The X-Project

Waking up in the medlab after their adventures, Kyle and Forge find themselves temporary roommates again. Both take an assessment of their physical states, then Forge totally sells Kyle out to the Russian. What a dick.



Kyle hadn't recognized that he had a roommate the first four times he'd woken up. But all of those times had been only long enough to get his vital signs taken, or drink some water and then go right back to sleep. Somewhere in the long nap, he decided that he didn't mind this painkiller and sedative business. It kept him from thinking about how much he hurt.

The fifth time, he struggled to sit up and instead of taking a pull from the sports-bottle like cap of the water bottle, he picked it up and wedged it between his knees to unscrew the cap. Once he'd drained the water bottle, he looked over at his roommate and flicked the plastic cap at him. "Yo. What the hell time is it?" He asked. "And man? You look like something the cat dragged in."

Forge mumbled, trying to focus on the back of his hand. Black numbers against grey metal wasn't exactly easy to read when everything was fuzzy from painkillers. "Um. Don't know. Check a window. Wait, basement. No windows. Should fix that one of these days." He hauled himself up to a sitting position, then immediately overbalanced. Glancing down, he saw one bare foot sticking out from under the white sheet. "Oh, right. Stripped m'self down for parts. Ought to fix that, too."

Rubbing his eyes, he focused on the clock. "'s afternoon. Everyone else okay?"

"Dude, I'm like, the opposite of okay." Kyle said sharply. "An allosaur ate my fingers." He slumped back against the pillow and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at how gross it felt. "Oh, that thing you were saying that Garrison has in him that you made? If it's the knock out thing? It works real good. "

"The neural stunners aren't mine," Forge said bitterly, suddenly very alert. "But... he did all right keeping everyone as safe as he could. I mean, for a dimwitted government tool, he didn't fuck things up too badly, I suppose," he quickly corrected himself. He wasn't about to openly praise the Canadian, but if it hadn't been for his quick thinking and leadership, Marie would have been stuck on her own and... well, best not to second-guess.

Forge's fingers were practically itching with nervous energy, and he looked around before resting his hand on the metal tubing of the hospital bedframe. Experimentally, he clicked the small remote that raised and lowered the head of the frame, and smiled. Support plus motor plus wiring plus gears equals... a start.

He reached down and began unscrewing the rail with his fingers, deftly laying lengths of metal tubing in a row on the white sheet. "How long until your fingers grow back, you think? Took your toes a while."

Kyle shrugged, and then watched Forge start to disassemble his bed. "I dunno. But if you don't rat me out for what I'm about to do, I won't rat you out for what I know you're doin." He gave his former-and-once-again roommate a grin, and pointed at his bandaged hand. "I can't tell how messed up they are with this on. I'll put it back, but if Czarina Voght finds out I've been picking at it, she'll drink my blood."

Forge nodded and gripped his IV stand as he hopped one-legged to the floor, leaning under the bed to yank at wires and disconnect the small motors. "All I know is that I'm not using a fucking bedpan and I'm not hopping like a goddamn mutant pogo stick to the bathroom and back. I mean, I'm more hydrated than a fish here. So shoving down a handful of random antibiotics isn't good for your kidneys. It was that or have a septic infection set in and I can't build myself a prosthetic torso..."

He rose up awkwardly, leaning on the bed to start fitting pieces of metal together. Glancing over his shoulder, he winced at Kyle. "How bad is it?"

Kyle had carefully pried the medical tape off with a claw, and was unwrapping the bandages as Forge asked. A pile of white bandage grew on his lap until the skin of his hand was revealed. Where before he had ragged stumps and burned skin was now clean, if raw and still bloody skin, and neatly sutured stumps at the three of his knuckles.

"Well, it's not well done anymore. More like rare. Looks like they took off the burned and nasty parts." He bent the stumps experimentally and winced. "Hurts like a mofo though to move them. And the air stings like a bitch." He cocked his head to listen for any approaching footsteps and began slowly winding the bandages back around his fingers. "I'm gonna need your help with the tape, dude."

Forge just nodded, extending a small probe from one metal fingertip and soldering connections together. "Crap. Going to need another motor, these things are shit for torque." He turned and crouched, reaching under Kyle's bed and wiggling around until he emerged with another small motor in his grasp. "These things are small, but they're magnetically shielded. You know, so they don't screw up medical instruments. Or, y'know, me. I hate magnets."

Tucking the motor under one arm, Forge leaned over Kyle's bed, wrapping the white surgical tape around the stumps of his friend's missing fingers. "You know, if they don't grow back, I could probably make you new ones."

