Dont abduct me I'm Welsh!

Impact


“Impact in 5, 4,” Nearwen’s voice surprisingly was quite calm, that that of an automaton, tuned in to the ship with total focus. The Rhi’Arran knew that look, he saw it often in his own reflection – pure grim, determination. The elf warrior did not need to hear the count down to know that impact was imamate, he could see the dark body of water quite clearly below them and could hear the warning alarms sounding around them.. “ 3, 2,” He closed his eyes, and prayed that it was deep enough “1.” Valdagerion slammed in to the consol in front of him. The ships lights gave one protesting waver before going out, as if knocked unconscious, all the systems going blank. The ship dove deep, before popping back up like a cork. With a gasp like one braking from water Nearwen flipped a switch, and the ship began to sink back in to the dark water, rocking and shifting as air bubbles raced past the port holes as the ship sank slowly to the bottom. And then Silence.

A series of groans echoed in chorus, as the shaken elf’s realised that they were still alive. A bit bruised and battered, but alive. The ships hull groaned in accord. The systems all came back on line after a moment, flickering to life almost reluctantly. Most of them had been thrown to the floor by the impact, but the only elf who was injured was Nearwen and that proved to not be very serious, a bit of a bump on the head, and a small cut above her brow. The sound of the hull grinding on the bottom warned them just as their slow decent came to the end, the ship settling on the bottom.

“Not the best landing.” Darrah said.

Nearwen shot him a darkling look, “If you can do better, you can prove it. This is an unfamiliar ship, and there’s no proper port or the guides to use. I got us down in one piece.”

“Well mostly.” Darrah sniped.

“Damage report.” Valdagerion ordered, wanting to prevent his hot tempered sister and his dark haired friend from arguing, they had enough problems as it was. Crash landing on an untamed planet, with possibly hostile natives, avoiding Imperial intervention, and somehow in amongst all of this he had to find Mary. It was not going to be easy. At least with the ship so deep below the waters surface, they were not going to be found by the Interceptor’s scanners any time soon. Nearwen sighed and went to the consol, hands wide upon it her face relaxing, eyes closing. Valdagerion moved over to Rillian, who was scanning the surrounding area.

“Location?”

A holographic map appeared at the wave of Rillian’s hand. The whole galaxy. With another wave he shrank down. “Third planet from the star, about 195 per from the galactic plane on the fourth spur. Planet known by inhabitants as Earth, or Terra.”

A small blue and green ball shimmered in to view. “Locality view impose, location search, set ship as centre point.” Rillian commanded.

The view shrank in, the ship collaborating Rillian’s scans with its own navigation banks mapping the rugged landscape. “Nearwen did a good job.” The warrior said. “The lake she landed us in is not far from the Porthway I picked you up from before and about a mile from the old standing stones and Porthway of Cerrig Duon we used to use as a trading post.”

“Good.”

“Do you think the girl will be there?”

“I don’t know.” Valdagerion said. “But it’s a good place to start.”

“And if she is not there?”

“Mary told me that her home was not far from where we found her. She also told me that the humans have a primitive system that is a world wide information resource. Darrah thinks we can use it to find her.”

Nerwen had finished her scans and came over. “There’s a few systems down.”

Valdagerion sighed. “Can they be fixed?”

“I’m not a technician.” Nearwen replied haughtily, but when she met her brother’s arctic gaze she hastily added. “But I will do my best.”

Perran standing near by smiled. “I have always serviced my own equipment; I should be able to lend some assistance. Darrah too.”

The Rhi’arran nodded. “I have the upmost confidence in all of you.”

The threat of imamate death now over, and the all too familiar ache somewhere in the proverbial heart area had returned. Before it became intolerable the elf knew that he had to be up and doing. He could barely contain himself, for the first time in weeks he felt alive again. Mary was somewhere on this planet, somewhere on this land mass, and he would find her.

Rillian was already pulling on his helmet, and checking his field equipment. Valdagerion found himself going through the same motions. It was training, years of discipline, of service. The elf prince looked at his friend sadly, Rillian had been an excellent warrior one of the best – and now he along with everyone else who had come with him was dishonoured.

Rillian looked up. “What’s wrong?”

