Chapter 26: For everything I've lost I have everything to gain

There are few words to describe the feeling of warmth and safety a young child feels in a parent's arms. A sort of sleepiness, where you are so aware of everything around you, but it doesn't matter. Nothing can hurt you. You are invincible.

Prozen felt like this now.

Resting his head against Hiltz' chest, listening to his heartbeat, the Rare Hertz had never felt such peace before, not in living memory. Just here, nuzzled into his partner's body, their arms around each other as they rested, neither wanting to break the spell. A soft caress of his cheek, stirring him slightly from his nap, the shift of the body beside him-

This was heaven.

Well, it would be if Hiltz stopped twitching.

Sliding on top of his unresisting body, Prozen kissed the tip of Hiltz nose. "…I can't sleep if you keep fidgeting. Something is wrong. Would you like to share it?"

"…" He'd never seen Hiltz look so tired before. "…I don't think we're safe here."

"…But…but this is my home…"

"It was your home, love." Hiltz ran his fingers through the long silver tresses, and Prozen shivered with delight. "…It's been in neglect for a year…and then for the rest of the time…it's been the Reaper's base. I don't think we can stay here for much longer."

Prozen growled, his lips pulling back revealing a pair of fangs. It was just a warning, he hadn't meant to do that, but it had the desired effect of a tighter embrace, and more security. In fact the hug was a little too tight.

"Don't growl at me. It's not my fault. This was the only place I could think of where we wouldn't be disturbed." Came the reprimanding purr of the taller man.

When Hiltz let him go, Prozen sat up and got off the bed, his shoulders hunched like a scolded child.

"Don't look like that." Hiltz sat up, and ran his fingers through his crimson curls to try and tame them into submission. "Get dressed…and I'll meet you downstairs, okay? I have some things to take care of."

"Am I not one of those things?" He hadn't meant to say it, but it was out anyway. By instinct alone he knew he had to rest, seeing as the massive changes going on inside of him were taking up all the energy he had. All he wanted to do was rest, preferably in the company of Hiltz so that no one would be there to bother him. Hiltz' face was a passing sentiment of guilt, fear, and pain.

"Yes." He said softly. "You are something I want to take care of. I always will – but this place is not just the site of your rebirth…it's a site of death. The Reapers dominated this place. Can't you feel their poison seeping into your skin?"

"No." Prozen replied flatly. "I can't."

"Well, perhaps asking you in this room wasn't really appropriate. They steered clear of this room for obvious reasons. I must destroy this building, and the corruption in it. I mean, I watched them kill one of your kind today. She was old and weak, and she knew who I was…she begged me to take care of you. Told me you would take care of me. My DarkSpiner…was a gift from her to me. She needn't have died to make it…but she gave everything to give it life. I know this is your home, Gunther…but the longer it stands, the more death will come out of its doors."

This building? His home? But it was odd to think of this construct as home, now he remembered what life had once been like. But while a part of him ached to be safe within the darkness, another part of him had learnt to like the sun. He could feel the energy around him begin to twist a little as the sky lightened. He could also feel something else – and not to his surprise, either - Ambient was heading their way. The organoid disliked being apart from his partner for any length of time.

Prozen smiled half to himself and rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. "Of course. I'm sorry. Was it a peaceful death?"

"It's okay. You're exhausted, pet. The body…I don't think it was disposed of. But what matters is that I think she died with a smile on her face. I don't want you down there when I fix up most of the self-destruct systems down in the laboratory. With all the ammunition lying around, it'll go up in smoke in a matter of seconds."

"…Is there anything I can save?"

"I don't think so." Hiltz replied, pulling on some of his clothing.

"Raven…" For a moment he was lost, trying to remain who and what he was, but not forget what he had been. Raven…had grown up in this house.

"He was staying here on and off when he was depressed. Most of the stuff was moved out, personals I mean. Stored away. May I ask exactly why you have a Zoid manufacturing machine under your house?"

"Zoid…? Manufacturing…?" Prozen blinked. He had never created the machine, no, the only reason it was there was when the emperor discovered his gifts. Not curses, as he had once thought, no.The emperor had him create the royal Redler – the purple one that Rudolph now used. Another wave of distortion passed through his mind and he swayed.

"Gunther!"

As his feet slipped out from beneath him, he was being held and staring into the dark eyes of his partner. "Hiltz…"

"Shh. I don't need your help setting things up, but I will ask that you dress yourself and wait for me in the main hall."

"Hold me."

"Not here. Later. When we're safe."

