There's a monster living under my bed
Whispering in my ear
There's an angel, with a hand on my head
She say's I've got nothing to fear
-Lyrics to 'Put Your Lights On' performed by Santana and Everlast
Crimson Ties Part 83
Trent stared ahead of himself without really seeing whatever it was that he was staring at. Clenching his fists, he knew that his top row of teeth were burrowing down into his lower lip to prevent the frustrated scream that wanted to rip from him. But he never felt the sting from the harsh bite.
Ever since learning about his sister's capture and turning into one of Solo's most valued Others, the former Hunter had enough of a time dealing. Now understanding how absolutely grave Dorothy's situation could very well be, he was numb with fear, rage and sheer frustration that there was so little that he could do to help her.
On one hand, he was thankful that his friends had told him of the 'Wilds,' as Josh informed their nicknames to be amongst the Others. And on the other, he silently wished that he had not known of how his sibling could easily fall into the same mindless, blind rage that might one day consume her.
Swallowing roughly, Trent finally retracted his teeth and could taste the bitterness of blood that he'd drawn. with a deep breath, he licked away the last droplets and cleared his throat. "So," he began in a shaky voice as he folded his hands on the table, "based on what you're telling me, we know for certain that Dorothy's Vampire is still alive?"
Across from him, Heero, Duo and Josh exchanged nervous glances. "We can only theorize on the whole reason behind the change into the Wilds, but there's a very good likelihood that Treize got it right in suggesting that it's due to the passing of their bonded. If he is right, then yes, your sister's Infected still exists out there somewhere."
"It's an impressive feat, if that is the case," Yuy muttered. Wringing his cold hands together, he stated, "He or she would have to be incredibly strong to have gone with the tie between them and Dorothy being severed ever since Solo turned her. There have been other Vampires that have not lasted half as long. How much longer they last is the real question... which is where we need your help."
Shaking his head in confusion, the living frowned, "My help? I don't know how I could find my sister's Chosen when I have nothing to do with the bond between them." Dry washing his face with his hands, he sighed, "Shit, I'm still coming to grips with the fact that she's tied to a Vampire at all when I've spent the last years as a Hunter."
Duo's stomach twisted in seeing the deep loss that was setting into his classmate. This was all a lot for Trent to have to come to grips with, but in the end they had to press him if they were going to be of any help short of storming Solo's lair... which they were nowhere near close in finding at the moment.
Taking a deep breath of his own, the Reformer asked, "Did Dorothy have any imaginary friends when you were younger? Did she ever like writing down a certain name or insist on what to call a family pet? Was there a physical trait that she liked more than others?"
Compelled to explain further, he smiled shyly as he shared, "For me, I always had a thing for deep blue eyes and I never really understood why before I met Heero. When I did, I could never get them out of my head no matter how much I tried."
His cobalt-and-gold eyes blinking at that, Heero turned to look on him and gave a warm, loving smile that had the hybrid ducking with a deep blush. Under the table, their hands linked together in a firm squeeze.
Already deep in thought, Trent missed the sweet exchange entirely as he folded his arms across his chest and stared down at the table. "Hmm," he hummed softly while digging back as far as he could in his memories for anything that might stand out the way his classmate had described. Finally sure that he was coming up short, he sighed, "I can't remember-" Suddenly gasping, his back straightened and eyes widened at a distant reminiscence that shot a cold chill down his back at its replaying through his mind.
"What is it?" Yuy insisted, leaning forward in his chair.
Covering his slack mouth, Trent muttered, "My God, that was so long ago and such a simple thing that I never thought anything of it." Hands reaching up to dig into his hair, he exclaimed, "It was just some silly thing all girls did, grabbing everything white they could find to make a wedding dress! There was nothing strange about it and I almost completely forgot about it! The only thing weird was the name of the teddy bear that she had play the groom!"
While the Companions at either side of him sat in shock, the Original was on his feet in an instant. Eyes narrowed in determination, he pushed firmly, "What was her groom's name?"
There was not a second of hesitation before the Hunter replied, "Rosshe. I only remember it because even when we were kids back then, I thought it was an odd name for her to pick since neither of us had heard it before."
Falling back in his chair as his skin paled, Duo's enlarged violet-and-silver eyes remained unblinking as he breathed, "Heero. We have a Seer of our own now. Maybe..."
"Already on it," his Vampire responded before he bolted from the room in a blur of himself. Whole body sagging heavily, Trent lowered his hands from the top of his head as his blank stare returned. One brief moment later, Yuy materialized in the private dining room once more along with Relena.
