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 Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:48 am
"I...think they want Crow. Not Lenore," Liam watched Julian carefully.
Oh, s**t. Ethan.
"WAIT!" Liam marched behind Julian, "Why not try to get information...and then kill him?" Why the compassion? He would have preferred to feel nothing.
Ike dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged and curling his tail around himself. He stared off at the horizon, unmoving.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:58 am
The man named Ethan was bleeding to death. He had pulled himself into a sitting position against one of the trees, staring blankly at his blown-out knees. The blood on the exposed muscle and destroyed bone sent faint steam out into the freezing air, freezing into gruesome icicles.
Julian stared at the wounds with something that could have been pity, before seizing the man by the hair and snapping his head back. Ethan gave a gurgling cry of pain, eyes wide and terrified.
"I could break you in half right now," Julian snarled, a trace of insanity playing on his face. Ethan struggled weakly, quailing.
"Mercy, mercy," he croaked, looking terrified. Julian sneered.
"Who are you? What did that son of a b***h want with Lenore?" He asked, shaking Ethan's head hard. Ethan swallowed painfully, wincing.
"I beg you, mercy."
"Talk!"
Ethan swallowed again, looking sick with pain.
"Piper said... Piper said that he wanted the Lethe-woman to suffer. Take the child, and flush Lethe out of hiding. I don't know why he doesn't just kill her outright - you have been under surveillance for weeks. He has the room bugged - people have been following you." He rasped, looking eager to stay on Julian's good side..
Julian looked stricken. How had they managed to bug the room? Blinking in sickened shock, he looked at Liam over his shoulder.
"I...I... maybe you should ask a question."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:04 am
Compassion gripped Liam's heart, making his usual brutal actions seem out of the question. He kneeled beside Ethan and inhaled deeply.
"Listen closely," Liam sighed, "You need to tell us where they've gone and what they're going to do. If you do, I can end your suffering quickly and painlessly...or I can keep you alive and padlocked in a room until we get this all...straightened out. Jean Michel has no need for cripples."
He refused to make eye contact with Julian.
"If you don't, I let Little Brother tear your shadow from your body and watch in glee as you slowly shuffle off this mortal coil so I can pull your soul back into this wretched mortal body and make you one of my minions."
Hm. Brutal, but effective!
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:13 am
Ethan trembled, tears standing in his eyes. He was very young - no more than nineteen. Quaking with fear as Julian laughed and muttered something viciously suggestive into his ear, he nodded as best he could.
"They've taken her to the island - the big one. I... I do not know its name. Piper did not say where he would bring her to keep her. But he mentioned a name, ah..." he closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Benjamin. Benjamin Wheeler. He mentioned this man many times - he may be the one that is taken next, or he may be helping Piper. I do not know..." he trailed off again, taking a breath to collect himself.
"Piper said that Wheeler knew Lethe - she was with him once. He supplies Piper with most of the cocaine trade. He may be able to help you get the girl back, if you can find him. His couriers visit Piper often."
He took another breath, wincing at Julian's persistent grip.
"Please, please, I know no more. Mercy!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:16 am
Liam peered up at Julian.
"Do you think that's enough?"
He didn't relish the idea of torturing and killing the boy, no matter what he'd done.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:27 am
The cold insanity had ebbed away a bit as Julian listened to Ethan. In it's place was a growing sense of pity. Loosening his hold, he knelt down beside the boy. Ethan shied away, not daring to look him in the eye.
"Yeah. That's enough."
He grabbed Ethan's face and pulled it towards him, trying not to frighten the boy more.
"Where are you from, Ethan?" He asked, his tone neutral. Ethan dared to look at him, quickly and fearfully.
"Slovakia."
Not recognizing the name, Julian sat down in the snow and watched the boy's face in fascination.
"Ethan isn't your name, is it?"
Ethan shook his head, not daring to show relief.
"Kristof."
Julian didn't know why he pitied the boy. He'd thought he'd lost all sense of mercy or compassion a long time ago. Standing abruptly, he hoisted the boy up, careful of the horrible wounds. He started walking back towards HQ, face set in a terrible expression.
"He could die out here - we need to get him somewhere warm."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:33 am
Liam grinned.
"An Earthling?" he asked the boy as he walked beside Julian. Consciousness was key, "I'm from England. Kind of." He fiddled around in his pockets and removed another one of his handy-dandy vials.
"Julian...we can bring him to Rabid's room. The floor's already bloodstained," he nodded, "I think we can...fix him up a bit."
Ike stood and began following after Liam and Julian.
"Whozzat?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:43 am
Ethan, or Kristof, as it were, nodded vaguely. He had a look of total shock that he hadn't just been gutted and skinned alive.
"I am. This place... I have not been here long. It is an...odd place, yes?" He murmured, wincing with pain now and then.
"I have heard of England. I wished to see it - I was a student, once. Travelling. I was to attend school in Germany... and Piper's slavers found me. They simply took me. Now, I am here."
Julian cocked on eyebrow at the unfamiliar names. Slovakia? England? Germany?
"What the hell kind of countries are those?" He asked the boy, looking totally lost. Ethan flinched and shrugged, unsure how to reply. Looking down at the strange child following them, he shook his head in weary exasperation.
"A month ago, that would have terrified me. It is worrisome, how I've gotten used to this place so easily." He said, looking tired.
Entering the warmth of HQ with something like relief, Julian made his wya down the halls, stopping and shifting Ethan's weight as he waited by the door to the room.
