"I am ready. What about you Ronald?" Moira asked as she tucked the last bit of her borrowed shirt into her borrowed trousers.
The trio was in a storage locker where their scythes had been locked away. Thanks to Eric's scythe, they were able to break the lock and remove them. Once more, Moira had Grell's chainsaw and Ronald had his infamous lawnmower.
Inside the locker they found clean uniforms for guards and other staff members. Moira had tossed a guard's uniform to Ronald and found a smaller orderly uniform for herself. Though the shirt was a tad longer than she would have liked, it was still clothing and she could tuck—which she ended up doing. Unfortunately, their shoes were not there and there were no spares for the facility workers. They would have to continue on, barefoot.
Moira was standing near the doorway when the foul scent of sulfur permeated the locker. A black shadow began to form between herself and her two companions. Separated from her lover, Moira stood wide-eyed and mouth open as the demon that had attacked them at the train station appeared before her eyes. She was now cut off from the two blonds. Instincts kicking in, she summoned her scythe, but the demon's back was to her; and she wondered if he was even aware she was behind him. Should she strike?
"I would not think of such a brazen move, my dear. I would not let you get one blow in and you must consider your dear Grell. Lover… or Grandchild?" Sebastian smirked, not turning his head to look at her.
Moira blinked, had he read her thoughts? Her eyes wandered past the dark devil and met Ronald's. ~Ronnie?~
Ronald grabbed Eric's arm and nodded at the threat, unable to formulate words at first. His eyes met Moira's, and a grim resolve came over him. "Go find Grell," he urged her. "Go, Moira!"
Eric eyed the demon, his gaze flicking quickly over him. "Right… We'll handle this. Cannae be all tha' tough, if he managed tae get himself an' his master caught."
To Ronnie, he muttered, "Jus' watch it…Al ran into him earlier an' he's go' a scythe on him somewhere."
"Yeah, I kn-know," gritted out the younger blond. "He killed Undertaker with it…right in front of us."
Eric stared at Ronald, then at Sebastian. "Yer shittin' me."
Ronald shook his head, having no memory of Undertaker surviving the attack and no idea that he was in that very building with them. "Wish I was. Go, Moira!"
"Wait, Ronnie—!"
The younger blond had already started his charge, determined to keep the demon's attention away from his lover and give her a chance to get away. Eric swore vilely and pulled a similar stunt to the one Alan had used to escape the building, earlier. He teleported behind Sebastian while Ronald attacked from the front. The demon dodged Ron's attack and blocked Eric's with the scythe Alan had mentioned…but at least he was now fully occupied with them.
Moira started to rush forward to help, but something in the back of her mind urged her not to. She glanced once more at Ronald before turning and dashing from the room. With her scythe at the ready, she took off running as fast as she could down the corridor. She focused on Grell and where she was. Her attention was interrupted by an oncoming reaper as she approached an intersection of hallways.
She stopped dead in her tracks and closed her eyes. She used an ancient talent given to her alone, one she had not used in over ten thousand mortal years; it was an ability she wasn't sure she was still capable of. Slowly, she began to separate herself into three beings, much like the way her voice had split into three separate voices when she sung. Her body was now three as she stood stock still before the young reaper in front of her. Her eyes, all three pairs, flashed open as she sensed another reaper approaching from behind. She would have to take care of these two before proceeding, but they were young and ill prepared to deal with an ancient like herself.
"Khronos, are you certain you know where we're going?" Anderson looked around dubiously, seeing fewer and fewer cell doors and branching hallways. "I fear this area may be empty."
He also feared they were being watched—but his companion had put all of the electronic monitoring equipment into a stasis loop with his abilities…or so he'd claimed. Khronos' determined footsteps didn't slow or stop. If anything, they picked up speed.
"She's this way," he whispered with confidence. "We're very close, now."
He stopped so suddenly that the other ancient nearly ran into his back. Khronos glanced at him, eyes ablaze with power, vengeance and purpose. "She's your blood. Can't you feel her?"
"Not as strongly as you, apparently," sighed Lawrence.
Khronos nodded, accepting the reply. He looked at the reinforced door across from them and his scythe flashed in the dim light, moaning through the air. It cut into the door from top to bottom, on the side where the locking bar met with the frame. Once he'd sheered it with the precision of a surgeon slicing open a patient, Khronos gave the door a shove that sent it swinging open. He stepped inside and he immediately stopped again when he found the pitiful figure strapped to some medieval torture device in the center of the room. His eyes went wide as he took in the probes digging into the pale, hunched over back, the wires connecting them to the machine and the fall of red hair spilling from the victim's bowed head.
The silver reaper's mouth opened and closed silently, his vision blurring with helpless rage and guilt as he hurried to his lover.
"Grell," he mouthed, unable to force even so much as a whisper past his numb lips.
"Dear gods," murmured Lawrence, equally shocked. He followed behind Khronos on legs that felt numb.
~I'll get you out of this contraption, love,~ thought Khronos frantically, but his hands were steady as he gently ran his fingers over the probes and forced himself to think. He could slice through these wires like butter, but they might send a residual shock through Grell from the machine.
"Here," announced Lawrence, "I've found the power cord."