Clearly not fully brought to speed as to why she had been summoned, the Councilwoman scanned the faces present with a small frown. Ever the polite Infected, she questioned, "Is there something that I can do for you gentlemen? Quatre was not going to be able to stay awake much longer in his work before calling it a night." The corner of her mouth curled up when she added, "At least he won't be able to ignore my insistence that he get some sleep for his classes tomorrow."
Fully turning in his seat to meet her eyes, Duo grinned, "Actually, we were hoping that you might be able to try and go live with your seeing ability. We have a name of a Vampire, possibly the one tied to Dorothy. If you could find him, that'd save us a lot of researching through the Preventer files since the list of fading Infected is getting pretty thick now."
Taken aback, Peacecraft's eyes widened. "O-oh," she stammered. Swallowing hard, she said, "I suppose that I could give it a try. This would be the first time I've had an assignment of sorts, so I'm a little nervous over getting it right."
Climbing to his feet, Maxwell winked, "We're all friends here, so no need to be nervous. You'll be great." Gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled his chair out so that she could occupy it in his place.
Instantly feeling better with that encouragement, Relena giggled and folded her arms on the table. "Very well," she agreed. Focusing on the living across from her, she nodded firmly, "You have that name ready for me, then?"
Licking his lips, Trent stooped forward as he nodded back. "Rosshe," he answered. "I remembered it was pronounced just like Ross but with a 'he' at the end." Shaking his head, he stated, "There never was a last name that I could give to help... I don't even know what nationality that name would fall under, if it exists at all."
The Councilwoman relaxer her shoulders and drew a deep, calming breath. "Rosshe," she repeated softly. "Okay. Let me see if I can pick up on anything from that." Closing her eyes, she blocked her surroundings out as she was pulled into the dark recesses of her gift to call upon her request. Her focus to lose herself in her hypnotic meditation brought on an array of colors to the darkness that had consumed her.
Opening the window to her gift, Relena looked out into flashing visions of livings and Vampires of every ethnicity in their everyday lives through the world. Those pictures blurring before her, she worked to keep her intended name in the forefront of her thoughts.
Just when the voices and pictures in her thoughts clouded over in their amassed confusion, one very clear scene metalized before her. Her vision sailed over a stretch of barren desert sand until it passed through the mouth of a massive cave in a flat mountain range.
There, deep in the darkness of that cavern, a lone Vampire lay beneath a thin layer of blankets. His skin pale, the sweat-coated immortal's eyes were closed tightly in pain as he wailed, "Dorothy!" Thrashing beneath his sweat-coated covers, he reeled in intense agony as he coughed and wheezed for his now needed breath.
Her eyes snapping open wide, Peacecraft leapt to her feet and reeled back a few paces with a strangled gasp. Allowing the chair she had knocked aside to fall, Duo reached her first to grip her shoulders as he called through her panic, "Lena! Easy, it's me!"
Trembling as she was, the Infected's gold-flecked eyes blinked while recognition flooded them enough that they eased along with the rest of her slight frame. Heero, Josh and Trent were all standing right behind the braided Companion with anxious expressions.
"I-I saw him," Relena breathed, her eyes growing anew. An unintelligible sound broke from Trent as he stepped back to have a second to collect himself. Coming out of her shock, the Representative straightened herself and ordered to her friend frantically, "Get Noin and Trowa here! Now!"
* * * * * *
Grunting as he sat atop his throne, Solo sighed, "It seems that good guards are getting to be harder and harder to keep around here.
Nathan was one of the best we had in our men to keep order around here." His Seer stood before him with her head bowed low as though waiting for his ire to befall her. To see her in such quiet fear of him upset the hybrid more than losing any number of his Others. After all, she was the only indispensable one as far as he was concerned.
"Well, no matter," he reassured with a smirk and a nonchalant wave of his hand in the air. Shrugging, he chuckled deeply, "There is plenty of potential for replacements in our ranks. And at the steady rate that our army is growing, we'll have more guards than we'll ever know what to do with them all."
Raising her head slowly, Dorothy managed to train her face to hide the surprise from her expression as she nodded, "Yes, sire."
As relieved as she was that she was not in for his anger, there was also the uncomfortable twist in her gut at how easy it was for her Master to write off one of their own. Thinking back to his winded speech that he had given to the Others that had been out in the field the night of the attacks, she began to really mentally note how the sorrow that he was conveying over the loss never reached his eyes.
