[fic] Five Times Mike And Peter Teamed Up
Part of the Mike/Pyro AUverse
1. IS THE WORD
"Left! Go -- other left, other left!"
"That is right, Mister Connor."
"Mike. It's Mike. Really, Pete, it's not hard to -- duck!"
"I am aware of the danger, thank you. Perhaps you should watch your flank."
"Absolutely! ...okay, I have no idea what my flank is. Whoa! Behind us! Behind us!"
"I believe a strategic withdrawal would be appropriate."
"Run like hell? Way ahead of you, big guy. Wait, wait, no, this way, up here, come on, come on--"
"I am right behind you, Mister Mike."
"Not you! Yes! Hit that block!"
"Ah. A 'power-up'."
"Yes! Hah! Let's kick some pixellated ass!"
2. ROOT OF ALL
"This is what they send to face the Hellfire Club?"
"'Send' is a bit prejudicial, I think; it was more--"
Selene sneered and back-handed Mike. It was like being hit by a dump truck. He flew across the room, crashing through the cheap plaster walls. "Children. Tiny, weak children."
Mike pushed himself up on his hands, coughing, crimson armour flickering and fading out. Selene crossed the distance in two quick strides and picked him up by his throat.
"You are bleeding and broken and you have lost your fancy armour," Selene said. "Now would be a good time for your last words, I think. Try for something pithy -- I get so bored of the begging."
"I didn't lose it, bitch." Mike grinned through the blood. "I gave it away." He pointed past her. Selene turned in time to get a face full of telekinetically enhanced organic steel. Her head snapped back. She fell unconscious at their feet.
"Spasibo," said Peter.
"Ne za chto, my friend," said Mike. "Knew you'd come through. Gonna pass out now."
Fortunately, Peter was quite fast as well as strong.
3. ARE MORE THAN
Gunfire in the mansion. The unthinkable. The impossible. Happening. Taser needles bounced off his skin as he shifted metal; he back-handed the black clad soldier over the railing without looking, half-way down the corridor when he heard the man crash into the floor below.
Mike came sliding around the corner, saw him, and threw a hand up. Pete automatically ducked, feeling invisible force brush him and directly hit another set of soldiers coming up behind, sending them smashing through the window.
"Shit! ...blame that one on the bad guys?"
"This is serious," Peter said.
"I'm going with John. Get the rest out."
"I wish to help."
"So get the rest out, Pete. Come on. You're my wingman."
"I do not have wings."
"I meant--" Mike frowned at him, then smiled. "That was a joke! In the middle of fighting! We'll make an X-Man of you yet, Pete. Now, go!"
"Be careful," Peter said.
Mike just grinned.
4. YOUR SIDE MY
"You are a terrorist now," Peter said.
Mike's lips curled, an almost smile. He stuck his hands in his pockets, leaning back against the wall. "Are you afraid, Peter?"
"I do not believe you would hurt me. Still, I can not trust you, Mister Mike. This mission is important. This facility, these U-Men -- they must be stopped." Mike nodded agreement. "You are here for the same reason, perhaps?"
"Something like." Mike grinned. "Magneto is testing me. He thinks I'm loyal, you see, and that's a problem."
Peter frowned a little. "Loyalty is to be commended."
"Yeah, only it's not him I'm loyal to. Look, Pete... One more, for old time's sake?"
"Will you kill for him?"
"For him?" Mike shook his head. "No one has to die."
"No," said Peter carefully, "but it is possible that you might choose to kill anyway."
Mike was quiet for a moment, then he did smile, properly. "People forget you're smart. If I promise for tonight, would you believe me?"
"You will get in trouble with your new commander."
"Probably." Mike grinned. "I still promise, though."
Peter smiled back. "Together, then."
5. TO ALL THINGS
"I did not expect your call."
"Yeah, well. There're always choices, Pete, but sometimes? They all suck."
"I understand your plan. I do not understand why you would do this."
"Because ... Because this is all we do, Peter. Red Queen running. Fast as we can, just to stay still. We can't live like this. We don't live like this. We just barely survive, all of us, no matter what 'side' we're on. There has to be another way, but I've tried everything else and. Well."
"He will see this as betrayal."
"It is betrayal, Pete."
"He will hate you."
"He'll be alive to hate me."
"Is this enough for you?"
"Enough? Enough! God, Pete. No. No. But they're right you know. To have loved, to have been loved... It was worth it. It is. If I'm sure of nothing else, it's that. Please, Peter. I need your help."
"Professor Xavier could--"
"No! They're just as small as each other, stuck in Aristotelian either-or logic. We have to evolve. There's a whole spectrum of possibility, Pete. Somewhere in there, I think, I hope, I know there has to be a way to make it work. Not the best of worlds, or the worst, just a world. Our world."
"One more, for old time's sake."