"Can we not talk about them not growing back?" Kyle asked, making a face. "They'll grow back. I am not going without fingers. I'll -make- them grow back if I have to." He glared down at his hand, willing three brand new fingers to pop into place, and grunted when it was obvious that he had failed. "So, uh. How much, uh... water -are- they making you drink?" It was a lame attempt to change the subject, and he knew it. And didn't much care if Forge knew it too.

Forge just pointed to the three empty liter bottles on the small table, and the box of more laying by his bed. "Pretty much here until the docs are sure all my fluids are topped off properly. And until these damn stitches stop itching..." he scratched absently at the large bandage covering his left shoulder. "Crystal did a really good job stitching me up, though. Doc said that she probably kept my shoulder from getting infected."

A few more soldered connections, and Forge held his impromptu project in his hands. Awkward-looking and skeletal, it would do for a temporary fix. Snapping it into place beneath the stump of his left leg, Forge tested his weight on the jury-rigged prosthetic, bending the knee experimentally. "Hm. It'll do for a day or so. Given that Laurie was out killing dinosaurs with my previous one."

"Good. That stinks when you do that with your hand. Or, you know, when you solder anything, ever." Kyle said, after uncovering his nose with his hand. "Man. Since when did Crystal know how to stitch wounds?" That didn't fit with his impression of Crystal at all.

And then he noticed what Forge was wearing that he hadn't noticed before. He'd been focused on his hand, and then the empty space where Forge's leg usually was. "Hey! How'd you get -pants-? I don't have pants!" He didn't even have his boxers anymore, which was just embarassing. But they'd been totally gross and he didn't blame the docs for removing them. "I want pants!"

"That's because I know where the scrubs are kept," Forge said with a grin as he shuffled towards the bathroom. "And I'll get you a pair... right after the Czarina's done." With a taunting wave, he hobbled into the bathroom just as a familiar Russian accent became audible in the hall.

"I hate you!" Kyle yelled to Forge, and then flopped back on his pillow to accept the required taking of his vital signs, and the accompanying lecture for picking at his bandages. Protestations of itching were, as always, ignored, but despite Dr. Voght's apparent irritation, he was declared fit to leave, provided he returned for check-ups every six hours. Without fail.




Later on, Laurie comes by to check on Forge. Matters are discussed finally, instead of dancing about awkwardly. Come on, the guy had his leg taken apart, you want dancing?




Forge frowned at the empty bed next to him in the infirmary. After all Kyle's bitching about lack of pants, they'd actually let him go up to his room to get some. As for Forge, he'd been put on all sorts of fluids and chelation for the massive doses of antibiotics he'd shoveled down, ("Like an idiot with just enough knowledge to almost murder his own kidneys", Amelia had said) and was stuck for at least another night's observation.

Adjusting the bandages on his shoulder, he gingerly swung his legs off the bed, feeling the makeshift leg he'd fashioned out of the bed parts contact the floor with a click. It was simple, but it was mobility. He leaned on the IV stand as he limped to get a drink of water. Maybe if he bribed Kyle, he could get his iPod brought down here... if he hadn't already cannibalized it in the park. Dammit.

"Should you be out of bed?" Laurie asked, stopping outside his door.

She'd just come from helping Dr. Grey fix up Yvette's arm and had been about to head upstairs when she caught sight of Forge moving about.

"Oh. Hey," Forge said sheepishly as if he'd been caught trying to sneak out. Unfortunately for him, the painkillers he was on made such an escapade impossible even if he'd been inclined. "No, just... Water. Thirsty. You're not muddy anymore."

Laurie gave him a look her mother used to give her when she tried to get out of bed before she was well again. "Come on, Mr. Hero. Back in bed, before you do yourself an injury. I'll get you the water."

She walked into the room, took the glass of water from Forge with another look, and headed toward the sink.

Forge frowned dramatically as Laurie took the glass, but obediently shuffled back to the bed. The makeshift leg was odd - felt too cold, like he was constantly stepping in a puddle. Shivering, he hoisted himself back up onto the bed, but petulantly refused to lie down. "You did good. With the bow, I mean. Good shots."

"Couldn't have done it without the others distracting them though. Still, it's a fantastic weapon. I'd keep it if it wasn't for you needing it back." Laurie replied, handing him his glass of water and perching on the side of his bed. "And no more mud, although my skin has never been softer."

"Of course it's fantastic. Cost me an arm and a leg. Well, leg." Forge smiled genuinely before reaching out and gently stroking the back of his prosthetic hand along Laurie's cheek. "Can't complain there," he said quietly.

