Disclaimer: I do not own Trauma Center, the characters, places, names, or anything else affiliated with its copyright owner Atlus! I do, however, own all my OC's etc that you know isn't from Trauma Center. This is for entertainment purposes only!
A/N: Alright, let's get this baby rolling. This is my second pairing story, as well as a challenge fic and a death fic. This is dedicated to Tristan the Dreamer, either as a welcome back or a farewell present since she isn't going to be online for much longer! (Which SUCKS) So, Tris, here's to you. Thanks for your support, inspiration, and for being a great friend!
Markus Vaughn stared hard at Sephiran, a neko who had hidden in the shadows for years. Only now did he expose himself, requesting a heart transplant.
Sephiran had discovered Markus in the record books as the destroyer of Stigma, a menacing virus. He also heard rumors of the surgeon, how he was one of the best in the world. He knew this to be true, for he had gotten his hands on very personal files. He was a computer hacker; he could break into anything.
As his heart wore from its constant stress, Sephiran was desperate for a life-saving operation. He knew Markus would be able to pull it off, therefore abducted him. However, he knew Markus wouldn't operate on him willingly; he had murdered many men in his life of crime. No doctor would gladly operate on a serial killer.
To counter this, Sephiran abducted Valerie Blaylock and Elena Salazar as well, hoping he could persuade Markus thereafter. By the way Markus was glaring, Sephiran knew he would succeed.
"So, Doc, what'll it be? You're faced with quite the double-edged sword here..." Sephiran remarked, pacing the dimly lit laboratory. The walls were lined with computers and sensors, among other machines. The room was constantly monitored, detecting every movement that was made.
Markus was overwhelmed; what would his choice be? What was the better option?
Valerie and Elena continued to struggle in their seats; Sephiran had strapped them down using high-technical traps he called "Death-Chairs". These "Death-Chairs" looked like ordinary chairs; only, they had an extra feature. Place your arms on the armrests and metal bars popped from their compartments, strapping down your entire arm. If your legs even touched the chair, they too would be strapped with these bars. Bars were placed around the waist and neck as well, making escape painful, dangerous, and impossible. Depending on the victims' heart-rates, the bars would tighten. The higher they grew, the tighter the constraints. As you can imagine, Valerie and Elena were scared to death. As for Markus, he could do nothing but make his decision. It wasn't an easy one; Sephiran had thought things through.
"Make your choice, Doc. You can operate on me, and your friends live. Or, you can refuse and they both die. Operate on me, and you risk the lives of the millions of other people I'm targeting as a serial killer. Again, refusing kills them both, so you've got ten minutes to make your decision," Sephiran explained.
Markus' hazel eyes flickered with anxiety. The choice seemed so obvious, yet it was so difficult. He could easily perform a heart transplant; he'd done them before. If he did, Valerie and Elena went free. But those targets... Was saving two lives worth those millions? Sephiran was manipulative and knew how to kill. He wasn't afraid to kill either. But how could Markus live with himself if his true love Valerie and his good friend Elena died? He couldn't...
Then it hit him. He could always "operate" on him. A simple slip-up and Sephiran was dead. Problem solved. But Markus couldn't kill another man, evil or not... No matter what option he chose, it couldn't work to his benefit. Each choice led down a miserable path to hell.
The clock ticked away. Markus was running out of time.
"Please, let me perform the transplant then just turn yourself in! You've already taken enough lives, it's time you faced justice; you know that!" Markus growled.
"Enough is never enough!" Sephiran retorted. His long, black hair hung before his red eyes as he glared at Markus; he wasn't about to negotiate; it was his way, or no way.
"Please..." Markus pled, teeth gritted together. "Please just... Have a heart!"
"There's no way you can win, Markus. Make. Your. Choice."
"How can you trust that I won't kill you during the operation?!" Markus challenged, hoping to frighten him into his offer.
"I know you couldn't do so. I know things, Markus, personal things. You aren't the type to kill another just to save others. That's what differentiates us. I'm a genius, and you're nothing but a coward," Sephiran scoffed.
"You're the coward, you bastard...!" Markus hissed.
