A Different Fate

by Musal

What if Train didn't know Creed killed Saya? What if he believed it was Chronos? What if Train helped Creed create the Apostles to get revenge on Chronos? What happens when Train learns the truth? CxT

45. Five Days

Disclaimed: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

CW: Torture (tried not to make it too vivid, but it's still pretty dark).

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Day 4: Creed

Numb. Creed was absolutely, completely, and thoroughly numb. He had felt numbness before, but what he was feeling right now was so debilitating he hadn't moved in four days. Four anesthetized, calloused days without Train and Anastasia. Although, he couldn't be sure of the exact amount of time that had passed since his days had blurred together. The fact that Train wasn't there wasn't the only thing that created the numbness. The other factors that played a role in his inability to feel anything was the fact that his beloved was missing and Anastasia was gone. Forever. Train had been taken hostage by the Apostles and no one had any idea where they were. And the icing added to the vulgar shit cake life was forcing him to consume was that his teacher was dead.

Seeing Anastasia's body and knowing how gruesomely she died was the first half of his breaking point. However, as soon as Amiee said those devastating four words of his beloved being taken, Creed blacked out. He vaguely remembered Sven screaming obscenities and Eve attempting to comfort Aimee, but he couldn't be sure since all he could hear was a ringing sound and tunnel vision took over his sight. Creed also vaguely remembered Sergey showing up and rushing over to them, but again, he couldn't be certain since the only truth he knew about his new world was the complete darkness and absolute numbness that reigned supreme.

He also thought Sergey may have carried him back to their sweeper hideout, but since he didn't feel the man picking him up nor did he register being taken away from the music school, he didn't know if that was accurate either. He didn't even truly know if he was home with his friends or if it had all been a hazy nightmare. The only thing he had to prove that any of that was true was the fact that his dreams had been filled with vicious images of Train being tortured, maimed, and experimented on by Doctor and the Apostles.

The only comfort he found in his nightmares was after the first day without his Kitten, Creed had stopped sleeping. He had actually stopped doing anything the moment Aimee told him the Apostles took his beloved and he saw his mentor's dead body. But, sleeping was something his body had done on its own after being unable to stay conscious anymore. The only reason he had been eating or drinking was because Sergey refused to leave his side and spoon fed him every meal. However, since Creed wouldn't chew or swallow, the Russian man was stuck with using straws for drinks and liquid food for meals. His diet had consisted entirely of broth and water. Not that Creed noticed since he didn't notice anything anymore.

To comfort himself and hopefully find the resolve he needed to track down his beloved, Creed tried to cling to the memories he shared with Train. It was difficult considering how easily his wonderful memories with his lover turned into a ghastly, fabricated hallucination. Try as he might, every time he thought of Train, his mind went to the image of his cat being slowly tortured to death, which led Creed to believe his partner was in fact dead. Despite that, he tried again. He knew he had to if he was even going to find Train's body to put to rest.

"I don't know how this happened, and it still seems kinda crazy. But I was never one to question what my heart and my instincts tell me, and I think it's telling me—that I'm willing to be more than just friends, Creed."

Creed watched as his beloved pulled him close for a kiss, the first one that began their relationship the first time around and readied himself to feel the heat of Train's body. As he forced the scene to play out in front of his eyes, he tried to use it for the strength he knew he needed to find his Kitten again. However, the scene quickly turned dark as Train stepped away from him and began coughing up blood. He watched as his love looked down at himself and saw a scalpel slicing open his chest. His frightened golden eyes met Creed's panicked blue ones and he reached a hand out. Creed tried to grab his beloved, but Train was yanked away from him in a demonic manner before he could react.

When the scene ended, Creed felt the unbearable pain return, which was immediately replaced with numbness. He had no thoughts in his head other than Train and Anastasia's death, but if he did, he would have assumed the numbness was meant to protect him from the pain. Still, he was desperate to find even a flicker of hope inside his chest, so he tried to force another memory with his beloved to surface.

"Does this mean…you're mine?"

Train couldn't help but chuckle at Creed's childish question; he knew that the man tended to be very possessive of him, even before tonight. He wrapped his arm tightly around Creed's back, pulling him even closer and kissing the top of his head. "Yeah, Creed…I'm yours."

Just as Creed was about to snuggle against Train, his cat screamed out in agony and collapsed onto the bed they shared. Creed tried to shake Train awake, but instead of seeing his beloved, he saw the lifeless body of his teacher. The woman had holes all throughout her torso and she was heavy with blood. She smiled reassuringly at Creed, but as she did so, she vanished into thin air and Train's harrowing screams returned. After that, the room went dark again. Just like the rest of his world.

"Well, you should be more concerned with your health, Creed. When are you going to stop putting me before yourself?"

Smiling, Creed responded in a joking manner, but made sure Train would still be able to tell he was serious. "When will the sun stop burning?"

Train acted as if thinking about it. "I think… about seven or eight billion years, give or take."

Creed laughed. "That's very good Train, I guess I'll have to find something more immortal to use as a metaphor. How about—When you no longer have a taste for milk?"

"You might actually have something there." Train smiled at Creed's comment and deliberately took a sip of his glass of milk.

The beautiful memory turned sour as instead of sipping on the milk, Train began to choke on it. His face slowly turned pale and his eyes rolled back in his head. After grasping at the air for any feel of Creed, he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Creed watched as his beloved's body twitched on the floor, the life draining from his figure as he took his last breath. Creed tried to relive what really happened that day, but it was impossible. Every bit of happiness he had ever felt, every sweet, delicious moment he spent with Train had turned to repugnant vinegar in his mind, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Despite that, he tried again. He begged his mind to stop turning his moments with Train into blood filled nightmares. But, since it seemed like that was not going to happen, he tried to use a memory that involved his teacher to help his thoughts stay pure.

She smiled at his shocked face. "Listen to your heart."

Train blinked down at her, then at Creed and wrapped his arms around the man's back. Creed made an adorably happy sound and held onto his love tighter as he cooed happily when the Black Cat whispered in his ear.

"I told you that you could do it."

Creed laughed and snuggled closer. "Thank you, Train."

Train suddenly became very still, then gasped for breath as he collapsed to the ground. After he fell, Train looked down at his shaking hands and saw they were covered in blood. Not understanding what was going on, the cat patted down his stomach, gasping when he saw it had been cut open. Creed leapt forward to help his beloved keep his organs inside of his body, but Train vanished, leaving a pool of blood where he once was.

Creed was about to scream, but was cut off when he heard a different scream coming from behind him. He turned around quickly to see Anastasia being stabbed by his former friends, each one of them taking a turn. Aliane went first, snickering like the wicked child she was, followed by Kenneth and Nica, the old man cackling like a lunatic. Watts gave Anastasia the final blow, stabbing the dagger into her heart and twisting it harshly, just as Aimee had horrifyingly described it to them. They turned around to face Creed, the excruciating pain returning once more as he gazed at his teacher's dead body. Before they could do anything to him, the void of blackness took over again, erasing every one of Creed's thoughts and feelings. Again, he tried to force himself out of his apathetic state with more thoughts of his beloved.

"You always seem to have something ready for me."

Creed nodded. "Of course, Train. You know me."

Train couldn't help but chuckle as he jumped onto the counter and watched as Creed retrieved his milk for him. "The garden has seemed to be getting better since we've been here."

Creed nodded and turned to face his love, walking over to him to give him the glass. "Of course it has been. I've been tending to them again." He sulked as he glanced out the window behind his love. "They're not perfect yet. They only just started coming back to life the last few days."

Train nodded and took a sip of milk. "What… Are your plans with them…?"

Before Creed could answer his love's question, a knife stabbed through Train's neck, splattering the silver man's face with his beloved's precious life force. Creed screamed as loud as he could as he watched Train fall to the ground, his body convulsing appallingly before it slowed to a stop. Creed tried to comprehend what he just saw, but instead of feeling pain or reasoning out that wasn't what really happened that day, darkness and numbness dominated his heart, mind, and soul once again.

"That's not fair! The snow hasn't accumulated enough for me to get revenge!"

Train shrugged his shoulders and aimed at him again. "Oh well!" Before he attacked the man again, he frowned when he saw him shiver. "Are you cold?"

Creed tilted his head a little, his body shaking again despite himself. "You're not?"

Train shook his head. "Not really. My body doesn't really feel temperature changes."

Creed glared at him. "So I cuddled you to keep you warm that night and got sick for nothing?!"

Train laughed and smirked at Creed. "Oh, I think you got something out of that night."

When the scene slowly changed to Creed holding his beloved's hands as Train tried to warm him, blood began dripping down the gunman's face. Creed's eyes widened and he looked down at the hands he held, noticing his Kitten's fingers had turned completely black. His eyes darted back up at his love quickly, his heart sinking when he looked behind Train and saw Doctor standing there, scalpel glinting ominously in the moonlight.

Creed tried to scream at the scientist, to jump behind his beloved and protect him from the madman, but it was too late. Train's body fell to the ground and Creed was left facing Kanzaki's twisted, demented face by himself. As the man's sinister laugh echoed through the air, Creed was beginning to be grateful for the dark paralysis that continued to take over before the pain could. However, that didn't stop his mind from trying to create another pleasing memory to sooth his empty soul.

"I love you, Creed."

Creed blinked in shock, his heart stopping for a minute before picking up speed quickly. He pulled Train away just enough that they could make eye contact as he stared into Train's adoring golden eyes. "Say that again, Train?"

Train smiled behind his tears, then kissed Creed once more. He pulled back and placed both his hands on either side of Creed's face, resting his forehead against the silver man's as he stared deeply into his eyes. "I love you, Creed."

Creed reached out to grab Train, but his beloved was pulled roughly away from him and disappeared into the darkness. Creed ran after Train, searching through the dark depths to find him, but could see nothing. He tried to call out to his cat, but his voice was drowned out by the serpentine screams of Train. Creed didn't need to see his beloved to know he was being torture and experimented on so he ran as fast as he could.

When he heard Train call his name out, his mind checked out yet again, no longer able to hold on to the psychotic world his subconscious continued to create. He no longer wanted to relive his memories with Train, since they constantly turned to something he knew he could never unsee. All they were starting to do was confirm in his mind that Train was as dead as Anastasia was. However, it seemed like the Hell he had found himself trapped in in had other plans.

"Did you know Creed, that stallions are not the leaders of the herd, but are actually the protectors? They protect those they care for from any kind of harm and danger, even if they have to sacrifice themselves in the process."

He turned and kissed Creed's lips lightly. "You're my silver Stallion."

That memory ended the same way all the others did. Train let out another disturbing scream as his body was sliced open by an invisible force, blood seeping out of his open wound as Creed watched his still beating heart reveal itself from between his ribs. Train locked eyes with Creed and reached out to him, but all the silver man could see was his beloved's heart picking up speed, then slowly stopped. Again, Creed heard the Doctor's crazed laughter ringing in his ears. He welcomed the numbing black that seemed intent on making sure he never felt anything again.

"Pleased to meet you, Creed. I'm Anastasia Willis. You can call me Ms. Willis."

Anastasia stepped away from him and to the side of the piano so she could better see him. She frowned at the sad look on his face. "Who's the princess that slayed your heart?"

Creed wiped his eyes and chuckled bitterly. "What makes you so sure twas a princess who slaughtered the beast?"

The old woman blinked at him, then smiled knowingly. "I see… Then allow me to rephrase: Who is this prince that has hurt you enough to create such a beautiful interpretation of Mr. Nyman's The Promise?"

Creed looked her in the eye for a moment longer before he turned his gaze to the piano, as if he could see his beloved in the reflection of the black metal. "Train…"

Anastasia smiled kindly at him. "What a unique name. Much like your own. And where is your love?"

Creed kept his eyes on the piano, but he felt himself beginning to tear up again and shook his head. "He's…"

"...With another?"

Creed glanced at her quickly, then nodded his head and sighed shakily. "He once was mine, but now… No more."

The old woman sighed sadly and squeezed this shoulder slightly. "I doubt he will stray from you for long. With love as strong as what you just showed in your performance, it's impossible to not return those feelings."

Creed was for once relieved his mind wasn't wandering off to Train. He hoped that maybe if he thought of his teacher, life would show pity on him. Creed was not granted such kindness as his mind replaced his mentor's kind eyes with lifeless ones, her smile twisting into a painful grin as blood slowly dripped out of the corners of her mouth. Creed looked down to see the dagger twisting in her heart, then pulled out roughly, taking the throbbing muscle with it. It hovered in front of Creed's face, his eyes unable to look away as he watched it slowly stop, then explode on the tip of the weapon. Once again, his face was covered in blood except that time, it belonged to his mentor instead of his beloved. He watched as Anastasia's body fell forward and disappeared into the void. Creed followed soon after, unable to keep his thoughts cheerful anymore.

"I'll try to outlive you, Anastasia…"

As she listened to his voice trail off, she sighed and poked him in the forehead with her cane. "Just trust me, okay? There's no one else in the world I would trust with this business other than you."

Creed frowned at her as he rubbed the spot she poked. "What about Dae?"

Anastasia shook her head. "She's already getting Aimee. I can't put more on her plate."

Hearing the young girl's name gave him another idea. "What about Aimee? Can't she run it?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "No. You need to be able to talk to strangers. While she is a talented girl, creating relationships is not among her talents." Seeing he was about to open his mouth again, Anastasia put a hand up to stop him. "Don't even bother to say Sergey or Francisco. You already know neither of them are an option either. You're my only choice, Creed."

Creed smiled bitterly. "You don't sound so eager… Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

Anastasia nodded firmly as she looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes. The only things I've been more certain of was when I married my wife or adopted Aimee." She stood slowly and smiled down at him. "You can't say no to this. My fancy lawyers have already written down."

Creed pouted at her. "But what if I mess it up?"

"Then I'll come back and haunt you to death then kick your ass in the after life." She chuckled at him, then reached out to pat his shoulder. "You'll be brilliant, Creed… I know it. And I can sleep soundly at night knowing my pride and joy will be well taken care of when I'm gone."

Creed couldn't fight the memory as it turned dark yet again. Instead of jumping out of the window to make his beloved come inside so he didn't get sick, Creed was left chained to the piano bench, watching as the Apostles slowly sliced his teacher open. Creed tried to break free and save the woman, but his voice was sucked in by the emptiness of the room. Soon the woman's blood was covering the floor, staining the carpets and leaving a sick smell in the air. Creed slumped his head low, shutting his eyes as he now sought out the comfort of the never ending, empty void.

"You don't need to apologize and I don't need comfort. I've made peace with it and I'm ready to see her again."

Creed felt his heart break. "Why do you keep saying such ominous things like that? I thought you were expecting to outlive me."

Anastasia laughed. "I'm starting to rethink that. If I prevail longer than you, I'll have to deal with all this rubbish paperwork."

Creed wasn't happy that she was trying to change the subject to be more lighthearted, but knew better than to go against what she wanted. "Are you threatening to off yourself if you have to deal with all this alone?"

Anastasia gave him a tenacious look. "That, or I'll just have to fake my death to get away from it all."

Creed rolled his eyes. "And Train says I'm dramatic." He sighed and went back to his menial task, leaving his legs stretched out as he spoke. "I don't think that'll be necessary. Most of this is receipts from buying instruments and other supplies or payment for student lessons. And it looks as if your wife set it up so your bank pays the bill on time for you. I don't know how she accomplished that after so many years, but it's impressive."

Anastasia smiled adoringly. "She was very impressive…"

Creed smiled adoringly at his teacher. "Sounds like you were quite lucky to have her."

"I was."

The woman's peaceful smile remained, but Creed could tell her life had ended. It was as if the memory he was replaying heard her statement of wanting to see her wife again and Death decided to make his appearance. Creed watched as his teacher and mentor's life slowly left her, grateful that the memory had ended in a more passive way instead of a violent one filled with blood. However, that didn't change the pain he felt watching the woman died, and he shut his eyes again, greeting the darkness like an old friend. Embracing the numbness he had started to grow fond of.

"Dont give up!"

Creed's eyes would have widened if he was able to do anything other than sit and stare into the emptiness that was his world. Still, he knew he needed to respond to the girl. He couldn't ignore her. Especially after what she did for him… Even after what he did to her.

