A Long, Long Time Ago... (Lori/Sam)

The sunset upon the horizon as Sam gazed out from eh tree he was currently nursing his latest mission wounds from. A dislocated shoulder and a few gashes, which were poorly covered up with his spare shirt, he always carried around if something like this should happen. Despite the beautiful view Sam felt disappointed and empty in side, why was it that this mission was so hard for him? It was his third night in the wilderness and his second night making an attempt to break into the cabin.

Going over his mission briefing in his head once more as it was out of habit by now seeing as he had been at this job for a few years and perfection was a desired trait less he would be missing few meals. Not to mention a very angry handler and Sam didn’t like that one bit. Looking from the sunset to the cabin once more Sam sighed, it was in plain view but every time he reached out to it the same guy was there to kick his teeth in. This time his teeth happened to be his shoulder. One thing for sure this was defiantly the place.

The mission was simple as all missions were, stop the bad guy but once the details were taken into consideration it became more and more complicated. These details seemed more difficult every time he looked at them. Stop the leader who is supposedly residing in the cabin; keep him alive and the cabin intact, including all of the contents not to mention the guards that might be mutants or might not be. So far the only thing that Sam could confirm was that one of them was defiantly a mutant. It was obvious once the man breathed on him hence the beating.

According to the information the cabin was a drug trafficking hide out or something, he didn’t know much about drugs other than what they are made of and how to make them, putting something like that in your body didn’t appeal too much to Sam but then again, Sam was a superhero!

Looking down Sam spotted a small cherry red cigarette on the pathway to the cabin. Something else Sam didn’t think to highly of, a decent sniper could spot a lit cherry a mile away and his job wasn’t big on neither mistakes nor second chances for that matter. Holding out his good hand Sam looked at his person and smiled despite the beating he took two nights in arrow he still looked like some sort of stray tattered clothes small cuts and bruises on his legs and arms and now the large gashes on his body. If anything he looked like a stray who got lost in the woods and saw a cabin that could possible be full of food.

Costume aside as the lit cigarette approached Sam became more and more curious and decided to take a closer look at the new female passer by. Quickly and quietly Sam hopped from branch to branch making sure not to misstep and fall on his bad arm seeing as the shoulder was still dislocated and resetting it while he wasn’t in a tree wasn’t the best idea. His feet icing up slightly with each branch he stepped on so he would stick opposed to slide was an effective way to tree walk. However whenever a branch was weak enough if any ice hits the branch there was always a chance it would break under the cold and weight, which was exactly what happened.

Hoping from one branch to the next Sam miscalculated how big the branch was and it gave way under the cold and the young boys weight. “Oh…” Sam said as he went from the tree branches to spinning in the air to flat on the ground landing on his dislocated shoulder. “OWWW!” whimpered Sam as he held his arm and rolled to his good side and held his dislocated shoulder tightly as he realized that he fell on the path that the woman was walking.

Through the wincing Sam saw the woman who was walking towards him and for some reason he wasn’t afraid of her, granted a woman in a cheerleader outfit holding a small stuffed animal wouldn’t be to scary but even with the dislocated arm and small gashes he wasn’t to worried about her, one reason was because well she was small, the other he couldn’t place but the fact that she was very pretty didn’t help add to her overall scare factor. Sam’s eyes trailed upon every little detail of the woman, first her white sneakers all the way to her face, her hair, her eyes, everything about her screamed pretty all except for the thing resting in between her lips.

Scowling slightly at the cigarette in her mouth Sam didn’t saw anything, if she was anything like Agent Jackson his current handler Sam would have gotten hit if he said anything about the butt in her mouth. As she flicked it away Sam let out a relived breath that was interrupted by a face full of smoke. Coughing slightly Sam looked up to the girl and said nothing. The mission its self entailed secrecy and right now just being seen was breaking that major detail of the mission.

"You going somewhere kid?"

Sam said nothing but nodded that was all that needed to be said for the moment, he was going somewhere where that place was he felt was fairly obvious seeing as the only building around this area was a cabin. His eyes trailing from the woman’s face down to her hand Sam knew what she was trying to do, reluctantly he took her hand with his bad arm and clenched his teeth as she pulled and Sam pulled until his shoulder was set once it was he let her help pull him up.

"C'mon. Let's go."

