I had me a girl who taught me those things a young man should know
Down, down on my knees, I'd beg, I'd plead to learn a bit more..
I, I had me a boy who buttoned me down, threw me a line
He, he washed me as clean as a sinner could be, showed me the light
-Lyrics to 'I Had Me A Girl' performed by The Civil Wars
Crimson Bonds Part 59
Celeste was about to gasp, to cry out or react in any such way over the startling dread that came over her at Septum's demand. But it was Duo and his almost frightening calm that kept her from doing more than blinking widely.
Frowning, the braided Hybrid repeated flatly, "Shinigami? Where the hell did you come up with that name?"
Millers was not at all amused, or deterred. Unfolding his hands to rest them on either of his legs, his fingers began to ball up and stopped just short of actually becoming fists. "Why, Celeste, here," he replied with a nod to the lovely Hispanic. She fought the urge to swallow roughly, taking what comfort and strength she could from her brother.
"I had my team of expert lip-readers go back through the recordings of what had transpired when Barnett assaulted your sister," the living explained in a voice straining to remain neutral. "During your violent turn, your fellow Companion tried to get through to you by calling you Shinigami. I want to know who he is and how you become him."
Snorting, Maxwell shrugged, "Seems like an awfully silly name to come up with. I would check back with your so-called experts and have them go through the tapes again."
Just beneath the surface of Septum's skin, the early signs of redness crept in. With a little more bite in his tone, he informed, "At first, I had questioned them. But after researching what they believed had been said, I came to find that it is the Japanese god of Death."
Raising an eyebrow, he said, "Odd coincidence, given the orientation of the Vampire you are tied to."
"Yea, that is," Duo agreed, snorting as he folded his arms behind his head and crossed his legs. "Now that you mentioned that, it does have a nice ring to it. I think I'll have you call me that when I'm in the process of killing you."
Chuckling bitterly, Millers shook his head, "You're dodging the question when we all know that you've been holding out this other entity of yours. I had figured that you would do as much, so I brought my insurance to get you to talk."
Before there was time for either of them to react, the pair was separated when Celeste crumbled to the floor as she screamed in agony. Scratching at the collar around her neck, tears streamed past her tightly drawn eyelids.
Duo cried out to her, shooting to his feet and reaching for her when he was knocked down by the bolt of energy that rendered him just as helpless and sprawled about the ground.
Shinigami was wailing in his attempt to break the edges of his tortured consciousness. Unable to collect himself enough to make his presence known, the demon was also aware that he would only be giving the mortal what he wanted.
Rather than give in, the entity howled in frustration.
Finally letting his finger up from the trigger button on the remote in his hand, Septum stalked towards his prone captives as they coughed and wheezed for air that they did not even need, but wanted out of instinct from their days as livings. "I can continue to do this the hard way, or you can cooperate and just tell me what I want to know," he deadpanned.
Maxwell could have taken whatever the researcher threw at him, but he wasn't about to have Celeste suffer. "Fine!" he gritted out through his teeth, a silver-and-violet eye glaring up at his captor from behind dampened bangs. "Shinigami's-"
"N-no, Duo!" his sister managed to shout desperately, only to shriek when she was hit with another surge that caused her entire body to tremble as she curled into a tight ball.
Forcing himself up onto his hands, the Hybrid hollered, "He's the alter ego I came up with for my darker half!"
Instantly, Celeste's whimpers and wails ended at the release of the jolts coursing through her. While her wracked form stretched out, the braided immortal gently pulled her into his lap to rock her with a hand rubbing soothing circles along her back.
That smug grin was back on Septum's face as he sighed, "There, now was that so hard?" He laughed at the dangerous snarl that he was rewarded with. "I look forward to drawing this darker half out of you and your brother, since his abilities are equal to yours in every way. You just beat him to tapping into it. Whatever it takes, I'll make sure Berg brings it out of the both of you."
Celeste buried her face into her brother's shoulder and sobbed at the thought of what he and her lover were now doomed to endure. A soothing 'Shh' was whispered by her ear and served to amplify her grief since Duo was more concerned about her than himself.
"I'll have the guards escort you back to your cells," Millers announced as he moved for the door.
