Chapter Six: Pay For Your Sins With Blood
"What do you want me to say, Schuldig? He'll kill you if you stay. You'll be safer if you go."
"Then you have to come with me."
"I can't. Julia's only taking one. Her partner is coming back for somebody else next year. I saw it."
"I don't think I'd make it as an assassin.... I can't kill..."
"Kill or be killed. Isn't that the cliché?"
"I won't kill then."
"Do this for me, Schuldig. I've known you less than a week and I already have nightmares about what he'll do to you if you don't go."
Schuldig looked away. "Fine," he growled. "But if we ever meet again, I won't be the same person."
Brad touched his face before standing to go. "I know." he whispered. "But I rather you be different than dead. Because I'll be different too."
Schuldig heard the door close behind him and he slammed a fist into the bed. This was going to be difficult...
Crawford lay in bed, staring up at his ceiling. The vision hadn't changed. He could still tap in to it and see himself restrained and Geheim beating Schuldig to his death. And since he could only see the near future....He rolled over and froze as he heard his name called. It was in his head, he was sure, but it wasn't Schuldig...
The young German had become restless and was now wandering the halls. His ribs still ached slightly, but otherwise he felt perfectly fine. His mind raced over and over the fact that he was leaving soon, leaving Brad, leaving Jack, Amy, and Abby. An Assassin of all things too. He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice figure lurking in the now dark shadows of Rosenkruez's hallway.
Brad sat up in bed, pushing the sheets aside. He could still hear his name, calling him towards the staircase he'd gone down earlier. He got out of bed, pulling a shirt over his pajama bottoms. He went down the hall.
Schuldig didn't have time to use his speed as hands grabbed him and held firm. A hand clamping down over his mouth muffled his surprised scream and a thick blanket of fog covered his mind from communication.
Brad got to the stairwell and immediately noticed that the door was already partially open. He vaguely remembered the Geheim had to unlock it earlier. He pushed it the rest of the way open and descended it quickly.
At the bottom of the stairs, Geheim was standing, smirking and staring at the young German boy held by a couple of teachers. He had ceased struggling and now stood, defeat written on his face.
Brad froze. His worst vision was about to come to pass. Scheisse! Schuldig... He locked eyes with the younger boy briefly before gazing at Geheim. "What are you doing?"
Schuldig struggled once more against the two teachers. Geheim smiled sadistically. "Did Schuldig here tell you how his parents died?" he asked the young American.
Brad's gaze didn't waver. "No, he didn't. It's really none of my business."
"But it does have to do with what's going on here." The smile broadened. Schuldig's eyes widened and he struggled harder, squirming away from the hand over his mouth.
"STOP!" he yelled, fear lacing his voice.
"Truth is," Geheim continued, "Schuldig himself doesn't remember how he killed them. He's blocked it from his memory."
"What does that have to do with what's going on here? That happened a long time ago, from what I understood. Maybe you should leave it alone." Brad said, edging closer.
"But wouldn't it be interesting to know how such a young and untrained telepath could have killed someone. Two someones."
"Please stop," Schuldig whimpered. He felt Geheim probing his mind and memories for what he was looking for.
"No, I wouldn't call it interesting." Brad spat. Now would have been a good time to be telekinetic, he lamented. He edged even closer. He had to stop the man.
Geheim took the young German by the wrist, holding him so that his feet didn't touch the ground. He smirked as Schuldig's eyes went blank. "And I've found what I'm looking for."
"Schuldig? Schuldig!" Brad made a quick lunge forward. "What did you do to him?"
A physical block formed between Geheim and Brad Crawford. The elder man was holding the now limp boy by the wrist. Schuldig suddenly jerked violently, memories surfacing.
Brad pushed against the invisible barrier separating him from Schuldig. He bit his lip and watched as the German twitched, still held in Geheim's grasp. "Please leave him alone. Don't do this to him."
Several tears streamed down the German's pale face. His eyes were wide and frightened. The memories of his parents' death was vivid to him mind's eye. A mental scream sounded in both Geheim and Brad's head, soon followed by another, though aloud this time.
"Schuldig!" Brad shouted. He slammed his fists against the barrier, but it did nothing.
Geheim turned an evil stare on him. "Wouldn't it be a shame if the same thing happened to you?"
Schuldig went limp and Geheim dropped him to the ground, kicking him the ribs. The young telepath groaned slightly, but was otherwise silent.
Brad kneeled, still pressing against the barrier, trying to reach his friend. He glared up at Geheim. "What same thing? What happened?" he growled.
"Schuldig buried his past so deeply in his mind that he could no longer remember it. I simply pulled it out and forced him to realize what he did. He was -" he looked down at the young teen who was slowly coming back to consciousness- "is responsible for the death of his parents."
The oracle narrowed his eyes. "Or you've manipulated him to think like that. He wouldn't do something like that. Not Schuldig." he said firmly.
Golden eyes met dark blue ones. "I did," he whispered. "He's right."
"No. He's not. I'm not going to believe it," he murmured.
"I didn't mean to," the telepath whispered. "It was an accident..."
Suddenly, the American felt the barrier thin beneath his hands. He pushed harder against it. He was so close...
Tears came more freely down the German's face. "It was an accident," he mumbled again.
"Schuldig," Brad whispered.
Geheim frowned as he realized there was another force in the room, weakening his barrier. He motioned to some of the teacher still in the room to grab Brad and hold him back.
Geheim picked Schuldig up off the ground again and tossed him into the wall. It's your fault, Schuldig, he mentally whispered. Why don't you pay for your sins now and die here?
