Chapter 20
You'd think I'd be getting used to being disarmed, tied up, handcuffed and knocked out. It's happened like what, twenty-fife to thirty times? Maybe it's just one of those things that refuses to get into the normal category. In any case I was just about finished waking up from the 'knocked out' part and I had a horrible headache.
I wasn't sure where I was. It was somewhere dark, and probably in the base. I heard someone else groaning, showing that they were probably just now waking up. I knew that I had been conscience for awhile, I just hadn't been able to think. What ever the zombie guys had hit me with it was hard, and I'd probably have a nice size bump on my head if I live long enough for it to form.
Breathing slowly I really made myself think. I didn't bother checking for weapons. I didn't have any, simple as that. I was lying on my back on what felt like cement, and it was cold. I could feel that my jacket was gone, which explained why I was cold. I couldn't hear anything but the breathing of whoever else was in the room. Someone was moving around, and when my mouth stopped being so very dry I'd say something.
I didn't bother to check the room psychically. I didn't have the energy. Not to mention if I went up against Gabriel and he tried to pull anything I'd have a very hard time stopping him. I needed to save every ounce of power I had.
"Who else is here?" I finally managed to croak.
There was a pause, and I heard the breathing quiet before its owner answered. "Me," Jack said.
"'Me' could be any number of people," I stated even though I knew it was him.
"Yeah well," he muttered, "in this case it's just me so leave me alone. I'm trying to figure out what's going on."
"Gabriel broke into your base and caught us," I explained.
I could see him but I could almost feel Jack smirk. "Yeah well, you make it sound so simple."
I nodded before remembering that he couldn't see me, either. "It is kind of simple. We're caught. Zombie guys knocked me out again. I'm not in a hospital and I'm all tied up. So unless you have a key for my hand cuffs or a way to get out of the ropes it's really simple."
"Yeah, right, whatever. I'm going to try to find a light switch," Jack muttered.
I shrugged, not caring that it was pitch black. "Don't step on anyone." For some reason I got the feeling that we weren't the only ones in the room.
Suddenly there was a sound very much like swoosh, and light flooded in.
I shut my eyes instantly, flinching at the brightness. "Turn the lights off," I muttered.
"Sorry, no can do," this time it wasn't Jack.
Slowly I pried my eyes open. Holding a hand up to try to keep in some darkness until my eyes could adjust I looked around. The room was all cement, ceiling and walls included. Probably some basement. It was filled with dust, showing that it wasn't used much. The door wasn't a regular swing open one, but one of the ones that slid open at the push of a button. A lot of doors were like that. Just not usually in this base. Then again I was assuming we'd never left.
"Gabriel, go away," I said, knowing he wouldn't listen.
Jack's legs weren't tied like mine. He was sitting up against the wall, his red hair a mess, dressed entirely in black. He looked like he always did, except that he looked very ticked off. If he wasn't tied up he'd probably be jumping at Gabriel.
Gabriel, on the other hand, looked as clean and orderly as always. The main difference in his appearance was that he was dressed almost entirely in white. From his shirt to his slacks, and even his glasses, which I didn't think he really needed, he was completely white. I blinked in surprise.
A second glance around the room and I spotted Matt. His coat was gone, and I could guess why: too many hidden weapons. Matt had been stripped down to a tank top and his pants. His shoes, belt, anything metal, it was all gone. Zechs was also here. He was lying near the door, looking as if he was just tossed in. He was dressed normally, for sure weaponless as well.
"What do you want, Gab?" Jack asked.
Gabriel gave him a bored look before turning back to me. "Did you ever get a chance to look over that disk?" he asked as he walked into the room. Two men followed, stepping right inside as the door shut.
I shook my head. "How would I have time? You of all people know that I haven't been home long enough to do anything."
Gabriel shrugged. "That's right. You've been busy. How's your mom?"
I didn't say anything. Was he trying to taunt me? To be irritating? He was for sure irritating, but was that really what he wanted. Maybe there was a point he wasn't getting to. Maybe he was trying to get me to say something. Then again, maybe I was just brain storming unlikely scenarios for the hell of it.
"I'm going with Jack's question," I stated. "What do you want?"
"If I give you just one question is that still what you're going to ask?" Gabriel's question took me by surprise. I should have known not to be, though. He seemed to like asking the unusual, or at least bringing it up.
"No, it wouldn't. But I don't know if you're only going to ask one question or not, so I'm not asking another one," I said.
Gabriel smiled softly. "One question, then we'll go from there."
