Christmas, with Pepperoni and Sausage


by Blackjack

Time Chart: December 24
Location: Tony's Pizza, 6:00 PM

"Hey! This is not what I ordered!" a voice erupted. Chris winced and looked across the restaurant at the loud voice.

"Coming, coming," he telepathically sent as another voice nearby also complained of a bad order. The young man muttered unintelligible remarks as he swapped the orders.

"Hey Chris, get these three orders to the tables, then you've got two deliveries to make!" Tony's voice rang out from behind the counter.

Urrgh... Chris thought angrily. Where the hell's David!? He needs to take some of the work...

No sense in getting angry, Chris, a female voice, Jennifer, thought back. I'll do the deliveries, you relax. Chris, thankful for a break, relaxed his mental hold on his body, allowing Jennifer to take control. Jennifer gave a mental nod and headed for the back. 


"I'm not going to let you win, Talon!" the lion roared, standing up. Talon smirked.

"You really think I'm going to let an overgrown cat do me in? Ha!" This infuriated Diamondback, who blindly rushed Talon, psionic sabres in hand. Talon aimed his gun at the rampaging lion and let a blast fly into the air, catching the half lion in midstride. With a roar of pain, Diamondback charged the last bit of his energy into a psionic blast, which he fired at Talon. The blast hit home, stunning Talon and allowing the Hunters a chance to turn the battle around. Diamondback smiled peacefully and fell to the ground, the last bit of life fluttering from his eyes. The last thing he heard was Spectre and Blackjack yelling his name... 


You scared us all pretty bad right there, Chris, Jennifer broke into Chris's thoughts. Paying attention to the present, he saw that Jennifer had "borrowed" his hoverboard and they were now rocketing down one of the "streets" of the Fury.

Yeah... My abilities kind of made me lose my mind... Chris sighed mentally. If I hadn't rushed him...

Nothing you can do about it now, so there's no sense worrying about it, Jennifer interrupted.

I should be thankful for one thing, though... If I hadn't... 


Diamondback awoke among a swirling mass of purple colors. Forcing himself to a sitting position, he looked around.

"The... the collective..." he said aloud. "I made it!" He quickly stood, thoughts flying through his mind. "Now for step two..." 


Spectre tended to Blackjack's wounds, the latter having been caught by a stray blast. Hearing a death yell, Spectre and Blackjack both looked up to the battle.

"No! CHRIS!" Spectre telepathically screamed.

"Dammit! No!" Blackjack yelled. "Bastard!" he added, yelling at Talon. Talon ignored him, continuing to battle the Hunters. Spectre fell into tears at the loss. Suddenly, a fierce migraine ripped at her head, like nothing she'd felt before.

"GAAAAAAH!" she screamed, falling to her knees, gripping her head. The pain intensified until it finally exploded, nearly sending Spectre into unconsciousness. As Spectre fought to stay awake, a voice entered her mind... 


It's me, Spectre... I'm still alive... Chris thought.

A miracle... Jennifer added. But look at the boat we're in now...

What else was I gonna do to keep from dying? Chris mentally shrugged. The two fell into silence. 


Location: Streets of the Fury, 6:15 PM

Jennifer shot down one of the sidewalks of the Fury on Diamondback's hoverboard, two pizzas in hand. The "city" was lit up with the signs of the Christmas season, only without the temperature. Christmas lights covered every open area, and people bustled about, doing last minute Christmas shopping.

Nothing's really changed from Earth... Jennifer noted, receiving a mental nod from Chris.

Maybe you'd better let me take control, Chris started, as Jennifer narrowly avoided a teenaged boy, who turned and spouted curses at the pizza delivery girl.

I'm fine, Chris! Jennifer argued, refusing to pass control. Chris sighed, and started to brace himself, but realized he couldn't without control of the body. Jennifer smirked as she whipped around a corner... and slammed into someone walking down the street. Jennifer flew off of the hoverboard and into the street, where a hovercar had to swerve to avoid pressing her into the road. Jennifer fell unconscious.

