Desmond stared at the tree husk in wonder. How many years since he'd seen an actual, living tree? The thing in front of him was gray, devoid of color, with brittle branches. The landscape surrounding it wasn't much better - sand and large rocks as far as the eye could see.
It didn't make sense. Why had a group settled here?
The wind was picking up but sadly, no clouds anywhere. The sand whipped against his face, leaving behind a stinging sensation that had become too-familiar after days of traveling. He drew up his scarf to protect his mouth and turned to his companions.
Clay looked exhausted and his feet were lagging. After witnessing a near-stumble, Desmond hurried to steady him.
"Des! I'm going ahead. You stay with Clay until I get back."
Something wasn't right, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach, but he let Lucy go, not knowing what to say without looking like a crazy person.
*
Later, as Lucy's eyes glowed and she was squeezing the life out of Clay in front of his eyes, he cursed at himself.
He emptied his gun, but Lucy didn't even flinch when her soft flesh ate the bullets, greedily devouring them. Lucy locked Clay's lips against hers and Clay stopped struggling. Lucy let go, and Clay turned to face Desmond. His eyes were glowing, too.
Desmond forgot to breathe, and heard someone whispering inside his mind.
Come, my child.
*
He ran.
*
Connor landed on the mat on his back, avoiding another kick. Although Connor's strength was unmatched, Aveline was faster. Brute strength wouldn't work on her.
He grabbed her ankle and she fell. He managed to sit up, but she was already on her knees and ready to strike.
She lunged at him, jabbing her hands towards his neck, but he intercepted her by grabbing onto her wrists and locking her arms into a tight hold. He brought her body towards him before suddenly falling back and using his knee to swiftly propel her body over his head. He let go of her arms and there was a resounding smack.
"Goddamnit, Connor." Aveline groaned and rubbed her wrists. Connor got up and surveyed the damage. Both were gasping and sweaty, but nothing seemed to be broken.
"Are you hurt?"
"No. Just had the wind knocked out of me."
Connor helped her up and both headed for the showers.
He'd barely felt the first drops of water on his skin before one of the newer recruits barged in. The recruit was about to open his mouth when he registered what he was looking at. Connor let the water wash over him and turned his body fully towards the recruit, who turned beet red.
"Is something wrong?" Connor asked.
"Connor! T-they need you, uh, at the, uh, there's a situation. You are needed."
Connor's eyebrows quirked up.
"Your father! You must go see him, in the... Your father. Oh my god your father would have my balls..."
The recruit wasn't making any sense and Connor resolved to find out for himself. He shut off the shower and grabbed his towel, watching as the recruit scurried away.
He found his father in the main hall, talking to two people he'd never met before, but whose files he was familiar with. He'd talked to them on occassion, when transmitter frequencies were stable. He liked the woman, but the guy was sarcastic like his father. As the guy lacked his father's other qualities - a blood connection, for starters - and he was kinda rude, Connor had no incentive to think positively of him.
"Connor," his father called him over. "We have a bit of a situation. Mr. Hastings and Ms. Crane here tell me three of their assassins have come into contact with Juno, not far from here."
Connor sucked in a breath. "Any survivors?"
"That's what we're trying to determine. Two have gone rogue, the third was able to contact his handler before the line went dead. It's been 28 hours."
That still didn't explain why Rebecca and Shaun were here. He could see the same question in his father's eyes, but neither man said anything about it.
"Mission?"
"Simple recon and, if possible, extraction."
Connor knew without asking he'd be doing this mission alone.
*
His GPS signaled the end of his destination and Connor parked his jeep. Good thing too, as the wind was getting stronger, sand flying everwhere.
"I'm gonna have to wait out the sandstorm. Looks like it's gonna be a while."
"Wonderful, maybe you'll finally learn the virtue of patience."
"You're one to talk. Or did I imagine you roughing up those new recruits just because they had to postpone their training? On account of having to complete the tasks you gave them?"
