The Color of Jade

It Begin's

Before Damon could blink, Jade had used her super speed to hook the gear she would need to dispose of the intruders that were ghosting about above them. She pulled back the hammer of the black forty-five she held as she spoke. "There are things in this bunker that neither you nor I would want to fall into the wrong hands. Once that iron closes behind me pull this lever,'' she pointed to a small handle by the door, "After that just stay as quiet as possible." she said as she stuffed the gun in its shoulder holster. "I'm coming with you." Damon whispered. "No, you are not." she whispered just as low but with twice the venom. "I need you here to watch my back. If by chance I get taken down, then and only then, do you come out there. But I will let you no if I need you. You see that blue button that's lit up over there on the wall?" Jade motioned to the monitor on the wall she had opened. "Press that once I am out and we can communicate. But remember that these things up there have hearing as good as our's. So speak softly." she placed a small ear peace in her ear and with that she was gone. Not wasting any time he sprang into action. Rushing across the room, Damon pressed the blue button then turned his eyes to the monitors on the wall. Searching every detail of every screen, he strained to pick up any detail that would tell him where she was. Searching the third screen Damon saw one of the intruders drop to the ground. Despite the body disappearing, he still could not pick up any sign of her. It was like she was invisible. Moving his eyes from screen to screen, he watched as each figure of the intruders dropped. One by one their lifeless body's lay motionless on the forest floor. On the last screen Damon watched as the last one blinded with the darkness as he dropped. He looked closely at each screen, noticing that all the dead body's had already been removed. She was quick and went without notice. Moments later Damon could hear the hum of electricity as some unseen force moved slowly down then stopped. Judging by the sound it was a very large something he mussed. Just as the thought ran through his mind, Jade swung open the iron doors. Without a word, she crossed to the far side of the room and pulled open the two bay doors. "We have to get out of here. I don't have a clue who sent these fool's, but I do believe there will be more of them and very soon." moving to the monitor on the wall Jade pressed the screen with ease. "So whats the plan?" he asked as he watch her move around the room collecting things. On the far wall she pressed a button and the wall silently slid open to revel a hidden compartment. There were seven rows of shelves and on each were random weapons. Damon walked over to look more closely as Jade began to collect several from each shelf. There were guns, knives, flash grenades, bows with silver tipped arrows and many others. "The plan is to move. I have several of these bunkers. We collect whats needed and hit the road." Jade turned and walked past him to the computers and the monitors. he watched as she pressed buttons again. After she was done a small c.d. slot slid out and she took the disc from the tray and placed it in a clear case. Moving once more to the opposite side of the room she retrieved four large duffle bags that were already loaded with supplies. Walking to her, Damon grabbed the three largest bags from the floor. As he watched Jade walked back to the key pad. After she pressed a few keys there was a timer that lit up on the screen. The numbers appeared to be counting down from five minutes. "Lets move." was all she said as she headed to the iron doors. He fallowed her out and to the van. Damon opened the side door to load their things. "Not this one. Whoever it is that's sending these things after me most likely knows what I'm driving. I have a back up a few miles down. We move on foot to get there." he closed the van door and picked up the gear once more as he fallowed Jade out into the darkness of the night. The darkness that enveloped them was a buzz with the storm that was brewing over head. As they began to walk, he could hear the rumble of thunder over head. They walked in silence for a few hundred yards before either of them spoke. "So, why exactly, are you here?" Jade asked once again as she studied Damon's profile out of the corner of her eye. She could see the slight tick of his jaw at her words. She could feel that he was holding something back the last time they had this conversation back at the bunker. After several minutes had past he finally took a deep breath and started to speak. "As I explained before, I was made to protect you. Even if you don't want it." thinking that he would say more she waited. But after several minutes passed once again in silence, Jade stopped walking and turned to face him. "That still does not answer my question. At least not the whole truth. So either you come out with whatever you are hiding or this is where we take different paths!" even though her words had been barely above a whisper, Damon could hear the fire behind her words. There was so much pain and hurt in her short life. He only wished he had found her sooner. "It would change thing's if I were to tell you." he spoke just as softly as she had. Only Damon's voice held a sadness that was rooted in the deepest part of his soul. There was a fear that if she knew the truth he would loose her. Jade stopped in her tracks and turned fully to face him. "I repeat; tell me or I leave you rite here, rite now." Jade stated the words with such venom that Damon took a small step back. There was so much fire behind all the ice he thought. With just a hint of hope under neath the pain. She really had know idea how remarkable she was. To be able to take