AATS
Chapter 29
Wrath
Odin

He was unique among the Aesir in this respect; while all were powerful warriors, he alone wielded death as a weapon.

-Mike Vasich, Loki

It wasn't a dream. Jr. stood in the doorway of the suite, a clean Alby under one arm, as he took in the mess. The bed was a complete disaster. He knew, even from a distance, that it would have to be completely replaced. How he would dispose of and replace it he hadn't worked out yet. He slid down, placing his back against the inside of the doorframe. As soon as he was seated he pulled Alby around into his lap. Jr. was still recovering and Alby was careful where he placed his paws so as not to cause Jr. any more pain.

There didn't seem to be any blood on the floor or the walls at least. Maybe he could get away with just disposing of the bed. He could claim that he wanted to live at the beach house and redecorate the whole thing. It was impractical and inconvenient to live away from the Durandal but he was glad he had been away from it the night his uninvited guest had arrived.

The afternoon light was harsh in the bedroom suite but the rays didn't reach him, neither did the ones from the living room. He sat in shadow in the entrance, fingers curled in his puppy's fur. He imagined Alby running down the hallways of the Durandal covered in blood or Mary or Shelley running into his shapeshifting guest.

Jr. pressed on his stomach and hissed at the soreness. He was impressed with how well he'd been healed. Ether healing was tricky. The more severe the injury the harder it was for it to "stick". Jr. had heard of emergency ether being performed only for it to wear away before real help could be found. Jr. had never been good at healing. chaos said it was because he was too impatient.

Albedo can heal, Jr. thought. But this had not been Albedo.

Jr. had stopped his petting. Alby wanted to jump onto Jr.'s chest but he settled for licking at Jr.'s wrists and arms instead. It worked and Jr. was back to scratching him. Alby had been glued to his side since the accident. If Jr.'s thoughts took him too far away Alby would do his best to bring him back. He wasn't satisfied unless Jr. was touching him or looking at him. If he dozed off into sleep Alby curled up against his chest so that he could hear and feel his master's heartbeat.

"I'm ok, really," Jr. said. Alby's little ears perked forward. He licked Jr.'s fingers and shoved his skull into his palm.

It hadn't been Albedo. It hadn't been chaos. It hadn't been MOMO or Shelley, Mary or even Gaignun but it had been someone who knew them. But it hadn't been Albedo.

He called me Rubedo, Jr. remembered. The memory was fuzzy and imperfect but he remembered it. He knew Jr.'s real name and he had been watching him.

Jr. hadn't gotten a real answer as to the why of being watched but maybe he didn't need one. Albedo was the only one who called him Rubedo. Albedo must have sent him.

Jr. stretched his back and groaned at the dull, throbbing pain the action produced. Jr. had been resting - despite the mystery of his guest, it had been sound advice - but he hadn't been unwell enough to miss a day of work. He didn't want anyone to worry about him and considering the excellent shape he appeared to be in, he hadn't seen a reason to ignore Mary and Shelley's calls or emails.

Alby had needed a bath and Jr. a shower. The pain had been manageable enough to do both. He hadn't felt like eating, didn't think it was a good idea, and so he'd come to inspect the damage.

Jr. kept calling it an accident but had it been? Jr. thought he'd won that last nightmare. He'd had Albedo right where he wanted him.

A sudden rush of heat flashed through him and he buried his face in Alby's fur. The kiss. The memory of it flooded into him, completely erasing his guest for the moment. How had a fight turned into that? How had a kiss turned into a hole in his gut?

He was missing something. Jr. had the feeling that the answers to his questions were staring him in the face and it was beyond frustrating. Albedo wouldn't tell Jr. where he was. Maybe he'd attacked Jr. to keep his secret and then sent the shapeshifter to help him. But why hadn't he come himself? Why was it always in nightmares and dreams? Why was he hiding behind that painful blockade?

Nobody said that I couldn't pay you a visit.

Did that mean that Albedo couldn't? If he couldn't did that mean that Albedo had friends? Friends that extended to Jr.?

The pain was settling in again. Jr. needed to move. He pushed up, one hand braced against the doorway. Alby hopped out of Jr.'s lap and sat patiently as his master pulled to his feet. He moved quietly after Jr. as the boy stepped farther into the room to get a better, more accurate account of the damage.

There were too many questions and the only person who could answer them had almost killed him. Jr. was either too stupid or too stubborn to give up, however. He wasn't going to let Albedo get away that easily. Alby jumped onto the ruined bed and Jr. jerked him into his arms. He didn't want to give him another bath. Alby was perfectly happy with this arrangement but he held back his excitement, giving only a slight wag of his tail. Jr. raised the puppy to his face and sighed at him.

"I lost," Jr. said to perked ears and excited panting. "Back to square one. Where the hell is he?"

