Now…Akshay was not afraid of kinky things. Hell, he even dated a woman who cosplayed and believed that she was really possessed the soul of a 1,000 year old vampire (he met her online!), but this was totally different than what he thought it would be. The second he felt those teeth sink into his neck, an eruption of pain (not pleasure as he had seen in movies time and time again) shot throughout his body and nearly made the young wordsmith pass out. He struggled, he shoved back, but quickly he was losing his strength thanks to the vampire lady’s terrible bite.

But just as he felt the darkness pushing in around his head, there was a sudden sound of movement. Before he knew it, the female vampire jerked her head up, hissed and gave a throaty growl as she was forcefully removed from leaning down upon him.

Akshay could not see what was happening, considering that he was lying flat on his back with warm blood seemed down his neck and soaking his shirt. The few times he tried to lift his head, a combination of pain and queasiness caused his head to flop back down. He tried again and again but, in the end, appeased himself by simply lying there and accepting that he was not moving. God he was tired.

When the vampire screamed and he heard the sound of her poofing into ash, Akshay breathed a sigh of relief.

>> "So. Still fun?"

At first he didn’t say again. Whether he was contemplating her question or angry or terrified, he didn’t know. All he did know was that he was tired and his fingers barely twitched. But after a second or two, Akshay grunted as he reached into his pocket and removed his cell phone again, which he managed to stash as the vampire was dragging him to the roof. Gently he pushed the record button as he raised it up and began to record himself.

“T-This is Akshay Malik. And I’ve…just been bitten by a vampire…” he turned the camera to record the bleeding wound before panning back to his face. He then grinned and giggled a little. “Suck…on that…Newman Ledge…”

He still laughed for a bit until he heard the sounds of footsteps crunching on the rooftop somewhere nearby. He turned his head just enough to see several vampires, standing there, looking rather demonic and curiously at them. Akshay eyebrows raised as he glanced down to Maya.

“I think you just pissed them off,” he said as he quickly tried to scramble to his feet but collapsed from lightheadedness.

Sensing weakness, the vampires hissed and charged…

>>“T-This is Akshay Malik. And I’ve…just been bitten by a vampire…Suck…on that…Newman Ledge…”

Whoever Newman Ledge was, he was not going to get a minute of this. Maya frowned, glancing at the advancing vampires, the guy on the ground, and the bow lying next to him. She could have just frozen the program... but it did not like he had learned his lesson yet.

>>“I think you just pissed them off,”

Then again, he did not seem able to move either. Damn.

Maya sized up the distances and the situation in one glance, and she moved the same time the vampires did. She sprang to her feet and dove towards Akshay, dorpping the last minute as the first vampire pounced and flew clear over her head. Rolling over Akshay's back she reached out; arrows clattered on the ground except for one that was already flying towards a vampire by the time she rose again on one knee.
Maya was quick. The vampires were quicker.

Even though one of them just went up in a puff of ash, they were still advancing. Maya took down another then ducked again, rolling away from Akshay; she did not time to let another arrow fly so she just jabbed the next one in the chest.
This was the point when the one that had pounced over her came back from the other direction and sank its teeth into Maya's shoulder.

Sh*t, Ami's gonna kill me.

Maya cried out and landed face first on the ground, bow clattering away from her grasp. Well, damn.

Things were too fast for Akshay to really grasp his understanding of it. He as he tried to hobble back towards Maya, suddenly Maya was running directly for him. Then the sounds of vampires everywhere were echoing in his ears and, the next thing he knew, Maya flung herself above him, causing him to tumble back to the ground with a gasp. He was tired, his neck hurt, but all this was just far too badass to really feel bad about any of it! As he stumbled back onto the ground, he looked up as Maya sprang into action!

One vampire gasped and was ashes!

Then another vampire gasped and was ashes as well!

She was fighting like a lion! Like a pretty lion in a superhero suit! Like a pretty lion in a superhero suit who carried a bow and arrows!

It was easy to say that Akshay was clearly impressed by the young woman’s finesse and skill in the heat of battle. Unfortunately it was only able to carry her so far. Before Akshay knew it, Maya had gotten surprised. A vampire caught her off guard long enough to send her bow flying and knock her effectively to the ground. Quickly it sank it’s teeth into her shoulder and caused her to shriek out in much the same way that he himself had done when he was bitten!

Yeah, apparently every movie he every saw about a vampire’s seductive kiss was a bald-faced lie!

Though he was tired, Akshay could not just leave her like that. Before he realized how stupid of an idea it was, Akshay snatched up one of the fallen arrows. It was stupid, it really was. But he was thinking too much of every vampire fighter he had ever seen! Buffy, D, Anita, Abraham Lincoln, he would make them all proud!

“AAAAIIIIYYYYYEEEEEEE!!!” he shrieked as he ran straight for the offending beast. Leaping onto the vampire’s back, Akshay screeched as he raised the arrow up high…and brought it down with all his might onto the back of the creature.

…

…but no ashes happened.

The vampire seemed undeterred and kept biting onto Maya while Akshay pulled the arrow out and drove it back into the monster. Again…no ashes.