I took a moment to think, then shrugged. I really didn't care, so I might as well waste the question. Of course wasting it would be stupid, but did I really care? Main problem with Gabriel was that he made me think too much.
"Okay, um. what to ask.," I shrugged again. "Just wondering, because I'm not sure if I believe you, but did you make that kid ram his car into my mom's?"
Gabriel's smile widened just a little. "No," he said, not adding anything else to that topic, but instead motioned to one of his men. The man came forward and set a bag in front of Gabriel. I took a closer look and realized it was my backpack. Trying to move to a criss-cross sitting position I stared at it. What was he doing now? "How long before someone's going to call you, Alex?" Gabriel asked.
I paused. Why would he be waiting for a call? Or, to have a better question, who's call is he waiting for? "What time is it?" I asked.
"Just after nine," he said.
I blinked, looked for my watch, and saw it wasn't there. "I'm surprised no ones called already," I paused to think. "Has someone? Because I'd expect Julia or Dad or someone."
Gabriel shook his head. "Why would someone call? Is something happening tonight?"
I felt movement behind me and turned to see Matt sitting up. "Not that they know of," he muttered. His words were followed swiftly by a glare sent to Gabriel.
"They'd call to ask something, or tell me something, or any number of reasons," I said.
Gabriel nodded. He picked up my bag and started rummaging through it. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, and when he pulled out my cell phone I wasn't happy. "Does Julia have a pager?" he asked.
It was my turn to glare at him. "First thing. You never go through a woman's bag. You just don't do it. And second, of course she does. You probably even know the number, and if you don't you shouldn't ask 'cause there's no way I'm telling you," I said coldly. I didn't like people messing with my stuff.
Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by my phone ringing. I blinked in surprise. I could tell Gabriel wasn't expecting it either. At least we could change the conversation though. Quickly pulled something that looked like a mini speaker out of his pocket he hooked it up to the phone and hit the talk button.
"Hello? Alex? It's Julia," she paused.
"Julia-" I didn't see the guy until he put his hand over my mouth, shutting me up. I guess Gabriel must have told his men not to let me talk.
"Oh, good, I was afraid you wouldn't answer," Julia went on, "Good news. I think I've figured this out. It'll only take about another hour. I need someone to test it on though, and it might be somewhat dangerous, so I can't do it until I'm sure." She paused again, obviously waiting for my response.
No one said something for a moment until Jack spoke up. "Julia, hang up."
"What? Who's there?"
Gabriel grabbed the phone, taking it off the speaker. "No one important," he said. He paused while Julia said something. "Yes, she's here, but not able to talk at the moment. I'd love to take a message, but I wouldn't give it to her." He paused again. "Yes, I'm sure you will. I've got to go now. You can yell at me later." He clicked the phone off before turning to me. "Julia's mad."
I nodded as the man took his hand away from my mouth. "She can get that way."
"On the bright side, she might talk to Duo and he might come here. I'm sure someone's gotten news to him. Duo really was the one I was after on this little invasion, but picking up the four of you will help, also." Gabriel spoke so matter-of-factly that I wanted to hit him. Unfortunately I was still tied up. With a nod to the guy who was still standing by me Gabriel started walking towards the door.
The man pulled something out of pack attached to his belt. I watched him as he started to prepare something that to me looked confusing. Then I saw a needle being attached to something else and it turned into a nasty looking shot.
"What the." I muttered as I started to back away from the guy. He ignored me as he finished putting everything together. Matt was watching carefully and Jack was ignoring the situation. When the man was done he turned back to me. I was across the room from him now. He started walking towards me and I wasn't sure where I could crawl to.
I didn't like shots. I almost hated them. I would hate them if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't take hate lightly. I didn't like anything sharp and pointy, though, and shots fell into that category. The worst types were the ones that the bad guys wanted to give you. Nine out of ten times they weren't good. Then again, there is that one time which can help. I didn't know if this would be it or not.
I decided it would be best if I just sat here and let him do what he was going to. The second man hadn't left yet and I'm sure he would help the first if it became necessary. So when the guy knelt by me I clinched my eyes shut and waited. I never had been able to relax when this happened. It was supposed to hurt less if you just stayed calm but I had never been able to figure out whether or not that was true.
The man moved my arm so that he could press the needle against one of my larger veins. I hissed as he pressed down on the needle. Sharp pain filled my arm. I knew shots didn't last long, but they still hurt like hell for the few seconds that they took. And when it was over I felt stupid. All that worry over a little needle, and yet if he pulled out another one I'd be just as scared.
The man stood up slowly and walked towards the door.
"Wait," Jack called. The man paused a moment. "What was in the shot?"
