His family had needed him. That was why he waved off his partner's request that he join him downtown. People had begun to disappear and Zero thought, finally, finally, they'd caught a break, a chance to solve it. Wyatt had brushed him off, wanting to get home. Tomorrow, he'd said. But Zero was never the patient type.
He had gotten the phone call at his apartment. They had his partner. They were going to kill him unless he did what they told him to do.
Even as he silently listened to their demands, he knew the answer. Zero had no family. He did. There was no choice. As soon as he heard their warning not to call for back up before hanging up, he did the same and picked up immediately to call for backup.
It was a few solid moments, as he mentally reviewed the call, the better for his report later, that he realised that the sound he was hearing in the background was Zero's crying.
That was how he was currently slipping in a side entrance. Even though they were probably expecting him. And he'd be outnumbered.
It was not long before he came across a seated guard. He kicked the guard's chair out from under him, making the guard land hard on the ground. He staggered back up and drew his weapon. In the instant before he brought up his gun, Cain drove the heel of his hand into his mouth. Cain felt and heard the satisfying crunch just above his upper lip and he went down.
Cain wasted no more time with him and kept going, following the echoes of Zero's cries and moans.
Walking as silently as he knew how and keeping to the shadows, he came across another guard. This one saw him and Cain was forced to fire. He let out a silent prayer that nobody heard the shot before stepping into the room.
Apparently, the guard was watching several security cameras. Cain scanned them quickly and was met with a grizzly scene. Zero, hanging from the ceiling of a dark corridor, probably somewhere in the basement, judging by the sounds of his screams, while two men pealed skin of the man's back, Cain averted his eyes upwards to find similar treatment of his fingers. But that wasn't all they were doing. Once the skin had been removed, they simply sewed it back on, like Zero was some kind of patchwork quilt.
Cain couldn't help it, he threw up in a nearby bin. How could that guard have been watching this? Let alone those men doing it!
Forcing himself to look back at the image, he tried to see any clue of Zero's whereabouts. Finding none thing spectacular, he decided to continue following Zero's voice. He found a spiral staircase and descended it quickly, his thoughts not only haunted by what was happening to Zero, but also the questions that they were asking him.
Tell us about Cain! His family! What are his strengths? Weaknesses? We know he's part of the resistance!
But he wasn't! His imagination was just trying to get away with him.
Then the cavalry came. The place was soon packed with Tin Men. The torturers put up a fight and ended up all dead. Given their questions, Cain wasn't surprised that they'd meant to die rather than be questioned.
But Zero. Now that he could, Cain didn't leave his side. Not even when the Viewer was brought in, a sure indicator of how seriously Zero was hurt. "Azkadellia…" was the first sound he heard out Zero's mouth.
Cain hushed him, like he would with Jeb. "It's ok. You're safe now."
Zero's eyes opened. The hate in Zero's eyes was so powerful that any more words left him.
The next time Zero spoke to him, it was outside the Cain cabin before he tore Cain's family apart.