AATS
Chapter 39
Red Prince
Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.
- H.L. Mencken
Jr. tried to weigh his options, but he knew that there were no other options. There was only one option, and he was holding it above his head, examining it as it twisted between the fingers of his right hand. He knew what he had to do, but the knowledge wouldn't make the act any easier. As he watched the small, white capsule weave through each finger he wondered how he was going to pull it all off.
Albedo was so close that Jr. could almost feel him. He had worried in the beginning that Albedo would feel their link unwinding and put a stop to it, but Jr. kept twisting and Albedo stayed silent and unaware.
He won't let me get away with it for long, Jr. thought. I don't have a lot of time.
It was a thought that kept repeating itself over and over in his mind. It was that thought that pulled him away from the unraveling and brought him to the Durandal's park and to that very same bench he'd shared with Albedo. It was that thought that pushed the capsule through his fingers, flittering across the numbers on his palm.
Those first nights without Albedo had been unbelievably difficult. Everything seemed colorless, flavorless, and full of endless monotony. It was an odd thing to experience. He'd read about it, had seen it in shows and in the people around him but Jr. had never known what it was like to be in love. How could he have imagined what it would have been like to be lovesick?
Jr. had felt something similar once with Sakura, but Albedo was an entirely different beast with his sizzling skin and dangerous smiles. Sakura was sunlight and sunflowers; an effortless sweetness. Albedo was darkness, desire, and possessive, pulsating heat. Jr. was powerless against him, but he had stopped trying to fight the feeling. His sole focus now was to obtain more of it.
Jr. wrapped the capsule in his palm and tapped his fist lightly against his forehead. What would Sakura think if she were here? Would Jr. have given Albedo a second look if Sakura hadn't...if Albedo hadn't...
Jr. shut his eyes and scowled. It didn't matter. There was no going back. If they couldn't forgive they had to accept. It was the only way for this to work, and he sorely wanted it to work. But when his thoughts faded back to Sakura he felt the creeping dread of guilt, of an immeasurable betrayal.
"Hello, Little Master."
Jr. was pulled out of his thoughts so roughly he felt as if he had been physically dragged off of the bench and down to the floor. He jumped, clutching the capsule reflexively.
"Shelley," he said, trying to mask his surprise. He sat up and quickly began to claw his way back to the present. "What's up?"
The Durandal's environmental bugs had activated. Shelley shimmered in their glow as they danced around her. She was shades of golden-lavender; otherworldly in their light, but the effect only reminded Jr. of Albedo and the way he inspected the fireflies.
"I've been looking for you."
"Oh, yeah?" Jr. replied. He noticed that her hands were behind her back. He tried to peek around her, curious. "And how may I be of service?"
She smiled at him as if expecting those very words, and brought her hands forward, revealing a small black box. He held out his hand, and she dropped it into his palm. Jr. immediately began inspecting it.
"What is this?" He asked, playfully. "An inventive way to announce your engagement?"
"No," Shelley said, with a quiet laugh. Jr. moved over, patting the seat next to him. "It's your birthday present from Master Gaignun."
Jr. stilled and he turned unhappily to Shelley.
"Gaignun sent you."
"He didn't," she replied, with a shake of her head. She tapped the top of the box with an index finger. "He's been carrying it in his breast pocket since your return to the Durandal. He was hoping that you would visit him so that he could be the one to give it to you."
Jr. frowned as she pulled away.
"I simply wanted an excuse to see you."
"You don't need an excuse to see me."
Jr. knew that he wasn't blameless but the violence of their separation and the use of Gaignun's voice kept Jr. grounded in his anger. He didn't want to forgive him.
Jr. placed the capsule on the bench and pressed his thumb against the front of the box.
How could he accept Albedo, knowing of the horrible things he had done, and yet be so unforgiving towards Gaignun? It was misplaced and immature anger. Jr. wanted someone to blame but there was no one else to blame. The fault lied with him.
"How much did he tell you?" Jr. asked, opening the box.
"Nothing really," Shelley said, leaning over to look inside. The contents had been kept a secret from her and she was eager to see for herself.
Jr. leaned back against the bench as he lifted the lid. He stared at it for a moment, as if in disbelief. He reached inside and pulled out a necklace. It looked simple to Shelley; a silver ball on a thick black thread but Jr. seemed fascinated by it.
"That bastard."
Jr. rolled it in his palm and closed his fingers around it. There was a soft yellow flash and when he opened his hand the silver ball had been reworked into a tiny silver statue of Shelley.
"Meteorite. Native Iron," Jr. explained as he closed his hand around it. "Incredibly malleable. Lost Jerusalem was surrounded with the stuff, but it's almost impossible to find around here."
He opened his hand and it was Mary.
"It reacts so easily..." Jr. closed his hands around it again. "Gaignun must have spent a fortune on it."
chaos was next. Jr. held it up so that Shelley could see every little detail of his creation.
"He wins again," Jr. said with a sigh. He brought his hand back down. "I didn't even get him anything this time."
Jr. continued to play with his piece of meteorite, transforming it into anything and everything he could think of. It became whatever he willed it to, shaping with the slightest movement of a finger into miniature planets and people. They were silent as he experimented with it.
"You didn't come here just to give me this," Jr. said, watching the metal move.