Peering over his shoulder, he smirked to the Hybrid, "My suggestion would be to get as much rest as you can before you're summoned again. It'll be a long time before you have such a reprieve again once Berg has you." That said, he stepped out into the hallway to be closed off from the huddled prisoners.
The braided half-breed squeezed his fellow Companion, urging gently, "It'll be alright, Celeste. He won't be able to break us. You know Solo's too damned stubborn to let them get to him and the same goes for me. We'll be able to hold out."
As the arms around his neck tightened, Maxwell bit his lip and silently wondered who he was trying to convince more with his comment. But he wasn't able to dwell on it for long when the doors slid open to their escorts.
* * * * * *
Whistling through his teeth, Charles clicked on the 'Save' button that appeared on his screen and removed the data card from the laptop he had taken up. "That was a hell of a clean-up job," he muttered as he carefully set his offering down on the center of the table alongside the others like it that were ready for review.
Reluctantly looking back at the stack of hard drives and other storage devices, the redheaded youngling sighed, "Three down and still a whole mess to go after almost twenty-four hours of this."
Trowa raised his head from his station at the end of the table to smile, "Try not to be discouraged. It'll only take one strand of information that's hidden somewhere in this mess to give us the potential lead we need. Both of you are a bigger help than you'll ever realize." He was given a pair of grins from his nephews.
Notably quiet, Heero had one hand on the mouse of his laptop to click through the data that he was reading while the other was propped up to loosely cover his mouth. Only partially taking in the detailed reports of Solo's treatments at the Instructor H's hands, he tried to not think on whether or not Duo was being subject to the same torture.
Between his weakened, deprived state and his profound worry for his lover, their baby and their sister, the Original was an even more haggard sight than Wufei. Charles and John did their best to not stare at him, but their concern for their Uncle had them slipping glances his way... afraid that he might finally collapse at any moment.
Wufei was aware of all of this when he rose from his own place at the table to walk up behind his brother. Squeezing the Japanese Infected's shoulder, he said quietly, "Why don't you take a break, Heero? You can use some sleep and I can finish going through what you've started."
If there was anything Yuy hated it was feeling like a dead weight when the most important creatures in his existence were in danger... but there was no denying how physically and emotionally exhausted he was.
Nodding shallowly in appreciation, the Original climbed onto his feet and slowly walked out to find the nearest bedroom without speaking a word. After hearing the soft click of a door latch sliding into place down the hallway, John turned to his father to frown deeply, "Is he going to be okay?"
Though he never said the words 'are you going to be okay,' the indication that he was equally worried about the two especially pale Vampires was in the air.
"He'll be fine," Chang replied, adding with a small smirk, "we'll both be fine." His sons smiled in relief.
The calm was soon broken by the sound of a bright ring coming from Trowa's person. Blinking in surprise by the rare call, the Latin reached into the pocket of his jeans to remove his cell phone. In one smooth movement, he checked he caller ID, opened the flip and pressed the receiver to his ear, greeting, "Hello, Treize." He stood up and made his way outside as he asked, "Any breakthrough in looking for your mole?"
Centering his attention back onto his sons, Chang mulled over the opportunity before him. "Charles, would you mind if I had some time alone to speak with John?" he requested of his eldest.
Taken aback by the abrupt request, the raven-haired youngling's jaw dropped while his sibling smiled, "No problem." Grabbing his laptop and slipping from the room, Charles gave their father a firm nod and a wink as he rounded the corner to fade from their sight.
John swallowed roughly as his Dad took up the space on the long bench beside him. "I haven't forgotten how upset you were when we last spoke prior to your arrival here," the scaly Infected stated, his lips turned downward in a saddened curve. "And now that we have the chance to talk, I'm hoping that you'll come out and tell me what's wrong without me having to use my mind reading ability to get to get it out of you."
An idle threat, they were both aware. That was why it was 'warned' with a smirk. Wufei never had it in him to use such an evasive measure when it came to prying into his childrens'' lives.
Snorting, the teenager rolled his eyes with an amused, "Yea, yea, yea." He could have easily denied there being anything to talk about and his Dad would have dropped it... but the simple fact was that he actually wanted to discuss his dilemma with one of the few beings he knew who would understand.
A deep breath filling his lungs, John turned fully towards the other Vampire and he sighed, "It's... Angela." Simply having to speak his Other's name brought on such a pain that he struggled to get it out. When it did, he winced from the burning sensation it caused.
