Chapter Seventeen

Schuldig was slightly steadier for the next few days, mostly because Yohji had taken to sleeping in their apartment to keep him grounded at night. With Schuldig more in control of himself, Nagi relaxed slightly. He didn't sleep more, because he had too much work to do, but he did at least sleep when the chance presented itself.

Fortunately for all of them, Yohji had gone home the afternoon there was a quiet knock on the door. Farferello was in his room, playing Solitaire, as was Nagi. Schuldig was lazing around on the couch. He reached out with his mind at the knock, wondering if it was a delivery or something else innocent. However, he felt nothing beyond the presence of someone, which meant it was a shielded mind.

Nagi poked his head out of his room and gave Schuldig a questioning look as he went for the door. /Something funny about whoever this is, so heads up,/ Schuldig commented. Nagi nodded and went into the living room, trying to look casual, as Schuldig swung the front door open.

The man standing there was slight of stature, but somehow managed to be imposing. His features were Chinese, but otherwise bland and plain. "Konnichi wa," he said, in unaccented Japanese. "Schuldig, ne?"

He pronounced Schuldig's name correctly, which Schuldig took to mean that he had spent at least some time in Germany. Whoever he was, he had to be from Esstet. Schuldig did another mental sweep, this one a little more forceful, and this was confirmed. Unfortunately, he got nothing else from the man's mind. "Maybe," he replied. "Who are you?"

"Chien Mao," he said, without a bow or a handshake. "May I come in?"

"I know your name, but not who you are," Schuldig stated, very aware of a nervous Nagi trying to stay out of sight behind him. "Tell me that before I decide."

"Esstet sent me to keep an eye on things here," Chien said smoothly.

Schuldig was flatly suspicious at that comment, but stepped back anyway. The name of Esstet was the one thing he was learning to fear. They had taken Brad away, and for Brad to have allowed it meant that it was the best alternative. Arguing with Chien probably wasn't a good idea. /Crawford?/ he sent, hoping he could carry on two conversations at once.

"Thank you," Chien said. He stepped inside, toed off his shoes, and hung up his coat.

/What is it?/ Brad replied almost immediately, speaking at the same time as Chien.

/Do you know who this guy is?/ Schuldig asked, sending along a mental image to complement the question. He closed the door behind Chien, more so Katzchen couldn't escape than out of any sense of finality concerning the man's arrival.

/He looks vaguely familiar, I think I might have seen him at Esset meetings before. Why?/

Nagi glanced at Schuldig and realized that he was preoccupied. He took this to mean that he was either drifting mentally or conversing with Brad, and either way, he didn't want Chien to know about it. Given this, he reluctantly stepped forward. "Naoe Nagi desu," he said in a very quiet voice, hoping to not distract Schuldig, and ushered Chien into the kitchen to get him a mug of tea.

/He's in the apartment saying that he was told to keep an eye on us,/ Schuldig told Brad, peripherally aware of Nagi stepping in to distract Chien, for which he was grateful.

/If you're asking whether or not he's telling the truth, the odds are fairly good that he is. You can consult with me later -- you should pay attention./

/I don't like this,/ Schuldig snarled, but he obeyed, heading towards the kitchen and feeling rather belligerent.

Chien looked up as he walked in. "How nice of you to join us," he said dryly. He had been seated at the kitchen table and given a full mug of tea. Nagi was sitting across from him, in the rigid pose that meant he was extremely nervous and trying not to show it. Chien's tone implied that he knew damn well what Schuldig had been doing, which Schuldig definitely did not like.

"I thought so," he said in reply to Chien's comment. Rather than sitting, he began to busy himself by refilling Katzchen's water and food dishes. "What can we do for you?" he asked. Remembering Brad's warnings about Esstet, he kept his tone carefully neutral, trying to not be rude.

"I'm afraid you'd better get used to me," Chien said in an amused tone of voice. "I'm here for the duration."

