Title: Round and Round, part 11
Author's Notes: Enjoy.
Beta Reader: My wonderful hubby, WingedPanther73. Thanks for putting up with this slashy-fic!
Word Count = 3,136
August 18, 2011 2:40 pm
Crawford relaxed his mind when a subtle buzzing pressed in; he up-shifted his car and merged with traffic. After that, he formed the thought, :What is it?:
:Masafumi just flew into town. Old Man Takatori is having a meeting with him and his filthy whores.:
"Damn!" Crawford swore. His phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. He answered his phone, calmly, "Crawford here."
"Where are you?" Takatori asked, gruff as always.
"Downtown. I had to run an errand for Eszett," Crawford lied, pushing his game with Ken out of his mind.
"Get here, now," Takatori ordered. Then the line went dead. Crawford tucked his phone away and turned down a side street short cut.
:Meet me at Takatori's office. Bring everyone.: Schuldig withdrew from Crawford's mind. Crawford inhaled deeply when a faint trickle of a vision happened. Takatori and his son were going to have a fight. Things where going to turn ugly.
His skin started to tingle, it felt as if this was a calm before a storm.
Ken walked upstairs to the apartment above the flower shop. Aya was in the living room watching the news and sipping pungent tea. Ken wasn't surprised, but he was hoping to not run into any of his teammates.
"Manx is looking for you," Aya said before Ken had a chance to remove his jacket.
"What does she want?" Ken asked, aggravated. He wanted time to think about his situation with Crawford, if he should just embrace his relationship or attempt to reject the American clairvoyant again. He'd rather put off his obligation to Weiss at the moment.
"Don't know. She's at the coffee shop," Aya replied, picking up a book. Ken let out a deep sigh, turned around and headed back down to the alleyway. He jogged across the busy street towards the warm glow of the coffee shop. He easily spotted Manx by her hair.
He took a seat across from her in the booth. She had no coffee in front of her and her expression was grim. Her eyes grew fierce when she looked at him.
"Aya said you wanted to see me?"
"I followed you earlier tonight."
"Wha... why?" Ken felt the color drain from his face.
"Because Persia thinks there's a leak that Schwarz is exploiting. I wasn't sure, but now I am after seeing you meet a Schwarz member at a hotel."
A cold wave of panic hit Ken's stomach. He clenched his hands together and lowered his eyes. His mind tacked around for a way out, there was none. He knew this was a possibility, but it was one he pushed out of thoughts the longer he maintained his tryst with Crawford.
"How could you?" Manx snapped when Ken didn't respond.
"It's not what you think."
"Listen, if you went willingly, that's one thing, and it will be dealt with. But, Ken..." Her softening voice caused Ken to look at her again. Her face switched from anger to concern. "But if what happened was against your will, if Schwarz has done something to you, I need to know. You can help me set a trap for Schwarz. I'll be circumspect about what I know, if you agree to help me."
He let out a huff of air. If he were honest with her, there would be no telling what Kritiker would do. They were dealing with the death of an agent, suspecting Schwarz involvement. His relationship with Crawford would deem him guilty. If he lied, he'd be obligated to help Manx catch Crawford or, worse, kill him. It was a choice he hadn't been prepared for: Crawford's safety or his own. His heart thudded painfully as he committed to his choice.
"I won't help you." A weigh lifted off his shoulders.
"You can't be serious? You're engaged in a willing affair with the Oracle?"
"Yes," he answered softly. Manx's disapproving expression was back. Her lips pressed together tightly.
"Tell me how badly you've compromised Weiss. Now. And don't leave out anything."
"I've never once betrayed Weiss or Kritiker. I've done nothing to put them in danger."
"You'll be questioned about that later. Best come clean now. And also tell me about your contact with the Schwarz team."