His gold-and-onyx eyes widening, Chang quickly collected himself and nodded firmly, "Alright. If there's anything that she needs, you know that as busy as I am, I won't hesitate to see that it's taken care of."
"Oh, she's not of any concern from us anymore," his son chuckled bitterly, running a hand through his wavy hair. "I broke it off with her... or... I think she finally figured out that I did since she's stopped trying to call me."
Closing his jaw that had begun to drop, the warrior asked urgently, "What happened to make you reject your Chosen?"
John cleared away the thickness in his throat as a string of tears began to well up in his eyes. "She's Senator Nancy McAdams' daughter and she has no idea I'm an Infected," he all but whimpered.
To the stunned face watching him, he blurted out in a rush, "I'm sorry for going behind your back to see her as often as I did, Dad! If I had any idea that she was at all related to that Vampire hater, I never would have let myself feel anything for her!"
Shocked as he was, Wufei trained himself to keep himself resigned as a wave of understanding washed over him. With a sad grin, he inquired softly, "And how has pushing her away been working out for you?"
Having some sense of release in being able to discuss his agony, the boy shuddered almost violently at the collapse of the walls that he had built around himself since he had left the living that had captivated his heart. A sharp sob breaking from him, he moaned, "I-it's killing me! But how could we possibly be right for each other?!"
The Chinese Infected pulled his son into a tight embrace, whispering in a thick voice, "I've been in your shoes, John. My life had been planned out for me and I convinced myself that it was what I wanted. Then I met your mother and everything changed. We came to know each other when Vampires were feared , even hated, by mortals like myself. I did everything I could to force aside whatever was drawing me to her to the point of hurting the both of us."
Pulling back and gripping the youngling's shoulders, Chang waited for their gazes to meet and continued, "It's not for any of us to decide who we're bound to. I won't deny that Angela's position poses a challenge, but she is your Other. As much as your attempt to push her away is tearing you apart, do you really think you can deny that?"
Unable to trust his voice, John shook his head vehemently. A lop-sided smirk spreading on his mouth, the scaly Vampire squeezed his son's arms as he nodded firmly, "We'll find a way through this. The first step for you is to accept that for whatever reason, you and Angela are meant to be together. Whatever trials might get in your way of sealing that pact, somehow it will all sort itself out in the end. We'll just take it one day at a time."
How on Earth there would be any happy ending to his story with Angela was still beyond John... but he wasn't about to deny that he was hopeful it would work out. After all, what better example could he have had in Chosens beating the odds together than his own parents? Here, the only place that he had to look was right in front of him all along.
Feeling a bit sheepish for jumping to the worst conclusion so easily, the youngling smiled sheepishly, "I should have talked to you about this sooner. Thanks, Dad." Of course, he was not only thanking his father for the encouragement, but for his unwavering support of his connection with the Senator's daughter, despite their differences.
The quiet moment was broken by the sound of the front door to the cabin opening and closing once more. Entering the room with his cell phone held in a tight grip at his side, Trowa was the very picture of shell-shocked between his enlarged eyes and distant stare.
Frowning, Wufei stood and rounded the table as he asked, "What is it, cousin?"
Barton came out of his daze to blink at the scaly Infected as though he were waking from a dream. "When Heero is awake, I'm going to be bringing Midi and the Khushrenadas here for an emergency meeting," he announced. "Something... big has come up."
* * * * * *
Angela was settled back into the room that she had grown up in following her return to her mother's at the start of her winter break from school. Lying on her fully made bed, she stared up at the ceiling to enjoy some peace and quiet while dealing with the emptiness that continued to grow no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.
Not even bothering to get up to turn the light on when the natural light pouring into her window from the sun began to fade, she did her best to will the world away when a knock came at her door. "Sweetheart?" her mother's muffled voice called. "I made you some tea and dinner is almost ready."
Too numb to respond, the intern continued to lay as she was when the Senator entered with a steaming mug in her free hand. Taken aback by the darkness of her surroundings, Nancy gasped, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were trying to get some sleep-"
"I wasn't sleeping," Angela replied, stopping her Mom before she could retreat. Pushing herself up, she shrugged, "I was just trying to clear my head." The light over her was flipped on, causing her to wince at the sudden brightness.
