CyberSins, Chapter 3
Three weeks had passed and their new companion had fit into the schedule rather well, even occasionally helping Lina with her training and studies. It was impossible to ignore the fact that he and the hunter were getting closer and closer, the hybrid sitting by and watching somewhat wistfully as Zelgadis worked in the circumference. It was on one such occasion that Lina came in, giving the hacker a firm kick in the ass.
"What the hell was that for?" he grumbled as he stood, rubbing his sore rear. "Did you forget how to speak again?"
"No, I just forgot your stupid name, s'all." Smirking, the petit girl tossed him a box which he caught reflexively.
"Hmph. See if I help you study any more, you ungrateful fleshie. What's this, then? Some new device to replace your annoying presence while you're sleeping?" he queried as he turned the box over in his hands.
"Actually, it's your new hook-ups. Made 'em myself. Don't worry," she grinned as he looked at her skeptically, "they're completely screwdriver- free."
"I'm sure that horribly depressed you."
"You have no idea."
Tossing a glance at the hunter, he grinned evilly and looked back to Lina. "You're such an angel...help me strap in?"
*************************
New cases. Everything seemed so boring now. He'd already caught eight hackers in the past three weeks; it was almost a joke. After the challenges that Xelloss put him through it just wasn't a fight to catch these little nobodies.
Pausing near an information resource code authorization program, he watched the little travelers as they went about their daily routines. They were always so interested in what the circumference had to offer. Was it because it was their hobby and not their job? Or was it just because, for them, it still held so much mystery; so much to be explored? It was like a magic trick...it wasn't as mesmerizing once you knew how it was done.
Silent contemplations abounded as he drifted from plane to plane, idly checking his equipment on a translucent panel that hovered in front of him. Technically he was on a case right now, but again it was boring and he had no reason to be terribly enthusiastic about the mundane assignment. He listened to the soft beeps and chirps as the projection net went through a series of tests and maintenance programs, and as he flexed his fingers he felt a gaze on him. A grin crossed his lips. Didn't this always happen? Usually it was a kid or something on their way to some kind of game site; they would stare at him until he looked at them, at which time they'd draw back and retreat, leaving him to watch the little fuzzy light recede into the distance.
Well, that was about enough time. Hefting the still-chittering weapon, Zelgadis turned and looked back at his observer - then stopped, his jaw dropping with a muttered, "Fucking hell..."
Beautiful. He was so beautiful. Having fully regained his former glory, the eclectic hacker lingered in space with the erratically-drifting cloak flickering about him hazily. The white skin, the luminescent violet hair...he seemed like some kind of dazzling digital demon that had come to claim his soul once and for all. Gliding forward, long fingers extended to trace an irregular spider web across the hunter's face sending shivers down the man's spine at the icy touch. The feather touch paused with an index finger on Zelgadis's lips and the hacker exhaled with a low, cat-like purr.
"It's so good to finally be home. I'm alive again..."
Zelgadis, thoroughly entranced by the voice - 'a silken chainsaw' was the only way to describe it - of the hacker, could do nothing but murmur a hazy agreement as he leaned into the touch. Brazenly, his hand rose to rest on Xelloss's waist and pull him closer as the other pulled the hacker's hand from his face, clearing the path to the cold, pale lips. "Please let me..." came the whispered plea.
Unresponsive. Xelloss watched the hunter's movements and went along with them as if in a trance, but as those simple, beseeching words spilled from the rapidly closing lips the hacker tensed and shoved Zelgadis away hard. "No."
For a moment the hunter looked as though here were going to cry. His eyes darkened, then he tossed his head, flicking the hair from his eyes. "You're so damn obnoxious. You can't make up your mind; once minute you're purring and nuzzling and the next you treat me like I'm some kind of disease. Either decide or fuck off. I'm not wasting any more time on you."
Pain. Oh, both of them wished those words hadn't been spoken. Agony etched the hacker's face; guilt on the hunter's. Hurt though it did, there was nothing to be said to remedy the words. After a moment's silence, Xelloss reached forward once more, sliding a hand up the hunter's chest. He felt the imaginary muscles of his projection tense beneath the cold hands - cold, even through the clothes - and the hand continued up to curl behind his neck.
Zelgadis took a deep breath, and brought his eyes to meet those of the hacker's. Purple, so beautiful. Such a rich shade of violet. Amethyst. Something. There was no color put to words to describe the shade. His head tilted as he read across the serial numbers there; twenty-four, five, twelve, twelve, one, nineteen, nineteen. Waitaminute. One? There was no one in Xelloss's serial number. Xell...ass? Xellass? Who the hell was -
"Xellass!"
The voice had come from behind him and Zelgadis turned to look over his shoulder. Xelloss was there, an infuriated scowl across the fair features. Instead of the drifting purple-static cloak, the hacker was encased in a shimmering violet bodysuit that looked to be sculpted from bone; clinging to the lithe frame while jagged ridges raced down his arms and back, cascading across his legs like spiked fringes tipped in gold. The delicate fingers were ringed with claw-like attachments, but claws didn't do much in the circumference...there were no corporeal bodies to shred at. Why? Recognition dawned; virus encoders. Using the claws to dig into the soft underbelly of the mainframe, the hacker would jam them into the central program buffer and use the extensions to embed the codes for the virus into the system. Looking back to the closer Xelloss - no, Xellass, he reminded himself - he brought up the net and aimed it into the doppelganger's stomach.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Xelloss rushing forward, some kind of scream or curse or something on his lips, then his finger tightened on the trigger.