He went to pull it from the wall to ensure the machine couldn't cause more harm to Grell than it already had. Both ancients were sufficiently distracted enough that they didn't immediately notice the enemy reapers manifesting in the room with them. Lawrence did, once he pulled the plug. He saw a scythe in the form of a long-poled sickle coming down straight at Khronos' back and he yelled a warning, drawing his own scythe with the intent to intervene. He wasn't close enough…but another scythe shot out from the direction of the open doorway, the pole extending to impossible lengths to block the one that was aimed at the Undertaker.
Lawrence's eyes followed the quivering pole to find its owner, and he was rather surprised to find William T. Spears standing at the other end of it.
William's eyes wandered over the scene laid out before him. They widened as the redhead's bound body came into focus. He swallowed the gasp that nearly escaped and in a fit of disgust, he knocked the encroaching reaper's scythe back. Demanding to know what was going on, he raised his hand and hollered, "I must insist that everyone freeze and stay where you are. By order of the Reaper Dispatch Association, cease and desist in your actions."
The order fell on deaf ears as Holden—the goon who's scythe William deflected—growled and turned as he spun, swinging his scythe to come down on top of the Dispatch manager. Seeing the brisk movement from the corner of his eye, William ducked and rolled out of the way. The scythe struck ground. Sparks flew all around it, the metal blade grinding into the stone floor.
"Get Grell out of here," Will shouted as he pulled the trigger on his scythe once more, the sound of the pole whizzing through the air as he launched it at Wundt's goon.
Two more reapers appeared, and Lawrence engaged them, fighting at William's side as Khronos worked to free Grell's unconscious form.
"I'm afraid that would be easier said than done, Mr. Spears," he huffed as he fended off one attacker and blocked another from reaching the silver reaper. "The doctor running this facility has been performing illegal experiments on reapers, mortals and demons. You need only look to Miss Sutcliff for your proof of that."
Unable to add his own commentary to the discussion, Khronos carefully eased another probe out of Grell's back. He was only half-finished, and as he looked up to see how the others were fairing, he realized they could easily get overwhelmed. With a little snarl, he manipulated time around both of Lawrence's opponents to put them in a stasis, and the mustached ancient stopped just before he would have landed a blow and disrupted it. Khronos nodded at his friend when Lawrence looked at him, and the other ancient concentrated on helping William finish off the other goon.
~Just a bit more, and you'll be free,~ promised Khronos silently to the tortured redhead he was trying to rescue. Right now, he didn't even care about striking Hypnos or Thanatos down. He just wanted to get Grell to safety, and then he could concentrate on revenge. He had a bone to pick with a certain demon butler, as well.
"What the Hell?" William mumbled as he lay witness to the enemy reapers coming to a stand still. They were in mid movement. Will was in such a state of shock by what he was seeing, he hadn't even realized that Lawrence's scythe had pierced the reaper about to overtake him. It was like the corridor and the entryway. The dead mortals and the dead reapers suspended in time.
He looked over at the Undertaker. "You did this?"
William knew the Undertaker was a legend and an ancient, but he was taken by surprise when it came to his abilities. He was unaware of what powers he possessed. Then turning to Anderson, he asked, "Were you aware of his abilities?"
"I think we have more pressing concerns at the moment, but yes," answered Lawrence as his remaining opponent fell. "Please do not touch the reapers that are suspended, William…except to reap them, of course. Khronos has halted them in time and a cut from his scythe will do the same, but he must conserve his strength."
Anderson looked the young Dispatch supervisor up and down, and his eyes smiled at him as he spoke again. "Good of you to come, by the way."
"As it would seem," William replied as he looked back over at Grell. "What in the devil is that thing he has Sutcliff attached to, and is Grell, is he alright?"
Clicking noises sounded as Will's scythe retracted and he carefully stepped around the suspended bodies. A tiny moan caught his ear as Grell, barely conscious cried in pain as another needle was removed from his spine. The leather straps were still in place to prevent the redhead from moving. It was clearly not the most pleasant feeling as each probe was removed. Will cringed as he watched Grell's abused body jerk.
"Where is Wundt?" William finally inquired, turning his attention back to the eyewear maker.
Anderson looked around, eyes narrowed. "I've no bloody idea, but I'm willing to wager he's still somewhere in this facility. Thus far, every move he's made seems to have been focused on getting Grell into his custody. He is obsessed with her, and he isn't who he appears to be. I have yet to see the man make an appearance himself, but he has a powerful influence on those he interacts with." It didn't even occur to him that William was not yet aware of the alterations Thanatos had done to change Grell's gender.
Anderson nodded at the two frozen reapers, still caught in mid-swing of their last actions. "Because of that, I would prefer not to kill any of his underlings, if possible. He has powers of manipulation that most can't fathom, Spears. It's quite possible that a good number of the reapers Undertaker cut down on his way in were not acting of their own free will—which is why I suspect he halted their chronological flow. Dispatch can review their records and deem whether they should be saved, once this is over with. So long as they are in stasis, they won't appear on the death lists."
He looked over at the body of the reaper he'd just finished off earlier. He'd gathered the records, but the man's name would still show up on the death list.