"No," Shelley answered.
"You want to know what happened."
"Only if you want to tell me."
"I was planning to...eventually," Jr. said quietly. He was currently working through the alphabet, switching from one letter to the next with a curl of each finger. "Just...not like this."
"So it's true? Have you found someone special?"
Jr. felt a quick flash of heat and groaned inwardly, knowing it was showing on his face.
"Y-yeah."
Shelley could see how uncomfortable he was under her gaze, so she focused on his metal-working.
"Master Gaignun told us that he ruined your relationship."
"He didn't ruin it. He just...complicated things."
"He surprised you?"
"You could say that."
Jr. prepared for an onslaught of questions. He wondered if this was how Albedo had felt when bombarded by Jr. He had taken the questions so smoothly in the park, on the bench. Unlike Albedo, nothing was stopping Jr. from answering. Nothing other than plain embarrassment.
"I can fix this," Jr. said before she could ask her first question. "I just need time."
"It has to be difficult..." Shelley stopped but Jr. knew what she was going to say.
"...for someone in my position?"
Their eyes met and Shelley looked away, furious with herself.
"It's fine," Jr. said with a laugh. "It definitely isn't easy."
He turned back to his meteor.
"I'd given up on it, you know. It was never really an option for me."
He held the Elsa in the palm of his hands, cooking the silver a slightly darker shade to replicate the ship's blue.
"It bothered me at first. Hell, it still bothers me sometimes," he continued, squinting down at his little freighter. "But he..."
He smiled to himself as he remembered every bit of praise Albedo had given him.
"It was never an issue for him."
Shelley was very careful with her emotions and could be hard to read at times, but there was no mistaking the surprise on her face or in her voice when she said, "He?"
Jr. grinned and leaned forward, challenging her. "Something wrong with that?"
"Of course not," She replied easily, unceremoniously passing his test. "It's just that...it paints a very different picture."
"What do you mean?"
"Master Gaignun told us that when he interrupted the two of you he misunderstood the situation and pulled you apart. If he came home and discovered you with a man instead of a woman..."
Jr. understood completely and instantly fell into an embarrassed panic.
"That's not what happened!" He shouted, sitting straight up, face burning. "Whatever you're thinking is wrong. It's completely wrong."
"Calm down, Little Master," Shelley said, clearly amused. "Could you clear things up for me?"
Jr. had crushed the Elsa in his panic. It was a clumpy ball of silver clay. He closed his fingers around it.
Jr. hadn't decided what to tell Mary and Shelley. Dragging Albedo home had seemed like the easiest way to explain it, if not exactly the best way. He realized now how unrealistic that had been. Things had become far more complicated than he had ever imagined.
Once he knew where to find Albedo he would need help. He had no idea what he would be walking into or how violent it would become. Jr. didn't know who he would have to fight to get him back or even if he would have to fight Albedo himself. Jr. would arrive, guns blazing only to have to fight the very person he was trying to save. He didn't know if he would ever be able to fight Albedo again. If Albedo stood between him and the person containing him, what would he do? What could he do?
Could he email Shion and ask to borrow KOS-MOS? Could he contact Ziggy and ask him to report back to the Foundation and assist him on a classified mission that excluded MOMO completely? Could Jr. ask everyone to put their lives on hold to bring home a man who had destroyed so many lives, who had terrorized them across the galaxy?
A silver Albedo sat in Jr.'s hand when he uncurled his fingers.
Ziggy would be obligated to help. He was currently registered to the Kukai Foundation. Jr. tried imagining Ziggy's reaction when he fully understood what their objective was. Granted it wouldn't be much of a reaction, but there would be a hardness in his eyes and in his voice that would give him away.
Jr. turned Albedo in his palm, watching as the fireflies cast long yellow shadows over him.
No, he couldn't ask for help. Jr. would have to do this alone, even if it killed him. Even if Albedo killed him.
"What is that, Little Master?"
Jr. hastily covered his statue, hiding it like a secret, but Shelley wasn't looking at his hand. Her eyes were on the white capsule. Jr. looked down and plucked it from the bench.
"Just a sedative."
"An injector capsule."
Shelley's expression darkened at the sight of it and Jr. quickly shoved it into a pocket. Mary and Shelley had always been uncomfortable around capsules, especially ones with needles. Jr. apologized, having completely forgotten about it.
"Where did you get that?"
"I grabbed a few off of an Ormus soldier on the Alviss," Jr. said, tapping the small leather bag on his holster. "I was cleaning my pockets when I found them."
When she didn't relax at his answer he added, "Their goal was to capture me, not kill me. I was looking for a key card when I found them. I used most of them trying to get away."
"Those are very powerful, Little Master."
"I know," Jr. said, with a quick nod. "One hit of this thing and I would have been knocked out for days."
Jr. paused as he realized what she was implying.
"I wasn't going to use it on him, Shelley."
Jr. remembered the misshapen Albedo in his hand and melted it quickly into a putty.
"That wouldn't solve anything."
Or would it? Jr. hadn't considered it but if the opportunity arose, maybe he could avoid a fight.
Shelley leaned forward and wrapped Jr.'s hand in both of hers.
"Is he dangerous, Little Master?"
Her eyes stayed on their hands as she spoke.