Or, at least, it tried to.
His body went rigid with pain, the agony radiating from his back and chest. Muscles twitched, and his hand released the gun which drifted away harmlessly. Shocked, he looked down at himself to find Xellass's hand withdrawing from his chest...tipped in long, serrated virus encoders. The hand around his neck pulled free as well, and he found himself looking into the eerily cruel vision's face.
"We don't know why you didn't turn in Xelloss. We don't know why there wasn't an investigation - not that we're complaining of course." The voice was so much like Xelloss's, but colder. Even colder than the skin. "We're not even sure exactly how you managed to get Xelloss back into the circumference without his original hookups," Xellass added with a contemptuous glare to his twin. "But it's very obvious that you're a danger to Promenade since you know about both of us. So...sweet dreams."
Zelgadis tensed even more as cold lips pressed to his in a mockery of tenderness, then the creature was jerked away violently by Xelloss who had regained the dropped net gun. Kicking Xellass clear of Zelgadis, the hacker fired once, twice, three times, finally hitting on the fourth shot. Determined, Xelloss fired until the net was out of energy, in the end wrapped the copycat in seven nets. "Happy disassemblement, you shithead," he croaked tearlessly as he threw the gun aside and left Xellass to drift helplessly in the circumference.
******************
"MISS LIIINNAAAA!"
Lina jerked up from her books with a start at the terrified shriek and she raced out the door towards the source of Amelia's voice, quickly joined by a panicked Gourry. This was bad. Gourry was never panicked.
"What is it? What's...oh...oh my god..."
The three stared in bewilderment at Zelgadis, hooked to the mainframe, eyes closed in unconsciousness. He shuddered and twitched in invisible agony, and the monitor with his vital stats was beeping and screaming in alarm. Looking back to Lina with wide, horrified eyes, Amelia shakily whispered, "What's happened to him?"
"I....I don't know," Lina admitted. She approached the chair hastily, noting the sheen of sweat on the furrowed brow, and checked over the plugs. No, everything was plugged in, he hadn't been ripped. Another cursory once-over, and that's when she noticed the date file log, flipping across the screen in code. Her eyes widened. "Holy shit! He's got a virus!"
The others regarded her in silent dumbfoundedness.
"You mean like a cold? Maybe he needs some orange juice," Gourry offered helpfully.
Lina started to reply, but Amelia cut her off. "I knew it! I knew he was evil!" Two surprised gazes turned to her and she nodded triumphantly. "I knew I was right by turning him in. I was certain that Xelloss had implanted some kind of virus in him when they were in the lockout session, and see, I was right!"
This took a moment to assess, but Lina continued carefully, "So what did you do, Amelia?"
"I e-mailed Promenade Enterprises and told them everything, and they said they would take care of it right away!" the little guardian-in-training blurted out helpfully.
Lina froze. God, Amelia was a sweet girl but she was painfully naive. Climbing off the chair, she grabbed Amelia by the collar. "What the hell were you thinking!? How could you tell them about what he'd done?!"
Amelia yelped at the sudden outburst and swallowed hard, feebly offering, "I thought it was the right thing to do. I...I thought Mister Zelgadis was in danger, and -"
"And you didn't think they'd want to get rid of any dangers to their reputation?!"
The black-haired girl froze in the pains of realization and she shook her head slowly, voice barely a whisper. "I...I didn't think...th-that..."
Lina shoved her away and shook her head in utter rage. Great! Just great! She shot a glare to Amelia, then looked to Gourry. "I'm going in. Xelloss is already in, maybe I can help. You keep an eye on her - don't let her in this room for anything."
Gourry looked at the teary-eyed Amelia, then nodded. "Gotcha."
*****************
"God...oh god...what the fuck?" Zelgadis shuddered and spasmed, fists clenched tight with pain.
"It's a virus...you have a virus in your projection," Xelloss informed him as he looked him over. He was doing his best to appear nonchalant, but it didn't take a genius to see the anxiety in his eyes. "I have no idea what it is. I can't even think of a virus that affects fleshies...it must have been one that was just developed."
"I'm...so flattered..."
Xelloss flashed a brilliant grin. "You should be." The grin faded. "I have to get in you."
"I'm really not in the mood right now..." the hunter countered warily.
"I know, but it has to be done." Xelloss flexed the claws, adjusting the settings carefully as he cracked his neck. "It's gotta be done and it's gotta be fast."
"Be gentle?"
"Don't be picky, dammit," Xelloss muttered through gritted teeth.
"Can't you at least buy me dinner first?"
"What? How can you think of food...oh....shit!" Xelloss nearly face- faulted as he realized the rather tawdry joke and Zelgadis, despite his pain, couldn't hide his grin. "You're so damn sick, you know that?"
"Yeah, well -" Whatever Zelgadis may have said was cut off with an agonized gasp as lines of digital code slithered across his skin, radiating out from the wounds put there by Xellass.
"Shit! Sorry..." That was the only warning Zelgadis got before the metal encoding claws dug into his chest.