"Though I daresay Dispatch must be aware by now that at least one death has occurred in this place. Beware of Wundt's allies, William. He is an ancient, and he has an ancient working with him as well. In addition to that, he managed to procure the service of a demon—that managed to mortally injure the Undertaker and helped Wundt's people take Grell again."
"Speaking of ancient's, Anderson, where is your sister?" inquired Will. His right brow slowly rose in question. "I had the pleasure of meeting her two days ago as she stormed my office with Mister Knox in tow. She is quite forceful when wishes to be. I take it she is not the ancient you speak of, that is working with Wundt? Or I would hope she is not. However, I know of no other ancients currently alive that could aid Wundt in whatever it is he is after."
Will once again glanced over at the redhead. "I should have listened three years ago. I daresay this is partially my fault that he is in this predicament. I could not believe that such a distinguished Doctor would be up to such nefarious practices."
"As I said; he is a very persuasive reaper," muttered Lawrence. "As for my sister, I know she's in here somewhere…close. I would like to find her, but I know she'd rather we look after Grell first. I must trust in her ability to survive until we can reach her."
It pained him to leave his sibling un-rescued…more than he could even try to describe. Atropos was no meek lamb, though. All of them had lost pieces of themselves—at least, those that adhered to the limits set down upon them. Hypnos and Thanatos had not, though. He had to believe his sister could endure and survive, until such time as he could reach her.
"Ronald Knox was with her when she was captured," he finally offered. "I can only hope they are both alive and relatively in one piece."
Engrossed in Grell, Undertaker hardly heard their conversation. He tried to speak to her, but it only came out as a breathy whisper as he cupped her chin and helped her lift her head. "Grell, darlin'…I'm here. Please look at me."
Grell's lashes fluttered as his eyes languidly opened. The mortician's face slowly came into focus.
"Khronos?" He whispered. Was it really his lover's face he was seeing or was it an illusion? He was terribly weak and tired. He hadn't even been able to feel the straps as they came loose from around his battered body or his hands as they were freed.
"I've finally died?" He asked as he tried to speak once more.
The ancient shook his head and smiled, though the expression lacked its usual enthusiasm due to the circumstances surrounding them.
"You're alive, darlin'," he whispered as loudly as he could. "And so am I. The raven's attack didn't kill me like they thought, but it took a while for me to recover from it."
He held her close and nuzzled her tangled red hair. "Forgive an old fool for failing to protect you, and for takin' so long to come for you."
The sound of slow clapping from outside the room, in the corridor, began to fill the chamber.
"This is all very touching," said Dr. Wundt, "but I'm afraid your little reunion will avail you nothing."
Anderson turned and tried to charge their enemy when he realized what Hypnos was about to do. He wasn't fast enough, and he slammed into the smoky warding barrier that Hypnos created. He scowled at the grinning ancient, his fingers tightening around the handle of his scythe. Wundt was in the company of three more of his reaper minions, and he didn't seem the slightest bit concerned.
"You've gone too far, Hypnos," warned Lawrence.
"Oh, have I? I beg to differ." His eyes flashed behind the square lenses of his glasses, his smile vanishing into an expression of menace. "I think I haven't gone quite far enough, 'Father Anderson'. What a pathetic thing you've become…so meek and uncertain of yourself. Your barbs lack potency, as do your threats."
His gaze strayed to Khronos, who was glaring at him from beneath his silver bangs. The mortician held Grell tighter in his protective embrace.
"Him, on the other hand," Hypnos went on, "could prove to be a real threat. I must admit that I'm quite impressed, Khronos. I'd thought you too far gone to challenge me, regardless of what the reapers at Dispatch say about you. Your attack on this facility has cost me, but I'm not finished, yet. Thank you for coming and providing me with more subjects—you in particular. I was regretful to have you killed, but I couldn't imagine you being very controllable."
"Can't even control myself, chap," whispered the mortician.
Wundt put a hand to his ear. "What was that? Oh dear, it seems the demon at least managed to take away that annoying voice of yours. I may forgo his punishment for failing to kill you, on account of that."
William's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. This reaper, this Doctor he had accompanied so many times and defended, what a fool he had been. He now realized how he had been taken advantage of.
"Doctor Wundt, stop this at once. I realize you have a great power and I was fool to have not seen it before, but I ask that you end this madness this instant. You are taking liberties that go against our laws. I must know what your purpose is to abuse patients in such hideous ways? You are behaving no better than the monsters that disrupt our purpose. Desist now and lay down your scythes," ordered William.
He adjusted his glasses and narrowed his eyes on the once regaled Doctor of reaper psychology. His fist began to tighten around the handle of his own scythe. He could see it now, the ancient was not going to obey. He was going to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. But what was it he wanted?
"The Book of the Dead." Grell murmured as he rested his head against his lover's chest.
Undertaker felt a chill go through him, though he and Lawrence had already suspected that to be Hypnos' goal. But what made the man think a youngling like Grell had any knowledge of its whereabouts?
"Yes, the Book of the Dead," agreed Wundt, his eyes straying to Grell. Seeing the unwholesome way he was looking at her prompted Undertaker to ease her down and remove his hooded robe, covering her protectively with it before embracing her again.
