A/N - So I know what you're thinking, one quick update is just luck, what is going on? I know, I am also confused. I seem to have more work to do, but now I just avoid it by writing this instead. Not that I'm complaining. I can't believe this is chapter 10 when it was only supposed to be a OneShot. Maybe after this, you'll think it should have stayed that way... Anyway, on with the show.
Disclaimer - I own not this, nor any other work of the great Team StarKid. (Not that I'm suggesting this is the work of StarKid, because it's not, but, okay, I'll just shut up now…)
Up woke up to shouting. His head hurt. A lot. Thinking back, he tried to remember what was happening. Maybe he had a hangover, from the ball the night before. But that didn't explain the shouting. He recognised Taz' voice. Maybe Krayonder had just annoyed her again. Up couldn't help but get the feeling that wasn't what was happening. Something just wasn't right. As he attempted to reach up and wipe his face he realised what it was. He was lying on the floor. Tied to a chair. In a room that certainly wasn't his. It seemed more like a stage now he thought about it.
It all suddenly came back to him. He was supposed to be dead by now. And the others were supposed to be gone. Clearly, neither had happened. Taz was never very good at obeying orders.
The robots that had been trying to get information out of him had clearly gone to help fight. Although his head was pounding and his chest hurt, Up suspected a few broken ribs, he had to get out there and help. He could still hear Taz at the moment, but who knows how long it would be before it all went quiet. Up flinched at the thought and struggled fruitlessly with the ties around his wrists.
"Come on," muttered Up to himself, "you can do this. You eat eagles for breakfast, you sleep on a bed of fire, when you cut onions, the onion is the one that cries!" Up smiled. Come to think of it, he'd only ever cut an onion once in his life, when he was making a poor attempt at cooking for Taz, and the onion didn't exactly cry, he just dropped it in the sink… But anyway, tough! Up winced at the pain in his chest.
"Oh dead God! No! Taz?" Up heard a voice scream from behind the curtain.
Up's head jerked up and he began wriggling his hands and feet, trying to release the ties. The ones around his ankles snapped and he jumped up, trying to ignore the splitting pain in his chest. The chair was still clasped to him under his arms but he managed to dislodge it, knocking it to the ground with a clatter. He looked around nervously, hoping nothing had heard him. If they came in now he'd be a sitting duck.
The ties around his wrist seemed stronger than the ones that had been on his ankles so he instead concentrated on bringing his hands round in front of his body. He staggered awkwardly around the stage, cursing himself for not taking up some form of gymnastics earlier in life. Sure, people would have made fun of him, but at least he wouldn't be stuck bent over with one leg either side of his tied together arms. Smirking at what Taz would do if she saw him like this, Up remembered the earlier shout and pulled, lifting his leg higher than he'd thought humanely possible.
Finally, with his hands in front of him he stretched them out, before recoiling in shock. The ties had dug into his wrists and created gashes, which were bleeding and dripping on the floor. His hands still bound, he stepped towards the body of one of the G.L.E.E guards, killed when the robots had first taken control of the room. Bending down, he prised the dead man's zapper from his cold stiff hands and pulled the knife from his belt. As an afterthought, he closed the man's blank, staring eyes. He finally broke through the ties around his wrists with the man's knife and rubbed his wrists, breathing a sigh of relief.
Okay, now this was the time for tactics. Catch the robots unaware and it would be simple, child's play even. Up pondered how to do this, knowing charging in was not a smart thing to do.
A scream. Gasps. Up turned and ran through the curtain.
Screw tactics. Taz needed him and he wasn't going to let her down. Robots turned and he shot them down like it was a training exercise. Every shot, perfect.
When all the robots had been felled, Up ran to the crumpled figure on the floor. There was blood. There was blood everywhere. He could see the gash in her side, the gash he'd seen so many times before during the robot wars, the gash caused by the laser of a robot.
Up fell to the floor and suddenly his few broken ribs and bloody wrists were insignificant. His chest hurt, but only because it felt like his heart had been ripped out. Not Taz. Not again. The blood was draining from her face and pouring out of the wound in her side. He pressed his hands down on the wound desperately, trying to stop the flow of blood. Her head turned, her eyes flickering slightly, and he swung her onto his lap, cradling her like a child.
"Up?" Taz' voice was quiet, it was no more than a whisper, but it didn't need to be, Up heard.
"It's gonna be okay, Taz, I promise," Up found himself saying. His words sounded fake and he knew it. Even Krayonder, the most gullible person he had ever met wouldn't believe that, let alone Taz, the person who knew his mind better than he did.
"Sorry Up," she whispered softly.
"No, Taz," Up choked out. "There's nothing to be sorry for," he paused, then ordered Specs beside him, without taking his eyes off the broken girl in his arms. "Get the emergency first aid. Now."
"Up? I think I'm going to break our promise," her words were more forced now.
"No, you're not gonna die on me, not now, not anytime soon," Up reassured her. "You've done some things you said you'd never do," Up teased, imitating her accent gently. "But one thing you said you'd never do is die on me. Got it?"
"Uhuh…" Taz had resorted to murmuring, talking clearly beyond her, although Up could tell she was listening as she smiled weakly at his poor imitation of her accent.
"I love you, Taz." Up whispered as he leant down, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Te amo, Up," she whispered, her voice strong, before it cracked, her eyes rolling and her body going limp in his arms.
"No," Up said. "No. No." His voice got louder. "No!" He screamed, then collapsed, clutching the slumped Taz in his arms, his body racked with sobs.
A/N - I'm guessing you kind of hate me now, I don't blame you, I do too… It wasn't going to happen, but it kind of did. I'm sorry people…