"In what capacity?" Schuldig asked evenly. Nagi was given him an uncertain look, obviously wondering if he should stay or retreat to his room. He didn't want to leave Schuldig in the lurch, but he also didn't want Chien realizing how nervous he was. /Stay until we know that hell he's here for, then you can go if you want,/ Schuldig told him, and got a slight affirmative.

"You obviously weren't functioning without a leader," Chien said. "So Esset sent me to fill that role."

Schuldig noted that he was very carefully not mentioning Brad, and ground his teeth. "I see," he said, taking his place at the table with his mug of coffee. "And what is your Talent? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Like most group leaders in Esset, I'm precognitive," Chien said matter-of-factly.

"Ah." Schuldig paused. "Anything good going on today?" he asked brightly. It was something he had been asking Brad from the very beginning, and he was interested to see what sort of reaction he would get from this obviously uptight new team leader.

"It depends on how you define good," Chien said, his face expressionless.

"Concerts, world events, a blood-letting. Anything of interest."

Chien indulged in a slight smile. "We have our first mission for Esstet . . . does that count?"

"Sure," Schuldig said, rather eager to find out what Esstet had in mind. Maybe now, finally, they would gain some clue as to what the hell was going on. "Spill."

Chien was still smiling. "Esset has decided it's high time we rid ourselves of the annoyance of Weiss."

Nagi flinched, visibly, then managed to school his expression back into neutrality. He knew that Chien couldn't have missed it, and his eyes darted to Schuldig for some sort of help. Schuldig, by some miracle, had managed to keep a straight face. "Oh really?" he asked. "Why?" Then, to Nagi, /Shut up. Pretend you're still breathing./

"They feel that Weiss is too much of a . . . humanizing influence on certain members of this team," Chien stated.

Schuldig managed a smirk. "Really? Last time I checked, we were all human." He paused. "Well, Farfie has his on days and off, but still, shouldn't mock the handicapped."

"Are you questioning Esstet's judgment, Schuldig?" Chien asked, his tone very mild.

"Of course not," Schuldig said, his voice just as mild, but inwardly swearing a blue streak. Nagi glanced at him for instruction, his fingers digging into the wood of the table. Schuldig gave him what he hoped was a reassuring glance. /Keep breathing. I'll warn them and we'll go from there./

"Then you're dismissed," Chien said. "I have to contact my superiors. We'll leave at nine o'clock tonight."

Nagi stood up sedately, and walked into his room. The door clicked shut a few seconds later. Schuldig winced at the waves of uncertainty and panic that Nagi was projecting. "Thanks," he said, and stood up, starting to poke around in the fridge for something to eat. He wasn't hungry in the slightest, but it was his kitchen and he was making a point.

Chien stood a few seconds later and headed for Brad's room, obviously waiting to see if Schuldig was going to make an issue out of this.

"Don't touch anything that doesn't belong to you," Schuldig said brightly, gritting his teeth to keep from punching the man. "If you need closet space, I'll take care of it this evening."

"That's fine." Chien walked into the room and shut the door.

Schuldig's head was ready to explode, both from fury and from anxiety. He slammed around in the kitchen a little more, so Chien would think he was still busy. /Crawford?/

/Yes?/

Schuldig stopped in front of the fridge, gnawing on one of his fingers. /He has orders to have us kill Yohji and the others. And I'm going to be boxing all of your things up and packing them into Nagi's and my rooms. Any advice?/

/I don't care about my things, particularly. He has orders to kill all of Weiss?/

/I care about your things,/ Schuldig snarled, pacing around the kitchen in agitation, unaware that he was giving Brad a migraine. /He fucking dismissed me in my own fucking kitchen. And yes./

/Is he trying to involve either you or Nagi?/

/Yes./ Schuldig remembered that he hadn't shut the fridge yet and did so, still gnawing on his finger hard enough to leave marks.

