It waits for the day I will let it out
to give it a reason, to give it its might
I fear who I am becoming,
I feel that I am losing the struggle within
-Lyrics to 'This Is the Time' performed by Nothing More
Crimson Bonds Part 86
"Anna!" Heero cried as he rushed for the operating table.
Glaring at the restraints that bound his sister's wrists and ankles down, his blood boiled. Even in his weakened state, his enhanced strength was more than enough for him to rip each cuff away as he rounded his way back to the Siren's pale face. "Anna!" he called as he gently cradled her head and upper torso against him. Her freed arm falling limp over the table, he breathed desperately, "Nononono. Come on, baby. Wake up."
Celeste let out a sharp yell of horror at the sight waiting for her when she ran inside. Slapping her hands over her gaping mouth, she sprinted to her sister's free side and fought the nausea that came on by the thick scent of blood from the bags hanging to collect every crimson drop that poured out of the Irish Infected.
Only then did Yuy notice the sickening sight of Anna's abdomen. She was still opened up in a ghastly series of slices that quartered her stomach...
...Still open. Her body was not healing itself.
Tears filling his eyes, Heero let out an animalistic scream unlike anything he had ever uttered before as he clung all the tighter to his best friend. Sobbing against her thick, red hair, he whimpered, "I'm sorry, Anna... I'm so sorry..."
"Oh my God," a voice whispered from the mangled doorway. His wide, violet-and-gold eyes locked onto the mutilated Vampire, Solo murmured, "Anna." Biting his lip as Celeste lunged for him, he held his trembling lover fiercely against him. Under any other circumstance, he would have reveled in having her back in his arms for the first time in years... but his joy was greatly out done by the grave state his sister was in.
Reluctantly pulling away from his Companion, the Hybrid half-walked-half-stumbled to the table. With a shaking hand, he lovingly caressed the top of the Siren's head and brushed away the locks that had stuck to the sides of her damp, white face. "Heero," he managed softly, a profound worry falling over him. When reddened cobalt-and-gold lifted to meet his gaze, he frowned deeply and shook his head, "Wufei can't see her like this."
The bottom of his stomach falling out at the thought, the Original's back straightened rigidly... but he still couldn't bring himself to let go of his sister. Well ahead of him, Solo moved to a white sheet that had fallen to the floor and reverently wrapped it around Anna's body when another presence appeared. "Oh... no," Trowa whispered breathlessly, his own expression filled with pain and disbelief.
Broken from his shock at the appearance of his cousin, Heero insisted, "We have to get her to Sally. Now."
Instantly upon the table, Barton swallowed roughly and carefully adjusted the bedding that was already turning red over the Siren's middle. Gesturing to Solo and Celeste as he held his cousins' arms, he urged, "Grab on." The pair moved to grip his shoulders and they disappeared from the base.
When they emerged from the brilliant light into Sally's private practice, the Companion was pacing the halls amongst her nurses in her green scrubs.
Coming to a sharp halt, at the sight of her still friend in Yuy's arms, Po's shoulders sagged heavily with a sharp gasp. Quickly recovering with a shake of her head, she spun away, shouting, "Bring her in here!" Three of her assistants ran close behind her to lead the way to the surgical room.
Fast on their heels, Heero followed them inside of the metallic space and lowered Anna's frail form onto the table while the braided doctor pulled on her gloves by the corner counter where her tools were spread out. Over her shoulder, she watched as Dorothy flew in to stare in shock at Chang.
Quietly speaking amongst themselves, the nurses were removing the sheet from their friend and adjusting the overhead lights to shine brightly on their patient to ready her for whatever aid Po could provide. Once her open abdomen was reveled, the immortal women all gasped in fright. Losing the color in her face, the head assistant faced Po breathing, "Sally... she's..."
Running up to examine the wound, Sally stiffened. Looking as though she was about to become ill, she peered back up to the Vampire standing by anxiously.
"Heero," the doctor frowned as she neared him. Tearing his wide eyes from his sister, Yuy looked at her blankly. "I can't have you in here any longer. When your babies come in, I am going to have Dorothy take care of them. I have every faith in her looking after them." Gulping, Catalonia nodded and rolled her shoulders back in acceptance of the responsibility.
Po gestured back to her patient, stating, "Anna is my priority. She's lost a lot of blood and needs to be treated now."
