Chapter 1: A turn in time

A voice, low and irritated, rumbled through the dim room. A young man crouched on the floor, dropped on one knee, listening as his master scolded him.

"I am very disappointed with you, Basta" growled the voice. Basta dropped his head, dark hair falling over the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry, Master" mumbled the young man. Beads of sweat collected on his forehead, and he swallowed noisily. He knew he was in trouble. Big trouble.

"Look at me, Basta." The voice adopted a more teasing tone. Sweat ran down the back of Basta's neck as he reluctantly turned his head upwards, tilting his chin towards the tall man looming in the dimness. A smile passed over the man's face. "Very good." His teeth gleamed and Basta felt his stomach begin to knot. He nibbled his bottom lip in nervousness.

"Capricorn, Master, I am very sorry-" Basta's voice was low and sincere. Capricorn raised a hand, wordlessly telling Basta to stop speaking. The young man's eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape. His gaze flicked over the red tapestries hung on the cold stone walls, over the oak desk covered in scrolls, and down to the gritty stone floor. Capricorn cleared his throat, prompting Basta to hunch his shoulders in a defensive cringe. As his mind whirled around the possible terrible things Capricorn would do to him, in punishment for his...poor... actions, Capricorn began to pace. His footsteps echoed in the high ceilinged room. Basta's pulse pounded in his temples and his palms accumulated a modest amount of sweat. His mind raced. His heart leapt. What would happen? His master stopped pacing when he reached Basta's side. It was then the young man realised he had been holding his breath. He let it out in a loud gasp, spittle dribbling off his chin. Beads of sweat raced down his temples, and glued his hair to his hot skin. Capricorn chuckled.

"Oh, Basta" his voice was a low hum that engulfed the whole room. Basta's chest heaved as he struggled to control his breathing. He balled his hands into fists, while digging his fingernails into his palm; preparing himself for the torture that would surely come. Last time, he recalled bitterly, had been a beating. A beating that had lasted a lengthy hour, and involved chains and ropes... he still bore a number of bruises on his legs and back. Capricorn chuckled again, and nudged Basta's ribs with his heavy boot. "Up. On your feet." His voice was softer, but it still managed to hold a grave seriousness to it. Basta hastily scrambled to his feet, ashamed of the way his heart pounded. Capricorn began pacing again, a tighter circle around his victim's quivering body. Goose skin prickled under Basta's sleeves. Capricorn came to a halt in front of the young man. Their faces were close enough to kiss, and Basta dared not breathe. The stale smell of his master's breath on his own lips made his stomach clench. Not a tall man himself, Basta had to turn his head upwards to look his master in the face. His nostrils quivered and he frowned, struggling to keep his composure. Hands still balled into worried fists, he awaited the first blow. Would it be to the face? The stomach? The groin? Would Capricorn pull his hair or kick his knees out? "You disappoint me, boy" his voice was dangerously calm.

"I won't do it again-" Basta began to protest, his eyes narrowing shut. Capricorn raised his hand, ready to slap, when a voice from behind the closed door stopped them both.

"Capricorn, sir! You must come outside! There is a man here to see you." Basta's eyes popped open. He saw the raised hand, then the indignant expression on his master's face. He cringed once again, anticipating a sharp slap across the face before his master left to attend his business. Instead, the man sighed exuberantly, adjusted his collar with both hands, and cast Basta lingering warning glare.

"You had better be here when I get back" hissed Capricorn, his icy grey eyes locking with Basta's greens. Basta bowed his head and nodded, mumbling an inaudible Yessir. Capricorn's boots clopped noisily on the stone floor as he sauntered towards the door, to the attendant waiting in the hall. The door lurched open. "What is this all about" his voice muffled out as the door slammed behind his broad back.

Basta gasped and panted, wiping the sweat from his brow. His limbs quivered and he teetered in his mid-calf riding boots. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, relishing the time away from his boss. He glanced nervously around the room, eyes falling over the familiar pieces of furniture placed sparingly in the large catacomb-like bedroom. The entire room was made of stone, resembling a castle keep, though it was merely a section of the fort where Capricorn dwelled. The red tapestries hung on the walls added warmth to the otherwise cold and drafty space. Basta felt his pulse slow, and the sweat stopped beading on his skin. He strained his ears, listening for Capricorn's voice or his footsteps, but heard nothing. The young man ran his right hand through his damp bangs, then through the dark brown mess of hair atop his head. Mouth ajar, he fought a case of shivers and licked his chapped lips.

