The Fight We Crave (Android 59)

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SHE RAN. The wind rushed past her, her long white-blond hair dancing in the wind. Her arms pumped at her sides, booted feet hitting the pavement. She chanced a glance back, blue and gold eyes landing on the three men not too far behind her. A grin spread over her lips as she looked forward, putting in another burst of speed. The twilight-lit streets were just crowded enough to be an obstacle as she broke from the alley way. As she nimbly dodged around the surprised people, the men behind her simply bulldozed through. Shouts of anger and annoyance were left in their wake. A laugh bubbled up in her throat and she couldn't help but let it out. This was the most fun she had had since landing on this planet. The freedom. The danger. The hunts here didn't provide it—the animals even on the mountain too slow and tame compared to the fierce beasts of her home. But this...this was the battle she craved. The battle she needed. First step had been to get away from those girls, to lure the men after her. Check. Now? now she needed somewhere secluded. She crossed the street suddenly, heading for the park. Honks were sounded as drivers slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting her and the men. One car wasn't quite slow enough. She bent her knees, jumped, and vaulted over it. With as much commotion as she was causing, Sage wouldn't be surprised if the cops were on their way. Now that she knew what a cop was, after all. The Earthlings seemed to have a million different names for one thing. 

Sage darted into the park, the men hot on her heels. Almost there. Just a little longer. She ran harder, focused now. And....there! She darted into the cluster of trees before coming to a small lake. She stopped, using her momentum to spin, grinning. She was an interesting sight in her worn brown pants and black boots. Like the past few days, she had opted out of her cloak, scarf, and long sleeved shirt. Only her black tunic covered her upper body, the owl necklace resting between her breasts. Her hair was loose as her sword, Damarus, was strapped to her side. The three men slowed, stopping a few feet away from her. the biggest of the three—a bulldozer on two legs grinned darkly at her. Cracking his heavily tattooed knuckles, he stared at her hungrily. An angry scar ran down his cheek, adding to the thug appearance. The two men at his sides, both equally large with mirroring grins were no less cliche.

"Well, well, well.... all out of places to run, sweetheart," he drawled. The way he called her sweetheart made her want to clean her ears out with soap. Sage didn't move or speak. She remained in a semi-crouch, one leg full bent forward, the other bent up with one hand on the ground in front. She looked like a cat ready to spring, her eyes just as dangerous. Thug number one cracked his neck next, a sickening sound. But then again, he could breathe and she'd find him sickening. Only a little bit before, she had found him and Tweedledee and Tweedledum cornering two younger girls. All kinds of lewd things had been thrown from their mouths, suggesting what the girls could do for them. They two had been terrified, two wee lambs before three hungry wolves. Scratch that, the men were too disgusting to be compared to wolves. Sage had responded by throwing a rock at Thug one's head and suggesting all the ways they could go to hell. She honestly thought that it'd be harder to get them to follow her. It was pathetic, really. But, here they were and she was going to have her fun. Thug one nodded at Tweedledee. 

"Soften her up for me. But leave her pretty face, I want something nice to look at while I teach this bitch a lesson," he said, all cockiness and swag. Sage almost rolled her eyes. If I had a dime for every time I've been called a bitch. You think Earthlings would be more create. Oh well, a dumbass is a dumbass. With what she supposed was supposed to be a scary chuckle, Tweedledee came forward, fists clenching. She waited...waited... A foot away from her, he raised his hand. She grinned, and leapt up. Her foot collided with the side of Tweedledee's head, snapping it to the side. A started grunt of pain burst from him as he staggered back. Shaking his head, grin replaced by an angry sneer, he attempted to rush her. She dodged his fist, slamming her palm against the bridge of his nose before darting away. He howled as blood leaked from his now-broken nose. He came again, swinging widely. She ducked, spun, and dodged around every one. He bellowed and threw a fast punch. Stepping around him, she kicked at his back and sent him headfirst into the lake. With a smile, she turned to the other two.

"Next?"

