Rosenkreuz… sweet Rosenkreuz
Part 14: Vacation's End
*message to rikkali- You heard this was abandoned? No… just on hold while I moved to Japan and got access to internet again. I don't abandon fics in the middle… it may take me a while to finish them, but I don't abandon them!*
It had been a little over a month since he'd left the joyous confines of Rosenhell. Bren posed on his 'corner' waiting for clients. He tossed his cigarette into the gutter and watched the early evening crowd. It was in fact a little TOO early for the types of customers he was waiting for. But he would rather be out here then in that den of depravity that he lived in. Hans himself never touched the drugs he pedaled to his employees, but he subtly encouraged their consumption. Bren found his coworkers' thoughts became even more chaotic with the addition of the drugs, so he preferred to absent himself from their presence. The only options were to stay away or get stoned himself.
Now Bren had nothing against taking a little 'holiday' from reality… but he restrained himself to times when he didn't have to work. Working while high was NOT a good idea. Clients tended to cheat you and you were likely to end up dumped in a gutter, possibly dead. No drugs while working.
After work… well, THAT was a different story. And speaking of work… a car was slowing down as it approached his corner.
**
/Hmmm… not bad…/ He pocketed the bills and left the hotel room. /Wish I had more 'customers' like this one… tourists are usually the best./ This one had taken him to a decent hotel, not far from his usual haunts, got him something to eat, and didn't even try to cheat him. The one drawback had been that the man reminded him of Brad…
/No! I'm not going to think about him… I'm out of there… I'm going to STAY out of there… and I'll never see Brad again!/
He jumped eagerly into the next car that slowed for him. Desperate to get all thoughts of the American out of his head…
**
/Oh shit oh shit oh shit…/ Bren clutched at his head. /I knew there was a reason I didn't do that crap…/ With supreme effort he forced the other thoughts out of his mind and behind the hastily erected shield. It took far more energy than it should have, and far too long… but finally… silence. The redhead groaned and uncurled from the pained fetal position he's woken in and stretched out on the narrow bed. /Fuck…/ He reached over the edge of the bed for his cigarettes. He wasn't sure what Hans had given him last night, but the aftereffects sucked. Last night however… he smiled slightly around the cigarette he was trying to light with shaking hands. Last night was wonderful. He didn't know what 'normal' people felt like on that drug, but for him… quiet… blissful, total quiet.
He'd been able to go into the club downstairs and enjoy himself without the headache. He found he liked the club. Especially the dancing. For some reason, he seemed to have been graced with some talent, judging by the appreciative looks he'd received. He liked the attention, females, males… didn't matter to him. He danced and flirted with them all. But he especially liked taunting Hans. The older guy had been watching him all night, with a look of undisguised lust. He'd been trying to get the redhead alone in a corner all night. Bren hadn't been entirely comfortable with the looks, but Schuldich. Schuldich liked 'playing' with the man. Teasing him with his body, with the way he moved, but always from a distance. And then at the end of the night, he'd slammed the door in Hans' face.
Now that the shaking in his hands had quieted, Bren decided it was about time he got some food. It was mid-afternoon already, and he had to 'work' in a few hours. He dressed and left his box of a room, at least it was private if not spacious. Hans' door opened as he passed by. The young man glared at Bren.
"I'd like a word with you." He sounded pissed.
"I'd like to get something to eat." Schuldich drawled in a tone guaranteed to further anger the man.
"Now."
"You don't own me." Hans' scowl deepened. /Oh, please. You have a LONG way to go to match Brad… or anyone 'there' for that matter./ "I'm going to eat. Then I will come back up, alright?" For a second, Bren really thought Hans was going to blow… then he huffed loudly and nodded.
"Fine… but don't go out tonight without seeing me. I've got a job for you."
**
He knew this was a bad idea from the moment he walked into the room. Hans had shoved the piece of paper with the address on it with a smirk, saying only that 'Schuldich' had been requested. The address was in one of the better areas of town, that SHOULD have been his first tip-off. His clients rarely came from the 'good' areas of town, and if they did, they certainly didn't take their entertainment back there. His second clue should have been the guard at the door. Sure the man hadn't been wearing a uniform or anything, but his stance, his attire, everything just screamed bodyguard. And still Bren had gone in.
/Stupid stupid stupid…/ He tried to maintain that 'smart-ass' air that he knew just pissed off everyone, his one defense when nothing else was going his way. It was either that or turning to run and Schuldich didn't run. He had known Hans would find a way to get him back for turning him down last night… but he didn't think the man would have stooped to this level. He grimly started to undress. The three men were leering at him, one of them fondling a riding crop. He just knew it was going to be a very long and probably painful night.
**
He watched impassively as the punk bounced off the wall and fell to his knees, blood gushing from his nose. "You ever set me up like that again Hans and I'll rip your fucking balls off, got it?"
The blond pushed himself to his feet, glaring murderously at Schuldich. "What the Hell are you talking about?!"