“Damnit! Where’s the heart on this bad boy!?” he yelped.

Stab! Stab!! Stab!!!

He missed over and over and over again until finally he arched it just enough to graze the heart of the monster. It gasped, screeched and exploded into ashes that fluttered all around them in a tiny cloud. Askahy stumbled at the sudden disintegration and glanced over at Maya, breathing heavily.

“Y-You alright?” he asked with genuine concern.

There was some more yelling and then a scream...? And some stabbing happening somewhere above her. Finally the weight of the vampire was gone and Maya sat up, coughing ash.

"Freeze Program."

The image of half a dozen vampires pouncing on them froze, shimmered, then disappeared, and they were sitting on the floor sourrounded by scattered bow and arrows. Maya grimaced and touched her hand to her neck. Yup, the damage was real. Whoever designed that program anyway?!

"You say awesome one more time and I'm gonna lock you in here" she glared at the guy, slowly climbing to her feet "C'mon I'll take ya to the infirmary. And give me that phone."

Akshay was exasperated. He really did not think it would be that hard to kill a vampire. They make it look so easy on the big screen. Just a poke on the chest and boom, they’re gone! But apparently it is much harder than it looks. It took Akshay several stabs to get rid of that vampire and now, all of a sudden, he was on the ground, next to Maya, eyeing the army of vampires that were getting ready to swarm all over him. This was suddenly beginning to get just a tad more difficult than he originally thought it would be.

Still cool nonetheless!

But as he cringed back, gripping the arrow in hand and ready to go down fighting, suddenly that irritated voice rang out next to him…

>> "Freeze Program."

Vampires were in mid lunge, the clouds that wafted through the sky paused, even a bird that was flying by completely halted in its movements. Suddenly Akshay was staring at a scenario that existed out of time. Slowly this world dissolved again until both he and Maya were sitting on the floor, of the large, empty space, that they had walked into the first time. It was like everything that had occurred, hadn’t, and it was erased from existence. But as Akshay reached up to his neck, he winced. Apparently the wounds were very real.

Eyes wide, he grinned as he looked at the blood on his hand. “Awwwesso—“

>> "You say awesome one more time and I'm gonna lock you in here…C'mon I'll take ya to the infirmary. And give me that phone."

“Huh?” he blinked as he stood up. “OH sure,” he beamed as he pulled out his phone again and handed it over. “Can you like, take a snap shot of me standing here? Totally look cool!”

>>“Huh? OH sure. Can you like, take a snap shot of me standing here? Totally look cool!”

The guy was bleeding from the neck and he wanted his picture taken. It took all of Maya's self-control not to punch him in the face. Instead, she pocketed the phone and picked up her weapons.

"I'll be keeping it for now" she stated, walking to the doow with one hand on her neck "Ya'll get it back once the videos are gone. I can't let you take pictures or videos of anything around here. It puts people in danger, and it's nobody's f*** business anyway."

Leading the guy out of the DR, she turned around to look into his face "So, if you want everyone to be safe and happy, including Emerald, you'd better not blog your little heart out about this place. I showed you trust because you are a mutant and because of her, do not make me regret it."

>> "I'll be keeping it for now…Ya'll get it back once the videos are gone. I can't let you take pictures or videos of anything around here. It puts people in danger, and it's nobody's f*** business anyway."

Akshay’s pose deflated a little. Wow, that language was a bit harsh wasn’t it? And hey, she was taking his phone! That was not cool. If she had said that she did not want any of this to be recorded or photographed, all she needed to have done was tell him when they first walked into this Danger Room. Instead she waits until after, when he is already bitten by a rogue vampire, and bruised from his encounter. It was like she was trying to kill him the whole time and just didn’t want any witnesses or evidence about it.

…nah, she couldn’t be that diabolical. It was probably just his imagination. Still though, her tone was a little combative, wasn’t it? All he wanted to do was snap a few shots, upload it onto his computer, and post it for the entire world to see. Didn’t seem like that big of an issue.

>> "So, if you want everyone to be safe and happy, including Emerald, you'd better not blog your little heart out about this place. I showed you trust because you are a mutant and because of her, do not make me regret it."

Okay so maybe it was a big issue. Akshay didn’t think that Emerald would get hurt but…wait a minute…why would she get hurt with him blogging about this place. It is not as if Emerald actually knew about this mansion, surely she would have told him or given him the tour herself if she did…right? Akshay shook the thoughts away as he follow Maya out of the room.

“Hey, wait,” he said as he caught up to her. “Why would Emerald be in any danger? She’s never been here…has she? Do…Do you know Emerald?”

Guy was a bit slow on the uptake. Maya watched him process all that she had just said and waited patiently (as possible) for the coin to finally drop. Kinda, sorta. With a parachute.

>>“Hey, wait, Why would Emerald be in any danger? She’s never been here…has she? Do…Do you know Emerald?”

"Yeah." she nodded, one hand still on her neck, as she turned and walked out the door, trusting the guy to follow her before he got locked in "She's my sister."

Take that, funny guy.

>> "Yeah…She's my sister."