Brad swore, quite a few times, which surprised Schuldig. He couldn't recall offhand ever having heard the American curse before. /If you try to stop him, you'll be declared traitor to Esstet. Your lives will be forfeit, you know that./

/If they kill Yohji, my sanity might be forfeit,/ Schuldig pointed out. /He's tied in too closely to me. Just like you and Nagi are. And I don't know if Nagi could handle losing Omi. He's still so fragile./

There was a long silence. Schuldig assumed that Brad was thinking, and it was generally a bad idea to interrupt Brad while he was thinking, so he stayed silent. /Is there a subtle way you can alert Weiss to the problem?/ Brad finally asked.

/I'm not sure what good it will do,/ Schuldig said. /This new fucker is a precog like you./

Brad considered for another long moment. /That's good. In a way. It means he doesn't have much in the way of offensive powers. Talk to Farferello. Convince him to . . . not be himself, as it were. If he escapes, recovering him would be the first priority, at least for you and Nagi. If this new man has to go alone, Weiss will be able to fend him off. But don't warn them. That's too risky./

/Think they can kill him?/ Schuldig asked, a definite note of malice creeping into his voice.

/No. He won't ignore his own precognitions that much; if he's going to die, he won't go./

/Well, fuck. This just isn't good./

Brad let out a slight sigh. /No. It isn't. You'd better go talk to Farferello and make sure Nagi's all right./

/All right./

/Take care of yourself, Schuldig,/ Brad said softly. /I'll let you handle this. Call me if you need me./

/I will. Thanks./ Feeling more calm now, Schuldig left the kitchen. There was a quiet murmuring from Brad's room; apparently Chien was on the phone with his superiors. Schuldig resisted the urge to pick up the phone and listen. He knew that if Chien found him, he would be in very big trouble. Instead, he went over and knocked on Nagi's door.

There was no answer. He knocked again. When Nagi still didn't reply, he pushed the door open and went inside. Nagi was lying facedown on the bed, and he didn't look up at Schuldig came in. The older man closed the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. /I'm going to talk to Farfie,/ he told Nagi. /If this dick has to go alone, Weiss will be able to protect themselves./

Nagi still didn't look up. He was trembling slightly. After a few moments, Schuldig flopped down next to him, projecting a gentle sense of being available for hugs if Nagi wanted them. Nagi crawled into his arms, trying to keep himself together. /God, they're going to die, he's the first friend I've ever had and he's going to die . . ./

/I won't let that happen,/ Schuldig said firmly.

/We can't stop it! If we try, they'll kill us . . ./

/I'm going to -- /

/But it won't just stop with this, you know it won't!/ Nagi interrupted frantically. /If he fails once, he'll try again!/

/I'll figure something out,/ Schuldig said, sounding a lot more confident than he actually felt.

Nagi sniffled, but he did not reply.

^^^^

Schuldig pushed his way into Farferello's room, where he had been sitting, building a house of cards, ever since Chien had arrived. It was getting to be a very impressive house of cards, as he had commandeered every deck in the house and snarled at anyone who got too close to it.

Farferello looked up as Schuldig walked in. "You want something."

"However did you guess?" Schuldig asked sarcastically.

"Because you came into my room," Farferello stated.

Schuldig wondered how to best phrase his request. "Want to do us another favor?" he asked.

"You only get a couple a month," Farferello warned him.

"We'll keep a tally on your door, how's that," Schuldig said.

"That would be good, thank you."

"Anyway," Schuldig said, "our new Fearful Leader wants us to go kill Weiss. Naturally, we're not into this."

"Understandable," Farferello said, going back to his card house. "They're funny."

"So," Schuldig continued, "do you think that you could go suddenly raving nuts and possibly run shrieking out of the house so I have to find you, thus putting off the whole having to kill my boyfriend mission?"

"Do I get to kill people?" Farferello asked, interested.

"Well, the whole point of this operation is that I wouldn't be able to stop you," Schuldig replied.

"I suppose, then," Farferello said. "When's dinner?"

"In an hour," Schuldig said.

"When's the disastrous mission?"

"Nine."

"Insanity, prescheduled, for eight forty-five," Farferello said, and added another layer of cards.

