Chapter Seven: Eister.

The glum full drizzly had seemed to continue onwards as the clouds drew open like curtains, the downpour gushing against the roof of the facility and trickling down the guttering and the veined windows crying towards the ground. His desk seemed more welcoming then the two chairs left abandoned in the corner near the deceased fireplace, the logs stacked against each other as if they had just crawled out of the flames themselves and laid in there charred state. The bookshelves had been a-lined again, the spines facing out again and each of there smooth chests pressed together in neat rows with tassels marking them for which genre they were. The door in front of him that lead to his personal quarters was locked tight, the key hidden in his draw that he sat near away from unwanted guests that would try to steal it.

He had been listening to the soft taps of the rain that seemed to sing a tune to him; Melancholy and sadistically sweet against his ears. He wasn't into the whole thing with pain bringing pleasure, but often he would find himself thinking about the types there were and how good they could feel if done in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing-and in his case, he was referring to Victor who had been at it for awhile since Eister handed her over to him. Since then, he couldn't get her of his mind. He tried indulging himself in books, but it didn't work. He then tried writing down poems to himself with little margin's full of dark and mysterious drawings in the corners-but that didn't work either. He then tried to focus on the new battlement mission that had been ordered by the administrator that had come up in the lower part of the facilities system room, where the bell had rung off and Raize had shut it off just as he was coming in from a hunt.

''Stupid bell.'' He muttered when he slipped his soaking wet hat of his short shaven hair. ''Bloody pourin' it down out there mate.''

''Hmm.'' Eister replied, displeased by the wet footprints Raize was leaking into his office.

He slouched down in the chair opposite the desk Eister sat at, his black boots coated in thick mud with droplets trickling from his hat he wore that tipped over his eyes slightly. He wore such baggy black pants that Eister always wondered how he kept them up, and his red shirt and black sleeveless fleece were to, drenched. He smelt like mold, mottled soil cobbled together that indicated he had been lurking in the bushes on his chest again-something that made Eister slightly infuriated but still-used to.

''Sarcasm ay mate?'' Raize smiled, squeezing out the excess droplets in his scarf he wore. ''You always had something good to say back.''

''I have learned to pick vords carefully.'' Eister replied monotonal.

''Yeah? Any reason why mate?'' Raize asked, wiping down his boots and wiping the droplets from his thick beard.

Eister watched intrigued, his own eyes focusing on the way Raize moved; He often jolted that left shoulder some reason, and Eister always wondered why he did that.

''Nein. I just like to have such vay vith vise vords.'' Eister replied.

''Yeah mate, suppose that's not a bad thing. Where's Victor and Milo by the way? I had to shut the damn bell off myself, usually Milo does it.''

''Zhey are busy vith somesing.'' Eister frowned upon the little owl statue he had sat beside his notes, a pen pot with pens being nibbled on and a empty phot frame like all the others he had on the shelves. Hollow and expressionless.

''With what?'' Raize sighed, looking up to Eister with a croaked frown. ''Not that Sheila they picked up?''

''Victor, jou mean.'' Eister corrected, crossing his arms over on his lap. ''He found her. The Administrator sold her out to him for some reason. I don't know vhy, but I zhink she is more vanted by a special company zhat vant to run tests on her instead. Somesing like zhat-but in all honesty she is far more important zhen being just a mercenary. Vhy do jou zhink za Administrator hired her?''

''Heh, and here she is with Victor having her body used and toyed with by him?'' Raize said rather harshly, his own eyes feeling as if they were stinging. He could see the slightly teased look contouring Eister's face and like a dog without a bone, he slumped slightly into the chair, ''Sorry mate.''

Eister waved a hand, shaking his head. ''I understand. Do not vorry about explaining.''

''Yeah mate, but sometimes...Sometimes it just clogs up inside of ya.'' Raize swallowed hard, putting his foot down and leaning back into the chair with his wet jacket caressing his pale skin. ''Ya look for a way to just rid if out of ya. But, just seems like there isn't any other way to. So ya let it sit inside of ya, tear you up and rip you apart. I just wonder if that's how that girl is feeling-I mean think about it mate-she has no idea just like us and she's been thrown into a whirlwind with some crazy-''

''Vatch jour tone, Raize.'' Eister warned.

