Somehow I'm still here to explain,
That the darkest hour never comes in the night.
You can sleep with a gun.
When you gonna wake up... When you gonna wake up and fight?
-Lyrics to 'Sound of Madness' performed by Shinedown
Crimson Bonds Part 50
"I never agreed to anything like this," Broderick growled deeply at Septum. Stationed in the high observation tower that oversaw everything in lab and the holding rooms below, he snapped, "This is going to end very badly and you're endangering an innocent girl just to run some test!"
Standing by the tall Hunter's side since her arrival, Adodera Gloria folded her arms across her chest as she glared at their Boss, adding, "As Anna's primary caregiver, I should have been informed of this so that I could have shot the idea down before you took such a dangerous measure into your own hands. And even if I was not concerned enough about my patient's emotional well-being to support a healthy pregnancy, I never agree to risking the life of an innocent like this!"
But Septum remained as stoic in appearance as he was firm in his resolve. "You are more than welcome to your opinions, however, I cannot see the girl being at all harmed. Quite the contrary, I believe that she would be in safer care with the Vampire than continue on fending for herself on the streets where she was found. There is no one to look after her out there. But here, she will be protected by both the guards and our prisoners."
With a shrug, the scientist stated, "And like I said, that little Siren has had her way long enough around here. There will be more invasive testing that she will have to conform to if we want to understand her condition and how it may help living women struggling with infertility."
Raising an eyebrow to the blonde doctor, he asked, "That was why you agreed to take on this assignment of being this rare gem's caregiver, was it not?" Adodera swallowed roughly, holding her tongue.
Only growing all the bolder as he spoke, Millers pushed his shoulders back further as he insisted, "If this is too much for either of you, then you know where the door is. The last thing that I'd want to have is anyone on staff who doesn't want to be here."
Tempting as the notion was, Broderick wasn't about to take it up. He needed to keep an eye on things... on Anna, Duo, Solo and Celeste. He could keep them safe, readying them for an escape as soon as the opening presented itself. Leaving them would only expose them to the whims of a man who had clearly lost his mind.
What was more, there was a startling calm over Septum when he suggested that they leave. For being this involved, there was no reason to offer a way out... unless he had every certainty that they would never talk to anyone on the outside.
And all of a sudden, a new icy dread shot down the Hunter's spine. What had become of those who had taken up their Boss's original offer to leave when the Khushrenada Clan had become a factor in their work? At the time, there was nothing to send out a warning that they might be threatened by wiping their hands of Millers and his plan... the very same as in this moment...
...which only made it all the more chilling.
Mentally noting that he needed to try and get a hold of some of his friends who had been part of that small group who parted ways to return to their lives, Broderick couldn't help the terrible feeling that he already knew what he would discover.
He was trapped. And very likely close to being watched, if he wasn't being tailed already.
Based off of the wide-eyed glance he caught from Gloria, Dawson could tell that she was coming to the same conclusion for herself. Frightening as the situation was, there was a bit of relief in his knowing that he may have just found himself an ally. There was little he knew about the physician, but then she was only recently brought into the fold for her prenatal and pediatrics care.
And there was no question to Adodera's intelligence when she straightened herself when she focused back on the Boss, reassuring, "No one would ever consider leaving, sir, least of all either one of us. However, I sincerely request that any decisions that directly involve our charge and the babies she is carrying to be discussed with us first after this. The last thing we would want is to have distress caused that would hurt the pregnancy."
Dawson was quick to nod in a seconding of the request, keeping up his steadfast loyalty to the scientist and his mission. The ploy seemed to pay off, if the slight softening of the stare on them was any indication.
Sighing, Millers responded, "Of course. You both have my word that any further tests such as this will be brought to your attention to be discussed." He smirked, "Right after this little bit of fun."
'Fun?!' Broderick's mind screamed. Biting his tongue hard, he was directed to turn towards the monitors behind him. On the four largest screens, each one centered on the captives so that their every move could be witnessed.
At the moment, none of the prisoners were speaking as they contented themselves to huddle on their own beds or corners within their confinements... all of them unaware of what was about to transpire.
Swallowing roughly, the Hunter fell back to stand beside the equally distraught physician as they watched anxiously. Slowly approaching the control panel, Septum pressed a button and announced, "Move in as soon as you're ready, Mark."
"Got it, Boss," the young man on the receiving end of the call replied. "We're ready to move now."
Inside her cage, Anna was curled up on her side as she lay in her bed for a peaceful rest that was disturbed by the sound of the main doors sliding open. Raising her head with a deep frown, she muttered, "What's going on now?"