He listened to his father's snide comments absently, eyes trained forward. The sun's light reflected against the sand, creating the illusion of tiny crystals in liquid gold. But he knew if he were to stick his hand outside, the crystals would scrape his skin raw.
He waited what seemed like hours, but must have been an hour, tops - the sun had moved a little and his father was still complaining about the recruits - until the wind subsided, no ripples moving around, every grain of sand in place, finally still.
Connor exited the jeep and surveyed the scene.
*
"This is a waste of time."
"Shut up, father."
Connor looked at the bodies strewn on the ground, quickly going from body to body and checking their vitals.
"Anybody here?" He called out.
"Oh, sure. Go ahead. Make yourself known and invite every goddamn -"
"I'm shutting off the communicator."
"Don"t you dare!"
Connor heard the start of his father's colorful cursing as he pushed a button on his earpiece and the line went dead. His father would have his hide later, but the man had been snarking at him for nearly two hours now. And while Connor found it amusing - he usually did - the high pressure of the situation was getting to him. The heat wasn't helping either and he wiped at his sweaty face to no avail.
He'd had to take care of a few stragglers, but aside from them, no signs of life. After a thorough sweep of the area, he started going through the pockets and bags of each body, hoping to pick up anything useful. So far he'd managed to pick up a few detailed maps, a flashlight with batteries, protein bars and even a working tablet. He'd have to see if Rebecca could make use of it.
The sun felt scorching. Connor squinted his eyes to block out the excess light and concentrated on procuring water. Half the bodies were carrying water bottles - some almost full, but most of them seemed to be nearly empty.
Once his canteen was refilled to the brim, he let himself have a few gulps from the remaining bottles. The last thing he needed was to get dehydraded before he even had a chance to start heading back to base.
He took off his gear and shirt, taking extra care not to damage any equipment, and dumped one of the fuller bottles on his head, the water traveling down his face and bared torso in rivulets. Showering was one of the few luxuries they still had, and Connor mourned the loss from earlier.
It was then, of course, that someone appeared.
*
Desmond was hallucinating.
He didn't know what kinda drugs he was on, but there was a half-naked Adonis in front of him.
He was very confused as to why he was seeing this, instead of seeing memories of his life flash by, as was the custom when dying.
Was this his brain informing him of hidden desires he'd known nothing about, so he could pass on to the other side in peace, soothed by images of rippling muscles?
The figure came closer and Desmond thought he heard his name being called out. His eyes rolled back and everything went dark.
*
"...Desmond?"
Connor kneeled by the collapsed figure and tapped his cheek.
"Can you hear me?"
Desmond groaned but didn't seem to hear him. Connor went to get his supplies, the canteen and earpiece in hand as he made his way back to Desmond. He carefully manoeuvred Desmond's head onto his lap, before uncorking the canteen and sticking his thumb and forefinger into Desmond's mouth to keep it open. Slowly, the water poured into Desmond's mouth, past chapped lips and into his parched throat.
Desmond seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, as he swallowed the lukewarm liquid. Every time he coughed, Connor drew back the canteen and waited a while before administering more water. Soon the canteen was empty.
Satisfied with his work, Connor put on his earpiece and turned it on.
"Father?"
"Connor." His father sounded agitated, and he couldn't blame him.
"I found Desmond. Dehydrated, but doesn't seem to have any injuries that I can see."
There was a pause before Haytham answered. "The other two?"
"No sign of them, but I could -"
"No. Bring Desmond back to base. It's a miracle Desmond's even alive, and you're not lugging him around while trying to fight off two rogues."
"Understood."
Making a last cursory sweep of his surroundings, Connor gathered his supplies, put on his shirt and gear, heaved Desmond over his shoulder like a limp sack of potatoes and started walking towards the jeep.
-----
Notes: - This started out as a modern AU meet-cute story where Connor and Desmond were neighbors, but somehow it turned into whatever this is.
FILL: Juno's Children (1a/?)