Eister felt his chest begin to hurt for Raize, hard, rough thumps from his heart wanting to call out for his friend who seemed to be so gentle but yet, he had such a dark and mean streak behind him that made Eister refuse to share any gentleness with him. Besides, Eister knew Raize hated anyone feeling pity or sorrow for him and would gladly tell them to shut up about it-or he'd rid them out of his path with his Sniper rifle or Kukri that he kept handy for 'unwanted' guests passing him by, tempting him to use them. He was a cruel, mysterious man who Eister found easier to talk to since they both shared similar traits, though Eister had his way of keeping his darker side on a leash-but that was only if he could manage to hold it back.

''Zhat is only if jou let it, Raize.'' Eister mumbled after a long silence. ''Or, jou can control it and vork vith it.''

Raize looked to Eister as he sat there at his desk, straightened high with his hands set on his lap and his face cold from expression, dull and dim but in his eyes, Raize could see something sparkle behind there blue ocean wave.

''Thanks mate.'' Raize said. ''So, do I get so see the girl? Or is Victor still fuck-''

''Raize,'' Eister narrowed his eyes, interjecting Raize, ''Do not speak rudely about a girl. She's...She is still valuable.''

''Heh, jou got feelings for some Sheila have ya mate?'' Raize laughed, standing up and tipping his hat.

''Nein. Vatch jour tone.'' Eister warned, his insides feeling like they were on fire, the hand of irrigatable climbing up his back.

''Yeah mate, whatever ya say. Well, catch you around Eister. I got to go and see what new hunts I can get out of the new mission they got goin' on down there.''

Eister watched as Raize walked his way to the door, his hand lowering to the silver handle and pressing it down with such a irritable and usual creak, Eister could barely hear himself think from it's squeaky tone. Before he knew it the door was wide open and Raize had one foot out of the door and Eister felt his head spin with thoughts that mocked his doing.

''Raize.'' Eister called out sharply, his throat feeling like it was clogged.

Raize turned back to stare back at Eister, whom was stone-cold and thoughtless. He had no words to speak to him. He had no thoughts to share. And he had no reason to have called him back again. But like a heavy slab of metal on the tip of his tongue, he couldn't help but feel his mouth dip from such a weight mentally scolding him for even attempting to keep him with him just a little longer.

''What mate?'' Raize pressured.

''Nosing. Go on.'' Eister shook his head, waving him off.

''What?''

''Go on. It vas nosing. Go.'' Eister pushed, wanting the attention to fade of his back and leave him be in his dark pit he found solace in.

Raize stared at Eister with a worried glare before leaving and shutting the door behind him, with a soft, muted click that Eister decided to ignore.

The silence burned his ears.

It was so silent not even the pounding droplets on the tin roof could bother him to an extent where he would go wondering off down the halls to find Victor, or to even sit with Milo and have there little talks about new experiments he had been busy doing or even just to see what he was doing. Anything to dull away that numbness inside of him he had let grow for to long, clogging up his veins and wrapping around his bones and tying up his own joyful thoughts he didn't even think he had anymore-he seemed to be immune to them.

He was alone again however, and Raize had left ages ago and all he had on his mind was Healer. And those blood red eyes that were leaking into his mind and staining it. Why oh why was she on his mind like a dog to a bone? And why could he not suppress the urge to go and see her just once more, even just a glimpse to ease that burning need.

Eister thought to himself. He bit his lip hard, his fingers dug into his lap and his leg bounced which was an unusual irritating motion for the usual man who seemed unpasted by most thing; But Healer kept coming back to play with his mind.

Eventually, he got annoyed with himself and jumped from his chair, burst through the door and made his stride down the hall to the lower facility where Victor was in his lab mumbling to himself-at least that's what Eister thought when he breached the double white doors with the white light blaring out through there halo shapes onto the tiled white wall. Eister could hear him talking to someone but when he looked through the window, there was no one but himself there at his desk in the corner, by the window with the glass raised open to let the breeze flow through the room.

Eister frowned as he listened closely;

''I zhought zhat cloning her vould be interesting. But Zhen, how vould zhat vork?''

There was a dull silence that made Eister's heart pound in his ears. He leant closer to the wall, his hands pressing against the door and his face a neutral contrasted piece of artwork.

''Vell, I have already put in about six different viruses' into her. Zhey seem to have not taken effect, however it sees as though she's...Shut off, but yet, her body is still functioning vithout support from machinery.''

Eister raised a brow-how can she do that?