****************
It didn't take long for Lina to find the two; all she had to do was follow the sound of someone's - more than likely Zelgadis's - screams. Whatever was going on couldn't possibly be pretty. It wasn't.
Stumbling to a halt, she simply stared at the sight before her. Zelgadis was indeed the source of the screams, and for good reason. Xelloss was kneeling beside him, both hands dug into the hunter's torso. An incessant rambling of expletives escaped the hacker's lips occasionally as he ripped and twisted, apparently ignoring the hunter's shrieks of protest. In fact, he would occasionally glare at the hunter exasperatedly and command him to be quiet - Lina could imagine it would be rather difficult to concentrate with all the noise.
After the initial shock, Lina made her way over quickly and knelt beside them. "What can I do?"
"Besides shut him up? Not much."
She had to grin despite her fear, and she shook her head as she placed a hand on Zelgadis's forehead soothingly. "Well, not to be rude, but I think he's got a valid reason."
"He might, but if he doesn't let me concentrate he won't be screaming much longer. He won't be breathing, either, but hey, whatever trips his -" he paused to jerk a line of viral code out of his way, then finished "- trigger."
"What exactly happened here?" questioned the girl as she tried to calm the convulsing hunter.
"Dammit, you'd think I was actually tearing into his real guts or something. Is he always such a wimp?" There was more muttering, then Xelloss answered, "He was approached by an earlier model, got distracted, and got his stupid ass infected with some kind of virus I've never seen. Whatever it is, it's designed to kill - which technically should be impossible - so I'm guessing that it's something to fry the nervous system. Sort of a fleshie version of a blown fuse, maybe."
While her brain processed the confusing information, it left the obvious up front. What the...? "An...earlier model?"
"Yeah," he responded distantly, then let out a hoot as he apparently found something good. The claws dug in again, this time embedding themselves deep into his chest cavity behind the imaginary sternum and drawing a fresh barrage of protests from Zelgadis. "Oh, stop whining! Shit!"
As the hacker's eyes closed in concentration Lina figured this was a bad time for questioning, but the information was definitely filed away for later questioning. Turning her attention back to the shuddering hunter in her arms, she did her best to comfort him. Hands smoothed through the strange silver locks and over the stone-like protrusions around his eyes. "Shh...c'mon, it's not that bad, right? It's not even your real body. And look, he'll be done soon, I'm sure."
Between heaving gasps for air, Zelgadis managed to whisper, "Fuck you, Lina. I've already...signed you up...for the next d-digging session."
"Oh?" She grinned as she looked back at the deeply focused hacker at work, digging through Zelgadis's abdomen, then back to the pain-contorted face. "Looks like fun to me. Can't wait. Of course, you know I'm never gonna leave you alone about how much of a baby you're being."
"B-Baby?!" He chuckled a bit and immediately regretted it as another jolt of pain raced through him.
Lina's next snide remark was cut off by a bout of snickering from the hacker, and he gave her the thumbs up. "This wasn't so bad, y'know."
"'Wasn't so bad?!'"
Xelloss patted the hunter's shoulder. "Well, it wasn't so bad for me. I guess they didn't expect me to be here. I mean, really, any moron could have figured that out, once they know where to look."
"And did you know where to look?" Lina countered dryly.
"We-ell...admittedly, no, but after a tiny bit of searching -"
Zelgadis cut in breathlessly with, "You mean 'digging unabashedly through my torso,' right?"
"Let's not be picky about the small things, shall we?" Xelloss pouted as he finished weaving the repairs, programming the 'wound' in the hunter's stomach closed. "Anyway, let's get him out of here. We need to check his corporeal to make sure there's no permanent brain damage."
"You mean," Lina grinned, "any more than usual, right?"
Zelgadis frowned, and Xelloss laughed. "Hey, she said it, not me. I wasn't going to say anything."
"Sure you weren't."
******************
Two days had passed since the incident in the circumference, and despite Xelloss's desperate desire to return to his 'home,' as he referred to it, the hacker hadn't left Zelgadis's side. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the others who teased Zelgadis mercilessly to the point that Xelloss threatened to infect every food dispenser in the academy with a virus causing them to produce nothing but Hamdingers. Threaten life and limb, but don't threaten the food supply; the teasing immediately ceased.
On the third day, Zelgadis was preparing to return to work. He was currently heading towards the commissary for breakfast when he was approached by the young guardian-in-training, Amelia. Shyly, she reached out to tap his shoulder.
The hunter regarded her thoughtfully, then nodded a hello. It wasn't her fault, after all; the girl wasn't evil or cruel. She was actually very nice...and very innocent. "Morning, Amelia."
"G...good morning, Mister Zelgadis."
"You coming to breakfast with me and the others?"
She looked stunned at the invitation. She hadn't been seen around the others since the attack, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face them. An invitation was an invitation, however, and she nodded in relief. "I'd really appreciate that, Mister Zelgadis."
"No problem...come on." He put an arm around her shoulder to lead her in, and ruffled her hair amiably. "And since when did you call me 'Mister,' huh?"
"Eh...sorry, Zel," she giggled as she headed in.