The Telethia was a scientific research station hidden between the forefingers of the Galaxy Federation. It was close enough to Fifth Jerusalem that it would be an easy move once the beginnings of the project were complete and far enough away, tucked in the middle of two hyperspace gates, that it was unlikely that any unrelated traveling spaceships would pass by them. It had been built for stealth and had two giant square plates at the top and bottom of the outer hull worked together as a large cloaking device. Its defenses were minimal and it relied heavily on concealment and the cunning of its captains to keep it safe. Kevin had always assumed that if they ran into trouble, which was unlikely, that he would be enough to take care of the situation. In most scenarios, that was probably true. Now, as he faced Albedo in the destroyed lab of the Telethia, he wasn't so sure. He'd expected some sort of retaliation but he'd never expected this.

Albedo's dragon brought its head down, hot smoke curled around its maw and its sharp, diamond teeth. It screeched and Albedo charged forward, as if shot forward by the sound. Kevin had spent his entire life outsmarting lesser men and avoiding dangerous ones. He was excellent at creating conflict but even better at escaping it. There was no escaping Albedo.

It was a chase. Kevin evaded, floating backwards just out of reach of Albedo's claws and his dragon's violent teeth. His dragon sprayed fire and left nasty, molten streaks in the floors, the walls and what was left of the ceiling. Albedo chased him out of the lab and into the hallways of the space station, his dragon spraying fire every few minutes, trying to trap him under its lava. Kevin was fast and precise. He used the narrow hallways of the Telethia to his advantage. Albedo was wild with rage and Kevin was quick enough to have him slamming into walls but he could never take full advantage of Albedo's confusion. His dragon was always there; teeth, claws and fire. Kevin's tricks only kept him a few steps out of reach. It kept him in retreat. He needed to destroy the gnosis if he had any chance of subduing Albedo.

The dragon's fire finally caught him. It hit him in the shoulder, burning through suit and skin. The pain slowed him and Albedo put the few seconds into play, sending a powerful blast that hit him squarely in the torso with enough force that it sent Kevin flying through the nearest wall. His dragon sprayed fire after him, warping the hallways and the room he'd been forced through into a hellish nightmare. The walls bent in, the ceiling lost form and dripped liquefied metal onto the floor where it burned through and sank, creating large, gaping holes. The heat was sweltering, was almost enough to melt skin. Albedo started to run in after Kevin, ready to overtake him, when a black, bulbous gnosis came rushing out of the ruined room. It flew past Albedo and grabbed his dragon by the throat. The strength of its speed ripped the dragon out of Albedo's back and the two gnosis hit the floor, his dragon screeching and spraying fire the entire way down. Albedo didn't pause, he continued through the hole in the wall and grabbed Kevin by his still-healing wound. Kevin screamed and Albedo squeezed harder until he felt Kevin's blackened bones cracking. Kevin collapsed under his hold.

"She'll be here soon," Albedo said with a sneer. He slammed Kevin against the nearest wall, his hand still wrapped around his shoulder. "The object of your obsession."

Kevin raised a hand to attack but Albedo caught it, slammed it against the wall. He pinned Kevin there with his body.

"Obsession," Kevin spat. "As if the definition doesn't belong to you."

"Don't worry, I'll only return the favor," Albedo laughed. He crushed Kevin's shoulder completely. Kevin felt dizzy. "I'll have her screaming by night's end."

The gnosis crashed into the room behind them. The dragon had wrapped its slender body around Kevin's gnosis and had it bound and squirming. Their weight caused the floor to give way and Kevin took advantage of the distraction. He twisted out of Albedo's grasp, grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him down into the room below them. He followed Albedo down and the two of them locked together, ripping pieces apart and burning each other with their power.

Kevin knew that Albedo wouldn't hurt Shion. She was too important. Wilhelm wouldn't allow it. Albedo's hand found his throat and he slammed Kevin down onto his back. He was overflowing with power. Kevin felt it through his clothes, on the hand around his neck. Albedo didn't care about Shion. He didn't care about anything they were trying to do. The only thing that mattered in the universe, in any universe, on any plane of existence, was Jr. Kevin had gotten in his way. The reality of his mistake sat fully upon him now; a dark, dangerous purple shadow.

"If you hurt her," Kevin choked out, "Jr. will know it was you. He'll never forgive you."

"Speak of forgiveness."

Albedo's fist struck Kevin in the chest. Kevin coughed, and clutched at the pain. He attempted to roll away but Albedo stood, and slammed a boot against his throat.

"And after you've summoned a monster."

Albedo's dragon had effectively strangled Kevin's gnosis. He could see it thrashing its arms, trying to find purchase on the dragon's smooth body. Albedo stomped down onto his neck again, crushing Kevin's windpipe.

"Repent, oh Lust! I will not suffer the stings of forgiveness but you..."

Albedo drove his hand down as fast as he could, and ran it through Kevin's stomach. Kevin tried to scream but no sound came out. He wrapped his hands around Albedo's arm, to try to destroy it, but he was shoulder deep by the time Kevin had reached him. Albedo's free hand returned to Kevin's throat. He pulled back and changed course, forcing his claws through Kevin's chest. Albedo's fingers wrapped around his spine and pulled down, jerked through muscle and organ to pull away a large section of Kevin's spinal cord out of the hole in his stomach.

