SET Initiative

Austin nodded and pulled himself closer to her, wrapping his arm around her. "Sorry."

He didn't try to say anything comforting. He couldn't do that. He felt just awful about everything. Losing people left and right. He didn't even think about how messed up those kids would turn out to be.

"A checkpoint is like a teleporter from the ground to the headquarters set up in orbit just outside the atmosphere. HQ is basically this mothership that can hold hundreds of thousands of people. There are a couple set up at different places around the world." Austin's voice was barely above a whisper.

"When I got in there, the thing was still on. It still worked. I got myself up into the mothership above the US, and it was empty. I went to find some gear, and then I saw one of those- Those monsters scuffling along on all fours. I shot it down, and another one appeared. And then there were dozens. I bolted. I was scared."

A small breath in and out.

"I wasn't thinking when I threw you guys into that stupid truck. I'm sorry."

Addie nestled against him as he wrapped his arm around her, glancing up as he spoke. She knew he felt guilty; they had losy so many people she he came to help them...

As he apologized, she rest her hand against the arm drapdd around her, and squeezes. "Austin, it's not your fault.. None of this has been your fault, you have done absolutely everything possible to try and save us." She moved her hand to his cheek very briefly. "You can't save everyone, Austin.. as much as I hate that it's true, it is.."

Austin licked his bottom lip and then gently bit it. He was frustrated with everything.

After all he had done, after all the people he had saved, after all the pain, heartbreak, loss and struggle, and he gets stuck out in Fort Worth, Texas. Damn it all.

"I know..." He sighed. "That's what the rest of my team is for."

Stubborn to the last, even with a pessimistic predisposition and a hopeless situation.

Addie chuckled at his stubbornness, then winced as her aching ribs protested. She slowly exhaled, then glanced up at him. "What did you do? Before all of this?"

While she waited for him to reply, she moved from the snuggled position, painfully standing, and retrieving them both a protein bar, and a bottle of water. Carefully, she lowered herself to settle near him again, tucking herself beneath his arm once more before handing him his bar. "If you don't want to talk about it, or don't remember, it's okay..I shouldn't have asked."

Austin gratefully took the water and protein bar from her hands, and set them aside for now. In a few minutes when he could make himself sit up he would eat.

Instead he just hugged Addison and closed his eyes.

"No, no, you're fine. I was doing the exact same thing I do now, believe it or not. My job was to help track down experimental rogue supersoldiers that a previous group had created and take them out. One of them got a hold of a coincidentally experimental medicine and it turned them into the creatures that have now overtaken the world as we know it."

Addie raised her eyebrows in surprise. That wasn't what she had expected to hear.. but then, Austin certainly knew more about what they were than she did, so really, it made sense. Maybe she had just been hoping he did something more pleasant..

"Wow..well, at least you've had experience with this.. I wasn't expecting that.. I thought it would be something completely opposite, like me, but.. I guess the people fighting this had to learn somehow." She smiled weakly, then sighed.

"If none of this had ever happened..what would you be doing right now? Besides buying coffee for some cute girl." She teased gently, head tilted and turned up from resting against where his shoulder met his arm to watch him.

Austin nodded and opened his eyes.

"Yeah... Not the easiest thing in the world, but it was fun for a little while. At least before people started dying."

Austin smiled and chuckled softly.

"I'd probably be buying coffee for some cute girl." He retorted with a smirk.

There was a few seconds' silence before Austin realized he probably wouldn't be able to buy her coffee. He probably wouldn't get her any coffee at all.

In a split-second and potentially regrettable decision, Austin leaned just a few inches forward and made an effort to press his lips against hers.

Addison nodded, watching him still. She just laughed quietly at his retort, smirking as she shut her eyes for a split second. She herself was coming to realize that her promise of having coffee with him would probably never happen. And it bothered her, surprisingly, a lot.

When she opened them, Austin's lips caught her own. Surprise shot across her face, and she immediately flushed a soft pink.