"Are you ok?" a familiar female voice entered the two's mind. Chris, who took the hit just as much as Jennifer, went to shake his head, but again, he couldn't. Dammit, she's unconscious... But I'm not? Weird... Chris decided that, if she was unconscious, he could take control of the body. Attempting to do so, Chris succeeded, and his eyes fluttered open. Realizing that he was still in Jennifer's body, he shapeshifted into his own, and rose to a knee. "Chris...? Da... That was you!?" Looking at the owner of the voice, Chris realized that Jennifer had nailed his mother.

"Yeah... well, no... well..." Chris stammered. "Jennifer was in control... She's unconscious. Don't ask," he stopped Mirri from asking. The sound of a whirring hoverjet approached, and Chris noticed that Jared had been with Mirri when they had collided. He was suddenly glad that Jennifer hadn't hit his paralyzed father instead.

"You ok, Chris?" Jared asked simply, receiving a nod. "Watch where you're going, these sidewalks are damn crowded today." Chris decided not to argue.

"I hate to hit and run," Chris joked, "but I've gotta deliver these piz..." Chris suddenly realized he was no longer holding the pizzas. Looking around wildly, he saw the pizzas lying on the opposite sidewalk, miraculously untouched. "...zas."

"Hey, we understand," Mirri said. "Don't forget about the party later on," she added in her thick British accent. Chris nodded, and grabbed the pizzas. Doubling back, he grabbed his board and took off down the street. 


Location: Chris Carter/Brian Wilder's quarters, 6:30 PM

I'mlateI'mlateI'mlate... I'm not getting a tip this time... Chris thought as he pulled up to his quarters, which he shared with Brian Carter.. Jumping off of his board and flipping it into his hand, he walked up to the door and knocked. No reply. He knocked again, getting the same response. Chris tested the lock. Open. Chris slid the door open and stepped inside.

"Hello? Brian?" He whistled. "Hey, 'Rider!" Chris suddenly broke into a cold sweat. Brian's family died on Earth... Where would he be...? Chris glanced at Brian's bed as he stepped into his bedroom. The sheet was stained red. Blood red.

"What the hell!?" Chris snapped aloud. Glancing around the room, he noticed that the red color trailed into Brian's bathroom. Scared out of his mind, Chris eased over to the bathroom. He looked inside the bathroom, and gasped. Inside lay a bleeding Brian, the blood drying on the floor around him.

Shit... Chris whipped out his cell phone. 


Location: Halleck Memorial Hospital, 6:45 PM

Chris shook his head as he walked out of the hospital and tossed his hoverboard to the ground. No clues as to what happened...

I'm a little worried, Jennifer returned. 'Rider doesn't have any enemies on the Fury that I know of. At least, not any great enough to do something like that... At least the doctor said he'll be able to release Brian in an hour or so. Chris shook his head, and glanced at his watch.

I want to go check on Mr. Newton's progress, Chris mentioned, and jumped onto his board. He said to be there at five. That gives me fifteen minutes. Chris jetted away from the hospital and into the crowded streets of the Fury. 


Location: Home of William Newton, 7:05 PM

What is it with me and lateness today... Chris thought as he boarded up to Dr. William Newton's home. Jennifer smirked as he approached the door. A flash of white against the silvery metal drew Chris's attention, and he ripped the note off of the door.

"Hey, Chris and Jennifer. Sorry I'm not here, but I had to go pick up a couple of parts. Go inside and make yourselves at home, I should be back in around ten minutes. Dr. Newton." Chris read aloud. Great, he's not ho... Wait a second. 'A couple of parts?' Why's he need 'parts?' Jennifer giggled, and Chris wished that he could slap her. Instead, he opened the unlocked door and stepped inside. Flipping on a light switch, Chris flopped down on the couch. Tossing his Tony's Pizza cap to the side, he dozed off.