The man turned and faced Jack. "The anti-virus," he stated. "Gabriel wanted to make sure that in case anything happened Alex wouldn't get killed right away."
"That's reassuring," I muttered. The man glanced at me before continuing towards the door. Both men left.
I counted to ten before I started moving. I didn't think that they'd come back for a while so I immediately started on getting my hands out from behind my back. It was hard to do, but I had figured out how to at least get my arms in front of me a while ago. The handcuffs were long enough that I could move so that I was sitting on my hands, then slowly start crawling backwards so that my hands ended up under my knees. My shoes were gone, too, so it was easy for me to slip my hands over my feet so that I could at least start on the knot that kept my legs together. It took me a few minutes to get through the knot, but I still managed.
"Anybody have a set of lock picks?" I asked hopefully. Jack and Matt both shook their heads. Frowning I stood up. The door would probably be locked, but I checked anyway. It was.
Glancing down at Zechs I noticed dry blood. My frown deepened as I knelt down beside him. Carefully I checked his head, finding a huge cut that had dried over but probably needed to be cleaned. His hair was all bloody and matted together. He probably needed a doctor to check it out but I doubted that Gabriel would help with that. After making sure that there was nothing I could do I sat back down, this time against the wall and near Zechs.
I wasn't sure exactly when I dozed off, but it hadn't taken me long to fall asleep.
I woke up to the sound of the door opening. The familiar swoosh happened and the extra light flew in. I blinked a few times before I checked to see who was there. Then I blinked a few times to make sure it was them.
"Hi, Julia," I said with a smile. "Duo," I nodded to him.
"What are you doing here?" snapped Jack. "Gabriel's could show up any moment it won't help if you're trapped too."
"Don't be such a pessimist. Besides, I didn't show up for you," Julia snapped back. "Come on Alex, we've gotta get out of here."
I stood up slowly. I felt better after some natural sleep but I wasn't up for running. "Take Zechs, he needs a doctor," I asked.
Julia looked him over and nodded. "Can't carry him myself." She looked around the room. Her eyes focused on Matt. "You," she pointed to him then said in her best commanding voice, "I need your help."
Matt stood up slowly. He looked Julia up and down before nodding. "Only if you have a lock-pick. I can't help you in handcuffs." Matt's voice was just as commanding and stubborn.
Julia shrugged and pulled out her wallet. After fishing through it and setting aside several credit cards she pulled out a thin, leather case and tossed it to Matt. He caught it easily and, after pulling out his choice of picks, started on his lock. When he was done he tossed it to me and when I was finished I handed it to Jack. Then it went back to Julia.
"Okay, are you all done?" Duo asked. We all said yes. He handed out guns as he started talking. "We can't go the same way. Matt, go with Julia, find away out and avoid everyone. Most of the guys in here are zombies, they won't normally bug you, but some will. Jack and Alex, you're with me." We split up and left.
As silently as possible we traveled through the halls. I didn't have time to ask how long I had been sleeping, but it must have been awhile for Julia and Duo to have had enough time to get in. We were able to keep to a somewhat strait route before we heard people coming, then we had to dash into a side room. We were in another meeting room so we just stayed here. It seemed as safe as anything else.
Someone tapped on the door. I looked up, surprised. They tapped again. I slowly drew my gun and waited. We hadn't locked the door, so there wouldn't be a long wait, and there wasn't. The door opened tight after the third tap and someone unexpected opened it. Mariemaia.
She stood in the doorway, her arms crossed as she stared at us smugly. Her red hair was cut just short enough to be pushed behind her ears and her blue eyes were hidden behind red tinted glasses. She was dressed casually in khakis and a blue sweatshirt, which was very rare for Marie.
I knew I had a look of extreme surprise on my face. It wasn't surprising considering the circumstances. Mariemaia couldn't walk. She was paraplegic. She'd been in a wheal chair sense before I was born, and yet here she was, standing right in front of me.
It took me a moment to look pass Marie, and then I wished I hadn't. Marie hadn't come alone. There were at least another ten people behind her. All of them being Gabriel's zombies. I didn't bother putting away my weapon. It was taken away in a matter of seconds. Handcuffs were slapped on us, stronger ones then they'd used before. I wouldn't be able to get out of these as easily.
"Well," Mariemaia said. She looked weight too smug as she stood leaning against the wall across from us. We hadn't left the room, most of the zombie guys left, leaving us with only three guards, not including Marie. "I didn't think you'd actually escape, Gabriel said you would, though." She seemed to be talking more to Jack than me. "Then again, you did have help." She glanced to Duo.
