The Plaguebearers - Log Five

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In the battle against the Death Adder, Julian is badly injured



Even as the two hunters escaped into the sewer, Death Adder focused on the newcomers. He scuttled sideways like a crab, his barbed tail bobbing up over his head. The claws on the end of his webbed fingers were wickedly sharp as well. Even with the equipment that Dr. Sikorski had given them, it was difficult to see how they could bring him down easily.

"Should have brought my piece." Sharon growled as she flipped over his tail. "Punching and kicking ain't gonna bring this thing down."

After another flip and another swipe of the tail, she called out. "Can one of you at least take this thing out of action?"

"Ain't always that easy!" Logan growled back. Mutant on mutant usually made things even but not easy. Especially if they didn't have the right type of powerset to counteract things. He darted forward to slash at the tail. Disabling that thing would be the best thing right now. At least they were in a more open area of the sewer system.

Julian's head was still ringing from the earlier melee- and he could feel his heart pounding in his throat as he dodged a whip from the tail. "To hell with this!" he shouted, sending a surge of force forward. The creature dodged it, letting it impact on a brick wall just above Sharon. "Oh crap," he muttered, reacting with moments to spare as he redirected the rocks into the pool, instead of letting them fall on his team-mate's head. Turning his attention back to the creature, he tried to pin it down again, but the thing felt too damn slippery in his head...he couldn't get a grip.

Death Adder turned and lept over Julian, carrying the fight to Sharon as he slashed at her with his clawed webbed hands.

"Oh shit." Sharon dropped low, rolling beneath the claws. "Fuck, that hurts." She muttered as rolled into a piece of metal. "Though this might help..." Her hand curled around the sharp spike. "Lizard breath!" She called out. "Over here!!!"

Instead, the creature turned back to Julian, like he could sense the telekinetic attempts to hold him. With lightning quickness, he was on Julian, battering at his TK shields and trying to drive the mutant into the knee deep water.

Off balance, the creature's target faltered back into the shallow water, keenly aware of the ledge that dropped off into an abyss not far behind him. The water rippled with the waves of telekinetic energy that was rolling backwards off of Julian...leaving his front side exposed. As the creature pressed its advantage, Julian threw up his hands to blast it back- but it was faster. A piercing pain wracked through Julian's body, as the stem of one of the creature's weapons stabbed through his palms and out the back of his hands- pinning them together in a moment of agony. Time slowed, Julian could feel his heart beating in his head as the sound of the world around him drained away. He looked at the creature's face, and for a moment, it seemed that it was happy. Then time sped up again, as the barb was ripped out, leaving holes in both his palms and a swelling pain radiating up his arms. Julian screamed.

Death Adder smashed Julian down, bull rushing him and leaping past, down the tunnel. They had a choice; let him escape or leave Julian behind. It wasn't much of a choice.

Dr. Sikorski paled. "That barb is the main delivery system for the venom." he said.

Sharon skidded next to Julian, her eyes roving over the wounds as her hands were already pulling out the belt she wore in her pants. "We need to stop it from spreading. As much as we can." She set about pulling the tourniquet as tight as possible. "Give me yours. And tell me about the poison. Focus on your breathing, Keller."

"Fatal. It's thick; takes a few minutes to work itself through the bloodstream. I- there's nothing I can do for your friend."

Sharon finished wrapped the tourniquet around both wrists, a deep green tinge appearing on Julian's hands. "This can only slow it down... we have to stop it from getting further in his body. Keller, do you understand? The only way I can see is to get rid of the source, your hands..."

The pain was too much for Julian to answer; his eyes were already wide as saucers, unable to blink, and his mouth was clenched tightly. Julian could feel it, the searing pain of the venom in his hands, and how it was starting to spread. Sharon's words were true, and even if he kept the hands, they were ruined from Death Adder's attack. Locking eyes with her, he forced all his willpower into two words, "Above...wrists," it was the only way to be sure.

"Shit!" Logan watched the whole scene unfold in front of him in just a few seconds. Death Adder wasn't pressing his advatange. He seemed satisified that as long as they weren't going after him they were no longer a concern. He dropped back to where Sharon and Julian were just in case that changed. "Ya sure? My claws ain't really cut out for delicate work. This might be more messy than any of us want."

"We have no choice. The poison's spreading too fast. It's either his hands or his life. Do it!" Sharon's voice was steely as she maneuvered Julian to a position where Logan could do 'his thing', then held his arms still. "Do it now!"

Logan gave a short nod then did a quick sheath and unsheath of his claws in an attempt to clear off some of the grime from the sewers off them. He'd only need one hand for this. He gripped first one forearm tightly then the other as he quickly severed Julian's hands with two quick snikts one after the other. It wasn't the first time he'd sliced through muscle and bone but it was a different thing when it was someone he never should've had to turn his claws on.

Julian's vision had already blurred around the edges, the side-effect of a massive dump of adrenaline into his already over-taxed system- he could barely make out anything more than the quick, metallic blur that ended the burning emanating from his hands. Relief flooded his body, there was no more pain...for a moment. His vision returned as he looked down at the bloody stumps where his hands had once been and clarity over what the new feeling was dawned on him- his hands were gone...or rather, while they were laying on the ground next to him, they were no longer attached to his body. It took a moment for his brain to process, and once realization dawned on him, it was too much. The scream that came from his mouth was mercifully brief, as his world went dark and Julian fell unconscious on the drainage grating.

"Damn." Sharon quickly checked his vitals, worried about shock, before putting pressure on the stumps where his hands had been. Luckily it didn't seem to be bleeding too much, the vessels constricting quickly. "We need to get him back to the mansion. You need to carry him. I need my hands free for this." She ordered Logan. "Hopefully we can get Clarice here."