[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

[Prompt 3 Starts Here - Blurred Lines]

Nexus sniffed in distain as he swept past the computers, lights still blinking and screens still displaying a readout. Likely as not, they had been abandoned when whatever had ocurred - well, the rooms he had passed looked to be in enough disarray as it was without him interfering, and whatever had caused that mess was best avoided, in any case. He carefully ignored the moulding cups of coffee gone cold - his sensitive nose twitched at the sour smell that permeated the room, and his eyes caught something darting away into a corner, though when he blinked he could barely imagine there had been anything at all.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Tony's steady growl, low and unrelenting, came from behind him and Nexus was unsure whether to feel validated or unsettled at the notion he had also seen whatever had darted away. He turned to glance at Tony, who was staring at the shadowed corner with teeth bared, but his eyes caught another shadowy figure dancing across the wall behind Tony's shoulder and his scowl deepened. It was clear that they were not here alone, and whatever these things were, they appeared to be testing the waters by getting close to them and then zooming away out of reach before they could react - not that he knew how to deal with a being who was little more than shadow.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Tony didn't speak, merely kept up a long, low warning growl. He knew Nexus understood the meaning behind it, and speaking his concerns out loud - that he didn't like this, that it didn't look good, that he had no idea what these things were but they sure as hell didn't seem friendly, that they should get what they came for and get out - would merely be a waste of words. He kept his eyes trained on the wall, but shuffled closer to his Boss, ready to do whatever was necessary to defend him, though he was unsure what he would be able to do to a shadow.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Nexus' keen hearing picked the buzzing sound up before Tony's did, but both of their ears were soon twitching, and their eyes met in concern, before returning to the walls as they stood back-to-back, watching the growing darkness of the shadows on the walls at the edges of their vision. The buzzing grew louder, and along with it came whispered thoughts - long-buried thoughts, deep-rooted fears that they had both thought dead and buried and done with, and Nexus found himself remembering pain that he had forced himself to forget. His chest ached, and a tear tracked it's way down his cheek as he fought to keep his eyes open, blinded by the watery haze in front of him.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He began to falter, and his vision grew more dark as he covered his ears with his hands, flattening them against his head in an attempt to quiet the noise, but it was no good - the sound was inside him, inside his head, and the visions caused his sight to blur even more. The sight of his mother lying before him, wan and pale as the blood oozed out of her wounds - retribution for his actions, they had said, but they hadn't know his desperation. The original reason he turned to crime, to afford the treatment, but it didn't matter now, nothing mattered any more - she was dead, and dying in front of him again, and it was his fault.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Tony felt his boss crumble behind him, as the tears poured down his own face. He wasn't ashamed of himself or his actions, still believed that those who had faced him had deserved it for the most part, but now he was being shown the extended consequences of his actions - the children who went hungry or were orphaned, the wives who had to find unsavoury employment after their husbands were gone, all the things that his conscience had so far been clear of. A loud howl echoed through the room around him, and he turned to see Nexus sink to his knees in despair.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Tony's eyes widened as he realised he could think more clearly, that the whispers and cries had subsided slightly, and he let his own howl fill the room, echoing into the corners, as he squinted into the gloom, realising the room was lit only by the bright glows emanating from the screens.

"Boss" he gasped as he took a breath between howls, "we need light". He began howling again, to keep the whispers quieted in the back of his mind, and Nexus took a shaky breath as he stumbled to his feet, ears still firmly plastered against his skull due to his proximity to Tony.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Nexus glanced around, and scrambled over to the switch on the wall, flipping it to throw on the lights and shutting his eyes tight against the burning white glow that suddenly bathed them both. A loud screeching sound echoed around the room, and his thoughts were jarred as the whispers also screeched in his mind before quieting and finally receding completely. He turned, and opened his eyes slightly to see, before opening them in shock as he saw Tony's blood-covered face, eyes still firmly closed and one hand covering the deep slashes on his muzzle as the blood ran down his arm and dripped on the floor beside his feet.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Nexus hurried over, pulling the first-aid salve from his pocket and turning his head to find something to bind it with, wincing when he realised there was nothing made of fabric in the formerly sterile room. He grit his teeth, and used his claws to tear one of his sleeves from his shirt, before yanking Tony's hand away from his wounds. Tony kept his eyes closed as Nexus smeared the salve over the wounds themselves, wincing at the depth of them, before placing the fabric onto them and pressing Tony's hand over them tightly. He didn't voice it, but this was a complication he had not forseen - what would they do if Tony couldn't see to get out, or if he kept bleeding like this?