Albedo laughed - long, hard, and full of hate - and held the gruesome mess above his head like a trophy.

"...have always been spineless."

Albedo threw it up into the hole above them. His dragon caught it in its teeth, crunching Kevin's spine into a shower of salt that rained down on the two of them. Kevin barely registered what was happening, was lost to the horror of the pain wracking what was left of his body. Albedo's dragon found Kevin and opened its wings and mouth wide. There was no way for Kevin to escape this time. He was laid squarely in the dragon's line of fire. The dragon glowed, every vein on its body white from the fire. Kevin called for his gnosis. It flattened away and slid out of the dragon's grasp. It darted past Albedo and covered Kevin's body just as the dragon's fire left its throat. The fire hit it and it melted immediately. It rolled Kevin away from the fire, across the floor and spread its black body around Kevin's, covering him like a second skin. When Kevin stood his gnosis had hardened around him and become armor; dark, hard smoking armor with vicious points at the shoulders and head. He opened his hand and the mangled claws of his gnosis became a sword. He stared Albedo down, his ruined cape flung wildly behind him. He was alive, red eyes hidden under a midnight visor. He swung once at Albedo, an experiment, and watched as the thing, packed with ether, missed him and created a clean, effortless gash in the floor.

Albedo's dragon flew down into the hole. It crawled onto Albedo, stabbing its claws into him and reclaiming its earlier spot. The dragon shrieked, spreading its blue wings wide in challenge. When it shot fire at Kevin again he raised his sword and watched as it bounced harmlessly off of it to drip onto the floor at his feet.

The smile faded from Albedo's face. His dragon screamed in anger. The chase began again.

It felt like a victory, like vindication, to push Albedo back through the same hallways he'd chased Kevin. His sword swept through the halls, destroyed everything in its path. His body was smoking when they made it back into the lab. He was a demon awakened from the very depths of Hell, his armor powerful and alive.

Albedo tripped over the debris in his flight and Kevin's sword caught him as he stumbled. It sliced through his right shoulder, severing it and the dragon's head in the process. Albedo landed on one knee and Kevin raised his sword again to cleave Albedo in half, straight down the middle. It came down on Albedo's hand. Albedo held him back, his power pushing against the blade the only thing keeping it from his flesh. Kevin pushed down, determined to break through. Albedo's dragon was gone, dissolved into gas particles. Even if he was able to hold out until his arm grew back he still wouldn't be a match for Kevin.

Kevin put all of his weight and power into it, forcing Albedo's arm down. Albedo strained against him, his arm shaking. Ether poured from the sword and wrapped around Albedo's arms. The mixture of elements burned Albedo as soon as it touched his suit. It engulfed him, spreading like a disease that left weeping scabs and welts that ate through his flesh as it traveled. Albedo's arm had returned but he placed it against the floor as a brace against Kevin as he pressed down harder. His muscles were giving out. It wouldn't be much longer. The ether was destroying him, crawling up his neck to burn away his hood and the side of his face. He lowered his head as he struggled against Kevin and for a brief moment, Kevin thought he would win until Albedo threw his head back and laughed. Eaten alive by Kevin's ether and held trapped beneath his blade and Albedo was laughing. Kevin refused to let it distract him. He focused on his power, pumped Albedo full of more ether. Albedo continued to laugh. His vocal cords were dissolving and still he laughed. Finally, disease choked away Albedo's laughter but by then it was too late.

The dragon was back.

Its head whipped around from Albedo's shoulder. It screamed at Kevin, angry smoke pouring out of its nostrils. Kevin began to pull back, to chop it away again when another dragon emerged from Albedo's other shoulder. Another from the middle of his back. Another, another and another until Kevin was forced to pull away. Eighteen in all but to Kevin they felt like an army, a legion of dragons, all sprouting from a diseased corpse.

"Lust!" Albedo screamed. "A change of heart!"

His voice had returned and every dragon's head turned toward Kevin. Albedo tilted his ruined head. The left side was already healing, covering the skull Kevin's ether had revealed.

"I forgive you!"

Every dragon's mouth opened. Every dragon's body glowed white-hot with power. Every dragon locked its eyes on Kevin. It would be impossible to defend against all of them. They fired together, completely in sync. Kevin constructed a desperate, futile defense. It was useless. Albedo's dragons broke past his gnosis armor, its ether and his power. It cut through him, through every wall, and every floor until the entire space station was liquid fire. It groaned, curled inward, and exploded in Albedo's fire.

Kevin tried to escape but Albedo found him, wrapped his arms around him in a mocking embrace and held him down until there was no hope of escape. Explosions rocked the station, tore through every inch of it. Kevin's gnosis armor finally melted away in the heat. Albedo hugged him close inside the inferno of the Telethia and grinned.

"I forgive you."

A/N: Seen by Tenka and Skan helped me write this chapter. Sound, not the lyrics. A little short but still enjoyable I hope. Stay safe and healthy everyone. I'll see you soon!