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The Broken Silence
Chapter 56
Alone
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Carmen placed an arm around Chase's shoulders who didn't once take his eyes from the door. Diana had been in surgery for over twelve hours, and he was a nervous wreck. He'd argued vehemently with the doctors wanting to stay by her side, but in the end, Carmen and the others had to drag him away as the doctors took her into surgery. Chase had yelled and struggled against them, but in the end, he finally allowed them to drag him to the waiting area.
Carmen and Mime Bomb both let them know they were universal donors in case she needed blood, but so far no one had approached them.
"No news is good news," Julia said for what felt like the hundredth time, "She's going to be fine, Chase."
Chase muttered a few words in French and still didn't look away from the door. He'd refused all offers of food or drink, and hadn't so much moved an inch out of his seat.
Everyone had gotten their injuries seen to, and Neal was by far the worst out of both teams. His shoulder and leg were both broken and he was going to be out of commission for months. His limbs were in a lot of pain, but he was still in bright spirits. He was telling Player and everyone else within earshot a long and entertaining story about a mission that had gone horribly wrong and he was successfully keeping the mood light.
Dash was sitting by Neal's side, feeling guilty the other man was so injured. Neal had come to fight Bellum because he'd asked, and so Dash knew all of this was his fault. If he had been a bit stronger, he would have been able to handle Bellum on his own. Dash was the only one out of their team who had never graduated from the academy and he knew he was holding them back.
"Neal, you should be resting!" Dash protested.
Neal rolled his eyes and continued on with his story, ignoring any nagging coming from Dash's direction.
Crackle wanted them to leave the hospital as soon as possible, but Siren was still being examined by the doctors. They wanted to run a few additional tests, and he was anything but cooperative. He still hadn't said a word to anyone and he refused to let go of his brothers for even a moment. If anyone got too close to him, he'd screech, and Roose ended up having to pin him down so he could be examined. Siren screamed and struggled the entire time he was being examined and when his wounds were being cleaned and bandaged, he'd cried like he was being murdered.
The doctors asked Theodore and Roosevelt endless questions about Siren, but they didn't know the answers to any of them. They had no idea what had been done to their brother, and they had no idea if he was on any sort of medications. Hoping for answers, they searched his pockets and found a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a V.I.L.E card, and an Ipod. Nothing of any use.
Unable to get any answers, the doctor wanted to run several tests to see if Siren was on any sort of drugs. The doctor asked about the feeding tube in Siren's stomach, but they also knew nothing about that.
The twins refused to leave his side for even a moment, and Siren refused to let go of them. When Crackle had wandered a bit too close for comfort, Siren had kicked at him, and so everyone gave him his space. Crackle was nervous about staying here for too long, but he knew Siren needed help and they needed to find out what Vess did to him. Once the doctors said it was safe to take Siren, they would be disappearing until everything with A.C.M.E blew over.
Carmen told them Siren had seemed perfectly alright just earlier that day, and so something had happened during the fight. There was no sign of a head injury, and so she said they had to assume Vess drugged him. Crackle disagreed with this assumption, and he was honestly worried that they had done the same thing to Siren that Bellum and Vess had done to him. The confusion was eerily familiar, and Crackle knew the mind eraser left no physical marks.
When the doctor finally emerged out of surgery, Chase shot to his feet in an instant.
"How is she?" he demanded, "Can I see her?"
"Your daughter did extremely well, and the surgery was perfect. She's an incredibly strong little girl, and she's a fighter."
Chase sagged in relief. "Can I see her?" he repeated.
The doctor nodded. "Only one person at a time," he cautioned, "She's still asleep, but you can sit with her as long as you don't try to wake her."
Chase nodded and immediately tried to charge past the doctor.
"Wait, wait!" the doctor cried out, "I'll take you to her. You can't just walk through the O.R!"
Chase flashed him an impatient look and so the doctor motioned for him to follow and he headed for the nearby elevators. Chase glanced back at the rest of his team and then hurried after the doctor.
Chase felt both terrified and excited as the doctor led him to where Diana was taken. The doctor opened a door and Chase's gaze immediately went to his daughter asleep in the bed.
"She's going to be extremely weak for a long time, but she should make a full recovery," the doctor informed him, "She'll need to remain in hospital for a minimum of a month and then for the next year she'll have to take things very slowly."
Chase nodded and took a seat beside Diana's bed. "Can I hug her?" he asked hesitantly.
"If you're very very careful," the doctor cautioned, "She'll need to be carried to and from the restroom until she's strong enough to do it for herself. When you lift her, be careful not to jostle her, and if any of her stitches rip, press the nurse call button."
Chase frowned at the doctor. "When will she wake up?"
"She should wake within the next couple hours," the doctor replied, "Once she does wake, make sure she doesn't get over-stimulated."
Chase nodded, and gently ran his fingers through Diana's long dark hair.
"Someone will be in to check on her in an hour," the doctor said, turning towards the door.
"Thank you," Chase said, never feeling more grateful about anything in his life, "Thank you for saving my daughter."
The doctor offered him a smile and he nodded as he left the room. Once they were alone, Chase let the tears fall and he leaned down to hold his daughter close.
He sat there for less than half an hour when suddenly Carmen burst into the room. "The Volkovs just contacted us. A.C.M.E knows we're here, and they're on their way to arrest us. They'll be here within twenty minutes. The Volkovs sent vehicles to pick us up and we need to leave right now."
"I can't!" Chase exclaimed, "Diana!"
"There's a Volkov doctor ready to take over her care. He's waiting on the plane for us, and we need to leave now ."
Chase let out a curse. He knew if A.C.M.E ever got their hands on him, he'd likely never see the light of day again. He'd never get the chance to see Diana grow up, and she'd likely never remember him.
"You're sure this is a good doctor?" Chase demanded, "They know she just had a double transplant?"
Carmen nodded. "My grandfather assured me that he's the best doctor in all of Russia."
Chase cursed again and looked down at Diana. Knowing he didn't really have a choice, he wrapped her in blankets and very gently lifted her into his arms. Unhooking the various , he set the bags on Diana's chest and then adjusted her carefully. Without a word to Carmen, he headed for the door and she led him where the rest of the two teams were waiting. Roosevelt carried Siren in his arms who didn't seem like he had any idea what was going on, and Crackle and Dash helped support Neal.
No one seemed to notice the large group of patients escaping out the door and just moments later, they were crawling into enormous black vans. Chase looked down at Diana and hoped he wasn't making a terrible mistake.
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True to the Volkovs' word, a doctor was waiting for them at the plane with all of his medical gear ready. He jumped into immediate action with DD and hooked her up to new and gave her a very careful examination. Chase hovered over the doctor worriedly as he worked, and finally he glanced up at Chase.
"She's stable," he confirmed, "I'm going to closely monitor her over the next few days, but her vitals are all steady, and her incision site looks fine."
Chase let out a breath of relief, and took a seat next to DD's stretcher so he could wrap an arm around her.