His gaze shifted up slightly seeing as she wasn’t much taller than him and he bit his lip not sure if the next move would be looked upon greatly in his handler’s eyes. “I’m…Sam” he said in a somewhat unsure voice, normally he would be blowing out confidence but seeing as he was already a day behind schedule with his mission and the fact that he was just helped by a civilian and was now talking to her he was feeling a little unsure of his choices over the last few days. “Why are you dressed like that?” Sam asked curiously as he looked at her hiked up skirt once again not sure why she would be wearing what she was wearing around here.

She didn’t stop her pace, which was fine with Sam maybe she could get him closer to his target. He already been to the house twice now, both times he was met at the cabin by a cold man and a heavy set fellow. The cold mans face was blue and he had a touch a weird touch one that hurt when all he did was poke you. Guessing he was a mutant Sam wanted to keep his distance from the man but on the second night when he was sneaking around the zap man didn’t get him but a man with a funky breath did get to him while his back was turned. Mister Jackson is going to be so mad with me… thought Sam as he reviewed all the mistakes he made on this mission, if he didn’t look like a hungry homeless child he was sure that they would have killed him already.

"Why are you all beat up?"

Sam returned her sideways glance as they headed for the cabin near the peak of the hill and at the end of the dirt trail, which was littered with small roots and even smaller anthills. He didn’t say anything just yet but continued to gaze at her face committing her face to his memory, starting with her eyes then working his gaze down to her lips. Her face was a pretty one easy to remember one that he would soon be able to recall if Jackson wanted him to point out who saw him.

" It's shut up or put up, kid. You answer my question and I'd answer yours."

Turning his head back to the trail in defeat for he didn’t want to answer the question Sam remained silent for the rest of the trip, which only took a few minutes. His stomach tightened slightly as he stared emotionlessly towards cabin. Today was the third day he saw this cabin up close and if he had anything to say about it; it would be his last day here. Even if loved the outdoors he still longed for the classes and the training, even if he wasn’t the best in the fieldwork he was the best in the classroom and on the mats.

"Let me do the talking."

Nodding his head keeping his mouth shut but his eyes open and his ears listening for every little sound waiting to see if it would tip him off to the zap man who numbed his body before. Giving a small jump as the woman who didn’t give her name pounded on the door Sam’s heart beat started to race as he bent his knees slightly getting ready to attack the one who opened the door. Picking up on the voices Sam was sure it was the Zap man that was about to open the door.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder Sam’s attention was brought from the door to the woman he was standing with. His knees were no longer as bent as he looked up to the woman who was now sporting some friendly eyes. He didn’t know why she seemed to excited to be here but he hoped she wouldn’t being staying for long because he was a hero and there was no way he was going to hurt a girl to get to the target. Another questioned popped into his head as the door slowly opened what was in the rabbit that he now held?

"What do you want?"

Sam’s heartbeat suddenly started to skyrocket, as he was ready to lunge at the zap man to bring him down but unfortunately the woman who handed him the rabbit had other ideas. Caught unawares Sam tripped on the doorframe and tumbled into the cabin keeping his face behind the rabbit as he was now face first on the ground. Why is she so mean? And what stuff is in the rabbit? he asked himself as he placed one knee on the ground and then slowly looked over to see the zap man standing a few feet from the door and the lady’s feet in the door frame.

As he was about to get up and kick at the mans knees breaking them in the process he felt the wood flooring shake as another set of feet were entering the room. He calmed himself down with a breath as he saw the face of the target then it hit him… the man he met the night before who had breathed on him… the man was one in the same. The reason Sam couldn’t place the portly mans face was because the man’s breath was so intoxicating.

“Special delivery?” asked the target as he entered the room with a big grin on his face, “Special indeed” he let out a small laugh and walked closer to the door where the zap man and the woman were standing.“Why don’t you stick around for a little fun, maybe try out the…” looking over to their feet through the bunny’s arm Sam could feel the mans cold eyes on the rabbit which was directly in front of his face. “Bunny?” he let out a small chuckle, “Well no matter as long as it’s the stuff.” He smiled to the woman once again and grinned as he looked back to the bunny, “The kid however isn’t mine, the runt has been peaking through our garbage or something looking for some table scraps… filthy homeless rat, found nothing but a few beating from us, but seeing this is the third time we are about to meet I might as well teach you a harsh lesson seeing as the other two didn’t stick.”

