There's too many men, too many people
Making too many problems
And there's not much love to go around
Can't you see this is a land of confusion?
-Lyrics to 'Land of Confusion' covered by Disturbed
Crimson Ties Part 52
It took Meiran a moment to get over her shock of staring at the familiar pair of violet eyes watching her. With the exception of the silver ring around the irises watching her, she would have sworn that they belonged to her loathsome enemy, Maxwell. Those eyes were about the only thing that this Solo shared in common with his twin.
Quickly putting on an unaffected air, the Vampire straightened her back and raised her head high. "The welcome extended to me left much to be desired," she scoffed. "Clearly, you are unaware of my descent, or you would have seen that I was treated with more dignity."
His head falling back with a boisterous laugh, the blonde creature shook his head, "Oh, Dorothy, you were right, my dear. She is going to be a handful." Standing beside the Infected, the said Other smirked, her silver-and-blue eyes shining with adoration on the young man rising from his throne to approach their guest.
"I am well aware that you are a Khushrenada," Solo grinned in a way that had Meiran's blood boiling. Waving his hand in the air, he stepped close to the beauty and commented under his breath in a near snarl, "Members of the Vampire Council do not frighten, or impress me. In fact, none of your kind do."
Despite all of the rage she had in her, the Vampire let on to none of it. Those two brutish guards were only feet behind her. And she had no interest to test the limit of their restraint on their abilities were she to say or do anything out of line to their Creator whom they all seemed to admire.
Suddenly, the little boy of four years old with shaggy blonde hair playing on the floor sat upright as he turned his silver-and-green eyes towards the back of his Maker. In a sweet, youthful voice, he announced, "She has anger, Master. Scary anger. She wants to hurt you bad." Dumbfounded, Meiran couldn't help but blink her golden eyes in surprise with a sharp gasp.
"And she covers it so well,," Solo smirked over his shoulder at the child. "Thank you for your help, TJ." Beaming at being recognized in such a way, the boy resumed playing with his building blocks as the redheaded, freckle-faced six-year-old kept her attention on brushing the hair of the doll in her care.
Chuckling to his stunned prisoner, the silver-eyed creature commented, "Children. They are so innocent and perceptive." He gestured back to the little ones, informing, "My young charges, here, were two of my first creations. Ever since I turned them, their own hidden abilities came through. Teddy can read every emotion running through a being in his presence. Then there's Rachel, who can tell if someone is lying or telling the truth, no matter how convincing the statement may come off."
With a shrug, he smirked, "As you can imagine, those abilities come in quite useful for a creature like myself."
Meiran's eyes narrowed as she demanded, "And just what are you?"
Solo leaned back, grinning, "Ah. I would be a hybrid, the son of a human and a Vampire- one of only two such beings in the whole world's existence." Dramatically bowing at the waist, he grinned, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"H-hybrid?" the Infected stammered, her widened golden eyes blinking in disbelief. "But that's impossible. Vampires cannot bring a child into the world, be them the mother or the father. Our reproductive systems have seized up along with nearly every other organ in our bodies at our turnings."
The blonde, forever youthful man before her opened his arms at either side of himself as he replied, "Oh, but it was very possible. Decades ago, your kind could not walk in the sunlight, and yet now you have evolved to do so. As fate would have it, one Infected was far advanced in her own change to bear two sons before she was killed at the hands of the scientists that contained her through her delivery." Shaking his head, he frowned, "All because she and my mortal father fell in love."
Sons. Only then did it hit Meiran how Dorothy had told her that Maxwell was Solo's twin brother. Dear God... then that meant Duo was a hybrid as well! The thought had her mind reeling. This certainly complicated things.
Lowering the small tower that he was creating, TJ looked back at his Creator informing him, "She's pretty scared now, Master. But not only because of you."
Frustrated, the Infected kept her eyes on the hybrid as she growled deeply, "I am not afraid of anyone or anything."
"That's a lie," Rachel was quick to pipe up in a charming, high-pitched voice. As though she had been slapped in the face, the raven-haired Vampire's head snapped to the side so that she could stare in shock at the freckled-face girl. Ducking her head, the little redhead quickly resumed playing with her dolls.