"Sticks and stones." Sephiran paced the room once more, becoming impatient. Suddenly, the clock struck 3:00am. Markus' ten minutes were up.
"What'll it be?!"
"Damnit! You can't do this... You can't make me choose!" Markus fell into a panicked state, unable to control himself. He couldn't slow his racing heart or his sweating hands; he had lost the ability to calm himself.
Healing Touch... Healing Touch; can it help me? I... I just can't choose... It's impossible! There's no obvious answer! A decade wouldn't give me enough time to choose!!
"You refuse to operate? Fine..." Sephiran said lowly, approaching the opposing wall. "You had time to decide, and since you refuse to choose, I assume that means you refuse to operate on me... So now, they die..." Sephiran typed in a code, revealing a compartment with a large red button. Pressing it, two gun barrels slid out from holes in the wall and aimed for their targets. Valerie and Elena.
"N-no... Please... Please, no..." Markus pled helplessly, dropping to his knees. "Don't...!"
"One snap of my fingers and they're dead," Sephiran stated, placing his finger and thumb together as he prepared to snap. Markus rose to his feet, unsure of what to do next. He had to do something... But what?
He regained his composure, still glaring at Sephiran who was merely posing for show. He was daunting as ever with his fingers ready to command death; it gave Markus the worst feeling in the world.
Thinking things through, Markus knew what he had to do. He couldn't save them both, but he could save one of them. All he had to do is dive at the precise moment. He could take the bullet for himself and save Valerie or Elena from death.
Sephiran wasn't just stalling for intimidation. He was dying, becoming more desperate for the operation. His heart was surely giving out in this excitement. He was waiting a little longer to see if Markus would change his mind, praying he would.
Sweat poured down Sephiran's face as his heart hammered in his chest. He wouldn't last much longer; it was a matter of seconds before his heart gave out. Knowing well that it was too late, Sephiran snapped his fingers, collapsing as he died that very moment.
Markus saw the bullets exit, thinking rapidly. Who should he save?! He had always loved Valerie, but Elena had her whole life ahead of her...
Valerie... Elena... Valerie or Elena? Valerie... Or... Elena...
There was no more time for thinking. He had to move in this instant or they were both dead.
The terrified women hadn't even the time to scream as the bullets approached. The next moment, one of them was dead, a bullet through the heart.
Markus had made his decision; he dove before the bullet in order to protect...
Valerie.
Valerie trembled in her seat. She'd heard both gunshots, saw both bullets, but had shut her eyes before they made contact. She didn't know what to expect now; she was supposed to be dead.
The bars receded from the "Death-Chair", releasing her. After so long without orders, the computers all went to sleep and that included the other machinery. However, it was too late now. Valerie couldn't operate in time to save either Markus or Elena; both were dead.
Valerie stared down at Markus, whose eyes were wide open. He'd suffered a bullet-wound to the stomach. Within seconds, the stomach acid leaked out and devoured the organs above and below, shutting down his entire body in moments. It had happened all too quickly for Valerie to comprehend...
"M-Markus... Elena..." she whispered, lips quivering. She burst into tears, dropping down beside Markus' body.
"No, you can't be dead! You can't!" she screamed, shaking him. "Wake up, Markus, please! You can't die! You're supposed to... You're supposed to be alive, damnit!" Valerie became frantic, calling out his name and sobbing as he did not respond.
"Markus Vaughn, wake the hell up!!" she cried. "I won't let you die, not yet! You still have decades left to live, damnit!" She performed CPR, compressing his chest rapidly and accurately as well as giving him mouth-to-mouth. Nothing worked. She knew deep inside he was dead... She just couldn't pull herself together to believe it.
"No... No, no... N-no..." she muttered, burying her face in his chest. "You can't die, Markus... I... I love you..."
Valerie Blaylock sobbed until dawn, broken-hearted and confused. How could Markus Vaughn, the man that seemed so invincible... die?
He was her hero, always pulling her through the rough times. He encouraged her as they grew closer, and under him she found herself and became the best damn surgeon she could. She had always loved him; she was willing to follow him to the end of Earth if it meant she could forever remain by his side.