Of course, the Seer knew that she was different. She was all too aware of how Solo valued her ability and how he wanted her... but was that as deep as his feelings for her ran? Would he be at all upset if she were to lose her mind and join the Wilds?
So much was changing for Dorothy. Never before had she dared question her creator. And now... ever since she gave into acknowledging Rosshe, the strange entity that had always been in her life, all that she thought she knew was unraveling at the seams. Certainty was becoming doubt. Trust was shifting into suspect.
Everything was in disarray.
Arms folding behind the back of his head as he leaned back, the hybrid smirked, "You handled Meiran nicely. I think that I will have her spend a few more hours in that cell to remember how grateful she should be for our hospitality and for allowing her to go on existing at all."
Bowing her head deeply, his Seer replied flatly, "I am happy to have pleased you with how things were handled, my lord." She was far too lost in her overwhelming thoughts to catch how devoid of any feeling her words were as they came out. However, she was instantly aware when her creator was suddenly standing before her. Blinking in surprise, she raised her head and her eyes grew at the fiery glare that bore down on her.
"Dorothy?" Solo gritted through his teeth. "Something is not right with you. I've never seen you this... disinterested in me or what I have to say before." And it was downright infuriating him. The lovely young woman was always hanging onto every word and action from him. There was a light in her eyes whenever she was with him that was fading quickly.
Her Other. That had to be it. She had acknowledged their bond in her heart. He was the only creature that stood in his way in having his Seer as he wanted.
Panic-stricken, Dorothy swallowed roughly as she felt the sweat that was beginning to build on her brow and the back of her neck.
Solo knew.
He always had been able to read her like a book since turning her. Fear gripped her still all but for the tremors that wracked her slender frame. This could very well be her last moments if she did not do exactly what he wanted... told him everything he demanded to know.
A strangled gasp filling her lungs, she whimpered, "F-forgive me, Master." Tears filling her eyes, she shook her head frantically, "I have no idea what brought all of this on... why I thought of that name! It's just been with me for a very long-"
"I want that name," Solo hissed. "And you are going to tell me exactly where he is so that I may show you the monster that he is." Only just managing to reel his intense rage back, he forced a kind smile and cupped the side of his most prized Other's face. Drawing a deep breath, he reassured, "I am not mad with you, my dear. This is all a part of his evil influence over you. Once I have him and put it to an end, you will be free and all will be well again."
Reeling back in surprise, Dorothy's eyes were once again enlarged and her skin paled. "He... he really exists?" she breathed. "All this time, I never thought to use my gift to confirm... I wanted him to be real, but I was afraid that I was wrong... He's always been so important to me."
Quickly closing the distance between them, the hybrid held her face in his hands and forced their gazes to lock. "Yes, he has always been real," he nodded, "It's all been a part of his plan to use you, manipulate you... just like every other Vampire that walks this earth intends to have the livings serve them."
"Vampire?" Catalonia whispered. Not only did Rosshe exist... but he was a Vampire? It couldn't be... she would sooner end her own life before she would accept being tied to an Infected after what had happened to her. She wanted no part of those blood-sucking monsters now that she knew what they were capable of.
Just thinking back to her attack, she could feel the weight of the water that filled her lungs as she was held under water, her screams coming out in a stream of air bubbles as the fringes of her vision were blackening.
Solo contained his pleasure in seeing the change in his beloved Other's eyes. Gripping her shoulders, he urged, "His hold over you will be over if you just tell me where to send a team so that they can bring him here. I will show you exactly what he is if you would only give me the chance. Just give me his location and release his hold on you."
Those hands on Dorothy's shoulders brought back to her the more pleasant memories of her Master holding her as she struggled to stay conscious after he'd rescued her from the Vampire that had likely killed her. Death was just waiting behind her eyelids should they have closed. Instead, Solo had promised her that she would never be alone, that she would be able to live on if she only trusted and followed him. An easy exchange for life.
How could she have ever doubted him? When he cared for her so, how could she ever question his actions?
Fresh tears born out of the contempt that she felt towards her foolish disrespect rolled down the Seer's face as and she whimpered, "Oh, Master, I am so sorry." Trembling violently, she wailed, "I never meant to ever think anything but the best of you and your plan!" She was pulled into a fierce embrace and she buried her face into the hybrid's shoulder.
Safe from her gaze, Solo smirked darkly and rubbed circles along her back. "Ssshh," he soothed. "It's alright, my heart. None of this was your fault. This is why we must find a way to turn the tables by controlling those Vampire and killing any that stand in our way. Nothing good will come of them until we take their influential power away."
