Shadow and the Kat 2 [ Chap. 11 THRU Chap. 20 ] NC-17 ( Illu

[Nightmare]

19) Kitty - Partners: The Two Shall Be As One

Kitty woke curled behind her husband, her arm draped over his side and her hand loosely holding onto his tail. Sleeping with Kurt was a sensuous experience, her flesh against his soft fur. He warmed her in the night, giving her dreams of velvet twilight.

She picked up the clock and softly sighed when she was there were only minutes till the alarm. The faint noise of her setting it down was enough to wake him. A faint amber glow picked up the ripples in his pillowcase even before he turned his golden eyes to her.

He could see the clock from his side, and his sigh echoed hers. "Morning, Katzchen. Unfortunately." The leathery textured surface of his palm stroked down her arm, and ran over her side, resting there.

"Unfortunately?" She looked at his face, the gleam of his eyes picking out the strong lines of his nose and cheekbones, and gave some of his curls a lambent glow, while the rest of his features receded into the dark around them.

"While we dream we are free, liebe, or we can be. We can be back home, or in some perfect world where we are still together. It is when we wake, that the true nightmare returns."

"Yeah. And, oh joy; it's Monday."

"Exactly, liebe, it's time to face the trainers again." That quieted both of them.

The alarm went off, and Kitty turned it off. "I think I'm going crazy, Kurt. And I think it's exactly what they want me to be. I miss her... but... as soon as I threw the knives I wasn't thinking of her as a person any more, but only as a target. When they had me get my knives, it was like it wasn't Karla anymore. It was just... a corpse." She shuddered, and his hand tightened on her side.

"Protection, Katzchen. Could you have let yourself think of what you've done?"

"I... didn't want to. I pushed it away. I could learn to be a killer. Learn to be so hard that blood doesn't bother me. I think it's already starting, and I'm scared of myself."

"I accept you. No matter what you've done. No matter what you will do. I trust you. You're a gentle girl; you couldn't even stand to hurt my feelings when you met me, although you were so frightened. You are not to blame for what you are made to do."

"But... it is my hands... and my choices."

"Are you really choosing to do these things? If they weren't threatening us, and would you do them?"

"Well... no... If I could help it, I wouldn't."

"If you can't help it, because of whatever duress, then, It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. Okay, Katzchen?"

She sighed, and laid her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I suppose so. Tell me when we have to get up, okay?"

"Ja, mein schatz. Ich liebe dich."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Kitty arrived at her training room, and put her knives on. The door opened as she put on the last of them, and Agent Combs walked in, followed by Vaile and Kurt. He carried his changing bag, and went into the locker room to store it. He looked good in his leathers, but the knobbed steel gauntlets gave him a menacing air... just as the knives did for her, she was sure.

Howards called their attention when Kurt returned. "Now you've both achieved mission status, we can get started on joint training. First test: Nightcrawler, port her to the barrier wall over there."

He stepped closer and put an arm around her waist. He closed his eyes for a moment, and ported them over to where he was told. Combs came over and checked his condition. "She and her gear are well under 170 pounds, which is your current limit. You didn't have any problems porting with her?"

Kurt shook his head as he stepped away. "No, sir. Not at all."

"Very nice," Howards said. "Shadowcat, second test: Phase the both of you through the barrier."

"Yes, sir." She put her arm around him, and phased. "Walk slowly and deliberately," she told him. Air walking was a bit tricky, but he moved with her through the wall. On the other side, she made sure no part of them was inside anything, and she let them solidify.

"That was strange," he whispered. His tail shook it self out.

"Tell me about it. Porting is weird."

"If you two are quite finished?" Howards said. "Get back to the table, we have a session to undertake here." Technicians were setting up walls and auto guns around the room, as Howards lade out the practice mission for them.

"Auto guns are on across the room, with paint pellets. Don't get hit, it's a fail. There are three walls between here and the back corner. You are directed to use various means of getting past them, including a minimum of one port and one phasing. Other than that, discretion is permitted. Once you reach the final area, Nightcrawler will disable the security alarms, and retrieve the documents from the safe."

Howards turned to her. "There will be defenders in the last room. Shadowcat, you have to keep them off your partner while he works. To complete the mission, one of you has to come back to the table with the documents. We'll do it at least a couple of times, training time permitting. Is all this understood?"