[Deleted]

59 was missing his bike now more than ever, but his reason for it was not because he was tired No, it was only because arriving into town on a motorcycle seemed to be a lot more glamorous than walking into it. While there were many positive aspects of being what he was there was one that stood out, and that was the part about not being tired after walking for so long. Any normal person would have fallen on his or her face upon arriving in the city, but 59 just stood on the sidewalk and scanned the area for a place to stay. His journey had been rather long, but there had been no thoughts on what his next move was going to be. Obviously, finding a trigger for his memories was on his list, but there had to be more to his life than the endless search for his past. Perhaps there was a job that he could take up, but his only real skill was fighting which wouldn't be fair given his new advantage.

At that moment, it dawned on him that there were many things that he would have to learn to redo, and 59 was beginning to wonder if perhaps coming to such a large town with no real practice in controlling himself was such a bright idea. There were just too many things that could go wrong, and most of them ended with him accidentally hurting someone through the most mundane of tasks. The last thing that he wanted to do was become a public menace, so starting to take a step back his intent was to flee the city in order to go and retrain his body in how to do all of the things that he needed to do like a normal person. Theoretically, it shouldn't take him too long to accomplish such a task, but then there was the constant focus that would come after to make sure that he didn't slip up or anything like that but it would be worth it.

Then something happened that made him stop in his tracks. In front of him, there was a woman in front of him that was running from a group of men, and his instinct was to chase after them to make sure that she was okay. The only thing that kept his feet planted was his fear of doing more damage than necessary to them, but his own conscious kept him from walking away. An internal struggle between fear and honor was being waged in his mind, but it was a futile battle as there was only one possible choice for him to go with. Letting out a sigh, the young man ran in pursuit of the group of men, and he hoped that he wasn't going to be too late to make a difference.

As it turned out, his arrival was in rhythm with the woman bringing down the first of the three, and the way that she moved told him that she wasn't helpless. No, this girl was definitely a fighter of a caliber that was more than likely better than him, and getting a better look at her 59 wondered if these guys were as dumb as they were doomed. While he didn't have that much experience with it, anyone that carried a sword was someone that wasn't to be trifled with, and he was starting to think that it was the men that were in need of rescue. Naturally, a lesson still needed to be taught about trying to fight a woman regardless of whether she was helpless or not, so 59 ran forward and then slid right into one of the men that sent him sprawling across the ground.

When the man tried to regain his footing, 59 ran forward, grabbed a hold of the man's shirt and flung him into the lake where the first guy was currently at. "Sorry to jump in on your fight. I am sure that you could have handled all three of them, but I needed to test something and this was the first opportunity that I had to do it." Turning his attention back to the remaining man, a serious expression was displayed on his face as he crossed his arms. "How about you save all three of us the trouble and throw yourself in the lake. Sound reasonable to you?" The alternative option was kind of obvious at this point.

[Deleted]

She had surprised them. Of course, that wasn't new for her. In fact, surprising people was her forte. Thug One's grin twitched slightly as she stared at him. With a smirk, she brushed her long hair over her shoulder. "At least try and be a challenge," she goaded them. Before Thug One could bark out a response, Tweedledum fell forward with a cry of surprise. As he tried to get a up, a man from behind and grabbed him, tossing him into the lake. He landed with a splash—right on top of Tweedledee who was struggling to get out. Sage turned away from the spectacle in the lake to the man who had suddenly appeared. His voice was low and rough, a deep baritone. He was tall and well built with muscle that looked like it came from hard work—not the gym. His skin was a dark tan, a large scar on his chest in the shape of an 'X' predominantly displayed. His hair was sliver, a sharp—but pleasant—contrast to his dark skin. He wore leather from head to toe, with his jacket ripped up quite a bit. He was imposing and commanding in appearance. Despite herself—and the mental yelling she was doing—it took Sage a moment to look away and when she did, her cheeks felt slightly warmer than the rest. Don't you dare. Don't you even start, got that?! The sound of a click took her attention away from the man before her and to Thug One.