all the things she had been through in her short life and still try to save the innocent. "Can we please just get to cover then we can have this talk?" he asked as he took a slow look around them. Their was something out there. Waiting, watching. Damon could not put his finger on it but there was a very uneasy feeling that was making the hair stand up at the back of his neck. And judging from the look on Jade's face, he could see that she also was having the same feeling. Jade simply turned and began walking once more. She had felt that they were being watched but had chalked it up to being paranoid. Giving herself a mental shake, Jade let her since of hearing take over. Straining her ears for any little sound that was out of place. After a very short few minutes passed sure enough, there it was. The slight snap of a twig in the woods. The kind that could only be made from non other then a step of something very large. As if on queue, the forest went quiet. Not a single frog could be heard. They both lay their bags down and reached for their weapons. Jade felt surprise when she saw him reach for the samurai twin blades that Damon had latched to his back just as she tore the short blades from her calf holder. They both stepped with the opposite foot as they brushed back to back and peered out into the woods around them. Zeroing in on the movement that is around them, Jade picked up on more movement from at least five sets of feet from what she was getting. "Two on my left and three on your left." her breath fanned his arm as she spoke in a hushed whisper. With a slight nod Damon shifted his body to face his attackers head on as Jade did the same. "you might as well get on with it" Damon spoke in an even tone as they stood there back to back waiting for the unknown attackers to make their next move. But what they did not expect was what happened next. A boy stepped out from behind the tree to Jade's rite. He seemed to be in his late teens with sandy blonde hair and a strong jaw line. The boy stood almost six feet. Regardless, Damon still shadowed over the boy. "Your her." the boy whispered the words as if Jade would vanish at any moment. Not completely sure of how to answer him she glanced to Damon. His face held the same bewilderment that hers did. "Have you a name lad?" Damon asked softly. The boy's gaze turned to him finally as if he just noticed the six and a half feet of shadow looming at her back. "And your the Lights Guard. We have been waiting for the two of you to find each other. Now that you have it can begin." the boys voice rose from a whisper to grow stronger with each word he spoke, As they watched behind him, the trees began to move in a dozen or more areas. There were at least a dozen or more young faces that came out of the shadows. Glancing at Damon as he stood rigid next to her, she could see that his face held no surprise what so ever. As if he had expected them. Turning her attention back to the face's that were now looking at them with slight hope in their eyes, she let out the breath she had been holding. "What the hell is going on demon?" Jade asked as she looked him deep in the yes. "I have known that they were fallowing me for a little over a month now. I let them. At least I would have it easier to look after you and them. At least that's what I had thought at the time. Judging from the look on your face that may have been a laps in my better judgement." Damon stated with a grim look in his eyes. As he watched the walls slowly came up as he looked in her eyes. Whatever small amount of trust he had built in this small time they had been with each other had just shattered. The color of her eyes slowly darkened to an ominous shade as Jade looked around herself at all these young faces. Hopeful faces she thought with sadness in her heart. "What is it that you think I am?" she asked with a broken spirit that leaked through in the tone of her voice. The look on her face was nothing short of dread, he thought with a soft smile curving his lips. She really had not a clue as to how very unique she is. Damon thought as his heart sped up watching the confusion take root in her eyes as she once again looked at the young faces around her. She could do this. Of that Damon was completely sure. "Lets get somewhere safe then we can talk. Please, Jade? Just trust me this once please?" he asked softly as she looked him in the eyes once more. He could see the mistrust in her eyes but he could also see that her inner voice was telling her to trust him as well. Betting on the latter of the two voices to win out he turned his body to fully face her. "Please?" he whispered once more. Everything about this situation was strange, Jade thought. All these hopeful faces. All looking to her to help them. To save them..Jade thought with grim panic set in her heart. "What would you have me do demon?" she asked as she looked around then her eyes shot back to his. The pet name she had given him was becoming a trend. With a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Damon was a smart man and he new that if he let her see that smirk that he would be signing a death wish. "You really have no clue as to who you really are?" an older man stepped out of the trees to Jade's rite. By this time they were standing side by side with their shoulders so close that she could feel the body heat that came off him in waves. Jade could feel a since of calming as she breathed in his closeness. There was something about having him close in this way that calmed every nerve of her body. "Wheres the next safe house and how many can it house?" Damon asked lowly. The space was not the problem she thought. "That's the short of our problem rite now. A more pressing mater is how we are going to travel? I have a van up ahead but I'm