Prozen sighed, hugged him a little tighter then untangled himself and started looking for his pants as Hiltz pulled on his overcoat and ran out of the door. He looked longingly at the bed, the bloodied sheets a testament to the eternal bond they now shared. While some might question such a union, the Crimson Sea did not lie. To further the survival of your people and your hope, you did what you were told. Finally finding his jeans (Folded up nicely on a chair by the door) he slipped them on and paused only momentarily to breathe in Hiltz' scent from the bed. Purring quietly he pulled his shirt on, fumbled the buttons and then with a sigh of annoyance forgot about them and went downstairs, picking up the pair of boots laid carefully outside the door.

Hiltz had to have been very busy in his preparations for the night's activities. He smiled again, touched by the trouble he had gone to in making sure the transition was easy. Had he finished setting up the mechanism? Better go and see… He wandered down the hallway and down the steps to the landing, and sat on the highest step, looking out over the tiled hall where so many diplomats had once gathered. He wondered what they'd think if they knew the truth about him, that at that time, he was nothing more than a very bright child who was trying to understand a strange world around him, and try to stay healthy. How many times had he fallen ill due to something he'd eaten? Too much time in the sun?

I wonder how many times Rudolph the first sat up with me through the night when he believed I was a child. When he held me, what he was thinking? And when he thought I was getting into the teenage years, why I never caused trouble?

And when he fell ill then, it was either Hiltz or Patricia who took care of him-

Patricia!!

A sob escaped him. Dear, silly little Patricia. Such an innocent child. No, not a child, a woman, a strong woman at that. Who rarely smiled when her father left her mother and little Patricia all alone. Patricia, who one day became Lieutenant Patricia Hardin, and who one day died for something she truly believed in. Patricia was a believer all right. And Dark Kaiser had killed her for it.

"Hey."

Jerked from his reminiscing, Prozen looked over the banister and gave his lover a sad smile. "Finished?" He felt bad about not joining Hiltz down below to set up the self-destruct program in the basement, but he simply couldn't. Just the mention of the dead body within the tube brought back too many memories.

"Just about. I'm glad you didn't go down there. The vibrations down there…hell, even I can feel them. They installed a Mern pool too. Disgusting."

"How do you feel?" Prozen asked, still wondering about how he had attacked his lover less than an hour ago.

Hiltz smirked. "My ass doesn't hurt."

Prozen rolled his eyes. "It will if you come up here and let me spank you for that remark. Seriously. I said I was sorry, I couldn't exactly control it now, could I? What I mean is, how do you feel about all of this?"

"I feel excited for the most part. I still have some of the side effects of those slugs, and I can feel them coming. The Reapers I mean. They feel strange, angry."

"As can I." Prozen stood up and walked down the stairs into the arms of his lover. "I'm scared. I'm sick of being afraid all the time."

"Are we going to die?"

"How the hell do I know?" Prozen rested his head against Hiltz' chest. "Ambient's coming."

"Is he? Well, that's all right then." Hiltz kissed the top of his head. "Are you going to be all right over destroying this place? I mean, it hold a lot of memories for you…"

"Yes…but…"

"What?"

Prozen looked up, meeting the gaze of Hiltz, and thought about the people he had known and called family in his past life. "Sometimes you have to let past grievances go. The good parts I'll remember always. But there are bad parts too, parts where I felt…so afraid…and so alone…"

"Not anymore." Was the whispered reply. Their lips met lightly.

Standing there, in the hall, Prozen felt a brief tug of remembrance at his soul, at everything that had gone and everything that might be. For a moment he stood in the noise protected by Hiltz' embrace, as people moved past them, conversations moved over their heads, and gently, the Rare Hertz pushed away the pain and sorrow, pushed away his past. He slid into this strange new place set for him and slowly opened his eyes, wondering if he should slip into the twin pools of darkness in front of him, or pull away. Hiltz' brow tightened, and he closed his eyes, burying his face in Prozen's hair.

"Oh gods I missed you." He breathed.

Still caught in the tug of negativity, Prozen tried to find a way out, not understanding why he couldn't rid of himself of it. It suddenly occurred to him that this wasn't the past…this was the present… "Hiltz…We have to continue this later." His grip tightened on his lover's sleeves as they were engulfed by shadows of immense creatures outside, the Reaper's Zoids. Prozen could hear their frightened minds, as their scanners picked up what the mansion was hiding. "…They…"

"I'm here. It's okay." Hiltz straightened, tightening his grip around Prozen's body as the doors creaked and moved inward, destroyed by the heavy artillery they were eager to bring out. "Well, we were always the ones to make a grand entrance and exit, weren't we?"

"HILTZ!" Roared a familiar voice.

