Unlock(Izzie)

[~ ADMIN]

Right now, Anna had no fear. It wasn't just because of the training she'd received over the years; no one could do anything worse to her than her brothers had done all those years ago. That was the epitomy of horrific, the thing she feared the most. Standing in a field with a powerful biotic, whilst holding a plasma rifle was nothing. And she trusted Gordon. He'd sort this out, she just had to play her part.

Paul's eyes wandered over her body, typical men, as she stood in a relaxed stance, the plasma rifle held at her side.
"How intuitive," she said sarcastically, "someone should give you a prize."
Her brow wrinkled slightly as he invaded her mind, her brain prickling with the force it took to do so. It was time to lead him on a wild goose chase, if she could manage it.
Her mind recalled the memory of the mission with Ben, of Henry torturing them in the basement, the back chat, then the screams, the agony. Paul's probing became more intense, and Anna flared her nostrils, trying not to give into his power.

[Gordon McFadden]

"Ah, you resist? And you put up a wall? Very good. I'll have to get around that." Paul reached out even deeper, throwing aside the memories of Ben and Henry away, going further into the recesses of her mind. He sorted through a murder(an R4 member? Interesting), through more relationships, until finally he came to something...sensitive.
"You really do have a secret then, don't you?" Paul raised his right hand, sending a crackling shock of mental pain through Anna's skull, attempting to weaken her defenses. Once Paul got deeper into her mind, it would only take a few moments before he had swayed her, just like he had done with Gordon.

Gordon saw that Paul was now totally focused on Anna, his powers extended. This was too perfect! Quickly, Gordon ran to Paul's back and in a fluid motion jabbed his energy blade into Paul's back. Paul let out a sharp gasp as blood spurted out onto the ground, the biotic's body falling forward. Gordon withdrew the blade and was going to strike again, but then stopped. He leaned forward, telling Paul quietly:
"I'm not gonna end your life. You get to lay here and think about all the blood you've spilled, all the misery you caused others."
"I...I..." Paul didn't have the strength to form coherent words, mouth slowly moving as Gordon continued:
"Don't talk. Just stay here. Use that mind of yours for somethin good for once." Gordon looked over at Anna, asking:
"You ok? That examination ain't the easiest." He walked over to Anna, smiling slightly as he told her:
"You know, I didn't expect you to come for me. I didn't expect anyone to come. I assumed I was gonna be a merc for life again, worryin about doin my job so Izzie wouldn't get hurt. Guess I owe you one." Gordon then did something that was quite out of character:

He gave Anna a hug.

[~ ADMIN]

Anna let out a low groan, her teeth gritted tightly together as Paul sent the brain scorching through her mind. She was tough, she just had to hold on for a few more seconds...

It was over. Paul, now lying on the floor bleeding, was practically a gibbering vegetable for all he was able to speak right now.
She managed a smile back to Gordon, despite her head throbbing. As he pulled her into a hug, she hugged him back. "Of course I was going to come for you," she told him, holding him tightly, "Izzie isn't the only one who cares for you, you know. If anything ever happened to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." She pulled away, smiling more sincerely this time. "Come on, let's see where your girlfriend has got to with all those young 'uns."

Having made sure that every last child had packed everything, Izzie had ushered them out of the building and around the back. Whatever Anna and Gordon were doing was providing enough of a distraction for them to get out unnoticed. They didn't have to wait long at the shuttle before help arrived.
As two officers helped the children into the ship, giving each of them a quick once over to make sure they weren't bugged or anything, Izzie waited outside the ship, her arms folded, tapping her foot nervously. What was taking them so long? Was Gordon okay?

[Gordon McFadden]

Gordon walked around the rear of the fort and saw Izzie standing close to a medium sized shuttle(a miracle they had landed that thing) with two officers(who were those guys?!) making sure the kids got on safely. Watching the happy expressions on their faces, Gordon couldn't help but realize that those kids were going to have a better life than he had. He would make sure to follow up on where they went, maybe even get the Captain to pull a few strings so that they would end up in good places. Gordon strode over to Izzie and put an arm around her waist, drawing her close to him and saying quietly:
"I ain't gonna do what I wanna do in front of all these people. Just have to wait until we get back onboard." He kissed Izzie on the side of her head before giving her a wink, getting on the shuttle himself. The interior was packed with happy and chattering kids. They did fall silent when Gordon walked inside.
"What, did I drop a stink bomb or somethin?"
"Thank you." The kid who had asked for Gordon's identity spoke, getting up out of his seat and continuing:
"You helped us out a lot, man. I don't know what to..." The child's voice got caught in the throes of emotion, silent as Gordon walked over to him, asking him:
"What's your name, man?"
"J...John."
"John, it's over now. You and the rest of these kids are going to have a new life. Don't you go cryin on me now." Gordon gave him a smile, attempting to suppress his own emotions(which he thought he didn't have. Boy he was getting soft).
"Get strapped in. We're leavin."

The kids were placed into guest quarters and were given as much space as they could, given the circumstances(There weren't very many places available in the crew quarters). Gordon made sure that they were going to get fed(Real food!), promising to talk with all of them the next day. He had told Izzie to meet him back in his room, which he was now right in front of. Gordon pressed down on the door lock, the door sliding open.

[Izzie McFadden]

Izzie's heart had leapt up into her throat as Gordon had walked round the corner towards the shuttle, Anna purposefully trailing behind. That kiss on the side of the head hadn't been enough. After all that they'd been through, part of her had wanted to cling onto him and never let go. But she'd told herself to get a grip. Now wasn't the time to fall apart.