"Tell me, where might I find the lost pieces?" Hypnos went on. "I might be inclined to let you all go, if you share that information with me."
"I don't think anyone in this room is foolish enough to believe such an offer will be honored," remarked Lawrence. "And none of us currently know the whereabouts of those pages, anyhow."
"I don't quite believe you," said Wundt insistently. "Perhaps a demonstration of what your refusal to cooperate will buy for you is in order."
Undertaker grinned in a feral manner. "Give it your best try," he challenged; his voice barely a whisper of sound. "You'll have to come in here to manage it though, and I doubt you've got the stones for it."
"Such schoolyard insults," sighed Hypnos, "but I've come to expect as much from you. I think I'll begin with you, old madman. But why should I strain myself battling you when I have others so eager to do it for me?"
"Would you like to change your tune, Hypnos?"
As the three reapers under Hypnos command began their advancement, the sweet sounding voice of another emanated behind the Doctor. Moira stood poised behind the evil ancient. Her scythe's pole extended out, much the way William's was capable of. The pinchers sat at the base of Wundt's neck, her finger at the ready. One false move or something she did not agree with and his head would come flying off.
"Need I remind you of what I am capable of? Call off your lackeys now, Hypnos, or I will pull the trigger," demanded the raven-haired goddess.
Her eyes dared to glance around the room, first falling on her brother and then the Dispatch manager. Lastly they came to Grell and Khronos. She nearly choked when she saw the pale face of her great grandchild. To hide her anguish, she allowed her anger to surface and nudged Hypnos with her scythe before making a suggestion.
"Gentleman, perhaps we should show the same courtesies to Hypnos here as he has shown to Grell. After all, 'an eye for an eye'. Isn't that what the mortals say? You really disgust me, 'brother'." Moira snarled, her lip curling as she spoke.
"I would not be so quick to presume victory," warned the villainous ancient, eyes flicking to something behind her.
The cold, hard, hilt of a scythe flashed in the darkness behind the raven-haired ancient, making no sound at all, the owner brought the hilt down at the base of her neck, just above the shoulders. Moira's face paled with surprise as her hands went limp, dropping her scythe to the ground at Wundt's feet. Her body following with a hard thud. She didn't lose consciousness, but before she could turn to her attacker, he was gone.
"Thanatos…" She gasped.
"Who's next?" Thanatos' voice rumbled throughout the room.
Another bright flash of light reflected off his scythe as he swung it low before Lawrence. The back side of his menacing, skull adorned battle ax met with the backside of the eye-ware department head's ankles, sweeping his legs out from under him.
Thanatos' laugh grew louder as he watched his brethren fall hard to the stone floor. Jumping to action, William pulled the trigger on his clippers, the pole extending with lightening speed. But just as his scythe was to make contact, Thanatos vanished. The supervisor swore as the ancient dissolved into nothingness right before his eyes.
Khronos could not speak loudly enough to command Will to guard Grell, so he caught hold of the younger reaper's arm and nodded at the shivering form in his arms. Drawing his scythe, he straightened up and listened to his senses as William hastened to Grell's side. His eyes flashed as he sensed something behind him, and he twirled around and swept his scythe through the air, while at the same time creating a localized time stasis where he felt Thanatos manifesting.
While he was doing that, he heard familiar shouts outside in the corridor.
"This way! Hurry!"
"Wha' th' hell d' ya think I'm doin', Knox? Shadow-boxing?"
Hypnos' grin faded as he saw the two blonds running down the hall toward him, the smaller one—whom he'd planned to use as a stud for Moira—was in the lead and he bore a look of fury on his bloodied young face. He'd seen Moira's crumpled form. The recklessness apparent in his eyes made Hypnos smile. He had a trick to pull with this one. He'd done just enough work on him to pull his strings.
"I'm not the one you wish to attack, Mr. Knox," he informed the green one. "Try your companion, instead. Blitzkrieg."
Ronald suddenly turned on Eric with blank, wide eyes and nearly mowed him down. The Scotsman hopped out of the way at the last minute with a surprised yell.
"Ronnie, wha' tha hell?"
Undertaker finished his sweep just as Thanatos re-materialized—but the stasis field got interrupted by his teleportation, and the silver ancient found himself ducking just in time to avoid his opponent's counter-strike. Grinning, he kicked out while Thanatos was recovering from the swing, hitting him in the stomach.
"Too slow, chap," he rasped.
"Khronos, he won't fall for the same tricks twice," warned Anderson in a pained voice, trying to drag himself to his feet. "Be careful!"
Two more portals opened behind William. He felt the air shift just as Wundt's other two goons emerged. He knew them from the visits they had paid Grell over the past three years. Quickly he swiveled around to face them, his arm around Grell's waist, holding him tightly. He brought up his scythe and blocked their synchronized strikes. Sparks flew as metal grinded against metal.
"Honestly?!" He growled.
Moira pushed herself up just as a hand grabbed her by the hair. She reached up with one hand, attempting to pry the fingers away. She gazed down at her scythe and she stretched out her free arm. It was just out of reach. She grunted as she tried to pull forward, the fingers of her free hand wiggling desperately to get a hold of it.