With ire in his own eyes, Solo stepped into Meiran's line of sight to block her view of the child. "You will not make them feel threatened or I will end you," he snarled dangerously. The silver ring around his violet eyes glowed with the fire of the harnessed rage that he finally revealed. "Do you understand me?"
Just as her captor allowed his true feelings for her show, so did the Vampire allow her own walls to fall. Trembling, she fell back a couple of steps with wide, frightened eyes. Swallowing roughly in the wake of that unspeakable power in the hybrid's eyes, she managed a shallow nod. There was not a question that this being could end her if he really wanted to.
That knowledge came with the decision to no longer test her welcome.
Easing, the corner of Solo's lips curled in a pleased smirk. "Now that I have your undivided attention, I will tell you of what is about to be unleashed on the world." He raised an eyebrow and added, "And if you play along, in time your rewards will be well worth any discomforts in currently being deprived of your spoiled existence."
Sharply turning on his heels, he walked towards the massive hole in the wall to peer out to the moonlit ocean. "The time of humans and Vampires is coming to an end," he announced. "Finally freed of the prison that was the laboratory that I was studied in, I now see my true potential as a force the likes of which neither species has ever seen."
"I have no love for Infected or mortals," the hybrid snorted. "I will no longer be a lab rat to the humans, nor will I be limited to the damned life of a blood-sucking Vampire. There is so much more in me that neither existence is appealing... not when I can rule over an entire new species of creature more powerful than any other."
Thinking to those dozens upon dozens of Others out in the rest of the abandoned facility, Meiran shuddered. If it was Solo's intention to begin a new species, then he was already well on his way to a great start towards his goal.
But there was more to this... much more than what her 'host' was letting on right now.
A hand running through his short hair, the Creator of the new breed of beings turned to face his prisoner again. "Now, the only thing that would make this whole undertaking worth anything to me," he stated. Walking towards the Infected, he frowned sadly, "Is the one person that I want to share this with... the one person who could seal this grand scheme of mine."
"Duo," Meiran heard herself mutter, gasping when she realized that she'd said the name aloud. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she shook in wait for what her speaking out of turn would earn her.
To her relief, Solo's head fell back with a howl of a laugh in response. Recovering himself, the hybrid threw his arms tightly around the long-haired Other at his guest's side. "Dorothy, you are ever my most talented being as my Seer," he praised before placing a quick kiss to the silver-eyed girl's lips. "You have, indeed, found the key to my greatest prize," he breathed when he pulled away.
Her light skin practically aglow at her Master's accolade, the lovely being lowered her head in a bow. "I am very all too happy to serve you, Sir," she responded, her voice dripping with appreciation and even a hint of love that had the Vampire blinking as she really paid attention to the chemistry in their locked gazes.
Clearing his throat, the hybrid looked back to the Infected, nodding firmly, "Yes, Duo. My twin brother and I were separated when two scientists managed to kidnap him from our hell when we were only months old. Along with my simply wishing to be reunited with the only family that I have in this cold world, his own powers are vital to my vision becoming a reality."
"Well, I am sorry to say, but I have nothing but hatred for your brother," Meiran huffed. Crossing her arms across her chest, she shared, "I would sooner drink him dry and spit his foul blood from my mouth before its vile taste set in."
Rachel's silver-and-brown eyes grew. Peering up from her toys, she told her Master, "She's telling the truth, Sire."
As he raised a hand towards her, Solo reassured, "It's alright , dear. Just another wretched Vampire being the loathsome being that they are." Before any of her anger was even the hint of a thought in her mind, the raven-haired beauty fought it away to keep her emotional state blank lest the boy pick up on it.
The hybrid leveled his prisoner with a warning glance, smirking, "Well, I have no intention of ever harming so much as a hair on his head. However, I promise that he will be far too occupied in overseeing us rise to where we rightfully belong to be of any trouble to you. Whatever the reason for your despise, it will no longer be of issue if you could just bring me to him. What is more, your service would not go unrewarded. Along with being spared your existence, you will have anything your heart desires. "
Snorting, Meiran glared from the corner of her eye at the blonde Other beside her. "Why can't your talented Seer, here, just show you where he is?" At that, Dorothy returned the fiery stare when her head spun to look on the Infected.