Jack shrugged. "What's your point?"
Frowning, Marie answered. "Nothing important, I just didn't think you'd make it this far." She brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "At least Duo showed up. That should make Gabriel happy. And if the others are caught it'll be even better."
"Then why don't you go look for them?" Duo asked.
Mariemaia laughed, as if to some inside joke. "Someone's got to control these guys. They're puppets without someone giving them orders. And at the moment, I'm giving them orders." I wondered exactly how that worked. Did Gabriel have to tell them to listen to her? Did he somehow hand over the controls? And if he did, how much control did Mariemaia have on them?
"So you can't leave?" Jack asked.
Marie shrugged. "I could, if I wanted to, but then you wouldn't be able to move, talk, or do just about anything without getting shot. I don't think you really want that."
"I don't think you really care," I murmured under my breath. Marie shot me a glare. Maybe I could tick her off and get her to leave. Then at least I could see what's up with the zombies, or at least see if I could do anything.
"Maybe I will leave," Marie threatened. I stared blankly. I didn't want to ask her to go, that would be too obvious, but I had the feeling that if I ticked her off enough she would head out.
I stopped staring blankly and actually looked at her. Meeting Marie's eyes I allowed myself a slight smile. "Would you please? I really don't want to have to listen to you. It's not like you're saying anything interesting."
A few more seconds of glaring passed. "Fine." She turned on her heals and strode towards the door. Pausing right before she left she turned to one of the men. I saw her staring at him, I felt something more. She was passing some order to him, but it wasn't natural. It wasn't her own power, it was borrowed.
She turned back to me. "Don't move," she cautioned. Then she left.
No one said anything, but the zombies were staring at us. It was very uncomfortable, but I could still work in the situation. If I was lucky I might be able to do something important.
I closed my eyes and took a breath. Focusing on one of the men I stepped into the psychic plain. I felt everyone nearby. Duo and Jack were right next to me. They were normal, everyday lights in the plain. I could feel Mariemaia walking away. I could also feel every zombie in the place. They stood out like soar thumbs, drawing my attention. They weren't the normal pockets of warmth, of light, but miniature black holes, a lot of little Gabriels.
Just the thought of him brought my attention to him. I couldn't place where he was, he had himself hidden, but I could feel his power. It swirled around the base, infecting all of the zombies, keeping them in line with him and sending them orders. Some of them he skipped over. They were getting their power from alternate sources. He'd handed out some of his henchmen to other people, one of which was Mariemaia. What all of this meant was simple. The zombies in the room weren't listening to Gabriel, and I could easily over take any of Marie's problems.
So I turned my thoughts back to one of the men. All of Marie's were mentally attached to each other. If you gave one an order, they'd all do what they could to do it. Of course, if it only took two of them the rest would just stand there. Their minds, or what was left of them, spent their entire time figuring out the best ways to follow orders.
'You,' I said telepathically to one of the men. 'Take off my handcuffs.'
The man didn't move, but one of the other men did. He walked up to me and pulled out a key. Quickly and efficiently he took the handcuffs off, then stood waiting for another order. If I had known it would be this easy I would have done it when Marie was still in the room.
'Don't shot me, or either of my friends. Don't attack us or hurt us. Don't try to capture us again.' I pushed those commands so far into their minds I was sure they would obey them. None of them moved, but I hadn't told them to. 'Unhandcuff my friends. Then give me the keys.' They obeyed. 'Give each of us a gun. Stay here if any of us ask you for anything or to do something, do as you're told.' Again they followed directions. I pulled out of the psychic plain.
"You can talk now," I said. Both of them were just staring at me as if I'd done something crazy. I didn't have the energy to explain. I'd used up more energy then I thought I would. Suddenly I was so tired I was sure I would stand much longer. My legs started to wobble and I could feel myself blacking out.
I began to fall, and someone caught me. "Alex? What's wrong?" I heard Jack ask. I just let him hold me up. It made me feel safe, and I was too exhausted to do anything else.
Then I did pass out.
Hey! Another chapter, and I finished sooner than I thought I would. *Cheers* I haven't been able to check for reviews so thanks to all who reviewed! *Thanks everyone* and I growl to all who haven't (except for Mooncancer because you reviewed enough that it's okay ^.^). Umm. do you like the chapter? I've been writing a lot within the last two days so I managed to get this done rather quickly, finished it last night actually, and I'm working on another story (not gundam wing related) that I think I'm going to put up after I finish this one. Anyway I think I only have one chapter and an epilogue next. I'll have it up in a week or two. Thanks for reading!