''I know Administrator, I know. If I come by and drop some samples off, perhaps zhat vould be suffice to attempt a clone. It can be done, and perhaps it could be a new step to synthetic workings. Za Blu team tend to get quite piled up and her counterpart is as useless as a busted piece of machinery.''

Eister shook his head-though he didn't realize he was doing it. He stood up straight as Victor paced the floor of the lab, his boots clicking with each step he took and Eister could see he was rolling the scalpel over his knuckles as usual whenever he was in thought. He frowned, the light blaring onto his face and burning away the shadows;

''I have been kind to her ja...Vell, as kind as can be. She's fiery stubborn. Ja, I know in her file it mentioned manic hysteria she had previously had not long before coming here, but she vorks alongside her Medic. So, surely she must have it under control.''

Eister put a hand on the door; He fought against his urge to interject, but yet there was something that Eister was intrigued about Healer, wanting to know more like a book you can't put down just eager to keep turning and turning and turning the page. He had to know more, he just had to keep going despite all the jumps and dangers ahead he would challenge.

''Ja Administrator, I vill. I have za report out and ready to be filled in vith. I vill have it brought to jou.'' Victor sounded exhausted, derailed almost. ''Vat? Jou vant her to do vat?!''

Eister raised his brow again, his eyes staring into the blinding light beams emitting from the lights hanging in the lab.

''Vith Milo?! Are jou-Nein. Ja, I understand. I vill make sure it's taken care of indeed. Danke.''

Victor hung up and chucked the phone down onto the counter with a loud 'clunk' and a soft screech of it's smooth back skidding along the marble counter. He threw himself down onto his desk chair, his hands fanning out onto the table top and his eyes boarding into the paperwork he had set out in front of him. Eister pushed his weight against the door with a heavy sigh, his arms fighting against the hinges refusing to open and pushing his way through elegantly with no problem with it. His eyes set on Victor's whom stared back, rather surprised to see his friend in his lab without Victor having to drag him down himself.

''Vell, vat a pleasant surprise zhis is.'' Victor said, smoothing over his once shaken tone to a more sophisticated one instead. ''May I ask vat brings jou here?''

Eister sighed, listening to the humming of the pipes above him push him onwards. ''I came to see jou.'' Eister lied, and his own faulty mind was beginning to annoy him. ''Nein, actually, I came to see Healer.''

''Healer? Vhy vould jou vant to see her?'' Victor frowned, reaching into his desk and pulling out a cigar before lighting it. ''She's in a sedated state at za moment, so she von't be able to communicate.''

''I don't vant to communicate.'' Eister argued, stepping closer like a towering menacing prescense. ''I vant to see her.''

''Vhy? Are jou interested in such vays I have planned out for her?'' Victor asked, dragging on the cigar and blowing out the smoke that wafted up around his head in swirled mists of grey dancing ladies.

''I demand to see her, Victor. After all, I do allow jou to keep jour play zhings here, under my control. So, jou should at least allow me za privilege to see her and have mien own opinion.''

''Vell jou have a point. But, I vonder vhy jou are so oddly interested in her. Did jou vant to see our first consultation? Jou sadly missed it.'' Victor grinned, crossing his leg under the table.

''Remember who is in charge here Victor. Are jou disobeying me again?'' Eister warned leaning over the desk and coming face-to-face with Victor. The smoke floated up his nostrils, burning his nose with it's strong scent and making his throat feel scratchy and hot.

Victor stared into his eyes deeply, a masked glow of emotion contouring his lightly coloured cheeks and then his eyes moved to those silver shining balls Eister had in his lips. He licked his tongue swiftly like a snake, his eyes fanning up to Eister who didn't take his eyes of Victor.

''Fine.'' Victor agreed, grinning as he took another drag. ''Follow me zhen.''

''I'd like to see her on my own bitte.'' Eister demanded, his figure still and stiff.

''Vat?''

''Jou heard. Don't say jou have gone deaf?''

''No. It's just jou never seem to be interested enough to care about what experiments I do, so I vanted to question it instead. Zhat a problem?''

Eister snarled, biting his tongue while smiling into the lion's eyes;

''I vant to see her, just to make an assumption for myself. I am-as I said before-curious to know to.'' Eister added, straightening his back and leaning his hands behind his back together.