They weaved through the tables together, ignoring the looks from the other assembled students and workers. The strange quartet had been the source of much debate lately; it was thought they were possibly up to something illegal. Problem was, nobody knew what that could be, an they weren't about to question openly the most prestigious group in the company and academy.
Joining the others at the table, who were already fighting over the plentiful food supply for some inexplicable reason, Zelgadis yawned and started adding the usual copious amount of sugar to his coffee. Lina's voice brought him out of his reverie.
"So...you gonna want some coffee with that sugar there?"
"Huh?" He blinked up at her dazedly, then looked down at his cup which was overflowing onto the table thanks to the massive amount of sugar that had been dumped in. Muttering a curse, he grabbed a napkin to clean up the mess.
"You've been totally in outer space since that last...uh...trip you took," Lina finished lamely, remember others being present. "You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bothered by something, is all."
"And that is?"
Zelgadis seemed to think a minute, then shook his head. "Can't talk about it now. I still have to think it over. It's big, though. Possibly bad."
"Well, so long as it isn't hairy and named 'Cecil," it can't be that bad." Lina laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "That was what we humans call a 'joke.' Normally, we laugh. You should try it sometime."
"I'm afraid it'll hurt me," he grinned back and prodded her shoulder.
"What, you don't wanna be screaming like a little girl again?" Lina snickered and elbowed him. She really wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't going to let him live that down.
"I'm so wounded!" he gasped, clutching his heart dramatically, then he thumped her forehead and stood. "Bah, breakfast is for the weak. I need to get going."
"Hey, more for me," Lina jumped at the opportunity to grab his untouched plate, and as the girl and the guard started fighting over it, Zelgadis chuckled and stood.
"Later, girl," he smiled, patting Amelia on the head. The girl blushed and smiled back as he left.
******************
Bored. Bored bored bored. Xelloss tapped at the console idly as the lines of code slipped past. Zelgadis had asked him to run through this program and it had been done for hours now; he was actually just accessing the restricted files to amuse himself. Having finally lost interest in the codes that would have made any other hackers leap for joy, he leaned forward to switch off the screen when he felt hands on his shoulders. Freezing, he swallowed hard. "Just finishing up, s'all."
"Really?"
Xelloss nodded, then jerked startledly as he felt lips on his shoulder. He shivered, then relaxed just a bit as he leaned back against the warm body behind him tentatively. "Want the report?"
"Later," came the whispered reply as the lips continued up, grazing across the cold skin where the shoulders swept to the graceful column of the hacker's neck. The hands moved down and around, encircling the slim waist, but still Xelloss didn't - couldn't - move. Sensing the discomfort of the hybrid, Zelgadis shifted slightly, starting to pull away.
Amethyst eyes slid closed finally and he squirmed in the hunter's arms, nuzzling against him. "Don't go, please," he whispered.
Zelgadis simply nodded, arms tightening around the hacker once more as his lips continued to feather kisses across the milky skin. "I do have to get to work, though."
Xelloss pouted, then tilted his head. "Why don't I go with you? We could finish it in record time; I'd even let you have the credit."
"You just want to get back to the circumference, you selfish prat," Zelgadis chirped, then nudged the now-sulking hybrid lightly. "Alright, alright. Let's go."
"Yeah!" Xelloss jumped up and grabbed the hunter's wrist, all but dragging him along to the out-of-commission medilab he had commandeered. Hopping into the chair, he pulled out the set of hookups that Lina had designed for him and connected them to the circumference interfaces he'd patched in. "Right. Can you do this for me? It's utter hell trying to do it myself. Sort of like chicks trying to put on earrings without a mirror...I still can't see how they manage it." As he rambled, he handed the plugs to Zelgadis.
The hunter looked at the long, dagger-like objects skeptically, then shook his head. "You sure this doesn't hurt?"
"Nah. No nerves in there to feel it with," Xelloss shrugged as he tapped his temple and the thin fiber-optic projectors slid out of the corners of his eyes. Taking two of the plugs, he slid them into his ankles, then one into each wrist before leaning forward and pulling his hair over his shoulder to expose the plug in the back of his neck.
Taking a deep breath, Zelgadis pulled up the back of the hacker's shirt and gingerly slid the spike into the plug at the small of his back before moving to the one in his neck. Smiling slightly to himself, he leaned forward to kiss the cold skin just above the port lightly. "Sweet dreams, beautiful." Xelloss sputtered and started to reply, but was cut off as Zelgadis pushed in the last connection, sending the hacker off to the circumference.
He watched the unconscious body before him for a while before leaning over to brush a soft kiss against his lips, then he turned and headed to his own office, locking the door to the medilab behind him.
*****************
"We have a connection, sir."
"Location confirmation?"
"In two minutes, sir."
"Very good. Organize a raid team at once."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Super-duper-whammy-omega-thanks to all the pretty people who responded to this! (especially EmeraldStar! I luff yew!) Er...tons of apologies to those on the the Xel/Zel Yaoi Mailing List waiting for me to post. I'm telling ya....I thought America was going to be my vacation, but I was more relaxed at work in Japan! O.o But I promise, "What Secrets We Bring" is coming to a conclusion; the finish should be up in two or three days. I'm *almost* finished with the end of CyberSins, and yes, yes, I *will* post the reeeeeally long lemon all you've been requesting. Pervs! :P
Three weeks had passed and their new companion had fit into the schedule rather well, even occasionally helping Lina with her training and studies. It was impossible to ignore the fact that he and the hunter were getting closer and closer, the hybrid sitting by and watching somewhat wistfully as Zelgadis worked in the circumference. It was on one such occasion that Lina came in, giving the hacker a firm kick in the ass.