"Or perhaps a man of power or influence? Someone who would always need secrecy?"
The environmental bugs had returned to their hiding places. Their absence left the park feeling dark and cold despite the atmospheric lighting. It was as if when they left they took any semblance of romance or magic with them.
A world of beauty, your little battleship.
Jr. was determined for Albedo to see the real thing. He was determined to bring him to the beach. He was determined to bring Albedo home. He was determined to make his fantasy a reality.
"Or is he someone you think we wouldn't approve of?"
She smiled at his surprise and squeezed his hand.
"Little Master, it doesn't matter." Shelley's voice was deep and soothing; an insistent, reassuring warmth in the darkness. "I will fight for him. The way you fought for us."
She removed her hands. Jr. stared at his fist and at the small bits of silver threatening to spill through his fingers. If the man in question was anyone but Albedo he would have believed her. As Jr. grew closer to Albedo and the prospect of bringing him home became more real, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep it a secret.
"Did you ever tell Gaignun..." Jr. asked as he reworked his meteorite, "...that we planned the whole thing?"
"No," Shelley replied. "Neither of us have."
Jr. hesitated when the figure was done and uncurled his fingers with a painful stiffness. Albedo sat like a brand in his hand, searing deeper into his skin with every second. Shelley moved her hair behind an ear as she leaned over to discover the identity of Jr.'s secret lover.
It wasn't Albedo as Jr. knew him, but Albedo as the world remembered him, with claws and cape and indescribable menace. All the confidence he'd had in the beach house when confronting Gaignun was gone. Deep down, Jr. had always known that Gaignun wouldn't turn Albedo away but when he was faced with someone who had no connection to Albedo, with no past, love, or obligation Jr. found his courage fading fast. If it was this hard with Shelley what would it be like with anyone else?
Is there anyone you're willing to give up?
Jr. couldn't read her expression. She didn't pull away in disgust or horror. She was silent, no doubt piecing together the last few months. With this one confession, Shelley had the answer to every irrational action taken by her Little Master.
"Albedo," Shelley said, and it wasn't with the vitriol that Jr. expected. She had pronounced each syllable carefully as if laying each one out so as not to hurt him. Their eyes met, and she saved him from his torment with a simple smile.
"He survived."
Jr. felt her hand on the back of his neck.
"Little Master, how wonderful. You must be so relieved."
"I..."
Every joint felt loose and heavy as if they had been locked in place and the overwhelming relief of her words had freed them. He lowered his arm, leaving the statue solid and untouched.
"This is why you've both been so secretive."
"You're...ok with this?"
"Your original plan was to bring him home, wasn't it?"
"It was...but..."
"Little Master," Shelley laughed, her voice full of sympathy. "No one tried to stop you before. Why would I stop you now?"
She was right. No one had tried to stop him, they had only tried to help him. No one had wanted him to go alone.
Shelley pulled her hand away and placed it delicately atop the other resting in her lap.
"What did Master Gaignun say?"
"He said..." Jr. looking down at his statue. "That he would accept him if I were to bring him home."
Shelley nodded. "After he pulled you apart."
"I don't know where Albedo is. He won't tell me, and I'm running out of time," Jr. closed his hand around his little Albedo. "I almost had the answer when Gaignun interrupted us."
Jr. melted him down in a yellow flash.
"Someone's keeping him from me, so we've been using our link to communicate. Gaignun found me unconscious and thought there was something wrong but..."
Jr. sighed down at his necklace, finally deciding on a design. He slipped it over his neck and flicked it with a forefinger, making sure that it was solid and would retain its shape.
"It wasn't his fault. I've even been hiding it from him. chaos doesn't even know how far this has gone."
He's probably guessed, Jr. thought. He'd been so reluctant to leave.
"Are you in love with him, Little Master?"
"I've tried not to be," Jr. said, with a shrug. "It didn't work."
Shelley laughed and Jr. was finally able to relax.
"Shelley, did you mean it? Will you help me once I bring him home?"
Jr. turned on the bench, suddenly filled with an awful, painful hope.
"I think I can find him but carving out a place for him here, with us, is going to be a monumentous task."
"I would do anything for you, Little Master."
Jr. threw his arms around her shoulders. She hugged him back, holding on as tightly as she could.
"Talk to Master Gaignun, Little Master," Shelley said, as he pulled away. "He needs to know that you aren't angry with him, and you will need his help too."
"I know," Jr. said, jumping away from the bench. "I was thinking of what to say to him before you surprised me."
Jr. was full of bright, contagious energy. Shelley warmed at his smile. It had been so long since she had seen him like this.
"Give me a couple of days. I'm still trying to work out where Albedo is."
Jr. turned to her and his confidence was back. Shelley caught a hint of the silver on his chest; a circle with two short rectangles sprouting from the bottom, reaching for each other but not quite touching. She started to ask about it, but she was distracted once again by his smile.
"I might not look like it, but I have a plan. He might come back in pieces, but he'll be here."
"I look forward to meeting him."
Jr.'s smile fell for a moment, and he said, almost as if in warning, "He is dangerous, Shelley."
It had been one of his biggest fears; that Albedo would turn on him at the last minute and use his family against him, but Albedo had tried so hard to prove that he could behave, that he could make this work.