"Knox, cut it ou'!" Shouted Eric as he dived away from the wall—barely in time to avoid getting his face shredded to bits by the mower that Ronald was again trying to bum-rush him with. "They've done somethin' tae yeh! Snap out o' it!"
His struggle took him closer to the woman and the man who seemed to be behind it all, and he noticed her reaching for her scythe. With a huff, Eric dove, rolled and came to his feet, kicking it toward her.
"Ronnie, yer girl's abou' tae get scythed! Fer tha love o' death, pull yer head outta yer arse!"
Khronos took a glancing blow to his shoulder as Thanatos teleported all around him. He couldn't spare the concentration to try and assist Spears. Trusting the man to hold his own for a bit, he came up with an idea. Thanatos was onto his stasis tricks, but there was one thing he had yet to do with his abilities in this struggle…something he'd never needed to do before. Grell's life was at stake though, and so were the others. Lawrence was dragging himself to the barrier blocking the room from the hallway, evidently intending to try and bring it down to help his sister. There was no telling whether he would succeed in time.
But who said he had to use his chronological alterations only on his opponents? Undertaker met Thanatos' eyes and he shrugged. "Right, then."
He turned his ability inwards, speeding up his own "clock", rather than attempting to slow his opponent's. Suddenly, his movements were coming at lightning speed, the world around him moving sluggishly as he sped himself through the moments and caught every move Thanatos made before it could be delivered.
Realizing what the former reaper-turned-Undertaker was up to, Thanatos flashed him a smile before dematerializing once more. In phantom form, he began to taunt his nemesis. Like a ghost wind he brushed the Undertaker's cheek with his invisible fingers and tugged his long, silver mane.
"Would you like to run that scythe of yours into my body, Khronos? Watch my ancient reels spill?" He whispered, passing once more by the mortician's ear. "What if I took Grell's first? I can barely stand the obsession my brother has with him. If not for the book we seek, she would have been discarded years ago."
Behind his invisible mask, Thanatos laughed, "That's right, my old friend and brother. Grell would have been a pile of nothing once we were done using its body for experiment. Would you like to know what kind of experiments we would have loved to conduct on him?"
Moira saw her scythe move closer to her reaching fingers. In a last ditch effort she lunged for it, snatching it up. She spun it around and with the butt of it, rammed it up into Wundt's rib cage behind her. Feeling him let go of her hair, she rolled out of the way and scrambled to her feet.
"Ronald?!" She yelled seeing the blond aggressively attacking the other blond. His lawnmower roaring through the air, "Ronald, stop!"
Her words cut through the fog in his mind, aided by the break of the mad doctor's tenuous hold on his mind. Ronald stumbled and put a hand to his forehead, confused. "Wha—ho, shit!"
He ducked as Eric's scythe came at him, breaking a large chunk off the wall where he'd been standing. "Eric… chill!"
The Scotsman stopped in mid-swing of his next attack, looking down at him warily. "Ronnie? Ya back, now?"
"Never knew I…" he coughed into his hand. "…went anywhere!"
Ronald turned his head to see his lover staring at him, standing beside Hippo. Her hair was tangled and she had a fierce, worried look in her lovely eyes. "M-Moira? You okay?"
"Ya flipped on me," accused Eric before the woman could answer, "turned an' tried tae mow me down all tha sudden."
"No way," protested Ronald. "I w-wouldn't do that!"
They heard the fracas going on in the room blocked off by the barrier, and Eric helped Ronald to his feet. "Come on…worry 'bout tha' later!"
As the taller blond half-dragged his companion towards the room he, William and Anderson were in with Grell, Undertaker was trying to sort things out with his sudden change of speed. He was already fast to begin with, but altering his own place in the time stream made him so fast that he was actually striking too soon. He was premeditating his attacks to the point where he was making them before his opponent even materialized. Understanding his mistake, he focused inwardly and slowed it down to where he was only half as many steps ahead of everything around him.
~There. I see you now, you rank codpiece.~
He saw his chance and he took it, twirling around in a corkscrew motion with his scythe as Thanatos' re-appeared and stared with surprise at the flash of the blade swinging down on the spot where his torso met his throat.
At that moment, Lawrence banished the barrier holding them prisoner in the room. "Moira?"
Behind him, William had wounded one of his opponents and was still fighting off the other one.
Holden watched as his companion was tossed backwards, away from the manager and the redhead he still held in his arms. He grunted and ferociously lunged forward, using the handle of his scythe he thrust it upwards. The hilt landed square under William's chin, forcing his head back. The movement caused William's grip to loosen from around Grell. The redhead began to slip from his grasp, but Holden was there and caught Grell, spinning away with her.
Weak but alert, Grell gasped, stunned by the switch as the goon's arm slid around his waist. He slammed a fist against Holden's chest weakly and hollered, "Let me go! William…help!"
Moira had just stepped foot inside the room when she witnessed the redhead fall into the wrong hands. Her eyes enlarged as the reaper holding Grell spun away with her grandchild. Her instincts kicking in, she started to run for them, ignoring everything else going on around her. She summoned Grell's scythe, remembering she still carried it. She knew the redhead was weak, still it was her scythe and she would know how to wield it if she found the strength to use it.