With a sigh, Solo answered, "Alas, my dear brother is immune to any talents of my Others... including Dorothy's vision. Where she would normally be able to find me a needle in a haystack on the other half of the world were I to ask, Duo is completely invisible to her... as well as any other beings that happen to be around him." Swallowing roughly, the Seer lowered her head as a disappointed frown marred her face.
Her creator stepped forward to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder and their eyes met with that deep devotion in them. Grinning, the hybrid focused on his prisoner once more. "Now, you have the choice of working with me so that I may find my brother," he declared, "or you can perish at the hands of my Others that are waiting just beyond the door. There really is no other option for you-"
A sharp gasp from Dorothy suddenly broke through the air. Frantic, she cried, "Sire, our next prospect will be alone in a matter of hours. You will need to move with the team soon if you wish to bring him in! he will be in the same location that I've shown to you."
Instantly forgetting Meiran, Solo smiled darkly, "Wonderful, my dear." Quickly kissing the Seer's cheek, he praised, "You are ever my prized gem." The Other's cheeks flushed with a brilliant blush.
"Do be a dear and see that our guest is returned to her cell and make sure that she is well fed while I am away," the hybrid requested, though there was not bit of allowance in his tone that he was to be denied his wish. Raising a finger to the Infected, he smiled, "You and I will finish this discussion once I have returned. That should give you more than enough time to think before we meet again."
Whether she liked the situation or not, Meiran knew that she had few options of play in the deck of cards dealt to her. Drawing a deep breath, she followed the guards and Dorothy out. When they stepped through the door, she made sure to stay extra close to the brutes while evading her eyes from the glowing silver rings watching her every move.
Somehow there had to be a way that she could make this unfortunate turn of events work in her favor. At least now she knew exactly what she was up against and time to think her way around it.
* * * * * *
His eyes silver-and-violet eyes narrowed, Duo gripped the long rod of his scythe tightly in both of his hands. Raising his weapon, the glowing blade hummed as it was lifted high over his braided head. Slowly turning around on himself, he carefully watched the Infected that were stalking in a counter-turn directional circle along the edge of the exercise mat.
Always keeping Anna to his back, the Companion held his gaze on Wufei as he told his siblings, "Don't hold back."
"We never do," the redhead smirked. Lowering herself in a crouch, she launched herself forward in a blur from her speed, unsheathing the long dagger strapped against her right arm. Just as she was about to strike with a sharp cry, Maxwell spun to catch the lowering blade with the staff in his possession.
So began the dance.
While his wife was knocked back momentarily from the defensive move, Chang sprung for their opponent. Swinging his long sword around his scaly body, the Vampire was quickly met with a block from his 'little brother' that pushed him back a few feet from the sharp and swift counter blow.
Not giving the new immortal time to think, Anna spun herself, raising an elbow that she aimed for his face only to be caught in a firm, bare hand as her legs were kicked out from underneath her. She was only inches from face-planting onto the floor when her hands shot out to stop her fall. Rebalancing herself, she flipped backwards to regain her composure before making another shot against her challenger.
Wufei was on Duo before the Irish Infected was back to her feet. Grunting in effort, the scaly Vampire's sword clanged against the staff of the scythe and the two weapons were swung in a long skirmish between their wielders. Only looking to complicate things, Chang became a blur of himself as he ran circles around the Companion.
Seeing his brother clearly now, Maxwell blocked and matched every strike with his own hit. Kicks and punches from Anna when she came into the mix were handled just as smoothly, not a single onslaught breaking through his defenses.
When he felt his sister plant her hands on his shoulders in her trademark move to attempt to twist his head from his neck, he growled and swiped at her with his glowing blade. With only a hair-length distance between her face and the weapon, she leapt to safety, leaving him only to deal with Chang for the moment.