"Saya? What're yo-"

"Did you hear what I said? Don't give up!"

Creed was pretty sure he was sitting in his bed at their sweepers' hideout, but when he blinked, he found himself standing in the middle of a dark room. Normally, that would be the sign of something terrible about to happen, but there was something about the way the sweeper girl spoke to him that made him realize he was safe.

"Train needs you!"

Creed stuttered his next words, looking around the darkness for the invisible girl. "T-Train…? Do you… Do you know where he is…? Is he alive?"

Saya was quiet for a second, then slowly walked out of the darkness, bringing the light with her. She smiled at Creed and put her hands on her hips. "You can't give up! You've never given up before, why are you going to give up now?

Creed blinked at her again, then reached out to try and touch her. When his hand went through the girl, he stared down at his palms, wondering what was going on.

He looked back up at her, a pathetic vacancy in his eyes as he spoke. "Am I dead?"

Saya laughed merrily, something that his old self would have cringed at, but now he was able to see how that was one of the things that made her so charming.

Saya smirked at him, a smirk he was used to receiving from his beloved as she spoke. "You can't give up. Train needs you."

Creed felt his legs shake then his knees give out from underneath of them. "I… I can't move… I can't feel anything…" He fell forward and clutched at the ground, feeling tears falling from his eyes once more. "He's… He's dead…"

He felt something bonk him on the head, then looked up to see the sweeper girl frowning at him. Her frown turned into a cheeky smirk, which only made Creed think even more of his Kitten. "You can't give up! Train needs you!"

Creed blinked at her again. "...Where is he? Is he alive?"

Saya didn't answer his question. Instead, she stood up and began walking away. "I have to go. Plenty of people to talk to today!"

Creed watched her go, but did not move to follow her. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but the numbness took over again, making it impossible to move his lips. Somehow, he managed to say one last thing before he knew darkness would take over again.

"Train…"

As he lowered his head again and slowly began to curl into a ball, he heard another set of footsteps approaching. He looked up and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the golden eyes of his beloved cat shining adoringly down at him.

Train reached a hand out for Creed to take as he spoke a single question that never failed to set the swordsman's heart on fire. "Together?"

Creed returned his love's smile and reached out to take Train's hand gently into his own, pulling his beloved against his chest and holding him close. He sighed blissfully as he nuzzled his face into his beloved's hair, allowing what he knew was going to be the last time his senses ever felt anything ever again to be engulfed by Train.

"Always…"

---

Day 4: The Sweepers and Musicians

Sergey jumped when he heard Creed mumble something, nearly dropping the bowl he held up to the man. "Wh-what was that, Creed?!"

Sergey didn't know how it was possible, but somehow Creed managed to lose even more of the light from his eyes. As if he had just confirmed something in his mind.

The Russian man reached out and shook Creed slightly, trying to get him to repeat himself. "Creed, are you in there?! What did you say?!"

His shaking and his words had no effect on the silver man and there was nothing Sergey could do except watch the last bit of light leave Creed's eyes. Sergey sighed painfully at the silver man who was sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed, pulling the blankets up higher on him. He grabbed the bowl again, placing the spoon to Creed's lips, sliding it between his teeth, and then pouring it down his throat. He then retreated the spoon of chicken broth and massaged the man's throat so it would go down. It was a tiring and arduous task, but he knew it needed to be done. If he hadn't been sitting next to his silver love morning, noon, and night, feeding him whatever meals he could, making him drink water, Creed might have died from dehydration.

I don't think he'd really notice if his life ended anyway… I'm pretty sure he thinks he's already dead.

Sergey sighed and placed the nearly full bowl to the side, grabbing the glass of water and trying to get the man to drink. Once again, he had to stick the straw in his mouth and massage Creed's throat in order to get the liquid down. The Russian man set that aside as well, then leaned his elbows on his knees and gazed at the swordsman's lifeless face. Realizing he hadn't seen Creed breathe in quite some time, he reached out and checked his pulse. Feeling a slow, but steady beat, Sergey breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in the bed.

I'm a firm believer in dying of heartbreak, so I'm happy that hasn't happened yet.

Sergey frowned deeply at Creed. The pianist's reaction didn't make sense to any of them. Creed always pulled out all the stops when it came to Train, yet for some reason when he heard the gunman had been taken, he completely shut down. Almost as if his body had given up. He hadn't said a word or moved a muscle. They even had a Chronos doctor stop by to check on him, but they couldn't find anything wrong. He couldn't even prescribe any medicine since he said Creed was in perfect physical shape, but mentally he was gone.

His exact words were that Creed is in shock and all we can do is wait to see if he comes out of it. Was it just too much for him to handle? Was seeing Anastasia's body and then being told Train was gone too much for his tortured heart to bear?

Sergey sighed shakily at the thought and glanced over at Aimee who was sleeping in the chair next to Creed. They were all shocked when the girl refused to leave the silver man's side, but no one wasn't about to tell her she had to leave. She had just lost her mother and if the comfort she found was being by the side of a man who was completely broken, who were they to tell her no? It wasn't like she had anywhere to go anyway.

Dae came by with Francisco to try and convince her to go home with them, but she refused. She told them she wanted to be here when Creed 'woke up', so to speak.

Those were the first words any of them ever heard her speak, but she clammed up again immediately after that. Now, she was back to being a mute. Sergey pulled his eyes away from the sleeping girl and to the window. He stared outside, allowing a sob to escape his control as he wiped a tear from his eye. He had every second of the last four days to cry, and other than taking care of Creed, that's all he had been doing. It was only recently that he finally stopped, mostly because he thought he had cried himself dry.

He shuddered as the image of Anastasia's lifeless body popped into his head again. It was embedded in his mind's eye and he knew no amount of time could erase it.

I can't blame Creed for mentally and emotionally checking out. Just seeing the state Anastasia was in is traumatizing enough, I can't imagine losing the person you loved at the same time.

However, Sergey did understand that since he was sitting next to the lifeless heep of the man he loved. But, he knew what Creed was going through was different. When he heard Train was taken by the Apostles, he knew that meant the cat was facing something far worse than becoming emotionally dumb, deaf, blind, and mute. Sergey had a feeling Creed assumed Train had already been tortured and murdered at that point. That only made it all the more confusing why he wasn't reacting or doing anything.

As traumatizing as what happened is, Creed isn't the type to just give up. Especially when it comes to Train. We've all seen him move Heaven and Hell to make that man happy and keep him safe. We all saw it the night of Creed's birthday when he took on the Apostles by himself to keep Train safe.

As much as Sergey wanted to be angry at Creed for being so weak, he couldn't. He cared about the man too much to hold his barren state against him. He also couldn't blame him. Had he been in Creed's position, he wasn't sure how much better he would be handling it. Especially after all the other trauma Creed had been through, he couldn't imagine what dark thoughts were floating through the pianist's head.

If there are even any thoughts at all…

Sergey reached out and caressed the man's cheek, silently begging Creed to smack his hand away and scold him for touching him. When nothing happened, the Russian man sighed and leaned back in the chair, staring out the window again. He tried to concentrate on a bird he saw sitting on the tree outside the window, trying to use the serene image to replace the one of his teacher's dead body. Seeing that it didn't work, he stared at the sun instead, hoping that maybe if he burned out his retinas, that would finally stop the nightmarish images from haunting his vision.

"DAMMIT!"

Sergey jumped as Eve slammed her fist on the desk in Creed's room, blinking at the girl who seemed distraught over something. "What's wrong?"

Eve didn't hear him since she had headphones on, so Sergey stood up and walked over to the bio-girl, tapping her on the shoulder gently so as not to scare it. It didn't work as Eve jumped slightly, turning to give the man a frightened look. She sighed in relief, as if she was expecting him to be someone else then took her headphones off.

"Yes?"

Sergey felt his heart break at the music he heard playing. It was one of the many pieces Creed had played over and over again. He knew she was listening to that to help keep her calm while she did her research on the Apostles, but it didn't seem to be working.

We're all falling apart…

Sergey sighed and gestured towards the screen. "Did you find something?"

"No. I thought I did, but it turned out to be another copy cat group." Eve turned back to the computer and began her search again, leaving her headphones off in case Sergey had more to say.

Eve sighed as she rubbed her eyes and Sergey couldn't help but notice how tired and red they were. Her skin was paler than usual as well and she just in general looked worn out. She hadn't slept much in the last four days since she spent every waking moment trying to find the Apostles. Whatever sleep she did get was in the chair she sat in and next to the laptop she brought into Creed's room. He saw with his own eyes how little sleep she was getting since every time Sergey woke up in the middle of the night to check on the silver man, she was either already awake and searching the internet, or waking up and turning the laptop on. The only time she ever stepped away from the computer was to use the bathroom or grab a quick bite to eat. And even then, it was merely a piece of bread and some water. Sergey tried to convince her to eat more or to take a break, but she claimed that since Creed wasn't capable of looking for Train, she needed to work ten times as hard to find him.

Since when did I become the mother hen to these people?

He watched the girl trying to gather her thoughts and frowned deeply.

I understand why she's looking so hard. It's not just because she wants Train back as well, but also because she knows seeing him again will fix Creed. She moved her laptop in here so she could be close to Creed in case he comes too. But… I think everyone really just wants to be near each other during these trying times.

"Is anyone else home?"

Sergey frowned at the girl as she continued typing furiously at the keyboard. "Dae and Francisco just refilled the fridge-" Even though it's useless since no one in this damn house will eat! "But, I don't think they stuck around. I think they went back to the music school to do more clean up."

Eve nodded, only hearing about half of what the man said as she clicked on every link that she could. "Where's Sven?"

Sergey sighed again and walked away from the girl, sitting back down next to Creed. "Probably out searching for Train with Rinslet, Kyoko, and Lin."

Eve shook her head. "He's not with Lin. Lin said they were moving too slow and being too kind to the people they interrogated. He's definitely working on his own right now."

Sergey blinked. "How do you know that?"

Eve held up her phone, not bothering to respond to the man with words nor did she bother to turn around to face him. She was too busy looking for any news articles or websites that might lead them to the Apostles.

Why are so many people copying the Apostles?! And are they really that useless that Charden wouldn't think to use them to his advantage?

Sergey watched the girl for another minute before turning back to Creed. "He's not even working with Chronos to find Train?"

Eve shook her head again. "No. He actually got into a fight with Sephiria because of the extreme lengths he's been taking to find Train."

Sergey didn't like the way that sounded, but decided to question the girl nonetheless. "Such as…?"

Eve sighed and stopped her typing for a minute, trying to think of how to word her statement without worrying Sergey more than he already was. He had done a lot for Creed, so she owed it to him to try and spare his feelings.

And it will probably be hard for him to hear Lin might be in trouble with Chronos since even though I know Sergey's in love with Creed and Lin's in love with Train, they still care deeply about one another.

Eve was quiet for another second, then spoke again. "He's… Not himself right now."

Sergey frowned. "None of us are."

Eve shook her head in disagreement. "No. It's different with him. He's… a totally different person. Sven said he doesn't even recognize him. Apparently, Lin started using violence against any leads they ran into and hasn't stopped looking even for a second. He hasn't even slept since he found out they took Train. I think the only thing that's keeping him from collapsing is his sheer force of will to stay conscious until we find Train."

Sergey sighed and looked back at Creed. "Eve… need I remind you that none of us have slept? Yourself included."

Eve brushed his words away since she could tell he was trying to guilt her into sleeping or eating something more substantial again. "It's different with Lin. We've all at least shut our eyes for a few minutes. I don't think Lin has stopped turning the entire world upside down let alone stop to close his eyes. Sven hasn't seen him in three days and no one has heard from him in two. Sephiria said she's even threatened him with punishment if he doesn't reel it in, but he won't listen to her or return her messages."

Sergey felt his heart freeze at that statement. He knew Lin was in love with Train, but he also knew the man was usually calm and logical. But after hearing what Eve told him, Sergey knew his casual lover was not doing well.

None of us are doing well, but I imagine Creed and Lin have it worse off. We're all hurt after Anastasia's death, but at least we know what her fate is. There's something about the unknown of Train's life that has us all losing our minds.

Sergey frowned when he realized he just insinuated he cared about the ex-assassin as well. It shouldn't have surprised him since the only thing he really had against Train was the fact that he had Creed's heart. Despite that, he could see the allure of the man and putting his jealous feelings towards him aside, he knew Train was a good and decent person. He understood why he was so easily able to win people's hearts over, so the idea of him being tortured and used by a terrorist group shook him and everyone else to the core.

The Russian man dug his phone out of his pocket and checked to see if Lin had reached out to him. He sighed when he saw nothing except messages from Dae and put it back in his pocket. "Has it really been four days already?"

Eve clenched her fists as yet another clue fell through and punched the table lightly. "I think so. It's hard to tell when the day ends and begins anymore."

Sergey nodded in agreement as he looked back at Creed. "I don't understand his reaction… I understand everyone else's… but I don't understand his."

While every one of them was acting differently since the incident at the music school, Creed's reaction was so far fetched it was almost as if his soul had left him and was replaced with someone else's. Someone who was weak and helpless. Creed was the exact opposite of that. He was one of the strongest people Sergey had ever met and the silver man's stubborn determination could even be overwhelming at times. Added to that, Creed's dedication to Train was unmatched except for maybe Lin's, so the fact that he wasn't tearing the world apart with Number X was astounding to everyone.

You'd think we'd have to be chaining him to the bed instead of trying to get him to walk himself to the bathroom. This is so bizarre.

Eve looked over her shoulder quickly at the men and frowned. Sergey was right. Everyone was acting different, but she could reason out their behaviors pretty well. Kyoko had become all business and was acting like a mature, young woman instead of a star struck teenager. She had turned into one of the most useful people to have around since she was always willing to do anything and everything to move their plans forward. Her feelings for Train were evident and it shocked everyone to see that what she felt for the Black Cat was probably more than just a teenage crush.

Then there was Sven and Rinslet. Both of them were reacting the most reasonably and coming up with plans and solutions instead of reacting impulsively like Lin was. They were the only ones that ever stopped to take a break and regroup, but that was only because they knew everyone else was working themselves to the breaking point. They were sure everyone else was going to collapse at any minute and they wanted to make sure that didn't happen to them. If they fell apart like everyone else did, they knew they'd never be able to find Train. Still, it was easy to tell they were not doing well either. They snapped at anyone over the smallest thing and Eve overheard both of them crying at one point.

I think Sven's crying for more than just Train… I think he's angry at falling for Nica's trap…

Eve shook her head, forcing that thought from her mind. If she allowed her focus to wander off to the betrayal of their phony friends, she wouldn't be able to keep working. Instead, she began to think about what Chronos was doing to help find Train.

Sephiria had been pretty quiet except for the occasional update on anything they found along with questions about Lin's whereabouts, but Eve could tell every time they heard from her that Number One was pulling out all the stops to find the Apostles and Train. She may have gone out of her way to hide it, but it was clear that Train was like a little brother to her. She had every one of her numbers looking for him and had barely slept herself. The last time Eve saw her was when they lost total contact with Lin and the bio-girl could tell Sephiria was beyond furious at the situation.

And not just because we didn't listen to her about Nica and the others. She blamed herself for not acting on her gut instinct and arresting them right away.

Eve had to once again shake herself to stop her thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to be derailed.

She glanced back over her shoulder and eyed Sergey and Aimee sadly. Creed's music friends weren't doing well after the death of their teacher, but they were all doing whatever they could to keep the sweepers together. They all missed Anastasia, but the biggest issue at hand was finding Train. There was nothing they could do about the old woman, but the cat still had a fighting chance. Since the day Sergey brought Creed home, he and Aimee hadn't left his side. Eve knew Aimee didn't want to be alone and Sergey loved Creed so he refused to leave his side. Dae and Francisco helped with miscellaneous tasks such as keeping the house in order, making sure there was food in the fridge, and cleaning up the mess at the music school, but other than that there wasn't much any of them could do. They didn't have the same skill set the sweepers and Chronos had.