Izzie hadn't actually been inside any of the other crew's quarters before. At first she'd been huddled up on Gordon's bed, in a clean change of clothes, her hair still wet from the shower, just observing the room. But after a little while, she'd got up to explore. His room was relatively spartan, anything important had probably been hidden away from view, so that people like her didn't go snooping through his stuff. There were a couple of things left out on the surfaces, files, other work things. She didn't get any further than that before the door opened.

Upon him appearing in the doorway, Izzie strode across the room and pressed her lips against his harder than she ever had with anyone before, holding his head in her hands. Allowing them both a moment to breathe, she pulled away slightly, and said, "don't ever do that to me again."

[Gordon McFadden]

Gordon responded in a very similar fashion, the door sliding behind him as he returned the kiss just as passionately, hands going down to the small of her back, turning her around to where she was pressed up against the wall(again!), the pause catching him by surprise.He smiled at her comment, responding:
"Not like I had a choice, babe. It was either you get away alive or we both wind up with our brains turned into mush. But I'm gonna promise you this...I ain't ever leaving you alone. You're mine." His lips found her neck, biting down just hard enough to get her heart racing, whispering as he went up to her ear:
"I love you." His hands went to the waist band of her pants, gently bringing his hands down towards her thighs before he paused, looking her in the eyes and saying with a smile:
"Never thought I would fall in love with a fitness instructor...who was assigned to a combat mission. Still don't understand the logic of that. But I ain't complainin." Gordon's smile disappeared as he continued:
"I never...never wanted you to go. I hope you knew that. I wanted you to stay. You brought so much into my life. And it ain't been but a few days, and I don't like sayin stuff about love, but I...I can't get around it. I love you...so...stinkin...much."

[Izzie McFadden]

"You're mine."
As possessive as that statement was, Izzie found herself not caring. She was glad to be his. She'd gone a long time thinking that the right guy would never come along, that she'd keep pushing them away. But almost from the moment they'd met, Gordon had sunk his nails into her, and he wasn't letting go. She didn't want him to.
Kissing him fervently, her head craning back slightly at the bite, she looked at him, and said the words properly this time, "I love you too."
"I didn't want to go either," she confessed, "I swear to God, walking away from you in that room was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I left my heart there with you, and I've only just got it back."
Running her fingers through his hair, she continued, "but I knew I couldn't do anything alone. And I wasn't going to leave you to rot. So I went to the one person who could save us both. And she did a marvelous job." She would be forever grateful to Anna for what she'd done. Without her, she would have been left a heartbroken wreck.

[Gordon McFadden]

"Yeah, Anna is a pretty amazing woman." Gordon knew that Izzie's statement was dead accurate; if it hadn't been for Anna, Gordon would have been aiding in a cause that he despised. In a sense, she had liberated him twice. He would have to ensure that he would stick to protocol a bit stricter(he was a mess when it came to listening to how to store weapons, how to maintain your locker, all those little details that he found idiotic), give her less of a hard time. Of course, he thought she enjoyed having a brother who constantly got on her nerves. She never protested. As Gordon leaned in for another kiss, an abrupt signal from his personal A.I. interrupted the gesture.
"Not now!"
"Incoming message from: Captain Michael Clarke. Will you receive?" Cap? What did he need this time?!? Gordon looked from his unit to Izzie, saying apologetically:
"It's the Cap. He'd have me put into the brig." He kissed her on the lips one more time before he walked in front of the unit, saying:
"OK, bring him up." A holographic projection of the Captain appeared on screen. He looked tired, but he was holding up.
"Gordon. Good to see you alive. I got the report from Alliance brass. Pretty good work out there."
"Thank you sir. That's how I usually like to do things." Michael laughed, fully aware of Gordon's cockiness. Good kid though.
"I'll be onboard within the next few hours and I'll make sure to catch up on events. I also heard of a new arrival."
"Sir?"
"I can see her, Gordon." Michael looked over at Izzie, smiling as he said:
"Welcome to the team, Ms.Fritz. You came highly recommended. I hope you can instruct Gordon on how to better keep himself in shape."
"What?! Cap, I've got biceps bigger than your head and you know it!"
"Settle down, son." Michael said the statement with a laugh, enjoying the reaction.
"Cap, are you still on...?"
"Yes. Well, we won't be soon. Hollie and I are leaving on the next shuttle."
"How did the visit go?"
"Well...it was eventful to say the least. I sent some information to you onto your datapad. Look over it. And Ms.Fritz, I'd like to see you when you get a chance. Alright you two, I'll be onboard soon. Clarke out." Gordon looked over at Izzie with a small smile, saying:
"Private meeting. Fun."

[Izzie McFadden]

It was a little strange, the amount of admiration Gordon had for another woman, but she wasn't jealous. She and Anna had talked on the shuttle all the way to rescue Gordon, and Anna had filled her in on a lot. Even the painful details of their first sparring match. It was a wonder Gordon had any ego left. Any of his downstairs brain.
She should have been used to things interrupting her sessions with Gordon now, but she couldn't help but look mildly chagrinned as he went to answer the Captain's call, the taste of his lips lingering on hers.
The man was obviously clued in to what was going on here, even though she hadn't left any lipstick or other marks upon his face. Could have been the mess that was Gordon's hair.
"Thank you, Captain," Izzie replied with a small wave, smiling across at the hologram. She didn't have anything to be embarrassed about really, he didn't seem phased by what he was seeing. "I'll come by your office as soon as I hear you're back on board." She was curious to know what he actually wanted to talk to her about. Protocol? Settling in? Hmmmm.
"Yes," Izzie turned back to Gordon, "fun. But I can think of something a lot more fun that we could do right now." She grinned at him cheekily, walking over to wrap her arms around the back of his neck, "think you can indulge me?"

[Gordon McFadden]

Gordon grinned right back, his hands sliding down to her rear, saying:
"All. Day. Long."

-End-