CHAPTER 4 - Once Lit, It Cannot Be Stopped
"I don't see what the big deal is," Cross groaned as he lounged on the couch in Komui's office."What's the harm in me hangin' around the kid?"
"I personally don't have an issue with you being around him but it's not up to me. I'm afraid it's out of my hands, General Cross." Komui said, giving him an apologetic shrug. Johnny and Reever were pretending to work but were eavesdropping in on the conversation if their nods of agreement were anything to go by.
"It is because orders are orders." Link muttered from the door where he was putting up yet another containment ward. It was the fifth one Cross had counted. Not that it mattered. Link could ward this room a hundred different ways and Cross would still be able to leave without a rumple in his clothes. "And since you seem to be having memory issues I'll remind you that you, General Marian Cross, are not to be in contact with your apprentice, Allen Walker, until otherwise stated."
"Oh, no, I remember. If you'll recall, I even followed those orders up till today. But nobody has bothered to tell me why such an order was issued in the first place." He tried to look confused but Link didn't fall for it.
"You were at the meeting, you know why. Until Allen Walker's trial is concluded, you are not to be in contact with him. Before you ask, yes, it is because of your involvement with the 14th. You know all this," Link said, finishing up his last ward and glaring at Cross. "Have some common decency and stop trying to make my life harder."
"Common decency is for schmucks. And I haven't disobeyed any orders; that kid is not Allen Walker. Completely different personality, name and age." Cross said, lighting up a cigarette and blowing smoke in Link's direction.
"Same body, same person. Personality, name and age have nothing to do with it." Link wrinkled his nose. "We can argue about this over and over but it won't change anything. Even if your argument held weight, why are you so eager to make friends with some nameless child? Unless," Link smirked letting that last word linger in the air for a moment. "Unless there's something you're not telling us? If that boy's not Allen Walker, then who is he? I didn't see any signs but I heard the 14th was quite good at pretending to be human."
Silence filled the room. With deliberate care, Cross withdrew a glass and a bottle of wine from underneath the couch (always be prepared) and popped the cork. "Wine?" he asked.
"No, thank you." Link said, eyebrows furrowed. Shrugging, Cross tossed the glass on the couch and drank from the bottle.
"See, this right here is why I hate politics. When something happens that your precious Vatican can't control - something that they don't like or understand - instead of asking logical questions and trying to see the big picture, they start pointing fingers and hissing out treason and heresy. Let's be honest here; the moment it was revealed Allen Walker was connected to the 14th, his fate was sealed. Oh, you'll put on a show and make it look like you actually tried to find answers but I don't know who you're trying to fool. Allen Walker was guilty in your eyes the moment he took control of the ark." Cross gave Link a glare worthy of Satan himself. "Your boss loved implying that my apprentice is a traitor, but I wonder? Can it be considered a betrayal if the organization stabs him in the back first?"
"Now see here, General Cross -!"
"No!" Cross slammed the bottle onto the table."I won't see reason with a fucking idiot who blindly follows orders like some helpless pup! You're an intelligent individual. Act like one! If you really think that that kid out there is going to cause problems; if you really believe he's the 14th, then fine. Keep me away, watch him like a hawk 24-7. But if you're only doing this because of orders then you're a hollow man, Howard Link."
The tension in the air increased tenfold but Cross wouldn't back down on this. He was going to stick to Red like glue. He knew watching that kid go around the Order was going to be first-class entertainment and he wanted a front row seat, dammit! As a plus, if Red did have some sort of mental breakdown or face a situation like he did in the cafeteria, then Cross was the only person who could handle that. Nobody else in this god forsaken place knew how to take care of a kid.
If they did, the Order wouldn't have so many Fallen Ones.
Seeing that Link was still trying to form a reply, Cross decided to up the ante.
"Look, let's be real here: you're a powerful guy. Can't get into CROW without being one. But I am a General and I didn't get this position with my great personality. I earned it. In short, I could take you out and make it look like an accident. So here's my ultimatum for you: you can let me see Red or I can knock you into an a comma only I can undo. Even if someone in the science department did manage to bring you out of it without my help, I'd be long gone from this place and so would Red." To prove his point, he walked over to the wall where a faint outline of one of Link's ward was glowing. Stubbing his cigarette into it, he relished in the loud snap! as all the wards vanished into smoke.
It was kinda nice seeing all those jaws drop in awe. Allen certainly hadn't shown any appreciation during his apprenticeship.
"You - I - what you're threatening is treason, General Cross and these men are witnesses to it!"
"Eh, you so sure about that? They seem pretty deep in their work. I don't think they've heard anything." Cross grinned. Link whirled around to see the scientists that he knew were listening staring intensely at the papers on their desks.
"Supervisor Komui!"
"What! I didn't do it!" Komui jumped and did a great job at pretending to be surprised. He gave Link a startled look before it morphed into a sugar-sweet smile. "Oh, Inspector Link! I was so engrossed in my work, I forgot you were holding General Cross hostage in my office! What can I do for you?"
"Surely you heard what he said!"
"That my darling Linalee is the best little sister anyone could ask for? How kind of you, General Cross!"
"It's only the truth, Komui. Linalee is a fine lookin' girl. Let me take her on a date. I'll wine and dine her away from this hellhole and show her paradise."
"If you use your sleazy womanizing tactics on my sister I. Will. End. You."