"Thank you," Chase told him, "I was worried I'd made a terrible mistake removing her from the hospital."
"Normally that would be something I'd advise against, but considering the circumstances, you did everything you could," the doctor replied, "The Volkov surgeon is on hand at the manor just in case anything goes wrong. The both of us will be taking care of your teams."
"Can you look at our brother?" Theodore suddenly asked.
The doctor glanced at Siren who was clinging to Roosevelt's arm and not looking at anyone.
"What happened?" the doctor asked, "Where is he injured?"
"We think Doctor Vesalius did something to him," Crackle explained, "He's completely unresponsive and he hasn't said a word since we rescued him."
"Hmm," the doctor said thoughtfully, approaching Siren curiously.
Siren wasn't looking at him as he approached, but the moment he got too close he kicked him solidly in the hip.
The doctor let out a curse in Russian and backed up a step.
"Delano!" Roosevelt scolded, flashing the doctor an apologetic look, "He won't let anyone near him."
The doctor knelt down at a safe distance and stared into Siren's eyes, and he gave a thoughtful noise.
"I'll need to run some bloodwork to see if he's drugged."
"The doctors in Moscow drew blood but we had to leave before we got the results back," Crackle explained, "He was fine when he was speaking with Carmen earlier."
Carmen nodded. "He was nothing like this when we spoke," she confirmed, "...although there have been a few days where he was unreachable and he claimed he was sick…"
"He seemed fine when we saw him too," Zack spoke up, "He said he had a mission of his own when we met in the lab, and he ran off."
"Hmm," the doctor said, edging a bit closer to Siren.
Siren made a noise of distress and clung tighter to Roosevelt.
"I won't touch you," the doctor promised, "I just want to take a closer look."
He stared at Siren's stressed expression and then backed away slowly. "I'm going to look up the test results," he informed them, "Hopefully that will reveal what happened."
As the doctor crossed the plane to where his equipment was set up, Mime Bomb stared at Siren, feeling devastated. Crossing the room, he hesitantly approached Team Crackle who were instantly tense. Roosevelt growled at him protectively, and Mime Bomb gently reached out and took one of Siren's hands.
Siren looked like he was about to lash out, but his gaze focused on Mime Bomb and he stilled. He squeezed Mime Bomb's hand tightly and to everyone's shock, he let go of Roosevelt so he could cling to the mime instead. Mime Bomb gently brushed Siren's hair out of his face, and then wrapped an arm around him. Mime Bomb had no idea what had been done to Siren, but he felt responsible for it. They had all come to save him, and he'd allowed Siren to go off on his own. He should have gone with him, he should have helped him, or he should have taken him with them.
Mime Bomb hugged Siren tightly and felt tears come to his eyes. He was tired of losing people, and tired of seeing everyone around him getting hurt. Siren allowed the hug and simply seemed more confused than ever.
"You know our brother?" Theodore demanded.
Mime Bomb nodded and glanced over towards Zack. He began to sign and Zack dutifully translated.
"I owe him my life," Zack said, "He rescued me from the lab when I was a child, and he helped me when Vess tried to kill me. I owe him everything."
"Del saved you?" Roosevelt repeated in surprise.
Mime Bomb nodded.
"That doesn't sound very much like our brother," Theodore commented, "He hates almost everyone."
"He obviously likes Mime Bomb," Zack pointed out, "Maybe being together for a while will help him calm down?"
"Maybe," Roosevelt responded, glancing down at the mime, "You're not moving from that spot if this is going to help."
Mime Bomb didn't seem bothered by this order and simply nodded.
"The blood results are pretty much normal," the doctor commented.
"Pretty much?" Carmen asked.
"Well, he has a vitamin deficiency but other than that, there's nothing in his system. He wasn't drugged."
"What else could it be?" Carmen demanded.
"I think they used the mind eraser on him," Crackle said, "The confusion and fear is exactly what I went through. We should get an MRI to confirm."
"Then he's going to snap out of it like you do?" Theodore asked hopefully, "He'll be okay?"
"We have to see if Vess caused him any brain damage, but hopefully he'll snap out of it once he calms down."
"We'll do further tests once we land," the doctor assured them, "We land in an hour."
"I'm glad that lab is gone," Zack said vehemently, "Mime Bomb will never have to worry about any of that ever again."
Mime Bomb gave a firm nod of agreement.
"I just wish the lab could have been destroyed without anyone dying," Carmen said regretfully, "Graham, you promised no one would die."
Crackle was instantly offended. "My team never killed anyone!" he responded, "We didn't kill those guards! I promised you, and we kept our word."
The twins both winced and shifted guiltily. Crackle's attention was on them instantly.
"You didn't!" he cried out, aghast.
"...sorry, Graham," Theodore said softly, "We lost our temper."
"You were the one who tore all those guards apart?!" Carmen asked in shock.
Theodore shook his head. "No, that wasn't us."
"What happened?" Carmen asked, "Who did you kill?"
The twins exchanged a look between them and Roosevelt pulled Siren back over into his arms.
"We killed a boy who stabbed Delano. We don't know who he was, but he was going to kill our brother and so we just...reacted."
"A boy?" Crackle repeated in confusion, "What did he look like?"
The twins gave a shrug and Crackle let out a sigh.
"He was furious that Delano killed Doctor Vess, and the boy was going to kill him."
"Vess is dead?!" Sheena yelped out in surprise.
Carmen looked down at Siren and her brow furrowed in worry. "Siren killed Vess?"
"Del stabbed him twice when Vess was trying to kill us," Theodore explained, "Vess and the boy burned to death in the room."
Mime Bomb began to sign and Zack quickly translated. "Did the boy have pale skin, dark slicked-back hair, and several facial piercings?"
Theodore scratched at his head as he tried to remember. "Yeah, I think he did. He also talked funny, I think he was British or something."
Mime Bomb looked around at the others and Zack took a seat beside him.
"Well, it sounds like karma finally caught up to your cousin..." he said hesitantly, "Vess and MJ are gone now, and you're safe."
Mime Bomb wasn't sure how he felt about Michael's death, but he couldn't deny it was a relief. The boy had been a complete monster, and he had hurt a lot of people. Despite his hatred for him, Mime Bomb found his thoughts going to the moment Michael had given them DD. There had been pain and regret in Michael's eyes, and now the boy was dead. Mime Bomb knew that was for the best, but he knew his grandparents were going to take it hard. Mikhael and Annika were incredibly attached to Michael for reasons he couldn't understand, and it was going to be a hard conversation to have.
"Antonio and I are leaving Team Red."
Everyone turned to face Le Chèvre in surprise.
"We agreed to stay until the lab was destroyed, but now it's time for Antonio and I to live our life for ourselves," Le Chèvre explained, "We're retiring from this life, and we want a normal life."
"But Jean Paul!" Sheena protested.
"No, he is right, mi amiga," El Topo said softly, "We're going to get married, and we can't live the rest of our lives always looking over our shoulders."
"We need you!" Sheena exclaimed, quickly looking distressed, "We're friends!"
