotional about business. It was amazing their look professionals and educated. Years ago, educated people would never have been used on delicate assignments. They hadn’t missed yet.

"This tunnel is not mine so I have no rights to order you to leave. So you may stay here as long as you want."

Kelly sighed profoundly. He'd lost his nerve already, his desire to fight. There had been occations, in the past, when combating another of his own kind was necessary. Now he was glad to hear it wasn't.

"Thanks, lady. I think my mistake has already cost you enough, though." Wearily turning back to the direction they'd come, he had to blink the stars out of his eyes. Even a little flame was bothering his senses right now.

"I should go and see if they are leaving or planning to ambush us."
All of the smoke from Neal's trash fire welled up in the ceiling of the tunnel began to crowd to one spot overhead. As Kas started walking back, it followed him.
Had the circumstances not been so grim; the boy with the cloud hovering over his head might have looked comical.. Like one of those cartoon portrayals of someone in a bad mood.

"Stay here with her, Sparky. I'll be right back."

His voice and footsteps disappeared as the smoke suddenly dipped down, surrounding Kas. The density of the air wouldn't allow sound to escape; and sight was nigh impossible in thick acrid smoke. It was a good defense, and he hoped it would be enough to get the jump on any attackers. Kas wasn't used to working with others, or he might have thought the better of leaving the other two and going alone.. Though in this tired, frazzled state; reasoning was becoming a great headache.

"So do you have any companions here in this tunnel?" Neal asked. Something in the corner caught his eye. Someone ran. She started toward it when he saw foot prints. Wet foot print outlined where feet should’ve been. "Well I see, you have..."

"Anyhow, about those haters? Well yeah, I know some of their dealings, especially this religious group called Purifiers. They believe we are under the curse just because we are different! I know it because I was once a little friend of Purifiers... till I discovered that I am also different."

Neal just smiled when Kelly excused to leave for a while. He was busy murmuring his thoughts silently.

Living a life with mutant powers is not living under a curse. Those who are under curse only pertains to the people who are seeking and wishing pain and suffering for others.

Mutation was not necessarily the result of evil forces, this was the primary lesson Neal had learned. This Purifiers claimed they were God-fearing and bible reading folks. Neal thought of Christ and his disciples. Didn't they exhibit similar mutant powers, like predicting the future, healing the sick, reading  people's minds and even walking on water? So why think of such mutation as evil?

Make the most of it and use it to benefit and help other people and humanity in general.

But still, one needs to accept and realize that throughout this journey, one cannot convince everyone that mutants are not really evil and dangerous. All mutants can do is to see their life and be an encouragement!