23
It had been a week or so since Marcus had escaped with his cat-girl, leaving Rafe muttering about otaku and someone named Li. He was surly during his recovery, though he made a point of avoiding the Twins. Now he'd been given some off-time, and he was going to use that time to get a few drinks in his system.
He didn't even make it to the pub.
He was attacked without warning, a sharp, searing pain flaring into his crippled wings and spreading down to his back, then across and through to the other wing. Rafael screamed in pain as the programming governing them was torn from the main program, and he fell to the ground. "My wings… no…."
"I must admit," a clipped, precise voice said mockingly, "I've had a hell of a time tracking you down, angel… for some reason, even harder after I crippled you… you're the first to escape me with his wings in a long, long time, you know."
"Jameson," Rafael snapped, turning to the Agent… and nearly screaming as he saw his wings, his beautiful wings, being defiled by the Agent's touch, as well as the warped grin on the Agent's face. He couldn't fight.
The fallen angel whirled and ran, feeling his blood pouring down his back and hearing the Agent's laughing voice crying, "You can't run forever, Rafael!"
***
Rafe was dimly aware of a thudding sound near his ear, a cry of, "Saints an' angels!" and small hands pulling at him, trying to raise his body up. He managed to help the child, the timbre of the voice was high and young enough that he couldn't tell the gender.
He was walked to a soft surface and laid down on his stomach, then those small hands had torn away his shirt. A soft gasp, then running footsteps heading away and back, then a tearing sound. Soon after, the hands were back, attempting to bind his wounds. As the child finished, there was a pounding at the door.
Rafe's eyes widened as the footsteps walked to it. "No!" he yelled, strength surging into him as he lunged for the child, a girl, he now saw. She stared at him, wide-eyed. "He'll kill us both… is there another door?" She nodded and pointed. Rafe pulled a key from his pocket. "Help me to it." The girl nodded as the door was pounded again.
Rafe inserted the key into the lock and opened the door as Jameson kicked the other one in…
***
A door within the château's library opened, and Rafael stumbled in, a young girl supporting him. "Shut it, quickly," he gasped to her, and the frightened child moved to do so.
The Merovingian closed it instead. "Rafael? What is ze matter? Where are your wings?" Rafe held the girl protectively close. "An… agent attacked me… took my wings…." His face was pale, his bare chest inexpertly bandaged with sheet-strips stained red with his blood.
"Cain, quickly, fetch Hippocrates!" the Frenchman called. The werewolf, who had been about to start tormenting the girl, sighed and went off.
"Ze girl... who is she?"
She clung to Rafe's leg; he laid a gentle hand on her head. "I… don't know, but she saved my life and I wasn't about to leave her to Jameson," he spat. "Ze Agent?" Rafe nodded, then groaned and raised a hand to his head. "Damn… my head…." A few moments later, the same doctor that reprogrammed Sekhmet rushed into the room. "By the Architect!" he exclaimed.
The girl was now trying to get Rafe to sit down, as he was swaying on his feet.
The doctor looked at his injuries. "These are serious... his wings are completely gone." "Tell me somethin'… I don't know!" Rafe snarled, before looking to Cain. "Lay off," he warned the werewolf dangerously. He backed away from the girl, trying and failing to look innocent.
"Cain, leave ze child alone," the Merovingian barked. He nodded and left the room, acting as if that had been his intention all along. Hippocrates looked at the injuries a few more moments. "All I can do is stitch the wounds closed."
"Then do it! I'm losing blood here!"
He pulled out a length of thread and did so, pulling the remnants of the wing joints free with surprising strength. Rafe lost consciousness at some point during the operation, while the girl watched, worry etched on her slim features.
"And you, little girl. What is your name?" the Frenchman asked at length.
"Molly O'Doyle," she answered, the muttered, "An' I ain't little."
"Why did you save Rafael?"
She looked confused at his question. "He was hurt."
"But you 'ad nothing to gain from it."
"What does that have t' do with anything?"