"And we will always remain friends," El Topo assured her, "But Jean Paul and I want a future where we can just be ourselves. Jean Paul's breathing is not getting any better, and I'm tired of fighting."
"But-" Sheena began to protest.
"I understand," Carmen interrupted, "You told us you would be retiring, and it's not fair for us to pressure you to stay. We will help you in any way we can."
El Topo let out a deep breath of relief and offered her a smile.
Sheena hunched her shoulders. She and El Topo were incredibly close, and she honestly felt lost at the thought of him leaving. El Topo reached out and took her by the hand.
"You are my closest friend, mi amiga, and we'll stay that way, I promise. You can visit us any time you want."
Sheena averted her gaze but she gave him a nod.
"I will be leaving as well," Chase suddenly said.
His gaze was entirely on DD as he spoke, and he frowned. "I'm a father and I can't put the life of my child in danger going on these missions. My duty is to her, and I will protect her no matter what. I am going to make arrangements to move us somewhere safe once she's stable enough for it."
Carmen felt like her team was falling apart, but she knew it was for the best. Reaching out, she took Chase by the hand and gave him a smile.
"We'll all help you," she promised, "Your daughter deserves to have her father. Player will create you new identities and you can both disappear into the civilian world in any country you wish."
Chase had been expecting a fight and he visibly relaxed at her show of support. "Merci," he said softly, "I will stay in contact with everyone of course."
"And what about you, Jules?" Carmen asked.
Julia was frowning at Chase and when addressed, she turned the frown to Carmen. "I want to keep fighting," she replied, "V.I.L.E is a danger to this world, and they need to be taken down. I am staying with Team Red...if you don't mind."
Carmen smiled at her. "We're glad to have you," she said in relief.
Carmen then glanced to Crackle. "And what are your plans?" she asked him.
"My team is going to lay low until A.C.M.E stops actively looking for us," he replied, "They know our base is in San Diego and so we're not going to return there for a while."
Carmen knew that made sense and nodded. "And our truce?"
"The truce ends once Double Trouble's brother has been examined by the Volkov doctors," he stated unapologetically, "We're leaving Russia as soon as possible."
Carmen closed her eyes in disappointment, and she gave him a nod.
"I'll still stay in touch with you," Otterman promised, "Even if we're on opposite sides, we're still family."
"Thank you, Sven, I would like that very much," Carmen told him.
They chatted for the rest of the short flight, and once the plane touched down, they saw several black vans waiting for them on the tarmac. Roosevelt narrowed his eyes at the vans, and tightened his hold on Siren.
"Sven, you're sure the Volkovs can be trusted?"
Otterman nodded. "They won't hurt us," he said confidently, "They've made it clear they're willing to do anything to have a relationship with their grandchildren. They won't hurt us."
Roosevelt narrowed his eyes at the vans but still gave a nod. Once the plane came to a stop, everyone got up and helped the injured team members to their feet. Carmen and Mime Bomb went first to exit the plane, and several Volkov footsoldiers hurried to help them. Both teams were hurried into the vans and just seconds later they were speeding off the tarmac towards the highway.
The Volkov manor had dozens of armed guards everywhere when they arrived and it was clear no one was taking any chances. Men holding assault rifles peered into each van as they passed, and the gate was closed after them as soon as the last vehicle entered. Mikhael and Annika were waiting at the door for them and the moment Mime Bomb got out of the van, his grandmother ran towards him. She threw her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could. She began to cry and she spoke fast and low, but he didn't understand a word she said.
Mime Bomb still didn't know his grandparents very well, but he returned Annika's hug and offered her a reassuring smile. Mikhael placed a hand on Mime Bomb's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, looking both stressed and relieved at the same time.
"I'm happy you're safe, Yuri," he told him, "I'm so sorry this happened to you. We failed you, and I promise it will never happen again. We have tripled our security and no one will ever be able to touch my grandchildren ever again."
Mime Bomb knew it would never happen again because the lab was destroyed and Vess and Michael were dead. He no longer had anything to worry about other than V.I.L.E.
Annika released him so she could hug Carmen and Sven next. They were all ushered inside to a large sitting room where stretchers and medical equipment was set up. Chase laid DD on one of the stretchers and one of the doctors immediately stepped forward to examine her. Roosevelt lifted Siren up onto one of the other stretchers who was quickly becoming agitated by the large crowd of people in the room. He began screaming when a doctor tried to touch him and so he was quickly sedated so he could be examined.
Crackle approached to oversee things, and when he explained what had happened, the doctor was incredibly concerned. Pulling a privacy screen around them, he lifted Siren's shirt to take a look at the feeding tube.
"Please help me strip him," the doctor said, "I need to know what else this lab has done to him."
The twins nodded and began carefully stripping their brother as he weakly struggled. Siren was barely awake, and seemed to have no idea what was going on. It quickly became obvious just how thin Siren was and every rib could be seen when they removed his hospital gown. There didn't seem to be a single ounce of body fat anywhere on him. When they pulled his boxers off, Crackle sucked in a sharp breath of horror.
"Oh...JESUS FUCK," he commented, staring at the mass of scars covering Siren's entire lower half.
"Oh my…" the doctor said, looking at the very painful looking scars, "These wounds aren't new…"
Roosevelt shook his head. "He got into an accident ten years ago and his...parts got burned off," he explained, "Vess didn't do this."
Crackle looked like he was going to pass out. "Oh my fuck…"
The doctor looked at the scarring and could see only the bare minimum had been done for Siren. The scars were likely agonizing and every step he took probably caused him pain. He very gently touched the scars on Siren's upper legs and was honestly surprised he could walk after an injury like that. Siren whined in pain at the touch and so the doctor withdrew his hand and gave the twins a grave look.
"He needs surgery to help with the scarring. A plastic surgeon should be able to help with this, but it will require multiple skin grafts. Why was he left like this?! Any doctor would see that he needed plastic surgery!"
Crackle averted his gaze away from the scarring and grimaced. "I don't think Vess really cared," he stated, "He wasn't exactly the most...compassionate of people."
"He's also extremely underweight! For someone his height, he should be between 110-130 pounds, but he's nowhere near that. He's probably a good twenty or thirty pounds underweight and he needs to put on some weight as fast as possible."
The doctor inspected the feeding tube for a few moments. "I'm assuming there's a reason for this," he commented, "Does he have trouble eating on his own? Does he have trouble swallowing?"
The twins exchanged a look.
"I...I don't know," Theodore admitted, "We only just got him back. We have no idea what's been done to him at that lab."
"If you can't get him to eat on his own, a feeding tube is extremely easy to use," the doctor said, "Do you know what to do?"
The twins and Crackle shook their heads.
"First you just screw the cap off the feeding tube," the doctor instructed, "The tube needs to be flushed with water before and after use. You will need to blend his food into a smoothie-like texture and make sure there are no chunks. Make sure not to accidentally inject air into his stomach or it will be extremely painful. You can buy a feeding syringe at any pharmacy, and you fill the syringe and inject it slowly into the feeding tube. Make sure you're giving him healthy foods and enough to put some weight on him. If he's eating properly, he should put on weight very rapidly at 2-4 pounds a week at first and then 1-2 pounds a week after that."