"Are you kidding me? Are you fucking shitting me?!" he spat his words, waving around the thing that had made the earlier click. It was a handgun, clutched in his meaty hand. He had backed up after the man had appeared, keeping both him and her in his sights. Now, while Sage was new to many things on Earth she was not new to guns. They had them back in Nor and even in her Court. Her father had had one and kept it locked up tight and away from her little hands. Her uncle's village had never had a use for them though, finding the weapons unnecessary to take down the wild beasts of the North. So as he spat of insult after insult, she watched the gun very carefully. Finally, spitting on the ground, he lifted the gun.

"Now, whose's first...." he said with a swaggering grin. He pointed the gun at her, moved it to the man, and then moved it back to her. "How about....you." With that, he whipped the gun to the man and fired. Time seemed to slow in that moment. She didn't think, didn't hesitate, only acted. Her boot suck into the soil of the ground, pushed off, and she dove at the guy. While for her it seemed like forever, that's not how others would observe the moment. To them, she moved as Thug One fired. An after-image was left in her place, one that dispersed as she reappeared beside the guy. Her shoulder slammed into him as she attempted to shove him out of the way of the bullet. Whether she was able to push him out of the way or not, the bullet wouldn't hit him. Instead, Sage felt a burning pain as the bullet sunk into the exposed flesh of her right upper arm. The pain was shocking, burning far worse than a sword or claw. The bites she had taken didn't even hurt like this. She staggered slightly, her free hand coming up to press against the wound. Her gaze turned to Thug One as he cursed and held up the gun again. Sage pushed past the pain and reached deep into herself, into her well of magic. Pulling up a small amount, she splayed the fingers of her right hand out. A ball of ice formed in it, sold and about the size of a softball. Before he had time to fire off another round, she whipped her arm out at him. The ball went flying, nailing him between the guys. With a groan, he fell back, knocked out. Sage straightened, turning toward the (handsome) stranger.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, worried. She kept her hand pressed against the wound, ignoring the blood that now flowed down her arm. She would heal, she just needed to get the bullet out and wrap it. But first she wanted to make sure he was okay, and apologize for getting him dragged into this. Not that she really did. In fact, people on this planet seemed intent on stepping into other people's problems and troubles. Especially when the fights were verbal and apparently in this case, physical. Still, she would apologize. He did almost get shot after all. And maybe she would learn his name. If he didn't run off like the previous young boy she had met.

"I'm sorry to get you dragged into all of this."

[Deleted]

The man's response to 59's ultimatum was to draw a gun on them, and whether it was the sight of the gun or the click from the cocking mechanism a memory took hold of his mind. One second, the armed man stood before him, and with a flash he was standing in the middle of a ring with another fighter coming at him. No, the fighter was charging Jace. This was the last tournament that his former self had participated in prior to the accident, which probably explained why everything was moving so slowly. It was like his mind had it playing at half speed so he could take all of it in, but this wasn't the time to dwell on something that had already happened. There would be more time for that later when the woman was no longer in danger.

Pulling himself away from the revelation, his focus returned to the man who was altering who he aimed the gun at, but eventually the choice was made to shoot 59. Naturally, he assumed that whatever was done to him had made him able to take a bullet with no problem, so the young man braced himself for the inevitable impact. Surprisingly, something did impact with him, but it was to his side and much larger than he had anticipated. Sliding across the ground, there was a moment where he pondered if this was just another memory taking hold, but then he recalled that the last two had flashes accompanying them so it had to be real. Since none of the guys were in a position or in the mood to save him, that left one person who could have done it, which brought a fear to his mind about her safety.

Picking himself up off the ground, 59 turned in time to see the woman deal with the armed man by conjuring up a ball of ice, which she sent to a spot on the body that even he had to admit was a cruel place to inflict an injury. Although, an iceball to the nether regions was a light trade when compared to a bullet through the shoulder, so his sympathy for the man quickly subsided. What didn't reduce any was his curiosity behind her attack, but that could wait until after they sorted through the mess they were in. This was when he noted the blood trickling down her arm.

Naturally, a twinge of guilt filled his mind, which was born form the fact that he had stood there instead of doing something to keep her from thinking that he needed to be saved. After all, that was his job in this situation, and it was one that he failed to complete. Walking over to check on her, 59 opened his mouth to ask her how she was feeling when she beat him to it once again, and he was beginning to see a pattern forming.