"What the hell was that for?" he grumbled as he stood, rubbing his sore rear. "Did you forget how to speak again?"
"No, I just forgot your stupid name, s'all." Smirking, the petit girl tossed him a box which he caught reflexively.
"Hmph. See if I help you study any more, you ungrateful fleshie. What's this, then? Some new device to replace your annoying presence while you're sleeping?" he queried as he turned the box over in his hands.
"Actually, it's your new hook-ups. Made 'em myself. Don't worry," she grinned as he looked at her skeptically, "they're completely screwdriver- free."
"I'm sure that horribly depressed you."
"You have no idea."
Tossing a glance at the hunter, he grinned evilly and looked back to Lina. "You're such an angel...help me strap in?"
*************************
New cases. Everything seemed so boring now. He'd already caught eight hackers in the past three weeks; it was almost a joke. After the challenges that Xelloss put him through it just wasn't a fight to catch these little nobodies.
Pausing near an information resource code authorization program, he watched the little travelers as they went about their daily routines. They were always so interested in what the circumference had to offer. Was it because it was their hobby and not their job? Or was it just because, for them, it still held so much mystery; so much to be explored? It was like a magic trick...it wasn't as mesmerizing once you knew how it was done.
Silent contemplations abounded as he drifted from plane to plane, idly checking his equipment on a translucent panel that hovered in front of him. Technically he was on a case right now, but again it was boring and he had no reason to be terribly enthusiastic about the mundane assignment. He listened to the soft beeps and chirps as the projection net went through a series of tests and maintenance programs, and as he flexed his fingers he felt a gaze on him. A grin crossed his lips. Didn't this always happen? Usually it was a kid or something on their way to some kind of game site; they would stare at him until he looked at them, at which time they'd draw back and retreat, leaving him to watch the little fuzzy light recede into the distance.
Well, that was about enough time. Hefting the still-chittering weapon, Zelgadis turned and looked back at his observer - then stopped, his jaw dropping with a muttered, "Fucking hell..."
Beautiful. He was so beautiful. Having fully regained his former glory, the eclectic hacker lingered in space with the erratically-drifting cloak flickering about him hazily. The white skin, the luminescent violet hair...he seemed like some kind of dazzling digital demon that had come to claim his soul once and for all. Gliding forward, long fingers extended to trace an irregular spider web across the hunter's face sending shivers down the man's spine at the icy touch. The feather touch paused with an index finger on Zelgadis's lips and the hacker exhaled with a low, cat-like purr.
"It's so good to finally be home. I'm alive again..."
Zelgadis, thoroughly entranced by the voice - 'a silken chainsaw' was the only way to describe it - of the hacker, could do nothing but murmur a hazy agreement as he leaned into the touch. Brazenly, his hand rose to rest on Xelloss's waist and pull him closer as the other pulled the hacker's hand from his face, clearing the path to the cold, pale lips. "Please let me..." came the whispered plea.
Unresponsive. Xelloss watched the hunter's movements and went along with them as if in a trance, but as those simple, beseeching words spilled from the rapidly closing lips the hacker tensed and shoved Zelgadis away hard. "No."
For a moment the hunter looked as though here were going to cry. His eyes darkened, then he tossed his head, flicking the hair from his eyes. "You're so damn obnoxious. You can't make up your mind; once minute you're purring and nuzzling and the next you treat me like I'm some kind of disease. Either decide or fuck off. I'm not wasting any more time on you."
Pain. Oh, both of them wished those words hadn't been spoken. Agony etched the hacker's face; guilt on the hunter's. Hurt though it did, there was nothing to be said to remedy the words. After a moment's silence, Xelloss reached forward once more, sliding a hand up the hunter's chest. He felt the imaginary muscles of his projection tense beneath the cold hands - cold, even through the clothes - and the hand continued up to curl behind his neck.
Zelgadis took a deep breath, and brought his eyes to meet those of the hacker's. Purple, so beautiful. Such a rich shade of violet. Amethyst. Something. There was no color put to words to describe the shade. His head tilted as he read across the serial numbers there; twenty-four, five, twelve, twelve, one, nineteen, nineteen. Waitaminute. One? There was no one in Xelloss's serial number. Xell...ass? Xellass? Who the hell was -
"Xellass!"
The voice had come from behind him and Zelgadis turned to look over his shoulder. Xelloss was there, an infuriated scowl across the fair features. Instead of the drifting purple-static cloak, the hacker was encased in a shimmering violet bodysuit that looked to be sculpted from bone; clinging to the lithe frame while jagged ridges raced down his arms and back, cascading across his legs like spiked fringes tipped in gold. The delicate fingers were ringed with claw-like attachments, but claws didn't do much in the circumference...there were no corporeal bodies to shred at. Why? Recognition dawned; virus encoders. Using the claws to dig into the soft underbelly of the mainframe, the hacker would jam them into the central program buffer and use the extensions to embed the codes for the virus into the system. Looking back to the closer Xelloss - no, Xellass, he reminded himself - he brought up the net and aimed it into the doppelganger's stomach.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Xelloss rushing forward, some kind of scream or curse or something on his lips, then his finger tightened on the trigger.