"We'll take good care of him!" Theodore vowed, "He's our little brother, and we'll do everything we can for him!"
The doctor nodded and then stepped back. "Alright, you can dress him," he instructed, "I'm going to order an MRI for him to see if we can find the cause of this dissociation."
Crackle returned the nod. "And how long will this be?" he questioned.
"I'm going to make a few calls but it shouldn't be more than an hour. The local hospital is just down the road."
"Good," Crackle said in relief, "We can't stay here for too long."
"I'll be back shortly," the doctor assured him, "Expect to leave for the hospital shortly."
Theodore finished redressing Siren who was now fully asleep, unable to fight the sedatives. Crackle pulled back the privacy screen so he could check on the others and saw several doctors inspecting anyone injured. DD was hooked up to multiple and she had three doctors paying close attention to her.
The enormous sitting room had cots set up for everyone, and it was obvious this was where the Volkovs expected them to stay. Otterman was hugging Findus close, and the other 3 cats were milling about, confused about the excitement in the room. Crackle doubted the cats were supposed to be in here, and he knew it was likely Otterman who had let them in. Dash sat beside Neal arguing with one of the doctors about something, and Paper Star was sitting as far away from everyone as possible quietly reading. He crossed the room and took a seat beside her.
"Are you alright, Shiko?" he whispered.
Paper Star looked up from her book and her gaze went over to the twins but she didn't say a word.
"Go sit with them," Crackle urged, "Roose will want you there."
Paper Star looked away. "I don't belong there," she replied, "He wants to spend his time with his brother."
Crackle let out a dismissive snort. "Nonsense. Roose cares a lot about you and he could use your support. Go be with him."
Paper Star gave him a surprised look and then she nodded silently. Setting her book aside, she got up and crossed the room towards the twins. The moment she neared them, Roose reached for her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. Crackle smiled and then picked up her book to see what it was. He was not expecting to see a Nancy Drew novel and shot Paper Star a look of disbelief. She glanced over at him and she smiled.
"I found it on the bookshelf," she explained.
"Sure ya did, love," Neal teased from the other side of the room.
"Neal, the doctors said you're supposed to be resting!" Dash snapped.
"I am!" Neal protested, "I'm laying down aren't I?"
"You know very well that's not what they meant!"
As Neal and Dash dissolved into an argument, Crackle glanced around the room.
Mikhael and Annika were no longer in the room, and Crackle found that a bit suspicious. Why weren't they overseeing the care of their grandchildren? Where did they go?
The doors suddenly opened and to everyone's surprise, it was Plague Doctor who entered. He headed straight for Mime Bomb and yanked him into a hug. Mime Bomb let out a wheeze of surprise and Plague Doctor let him go.
"I'm glad you're well, Yuri," he said softly, his voice lightly accented.
Mime Bomb's eyes widened in shock and he simply stared at him, this being the first time he heard him speak. Plague Doctor then yanked Otterman into a similar hug who yelped in surprise. When it came to Carmen however, Plague Doctor simply patted her on the head.
"Where's Aunt Alexandria?" Otterman questioned.
A troubled look entered Plague Doctor's eyes and he didn't answer.
"Did she get hurt?!" Otterman demanded in alarm.
Plague Doctor shook his head. "She doesn't feel comfortable here…"
Otterman knew what had happened in her past and understood. "I'm going to call her to let her know we're all safe. I'm glad to hear you speaking, Uncle Dmitry."
Plague Doctor nodded and Otterman stepped to the side of the room as he pulled out his com. To Mime Bomb's surprise, one of the doctors approached him and pulled him over to be examined. When he saw the questioning look Mime Bomb was given him, the doctor explained.
"Your grandparents asked for your throat to be examined," he explained, "We want to see if whatever was done to you is reversible."
Mime Bomb let out a shocked gasp and suddenly felt nervous and uncertain. Was it possible he could someday speak again? His gaze flew to Zack who quickly approached and took a seat next to him.
"I was told you don't know what was done to you?" the doctor asked.
Mime Bomb nodded.
The doctor pulled several objects out of his medical bag and then tipped up Mime Bomb's chin. "Open up please, I want to take a look."
Mime Bomb did as he was told and the doctor shone a light into his mouth to take a look.
"Hmm, I'll need to take a closer look. Are you alright if I scope your throat?" he asked, holding out the small scope.
Mime Bomb nodded and opened his mouth again. He nearly gagged as the scope was carefully inserted down his throat and he stayed as still as possible. The doctor hummed and hawed to himself and after a minute or so he withdrew the scope.
"So?" Zack demanded, "Can anything be done?"
The doctor gave them a regretful look. "I'm so sorry, but they completely removed your vocal cords. There's nothing that we can do… This is not something that can be repaired."
Mime Bomb had expected this but was still a bit disappointed. Zack patted him on the back and he gave the other boy a smile to ease his worry.
"That's okay," Zack told the doctor, "We love him just the way he is."
"Yeah," Ivy agreed, appearing out of the crowd, "We'll all learn sign language! I've been practicing!"
Ivy signed something to Mime Bomb who instantly began silently laughing.
Ivy furrowed her brow. "What?"
Mime Bomb laughed even harder.
"I only said 'I'm your sister'!"
"Uh, no, you actually said you were his lesbian." Zack informed her.
Mime Bomb was laughing so hard tears were running down his face and Ivy started laughing too.
"Well, same thing I guess," she said, grinning wide, "That'll teach me to ever ask Neal for help!"
Crackle soon left with the twins to take Siren for an MRI, and everyone else remained behind to wait. Mikhael and Annika still hadn't returned, and they became aware that the doors were being guarded. When Otterman had approached to go find his grandmother, he was informed that the Volkovs requested everyone stay in this room.
"Are we prisoners?!" Carmen demanded, feeling like something was definitely wrong.
"Of course not, Miss Volkov," the guard replied, "Your grandparents are dealing with an urgent matter and will be down shortly."
"What kind of urgent matter?" Carmen pried.
The guard shifted a bit. "Sorry, that matter is confidential."
Carmen frowned and was instantly suspicious. "What are they hiding that they didn't want us to see?"
Suddenly there was the sound of screaming from upstairs and everyone froze and they glanced towards the door. The scream was young and completely agonized, and it sent chills through them. A few seconds later, the screams went quiet.
"Who is that?! What's going on?" Carmen demanded, "Tell us or we'll go find out for ourselves! Who was that?"
"Sorry, I cannot say," the guard said.
Carmen tensed and looked ready for a fight, but to her surprise, Plague Doctor gently took her by the elbow and led her over to take a seat away from everyone else. He then motioned for Mime Bomb and Otterman to approach and they hurried over, knowing something was definitely going on.
"Uncle Dmitry, who was that screaming?" Carmen asked.