Halfway across the room, another presence made itself known. Black feathers began to rain down in front of her. She skidded to a stop, the smell of sulfur burning her nose.
"You! No!" Moira exclaimed beneath her breath. She started to back away as the demon took form.
Thanatos stared with wide eyes as the blade tip of Khronos' scythe lodged itself into his flesh. Blood quickly bubbled to the surface and spilled from the wound along with his cinematic records. His battle ax fell from his hand, landing with a clank as it met the facility floor. He slowly sank to his knees as he stared unblinking up at his fellow ancient. Not one swing of his ax had been made. He had taunted one time to many and now the result was this. He was now at the mercy of the reaper he hated most. Now, the power of life and death for him, sat in the very hands of the reaper he was trying to destroy.
Instinctively, he lifted his own hands to the giant blade. He tried with all the strength left within him to remove it from his body, before all his records were collected. He tried to speak, but blood had risen to far up into his throat and crimson liquid began to sputter as he moved his lips.
"That's one vow kept," whispered Khronos as his enemy fell over, his struggles ending with his life. He yanked the scythe, with Thanatos' gathered records, out of the now lifeless corpse. If only he'd had the time to savor it, but the chaos around him didn't allow for such a luxury. He turned to see Grell being dragged off by one of Wundt's minions. He saw Moira standing before Sebastian Michaelis with her Scythe in one hand and Grell's in the other. He saw Ronald start to close in on Hypnos with his mower leading the way, while Eric pinned the manipulative villain down with his own before he could recover.
"No," rasped the silver ancient, reaching out with his powers. "That one's for Grell, lads." It was his lover's privilege to reap the one who'd done so much to her.
Grell, Eric and Hypnos froze in motion, and Lawrence struggled to his feet and stumbled to his sister's aid. "Khronos, look after Grell!"
As if he needed to be told. He didn't pause to see what Spears did. He shot across the room to intercept the thug trying to steal Grell away once more, still under the influence of his potent time alteration on himself. He got behind the retreating reaper, who was backing away with his struggling captive and wasn't aware of the threat suddenly looming up behind him. Khronos chose his mark and sliced him from the nape of his neck to the crack of his ass.
Grell screamed as the time alteration around his body ceased and the arm holding him went limp. No longer suspended in time, he crashed to the ground on his belly, the wind knocked from him. His blood red hair fell like a veil over his eyes, blocking the view of the melee all around him.
At the same time, Moira felt her brother come up behind her. Sebastian was still approaching, methodically and grinning ear to ear. Not sure if they should go for the kill or spare the leashed creature, Moira whispered to Lawrence. "What do we do with him, the demon? Kill him or allow him to live? His leash should break once Hypnos is dead, but look."
She dared to take her eyes off of Sebastian to look over at the pinned ancient and the reaper who had found her and Ronald. The teeth of Eric's scythe pressed just below Hypnos chin against his throat. "Khronos has frozen them."
Sebastian wasted no time and took advantage of Moira's foolish choice to look away, her brother's eyes doing the same. In the bat of a lash he was standing before her, tearing Grell's scythe from her hand and tossing it to the ground behind him. The chainsaw slid across the floor, sparking as the metal scrapped the surface. It finally came to a grinding halt right in front of Grell's eyes, just barely missing his crimson head. Breathing heavily, Grell stared at the scythe he had so lovingly altered to his standards.
Moira yelped as her attention was forced back to the Devil butler. He was trying to pry her actual scythe from her other hand.
"Damn it!" She cursed, clinging tightly to it. "Lawrence?!"
Anderson stabbed with his scythe, driving it into Sebastian's shoulder to try and force him off Moira. Khronos was busy helping Grell back up, and he narrowed his eyes at the demon thoughtfully. Making a silent decision, he began to guide his lover over to the open doorway, where Hypnos still lay in a frozen scene, on the verge of death. He half-carried her, banishing his scythe for the moment to assist her with her own.
"I made you a promise, love," whispered the ancient into Grell's ear as they stepped into the corridor. Behind them, Lawrence and Moira were still struggling with the demon, and William had joined in now that he had recovered from the attack against him.
"You ought to be the one to end this," finished Khronos, coming to a stop before the enemy and the two frozen reapers that had been on the verge of taking him out. He steadied Grell's scythe in her shaking hands and he nodded at her encouragingly. "He's aware. He's too powerful not to be. If you'd like, though, I can pull one last trick, so you can hear his screams from your scythe alone."
Grell looked from his captor to his lover. His hands were shaking. His body was exhausted. He was covered in dirt and grime. He had been kidnapped, tortured and raped. Though Khronos was there holding him upright, breathing and speaking next to him, it was as if he was nothing more than a ghost. It didn't feel real. None of this felt real. He glanced around the room and the corridor. So many faces. He knew them all. He could hear the struggle with Sebastian going on behind him. He could see Eric frozen in time with Wundt. He could feel his lover's strong arm around him. He peered down at his hands and his scythe.
"I can't," Grell mumbled. "Eric is in the way."