Chapter 1
Desmond stared at the tree husk in wonder. How many years since he'd seen an actual, living tree? The thing in front of him was gray, devoid of color, with brittle branches. The landscape surrounding it wasn't much better - sand and large rocks as far as the eye could see.
It didn't make sense. Why had a group settled here?
The wind was picking up but sadly, no clouds anywhere. The sand whipped against his face, leaving behind a stinging sensation that had become too-familiar after days of traveling. He drew up his scarf to protect his mouth and turned to his companions.
Clay looked exhausted and his feet were lagging. After witnessing a near-stumble, Desmond hurried to steady him.
"Des! I'm going ahead. You stay with Clay until I get back."
Something wasn't right, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach, but he let Lucy go, not knowing what to say without looking like a crazy person.
*
Later, as Lucy's eyes glowed and she was squeezing the life out of Clay in front of his eyes, he cursed at himself.
He emptied his gun, but Lucy didn't even flinch when her soft flesh ate the bullets, greedily devouring them. Lucy locked Clay's lips against hers and Clay stopped struggling. Lucy let go, and Clay turned to face Desmond. His eyes were glowing, too.
Desmond forgot to breathe, and heard someone whispering inside his mind.
Come, my child.
*
He ran.
*
Connor landed on the mat on his back, avoiding another kick. Although Connor's strength was unmatched, Aveline was faster. Brute strength wouldn't work on her.
He grabbed her ankle and she fell. He managed to sit up, but she was already on her knees and ready to strike.
She lunged at him, jabbing her hands towards his neck, but he intercepted her by grabbing onto her wrists and locking her arms into a tight hold. He brought her body towards him before suddenly falling back and using his knee to swiftly propel her body over his head. He let go of her arms and there was a resounding smack.
"Goddamnit, Connor." Aveline groaned and rubbed her wrists. Connor got up and surveyed the damage. Both were gasping and sweaty, but nothing seemed to be broken.
"Are you hurt?"
"No. Just had the wind knocked out of me."
Connor helped her up and both headed for the showers.
He'd barely felt the first drops of water on his skin before one of the newer recruits barged in. The recruit was about to open his mouth when he registered what he was looking at.
Connor let the water wash over him and turned his body fully towards the recruit, who turned beet red.
"Is something wrong?" Connor asked.
"Connor! T-they need you, uh, at the, uh, there's a situation. You are needed."
Connor's eyebrows quirked up.
"Your father! You must go see him, in the... Your father. Oh my god your father would have my balls..."
The recruit wasn't making any sense and Connor resolved to find out for himself. He shut off the shower and grabbed his towel, watching as the recruit scurried away.
He found his father in the main hall, talking to two people he'd never met before, but whose files he was familiar with. He'd talked to them on occassion, when transmitter frequencies were stable. He liked the woman, but the guy was sarcastic like his father. As the guy lacked his father's other qualities - a blood connection, for starters - and he was kinda rude, Connor had no incentive to think positively of him.
"Connor," his father called him over. "We have a bit of a situation. Mr. Hastings and Ms. Crane here tell me three of their assassins have come into contact with Juno, not far from here."
Connor sucked in a breath. "Any survivors?"
"That's what we're trying to determine. Two have gone rogue, the third was able to contact his handler before the line went dead. It's been 28 hours."
That still didn't explain why Rebecca and Shaun were here. He could see the same question in his father's eyes, but neither man said anything about it.
"Mission?"
"Simple recon and, if possible, extraction."
Connor knew without asking he'd be doing this mission alone.
*
His GPS signaled the end of his destination and Connor parked his jeep. Good thing too, as the wind was getting stronger, sand flying everwhere.
"I'm gonna have to wait out the sandstorm. Looks like it's gonna be a while."
"Wonderful, maybe you'll finally learn the virtue of patience."
"You're one to talk. Or did I imagine you roughing up those new recruits just because they had to postpone their training? On account of having to complete the tasks you gave them?"