“It is nothing.”Valdagerion shook himself. “Thank you old friend.”

“For what?”

“For coming with me, although this is not your fight.”

Rillian’s brows raised in surprise, before a wry grin twisted his thin lips. “Either you hit your head on the way down?” His grin winded. “Or the human has made you soft.”

Valdagerion snorted, and shook his head. “Let’s get going.”

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“Good night.” Mary smiled to the receptionist as she made her way out of the office building and joined the forest of brollys that were now making their way out of Cardiff’s central business district. “What a lovely welsh summer.” she smiled ironically to herself. She did not notice the man dethatching himself from a doorway and shadowing her.
.
As Mary turned down a narrow ally way instinct made her pause and look behind her. A man was standing silhouetted against a passageway watching her. Mary began to hurry along, her stilettos a determined tattoo on the pavement. It was probably nothing, just her paranoia.

Was the man behind her speeding up?

Mary broke in to a trot. But the man was still following, so throwing all caution to the wind and ignoring the likely hood of a twisted ankle Mary lengthened her strides in to a flat out run.

There was a small bang; Mary felt something bite in to her shoulder, followed by the sharp sting and click of an electric current. More from surprise then pain she stumbled over, landing face first in a large puddle. As she got back up, Mary kicked off her shoes, and pulled the thing off her, yanking hard despite the pulsing sting, managing to pull it from the attacker’s hand, at the same time she threw her brolly as hard as she could at her assailant. There was a satisfying thump, and she heard the man cry out in surprise.

She could hear the man behind her swearing in frustration, but Mary had no intention of slowing down now, somehow she had to get to a pubic area. With a speed that she had not known that she possessed Mary managed to put some distance between herself and the man hunting her, but she could not maintain it for long. The young woman rabbited down between the buildings, and paused to catch her breath as she heard the man run past where she was concealed. Mary’s shoulder was stinging, and pulling her shirt down to reveal a rectangular pink patch on her shoulder, like a small patch of sun burn. She looked down at the object she had been shot with. It was a frickn tazer gun!

Mary got out her mobile phone. No signal. “Just perfect!”

She caught the sound of the man doubling back to come search the spaces between the buildings obviously realising his mistake. Mary carefully snuck away, avoiding the thistles, and bits of broken bottles she made her way between two buildings. The young woman panicked for a moment faced with a dead end before firmly telling herself to get a grip. Mary looked about carefully.

Bingo.

There was a cast iron fire escape.


Ripping her pencil skirt, and slipping her handbag on its spaghetti strap behind her back she made her way up. This area was an odd mix of residential and out of use industrial units as well as offices, Mary managed to make it on to one of the flat office roofs and began looking for a good way off it, fearing that she might have trapped herself after all when the only roof near by was a factories, made of corrugated iron and reinforced plastic sheeting that looked like it had seen better days. The distance between the roofs was about five foot, with a six foot drop between the heights, but the ground was now four stories bellow her. Mary stared down at it in horror. She really hated heights, there had to be another way down! This was not a film, and she was not Laura Croft there was no way that she could make that jump safely.

If she fell it would not just be game over, she would be dead.

Footsteps rattled the fire escape. Looking behind her Mary recognised the Scottish man from before, and he looked pissed. After last time there was no way she was going to let him get hold of her. Her every intuition was screaming at her that he was dangerous. A little whimper of terror escaped her lips before she turned and jumping the gap between the two buildings, it was not graceful, she was no free runner, and she fell heavily grazing her hands and knees, sliding back down before coming to an ungainly stop, her limbs splayed out awkwardly.

What’s the use, she should just give up? Mary thought looking at the steep roof rain slick roof, there was no way she was going to make it up there, she was barely clinging on as it was.

Something brushed past her cheek, lifting her golden curls before a plastic roof piece shattered in to pieces right in front of her, shocking her so much she almost lost her precarious grip. Her heart stuttered in her chest, terrified, her mind barely able to comprehend what had just happened.

Mary glanced behind, to watch the man reload a gun with a silencer.

He had a gun.

That bastard was trying to kill her!

Part fear for her life, part outraged anger she managed to find the strength to climb cat like, her nails digging in to the lichen helping her to scramble to the top, but not before another shot brushed past her, bouncing off the corrugated iron with a ping. Adrenalin really was a marvellous thing!