Still they're doing their best and they've been incredibly helpful. If it wasn't for them, we'd all be starving and living in filth. Not that any of us are taking much care of ourselves, but whatever care is being taken is all thanks to them. We probably would have completely fallen apart without them to support us.

Eve sighed and finally decided to respond to Sergey's melancholy thoughts. "I think Creed thinks Train is dead."

Sergey blinked at the girl. "Why do you think that?"

Eve took in a deep breath to stop herself from crying. She had thought about that scenario as well, but refused to give it any power to it until now. "Because he knows Train. There's no way Train would allow himself to be held captive for this long. He would have tried to escape the first chance he got which, knowing him, would have been right away. And as much as the Doctor wants to experiment on him, Charden wouldn't let him leave alive. They'd kill Train the second they got if he tried to break free."

Sergey felt his body go cold and turned to Creed to see if he had any reaction to the statement. Seeing nothing, he asked another question. "But… Do you really think Train would choose death over being held captive?"

Eve didn't hesitate. "Yes. Especially if he thought his captivity would cause problems for the people he cares about. No matter how much Train values life, he values the freedom and safety of his friends even more."

He wouldn't hesitate to do something that would get himself killed if he knew it meant we'd all be safe and free.

Eve sobbed a little, then slapped herself to stop. "Besides all that, Creed's been through a lot in life. You learned about some of it when we were first hiding from the Apostles, but you don't know everything. You don't know what his childhood was like or the other losses he's endured. Not to mention he just found happiness with Train again, so to suddenly lose not only him, but Anastasia as well probably was all his heart could take." She stopped and looked over at Creed, feeling the urge to burst into tears as she stared into his dull, blue eyes. "He's… completely broken. I don't even think he's there anymore. I think his body is empty."

Sergey took in all of Eve's words, then followed her gaze back to the man. "I know Creed's been through a lot, but… that's never stopped him from getting to Train before, has it?"

Eve nodded. "Yes, but back then he had hope that Train was alive. Now, it's almost as if he's trying to accept that he isn't because the alternative is too awful."

Sergey felt his heart sink. "What's the alternative to death? What could be worse than that?"

Eve froze, her fingers hovering over the keys of the laptop as she felt her body begin to shake a little. "Torture."

Sergey's eyes widened and his pulse picked up speed rapidly. "What?!"

Eve shook her entire body and continued typing. "I don't want to talk about it. Just know that the Apostles intentions with Train are anything but welcoming."

And I'm sure Creed's mind put that together immediately. I'm positive he's convinced himself that Train is dead either because he knows Train well enough to understand that would be what he wanted or because he can't bring himself to accept what the Doctor is doing to him.

Eve knew the ironic thing about Creed being completely useless right now was that if he was himself, he'd probably be the most useful to them. No one knew Charden and Echidna like he did and no one was as smart or clever as Creed. There was even the chance that Creed would have a gut instinct about where Train was. Creed had been able to find Train time and time again and Eve was certain if he wasn't trapped in a state of shock, he'd probably be able to hunt down the Black Cat one more time.

We need him… And we need Train. We can't keep going on like this. Something has to change.

Just then she heard the front door of their hideout slam open, followed by a loud, vicious shout from Lin. "WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS THAT USELESS, WEAK PIECE OF SHIT?!"

Had Eve not spent so much time with him over the last two and a half years, she would have never picked such an angry voice out to belong to a man that was as calm and reasonable as he was. She turned around and was ready to head to the door to see what he was screaming about, but the door was kicked open before she could do anything. Once it was properly torn from its hinges, it revealed a furious and fuming Number X. Behind him was Sven, Rinslet, and Kyoko, all three of them doing whatever they could to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work. Sven even tried to grab the number by the arm, but Lin yanked away from him before the sweeper could hold him still. As small as the Chronos number was, he was still stronger than the rest of them.

As soon as he broke the door down, his eyes immediately locked onto Creed. He growled monstrously and stormed over to the soporose silver man, ignoring the cries of Sergey for him to calm down or the startled Aimee who was jolted awake from the violent entrance in favor of Creed.

Without warning or provocation, Lin slapped Creed as hard as he could in the face, making the swordsman fall listlessly to the side of the bed, but got no reaction out of him otherwise. That made Lin even more angry and he leapt onto the bed, grabbed Creed by his shirt and began shaking him wildly, banging his head against the headboard slightly as he did so.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU WORTHLESS , WEAK SON OF A BITCH?! DON'T YOU KNOW TRAIN IS GONE?! WHY AREN'T YOU TRYING TO FIND HIM?! WHY ARE YOU JUST LAYING HERE LIKE A USELESS HEEP OF HUMAN FLESH?!"

"LIN!" Sven yelled from the door and leapt forward to try to pull him off Creed. Sergey jumped up and joined the sweeper, but Lin was stronger and angrier than them both and was able to push them away with ease.

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE ALL GUILTY OF BEING USELESS TOO! WHY ARE YOU CATERING TO HIS WEAKNESS?! WHY ARE YOU BEING KIND TO THE MAN THAT'S DONE NOTHING TO HELP FIND TRAIN?!"

Eve blinked in shock, her mouth slightly agape as Lin slapped Creed again and again. Each hit was harder than the last and his voice came out in an animalistic growl. She barely believed the sound Lin was making came from his mouth, let alone that of a human's. When she noticed Creed's cheeks were beginning to get red and no one else in the room could pry the number off the silver man, Eve turned her blonde hair into hands and wrapped them around Lin's body. She yanked him back and off the bed, making Number X fall to the floor and glare up at her.

"YOU TOO?! CAN'T YOU SEE HOW WORTHLESS HE IS?! AREN'T YOU ANGRY AT HIM?!"

Eve stared at her friend, her heart breaking at the tears that fell from his beet red eyes, noticing how drawn his face was. His cheeks were sunken in and his hair was a mess. She could tell by the state of his clothes that he hadn't changed since Train disappeared, nor had he slept a wink.

He's doing almost as bad as Creed is…

"Yelling and hitting him won't help. The doctor said we need to give him time to-"

Her sentence was cut off and Lin laughed bitterly and hysterically. "WHAT THE HELL DO DOCTORS KNOW?! ONE IS TORTURING TRAIN RIGHT NOW, SO FORGIVE ME IF I DON'T TRUST THEM!"

Eve was about to speak again, but Lin sat up quickly taking advantage of her shocked state to break free of her nanomachine hair. Before she or anyone else could grab him again, Lin jumped back onto the bed, grabbing Creed by the shirt once more and pulling him close. Seeing nothing in the silver man's eyes, Lin growled and spat in his face.

Sergey gasped and tried to pull the number off Creed again. "LIN, STOP IT!"

Lin smack him aside, but did not stop his glare on Creed. "NO! WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO FIND TRAIN, YET HIS LOVER CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO LEAVE HIS BED!"

Everyone in the room could hear the bitterness behind Lin's use of the word 'lover' and understood exactly how he was feeling. Lin had been working himself to near death to find Train, even though the cat broke his heart and refused his advances over and over again. Yet, the man that had Train's heart and had the title of being the Black Cat's lover had been stuck in a nearly comatose state, unable to do anything.

More tears fell from Lin's eyes as he thought of Train, hating the fact that his Sweetness was with such a useless man instead of him. He shook Creed violently again. "Do you have any idea what the rest of us have been through the last four days?! Do you have any idea what we've been going through to find him?!"

Creed said nothing and did not move, which only angered Lin more. He slapped him in the face again, earning another gasp from Sergey which he ignored. "Train is missing and most likely being tortured by the Apostles, but here you are, his adoring lover, sitting in bed, wallowing in your own self pity! YOU'RE TRASH, CREED! NOTHING BUT USELESS, WEAK TRASH!"

The room was silent when Lin said that, not sure how to respond since it seemed like he was intent on putting the man through even more abuse than he had already been in. "Do you even care?! Have you really given up that easily?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Lin…" Rinslet tried to calm him down, taking a small step forward to try and talk reason into him. "He does care… Probably more than anyone else in this room does. He loves Train. He's just-"

"SHUT UP! YOU CALL THIS LOVE?!" Lin gestured to the pathetic state of Creed, then scowled at the silver man. "This?! This isn't love! This is pathetic! This is a man who's given up on the man he claims to love! This is a man who's showing his true colors! THIS IS A MAN WHO'S DOESN'T BELIEVE IN THE STRENGTH OF TRAIN HEARTNET!"

The room was silent again as Lin slapped Creed again and continued berating him. "I thought you of all people would be flipping every chair, table, and person he could in order to find Train! Instead, you've done NOTHING! It's been FOUR DAYS AND ALL YOU'VE DONE IS SULK! ALL YOU'VE DONE IS GIVE THE APOSTLES MORE TIME TO TORTURE THE MAN YOU CLAIM TO LOVE!"

Creed did nothing to stop Lin's next slap, or the next one. "Do you really think he's dead?! Do you really think anyone could defeat the Black Cat so easily?!"

"Lin, stop it! Go easy on him! You have no idea what he's going through!" Sven was the one to say those words, however when he saw the look Lin was giving him, he immediately regretted it.

"Are… Are you serious...?! Did you seriously just tell me I don't know what he's going through…?!" Lin gripped tightly at Creed's shirt, as if harming his clothes would harm the man.

Sven felt the color drain from his face, unable to speak since he knew he had just said something really insensitive.

Sergey saw the guilt in the sweeper's eyes and tried to help him. "That's not what he meant, Lin. He didn't lose just Train. He lost Anastasia as well. And after everything else he's been through in life… this was the last thing to break him."

Lin let out a loud, ironic laugh and locked eyes with the Russian. "This broke him?! I'm sorry, but have you seen me?! DO I LOOK OKAY TO YOU?!"

Sergey bit his lip, then looked away from Lin since he knew there was nothing he could say to that. Despite that, his voice moved on its own and tried to form a sentence. "I-I… I j-just…"

Lin growled at the blonde man. "You just what? Forgot that I love Train as well? Forgot that Creed isn't the only one who would do anything to get him back?! Hell, even that annoying teen is doing more than Creed!"

Lin gestured towards Kyoko who tried to hide behind Sven, scared of what the man might do if she said anything in return.

Number X laughed at her reaction, a clear sign that he had completely lost his mind. "Did you also forget what I've been through?! You know my origin story, Sergey! Can you really sit there and tell me his is that much worse that he can be justified in sitting here in this USELESS FUCKING STATE when Train is nowhere to be found and possibly SCREAMING IN AGONY AS WE SPEAK?!"

He glared back at Creed, growled, then slapped him again. "Have you forgotten what I've lost?! WHAT WE'VE ALL LOST?!"

Lin looked around the room, as if he was daring someone to respond. Seeing no one did, he continued. "Yet, here we are wasting time while poor little Creed takes a stupid little mental vacation! Here we are, catering to the man who could be more useful in finding Train than all of us combined because he's lost too much! Because he's been through so much! Because he's hurt and because he needs a safe space! Because everything is always about Creed and apparently Train's kidnapping is no different! Apparently, Creed needs to be the center of attention to matter what because mommy didn't love him enough so we all have to tiptoe around his feelings! Because mommy used to hit him, we all have to work around the clock and to the bone to make up for his absence! WELL AT LEAST YOU HAD A MOTHER, ASSHOLE!"

Lin slapped Creed again and shook him even more, ignoring the thump his head made against the board behind him. "We all know if Creed was helping, we probably would have found Train by now! He's a stalking expert and has been able to find Train on matter what. Yet, when we actually need him to find Train, he's conveniently checked out and brought everyone's attention to him!"

"That's not true…" Eve said quietly, hoping she would calm the man down. "You said it yourself, we've been working around the clock to find him. We haven't stopped a second to care for Creed. Everything we're doing is for Train."

Lin turned a glare to her. "And you think that defends his current state? And don't give me any more bullshit about his traumatic life or that fuckery story that he's lost too much. We've all gone through terrible shit, especially in the last couple days and yet, here we are, fighting to find Train! Working ourselves to death to bring him home! Yet, the man that claims to love him more than anything else in the world has decided to check out of the world! HE'S WEAK! HE'S USELESS! HE DOESN'T DESERVE TRAIN OR HIS LOVE!"

"He thinks he's dead, Lin…" Sergey added, even though he knew Lin had already ranted about how angry that made him. "Can't you see it from his point of view?"

Lin spat his next words at Sergey. "No! Because if I do that, I'll fall apart! I need to believe he's alive if I'm going to keep going on. And I will never accept that he's gone until I see it for myself. But, I know that's not true because I love and respect Train enough to know he wouldn't just give up! Because I know he wouldn't leave us all behind! He's stronger than that! He's the strongest person I've ever met!"

Lin felt more tears stream down his face and he screamed in agony, then slapped Creed a few more times. "I'M WORKING MYSELF TO DEATH TO FIND HIM BECAUSE I LOVE HIM AND I KNOW HE'S STILL ALIVE! BUT CREED IS MORE USELESS THAN A ROCK! AT LEAST A ROCK COULD CAUSE SOME DAMAGE WHEN IT'S THROWN!"

Lins slaps slowly began to become weaker, and his hold on Creed began to lessen. A heart breaking, grief filled sob left his lips and he lowered his head, finally releasing the silver man's shirt from his grasp. His arms hung uselessly to the side and he leaned back on his legs, putting space between him and the man he had been attacking both verbally and physically for the last several minutes.

"He chose you, Creed…" Lin let out another loud, pitiful sob, not caring how pathetic he looked in front of everyone else. "You chose you… He could have been mine, but he broke my heart so he could have you… and now you've given up on him…"

Lin looked slowly up at Creed, then growled again when he saw the lifelessness of the man and grabbed his shirt again. He pulled the swordsman closer, gritting his teeth as he spoke. "Why the fuck did he choose such a useless, weak piece of shit like you?! Why the hell would he want to be with someone as pathetic and miserable as you?! He could have been with me! WHY DIDN'T HE GIVE HIS HEART TO ME INSTEAD OF YOU?! I CLEARLY DESERVE IT MORE! I clearly want it more…"

He shook Creed weakly again, losing more of his strength as his exhausted body felt ready to pass out. However, when he made eye contact with Creed again, he was able to find a bit more strength at seeing the pitiful look in the other man's eyes. "WHY THE HELL DID HE CHOOSE YOU OVER ME?!"

Lin tightened his fist around Creed's shirt, nearly tearing the fabric as he spoke. "I'm the one that's looking for him! I'm the one that's moving Heaven, Hell, and Earth to find him! I'm the one that's being threatened with Chronos punishment every day to find him, and we both know how sick their punishments can get!"

Seeing Creed's eyes begin to swell with tears, Lin smirked sourly, then sobbed miserably, and continued. "I'm the one who deserves to be with Train and I'm going to be the one that finds him. It's obvious I love him more than you do and maybe when I do find him, he'll see that and come running back to me. I'll be the first thing he sees when we bust into the Apostles' layer and that will be the last thing he needs to confirm that he really belongs with me. Not you."

Everyone in the room noticed a tear fall from Creed's eye and saw his finger twitch a little. Lin noticed that as well and decided to stay on the path he was on. "We all know Train was better off with me, anyway. If he was mine, I would have never left him alone in the first place. He would have been by my side every second until we destroyed the Apostles because I know they'd be looking for him. And I know what they want to do to him. But, none of that would matter because I'd die before I'd let anyone lay a finger on his beautiful head. Because what I feel for Train is true love. What you have is just an obsession."

Another tear fell from the silver man's eye and more of his fingers twitched. Sven and Rinslet made eye contact and smirked as Kyoko gasped loudly. Sergey and Aimee leaned forward to get a better look at the still man. Eve held her breath, waiting to see if Lin's words were finally going to make an impact. Trying to see if Number X was going to succeed where everyone else had failed.

Lin glanced down at Creed's finger and narrowed his eyes, trying to keep the heat behind his words so the swordsman would really understand just how angry he was. "So, if you really want to continue being a pathetic loser, go right ahead. In fact, I think I'll encourage it now because when I find Train, I'll be able to show him your true colors. He'll see how worthless and weak you are and finally understand all you ever felt for him was a twisted, sick obsession."