Things were very different since Duo had been bitten. Yes, he was able to keep up with his siblings before, but he could feel himself moving faster and striking harder than he ever had before. Following the two Infected spinning around him along with the arrows fired from Anna's wrist crossbow to the point to he could slice them in midair, the odds suddenly felt a little more even now.
On the other side of the training facility, Heero sat between Trowa and Midi as he watched the battle in wide-eyed awe. Equally impressed and shocked, Barton whistled through his teeth and muttered under his breath, "Damn. I wasn't expecting to see... anything at all like this when Duo announced he wanted to spar."
"From his first day of physical combat like this, he was already quite impressive," the 'little mother' informed as she turned her head towards her husband and cousin. "But even now, his timing and strength have built up considerably from even the last skirmish they had a couple days ago."
Still amazed by what he was witnessing, Yuy remained hunched forward in his seat with his gold-and-cobalt eyes focused on his lover. It was overwhelming for him to see how his Companion, who only had a few weeks of training under his belt, was every bit as fierce and fast as two of the most experienced Preventers.
If Heero had never seen it for himself, he never would have believed it... hell, even though he knew what he was watching, it was hard to take in as being real.
The sparring rose to new heights of intensity and magnitude. At a near blinding pace, the three challengers continued their dance of strikes and blocks.
Finally, there was the briefest of windows of opportunity opened to Duo. Seeing his chance, he took the butt of his staff and shot it behind himself to slam it into Anna's left side. Knocked back by the hit in her sensitive hide, the redhead fell back a few paces with a grunt at the impact, her left arm bleeding from the long nick she was delivered when the scythe spun around on her as she stepped back.
Having her off his back, the braided immortal reeled his blade around to lower it in a diagonal downward strike that went across Chang's neck and bare chest. Though the laser could not cut through his scales, the cut would have taken out any other Infected.
Between that fair blow, and seeing his wife bleeding for the first time from an injury, Wufei lowered his sword and bowed his head in defeat. "Excellent work, brother,' he complimented, a small smile on his lips. That said, he hurried to the Irish Vampire's side.
Panting heavily only out of habit, Duo silenced his scythe and turned around. At the sight of his sister's open gash that ran from her shoulder to her wrist, he cried, "Anna!" It was the first time that he'd ever successfully hit a mark... but he'd never intended to injure her in such a way. "Oh, God," he moaned as he ran towards her, "I'm so sorry!"
Laughing, the 'freckled' Vampire shook her head as she held her good arm against the long cut. "No worries, brother," she reassured. Winking at him, she smirked, "I hardly felt anything." Lifting her right arm, she revealed how the gash was already sealing itself through her quick healing ability as a Vampire.
"Besides," the redhead giggled as she gestured to the Companion's shirt, "I got a few good nicks in before you repaid me."
Only then did Maxwell actually look down on himself to notice the dozen blade and arrow slices in his black T-shirt that revealed his silver armor beneath. Just as she had been asked, his sister certainly hadn't held back for his sake. Had it not been for his glistening silver breastplate, any one of those hits could have been fatal. Letting out the air that he suddenly realized he'd been holding, he snickered to himself.
Though he knew that his wife was fine, Wufei was struggling to keep his expression calm as he smiled and rubbed her back. Some things, like seeing Anna bleeding or hurt in any way, were never easy for him to cope with.
Holding out his right wrist to her lips, he sighed in relief and pleasure when her fangs broke through his scales to sink into the veins there for a long drink that only sped up her recovery all he more.
Once the wound was completely sealed, Duo grinned as he watched his sister wipe away the drops of blood remaining to show that not even a mark was left on her pale skin. Closing the distance between them, he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her temple.
As she pulled away, the redhead lightly punched him in the side, exclaiming, "Your first hit against a Vampire that actually took! I'm damned proud of you!" Laughing, the braided Companion couldn't help the wide grin on his face.
Midi and Trowa appeared to have a close inspection of their cousins with Heero right behind. "I am more than impressed," Barton snickered, shaking his head in amusement and wonder. "That was the most exciting thing I've ever witnessed in a very long time."