"It's just been Crawford and me... meeting. I don't think his guys know about me. I'm telling the truth, though. I didn't do anything to harm Weiss or anyone else. I made sure of that"
"Then your involvement with the Oracle was just... physical?" Ken blushed and nodded at her question. "I don't know that I can trust you, Ken. A friend of mine died because of Schwarz, most likely Crawford gave the orders."
Ken couldn't deny that. He had never deluded himself into believing Crawford had pure hands or pure intentions.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Several months, but I'm trying to stop meeting him," Ken said.
She nodded, rose, and grabbed her purse. "Since you won't help me eliminate the Oracle, I have to turn you over to Kritiker." Ken sighed and nodded at her decision. "Go back to your loft, gather your weapons, and tell Aya you're quiting. Do not tell Aya any details about this. Don't try to run off. I have Burman and Botan watching to make sure you go peacefully. If you don't, Weiss' top priority will be to kill the Oracle to seal this leak. Understand? When we get downtown, I'll inform Persia about this whole thing."
"Downtown?"
"Yes. Uma Sanatorium, it's run by Kritiker. It's used for interrogations. Ken, you've given me no choice."
"Can't you appeal to Persia?" He looked for any sign of hope from Manx, but she was so grave.
"He'd order the same. Ken, you've given me no choice. Considering Josie's death, my hands are tied."
He swallowed and stood slowly on shaky feet. "I'll go. Just don't put out a hit on Crawford."
"...and I want to know what Crawford was doing at my lab!" Masafumi said, pointing a finger toward the clairvoyant. The man then slammed his fist on his father's desk. Reiji raised an eyebrow and took another drag from his cigar.
Crawford looked around the room. Schreient was standing across the office, all looked at Crawford with murderous rage. He was grateful he wasn't a telepath at that moment. He glanced over to the rest of Schwarz and returned Schuldig's smirk.
"Listen, son, you've been using my money to fund your project. If I have..."
Crawford's eyes unfocused, he could no longer hear the bickering Takatoris. The premonition hit him hard, almost with a blinding headache. He saw the same vision from the first night he had dinner with Ken. The insane asylum again.
Once again, the Balinese would rage at Crawford and plan to murder him. The Weiss assassin would then accuse him of destroying Ken's life. Crawford would insist it was Ken's loyalty and honesty that destroyed everything Weiss and Schwarz were. Crawford's malevolence would grow; he would loft the gun at Balinese and demand to know in which sanatorium Kritiker had put Ken.
But now more hit Crawford. Ken was strapped down to a bed, a ruined mind due to a lobotomy. A sickness and overwhelming fury would come to Crawford. And then he would raise his gun to Ken's forehead and pull the trigger. The loud bang broke his trance before he saw Ken dead.
Schuldig was now wearing a concerned expression. :Brad?:
He turned to the Takatoris and said, "I've got an urgent matter I must attend to."
"Not until you explain what you were doing in my lab."
"And why you let Siberian go," Hell chimed in. "Do you have some secret alliance?"
"Not hardly. And this can't wait. I'll be back quickly," Crawford said, reaching for his phone in his suit pocket.
"Make it quick," Reiji snapped, and waved Crawford towards the door.
:Where are you going, Brad?:
:Just keep control of things here.:
Ken shoved some of his clothing in a duffel bag. He fought to keep his hands from trembling. Aya had taken the quick resignation with aplomb and left after telling Ken to leave the loft and shop keys on the kitchen table. Nothing more, no questions about anything, which Ken was grateful for.
Ken started when his cell phone rang. He dug it out from his jeans' pocket and wasn't surprised to see Crawford's number. He knew the right thing would be to ignore it, but he was certain this would be the last chance to talk to Crawford for a very long time.
"Brad," he answered, sitting on his bed.
"Where are you?"
"I'm at home. For now," he answered, mulling over how to break the news to Crawford.
"Something has happened. What happened?"
"Kritiker found out. An agent followed me tonight. I have to go meet with them."
"I had a vision. You need to get away. You'll never leave if they get you to that asylum."