Creed's fingers twitched again, slowly forming into a fist which made everyone's eyes widen except for Lin. He knew his words were working and he couldn't stop now. "Once I save him, he'll be so grateful that he'll have no choice but to give me his heart. He'll come running back to me faster than you can blink an eye and you'll still be here. Sitting in bed like the weak and worthless garbage you are. He'll finally be in my arms and share my bed again."

Creed's hand tightened into a fist, the unshed tears brimming in his eyes finally falling as life slowly returned to his face. Lin smirk viley at the man and let go of his now wrinkled shirt, scooting away from him slightly as he made a move to get off the bed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and find the love of my life. The breathtaking Train Heartnet is waiting for me to rescue him from the Apostles layer and I can't let someone as weak and pathetic as you keep us apart anymore. With you finally out of the picture for good, there's nothing keeping Train away from me. Once I find him, Train will be mine once more and we can live happily ever after. Without useless trash like you."

Something visibly clicked in Creed's eyes and he let out the deadliest, most inhuman growl any of them had ever heard. He clenched his fist as tight as he could, pulled back, and aimed it at Number X. Before Lin could get off of the bed, Creed threw the entire weight of his body behind a punch that hit the number square in the face. The silver man could feel bone break and he was positive he had just broken the assassin's nose.

Everyone in the room made some kind of shocked noise, then watched as Lin fell to the ground and clutched at his nose. Creed wasn't done as he rolled clumsily off the bed and crawled on top of the number. He grabbed Lin by the cuff of his shirt, shook him a few times then began hitting him in the chest over and over again. His body may have been weak from lack of sleep and nutrition, but that didn't stop him from putting everything he had behind each of his blows. As he screamed at the man, he felt a bit of the possessiveness that once drove Train away from him return.

"SHUT UP YOU PRETENTIOUS, JEALOUS BASTARD! TRAIN WILL NEVER BE YOURS AGAIN! HE'S MINE!"

Lin smirked behind his bleeding nose, happy to see his words finally set in with Creed. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if you intend on continuing to be as useless as you have been. Train was mine before and he could be mine again if you don't get your shit together."

Creed stopped his blows when he noticed the tears falling down Lin's face, mixing with the blood that poured out of his nose. He stared down at the man, panting at the sudden movement and adrenaline that was running through his body. Despite half of Lin's face being covered by his hand, Creed could see the grateful sadness behind his eyes. While Lin may have hoped everything he said was true, Creed could tell by looking at him he knew it wasn't.

Creed's fists were raised in the air as he looked down at Lin and finally allowed the pain he was trying to avoid take over. Instead of hitting Lin again, he collapsed on top of the number, clinging tightly to his shirt, soaking it with the tears he had refused to let go for four days.

"Lin… I… I'm so sorry… I… I didn't-"

Lin laughed and removed his hands from his face, wrapping them around Creed's back to pull him in for a hug. "It's okay, Creed. I understand how you feel more than you know… But please… don't forget that he chose you." He let out another tragic sob and squeezed Creed a little tighter. "He chose you, Creed…"

Creed wept loudly into Lin's chest, the rest of the occupants in the room stunned for a moment before a few of them began to cry as well. Sven wrapped Rinslet and Kyoko in a tight hug as she sobbed quietly and Sergey crawled across the bed to wrap Aimee in a hug. Tears fell from his face as well, but he was doing his best to ignore them in favor of comforting the girl who just saw her mother murdered. Eve smiled at her friends, tears falling from her eyes as well as she watched Creed and Lin hold and comfort each other, each of them letting the tears flow freely.

Eve took in a deep breath, then spoke to her friend for the first time in what felt like ages. "Does this mean your back?"

Creed let out a few more sobs, then pulled away from Lin. He smiled down at the number, then stood up and offered him a hand. Once Lin was on his feet again, Creed turned to the bio-girl and nodded confidently. "Yeah. I'm back. And I have a lot of ideas."

Without looking at Sven, he pointed a finger at him. "Have you been looking for Train, or the Apostles?"

Sven blinked. "The Apostles… Because they're the ones that have Train."

Creed shook his head. "No. You need to look for signs of Train. The Apostles don't want to be found, they've made that clear, but Train does. And since it's been four days and he isn't back yet, that means he's leaving clues for us."

Sven's eyes widened and he ran out of the room quickly, Kyoko and Rinslet followed after him. "Got it! Thanks!"

Next, he pointed to Eve. "Have you only been looking at new articles for the Apostles?"

Eve frowned, then nodded. "Yes. What else would I look for?"

Creed smirked. "You need to get to the dark web. I'm sure Lin can show you have to access it."

Lin was already on it as he ran over to the laptop and immediately pulled up a sight that would lead him there. He frowned as a thought occurred to him, but did not stop his typing. "Don't you think Chronos has already been doing this?"

Creed shook his head. "No. Knowing Sephiria, she's using all her resources to search every town for him. Even if they are searching the dark web, they're probably using newbie idiots who don't know what they're doing. With Eve's sleuthing skills, I'm sure she'll find something in no time."

Eve nodded in understanding and pushed Lin aside as soon as she saw it was ready. Seeing Creed had begun to take control again, Lin felt a bit of relief and decided to sit on the floor, shutting his eyes for the first time in four days. However, he made sure he did not fall asleep since he knew their work was only just beginning.

Lastly, Creed pointed to Sergey, worried eyes on Lin as he spoke. "And you: Thank you for all that you've done, but I think we could all use something more than bread or broth to keep us going. Fix that."

Sergey nodded, then saluted Creed as Aimee was already walking out the door and towards the kitchen. "Aye, aye Captain Creed!"

The Russian man walked towards the door, stopping before he left the room as he watched Creed reach for his phone to make a call. Sergey smiled warmly at the man and spoke in a kind, quiet tone. "Khorosho, chto ty vernulsya, Creed…" (1)

He knew Creed didn't hear him, but he didn't care. Everyone had a renewed life in them and Sergey wasn't about to lose the last bit of hope the silver man's revival created in all of them.

---

Day 1: Train

Train groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, his vision still blurry from the poison so he wasn't able to tell where he was. The first thing he saw was a bright light and he attempted to block it with his arm, but was unable to. His eyes jolted over to where his arm was to see what was keeping it down and made a strangled noise when something rubbed against his neck. Train tried to lift his head, but found that to be impossible as well since even his forehead was wrapped with some kind of bind, making it futile to move. Train tried to throw his legs up, but there were more straps on his ankles, knees and thigh, keeping him affixed to the bed he was now able to feel was made of rubber.

Shit, where the hell am I?!

Train tried to remember the events that just happened and clenched his hand into a fist. As he did that, he felt his fingers rub against more rubber and realized that his hands were trapped in a tight case of rubber. He tried to twist his hand free, but his wrists were clasped to the bed as well and he felt another bind wrapped around his elbow and forearm. Getting desperate, he tried to throw his chest forward, but found that to be hopeless as well since there was another rubber strap wrapped around his chest, waist, and hips. He was completely and utterly helpless, unable to fight against the binds that held him down.

"DAMMIT!" He screamed as he tried to fight the straps. He flailed uselessly on the bed, finally stopping when he tired himself out.

Why do I feel so weak?

"Calm down, Black Cat. Nica's poison is still in your system and that combined with Shiki's anesthetic bugs, I'm surprised you're even conscious right now."

Train's hair stood on end as he put together who the voice belonged to. He couldn't see where the man was, but he knew that voice anywhere. "Doctor…"

Kanzaki growled as he stepped away from his lab table and approached the cat. "Give me a minute while I alert the others that you're awake."

Train didn't know what he was doing, but judging by the quick silence and quiet buttons he heard being pressed, he had a feeling the Doctor was sending a message to Charden.

And if he sends a message to Charden, that sends a message to the rest of them.

Train tried to pry himself free again, almost dislodging his shoulder as he tried to pull his arm out. "SHIT!"

Doctor laughed sinisterly as he approached Train with a syringe in his hand. "Like I said, you need to calm down." He injected something into the cat, not bothering to be gentle since he knew their goal wasn't to take care of him.

Train hissed when the Doctor pulled the needle forcefully out of his neck and felt his body get heavy. "What the fuck was that?!"

Doctor noted how despite the fact that Train's body looked relaxed from the drug, his voice was not sluggish in the least. He pulled out a clipboard and wrote that down. "Interesting… How are you still able to form such coherent sentences after such a heavy dose?"

Train tried to clench his hand into a fist, but was unable to not only from the binds that held him, but from whatever drug Doctor put in him. "Answer my question, you bastard! What was that?!"

Doctor smirked and held up the needle, making sure Train could see him shake it tauntingly in his face. "You mean this? It's a small dose of the Chronos drug. We've finally been able to perfect it, but the problem is the man we want to use it on is so free willed that I need to slowly introduce it to your system in order for it to work."

Train blinked, then narrowed his eyes at the man. "If it's the Chronos drug, why did it make me feel more sluggish?!"

Doctor frowned in confusion. "It did? That doesn't make sense since you're still clearly mentally all there."

Train laughed bitterly. "Didn't you just say I'm a strong willed man? I was able to break free of Chronos drugs before. What makes you think I can't do it again?"

Doctor rolled his eyes at the Black Cat's ignorance. "That's because you stopped ingesting it. And even when you were, it was through food which meant it was diluted. Having it injected directly into your system is going to have a different effect. Plus, as I said, we've perfected it. Chronos wishes they had a drug as incredible as this…"

Train could hear the giddiness in the man's voice and shivered in disgust. "You're sick…"

Doctor shrugged his shoulders, not offended at all by the man's revulsion. "That may be, but at least I understand how drugs work. Although, I think by the time we're done with you, you'll have a whole new understanding."

Train growled and tried to wrench his arm free again, holding back a groan as he felt his right shoulder pop out. He breathed through the pain, hoping he'd be able to use the dislodged joint to slide himself out of the binds. He could already feel they were a little bit looser on his arm.

I can't break everything though, otherwise I won't be able to fight. Not that I'm sure I'd be able to in this room assuming it's the same set up he had at the mansion.

Train remembered what that room looked like all too well, but judging just by the bed, he had a feeling the Doctor had taken it to another level. When he saved Creed two and a half years ago, he didn't notice as many binds on the silver man that were on him now. Creed's hands were also free, which meant Kanzaki knew Train only needed a finger free in order to cause damage.

But if the rest of the room is made of rubber, I can't use my electric abilities and I know they still have Hades… but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up!

Train could hear Doctor moving around in the background and knew he was preparing something else for the Black Cat. "Where are your pets?"

Doctor didn't look away from what he was doing as he answered the gunman's question. "You mean Aztec and Aja? They're guarding outside the hideout, just in case any of your friends show up."

Train cursed as he tried to slide his dislocated arm free. "Is that so? You think they'll be enough to take on all Chronos and my friends?"

Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know, don't care. Because the goal is that by the time they get here, you'll be under our control and we'll have the Black Cat as an ally again. Even if it is unwillingly."

Train growled and spat out his words. "Like that'll ever happen…"

Doctor snickered as he flicked another syringe. He watched as Train tried to slide his arm free and frowned, realizing the goldman had managed to dislocate his shoulder and was currently working on sliding his hand free.

He sighed and pulled out a small remote from his pocket. "I shouldn't have expected anything less from the Black Cat."

Train grunted through his teeth as the binds around him tightened, applying a painful amount of pressure to the joint that was dislocated. He gritted his teeth and breathed through the pain. "I thought you said I needed several doses of that shitty Chronos drug over time in order for it to work? You really don't think Chronos will find you by then? Or that I won't be able to break free by then?"

Doctor laughed again as he approached the trapped cat. "If they haven't found us after this long, they won't find us now. Even with you captive, they won't track us down. Charden has done an excellent job of hiding us. As for you… I don't plan on letting you go that easily."

Train gritted his teeth again as Doctor pushed a button and applied more pressure to his now broken wrist. He managed to dislocate that as well and as soon as he felt the thick rubber clamp down tighter on his joints, he knew it was broken.

"Dammit…" He muttered, relaxing his body as he tried to think of another way out.

Doctor blinked when he saw Train's wrist slowly turning purple and realized what the man had done. "You dislocated your wrist too? Impressive behind those binds, but foolish seeing as I can do this-"

Train bit his lip to stop himself from screaming since he knew that would only please the madman that was keeping him captive. As the binds squeezed tighter, Train could feel the rest of his bones beginning to break as well, knowing just a few more pushes of that button would break more than just his wrist and shoulder.

"Fuck…!"

Doctor's smirk widened as he stood next to Train, syringe still in his hand. "Good to see the Chronos drug doesn't dull your nerves. That means I'll be able to truly test the limits of the Black Cat."

Train felt his heart race, but did not show the fear in his face. "What're you gonna do? Cut me open while I'm still breathing?"

Doctor sighed. "Why does everyone assume I'm going to dissect you? That would kill even you and we don't want you dead yet. Besides, everything I need to know about your insides we received from Chronos doctors' files. Unfortunately, all that told me was you're a perfectly normal person." He stopped his sentence and leaned over the Black Cat, allowing the man to see the demented look in his eyes. "And we both know you are anything but normal. Which means I just need to use more… non-traditional methods."

Train took the opportunity the man was giving him to spit in his face. "Fuck you!"

Doctor grimaced slightly, then moved away from the cat and wiped his face off with a handkerchief in his pocket. "Guess I walked right into that…"

Train growled as the man stepped away, about to speak again before his words were interrupted. "SUGARPLUM! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

Train grunted as Aliane ran up to the bed he was tied to and clung to his chest. She was unable to wrap her arms around him since he was trapped to the bed, but the little bit of contact she got was good enough.

She smiled up at Train, resting her chin on his chest as she spoke. "How are you feeling?"

Train clenched his teeth and tried to throw his chest up to get the girl off him and screamed at her. "GET THE HELL OFF ME!"

Aliane frowned and stepped away from the cat, knowing that even strapped to the bed, Train Heartnet was not to be reckoned with. She turned to Doctor and frowned. "Have you been taking care of him?"

Doctor rolled his eyes. "Of course I haven't. Why would I?"

"Because you're a doctor?" Nica's voice was the next to enter as she stood at the foot of Train's bed. She frowned down at the man as he tried to free himself from his prison. "Didn't you take an oath or something?"

Kanzaki glared at her. "I thought you'd realize by now I'm not a normal doctor…"

"An apple a day, am I right?" Kenneth said as he appeared next, standing at the doorway but not entering the room. He could feel the malevolence fuming from the Black Cat and knew better to stay away.

"I hate apples, but I'll gladly eat them if it means Kanzaki will stay as far away from me as possible."

Train's body clenched up when he heard that voice and he tried to flare up with an electrical rage, but was unable to since he was strapped to rubber. "You…."

Watts took a step forward and next to the bed so Train could see him, then smirked down at the cat. "No so tough now, are ya?"

Train's eyes were the only thing that could show his rage and he allowed them to flare with bright, electrical blue, wishing he was able to harm the man with his look. He gritted his teeth again and tried to throw his whole body forward once more. "FUCK YOU, YOU GOD DAMN BASTARD!"

Watts laughed when Doctor hit the button again and Train was compressed even tighter. Despite the fact that the binds were encased with rubber, Train could tell what was underneath them was pure steel. The cat coughed and sputtered as the binds broke one of his ribs and crushed his throat. The air was squeezed out of him as the binds crushed his stomach and neck, making it harder and harder for him to breathe as he once again tried to fight through the pain. Train shut his eyes and bit his tongue, refusing to let his enemies see the pain he was in.

"I must say, this is a much better look for the Black Cat, wouldn't you agree, my dear Echidna?"

Train kept his eyes closed and tried to concentrate on his breathing as Charden took a spot at the head of his bed. His ears perked when he heard the light clicking of high heels, knowing all too well they belonged to Echidna. What confused him was the actress did not respond to Charden's sentence, which seemed very unlike the woman he once called a comrade.

"Charden…" Train managed to grunt out, opening one eye to see the man. "You look… awful."

Charden smirked at the man, then leaned forward so Train could see his eyes. "This coming from the man who is chained to a bed with an arm that is almost completely purple? Did you try to break it in hopes that it would allow you to regain the freedom you've worked so hard to achieve?"