Nothing could mend her broken heart now. He was the only one she could ever love; they had been meant for each other. Now that he was gone, what did she have to live for?
"Why, Markus? Why did you have to save me...? Why did you have to be so stupid...?!" Valerie choked, laying her head on his chest. She continued to sob, wishing Markus could rub her back in comfort. Nothing provided comfort now. If only she could listen to his steady heartbeat one last time...
"Markus... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry... I failed you... I just couldn't get to you in time...!"
By the time the FBI reached the lab and found Valerie, she was blood-covered and sick from crying. They carried her out, though they found it to be a most difficult task. She thrashed, hit, kicked, cried, and screamed; she wanted to stay with Markus. They could not allow it, but she wouldn't accept that for an answer. After an hour they finally calmed her down, able to reason with her.
After milking her of information, they dropped her off at home, bidding her good luck.
Good luck... right...
What had luck done for her? Sure, she was lucky Markus had been there... But what did she get in return? An aching heart, a destroyed future. She was dead inside. She could not survive without Markus Vaughn. He was her world.
OooooooO
Today, Valerie Blaylock is a 29-year-old woman. She is not healthy. She has no money. She is unemployed and without a place to call her home.
She has no friends, no family. She has left that all behind her.
She lives on the streets of Maryland as a beggar. She often goes days without eating, barely able to stay alive.
If she's lucky, she'll get a whole slice of bread and will find a cardboard box to shelter herself. If she's luckier, she'll find a half-empty bottle of wine so she can intoxicate herself and forget about Markus. Yes, for Valerie, the bottle was always half-empty. It was never half-full.
The once optimistic Valerie was gone. She was nothing like the old Valerie; the old Valerie was a faint memory.
The only emotion Valerie ever felt was depression. She was always mourning over Markus and in constant pain. Still, after a year, her heart ached for him. She yearned for him, waiting for him to come and save her from this hell of a life... But he will never come.
Valerie knows he will never come, but does she really know anything? Her sanity is gone; can she really even think? Isn't she too numb to feel by this time?
No one knows the answers to these questions. No one will ever know, for Valerie isn't living. She's the walking dead; a soulless woman just waiting to die.
Of course, you may ask, why doesn't she commit suicide? The answer: you cannot kill what's already dead. Perhaps Valerie still believes Markus will return from the grave and rescue her. Maybe that's why she's hung on so long.
She's often found at his grave, talking to him as if he were really there beside her.
Some say she's crazy, some say she's a dedicated lover.
And then there are those who believe she's not human. What sort of human would want to suffer? Why not just end it?
A human who is hurt. A human who is confused. A human who has seen hell, is living there, and does not know reality from fantasy. Is she dreaming, or is she awake? Is it all a nightmare she will soon wake up from?
No. It is all too real. She knows it's real. Again, she just doesn't want to believe it. There are many things she refuses to believe.
Alive or dead, there is one thing for certain about Valerie Blaylock. Her undying love for Markus will forever linger in her heart, nor will it ever lower in intensity.
It will haunt her until the day she dies, if she's truly able. It's not clear whether Valerie is dead or not. Those who witness her aren't sure. It is all so deeply complicated and terrible that the word death cannot even describe anything anymore. Is it merely an alias for Valerie? What does "death" really mean?
As Valerie walks down the streets of Maryland, all stare in awe as they set eyes upon her blood covered clothing. To this day, Valerie has not washed the clothing she wore the day Markus died. His blood is all she has left, rather than memories. It's all that keeps her believing he really did exist at one time.
Call her what you will. Valerie Blaylock will never let Markus Vaughn go. Whether it is right or wrong, she will cling to him until the end of time.
She will forever be haunted by her beloved Markus Vaughn. She will be forever haunted by her immortal.
THE END
A/N: So... How was that? Was it horrible? Disturbing...? Was it too deep...? Did I screw up MarkusxValerie?! Please, please review... I'm so worried I shouldn't have posted this. Tris, if you hate it, please give me advice or for goodness' sake, make me take it down!