Jesse honestly wasn't sure if this was real or not. It seemed too much like a dream to be true.
But here he was, free, racing down the desert road laughing hysterically and tearfully, for the first time in months he could move his hands without the familiar tug of the cuffs around his wrists, it was a feeling so exhilarating he couldn't even begin to describe it.
It had been a night like any other for Jesse, he was on his usual tether, making his usual Meth. He didn't even need to pay attention anymore, really. He'd been forced to do the procedure of making meth constantly over the last six months. It was second nature to him now. Of course, he couldn't be too lax, because if the purity slipped below ninety the consequences were dire. He remembered one time it had only been 89. He hadn't been paying attention. Todd had chained him to the floor, and dripped minuscule amounts of hydrofluric acid onto Jesse's arm, chatting casually the entire way through it. "Don't worry Jesse, I'm not going to put too much on, we still want you to be able to work. This is what happens if you don't make it how Lydia likes it though. Purity's important to her and all. How come it got so low anyway? Maybe's it too dark in here, I'll buy you another lamp, if that'll help." Todd had talked the entire way through like that, as if he was chatting to a friend, not talking to a man who was lying under him and writhing in agony.
But Todd always spoke to Jesse that way, whether he was punishing him with torture, or rewarding him with scraps of food, or other random things he'd throw down into Jesse's cell.
"I thought you might get bored so uh, I got you a rubix cube and some books. Uncle Jack says I'm spoiling you!" He'd laugh. Jesse would just mumble an obligatory 'thanks Todd'. In truth, Jesse found Todd terrifying more so than his nazi family- They were evil pieces of scum, but at least they were human. They had emotions. Todd always acted the same, never really showing any true emotion no matter what he was doing. He didn't torture Jesse in anger or in some sort of sadistic glee. He just treated it as another job.
Jesse was usually left by himself to cook, at least lately, so he was surprised when Todd came down into the lab, and un-tethered him from the ceiling and re-shackled his hands.
"Todd- the batch isn't finished." Jesse mumbled, Todd shook his head, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Its important. Uncle Jack's orders." Todd replied, as he helped Jesse up the ladder, supporting him slightly. The constant chains and having to live in a cell had left Jesse in bad physical shape, he couldn't even walk without ache's and pains. Jesse felt a rush of dread run though him- seeing Jack was never a good thing. Often Jack forced him to dispose of the body's of his victims via hydrochloric acid. Jack and his gang would laugh about it, as they'd bring another battered body in. Jesse didn't know why they killed people, he never asked. Their victims might be rival drug dealers, or maybe they just beat them to death for a laugh. Who knows.
Jesse was brought into the club house, as usual, the gang was there, and the place stunk of beer and BO. Jesse kept his head down, not wanting to make eye contact, he tried to make himself look as small as possible. He saw another man, standing ad-midst the gang. His face was lined, he looked old and worn, and his clothes were baggy and crumpled. He had a shaggy beard and a messy crop of hair on his head, black-rimmed glasses adorned his face. Mr White.
Jesse tried not to acknowledge him, what was he doing here? He was so exhausted from months of imprisonment and torture, he didn't even have the energy to hate him. What was the point anyway.
"C'mere." Uncle Jack said, dragging Jesse forward by the back of the neck, so he almost tripped over his chains. "This look like a partner to you!?"
Jesse understood what was going on, Mr White must of came out of hiding or wherever because he realized his signature blue-meth was still being manufactured. He'd assumed Jesse must of partnered up with the Nazi's to make it. Ha.
"This is my partner. 50-50 partner. Good partner, hard working partner." Jack said, as his gang jeered. He jerked Jesse forward again, and turned back to Walter.
"Come on. Have a looked at him. Have a gander. This look like a partner to you!?" Jack demanded, slowly Walter made his way over, so his face was inches from Jesse's. He studied his former student his eyes narrowing.
"This gonna take all day? Hurry it up so I can put a bullet in your head!" Jack said, the gang laughed dutifully.
Jesse couldn't even look Walter in the eye as the man continued to study him. Walter looked awful, was the cancer killing him? Good.
Jesse didn't know what Walter had been doing these past six months, but he knew from Todd (who kept him updated on the Heisenberg case whether Jesse liked it or not) That Walter's family had been ruined.
They were forced to move out of their house, their assets were frozen, and Skyler was facing prosecution. Jesse almost felt a sick sense of satisfaction, knowing how it would break Walter that he'd actually made his family worse of, an all his crimes were for nothing. But then Jesse thought of the family suffering Mr White's kids didn't deserve this.
Then, out of nowhere, Walter tackled Jesse, easily knocking the hand-cuffed man to the ground. Panicked, Jesse tried weakly to push him away. Is he really trying to kill me? Still?.
