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 14
This heart still believes
That love and mercy still exist
While all the hatreds rage
And so many say
That love is all but pointless
And madness such as this
Its like trying to stop a fire with the moisture from a kiss
The day merged slowly into night none of the searchers willing to concede a moment for the darkness. Spotlights spilled unnatural harsh light across the destruction that was once a building, but was now a city block filled with rubble, the rattle and hum of portable generators powering the lights grating on the nerves of the tired desperate men. The agents stopped briefly, oh so briefly to eat sandwiches that a kind resident had brought for the men who searched. Food that the men never even tasted in their haste to get back to their desperate search.
Kid sat amongst the rest of the agents, despondently eating a sandwich, he hadn’t wanted to stop, but he realised that they needed to eat to keep up their strength. He was desperately worried about Louise, she was hurt badly before the building was blown up, he hated to think what had happened to her since. He cradled his head in his hands trying to wipe the despairing thoughts from his mind. Wiping the emotion from his face as he lifted his head, he saw something that infuriated him.
The rest of the team weren’t sure what had lit Kid’s fuse until they glanced over in the direction that he was walking. The rest of the team stood as one and followed their furious friend.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Kid had a teenager by the throat pinned up against the side of a fire truck. At the boys continued silence he pushed him back against the truck again “I asked you what you are doing” he asked his voice strangely calm as he pressed his face against the boys, his anger flowing off him in waves.
Chris stepped up to one side and Teaspoon stood at his other side, prying his hands off the teenagers neck.
“Son you had better not be doing what I think you are doing” teaspoon murmured sadly
The young man took one look at the angry men who surrounded him and tried to escape the fate that he knew would befall him, but Chris’ reflexes were as quick as lightning and snagged him by his leather jacket, watching as assorted pieces of bricks and twisted metal fell from the sports bag over his shoulder.
“There ain’t nothing lower than making a dollar out of someone’s suffering son” Chris snarled into his face
“Josiah take him away” Chris spoke without moving his steely gaze from the now terrified boy.
“We’ve found one!!!” an excited scream went up from the building site and all thought of the souvenir hunters was erased from their minds. Teaspoon watched the others scramble across the distance between them.
“Dear God” Teaspoon glanced up at the sky “Please don’t let them be dead” he prayed
Vin was sure that he could hear voices, either that or he was losing his mind, being trapped in confined spaces would do that to him. He continued to relocate the bricks and chunks of ragged mortar, because if nothing else it was keeping him from going slowly insane.
Lou could hear someone moving the pile of debris that she lay against, but it was all she could do to stay conscious, let alone help whoever it was. Cody lay on his stomach beside her, drifting in and out of consciousness, the pain of the lacerations on his back paling beside the pain the slightest movement caused to the shredded muscle in his shoulder. A pain made worse by the huge glass shard that grated against his collarbone with every breath he took. She knew that she was in bad shape, she had almost no feeling in her leg, certain that the bone in her thigh had been broken when she was beaten with the baseball bat, on top of that she was certain that some of her ribs were broken and she wore a killer headache badly. She would not, however, give in to the pain to sink into a semi conscious sleep that would slip into death.
Seeing and small pebbles trickling down the mountain of rubble she turned her head up in time to see hands moving around the small gap that had been created. A gap that was allowing more light into what she was sure was going to become their tomb.
Closing her eyes in thanks, that finally someone would be able to help her with Cody she smiled weakly. She opened her eyes and painfully turned her head toward the ray of hope. She had to smile as she saw Vin’s shaggy head poke through the gap.
“Vin” she smiled, it wasn’t the help she had hoped for but this ingenious man would know what to do. She knew now that she didn’t have to worry about dying alone or failing Cody.
“Lou” Vin spoke hoarsely “You don’t know how good it is to see your pretty face” he smiled at her as he slithered through the hole, his eyes taking in the scene that surrounded him.
“Any sign of the others?” he murmured as he crouched at her side, his torn bleeding hands, tenderly pushing her hair back from the gash on her forehead. She fought back tears of relief as she shook her head. His tenderness was too much for her tangled emotions, tears began to roll from her luminous brown eyes.
Vin sat wearily down beside her and carefully looped his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean into him, offering her the only thing he had to give her – comfort and support.
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