^^^^

At precisely eight forty-five, as promised, Farferello lost his marbles. Nagi, having been told about this plan, was hiding in his room most of the day. He was also doing this because, quite frankly, Chien was scary and Nagi didn't like him. Schuldig was just trying to keep from losing his own mind. More than usual.

"Are you all prepared?" Chien asked at about twenty to nine, figuring that a few hours was more than enough time. He directed this question at Schuldig, who was lounging on the sofa with a book, and had quite obviously not been preparing at all.

"Yes," Schuldig said. "What is there to prepare? You grab a gun. You drive over. You kill people."

"Your other team members seem to have more trouble, given that I haven't seen either of them since my arrival," Chien said, nearly sneering at Schuldig.

"What's your point?" Schuldig asked coldly.

"You might want to go check on them."

"When are we supposed to leave?" Schuldig asked.

"In twenty minutes."

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you," Schuldig said. He thought he was doing a remarkably good job of staying sane and keeping his temper, mostly because he was trying so hard to irritate Chien. Unfortunately, his comments didn't seem to phase Chien in the slightest.

"Give me one reason that I should," Chien said. "I am your team leader, after all."

"I don't see how we need to leave early," Schuldig said. "If you really want them out of their rooms, since you're the leader, go do it."

"I think I will," Chien said. He headed purposefully towards the small hallway that lead to the bedrooms.

/The old fogeys' boytoy is coming in to get you,/ Schuldig quickly warned Nagi. All he got was a quiet affirmative from Nagi, but that was better than nothing. A minute later, Nagi walked into the living room, shuffling his feet and moving with his eyes glued to the floor. It was eerily reminiscent of how he had walked just after being released from the Institute.

"Wait there," Chien said sharply. Nagi nodded and sat down on the sofa with his hands folded in his lap, while Chien went back into the hallway. Schuldig sat up and gave Nagi a quick hug while Chien was gone. Nagi tried to smile at him, but it came out rather lopsided and weak.

Schuldig checked his watch. /Forty-five seconds before Farfie loses it,/ he said to Nagi. The younger boy made a slight face, and that was all he did to acknowledge Schuldig's words.

They sat in silence, waiting. From the hallway, they could hear Chien trying to explain to Farferello that he was the leader now and Farferello would listen to him. Farferello didn't seem inclined to listen in the slightest. In fact, he was just blinking at him.

"Let me out," he said.

"Only after you agree to follow my orders," Chien said.

/Is he in the straightjacket still?/ Nagi asked Schuldig. /And if so, can he get out without help?/

/Yes he is, and I don't know if he can,/ Schuldig replied.

"Okay," Farferello agreed.

Chien gave him a narrow eyed look, which Farferello returned in kind, mimicking Chien's expression. "Let's go, then," Chien said, and turned abruptly and walked out of the room.

Farferello got to his feet and followed him. "You don't know how to have any fun," he stated. They reached the living room. Nagi was immediately on his feet and awaiting his orders. Schuldig didn't move an inch from his pose on the sofa, except for glancing at his watch.

"I think you have to let him out if you want him to do any good," he pointed out.

Chien looked between the two of them. "You do it," he said, gesturing abruptly.

Farferello grinned at Chien, showing teeth. "Afraid?" he asked.

/Ten seconds,/ Schuldig said to Nagi. He got off the sofa and took all ten of those seconds to go to Farferello and unrestrain him. As soon as he was done, Farferello lunged at Chien, knocking him to the ground.

"Farferello!" Schuldig called sharply. He knew that if they actually killed Chien, they would get in big trouble with the superiors in Esstet, and that was trouble they didn't need.

Farferello was sitting on top of Chien, with his arms pinned to the ground. He grinned at Chien. "I lied," he stated, and reached into Chien's jacket, pulling out a knife. "Ooh, favorite toy," he said, totally ignoring Chien's struggles to get free.