Cross had many a showdowns with angry, overprotective brothers but Komui would be the first one with a drill and robot on his side. He could probably pull off the seduction and live to tell about it but he kinda needed all the allies he could get right now. Linalee was beautiful but now wasn't the time to try anything. By the way Komui was looking at him, the time to try anything wasn't going to be in this lifetime.
"Eh, she isn't old enough anyway - what? I have standards, you know." He quirked an eyebrow as everyone in the room gave him a disgusted look. What exaggerated lies did Allen tell these people? He decided to leave the matter for later and slugged an arm around Link's shoulder.
"Listen, I'm not trying to twist your arm. In fact, I'm trying to help you. You could get in big trouble and I'm trying to prevent that."
"Oh? How so?" Link said as he maneuvered himself out of Cross' hold and had the nerve to look like he smelled a rotten corpse. Cross Marian was a man of prestige and cleanliness. He bathed everyday and, for the record, smoke and alcohol were sexy scents.
"For a guy who's so obsessed with orders, you suck at following them." Cross took a swig of wine. "Remind me, who is it you're supposed to be watching? Who are you supposed to follow day and night, never letting them out of your sight like a devoted stalker? Who was it again?"
Link paled.
"Why, one could say that breaking orders handed down by Malcolm Leverrier himself could be considered treasonous. What do you guys think?" Cross asked the scientists.
"Well it is in bad form. . ."
"From Leverrier himself? Hard to forget orders from him. Unless it was on purpose?"
"Good help is hard to find these days, and Leverrier never could stand incompetence."
That last sentence from Komui was the final nail Cross needed for this coffin.
"Leverrier always expects the best from his people. One small mistake and you're gone. You know this better than any of us, I bet. I mean, you've been his right hand man for awhile now - much longer than anyone else under his command. You've seen what happens to the people that displease him. Imagine what he'll do to you. Your perfect record is shattered."
Cross paused.
"Of course, he doesn't need to know. Nobody here is going to say anything, so why should you? It's not like I'm asking you to stay away from Red. Hell, be with him at all times if you want. All I want is to make sure he's settling in and not causing a ruckus. Or you could take this opportunity to take a break from your duties. Red doesn't know you and between me, the Bookman wannabe and all the others fools in this place, that, for some reason, are fond of my apprentice, he won't be sneaking away. Your eyes have been multiplied by the hundreds."
Cross saw the moment Link was swayed to their side and it was a sweet, sweet victory.
"I suppose I could say the Akuma attack left him unconscious until he returns to normal . . ." Link trailed off, looking vaguely sick at his own thought process. If a small fib like that made the man feel guilty, he wasn't living. But his weakness was an advantage for Cross and he was going to use it to its fullest.
"See? That's not even a lie! In a way, Allen Walker is currently unconscious."
". . . Let it be known that I am not in a agreement with you but due to circumstances, I'll follow your lead, General Cross. If this is found out by the higher ups, it will all fall on you. I will make sure of that." Link said as he walked towards the door.
"I'm shaking in my boots." Cross mocked.
Link rolled his eyes and felt relief when his hand met the door handle. "How Walker managed to survive you with his sanity intact, I'll never know. Good day."
The moment the door shut, Cross let out a booming laugh.
"Ha! That little idiot didn't have any sanity left in him before he came my way. If anything I pulled that kid back into reality. Meanest thing I've ever done to someone."
"I'm sure." Reever muttered under his breath.
"Do you think he'll keep quiet, General?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah. Even he realizes this isn't a dire situation - yet. If it becomes one, we're screwed." Cross said.
"W-hat do you mean by dire?" Johnny adjusted his glasses and it was Komui that answered.
"This Akuma's power is still active after death and we don't know why or how it's power works. Link, Miranda, and Lavi weren't close to Allen's battle. They only saw the light and the Akuama's self-destruction. At best, it's an ability that will wear off within the next few days. At worst, it's permanent and we have to find a way to undo it. We can survive without Allen for a few weeks but not indefinitely."
"My apprentice has always been unlucky. I bet it's permanent." Cross said bluntly and the other three sighed.
"Please don't say that."
"I want to say you're wrong, but Allen really is unlucky."
"He never does catch a break, does he?"
"It's because he's an idiot." Cross grumbled. "I'll take a look at Tim later and see if he got a recording of the fight."
"And if he doesn't have anything, we'll just poke 'n prod Allen until we find something." Komui let loose a deranged giggle.
Good fucking luck. Cross thought, hiding his own wicked grin as he stepped out into the hallway. Allen Walker may have (with great hesitation) submitted himself to Komui's 'check-ups' but Red wouldn't let a band-aid near him willingly, let alone anything sharp. Anything that isn't considered work is going to be met with suspicion and paranoia by him. Cross can already see Komui's line of thought; he thinks Red is just shaken up and once he's settled in his personality will calm down and he'll begin to trust them.
That won't happen. Oh, no. You don't live a life like Red's by trusting people. One couldn't even really call it living. Red survived by guarding his thoughts, using others, and fighting back with everything he had just to get a scrap of security.
The scientists, exorcists, and finders that consider themselves Allen's friends are in for a very rude surprise if they think a kind word and a friendly smile are going to be enough to get that kid to open up to them.
Personally, Cross couldn't wait to see it all unfold.
