Synopsis: Tazna Zero has always dreamed of being a supersoldier. But cna an old grizzled veteran change his mind about it, and a lot of things?

Episode 3: Guns and Roses
Taz may be getting some breaks from being the city's protector...

Notes: So, i wrote this during school, on paper, then typed it up when i got home. About an hour or two to write (mainly due to the class watching a movie while i was writing. Jim Thorpe is hot! >//<). About 30 minutes to type.

Story:
Cupidit ac Patienti:
Miniseries 1: Supersoldier
Episode 3: Guns and Roses

Black smoke obscured his view of the battlefield. He lowered his visor; the rest of his squad followed suit.

Tazna surveyed the nearby rooftops, waiting until his soldiers had completely surrounded the courtyard. His gaze drifted to the battle that was going on in the pen space.

Two gangs were fighitng. One, the Dark Shiv, was composed of tall men and women who wore black cloaks that obscured their forms. The other, the Dread Hand, were short and stocky, their bodies covered in ragged pieces of power armor. The two were fighting a heated battle in this courtyard. The Shiv fought with power spears and swords, while the Hand fought with pieces of scrap metal and handguns.

A stray bullet pinged off his shoulder, bringing his attention back to the task at hand. He surveyed the adjoining rooftops, and as his squads got into position, he gave the order: “Loose.”

Twenty-five rifles fired simultaneously, causing a brief pause in the combat. Another volley was fired. This time, the two gangs reacted, the stockier Dread Hand members attempting to scale the buildings. As the police units turned their attention to them, the Dark Shiv members fired…something. A roiling mass of molten brick and cement fell from a rooftop. Taz felt a shiver run down his spine.

Another of the strange missiles hurtled toward the tiger - only to be met by a thin, shimmering, gray barrier. Tazna gritted his teeth. It was on these rare occasions that he wished he really was fulyl trained. The psionics implant in his helmet could only do so much.

He managed to deflect the missile, only to see more flying for the adjoining roof spaces. He shivered again, activating his commset.

“Sisters Thirteen!” He shouted into the set, his voice shaky. “Respond, Sisters Thirteen!”

“Sister X-Delta 5, reading you loud and clear.” A female voice crackled over the link.

“Sister X-Delta 5, we have been set up.” A bullet whizzed past his ear. “I repeat, we have been set up! Calling for emergency extraction, on my coordinates.”

“Orders received. Hold tight, tracking your coords.”

Tazna fired his laspistol into the fray as the commlink faded. He cursed under his breath as more of his soldiers were engulfed by the mysterious missiles. He heard an explosion, and was thrown clear. He blacked out when he hit the ground.











He awoke to bright white lights, a slight pain in his head, and a bouquet of yellow roses on his chest. His body seemed fine. He turned his head to the left, eyes alighting on Tyme’s prone form. The large panther was sleeping fitfully in a chair far too small for him.

Taz sat up, the sheets rustling. The sound woke Tyme, and the panther jumped, his non-mechanical eye full of concern. The tiger smiled lightly. “I’m alright, love.” Tyme rested his left hand on Tazna’s thigh softly, his eye still full of concern. The tiger sighed softly, patting the panther’s hand and lying back.



When he next awoke, he was in his bed. Tyme’s arms were wrapped loosely around him. He smiled. He turned and nuzzled his head into the panther’s thick chest fur. He purred softly as Tyme’s arms wrapped more tightly around him.



He awoke to the smell of bacon. He yawned loudly, and Tyme poked his head around the doorway, smiling. “Awake?”

Taz nodded, smiling broadly. Tyme’s smile was just as wide, as he went back to cooking breakfast. Taz lay back for a moment, then threw the covers off. He giggled to himself as he surveyed what he was wearing. Tyme had dressed him, it seemed. He was wearing a soft purple sweater and a pair of orange sweatpants. He loved that panther, but sometimes, he had no sense of color coordination.

Despite his motley array of clothes, he got up, walking into the kitchen. Tyme was making eggs and bacon, Taz’s favorite. The panther may seem uncaring and almost brutish to those who didn’t know him, but Tazna knew batter. Tyme showed his appreciation in small, subtle ways.

Tyme smiled at his mate as he walked in. He slid a plate and a glass of milk in front of the tiger and he sat. Taz purred loudly, digging into his breakfast.

Tyme sat and watched, his eye full of happiness. He had dragged Tazna from under a slab of concrete near the courtyard. Without his power armor, the tiger surely would have been crushed. As it was, he had suffered a moderate concussion, but nothing more serious than that. The armor, though, was in complete disrepair. It could take months to get it in working condition again. And there was no way Tyme would let Taz fight without his armor, so the tiger would be working with him in his weapons lab, or helping on the shooting range. Either way, the two would be seeing each toher much more often.

As the tiger finished eating, he smiled. He didn’t have to tell him about the armor; this wasn’t the first time this ahd happened. Not nearly.

The two grinned at each other, a look of perfect understanding flashing between the two.