Or, at least, it tried to.
His body went rigid with pain, the agony radiating from his back and chest. Muscles twitched, and his hand released the gun which drifted away harmlessly. Shocked, he looked down at himself to find Xellass's hand withdrawing from his chest...tipped in long, serrated virus encoders. The hand around his neck pulled free as well, and he found himself looking into the eerily cruel vision's face.
"We don't know why you didn't turn in Xelloss. We don't know why there wasn't an investigation - not that we're complaining of course." The voice was so much like Xelloss's, but colder. Even colder than the skin. "We're not even sure exactly how you managed to get Xelloss back into the circumference without his original hookups," Xellass added with a contemptuous glare to his twin. "But it's very obvious that you're a danger to Promenade since you know about both of us. So...sweet dreams."
Zelgadis tensed even more as cold lips pressed to his in a mockery of tenderness, then the creature was jerked away violently by Xelloss who had regained the dropped net gun. Kicking Xellass clear of Zelgadis, the hacker fired once, twice, three times, finally hitting on the fourth shot. Determined, Xelloss fired until the net was out of energy, in the end wrapped the copycat in seven nets. "Happy disassemblement, you shithead," he croaked tearlessly as he threw the gun aside and left Xellass to drift helplessly in the circumference.
******************
"MISS LIIINNAAAA!"
Lina jerked up from her books with a start at the terrified shriek and she raced out the door towards the source of Amelia's voice, quickly joined by a panicked Gourry. This was bad. Gourry was never panicked.
"What is it? What's...oh...oh my god..."
The three stared in bewilderment at Zelgadis, hooked to the mainframe, eyes closed in unconsciousness. He shuddered and twitched in invisible agony, and the monitor with his vital stats was beeping and screaming in alarm. Looking back to Lina with wide, horrified eyes, Amelia shakily whispered, "What's happened to him?"
"I....I don't know," Lina admitted. She approached the chair hastily, noting the sheen of sweat on the furrowed brow, and checked over the plugs. No, everything was plugged in, he hadn't been ripped. Another cursory once-over, and that's when she noticed the date file log, flipping across the screen in code. Her eyes widened. "Holy shit! He's got a virus!"
The others regarded her in silent dumbfoundedness.
"You mean like a cold? Maybe he needs some orange juice," Gourry offered helpfully.
Lina started to reply, but Amelia cut her off. "I knew it! I knew he was evil!" Two surprised gazes turned to her and she nodded triumphantly. "I knew I was right by turning him in. I was certain that Xelloss had implanted some kind of virus in him when they were in the lockout session, and see, I was right!"
This took a moment to assess, but Lina continued carefully, "So what did you do, Amelia?"
"I e-mailed Promenade Enterprises and told them everything, and they said they would take care of it right away!" the little guardian-in-training blurted out helpfully.
Lina froze. God, Amelia was a sweet girl but she was painfully naive. Climbing off the chair, she grabbed Amelia by the collar. "What the hell were you thinking!? How could you tell them about what he'd done?!"
Amelia yelped at the sudden outburst and swallowed hard, feebly offering, "I thought it was the right thing to do. I...I thought Mister Zelgadis was in danger, and -"
"And you didn't think they'd want to get rid of any dangers to their reputation?!"
The black-haired girl froze in the pains of realization and she shook her head slowly, voice barely a whisper. "I...I didn't think...th-that..."
Lina shoved her away and shook her head in utter rage. Great! Just great! She shot a glare to Amelia, then looked to Gourry. "I'm going in. Xelloss is already in, maybe I can help. You keep an eye on her - don't let her in this room for anything."
Gourry looked at the teary-eyed Amelia, then nodded. "Gotcha."
*****************
"God...oh god...what the fuck?" Zelgadis shuddered and spasmed, fists clenched tight with pain.
"It's a virus...you have a virus in your projection," Xelloss informed him as he looked him over. He was doing his best to appear nonchalant, but it didn't take a genius to see the anxiety in his eyes. "I have no idea what it is. I can't even think of a virus that affects fleshies...it must have been one that was just developed."
"I'm...so flattered..."
Xelloss flashed a brilliant grin. "You should be." The grin faded. "I have to get in you."
"I'm really not in the mood right now..." the hunter countered warily.
"I know, but it has to be done." Xelloss flexed the claws, adjusting the settings carefully as he cracked his neck. "It's gotta be done and it's gotta be fast."
"Be gentle?"
"Don't be picky, dammit," Xelloss muttered through gritted teeth.
"Can't you at least buy me dinner first?"
"What? How can you think of food...oh....shit!" Xelloss nearly face- faulted as he realized the rather tawdry joke and Zelgadis, despite his pain, couldn't hide his grin. "You're so damn sick, you know that?"
"Yeah, well -" Whatever Zelgadis may have said was cut off with an agonized gasp as lines of digital code slithered across his skin, radiating out from the wounds put there by Xellass.
"Shit! Sorry..." That was the only warning Zelgadis got before the metal encoding claws dug into his chest.