"...my son," he quietly replied.
"WHAT?" Otterman exclaimed.
Plague Doctor held a finger to his lips to hush him and shot a look towards Chase. The others followed his gaze and knew that if Chase knew Michael was in the house, it would not end well.
"He's alive?!" Carmen hissed.
Plague Doctor nodded. "He was gravely injured and he might not make it," he whispered, "Even if he does survive, he's going to be disabled for the rest of his life."
Mime Bomb was both horrified and furious that Michael had survived. The betrayal was written all over his face and Plague Doctor placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He will never be able to hurt anyone ever again," he promised him, "He was torn into pieces."
Carmen winced, and turned her gaze to Mime Bomb who honestly had no idea how to feel about this. The man he hated more than anyone else was still alive and was in the same house as him. He stared towards the door, and then back towards Chase. Chase had enough stress right now, and he didn't need to add any more to it. It would be best to not tell him.
"Michael belongs in jail," Carmen said firmly, "He needs to be arrested."
"That's not going to happen," Plague Doctor responded, "Volkovs deal with their own issues. Michael will be dealt with within the family, and he will never be a problem again."
Carmen looked mutinous. "That's not right! He's hurt so many people! He killed Chase's wife!"
"My parents would have done the same for you or Yuri or Sven," Plague Doctor explained, "Michael will be protected and no one will get near him. He's no threat to you anymore."
Carmen exchanged a look with her cousins and then glanced over at Chase. "I don't agree with this at all, but it's not the time to discuss it. We need to move Chase further away where he can't hear him screaming. He's not stupid and he's going to figure it out eventually."
"Once the doctors are finished with his daughter, your teams will be moved to the guesthouse at the end of the property," Plague Doctor explained.
Carmen gave a nod, her gaze going back to the door. Otterman was watching his uncle closely and could see the troubled look in his eyes. Reaching out, he gently took him by the hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Did you know about Michael?" he asked.
Plague Doctor shook his head. "I didn't know I had a child."
"I'm sorry," Otterman said quietly.
Plague Doctor squeezed his hand back but said nothing. There was nothing that could be said that would make any of this okay.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Crackle and the twins returned nearly three hours later and it wasn't with good news. They were able to confirm the brain damage and it was far worse than what Crackle had been expecting. Siren's mind was a spiderweb of damage and no one knew to what extent he would be affected. It was possible he would be like this for the rest of his life, and the twins were devastated. They had a team meeting about it the moment they got back and they explained everything to the others.
Dash gave Siren a look of pity and then he turned his gaze to Theodore. "What are you going to do if he's like this permanently?"
"We'll take care of him," Theodore vowed, "We'll never send him away just because he got hurt…"
Crackle knew this would have to be something they'd figure out as a team. "We'll deal with it," he promised, "Our life is dangerous, and Delano is pretty helpless like this. We'll figure something out."
"Where are we going, wombat?"
"A.C.M.E will be swarming San Diego and so we'll go on vacation for a couple months," Crackle explained, "Hopefully by then everything will have calmed down."
"Ooooo vacation!" Neal exclaimed, "Where we going?"
"I haven't decided yet," Crackle responded, "I would like to return to North America at least."
"I'll call my aunt and we can arrange things through The Void," Otterman promised, "I'll call her now and she'll help set something up."
Crackle smiled and clapped him on the back. "Thank you, Sven, that would be a big help!"
"I'll get the cats ready to go," Dash stated, glancing around for the carriers, "Someone else grab our bags."
As Tean Crackle gathered their belongings together, Carmen approached them.
"Are you leaving already?" she asked.
Crackle nodded. "We're going into hiding for a couple months. If you're smart, you'll do the same thing."
Carmen nodded and looked like she was about to hug him but she thought better of it and simply extended her hand towards him. Crackle stared down at her hand and then accepted the shake, offering her a smile.
"Thank you for keeping your word and not tried to force things," he told her, "We're still on opposite sides, but you have my word that we will not hurt or kill anyone."
"That's good to hear," Carmen said in relief, "but I'm still going to stop you from stealing."
Crackle gave her a smirk. "You can try."
The Volkovs were informed of their departure and came to see them off. Otterman was hugged by both grandparents, and Plague Doctor simply waved, knowing full well he was going to remain in contact with Otterman the whole time he was gone.
"So where are we headed, Svenny?" Neal asked as Dash pushed his wheelchair.
Otterman opened his notebook where he'd made extensive notes and jotted something down. "Quebec."
"Ugh, Canada," Dash muttered.
A few minutes later they were all loaded into vans and on their way to the airport.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Mime Bomb stared up at the ceiling unable to sleep. They had been moved into the luxurious guesthouse at the far end of the property and the others seemed none the wiser as to the reason. Mime Bomb glanced towards the window, staring at the manor in the distance. Michael was still alive, and it felt like a dark shadow looming over him.
Rubbing a hand across the scars on his chest, he felt betrayed by the fact his grandparents were helping Michael. He had betrayed the family, and done countless horrible things, but they hadn't disowned him.
Mime Bomb clenched the sheets into a tight fist and felt stressed and sick to his stomach. Michael would come after him and he'd never be free of him.
Sitting up, Mime Bomb rubbed at his head and once again glanced towards the window. How could they be so sure Michael would never be a threat to him? How could they be sure he wouldn't betray the Volkovs a second time?
Tossing his sheets aside, Mime Bomb slipped out of bed and silently approached the window. He glared towards the manor angrily and then he began pacing. He'd longed for his family for twelve years and now Michael was ruining everything! How could he ever return to visit knowing Michael was lurking unseen somewhere in the house?
Mime Bomb ran a hand through his hair irritably and glared towards the manor. He had to know for sure, he had to see that Michael was no longer a threat. Grabbing his jacket, Mime Bomb slipped his feet inside his shoes and then crept out of his bedroom. Everyone was asleep and he quietly crept through the guesthouse until he reached the door. The guards at the door stopped their conversation as he approached and they shone their flashlights at him.
"Master, Yuri?" one questioned, "Is anything wrong?"
Mime Bomb ignored them and opened the doors to leave.
"Do you need something?" one of the guards asked, "You're not supposed to be wandering right now."
Mime Bomb didn't even spare him a glance and shivered as he stepped outside. The guards didn't try to stop him, and Mime Bomb slowly made his way across the snowy grounds in the direction of the manor.
The guards at the door questioned him and then told him he couldn't enter, but they made no move to stop him. Mime Bomb suspected they weren't allowed to touch him and he was going to take full advantage of that fact. He shoved his way past any guard who got in his way and he entered the manor, feeling determined.
The manor was dark and Mime Bomb didn't really know where he was heading. Knowing Michael's room was somewhere on the second floor he started up the stairs, feeling a cold anger starting to build.
"Master Yuri, what do you think you're doing?"
Mime Bomb saw Sebastian was standing at the top of the stairs, hands on hips as he glared down at him. Mime Bomb ignored him and went to step around him.