With a short nod, Dorothy pulled away to reach up and wipe away her tears as she replied in a breath, "Of course."
Not about to hesitate a moment longer, she closed her eyes and called forth her gift to find Rosshe. The window of her ability opening quickly from her experience with her talent, the world whooshed before her in blurred images until it spanned over a desolate stretch of dessert. Sailing over the golden sands, she was led to a short range of mountains and through the wide opening of a hidden cave.
And she saw him.
Even though she had never laid eyes on him before, the Seer knew beyond question that the sweat-coated, writhing Infected lying before her truly was Rosshe. His shoulder-length, dark hair was matted to the sides of his pale face as he tossed and turned in clear pain. Eyes closed tight, the Infected whispered so softly that she nearly missed it. But she knew the single word that came from him was her name.
Coming back to her body, Dorothy's eyes narrowed. "We need to assemble a team with one of our transporters right away," she announced. "They're going to Egypt."
* * * * * *
Heero and Duo had been quick in bringing their Commanders up to speed on everything that had transpired in their home. Flashing into the scene along with their cousins, the Khushrenadas called on all of their agents not currently busy in the research surrounding what had been recovered from the scientists' base to make up a retrieval team as a precaution. Considering the sensitive nature of their recovery, no one was about to take any chances.
In minutes, the group had been chosen and assembled. Armed and gathered in the main living room, that made the team of Heero, Duo, Trowa, Zechs, Noin and Anna. Strapping her trusted crossbow to her right arm, the redhead smirked, "It's been a long time since I've seen Egypt. After just being in Antarctica, it's going to be quite the difference."
Heero secured the gun holster that was hanging from his right shoulder as he nudged the redhead with his other arm, snickering, "We're not exactly going to be staying long enough to tour around, sister. Our strict orders are to find Rosshe and get him back here immediately."
"I know that, killjoy," the Irish Vampire huffed with an overly dramatic roll of her eyes and a smirk on her face. Back to business, she informed Trowa, "Sally knows to be in this living room once she has a few bags of blood from our storage. If our friend is in as bad of shape as what Relena was describing when she saw him, he's going to need to feed as soon as possible."
Nodding firmly, the Latin Original replied, "Good. I'll make sure we wind up back in the same spot, then."
Lucrezia smiled kindly to the lone living that was able to stand staying awake at the late hour that it had become. Shoulders heavy with exhaustion, Trent was sitting on the main couch with a light blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he watched the Preventers ready themselves for their trip. "Maybe you really should try and get some sleep," the Infected suggested in a polite, motherly way when she approached and sat beside the former Hunter.
A small, wistful smile tugging his lips, the mortal met her gold-ringed gaze and shrugged, "This is the closest to being united with Dorothy I have at the moment. All this time, I always thought that it was only me and Dorothy to look out for eatch other when there's been a third person that we never knew about. Considering how important he is to my sister, I would rather wait so I can meet him."
"Well, I can most certainly understand that wish," Noin grinned. Rising to her feet, she patted the living's back and promised, "We'll be away and back with your intended brother-in-law before you know it." The slight edge of his tiredness melting at that, Trent's eyes widened. Heart hammering in the anticipation of his upcoming family reunion of sorts, he released a deep sigh to ease his building nerves.
For the Infected, he was well aware that this mission was important to them on so many levels... not the least of which being their simply wanting to bring one of their own in so that he could be cared for properly. There were thousands upon thousands of Vampires in the world, and yet so few at the same time. No matter whether or not they were all acquainted, their tainted blood united them to the point that they all looked out for each other.
It was a humbling thing for the retired Hunter to behold- their camaraderie and devotion for their own when there were livings that would never understand or appreciate the things that they'd endured just to have the right to exist.
In the process of tightening the strap that ran diagonally along him to hold the staff of his scythe against his back, Duo spun to face the doorway at the sound of a whoosh approaching the room. Well aware of the nearly nonexistent sound after having spent so much time around Vampires, he knew that someone was approaching. Given how the whirl of air was coming from Trowa and Midi's estate, it may have been Relena returning from getting Quatre to bed.
Seconds later, the front door to the estate flew open to slam closed at the same moment, a breath before the Councilwoman materialized in the entrance of the living room. Her frantic, wide-eyed appearance had the team frozen in attention. Though she did not need the air, she panted heavily and cried, "You have to go! Now!"
Frowning deeply, Zechs managed to come from his fear enough to take a step towards her as he asked gently, "What is it, sister?"