But there was something else. The air, it shifted around them. Grell looked back up at Wundt. The doctor winked his right eye at him, "Khronos, his mind."
Flashes of light sprang up all around them as portals began to open—a surge of bodies emerging from them. Grell dropped his scythe and clutched his head. A voice began to echo through his mind.
~Grell, my sweet Erbeere, do you honestly think I would be so easy to destroy? Have you forgotten what my true nature is? Khronos may be able to alter time and prevent me from acting with my body, but he cannot control my mind. Now, my Erbeere, pick up your scythe, turn to your lover and slice him down the middle.~
"I can't!" Grell screamed as he dropped to his knees.
William paused in his efforts against Sebastian. One of the emerging bodies was approaching from behind. He turned to intercept its attack. His eyes grew round, realizing they were not reaper or any other supernatural creature. He spun his scythe and swept the legs of the man dressed in a hospital gown. Warning the rest of the group, William shouted, "Mortals! They are mortals! Try not to reap them!"
Anderson was forced to divide his attention between pressing the attack on Sebastian and fending off the clumsy blows of the mortals. He made use of his abilities on some of them, showing them everything they'd been put through by Hypnos and stunning them in place. Some collapsed with wails of anguish, while others simply seemed to black out. He could not undo the damage with this method alone—that would take hypnotic therapy and probably mending of their cinematic records—but at least it disabled some of them, small though their threat may be.
Khronos sighed in exasperation as he kicked one of them away from himself and Grell and clunked another over the head with his fist, knocking her out. "'course they are," he rasped. Shooting a condemning look at his stilled adversary, he dragged Grell to an unoccupied spot in the corridor and eased her down.
Stroking her hair, he whispered into her ear. "Be right back, love. We're finishing this today, one way or another."
He stood up and summoned his scythe again; not so much for the purpose of reaping the hapless patients Hypnos had unleashed upon them, but to use as a blunt weapon to incapacitate them—and to help deal with the butler. He started back into the room and he stopped in his tracks when he nearly ran over none other than Ciel Phantomhive. The child somewhat resembled one of his Bizarre Dolls with that blank, dead expression on his face and his jerky movements.
"Well, isn't this a fine how d'ya do," grumbled the mortician under his breath.
He put his hand over Ciel's head and held him at bay as the boy tried to attack him, rather like a bully picking on an angry small fry. He smirked and looked at Sebastian. Unable to call out to him, he tucked the snatc of his scythe under his other arm and brought his fingers to his lips to whistle sharply. When Sebastian glanced his way, he pointed at the adolescent he was fending off.
"This what you're looking for, chap?"
He imagined the demon's hearing should be sharp enough to hear his whisper over the grunts, shuffles and clashes of the struggle—and if not, he could at least read his lips.
Moira blinked as a gust of wind past through her; the demon vanished from in front of her and rematerializing before Khronos. Using his borrowed scythe, Sebastian knocked away the mortician's hand from his master's head. Just as quickly as he appeared he vanished, taking Ciel with him.
~Erbeere, I won't tell you again. Kill Khronos. Now, while his back is turned to you. Pick up your scythe and drive it into his back.~
"No! Please don't make me?" Grell whimpered, his eyes shooting open and looking at the back of his lover as he stood just inside the room.
Mortals were appearing everywhere and he could feel Hypnos swimming in his mind. He struggled to stand. He glanced at the Doctor. The stasis around him and Eric was beginning to crumble. Whether it was due to Khronos' distraction, or Hypnos slowly chipping away at it, he could not be certain. All he knew was that it would not be long before the Doctor was free once more.
~You are mine, Grell. I will never give you up. Kill Khronos. Now!~
Hypnos' voice was growing more agitated in his mind. Grell wanted to resist, but he found his body moving towards his scythe that lay half way between his lover and himself. He shook his head as tears formed in eyes.
"No! Please!" Grell pleaded as he knelt down and picked up his chainsaw. His eyes were focused on the mortician's back, Khronos' silver hair flowing down his backside. That soft, silky hair that Grell enjoyed running his fingers through. He shook his head again and cried out. "Wundt!"
It all happened so fast, and yet it seemed as everything happened in slow motion. The stasis enveloping Hypnos gave way. Grell spun, swinging his scythe in the air. Eric was tossed out of the way by Hypnos as he broke free and lunged forward. Unexpectedly, Grell's scythe did not meet with Khronos' back, instead it continued to whiz past him. Grell screamed, narrowing his eyes on its target. With every drop of energy he had left in him, he fought the constraints and hypnotic control Wundt had planted in his head. He ground his teeth together as he drove his scythe straight into the advancing reaper. Wundt's face expressed shock and devastation as he felt his flesh tear open. Blood rained down over Grell and himself. Wundt's record trickled out slowly as he fought to keep them intact and inside his body. He refused to give up so easily, and Grell's strength was dwindling fast. He didn't know how much longer he could hold onto his chainsaw.
One by one, the mortals attacking them began to drop as Wundt's life force drained from him. Like his brother Thanatos, blood spilled from his speechless lips. Once more he called out to the redhead with his dying mind.