Sebastian caught him by the arm and Mime Bomb stared at him in surprise. Alright, Sebastian apparently had special privileges…
"What do you think you're doing?" Sebastian repeated.
Mime Bomb's angry eyes met his directly and then he shook Sebastian's hold off his arm. When Sebastian reached for him again, a stony glare made Sebastian retract his hand. Sebastian stared after him for a few moments and then he hurried off, likely to tattle.
Mime Bomb kept walking and he had no idea what he was going to do. What would he do once he found him? Would he fight him? Hurt him? Kill him?
Mime Bomb walked down the long hallway, looking from one door to the next, looking for some sign of where the other boy was. Finally he came to a room that had Michael's name written on it in colourful paint like a child's bedroom.
Steeling himself, Mime Bomb took a deep breath and then opened the door. The lights were off in the room but he could see well enough not to need them. Mime Bomb's gaze settled on the bed at the far end of the room, and he could see someone was in it. Taking another deep breath, Mime Bomb slowly made his way across the room.
The figure in the bed was breathing deeply and it sounded strained and somewhat raspy. Mime Bomb now stood directly over the bed and he looked down at the person asleep. Michael's face was bandaged and there were several and sensors hooked up to him. An oxygen mask was over Michael's face and he seemed unaware of Mime Bomb's presence.
Mime Bomb stared for a moment and then he reached down and ripped the blankets off so he could see Michael fully. His eyes carefully scanned him and his gaze settled on the missing limbs. The bandages were soaked in blood and Mime Bomb wasn't sure how he felt about that. Plague Doctor was right and it was very unlikely that Michael would ever be a threat to anyone.
Someone suddenly placed an arm around him from behind and Mime Bomb nearly jumped a mile. Looking beside him, his grandmother offered him a sad smile and then looked down at Michael.
"You have a right to hate him and to be furious with him, but please show him a little mercy," Mikhael said from his other side, "His life has been forever changed and he's not able to hurt you any more. If he survives, he will be kept here at the manor for the rest of his life. I will never allow him to hurt our family ever again."
Mime Bomb hunched his shoulders and stared at Michael's face which seemed deceptively innocent looking. He was safe and he had nothing to worry about.
"Come," Mikhael said, placing a hand on top of his head, "Let's go have some hot cocoa, alright?"
Mime Bomb glanced back at Michael and felt like justice had been served. Michael was nothing, and Mime Bomb didn't care if he lived or died. Allowing himself to be led away, Mime Bomb followed his grandfather out of the room as Annika covered Michael with the blankets.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
There was a blur of colours and a murmur of unintelligible voices all around him. Michael couldn't seem to move, his limbs feeling heavy and numb. His eyelids felt like they were coated in lead and he couldn't seem to keep them open. He felt like he was floating on a cloud of nothingness, and he neither dreamt nor felt a thing.
It felt like a heavy fog was in his mind, keeping him asleep, and Michael had a hard time trying to resist it. At one point he felt something cool placed on his forehead, but he was much too tired to open his eyes. The pull into sleep came in waves, and it was always voices that woke him up. During one bout of semi-consciousness, he felt his entire body jostled as he was moved, heard a lot of aggravated arguing, and then he fell back asleep, too tired to make sense of it.
The next time he woke, it was to a voice close beside him.
"I've begun reducing his sedatives," the unknown voice said, "He's now stable and I'm confident he will make a full recovery."
"When will he wake?" came Mikhael's worried voice.
"He's already starting to come out of it," the man replied, "He'll be very drowsy for a few hours and he'll likely be in a lot of pain. When he needs it, I'll give him a bit of morphine."
Michael fell back asleep, but it didn't take long before the pain found him. He let out a groan of complaint, but was still too drowsy to open his eyes. He felt a gentle hand running their fingers through his hair, and he fell back asleep.
Michael awoke only an hour later. He was now in constant pain, and he drifted in and out of consciousness, not really comprehending much of what was happening around him. He saw his grandmother's face several times when he woke, and he remembered hearing her soft words, but the heaviness of sleep kept pulling at him and he could never stay awake for long.
He saw Annika's face when he opened his eyes, and she smiled at him warmly. She seemed so happy to see him awake, and he was aware of being wrapped in blankets and held in her arms, but there was still too much pain.
Michael let out a groan, just wanting the pain to stop. He couldn't remember anything, and was feeling confused and tired.
"N-Numa?" Michael weakly called out.
He felt someone take his hand.
"H-hurts," Michael complained, "Numa, it hurts...make it stop."
He heard more voices and a few minutes later there was a pinch on his arm and the pain melted away. Michael let out a breath of relief and drifted back into sleep.
Everything changed the next time he awoke. Michael slowly opened his eyes, and he saw the room was dark. His mind still felt fuzzy but he was a little more alert than before. Lifting his arms to rub at his eyes, he froze. Slowly looking down at his right arm, he saw it was gone at the elbow. Confused, he turned his arm, staring at the bandaged stub without comprehension. His arm was gone.
Remembering being ripped into pieces by Double Trouble, he yanked the blankets away and stared in horror at his missing left leg. Both limbs were covered in bandages and they ached at being moved.
Michael sat in stunned silence for a moment as his mind caught up with what had happened. The lab was attacked and Siren had betrayed them. The whole lab was burning...
Memories of Vess' screams as he burned alive filled his mind, and Michael himself let out an agonized screech. It couldn't be real, it was all just a terrible nightmare. Vess wasn't dead...he couldn't be dead! He needed to wake up. He was trapped in some horrible nightmare, and he knew everything would be fine when he woke.
Michael's limbs were in agony, and he knew deep down that this was no dream.
Michael thought of Vess and screamed and screamed, and couldn't seem to stop. He was aware his bedroom door suddenly opened and the lights were turned on, and then he felt hands on him. Michael kept his eyes squeezed closed and he kept screaming, even after he felt the pinch of a needle.
This time when he drifted back to sleep, his dreams were full of horrendous nightmares. His mind kept replaying his last few minutes with Vess, and then the terrible screams that had echoed through the halls. Michael woke up screaming, and then he retched and vomited over the side of the bed. He was immediately pulled into his grandmother's arms as he choked and gasped for breath, and as she held him close, he began to sob.
Annika spoke to him softly, and Michael sagged into her hold, desperately wanting any sort of comfort he could find. Michael sat like that for a long time, and when finally his tears had abated, Annika turned to look towards the doorway where her husband and Sebastian waited. Mikhael approached the bed and slowly took a seat beside them, his expression looking strained. Without a word, he reached over and pulled Michael into a tight hug.
"You will get through this, Michael," he assured him softly, "You are strong and you will be fine."
"...Numa."
Mikhael slowly shook his head. "Numa Quederi did not make it out of the lab."
Michael pulled away from his grandfather and shook his head, refusing to believe it.
"I'm sorry, Michael, but he's gone. The entire lab is gone and he never made it out of the building."
"No," Michael said, once again shaking his head, "You're lying to me!"
