Author's Note: Thanks all for your reviews, keep 'em coming! Next update as promised, so read on...
Disclaimer: They are not mine, and never shall be.
Dedication: To all my faithful reviewers: BrieStarWarsQueen, InconspicuousBunny, Mommys-Little-Nightmare, RoseNoir90, Sara Noir, RoxxiSanders, swisstony, xxpipxx and SisiDraig.
Warning: Scenes involving fairly graphic violence, not sure if I should put the rating up or not...
"Taken." Howard was amazed at how calm his voice sounded, but then the hysteria started rising up inside him and he virtually screamed at Naboo. "What the hell do you mean taken?" Naboo looked faintly ill, his usually pale face was almost white.
"We need to find Pete, Howard." Howard pounded the brick wall in his frustration, grazing his knuckles.
"What on earth has Pete got to do with this? I swear Naboo, if you don't start giving me some answers right now..."
"Alright, alright, calm down will ya? I can only tell you a little bit of what I think is going on, I can't tell you the rest of it."
"Can't or won't?" Howard demanded.
Naboo looked at him sadly. "Can't. Believe me, Howard, I can't. Now get on the carpet, I'm gonna see if it can find Pete for us."
Realising that further argument would be useless and counter-productive Howard got onto the magic carpet, his legs feeling like they were going to collapse under him at any moment. Bollo shuffled up a bit to make room for him, and then they were soaring into the night sky. Naboo took out his navigator and started waving his hands over it and muttering nonsensical words to himself.
Howard gazed at the stars, tears starting to prickle behind his eyelids. Just a few minutes ago he and Vince had been together, laughing and joking. He could still see Vince in his mind, spinning around the dancefloor in his glittery suit, dark hair flying. He could see him skipping over to their table, sitting in his lap. He blinked furiously and then suddenly a slightly dirty handkerchief was being waved in front of his face. He looked around to see Bollo, who had shuffled a little closer.
"We find Vince, Howard."
Howard sniffed, and gratefully took the proffered handkerchief, muttering his thanks. It meant a lot that Bollo was concerned about him, and had even made the effort to get his name right. Naboo twisted around from his position at the front of the carpet.
"Howard, what's Pete's full name?'
"Moss. Pete Moss. I don't think he has a middle name."
"Right."
Naboo muttered Pete's name over the navigator and suddenly little green and red lights began to flash. Howard craned over to look, interested despite himself. Naboo looked satisfied, and slightly hopeful.
"Right. I've put it on automatic, it's a new gadget from the Shaman Council, I'm glad it works. It should take us to wherever Pete is now."
"And Pete's got Vince?"
"Yes." There was silence for a few minutes. Naboo seemed to be struggling to find words to explain.
"Okay, listen up Howard. There's this prophecy that concerns you and Vince, the Shaman Council, and Pete. I was given it years and years ago, just before I started working in the Zoo, before I met you both. I flicked through it and stored it away – pretty much forgot about it. I can't tell you exactly what it says, because without the rest of the Council here it's forbidden, but I can tell you that if it comes true then life..." he paused, his eyes filled with anxiety, "... well, it would be a disaster. You see you and Vince, when you're together, you sort of exude this energy, a kind of lifeforce. Your two different personalities fit together and the Shaman Council has been running most of its magic off that energy. Even when you fight it's still there, because you're together. Do you understand me?"
Howard nodded, a little bemused.
"Right. So anyway, the prophecy, well it predicts that one day something will come along to threaten that bond and if the threat succeeds then the energy will be broken. The Shaman Council will be broken. The fallout would be felt everywhere. I did think briefly that the incident with the Flighty Zeus was that threat, turned out it was just a couple of twats with identity issues." Howard managed a small smile. "I'm so sorry Howard, I should have seen this sooner. Vince even came to me and said that he was worried that there was something up with Pete. I could sense it but I was so busy, I just forgot about it."
Howard nodded slowly. "So... Pete is the threat, then? You're sure about this?"