"But so are you," Shelley replied, seemingly unfazed by the potential danger Albedo posed. She had every confidence in Jr.'s ability to protect her if not his ability to control his monstrous lover. Jr. could control him. He had no choice but to make this work.
"You're right," Jr. said, "He just needs a little reminder."
Jr. stepped away from the bench, anxious to return to the unraveling of their link. He was so close, just a few more days. He turned around and waved Shelley goodbye, running back to his room, back to Albedo.
Gaignun was in the middle of reviewing the next year's budget when Jr. entered his office. It had been days since Shelley had rushed out of his office, black box in hand. She had returned tight-lipped about their conversation, but she did stop to reassure him that Jr. would speak to him when he was ready. Gaignun had no choice but to be patient and wait.
When Jr. arrived it was like a shock to his system. He swept into Gaignun's office without a word, without warning, and without even a single look. He walked around Gaignun's desk to the window behind him, clasped his hands behind his back, and...waited. For what, Gaignun wasn't sure.
Gaignun hadn't thought about what he would say when Jr. returned. After Shelley's reassurance, he had expected Jr. to sweep in with an open link and a plan on his lips. The silence was unnerving. Gaignun continued to work, hoping that Jr. would break the tension. The minutes ticked away. Jr. remained silent.
It was late evening and The Foundation was turning dark. City lights reached out to them from sector windows, dotting the lake with hundreds of lights. Gaignun didn't see them. He wasn't brave enough to turn around. He remained facing his console, pretending to scroll through numbers, but they would both know that he was pretending.
"They think Albedo is a woman," Gaignun said, deciding he would have to be the one to break the ice.
Jr. snorted and responded with, "Not anymore."
The lightness in his voice finally made Gaignun turn. Jr. had moved his hands into pockets as he stared out the window. He heard the swivel of Gaignun's desk chair and turned to look back at him.
"I have a plan. Are you ready to hear it?"
Jr. lead Gaignun away from his desk and to the pool table. He shoved a pool cue into Gaignun's hand and jumped onto the table to rack the balls. It was a distraction, the game. It was something to hold in their hands, something to look at so their eyes didn't have to meet.
The vise-grip Jr. had held over his end of their link had loosened but Gaignun found Jr.'s thoughts murky. He was unable to read anything in them. They dissolved at his presence like fingers through fog. Jr. sat on a corner of the table and motioned for Gaignun to start.
Gaignun wasn't sure which game they were playing. He didn't think it mattered to Jr. His thoughts were elsewhere. Gaignun could feel the swirl of the fog.
"Roland Kukai," Jr. said, watching as Gaignun readied to break the rack.
Gaignun realized quickly that this wasn't a discussion about how to get Albedo home but what to do after Albedo was brought home.
"So you've found him?" Gaignun asked.
"Almost."
It was Jr.'s turn, and he stretched across the table, the cue balanced perfectly in his hands.
"Did you give him the name?" Gaignun asked.
"It's the name he wanted," Jr. said, with a lift of a shoulder. He took his shot and pulled away. "It fits."
"Almost."
There was a flash of a smile across Jr.'s lips, but just a flash.
"And who is he?"
"Your twin brother."
Gaignun positioned himself on the other side of the table.
"Long-lost?" He asked.
"Like the long-lost son you fathered," Jr. teased. "The one you adopted to cover up your scandalous affair at the tender age of fourteen."
Gaignun grinned, "That one was always my favorite."
There was a loud clack as Gaignun took his shot. Jr. watched the balls settle.
"Mine's that Mary's my biological mother. They say I have her eyes."
"Ah," Gaignun agreed, "That's the one where my relationship with Shelley was set up as a distraction."
"That's the one," Jr. said, laughing. "She was always in love with you, so you had to date them both or else she would reveal your sordid history to the public."
"I was always suspicious of her," Gaignun said, as Jr. jumped off the table to set up his shot on the opposite end. "She's a criminal mastermind."
If winning mattered, Jr. would be in the lead. Jr. was always in the lead, always the winner.
"What kind of rumors will they create about Albedo?"
"Roland."
Jr. was quick to correct him. There was a vicious clack. Jr. pulled away from the table to face him, and it was the first time since Jr. had stepped into their office that Gaignun looked at him. Jr. seemed pale. There were dark circles under his eyes and he seemed tired and weak.
"Jr.-"
Jr. turned away and Gaignun caught sight of his necklace in the motion. He'd seen that symbol before, but not in person. It was something he remembered seeing through Jr.'s eyes, something he was certain had to do with Albedo.
Gaignun quieted his concern, knowing it would only push Jr. away, and said instead, "We can call him whatever you want, but there will be people who recognize him."
White hair, purple eyes, manic grin. Albedo would be instantly recognizable to anyone who had been affected by his horror.
"We knew who he was because we could feel him and because he contacted us," Jr. said, cautiously. "Everyone else only saw a white E.S."
"You may be right," Gaignun said, "Regardless of whether our political allies or opponents know his identity, we have to consider Ormus."
Gaignun took his shot and braced the butt of his cue against the floor, gauging Jr.'s reaction.
"They will be the first to identify him."
"They've been waiting for something like this to destroy us," Jr. agreed. "Unless..."
It was his turn. He jumped back up onto the table, leaning across the side to reach the cue ball.