not to sure how safe the travel would be with all of us. We may need to get my supply's from there and look for something in the surrounding area. There a few homes scattered about the area and i think there is a church up ahead about five miles. We can maybe get our hands on one of those long church vans." as Jade spoke all the woods began to move even more. From the slight head count that she was able to do in the dark there were about twenty five in all. Many of them were in their mid to late teens with about three elderly. Among them their were five children that were anywhere from five to eight years old. Her bunker would suit them fine and there were three bathrooms that would make things easier too. "Okay now listen up everyone. We must move as quickly as we can. One of the two of us will move ahead and find some transportation." our eyes locked as she spoke. Her expression was questioning as she searched my face. "You can trust me. I give you my word on it." I stated in a low tone. Jade gave a small twitch of her head. "Lets move then. As quickly and as quietly as we can." she began moving as she spoke. Damon looked on at her with pride as the group fallowed her. She would make a great queen when she finally realized her place and more then that, when she finally excepted her place. These people needed a leader. And they were looking to her for that leader weather she liked it or not she would be that leader. As he began to follow her Damon noticed there were a few young men eyeing her like candy. Slowly vearing his steps to the group of three around eighteen to twenty years of age, he fell into step with them. ".....she's beautiful." was the tail end of a sentence one of them that had red hear was saying as Damon toned into their conversation. "That she is. And there is this fire in her eyes that would attract even the slowest of men.." the boy with brown hair and native skin spoke with a sly smile. The blonde kid on the other hand just gave Jade a more possessive look as his eyes moved over her every curve. His eyes lingered on her rear a little longer then Damon would have liked but then moved on its trail up her body. He could feel the green eyed monster start to take hold at watching the kid eye her rear once more. Moving his own body in the kids line of sight made his fist relax a little. The boys eyes moved up until they landed on his stormy ones. As he watched the color slowly drained from the boys face at whatever he saw on Damon's features. With a curt node, Damon picked up his pace and fell into step next to Jade. She glanced at him from the side view. I wander what the hell he has to tell me? And why the hell he seems to the think I can save everyone? She thought in frustration. During her early years she had been so wild. A carefree spirit is what her councilor used to say when she was younger. Now she was just a stubborn young woman with all the wisdom of a life time. And here this Greek looking god was standing here telling me that I am mint to save so many people. Like what the hell am I gonna do to save anyone really? she thought. I can not even take care of myself. Blowing out the breath that she just realized she was holding, Jade decided to just push the thought to the back of her mind and focus on getting these people to cover. Safety first and then she could take this demon to her room in the above ground part of the house where none of these people would be able to hear her shoot him if he pissed her off. In the leg she thought with a smile. She could shoot him in the leg someplace that would not affect him walking. Feeling a little more pep in her step Jade spoke. "we have to move faster." she said to the group. Pitching her voice just enough so they could hear her. About an hour later they had reached the edge of the forest. Holding her hand high in the air, Jade signaled everyone to stop walking. "There is a small bar and grill just at the top of that hill there." she pointed to his rite and Damon fallowed her direction. He nodded his head then looked back at her. "turn rite at the dirt road just after the bar and go about a half a mile and you will run into the church." Damon nodded them simply turned to leave. Jade watched him until he was out of sight. It should take him about thirty minutes to get there, hot wire the van and get back here. They had about three hours before the sky would start to lighten up. She knew they needed to be under cover before then and as long as he could be there and back, as fast as she could, then they would be. "Alright everyone" she began. "we are going to bed down here and wait for Damon to come back with transport. "now, are there any of you that are hurt?" I asked as I set my bag down on the ground and looked around. They looked worn out but as far as Jade could tell, everyone seemed to be unharmed. But their eyes said a different story. They were beaten and battered. The smaller ones were scared and confused as she watched their big eyes look at her with question's Jade was not sure she had the answers to. Moving from one to the next she took stock of each person; age, health and mental state. As she completed her round through the group, Jade decided they were in pretty good shape from what she can see. Some of the young one's had a fire in their eyes. A fire that she recognized as the same one that had started burning inside herself when she was a few years younger then them. A fire that would burn them alive without the proper caution. Hearing the purr of a soft engine, she turned her attention back to the road. And sure enough there was Damon, lights off, coming down the hill in the brown church van. Jade hoped that he was telling the truth. And that she had not made a mistake by trusting him. Regardless of how little that trust was.