Mikhael gave him a pained look.
"You've always hated Numa and you're trying to keep him away from me!" Michael yelled angrily, "Where is he? Where is Numa?!"
Mikhael simply gave a slow shake of the head. "I'm sorry."
Michael felt tears come back to his eyes and he let out a yell of fury and lashed out. He kicked his grandfather solidly in the side, but he was too weak to do any real damage. He let out a stream of furious curses, and then began kicking and swinging wildly and Mikhael easily pinned him down to the mattress so he wouldn't hurt himself.
Michael struggled uselessly, but he was too tired and weak to break free. He simply laid there and sobbed.
"It's going to be alright," Mikhael told him softly, "We're here for you, Michael, and we're going to help you."
"Go find Numa!" Michael pleaded, "Save him!"
Mikhael averted his gaze.
"Please!" Michael begged, "Please look for him! He's probably just trapped inside!"
Mikhael gently ran his hands through Michael's hair. "I have men at the lab now," he informed him, "They will search every inch of the lab, you have my word."
Michael nodded. Vess was fine, he was just trapped in the lab. Vess was too smart to be killed like this, and soon they'd be reunited. Michael took a deep breath and knew he just had to be patient and soon Vess would come for him.
Michael had no idea when he fell asleep but the next time he woke, his grandfather was speaking with a doctor and it was light out.
"Where's Numa?" Michael demanded tiredly, "Did you find Numa?"
Mikhael turned a grave look towards him. "I'm sorry, but they haven't found him yet…"
Michael sagged back down in disappointment. He knew Vess was probably worried about him, and he knew he was probably doing his best to get back to him. Vess was perfectly fine and he would walk through those doors at any time.
A few moments later, the doctor approached to change his bandages and it was so painful that Michael screamed and lashed out in agony. He continued kicking at the doctor and refused to let him touch him. The doctor and Sebastian pinned him down and he was sedated again and Michael sank into the darkness, still holding onto his one spark of hope.
When Michael next woke, he was incredibly groggy but he was aware of someone shaking his shoulder. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked up and saw his grandfather standing over him.
"Michael, we found something in the lab's wreckage."
Michael sat up fast in excitement, but then his gaze fell on the painting in Mikhael's hands. It was the painting he'd given Vess for Christmas. He stared at the singed frame and how one corner was burned black. He flopped back down in disappointment.
"This painting has your signature on it, and so it was brought back for you," Mikhael informed him, "Everything in the lab burnt and so it surprised them to find this!"
If the painting was burned then it stood to reason the rest of the lab had burned as well. Vess was injured and unable to walk… How did he get out of the burning lab? A small voice in the back of Michael's mind informed him he didn't and Michael closed his eyes as reality began setting in. Vess was dead.
"Where do you want me to put your painting?" Mikhael asked.
"Burn it."
"Pardon?" Mikhael asked in confusion.
"I don't want it," Michael stated, "Get rid of it."
Mikhael hesitated and looked down at the painting. "Are you sure? This painting is incredibly well done! I think it's the best one I've seen you do."
"GET RID OF IT!" Michael screeched at him.
Mikhael gave him a sad look and simply nodded. "If that's what you want."
Michael didn't want to look at the painting ever again, and just wanted Vess back. Michael thought of Christmas morning when he'd proudly presented Vess with that painting and the smile Vess had given him. He'd never seen Vess so pleased before and Vess had given it a place of honor in their bedroom. It had made him happy and Michael felt a desperate longing.
Opening his eyes, he saw Mikhael was leaving the room.
"Wait!" Michael called after him.
Mikhael paused and glanced back at him.
"Leave the painting."
Mikhael stared at him for a moment and then simply nodded, setting it down on a nearby chair.
"...Michael?"
Michael didn't answer, but he looked over at him.
"What you did...the betrayal, I just want you to know that we forgive you and we will work to get past this."
Michael closed his eyes guiltily. "Leave me alone."
"As you wish, but we'll be having a long talk about this later."
He didn't sound angry with him, and this just made it all the worse for Michael. He had betrayed the entire family, and no one had even yelled at him yet.
Once Mikhael was gone, Michael opened his eyes and stared at the painting. He stared at the scene of he and Vess at the cafe and his gaze lingered on Vess' face. He felt tears begin running down his face, and he knew at that moment he would never see Vess again. Vess had died to save his life, and he knew there would be no wedding.
Michael began screaming out curses as loudly as he could, and the reality began slowly sinking in. Vess was truly gone, and Michael was left behind broken and alone. Michael's life had been completely destroyed, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Vess was dead.
Michael began to hyperventilate. He heard his door open, but he was in shock and could do nothing besides scream and cry. He heard grandmother speaking to him, but his mind couldn't focus enough to understand her words. Vess was dead. The only man he had ever loved was dead. Vess was gone forever.
Vess had died an agonizing death in order to save his life, and Michael's stomach twisted in guilt. Vess had made the creepy bird-man take Michael instead of himself and he had died alone. Michael would never be able to hug him or be held by him ever again. Michael was alone.
Vess was dead.
Vess was dead.
Vess was dead.
Michael began to sob hard and his grandmother ran her fingers through his hair, doing her best to calm him down. Michael sobbed hysterically for what felt like hours and then he simply went quiet. Michael felt a numbness come over him and he rolled away from his grandparents and faced the wall. He refused to move, and couldn't bear to look at anyone.
Numbness filled his mind, and no longer cared about anything. Vess was dead.
He didn't react to anything said or done to him, and he simply went catatonic, staring at the wall silently.
Michael drifted in and out of sleep, and his grandparents came back to check on him frequently. He didn't respond to anything they said to him, and he refused all food offered to him. Minutes and hours blended together and he had no concept of time. Even when shaken, he didn't react, and he felt himself sinking into a hellish darkness. Vess was dead.
Hours began stretching to days, and Michael still felt absolutely nothing. Every time he closed his eyes he heard Vess screaming, and every time he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of his own mutilated body. His life was now a walking hell, and Michael just wanted to escape. He tried to sleep as much as possible despite the nightmares, and the darkness of sleep kept the pain at bay. He wished he never had to wake up.
His grandparents were almost always by his side but he didn't react to them and he barely heard any of their words. Michael slept and stared at the wall, and that's all he could seem to do. He didn't even react when the servants stripped him to wash him, or when they moved him so they could change the sheets. He had lost the will to live.
The doctor came several times a day over the next few days to change his bandages which was agonizing, and Michael screamed the whole time his arm and leg were cleaned and bandaged. The doctor gave him shots of morphine at first, but he slowly gave him less and less as time went on. Michael didn't react to much of anything and endured the now constant ache of his missing limbs.
His grandmother was sitting by his side when the doctor finally announced there would be no more morphine. He was worried with Michael's history with substance abuse that he'd become addicted to it and didn't want to take any chances.
"Give him one of these three times a day, and one of these twice a day," the doctor said, and Michael heard the rattle of pills, "I'll be back in a week to check on him. I've disconnected the I.V lines and so make sure he's eating and drinking from now on."
