Abandoned Subway Tunnels, Los Angeles, Saturday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

"Stealth said that this place is a kind of refuge for homeless people who didn't want to shelter up on the surface," Banzai said, leading the way through the subway tunnels. "They're really good at policing their own; making it safe for women and families to stay down here. No drugs, no violence, that kind of thing. Isn't perfect, but pretty damn good for people with nothing. But nobody's heard anything from anyone down here in awhile and she wants someone to check in with them. There was no indication that they've had contact with anyone infected, but the silence is weird. She's hoping they're just hunkered down and waiting for this to blow over."

Flickering lights overhead didn't do much to dispel the gloom, illuminating only the area around them and leaving the rest shrouded in darkness. There were sections where the lights were out entirely and that meant that they would have to travel for several yards in true darkness, at least until they reached the next, intact light. "We should be coming up on sentries soon. They might have weapons, so please let's try being nice first?"

[For those guys with her! And NFB]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"I think--I think you're doing it!" Banzai said, putting her wrist to the girl's forehead. It was cool to the touch now, as opposed to before when the heat had practically been radiating off of her. "You're curing her--Anders, do you get it? You're curing the zombie bite."

This was huge. It changed literally everything.

[not_every_mage]

"I am?" Anders asked in a cracked, dull voice. He mainly just wanted to sleep.

He pulled his hands back, looked at the child in his lap. She looked back at him uncertainly. "I did it," he said. "It took almost everything I have, but I did it. Now if we could just portal in every mage in Thedas, we'd get somewhere."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Regenerator," Banzai said immediately, staring at him in something close to awe. "His powers are insane, you don't even understand. If you can heal the zombie plague, then so can he. But--Anders, you did it."

And she was bending down to plant a giant kiss on him. He'd just saved her city, dammit.

[not_every_mage]

"I did it for one girl," Anders said. "And she was still alive. If Regenerator can take care of the dead ones --"

And then it didn't matter what he was going to say, because Kathy was kissing him and that was the best argument he'd ever heard in favor of trying to heal zombies.

[spin_kick_snap]

'Genny couldn't heal the dead ones, they'd tried. That was one of the reasons that Banzai had captured the first few, rather than dispatching them immediately. But he could heal the infected ones without anywhere near the strain Anders had undergone. By himself, he might just be the equivalent of every healing mage in Thedas.

She'd mention that to him. In a minute. Because kissing. All of her hurt and anger evaporated like water in summer.

[not_every_mage]

Anders was going to take a little longer to press past his hurt than Kathy had. But for the first time since they got to L.A., he at least felt like this was something they could let go.

The girl,healthy now but still confused, slid away and scampered into the dark almost soundlessly, and Anders almost didn't care. Not when there was kissing.

Almost, but not quite.

"Should we go after her?" he asked, a breath away from Kathy's mouth.

[spin_kick_snap]

In fairness, she hadn't just provided the salvation for his home city.

"Yeah," Banzai said, pulling away reluctantly. "There's no one down here to take care of her. And 'Genny's going to want to look at her, too. See if he can learn anything more from her. We'll have to bring her to him right away. And call Stealth! And the Mighty Dragon!" She clapped her hands and grinned with at him. "You saved us, Anders. Thank you."

And then she was loping off after the little girl that lived.