1600 Gryphex
Tommy lunged at the door on Geoff's command. It held for a fraction of a second, then yielded to the force of his attack. Boomer followed him through the door as Bear took up a stance in the doorway, watching their backs.
Boomer took one look around and growled. "Take him out Tommy," he yelled as he moved to help Joey and Davy.
"Easy," he urged to Joey as he took hold of the rope. "I've got it," he promised. Joey nodded with relief, and bowed his head with a sigh.
"Drones," Bear warned from the hallway as an electric surge was fired down the hallway.
"Bear?" Boomer called, as he concentrated on the battery and cables.
"Shock, charge," Bear answered with a gasp as he rolled into the room. "Heavy stun."
Boomer nodded as he removed the cable and eased the weight off the rope. Bear was still talking, that meant he was okay.
"Like to play with electricity?" Tommy growled as he held the man over his head. "Have fun!"
Boomer turned in time to see Tommy throw the man into the hall. The drones must have tracked the movement because the hall was once again filled with electricity. The room filled with the smell of ozone.
"Tommy, see what you can do about the doorway," Boomer yelled. "We aren't going to be able to get through those drones."
Tommy nodded and picked up the remains of the door. "Well, that's not going to be much of a help," he muttered as he looked around the room for something to stop the drones.
"Bear?" Boomer asked worriedly as he noticed that the shaman hadn't moved.
"Be fine, catch breath," Bear gasped.
Boomer nodded. Bear wasn't kidding when he said heavy stun.
"Okay," he stated as he finished removing the cables from the battery. "Joey, you okay?"
Joey looked up at Boomer and nodded as Boomer cut his ropes. "We'll get you out of here," Boomer promised.
"Davy?" Joey asked worriedly. Boomer could see the fear and pain in his eyes.
"Just relax," Boomer urged as he moved over to his brother. "Davy?" he asked softly.
"Get Joey out," Davy urged as Boomer cut him free. Once Boomer cut the ropes, he found himself supporting Davy's weight. "Shit," he swore as he tried to keep Davy upright.
"Ready to transport?" Tommy asked.
"Davy' won't make it," Boomer answered bluntly as Davy stared out into space, lost in his own pain. "Get Joey and Bear out of here."
"No," Joey stated as he pushed himself to his feet. "I'll take care of Davy, you take care of those things."
Boomer looked at Joey and felt torn. The urge to protect Joey was strong, but Joey himself had proven his family loyalty. Boomer bit his lip, then nodded. "Just stay back and let us handle the fighting."
"No argument," Joey rasped as he staggered over to Davy and helped support him.
Boomer nodded then moved back to the door. As he did a stray charge whizzed past him. "Shit."
"Boomer?" he heard Geoff call over the comm-link.
"Geoff we got trouble, where's the support?"
"They were waiting for Duck," Geoff answered. "Rico's trying to take over the drones now, just hang in there."
"We have no door, Bear's down." Boomer reported. "And there's no way we can transport Davy."
"How bad is he?"
"Bad," Boomer stated softly. "real bad."
"Joey?"
"He's better, but what they've done to them," Boomer answered angrily
"How bad?" Geoff asked woodenly.
"Lets just say they pissed off Tommy and leave it at that," Boomer answered. "Let me know when Rico comes through."
"Move back people," Tommy growled as the stun charges started arching into the room. As he moved he all but tossed Bear to the side of the door.
"Tommy, what have we got?"
"Big," Tommy answered. "I'd say Mark IV's but I could be wrong, at least three of them."
"Four," Bear managed to groan as he forced himself up. "I counted four."
Boomer looked at Bear and gave him a lopsided grin. "Leave them to us, See what you can do for Davy."
Bear nodded and shambled back towards Davy and Joey. "Watch those charges," he warned.
Boomer nodded as he looked over at Tommy.
"Boomer, what are you doing?" Tommy asked him as he pulled out the demolition charge he had removed from Eclipse's van.
"Improvising!"
Tommy shot Boomer a worried glance. "You know, I really hate it when you get like this."
"We have to do something," Boomer answered as he looked back at the others worriedly. "Cause if Rico can't get a handle on them soon, its up to us."
"They won't get near them," Tommy promised softly. "Not even close."
"Easy Tommy, " Boomer urged. "Don't go doing anything that's going to involve me scraping you off the walls."
Tommy looked at him and smiled. "Aw, gee, didn't know you cared."
Boomer gave Tommy a sideways glance and shook his head. "And you hate it when I get like this?"
"That's different."
1615 Backer Brothers - Makeshift Control Room
Geoff listened to the radio as Boomer and Tommy discussed their next move. He knew things were going to be tight. He'd known Wayne and Tommy long enough that the sillier they got, the worse the situation was. He checked Rico's monitor and tried to figure out how things were coming.