He knew Mr White wanted him dead, in fact, Mr White probably thought he was dead all this time. But why bother killing me now? is he still angry at me after everything, or is this just so there's nobody else to cook meth. Jesse felt a shiver of terrified excitement run down his spine, he didn't want to die, but death was better than being trapped in this hell.
The gang laughed and Jeered. "Get him of." Uncle Jack commanded to Todd, chuckling at the sight of the two men fraying on the floor. "Get them both of."
Jesse didn't quite know what happened next. One moment, the gang was laughing, and Todd was kneeling besides him trying to pull Mr White off, and the next moment, the windows smashed, and machine gun fire rained down on them, slaughtering all of Jack's gang.
Jesse felt terror and confusion surge through him, Mr White still pinned him to the floor but he no longer struggled against his grip. After what felt like both an instant and an eternity the gunfire stopped, Mr White rolled of him, and Jesse looked around at the blood-soaked room. Dead. All of them. Besides Todd who'd dived behind the sofa. For a moment there was silence, as everyone tried to process what the fuck just happened.
Todd glanced out the window and saw Walt's machine gun car thing. He gulped. Despite the fact all his friends and family had been murdered before his eyes, he didn't seem more than a little worried. Maybe he was in shock, or maybe he was emotionless as Jesse suspected "Jesus.. Mr White." Todd murmured.
Suddenly something inside Jesse snapped. Memories flooded his mind- memories of Todd shooting that fourteen year old boy, Todd torturing him for hours until he told him where the confession tape was, Todd shooting Andrea right before his eyes. Without even thinking about it, Jesse launched himself at Todd, wrapping his chains- the chains Todd had put on him, around the other man's neck. Despite the fact Todd was stronger than he was, Jesse didn't let him escape as he trashed around. He was going to kill Todd. He was going to do it for Andrea, Brock, Drew Sharp and himself and for all the other people Todd had hurt as well.
Jesse though of Todd dragging the knife along his face. "You know Jesse, this'd be a lot easier if you just told me where the tape is."
He tightened the chains.
Todd shooting Andrea, her lifeless body falling to the floor.
Jesse could feel the other man's fight getting weaker.
Todd killing Drew Sharp. "Sometimes shit happens."
Jesse's hands trembled, Todd lay still, dead chocked by the very chains he'd put in place.
Shakily, Jesse stood up, wondering if this was reality. He'd fantasied about killing Todd, he always felt the urge to choke the man with his chains and now he finally got to do it. He breathed heavily, and finally forced himself to look up at Mr White. His teacher, his partner, his enemy, his father-figure, his savior, and the one who destroyed his life all rolled up into one. It was a pretty twisted relationship to say the least.
Walter carefully grabbed one of the neo-nazi's guns, and slowly made his way over to the still-living Jack.
"Wait." Jack said, taking a long drag from his cigarette, blood seeped out from under his clothes. "If you kill me you'll never know where the money is I-"
Before he could even finish his sentence Walter shot him point-blank in the face. Jesse couldn't help but be shocked- everything Walter had done was for the money, every murder, every cook, and now he was turning it down. Maybe he'd finally realised how meaningless the money was. How it was just paper, really, and it couldn't buy you anything of any worth. Walter turned to Jesse, and placed the gun on the floor sliding it along to him, and Jesse apprehensive picked it up.
"Do it." Walter commanded, "you want this."
Jesse glanced up at him, finally looking Walter in the eyes. "No you want this- nothing happens until you say it." Jesse called out, his voice was cracked a broken because of the adrenaline.
"I want this." Walter said, looking at Jesse almost pleading. Jesse considered it for a moment- then he noticed the blood dripping from Walter's shirt. The man was already dying.
"Then do it yourself." Jesse said, a certain finality in his voice. He had vowed long ago to never do what Mr White told him ever again. Jesse could easily of shot Walter and feel no remorse over it, but denying his request was more satisfying. He wasn't anyone's bitch anymore he was his own man. Jesse grabbed the keys from Jack's dead body and hurried out to the car, escape was the only thing on his mind right now, Walter followed him out unable to help himself, Jesse stopped for a moment to look one last time at the man before him. He looked to frail, so sick, weak and broken, it was impossible to believe that he was once a meth kingpin, a tyrant and a cold-blooded killer.
Jesse stepped into the car, the whole thing still felt so unreal. He stepped down on the pedal the engine revved to life, speeding of into the distance and suddenly he was free. If this was a dream, he never wanted it to end, he grinned ecstatically as he rolled down the window to feel the wind run through his hair again. What now? He had no idea. He had nowhere to go, but that didn't matter to him he just savored every last second of his newly acquired freedom. There would be time to dwell and plan later. All he knew was, he was going to make this second chance count.
