Dangerous Load - Yvette and Fred

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

Yvette gets Fred to help her with a more unusual rescue.



There was definitely a whimper coming from under the carriage lying on its side, halfway down the embankment. Yvette frowned as she tried to peer underneath, but it was too difficult to actually see what was under there. She might be able to tunnel through the ground, but that might take some time, and if her skin hit a stone or similar, she could trigger off a spark and that would be Very Bad. Making a small noise of frustration, she glancing around for someone to help. Perhaps Mr. Dayspring or Julian could lift the carriage for her...

Fred, who'd just got done carrying a woman with a sprained ankle to an EMT, looked over and noticed Yvette looking around. She looked as if she needed someone to lift the object she was in front of, and 'lifting heavy things' was pretty much what he was good for. Fred moved towards Yvette, "Hey 'Vette. What's wrong?"

"Fred!" Her eyes lit up, literally. "You are being just the person I am needing!" She pointed to the carriage. "I can hear there is something under there, but I cannot reach and I cannot be cutting my way into there because of the danger. Perhaps you could be lifting while I am crawling underneath?"

Fred looked at the large piece of debris, then back to Yvette, "Sure, Vette. Just give me a second, alright?" he sighed and cracked his knuckles. It didn't look too heavy...

"Just...don't dawdle or anything, kay?" He sighed, and took a few deep breaths...then grunted as he hefted the large chunk of metal a good four feet off the ground. He gritted his teeth, and his feet sunk a little into the ground, but his hold of the piece of the train didn't falter.

She nodded and scrambled on all fours underneath, seemingly oblivious to the huge weight looming over her in her focus on finding what was making the noise. Her eyes shone like two small blue flashlights, crushed grass and disturbed soil damp under her be-socked hands and feet. "Hello?" she called, peering this way and that, and was rewarded by another whimper. There, in a kind of hollow - she crawled further underneath the train, trusting Fred to tell her if he couldn't hold the weight any longer.

Fred was so glad that, just this once, he'd ignored the recommended dosage of his medication. The meditating helped, but he had no doubt he'd be on fire with pain had he not taken a large number of his pain pills. As it was, he'd squared himself and adjusted his hands gingerly, as not to disturb the weight in his hands, and held firm.

There was an ominous creaking above her - train carriages were tough, but not meant to suffer this kind of abuse. Yvette scooted further in, the tips of her hair just brushing the metal exterior of
the carriage with a shrill sound and she froze. "Come on," she coaxed. "I am here to help, yes?"

There was the sound of movement and then a dog came into range of her eyeglow. Yvette almost said a bad word - she loved animals, but she didn't want to be squashed for someone's pet! - but then she noticed the harness attached to the Lab's shoulders, the type guide dogs had. Not a pet then, a guide, a friend. "Come on," she urged again, reaching for the dog's harness as it crawled into range. "Let us to be getting you to your person."

Fred's voice came from behind, "Uh, Vette? No pressure, but, uh...whenever you can!" he said.

He sounded strained. Yvette latched onto the harness and began shuffling backwards, towing the dog as carefully as she could behind her. The trip out was more awkward than the trip in, since she had to be careful the dog didn't touch her face or hair, but eventually she surfaced, clothes and face streaked with dirt. "There, see?" she told the dog. "I was saying we would be getting out!" The dog whimpered again, but its tail wagged a little as it looked around, obviously looking for its owner. "Thank you, Fred. You can be letting go now, yes?"

Fred looked quizzically at the dog wearing the harness, but said nothing as he gently lowered the piece of the train back to the ground. He huffed a bit, and sighed. He gave a small smile to Yvette, "Who's your new friend, and why is he wearing that thing?"

"He is being your first rescue, yes?" She grinned a little. "I think he is the guide dog, for the blind person? He is the very well-behaved dog, which is good, because I did not want him to be hurting himself." She patted the dog carefully on the head with a gloved hand. "I think perhaps we should be looking for his person. He is seeming worried."

Fred nodded as he petted the dog a little. He was momentarily distracted by the petting of the dog. Fred was definitely a dog person. He looked to Yvette "I've got this," and stood up, walked a few paces, and inhaled deeply. Then, he let out a voice that would give the Cassidys a run for their money, "OY! WE GOTTA GUIDEDOG HERE! ANYONE KNOW WHOSE IT IS?"

Yvette winced slightly and covered up one ear, since the other hand was still holding back the muddy Lab. She hated loud noises, especially shouting. But she knew it was possibly a faster way of getting a reaction.

Jacob Mendez had been born blind, and had lived all twenty years of his life without too much fear due to it. Now however, his voice was tinged with fear, pain and not a small part of anger.

"No, you don't understand, Officer. Buddy isn't just a dog, he's my friend and I don't..."

He turned mid-sentence, ears focussing in on the call that had just gone up. Someone, some glorious someone had found his friend.

"Here!" he called, and then turned back to the officer. "It would appear that someone else has done your job for you, sir. Now, if it doesn't inconvenience your grand self too much, I would like it very much if you would guide me over there."

Fred spotted the person who called back, and the officer that was standing next to him, and turned back to Yvette, "I think we gotta winner. C'mon, Vette, let's take him his dog." Fred led the way, and because of his size it was easy to clear a path through the people to the dog's owner.

Jacob knew immediately when they were in range, and he crouched down to receive Buddy's enthusiastic greeting, and then turned his head to face the direction of the sounds Fred's shoes were making on the ground.

"Thankyou," he said simply, hands running softly over Buddy's body to check for injuries.

"You are welcome," Yvette replied shyly, standing slightly behind Fred. "I do not think he is hurt but he is being very glad to be with you again." She withdrew a bit more at the sight of the police officer approaching - being an obvious mutant did not get a good reaction from the local police.

Fred looked from Yvette to the approaching officer, and put his body between the two. He could tell that Yvette was nervous, and the officer approaching them didn't seem like the friendliest, most open-minded man around, "Glad to help, sir. Thank you for taking care of the man while we looked for his, uh... friend."

Shaun was a local boy, born and raised in Westchester county. he'd never even been to New York really, and had no intention of ever going. He liked it just fine here, and would've liked it even better without the problems that a mutant school brought to the town.

"Well, now, perhaps you'd like to help just a little more by guiding this man out of danger. Think you can handle that, kid?" he said, glance passing over Yvette and landing square on Fred as the most human looking of the two.

You could never tell with these mutants, and some of the other officers had spectulated that it was immigration that was the problem. Letting in all these foreigners with God only knew what diseases. No wonder they were starting to see birth defects. He'd married himself a local girl though, so there were no problem there.

"I can help," Yvette said quietly to Fred, ignoring the police officer. "It is better, I think, for you to be helping with the other things more. You are more safe than I am, yes?"

Fred gave one more dirty look to the police officer, which was a lot coming from someone his size, and turned back to Yvette, his voice even, "Of course, 'Vette. Just...just call me if you need me, okay?" and with that, Fred moved towards an EMT that seemed to be attempting the open a door on the train that had been wedged shut in the accident.

Jacob had been following the conversation from his crouch beside Buddy, and now stood, taking ahold of Buddy's harness. "Where to, young lady?" he asked, turning his head toward her.

It was an affectation to be sure, but one that always seemed to make people feel better. He had always figured it didn't bother him all that much, and a person at ease was a person better able to be dealt with.

"Somewhere out of the way of things, I am thinking?" Yvette replied, smiling a little. "And where Buddy can be resting. I think he is having the busy day, yes?"