Suddenly, the cool draft that whispered through the room was replaced something else, a warm lick of heat. Basta shuddered in content as the warmness caressed his skin like honey. He sighed involuntarily and let his eyelids droop. Where was the heat coming from? And a voice... a soft voice murmuring inaudible words. Words that Basta couldn't make out or understand... it seemed to be speaking from a far corner of the room. As the young man swivelled his gaze, spots of golden lights appeared in his peripherals. Confused and dazed, Basta felt himself swaying on his feet. He let out a confused gasp as the world around him began spinning ever so slightly. The dots of color accumulated until he was seeing warm balls of light all over the place, and slowly Capricorn's cold stone bedroom was replaced with something new, something different... warm golden light and unfamiliar pieces of furniture... Basta swayed, unaware of his own body, and collapsed onto his knees. He promptly fell face first into something soft and the incredible warmth overtook him. He squished his eyes shut and gasped throatily into the soft surface. He gasped again, and made no effort to raise his head and observe his surroundings. He lay in a limp pile on the floor for what felt like minutes, when a frantic voice grabbed his attention once again.

"Oh Mein Gott!" came a man's voice, shocked and confused. Basta groaned, listening to the strange garble of unfamiliar words. He slowly lifted his head, becoming aware of the fact that he was no longer in Capricorn's bedroom.

"Where am I?" He groaned from deep in his narrow chest. He blinked heavily and slowly the room came into focus. The cold stone floor was replaced with something else, a warm soft material that Basta had never felt before. He quickly glanced up, ignoring the frightened shouts, and observed the new room. The walls were softer looking and painted a soft cream color. Dark oak furniture decorated the smaller room. Book shelves, a desk, table, chairs... it was all so different! And the source of the voice. Basta snapped his head to the left, and Basta could see the man that had been talking.

Anxiety clouded Basta's mind. He began shaking harder than he had back in Capricorn's bedroom. His stomach clenched and his heart nearly burst from his chest, leaping out at the soft white material covering the floor. "Who are you?" Cried Basta confused and terrified. The man sitting the chair had a book held out in front of him, as if using it as a shield against Basta's crumpled figure. When the man didn't reply, Basta repeated himself, raising his voice and causing spit to fly from his lips. "I SAID, WHO ARE YOU?" His heart thudded as the quivering man with the book sputtered more incomprehensible words.

"Wo bist mein Kinde? Wo bist mein kinde?" He looked about the room frantically, as if looking for something... or someone.

Basta rose to his feet, swaying and fighting nausea. He put a hand to his tight abdomen and clenched his eyes shut for a brief moment. When he felt stable, Basta contorted his face into one of a very angry man's. He repeated his question, emphasizing his need for an answer. "I said, WHO are YOU?" His voice was bitter and poisonous, and seemed to grab the stranger's attention.

"Britisch! Britisch spion!" Basta frowned at the frantic man's cry. The man appeared to be in his early forties or late thirties, and though his hair held no trace of grey, he would surely age another decade if he kept behaving as frantically as he was.

"Britisch?" Basta tried to manoeuvre his tongue around the strange word. Was it the man's name?

"Wo is mein Kinde?" He got to his feet, pacing furiously, all the while keeping a wild eye on Basta. Basta stood stalk straight, confused and utterly terrified. His breaths transformed into hyperventilation, and he felt his vision changing to tunnel vision. He began sweating, more profusely than he had been in Capricorn's bedroom, and the world around him began to spin again, until suddenly that soft white floor found its way to the young man's cheek...

A/N:

Well, well, well. Thought I was gone forever, didja? Yeah, I thought so too. But as it turns out, I've got some time this year. Some unfortunate changes have happened in my life, so I'll have enough time to write. I'll postpone my retirement to a different year.

SO! How was everyone's summer? I hope every single one of you had a great one. I know mine was OK. I've had better, but I've also had worse. I did lots and lots of partying this year! I rocked out with a bunch of Europeans, so that was obviously a great time. Seriously, Europeans really know how to party. If you ever get the chance, I advise you take that chance. And party like you've never partied before. ARIBA.

Alright, so this story...

I'm actually excited about this one. This is where my time and effort is going, for the time being. I'll actually make a bit of an effort to write this one properly. But... I would really appreciate some reviews! I'd like to thank all of you that still reviewed and faved my stories while I was MIA. You guys are really cool. Mademoiselle Ouiseau De Nuit, you especially. My inbox was FILLED with awesomeness from you. THANK YOU! Or should I say, Merci! Alright, so, I apologize for all the non-updates and my inexistence. I was kind of stuck in limbo for a while. Trapped somewhere between piling Ikea mattresses onto a little car with bungee cords and twine, bottles of vodka, and dancing like an idiot with a guy from Spain in my living room. Yeah, things got a little weird for a while.

Reviews please! :D

Xo

PS: I advise you listen to the song "We no Speak Americano" By Yolanda Be Cool. I happened to have been a part of a 4 man thrust line during that song, AND happened to be stuck in rush hour traffic, in a little car, with 2 mattresses attached to the roof while listening to that song (separate occasions, of course). It's a good song. Very catchy.