"Ok, Chris, wake up." Chris shook his head wildly, unaware how long he had been asleep. Or tried to - he found that he couldn't move. He also realized that he was standing up, and in Jennifer's form. Give me control, Jennifer. Receiving a mental nod, Jennifer slipped into dormancy and allowed Chris to take over.

"Good to see you, Doc," Chris said, offering his hand. "How goes the project?" Newton looked nervous.

"Well... I ran into a couple of problems." Chris raised an eyebrow. "But, I found a way around them... I was just talking with Jennifer about the... way around."

"I don't like the way you said that... What exactly went wrong with my twin brother?" Chris joked.

"I'm having a little trouble extracting the omnithropic genes," the doctor explained. "And since you told me to get rid of them in the clone, I'm going to have to take a little longer. In the meantime, however... I guess I could show you." Chris looked more confused that ever as Newton led him into another room. In the room, a form lay under a white sheet. The form looked to be about six feet long. "And here we have the temporary 'way around.'" Newton whipped the sheet off of the table.

"...I thought you said my clone wasn't finished?" Chris said, now more confused than ever. Newton smirked lightly.

"A Reploid body, Chris, a Reploid body," Newton said. Chris snapped his fingers.

"I forgot that I can 'possess' Reploids!" he laughed. "So, how long's this guy gonna take?" he asked as Newton fiddled with the body.

"Give me five minutes..."


Location: Home of William Newton, 7:30 PM

Chris paced back and forth across the living room, glancing at his watch every other step.

Be patient, Chris... Jennifer consoled. Chris shook his head.

"Hey Chris, Jennifer, come here!" an excited voice sounded from the back room. Chris looked up, and nearly sprinted into the back room. Whoa! Whoa! SLOW DOWN! Chris ignored the plea as he screeched to a stop next to Newton.

"I'm done," Newton said, and dusted his hands off. "Now, your turn..." Chris nodded solemnly, and passed control of the body to Jennifer. Once in dormancy, Chris concentrated heavily. A purple aura surrounded his body, and then the Reploid's body. Just as suddenly as the auras appeared, they disappeared with a flash of purple energy.

Chris? You in there? Jennifer thought, reverting to her own body. No response. Chris? ...It worked! The Reploid on the table blinked, his green and blue eyes shining.

"Unngh..." he said, and sat up on the table. He suddenly looked startled, and Chris looked at his hands. "...! Yeah! It worked!" Chris literally flew off of the table and hugged Jennifer. Newton smiled.

"Glad I could be of help," he commented. "I'll continue working on your human body, Chris."

"You have no idea how much I appreciate this," Chris returned. "You have no idea how messy an eater Jen..."

"I AM NOT A MESSY EATER!" Jennifer yelled, then smiled. "Well, at least you had to live with it," she added to Chris.

"How about we go see Erica?" Chris suggested, receiving a nod from Jennifer.

"Merry Christmas, you two," Newton said. The two returned the favor, and walked out of the house. ...Or tried to. Chris tripped the first step he took. Jennifer and Newton laughed as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Gotta get used to the shocks..."


Location: Jennifer Arenson/Erica Faircloth's Quarters, 7:45 PM

"Won't Erica be surprised when she sees us," Chris smirked. Jennifer snickered, and unlocked the door into her quarters. The smell of blood wafted into their senses.

"What in the..." Jennifer darted into her quarters. Chris followed, finally used to walking. Inside, they saw Erica Faircloth lying on her bed, injured and bleeding.

"Not her too! Damn, what's going on!?" Chris telepathically yelled. Jennifer immediately began attending to Erica's injuries, while Chris looked around for any hint as to who the attacker was. Coming up empty, he joined Jennifer in attending to Erica's wounds. As he wrapped a sheet around Erica's leg to cut off the bleeding, he noticed something.

"A knife! Looks like our attacker got scared off in a hurry," Chris commented, telekinetically lifting it into the air. Using the sense enhancement ability he had learned from Jennifer, he looked over the knife for fingerprints.