Flattered as he was by all of the praise, there was only one creature that Maxwell was hoping would be happy with him. His silver-and-violet eyes turning to look on his Vampire, he swelled roughly when he took in the emotionless expression on his lover. Taking a deep breath, Yuy smiled, "You were amazing out there. I have to admit that I'm much more at ease with your training now."
Sighing in relief, the Companion threw himself at the Infected to wrap his arms around his Other's cool neck. "Thank you," he whispered as he closed his eyes and buried his head in his partner's shoulder. Heero chuckled softly as he returned the tight embrace, kissing the braided immortal's cheek.
"I hate to ruin the sweet moment," Midi commented with a wince, "but the sun will be rising shortly. Duo, if you're still up for it, I could call the rectory to see if Father Maxwell and Sister Helen will be available to have an audience with us."
Reality crashing back atop of him, the silver-eyed hybrid swallowed roughly. Loathe to pull away from his lover, he did so slowly to regain his emotional footing. Opening his eyes, he told the brunette Infected, "Yea, I'm still up for this. And they'll be available by the time we arrive. No need to call ahead. Hell, maybe taking them by a bit of surprise at just showing up will only help get answers from them."
Nodding at that, his siblings and cousins turned on their heels to lead the way from the training room.
Heero hung back a little longer to lace his fingers with his lover's. Bringing the back of Maxwell's hand to his lips to plant a kiss there, his lips curled up in a lopsided smirk when he looked to the tears in the black shirt on his partner.
"You better change and shed that armor before we head out," he suggested. "I wouldn't want to give your guardians a fright at the sight of you. They wouldn't likely be very thrilled with my allowing you to tangle with Vampires in combat."
With a snort, Duo looked down on himself and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Good idea. I could just imagine the looks on their faces if I walked in like this. The eyes will be bad enough." Squeezing the fingers wrapped around his own, he gave his Infected a loving smile of appreciation for the support shown to him.
Together, the pair walked from the shed to step out into the cold air as the skies overhead began to lighten at the first signs of sunrise breaking.
* * * * * *
Comfort came to Maxwell in the presence of his whole family as they drove in one of Trowa and Midi's minivans. Though most of the ride was made in a companionable silence, simply having everyone with him meant the world to him.
At the wheel with his wife in the passenger seat, Barton peered over his shoulder at the Companion sitting directly behind him to warn, "We're coming up on a few back roads where we can pick up the pace, so you'll want to hang on."
"Hang on?" Duo chuckled. "How fast can you really get a van to go?" In the double seats behind him, he heard Wufei and Anna snicker in amusement at the inquiry. That was all the further heads-up he had before the vehicle shot forward in the completion of the sharp turn that took them through the tree-flanked dirt trails off the highway.
Gasping at the sheer velocity that knocked him out of his chair, the Companion fell against his chuckling Vampire. "H-holy shit!" the hybrid cried in disbelief as he fought to regain enough of his balance to sit back up with Heero's assistance. The moment his back was straight again, he threw his seatbelt on and watched the landscape at either side of them whirl past them.
Midi giggled, "Trowa brings home more automobiles that are abandoned at the shop where he works so that he can modify them than most children bring animals that they claim followed them home. Our garage looks more and more like a car shop every day."
Feigning shock, Barton huffed, "I am not that bad, love." At his lover's raised eyebrow, he dropped the act, smirking, "Alright, alright. I am that bad. However, I have a good excuse in giving us several vehicles that we can use on Preventer missions and getting anywhere in a hurry when needed." Raising a hand, he added, "And I've yet to have a cop flag me down during the occasional road trip."
"Only because they can't catch you!" Anna boasted with a sharp laugh that had Wufei chuckling.
As the conversation took on a turn to become an amusing debate on the necessity of speed limits between the cousins, Duo shook his braided head with a smile. Taking hold of his lover's hand, he gripped it for the remainder of the trip as he stared out the window to take in what scenery he could.
Silently taking all of the warmth of his loved ones' voices and presence, he readied himself for the difficult task of confronting his guardians of just over a decade.
As if nature itself could sense his mood, a wide blanket of thick clouds was beginning to roll over the clear skies and block out the sun.
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page