Prozen hid his face in the soft fabric of Hiltz' tunic. That voice brought back things he had long since buried. A youth, hanging over his cage, leering, stinking, and cracking jokes. Beating an Aether to death there, under the shocked and horrified eyes of the prisoners, tearing away what little innocence there was left. It made his shiver all over, worse than the time he'd caught Hommelef and his mistress on the conference table, and the look…the emotions…the foul stinking nothingness

"Hiltz…" He whispered, almost fainting in terror.

"Hey boss." Came the jaunty reply.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Payne's fury was barely contained, his anger pulsing wickedly in his twisted soul.

"Did the job I was born to do."

The Rare Hertz didn't know if he should laugh or cry. His body trembled at the strange sound of Hiltz' voice, all the love and compassion stripped from it. But his touch, ah, the soft waves of reassurance, singing to the tangled threads of his own soul, soothing his fear as much as an honest caress could.

"What?" Payne stared at him, touching the butt of his gun. "You…what?" There was genuine confusion in his tone, in his face.

At first the touch was intimate, one hand tracing down his bare stomach to his crotch, but then it became hard and despite the sentiment it carried, Prozen felt aroused by his sudden manhandling. His long hair was pulled back, jerking his head up to look at his lover. Hiltz' smile was evil, and the kiss by no means chaste nor respectful as the ones they had shared previously were. His tongue darted between his lips stroking his own, inspiring a reaction, deeper and deeper, frantic, hungry, and filled with desire. His free hand fondled him roughly through the material of his jeans as they kissed. Then as quickly as it had come, he was jerked away again, the feral hunger returning back to a smoking heap, his cheeks flushed with both shame and lust.

"Sit."

He obeyed, falling to his knees beside Hiltz' feet, his breathing heavy.

"Well, I'm impressed. Wonderful. I think…this might just make me happy enough to forgive you for killing my bitch. Rhyss limped back to base, and will be punished later on when I find her."

"I should hope so." Hiltz sneered back. "But Ina…? Well, sorry Payne, but she was pathetic."

Payne frowned at him and narrowed his eyes, but as quickly as the displeasure had come it disappeared and he was smiling again. "You're a man after my own heart. You don't mind if I…?"

Movement over him. Prozen slowly looked up, into the grinning face above him, the pale blue eyes filled with hate, thin tongue flicking over pale lips. Hands fumbling at his pants, his half hard member seeing light for a moment as he undid his fly and fiddled with his boxer shorts.

"Actually, I do mind."

Payne's head snapped up. "Sorry?"

"I said, I mind if you get him to suck that weak excuse for a dick you pride so highly." Hiltz put his hands on his hips. "If he's going to do that to anyone, it's going to be me."

"I don't like your tone, half-breed."

"And I don't like your face, but that doesn't mean I can break it every time I see it." The redhead moved suddenly, and Prozen ducked away as Payne was sent flying. "But it doesn't half feel good."

Spluttering, the crumpled Reaper stared at his attacker in disbelief. "You bastard!"

"I'm a bastard all right. But not nearly as bad as you. Hate isn't a strong enough word for what I feel towards you, oh no. You raped my mother…you tortured my younger sisters…you chased my father away from home, just to get your way here. How many others did you do that to?" While his tone was civil, there was something in Hiltz' eyes. "And what about him? You tore his mother to pieces. You were one of the men who sentenced his father to death. Well guess what, Payne? It's our turn."

"You're right, it's your turn you little fucker, I'm going to kill you dead-" He went to raise his hand and signal his confused men to strike, but something else happened instead.

Smashing through the window in a crimson blur, and revealed itself to be Ambient. He creeled, standing behind his master and Prozen's crouched form, his entire mechanised form twitching for release.

Payne watched in growing horror as Prozen stood up and burrowed into Hiltz arms.

"You…doublecrossing…little…fuck…" He whispered, realising what Hiltz had meant.

As Ambient's chest compartment opened, and the wires bound the two together, Hiltz raised his hand and grinned, pressing the little red button on the remote. The ground started to shake and as fire billowed out of the doors, the last thing Prozen saw before the compartment closed was fire. Fire everywhere, fire eating everything, fire cleansing a poisoned wound. Then all became bright light as he felt Hiltz' body close in and merge with his, warmth and love, such innocence. Because two people, especially one being a Rare Hertz, should never merge in an organoid.

That just leads to trouble.

~ to be concluded.

Yeah, there was some serious foreshadowing. I've dropped hints in the past, if you haven't caught up, then damn, you need some help. or me to get the information page at LOVEbox up. Woohar! Could you tell that this was actually two chapters? I had to take one away and then scrap the others after it to make it better. Okay, read the last one now!