Ken slightly flinched and asked, "How did you know Uma was where they're taking me? Your vision?"
"Yes."
"I have to go with them, otherwise they'd target you. I refused to lie and tell them you brainwashed me. She hoped you'd manipulated me and she was going to get me to set a trap for you. I refused to do that."
"I can handle myself," he said dryly. "So don't worry about me. Get yourself out of the situation. Only bad things will happen once you hand yourself over to them. Once you go, the future will be set."
"Listen, I can handle this. Let me talk to them and explain myself. Let me get this over with. Good bye. I'll call you when I can," Ken said and quickly hit the disconnect button with his thumb.
He hopped off the bed, jammed his phone in his pocket, and continued his packing. He steadied his breathing and wondered if Crawford's premonition was right. He shook his head. Manx was harsh with him, but she wouldn't do anything to actually harm him.
Ken slipped up and Crawford was grateful. He said the word 'Uma.' Crawford consulted his smart phone and found the asylum they were taking Ken to. He marched to the parking garage as his brain manufactured a plan to free Ken.
:Hey, I sense you're leaving. Where are you going. The Takatoris are fighting again.:
:I've got some business with Kritiker to deal with. Tell Takatori I have to reschedule for tomorrow. Tell him that Eszett requested I run an errand. He'll accommodate me for their orders. He's too greedy for Eszett's power.:
:You're letting a Mundane lead you around. It's very unbecoming.:
:Leave it alone, Schuldig, or you'll regret it.:
:Fine, go tango with Kritiker. I'll handle things here.:
Crawford started his car and peeled out of the parking garage. He wove his car in and out of traffic. Fortunately, the asylum was very close. His plans solidified and the bubbles of a premonition struck again.
If he went to save Ken, he'd be shot by a redheaded woman, other than that, he couldn't see success or failure. Regardless, he had let things go on with Ken too long. Now he was in danger of losing control over that particular future. That was something Crawford's ego wouldn't allow.
Ken looked over to Manx. She was rather cool towards him, concentrating on her driving. He slouched in the seat, relieved it was just the two of them. His mind drifted to the kids he coached. He wondered what they'd be told.
His mind jolted back as Manx slammed on the brakes. She swore as he noticed Crawford's distinctive car blocking the narrow, empty road. Crawford stood there in a white dress shirt and white slacks. The headlights of Manx's car gave him an eerie glow.
Ken instantly felt elated that Crawford had pursued him, but he quickly got aggravated. Crawford's appearance would only make things worse.
Crawford raised his arm, a gun in his hand, and pointed it at Ken. Ken's heart pounded painfully. Shattering glass flew around Ken as a hot sting hit his shoulder. A second hot sting hit his arm. Ken blacked out instantly and slumped forward.
Manx jumped from her car with the ruined windshield and drew her gun. She crouched behind her open car door. Glancing at Ken, his shirt was bloody and he was unresponsive.
"Freeze! You're under arrest!" she shouted, training her gun on the Oracle.
The man chuckled and pushed his glasses high on his nose. "Just getting rid of something worthless to me. No matter how hard I tried, he just wouldn't crack and help me set up Weiss."
"What? He didn't betray Weiss?" Guilt washed over her, realizing she was about to commit Ken for no reason. Now that action had gotten him shot.
"Not once would he reveal any secrets. Now I couldn't risk you turning him against me."
She watched him turn to get in his car. Anger burned hot when she glanced over to Ken. "Freeze, you traitor! How could you do something like this to him?"
"Because he's expendable like all of Weiss. You see him that way, too. Weren't you going to throw him to the wolves?" The Oracle shrugged, put his gun in his shoulder holster, and said, "He's better off this way."
"Monster!" She screamed and squeezed the trigger several times as he quickly got in his car. The small red car speed off. She stood slowly, not sure if she'd hit the Oracle. She gasped and shouted, "Ken!"