"I'm going to take this to the bridge," Chris said, taking a plastic bag from the small cabinet and shoving the knife inside. He placed the bag inside one of his jacket pockets - Newton had "stolen" some of his clothes to put on the Reploid, complete with his VHS cap - and left the quarters. Dropping his hoverboard to the ground, he shot into the streets of the Fury again.


Location: Streets of the Fury, 12:00 AM

(Author's note: Ok, bad joke. Now, on with the fic.)


Location: Streets of the Fury, 8:00 PM

Chris shot around a corner, heading for the entrance to the bridge. He thought about who the attacker might be, and guessed that it was a random guy on the Fury that had a vendetta against the enhanced. Turning another corner, he found himself on a deserted street. Yawning, he continued up the street, wishing he had a car. Suddenly, he heard a roar from above, and a large black drake landing on the sidewalk in front of him.

"YEOW!" Chris yelped, and spun in a circle in an attempt at an about-face. Instead, he got his legs tangled together and flew off of his hoverboard. Grabbing the board, he got up and started to run.

"Oh be quiet. Its only us, dont scream like that. Heh heh heh," two familiar voices entered his mind. When he looked up from the ground, he saw Andrew and Andrea helping him up.

"You two are insane," Chris commented aloud. Andrea laughed.

"You got that right," she said. Andrew took her arm, and nodded at Chris.

"Have a Merry Christmas, dude... dudette... whatever," he said with a laugh, and the two turned and walked off, going somewhere Chris didn't care about.

"Dude," he snickered, but they appeared not to hear him. Those two idiots... Chris snickered and got back onto his board, taking off down the street in the other direction.


Location: Streets of the Fury, 8:10 PM

Chris continued down the street, lost in thought.

Who would attack the enhanced like this? he thought. Why? Maybe I shouldn't have left Jennifer there alone... Chris shook his head and turned a corner. A chill ran up his spine suddenly, and he enhanced his senses, looking around wildly in every direction - except up. The attacker came from above, nailing him over the head with something blunt. Chris saw stars and flipped off of his board, quickly standing up and drawing his sword.

"Who are you!?" Chris demanded. The form moved out of the shadow and into the light cascading from the street light.

"The name's LoneStar..." the black armored Reploid said. "Let's get to business, shall we!?" The Reploid growled and lunged at Chris, beam sabre ignited. Chris launched his own blade upwards, parrying the attack. LoneStar passed him, and attempted an attack from behind. Chris spun and threw his sabre upwards, and the two blades locked. LoneStar strained, while Chris boosted his strength psionically. Chris won out, and LoneStar's sabre flew from his hands. Not one to give up so easily, LoneStar threw a punch at Chris's face. Dropping his sword, he caught the fist and slammed the surprised Reploid into the sidewalk.

"So you're the one that's been attacking the enhanced!" Chris yelled telepathically. "You've taken your last breath, asshole!" LoneStar launched himself off of the pavement and kicked Chris in the chest. Grunting, Chris flew back and slammed into a building. Dammit... Been a Reploid for an hour and I'm ALREADY getting damaged... He rose to a crouch, and finally to a standing position. He also noticed that LoneStar seemed to have lost him. Taking his rifle into his hands, he flipped the sniper scope into position. Aiming carefully, Chris's finger tightened on the trigger. May my aim be true... Thanks for the training, Dad! He pulled the trigger. A bullet of plasma blasted from the gun, and struck tried and true into LoneStar's head. Screaming, the Reploid fell to the pavement, his auto-repair systems kicking in. In a blind rage for what LoneStar had done, he ran at LoneStar, picking his blade up off of the ground as he ran. Drawing next to LoneStar, Chris let out an almost animal scream of rage, and drove his blade through LoneStar's head. The black and blue Reploid gave a final yell, and slumped to the pavement, the last bit of life fading from his eyes.

Bastard... Don't mess with the enhanced! Chris kicked the body of the fallen Reploid, and picked up his hoverboard. Lowering his head, he solemnly began walking back to Jennifer's quarters. Merry Christmas, jackass...