Jade, Ice, and Talon

AN: Not for the squeamish.

Chapter Twenty-Two - "Run"


Worrmon, what is this uneasy feeling in my core? Am I jealous? Or is this worry? I've never felt concerned about anything - but, there she is in his arms, in his apartment, supposedly breaking it off, to come back here and grant me the yes I know she wants to give - but the look in her eye, something has changed. Has she gotten cold feet? Is she too wary of my darkness to embrace it? I thought the pleasure I gave her would override the worry she had. Is there more to this love thing than pleasure? This attachment I've gained, is that not simply a side effect, or is that more? Does she really love me, or does she love what I do? Worrmon, is she in love with Ken, or the Emperor?...

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"Guys, once Izzy closes the portal, we're stuck here until he opens it - and that isn't going to happen for a long time, or at least until we figure out what we're gonna do." Jade spoke, once the gang had been sucked through the portal. None of them was totally sure any of them accept her and Davis needed to be there, and all of them had lives back at home. Matt had a tour he had to cancel, Joe had classes starting back up tomorrow, Izzy had computers to build, Mimi had life in America on pause, and Sora, Tai, TK, Kari, and Yolei had families who would miss them. Not to mention poor Cody was all alone, in a coma, back in Japan. His family thought he was dead, he himself wouldn't know much about who he was anymore. But here they were, in the pained insistence of Jade and Davis.
"But, it's 26 below zero in celcius, Jade..." Complained Mimi, whom was cuddled up in a pink parka, lined with faux fir.
"There's 26.2 feet of snow...." Izzy added in, whom was struggling to get his laptop operating in the cold weather.
"I'm letting down hundreds of fans as we speak." mumbled Matt, whom was standing with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I dunno guys, when was the last time we all went on holiday together? When was the last time we had time away from life?" Joe put in, glancing about him at the trees covered in snow. He loved it here; he could come over and over again, even if he was the best at impregnating a polar bear, which he discovered once before on a weekend excursion with Jade.
"My mother will love all of you. She'll love the company. She's nosy though, so we can only talk about digi-stuff when she isn't around. She's at the office or the barns most of the time."
"What exactly does your mother DO?" Davis asked, tipping his head to one side when Jade mentioned barns.
"I'm getting to that - just hear me out. She isn't gonna let you all stay for free; there's alot of us, and teenagers are expensive to feed. She'll put you all to work, so you can't be afraid to get dirty. Mind you, she won't make you do something you're not capable of, and will stick you where she sees talent. So don't worry about doing something you can't do."
"Sounds fair enough." TK spoke, placing his arm about the shivering Kari.
"Now what does she do already?" Tai butted in, looking rather like he didn't want to move.
"Okay. She's a breeder..." Jade commented, shooting Joe a look that said 'shut up', whom was snickering.
"Breeder? That sounds right up your alley, Joe!" Sora smiled.
"In a manner of speaking..." he replied, biting his tongue on any bear comments. He wanted to see the look on Mimi's face when Jade's mother showed her the vial of bear sperm. Jade did too, probably.
"Okay, shall we go?" Jade led them off without waiting for an answer, trudging off along the snow-covered path. Her eyes shifted down to the disturbed drifts, and frowned softly. She'd taken this exact path with Ken not even a few days ago. She'd likely never again travel this path with him again; at least, not with the Emperor. Davis glanced up at her, and copied her frown. She was worried about Ken; he could see it in her gait. She wanted to fix Ken, and keep Ken. But she also wanted HIM. He knew she did. Maybe if he burned a little charm, he could sway her a bit. Oh, they'd all still save Ken; he was suffering. If Jade and Izzy were right, he was a real person, and that person needed to be saved. But could he do that and keep the girl too? Matt might know more about that. He'd have to ask.
"Ok guys...Here goes." Jade spoke, pushing open the gate to the farm property. She'd taken them the same way she'd taken Ken; the route that had no bears. Jade dashed up to the door, and pushed it open. "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" she called out, stepping inside. "I GOT FRIENDS!" for many years, if Jade was bringing over more than one friend, she'd call that out to her mom as a warning. She always like to know those things. "THEY'RE GONNA STAY A WHILE." when no response came, Jade blinked. It was Sunday; her mother was always home. "Mom?"
"She's not here?..." Joe spoke, who jogged in next."
"No, and she's always here on Sundays..." the others piled into the door, making the entry way rather cramped. Twelve people under 25 in a door way wasn't a good way to greet her mother, if she was here.
"Joe, you don't think she could be taking a medical call on a Sunday, do you?"
"Not unless it's critical..." he replied, squeezing his way from the knot of people as they began to spread out. Jade did so as well, and waved everyone out of the way.