But her entrapped family was not paying any mind to her... all of their wide-eyed attention was turned towards the entryway as they walked towards the walls of their cells closest to the walkway.
"Oh my God," Duo breathed, his skin paling at whatever he saw making its way into his view at the same time that Celeste gasped and slapped a hand over her gaping mouth.
Solo's teeth gritted as his face reddened and eyes narrowed. "You sons of a bitch," he growled fiercely. "What are you doing with her?"
Coming alert at their reactions, Anna pushed her growing self up and out of her bed to walk towards her main wall when she spotted the trembling little girl surrounded by guards. "W-why is she here?" the Vampire whispered to the Hunter that she did not recognize out of the bunch... a young, smug looking man who was staring her down with such a leer in his eyes that she almost shivered from discomfort.
The corner of his mouth curling up, the new guard informed her, "That all depends on you, blood sucker. She's about to give you some company. But first..." In one swift movement, he gripped the child's closest hand to him and pressed a small needle point into the pad of her pointer finger. Squealing, the girl cried and thrashed as much as she could while the soldier behind her restrained her.
Within seconds, the filter system carried the scent of fresh blood into Anna's cell. Her blue-and-gold eyes locked onto the crimson pool gathering on the girl's finger, she began to shake with hunger. Whimpering, she covered her mouth with both her hands to hide the fangs that had grown in. Despite all of her best defenses, the hunger that had set in after weeks of not feeding from Wufei was overriding all of her rational thoughts.
Duo screamed at the girl's captor, "Get her out of here, you bastard! So help me, if anything happens to her-"
"Then we'll all get to see what your precious little life-stealing monsters are capable of," the living snapped back, cutting the Companion off as he led the struggling girl towards Anna's cell.
Over the protesting shouts and cries of the captives, he patched into the virtually invisible access pad to create a door just large enough for him to shove the frantic child inside before he quickly sealed her away.
Pressing herself back into the furthest corner away from the little, shaking heap of a person, the Irish Infected kept her nose and mouth covered while large tears rolled down her wide eyes. Still, her gaze was fixated on the bloodied finger. "I... I can't... I... I want her," she sobbed brokenly.
Nearly coming undone from her thirst, Anna desperately looked over at Solo as she shouted, "You have to restrain me! I won't be able to hold myself off for long!" The blonde Hybrid blinked in shock and worry over her words, already mentally working out how he could potentially get through to her in time to hold her back.
"Goddamn it! Stop this! If she kills that girl, she'll never be able to exist with herself!" Maxwell shrieked.
There was no remorse from the young man in charge... only a hint of amusement as he looked on with that dark smirk of his. Curling down onto the floor, Anna's muffled voice whispered, "I'm... losing. Please don't let me hurt her." What little restraint she was able to hold onto was quickly ripping apart at the seams as a vivid desire steadily replaced the horror in her eyes.
Over the radio strapped to the head guard's belt, Septum's voice ordered, "That's enough, Mark. Open their separating walls." Forgetting his place for a moment, the Hunter glared up at the camera set on him. "Now!" the scientist barked out. That broke through the surprised living as he rushed for the control panel once more to type in another code.
Never breaking his attention from Anna, Solo readied himself to move when the glass blocking them began to lift.
Simultaneously, the two immortals became blurs of themselves- the Vampire descending upon the girl and the Hybrid moving to intercept her when only mere inches away from the would-be-victim. Upon their collision, the room filled with the deafening crash that had every witness glued to the display falling back a few steps.
Panting through their concern, Duo and Celeste were only able to calm themselves when their loved ones materialized to show Solo pinning Anna back against the far wall by her shoulders. Fangs still bared, the redhead fought as best she could against the arms that were far stronger than she was as she whimpered and sniffled. "Let me go," she begged up at her brother's deeply frowning face. "Please... I'm so hungry."
"I know," the blonde urged softly, "but you don't want this... not from her." Banging her head against the wall behind her, the Irish Infected let out a sharp sob as her eyes squeezed closed. Though she had given up most of the fight, she couldn't help but keep some resistance up against the hands holding her back.
Then, just beside them, the glass wall shifted, bringing forth two large wrist cuffs.
At the sight of them, Solo gritted out, "Bastards." Much as he hated to do it, he knew that there was no choice but to shift Anna closer towards them so that he could lock her arms into the restraints that held her hands just above either side of her head while she sat on the floor.
"Here," the Hybrid insisted the moment his own hands were free, kneeling down and presenting one of his wrists before the Vampire's mouth. "It'll take the edge off." Red-trimmed eyes opened to blink up at him.