~Grell, you will always be mine. You will always be my Erbeere.~
Wundt's body went limp and his records came to an end. Grell pulled his scythe from the Doctor's torso and stumbled backwards. He let go of the heavy machine and it thundered off the walls as it hit the ground again. He slowly turned to Khronos, meeting his lover's eyes. His brow was pinched together and his shoulders were slightly hunched. His lip trembled as tears and blood ran down his cheeks, dripping from his face. His legs began to shake as warm, wet liquid drizzled down the insides of them, painting his pale skin red.
"Khronos…" Grell whispered as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body collapsed to the ground like Wundt's other patients.
"Grell!" Moira exclaimed as she watched the redhead fall.
"Sutcliff." William breathed as he too turned just in time to see Grell's body falling to the ground.
Khronos forgot all about Sebastian and Ciel, and he rushed to his lover's side. "Grell…you did it," he tried to say, but his words again came out as nothing more than a whisper. He touched the fallen redhead's clammy face, concerned.
"Wha' in fookin' hell's goin' on here?" Demanded Eric Slingby, having woken up to find himself slicing empty air.
"Head's uuup!"
Eric turned to see Ronald's mower about to come down on his head—with the blond's shocked and terrified face looming behind it. He rolled aside with a curse. "Christ, wha' ya tryin' tae do, kid?"
"S-sorry…sorry!" Ronald turned off his mower in confusion. The body of the man they'd both just been about to reap lay a foot away from where it was before, and the last thing he remembered was seeing Eric's scythe just about to make the first cut. "I dun' get it! What happened?"
Then he heard his lover calling Grell's name from the doorway of the room, and he saw Undertaker cradling the redhead's unconscious body—right next to Hippo's.
"S-senpai?"
Moira stumbled over to the lovers. She covered her mouth with her hands as she dropped to her knees next to Grell. Her eyes wandered the length of his body. Slowly, she raised her head and looked over at the silver-haired ancient.
"Khronos, she's bleeding." Moira managed to whisper to him.
William stepped up behind her and adjusted his glasses, and then cleared his throat before speaking. "Undertaker, let us get Grell to hospital. He…I mean she, needs medical care immediately. I give you my word no more harm will befall her. I will personally see to it. The others will be here soon to clean up after Wundt. By the sounds of it, you should be looked at as well."
It was then that Will looked over at the young blond who was still standing in shock and then down at Moira. He pulled a cloth from the inside breast pocket of his coat and proceeded to wipe down his scythe.
"As a matter of fact, these two as well – Mister Knox and Miss Anderson should also be checked by a doctor," he stated looking down at Khronos from the corner of his eye.
The silver ancient's heart seemed to stop at the sight of the blood staining Grell's thighs. "Yes…get her out of here right now," he whispered. "I…"
He looked around helplessly, wanting to be at his lover's side, but loathe leaving until the matter was dealt with.
"I will stay, old friend," offered Lawrence, sensing Khronos' indecision. "I shall speak with the Dispatch agents when they arrive. Mr. Slingby, perhaps you can stay with me? I imagine you and I are the least injured of them all."
Eric nodded, glancing at Ronald. "Aye, and some 'r cut deeper than tha flesh."
Ronald flushed, still in a state of confusion. He went over to Moira and he took her hand. "They d-don't touch her without me there."
Eric blinked at him. Knox had it bad…and that was almost unheard of. "Fine. Jus' go wi' tha rest, while Pops an' I wait here tae explain everything."
With a sigh and another worried glance at Grell, Khronos created a portal that would take them all to the London Dispatch hospital. He would have liked to take William at his word, but the man had already failed to act while Grell was being tortured and experimented on right under the organization's noses.
"Let's go then," he rasped.
William nodded, dismissing Grell's scythe. He then carefully scooped the redhead up into his arms. He was injured as well, but Khronos looked like his energy may be beginning to wane a bit. He owed Grell and the ancient an apology, for never having paid attention to Grell's cries for help. He had been blind and foolish. Grell was suffering for it, and so he gently walked with the unconscious reaper in his arms, disappearing first into the portal.
"Ronald, I am fine. You don't need to fuss over me so much." Moira whispered as she slid her arms around the blond's neck. She clung to him tightly and did not fight him when she felt him lift her off the ground. She may have said that she did not need him fussing over her, but she took it nonetheless, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, burying her face into the crook of his neck.
"Just let me do this much," he whispered to her, still eaten alive inside with guilt over what had happened. It wasn't like either of them had been given much choice, though. He honestly hoped they hadn't conceived from this. He'd meant what he said when he told her that he would do his part, but this wasn't how he ever imagined himself having a kid. Hell, he'd never imagined himself having a kid at all…but through rape? Rape that he himself had conducted? He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't like that, but he couldn't shake it.
"I'm sorry, babe," he whispered to her for perhaps the twelfth time since it happened. He nuzzled her soft hair, and he stepped through the portal with her after Will.
Khronos went through next, with one last, lingering look at Lawrence and Eric. "Stay sharp, lads," he advised in his whispering voice. "We took down the beast, but the minions might still be lurking about."
With that warning statement issued, he followed the others through the portal, leaving his old friend and Eric to stand in wait for Dispatch to arrive.
-To be continued