"They're too afraid to say anything."
Gaignun couldn't hide his disbelief. Jr. felt it like a brick crashing through a window.
"Think about it," Jr. said, straightening up. "They've known about us for years, and they never touched us. They've never revealed anything about us because Albedo protected us."
"He was able to protect us because he worked for them at the time. He could manipulate their data."
"You're thinking too small," Jr. said, pointing the end of his cue at Gaignun. "Think about what Albedo did to us. Think about the devastation he caused - alone - for them. Think about that, turned against them."
Jr. laid his cue down on the table and leaned forward. "Would you want to fuck with the guy who summoned Abel's Ark? Would you want to fuck with someone that insane, that powerful?"
"Would you?"
I already have.
It was the only thought that Gaignun could hear. Jr. felt the leak as soon as the thought left him. Gaignun turned his head to hide his laughter while Jr. choked on his embarrassment.
"Can we control that kind of power?" Gaignun clarified, traces of humor still in his voice.
Jr. seemed relieved that Gaignun didn't question his earlier thought.
"What if he decides to turn it against us?"
"I can stop him," Jr. was quickly, confidently. "I've done it before."
"But if he's different..."
It was Gaignun's turn but neither of them moved. Gaignun tried to work out the experiences Jr. had shared with him.
"Is he different?"
He raised his eyes from the table to find Jr.'s.
"He is...even if I can't fully explain how. I just know."
Jr. motioned toward Gaignun, "The way I know that you're worried about me and what I've been doing for the last few days."
Jr. twisted his body until he was sitting on the green felt of the pool table, legs crossed.
"The difference this time is that he wants this. He's not...trying to hurt us, hurt me. That's...over."
Jr. clasped his hands together and set his chin on them.
"These last few days, I've been trying to decide what would happen once I found out where he was and what I would do once I found him, and the more I think about it, the more I start to wonder...if he was even working for Ormus to begin with or if he was working for this person, the one hiding him from me, the entire time."
Jr. leaned back, dropping his hands into his lap. "I can't see the full picture. I'd need him to explain it but whatever he is now, however he survived..."
Jr. shook his head, "He wants this. He just needs help getting here."
"But why would someone keep him from you?"
Jr. shook his head. "I don't know."
Gaignun walked around to stand next to Jr. Their game was a mess. Gaignun had lost count. He wasn't sure who was in the lead.
"Juli Mizrahi knows who Albedo is. She knows that it was Albedo who summoned The Song, who activated Proto Merkabah, who stole the Y data...who summoned Abel's Ark. There's no doubt the Subcommittee knows. Helmer-"
"-Helmer took us in," Jr. interrupted. "Helmer saved us. He wouldn't turn his back on-"
"-he did turn his back on Albedo and the other contaminated URTVs."
Gaignun adjusted his cue to take his shot. The balls broke apart, scattering against the sides of the tables and Jr.'s legs.
"It was them or you."
"I never said that I wasn't grateful."
"Are you saying it's hopeless?"
"I'm saying," Gaignun said, dropping a hand on his shoulder. "That it will be difficult to persuade them. Even if we were to disguise him, we would have to be honest with at least Helmer and Juli. You'll have to accept that this won't be easy. If we're able to pull it off-"
"Are you saying you can't?"
Jr. turned in his hand and Gaignun could feel the chill of his stare before he saw it.
"You can pull us apart, but you can't bring us together?"
"That's not what I'm saying," Gaignun answered, pulling away slightly. He knew what Jr. was implying. "It doesn't work like mind control. You have to be suggestible to the idea or in a weakened state. You have to be easy to manipulate."
Gaignun laid his pool cue on the table and took a few steps back.
"Shoot me," he said.
"What?" Jr. answered.
"Shoot me."
"I'm not going to shoo-"
"-Shoot me."
"No!" Jr. shouted, anger and irritation flooded their link. "What the hell is your problem?"
Gaignun smiled, "It didn't work, did it?"
He returned to the table and retrieved his pool cue. Gaignun looked down at their scattered game for the cue ball, looking to take his shot.
"Wait, wait, wait," Jr. said, standing. "Who have you been practicing on?"
Clack!
Jr. waited for the balls to resettle before stomping up to Gaignun.
"Who?"
Gaignun slid one hand into his pocket. He raised an eyebrow at his brother's aggression and asked, simply, "Do you really want the details?"
Jr. made a face and crossed his arms.
"I guess not but that does bring up an interesting question. Could you make someone suggestible? Or beat them into submission?"
"You can always beat someone into submission," Gaignun said with a shrug. "I think you'd be good at that."
"Get serious or I will shoot you."
"I don't see why you couldn't make someone suggestible."
"So say that we explain the situation to Helmer, and he tries to argue against it..."
"It may still work if I could convince him that Albedo was a valuable weapon."
"Strip Albedo of autonomy. Make him a prisoner of the Kukai Foundation."
"It may be a hard sell."
"We already have the emulators. Might as well take on the rest of the universe's most powerful and dangerous mysteries."
"He is still a weapon."
"Aren't we all?"
"Jr."
"I'm just saying that it makes sense. Albedo is alive and there is no one better at containment than us. Name one person who wouldn't have used the emulators for their own gain. Name one person who wouldn't use Albedo for the same."