Train clenched his teeth and his fingers as Charden poked his broken wrist, making the cat's vision blur a bit more from the pain. When he pulled away, Train breathed out slowly, then opened both his eyes to see the Apostles leader. "Just because I'm strapped to a bed and trapped in a room with a bunch of homicidal maniacs, doesn't mean I'm not free."

Train stifled a moan of pain as Watts elbowed him in the stomach, landing right on the rib that was broken. "It's time you learn your place, Black Cat!"

Train glared at the man as he applied more pressure, finding it easy to ignore the pain as he imagined what Watts had done to Anastasia. Train hardened his deadly look as the murderer made eye contact with him. "You better enjoy this moment… because you know as soon as I get out of here, you're done."

Watts couldn't help but feel a pang of fear at the look Train was giving him, but hid it well as he punched the cat in the same spotting, sure he had felt a broken rib there. "Oh, trust me, I will…"

Watts punched him again and again, making sure he hit the same spot over and over. Aliane looked away from the scene as Train held back grunts of pain, Nica allowing her eyes to drift off into the distance, trying to pretend she didn't care what was going on. Charden had stepped aside with Doctor, discussing what Echidna was sure were their plans for Train, but she was too distracted by the sight of the Black Cat fighting through the pain of Watts' blows to his broken bones. Kenneth stayed at the door, but continued cackling like the fiend he was.

Watts growled and landed another elbow on the same spot, knowing it was completely shattered at that point and glared at the cat. "Why don't you scream for me like she did?!"

Train's eyes sparked with fury again and he tried desperately to let it flare through the rest of his body. Even though he knew it was impossible, he once again tried to cause harm to the man with his looks. When Watts elbowed him again, Train spat a wad of blood at him, an injury he caused himself by biting down on his tongue to stop himself from screaming.

Train glowered at the man as he stepped away and wiped his face off frantically. "This just shows me what kind of man you really are… Killing fragile old ladies… beating a man while he's down. You really are pathetic."

Watts growled and stormed over to where Doctor had put the remote down, knowing all too well what it did. "We all know you're no ordinary man, Black Cat! A few punches should be nothing to you!"

Train shut his eyes tighter and clenched up his whole body as Watts applied as much pressure to the binds as he could. Nica and Aliane's attention finally fell on the scene before them, but Kenneth continued laughing in the background. Aliane was the first to react as she jumped forward and tried to grab the remote from Watts.

"We don't want him dead yet, remember?!"

Watts glared down at the short woman and pulled his hand away, allowing his finger to hit the button again and again. "If the Black Cat is really as amazing as we're led to believe, then this should be nothing to him!"

Train opened his mouth, bits of blood spilling out as he felt more of his ribs break. He felt his knee dislocate as well, then his thigh bone audibly cracked behind the pressure being applied. Still, he did not scream. He used the rage he still felt from seeing Anastasia killed to fight through the pain.

Aliane screamed again and tried to jump for the remote. "STOP IT!"

Watts glared at her as she distracted him enough to make him stop pushing the button. "I thought you were prepared to see him die?"

Aliane glared back at him. "But I wasn't prepared to see him suffer!"

Watts rolled his eyes. "What the hell did you think was going to happen when we brought him here?!"

Aliane growled at him and Watts opened his mouth once again, ready to scold the woman but was cut off as Doctor took that moment to grab the remote from his hand. He lessened the hold enough on Train that allowed the cat to breathe, but kept it firm enough that it still hurt his broken bones.

Kanzaki shot a harsh look at Watts, making sure the impulsive man knew how serious he was. "You should know better than to think the Black Cat will succumb to such mundane torture. And unless you have any further business here other than to rub it in Heartnet's face that you won, I suggest you leave so I can get to work."

Watts glared at him, then back down at Train who was still giving him a deadly look, then scoffed and turned on his heels. "Whatever. I'm just glad that stupid ass family rountine is over."

Just as he was about to leave, Train slipped his broken arm out from under its binds and punched Watts in the back of the head. Watts stumbled forward, then turned around to see Train's broken fingers clawing at the restraint holding his other arm, barely able to move his digits as he visibly forced himself to work through the pain.

When did he break his fingers? I was attacking his ribs.

That was when Watts realized the cat did it to himself. Before he could react, Charden launched a sheet of blood forward and wrapped it tightly around the Black Cat's arm. He pinned it back to the bed and gestured for Doctor to bind him back to the table. Kanzaki complied as he opened the latches of the restraints and motioned for Charden to lower his arm. Everyone watched as Charden struggled to control his prisoner, shocked to see even with a broken arm, Train was able to put up a strong fight.

Charden glared at his lackeys and shouted a command. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE!"

Watts reacted first and wrapped his arms around Train's, trying to pull the man down. Aliane didn't move since she was too shocked and Kenneth was enjoying the drama too much to even think about helping. Nica, on the other hand, took a step forward, flattened her hand so her fingertips were pointed towards the Black Cat and blew one hard, quick breath. A puff of purple smoke covered Train's face, causing him to cough wildly, then slowly shut his eyes. His arm went limp, giving Watts time to pin it back to the bed as Doctor clamped it shut on him again.

Once the cat was settled back into the bed, Watts growled and reached back to punch him in the face. His fists was stopped by Kanzaki who was glaring maliciously down at him. "Leave. Now."

Watts stared at him for a second, then quickly made his way towards the door. Kenneth stepped aside so Watts could leave, then looked at Doctor. Kanzaki gave him a stern look as well and Kenneth knew that demand applied to him as well. The old man bowed to the scientist and his leaders, then left the room without another with. Nica glanced down at Train, watching as the man gritted his teeth and took in shallow, pained breaths. She could tell by the way he was breathing that a few more ribs broke in the process of Watts crushing the life out of him, but she knew she couldn't let her sympathy show. She turned to leave, but stopped when Train's whispery voice called out to her, signaling the cat wasn't done yet.

"Did Sven... Mean anything to you…?"

Nica felt her heart drop, but knew her leaders' eyes were on her. She looked over her shoulder at Train, then at Charden and Echidna and made sure to hide the pain she was feeling at the mention of the green haired gentleman. "...It was all just part of the plan."

Train felt a bit of his soul leave him when she said that, cursing himself for believing those people in the first place. Sven and Sephiria warned him over and over again, yet his kindhearted nature ended up being the end of his freedom and Anastasia's life.

"Anastasia… I'm sorry…"

Aliane heard Train's sad whisper and looked over at him to see a tear fall from his eye. She reached out and wiped it away and was rewarded with another deadly glare as the cat tried to wretch his head away from her.

Train ground his teeth together as he spoke to the woman. "Don't. Fucking. Touch me."

Aliane frowned, then sighed as she slowly left the room. She was surprised at how much it hurt to see the golden man in pain. She was sure she had her feelings under control, but based on the pain she felt in her heart, she knew that wasn't true.

Once his fake friends were gone, Train relaxed a little, knowing the poison Nica forced on him was one of the reasons for that. He tried to keep his eyes open, but knew the toxic air from the woman along with the Chronos drug Doctor placed in him, he wouldn't be able to stay conscious for long. Despite that, he was able to hear most of the conversation that was happening behind him.

Charden glared at Doctor. "I thought you said the bed could restrain him?"

Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "And it is. That was just a slip up. It won't happen again."

Charden nodded. "It better not. We don't need this man running loose in our headquarters. Need I remind you we plan on using him for as long as we can?"

Doctor wanted to roll his eyes, but knew it would only anger his leader so instead he nodded. "Of course I remember. It was my idea."

Charden was about to snap at the man, but Echidna calmed him down by placing a soft hand on his wrist. "We can't stay here long, remember, Love?"

Charden relaxed a little, then addressed the Doctor in a bit of a calmer down. "Did you give him the first dose of Chronos drug?"

Doctor nodded again. "Yes."

The Blood Taoist looked around the room and frowned. "Where's the woman?"

Kanzaki knew who he was talking about and answered his question. "Now that the Black Cat is here, she knows I'm going to be busy, so she's taking full control of the children and other experiments. And Aztec and Aja are keeping an eye out for any signs of Chronos or the sweepers as you requested. However, as safe as I believe we are, I'd like to get started on my experiments with Heartnet before anyone shows up."

Echidna grimaced a little at that. "Are you… going to cut him open?"

Doctor gave her an exasperated look. "I'm starting to get offended by that question. Why would I cut him open and kill him when x-rays have already told me everything I need to know about his organs? He smirked and adjusted his glasses. "What I really want to know is what makes Train, Train. And seeing his organs first hand won't tell me that. I need to see what his body is capable of and can endure."

Echidna's look of disgust did not change as she eyed the scientists wearily. Before she could voice her question, Charden spoke first. "So, torture then?"

Doctor nodded. "Along with other things. Of course, I need to extract as much blood from him as possible. I also want to see how he reacts to different drugs and yes, I will continue slowly introducing Chronos drugs into his system. He should be ready to receive orders in two to three days."

Charden nodded, then walked towards the door without another look at the Black Cat. He really didn't care what became of Train. His only goal for having the man there was to give Doctor what he wanted and use the gunman as a weapon.

And of course to end Creed Diskenth's life. But, it sounds like we'll have to wait a couple of days for that.

"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Get to it."

Echidna watched Charden leave, then glanced down at the man they had worked so hard to capture. Doctor had turned his back to them, so she was allowed a moment alone with Train. As she gazed down at the Black Cat, she couldn't help but admire the strength he was showing. It was clear several of his ribs were broken, may have even punctured an organ, and the arm he used to punch Watts with looked like it was shattered at that point. His thigh was beginning to swell up as well, signaling that bone had broken too. His knee also looked like it was dislocated and based on the way blood was spilling from his mouth, she assumed he must have bitten his tongue pretty badly.

It's only been a day and he's already in such terrible shape. I know he's the Black Cat, but… will he survive Doctor's torture?

She wasn't sure why she did it, but she reached out and pressed the back of her hand to the gunman, watching as his eyes fluttered open for a second, trying to fight the drugs and poison in his system along with the pain he was surely in.

"Creed…" Train whispered as he tried to lean into the hand. "Creed… I'm sorry…"

"I'd do whatever it took to bring him back to the light."

Echidna did not move her hand as she heard Creed's words echo in her head, thinking about her partner as she played the previous day's events in her head.

"I was willing to take down Chronos for him because it had turned him into something he wasn't. Because they broke him completely. I don't care what my goal or my role outside of Train is because if that goal ever does anything to change who he is as a person, and I can tell he's not happy, I wouldn't hesitate to end it. No matter the cost."

She stared at Train for a moment more, then pulled her hand away quickly and left. She knew that no matter what they did to break the Black Cat, it wouldn't work because Creed wouldn't let it destroy Train. Short of killing the golden man, there was nothing they could do to truly ever break his spirit.

And even if we do, Creed won't rest until he has it back… I think I need to start viewing Charden's soul in the same light.

Doctor didn't hear Echidna leave the room, but then again he didn't really care. He was ready to give Train the next syringe, but before that he needed to extract as much blood as possible without him passing out. He grabbed a large, empty syringe, stabbed it into Train's arm and filled it with his life force. He did it again with a few more syringes, being careful not to take so much blood Train lost consciousness. Kanzaki was aware he'd have more time to get more blood, so he wasn't too concerned. When he was done, he stabbed another needle into the cat's neck, ignoring the hiss of pain Train let out as he injected him with another substance.

When he pulled it away, Train opened his eyes again, trying to find where the man was behind his blurred vision. "What was that…?"

Doctor set the syringe aside and put the blood he took from Train in a freezer. "Nanomachines. Even though the Tao can heal you, I need you to recover faster than that if I'm going to push you to your true limits."

Train's eyes widened as he found the strength to fight the bonds again. "WHAT?! YOU SON OF A BITCH, I'LL-"

Doctor shoved a piece of cloth in his mouth to stop him from yelling. "You'll do what? Kill me? We both know that side of you is dead. But, while the killer in you may be gone, the strength of the assassin is still there. Which is why I need you to recover from your current injuries before I can inflict more."

Train tried to scream behind the gag, flailing his body as violently as he could, but suddenly felt like his insides were on fire. He screamed viciously, trying to spit the cloth out, but was unable to with how far the Doctor jammed it in there. He felt like lava was being pumped through his veins and he tried to leave his body as the flames inside him burned ferociously at his organs.

Doctor smirked as he watched the Black Cat suffer. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Every child I put the Nanomachines in described it as the worst pain they had ever endured. That's because it molds with your nerves and organs. It becomes one with you and there's no known way to remove them. However, I have a feeling even if there is one, it's just as painful as injecting them."

Kanzaki stepped closer to the gunman, checking his pulse and writing a few things down on his chart as if he were a real doctor. "My other experiments said it was like each of their organs was being removed one by one, then having them replaced with fire that exploded throughout the rest of their insides. There was a lot of blood loss too which is why I didn't take as much as I really wanted to." He smirked as he eyed Train excitedly. "I wonder how you'll describe the pain when it's all over…"

He leaned over the Black Cat watching as Train took in several deep breaths, glaring behind the tears of pain he was feeling as he tried to threaten the scientist with his eyes. "Incredible how long you've been able to stay conscious already. Everyone else passed out by now. Then again, they were all kids. They don't compare to the Black Cat."

Train fought through the pain, trying to use the memories he had with his friends to get him through it. He shut his eyes and imagined what it felt like to be in Creed's arms again, what it felt like to have his partner kiss him. As the burning sensation grew inside him, he tried to replace it with the feeling Creed always gave him whenever he was close or whenever they made love. However, no matter how hard he tried, the pain was too much for him to replace with anything else. Still, he refused to give into the madman and made sure he stayed awake through all of it.

They won't win… I won't let them win.

---

Day 3: Train

Day two of Train's imprisonment consisted mostly of Doctor injecting him with more of Chronos drugs, drawing more blood and allowing his body to recover from the injuries he sustained his first day there. That didn't stop Kanzaki from poking and prodding him every chance he got. He claimed it was to see how his recovery was coming along, but Train knew the sick man was enjoying the pain he was in. The Nanomachines were still burning at his insides, had been burning non-stop since the moment Doctor injected them but the scientist explained to him that today would most likely be the last day he had to put up with it. Apparently, it took three days for the tech to fully fuse with a person's body, but since he was the Black Cat, Doctor was sure it would take less.

During the process, Kanzaki had refused him drink and water. He claimed having anything in his system other than the Nanomachines would ruin all the work he had put into the cat. Doctor also refused to let him sleep, which was torture in himself since other than water, that was all his body wanted. It also forced him to feel every ounce of the pain with Doctor questioning him how it felt.

"Tell me, Black Cat, what does it feel like?" Doctor poked at Train's lower abdomen, as if he was a normal doctor doing a regular physical on his patient. "Does it feel like fire raging on your insides? Or does it feel like someone's slowly slicing each one of them open?"

Train had made sure not to scream through any of the ordeal, but as soon as Doctor pushed his hands down on a tender spot on his stomach, he forgot that promise immediately and shouted out. "FUCK YOU!"

Doctor snickered, then poked that spot again causing another scream to leave the Black Cat's lips. "Interesting… That one feels a bit swollen. It must be completing the bond with the Nanomachines. That's probably why it hurts so much when I do this."

Train tried to harden his abs so he could take the pain, but the Doctor's hands were too precise with his movements. He knew exactly where every one of his organs were and Train was beginning to get too weak to fight the man.

Doctor stood up, wrote a few things down on his chart, then looked intensely at the Black Cat. "Are you ready to describe the pain to me?"

Train growled, not caring how much the gesture hurt as he spat a mouthful of blood at him. "Feels great. I'm having the best time of my life."

Doctor frowned at the cat's response. "Your cheeky attitude means there's not enough Chronos drugs in you. A fourth dose will fix that."

Train grunted in pain and gritted his teeth as Kanzaki put more of the drug inside him. Each dose he received came in a syringe that was larger than the last, letting Train know he was slowly being pumped with more and more of the stuff. After the madman gave him another dose, he took even more blood from Train, setting it aside as he wrote down a few more things.

Doctor glanced at the gunman and frowned, noticing how pale his face was. "The Nanomachines are making your blood too thin… Guess I should probably go easy on that for a while."