"I wish I could tell you why he is, Howard, but I can't. It's probably better to hear it from him anyway." Naboo turned back to the navigator, and Howard wiped the tears from his eyes with Bollo's handkerchief. Even though he didn't want to ask, he knew he had to.
"So... if we don't get there in time is Pete, is he going to hurt Vince? Naboo? You have to tell me. Is Vince in danger?"
Naboo didn't trust himself to turn around, but he slowly nodded his head.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Vince groaned as he blearily opened his eyes. There was a pounding pain in his temples, and pretty much everywhere hurt. But as soon as he'd opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't. He was in a huge room which appeared to be some sort of warehouse. There were large wooden boxes stacked around all the walls. He was right in the middle, by the looks of things. He hauled himself into a sitting position, and realised that his ankles were chained to a large metal ring which was buried in the concrete floor. Acting on autopilot he raised his hands, blessedly unchained, to his head and fluffed his hair, kind of wishing that he had a mirror handy. He was pretty sure that being kidnapped and bodily thrown into a car would not have done his hair any favours.
There was a noise at the other end of the warehouse, behind him. It sounded like a door opening, and then slamming shut again. Vince twisted round, peering into the gloom at the other end of the enormous room. Footsteps echoed around the cavernous space, coming closer and closer to where Vince was sat.
Eventually a figure emerged. Vince couldn't help but gasp. It was Pete, striding down towards him. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were twisted into a horrible maniacal grin. He was also, and Vince's heart almost stopped at this point, carrying a gun in his left hand. In short, he looked totally deranged. Vince realised that this Pete was a lot different than the narrow-minded bully that he'd had him down for. This Pete was definitely on the road to being a complete psychopath.
Pete stopped a couple of feet away from where Vince was chained, and looked down at him, a smirk twisting his thin lips.
"So, the little fairy boy has woken up has he?"
Vince didn't think he trusted himself to answer. There was clearly no reasoning with his captor, so for once, he kept his mouth shut. Pete must have seen the fear shining out of his eyes though, because he barked out a laugh, and started circling him.
"Oh yes. You're starting to wish you'd kept your pointy little nose out of my business, aren't you? You're starting to wish you'd left my Howard alone."
Vince couldn't stop himself. "Your Howard? What are you talking about, you freak?" The smirk dropped off Pete's face, and before Vince knew what was happening, Pete had punched him in the temple with the butt end of the gun. He collapsed back onto the floor, groaning, and automatically raised his hands to his head.
Pete glared down at him. "You have absolutely no idea how totally insignificant you are in Howard's life, do you? I know Howard. He's after deeper connections with people. He might think he loves you now, but we both know that you'll drop him the minute someone better comes along. You've contaminated him, and you've managed to bewitch him somehow. You've taken him away from me!" Pete practically screamed the last part, and with no warning whatsoever, booted Vince in the ribs.
Vince cried out in pain, he was sure he'd heard something crack. He painfully hoisted himself back up to a sitting position. He'd had enough of taking Pete's bullshit, and even though he was chained to the floor, his voice rose up in defiance.
"Pete, Howard's not the deluded one, mate. It's you. You need help. It can't be making you happy, being so angry all the time. I could help you. I reckon once you've been to a proper stylist and found your look, things would be loads better..."
"Angry?" Pete shouted, spittle spraying from his mouth. "You bet I'm angry! How someone like you could lure Howard away from me. You're scum, no, you're below scum. Your sort shouldn't even be allowed to live. And that's what I'm gonna make Howard realise. Oh, he'll come here to rescue you, I'm counting on that. But I'm going to make him see what a waste of space you are. I'm going to make him see how I'm the only one he can truly count on."
Vince realised that his usual technique of talking his way out danger hadn't worked. Pete was clearly not the type of psycho who could be dissuaded from his evil plan by a judicious application of accessories and a new hairstyle, unlike the Ape of Death. Instead he went for his plan B, which basically involved him insulting Pete as much as possible.
"You're just jealous that it's me that Howard loves, and not you. You could never hope to be as important to anyone as we are to each other. You tried to break us apart, and you failed, miserably. Basically, Pete, you're a bit of a loser, and Howard finally realised that. Your other plan backfired, and this one will too..."
