Woke Up One Morning... Part 14
Rolling up the sleeves of my green shirt, I smirk, "There will be no 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' today, Harrison. There will only be me and my partner, here. And we both have a few old bones we'd like to pick with you."
A bead of sweat rolls down the side of the man's bald head as his wide eyes look from me to Heero and back again. Stalking around the table, my husband stops just beside our guest and bends at the waist to growl deeply, "I never did get the chance to pay you back for that bullet you shot through me, myself."
I push myself up to my feet whilst stating, "I'd like to get a few good licks in on behalf of all of those kids you killed at that daycare. Not to mention the countless lives of your other victims who couldn't defend themselves."
Standing at Harrison's other side, I sneer, "The sooner you give us the name of either a person or a location where we can start tracking the Glycaminum that is being manufactured, the sooner this all ends."
The quick response is a wad of spit on the side of my face. Way wrong answer.
Heero's cobalt eyes are narrowed and clearly showing the storm that he had been holding back. Fist raised and ready to strike, he pauses just shy of clobbering the hell out of Harrison. Looking up at me, he flashes me a small, sheepish smile for almost not giving me the chance to defend myself again.
As he lowers his fist, my partner bows his head while I wipe my cheek clean. "You have the first honors," he grins.
Smiling brightly, I nod, "Thank you." My own fist sails around my side to land squarely in the face our briefly confused detainee and the scent of blood fills the air as a loud crack is heard. Flipping backwards from his chair, Harrison crashes hard on the floor with a cry.
I bend at the waist to my husband and wink, "He's all yours. For now." The side of his mouth curling up, Heero gives me a satisfied grin before turning to grab Harrison by the shoulders and haul him to his feet.
And so it begins.
* * * * * *
A little over thirty minutes ran past as Heero and I traded off on the beatings. Harrison is a tough son of a bitch as he still insists that he has nothing to tell us. I can see my partner growing more and more frustrated, though only I can see that when he looks at me.
Panting heavily, our prisoner looks up from the floor where he is lying. Face bruised and bleeding in many places, he's managing his breath as best he can with a few broken ribs that I can tell he's protecting a bit by curling up. "That all you boys got?" he has the nerve to laugh as blood drips from the side of his mouth.
Heero snorts and leaves my side to move for the nearest corner behind us. Removing the pocket knife from his uniform pants, he bends at the knees and begins removing the cover of the wall outlet. I can't help but grin, knowing exactly what he is up to.
Standing in Harrison's only opened eye's path to block my husband, I fold my arms and smirk, "You know, for such a big talker, you really are a pussy." That hits a personal string as he does his best to glare fiercely at me.
As an ex-soldier, his pride is the only thing that is standing between us and the answers we want now that the body has been broken down. Start attacking that and suddenly he's all ears.
Bending at the waist to get closer, I go on, "Along with the fact that you went after children, elderly and other defenseless people in your attacks, you took the coward's way out of owning up to what you did by selling out some of your friends. I'll bet that they really appreciated that."
Harrison's teeth are clenching in bottled rage. Try as he might to not give off a reaction to my words, I can see he's about to implode.
I straighten back up and shrug, "But, you didn't release everything that you know. You gave just enough information to keep from being a man and accepting the consequences for your actions. As much as you wanted to stay alive, you also wanted to keep some of the shit we're fighting on the streets."
"That's about to change," Heero grits out through his teeth as he moves in quickly to grab our prone captive by the shoulders and roughly hauls him over to the corner where he was working.
Where the outlet cap was, there is only a hole in the wall now with the cords and wires within pulled out several feet. Forcing Harrison into the chair he had waiting, my partner makes quick work to secure his legs and arms to the seat with his own handcuffs.
Finally looking a little panicked, our detainee stares wide-eyed at the exposed wires that 'Ro is cutting the protective cover from. "W-what the hell do you think you're doing?" he sputters nervously.
Holding up the a cord in each hand with their silver conductors exposed at the ends, Heero gives him a dark smile. "This would be my own version of the electric chair," he answers in a tone that sends chills down my spine. And in one fast swoop, his hands dive in to touch the conductors together at the base of Harrison's neck.
The lights in the room flicker a bit and I swallow roughly at the piercing scream that fills the air. It almost sounds like it's coming from some wild animal. Only holding the wires in place for a couple of seconds, my partner pulls them away.
Seeing the look on Harrison's face as he pants for air with a red mark where the conductors touched, I'm sure those seconds felt like a couple of lifetimes for him. Breathless, he manages after a few tries, "S-son of a bitch!"
Quickly moving in, I shout in his face, "What do you know about the Glycaminum that is being made?! We want a name!"