“Just don’t look down.” Mary tried to advise herself, as she slid down the other side, and hair-raisingly managed to stop just in time and make a tentative leap on to the next roof, which after shimming around the narrow ledge to the other side of the building and a quick climb upwards levelled out on to a flat gravely top. Mary ran to the door, it had a security pad, desperately she tried to open it, but it did not budge. With as much force as she could muster she shouldered it, but the metal fire door hardly budged. She tried once more, but knew time was ticking away and before she knew it she could hear the Scottish man’s feel crunching on the gravel.

“Come out; come out where ever ye are wee girrlie.” The man called. “I’m a’no gona hurt ye, I just wan’a wee chat.”

“Bullshit!” Mary thought.

Hopping over the low wall, she shimmying around the ledge aiming for a near by tree which she hoped to use to climb down. She had to go slowly, the ledge was narrow, just wide enough for her to crawl uncomfortably along. Mary went slowly and carefully, trying not to pant, her heart was racing in her burning chest, her limbs shaking, and every time that Mary looked down she just wanted to vomit with vertigo. Her grazed hand slipped and a totally involuntary scared whimper left her lip. She wiped the tears from her eyes with her torn and muddy sleeve, and waited for the inevitable.

The Scots man turn sharply on the gravel, trying to work out where the noise had come from. Mary remained very still, eyes closed and hoping. “Don’t see me, don’t see me, don’t see me!”

When he moved off in the other direction she sighed in relief. Slowly she popped her head up just to be sure his back was to her now trying the same door she had failed to open. But as she crested the corner, keeping low a bullet hit the brick work just above her face. Mary more fell then jumped, too startled to even cry out, she simply waited for impact, feeling the wind rush past her.

I’m going to die, she thought. But the stars are pretty.

A plastic recycling bin broke her fall somewhat; she bounced off it before thudding on the concrete below, winded but otherwise mostly unhurt. It took her a moment to recover enough to realise that she was not dead or paralyzed. Mary dragged herself up on the wire fence she staggered away, her hip and shoulder aching badly, but it was bearable. Looking up at the building she winced. That had been a really, really, long drop. Mary managed a limping run for a few hundred meters, biting her lip hard from the pain. Lights from the oncoming cars hurt her eyes, and seemed to pierce right through her head. Mary had been moving blindly, but realised that somehow she had reached Jody’s apartment building. Oh well done, she thought as she let herself in, this is the first place he will look for you. But where else could she go?

Just as Mary was thinking this a familiar voice made her look up. “Mary? Are you alright, what’s happened?” At which point she burst out in to hysterical tears, and sank to the floor.

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Horrified Louis dropped his shopping in the foyer and went to the young woman who had just broken down in floods of tears. It had taken a moment for him to recognise this bedraggled and bloody figure before him as the nymphet from upstairs. Crouching down he feared to reach out and touch her. “Mary, what’s happened to you?” He repeated gently, fearing the worst as he took in her ripped and muddy clothes, the torn nylons, and missing shoes.

“I was attacked.” She croaked.

He swallowed hard, sucking in his lower lip feeling completely unequipped to deal with this kind of thing. Why was this so difficult to say? “Ok, I know this is going to be hard, but you can’t wash to preserve evidence. I will call the police right away, and then we can go down to the hospital…”

“It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t raped.” Mary interrupted, appalled. For the first time she glanced up at him, a flash of that sharp young woman he had come to admire in her blue eyes.

Louis’s relief at her answer was strangely personal. He was going to have to investigate that later. “What happened?”

“There was a man following me. When I noticed him he began chasing me, and then he shot at me.” Mary looked at the grazes on her hands as if in disbelief. “I fell….” Mary seemed totally incapable of answering any further, too shocked by what had happened to her. Louis helped her up, and with a strong arm about her waist guided her up the stairs and in to his flat. The American sat her down on his sofa, and found her a towelling nightgown. “Here.” He said when she only looked numbly at it, placing it about her shivering shoulders. “You are soaked through and filthy Cheri. I’m fixing to make you a nice hot sweet drink eh Cheri, then you tell me what has happened in your own time. We decide what to do then no?” After a few moments, he returned with a steaming hot chocolate. “Drink and you will feel much better Cheri, trust me you are in shock now.” He said when Mary made no motion that she had noticed the warm beverage.