****************
It didn't take long for Lina to find the two; all she had to do was follow the sound of someone's - more than likely Zelgadis's - screams. Whatever was going on couldn't possibly be pretty. It wasn't.
Stumbling to a halt, she simply stared at the sight before her. Zelgadis was indeed the source of the screams, and for good reason. Xelloss was kneeling beside him, both hands dug into the hunter's torso. An incessant rambling of expletives escaped the hacker's lips occasionally as he ripped and twisted, apparently ignoring the hunter's shrieks of protest. In fact, he would occasionally glare at the hunter exasperatedly and command him to be quiet - Lina could imagine it would be rather difficult to concentrate with all the noise.
After the initial shock, Lina made her way over quickly and knelt beside them. "What can I do?"
"Besides shut him up? Not much."
She had to grin despite her fear, and she shook her head as she placed a hand on Zelgadis's forehead soothingly. "Well, not to be rude, but I think he's got a valid reason."
"He might, but if he doesn't let me concentrate he won't be screaming much longer. He won't be breathing, either, but hey, whatever trips his -" he paused to jerk a line of viral code out of his way, then finished "- trigger."
"What exactly happened here?" questioned the girl as she tried to calm the convulsing hunter.
"Dammit, you'd think I was actually tearing into his real guts or something. Is he always such a wimp?" There was more muttering, then Xelloss answered, "He was approached by an earlier model, got distracted, and got his stupid ass infected with some kind of virus I've never seen. Whatever it is, it's designed to kill - which technically should be impossible - so I'm guessing that it's something to fry the nervous system. Sort of a fleshie version of a blown fuse, maybe."
While her brain processed the confusing information, it left the obvious up front. What the...? "An...earlier model?"
"Yeah," he responded distantly, then let out a hoot as he apparently found something good. The claws dug in again, this time embedding themselves deep into his chest cavity behind the imaginary sternum and drawing a fresh barrage of protests from Zelgadis. "Oh, stop whining! Shit!"
As the hacker's eyes closed in concentration Lina figured this was a bad time for questioning, but the information was definitely filed away for later questioning. Turning her attention back to the shuddering hunter in her arms, she did her best to comfort him. Hands smoothed through the strange silver locks and over the stone-like protrusions around his eyes. "Shh...c'mon, it's not that bad, right? It's not even your real body. And look, he'll be done soon, I'm sure."
Between heaving gasps for air, Zelgadis managed to whisper, "Fuck you, Lina. I've already...signed you up...for the next d-digging session."
"Oh?" She grinned as she looked back at the deeply focused hacker at work, digging through Zelgadis's abdomen, then back to the pain-contorted face. "Looks like fun to me. Can't wait. Of course, you know I'm never gonna leave you alone about how much of a baby you're being."
"B-Baby?!" He chuckled a bit and immediately regretted it as another jolt of pain raced through him.
Lina's next snide remark was cut off by a bout of snickering from the hacker, and he gave her the thumbs up. "This wasn't so bad, y'know."
"'Wasn't so bad?!'"
Xelloss patted the hunter's shoulder. "Well, it wasn't so bad for me. I guess they didn't expect me to be here. I mean, really, any moron could have figured that out, once they know where to look."
"And did you know where to look?" Lina countered dryly.
"We-ell...admittedly, no, but after a tiny bit of searching -"
Zelgadis cut in breathlessly with, "You mean 'digging unabashedly through my torso,' right?"
"Let's not be picky about the small things, shall we?" Xelloss pouted as he finished weaving the repairs, programming the 'wound' in the hunter's stomach closed. "Anyway, let's get him out of here. We need to check his corporeal to make sure there's no permanent brain damage."
"You mean," Lina grinned, "any more than usual, right?"
Zelgadis frowned, and Xelloss laughed. "Hey, she said it, not me. I wasn't going to say anything."
"Sure you weren't."
******************
Two days had passed since the incident in the circumference, and despite Xelloss's desperate desire to return to his 'home,' as he referred to it, the hacker hadn't left Zelgadis's side. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the others who teased Zelgadis mercilessly to the point that Xelloss threatened to infect every food dispenser in the academy with a virus causing them to produce nothing but Hamdingers. Threaten life and limb, but don't threaten the food supply; the teasing immediately ceased.
On the third day, Zelgadis was preparing to return to work. He was currently heading towards the commissary for breakfast when he was approached by the young guardian-in-training, Amelia. Shyly, she reached out to tap his shoulder.
The hunter regarded her thoughtfully, then nodded a hello. It wasn't her fault, after all; the girl wasn't evil or cruel. She was actually very nice...and very innocent. "Morning, Amelia."
"G...good morning, Mister Zelgadis."
"You coming to breakfast with me and the others?"
She looked stunned at the invitation. She hadn't been seen around the others since the attack, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face them. An invitation was an invitation, however, and she nodded in relief. "I'd really appreciate that, Mister Zelgadis."
"No problem...come on." He put an arm around her shoulder to lead her in, and ruffled her hair amiably. "And since when did you call me 'Mister,' huh?"
"Eh...sorry, Zel," she giggled as she headed in.