Without hesitating, the Japanese Vampire nodded, "Okay. Just... please do everything you can for her, Sally." His eyes stinging as he looked back at his sister, he murmured, "She means the world to me."
Holding back her own swell of emotions, Sally whispered thickly, "I know. I swear I'll do everything in my power for her." Completely numb to everything but the knowledge that she meant her promise, Yuy nodded shallowly.
"Come on, cousin," Trowa implored quietly as he draped a hand on his shoulder. Unconsciously walking out of the operating room, the Japanese Original saw nothing ahead of himself as they slipped past the doors with Dorothy.
Running, Sally returned to Anna's side as she hissed under her breath, "Whoever the bastard was who did this, they butchered her on her. She's not healing, so we're going to have to patch her up as best we can with what she has left." Even as she said the words, she went back to the terrible memories of Carl Khushrenada when he had been rushed into the hospital after being torn apart by a Rogue.
Determined that her friend was not going to suffer the same fate, the Companion's eyes narrowed in determination. Holding out a hand when she secured her surgical mask, she ordered, "Clamps."
Out in the hallway, Heero stared at the closed double doors he had just walked through. "I can't leave her," he murmured. Turning towards his cousin, he shook his head, "I can't leave Anna like this. I haven't been there for her all this time... I need to be here. But the babies-"
Cutting him off, Barton reassured, "Don't worry. I'll find them and bring them back safely."
Solo wrapped Celeste in a tight embrace and kissed her soundly. As he pulled away, he told her apologetically, "I can't stay here when Duo and Wufei have no idea about Anna..."
A sad grin spreading across her face, his Companion nodded. "Go," she urged, lightly pushing his chest. "Bring our family back here."
The Hybrid reached Trowa's side to tell him, "I'm leaving with you. I know where to find my brothers, so I'll take care of them." He was so wrapped up in getting back to them that he had missed the significance of acknowledging Duo and Wufei as such. Of course, his smirking lover had caught on.
Never in all of his existence would Solo have ever imagined actually wanting to return to the base that he had been held in for so long, but he never hesitated in requesting, "Can you take us back to the laboratory?"
Caught off guard by the inquiry, the Latin Original blinked widely. Snapping into reality, he grabbed the blonde's shoulder as he replied, "Hold on."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Growling viciously, Duo snapped his jaw around the arm wrapped around his neck. When his fangs came up against scales of sleel, he reeled and wailed in enraged frustration.
"Imagine a box. Put inside of it all of your anger and then your fear. Seal the box and lock it away until you need it.... Imagine a box. Put inside of it all of your anger and then your fear..." Wufei gritted through his clenched teeth as he put all of his strength into keeping the braided Hybrid jammed on the ground following a long exchange of blows between them.
Since he had heard the mantra in Maxwell's head, the former warrior took advantage of every opportunity in their heated battle to use it in an attempt to seal away Duo's bloodlust for vengeance. "Come on, little brother," he managed between grunts of effort to keep the stronger creature pinned beneath him. "Your babies and Anna need you."
His weakened state catching up with him, Chang might have been able to deflect severe injuries thanks to his scales... but keeping up with a Hybrid at his full potential was about to become a losing fight if they remained engaged for much longer.
The next, swift sweep of Duo's freed elbow that made a direct impact to Wufei's temple knocked the Vampire off of him and hurled him into the wall behind them.
Moaning from the hit, Chang shook his head as his hair fell loose from its ponytail. "Damn it," he snapped, rubbing the back of his neck as he pushed himself up.
Solo materialized from the blur that he had become in entering the corridor. Seeing his twin nearly springing for the prone Infected, he shouted, "Duo! That's enough! " As glowing silver-and-violet set upon him, he glared back just as fiercely and made the only play he had by crying, "Your babies are missing and Anna is dying!"
In mid-stride of his stalk towards the blonde Hybrid, Maxwell froze. "Anna," he breathed in horror along with Chang, their enlarged eyes filled with panic and fangs retracting. The glow of his own irises fading, Duo murmured, "The babies..."
He saw the black box and put inside of it all of his anger and then his fear. Tightly sealing the box's lid, he locked it away until he needed it again.
And all that remained was his worry for the family that he had tried to protect.
Huffing out a long sigh, Solo's shoulders drooped at the clarity in his twin's gaze. Wufei staggered to him until he gripped his shoulders. "Where is my wife?" he murmured desperately.