“I think I need something a little stiffer then a hot coco.” Mary said with a faint smile, looking down at the steaming mug in her hands.

“Coming right up Cher.”

Louis returned with a bottle of Southern comfort and two tumblers, poring them both out a measure. Mary took hers in one. Louis whistled. “Cher, you take that like a man.” He shook the bottle at her. “Again?”

Mary nodded, holding out her glass. This time she sipped it slowly. Louis watched her composing herself, life returning behind her shadowed eyes. “I must look a fright.” Mary looked up with a wry smile, a hand reaching out self consciously to try and pet her locks in to order. It was such a feminine concern and expressed in such a twee British way that he could not help returning her grin. Her hair was plastered to her head; soaked and bloody where a small graze was still oozing slightly in her hair line. Her whole business ensemble had been ruined, the pale pink cardigan ragged and soaked through to transparency, her mushroom coloured skirt was torn up to her thigh. Fact was she was still sexy, in a kind of lost and helpless kitten way.

Mary began to tell him over another two glasses of bourbon about running from a man who had shot at her first with a tazer gun and then an actual gun. Though the details Mary provided were sketchy Louis’s suspected that he knew exactly who was behind the attack on the young woman.

The American’s expression turned grave. “Are you sure that he actually shot at you?”

“I know what a gun look and sounds like.” Mary snapped.

“Ok, ok,” He soothed. “I believe you Cher.” He rubbed his upper lip in thought. “What did he look like?”

“I don’t know, shorter then you, Caucasian, grizzled hair. He was really fit.” Mary said as an after thought. “He chased me for a long time. Knew what he was doing like a secret agent or something.”

Louis brows drew together in a deep perturbed frown. It defiantly sounded like Agent Boyd, just what did the twisted veteran he think he was doing. “Old or young?”

“Neither, sort of middle aged. I don’t know probably forty, I did not exactly ask.” A glimmer of her usual sharp tongued humour returned. “Do you want me to go back and find out?”

“Alright Cheri, do not bite my head off. What do you think they wanted?”

“I don’t know.”

"Perhaps you's a terrorist?" The American smiled. "Where you hiding that bomb on you cher?"

"It's in my outher dress." Mary snorted a laugh. "Hmm, cacuasian welsh, yes definatly terrorist material. Oh be serious!"

“Perhaps it was a mugger?” Louis said, trying his best to be convincing.

“I wish I knew.” Mary looked suddenly exhausted, hiding her face her hands. “I’m so sick of this.”

“Cher?” Louis reached out and squeezed her cool hand. This time she did not flinch away, simply looking up at him in resignation with those ocean deep eyes. He traced his finger around the graze on her palm, she did not wince, but he felt the sting along with her. Pain. “You’re hurt, tired, and afraid. Why?”

Mary drew her hand away slowly, what ever it was she was thinking about she did not want him to know about. He felt disappointed, but tried not to show it.

“I’m too scared to even go back home tonight.”

Louis gave her his twelve watt American smile, squeezing her hand. “You can stay here tonight Cheri, take my bed I will have the sofa. We can talk about this more in the morning and decide what to do. Right now you are bleeding all over my sofa and carpet, so I think I had better get you patched up no?” Louis nodded towards the phone sitting on the side. “Anyone you want to call, just to let them know your safe? Jody perhaps?”

Mary thought about this for a moment. “No, I don’t want to worry anyone. Jody’s out tonight. If I tell her that I’m staying at yours I will never hear the end of it.”

A slow smile transformed the Americans face, as he waggled his brows at her. “Perhaps we do something that is worth the talking about – make it worth your while, no?” Mary’s smile faulted, as she tried to think of some gentle way to let him down, but the American was less clueless then she gave him credit for. He put his finger over her lips, effectively shushing her. “It’s ok Cher. I overstepped the mark again.”He ruffled her hair and gave her a quick hug before pointing her in the direction of the shower. “Go on, you get some rest, been through a lot today.”