They both nodded, and she tried to commit the plans to memory. The first couple of times they flubbed before the second wall. The sight of him in action distracted her; he dodged the paint balls with a facet of his easy grace that was only now clear to her. He was made to move like that. In the second attempt, he jumped in the way of a pellet barrage that would have flown right through her.

She waved her arm through him, causing him to back up in surprise. "I can dodge things, too, you know," she said as they went back to get the paint wiped off.

"Get serious, you two," Howards snarled. She and Kurt were wiped down by their respective tormentors in a fashion that left little of the implied threats to their imagination. Kitty shuddered at Brestin's hands roaming her with a towel, and Kurt's eyes narrowed as Vaile rubbed a bit harder than necessary on some areas of him. She met his eyes, and he nodded at the look of steely determination on her face.

The next attempt through together was like silk. They passed the three walls, and Kurt got the security disabled, but when Vail and Brestin jumped out at Kitty with boffers, Kurt turned away from the safe to help her.

"Fail!" Combs called. "Nightcrawler, your job here is the safe, not to play the hero. Start over and do it again."

Once more at the start line, they evaded the auto guns again, and got to the last area. Kurt disabled the alarms, and then turned to the safe. The trainers engaged Kitty, and she defended him with a fierce determination, boffer in each hand. She was marked up in chalk, but she never managed to receive a killing blow.

"Got it," he said, pulling out the packet of papers.

"You go," she hissed. "I'll follow." If I can, she thought, but she knew that he understood that. He ported back to the table and after a few more exchanges; Brestin got a 'death' blow on her.

"Kill!" Shouted Brestin. "Got you, girl."

"Yes, you did, sir," she said as she got up.

She came back to the table, where Howards glared at her. "What about your phasing ability?" he asked. "Once the documents were retrieved, you had no business sparring with them anymore. You should have phased and ran. We're not training your to waste your life."

She winced. That had been stupid. Once more they ran through the exercise, and once more the trainers leaped out at Kitty. She kept them off of him while Kurt worked on the new safe Combs set up. He ported to her side with the papers, and backhanded Vaile out of the way. "Take them," he said, and grinned. One look at his grin told her what he was up to. She took the packet and ran for the table.

She handed Howards the papers, and Kurt appeared, marked up with chalk, but satisfied.

Howards frowned at him, this time. "You took a risk in making that hand off, Nightcrawler. A change of possession like that is just one more thing to go wrong."

"Yes sir," he said politely, "but I was experimenting with contingencies. We are both able to get out of a mission with a goal such as this, and I was trying to give us experience with the opposite role."

Howards sighed. "Well, I can't fault your logic, or your initiative. And, your orders were vague enough that you could get away with it." He looked at Brestin coming out from the walls, rubbing his arms and sporting a purpling bruise on his face.

"There may come a mission where you are explicitly ordered to leave your partner behind, if the goal is considered valuable enough to sacrifice a Hound for. Keep that in mind. Your connection to each other will not be permitted to interfere with your greater duty to Shield."

* * *

They were sent to shower off. No one came to bother them while they were together, or maybe the trainers were too busy nursing their bruises. They went to dinner, and she felt rather upbeat for once. They had come through a trial together, and she felt like they'd accomplished more than just some stupid training mission.

She took his hand on the way home. "We really did something today, love. We put our distractions aside and came together in battle."

"If you say so, Katzchen. I don't feel so optimistic."

"What do you mean? You even got a chance to knock Brestin around."

"Ja, and my story didn't fool Howards for a bit. He knew what I really wanted to do, and he may even know why. I realized something today, liebe. Our trainers may have carnal lusts for us, but do you honestly think they would pursue them without permission? For example, if Brestin molested you and it hurt your effectiveness as a Hound, he'd be in serious trouble."

Kitty stopped in her tracks. "Oh my God."

He nodded. "If they ever do molest us, it's because someone in Psyche gave them the go ahead. None of this is accidental. But please, don't stop there. We can talk about this in our rooms."

Kitty's face turned grim, and she didn't say another word until their door was closed behind them. "Bastards. God damned bastards. What I wouldn't do to kill them all..."