Biting her lip, Anna nodded and leaned forward to sink her teeth into his flesh. Taking a few gulps of her brother's blood, she did feel a great deal of that ache ebbing as her rescuer shivered from the pleasure at having his essence fill another. Her strength and control returning, the redhead pulled back with a deep sigh as her fangs recoiled. "Thank you," she murmured sincerely when their eyes met.
Solo smirked against the best of his defenses, even going as far as to gently run his hand down the back of her head in a few gentle pats.
Emotionally wrought by the whole event that had unfolded, the half-breed climbed back to his feet. Heading into his half of the holding cell, he removed one of the thick blankets. before sitting in front of the girl curled up in a tight ball of the furthest corner. "I'm sorry you've been forced into this," he told her softly. "I promise Anna would never mean to hurt you."
Sniffling, the damp, green eyes watching him seemed to relax along with her tense body as he draped the blanket around her shoulders.
Lightly taking hold of her hand, Solo tore at the hem of his deep green T-shirt to pull loose a long strand of fabric that he used to wrap around her pricked finger. Though the blood from the small wound had already congealed, he wasn't about to torture his cellmate by having to see or smell it any longer. "There," he smiled sadly. Locking gazes with the living again, he asked, "What's your name, little one?"
"E-Emma," she breathed, slowly becoming more comfortable with her company by the second. "Emma Grace... but I don't know my last name. I don have a family."
With a sharp inhale of air at that, the blonde Hybrid silently wished an even more painful end for Septum than what he had already been dreaming up. To use an innocent, lonely child like this... he had underestimated just how vile the scientist really was. Not even Instructor H would have stooped so low.
Still keeping a small grin on his face, the immortal introduced, "Well, Emma, my name's Solo. And we're going to take good care of you." Finally, a real smile spread across his new charge's face as she pulled the blanket close around herself.
Across the walkway, Duo and Celeste looked on with tears running down their own faces. "I do believe that you and your sister have been rubbing off on him," the Hispanic beauty commented quietly to the braided Hybrid beyond the separating glass between them. "I always knew that he had a good heart, but this is the first time he's actually shown it to anyone besides me."
It was Maxwell's first real glimpse of the kind, thoughtful young man that his brother always had the potential to be. His heart ached for his twin, now finally seeing what Anna had picked up on in Solo from the start. He should have noticed it as well, being of the same blood.
The time for mourning what may have been was long behind them now, however. At the very least Duo took comfort in now having the proof that his brother was not lost. With any luck, his own wishes that they could be a real family after they were finally freed just might be possible.
"You did well, Mark," Septum called over the radio. "That'll be all for now. Bring your team back inside and report to your usual stations."
Groaning, the Hunter looked fit to be tied over not having more of a show to enjoy. But before he set himself to leave, he took a moment to purposely eye Anna up-and-down with the same leer that caused her to quake unconsciously under the weight of his stare. A smirk returning to his face when their gazes met, he turned on his heels to lead the other four guards out.
Solo decided to give Emma a little space to pull the last of her frazzles nerves together. Crouching beside the redhead, he muttered in a low hiss, "This was all a set up to hurt you the worst possible way, by making you take the life of a kid. When all of this is over, I'll let you do as you wish with our new 'friend,' Mark. I don't like the way he looks at you."
"I... didn't know you cared," Anna giggled up at him. "Thanks, little brother." Shrugging as comfortably as her restraints allowed, she snorted, "Though I don't know what I would do with him, I guess we'll see when the time comes." Nodding, the Hybrid began to rise again when the Vampire frowned, "Solo?"
He came to a stop and lowered himself back down so that their faces were close once again. "Thank you for stopping me," the Irish immortal breathed. "I... I wouldn't have been able to stop myself if I... if..." Unable to find a steadiness in her voice to finish her sentiment, she whimpered as fresh tears filled her gold-ringed eyes.
Resting a hand on her shoulder, the half-breed insisted, "But you didn't. That's all that matters. No point in getting worked up over something that never happened." The stern calm in his violet-and-silver eyes was as sure as his words. Rewarded with a grateful smile, he stood back up and set himself atop the edge of her bed in a silent vigil over the girl and his blood-tied sister.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Inside the observation tower, Broderick and Adodera were breathing more easily than they had since learning of Septum's little experiment. Their faces dampened with sweat from the frightening close call that they had been forced to take in, they waited for whatever their Boss had in store as he turned to face them.