~Rave
You'd think I'd be getting used to being disarmed, tied up, handcuffed and knocked out. It's happened like what, twenty-fife to thirty times? Maybe it's just one of those things that refuses to get into the normal category. In any case I was just about finished waking up from the 'knocked out' part and I had a horrible headache.
I wasn't sure where I was. It was somewhere dark, and probably in the base. I heard someone else groaning, showing that they were probably just now waking up. I knew that I had been conscience for awhile, I just hadn't been able to think. What ever the zombie guys had hit me with it was hard, and I'd probably have a nice size bump on my head if I live long enough for it to form.
Breathing slowly I really made myself think. I didn't bother checking for weapons. I didn't have any, simple as that. I was lying on my back on what felt like cement, and it was cold. I could feel that my jacket was gone, which explained why I was cold. I couldn't hear anything but the breathing of whoever else was in the room. Someone was moving around, and when my mouth stopped being so very dry I'd say something.
I didn't bother to check the room psychically. I didn't have the energy. Not to mention if I went up against Gabriel and he tried to pull anything I'd have a very hard time stopping him. I needed to save every ounce of power I had.
"Who else is here?" I finally managed to croak.
There was a pause, and I heard the breathing quiet before its owner answered. "Me," Jack said.
"'Me' could be any number of people," I stated even though I knew it was him.
"Yeah well," he muttered, "in this case it's just me so leave me alone. I'm trying to figure out what's going on."
"Gabriel broke into your base and caught us," I explained.
I could see him but I could almost feel Jack smirk. "Yeah well, you make it sound so simple."
I nodded before remembering that he couldn't see me, either. "It is kind of simple. We're caught. Zombie guys knocked me out again. I'm not in a hospital and I'm all tied up. So unless you have a key for my hand cuffs or a way to get out of the ropes it's really simple."
"Yeah, right, whatever. I'm going to try to find a light switch," Jack muttered.
I shrugged, not caring that it was pitch black. "Don't step on anyone." For some reason I got the feeling that we weren't the only ones in the room.
Suddenly there was a sound very much like swoosh, and light flooded in.
I shut my eyes instantly, flinching at the brightness. "Turn the lights off," I muttered.
"Sorry, no can do," this time it wasn't Jack.
Slowly I pried my eyes open. Holding a hand up to try to keep in some darkness until my eyes could adjust I looked around. The room was all cement, ceiling and walls included. Probably some basement. It was filled with dust, showing that it wasn't used much. The door wasn't a regular swing open one, but one of the ones that slid open at the push of a button. A lot of doors were like that. Just not usually in this base. Then again I was assuming we'd never left.
"Gabriel, go away," I said, knowing he wouldn't listen.
Jack's legs weren't tied like mine. He was sitting up against the wall, his red hair a mess, dressed entirely in black. He looked like he always did, except that he looked very ticked off. If he wasn't tied up he'd probably be jumping at Gabriel.
Gabriel, on the other hand, looked as clean and orderly as always. The main difference in his appearance was that he was dressed almost entirely in white. From his shirt to his slacks, and even his glasses, which I didn't think he really needed, he was completely white. I blinked in surprise.
A second glance around the room and I spotted Matt. His coat was gone, and I could guess why: too many hidden weapons. Matt had been stripped down to a tank top and his pants. His shoes, belt, anything metal, it was all gone. Zechs was also here. He was lying near the door, looking as if he was just tossed in. He was dressed normally, for sure weaponless as well.
"What do you want, Gab?" Jack asked.
Gabriel gave him a bored look before turning back to me. "Did you ever get a chance to look over that disk?" he asked as he walked into the room. Two men followed, stepping right inside as the door shut.
I shook my head. "How would I have time? You of all people know that I haven't been home long enough to do anything."
Gabriel shrugged. "That's right. You've been busy. How's your mom?"
I didn't say anything. Was he trying to taunt me? To be irritating? He was for sure irritating, but was that really what he wanted. Maybe there was a point he wasn't getting to. Maybe he was trying to get me to say something. Then again, maybe I was just brain storming unlikely scenarios for the hell of it.
"I'm going with Jack's question," I stated. "What do you want?"
"If I give you just one question is that still what you're going to ask?" Gabriel's question took me by surprise. I should have known not to be, though. He seemed to like asking the unusual, or at least bringing it up.
"No, it wouldn't. But I don't know if you're only going to ask one question or not, so I'm not asking another one," I said.
Gabriel smiled softly. "One question, then we'll go from there."
I took a moment to think, then shrugged. I really didn't care, so I might as well waste the question. Of course wasting it would be stupid, but did I really care? Main problem with Gabriel was that he made me think too much.