Her arms wrapping tightly around her waist as if to keep herself together, Relena's strained voice shouted, "Others- eight of them! They're hunting Rosshe and moving in fast! They're going to reach him in minutes with as much ground as they're covering and it doesn't look like they have any intention of keeping him alive long!"
And in that instant, the retrieval mission had become that much more grave.
"You can't let anything happen to him!" Trent hollered as he leapt to his feet. Shaking his head, he moaned, "If he dies, then Dorothy-" A thick lump that formed in his throat that cut his crackling voice off while tears stung his enlarged eyes. Never before would he ever have imagined having such a profound sense of protectiveness for a creature that he had never met before. And while much of that was for his sister's sake, he actually did care for Rosshe as well.
Eyes narrowed, Noin ordered the Seer in a growl, "Show me where he is."
Closing her own eyes, Relena easily pulled back to the clear visual of the dark cave that the ailing Vampire had made his sanctuary. In reading her mind, Lucrezia was able to see every detail of the dessert flanking the area and passed everything that she was looking on to Trowa so that he knew where they needed to go. Like his talented friends that were relaying the pictures, he could see the dark shadows that were flashing across the pale sands in a direct line for the low-range mountains.
There was not much time at all. The darkness was nearly upon the gaping opening of the cave.
"Got it!" Barton gritted through his clenched teeth at the image of those Others. Coming back to his actual surroundings, he shouted to the rest of the team, "Form a line fast and let's go!" Hands reached out to link in a line as requested in a rush and the lot vanished from the room.
At the sight of the suddenly empty room, Trent's knees gave out as he slumped heavily back onto the sofa once more. Relena was at his side and wrapping a supportive arm around his shoulder before he even saw her move. It wasn't until the Infected pulled him firmly against her side that he noticed he was shaking along with her.
Solo was not about to let Rosshe live if he knew of the Vampire now. There was no question of that.
What was waiting on the other end of the world for their friends was completely unknown when so much was riding on the success of their mission. And all that they could do now was wait... and pray.
* * * * * *
Tired... so very tired. Mind-numbing pain wracked the few moments between the fatigue.
Shivering beneath his covers, Rosshe turned his head to cough violently. At the feeling of a wetness on his hand that had reached up to cover his mouth, his heavy eyelids opened so that his brown-and-gold eyes could take in the blood on his palm. Closing his lips, he stifled another round of rasping coughs that only made the ache in his filling lungs rattle his whole body.
He had held on this long. Dorothy needed him. This couldn't be the end of him... not when he finally had her acknowledgment at a most dire of times. Whatever became of him, he had to make sure that she was safe.
But he had fought so hard until he was on the cusp of his limits. No matter how badly he wanted to right himself and use whatever was left of his power to find his Chosen, his will was no longer stronger than what he could physically manage.
So... damned tired.
Just as his eyes were about to drift closed again, the sound of rustling in the sands beyond his cave had his eyes growing with a renewed alert. Keeping his head turned towards the mouth of the cave, he could see six dark-clad figures slowly stalking towards him. Three pairs of those silver-ringed eyes of his unexpected visitors were devoid of anything but a desire for violence that he had never seen before as their bearers brandished their weapons and licked their smirking lips.
At first, the prone Vampire was certain that he was hallucinating what would have been a welcomed approaching death before Dorothy called him. But then, there were words.
"Our Master wants him back alive," one of the only two girls of the group reminded with a hiss directed at her crazed accomplices None of those grinning beings answered with words, but with deep chuckles that did not sound as though they were about to take her warning seriously.
Rosshe gasped for air and took hold of every bit of strength he had left to scramble back along the rigid cave floor from his attackers. This could not be the end. Dorothy... he had to keep fighting for Dorothy. For every few inches he managed to agonizingly claw back, his intruders slowly crept up another foot. They were taking their time. They were enjoying this slow mental torment that they were bringing him.
When the encroaching beings were only a couple yards away from him, the Infected caught a glimmer of light from deep in the darkness behind him at the same time that his intruders froze, wide-eyed. His frown deepening, he gasped when he turned back to see a line of five Vampires and another silver-iris-ringed creature a couple yards to his back. Their own weapons at the ready, the Infecteds' fangs grew as their heated glares bore down on the team across from them.
In a matter of minutes, Rosshe had gone from someone completely forgotten to being in the middle of two threatening forces that both clearly wanted him. They were Heaven And Hell. Angels and Demons.
And it was likely going to be a fight to the death to see which side would claim him.
TBC...
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