"Geoff, you there?" Boomer asked. "Tell me's he's sent those badboys for pizza."
"Not yet," Geoff stated as he read Rico's narrative. "He's got some security layers he still needs to get through.
"Give me a headcount," Tommy ordered as he looked around the room.
"Come again?"
"You said Duck's got two of them, Rico's got one, we tossed one, that leaves three by my count."
"Shit," Geoff swore. "Watch yourselves."
1620 Gryphex
Bear took a deep breath and concentrated on his heartbeat, slow, steady, internal drumming. 'Find the strength," he told himself as he let the drumming pull him closer to himself. 'Follow the drum,' the sound was fuller now, accompanied by a chant. He took a deep breath as he fought off the effects of the stun charge. Then he turned his sight towards Davy. In his mind he could see the damage. His heart was weakened by the constant abuse. The drummer was offbeat. Out of synch with itself and the world around it. He reached out to it humming the song he heard. Calling it to join in the song and be whole again.
The heart shuddered. It wanted to join, but it was trying to fight itself, its own weakness. Bear showed it the dance as he called the strength and power to him. His hand burned as he reached out once again, feeding the heart the power it needed. Teaching it the song.
He hesitated as it tried to dance, then settled down into the rhythm of the song. He allowed himself to smile as the drumming filled him to the point he wasn't sure where he ended and the song began. He followed the drumming as it let him through the pain and into the healing place. When he was sure Davy was well enough, he reached out towards the other heart-- Joey.
Joey's sorrow and worry weighed him down, but Bear could tell, he had not been spared. No, they would torment Davy by hurting Joey. That hurt was as bad as the pain they had inflicted bodily-- if not worse. They knew how to twist the knife, now it was up to him to turn it around.
Bear drifted, leading the two hearts through the world around them, spinning, entwining, the dance of life, the dance of healing. They were one, and Bear showered them with joy. Then it was time to return. The drumming had changed, now was not the time. They would finish the dance later, when it was safe. He followed the drumming of his own heart as it guided them home.
"We will dance again," the song promised, and he knew the song would not lie.
Bear looked around as he slipped out of the dance that had called him. As he looked around he winked at Joey who was staring at him in awe.
"That was," he stammered as he tried to find the words to explain the experience.
"All we can afford for now," Bear finished "How's Davy doing?"
Joey looked at Davy who looked back at him and nodded. "Better," Joey answered. "Better."
"That's good," Bear managed to mutter as he tried to push himself up and failed.
"Bear?" Joey asked worriedly.
Bear nodded at him again. "Too much strain," he explained. "Be fine in a little while," he added as he noticed the worried look in Joey's eyes.
Bear managed to turn as Boomer yelled a warning. "We've got 3 more unaccounted for," he yelled. "How y'all holding up?"
"Great, just great," Bear growled as he once again tried to push himself up.
"Bear?" Boomer called worriedly.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to be much use," he answered as he once again sagged against the floor. "Any word on Rico?"
Boomer shook his head and grinned. "I think he had to stop and ask for directions, Just hang in there," he urged.
Bear nodded as he tried to get up again and failed again. "I don't think I'm going anywhere," he managed to groan.
"Bear..." Joey gasped as the ceiling tiles overhead started to buckle.
Bear followed Joey's gaze and forced himself to react. "Boomer, gun," he yelled as he rolled away from the wall.
He caught the gun, but could barely hold onto it as he aimed at the ceiling and waited. He forced himself to concentrate as the ceiling tiles crashed down next to him. He fired as he saw the glint of gunmetal pointing towards them. There was a grunt as one man came crashing through the tiles.
Bear groaned as he forced himself upright and scanned the area. "One down," he called to Boomer.
"Watch it," Boomer called back, we still have two unaccounted for."
"One's Doc Waters," Joey added.
"You sure?" Bear growled
Joey nodded. "He did something to Derrick," he added as he looked around.
"We got him," Boomer assured him. "Kenny got things taken care of." As he looked around he noticed the haggard look in Bears eyes. "How you holding up?"
Bear managed a lopsided grin. "Just don't ask me to dance," he muttered, then added as he looked around, "No sign of the others. I can't feel anything, but right now, I wouldn't want to rely on that."
Boomer nodded. "Davy stable enough for transport?"
Bear looked around then checked on Davy and Joey. "Good to go!" he stated
"We're going to need more clearance," Tommy growled. "The drones are too close. We've got to get some distance between us and them before we can risk transpo..."
"Its never easy is it?" Boomer yelled back.
"Not by a longshot," Tommy answered, then yelled back to Bear. "Just hang on back there."
"Geoff, how's Rico coming on those drones?" Boomer called into the comm-link.
"He's almost there," Geoff answered as he looked up at Rico's screen. "Almost..."