"Okay, um. what to ask.," I shrugged again. "Just wondering, because I'm not sure if I believe you, but did you make that kid ram his car into my mom's?"
Gabriel's smile widened just a little. "No," he said, not adding anything else to that topic, but instead motioned to one of his men. The man came forward and set a bag in front of Gabriel. I took a closer look and realized it was my backpack. Trying to move to a criss-cross sitting position I stared at it. What was he doing now? "How long before someone's going to call you, Alex?" Gabriel asked.
I paused. Why would he be waiting for a call? Or, to have a better question, who's call is he waiting for? "What time is it?" I asked.
"Just after nine," he said.
I blinked, looked for my watch, and saw it wasn't there. "I'm surprised no ones called already," I paused to think. "Has someone? Because I'd expect Julia or Dad or someone."
Gabriel shook his head. "Why would someone call? Is something happening tonight?"
I felt movement behind me and turned to see Matt sitting up. "Not that they know of," he muttered. His words were followed swiftly by a glare sent to Gabriel.
"They'd call to ask something, or tell me something, or any number of reasons," I said.
Gabriel nodded. He picked up my bag and started rummaging through it. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, and when he pulled out my cell phone I wasn't happy. "Does Julia have a pager?" he asked.
It was my turn to glare at him. "First thing. You never go through a woman's bag. You just don't do it. And second, of course she does. You probably even know the number, and if you don't you shouldn't ask 'cause there's no way I'm telling you," I said coldly. I didn't like people messing with my stuff.
Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by my phone ringing. I blinked in surprise. I could tell Gabriel wasn't expecting it either. At least we could change the conversation though. Quickly pulled something that looked like a mini speaker out of his pocket he hooked it up to the phone and hit the talk button.
"Hello? Alex? It's Julia," she paused.
"Julia-" I didn't see the guy until he put his hand over my mouth, shutting me up. I guess Gabriel must have told his men not to let me talk.
"Oh, good, I was afraid you wouldn't answer," Julia went on, "Good news. I think I've figured this out. It'll only take about another hour. I need someone to test it on though, and it might be somewhat dangerous, so I can't do it until I'm sure." She paused again, obviously waiting for my response.
No one said something for a moment until Jack spoke up. "Julia, hang up."
"What? Who's there?"
Gabriel grabbed the phone, taking it off the speaker. "No one important," he said. He paused while Julia said something. "Yes, she's here, but not able to talk at the moment. I'd love to take a message, but I wouldn't give it to her." He paused again. "Yes, I'm sure you will. I've got to go now. You can yell at me later." He clicked the phone off before turning to me. "Julia's mad."
I nodded as the man took his hand away from my mouth. "She can get that way."
"On the bright side, she might talk to Duo and he might come here. I'm sure someone's gotten news to him. Duo really was the one I was after on this little invasion, but picking up the four of you will help, also." Gabriel spoke so matter-of-factly that I wanted to hit him. Unfortunately I was still tied up. With a nod to the guy who was still standing by me Gabriel started walking towards the door.
The man pulled something out of pack attached to his belt. I watched him as he started to prepare something that to me looked confusing. Then I saw a needle being attached to something else and it turned into a nasty looking shot.
"What the." I muttered as I started to back away from the guy. He ignored me as he finished putting everything together. Matt was watching carefully and Jack was ignoring the situation. When the man was done he turned back to me. I was across the room from him now. He started walking towards me and I wasn't sure where I could crawl to.
I didn't like shots. I almost hated them. I would hate them if it wasn't for the fact that I didn't take hate lightly. I didn't like anything sharp and pointy, though, and shots fell into that category. The worst types were the ones that the bad guys wanted to give you. Nine out of ten times they weren't good. Then again, there is that one time which can help. I didn't know if this would be it or not.
I decided it would be best if I just sat here and let him do what he was going to. The second man hadn't left yet and I'm sure he would help the first if it became necessary. So when the guy knelt by me I clinched my eyes shut and waited. I never had been able to relax when this happened. It was supposed to hurt less if you just stayed calm but I had never been able to figure out whether or not that was true.
The man moved my arm so that he could press the needle against one of my larger veins. I hissed as he pressed down on the needle. Sharp pain filled my arm. I knew shots didn't last long, but they still hurt like hell for the few seconds that they took. And when it was over I felt stupid. All that worry over a little needle, and yet if he pulled out another one I'd be just as scared.
The man stood up slowly and walked towards the door.
"Wait," Jack called. The man paused a moment. "What was in the shot?"