"See?" Millers snickered, his arms opening at his sides. "Nothing to be worried about at all. This was as much a social test on Solo as it was Anna's control over her blood lust when she had been without her Companion for so long." Tilting his head to the doctor, he stated, "Though it probably would be best to simply go the blood transfusion route as you had suggested to me on numerous occasions before, Gloria."
The physician came to life at that. Adjusting the glasses on the bridge of her nose, she nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. I will get right on that. Thank you, sir." Happy to leave the room, she walked off swiftly through the doors that opened to her.
Slapping between his friend's broad shoulders, Septum smirked, "And you doubted me. That girl was not at all in danger. Just as I had said, she's better off here than she ever was fending for herself."
Broderick was not at all concerned with keeping up airs when he fixed a heated glare upon his employer. "That girl has a name. And Emma is still an innocent who should never have been pulled into this," he growled. "I'm not about to come off of the team for this, but I won't be able to stand by if another incident like this were to come up. I kill Vampires, not my own."
"Fair enough," Millers conceded, raising both hands in the air. "You have my word that I will not involve another living like this again. Something needed to be done in assuring that Anna plays along. I had no other option but to take drastic measures. Now that I'll be able to keep her on a tighter leash, nothing bad will become of Emma or any other mortal."
Of course Dawson hated seeing the strife that this was putting onto the Irish Vampire. Against all odds, he had come to find a real kinship with her. But everything was riding on the Hunter being able to hold up the act long enough to see her and all of the prisoners away.
Sighing, Broderick replied curtly, "Fine. I'll resume my post and make sure that blood sucker doesn't try to break herself free." He brandished the control to her neck collar from its confines in his pants pocket as he headed for the doors.
On his way out of the control room, he contented himself with the mental image of Septum wearing one of those silver braces to be shown how it felt to be the one trapped and tormented.
* * * * * *
Marcellus Jameson didn't hold anything back, as he had sworn he would. Sitting across his office round table from him were Heero, Wufei and Trowa for what was without question their easiest interrogation as Preventers. So, they learned of the client who only went by the name 'Mister M'.
The weapons manufacturer could not have been more accommodating with what information he had on Mister M... and with reason as he had disclosed his concern for his own safety in being involved with someone far more powerful than any of his other clients.
Only adding to that worry was the mysterious patron's middle man, Damian.
Wufei had come across the name Damian in a couple of Marcellus' personal account notes. It had served as a flag, though there was little to go on to the identity of the messenger acting on behalf of the actual buyer of thousands of weapons for Hunters.
That go-between had not outright threatened the talented manufacturer, but there was a very real hint that if anything were to get out about their business that Damian would know about it... and he would handle it permanently.
"Here are the names of others involved with Mister M," Jameson shared as he passed over a closed folder bearing a stack of papers. "To protect myself, I did my own research on possible colleagues of mine who may have been approached by him. I came up with a few names."
While Heero took up the offering to page through its contents, the living informed, "They include structural engineers, security moguls and the like. They are all the best of the best in their crafts and every one of them have had encounters with Damian. Though I cannot guarantee that they know any more than I do, you may get lucky with one of them being in more of the loop."
Peering over his cousin's shoulders, Trowa blinked widely. "This will definitely give us a good start," he commented. "Whoever this Mister M is, he would have built a hell of an enterprise with these people working for him."
"Indeed," Marcellus nodded. "Between having them in his pocket along with a direct tie into the World Senate threatening all of our businesses, not one of us has been able to come close to finding him to end the threat he poses on our livelihoods... as well as our lives."
Folding his arms, he leaned back in his seat and added, "Believe me when I say that I have tried everything at my disposal to see to it. Why else do you think I fortified my estate in such an extreme fashion? And even then, I have not had a decent night's sleep ever since Damian came into the picture. But this little meeting gives me hope that you will be able to finish what I started so that I may carry on without looking over my shoulder."
Slowly rising to his feet, Yuy tucked the folder under his arm as he replied, "Your assistance is appreciated. We'll take up your investigation from here. Before we leave, we'll make sure that you have a way of reaching us..." He smirked, "through secured lines, of course. If you come across anything that might be of further help, be sure to pass it on."
Jameson vowed, "Without hesitation."
Under his breath, Wufei thought aloud, "This is still a needle in a haystack search, but it's better than any leads we've had going on our own resources."
Frowning, the mortal across from him stated, "Well, that's what confused me when I mentioned Damian's name at the start of this meeting. I thought your kind all knew each other. Hell, I thought that he sent you here to do his work of killing me."
To the shocked expressions that fell upon him, Marcellus shrugged, "Damian is a Vampire... same as you."
TBC...
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