"What do you want me to say, Schuldig? He'll kill you if you stay. You'll be safer if you go."
"Then you have to come with me."
"I can't. Julia's only taking one. Her partner is coming back for somebody else next year. I saw it."
"I don't think I'd make it as an assassin.... I can't kill..."
"Kill or be killed. Isn't that the cliché?"
"I won't kill then."
"Do this for me, Schuldig. I've known you less than a week and I already have nightmares about what he'll do to you if you don't go."
Schuldig looked away. "Fine," he growled. "But if we ever meet again, I won't be the same person."
Brad touched his face before standing to go. "I know." he whispered. "But I rather you be different than dead. Because I'll be different too."
Schuldig heard the door close behind him and he slammed a fist into the bed. This was going to be difficult...
Crawford lay in bed, staring up at his ceiling. The vision hadn't changed. He could still tap in to it and see himself restrained and Geheim beating Schuldig to his death. And since he could only see the near future....He rolled over and froze as he heard his name called. It was in his head, he was sure, but it wasn't Schuldig...
The young German had become restless and was now wandering the halls. His ribs still ached slightly, but otherwise he felt perfectly fine. His mind raced over and over the fact that he was leaving soon, leaving Brad, leaving Jack, Amy, and Abby. An Assassin of all things too. He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice figure lurking in the now dark shadows of Rosenkruez's hallway.
Brad sat up in bed, pushing the sheets aside. He could still hear his name, calling him towards the staircase he'd gone down earlier. He got out of bed, pulling a shirt over his pajama bottoms. He went down the hall.
Schuldig didn't have time to use his speed as hands grabbed him and held firm. A hand clamping down over his mouth muffled his surprised scream and a thick blanket of fog covered his mind from communication.
Brad got to the stairwell and immediately noticed that the door was already partially open. He vaguely remembered the Geheim had to unlock it earlier. He pushed it the rest of the way open and descended it quickly.
At the bottom of the stairs, Geheim was standing, smirking and staring at the young German boy held by a couple of teachers. He had ceased struggling and now stood, defeat written on his face.
Brad froze. His worst vision was about to come to pass. Scheisse! Schuldig... He locked eyes with the younger boy briefly before gazing at Geheim. "What are you doing?"
Schuldig struggled once more against the two teachers. Geheim smiled sadistically. "Did Schuldig here tell you how his parents died?" he asked the young American.
Brad's gaze didn't waver. "No, he didn't. It's really none of my business."
"But it does have to do with what's going on here." The smile broadened. Schuldig's eyes widened and he struggled harder, squirming away from the hand over his mouth.
"STOP!" he yelled, fear lacing his voice.
"Truth is," Geheim continued, "Schuldig himself doesn't remember how he killed them. He's blocked it from his memory."
"What does that have to do with what's going on here? That happened a long time ago, from what I understood. Maybe you should leave it alone." Brad said, edging closer.
"But wouldn't it be interesting to know how such a young and untrained telepath could have killed someone. Two someones."
"Please stop," Schuldig whimpered. He felt Geheim probing his mind and memories for what he was looking for.
"No, I wouldn't call it interesting." Brad spat. Now would have been a good time to be telekinetic, he lamented. He edged even closer. He had to stop the man.
Geheim took the young German by the wrist, holding him so that his feet didn't touch the ground. He smirked as Schuldig's eyes went blank. "And I've found what I'm looking for."
"Schuldig? Schuldig!" Brad made a quick lunge forward. "What did you do to him?"
A physical block formed between Geheim and Brad Crawford. The elder man was holding the now limp boy by the wrist. Schuldig suddenly jerked violently, memories surfacing.
Brad pushed against the invisible barrier separating him from Schuldig. He bit his lip and watched as the German twitched, still held in Geheim's grasp. "Please leave him alone. Don't do this to him."
Several tears streamed down the German's pale face. His eyes were wide and frightened. The memories of his parents' death was vivid to him mind's eye. A mental scream sounded in both Geheim and Brad's head, soon followed by another, though aloud this time.
"Schuldig!" Brad shouted. He slammed his fists against the barrier, but it did nothing.
Geheim turned an evil stare on him. "Wouldn't it be a shame if the same thing happened to you?"
Schuldig went limp and Geheim dropped him to the ground, kicking him the ribs. The young telepath groaned slightly, but was otherwise silent.
Brad kneeled, still pressing against the barrier, trying to reach his friend. He glared up at Geheim. "What same thing? What happened?" he growled.
"Schuldig buried his past so deeply in his mind that he could no longer remember it. I simply pulled it out and forced him to realize what he did. He was -" he looked down at the young teen who was slowly coming back to consciousness- "is responsible for the death of his parents."
The oracle narrowed his eyes. "Or you've manipulated him to think like that. He wouldn't do something like that. Not Schuldig." he said firmly.
Golden eyes met dark blue ones. "I did," he whispered. "He's right."
"No. He's not. I'm not going to believe it," he murmured.
"I didn't mean to," the telepath whispered. "It was an accident..."
Suddenly, the American felt the barrier thin beneath his hands. He pushed harder against it. He was so close...
Tears came more freely down the German's face. "It was an accident," he mumbled again.
"Schuldig," Brad whispered.
Geheim frowned as he realized there was another force in the room, weakening his barrier. He motioned to some of the teacher still in the room to grab Brad and hold him back.
Geheim picked Schuldig up off the ground again and tossed him into the wall. It's your fault, Schuldig, he mentally whispered. Why don't you pay for your sins now and die here?