Pete let out a roar of anger, raised the gun, and fired.
The bullet found Vince's right shoulder, and a searing pain shot through his entire body. He slumped back to the floor, the concrete around his body slowly turning red as blood gushed from the wound. Vince raised one hand weakly to his shoulder, clutching it, trying in vain to staunch the bloodloss.
Through the agony, he heard Pete's footsteps start heading away again, and the words that Pete parted with.
"You have no idea just how important Howard and me are to each other. Once he knows that, he'll leave you and never look back."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Naboo can't this thing go any faster?"
"It's going as fast as it can, Howard." Naboo's voice was strained and tense. They'd been flying for what seemed like hours to them all, though it could only have been fifteen minutes. Howard was still hunched at the back of the carpet, hugging his knees. Although he knew it wasn't Naboo's fault he was still agitated at how long this journey was taking. Vince was in danger, and this was one time where he was the one relying on Howard to save him. Howard wasn't about to let him down.
Naboo glanced around to check on his passengers and saw Howard slumped at the back, staring at a snapshot picture of Vince that he kept in his wallet. The picture was one where Howard had caught Vince off-guard. The younger man's body was in profile, but he'd turned his head round when he'd heard Howard's call. He was grinning, but slightly anxiously as though he expected to be told off for something. It had been taken in the morning, so even though Vince had naturally done his hair and make-up, it wasn't the full-on glamour look that he went for in the evenings. This Vince looked natural and innocent, and completely defenseless. Howard had picked it out of the thousands of Vince that they had in the flat for this exact reason. It reminded him of the naive assistant zookeeper that Vince used to be, the Vince that had looked up to Howard.
Without saying a word Naboo urged the carpet to try and go faster. He was starting to worry that they wouldn't get there in time, though he didn't say this to Howard. It would probably send him over the edge.
Five Minutes Later
Naboo peered down at the dark streets, and then glanced back at the navigator. It looked like this was where they were supposed to be. The navigator was flashing all different colours, and beeping at them. Howard sensed Naboo's anxiety, and sat up straight, putting the picture of Vince back in his wallet.
"Are we here, Naboo?"
The tiny shaman peered uncertainly over the edge of the carpet again.
"I think so," he replied doubtfully. "This is where the navigator has sent us. But we're in the middle of the disused industrial estate. This place hasn't been in use for years."
"Well then, isn't this likely to be right? Pete wouldn't exactly choose the centre of town if he'd kidnapped someone, would he? Somewhere like this," Howard waved his arm vaguely, "makes perfect sense."
Naboo nodded tensely, and started to guide the carpet earthward.
As soon as they landed Howard jumped off the carpet immediately, and started scanning the area. The closest building to them was a huge warehouse that looked derelict. The windows were boarded up with rotting wood and graffitti was scrawled all over its walls. Naboo got off the carpet, stored it away, and consulted his navigator again.
"Well, this is it, apparently."
The three of them stood and stared at the building. In the darkness it looked menacing and intimidating, looming up so high that its roof was lost to sight.
None of them seemed certain what to do, now that they were actually here. Howard took the lead, and moved forward a few steps. He knew instinctively that it was a bad idea to try the front door. They didn't want to let Pete know that they were there. Instead he started circling round to the other side of the building, looking for a second way in. He heard footsteps behind him, and realised that Naboo and Bollo were following his lead. Glancing at the windows he quickly eliminated them as a possibility. About halfway down the wall he found what he was looking for. There was a small wooden door set into the brickwork. Howard stopped, and waited for Bollo and Naboo to catch up.
Once they were all stood together he started talking in a low urgent voice.
"Bollo, you should stay out here, if you see Pete anywhere tell us immediately. Naboo come in with me, but hang back slightly. If we find Vince, I'll go and get him, and we'll come straight back out this way, alright?"
Naboo nodded, realising to his surprise that Howard was actually very good at taking charge, given the chance. Bollo heaved at the door for them, and it opened with a small creak. Then he positioned himself at the threshold, and Howard and Naboo crept past him and into the warehouse.