Seeing the redness of her daughter's eyes, the Senator lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, insisting, "What's wrong, dear. You look like you've been crying for days."
Hardened as she had worked to make herself, the blonde young woman couldn't hold back the pain any longer as her vision clouded over. "Mom... John... he... he broke it off and I don't know why," she whimpered.
Eyes wide, Nancy lowered the cup in her possession onto the floor so that she could wrap her sobbing child into both arms. "Oh, honey," she whispered as the intern buried her face into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. And I know it hurts, but it'll be alright. I promise it'll pass."
But this wouldn't pass... Angela was sure of it as she continued to cry. Somehow, she knew the emptiness was only going to get worse every day.
Life itself had become meaningless.
* * * * * *
Solo screamed at the top us his lungs as his back arched as far as the restraints holding his wrists and ankles down allowed. Across from him, Duo was under the same duress, crying out and thrashing against his own shackles under the amplified bolts of power surging through him.
Inside the observation tower, Doctor Berg stared down at his subjects with his arms folded across his chest and a cold glare of his beady eyes behind his spectacles. Not bothering to look over at the technician working the controls, he ordered, "Increase the voltage by ten percent."
The young man blinked widely at his supervisor, but quickly returned his focus to the sliders on the board in front of him. Swallowing roughly, he did as he was ordered and turned a few knobs until he reached the desired level. Beyond the glass, the prisoners bucked and shrieked all the louder.
* * * * * *
"My God," Broderick breathed inside the holding room at the horrific sounds coming from the laboratory. "They've never screamed hard enough to be heard back here before."
At his back, Anna was sitting on the floor of her cell with her back to the furthest wall from him and her lifted wrists cuffed at either side of her head while Emma looked up from playing with her dolls at the sound of the cries.
Sickened physically and emotionally, the Infected did her best to not show her worry. Putting on a smile, she asked, "What did you name that one, sweetheart?"
The girl blinked widely at her small collection and lifted the blonde-haired, red-dressed toy in her hand. "This one's Callie," she answered brightly to her friend. "She's the popular one."
Giggling at her charge's imagination that had given a personality as well as an identity for her dolls, Anna praised, "Ah. Callie is a beautiful name. And I bet she's very good to her friends."
"Uh-huh," Emma agreed, her head bobbing up and down. Biting her lip, she disregarded the small pile and scooted herself against the Infected's side while hugging her legs to her chest. "Do you think we'll all be away from this place soon? I don't like seeing you, Celeste, Duo or Solo hurt so much."
Slowly lifting her head from behind her hands, the Companion across the way revealed her shimmering eyes to appraise the girl with a sad grin for the thoughtful sentiment. "Thank you, sweetheart," she managed past the lump in her throat. "But we'll manage through until all of this is behind us. It's just a little rough at the moment."
Biting her lip, Emma muttered to the floor, "I guess I'll be goin' ta the orphanage when it's all over. I've been tryin' ta make it alone, but it wasn't workin'."
"Well, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Anna smirked down to the girl. Green eyes turned up to take her in as she said, "I know that my husband wouldn't mind me suggesting this, so you would be more than welcome become a part of our family... if you'd like, of course. Wufei and I have acquaintances who would help us with the adoption process. That way, you'll have a whole army of brothers and sisters to play with."
Emma gasped, instantly tearing up. Over the course of her visits through the weeks, she had come to really admire and care for the Irish Infected while hearing stories of her family... but she had never dared to dream of being asked to become a part of it.
Nodding, the Siren hummed an affirmative and laughed when she was suddenly being hugged tightly around her neck. "I take it that's a yes, then?" she snickered. The child sniffled with a firm nod of her own while keeping a firm hold on her.
Deeply moved by the scene, Broderick had to turn away. Glaring straight ahead into the empty cell across from him, the frustration building inside of him was about to reach its peak.
Ever since siding with the prisoners, he had been looking for any and every possible way of an escape... only to come up against a dead end every time.
Something was going to have to give... and soon. Now that the babies were only a little more than seven weeks away from their due date...
Gloria would have to be contacted. Hell or high water, they needed to move. Whatever the consequences might be.
Muted through the walls, a pair of screams resonated through the holding room once again.
TBC...
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