"Guys, go make yourself at home...Joe, I'm going to go to the office and ask if they know where she is. You stay here in case she shows up, and tell her that we were all going to Alaska and the plane was rerouted, or something. Make whatever up, just make it make sense why there's 12 teenagers in her house." Joe nodded, as the gang started to disburse. Jade turned back to the door, and slipped out. Just as she was shutting the door, Davis slid through it.
"Hey, I'll come with you. It's frozen up here, what if you get in trouble?" Jade rolled her eyes. She knew this town like the back of her hand, and she knew what to do when she was getting hypothermic, but she wasn't about to argue. She didn't have time. If her mom was taking a critical call, she really needed Jade there. It'd be the first since she left, if it was.
"Fine, just try and keep up." she spoke, and dashed off, making a beeline for the office. Davis blinked, and took off after her. It was so cold; how could she run so easily in such cold? She was so pretty; her dark hair looked almost black against the glaring bright snow. She truly was a goddess, no matter what that jerk Emperor said. He blinked once again as Jade vanished into a smallish building, and slid to a stop before he flew into the door. He frowned and entered the door, but couldn't find where she went. He sighed, and leaned against the wall nearby.
"You with Jade?" asked the receptionist, whom was a few feet away.
"Yeah. She's hard to run past, especially when you're not used to the cold."
"Oh, not from around here?"
"No, I'm from Japan. Teleported in this morning." he smirked. Sure that was a bit too close to the truth, but how could she know? The lady laughed, and opened her lips to respond, but Jade once again appeared, and snatched Davis' hand, ripping him back outside. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, stumbling after her as she rounded a corner.
"Can you drive a snowmobile?" she rushed, throwing open a large sliding door.
"I dunno!" he exclaimed, following her inside.
"Fine, we'll find out, get on the one behind me. Put on that yellow coat. HURRY." she replied, tearing one on herself. On the back was written "PBC Rescue". She haphazardly zipped it up as she jumped onto a snowmobile, a large black one, as she jammed the key into the ignition. Davis hastily slipped on a coat, and mounted the snowmobile behind her, sensing her urgency. "Keep up." she barked, and was promptly obeyed. Davis knew better than to argue. Within a few seconds, the machine leaped forward, and slid out of the garage at a good 40 clicks. A worker slipped the door shut, recognizing Jade's driving as she slipped over a dune and away from town.
"WHERE ARE WE GOING?" shouted Davis, over the wind and engine, clinging to Jade for dear life as she rode the slippery ice at 180 kph.
"OUT TO MOM, SHE'S GOT A LOOSE PREGNANT HIT AND DOWN." Davis blinked, not understanding a word.
"OH." he replied, frowning. The snowmobile slid like a shark under water, as if it were a flaming knife through a pillar of butter. He peered over her shoulder, but couldn't see anything through the snow, wind, and cold. "WE ALMOST THERE?"
"YEAH, SHE'S ONLY A CLICK OUT." she replied, throttling off the snowmobile. She slammed the steering hard to the right, making the back end slide to the left. It kicked up a plume of the white snow, and stopped as it half-rounded the corner. Jade bounced off the machine after shutting it off, and dashed on. Davis sat there, a little stunned at the speed everything had happened.
"Jade?" her mother spoke, glancing over her shoulder as she paused from her analysis of the wound.
"Got here fast as I could mom, my plane just landed a few minutes ago. I brought friends, but you weren't home." she spoke, sliding next to the woman, whom was bent over a large female polar bear, whom had been sedated. Davis got off his black snowmobile, and dashed after her - but slid to a stop as his eyes fell on the creature before him.
"Glad you came hon, I need help. Just got here myself."
"What's the story?" Jade asked, rounding the bear to get to her mother's supply bag, which was on the snow.
"She was let out by the damn WWE people again. Got to the drifts, and the hunters thought she was fair game. They shot her, and when they got here, they saw her ear tag and called it in. She's got three in her, and she ain't gonna make it with these supplies. This wound is fatal. We cant't run three back on two bikes."
"I brought one of my friends, he wouldn't stay back. He can take one." Jade's mother glanced over her shoulder again, and waved at the still shocked Davis.
"Good. Jade, help me with the surgey. This is going to be a cut-and-run, these guys won't live long at this temperature without their mother."
"Got it. DAVIS, LOOK ALIVE, GET READY." she shouted, pulling on some latex gloves. Davis shook himself out of his trance, and stepped over. Jade's mother rushingly made an incision in the lower stomach, and was greeted by a rush of blood. Jade reached inside, and tugged out the first bloodied mass. "GO BACK TO THE OFFICE, GO INTO THE FRONT DOOR AND THE RECEPTIONIST WILL TAKE YOU TO THE ER. ONE ARM TO DRIVE, GO!" she ordered, placing the squirming bundle into Davis' left arm. He stared at the small ball of bloodied fur for a second, but dashed off again to his black snowmobile, knowing this was life or death. He'd left his engine running, and as such, he wasted no time firewalling the throttle, and was off in a shot.