Train growled and spat in the man's face again, his blurry vision not registering how much of it was blood. "Burn in Hell…"

Doctor chuckled as he wiped his face off. "You first, Black Cat."

Train shut his eyes as he tried to sleep. His original plan was to stay awake through the pain to show Kanzaki he wasn't getting to him, but after realizing how much it hurt to hold on to consciousness, he changed his mind. However, he was awoken by Doctor poking at another sensitive organ, which was further up his stomach. The cat arched his back as much as he could behind the restraints, but made sure not to say a word.

Doctor stood up and walked away from the cat to get another dose of the mind altering drug. "Don't go to sleep on me yet, Black Cat. That seems to be the last organ the Nanomachines need to fuse with and how else will I be able to know it's working if you're not awake to tell me how much it hurts?"

Train tried to glare at the man, but he was too weak to hold the gesture for long. The only thing he was grateful about not being allowed to sleep was it prevented nightmares from happening which he was sure he would have. Although, he couldn't imagine anything worse than what he was experiencing.

The Doctor then began examining his broken bones, noticing Train did not flinch when he touched them and nodded approvingly. "Seems like the Nanomachines are already working. Your injuries from the other day have healed completely. How are you feeling?"

The man's question only made Train remember the worst part of the entire ordeal. He was beginning to be obedient to Kanzaki's requests. "Awful."

Doctor blinked in surprise at the cat. "That didn't sound sarcastic or cheeky at all. Does that mean the Chronos drugs are working?"

Train clenched his healed fists that were still trapped in the rubber cage and spoke the truth through gritted teeth. "Y-Yes…"

The scientist smirked proudly and wrote that down. "This is all happening far quicker that I anticipated. You may even be able to have dinner tonight."

Train didn't care about that. All he cared about was being able to sleep and being provided water. "Water?"

Doctor frowned at the man's request, then poked the organ again seemed to be fully accumulating to the Nanomachines. "I think it's safe enough for that. Besides, if you don't drink water soon, you might die of dehydration."

Train shut his eyes, but opened them immediately when he felt a straw being placed against his lips. He sucked at the drink eagerly, finishing the entire bottle within seconds before smacking his dry lips together. "Thank you…"

Doctor blinked. "We're using manners now?!"

Train watched as he wrote a few things down, then laughed bitterly as he felt a bit of his true self return. "What I meant to say was thank you for giving me a reason to burn this whole place to the ground…"

Doctor sighed, then grabbed another large syringe and stabbed it into the Black Cat's neck. Train screamed as the needle penetrated him, that one being the largest one he had seen or felt since he had been there. Train knew his neck was completely bruised at that point, but Doctor didn't seem to care to try and find another spot.

He put the drug aside and asked another question. "Still feeling bold?"

Train wanted to respond with another brash comment, but his mouth betrayed him as he told the man what he knew he wanted to hear. "No…"

Doctor smiled. "Good." He wrote a few things down, then closed his chart and set it aside. "Alright, seeing as you are clearly on the road to recovery, I'm going to step away for a few minutes to give the Nanomachines more time to heal you. Once you're good as new, we'll go back to pushing your limits."

Train noticed the Doctor left the water next to him, aiming the straw so it was pointed at the cat's mouth. Kanzaki watched as the cat drank again, then pushed the bottle a little closer so he had more access to it. "Make sure you keep drinking. You may not be aware of how much time has passed, but you've been trapped in that bed for three days now. And I don't think I need to tell you what happens to be a person when they're deprived of water for that long."

Train continued drinking as Doctor stepped out of the room, leaving him alone for the first time in three days. As soon as the door closed, Train made sure to finish the bottle quickly. He didn't know how long Kanzaki would be gone for, nor did he know if anyone else would come to check in on him, so he took that as his chance to escape. He was weak, but he was sure he could break free if he tried.

Train turned his head and looked at his arm, trying to pull it free from the rubber strap. He thought about breaking it again, but just as he imagined doing that, he watched as his limb seemed to become more flexible than it should have been. As he watched it bend, he smirked.

Just like Eve…

He ignored the fact that Doctor had forcibly taken away a bit of his humanity in favor of using the new skill to slip his arm free. It hurt to concentrate on the movements, since it seemed like his body wasn't fully ready for him to be using those abilities just yet. That pain was nothing compared to the pain he had already been in, nor would it be anything compared to what he was sure Doctor would do to him again. He used that as his motivation for sliding his other arm out of his confines, then tried to do it again with his legs.

Train frowned when he saw they weren't cooperating and decided to try and pry himself free with his hands. He needed to get his head free first if he was going to be able to move more easily, but he also knew he couldn't use his lightning ability due to the bed being made of rubber. Instead, with his free arm, he used his ice ability and broke the locks, releasing both his forehead and his neck. He did the same thing for the ones wrapped around his torso, then again for his leg.

Once he was free, he stumbled off the bed, collapsing onto the ground of the lab instantly. Despite being forcibly given powers that were supposed to make him stronger, he felt weaker than ever. Even using his Tao ability was a struggle right.

I have to get up. I have to keep moving and get out of here.

Those were the first thoughts he had since being there and knew that meant despite how much of the Chronos drugs that had been pumped into his system, he was still in control of his inner thoughts. But, it was hard to think even those two simple statements, which meant he was starting to lose his free will. He tried to think of something again, but was unable to. He even tried to concentrate on the guilt and pain he felt at being betrayed and watching Anastasia die, but even that was hard to concentrate on. And normally he had no problem blaming himself for anything and it was clear Anastasia's death was his fault. But, why couldn't he concentrate on it? The only time he could remember not being able to feel guilty was when he was with Chronos.

Which means it's working…

That seemed to be the last thing he could freely think and he stood up shakily, using the bed that had held him in place for three days for support as he eyed the door tensely. He knew he couldn't use that since he was too weak to take on any of the Apostles by himself right now. Instead, his eyes fell to another door, one he had seen Doctor going through several times, but had no idea where it led.

Deciding it was better than the alternative, he headed towards that door, praying there was a window or something he could jump out of. As weak as he was, he was sure he could break through a window and fly himself to freedom. He tripped over his own feet as he made it halfway across the room, gripping tightly at the rubber ground as he tried to steady his breathing and heart rate. He tried to imagine Creed in his mind's eyes, trying to imagine what it would be like to see him again, to be with him again. However, his personal thoughts were halted once more as the Chronos drug took over and prevented him from thinking about anything pleasant. It was then he realized the drug was the reason he hadn't seen the love Creed had for him when they were with the Chronos.

His mind became cloudy again and he felt his homicidal thoughts returning which he managed to shake aside and stand back up. He focused all his thoughts on his next steps towards freedom, knowing if he concentrated on anything else he would be doomed. So, as much as he wanted to think about Creed and his friends, as much as he wanted to remember what it was like to be free, as much as he even wanted to concentrate on the guilt he felt at Anastasia's death, he couldn't. The only thing he could think about moving his feet forward, one step at a time.

Eventually he made his way to the door and noticed it was another small laboratory. He looked around the room and saw yet another door, which he immediately walked towards, leaning on the walls for support. His vision was blurry from lack of sleep and food and he was positive the only reason he was able to move in the first place was because he had finished that entire bottle of water. If it hadn't been for that, he'd most likely be crawling his way to freedom.

When he reached the next room, he sighed in relief when he saw it was a bathroom. Still feeling like he needed more water, he ran over to the sink, turned it on, and drank as much as he could. He hoped that maybe if he had more of the liquid in his body, he might have the strength he needed to escape. When he finished, he opened the medicine cabinet, then cursed when he saw it was empty and slammed it shut. He leaned against the counter for a second, staring at himself in the mirror and noticing how terrible he looked. Train had been through a lot in his life, but right now his face told a daunting story.

Not wanting to see his reflection anymore, Train crouched down to take a break. It was amazing how the simple task of walking through two rooms made him tired. He saw a cabinet attached to the sink in front of him and decided to check that as well. Again, it was empty, but Train was unable to reason out why. He found that the longer he waited to escape, the more the drug was making him try to give up that idea. It wasn't that it was telling him to stay, it was more like it was asking him what the point was. As if it was trying to tell him nothing mattered anyway and he was still in pain, so why put himself through all that? Why not just let Doctor order him around? If he did that, he didn't have to think anymore.

It really hurts, doesn't it? Why don't you just go lay back down? Doctor will surely bring you some food and more water. And maybe if you obey, he'll stop torturing you.

Train shook his head and tried to stand up. He wanted to argue with the voice, but he knew that was pointless. Any thoughts that were his own weren't coming out and it took too much strength to make them happen. The best thing he could do was allow the voice to speak, but understand it didn't speak for him.

What do you mean I don't speak for you? I am you! Just go lay back down. Doctor won't be pleased you left the room and you know he'll punish you for your insubordination.

Train growled and smacked his head, trying to get the voice to stop. He knew the reason his thoughts were going there. It was because that's where they went when he was with Chronos. As Train glanced in the mirror again, he noticed how bruised and swollen his neck was, only a further reminder as to how much of the drug Doctor had injected in him. What was confusing was the fact that the Nanomachines healed every part of him except where they were being injected.

He pried his eyes away from his reflection and glanced at the toilet. A part of him told him to use it, but he knew that part of him was just trying to get him to stay and seek out someone who would give him orders. After not eating or drinking for three days, he knew nothing would come out anyway. He found whatever strength he had left and turned around, facing the window that had bars on it. Train growled and threw his hand forward, bending the bars with his Tao and grunting in pain as he did so. His muscles were weak and his bones were still tender, so it was difficult to raise his arm let alone use his Tao.

Train grunted viciously as he ripped the bars away, then threw his other hand forward to create another blast of air to break the glass. He did hesitate to wait and see if anyone had heard him. Instead, he jumped through the window and flew himself in the air. As he floated along, he thought that he was safe, but cursed when he saw Aja flying towards him. Train stopped in midair and tried to turn another way, but the beast roared loudly and flashed herself in front of him. Every time he tried to change direction, he was met with the panther again and again. He looked down and saw Aztec howling wildly, making Train realize he was trying to alert the Apostles that he had escaped.

Train screamed when Aja slashed him with her claws, then spun around and flicked him with her tail. The force of the blow shoved him to the ground where Aztec waited for him. Train wasn't fast enough to move himself away before the wolf swiped at him and threw him across the lawn where Aja was already waiting for him. Train screamed out as the panther pinned him to the ground, but managed to roll aside when she lifted her foot up. He continued rolling until he hit the Apostles' hideout, pressing his back against the wall as he watched the beasts surround him.

Knowing he couldn't fight them off, Train shut his eyes and prepared himself for the next blow.

"There aren't enough words or languages to ever describe how much I love you and how beautiful you are."

Train opened his eyes when he heard his lover's voice echo in his brain.

Creed…

Train suddenly saw his partner standing in front of him, smiling down at him and offering the cat his hand. The gunman reached out and tried to grab Creed, but felt nothing by air.

"And… We could live happily together… Just the two of us…"

Creed's words reminded him of what he was trying to do and he dug down deep to find the strength he needed to protect himself and hopefully send a message to his partner. He gathered whatever power he had left in him, threw both his hands forward and sent a giant blast of air in front of him. He screamed as the beasts were thrown in the air, watching as the trees in front of him were blown away. He made sure to aim his blast so it was down the center of the forest, trying to clear a path for the man he loved.

Train spun around and dipped his finger in the blood that was pooling on his stomach from Aja's attack and wrote a message for Creed on the brick wall. He barely had time to finish as the panther was on him again. She growled quietly at him, then scooped him up with her paw, throwing him in the air once more and slamming him right next to the window he had just escaped from. He allowed his body to slump into the brick he was sure he dented, knowing every bit of his strength was gone from that blast he sent through the forest.

It's worth it if it will lead Creed to me...

He wasn't sure how he was able to have his own thoughts again, but he knew it wasn't going to last long. His eyes widened when he saw Aja coming towards him and he scrambled back into the window and fell on the floor. As he crouched on the floor, he could hear Aja roaring behind him, then felt her claw reach through the window and slice at his back, breaking his skin yet again. Train screamed out in pain and clung to his back, then looked down at his stomach and noticed the wound was already healing. That only reminded him of the Nanomachines that were still burning at his insides and he punched the tiled bathroom floor.

"GOD DAMMIT!"

The voice in his head laughed wickedly and taunted him for being so weak.

Look at you! You're a mess! Just listen to what the Doctor says and you'll be fine. You followed orders before and lived a safe life. Isn't that enough?

Train slammed his head on the ground over and over again, bruising his forehead as he tried to get the voice to stop. "SHUT UP!"

"Train?"

The gunman looked up and gave a deranged look to the owner of the voice. Aliane stood there with a tray of food and a large glass of water, giving the cat a look that only confirmed how pathetic and crazy he looked. He felt like he was at his wits end and it had only been three days.

Just give in… It'll be so much easier than fighting. Three days is a long time when you're being tortured and deprived of food or water. Just give in and follow orders.

Train clutched his head and slammed it on the ground again. "NO!"

Aliane watched in stunned horror as Train beat his head on the ground. She set the food on the sink's counter and leaned down to get the ex-assassin to stop abusing himself. He was in bad enough condition as it was, he didn't need to injure himself anymore.

"Train…" She placed her hands on either side of his head, stopping him from beating himself. "Train… Stop it. It won't do you any good."

The desperation in Train's mind to follow orders made him freeze, then nod his head. He raised his eyes to meet the girl's, his normal golden depths slowly growing void of hope as he asked the young woman a question. "What are my next orders?"

Alaine blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Train grimaced and gritted his teeth, shoving the girl away from him as he fell back onto the floor. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Aliane fell back a little from the man's shove, then watched as he cowered away from her. Her heart broke for the man she knew she felt more than just a crush for and tried to approach him slowly. "Train… Do you realize what you just said? Do you even remember it?"

Train blinked at her, then tried to reach for Hades out of instinct. Seeing it wasn't there, he turned another glare on the woman. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Aliane frowned and held her hands up. "I-I won't."

She looked out the window, noticing the bars and glass was broken and saw Aja's face pressing into the frame, snarling her teeth as she eyed the Black Cat. She was able to put the piece together quickly and asked Train a question. "Did you try to escape?"

Train blinked at her, then at the window, almost as if he had forgotten what he just did. But again, the dark thoughts in his head that were begging for orders took her question as a demand and answered truthfully. "Yes."

Aliane sighed and slowly approached Train. "Come with me before anyone sees what happened. I don't know what they'll do when they see you tried to escape, but I know it won't be good."

Train froze for a second as she reached her hands out to him, then nodded in compliance. He allowed the woman to help him up and walk him back to the rubber bed, his body going numb as he slowly gave into the voice he knew the drug was creating. He didn't even try to think about Creed or anything else since he knew it was futile.

Everything in life is futile… Why even try?

Aliane was back a few minutes later, discarding the rubble Train's outburst had caused in a nearby trash can. She looked at the bag thoughtfully, then removed it from the can, and turned it invisible. She held it firmly in her hand to make sure it stayed that way, just in case anyone walked into the room. She quickly ran back to the bathroom and took the food she brought for Train, placing it on the cat's lap. She then turned back around and closed all the doors, making sure there were no other signs that Train left the room and prayed no one would notice the broken window in the bathroom since there was nothing she could do to fix that.

The bathroom seemed pretty empty anyway. I doubt Doctor ever uses it.

When he went back to the room where Train was, she noticed he was staring at the food on his lap, but not eating it. She felt her heart sink as a thought occurred to her.

He's been responding to all of my questions more readily than ever and he even listened to me to come back in. And that was even after he tried to escape… Does that mean the drug is starting to work? He even asked what his next orders were going to be...

"Train… Eat your food."

Train looked at her, then at the food and began eating without complaint. However, as soon as he tried to swallow the food, he clutched his stomach and leaned forward, looking like he was about to throw up. Aliane panicked for a second, then remembered she was holding the garbage bag. She made it visible, opened it up immediately, and held it out for the cat. Train didn't hesitate to wrench up his food, grabbing the bag as he emptied his stomach.

When he was done, he sat back and tried to eat the food again and Aliane realized that was because she ordered him to. "No, Train, stop! Don't eat it!"