Victor wasn't convinced; It wasn't just because Eister never gave enough interest to prove he was interested in what he was up to, but it was because he never cared to know about any experiment he did. He only ever took snippets away, but never a full report on how it went and how ways can improve the team's work or how far he went with them. It often annoyed Victor to know Eister refused to let himself learn more when he was smarter then he thought-how he had talent to express his opinions to give Victor a second opinion on his work-but instead he was muted as always.

''Fine.'' Victor agreed after a long silence that numbed them both. ''Jou can see her. I have a report to fill out however, so please don't be to long.''

Victor took another hit from his cigar, the smoke clouding his eyes in a balled mist that danced in the rays around him; A delusional image that made Eister frown upon.

''Danke. May I go through?'' Eister asked, gesturing to the doors to the theatre room.

Victor simply nodded, leaning back into his chair and watching as Eister pushed the doors open and then faded out of view, leaving Victor with the droning humming of the pipes and the whooshing off the doors wooing at him.

When he walked into the room, a heavy scent of sterilized tools and equipment invaded his nose and rushed through down to his throat where he clear it, scattering it away from him and focusing his eyes onto the sight before him; She was laid out there on the leather chair, her figure still and stiffened into a pose that a princess would have, perfectly positioned with not a single flaw on show. Her hair was fanned out perfectly, the long black ponytail sitting still as it hung of the back of the chair like a cat's tail, her fingers relaxed and motionless.

But it was her face that caught his attention; It didn't match with the rest of her peaceful pose. It was in discomfort, her lips curled up into a agonized frown while her cheeks were gaunt and pasty into a sickly hue of white. Her eyes were closed but they were beaded with heavy rings under them, like a long ribbon of lilac had stained her skin and made it look like it was glowing. He stood beside her, towering over as he looked with the shadows gawking at them both, soft dripping echoing occasionally around them in the numbed silence. He kept his hands behind his back, his eyes neutral like his face while he studied her. The monitor beside her beeped ominously, it's clicking of it's tongue an irritating annoyance to Eister who scowled and mocked it for being so oddly obvious at what it was doing, trying to show itself off to him. He was surprised though, how Victor was so kind to give her a monitor while she was suppressed in her sick state.

'What a disappointment, seems as if she has no purpose and it simply suffering the diseases like normal. But how could that be? Surely, it would have killed her cells and sent her to the teleporter, and that's if It worked as well. But, there she is laying there with such ease in her body but her face still twitching and functioning. The monitor however, is doing something else.'

Eister noticed how, that when he looked closely at her chest it pumped slowly, while the monitor was moving up to a higher rate that he knew was stable. He figured at first, it was broken and needed a replacement, but Victor always made sure that his equipment was working well before using it. He didn't know why, but he found himself being drawn to resting his hand on her chest like a magnet. He set it down just over hear heart that pounded softly and slowly, bumping against her bone, skin and flesh like soft taps on a drum. She was cold, very cold, and Eister raised a brow at how she didn't move to his touch.

Healer seemed to lay there, her head turned away from him and her body still molded into it's stiff state. His fingers touched something that made him look down in wonder at it's rough, bumpy texture; His eyes found the source to be stitches that zig-zagged downwards, then another pair that went across her chest. The stitches going down had healed already, but the ones going across were still mottled and red raw from there slow healing process with told him she didn't have the medi-gun or her own source of healing equipment on hand to heal them.

Eister found it odd to be this close to someone who he hated, whom he only wanted to keep hidden from anyone else to see if the accusations were just tales or if she really was-as suspected-special. If she was, and the thought made him shudder slightly, what would she do? Or, what would Victor do to her? He'd most likely harvest her over and over again, making sure she would not even realize it and use her for his own gain. But if it was to get out, and this thought to made him feel all cold, who would come for her then?

His thoughts were shattered when the doors opened wide and in the jaws of them stood Victor, his face questionable and his lips pursed tightly into a thin line.

''Is everysing OK. mien fruede?'' He asked, stepping closer to Eister and letting the doors slip from his grasp.

''Ja.'' Eister said, removing his hand quickly and tucking it behind him. ''Fine. Did jou manage to get jour report done?''

''Partly. It's taken avhile. Dummes ding.'' Victor frowned.

''Oh, surely a measly report can't stop za great and mighty Victor, can it?'' Eister mocked, his eyes darting up to Victor who was vexed by his taunts.