“Tommy be sure to put him out for a bit, we can have our fun then we can kill him…” Sam tensed up telling the footsteps moving towards him and in a quick movement Sam kicked up the rabbit towards the man and went for the small knife in his boot but didn't have a chance to pull it out seeing as the zap man already had a finger on his hand which numbed up his entire body causing Sam to fall to the ground his eyes wide open and motionless.

His vision blurring slightly as his chest heaved up and down each breath slowly restoring his strength. His fingers twitched slightly as he tried to focus on his powers, already breaking the rules he was supposed to subdue the man but if it came down between him and the target Sam had no problems cutting the man down, he a criminal and Sam was a hero or so said Agent Jackson. Sure he would be scolded but it was better than the alternative.

His ears no longer ringing from the way he landed he could hear the cheerleader trying to save his life, why would she try saving him? He wasn’t worth anything to her, even as slave labor, why was she trying to save him? Maybe she to was a hero someone who he could be a friend with, she after all was trying to save his life. But if she was a hero why did she have the rabbit full of the he was now sure of was drugs. Maybe she was working undercover, maybe she already works for T.A.T.M.A.H. that could be the reason she didn’t tell him her name, it could also explain why she was trying to save him.

His attention remained on his thoughts till he say the man that numbed up his body approach the cheerleader, “n-n-n-o!” muttered Sam his tongue trying to move to make as much sound as possible, even if she was in TAT there was no guarantee she was a mutant, she could just be a human, nothing more than a damsel in distress. Gaining control of his eyebrows as they lowered into a glare, his fingers twitching slightly as Lori fell to the ground like him, why was she involved she was a nice person why were they capturing her as well.

“G-e-t O-f-f…” Sam muttered again as one of the men’s feet walked over to her and he could see them tying her hands behind her back. ”OHH, looks like the kid needs a little more juice huh?” Sam watched as the man named Tommy walked from the woman and placed his hand in Sam’s line of vision only to see the hand be placed at his neck. Only to knock him out for a short time his senses remained turned off due to the numbing sensation through out his body.

The sound of water dripping woke him, one, two, three, slowly but surely the sound of water dropping into a larger body of water Sam could feel the cold ground under his body, the smell of mold and something else filled the air, he couldn’t be sure but it was a burning smell like something was being cooked or just got done being cooked. Closing his eyes and smelling the air he determined that there was a small whoosh of air coming from a small gap from under the door where the dim light pierced through the small prison he was in like the way a flashlight lights the shadows.

He was sitting up his back leaning against someone as his hands felt through the darkness, they were tied but he could still move his hands, being so young he was still thankful for the flexibility he had acquired over time. Felling around he felt something warm and somewhat firm his face went red as he continued to move around the area he had first touched, it was cotton, or something to the like, it was a fabric at least his hands continued to move till he felt a pair of hands slightly lower than his, the two sets of hands were tied intertwined, “Sorry” Sam whispered as he leaned back apologizing in advance for accidentally touch the woman’s leg or butt. He couldn’t tell from the angle he was in but tried to push the thoughts from his mind.

Leaning back again Sam tried to release his hands from the rope but only managed to let out a small grunt, as the rope seemed to tighten around his hands, he couldn’t be sure about if the woman’s rope was tighten as well but he decided maybe that wasn’t the best way to release himself. Calmly Sam asked the women, “ummm, are you okay?” he hoped she only had if at all a small injury.

The cheerleader didn’t answer him but rather ran off with a string of curses. Reluctantly Sam listen to these words knowing that they weren’t nice ones, a frown touched his face as he decided what was the best course of action, what would be the best move for him to make, not longer was the woman a witness she was a victim and by his reasoning he was able to save her though he wasn’t really sure on protocol after he saved her, would he have to kill her? No Sam didn’t want that, she had tried saving him and showed him nothing but…kindness, yes that was the right word for the situation, he wouldn’t kill her or turn her in she was a ghost, she was never here to begin with, she was a ghost an illusion and she wouldn’t be in the files when he took his target back to headquarters.

As the cheerleader spoke more than a few curse words Sam was relived to know that she was okay, but as she continued to talk the more she seemed frantic and nervous, “Ummmm…” Sam said trying to get her attention, “We could try that…. Or I could just as easily do this…” Sam focused on the rope around his hand as the room they were in began to cool rapidly the constant drips of the water started to turn to small drops of ice till the small puddle of water froze over, “just relax…’ he said reassuringly hoping that the woman didn’t scream and alert the men that they were up and moving.

