Heero let his chin fall, his legs giving out as he choked and gagged,
coughing up blood as he tried to breathe. Two men held his arms, one on
each side, the third man stood before him. Heero was a human punching bag,
the wind being knocked out of him again and again moments after he could
finally take a breath. It was like the time he was sick and throwing up,
only this was more painful and from time to time, he'd be hit across the
face. Feeling his salty, helpless tears fall and roll down his cheeks, he
doubled over in pain and nearly fell to the floor with the force of the
next punch.
"You're pathetic! How am I supposed to have fun if you just start crying and give up before we even start?! I was told you were the Perfect Soldier! I was looking forward to this!" With each punch, his words were stressed. Taking a step back and grinning, he looked at his subordinates. "Drop him, he's not going anywhere."
Heero dropped to the metal floor harshly, wrapping his arms protectively around his ribs and curling into a ball as he shut his eyes tightly. Cathy couldn't help him and he knew and understood why, but he didn't want to have to face the pain alone. He didn't want to face it at all. The ex- pilot didn't even rebel when he was snatched up from the floor by the neck, his throat being crushed in the stronger man's hands. His eyes only searched, imploring the other for mercy.
Sneering and searching the boy's eyes as he began to pale, his cheeks doing the opposite and flushing as he struggled for air, he spoke. "Where the hell are the others, huh? Where are the other four Gundam Pilots hiding?"
Heero felt himself dropped again, a sharp pain ripping throughout his torso as his head hit the cold metal and snapped back. Closing his eyes, he coughed and gagged, struggling desperately to breath. "I-I don't know...." Coughing some more, he felt himself being dragged into the air by his arms and held up again.
Cracking his knuckles, the man smirked. "Fine, something simple then to help your memory. What are the codes for the L-3 colony to access the hidden weapons within the ruins?"
Taking in gasping yet pained breaths, he could feel pieces of his ribs move at odd angles within him with each breath, he swallowed and answered. "I don't know.... what you mean..." Groaning softly, he watched a blinding white flash before his eyes, then a bold red, yet he pushed back the oncoming darkness as he tried to breath again.
"You learn better than to fuck with me kid, everyone always does. What the hell are the codes?" Sneering, he caught the boy's desperate gaze before he punched him in the abdomen, watching his body jerk to the movements as blood and spit dropped to the floor, his eyes wide in pain and torment. "Make it easy on yourself, what are the damn codes?!"
Shaking his head, he struggled and finally took in a sharp breath, though it only caused him sheer agony. "I-I... don't... know. I'm not... a p- pilot.... I don't know... what y-you're talking.... talking about..." Feeling more tears fall from his eyes, he gave a soft cry as the OZ soldiers holding him only jerked him into standing up.
"Don't fucking *play* with me *kid* unless you want to *die*!" Delivering the final blow, he watched as 01's head rested on his shoulder, his eyes closed and blood seeping from the corners of his lips. He'd fallen unconscious, a lot of help that would be. And this was supposed to be the great, Perfect Soldier? More like a big baby. A child was stronger than he was! "Take him to the cell, we'll have another little chat later." Turning, he grabbed his shirt and threw it on, putting on his jacket and hat before walking out into the halls. As an OZ soldier, you were meant to carry yourself in uniform with pride and respect, the uniform clean and crisp.
§
At first, she only nursed her bruised and stinging cheek, yet at hearing the jingling of keys, Cathy stood quickly and glared at the door; ready to fight anyone who came to take her away. And she'd fight when Heero came back, she wouldn't let them take him, not so easily. Forcing her discipline to remain as it was when she saw that Heero was unconscious as blood stained the front of his shirt and spilt slightly from his lips, she watched them without moving as they drug his limp body into the room by the neck of his shirt. They only dropped him to the floor, then left, laughing. A few seconds after the door was yanked shut, she rushed over to his side. "Heero!" Grabbing the pillow from the bed and the blanket, the young woman sat on the floor, laying Heero's head on the pillow on her lap, spreading the blanket over his pale and frozen body. His skin was literally icy to the touch, yet when she saw his flushed cheeks and checked his temperature, she found it to be soaring again. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Heero, I'm so sorry..." Blinking back her tears, Cathrine ripped part of her T-shirt sleeve and wiped the blood from her brother's lips, nursing the open cuts on his cheeks, all the while calling soft assurances and cooing gentle hopes in his deaf ears.
Heero struggled to take in each tormenting breath, hearing a voice in the distance, yet it wasn't harsh or from what he could tell. Letting a pitiful groan escape his lips, he tried to move but something held him back. With trembling lips and a shaken voice, he called for mercy. "....p- ple-please...."