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The Rhi’ arran did not really understand the concept of addresses, but from the picture that Darrah had provided him after his research then this was near the place where Mary was currently residing. And their navigators had yet to let them down.

Rillian was besides him, as they moved from roof top to rooftop, invisible to those below. With all the recent rain, and the stink of carbon pollution it was impossible to pick up her sent to tell if this really was the right place. But he would have sworn that he could just catch a teasing whiff, like the faint sent of blossom on a spring breeze. They were getting closer, he could feel it in his very soul.

Truth was he was burning for her, since he had set out the insticts and desires of a Elven male had been riding him hard. It went beyond desire, he could not even bring himself any relif - untill he was reunited with Mary, and untill he deep within her again then he could find no peace.


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Mary woke in the unfamiliar bedroom, light upon her face. It took her a moment to get her bearings. Groggily she made her way through Louis’s flat, pausing to see him softly snoring on the sofa. With a blanket up to his neck, and his black curls flopping over his forehead he looked boyish and kind of cute.

She padded softly to the bathroom not wanting to wake him. The night before she had a shower, but after waking in a sweat she needed another. The pesky headache and temperature back again. Mary relaxed under the warm spray of water. The bathroom was almost identical to her’s upstairs, only barer. Only razors and a few grooming products, not the feminine bazaar of Jody’s. Still the familiar setting was oddly comforting. Mary looked down at her discarded clothes from the night before realising that the pink shirt that she had been wearing had been made totally transparent by the rain, given Louis and excellent view of her lace covered breasts. Her skirt had been split right up to her panties. At least the American had been too much of a gentleman to mention it. He was too much of a gentleman to mention the last conversation she had fled from. She knew that was part of his fascination towards her besides the obvious, he thought that they might be the same, that he had someone to share his unusual gift with – who might understand. What it boiled down to was the American was lonely. Mary really did owe him some kind of explanation.

She realised that on the floor was a large T shirt. Louis probably wouldn’t mind she figured. It was just about long enough to be considered decent. Looking at her form in the mirror she noticed something, or rather the absence of the abrasions that had been there the night before. Mary turned over her hands, they were nearly completely healed. “Weird.” But the American unfamiliar with elfish medicine in the way Mary was going to freak out if he noticed. She shoved herself back in to the ling dressing gown to hide as much of her body as possible, wrapping a towel turban upon her head for good measure.

Louis was no longer on the sofa. Mary listened, and heard his voice in the kitchen, talking in hushed tones on the phone. She really hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but certain words caught her attention and Mary found herself creeping closer to the closed door to hear.

“I don’t care if he is a war hero or something, the man must have sniffed too much agent orange somewhere along the line. I thought that you don’t just go around shooting people in this country.”

“Yeah, you heard me he shot at the girl.”

“Of course I’m sure. The man’s lost it.”

“No, I didn’t think that the order had come from you. What do you want me to do?”

Oh gods! Louis was one of them, Mary realised.

“She’s ok, shaken. No she didn’t see who it was…..wait a second..”

The wood floor had creaked as Mary shifted her weight, but before she could beat a hasty retreat the door was flung open. Louis must have known the game was up from the surprised guilty look that was slapped on his face. Mary suspected that hers was much the same.

“Urrhh. I …I was just coming to say thank you. I’m just going to leave now I suddenly remembered something I had to do this morning.” Mary babbled backing up.

He obviously wasn’t convinced. Mary’s acting skills hadn’t exactly come up to scratch on such short notice. “Mary….I… errrh. I was just on the phone to… Just let me..”

“Don’t worry, I wont disturb you ant more. Well thanks for everything, but I really ummm… have to go….like..now.”

Mary made a brake for the door and managed to get halfway down the stairs before she realised that all she was warring was a t shirt and a dressing gown. She didn’t even have her house key. “Shit!”

The young woman banged on her door in the hope that Jody was back. But no answer came. Louis also in his pyjamas was now at the head of the stairs. “Mary just wait a moment!”

“Double shit!”

Mary fled the rest of the way down, and streaked across the foyer, to the door, which did not budge as she tugged at it franticly.

“Cheri, it says push not pull.”