The man turned and faced Jack. "The anti-virus," he stated. "Gabriel wanted to make sure that in case anything happened Alex wouldn't get killed right away."
"That's reassuring," I muttered. The man glanced at me before continuing towards the door. Both men left.
I counted to ten before I started moving. I didn't think that they'd come back for a while so I immediately started on getting my hands out from behind my back. It was hard to do, but I had figured out how to at least get my arms in front of me a while ago. The handcuffs were long enough that I could move so that I was sitting on my hands, then slowly start crawling backwards so that my hands ended up under my knees. My shoes were gone, too, so it was easy for me to slip my hands over my feet so that I could at least start on the knot that kept my legs together. It took me a few minutes to get through the knot, but I still managed.
"Anybody have a set of lock picks?" I asked hopefully. Jack and Matt both shook their heads. Frowning I stood up. The door would probably be locked, but I checked anyway. It was.
Glancing down at Zechs I noticed dry blood. My frown deepened as I knelt down beside him. Carefully I checked his head, finding a huge cut that had dried over but probably needed to be cleaned. His hair was all bloody and matted together. He probably needed a doctor to check it out but I doubted that Gabriel would help with that. After making sure that there was nothing I could do I sat back down, this time against the wall and near Zechs.
I wasn't sure exactly when I dozed off, but it hadn't taken me long to fall asleep.
I woke up to the sound of the door opening. The familiar swoosh happened and the extra light flew in. I blinked a few times before I checked to see who was there. Then I blinked a few times to make sure it was them.
"Hi, Julia," I said with a smile. "Duo," I nodded to him.
"What are you doing here?" snapped Jack. "Gabriel's could show up any moment it won't help if you're trapped too."
"Don't be such a pessimist. Besides, I didn't show up for you," Julia snapped back. "Come on Alex, we've gotta get out of here."
I stood up slowly. I felt better after some natural sleep but I wasn't up for running. "Take Zechs, he needs a doctor," I asked.
Julia looked him over and nodded. "Can't carry him myself." She looked around the room. Her eyes focused on Matt. "You," she pointed to him then said in her best commanding voice, "I need your help."
Matt stood up slowly. He looked Julia up and down before nodding. "Only if you have a lock-pick. I can't help you in handcuffs." Matt's voice was just as commanding and stubborn.
Julia shrugged and pulled out her wallet. After fishing through it and setting aside several credit cards she pulled out a thin, leather case and tossed it to Matt. He caught it easily and, after pulling out his choice of picks, started on his lock. When he was done he tossed it to me and when I was finished I handed it to Jack. Then it went back to Julia.
"Okay, are you all done?" Duo asked. We all said yes. He handed out guns as he started talking. "We can't go the same way. Matt, go with Julia, find away out and avoid everyone. Most of the guys in here are zombies, they won't normally bug you, but some will. Jack and Alex, you're with me." We split up and left.
As silently as possible we traveled through the halls. I didn't have time to ask how long I had been sleeping, but it must have been awhile for Julia and Duo to have had enough time to get in. We were able to keep to a somewhat strait route before we heard people coming, then we had to dash into a side room. We were in another meeting room so we just stayed here. It seemed as safe as anything else.
Someone tapped on the door. I looked up, surprised. They tapped again. I slowly drew my gun and waited. We hadn't locked the door, so there wouldn't be a long wait, and there wasn't. The door opened tight after the third tap and someone unexpected opened it. Mariemaia.
She stood in the doorway, her arms crossed as she stared at us smugly. Her red hair was cut just short enough to be pushed behind her ears and her blue eyes were hidden behind red tinted glasses. She was dressed casually in khakis and a blue sweatshirt, which was very rare for Marie.
I knew I had a look of extreme surprise on my face. It wasn't surprising considering the circumstances. Mariemaia couldn't walk. She was paraplegic. She'd been in a wheal chair sense before I was born, and yet here she was, standing right in front of me.
It took me a moment to look pass Marie, and then I wished I hadn't. Marie hadn't come alone. There were at least another ten people behind her. All of them being Gabriel's zombies. I didn't bother putting away my weapon. It was taken away in a matter of seconds. Handcuffs were slapped on us, stronger ones then they'd used before. I wouldn't be able to get out of these as easily.
"Well," Mariemaia said. She looked weight too smug as she stood leaning against the wall across from us. We hadn't left the room, most of the zombie guys left, leaving us with only three guards, not including Marie. "I didn't think you'd actually escape, Gabriel said you would, though." She seemed to be talking more to Jack than me. "Then again, you did have help." She glanced to Duo.