Laurie blushed, and ducked her head, hair falling over her face for a second before she looked back at him. "I haven't been much of a friend lately, have I? It was just...well, awkward. I'm sorry."

Forge shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. "No need. I didn't have to be as much of a jerk as I was. I just... I didn't want you to think I was trying to take advantage of things. I mean, I know what happened was surprising, and unexpected, and I think that you wanted it as much as I did but - yeah, awkward. But we ought to try this, you know? Friends. Without the whole... stuff."

"I did want you, and it was more that I was afraid I was taking advantage of you, then the other way around." Laurie replied, her blush getting deeper. She looked down at her hands, one having reached up to the air scrubber by habit and she realised she didn't have it anymore. Something she needed to ask Forge for once he was up and about. "You see, well, my power isn't just an area effect, you know? People touch me, and you...I didn't want to use you like my Dad did my Mom."

"Hey, hey..." Forge lowered his hand to grasp Laurie's shoulder and shake her gently. "None of that. I'm darn certain that we didn't do anything I didn't want to do. Maybe not so unexpectedly, but... we can at least accept that there was no taking advantage of anyone? Just... yeah, awkward. I mean," he pointed at Laurie, then at himself. "Student. Staff. Even with things not going any further than they did, people would talk. And not to mention..." he brushed a hand over the exposed metal of his prosthetic arm. "...yeah, they'd talk."

Laurie gripped his hands in hers for a second, squeezing and then gentle reached up and thwacked him on the side of the head.

"You...I...Forge! What the hell."

Forge flinched. "Ow. I probably deserved that. But be honest, you can't try and say that it doesn't matter. Couldn't help but notice the brilliant timing when you decided things were suddenly awkward."

"I can't believe you'd think that, Forge." Laurie replied, one hand still gripped in his, a slight purple film appearing as she lost her temper. "I would never, ever... If you'd wanted to walk around stark naked at a party, I wouldn't have cared."

"Wait," Forge said, holding up a hand in apology. "You're saying that the whole awkwardness thing - it's not because of anything but the whole age thing and the..." He cocked his head in curiosity, thinking to himself. "All this time, I'd thought... I mean, it really doesn't bother you?"

Laurie snorted and shook her head. "No, it really doesn't bother me. The, well, the trying to blow up your classmates, that bothered me. I can't lie to you there. I don't...I don't like that you thought it was a solution. But you've done a lot since you were that boy. Heck, you saved my life in Dinosaurville. You really think people pity you because you've got metal where some of your fleshy bits should be? I mean, it's not like there aren't weirder mutations out there."

"This is true," Forge said thoughtfully. "I could be an incorporeal mass of sparkling energy. I may not have all my original limbs, but hey, at least I've got some of them." He sat back up and leaned forward. "Thanks, Laurie. I mean, I was a jerk and you didn't deserve that. Friends?"

"Friends." Laurie replied, grinning. "So, what do I have to do to get you to let me keep the bow? I've been told I make a mean pie."

"Consider it yours," Forge said, returning the smile. "I could even clean it up a bit. Improve the balance, you know. I did the best I could under the circumstances. I think they'll frown on the explosives, though."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Forge felt like a door had been opened somewhere, something he'd been trying to keep closed. It was probably just an aftereffect of Laurie's power, or the painkillers. Either way, couldn't be important.

"For what you say was a rush job, it's amazing. Much better then the store-bought one I have. So if you want to clean it up for me, I won't argue. It'll be a good conversation piece as well. If people asked where it comes from, I could tell them all about the dinosaurs, and how you exploded one just as it was about to eat me. Although, I still haven't forgiven you for the dino guts. I had to wash my hair four times to get rid of the smell." Laurie replied, babbling slightly in her relief.

She and Forge were going to be okay, she hadn't completely ruined everything. She hadn't realised just how bad that had been making her feel till the pressure was gone.

"They had to pick a dinosaur tooth out of my shoulder," Forge responded, laying back on the pillow and finally letting the painkillers do their job. Was a lot easier when he wasn't moving around, he realized. "I don't want to hear crap about needing to wash your hair. I've been stabbed with so many needles in the past six hours, I'm starting to feel like Julius Caesar. Et tu, Amelia?"

He let his eyes drift closed, then opened them to look at Laurie, reaching a hand out. "You gonna be here when I wake up?"

"Of course." Laurie replied, reaching out to grasp his hand and pushing a sense of calm at him. "Although, I might need to go to the bathroom, so you never know."

Forge snorted and closed his eyes. "Good. That's good. We're... good. Yep."

A small snore followed.