Train dropped the fork and set the plate aside, making Aliane jump for it as the gunman had placed it precariously on top of the restraints that once held him. She sighed in relief, then set it on the floor and kneeled down on the ground so she could see Train's face.

He looks terrible… I don't even know how to describe it, but… he looks lost. Like he doesn't know what to do.

"Train… How are you feeling?"

Train looked up at her, ready to answer the question when the door opened to reveal Doctor.

He stopped when he saw Train was no longer in his restraints, then glared at the girl. "Aliane… What's going on…?"

Aliane froze at the look he was giving her, then did the best she could to answer. "Y-You said it was okay for him to eat…"

Doctor stormed over to her. "No… I said it might be okay for him to eat later. The Nanomachines are going to reject anything except water for at least another day."

Aliane winced at the dark tone in the man's voice and looked away quickly. "O-Oh…"

Doctor hardened his glare at her as he took a few more steps forward. He noticed the trash bag in her hand and gestured towards it. "Did he throw up?"

Aliane jumped, then remembered the bag she was holding. "Yes…"

Doctor sighed. "Take it with you when you leave. And make sure you leave immediately before I lose my temper for real."

Aliane nodded quickly, then stumbled her way out of the room. Before she left, she looked back at Train, watching as he lowered his head, seemingly trying to gather whatever strength he needed to try and break free.

Doctor waited until the door closed behind her, then looked back at Train. "Judging by the fact that you're not trying to run away, does that mean the drugs are starting to work?"

Train did not answer, nor did he raise his head to look at the man. The bit of kindness Aliane had just shown him reminded him of what it was like to be around people who cared and he felt his own thoughts getting stronger. He clenched his fists and shook with fury.

"...No."

Doctor's eyes widened as Train attempted to punch him in the face. However, his body was too weak from lack of food, water, and sleep and ended up missing and falling on the floor. Doctor watched as he tried to get up again, noticing a fresh wound had healed on his back and frowned.

"Where did you get that cut from?"

Train growled and punched the ground, then began slamming his head against it over and over again. The dark thoughts were beginning to take over again and he already forgot what Kanzaki had asked him. He clutched his hair and screamed wildly, trying to find the peace he knew he once had.

"Since when have I ever not come through with my declarations of what I'd do for you? Well, the things that I can do. I still haven't found a way to give you the stars, planets, and sun yet. But, if I ever find a way, you can bet your pretty little head I will make sure they are all under your ownership."

Train relaxed a little when he heard Creed's words swirl in his head, a reminder of the world that resided outside of that prison.

Creed will come for me… I know he will…

His own thoughts were cut off as Doctor jammed another dose of the drug in him. Train gritted his teeth and clutched at the ground, his vision going blurry as he tried to remember what Creed sounded like, what he tasted like, what he felt like. The dose he was being injected with felt like it took an eternity to enter his system, which told Train the needle was bigger than the others.

"Now, now, Black Cat. We can't have you finding your free will again. Not when it's just starting to look like the drug is working."

When Doctor pulled the syringe away, he fell to the floor, not aware when he blacked out, but knowing he wasn't going to remember anything that happened that day.

---

Day 4: Train

The rest of the previous day was an agonizing blur. However, he didn't need to remember it to know it was filled with some of the worst pain he had ever experienced. The Nanomachines had successfully immersed itself in his system, allowing Doctor to test the limits of his pain threshold. Train did his best to hide how much everything the man did to him hurt, but with every bit of toture inflicted on him, it became harder and harder not to show it.

Added to that, the Chronos drug was almost one-hundred percent in effect, making it difficult for Train to disobey anything Kanzaki told him to say or do. If the madman told him to scream in agony, he had to. If he told Train to let him know how much pain he was in, he confessed. And if Doctor told him to describe the pain, he found himself going into great detail about it without even a second thought.

The only peace he had found was when Doctor left the room and Aliane was permitted to feed him. It was still difficult to keep food down since his stomach was only just getting used to receiving anything other than water. The meal she was currently feeding him was only the second one he had in the last four days and even then it was a liquid diet since Doctor said he wasn't going to be able to handle solid food yet. If he was able to have his own thoughts, he would have laughed at the irony of Doctor trying to make sure he kept food down, yet continuously pushed his limits every day.

Train sat up on the rubber bed his dark thoughts had begun to call his own and opened his mouth to allow the girl to slip in more soup. He closed his lips and swallowed, knowing that was what his orders were and he couldn't disobey. Not that it really mattered. He was going to be tortured whether or not he listened. The bigger problem was that he physically couldn't disobey anymore.

As he watched Aliane bring the spoon to his mouth again, he had a rare moment of having a thought of his own. "...Was any of it real?"

Aliane blinked at Train in confusion. "Was any of what real?"

He's been so out of it, I don't know if he's asking about his life before we took him, or the friendship we engaged him and the others in.

Train blinked at her in confusion. "What?"

Aliane sighed. She noticed that had become a common occurrence as well. Even though her interactions with Train had been brief, it took him long enough to eat that she was able to gauge how he was doing. And she could tell he was not doing okay. Everything about that man screamed for help. There was nothing about him that reminded her of the old Train she first met. He even looked different. Before they took him, he was full of life and hope. He was also happy-go-lucky and carefree, but now he looked like the shell of the man he once was. And she knew it wasn't just from the torture. The drug was clearly doing its job.

Aliane gave another spoonful of food to Train, then mixed the broth a little as he prepared herself to ask the next question. "Train… Do you hate me?"

Train looked hazily at her, then nodded his head. "Yes."

Aliane knew that was going to be his response, but it didn't hurt any less. "Would it help if I apologized?"

Train blinked at her, not really seeing her and not really hearing her, but the drug coursing through his body made him respond nonetheless. "I hate everyone." He looked down at the floor, nearly forgetting what he was talking about as he finished his statement. "Everyone is useless… weak..."

Aliane blinked, shocked to hear Train say that. The Train she knew loved life and the people in it. "Even Creed?"

Train froze, then his eyes slowly softened as he thought of his lover. "Creed…"

Aliane watched as Train's entire demeanor changed. His defeated state strengthened slightly and a bit of hope returned to his eyes. He was still frozen, but there was something about the way his hands twitched that made Aliane feel like she was going to have to defend herself.

The next thing she knew, Train was smacking the bowl out of her hand and throwing the tray at her. She turned herself invisible to avoid getting burned and to also avoid the punch he tried to throw at her. The Black Cat stood up and ran towards the door like a wild animal, his legs unsteady from the days of torture, his body weak from the inmobility his imprisonment caused him. Despite all that, he was able to make it to the door, knocking over as much lab equipment that he could on his journey to freedom.

As soon as he reached the door and attempted to open it, it opened on its own, revealing both Charden and Doctor. The Blood Taoist glared at the cat, then reached his hand out to take control of the blood coursing through him. Train was too weak to fight the Apostles' leaders as he pinned the Black Cat's arms and legs together, hovering him in the air slightly.

The blonde man turned to Kanzaki and snarled out his words. "I thought you said he was ready to take orders?"

Doctor looked behind him to where Aliane was, noticing she hadn't made her entire body invisible. He figured she must have reacted quickly and wasn't able to turn herself completely imperceptible. "What did you say to him, Woman?"

Aliane's whole body clenched up and she tried to remember what she said. "I-I asked him if he hated me and… and he said he hated everyone. He said something about them all being useless."

Doctor frowned, then glanced at Train. "That certainly sounds like something the Black Cat at his lowest would say…" He was unconvinced and looked back to the girl. "What else did you say?"

Alaine tried to think. Even though the conversation just happened, for some reason the look the men were giving her made her forget everything. "I-I asked him about Creed…"

Doctor fumed at her. "Don't mention that man to him… It's the only thing that keeps him going and if we want to control him, we need to break him completely."

Aliane made sure to stay as still as possible as Doctor walked past her to grab another syringe. She didn't think it was possible to have a needle that large, but apparently Kanzaki had found a way. The young woman grimaced as she watched the scientist stab the cat in the neck, not bothering to be gentle as he injected what she was sure was the Chronos drug into his system.

Her eyes were drawn to the gunman's neck, noticing how swollen and black it was, almost as if the skin was starting to die. Almost like the Black Cat was starting to die.

It's… It's not normal to bleed that much from a simple shit… right? Why aren't the Nanomachines healing it?

She knew that what Train was receiving wasn't just a simple shot and she knew he had received far too many of them. It made her wonder how much of the drug the Doctor actually had, but she didn't dare voice that question. The look of pure rage that was on both Charden and Kanzaki's face made her realize that was the longest she had ever been in the same room as both of them since they had seemingly fallen over the edge.

Charden at least. I don't think Doctor has ever even known where the edge was.

When he finally pulled the needle away, Aliane nearly screamed on Train's behalf when he pulled out another one that was just as large. Luckily that one was injected into the other side of the cat's neck, giving him a little bit of mercy. However, she had a feeling that was only because Doctor was rushing to inject as much of the drug into the gunman as she could in order to appease Charden. It was easy to tell the blonde man was about to take his frustration out on Kanzaki.

When he was finally done, Doctor nodded at Charden and the Apostles' leader dropped Train. The cat fell to the ground violently in a heap, his eyes shutting as his body twitched. Aliane felt cold as she watched the man twitch with his eyes shut, since she had never seen him react that way to the drug before. She could only assume that meant his body was being way too overloaded with it.

It's incredible how long he's been able to hold on for… I know it's only been four days, but it must feel like an eternity to him. And while I know he's been given that drug every day multiple times a day, I have no idea what else Doctor's been doing to him behind closed doors.

Charden ignored the Black Cat as he coughed on the ground, signaling that he had cut off Train's blood flow to his lungs, suffocating the gunman momentarily. As Train gasped for breath, Aliane kept her eyes on him for a moment longer until she realized that Doctor was drilling a hole into the back of her head with his eyes. She turned to face him quickly, her body going cold as she met the madman's gaze.

"Get out."

Aliane didn't need to be told twice as she ran towards the door, turning herself invisible just in case anyone tried to attack her. Before she left, she turned around to see Doctor dragging Train back to his toture bed, the golden man seemingly not aware what was going on as he was thrown back onto the rubbery mattress. He then latched the cat back up, Charden slammed the door shut so he could yell at the scientist for almost letting the Black Cat get away. Even though she could see through the door, she decided to leave instead.

Charden allowed Doctor to finish latching up the cat, then asked him a question. "Our plan hinges on him being under our control in two days. Will the drugs be in full effect by then?"

Doctor nodded confidently. "Yes."

"Even if we mentioned his name?" Charden eyed the Black Cat wearily as he spoke.

Doctor hesitated, then nodded his head again. "Yes. I'll be sure of it."

Charden nodded, then gave Train a disgusted look. "Clean him up and stop your 'experiments' on him for the next two days. If we're going to make use of him, we can't have him knocking on Death's door. I'm sure you've gathered all the information you can from him at this point."

Kanzaki held in his growl. While he had gathered a lot of information on the Black Cat, he wasn't done yet. Then again, he had a feeling he'd never be done. Train had surprised him time and time again. Just when he thought he finally had the cat figured out or under his control, he did something that changed all of his results and made him question everything he thought he knew.

"...There's more to be done."

Charden glared at him. "Then it needs to wait. We can't expect him to be a weapon in that shape, can we?"

Doctor clenched his fists, then nodded. "No…"

Charden nodded and walked towards the door. "I assume the Nanomachines will heal whatever injuries he has right now?" Seeing the scientist nod, he placed his hand on the doorknob. "Then make sure he's able to eat something more substantial than chicken broth and have him ready in two days. No exceptions."

Charden left after that, slamming the door behind himself as he did so. Doctor growled and turned back to the Black Cat who was seemingly falling asleep. "Looks like the gods have smiled on you today. Don't get used to it."

Before Doctor could say or do anything else, the door burst open again, but now Charden was accompanied by Echidna and he looked more irate than ever.

The blonde man glared at the drowsy Black Cat, then back at Kanzaki. "Did he try to escape?"

Doctor blinked. "What? No. He hasn't left this room in four days."

Echidna tried to comfort her lover by grabbing his arm gently, but he yanked it out and took a few furious steps towards the scientist. "Then do you care to explain the decimated forest just outside the hideout?!"

Doctor felt his body stiffen and he knew it wasn't of his own doing. He was only able to move his eyes and when he looked down at his leader's hand, he saw it was clenched in a tight fist, a telltale sign he was controlling the blood in his body.

Doctor choked a little on his own spit, then tried to speak to the irrational Taoist. "I-If y-you'd let me go… I-I c-could ch-check the l-lab…"

Charden glared at the man for a moment more, then finally released him when Echidna patted his back kindly. He didn't wait for the Doctor to catch his breath before he began speaking again. "What exactly are you going to check for?"

Kanzaki leaned forward, then slowly stood up and straightened out his clothes. Taking one more deep breath in, he nodded to his leader. "For signs of his potential escape."

Doctor walked away from the table Train was trying to sleep at and towards the door. He frowned as he checked the lock, then asked another question. "When did you notice the forest destruction?"

Charden's deadly look on the man did not change. "Just now… Shiki noticed it during his patrol of the perimeter."

Doctor sighed. "I wish you'd just leave that to Aztec and Aja."

Charden punched a wall he was standing near. "You know as well as I do that with the Black Cat here, Chronos and that man will be looking twice as hard for us, so we can't take any chances. And clearly those beasts aren't doing their job if he got out!"

Doctor resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he stood up, noticing the lock didn't look tapered with. "If he did try to escape but is still here, clearly they did do their job."

Echidna stopped Charden from speaking again by placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. "Just let him finish inspecting. He knows the lab better than any of us and I'm sure if there's something out of place, he'll notice it." She looked at Doctor who was walking past them again. "Right?"

Doctor headed the room towards the back as he answered the woman's question. "Right."

There's only one window in this whole place, but I find it hard to believe he had the strength to make it all the way back here without me noticing. Let alone break through his binds or the barred window.

However, as soon as she stepped into the bathroom that he never used, he noticed the window was destroyed. What made him more curious was the fact that there was no sign of glass or the steel bars anywhere.

Did Heartnet clean it up? No… He'd head for the hills immediately and even if Aja and Atzec stopped him, he's not in the right space of mind to think to clean up his mess. Someone did it for him.

Doctor looked out the window and sighed. "Very impressive, Black Cat. Guess I'm still underestimating you."

He was able to clearly see the destruction of the forest Charden was talking about. There was a clear path right down the middle of the trees, many of them destroyed and what was left were bent to the side. Once again, he was impressed that not only was Train able to break free of his confines, but managed to create so much destruction while fighting off Aja and Aztec.

Especially with the lack of nutrients in his body. How the hell did he do that?

Aja came over to the open window and began purring at him, making the Doctor smile and pet her kindly. "Did you bring the Black Cat back?"

Aja's only response was another purr, but Kanzaki didn't need the beast to speak to understand what happened. Somehow, Train had slipped free of his binds, made his way to the back room, broken the barrs and the glass, then destroyed half of the forest trying to defend himself.

That was probably too much for him and Aja brought him back. That doesn't explain the absence of the glass, though…

He then remembered the other day when Aliane had walked out with a garbage bag. At the time, he thought nothing of it since he believed Train had thrown up in it. While that still may have been true, it may have also just been the perfect excuse for her to get rid of the evidence of Train's attempted escape.

A stupid plan, but she is a stupid girl. Not to mention her infatuation with the cat might have led her to try and protect him since she knows I wouldn't be pleased if he tried to escape.

Doctor gave Aja one last pet, then stepped out of the room, closing, and locking it behind himself. As soon as he made it back to the room where his leaders and the Black Cat were, he inspected the locks around Train's binds.

Charden watched with a frown. "Well?"

Doctor didn't look at him as he noticed the bit of water that rusted the locks underneath the rubber. "He did try to escape, but Aja and Atzec stopped him." He could sense the man was about to unleash a furious rage on him, so he spoke again, hoping to get the attention off himself and onto someone else. "You may want to have a conversation with Aliane about it. I have a feeling she had something to do with it."