Jack shrugged. "What's your point?"
Frowning, Marie answered. "Nothing important, I just didn't think you'd make it this far." She brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "At least Duo showed up. That should make Gabriel happy. And if the others are caught it'll be even better."
"Then why don't you go look for them?" Duo asked.
Mariemaia laughed, as if to some inside joke. "Someone's got to control these guys. They're puppets without someone giving them orders. And at the moment, I'm giving them orders." I wondered exactly how that worked. Did Gabriel have to tell them to listen to her? Did he somehow hand over the controls? And if he did, how much control did Mariemaia have on them?
"So you can't leave?" Jack asked.
Marie shrugged. "I could, if I wanted to, but then you wouldn't be able to move, talk, or do just about anything without getting shot. I don't think you really want that."
"I don't think you really care," I murmured under my breath. Marie shot me a glare. Maybe I could tick her off and get her to leave. Then at least I could see what's up with the zombies, or at least see if I could do anything.
"Maybe I will leave," Marie threatened. I stared blankly. I didn't want to ask her to go, that would be too obvious, but I had the feeling that if I ticked her off enough she would head out.
I stopped staring blankly and actually looked at her. Meeting Marie's eyes I allowed myself a slight smile. "Would you please? I really don't want to have to listen to you. It's not like you're saying anything interesting."
A few more seconds of glaring passed. "Fine." She turned on her heals and strode towards the door. Pausing right before she left she turned to one of the men. I saw her staring at him, I felt something more. She was passing some order to him, but it wasn't natural. It wasn't her own power, it was borrowed.
She turned back to me. "Don't move," she cautioned. Then she left.
No one said anything, but the zombies were staring at us. It was very uncomfortable, but I could still work in the situation. If I was lucky I might be able to do something important.
I closed my eyes and took a breath. Focusing on one of the men I stepped into the psychic plain. I felt everyone nearby. Duo and Jack were right next to me. They were normal, everyday lights in the plain. I could feel Mariemaia walking away. I could also feel every zombie in the place. They stood out like soar thumbs, drawing my attention. They weren't the normal pockets of warmth, of light, but miniature black holes, a lot of little Gabriels.
Just the thought of him brought my attention to him. I couldn't place where he was, he had himself hidden, but I could feel his power. It swirled around the base, infecting all of the zombies, keeping them in line with him and sending them orders. Some of them he skipped over. They were getting their power from alternate sources. He'd handed out some of his henchmen to other people, one of which was Mariemaia. What all of this meant was simple. The zombies in the room weren't listening to Gabriel, and I could easily over take any of Marie's problems.
So I turned my thoughts back to one of the men. All of Marie's were mentally attached to each other. If you gave one an order, they'd all do what they could to do it. Of course, if it only took two of them the rest would just stand there. Their minds, or what was left of them, spent their entire time figuring out the best ways to follow orders.
'You,' I said telepathically to one of the men. 'Take off my handcuffs.'
The man didn't move, but one of the other men did. He walked up to me and pulled out a key. Quickly and efficiently he took the handcuffs off, then stood waiting for another order. If I had known it would be this easy I would have done it when Marie was still in the room.
'Don't shot me, or either of my friends. Don't attack us or hurt us. Don't try to capture us again.' I pushed those commands so far into their minds I was sure they would obey them. None of them moved, but I hadn't told them to. 'Unhandcuff my friends. Then give me the keys.' They obeyed. 'Give each of us a gun. Stay here if any of us ask you for anything or to do something, do as you're told.' Again they followed directions. I pulled out of the psychic plain.
"You can talk now," I said. Both of them were just staring at me as if I'd done something crazy. I didn't have the energy to explain. I'd used up more energy then I thought I would. Suddenly I was so tired I was sure I would stand much longer. My legs started to wobble and I could feel myself blacking out.
I began to fall, and someone caught me. "Alex? What's wrong?" I heard Jack ask. I just let him hold me up. It made me feel safe, and I was too exhausted to do anything else.
Then I did pass out.
Hey! Another chapter, and I finished sooner than I thought I would. *Cheers* I haven't been able to check for reviews so thanks to all who reviewed! *Thanks everyone* and I growl to all who haven't (except for Mooncancer because you reviewed enough that it's okay ^.^). Umm. do you like the chapter? I've been writing a lot within the last two days so I managed to get this done rather quickly, finished it last night actually, and I'm working on another story (not gundam wing related) that I think I'm going to put up after I finish this one. Anyway I think I only have one chapter and an epilogue next. I'll have it up in a week or two. Thanks for reading!
~Rave