"But isn't that what you're proposing?" Gaignun said, "Turning the being who almost destroyed Second Miltia into its guardian?"
"It's different."
"How?" Gaignun asked.
"I was...given permission," he said, lowering his gaze. "I was told to 'use him'."
Jr. kicked at the balls around his feet, completely uncaring of their game or the uncounted score.
"I don't think he has much say in the matter."
The more they spoke about it, the more possible it became. If Albedo, if Roland, could play the part as well as Jr. believed he could, then it might be feasible. It might even be fun. Gaignun had always enjoyed politics. If he could convince the right people that Albedo was safe while also convincing everyone else that Roland was a lost son of Soze Kukai, it would be one of his greatest achievements.
Gaignun wondered if he had enough time to make this work. Yuriev was a golden shadow and Albedo would see it the minute they laid eyes on each other. Albedo wouldn't go easy on him but maybe that's what Gaignun needed. He needed someone willing to shoot him when the time came, not someone who needed persuading.
"He'll need to clean up," Gaignun said, looking to sink the rest of the balls. Just to clear the table. "Maybe cut his hair."
"You don't think the Foundation women will go wild at the sight of him? Bad boy Roland Kukai?"
"Is that what drives you wild?"
A pool ball came flying inches away from Gaignun's head, landing harmlessly on the floor behind his desk. Gaignun smirked and finished clearing the table. Jr. sat on the edge next to him.
"You're thinking it's possible."
"I am."
"Then I need you to promise that you won't try to stop me."
Gaignun raised slightly and turned to Jr.
"I said that I wouldn't."
"What you say and what you do when I'm unconscious are two different things."
Gaignun stood up fully and leaned against the table. He turned to the window and found the Foundation covered in darkness. The girls would be waiting for him. They would know why he was late and be eager for every little detail he would give them. Shelley would have told Mary about Albedo by now.
Jr. was looking out the same window, thinking very different thoughts.
"How's the headache?" Gaignun asked and quickly regretted his question when Jr. shared it with him. It was only a second, but the pain lingered when he left, stabbing like a crown of thorns around his skull.
"If you try to stop me," Jr. said, his voice thick with pain, longing and so many other things that continued to evade Gaignun's grasp. "Then everything I have done so far...it won't mean anything."
Jr. grabbed Gaignun's shoulder and shook him.
"Let me do this."
Gaignun looked at him again, at his dark circles and pale skin.
"It's...difficult to see what this is doing to you."
"I just need a few hours, Gaignun. Let me find him. I can find him."
"And once you find him?"
"Then I'll come right back to you. I'll have to. I'll need help getting there."
"And you'll go alone?"
"With chaos, probably."
Gaignun chuckled, "I don't think you'll get far without him."
"I'm surprised that he hasn't come home to stop me."
Gaignun had received a report earlier that day from Captain Matthews. They had come across a swarm of gnosis and had to stop for repairs. Gaignun hadn't been too disappointed with the news at first, believing that Jr. wouldn't be ready for at least another week. Fate had worked against him and in favor of Jr.
"I find it a little odd that the Elsa's crew was operating fine without chaos and suddenly needed him for protection."
"Professor needed more parts for Asher. The area's crawling with gnosis. You've seen what chaos can do to gnosis."
Jr. rattled off his sentences as if he were reading off a list of facts. He paused for a moment, seemingly unsure, and asked, "Asher is on the Elsa, right?"
"He was still in need of repairs after the Alviss, is what I was told."
Jr.'s face was still pinched in distress. He placed a hand against his forehead and sighed, "It's all blurring together. I have a hard time keeping it all straight."
"From the dream," Gaignun asked, "Or from your search?"
Jr. frowned in response. He closed his eyes and the fog covering his thoughts lifted. Gaignun saw the bridge and the screens above the main console displaying some sort of battle. He saw Mary and Shelley and even himself, looking down at Jr.
No, he'll take care of it fast. Are you going with him?
It was so realistic. I remember it as if these things actually happened to me.
These were some of the details Jr. had skimmed over at the beach house. It was strange to see himself through Jr.'s eyes, especially a false version of himself. Gaignun at his desk, at the dinner table, on the bridge. It was even stranger to hear his voice. Albedo had known so much about him, and about all of them, that it was frightening.
When Jr. opened his eyes he and said, "I will tell you what I am able, when I am able."
The exhaustion in his voice belonged to someone three times his age. The words were squeezed out of him and evaporated like wisps of cold steam off a frozen lake.
"He couldn't answer a single question. Not one that mattered."
Jr. tapped his holster in thought, his fingers making soft little thuds against the leather.
"He'll have to answer them all when I find him."
Gaignun wanted to help, to take some burden off of Jr. but he knew it was impossible with the golden noose he'd tied around his neck. Even without it, he wouldn't be any help. Their abilities far exceeded his own. He had never been on even ground with either of them. Gaignun could only watch as they destroyed each other, as he himself was destroyed.
He could feel Jr.'s headache in small pulsating beats at his temples and knew that it was only a fraction of what Jr. was feeling. Still, Gaignun was glad to have their link open again, or as open as either would allow it to be. Gaignun had a feeling that Jr. was too tired to keep up with the lockdown.