Schuldig swore mentally. "Nagi -- "

Nagi nodded slightly. Farferello was yanked backwards, off of Chien, and sent flying into the wall behind him. He rolled to his feet and went bolting for the window. He was again jerked off his path by Nagi's powers and went skidding across the floor.

"Schuldig, do something," Nagi said, giving Schuldig a look full of wide-eyed fear that was not entirely faked. Chien had managed to scramble to his feet, and was reaching for his gun.

Farferello took Nagi's split second of distraction to spin and kick Nagi solidly in the stomach, sending him flying across the room and into the wall himself. He slid to the floor and lay still. Just as he hit the wall, Chien pulled the trigger.

The bullet was off by a few inches and skimmed Farferello's arm, thanks to Schuldig, who shifted Chien's vision just enough to interfere with his aim. Farferello just laughed. "Stupid little fucktoy," he said, then bolted for the window again. He crashed through the glass and was down the fire escape in a matter of seconds.

Schuldig swore with heartfelt intensity, and knelt next to Nagi. "Nagi? Nagi-chen, are you okay?"

Nagi groaned, letting Schuldig prop him up. "Ow . . ." he managed, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. He was peripherally aware of Schuldig giving him a quick onceover, feeling for broken ribs or a cracked skull. Farferello had not pulled any punches.

"What are you doing?" Chien snarled. "Go after him already!"

"We can't without Nagi!" Schuldig retorted, not even glancing at Chien. He moved his finger in front of Nagi's eyes, frowning at the way Nagi tracked it. Concussion for sure, probably a bad one. "Go ahead, shoot him again! He'll just laugh at you. Didn't you check to make sure this would go well? Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"This wasn't in what I saw, quite obviously," Chien snapped. "Get him up."

Nagi's head had rocked back against the wall; his eyes were closed. Schuldig gently patted his cheek. "Nagi."

"Gods . . . go away . . ." Nagi managed, pushing weakly at Schuldig's arm.

"C'mon, no sleeping," Schuldig said, more because he knew Nagi had a concussion than out of any desire to do what Chien had ordered.

"My head . . . something hit it," Nagi mumbled.

"Yeah. You hit a wall. Really hard." Schuldig glanced at Chien, who was tapping his foot impatiently. He scooped Nagi up and placed him on the sofa. Nagi's eyes were already closed again. "Wake up," he said sharply.

"I'm awake," Nagi said, snarling weakly.

"Stay that way," Schuldig ordered him.

Chien turned and headed for the door.

"So where are you going?" Schuldig asked, wondering if he was going after Farferello or going to go complete the mission to kill Weiss. He also wondered if he would be held responsible if Farferello killed Chien. Of course, given that Chien had a gun, there was just as good a chance that he would kill Farferello if no one was there to stop him. In Schuldig's opinion, Farferello could take Chien any day, but he still hadn't seen their new leader in action, and it would be best to not take any chances.

"Someone needs to stop your teammate before he does any more damage than he undoubtedly has," Chien said coldly, "and it's quite obviously not going to be either of you."

"How are you going to get him back?" Schuldig asked.

"I never said anything about getting him back," Chien replied. "He's a worthless member of this team if he can't be controlled."

"We haven't had a problem until this mission," Schuldig retorted, standing up and nearly nose to nose with Chien. "His actions have always been accounted for."

"Are you challenging my leadership of this team?" Chien asked.

"No," Schuldig said. "Merely pointing out that Farferello is a valuable asset."

Chien's eyes narrowed. "Until you have a better idea . . . I'm going."

Nagi tugged at Schuldig's sleeve. "Help me up," he said.

"Are you sure?" Schuldig asked.

"I'm sure. I'm fine. Help me up."

"Okay." Schuldig got an arm underneath Nagi's shoulders and lifted him up, putting him on his feet. Nagi wavered, then steadied himself using his powers.

"I don't think I can go very fast," Nagi said. "Can you track him?"

Schuldig nodded.

"Okay." Nagi took a few stumbling steps. Schuldig got an arm around him and helped him walk. Chien gave them a cold look, then followed, locking the apartment behind them.

^^^^