Slow Chemical
Chapter 12
Standing at the driver's side of the smashed up rental car, Rob frantically looked inside and found, to his relief and horror, no one. There was a small crack on the windshield and there were specks of blood on the steering wheel and on the driver's seat, but no Kane.
No Kane…
"He's injured! We have to find him!" the martial artist cried, his voice bordering on hysteria. "Where could he have gone?!"
"Hey, calm down…" Hurricane said from his place next to the passenger side, trying to keep his voice steady. "He can't be that injured… or he wouldn't have been able to get out of the car…"
RVD gestured to the blood on the steering wheel. "This didn't come with the car when we rented it!"
"Look, if he's injured, he couldn't have gone that far!" Terri suddenly stated, glancing around.
"Kane!" Rob cried, pushing himself away from the car and walking around. In the darkness he could barely see anything. There were no streetlamps, no lighting except from the moon, which provided very little light at all. The superhero and diva aided him in his search, but, to their chagrin, the trio found nothing…
His master had returned.
He wanted to resist.
He wanted to get away.
He wanted to live. With his partner. With Rob.
It was futile to resist.
Free will is an illusion.
Anybody he ever cared about always left him in the end. Mom. Dad. Brother. X-Pac. Tori. Katie…
The crushed Dodge burned in his memory, Kane began to understand.
Perhaps X-Pac, Mark and Tori had abandoned him because they knew…
Knew that he was capable of only destruction.
Katie was proof of that.
He had tried so hard to push Rob away. The martial artist had always remained so steadfast by his side…He dared to believe in Kane, and in return Kane had begun to believe…Unfortunately, reality was quick to remind him that a normal life was impossible.
Perhaps it was for the best.
Perhaps in trying to befriend the big man, Rob was heading towards his own destruction.
He cared about Rob, more than he thought himself capable of.
Rob cared about him…more than he thought anyone would.
Kane didn't want to go back to the hellish life that he thought he had abandoned. He didn't want to leave the solace of his companion's friendship, and the growing confidence that was beginning to develop with it. Yet, while the big man held no love for his master, he felt compelled to return to his side. Like a slave who knew nothing of a world of freedom, it was almost impossible for him to imagine a life different from the one free of his master's influence. It was just like every other time.
No, this time was different.
This time, his master had abandoned him. Abandoned him to a world that was almost as horrible as the one his master had provided. Almost.
In this terrible world Kane finally had found the companionship he had yearned for so long. For once, he had allowed himself to wonder if the life that he had strived for was finally within his grasp. To return to his master side would be to abandon the dream, forever. Could he really do that? When he was so close?
So close to solace?
Yet, could he fight against the inevitable?
What if…he did succeed in breaking away from his master…only to have Rob abandon him in the end?
Although his master promised only ruin, it was better than being completely alone.
Wasn't it?
Kane didn't know.
Sitting solemnly in his hotel room, Rob held his head in his hands. It was 3 AM, two days after their futile search. They had found nothing. Nothing.
Kane could be dead. They didn't know.
No one knew.
He was injured, where could he possibly have gone?
Terri had contacted all of the hospitals in that city and told them of the situation.
"We will call you as soon as he comes in," they had told her. Rob shook his head. Kane was not going to come. He hated hospitals, and was not in a mind state to think logically. He could be anywhere. Anywhere.
Ever since then he barely slept, and kept his cell phone with him at all times incase Kane decided to call. Glancing down at the small phone in his hands, the martial artist sighed.
Where are you, Kane?
He didn't know.
No one knew.
Sitting in a bus, leaning back against the seat, Kane sat silently. He didn't remember when or why he got on in the first place, or even how he got there to begin with. However, when the driver announced that they were heading towards Tallahassee, Kane glanced down at the paper in his hands. It was the paper that listed the location of all RAW's and paperviews for that year. The next RAW was in Tallahassee, so he was heading in the right direction.
Was he going there to return to his master?
Or to return to Rob?
He didn't know.
His mind felt numb, it hurt to think.
His body felt as if it had been, and still was, operating on autopilot.
A sudden laugh drew a stare from the others riding on the bus, but Kane didn't care. How ironic, his master had conditioned him so severely that he was almost invincible to physical trauma. What his master did not know, or perhaps he did, was that emotional stress had its way of taking a physical toll. It makes one do strange things, such as causing or ignoring physical ailments and necessities such as food or sleep, or even fulfilling these necessities without actually realizing it. It makes one eat a full-course meal, and an hour later wonder if he or she had eaten anything at all.
Another laugh drew even more stares, still Kane didn't care. He was getting philosophical, and in his mental state he couldn't even understand what point he was internally trying to make. It reminded him of the mental banter he would engage during his long and tortured nights in the basement, but the memory only brought him a vague discomfort. Pressing his fevered temple against the cold window, exhaustion began to wear at his senses. How long has it been since he slept? No matter how much he tried, the nightmares that stayed at the edges of his awareness had kept him awake. Glancing down at the paper in his hand, Kane vaguely noted the cuts and bruises on his arm. There were others concealed by his sweatshirt and pants.
Where had he gotten them from? He couldn't remember.
As exhaustion pulled him forcefully into unconsciousness, his eyes focused one last time on the paper.
He couldn't remember when or how he had found this bus, but he knew that, even unconsciously, he was being drawn to Tallahassee.
The location of the next RAW.
Where Rob, and his master, would be.
What did he plan to do once he got there?
He didn't know.
Standing with his back against the wall in the main locker room, Rob was consumed with worry. There had been no sign of Kane.
Terri and Greg had tried their best to cheer him up, but at this point the number of explanations the two could come up with were dwindling.
The three could only hope that the big man somehow found his way to this arena.
"Rob Van Dam," Eric Bischoff's calm voice emitted from the doorway. The three turned to regard him. "You're scheduled a match tonight against Triple H."
RVD sighed. He knew that, in his current state, he would not be able to defeat the Cerebral Assassin. But he had no choice. "Alright."
Throughout the brutal match, the martial artist found himself unable to focus. He was tired and sick with worry, and as a result was easily defeated by his monstrous opponent. Rob didn't care. He just wanted this match over and done with as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Triple H had other plans. Even after the match was over, he and the Nature Boy began to beat up on RVD. Although he tried to fight back, he was too tired and weak to get away.
He slammed heavily onto the mat from a harsh blow to his temple. Rob tried to get back up, but his body lacked the necessary energy. With a savage grin, Triple H grabbed his opponent by his hair when suddenly the pyros set around the ring erupted in flames. Startled, the Cerebral Assassin dropped his prey and staggered back.
RVD looked to the titantron with a gasp as the familiar music began to play.
Was he dreaming?
Could it be?
It was!
Kane…
Author's Note: I may not be able to update for about two weeks or so. I hope this chapter will be able to hold you til then. =D It's really late and time to go to bed. Nighty night all, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