Of course! Mary pushed open, but the American lent forwards and using his weight kept it closed. Mary let out a faint cry of surprise, and managed to trip over herself. She reached out to grab at anything, and managed to bring the pair of them down in an ungainly heap through the door and on to the wide stone steps covered by a brick archway, Louis half on top of her in a rather interesting position – both blushing furiously, something from his pocket falling on the floor in front of her.

“Ow.” Mary complained. She looked at the wallet type thing in front of her face, she turned it over. It was an ID – MI7. “Triple shit.”

“You going to listen now Cher?” Louis said with a wince, as he straightened up. “Or are you going to fight me in front of all these passers by?”

“What choice do I have?” Mary handed him back his badge.

“I know given what you have been through this looks really bad…”

“It does.”

“If you would let me explain though.”

Mary sat up, and pushed her hair back out of her face. “Fine.”

“What here, cant we go back inside?” Louis looked incredulous.

“Right here, and now.”

He sighed, and rubbed his face vigorously. “So shoot, what do you want to know Mary?”

Mary listed off her enquiries on her fingers. “Who are you, what are you, who are you working for, and what do you want with me?”

“So we cut to the chase with you, no? You know who I am. Louis Baptiste, I told you that the first day we met. Citizen of the united states.” He smiled slightly. “I did not lie about my name.”

“That’s good to know.” Mary responded sardonically. “It’s not what I meant. And why should I have believed that it was your real name when everything else you have told me is a lie. Isn’t that what secret agents do?”

“Chill out. I was getting to that.” He looked at Mary seriously. “I’m an MI7 agent. But not a spy as you seem to think. I wouldn’t know a bug even if I saw one.”

“I have never heard of MI7.”

“Not many people have. We are like MI5’s and 6’s unloved cousin. You know the one who is a bit strange and is not invited to the parties.”

Mary couldn’t help the laugh that burbled up, but she soon sobered as she stood. “Your colleges aren’t exactly pleasant. What do they want with me?”

Louis sighed, and lent in speaking in a low voice. “I don’t know every pie that MI7 has it’s fingers in. It’s all a bit X files, you know aliens, and the paranormal. I have never had much to do with that side of things – I’m more of an office guy, on loan from over the pond - that is until I was assigned to you, to find out what you know.”

Mary gave her best innocent look of surprise. “About what?”

“Presumably aliens.”

Mary simply looked incredulous. Protesting to much could be as damaging as denying everything. If in doubt say nothing and let people come to their own conclusions.

“You would be surprised how seriously governments take this shit.” Louis put his hands up, and shook his dark head. “One of the agents who interviewed you first off was sure that you were hiding something. He’s a bit woo - who, in my opinion.” Louis twirled a finger by his temple for emphasis. “Spent two much time in the jungle or something. In any case they ruled just bringing you in on a hunch because of your uncle being a Judge, so that’s when they called in me to read you.”

“Ok, I’m following so far.” Mary said thoughtfully. Apparently they knew nothing - yet - she wanted to keep it that way. “But what do you mean by reading me?”

He waggled his finger at her, and smiled. “Ah, do not play innocent with me Cheri. Your poker face is not that good. You know what I am.” He touched her hand lightly, the familiar jolt of awareness.“Because you are the same.”

Mary snatched her hand back. “And what exactly is that?”

“Physic, clairvoyant – and not the gypsy card readers - telepathic, you chose the name it is all the same Cher.” He looked at her his eyes serious now. “I can go in to a person’s dreams and see what they see. When I touch a person’s skin I can know their thoughts while they are conscious. This is why I am useful to our governments.” He smiled but sadly. “I am a human lie detector, but I can not read you. As much as I would like to see what is going on behind your pretty face, I can not.”

The young woman looked down at her bare feet.

“Mary I didn’t lie when I said I liked you.” He said after a long awkward pause.

“I know that.” Mary replied. “It still doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me.”

“Look at me.”

Mary opened her mouth to say something else, but what ever beratment she was about to utter was swallowed by his mouth upon hers, as the American took her in his arms and kissed her soundly.



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A/N:

I know I’m evil leaving a cliff hanger! But the next chapter will be up really soon ;)

Thank you for the reviews, and also the emails I love writing this story, and hopefully I have a few more twists and turns to entertain you guys with.