He looked concerned. "Have they made you into that much of a killer?"

"No. Yes. I don't... It's just... all these mind games are enough to make me scream."

Kurt got some milk out of the fridge. "It all goes back to after the last Social, when they found us together. That's when things started to get strange. We know that they are using us each other, but we couldn't figure out why they let us... no, why they made us be intimate."

Kitty sat down heavily in the chair across from him. "You're saying they wanted us to be together, and since we didn't get that far on our own, they made sure of it? Just to make us more vulnerable to them?"

"In order to train our powers, they had to take the collars off," he said, looking into his milk. "But without them, there is very little keeping the two of us, in particular of all the Hounds, from taking a short leap off a tall cliff. I could port outside. You could phase. Yes, we would die, but they wouldn't have us anymore. We two are the best suited for a one-way get-way."

"I don't want to die, Kurt. I'm not that far gone."

"But you've thought about it. I know, because I have, too. I can look ahead to a time when the pressures and the pain become too much for me to bear. If it was just myself to worry about..." He didn't have to finish the thought.

"But you have to worry about me, as I have to worry about you. Damn it! And we played right into their hands." She put her hand into her pocket, and pulled out a neatly tied bit of string. "As if being lovers wasn't enough of a connection, we've made vows to each other. Promises not meant to be broken." She held up the string, studying it.

He took his own loop of string from a pocket and slipped in on his finger. "I have no regrets. Ever. These weeks with you have made this Hell a little more bearable. What joy I take from this time of my life, comes from you."

"Oh, Kurt... I didn't mean..." She hurriedly put on her ring. "I never meant that I wanted to take it back." She got up and went into his arms. "You are my strength. You get me through this. I love you. But knowing this... makes it a little bitter now."

He kissed her softly. "And for me, mein liebe. But is best to know the nature of the obstacles that face us. I think... that our affection for each other is an object of curiosity to them. They don't understand what love us, they are picking at our relationship as one studies an insect, seeing how much damage it can take before it dies. They will test our resolve, and tempt our fidelity. They have already begun this. Gott, it all makes sense, now."

"But they don't know how strong it makes us, and how much we support each other. They don't know that we consider ourselves married. That's gotta be an advantage on our side."

"Ja. Ja, Katzchen, that's it! The love and the commitment we have. They only see it as a physical thing, as a weakness to make us vulnerable. But what we have is spiritual and sacred. It makes us far stronger than it weakens us. They don't know that. They can't know that."

"It's just our little secret, lover," she said, and kissed him. He held her close and lingered at her mouth.

"Wait a moment, liebe, I want to get something." He ported away, and was back shortly with the little white book.

Kitty looked at him. "I looked at that yesterday... I found the part you read for Karla. You... skipped some things when you read it."

"I did," he agreed. "We agree on our God, and we can both agree on the ideal of a Savior, but you are still looking for yours. So, I skipped the bits that specifically mention mein Lord Jesus, in the interest of ministering equally to both of us."

"Thank you, for that," she said.

He smiled. "I don't like believers who beat people over the head with the Bible. The scriptures are the bread of God. It is meant to be enjoyed, and not suffered through. Anyway, I'd like to read something from it for us."

"Go ahead, love. I'll understand any... ecumenical editing you do."

He nodded and read, "'Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted by God. ...It is therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God.'"

He set the book down. "And from my own heart, Katzchen, I add this. For we each have left our families, and we have made our lives together. 'The two shall become one', the Bible says. And maybe together we can survive that which would destroy either of us alone."

"Amen on that, Kurt." She smiled and took his hand. "Hey, I can think of a good way to spend the rest of the evening..."

"Mm? And what exactly would that be, my schatz?" Kitty could see from the bounce of his tail, that he had a darned good idea.

"Well," she said, and unzipped her jumpsuit to a daring level. "I'm sure we can think of something... And just for a little while, we can forget about this place."

"I'm all for that, my wife. We have been too tense, for too long." He turned out the light, and led her to their bed.



20) Kurt & Kitty - Interludes: Vignettes in Torment.

[Indigo elf]

Oooo, oooo, very nice!! Its good to see them come together in training and work so well with each other. Im glad to see them becoming more devoted to each other as time goes on. Cant wait for the next installment!!!

