HOMEWARD BOUND
Part Two
Home. Morgana believed she finally knew what that word meant. A place where you loved and were loved. How she missed her home. Jackal. Morgana wished she has the guts to cry. She felt ridiculous without him, and after over two days without him she felt so lonely.
Her arm throbbed painfully under its amatuer medical wrapping. She had done it herself, knowing that Dodger would have alerted all the DocWagons in the area that there was a corporate spy running around, and that all of the shadowrunners she had known for the last few years would have similar reactions.
Twice, she had to avoid ork and/or troll bountyhunters, hot after her head. And almost every day she hid from Killer Bunnies (those little Chrysler-Nissan Jackrabbit cars equipped with weaponry) and Lone Star police. She had no doubt that they were after her. Corporates had probably caught the buzz about a fully functional clone from rookie runners, and word spread faster than wildfire in Seattle.
Morgana sighed. She felt too drained to try to use the amulet. She felt too buzzed to move, and she felt too lonely and depressed to care about anything anymore. Dodger.. Dodger, whom she had loved and cherished beyond all others, had shot her, drawn blood, in a cold, heartless act. He believed her dead. Sally Tsung, and Ghost-Who-Walks-Inside, both after her because of Dodger.
Morgana closed her eyes and fought against the tears. Visions came to her, quiet and soft, behind her eyes.
"Oh, Morgana, what has happened to you?"
Daddy?
"Hush, honey, yes, it's Daddy.. but is this my little Morga? The Morgana I knew would have allowed herself to cry.. the Morgana I knew would let her love know how much he means to her..."
I was young, Daddy, little when you knew me.. so much has happened.
"Enough to kill your spirit? Morgana... I have never left you.. I know all that you know... tell me.. who..who is this?"
Jackal! I love you Jackal! I wish I had never come here again! I should be... Daddy? Why doesn't he hear me?
"You need to tell him.. not me, what he means to you... Go home Morgana.. go home.."
Daddy?? Daddy don't leave!!
Conciousness came with frightening clarity. Morgana knew it was time to return home. Let them think me dead, she thought bitterly. I've been dead to them for months, why not eternally?
But Morgana wasn't going without a bang!
Rising from her hiding place between the wall and the car's carcass, she started fearlessly on her way out of Seattle's downtown area. Squatter's skittered from her path, running away as the silver glint of her eyes became rather, murderous. She knew who she was taking out before she returned home. Mephisto and Belasco. Those responsible for her fears.
They had retired from the Ancients street gang years before to live quietly in the forest of Tir Tairngire, the home of the Elves. Although still upstarts and violent, Mephisto and Belasco, after being crippled and wounded in the Crimson Crush turf war years before, had turned over a new leaf. They were fences for illegal materials that shadowrunners often picked up. And they were proud of their work.
The one day they least expected it, a wounded shadowrunner with an unruly fall of bronze hair and vindictive silver eyes showed up at their door. In her hand was a small holdout pistol, and her other was held against her ribs, the side of her bicep visibly wrapped beneath the ripped and bloody leather jacket. Mephisto glanced at his underling and Belasco shrugged. She did look slightly familiar.
"C'n we 'elp ya?" Belasco asked, trying to be cordial.
"Yep."
"Wit' what, li'l miss?" Mephisto asked.
"Give me your lives peacefully," she said smoothly, motioning slightly towards them with the weapon.
"huh?"
"Wha?"
"Or I can take them by force.." she continued. "You're choice."
"Who the hell ya think ya're!?" Belasco nearly shouted.
The young Elf seemed to think on this for a few moments. "An avenging spirit, from another world.." She grinned ruefully. "You two seriously don't recognize me, do you?"
She stepped in towards them, holding the pistol lightly. She knew it wasn't loaded, but bullets, even dummies, would interfere with the purpose she had in store for it. The two older Elves looked at each other with confusion, shaking their dichromatin hair in unision.
"Think back," she began, continuing to advance upon them as they retreated. "A thirteen year old girl, a member of your precious Ancients gang.. a wild night of teaching-" -the word dripped with sarcasm- "-and a violent wound.. afflicted by you!" She swiveled the gun to point at Mephisto.. suddenly charging her hand with magic and releasing it through the gun in a soundless burst, that formed itself into a bullet guided by her mind. The Elf dropped, the wound mortal, but not instantly killing. She then turned to Belasco. "And the charming second... watching laughing as that same thirteen year old girl writhed in pain and bled, held down by you and two others, so she could not use any of those painful adept powers she had developed.. You did nothing to save her.. did you?"
Belasco looked fearfully to Mephisto, afraid the elder had died there. Mephisto stared at the young bronze-haired Elf, his memory returning with pain.
"Morgana... Morgana Crystlamir??"
Belasco drained of all color at her name. "Morgie? I.. I'm sorry.. if I had known that it would.. af-af-affect you-"
"Too little.. too late!" Morgana snapped. Another energy bullet shot from the gun, guided by her vengance-ridden mind to his heart, piercing and killing him instantly. She turned and looked at Mephisto. "You."
His breathing was shallow, his face paler than ever before. His noble profile was drawn with pain, and Morgana found it funny. "P-please..." he begged.
Morgana was disgusted.. and homesick. She dropped the pistol from numb fingers, the strain of gathering that much energy for two blasts catching up with her, and began to tremble. She never answered Mephisto's pleas for help, her numb hand curling around the amulet, and her mind conjuring up the image... of home.
Dragonhold.
Part One
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