"She's being treated by Sally right now," he answered with a deep frown. "I-I'm sorry you have to hear it like this but... you need to be there now. Duo and I won't be far behind once we take care of things here."
Forcing down a rough swallow, Chang nodded shallowly and disappeared in a flash of light.
His eyes narrowing on his stunned brother, Solo approached him in a few wide strides. "Our sister gave up everything she had to offer to bring your babies into the world. And Septum had her hacked up and left for dead," he rumbled. "The least we can do is make sure all of her troubles weren't made in vain. You want to be angry? Then channel all of it into making sure that piece of shit son of a bitch pays for what he did to Anna!"
Duo bobbed his braided head firmly as his fangs grew in. "Let's go," he sneered to his counterpart just before leading the charge out of the lab.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Move it!" Septum snapped at the doctors when the hidden door behind his living quarters opened. Because of the confusion of the battle taking place throughout the base, they managed to slip through the catwalks that had already been cleared earlier even with Berg and Adodera pushing three compact incubators. Now, they entered a secluded corridor to an emergency lift that only the Boss had been aware of.
One of the little boys began to turn his head side-to-side as he let out a piercing cry. "Shut him up!" Millers commanded in a harsh whisper, pressing the barrel of his gun into Gloria's back. Frantic, he peered back to see that the door was closed tight behind them. If anyone had heard that wail...
Glaring at him over her shoulder, the young woman warned, "Crying clears the lungs. I'm not endangering any of these babies by trying to quiet them now." Unaffected by the pistol, she continued maneuver herself and her little charges down the short hallway. No matter how upset he was at being defied, Septum could only grumble under his breath as he was not about to argue against her advice. He had come too far to let anything go wrong with his only meal tickets.
From the corner of her eye, Gloria looked upon the hand-held organ transplant cooler in Berg's free hand. Stomach lurching at the knowledge of what was inside and how it had been obtained, she shook her head and focused on walking towards the room at the end of the stretch. Blinking in surprise, she stared slack-jawed at the wide mouth of the elevator that had been obscured for as long as the facility had been operational.
But at first glance, there was a problem... it was not going to fit three incubators and three livings.
"Well, my good friend," Millers smiled to the old man. Frowning in confusion, Doctor Berg turned to face him. "I thank you for your service, but I am afraid that this is the end of the line." He fired off a round that ripped through his long-time ally's head of white-and-silver hair. Her hands flying up to grip the sides of her face, Adodera screamed as blood splattered her at the blast and she watched in horror as her lifeless counterpart collapsed to the floor and the contents of his cooler spilled across the linoleum beside him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Come on, Anna. Stay with us," Sally murmured as she continued to try and patch up her friend. The bleeding had stopped, but it was hard to tell if that was a good or bad sign with all of the blood that the Vampire had already lost. Sighing, she announced to her team, "Just a couple more sutures and she'll have to do the rest."
Out in the hallway, Heero had already shed his Gundanium wings as he leaned up against the wall outside of the operating room. Dry-washing his face with his hands, he tried to force away those images of his sister open and bleeding on the table where he'd found her... but they wouldn't leave him. Staring up at the ceiling beside him,
Wufei closed his eyes and continued to pray silently for his Chosen to be alright.
Standing between the brothers, Midi bit her lip as she held their hands tightly for whatever bit of comfort she could offer them even as she worked to keep herself together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Aiming the gun at the terrified blonde, the researcher smirked, "His organ harvest was a mere smokescreen to keep him in line and believing all was well in seeing those little demons this far. And now you've also outlived your usefulness, dear. I'll take over from from here."
Gloria's eyes squeezed closed before the blast of the shot filled the room over the cries from the babies. From the shadows of the elevator, a crystalline creature surged out and stood between Gloria and the bullet to have it ricochet off of the glowing hand that she held up. In that same instant, a perfectly camouflaged being leapt from where he had been standing against the wall the whole time and knocked Millers to the ground.
Roaring in his rage, the scientist fought to bring his gun up when another Vampire, this one with fiery red hair, emerged to lay one finger on his weapon that brought it to illuminate in blinding colors. At the intense heat coursing through his hand, Septum flung his pistol away before it exploded from the kinetic energy that had consumed it. Finally, a fourth Infected bearing a head of raven-black locks appeared to send a downward blow that met the side of the Boss's head and rendered him unconscious.
