central_librarylogs | Orientation: In the dark spaces in between [Closed]

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Orientation: In the dark spaces in between [Closed]

Who:Tony Stark, Leonard McCoy, Alec Lightwood, Jace... Whatever he's going by at this point.[closed]
What: Keep the monsters out from the world of Pitch Black
When: Orientation Event
Where: Just through the portal into the evil planet where the bioraptors live.
Warnings: Dark, Scary, Lots of yelling and unhappy country doctors, probably mentally scarred half-angels, and a suit of armor with a user with a god-coplex. (What? I speak truth.)
Notes: There will be multiple threads more than likely.

When The Librarian and the others told them to find a book and not to go alone, he really wanted to just stay back there and offer to be a doctor. Didn't everyone need a doctor? Instead he did the wrong thing, as always, and followed along with the man that had the bravado and drive that reminded him a little too much of James T. Kirk along with the half-angel he'd met while first arriving. At least the kid had a nice head on his shoulders.

All those delusions of doing the right thing faded, however, the moment Tony touched that damn book. The fall of dark smoke and soot that fell at their feet caused him to take a step back in surprise. God damn it. Damn it all. Damn these 'books' and whatever mess they were about to get into. And where he wanted to say (more like yell) that Stark picked the wrong book, the world was already long changing. And before any of them knew it, before he could even place that soft British accent in his ears with the Head Librarian... everything went dark.

When the world finally came into focus, Leonard realized two things. This was not the Library, and these were not the clothes he'd been wearing before. Both fleeting thoughts that disappeared with the first shrill scream that echoed off walls ran straight down his spine. It reminded him vaguely of howler monkeys, but somehow shriller and more malicious. The walls rose around them, craggy rocks and dripping with moisture. Darkness. Save for the lights attached to his brand new black gear and flashlights strewn on the floor. Light.

Light is your only ally.

Reaching out, he grabbed the light off the ground and started to look around. He felt the weight of something around his shoulder. A rather large rifle of some sort. All he knew was it meant business. His phaser still hung at his hip as he spun slowly to take in the caverns around them. The sounds of movement, hisses of scratching against rock wafted through the stale cool air and he felt a dread pool in his stomach. Yeah. They picked the wrong god damn book.

A flashing in a chest pocket of the light armored vest caught his attention and he pulled it out. The silver medical emblem on his bookmark flashed with light then expanded instantly. The information scrolled on the screen instantly.

Bioraptors

Light sensitive to the point of injury. Completely blind from living in the dark, but can see accurately from ultrasonic location. Nasty little (big rather) fuckers. Breathing in slowly, he closed his eyes.

"Hey guys, guess we're not in Kansas anymore.. and these flying monkey bastards got more teeth than a great white."

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When Jace had started toward the tunnel, Alec took his usual position, guarding is parabatai's back. There was no sound of footsteps as he continued to scan the strange space they'd found themselves in. "Heat rune then one of the runed arrows?" He'd save those for collapsing the tunnels, if they worked. The simpler ones would work for the monsters he'd studied on the bookmark.

He worried about the Mundanes, but he had to trust that they knew what they were doing. Tony had weaponized armor. That didn't seem like something someone who had never been in a fight would own. He'd talked about being eaten by monsters before, something Alec didn't really want to think about. Leonard might not have the same kind of experience, but from the way he'd discussed strategy, he had some kind of training or talent.

"If you find the weak spot, I'll hit it." There was never any doubt of that. Jace might be the best Shadowhunter in their generation but Alec was the best archer. And after years of fighting together, Jace knew how to select the ideal target for Alec.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, he risked a glance at his parabatai. "Are you okay with this?"

"Exactly what I was thinking. If we weaken the stone you should be able to collapse the tunnel." Jace was going to assume the Mundanes knew enough not to get themselves killed right away. Otherwise they wouldn't be here, right? "You've never missed a target."

Alec was the best archer and they were a good team. Always had been. But he was still wondering about Alec's comment and what could possibly be worse. Somehow he didn't doubt after Sebastian and Valentine things would get worse. And he hadn't been able to stop whatever happened after he'd died.

Jace stopped and looked at Alec, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Okay with sneaking around in the dark with a bunch of monsters who probably have better night vision than we do?"

"Not since I was ten." Not when it mattered at least. His hours at the range, dealing with frustrated emotions didn't count. Even when he'd thought Magnus was dying, he'd still managed to hit every target.