"Hurry it up - this compassion-thing's starting to make me sick," He called to Liam, looking sour. He turned cold eyes on Ethan.
"Don't think I'm not going to kill you. This means nothing. I... if you tell anyone, I'll.... I'll do something. Got it?" He said icily. Ethan nodded, seeming to be resigned to the fact he was surrounded by insanity of all sorts.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:48 am
"Earth," Liam explained quickly, "Another planet. Possibly another universe. Not quite sure. It's...a Hell of a lot different than Gaia." He reached up and opened the door, holding an arm out for Julian to enter.
"Put him where ever. Just...no violent throwing."
He's not kidding. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you're dead, and it's going to stay that way.
Liam cringed in pain.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:58 am
Ethan jerked in surprise, staring at Liam with wide eyes.
You can speak by thought? How?
Julian, getting the gist of the silent conversation, gave them both dirty looks.
Oh, for the love of God. I'm not gonna kill him. I...I don't think I can.
"I'm gonna have to put him on a bed."
Setting the boy down gently, surprising himself even more with the care he took, Julian bent down to examine the wounds. Psychotic or not, he was still a doctor - for the most part. Shaking his head and muttering as he lightly examined the injuries, he glanced up at Liam.
"Whatever your gonna do, Liam, do it fast. He's losing a lot of blood."
This was true - the boy had gone starkly pale as his life was slowly dripping out of him.
"I am going to die without ever seeing my family again," the boy breathed, looking sad. Julian gave him a wry look.
"Now you know how Len must feel."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 12:08 pm
Liam nodded and began mixing a slew of different solutions, spilling a great deal of it on the floor.
I can do a lot of things, Liam thought to...what was he supposed to call him now? Kristof? He then turned his attention momentarily to Julian.
See? You're not a bad guy.
He snerked and removed another razorblade from his pocket, slitting an upside-down cross into his thumb and pressing it onto Kristof's forehead, leaving a bloody imprint.
"This may sting a bit," he said, jacking the boy's mouth open and pouring the concoction down his throat, "And you may very well see your family again. I'm just not sure if we can get you to walk."
We'll save Len one way or another, Julian...
He sat back and watched for any signs of healing, or the feeling of his own blood transfusing between himself and the wounded kid.
Ike watched on curiously. Mummy wasn't going to be happy about all the blood in her bed.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 12:45 pm
Julian gave Liam a blank look.
Oh, hush up.
Laying on the bed silently, Ethan went disturbingly still. His eyes rolled back into his head briefly eyelids fluttering, as Liam worked on him. He coughed wetly as he swallowed what was poured down his throat, looking at Liam in confusion.
"What are you...ah. Ah! AAAAH!"
The pain was like fire - he writhed, his legs jerking and twitching as the wounds healed with impossible speed.
"STOP! STOP!"
Julian twitched, looking startled. Why was it hurting him so badly?
"...Maybe Eart-lings don't heal the same way we do."
Shuddering and screaming, Ethan gave a loud gasp as the pain ceased. Sitting up, he instinctively rolled away from Liam and fell off the bed, collapsing onto the floor.
"Mother Mary! What did you do?" He gasped, a fresh look of terror on his face.
The terror turned to astonishment as he saw the healed wounds. There was no blood, no scars, nothing to tell that seconds before they had been messes of broken bone and flesh. He touched them gingerly, unsure if he was really seeing things right. He turned his gaze up to Julian, who drew back a little.
"You were shot many times. You should have died. And yet, you walk as though he did not even touch you. How.... how can you people do these things?" He said, looking over the rim of the bed back at Liam.
"Zazracny..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 12:59 pm
Liam smiled, and kept that expression as Ethan healed. He'd seen it too many times to let it bother him.
"Earthlings aren't as adept to magic, no...but they heal the same."
"Some of us heal ourselves...like Julian did," Liam explained to Ethan, "and I have the power to heal others. It's no miracle." He hoisted the boy back onto the bed and sat on the headboard.
"You're lucky. Very lucky."
He then turned to Julian. Poor, sickly Julian.
"Eurgh. Still hungry?"
Ike waved meekly to Ethan.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:12 pm
Ethan shook his head, still looking at his legs in awe.
"Forgive me for saying- but it is. Never have I seen such things before. You are blessed people."
Laughing derisively and touching one of the spots on his abdomen where a bullet hole had been, Julian looked away.
"Kid, you got a lot to learn."
Nodding mutely at Liam in response, he averted his gaze further from the long shadows Ethan cast.
"I really, really need something to eat." He said, moving back a little further.
As Ethan shifted himself on the bed to get comfortable, murmuring in Slovak, he noticed Ike again. He waved back, smiling slightly.
"Hello."
Ignoring the gnawing pain of hunger starting to creep up on him, Julian looked at the bloody blankets in something like amusement.
"What d'you think Rabid'll make of all this?"
Or Crow, for that matter?
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:18 pm
"Aw, kid," Liam laughed and shook his head, "We are anything but blessed." He then turned to Julian, inhaling deeply.
"I don't know. She won't mind, I don't think....alright. Let's try this. If I lose an appendage, it's all your fault."
He burst into shadow form, growing to such a large size that he was almost positive Julian wouldn't destroy his physical body by consuming most of him.
Then again, there was always resurrection.
"Go ahead."
Ike peered up at the Shadow-Liam momentarily and then turned back to Ethan.
"You're a good guy, right?" Ike leaped up and sat beside the boy, "I saw What's-His-Name blow your kneecaps out."
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