A/N 1: As in the previous chapters – ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net
A/N 2: This interlude runs simultaneously with chapter 31.
WritingMoose: Sure I'll even out the teams *sweet smile*. I'll even out the teams the day even a single other interfic writer is willing to give the bad guys personalities and an honest chance. Until then, the Guardians are on their own.
Italics indicates thoughts/telepathy
* * *
Fifth Interlude - Control
* * *
The sky above Chicago slowly, ever so slowly, turned from midnight black into dark blue, then deep purple, red, and yellow as the dawn came closer.
Blade watched from one of the windows in his hotel room, absently toying with one of his knives. Watched as the clouds caught the light from the rising sun, and seemed to turn into red and purple fire. He felt oddly detached from the events of the night - the near-fatal encounter with Suzuka had only made him annoyed, not worried. Yes, he could have died, but over the years, death had become part of his life, and at some point he'd stopped caring.
Few people knew that, though. Jordane did, and Blade suspected that Laetitia did, too. Other than that, nobody knew that his calmness in potentially lethal situations wasn't an act, but came from honest indifference. Life, death...it didn't matter. Nobody could escape death, and he'd long ago stopped trying.
Behind him the door was opened and someone stepped into the room. Soft, silent steps - Laetitia, probably. Blade didn't bother to turn around and check.
"We put Twilight in one of the small rooms, and Jordane has made sure that this floor will be cleared," the person reported, and Blade's suspicion was confirmed.
"Good," he replied. "How long will she be out?"
A faint rustle of clothes as Laetitia shrugged.
"Seven hours, I suppose. Eight, maybe."
Too long, Blade decided. Eight hours was the amount of sleep needed by a normal adult, and it was more than enough time for Suzuka to regain her strength. They would have to do something about that.
"Wake her up every hour, then knock her out again before she can use her powers," Blade said. "Sleep-deprivation weakens the mind. She'll be easier to break that way."
Laetitia nodded slightly.
"And what about her powers?" she asked. "We have to do something about them, otherwise she'll use them to escape the moment she wakes up." She paused, then continued. "We could drug her, if necessary. But if that doesn't work, we might be forced keep her permanently unconscious or kill her, even if she does have some useful information. I can't use my powers to force her to talk - when I knocked her out, she resisted. Ryan has taught her to shield her mind."
Blade frowned.
Oh, yes. Her powers. We need to do something about them before she wakes up.
"What do *you* suggest?" he finally asked.
"It depends on how much trouble she's worth," Laetitia replied. "Yes, she has some rather useful information, but we both know that she's a stubborn thing. It might be easier just to kill her off."
"How would Jhonen react if we killed Suzuka?" Blade inquired.
Laetitia smiled faintly.
"He wouldn't accept a cold-blooded execution, but he wouldn't leave us if she died in an unfortunate accident. I had a talk with him - he's starting to see things from our point of view," she explained.
"He'll be loyal?"
"Yes," Laetitia replied softly.
Blade raised an eyebrow
"Getting soft, Laetitia? You sound fond of him."
Laetitia raised her head challenging.
"I could ask you the same thing, Blade. You and Jordane didn't seem to mind sleeping in the same bed."
Blade sighed.
"It's different, and you know it. She's my partner."
"And he can become mine," Laetitia countered. "Give me time, and I'll make sure that he is as much under my control as Jordane is under your."
"You sound awfully confident that you can pull it off," Blade noted.
"Why not? You managed to, didn't you?"
"Jordane was fifteen. Jhonen is only a few months from eighteen. There is a difference," Blade pointed out.
Laetitia shrugged.
"He's still a teenager - they're easily manipulated."
Blade turned around, facing Laetitia for the first time since she entered the room.
"And what about you? You *are* a teenager as well. Doesn't that make you easy to manipulate, too?" he asked.
Laetitia's eyes grew cold.
"As you know, my childhood wasn't exactly normal," she snapped.
"No, it wasn't," Blade replied seriously. "But like it or not, Laetitia - you father, twisted as he might have been, did created a masterpiece. You're unique. A genius in your own way."
Laetitia didn't reply, unsure of what to say, and Blade turned around to watch the dawn again.
"Even if Jhonen wouldn't leave if Suzuka died, there is no reason to take any unnecessary chances," he decided. "Let's try to keep her alive and conscious for the time being."
Laetitia nodded slowly and took a moment to adapt to the sudden change of subject.
"That rules out sedatives, and putting her in a coma," she finally replied. "Normal drugs wouldn't be too good, either. Too high a risk of an overdose, and we don't know how she'd react to Ecstasy or some other designer drug."
She paused, then continued.
"The cops use a drug that can suppress mutations for a limited amount of time. I know someone who should be able to get a sample of the drug within a couple of hours. The only problem is that prolonged exposure to the drug causes permanent damage to the victim," she explained.
Blade shrugged.
"Do whatever you think will work best. I trust your judgement."
Laetitia raised one perfectly trimmed eyebrow inquiringly.
"Does that mean that I have free hands?" she asked.
Blade looked thoughtfully out the window. He knew what Laetitia did to people that annoyed her, and few people annoyed her more than the Guardians. To give Laetitia free hands was dangerous - morals were a concept she failed to understand, and she didn't have a conscience to stop her. She was dangerous. Dangerous, unpredictable, and armed with a morbid curiosity in regard to the workings of the human mind. There was no telling what she might do once Suzuka regained consciousness and started to yell and curse at them.
Blade smirked.
But then again...Suzuka's health wasn't his problem.
He looked at Laetitia and reached a decision.
"Yes. Do whatever you want with her, Nike, I don't care...as long as she remains alive."
* * *
Coming up: Suzuka wakes up, and she isn't too happy about her situation.