Catching a rustle of movement, he sheathed the blade, drawing his bow. Instinct had the arrow flying before he even completely registered the monster. "I'm going to have to make each shot count or try out the rifle." It couldn't be too hard, right? He'd always been curious about firearms but since they rarely worked on the creatures they hunted, he'd never had a chance to see if his aim translated to other weapons.

"With that, and you're healed enough?" Jace had seemed fine and he doubted that the Librarians would send Jace out on a mission unless he was fit for duty but he still worried. If his parabatai still had some injury lingering from the fight in Idris, then Alec would adapt their plan to compensate. With a look he silently added, I need you to tell me the truth.

Jace didn't flinch or react, he knew. Just as Alec knew. Alec always had his back so he never worried. Except when his parabatai was considering Mundane weapons. "Not that I doubt your aim no matter the weapon, but I prefer you and arrows. Make them count."

And with that he swung around, crouching low, taking out the legs and then coming down through what he decided was suppose to be a head. It was swift and precise. Nothing he hadn't done before.

Only then did he return to the question and the look Alec was giving him. "I'm not perfect." Oh, how he hated saying that. "But I can manage and I won't let anything happen to you. No matter what."

Replacing bow with blade, he was ready for the next monster, driving the blade through the creature's chest before drawing a dagger to finish the thing off. So far the monsters hadn't decided to rush them at once. Probably trying to see what the 'sound' was that had invaded the caverns.

"But I wanted to try our new toys." He managed to sound like he was pouting while waiting for the next attack. At least their banter hadn't really suffered even after months of not fighting together.

"You were never perfect, despite what your ego told you." But his parabatai had been close to it. Only Sebastian had ever been better than Jace. "Nothing is going to happen to either one of us."

"You have more fun as a Shadowhunter than a Mundane with a toy any day." Jace caught himself staring at Alec for a moment before turning back to the tunnel ahead. The only light came from their swords and he realized as another attempted rushed attack that it seemed to shy away from the bright light. Determined still to try to kill them, but definitely reacting.

"If they live in the pitch black the light would hurt." he murmured, drawing another sword, whispering a name to the blade before moving in a flash and blur of light in the dark. It was almost too easy, too fun, like sparring. The thought made his stomach drop suddenly as he remember Sebastian and how easily his ego had been knocked out of him.

"No. Nothing is going to happen to either of us." He couldn't have any doubts now. No matter what had happened by the lake.

"But I could be a Shadowhunter with a toy." If the weapons stayed with them, Alec was going to try them out. He might even test the guns before they returned to the Library. Realizing that Jace was staring at him, he nodded toward the tunnel that they were supposed to be taking out. A tunnel that housed more of the creatures rushing and they all seemed to have noticed that there were intruders in their world.

Letting out a muttered curse, he followed Jace, Briefly, he thought of the witchlight in his pocket, but decided that could wait until they needed a distraction. The seraph blades would be enough for now. Dodging out of the way of one of the monsters, he slashed at another while the one he'd avoided came after him. "Witchlights later."

Moving back to his guard position, he started considering how to bring down the tunnel. "We need to stop them before there's too many to fight." Jace might enjoy the practice but Alec preferred less dangerous sparring partners.

"If we take down the entrance whatever is left will be easier to pick off." Witchlights would definitely help later. First they had to get close enough to do some real damage before they got overrun. "I'm going to get as close to as I can, use a heat rune, save your best for last and collapse the tunnel."

As he spoke he was picking his way through with mostly practiced ease. The fact that only so many could fit in the tunnel helped, but if they cluttered the space with their bodies they wouldn't be able to reach their goal.

The plan would work but that didn't mean he liked it. Getting close meant that Alec wouldn't be there to protect Jace, but they'd been in similar situations before. If they could go to hell together and fight demons, then they could deal with these things.

He couldn't focus on what could happen to his parabatai. He needed to find a place that was defensible that would keep him from having to fight the monsters while trying to line up the shot Jace was setting up.

Hacking at the bioraptors, he spotted a ledge that would work. Using one of the monsters as a 'boost' he leapt for the rock shelf, swinging himself up before any of the creatures could grab him. He'd be safe - temporarily - but if Jace spent too much time trying finding a target...

Pulling free some of his mundane arrows, he picked off some of the monsters that were rushing toward his parabatai's back. "Hurry up, Jace." And use the rune before he had to start using more powerful weapons.