As surprised as she was, she made no effort to pull away. In fact, she lifted a hand from her side to briefly brush across his cheek with her fingertips.

Austin brought his own right hand up and cupped Addison's face.

He held her for (pardon the cliche) what seemed like an eternity before pulling away.

He opened his eyes and licked his lips. That was pleasant.

He muttered an obligatory "Sorry..." before looking away. He was too lazy to sit up, however. For now the only distance he was willing to put between them was eye contact.

Addison frowned slightly as he looked away and apologized. Well.. that was not what she wanted to hear after he just kissed her. After a moment, she shook her head slightly.

"I'm not." 0Plain and simple.

She slowly forced herself to sit up, hand running over her face as she reached for her water.

She had liked it. It had been nice. She avoided looking back at him, afraid of what she would see if she did.

Austin sat up on the bed when Addison did, sitting next to her.

He hadn't expected her to say what she did, but he was glad she had said it. He looked over at her and frowned. The apology was unnecessary.

Austin looked at the ground and then back up at Addison.

"Good." His heart wasn't exactly beating at an average pace, but he tried to maintain his cool.

He could handle deadly mutants trying to kill him no sweat, but when he kisses a girl? Oh man.

"I, uh.. I said I was sorry because I wasn't sure what you would think. Some people might have reservations and I just went for it, so I didn't know what you would think..."

Shut up. Shut up shut up shut-

"But if you're okay and not having a total mental breakdown, then we're good."

Addison shook her head and scoffed slightly.

"I'm not a nun, Austin...goodness, do I you think I was going to bite or something?"

She forced a chuckle, opening her water and taking a sip before she spoke again, glancing at him.

"Trust me.. we're good, if you can just relax. It was just a kiss. I mean, it was a nice kiss, and I wouldn't mind another, but damn, Austin..relax. It's just me, Addie..girl with the attitude." She teased him slightly, hoping to calm his nerves.

Austin smiled and shook his head.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to bite me just yet..."

He nervously grabbed his own water and sipped it. "If you're cool, then I'm cool. It's not a big deal. I got it."

"...Glad you liked it."

Addison just shook her head.

Addison just shook her head.

"Real cool." After another sip, she looked like she was about to speak again when one of the boys woke up, panicked. She hurried over to him, wincing, and when he just clung to her in tears, she scooped him up and rocked him quietly, whispering soothingly to chase the bad dreams away.

Once the child drifted off, Addison tucked him back in next to the other three, Nd rerun to sit next to Austin again. She rubbed her face with her hands for a mom we, then glanced at him.

"I'm scared."

Austin sighed.

He rubbed his left shoulder and just watched in admiration as Addison helped the little boy calm down. As she sat back down, he began speaking.

"You're really good at tha- Oh."

Austin swallowed and thought for a second.

"I know. I'm scared too. I'm sorry."

Addison chuckled, taking another sip before she sighed, and flopped backwards, wincing with the motion.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off..just comes with being a girl, I guess. Obviously, I don't have kids of my own." Won't have kids, was the more appropriate phrase, really. She sighed, glancing at his shoulder.

"Is it any better T all?"

Austin just nodded and smiled.

"You're fine." He paused for a few seconds, following her gaze to his shoulder. "I'm not entirely convinced of it being better physically, no. But it's kinda numb right there. Not much pain, really."

He was wearing his shirt again, since the bleeding had stopped. There was surprisingly not a lot of blood on the shirt, save for the small area covering the wounds.

"How about your leg? Or your ribs?"

Addison waved her hand dismissively at his concern, grinning up at him. Despite the grin, and the overall cheerfulness of her tone, there was still an underlying waver of pain to her voice.

"Ah, I'm fine. Takes more than being thrown through a couple of walls and into the ground to kill this ballet teacher." She chuckled.

"In all seriousness, don't worry about me. I'm okay." She reached and rested her hair against his arm, the first semi-affectionate contact since he kissed her. Lowering her hand to rest at her side, she shut her eyes and sighed.