He listened to his father's snide comments absently, eyes trained forward. The sun's light reflected against the sand, creating the illusion of tiny crystals in liquid gold. But he knew if he were to stick his hand outside, the crystals would scrape his skin raw.
He waited what seemed like hours, but must have been an hour, tops - the sun had moved a little and his father was still complaining about the recruits - until the wind subsided, no ripples moving around, every grain of sand in place, finally still.
Connor exited the jeep and surveyed the scene.
*
"This is a waste of time."
"Shut up, father."
Connor looked at the bodies strewn on the ground, quickly going from body to body and checking their vitals.
"Anybody here?" He called out.
"Oh, sure. Go ahead. Make yourself known and invite every goddamn -"
"I'm shutting off the communicator."
"Don"t you dare!"
Connor heard the start of his father's colorful cursing as he pushed a button on his earpiece and the line went dead. His father would have his hide later, but the man had been snarking at him for nearly two hours now. And while Connor found it amusing - he usually did - the high pressure of the situation was getting to him. The heat wasn't helping either and he wiped at his sweaty face to no avail.
He'd had to take care of a few stragglers, but aside from them, no signs of life. After a thorough sweep of the area, he started going through the pockets and bags of each body, hoping to pick up anything useful. So far he'd managed to pick up a few detailed maps, a flashlight with batteries, protein bars and even a working tablet. He'd have to see if Rebecca could make use of it.
The sun felt scorching. Connor squinted his eyes to block out the excess light and concentrated on procuring water. Half the bodies were carrying water bottles - some almost full, but most of them seemed to be nearly empty.
Once his canteen was refilled to the brim, he let himself have a few gulps from the remaining bottles. The last thing he needed was to get dehydraded before he even had a chance to start heading back to base.
He took off his gear and shirt, taking extra care not to damage any equipment, and dumped one of the fuller bottles on his head, the water traveling down his face and bared torso in rivulets. Showering was one of the few luxuries they still had, and Connor mourned the loss from earlier.
It was then, of course, that someone appeared.
*
Desmond was hallucinating.
He didn't know what kinda drugs he was on, but there was a half-naked Adonis in front of him.
He was very confused as to why he was seeing this, instead of seeing memories of his life flash by, as was the custom when dying.
Was this his brain informing him of hidden desires he'd known nothing about, so he could pass on to the other side in peace, soothed by images of rippling muscles?
The figure came closer and Desmond thought he heard his name being called out. His eyes rolled back and everything went dark.
*
"...Desmond?"
Connor kneeled by the collapsed figure and tapped his cheek.
"Can you hear me?"
Desmond groaned but didn't seem to hear him. Connor went to get his supplies, the canteen and earpiece in hand as he made his way back to Desmond. He carefully manoeuvred Desmond's head onto his lap, before uncorking the canteen and sticking his thumb and forefinger into Desmond's mouth to keep it open. Slowly, the water poured into Desmond's mouth, past chapped lips and into his parched throat.
Desmond seemed to drift in and out of consciousness, as he swallowed the lukewarm liquid. Every time he coughed, Connor drew back the canteen and waited a while before administering more water. Soon the canteen was empty.
Satisfied with his work, Connor put on his earpiece and turned it on.
"Father?"
"Connor." His father sounded agitated, and he couldn't blame him.
"I found Desmond. Dehydrated, but doesn't seem to have any injuries that I can see."
There was a pause before Haytham answered. "The other two?"
"No sign of them, but I could -"
"No. Bring Desmond back to base. It's a miracle Desmond's even alive, and you're not lugging him around while trying to fight off two rogues."
"Understood."
Making a last cursory sweep of his surroundings, Connor gathered his supplies, put on his shirt and gear, heaved Desmond over his shoulder like a limp sack of potatoes and started walking towards the jeep.
-----
Notes:
- This started out as a modern AU meet-cute story where Connor and Desmond were neighbors, but somehow it turned into whatever this is.