He groaned weakly and tried to raise his left hand. She quickly retrieved her cell phone and dialed for help.
"Brad, Brad, Brad. No sex is worth taking a bullet." Schuldig was still gloating when they got home from Takatori's personal doctor. Crawford's shoulder was stiff. The woman had wounded him from behind in the left shoulder. Overall, it wasn't serious.
"Leave it alone, Schuldig. It's finished now."
"I guess shooting your lover is one way to break up," Schuldig said, following Crawford through the front door. Nagi sprang off the sofa, giving him a worried look. Schuldig waved Nagi back down and said, "He's fine, I told you."
"Where's Farfarello?" Crawford asked.
"He's following Schreient. I figured it'll be a good idea, because they aren't going to let this thing with Masafumi's lab drop," Schuldig explained.
"Good. We'll take care of them tomorrow. Why don't you get to bed, Nagi. It's late," Crawford suggest.
"I'm glad you're okay," Nagi said and left towards his bedroom.
Crawford headed down the hallway, as well. "Going to go nurse your wounds?" Schuldig asked. Crawford wanted to beat the smugness out of Schuldig.
He pushed his glasses up and said, "Be ready tomorrow to concentrate on Schreient. Weiss won't be an issue for a while."
He turned from Schuldig and marched to his home office and slammed the door. He fell into the chair behind the desk and turned on his computer. He fixed himself a scotch, and brought up the music player. He clicked on that one particular Joy Division song that had played the night after his first dinner with Ken.
He wouldn't let love tear him apart like the song's refrain echoed. He'd focus and get back to the work of creating a world where Talents ruled Mundanes. He just hoped Ken would grow to hate him for what he'd done, so he wouldn't be distracted from Schwarz again.
Ken stiffly moved down the alleyway behind the flower shop. He hoisted a bag of trash into the dumpster, his wounds still painful after a week. This was his first day working at the shop, and Manx said it would be another two weeks before she assigned him a mission.
He frowned at the thought of Manx. When he woke up at the hospital it was just her by his bedside. She had told him what Crawford had said and it crushed him horribly. It was a game and Ken had suddenly become a liability. She was very remorseful and kind. She covered up his affair to Persia and his Weiss teammates. She also claimed to Weiss that Ken's shooting was a random act during a covert mission.
With her cover, she gave a stern warning to him to never let anything like that happen again. Ken promised her it wouldn't. And he intended to keep his word. Especially, since Crawford's attempted murder. Ken paused and leaned against the brick wall facing the dumpster.
He remember the time Crawford shot at him in Masafumi's lab. Something wasn't right. If Crawford truly wanted Ken dead, he would be. Crawford's abilities would let him know he had failed. A glimmer of hope came to the surface. Ken remembered that first, passionate kiss; he was still damp from the rain and chilled, but Crawford had taken his mind off of that. He wanted to relive that one moment. The thrill and uncertainly was intoxicating.
He had his cell phone in his hand before thinking about it. He hesitated for a moment. He hadn't had any contact with Crawford since the shooting, and all he had to go on was what Manx told him. What if Crawford had been right about what was going to happen and was trying to save him from Kritiker? Was Crawford trying to cast doubt in Manx's mind and get her to relent on her judgment? Ken wasn't sure, but he was willing to give Crawford credit for thinking of something that devious.
Ken threw out caution and dialed Crawford's number. He didn't breath until the click and then the feminine tone announced, "This number has been disconnect. No forwarding number is available. This number has been disconnect. No forwarding number is available."
Ken's thumb hit the disconnect and he put his phone away. He left the alleyway towards the shop, disquieted and craving answers.
End.
Special thanks to WingedPanther73, who really gave me this great idea for this ending. I was totally stumped, now I'm totally grateful. I really enjoyed writing this story so much. Ken is certainly one of my favorite characters to work with. Thanks for your patience with me turning this one out. I really appreciate all of you for taking the time to read. Thanks so much.