"Spasibo."
"Ne za chto, my friend."
1. IS THE WORD
"Left! Go -- other left, other left!"
"That is right, Mister Connor."
"Mike. It's Mike. Really, Pete, it's not hard to -- duck!"
"I am aware of the danger, thank you. Perhaps you should watch your flank."
"Absolutely! ...okay, I have no idea what my flank is. Whoa! Behind us! Behind us!"
"I believe a strategic withdrawal would be appropriate."
"Run like hell? Way ahead of you, big guy. Wait, wait, no, this way, up here, come on, come on--"
"I am right behind you, Mister Mike."
"Not you! Yes! Hit that block!"
"Ah. A 'power-up'."
"Yes! Hah! Let's kick some pixellated ass!"
2. ROOT OF ALL
"This is what they send to face the Hellfire Club?"
"'Send' is a bit prejudicial, I think; it was more--"
Selene sneered and back-handed Mike. It was like being hit by a dump truck. He flew across the room, crashing through the cheap plaster walls. "Children. Tiny, weak children."
Mike pushed himself up on his hands, coughing, crimson armour flickering and fading out. Selene crossed the distance in two quick strides and picked him up by his throat.
"You are bleeding and broken and you have lost your fancy armour," Selene said. "Now would be a good time for your last words, I think. Try for something pithy -- I get so bored of the begging."
"I didn't lose it, bitch." Mike grinned through the blood. "I gave it away." He pointed past her. Selene turned in time to get a face full of telekinetically enhanced organic steel. Her head snapped back. She fell unconscious at their feet.
"Spasibo," said Peter.
"Ne za chto, my friend," said Mike. "Knew you'd come through. Gonna pass out now."
Fortunately, Peter was quite fast as well as strong.
3. ARE MORE THAN
Gunfire in the mansion. The unthinkable. The impossible. Happening. Taser needles bounced off his skin as he shifted metal; he back-handed the black clad soldier over the railing without looking, half-way down the corridor when he heard the man crash into the floor below.
Mike came sliding around the corner, saw him, and threw a hand up. Pete automatically ducked, feeling invisible force brush him and directly hit another set of soldiers coming up behind, sending them smashing through the window.
"Shit! ...blame that one on the bad guys?"
"This is serious," Peter said.
"I'm going with John. Get the rest out."
"I wish to help."
"So get the rest out, Pete. Come on. You're my wingman."
"I do not have wings."
"I meant--" Mike frowned at him, then smiled. "That was a joke! In the middle of fighting! We'll make an X-Man of you yet, Pete. Now, go!"
"Be careful," Peter said.
Mike just grinned.
4. YOUR SIDE MY
"You are a terrorist now," Peter said.
Mike's lips curled, an almost smile. He stuck his hands in his pockets, leaning back against the wall. "Are you afraid, Peter?"
"I do not believe you would hurt me. Still, I can not trust you, Mister Mike. This mission is important. This facility, these U-Men -- they must be stopped." Mike nodded agreement. "You are here for the same reason, perhaps?"
"Something like." Mike grinned. "Magneto is testing me. He thinks I'm loyal, you see, and that's a problem."
Peter frowned a little. "Loyalty is to be commended."
"Yeah, only it's not him I'm loyal to. Look, Pete... One more, for old time's sake?"
"Will you kill for him?"
"For him?" Mike shook his head. "No one has to die."
"No," said Peter carefully, "but it is possible that you might choose to kill anyway."
Mike was quiet for a moment, then he did smile, properly. "People forget you're smart. If I promise for tonight, would you believe me?"
"You will get in trouble with your new commander."
"Probably." Mike grinned. "I still promise, though."
Peter smiled back. "Together, then."
5. TO ALL THINGS
"I did not expect your call."
"Yeah, well. There're always choices, Pete, but sometimes? They all suck."
"I understand your plan. I do not understand why you would do this."
"Because ... Because this is all we do, Peter. Red Queen running. Fast as we can, just to stay still. We can't live like this. We don't live like this. We just barely survive, all of us, no matter what 'side' we're on. There has to be another way, but I've tried everything else and. Well."
"He will see this as betrayal."
"It is betrayal, Pete."
"He will hate you."
"He'll be alive to hate me."
"Is this enough for you?"
"Enough? Enough! God, Pete. No. No. But they're right you know. To have loved, to have been loved... It was worth it. It is. If I'm sure of nothing else, it's that. Please, Peter. I need your help."
"Professor Xavier could--"
"No! They're just as small as each other, stuck in Aristotelian either-or logic. We have to evolve. There's a whole spectrum of possibility, Pete. Somewhere in there, I think, I hope, I know there has to be a way to make it work. Not the best of worlds, or the worst, just a world. Our world."
"One more, for old time's sake."
"Spasibo."
"Ne za chto, my friend."