Jr. pushed away from the table and walked behind the desk. He bent over to pick up the ball he had thrown earlier. He tossed it around before turning and throwing it to Gaignun. Gaignun caught it easily and turned to drop it back on the table.
There was malignant darkness at the edges of Jr.'s mind. At first, Gaignun assumed it was from the strain of his search but the longer he spent with it, trying to understand the feeling, the more familiar it became. He had felt this before, or some part of it. A deep darkness, a sliver of madness. It felt like Albedo.
Gaignun knew it was too late before the ball left his hand. Jr.'s hand was on the back of his neck before he had time to finish the thought. He felt the prick immediately after. He lost sensation in his legs before he could blink. He tried to grab onto the table but his fingers wouldn't grip. He threw his upper body onto it and gained a few seconds of stability.
"Don't wake me up."
Jr.'s words slipped through his ears, dark and slick.
"I'm coming back."
Jr. caught Gaignun before he could crash to the floor. He cursed, grunting with the effort. Gaignun was a lot heaver than he looked. Jr. dragged him away from the pool table and laid him down gently onto the floor.
"I'm sorry," Jr. said as he grabbed a pillow from the bed to place under Gaignun's head. "But I can't trust you, not with this."
Jr. had only given Gaignun a half-dose. He emptied the rest of the sedative and tossed it into the trash. Jr. ran to the console, knowing that the girls would get suspicious if Gaignun didn't make it back to their room, and input an emergency code that only he and Gaignun knew. He couldn't have them waking him up. Once it was finalized, Jr. started for the door. He paused to check on Gaignun once more before turning away and running to his room.
Alby was waiting for him when he returned. Jr. had taken to locking him in his room or his office just to get some relief. Alby hated it and was always furious when he returned but when Jr. burst into the room, with red eyes and a an acute sense of urgency, Alby forgot that he was angry and simply moved out of his master's way.
The unraveling had taken a serious toll on Jr. The headaches had grown worse with each twist of their link. Jr. knew that he was becoming unstable. The border between Albedo's dreams and Jr.'s reality was almost nonexistent. The quick flashes of memories were overtaking him and at times he struggled to discern where he was. He felt as if he was living in a haze, grasping for any signs of Albedo in the fog.
Jr. only had one twist left. He didn't know what was going to happen to him on the other side, but he knew that no matter what happened, he wasn't coming back empty-handed.
Jr. crawled onto his bed and propped himself against the pillows. Alby jumped after him, cautiously, afraid that he had done something wrong. Jr. called him over and held him close.
"Alby. If Gaignun comes through that door, do not let him near me."
Alby's white ears perked straight up.
"Do whatever it takes to keep him away, understand?"
Alby barked his assent. Jr. smiled and gave him a quick pat.
"Good boy."
Alby had grown accustomed to his master's strange sleeping habits. He knew where this was leading and wasn't as nervous as he had been at the beach house. The puppy moved away from Jr. and snuggled close to his thigh, waiting for his master to sleep and ready for Gaignun, should he come crashing through the door.
Jr. placed the back of his head against the wall and let out a long, slow breath. This was it, the moment he had been working towards. He felt his way down their link. It felt almost the same as it had when Jr. had accessed Albedo in their dream. The steep dives and the wild, sharp curves lead him straight to the blockage. It was a tight fist held in strict defiance against him, but it was nothing compared to what it had been at the start. Jr. would have no problem breaking through.
He felt for Gaignun one last time, just to make sure he was still asleep before reaching for Albedo and giving one last violent twist.
"Miss Uzuki."
There was surprise on his lips as he turned. They shaped quickly into a smile.
"Ah, sorry. I keep forgetting. It must be so frustrating."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Virgil replied, eyeing Kevin. "I really admire her work, so I'm always flattered, no matter how often it happens."
Kevin glowered at them from behind his glasses. He tossed his head and returned to his interrupted conversation.
"That really got him," Virgil said later, once it was the two of them alone in the lab. Virgil sat on the edge of T-elos maintenance bed and crossed his slim, delicate legs. "Nice to have you back."
Albedo's slight smile was a welcome sight after days of enduring his silent, stoic expression.
"Could have used your help sooner," Virgil said, shrugging. "Time's almost up. We're needed elsewhere."
Virgil patted the maintenance bed. "She'll be here soon. Flesh and blood."
Virgil jumped suddenly as if remembering something and pulled a small package from a pocket on his side. He opened it and pulled out a strip of dried meat. He shoved a piece between his teeth and extended the rest to Albedo.
"Addict," Albedo said with a smile, but even he seemed uneasy.
"What," Virgil said, with a shrug. "Stuff's good and so easy to get here. I definitely chose the wrong career path."
"And when your skin gave you away?"
"You like my scars," Virgil said, tearing off another piece. He laughed at Albedo's disgust. "You've said so yourself."
"Who could compete with your perfect complexion?"
"Oh, I see," Virgil said, leaning forward over his knees. "Afraid of what the kid will think of that perfect mug if it's covered in scars?"
Virgil pressed devastated fingers over his breast.
"Rubedo, Rubedo, a rose by any other name." Virgil popped the last piece between his painted lips and sighed, "You're so full of shit."
Virgil wanted Albedo's anger, his passion, any sign that he still had a heart inside that astral veil, but he got nothing.
