Mind Games
Chapter 1
By: Penybright
Ran grimaced, twisting in his bonds as he slowly came to. The first sight that greeted his vision was a grimy, dull gray concrete floor. He knew why he was here, remembered the confident smirk and eerie flash of light reflecting off wire rimmed glasses. Schwarz had taken him prisoner or hostage. Which he wasn't sure. Carefully, he began to pull himself to a more comfortable position, his breath hitching as he jarred fresh wounds. At least he hadn't gone down without a fight.
Ran jumped as the door to his prison slammed open, brisk footsteps stopping just behind him.
"Hello, Abyssinian."
The red head twisted to view the speaker, not surprised to find Brad Crawford smirking down at him.
"I think it's time you and I had a little talk."
A heated glare was Crawford's only answer. He almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Abyssinian was at his mercy, and yet the man still defied him. A cruel smile twisted Crawford's lips as he pulled his arm back. Ran's head snapped to the side, blood filling his mouth. He quickly spit the bitter fluid out, leisurely turning his head back. This time, Crawford didn't hold back the amused chuckle.
"You are one piece of work, Abyssinian. I suppose I'll have to beat some sense into that thick skull of yours."
Ran remained passively silent, expression blank and eyes cold.
"It's going to be fun to make you scream..."
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Ran winced as a hand fisted in his hair, jerking his head back painfully. He blinked rapidly to clear the spots dancing before his eyes, gasping in a labored breath. Blood littered the floor about him, both old and fresh. The shackles around his wrists bit painfully into the ragged flesh, adding more spatters of blood to the stained floor. He groaned as a hard kick connected with his stomach.
"If you talk, I won't have to let Nagi play with you," Schuldich coaxed, his voice laced with false concern.
"No," Ran rasped, earning him another kick.
"So stubborn," Schuldich tsked. "You make things so difficult for yourself."
"I... won't tell you any...thing," Ran wheezed.
"Hmm... I couldn't hear you," he said lazily. "Speak up," he ordered, tugging violently on Ran's crimson locks.
"Go... to Hell... Bastard," Ran spat, lashing out with his legs. Schuldich easily avoided the ill aimed attack, making sure the red head felt double the pain for such an infraction.
"You're not playing nice, kitten," he sneered, throwing Ran's body into the wall. "Just for that, I think I'll let Nagi play with you for a bit longer."
Ran squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears. He shouldn't have let his temper get the better of him. Out of the four Schwarz members, Nagi was the one he least wanted to "play" with him. The telekinetic found glee in smashing his body into various locations around his cell.
The red head's battered body jerked as he felt Schuldich touch on his mind. He quickly slammed any defense he could muster against the probing. He didn't want the German messing with his mind. Not now, not ever.
"Have it your way, Abyssinian," Schuldich sneered, making his way to the door. "I'll make sure Nagi gets some extra time with you."
Only once the door had shut did Ran let out the breath he had been holding. Arduously, he flipped himself onto his back, wincing with each painful jolt. He knew Nagi would walk through that hated door all too soon. And then, the real pain would begin.
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Ran grimaced as his dislocated shoulder was twisted painfully, before being slammed back into place. He groaned at the jarring, throbbing sensation, wishing he could pass out. His breath hitched as he felt his body being lifted, trying to prepare for the inevitable burst of pain. His half numb, battered body connected with the wall at a discording force. Limp limbs slid to the floor in a heap, Ran barely daring to breath.
At least Crawford and Schuldich mocked him while they beat him. At least they spoke. But Nagi... He didn't utter a word, which made it all the more terrifying. Ran could only imagine what it would be like if they let Farfarello with him for a while. He assumed if that were to happen, he'd be dead, and that was why he hadn't seen the mentally imbalanced Irishman. Not that he wanted to see any of them.
He felt his body being shifted once more.
He wasn't going to break.
His arms lifted not of their own accord, beginning to twist behind his back.
He couldn't break.
Pain knifed through his battered limbs as they continued to twist...
Better that it be him that suffered this.
Ran whimpered as Nagi relentlessly twisted and pulled his limbs as he willed. Silent, ever silent. He gazed at the young man through hazy, pain filled amethyst eyes. The telekinetic's jaw was set in a grim line, his eyes hard. Ran squeezed his eyes shut, mouth open in a silent scream. He felt his bones screeching in protest, nearing the breaking point. Something finally snapped and Ran's vision went black, a rushing silence drowning him.
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"Anything?"
Schuldich shook his head negative.
"Everything's too jumbled. I'm having trouble getting anything that makes sense."
"Try harder," Brad snapped, looking distastefully at Ran's brutally marred unconscious form. "Nagi, what level of the building is Weiss on?"
"They're on the tenth floor, and making surprisingly good progress."
"We need to leave, Brad," Schuldich intoned. "We can't risk a confrontation with Weiss now. They're way too pissed. I doubt all of us would get out alive."
"Then get the information out of Abyssinian's head, and we'll leave," Brad hissed.
"Thirteenth floor... They only have seven more floors to go."
"Fine. Nagi, you and Farefarello head up to the roof and get the chopper ready. Schuldich, give it one more try, I don't care if you have to render him a vegetable. Get that information!"
The German nodded grimly. Abyssinian's head was a mess. He'd already given the man severe mental trauma. He didn't think he could delve any deeper.
"It's no good. Either he doesn't know, or it's too jumbled to even make any sense now."
Brad glowered at the figure on the floor.
"So he went through all that for nothing, I guess. We should have just killed him to begin with."
"Ah, but it was so much fun to play with him," Schuldich smirked, following Brad out of the dim, bloody room.
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Omi wrenched open the thick fiberboard door, and stopped dead in his tracks. A squeak worked it's way passed his frozen lips as he stared in horror.
"Bombay, what are you..." Ken trailed off as he saw what had Omi speechless. "Balinese!" Ken cried. "Get your butt here now!"
"What, what is it?" Yohji drawled in annoyance.
"We need to get Ran to a hospital. Now."
Yohji peeked in the room and quickly pulled back, stumbling into the hall.
"Oh god..."
The ambulance was there in mere minutes. The three assassins couldn't bear to watch as they loaded Ran's limp body onto a stretcher. He was alive, barely. If they had gotten to him any later, he might have been dead. His chances now were pretty slim. A complete recovery seemed unlikely for the red head.
Ken paced restlessly in the hospital waiting room. Yohji was starting on his second pack of cigarettes, having gone through the first in almost an hour. Omi was somewhere in the halls, hunting down some coffee. It was going to be a long night. And the possibility of any of them getting sleep was next to impossible.
The three of them were in a half conscious state when the doctor walked into the waiting room. They instantly snapped to attention when the spectacled man cleared his throat.
"Mr. Fujimiya has just come out of surgery. His wounds will heal in time, but..."
The doctor glanced sympathetically at the strained, nervous expressions on the three males' faces. He hated to be the bearer of bad news. The tree of them looked like they'd been through hell worrying about their friend.
"When Mr. Fujimiya regains consciousness... He may seem, different. I'm going to prescribe him some sedatives, and other medication to hopefully keep him calm and from hurting himself. It appears that he's suffered some severe mental trauma. I'll be honest with you," the doctor paused, "the outlook doesn't look good. Chances of a complete recovery are very slim."
The doctor was meet with an uncomfortable, eerie silence.
"I'm terribly sorry."