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Jade was next to scramble, and finally, her mother. The trio had wasted no time whatsoever on dawdling, and the minute Davis entered the doorway, the receptionist asked no questions once she spotted the small mass in his arms. She led him all the way to the end hall, and a worker whisked the baby bear away, before vanishing behind what looked like an operating room.
"What happened?" the receptionist asked, eying Davis in the Rescue Coat, which was now covered in blood.
"As far as I know, the mother was--"
"The mother was critically injured." cut in Jade, shooting Davis a 'shut up' look.
"Oh no. They're preemie, they might not make it..." the receptionist replied, as another worker scooped the bear from Jade. Her mother was soon behind, and said nothing as she jogged into the odd operating like room.
"What now? Davis asked, peeling off the red-stained yellow coat.
"Now, we wait. There's no sense going home without her, and she still might need a pair of extra hands...Judith, we'll be in the staff room..." Jade replied, leading Davis away back up the hall as she too peeled off her yellow winter coat. "We need to take these to Decontam...let ME do the talking..." she pushed open a heavy steel door just left of another corridor, and grunted as the weight fought back against her. It was designed to stay shut, and for a slender female, opening said door was next to impossible. An old, seedy looking man scurried over, peering at them through inch-thick lenses.
"Jade! Little Miss Stubborn! To what do I owe the greeting of you?" he spoke in an odd off-english accent, as if he were trying to sound sophisticated.
"Had a call out, Levi." she replied, snatching Davis' coat, and placing the two aside the pile on the floor. "Polar Fetal fluid and blood. Gotta get that decontammed asap, okay?" she replied, and gruntingly pushed the large door open. Once the door had been closed completely, Davis shot her a curious look.
"Little Miss Stubborn?" he questioned, tipping his head as he walked beside her.
"Levi has called me that for years...." she rolled her eyes. "I used to be very strong willed as a small girl, running around this place."
"USED to be?" Jade gave him a frown at the remark.
"Just never mind, it runs in the family..." Davis grinned for the first time in weeks as she led him into the staff room, which was as almost always, empty. Before him was an old floral pattern brown couch that looked like it was from the 1980's, and an old TV that looked about the same age, complete with wood paneling. He sat down on it, and was almost completely consumed by the spring-less bottom.
"Wow..." he muttered, eying all the old 1980's items about.
"We're in Manitoba now, Davis. Not Japan...Get used to the old things. I think our coffee pot is older than I am." she chucked, flopping down on the couch beside him.
"I think the soaps are on!" she teased, grasping the massive remote.
"Oh god, please no..."
"Would you rather have Maury?"
"No NO! Save me oh God!" Jade giggled, and slipped the remote into his hand as she curled up against the couch's arm rest, sticking her feet in his lap.
"Watch what you like, I usually watch guy stuff anyways. Soaps make me gag."
"Thank god for THAT!"

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AN: Is it just like old times again, or is Jade playing along? Is this all too comfortably fitting in, too perfect? Gotta wait another chapterrrrr....^.~