DISCLAIMER: The Young Riders is the creation of Ed Spielman, and the property of Ogiens/Kane productions in association with MGM/UA television. The characters from the television program The Magnificent Seven are the property of Trilogy and The Mirisch Co. I am making no money from their use.
This Story is created for entertainment purposes only, no infringement intended. Not to be copied without permission from the author.
RATINGS: PG - violence, mild language
WARNING: This Story contains an alternative Universe theme, if this type of story is not to your liking or will somehow offend you please delete this mail immediately and do not read any further. In addition it is a The Young Riders/The Magnificent Seven Crossover, so if crossovers are not your cup of tea, please go no further. Furthermore this story contain semi graphic images of a terrorism nature, if you feel this may disturb you please find a different story that you will enjoy.
NOTES: The song that inspired the Title is by Garth Brooks on his fresh horses album. Eternal thanks to Mog for letting me play in her ATF AU sandpit. Thanks heaps to Enid (known affectionately here as my font of all knowledge) for all the brainpicking I have done. Thanks to my net sisters Lyn and Dayna for all the collaboration and characterisation help, couldn’t have done it without you.
Chapter 10
As long as one heart still holds on
Then hope is never really gone
And I hear them saying
You’ll never change things
and no matter what you do its still the same thing
But its not the world that I am changing
I do this so
This world will know that it will not change me
“Where is she?” Kid frowned
“Gates Rubber Company building out on Broadway” Ezra spoke softly placing a hand on Kid’s arm “We’ll find her”
“Ezra” Chris barked “Take Vin and get out there. We’ll be right behind you”
“Cody, Ike” Teaspoon called “Go with them. Be Safe all of you” he called as the four men rapidly left the room.
“Josiah get onto bomb squad and get them out there” Chris barked orders
“Nathan, Noah” Teaspoon called his own orders “Get the paramedics onto it too”
“Chief” Chris called Buck Cross by the nickname he had assumed when they realised how confusing two Bucks were. As Buck looked at him, Chris gestured towards JD with his head. “Can you help JD get Team 7’s gear together?”. Buck saw the implied request to keep an eye on the distraught man and nodded his head in agreement.
“Kid, Jimmy” Teaspoon watched the two men carefully “Get your gear together”
“We meet in the parking garage in ten minutes” The men dissipated into a flurry of activity.
The four men sat in the jag, Ezra navigating the streets smoothly and efficiently. All were worried about their respective team mates, Cody had tried to keep up a chatty conversation to take their minds from the dilemma they were facing but not even he could do it.
Parking the jag at the side of the building, Ezra thanked whatever Gods were listening for the fact that it was Saturday and there were not many people were around. The four men climbed out of the car and made their way to the building, Vin and Ike went to the back entrance and Ezra and Cody made their way to the front entrance.
Slipping quietly through the doors, both duos quickly swept each floor looking for their compatriots. All four men met up again in the foyer, perplexed that they could not find them.
“Maybe I misread what she said” Ezra spoke softly
“I don’t think you did Ez” Vin spoke “What about the basement?” the four of them were off at a run down the stairs to the basement. What they encountered when they got there took them all by surprise.
It had been bad enough seeing them on the two dimensional video tape, but seeing the damage that had been inflicted on two human beings by another was almost sickening. They all paused as they reached the bottom of stairs, but Ezra would not be stopped. He moved towards them trying to decide who they should move first, either way he knew it would be agony for Buck, but he needed to try to spare him whatever pain he could.
Vin shook his head quickly and gestured for Cody and Ike to follow him. Ezra threw his handcuff keys to Cody and wrapped his arms around the unconscious Lou as Vin and Ike took Buck’s weight. Cody quickly unlocked the cuffs and the men staggered under the weight of their friends bodies. The numb stinging sensation of her arms being lowered roused Lou from her unconscious stupor
“Buck” she called weakly as Ezra cradled her in his arms kneeling on the ground, wincing as he saw that her left side appeared to be one big swollen bruise.
“Ssh Darlin” Ezra soothed her “He’s here and he’ll be fine” he brushed her hari back from her forehead as she tried to come to grips with being awake again
“Ezra” she murmured “Did you catch him?”
“Afraid not Lou” he paused ‘We missed him”
“The Building” she spoke trying to sit up in his arms “He’s rigged the building to explode”
“Well I guess it would be fortuitous for us to continue this delightful conversation outside” he smiled into her pain filled eyes.
He stood and passed his precious cargo to Cody who took her with a grin and a quick kiss on the cheek for the girl who could be his sister
“Hey Lou” he murmured as she rested her head against his shoulder
“Hey Code” she returned as she closed her eyes and tried to relax against the waves of pain that swept over her .
Cody began to carry her slight weight away from the basement, Ezra moved to check on Vin and Ike’s progress with Buck. They were a little slower because he was a dead weight both men struggling to carry the bigger man quickly without hurting him.
“Building is rigged to explode gentlemen” he spoke quietly “May I suggest a little less care for the moment and a little more haste” he watched their eyes narrow
“all the care in the world won’t matter, if we are all blown up will it?” he
questioned them “Ike let me take him” he murmured “Perhaps you should see if you can raise the bomb squad” Ezra neatly slipped under Buck’s arm, grabbing hold of the back of his jeans, in a similar hold to Vin they moved as quickly as they could towards the stairs.
His worried green eyes watched as Ike raced past Cody and Lou at the foot of the stairs.
“Why are you still down here Cody?” Ezra growled as they reached his side.
“she wouldn’t go anywhere until we could all go together” Cody spoke quietly as he preceded them onto the stairs. Vin and Ezra carried Buck sideways up the stairs, Vin at the top and Ezra at the bottom, almost running up the stairs in their haste to get outside.
It was to no avail, however, as Cody reached the top step, he could see Ike in the foyer behind the reception desk talking on the phone, when the building seemed to collapse around them like a deck of cards. The fragile wooden staircase they were climbing valiantly tried to withstand the force of movement when the walls around it crumbled like cookies instead of the aged bricks they were. Tiny projectiles flew across the enclosed space, Vin belatedly realised they were shards of glass from the windows shattering as the building imploded. They all tried desperately to gain some sort of purchase on the collapsing stairs but it was too late, they where thrown around like rag dolls in a tumble dryer and the ground fell away from beneath them. Left to the mercy of God as the building buried them alive.
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