The intense agony in those brown eyes is pushed back and the defiance returns just before Heero strikes again- this time in the right shoulder. Crying out again, Harrison's head falls back with a wail.
He's allowed a moment to regroup and when he still doesn't speak when he catches his breath, the cords move for his abdomen when he shrieks, "All right! Goddamn it! I'll give you the name!"
'Ro steps back, but keeps a hold on the wires while his cold eyes stare intently on our prisoner in case he changes his mind. Sweat and tears from the pain he's endured mix with the blood on Harrison's face as he pants for air. "Ivanov. Sergey Ivanov," he forces out in a rush.
I can feel my husband ease a bit as the cool glaze he had to shield himself behind fades away. Honestly, I'm not sure who is happier that the torture is over out of the three of us in the room.
Tilting my head, I ask, "How is he linked to the chemical and where can we find him?"
Briefly pausing to swallow, Harrison shakes his head, "He's just a seller, not a manufacturer from what I know about the guy. I have no idea where he gets the stuff from. When I met up with him years back, he was hiding out in the Alps. But, he travels under over a dozen aliases around the Earth and Colonies."
Satisfied now that we're getting somewhere, Heero begins to sheath the silver coil of the wires with the shavings he had cut off. "And you will give us all of those aliases that you know?" he questions as he raises an eyebrow.
His brown eyes widening in sheer terror, our captive nods with enthusiasm. "Good," my husband smiles in a non-friendly way.
Bending at the waist, Heero warns in a low growl, "I was merely toying with you just now. If we discover that you're lying to us, you'll wish to hell your mother never met your father." Paling a few shades, Harrison nods firmly and lowers his gaze to the floor.
I keep my eyes on my husband as he straightens. There's the most subtle of changes in him all of a sudden... something that no one else would pick up on. But, I feel it. And it has me worried about him.
Luckily, the door to the room opens to Wufei and Lady Une. Inwardly, I breathe a deep sigh of relief. Perfect timing for the calvary. Though they seem calm enough, I can see the stricken look in their eyes when they focus on Heero.
That's when it hits me what was so strange with my husband as he lowers his eyes from their glances. I had seen 'Ro coax information out of people... less than willing to cooperate during the wars. What he performed just now was nothing compared to some of the other tactics he had to use.
But, I was the only person who had ever witnessed that. I remember how much he hated having to do such a thing. Seeing how unsettled our friends were after they had a glimpse of what he is capable of can't be helping the matter right now.
More than ever before, I want to get the hell out of this room to make sure 'Ro is alright.
Nodding to the both of us, our Commander says, "Good work, both of you. Get cleaned up and head home for the rest of the day." She glares at Harrison as she concludes, "We'll take it from here."
Inwardly sighing again, I pat Heero on the back on my way for the door. Pausing only briefly, he follows without raising his head to look back on our friends.
Out in the hallway, I close the room back off and my concern for my partner only grows when his head remains lowered. "Hey," I call gently, resting a hand on his shoulder. When he does lift his head, I find it hard to catch my breath at the heartbroken look that he makes no attempt to hide from me.
Despite the chance I'm taking of someone catching us, I throw my arms around Heero and kiss the side of his head. "You did what you had to," I whisper to him, trying like hell to get through to him. "He would have let us just beat him in unconsciousness before he would have started talking."
Hesitantly at first, 'Ro's arms wrap around me so tight that it almost hurts. Knowing how badly he needed this, I really don't mind at all.
A few minutes pass before we start pulling away. Only this moment we really take in the blood splatter on our shirts. Hence why Une suggested we get cleaned up before calling it a day. We'd be turning heads looking the way we do now. Good thing we packed a change of clothes before showing.
Running a hand through my husband's bangs, I smile, "Come on. Let's hit the showers and get out of here." A small bit of his confidence is back as he nods at that suggestion and follows me to the elevator.
I smile when he picks up the pace enough to walk close enough beside me that our shoulders brush the whole time we're walking. Just another reassurance that everything is alright with us to chase the demons back where they came from.
If there is anything pressing with what Lady Une and Wufei gather from Harrison, they'll contact us. As far as I'm concerned right now, Heero is my biggest priority.
To hell with everything else- including the investigation.
* * * * * *
It's times like this I wish J was still alive so I could kick the shit out of him for the training he put Heero through.
No normal-minded person wants to hurt another. But J saw that his student knew every way to provoke intense pain in any situation if needed. Try as he might to force 'Ro to not let his emotions get involved in such tactics, you just can't take away that humanness.
Freshly cleaned and back in our comfortable 'civilian clothes,' we head back into our home and my partner moves right for the back enclosed porch. I hang back for a little while to give him some much-needed space to take care of preparing dinner.