Running her fingers down the side of his cheek and speaking quickly after a startling moment , she cooed softly in his ear. "Shhh, it's okay Heero, this is Cathy. You're safe now and here with me, it's okay. We're in the cell. Don't move, you're hurt. Go ahead and lay still and rest, shhh, it's okay." Gently brushing his bangs from his eyes, she watched them flutter open in a forced movement.
Trying to focus his gaze, the young teen stared up into the face of his sister, smiling ever so slightly as he tried to speak. Taking another breath, all that was heard was a loud and pained groan escape his lips, he'd inhaled too much. ".... m-make the hurt... stop C-Cathy..."
Biting her lower lip, the young woman watched him. "Did they hurt you again like they did before Heero?" She didn't really want to hear the answer to such a question, but she had to know to take care of him.
Shaking his head though it left him light-headed, he forced a whisper. "... just... just hit me..."
Letting her breath out, she but pursed her lips. "That's not good either, but it's better than what could have happened. I'm going to see where you're hurt little brother, just stay still, but I'm not sure if I can do much." Gently lifting the pillow, she slid her legs from under it and placed it on the floor, crawling on her knees to his left side and faced him, he'd already closed his eyes, one was swollen, black and purple bruises surrounding it in a circle, other bruises on his cheeks and chin, dark and ominous shapes on his neck. The bruises stood in the shape of a many fingered hand, probably from having been grabbed by the throat more than once. Pulling the blanket back and resting it at his waist, she slowly lifted the front of his shirt to find that his entire mid section, not including some of the rare, untouched portions, was covered in a large band of bruises. Biting her tongue, she delicately touched the bruised area near the bottom of his rib cage, pulling back hastily at his sharp inhale and tormented yet soft cry. By what she'd just felt, she knew that he had a few broken ribs. She'd actually felt a sharp piece of bone when she touched the irregular area and actually felt it shift. Turning to look back into his pleading eyes, she smiled sympathetically. "At the least, you seem to have a couple of broken ribs little brother. Don't worry, when your brothers get here, everything will be okay and we'll take you to see the doctor and he can make it go away. I can't tell if anything else is hurt inside of you, I know it hurts all over. Don't worry, they'll be here soon. Just rest." Tracing her fingers down the side of his right cheek, she avoided the bruises and watched him move instinctively to her comforting touch. Slowly, his eyes fell closed again after having shot open at her earlier touch over his ribs, his body somehow relaxing through the pain. He was so exhausted, and she knew it too. He had suffered so much alone, and yet he still continued to. Pulling the shirt back down and laying it softly over his stomach, she placed the blanket back over his shoulders and watched him fall to sleep in full. Cathy was actually surprised he could sleep through the pain, even if he was exhausted. Yet, Heero was always harder to understand, now or earlier or any other time.
§
"You're pathetic! How am I supposed to have fun if you just start crying and give up before we even start?! I was told you were the Perfect Soldier! I was looking forward to this!" With each punch, his words were stressed. Taking a step back and grinning, he looked at his subordinates. "Drop him, he's not going anywhere."
Heero dropped to the metal floor harshly, wrapping his arms protectively around his ribs and curling into a ball as he shut his eyes tightly. Cathy couldn't help him and he knew and understood why, but he didn't want to have to face the pain alone. He didn't want to face it at all. The ex- pilot didn't even rebel when he was snatched up from the floor by the neck, his throat being crushed in the stronger man's hands. His eyes only searched, imploring the other for mercy.
Sneering and searching the boy's eyes as he began to pale, his cheeks doing the opposite and flushing as he struggled for air, he spoke. "Where the hell are the others, huh? Where are the other four Gundam Pilots hiding?"
Heero felt himself dropped again, a sharp pain ripping throughout his torso as his head hit the cold metal and snapped back. Closing his eyes, he coughed and gagged, struggling desperately to breath. "I-I don't know...." Coughing some more, he felt himself being dragged into the air by his arms and held up again.
Cracking his knuckles, the man smirked. "Fine, something simple then to help your memory. What are the codes for the L-3 colony to access the hidden weapons within the ruins?"
Taking in gasping yet pained breaths, he could feel pieces of his ribs move at odd angles within him with each breath, he swallowed and answered. "I don't know.... what you mean..." Groaning softly, he watched a blinding white flash before his eyes, then a bold red, yet he pushed back the oncoming darkness as he tried to breath again.
"You learn better than to fuck with me kid, everyone always does. What the hell are the codes?" Sneering, he caught the boy's desperate gaze before he punched him in the abdomen, watching his body jerk to the movements as blood and spit dropped to the floor, his eyes wide in pain and torment. "Make it easy on yourself, what are the damn codes?!"
Shaking his head, he struggled and finally took in a sharp breath, though it only caused him sheer agony. "I-I... don't... know. I'm not... a p- pilot.... I don't know... what y-you're talking.... talking about..." Feeling more tears fall from his eyes, he gave a soft cry as the OZ soldiers holding him only jerked him into standing up.