Her whole body shaking, Adodera panted heavily to catch her breath as her rescuers righted themselves over Septum. The pair of striking Vampires that had been camouflaged took on their true forms and smiled lovingly to one another. "Good work, love," the male murmured to his partner with an Australian accent.
Slowly taking in the younger Vampires, Gloria gasped at the unmistakable resemblance they had to Anna. "Charles... John," she breathed. The brothers to blinked at her in surprise then broke out in warm smiles at recognizing the good doctor that their little sister, Emma, had identified.
"Did they get all of that, Rosshe?" Margi called into the hallway.
Nodding as he stepped inside, the Egyptian Infected replied, "Yep." Raising his personal com, he grinned, "Every last second. Treize and the others can finish cleaning up all of the recordings from Millers' computer now." Taken aback, Adodera cast her eyes up and located the security camera that overlooked the room. The researcher's careful calculations in defending his only getaway was about to be his undoing.
As he met his friends in the middle of the room, Rosshe informed, "Trowa will be here any minute since I relayed where he can find us."
Drawn to the crying babies, John whispered, "Oh God..." His brother's skin paled along with his as they sluggishly walked towards their tiny cousins. If they had been taken...
Charles met Gloria's gaze as he muttered, "Where's our Mom?"
A pained expression washing over her, the doctor's mouth opened and closed in her failed attempt to try and find her voice when she was shocked by the sudden arrival of none other than Duo and Solo. Their widening silver-and-violet eyes falling on the bodies sprawled on the floor, they stood still as stone...
...until a whimper from one of the newborns drew Maxwell's attention.
In that breath of a breath of a second of time, Septum Millers had been completely forgotten. Nothing else in the world mattered other than those babies for Duo.
His vision wavering behind tears, he made his way towards the incubators as he stared in awe at his younglings. Swallowing roughly, he rested a hand on the glass shielding the first of the three dressed in a simple, blue onesie.
Then, a pair of violet eyes blinked open to look at his father intently.
Maxwell nearly doubled over with a sharp sob of relief. "A-are they all okay?" he asked the doctor brokenly, his love and concern for his children dripping from his voice.
Smiling, Gloria nodded, "They're going to be just fine."
"Oh thank God," a certain Latin Original sighed deeply when he materialized in the doorway. "You're all safe," he commented in wonder to Maxwell. Opening his arms when they met half-way, Barton clung tightly to the braided Hybrid. "Good to have you back, cousin," he whispered as a stray tear rolled down his face.
With a sniffle, Duo replied in kind, "Thanks, Trowa."
Running his emerald-and-gold eyes over the lot once they separated, the tall Vampire shook his head, "I hate to break this happy reunion, but we can't stay here." His throat tightening when he looked upon his anxious nephews, he stated, "We have to get to Sally's."
Charles and John drew deep breaths and positioned themselves between the incubators so that they would be in contact with their cousins while everyone around linked up. Gripping the Hybrids' shoulders, Barton closed his eyes and sent them to their new destination.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Hurry it up, everyone," Lady Une muttered beyond the massive hole in the ground that she and her fellow Telepaths were keeping open. Several feet behind her, the Companions remained in their jeeps and stationed by their canons in anticipation to close the facility once and for all on a moment's notice.
Turning to the horizon, the first signs of red light was beginning to creep into view as the Preventer Co-Commander frowned, "We're almost out of time."
Before her eyes, the hundreds upon hundreds of Vampires reemerged in their teams, At the front of the pack. Treize's shouted, "We're all clear and the detonation devices have been set! Seal it up!"
Joining their powers once more, the Telepaths lowered the round ceiling of the base and stepped aside so that the Companions could burn the edges of the ring just as they had been instructed. By the time the last welding was set, the underground explosions sounded to resonate through the earth at the destruction of everything inside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"That's it," Po realized aloud. She had done all she could to mend the internal wounds. Delicately removing the clamps, she and her nurses closed the folds of skin over Anna's abdomen and held their breath in wait for the Infected's healing to kick in. "Come on, sweetheart," she begged quietly behind her mask. "Stay with us..."
Only there was no change. The Irish Vampire continued to lie motionless while the gaps in her stomach remained open.
Their arms falling heavily at their sides, the nurses eyed each other in distress. Their window of opportunity had closed.
Approaching her patient's head, the braided Companion spoke a bit louder when she pleaded, "Come on. Just open your eyes, Anna. Make some snarky comment... just... do something. You have to wake up." Each word she said, the calm that she had been able to maintain up until then was rapidly fading away
Despite her best of efforts, there was nothing to indicate that Anna was clinging to any sort of life.