Akshay tilted his head. Sister? Emerald had told him that she had sisters but he had seen pictures of them, none of them looked at all like this woman here. Was she lying to him? It was quite possible. But as he followed after the badass woman with the bow and arrows, a memory of a conversation began to poke at the back of his mine. She said something…about a girl…named Maya…

Maya was her close friend! She just hadn’t seen her in forever! A spark of happiness, awe, and joy flashed across his face. He had yet to met anyone truly close to Emerald since everyone was either an enemy or were far away from her. Maybe she was embarrassed about him? He would have to tease her about that later.

But, returning to the moment, he grinned as he jogged after Maya and chuckled as he swiftly too her hand (whether she offered or not) and shook it enthusiastically.

ShakeShakeShake!

“Now I remember!!! Emerald did mention you!” he beamed as he shook her hand nearly off. “It is SO nice to meet you! I’ve always wanted to meet one of Emerald’s friends! So glad we got to finally meet!”

>>“Now I remember!!! Emerald did mention you! It is SO nice to meet you! I’ve always wanted to meet one of Emerald’s friends! So glad we got to finally meet!”

Maya looked down at the hand that was still shaking hers as if he was trying to break it off, then back at the grinning face.
Mentioned her...?

Using the grasp on his hand he yanked Akshay closer with the sole purpose of getting into his face. She had learned that in the good old days.

"Not that sister." she said calmly "I am not the nice, friendly, nice-to-meet-you sister. That's Ruby. Or Sapphire. I am the 'If you ever, ever hurt Emerald even a little bit, I will hunt your sorry ass down with all the skill you have just seen, and show you pain that will make you regret you have ever been born.' That sister. Do I make myself abundantly clear?"

>> "Not that sister…I am not the nice, friendly, nice-to-meet-you sister. That's Ruby. Or Sapphire. I am the 'If you ever, ever hurt Emerald even a little bit, I will hunt your sorry ass down with all the skill you have just seen, and show you pain that will make you regret you have ever been born.'That sister. Do I make myself abundantly clear?"

Akshay…blinked…

Then blinked again...

Then he grinned.

“You…are SO goddamn adorable!” he beamed.

Anyone else probably would have run from the looks that Maya was giving off, the castrating fire of her eyes should have been enough to make any man shrivel and curl up into the fetal position. But, apparently Akshay Malik was simply not other guys. Though he was usually scared to get involved in altercations, Akshay believed himself to be a good man with good tendencies. Whether or not other people believed that about him, well, he simply didn’t care.

Though he was staring at a young woman, whom he was slowly beginning to understand wanted nothing more than to stick his head on a pike outside of Emerald’s house as a warning to all other people, he could understand her warning. She was protective, he got that. But he was not going to get scared off for being accused of being the type of person he simply wasn’t.

Akshay had a good heart. It was not something he ever wanted to flaunt, but deep down he knew he was a good man. Whether other people believed that, well, that was up to them. He couldn’t make anyone do anything they didn’t want to.

“Listen Maya,” he said as he disengaged himself from her grip. “I get you want her safe, I do. But I do care about her, a lot. So I really wish that you will eventually rest assured that I don’t mean her any harm. You can either accept that or don’t, that’s not up to me. I came here in friendship, and I’ve been friendly to you the whole time, I have no ulterior motives or objectives. It’s up to you if you see something there that simply isn’t.” he shrugged. “Choice is yours, my friend.” He walked past her, headed for the stairs that would lead back up to the mansion. “OH!” he beamed as he turned back around to face her. “Your skills are good, I don’t doubt that. But after seeing what Emerald can wolf into, being beaten bloody by a man with massive hands, fought against a much of militarized bank robbers, and against slug people, you really don’t scare me. So please, stop trying? It won’t make me like you any less.” He beamed a bright smile of friendship again and stared to climb.

>>“You…are SO goddamn adorable!”

Maya blinked. Oh no. Oh hell no he. Did. Not.
Just call her adorable.

>>“Listen Maya. I get you want her safe, I do. But I do care about her, a lot. So I really wish that you will eventually rest assured that I don’t mean her any harm. You can either accept that or don’t, that’s not up to me. I came here in friendship, and I’ve been friendly to you the whole time, I have no ulterior motives or objectives. It’s up to you if you see something there that simply isn’t.”

And she blinked again. That was a long time to go without blinking. Long enough to make angels weep.
Ulterior motives? One did not even need those! He was a guy, that was bad enough. Gawain knew that from experience. It was not about thinking or motives. It was quite the exact opposite of that.
What made the grinny guy so high and mighty all of a sudden anyway?!

>>“Choice is yours, my friend... OH! Your skills are good, I don’t doubt that. But after seeing what Emerald can wolf into, being beaten bloody by a man with massive hands, fought against a much of militarized bank robbers, and against slug people, you really don’t scare me. So please, stop trying? It won’t make me like you any less.”

Oh, he did not know the half of it. Slug people?! Really?! Was that the best he could come up with?! After Chtulhu, and Bloodfang, and a freaking volcano, this guy thought he was all high and mighty because he fought slugs?! Puh-lease.

Maya stared as the guy disappeared up the stairs, her hand still covering the wound on her neck.

"... I f*** hate this guy."