"Don't fucking *play* with me *kid* unless you want to *die*!" Delivering the final blow, he watched as 01's head rested on his shoulder, his eyes closed and blood seeping from the corners of his lips. He'd fallen unconscious, a lot of help that would be. And this was supposed to be the great, Perfect Soldier? More like a big baby. A child was stronger than he was! "Take him to the cell, we'll have another little chat later." Turning, he grabbed his shirt and threw it on, putting on his jacket and hat before walking out into the halls. As an OZ soldier, you were meant to carry yourself in uniform with pride and respect, the uniform clean and crisp.
§
At first, she only nursed her bruised and stinging cheek, yet at hearing the jingling of keys, Cathy stood quickly and glared at the door; ready to fight anyone who came to take her away. And she'd fight when Heero came back, she wouldn't let them take him, not so easily. Forcing her discipline to remain as it was when she saw that Heero was unconscious as blood stained the front of his shirt and spilt slightly from his lips, she watched them without moving as they drug his limp body into the room by the neck of his shirt. They only dropped him to the floor, then left, laughing. A few seconds after the door was yanked shut, she rushed over to his side. "Heero!" Grabbing the pillow from the bed and the blanket, the young woman sat on the floor, laying Heero's head on the pillow on her lap, spreading the blanket over his pale and frozen body. His skin was literally icy to the touch, yet when she saw his flushed cheeks and checked his temperature, she found it to be soaring again. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Heero, I'm so sorry..." Blinking back her tears, Cathrine ripped part of her T-shirt sleeve and wiped the blood from her brother's lips, nursing the open cuts on his cheeks, all the while calling soft assurances and cooing gentle hopes in his deaf ears.
Heero struggled to take in each tormenting breath, hearing a voice in the distance, yet it wasn't harsh or from what he could tell. Letting a pitiful groan escape his lips, he tried to move but something held him back. With trembling lips and a shaken voice, he called for mercy. "....p- ple-please...."
Running her fingers down the side of his cheek and speaking quickly after a startling moment , she cooed softly in his ear. "Shhh, it's okay Heero, this is Cathy. You're safe now and here with me, it's okay. We're in the cell. Don't move, you're hurt. Go ahead and lay still and rest, shhh, it's okay." Gently brushing his bangs from his eyes, she watched them flutter open in a forced movement.
Trying to focus his gaze, the young teen stared up into the face of his sister, smiling ever so slightly as he tried to speak. Taking another breath, all that was heard was a loud and pained groan escape his lips, he'd inhaled too much. ".... m-make the hurt... stop C-Cathy..."
Biting her lower lip, the young woman watched him. "Did they hurt you again like they did before Heero?" She didn't really want to hear the answer to such a question, but she had to know to take care of him.
Shaking his head though it left him light-headed, he forced a whisper. "... just... just hit me..."
Letting her breath out, she but pursed her lips. "That's not good either, but it's better than what could have happened. I'm going to see where you're hurt little brother, just stay still, but I'm not sure if I can do much." Gently lifting the pillow, she slid her legs from under it and placed it on the floor, crawling on her knees to his left side and faced him, he'd already closed his eyes, one was swollen, black and purple bruises surrounding it in a circle, other bruises on his cheeks and chin, dark and ominous shapes on his neck. The bruises stood in the shape of a many fingered hand, probably from having been grabbed by the throat more than once. Pulling the blanket back and resting it at his waist, she slowly lifted the front of his shirt to find that his entire mid section, not including some of the rare, untouched portions, was covered in a large band of bruises. Biting her tongue, she delicately touched the bruised area near the bottom of his rib cage, pulling back hastily at his sharp inhale and tormented yet soft cry. By what she'd just felt, she knew that he had a few broken ribs. She'd actually felt a sharp piece of bone when she touched the irregular area and actually felt it shift. Turning to look back into his pleading eyes, she smiled sympathetically. "At the least, you seem to have a couple of broken ribs little brother. Don't worry, when your brothers get here, everything will be okay and we'll take you to see the doctor and he can make it go away. I can't tell if anything else is hurt inside of you, I know it hurts all over. Don't worry, they'll be here soon. Just rest." Tracing her fingers down the side of his right cheek, she avoided the bruises and watched him move instinctively to her comforting touch. Slowly, his eyes fell closed again after having shot open at her earlier touch over his ribs, his body somehow relaxing through the pain. He was so exhausted, and she knew it too. He had suffered so much alone, and yet he still continued to. Pulling the shirt back down and laying it softly over his stomach, she placed the blanket back over his shoulders and watched him fall to sleep in full. Cathy was actually surprised he could sleep through the pain, even if he was exhausted. Yet, Heero was always harder to understand, now or earlier or any other time.
§