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Boss - get what we came for, and let's get out of here, yeah?" Tony's unusually subdued voice, hoarse from howling and growling, caused Nexus to frown and not before standing and glancing around the room. He regretted ever having taken this job, but at least they would finish it - then he would have to see about getting them safely out. He idly wondered how they were planning to get around the rock that had plugged the tunnel behind them, and if the cultists would have finished their ritual.

Finding the correct terminal, he plugged in the drive he had been given and entered the passcode, and stepped back as the door to the containment unit opened.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

[Ending Prompt - Week 4]

Nexus grinned as he reached forward with a gloved hand, and removed the sample tube from the containment unit. He carefully wrapped it in a cloth, before inserting it into the padded breast pocket on the inside of his jacket and turning to nod at Tony.

Tony made his way over to the panel - concealed, but not invisible, and pulled the handle. After all, technically it was what they were here for, though he was proud of his boss for finding an excuse for their presence which would also cover their purpose. He didn't trust the person who had sent them here, but at least their reward for the sample would cover any losses.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Nexus growled at the retreating form, but he had been expecting something like that. After all, it was along the lines of what he would have done, and at least they didn't have to try and find their way out around the rock and the cultists. Briefly, he wondered what Tony had done with the little hydrolisks that had caused them so much trouble in the tunnel.

"Boss..." Tony's voice was hesitant, so unlike his usual self, and this drew Nexus' attention to him. The light above them flickered, and he followed Tony's line of vision to where a shadow was peeking out from behind a desk in the corner.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Let's move" he murmured, and retreated to the stairwell, keeping his eyes on the shadow and squinting when the light flickered again. Tony took a guarding stance at his side, and together they had almost reached the doorway when the light turned off completely.

Tony immediately howled, cutting through the noise which had assaulted Nexus' mind the moment the light went out, and he turned and ran - taking the steps two at a time. Thankfully, there were intermittent lights on the stairwell, otherwise he would have fallen and smashed the vial which rested in his chest pocket. He kept one hand on the outside of the jacket as he ran, to cusion the vial against the bounding strides he was taking.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He gasped for breath, and let out his own howl - it wasn't quite as loud as Tony's had been, but he glanced behind him to see Tony racing up the steps behind him, and knew it had done it's job. He kept his voice up as long as he could, and didn't miss the grimace that crossed Tony's face as he opened his jaws to howl again, the blood seeping from his wounds as he moved.

Nexus turned his head, and felt relief wash over him as he spotted the open doorway at the top of the stairs. He urged his legs to continue moving, just a little more, and howled again as he crossed the doorway threshold into the blinding daylight.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He turned to see Tony stumble through the doorway behind him, eyes unfocused, and felt the silence wash through his mind as the door closed behind them. They stood panting in the sunlight, eyes squinted against the glare, and ears pricked for any sounds.

Tony glanced at him, then looked away and swallowed. "You got out all right, boss?" he asked carefully, keeping his hand against the wounds on his face which muffled his hoarse voice a little.

Nexus merely nodded, checking to make sure the vial was still intact before he grinned. "Let's get you to the Doc" he murmured, beckoning with his head to make sure Tony led the way. Goal accomplished, he couldn't wait to see what the little vial would do in his hands.

[Finished]