The Merovingian looked confused. She shrugged. "He was hurt, and he woulda died without help, so I helped him."
"Interesting," the Frenchman mused, still sort of baffled. "I couldn't jus' leave him there," she said softly, looking down. "How is Rafael?" the Merovingian asked suddenly.
"Ask him yourself." Hippocrates replied.
"He's doing just fine, thanks," Rafe said as he rose shakily to his feet. "Ask him again once the shock wears off."
"This child is interesting... what do we do with her?"
Rafe looked affectionately at her. "Well… you did say you would reward me for bringing in that one pro… girl."
"Yes."
"I'll take this girl's safety here as my reward."
"Very well, it is done." The Merovingian left the room. "I must inform ze rest of my men, of course." Rafael sighed, and smiled at the girl. "Your parents won't mind?" She looked confused. "Parents?"
"Are you sure you feel alright?" Hippocrates asked.
"Ask me again once reality sinks in," Rafe answered, then leaned closer so the girl wouldn't hear, "and make sure I don't try to delete myself."
He nodded. "Alright."
***
Sekhmet hadn't left Marcus for more than fifteen minutes since their return to their apartment next to the Oracle unless he asked her for some privacy. She didn't want to admit to herself how worried she'd been that she'd never see him again.
Marcus, on the other hand, was exploring exactly what was wrong with his body. It appeared programs and humans, plugged or unplugged, could touch him, but nothing else, except for the floor he was on at the moment.
Sekhmet looked at his new appearance for a long moment, then, "Maybe the humans could help?"
"There do not seem to be many negative side effects of the assimilation... except for my lack of control... and that I can't retract my fangs." He replied. "I think I will be fine." "All right," she said after a moment, hugging him. "As long as I can touch you, I have no reason to have sorrow on my condition," he smiled as he hugged her back. She blushed, looking up at him and touching his face gently. "Is… the Merovingian's programming still in place? About the showings of affection?"
"I... do not know. I have not tested it."
Her hand didn't leave his skin. "I see."
"But... my programming has become unstable. I have been able to change some aspects of myself... it is painful... but perhaps...." He closed his eyes. Marcus's body faded slightly, and then blinked back into full reality. "I might have... turned it off."
She stared at him. "Wow… are you all right?"
He nodded. "I believe so." She smiled. "I'm glad." He smiled and held her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him with love shining in her eyes. He kissed her lightly on the lips. She kissed him back eagerly, joyfully, holding him as close as he was holding her.
***
Cain and Abel had actually grown to like the girl very quickly -- they felt that she had good taste in movies as she liked to watch their cheesy horror flicks and didn't razz them about it like everyone else. When the Merovingian walked into the library, Abel had actually fallen asleep, so she had climbed into his lap to steal his prime movie-watching location.
"Molly, zere are zings we need to discuss," the Merovingian called. She blinked, but obediently left Abel's lap to follow the Frenchman. A surprisingly biddable girl for one who'd run away from a foster home.
"Zere are certain places in zis house you cannot go."
"Why?" she asked in the curious tones of one who intended to obey if the reason was deemed a good one. Perhaps not so biddable after all. "Because not all of my minions would be so friendly around a child," he replied.
"So they'd try t' hurt me, then?"
He nodded.
"Kay." Her ever-busy hands were toying with the end of her long black braid. "Where can't I go?"
"Ze west wing, ze dungeons, and ze foyer."
"Th' foyer?"
"Ze place with ze weapons."
She sighed. "Man… an' Cain said he'd show me how t' use some o' them, too."
"Zey will 'ave to show you somewhere else...and stay away from ze twins."
"Who are th' twins?"
"Ze albino gentlemen."
"Oh. Them."
"Do you understand?'
"Aye," she nodded.
"Very good. Now, I 'ave important business to attend to." The Merovingian rose and left the room. "Remember my cautions."
Molly sighed and returned to the library, where she returned to her spot in Abel's lap after telling Cain she wasn't allowed in the foyer. The taller werewolf looked disappointed at that. He'd been looking forward to teaching her to use those weapons.