Mikhael thanked the doctor and then a moment later Michael was alone with Annika.
"Happy Valentine's Day, my love," she whispered to him, "You will get up today, yes?"
Valentine's Day… It was Valentine's Day. This was his wedding day and Michael felt like he was going to throw up. His gaze went down to his engagement ring and he squeezed his hand into a fist. The tattoo on his knuckles seemed to mock him and the word 'DEAD' stared back at him. Today should have been the happiest day of his life. Michael closed his eyes and felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest.
Annika asked him if he was hungry and he didn't open his eyes. She told him she was going to get him something to eat and a few moments later, he heard her leave. Michael slowly opened his eyes and then turned to glance over his shoulder. He stared at the painting for a few moments and then looked away.
His eyes scanned his bedroom, and his gaze fell on two bottles of pills sitting on top of his dresser. He stared at them long and hard and he very slowly sat up. One of those bottles was likely painkillers. His gaze fell on the wheelchair sitting beside his bed and he felt his stomach turn. He could no longer walk...
Michael pulled aside the blankets and stared down at his missing limbs in disgust. He was hideous and he felt sick just looking at himself. His gaze went back to the pills and he slowly edged over and placed his foot on the floor. He refused to so much as look at the wheelchair and he used his arm to push himself up until he was standing. Gripping the bedpost tightly, he looked at the short distance he had to go and then hopped forward, barely catching himself against the night table as he lost his balance. Steadying himself, he kept his hand against the wood and hopped again. The motion pulled at his healing skin and was agonizing, but he ignored it, now almost halfway there.
Two more hops had Michael leaning against the dresser, and he reached for the two bottles of pills. He squinted at the labels and saw they were in Russian and he had no idea what they were. Popping them open, he peered inside and saw one bottle looked like oxy and the other looked like some sort of antibiotic. Pouring the oxy into his hand, he saw there were enough pills to kill an elephant.
Michael didn't even hesitate as he swallowed pill after pill. He knew exactly what he was doing and what would happen. He'd soon fall asleep and then asphyxiate in his sleep. He would die and leave this hellish existence behind. Soon he'd be with Vess and he'd finally be whole and happy again. He'd be able to hug his fiance, and they'd be able to spend eternity together.
Michael swallowed all sixty pills and then he dropped the empty bottle to the floor. His stomach was churning and aching, and as he hopped his way back to the bed, he was already getting drowsy.
Michael fell onto his bed and barely had time to roll over as he began vomiting uncontrollably. It was at this time that Annika entered the room. When she saw he was being sick, she rushed over to check on him, and when she saw the pills he was throwing up, she let out a gasp, her eyes immediately spotting the empty bottle on the floor. She dropped the plate she was holding and then began yelling for help.
Michael was barely conscious at this point, and he felt himself being hefted up into strong arms and a moment later everything went black.
When Michael woke, his stomach was in absolute agony and his grandmother was asleep on the bed beside him. She had her head resting on his shoulder and it took Michael a few seconds to remember what had happened. He remembered swallowing the pills and then he remembered vomiting.
He tried to kill himself but had obviously failed. Like everything else in his life, he even managed to fuck up his suicide. Michael didn't even have the energy to cry anymore and he once again rolled away to face the wall. This woke Annika, who immediately hugged him tightly as she began crying in relief. Michael simply closed his eyes, feeling awful that he made her cry, but refusing to apologize for it. They had taken away his escape and were forcing him to stay in this hell. Perhaps this was their way of punishing him?
There were several IVs in his arm which pulled uncomfortably but he ignored the pain and simply stared silently at the wall. Michael once again ignored everyone around him, and he soon came to realize that he was never alone for even a moment. Sebastian had been assigned to him, and as much as Michael disliked the other man, he couldn't will himself to protest.
Sebastian disliked Michael equally as much, but he was a professional and did as he was ordered by the Volkovs. Seeing Michael so beaten down should have made him feel smug, but instead Sebastian found himself pitying the boy. As arrogant and as dumb as Michael could be, he'd always had an enthusiastic energy about him. The broken boy that lay on the bed was just a shell of his former self and Sebastian knew Michael needed serious help.
He spent three days trying to get Michael to eat, to drink or to do anything at all, but he was completely unresponsive. He had given up.
When Sebastian's shift ended and he switched out with the next caretaker, he approached Annika and Mikhael.
[[Michael has given up on life,]] Sebastian stated with a frown.
[[He still won't eat?]] Annika asked worriedly.
Sebastian shook his head. [[He won't do anything at all. We need to find some way to snap him out of this. He needs something else to focus on other than the death of Doctor Vesalius.]]
[[We've tried everything,]] Mikhael said in distress, [[I don't think he hears a word we say. Nothing reaches him!]]
Sebastian hesitated a long moment and adjusted his glasses before he responded. [[It may be time to consider a treatment facility for Michael,]] he suggested, [[He's a danger to himself and I'm worried his next attempt might be successful.]]
[[His next attempt?!]] Annika cried out in distress, [[No! I won't allow it!]]
[[He's not getting better,]] Sebastian pointed out, [[The doctor prescribed him antidepressants, but they don't seem to be helping.]]
[[I'll find a way to snap him out of it!]] Annika vowed, [[My grandbaby is going to make it through this!]]
[[Annika, perhaps he's right,]] Mikhael said, resting a hand on her arm gently, [[Perhaps a few days in a hospital will help him?]]
Annika stood abruptly to her feet. Without a word, she hurried for the door, a determined look on her face.
[[Annika?]] Mikhael called after her in confusion.
She didn't answer and so he quickly hobbled after her as she headed for her study. Annika walked straight for her desk and opened her laptop, her expression still just as determined.
[[Annika?]] Mikhael questioned, staring into the room at her.
She still didn't answer as she began to type.
[[What are you doing?]] Mikhael asked, approaching the desk.
[[I'm going to give Michael exactly what he wants,]] she responded, [[That will snap him out of it!]]
Mikhael furrowed his brow in confusion and hobbled around the desk so he could see what she was doing. He stared at her screen for a few moments and then he immediately began to sputter.
[[You are not buying him a tiger!]]
Annika glared up at him defiantly.
[[No, Annika, absolutely not!]] Mikhael said firmly, [[That's completely ridiculous! Michael would get himself eaten immediately!]]
Annika's shoulders slumped in defeat. Michael probably would get himself mauled if she bought him a tiger. Mikhael rested his hands on her shoulders as he peered at her screen.
[[I know Michael really wants one, but a tiger is out of the question. How about if we compromise instead?]] Mikhael suggested.
Annika cocked her head. [[A compromise?]]
[[Here, let me show you what I mean,]] Mikahel said, reaching over to type at her computer.
When he brought up the site he wanted, Annika's eyes widened in surprise.
[[Oh, that's perfect!]] she exclaimed, [[I never would have thought of that!]]
Mikhael smiled proudly. [[I'll make the arrangements.]]
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
TBC