"Alright, tough crowd," Virgil grumbled.
He stood, straightening his uniform as he did. Virgil had grown tired of his disguise. The clothing alone required too much work. He didn't understand how women managed. He felt as if he lost so much time pulling down skirts and adjusting straps.
"You can always go back, you know. Door's still open."
"I can-"
"-can't, right. Then if you aren't going back, let's have some fun."
Virgil grabbed Albedo by the arm. Albedo stumbled into him and Virgil grinned at his surprise.
"What's wrong?" Virgil asked, pressing his lithe body against Albedo's. "Wrong equipment?"
Albedo pushed him away and Virgil laughed.
"We could have been a real power couple, you know!" He shouted through his laughter. "If you had played along even for a moment."
"But I'm tired of you already," Albedo said, smoothing his uniform jacket.
"Give me a break," Virgil said, with a roll of his eyes. "I've been dragging you through these halls like a punishment. I wanted some of that classic Albedo mischief and malice, not a ball and chain."
Virgil threw up his hands and walked to a nearby desk.
"Bet the kid doesn't even want you back. Have you checked on him once since you've been back? I know I haven't."
Virgil spun a chair in his hands and sat down in it, crossing his arms.
"I can't babysit both of you."
Albedo stared at the T-elos' maintenance bed, unwilling to meet Virgil's accusatory gaze.
"You can't leave him like that," Virgil said, and his voice held a sincerity that made Albedo flinch. "He's probably driving himself crazy looking for you. Isn't that what you want?"
Virgil threw his arms wide in frustration, "I mean, wasn't that the goal here? How do you know that it won't work if you don't try? Don't you owe it to him?"
He dropped his arms, hands slapping against his thighs. He leaned back in the chair.
"You can't hold on to this game like a golden ticket. When things start rolling, Wilhelm will make the decision for you. Shouldn't you at least try?"
He threw his arms behind his head and rocked the chair from side to side. Virgil's eyes met the ceiling, but he wasn't looking at it. He was thinking about all the work Albedo had put into his game.
"You started the game. Finish it."
There was a loud thud against the maintenance bed as if Virgil's words had summoned some motion out of Albedo. He brought his eyes down to find Albedo clutching his chest. He was bent over the black bed as if it were the only thing keeping him upright.
"What's going on?" Virgil asked, jumping to his feet.
Albedo was suddenly jerked away from the bed, twisting at the shoulder. He reached for it in confusion but the other was pulled back just the same. Albedo stumbled backward until he was pressed against the wall. Their eyes met and Virgil rushed to him but just as his fingertips met Albedo's skin, he disappeared. Virgil's fingers met a blank, white wall.
Virgil pressed his fingers against the wall as if doing so would illuminate the situation or better, bring Albedo back.
Virgil.
It was Kevin, but Virgil didn't give a shit about what he had to say. He was turning around and around in the lab, looking for any signs of Albedo.
I need you both on Michtam.
Virgil stopped spinning and slammed a hand against the nearest console. The screen above T-elos disappeared, overridden by Virgil.
Sorry. Virgil replied. He knew where Albedo had gone, and he wasn't about to miss this one.
Albedo's gonna be a little late.
Albedo careened backward through their link; a prize catch being reeled in with enough force to destroy the pulley, the arm, and the ship it was connected to. It was painful, the force of the pull threatened to rip through his clothing and straight to his skin. Rubedo would peel every layer from him until there was nothing left but his wretched, worthless soul. Albedo felt his disguise melting away, shredded in the pull. When it finally ended, and he was violently slammed onto a hard, solid surface, he looked down only to find himself in his Durandal battle suit. Rubedo's colors.
Albedo had been thrown onto his side. His shoulder had taken the brunt of the force. He could feel bone and muscle regenerating as he rolled painfully onto his front. He opened his eyes and found his reflection looking back at him.
Crystal. The floor was made of crystal. Albedo looked to his left. The wall was crystal. This was Michtam.
"Nice place you got here."
Albedo jumped to his feet and swung his head to the right.
"I don't know what I was expecting but it sure as hell wasn't this."
Rubedo sat atop a crystal throne far above Albedo's head. The sides of it sloped, giving it a bent, twisted appearance. Albedo realized with a quick stab of panic that Rubedo appeared bent and twisted as well.
Rubedo sat with his legs spread wide, one arm resting between them and the other balanced on a crystal armrest, chin in hand. His grin was too wide. His eyes were too wild. Their beautiful blue burned with a powerful red that stained them at the corners.
Albedo had seen that very same face in the mirror. He was no stranger to madness.
"Rubedo..."
Albedo took a step forward and the crystal shrieked beneath him. The sound was sharper than the real thing and stabbed into him like a siren.
"Rubedo, what have you done?"
"Me?" Jr. said, with a scoff. "I did what exactly you wanted. What you couldn't do."
He swept a hand over their surroundings. "I finally found you."
Rubedo winked at him and the actions sent shivers down Albedo's spine for all the wrong reasons.
"Welcome home, Albedo."
A/N: Happy New Year! I hope it's starting off great for all of you and that it's a major improvement on the previous one. It may be a little longer between these last few chapters but at least I managed to beat my deadline. I hope you all enjoyed it. Stay safe and healthy! I'll see you next chapter in Storm Waltz!