Rearing up in front of them were huge wooden boxes. There was light coming from somewhere just beyond them, and, peering through the gap in some boxes, they realised that the boxes were stacked along the wall.
Moving down a few paces Howard peeked through another gap. He had to stifle a gasp as he saw Vince right in the middle of the warehouse. His boyfriend was lying on the concrete on his side, hair falling over his face. To Howard's horror he saw that Vince was surrounded by what looked horribly like blood. Hard though it was Howard drew back. The last thing he should do was go blazing in there. He turned to Naboo and had an urgent whispered conversation with him.
Naboo agreed to stay by the boxes and keep an eye out. Howard glanced out again – looking for any sign of Pete, and seeing no-one, slid out from between the boxes.
The warehouse was massive. There was one singular bald lightbulb hanging from the ceiling almost directly above Vince, but that was all. The rest of the warehouse was lost in the gloom. Howard fully realised that this meant that Pete could easily be hiding amongst the boxes, but he would have to risk it.
He ran across to Vince, choking back tears. When he reached him, he knelt down on the cold concrete, and slipped an arm under Vince's neck. As he hoisted him up, he noticed for the first time the metal ring and Vince's chained ankles.
"Oh shit," he muttered to himself. As he looked back at Vince the younger man stirred and groaned. His eyes fluttered open, and when he focussed on Howard they widened in absolute terror and he started fighting to get away from him.
"Shhh, shhh. Vince! It's Howard. It's Howard, Vince. Calm down, it's okay, I've got you." Gradually Vince stopped kicking, and the only sound was his ragged gasps as he looked at Howard properly.
"Howard?"
"I've got you, Vince." Vince's slim body sagged with relief. Howard smoothed a lock of dark hair back from his forehead, and noticed the violent bruise from the butt of the gun. He hugged Vince to him, but released him when Vince squealed in pain.
"What's wrong?"
"M-my shoulder..." Howard looked down at the wound that was clearly visible. The glittery suit was stained red all around it. Blood was still leaking, soaking into Howard's new shirt.
"Oh shit. Oh Vince, what did he do to you?"
"Gun. Howard, he's got a gun! He's insane!" Vince's eyes suddenly widened in alarm, and he stared over Howard's shoulder.
"Howard, watch out!" Howard heard Naboo's warning shout too late. A fist connected with the side of his head and he was knocked to the ground. Vince collapsed back onto the concrete.
Howard moaned and raised himself off the floor. The scene in front of him was one out of his worst nightmares. His former friend, Pete Moss, had grabbed Vince off the floor and was holding him upright, one muscular arm around his slim throat. Vince was choking and struggling for breath. Pete's other hand held his gun, and it was pointed right at Vince's head. Howard glanced around as he very slowly stood up.
He raised his hands in a placating gesture and took a step forward.
"Pete, mate, what are you doing?"
Pete's ice-grey eyes narrowed in disgust. "I'm doing what you should have done a long time ago, Howard. This little bitch," he tightened his hold around Vince's neck, "should have been dealt with. He doesn't deserve you."
Howard's brain raced to make sense of what he was hearing. There was no sign of Naboo or Bollo. He just had to keep Pete talking, and make sure that he didn't hurt Vince.
"Naboo mentioned something about a prophecy. He said you'd explain it to me." Pete's eyes glinted with pleasure.
"Oh yes. The prophecy. I don't really care about that. All I really care about is reuniting my family."
Howard stood still, totally confused. Family? Was that what Pete had said? Did he want him to join some sort of strange, perverted cult or something?
"Family?" he asked tentatively. Pete threw his head back and laughed raucously.
"Oh Howard, Howard, Howard. You really don't know?"
Howard shook his head, his eyes still focussed absolutely on Vince's terrified blue ones.
"You'll have to enlighten me, sir."
Pete spoke his next words slowly, emphasising each one. "You belong with me, Howard. We're family. Brothers. Twins, in fact. Same mother, same father. Twins."
Don't worry, more will be explained, and perhaps a happy ending will be reached! Please leave me reviews, cos I loves 'em.