[taekwondodo]

All I can say is that I hope this eventually ends with some really nasty but-kicking revenge on their part. Great job again.

[Nightmare]

Been working on this for awhile, but finally got around to finishing it. It works for much of the story-line.

So Near, And Yet So Far...

Moody, eh?

[taekwondodo]

*squeeeee* Too cute. I love it. Poor Kurti though, stuck looking down on the world as it passes him by. *sad*

[Maelstrom]

Nightmare, that's beautiful! It really gives a lot of atmosphere (no pun intended ). I tell you, though, that ground looks so close that I wouldn't be surprised if he and Kitty actually attempt an escape one of these days...

[MoonbeamDancer]

Cool, but it looks like one of Kurt's ears is missing. Maybe it's there and I just can't see it.

[Nandireya]

I can't see it! All I get is one of those horrid red crosses!

[Nightmare]

His other ear is behind his head... he's sorta looking to the left.

Hmmm. I have it hosted on my web space... so I don't know what's going on there... I'll look into it.

[Nandireya]

I deleted the 'http://www' bit and it worked...

That's a real photo in the background, yes?

[Nightmare]

Yeah, I got some aerial shots from Google image search... it's closer than I wanted it to be, but I had to sacrifice a little accuracy for clarity.

It's like, he's supposed to be on a big I-beam, but danged if I'm any good at drafting objects... I have a hard enough time with figures.

[Nightmare]

Just wanted to format this on the board before I linked it. Was waiting for access to the ftp program.

Anyways, here's the link...

Body of Chapter 20.


Next: Act 3, chapter 21.

[Mad With Power]

Formatting? This isn't the place for it and I'm sure you know it. No more excuses, I'm standing by my previous decision.


Grumble.

[bluefooted]

I feel really bad for them right now
Shield is evil and must be destroyed - I hope you have their doom penciled in somewhere down the line. Great work!

[taekwondodo]

*looks up* what she said. The slime-bags are in need of some serious smack-down time.

[Maelstrom]

At this point, I'm just waiting for things to explode. There isnt a lot of rhyme or reason to the abuse, but that's fine with me, because that's exactly the way the Nazis were like when they invaded the Ukraine. The Ukrainians welcomed German occupation with open arms, just to get out from under Stalin's steel heel, but instead of exploiting this loyalty, they destroyed it with racist policies. It's all too believable to me to see a good, efficient, "this is working" setup destroyed because someone thinks "it isn't right", despite all the lip service about "getting the most efficiency out of our property". They don't really want efficiency, after all: they want punishment.

But stuff like this cannot, by its nature, last forever. Something has to give, and it's incredible how many times it comes in the form of an internal power struggle. That brought down the Scientologists in the 1990s, allowing everyone a peek into a really twisted power structure up top. It brings down mafia families, it casues civil wars in dictatorships, and it forces other corrupt organizations to collapse in on themselves. I'm just curious to see what spark you're going to give to start these flames.

[Nightmare]

That was the worst of it.

And I'd gotten lynched if I'd've ended the story there as I initially thought to do... Oh, and major Red-wolf has a reason for what he's doing... it's just not a good reason.

I've been feeling like they're on a rollercoaster, which has been clicking slowly up to the top of the big drop, and now they're poised up there, ready for the fall.
Y'all know I plan to get them out of there by 30, so it's no spoiler if I tell ya that it'll get a little better from here on out.

[taekwondodo]

Yay! That's good to here, because the emotional rollercoaster is getting kind of painful (and not just for them). I can see a theoretical justification for the new set up and I'll be interested to see if my assumption meshes with the reason that Shield has for what it's currently doing to them. Really glad to hear that things will start improving for them however slowly.

[taekwondodo]

Nudge, nudge. I'm sure you're very busy with the holidays and what not. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm eagerly awaiting the next instalment whenever you get a chance to get it up.

[Nightmare]

Thanks for the nudge... seasonal depression bites.

I guess I was starting to wonder if anybody still cared... #21 is sitting here by the computer, just need to put it in...

I have a hard time finishing projects... =)

[bluefooted]

I still care, please, please add more

I was going to nudge you yesterday, but I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up by making it look like you updated. The way I was suckered today