''No. I am quite capable. Just because jou vould rather hide avay, let jour sorrow consume jou. Ja, I vould zhink I am mighty and great. Just look at how vell zhis is going to turn out.'' Victor argued.

''Or how scarring and much of a fail it might be.'' Eister said.

''How dare jou.''

''I said might, dummkopf.''

Victor frowned, walking towards Eister and perching himself beside the man who seemed slightly taller then him. He was only by a few inches, but Victor always managed to keep on track with narrowing his height with Eister, which gave him another reason to tease him even more until Eister got fed up and swore him down. The anger and pain was as tremendously pleasuring to hear from his 'leader', that he couldn't ever get angry at him for it and would always go back for more. And it was always Eister who seemed to be his battering post more then the others.

''Don't flatter jourself, Victor vith zhat smile either.'' Eister continued, clenching his hands together behind his back.

''Aw, because jou don't have a good enough one to show?'' Victor mocked, and he could tell it hurt. ''Oh, did I hurt jour feelings, Eister? Jou know I don't mean it...''

''Ah, zhen I must be insane.''

Eister turned to Victor, his hand gripping the man's shirt in his own and drawing his own face close enough to his so he could just merely feel the warm kisses of heat emitting of Victor's body. He smiled his Cheshire grin at Eister whom scowled in anger, his fingers threatening to shred the thin material of his shirt he wore. Victor felt his body press against Eister's, his well built chest hard like rocks caving against him, and his nose just inches away from Eister's pale one. There was a tangled thread wrapping around the two of them, knotting them together and there eyes seemed to burn into each other like flames being fuelled by the waving fan.

''Insane as much to hurt mien, Eister? Jou vouldn't.'' Victor said, in a solemn voice. ''Vee have been through to much.''

''Jou should know vhen to know jour place, Victor. Jou push it vay to far.'' Eister growled, his voice vibrating through Victor's body.

''Vat? Jou can't handle it?''

''I can, but jou know how Milo gets. I know vhy jou do it, and I know vhy jou zhink jou can do it.''

Eister's hand crawled up towards Victor's neck like a snake slithering it's way to it's desired place, his gloved hand gently leaning against his collar bone where he hesitated slightly and refused to move. Victor's face had been drawn up into a smile that emitted such a slight, puzzling casualness to the threat of being throttled by Eister. He looked as if he didn't care-at all-that he could be.

''Do it.'' Victor ordered.

Eister frowned, his eyes devouring Victor's smug smile. ''Jou are so irritatingly smart.''

Eister pushed Victor away, not hard enough to send him falling but gentle enough to make him back away from him and let him feel the cool breeze rush against his body. Eister looked to Victor who chuckled darkly, then to Healer who was still soundly floating in her sedated state.

There was a heavy block in the room, like a wall built up only around Eister and Victor that trapped them together in each other's thoughts and emotions and Eister's strong, suppressing stare that Victor wanted more of. He didn't know why. He didn't understand why he wanted Eister to harm him. And he didn't understand why he wanted to feel his touch again.

''Just make sure she is safe.'' Eister spoke, shattering the silence around them and through the broken numbness, he could hear the singing of the pipes and monitor again.

''I alvays do.'' Victor smiled.

''Hmm.''

Eister looked displeased. Victor just smiled addictively at him; Eister couldn't understand it and the light boring onto him made him feel as if he was naked, exposed to all and he wanted to hide away again, in the dark where he couldn't be seen by anyone.

Eister didn't say anything else, but instead left the room with his composure tilted closer to the edge of uneasiness and his head filled with thoughts that burned and rung through him like bells ringing aloud.

'I think I need a little healing.' He thought when he was alone in the hall. 'Or something to calm this dire emotion I have.'

Healer's Note: This chapter was a little hard to write, well only by a slim line mainly. It was easy because I got to write about Eister-the secretive character of the story. Don't worry, he will be in this story more often after this chapter and so will Milo and Raize, but I mainly focused on Victor because he is such a interesting character (as they all are) to write about, and I want to go further with him. I always find it a little hard to write about certain things such as sexual content, I won't lie, because it is such a careful thing you need to focus on and know how to prep and explain it without it getting confusing. But, I have some chapters that will be very dark and emotionally touching-well I hope anyway. It will be like that because it also helps me release someof my own feelings and thoughts, so that way I can improve on the chapter and make it meaningful and emotional.

Danke. (Thank you) For those who don't know what it means.