They weaved through the tables together, ignoring the looks from the other assembled students and workers. The strange quartet had been the source of much debate lately; it was thought they were possibly up to something illegal. Problem was, nobody knew what that could be, an they weren't about to question openly the most prestigious group in the company and academy.
Joining the others at the table, who were already fighting over the plentiful food supply for some inexplicable reason, Zelgadis yawned and started adding the usual copious amount of sugar to his coffee. Lina's voice brought him out of his reverie.
"So...you gonna want some coffee with that sugar there?"
"Huh?" He blinked up at her dazedly, then looked down at his cup which was overflowing onto the table thanks to the massive amount of sugar that had been dumped in. Muttering a curse, he grabbed a napkin to clean up the mess.
"You've been totally in outer space since that last...uh...trip you took," Lina finished lamely, remember others being present. "You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bothered by something, is all."
"And that is?"
Zelgadis seemed to think a minute, then shook his head. "Can't talk about it now. I still have to think it over. It's big, though. Possibly bad."
"Well, so long as it isn't hairy and named 'Cecil," it can't be that bad." Lina laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "That was what we humans call a 'joke.' Normally, we laugh. You should try it sometime."
"I'm afraid it'll hurt me," he grinned back and prodded her shoulder.
"What, you don't wanna be screaming like a little girl again?" Lina snickered and elbowed him. She really wasn't kidding when she said she wasn't going to let him live that down.
"I'm so wounded!" he gasped, clutching his heart dramatically, then he thumped her forehead and stood. "Bah, breakfast is for the weak. I need to get going."
"Hey, more for me," Lina jumped at the opportunity to grab his untouched plate, and as the girl and the guard started fighting over it, Zelgadis chuckled and stood.
"Later, girl," he smiled, patting Amelia on the head. The girl blushed and smiled back as he left.
******************
Bored. Bored bored bored. Xelloss tapped at the console idly as the lines of code slipped past. Zelgadis had asked him to run through this program and it had been done for hours now; he was actually just accessing the restricted files to amuse himself. Having finally lost interest in the codes that would have made any other hackers leap for joy, he leaned forward to switch off the screen when he felt hands on his shoulders. Freezing, he swallowed hard. "Just finishing up, s'all."
"Really?"
Xelloss nodded, then jerked startledly as he felt lips on his shoulder. He shivered, then relaxed just a bit as he leaned back against the warm body behind him tentatively. "Want the report?"
"Later," came the whispered reply as the lips continued up, grazing across the cold skin where the shoulders swept to the graceful column of the hacker's neck. The hands moved down and around, encircling the slim waist, but still Xelloss didn't - couldn't - move. Sensing the discomfort of the hybrid, Zelgadis shifted slightly, starting to pull away.
Amethyst eyes slid closed finally and he squirmed in the hunter's arms, nuzzling against him. "Don't go, please," he whispered.
Zelgadis simply nodded, arms tightening around the hacker once more as his lips continued to feather kisses across the milky skin. "I do have to get to work, though."
Xelloss pouted, then tilted his head. "Why don't I go with you? We could finish it in record time; I'd even let you have the credit."
"You just want to get back to the circumference, you selfish prat," Zelgadis chirped, then nudged the now-sulking hybrid lightly. "Alright, alright. Let's go."
"Yeah!" Xelloss jumped up and grabbed the hunter's wrist, all but dragging him along to the out-of-commission medilab he had commandeered. Hopping into the chair, he pulled out the set of hookups that Lina had designed for him and connected them to the circumference interfaces he'd patched in. "Right. Can you do this for me? It's utter hell trying to do it myself. Sort of like chicks trying to put on earrings without a mirror...I still can't see how they manage it." As he rambled, he handed the plugs to Zelgadis.
The hunter looked at the long, dagger-like objects skeptically, then shook his head. "You sure this doesn't hurt?"
"Nah. No nerves in there to feel it with," Xelloss shrugged as he tapped his temple and the thin fiber-optic projectors slid out of the corners of his eyes. Taking two of the plugs, he slid them into his ankles, then one into each wrist before leaning forward and pulling his hair over his shoulder to expose the plug in the back of his neck.
Taking a deep breath, Zelgadis pulled up the back of the hacker's shirt and gingerly slid the spike into the plug at the small of his back before moving to the one in his neck. Smiling slightly to himself, he leaned forward to kiss the cold skin just above the port lightly. "Sweet dreams, beautiful." Xelloss sputtered and started to reply, but was cut off as Zelgadis pushed in the last connection, sending the hacker off to the circumference.
He watched the unconscious body before him for a while before leaning over to brush a soft kiss against his lips, then he turned and headed to his own office, locking the door to the medilab behind him.
*****************
"We have a connection, sir."
"Location confirmation?"
"In two minutes, sir."
"Very good. Organize a raid team at once."
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Super-duper-whammy-omega-thanks to all the pretty people who responded to this! (especially EmeraldStar! I luff yew!) Er...tons of apologies to those on the the Xel/Zel Yaoi Mailing List waiting for me to post. I'm telling ya....I thought America was going to be my vacation, but I was more relaxed at work in Japan! O.o But I promise, "What Secrets We Bring" is coming to a conclusion; the finish should be up in two or three days. I'm *almost* finished with the end of CyberSins, and yes, yes, I *will* post the reeeeeally long lemon all you've been requesting. Pervs! :P