Jace moved the way he had been born to move. Dodging, deflecting, fighting. A blur of movement that kept him just out of reach, a step ahead, and skirting danger. It was a rush, it always had been, but then he saw the cavern beyond. Just a glimpse and a muttered 'by the angel' before he was using Alec's stele to draw the heat rune on the stone above his head.

Then again on each side of the tunnel. Once Alec collapsed the tunnel the stone would cool, a solid wall between them and the army beyond. They were already coming. A swarm Jace was trying to cut down to keep them from overrunning the tunnel.

"Alec! Now!"

Alec had to trust he would move fast enough to get out of the way.

This was the part of every battle that Alec hated. It was one of the few things he hated about being an archer. He had to stand back and wait while Jace was in danger. He might be able to pick off some of the creatures that were rushing Jace, but he wasn't there, fighting seamlessly with his parabatai.

Taking a deep breath, he ignored the mass of creatures crawling along the cavern floor. Since he wasn't near them, they didn't seem to be paying attention to him. Maybe they couldn't 'see' him when he was above them. Whatever the reason, he wasn't the center of attention like Jace was.

As soon as Jace spoke, Alec pulled one of his runed arrows from his quiver, lining up the target and letting the arrow fly. He fired again and again, not waiting to see if he hit the spot that Jace had marked. He knew with a certainty that hummed through him like the beating of his heart that he wouldn't miss.

Before the rock started to explode, Alec switched bow for blade and leapt from his perch. Landing in the middle of the cavern, he searched for Jace while hacking at the bioraptors. "If you don't fall back, I'm going to break out the Mundie toys!"

Jace was trying, but they were coming like a wave no matter how fast he moved. And then he heard the explosion and felt the ground move enough to knock him off balance. And then it was a fight to not be killed by the swarm or buried by stone. For a long, almost breathless moment, Jace wasn't sure he was going to make it back to Alec.

He didn't see or hear Alec until the tunnel had finished collapsing in on itself and his lungs were full of dust and he had bug juice in his hair. He was sure he had a few scrapes and cuts, probably some colorful bruises, but he was on his feet and cutting down a bug at ALec's back.

"No need for Mundie toys." He smirked, tracking the remains of the swarm that hadn't been crushed or trapped on the other side.

He couldn't think of how many of the monsters there were or how this could end in blood and death. This is what they'd trained all their lives for. They were Nephilim. They were parabatai. If they could literally go to hell and back, they weren't going to die in some weird cave full of monsters that shouldn't exist.

Drawing a second blade, he called out the name that now seemed to be the most powerful for him. The weapon blazed almost blindingly bright as he scythed through the bioraptors, refusing to let any of them slow him down. A horde of demons hadn't stopped him when Magnus was in danger. Nothing would stop him from protecting Jace.

At first he couldn't see his parabatai amid the chaos but he knew that Jace was safe. There was no trace of the pain he'd felt before Valentine...

Shoving aside the thought, he focused on the bioraptors. Sensing something behind him, he spun around, crouching low. One blade swooped behind him to cover his back, slicing through another creature. Grinning at his parabatai he moved to his customary position beside Jace. "But Jace, the Mundie toys could be fun."

Jace continued to block and defend his parabatai. The tunnel was properly collapsed and now all they had to do was pick off the remnants. The fun had gone in a rush. But watching Alec play with his Mundie toy could be fun.

"Fine." He sighed, as if he were bored and resigned to the idea while still managing to take down two very angry beasties. He couldn't call them demons. Demons were actually much more difficult to kill depending on their level of bad. "Lets see what Mundie weapons can do."

If it made Alec happy and he had fun, Jace couldn't argue.

Pleased that he'd 'won' the argument, Alec continued hacking through the monsters. They were quick but didn't seem as creative as the demons they'd fought back home. A dangerous thought since it could make them lazy... which meant he probably shouldn't use untested weapons while they were still stuck in a world they didn't belong in.

Like when they were in Edom or when they'd been in Idris...

"Later. It's not a risk we should take until we're sure that we can get out." Seraph blades he understood and he knew how to protect Jace while he was armed with them. The Mundane weapons might be more effective but he wasn't going to endanger his parabatai by indulging his curiosity. "Maybe when we meet up with Stark and McCoy."

Slicing the 'throat' of one of the bioraptors, he scanned the area for the worst threats. "Do you think any of them got past us to the portal?"

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Orientation: In the dark spaces in between [Closed]

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