"That 'job' you had for me last night. I don't do shit like that. You do that to me again and I'll fucking kill you."
"I didn't know…"
"Spare me. You knew and you fucking set me up."
"What? You think you're a damn mind reader now?"
/If only you knew…/ "Don't push me… you won't like what happens to you." Schuldich turned to walk away, then stopped. "And if you actually pull that knife on me, I'll kill you right here and now. NOONE owns me… least of all a punk like you." He sensed the kid's shock and knew it was enough to let him get out of the room safely. It would take a little while before Hans could collect himself enough to think about dealing with the situation. But Schuldich was serious, that brat set him up like that again and he'd kill him. Painfully.
He yanked off his soiled clothes and waited for the water to warm up in the shower. He hurt. He hurt in places he hadn't hurt since the first time Schultz had used him.
/Three of the sick bastards…/
He stood under the spray, hissing at the sting in the welts on his back. The one had been fairly free with that riding crop, and though only a couple of the strokes broke the skin, he knew his back was a mess of welts and bruises. He didn't even want to think about what they had done to make his ass this sore. Shit… he was actually bleeding. They hadn't even paid him all that well. He wondered a bit how much they had paid Hans. Maybe he should go back down and demand some of that as compensation. Maybe later.
Right now…
Bren sank down to sit on the floor, not caring that he was using up all the hot water.
Right now… he had a few nightmares to push away.
**
"Pathetic."
It took a lot of effort to roll over to look at the man standing beside his bed. It had been a really shitty week. First Hans setting him up with those bastards, and he hadn't been able to do anything besides blowjobs for a couple nights which didn't pay nearly as well, then he'd had to spend an evening standing in a cold, driving rain for next to nothing. So last night when the opportunity for a little, escape, had presented itself, he'd taken it. It had been his first experience with heroin, and he was sure it wouldn't be his last. It had been great at the time… but now… he wasn't sure. If hallucinations of Brad were going to be a common occurrence, maybe he should stick to other drugs.
"Absolutely pathetic."
Bren grunted and went to roll back over.
"No… I'm NOT a figment of your imagination."
/Oh… shit…/
The redhead rolled back over to look at the older psi. He did look surprisingly solid, not wispy like his hallucinations usually were. /Oh fuck…/
"Yes... 'oh fuck'… and do you even realize you're projecting?"
He checked his shields, they were next to nothing.
"You've gotten lazy. Whoring, drugs? I thought you were smarter than this, Schuldich."
He rolled his eyes, the man was in full lecture mode. "So are you here to yell me or do you have something else in mind?"
"Maybe I did give you too much credit… I'm here on business."
"Business?"
The American just glared at him, waiting for his fuzzy brain to catch up. His brown eyes very cold.
Bren shook his head, snatches of a conversation they had had a few months previous came back to him.
"Really? What are you doing?"
"R/R… Recovery and Recruitment…"
"Oh, lovely… so you get to track down the hapless sheep they bring in here, huh?"
"And retrieve runaways."
"Runaways? Has anyone ever gotten out?"
The precog looked at him, an odd expression on his face. "Not often… but it does happen from time to time."
"Fuck!" Bren scrambled to get up, only to meet Crawford's fist. He fell back on the bed, dazed and nursing a sore jaw.
"Don't try to run… it'll only go worse for you."
"How can it get worse?! You're here to take me back to that hellhole!!!"
"Do you think I'm here alone? Use your brain, Schuldich, if you haven't fried it before now. The whole block is covered, you try to run and they'll kill you."
Bren froze. "I'm screwed aren't I?"
"Basically. I do have to hand it to you… it took over a month for them to track you down, that's pretty good. Noone's held out that long before."
"Joy… what do I win?"
"A one-way trip back."
"Can't you just shoot me now?"
Crawford crossed his arms, looking strangely serious, but not angry. "Schuldich… Bren… I need you to come back, in one piece."
"Fuck you… you need me for whatever game you're playing, I'm not your pawn."
"Do you want to be their pawn for your whole life, as short as it might end up being at this rate?"
Bren looked away, the rage leaving his eyes. "No."
"Then get your ass out of that bed, get dressed and come down with a bit of dignity. Don't let them break you, and I promise… you will not be their slave forever."
He snorted. "Sure… but what about tomorrow."
"You knew we'd catch you eventually. If you're curious, it was that group you 'serviced' the other night, one of them is an agent. It really was inevitable. "
"I could dream couldn't I?" Crawford didn't answer, just watched as he dressed and grabbed a couple of personal items. "Hold on to these for me, will you? I get the feeling I'll be losing anything I'm carrying with me."
"Sure."
They walked out and down the hall, as they passed Hans room, the blond was standing in the doorway, smirking.
"Just a second." Schuldich turned and grabbed the punk's head slamming it into the door frame, and then letting the motionless body fall to the ground. Brad watched without changing expression then led the way down the steps.
"Did you kill him?"
"Who cares?"
**
TBC