Charden blinked then lowered his eyes. "Why do you think that?"

Kanzaki tightened the locks on Train a little, noticing the man was too out of it to feel the pressure tightening around his bones. "She's the only one that's been in here besides the two of you and myself. And you know I don't want the Black Cat to escape. I want him here more than anyone else. Also, Aliane cares about Heartnet. It makes sense she might want to try and help him."

Charden thought about that. He agreed that it made sense, but that didn't let Doctor completely off the hook. "And why did you leave him alone?"

Doctor sighed. "I'm a human with human needs. I can't be here twenty-four seven. Even mad scientists need a break every once in a while."

Charden wanted to be angry at him for that statement, but Echidna managed to calm him down again. He took a deep breath and spoke again. "And just how did he get out of the locks in the first place?"

Doctor frowned as he poked the gunman's arm with a needle, noticing the flexibility of the skin was abnormal, even for the Black Cat. "I believe it must have something to do with the Nanomachines, but I won't be sure until I do a few more tests."

Charden clenched his fists. "We don't have time for that! Need I remind you that the forest is decimated?! Someone will surely have noticed that. We need to leave immediately."

Doctor frowned and faced the man. "You still don't think we can take on Chronos yet?"

Charden was about to lash out at the man again, but once more his partner was able to calm him with her touch. "You know we're not ready yet. Not only is the Black Cat still not under our control, but the rest of the Apostles can't prepare themselves that quickly. We're not done doing what we need to do to prepare for the final battle. And when it does happen, we'll be the ones to start it. In order to achieve absolute victory, we can't let them get one up on us."

Doctor wanted to poke holes in his logic, but knew that wasn't wise and decided to keep his mouth shut. "Yes, Sir."

Charden waited to see if he was going to fight him, then turned on his heel quickly to leave. Echidna turned to follow her lover, but stopped to glance down at the Black Cat.

She then looked up at Doctor and spoke in a calm tone. "Let him rest for a bit, get some food in him, then carefully transport him with us. We're leaving as soon as everyone is ready." She took another step forward, then stopped to say one more thing. "We need him for more than your experiments, Doctor. Start taking better care of him before we lose our chance to use him as a weapon. Got it?"

Doctor nodded his head. "Yes, Ma'am."

As soon as they left, Doctor turned back to Train and sighed. "You certainly are a lucky man."

Train didn't hear anything they exchanged. He had finally fallen asleep for the first time in four days and he didn't want to give that bit of peace up. Even if his dreams were riddled with nightmares, it didn't matter. Nothing could have been worse than what his life had become.

"Don't give up!"

His eyes opened when he heard that voice. "Saya?"

As he stared up at the ceiling, he saw the sweeper girl floating above his head. She smiled down at him as she repeated her sentence.

"Don't give up! Creed needs you!"

Train tried to reach out to her, but even if he wasn't chained to the bed, he didn't know if he had the emotional strength to do anything. "C-Creed…?"

She smiled again and nodded her head.

"That's right. Creed needs you and so does everyone else. So you can't give up yet!"

Train tried to desperately hold on to the image of Saya, tried to reach out to touch her, but was unable to do anything. Then, the drug took over again and he wasn't able to hold on to his own thoughts even more. Even if Saya was really there, his mind wouldn't allow him to hold onto reality any longer.

As Train shut his eyes, he saw Creed kneeling on the ground, reaching out to Train and smiling the same adoring, loving smile he missed so much.

"Together?"

Train returned the smile and reached out to the silver man, wrapping his arms around him as he spoke one last word before he fell asleep. "Always…"

---

Day 5: Lin

"The Black Cat. I'm talking about the Black Cat. Have you seen any signs of him?"

Lin growled in frustration at the idiot man standing before him. After getting Creed out of his comatose state, they were finally making headway. He was searching in the underground world with Creed while everyone else searched for any recent Apostles public appearances, or any signs of Train calling out to them.

That is pretty much what I was doing before and Creed said out of everyone else, I was doing the correct thing, but I wasn't asking the right questions or talking to the right people. Having him do this with me makes it easier. And now that everyone else has a better direction to go, it feels like we're actually getting something done. It feels like we're actually honing in on Train.

Creed's reasoning was sound in that everywhere the sweepers were searching weren't bad ideas, but it was never going to get them anywhere. Having them concentrate on Train sightings in public while he and Creed checked the underground world made sense.

Creed and I are used to dealing with this world. We know how to talk to these people and get information out of them. And the sweepers have more connections to the outside world than we do. Even with my Chronos influence, it won't get me far since we're supposed to be a secret organization. The general public isn't supposed to know about us.

However, the underground world knew all about Chronos and even feared them. Usually when they found out who Lin was and who he worked for, they began spewing whatever they knew for fear of being deemed an enemy of Chronos. It helped that he was still unstable after going so long without sleep, so he appeared to everyone he spoke to as a man at the end of his rope.

Which isn't too far off…

The tipsy man in front of him squinted at the picture of Train again, then shook his head. "That's the Black Cat? I expected him to be more… deadly."

Lin put the picture of Train in his pocket and patted it protectively. "Think what you will, but the Black Cat isn't one to be trifled with. Which is why it's important for you to tell me whether or not you've seen him."

The man blinked at him, then leaned back in the chair he was sitting in as he took another swig of his beer. "Are you asking these questions because he's working with the Apostles again?"

Lin snatched the drink away from him and pointed a threatening finger in his face. "I'm the one asking the questions here! Got it?"

The man put up his hands as if Lin's finger could do damage and nodded. "G-Got it… I-I just thought people would like to know if the Black Cat is back with the A-Apostles… It might change their minds about not joining them."

Lin blinked in confusion and lowered his finger. "What do you mean?"

The man noticed Number X's demeanor relaxed a little and sighed. "There's a lot of people who are considering joining the Apostles, but they don't know if it's worth it without the Black Cat on their side. Especially since we've learned he's been working against them. While a lot of people want Chronos destroyed, they don't know if they're willing to fight them and the Black Cat." He saw Lin scowl at him, then sputtered his next response. "I-I'm not one of those people! I think Chronos is doing a great job!"

Lin smirked, and leaned back. "Then care to join our fold?"

The man's face drained of color and gestured to his body wildly. "Look at me! Do you really think I'd make a good assassin?!"

Lin eyed the man up and down. He was short and fat, baldinging quite considerably with an extremely homely face. Lin couldn't help but think how he was the polar opposite of his Sweetness.

In every way a human can be different. Why am I even comparing him to Train? Oh, that's right. Because I can't think of anything except Train…

Lin brushed his hand at the man in a dismissive fashion. "I'm bored of your useless, weak presence. Go away."

The man didn't bother to try and reach for the beer Lin had taken from him, but he did notice the number had dumped it out onto the floor in disgust. Not that it really mattered since the entire bar was a dump. What was one spill among thousands of cigarette and cigar butts all throughout the place? As soon as the man stumbled away, Lin sighed and rested his face on the sticky table, not caring to question what his head was pressed against.

I know i'm being unreasonable and rash… Creed knows it too, but I can't help it. I can't think straight. I just want to see him again… Even hearing his voice or catching a sniff of his scent would be enough.

After literally slapping sense into Creed, Lin contacted Sephiria and apologised for his insubordination. He was shocked how quickly his leader forgave him. He was even more shocked to learn she didn't tell the elders how irrational he was being. However, she did tell him to listen to Creed and follow his orders. It was shocking to hear Number One say to trust and obey Creed, but Lin understood why. He was the only one who was actually being reasonable.

How ironic is it that the madman once known as Creed Diskenth is considered more stable and reasonable than me?

Lin laughed bitterly at that thought.

And he's had the least amount of sleep as the rest of us. Well, besides me that is. Sergey said he hadn't slept at all and barely ate or drank. How can he be so sprightly?

Lin lifted his head up and watched as Creed spoke with a group of people as he dug for whatever information of Train that he could. The silver man told Lin to be careful with his questions, but every time he found himself talking to someone who was utterly useless, Lin lost his temper rather quickly.

That's from the lack of sleep… Creed told me to go rest and I told him I couldn't until we found Train. I'm glad he didn't push the matter anymore since I don't have the strength to argue with him. And I know he's feeling the same way.

Lin banged his head on the table again, feeling another tear fall from his eye which he ignored.

"I know I'm confused and I know I can't tell you I feel the same way about you, but… I want you to know that I am going to try. Whatever this is that we have going feels good and I'm going to dedicate myself to it. I'm going to do my best to commit myself to you and maybe… Maybe I'll be able to give you what you want in the future."

Lin pulled at his hair as he remembered the day he first slept with Train. It was such a beautiful moment, even if he admitted he kissed Creed earlier, even if he didn't return Lin's feelings, it was perfect. It was the beginning of their relationship and even though it didn't last nearly as long as Lin wanted it to, it was still the best months of his life.

"Did you lose the key? Should we just go get another one from the front desk?"

It was hard to look at Train in annoyance, but Lin managed to do it while continuing to dig through his bag. "No, it's here. I never lose anything, unlike you."

Train groaned and shoved the flowers in his face. "They're right here! And it's not my fault! It's your fault for buying me that drink."

Lin giggled. "I told you that you didn't have to finish it…"

"You said that, but you didn't mean it. You egged me on knowing how competitive I am!"

Lin reached over to the cat and patted his cheek. "I didn't know that applied to drinking as well."

"Sure…"

Lin groaned as he banged his head on the table, remembering the first date he had with Train. Even if Train only did it in exchange for some files, he knew the cat had a good time. The end of the night was proof of that.

"Train… Where are you?" Lin moaned as he clutched the table, not caring how filthy it was. Normally he went out of his way to stay clean and looking perfect, but right now he didn't care.

"Don't give up!"

Lin lifted his head and looked around the room. "Who said that?!"

Seeing no one was talking to him, he decided he was simply just losing whatever was left of his mind and lowered his head again. Just as he shut his eyes, the voice spoke again.

"Don't give up, Train needs you!"

Lin sat up straight and looked around the room. "Train?! Where is he?!"

The voice was silent again, but he could tell it definitely belonged to a woman. But, he didn't see any women around him. Most of the people in the bar were men, so he had no idea what was going on. He rested his head in his hands and felt his leg beginning to shake.

"I'm losing my mind…"

The voice laughed.

"You can lose your mind all you want, but what you can't do is give up! Train needs you!"

Lin stood up quickly and yelled at the voice. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! AND WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!"

"Lin?"

Lin looked over and saw Creed giving him a sympathetic look. As much as he hated Creed pitying him, he knew there wasn't really any other way to feel about him.

I do look awfully pathetic…

He sighed and sat back down, leaning his back against the chair as he shut his eyes briefly. "I'm fine, Creed…"

Creed frowned, not really believing what the man said, but not wanting to derail their conversation to the turmoil they were both in. "Have you found anything?"

Lin sighed and lifted his head. "Kind of… Apparently, if the underground world knows Train is with the Apostles, even against his will, it might encourage them to join their forces."

Creed looked thoughtful for a second, then nodded. "I'm sure that's a primary purpose for taking him, but we both know what they really want from him."

Lin shivered. "Please don't say that…"

Creed felt the pain rising in his chest and had to push aside the numbness in order to continue moving forward. He knew they needed to find Train no matter what and he refused to believe he was dead anymore. He looked back down at the number and frowned when he realized he had been crying.

He reached a hand out and patted his shoulder. "We'll find him, Lin. I'm sure of it."

Lin took in a shaky sob, rubbed his eyes, and nodded. "What about you? Did you find anything?"

Creed smiled proudly. "I did! The Apostles were seen in this area a few days ago."

Lin widened his eyes and stood up quickly. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT WHEN YOU FIRST CAME OVER?!"

Creed sighed. He understood the reason for the man's panic since he felt it too, but he knew if he gave into it, they wouldn't find Train. They had been making so much progress since he came to, so he needed to make sure he stayed strong because he knew without him, they would never find Train.

"Because there isn't much we can do about it right now. However, I do know where they last were, which is where we're going right now."

Lin nodded and walked towards the door. "Great, let's go."

Creed followed after the number, then stopped when he felt his phone vibrate. Seeing Eve's name, he answered it immediately.

"Eve? What'd you find?"

He could tell the girl was smiling proudly behind the phone. "A strange storm was noticed in the forest about two-hundred kilometers outside of the city. Except, everyone knows there's nothing out there, and it was centered totally in one area. The conspiracy theories are already starting on the dark web, but I think we both know what really caused it."

Creed smirked. "Send me the coordinates."

He hung up the phone and ran out the door and after Lin. He grabbed the number before he got too far and smirked. "Change of plans. Follow me."

---

Day 5: Creed

They arrived at the location Eve pointed them to just a few hours later. They were easily able to make it there thanks to the 'storm' that had cut down a convenient path for them, but Creed

knew what it really was. He scanned the area of trees that had been destroyed and felt his heart break when he realized what his beloved had done.

Train left a path for me to find him...

As soon as they approached the house, he knew it was the Apostles hideout. It was a relatively large house, but nowhere near as big as the mansions he controlled when he ran the Apostles. But, he knew what he was looking at was more in character for Charden.

He always hated the mansions. Barely even stayed there with us.

"Let's go."

Creed watched as Lin ran forward, then grabbed his arm to stop him from running. "Stop! What if they're still there? We should wait for Sephiria."

He and Lin had been the first ones to arrive mostly because they were faster than everyone else. Their sweepers friends were on their way, as was Sephiria and Creed knew if they were going to take the Apostles on, they needed all the help they could get.

Especially if they have Train under their control now. But, judging by this forest, I don't think that's happened yet.

Lin yanked his hand free, all of his common sense gone as he stared at the house in front of them. Luckily for him, a bit of reason returned as he voiced his thoughts. "Do you really think they'd stay here after Train did this? This is such a huge sign! There's no way they wouldn't know we'd find it and track them down. We need to break in either before they take off with him, or look for clues as to where they're going."

Creed blinked and let the man go. "That's… A good point…"

Why didn't I think of it? Am I really not as focused as I thought?

Creed knew he was exhausted beyond belief and it was hard to keep his mind from falling back into his numb state, so it was entirely possible he wasn't fully thinking straight. However, he knew that didn't matter. Lin was right and they needed to act fast.

Creed nodded. "Right, let's go."

As they ran down the path together, Lin pulled out his cloak and Creed activated his Imagine Blade. When they reached the house, Creed stopped when he saw something written in blood on the wall. Lin stopped as well, walking slowly over towards it as he touched it with shaky hands.

"Is… Is that?"

Creed shook his head, then smacked the back of Lin's head when he realized he was about to fall apart. "Don't think about it. What does it say?"

Lin turned and gave him an angry look. "You read Russian too, don't you?!"

Creed sighed, knowing the man was at his wits end and decided not to continue the argument. Especially since they were currently beating their record for the longest time of getting along with one another.

It's because we have a common goal. Well, I guess we've always had the common goal of making Train ours, but we were on opposing ends back then. For once, we're working together to get Train. But that doesn't matter. We have more important matters to deal with than our useless bickering.

Creed walked over to the writing, keeping his sword active as he read the words. Lin frowned, understanding what they said, but not getting the meaning behind it.

"Why would he just write one word? And it's a question. It doesn't make sense."

Creed smiled warmly as he fingered the blood message, resting his head against it and swearing for a moment he could feel Train's forehead pressing against him as well. "One word is all I need…"

Lin frowned as he watched the scene, then read the message again, hoping that would give some meaning to it.

"Vmeste?" (3)

"What the Hell does he mean by 'Together'? It doesn't make any sense!"

Try as he might, Lin still didn't understand. To him, it was just one simple, infuriatingly vague word. But to Creed, it meant everything.

Creed smiled as he let out a breath of relief, his head still resting against the wall. "It means that Train is alive. It means he's still fighting."

Which means I can't stop either.

Creed pulled back from the wall, glanced up and noticed the open window. He smirked and jumped in the air, knowing Lin was following him as they landed inside the house. However, before they jumped in and began their search, Creed looked down at the message again and smiled warmly.

"Always. Always and forever, my Love. I'll find you soon. No matter what. I promise."

---

Translations:

(1) "Good to have you back, Creed…"

(2) "Together?"