The rope around Sam’s hands froze over with ice till it became brittle enough to shatter, looking down at his own legs Sam moved then this way and that and was relieved to notice that he had no injuries what so ever below the midsection. Above the midsection however was bruised and sore and for his face, he could tell that it was slightly swollen around his lip, he defiantly took a beating recently and his nose was dried with blood. Not worrying much about this Sam spun over and faced the cheerleader whose hands were still tied and her back facing him. “It’s going to get cold for a second…” said Sam calmly as he formed a small ice blade over his hand.

Putting a hand on the woman’s wrist so he could actually tell what he was doing in the dark Sam focused on her wrist then the rope around it, the small ice blade on his other hand quickly ran through the rope without much resistance, a fact he normally would get praised for, not a lot of things could hold him still for a long period of time. The rope now dropped onto the ground Sam let go of the woman’s wrist and then asked her, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

She tensed when his hand became cold even though he told her to remain still she was most likely uncomfortable around him. The rope was cut and as soon as she was free he she grabbed him by the shoulders and he felt his small body shaking to her slightly larger one. She wanted a knife of ice but he never produced it before for anyone other than himself, seeing as he could handle the cold but… shrugging and nodding slightly Sam did as he was asked, she after all tried to save him from another beating. Focusing on the palm of his hand the ice around his hand fell apart and re-gathered into a small blade with a smaller handle one large enough to wrap a lone hand around but that was about it.

She took the knife and was off only after trying to give him a reassuring speech. A small grin appeared on his face as he nodded and said, ”Right!” in a soft enough tone so she could only hear it. He didn’t know how to explain it but she seemed to give him an extra boost of confidence an extra boost of strength if she wanted something done all she had to do was point and Sam was there, she was after all a hero like him, someone who does the right thing.

Watching as she knocked out a man and as he fell to the ground Sam blinked slightly as she continued, why didn’t she finish it he was a bad guy and he needed to be put down for good. Jackson said all those associated with the target would have to be terminated and she just walked away from him. Following the cheerleader towards the stairs to the upper floor Sam looked around the small lab they were in and nodded only after sending a small ice shard across the now knocked out mans throat. Orders were orders and he had to follow it to a T all the associates with the target were to be terminated.

Pushing his way past the girl in order to protect her Sam hopped on the stairs and quickly bounded up them the sound of the old stairs barley being heard till he reached the top of the stairs that was blocked by a large iron door. Looking under the small crack of the door Sam didn’t really see anything till he used a smaller blade of ice as a mirror. Three guards right outside the door and one of them was the smelly tentacle man that knocked them out in the first place.

Looking back to the woman Sam held up three fingers and pointed to the general direction they were in before following it up with a meek ”Tentacle” so again only those closest to him could hear him. from there he waited to see what she wanted to do.

Without a chance to stop her, the Cheerleader ran past him and opened the door doing as much damage to anyone as she could. Sam however waited by the stairs for a minute or two do gauge just how many were in the room. The way the door slammed someone was behind that though he doubted they get up any time soon with how she crushed the door on him. She was on top of another and the tentacle man… that was three that could be seen and as long as a gun wasn’t fired off he didn’t have to worry much about anyone else entering the room.

His attention no longer shifting around the room he focused on the cheerleader who was in distress… again. It suddenly occurred to Sam why so many American movies always had a woman in distress for one reason or another; they were based on real life events. His mouth remaining shut Sam’s hand iced over in a blade of ice that cut through the tentacle releasing the man’s hold on his heroine there was no way she would be hurt on his watch even if it meant failing the mission.

The ice blade continued to fall downward onto the man that the cheerleader was currently sitting on top of. Piercing flesh and digging into the wood floor under him the man let out a howl of pain as warm blood trickled out from the shallow wound that Sam instilled on the man. Shallow yes, but enough to cause him to bleed out if he should tug away from his blade of ice.

Quickly detaching the blade around his hand and leaving the rest of it lodged in the man’s shoulder and the ground. Sam turned quickly and pivoted on his feet forming another blade of ice pulling it up in a defensive stance in front of his face ready to protect himself and the cheerleader because she was clearly not trained to handle a knife.