Almost an hour of prepping later, I seal the ham in the oven and decide it's time to check on Heero. Removing my oven mitts, I run a hand through my bangs and pad my socked feet through the kitchen for the sliding patio doors.
I open one of the glass panels to peek inside.
Seated on the long couch hugging the wall, my husband is sitting quietly as he stares out to the ocean. The sea air tickles my nose when I breathe in a couple of times before fully stepping out onto the porch.
The sound of the door sliding back behind me catches Heero's attention and his head snaps in my direction. His forever-mussed hair is blowing on the breeze carried through the screen windows as he watches me with a certain uncertainty.
Maybe I should have given him more time alone.
On that note, I point over my shoulder with rushed, "Sorry. I can go back in. Dinner should be ready in a little over an hour."
Just as I start to turn to head inside again, Heero moves his hand to pat the cushion beside him and gives me a silent plea with those cobalt eyes of his. Not needing to be urged any further, it's an effort for me to walk over instead of run to him.
If he ever knew how easy it is for him to get me to do things for him, I would be in trouble.
Sitting down beside him, I wrap my arm around his shoulders as he leans heavily against me in support. A small tremor shakes 'Ro's body, but I know it's not because of the cool breeze. I know that he needs to talk, but I'm not about to force it out of him.
No. instead of that, I content myself to just sitting here with him as we watch the ocean.
When we found this house, this porch was what sold me. Of course, we had nothing that even comes close to a view like this on L2. And so, I knew years before that if I was going to be staying on the Earth for a while, I wanted to live in a place by the water... somewhere that I would never have experienced before.
Just over the horizon now, the sun is reddening as it begins its descent. The clear skies are a brilliant array of a rainbow of colors and seagulls fly off to add their calls to the soundtrack of the waves rolling in.
Along with being able to take all of the sounds and sights in, to be able to share it with the person that I love, this is probably the closest thing to Heaven on Earth for me.
"You don't think I'm a monster," Heero's voice breaks through my thoughts and I'm slammed back into reality. Turning to face him, I blink my wide eyes in confusion. What he said was not in the form of a question but more of a statement.
For the first time all day, his lips curl up in a small, sincere smile. "The first time you ever saw me have to..." he frowns and stops, unable to finish that thought. Biting my lip, I nod shallowly in understanding. That had been a particularly nasty experience for all involved. No need to force him down that road again.
Clearing his throat, he shakes his head and starts again, "Well, when I was finished... you never looked at me or treated me like I was a monster. We only knew each other a short time by then, but you never changed how you acted around me. Even with everything that you knew I was capable of, you still treated me like a person."
With a deep breath, Heero all but whispers, "I never forgot that."
It's my turn to shiver a bit. It's... incredibly nice to hear something like this from him. Back then, I never really thought about how much it meant to him for me to do as simple a thing as not change towards him. Now, I can really grasp how profound that must have been.
Snickering quietly, Heero continues, "Even at the times when you frustrated and confused me back then, I always remembered how you were the only person that consistently made me feel like more than some machine. Today was just another example."
My own face breaks out in a wide, warm smile. Then, the eyes locked with mine close when he leans in to press his lips against mine in a sound kiss. Slowly pulling away after a few heartbeats, he stares at me and breathes a sincere, "Thank you."
I chuckle softly, "No thanks needed, 'Ro. I always treated you like a normal person because you are... no matter what sort of training you went through. The fact that something like what happened affected you at all is proof enough of that."
The smile returns and grows, brightening his eyes as much as the bright sunlight filling the room. Biting his lip after a comfortable silence, he asks, "Would you mind just staying out here for a while with me? I don't think that I'm ready to talk more about what happened today."
He takes a deep breath before admitting almost nervously, "But, I could use your company."
Behind my eyelids, I can feel a slight sting at the first threat of tears. This is a huge step for this husband of mine... actually reaching for help from me. Pushing the stinging back, I grin and nod, "You can have whatever you want or need from me."
My genuineness is not lost to Heero as he blinks in surprise at first, then the unease in his shoulders melts away. Shifting himself, he stretches out along the couch and rests his head in my lap to stare out at the sunset over the ocean line.
I reach down to run my hand through his hair soothingly, letting him know without words that I'm here for him. Sighing in content, his eyes drift closed for a while as he just accepts whatever comfort I can offer him right now.
As I've mentioned before, 'Ro has come a long way over the years in finding himself. This was just another milestone and I'm so damned proud to have been some part of it.
Whatever it takes, I'm going to make damned sure that I'm around for the rest of his discoveries over the remainder of our lives.
TBC...
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