"Sally," one of the Companions called gently as she rested a hand on her shoulder, her pained eyes turning to lock with the physician's to silently tell her the hard truth that none of them wanted to accept...
It was over.
Her watering eyes squeezing closed, Sally tore her mask and cap off with a screamed, "Goddamn it!" Spinning away from the table, she kicked her medical tray away and it crashed loudly against the floor with the equipment it was holding up. At the uncharacteristic eruption of a reaction, the staff around jumped but held their tongues as they lowered their heads and cried silently for their fallen friend.
For those out in the hallway, there was no need for an official announcement to Anna's condition after they picked up the tormented sounds from the operating room.
Midi covered her mouth with her hands against the wail that ripped its way out of her chest at the sounds from inside the operating room.
A stifled sob breaking from him, Wufei stormed off without a word or a glance for his loved ones standing by.
Heero sank to the floor, hugging his legs to his chest and ducking his head between his knees as he let out the pain with a muffled yell before he collapsed into crying uncontrollably.
Covering her dampening face with her hands, Relena turned into Quatre's chest as he held her fast. Burying his face in her shoulder, he joined her soft sobs at the unimaginable grief of their loss.
Devoid of emotion under normal circumstances, Solo's face reddened and his hands balled into fists. Unleashing a loud howl, he slammed a punch into the wall behind him while Celeste hugged him tightly from behind with in her own quiet mourning.
Such was the scene that Trowa, Charles and John walked into when they emerged into the hallway following their delivery of Duo, Solo and the triplets in the delivery wing. "Oh, God.... no..." the Original murmured in disbelief.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cheers, laughter and applause rang loudly through the terrain as Vampires and their Others alike celebrated their successful mission. Embraces, handshakes and kisses were exchanged amongst the families and friends that had come together for another important cause.
Treize's head fell back as he let out a sigh, the first one of relief that he had been able to breathe in months. Smiling proudly at his wife, he moved in for a fierce hug and kissed her cheek. "Well done, my heart," he grinned as they pulled back. Lady Une giggled and winked. Raising a hand to the ensemble around them, the Councilman shouted over the commotion, "Alright, everyone, get these jeeps stored away! I'll be sure to pass on a full report once the dust settles a bit, but for now pack up and get home!"
Waving and cheering anew, the agents and their Others darted away into the brightening horizon. Catherine and Hillary were in the process of a high-five and a congratulatory embrace for their weeks of preparation when Zechs, Noin and Zayeed, descended on them to offer their own accolades for their hard work. "That... was incredible," the Vampire Council Speaker praised sincerely.
"I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!" the redhead laughed. Nudging the scientist's side as she leaned her other half against her husband, she smirked, "You definitely have a future in whatever you want to do with that brilliant mind of yours, kid. That liquid glass of yours helped save the day."
Twain chuckled, "Thanks, Catherine. I wouldn't mind teaming up with you more often to come up with Preventer weapons over the years. I can't imagine doing anything better than keeping Vampires and livings safe from Rogues and other threats."
At the ringing of his cell phone, Treize pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Blinking widely, he pressed it to his ear with an urgent, "Trowa. Where are you? What is the status on Duo and Anna? Any word on casualties?"
Silence over the line hung for a moment... and the Councilman instantly felt a wave of panic flood him. Frowning deeply, Khushrenada gulped. "Barton?" he pressed urgently. Sensing the tension that was mounting, his family closed in around him, their faces bathed in concern. "What's wrong?"
"I'm at Sally's clinic," the Latin Original's voice shared quietly, devoid of any emotion as though he were only acting on autopilot to get the words out. "Only a couple of our agents suffered superficial cuts and bruises. No losses of our own. Duo and the babies are safe, same for Solo and Celeste..."
Were his heat still beating, Treize knew it would have been racing in his chest as he asked softly, "And Anna?"
There was only silence again for a few breaths before Trowa's thick tone answerd so softly that the Councilman had to strain to hear. "She... she didn't make it."
Enlarged eyes slowly closing, Khushrenada's hand tightened around his phone. "Please come collect us as soon as you are up for it so that we may be there," he requested. Closing the flip of his cell, his eyes were burning when they opened again to fall on his near frantic family. Trying a couple of times to speak, he finally shook his head and managed, "Our family needs us..."
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page