"It seems that I should be the one asking that question," he said while staring at her wound. 59 was going to have to get her to a doctor to have that injury treated,and he hoped that she had a better idea of the area than he did. Otherwise, they were going to be the oddest looking couple asking for directions in the city, but now that he thought about it they would have probably been that without the bullet wound. "And don't apologize for my own choices. If anything, I'm sorry for letting you get shot. Carelessness on my part." More accurately, it was his mind's part, but that would lead to a long story which they didn't currently have time for him to dive into.

Glancing at each of the men, none of them seemed like they were going to be putting up much of a fight any time soon, so the android was going to ignore them for the moment. "How about we focus on getting you some medical attention for your wound? Losing that much blood can't be good for you," stated 59. His mind also thought about the possibility of infection and that the police were probably on their way if someone reported the fight or at least the sounds of gunfire, and neither of those paths were what he wanted to get interwoven with his. "So do you know which way the nearest hospital is from here? I only just arrived in town a few minutes before chasing after you."

[Deleted]

Her eyes moved upwards as he came over to her, his height causing her to look up to see him. As he spoke, she looked over him quickly, not seeing any visible injuries. She opened her mouth to object to his words, but closed it again. One thing that seemed to transcend planets was male pride. And it seemed like the men on Earth all possessed a hero complex. She was sure that she could argue that her getting shot wasn't his fault, but who knows if it would have any affect. In the meantime, her arm was continuing to burn and pulse with that pain. She had never been shot before and it was such a different pain. She adjusted her hand, the blood underneath it making her grip wet and slippery. Pain lanced through her anew and Sage visibly twitched, wincing. He was right about that, she did need it taken care of. Conceding, Sage nodded.

"Yeah, that may be a good idea..." she agreed. At his next question, she shook her head, smile faltering. No, she had no idea where a hospital was here. She didn't even know where to look or what it might look like when she got there. Back home there had of course been a hospital in the main city, but she had never been. And the doctors of her villages had both worked out of their homes. At least, that's what she saw when she went to them. It didn't happen often—usually the cause of her scarring. Sage looked away from the man in front of her to the three they had dealt with. Thug One lay groaning on the ground while Tweedledee and Tweedledum were little better in the lake. Shouts from the park were starting to get closer. Maybe it was the police or other citizens. She hadn't exactly been discrete while running through the streets and the gun had echoed when it went off. She glanced at him and then over to the park where the shouts were coming from. It was then that Sage made a choice. Concentrating, a layer of ice formed over the wound under her palm. It wasn't a good fix, but it would stop the blood flow for now. She dropped her hand, the frozen patch of ice glinting in the soft sunlight through the trees. Rubbing the blood on her palm off on her pants, she took his hand.

"Unless you want to answer questions, follow me," she said with a grin. If he let her, Sage then tugged him along, moving through the grove of trees beside the lake. The park was huge and thanks to her roaming's, she knew every inch of it. She stuck to the less traveled paths, making sure to avoid people when she could. The shouts were louder now back where they had come from and Sage was glad to have avoided it. She had met one officer in her time here—a large pastry-smelling man who was more than a bit cowardly. Since then she hadn't heard many good things about getting involved wit them. Sage had no way of knowing if that was really true or not, but she'd rather not find out. After a couple minutes, she dropped his hand, standing beside him.

"I'm Sage, by the way," she said, glancing over to him. He was an interesting character, a lot more rough than any she had met before. Her mind wandered back then, thinking about the strange people she had met here. The was the man in the mountains—Ethar—who was part Noran and fancied himself like some kind of knight. Then the unnamed boy in the park who was rather jumpy, and the other one—Ethan—who had shown her such kindness. Then of course there was the older man and....odd...woman who that early morning in the park. mentally, she sighed. Earth has proven to be quite the ride.

"Thank you for helping me again, and I'm glad you didn't get hurt," she said. She stopped as they came to the gates of the park, looking out onto the busy street. Somewhat nervously and embarrassed, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her bloodied fingers leaving a small smudge of red on her cheek.

"So.... do you know what a hospital looks like?" she asked.