Disclaimer: I don't own Ultimate Muscle, and I don't claim to.
SLASH WARNING ADDED! SLASH IMMINENT! If you don't like it, look away!
Chapter Four: Byzantine Practices.
The newsreader came back onto the screen and turned straight around to begin questioning one of the resident Middle East experts that the network had hastily roped in. This left the Chojins to begin chattering amongst one another, arguing vehemently about what they were going to do now.
"Fight them!"
"Niet… we should try and see if they let us go!"
"Don't be daft!"
After a few minutes, Jaeger decided to try and escape from the brewing riot. He slunk past a bitterly arguing Buffaloman and Dik Dik… and came face to face with Brocken and Robin.
In each other's arms.
Kissing.
"MEIN GOTT!" He yelped, almost painfully. "Father, vat are you DOING?"
Brocken broke the kiss hurriedly and turned to face his son, pink patches glowing under his eyes.
"I am… err…"
"You are GAY?" Jaeger spat. By now, the argument had died down, and all eyes were now directed on the mini soap opera that was growing in the corner. Brocken looked into Jaeger's eyes, and started to try and stammer out am explanation.
"Jaeger, sometimes…"
"NEIN!" Eyes brimming with tears, Jaeger clenched his fists in anger. "Nein father. You… told me that this was wrong, that it was un-German to be gay. You lied. YOU LIED!"
"Mein son…" Brocken stood up, and took a step towards Jaeger, hand outstretched. "Please, understand…" Jaeger, his mind immobilised in shock, lashed out. He knocked Brocken off his feet with one fell blow and pelted away down the corridor.
Brocken Jnr staggered onto his feet, and set off after him.
"Brocken!" Robin yelled. "BROCKEN!" Brocken halted, and turned to face him. Robin shook his head warningly. "He'll come back, when he's calmed down."
Doors, lights, windows. All passed Jaeger in a misty blur as he ran hard through the bowels of the ship. He pounded around corners, and finally burst out onto the deck, emerging into the glorious glow of the new dawn. Here, he paused. Istanbul was brightly lit with the rays of the morning sun, its minarets and domes shimmering in the golden light.
Jaeger walked up to the rail at the edge of the deck, shedding his helmet as he walked. He cast a guarded glance around him, and then leapt overboard.
The swim from the Herculean back to the shoreline was not a challenge for Jaeger. The icy water of the Bosporus blasted shock waves into his mind as he swam hard for the quayside. Once there, he pulled himself up a rusting ladder built into the dock wall, and the collapsed onto the quay, eyes stinging from the salt.
He looked back at the Herculean, riding silently at anchor in the dawn.
"No father. You lied to me," was all he said. Then he turned and raced away into the streets of Istanbul.
He ran for what seemed like forever, turning random corners and dashing down alleyways to avoid the prying eyes he felt on his back. He felt sick, ashamed and angry. Above all this rode an overriding sense of betrayal on Brocken's behalf. His father had lied to him, lied to him straight faced and told him that being gay was the greatest shame he could bring on the family. It was his job to grow up and have children to continue the line, not squander his energy on futile pursuits of other men.
He turned another corner, and nearly ran into a tall, straggling teenager. He weaved to one side to avoid him, slipped on wet paving stone, and landed with a thud on the pavement.
"Damn!" said the stranger, "Grief, I'm so sorry sir…" he bent down to help Jaeger up. Jaeger shrugged him off, and gave him a hurt look… then paused.
"Pardon?"
"I said I'm sorry for tripping you up." Jaeger stared. That voice! It was oddly similar to that one in the newscast…
"Are you…?" murmured Jaeger, sitting upright on the pavement… "Are you the voice from the newscast?" The man blushed vaguely.
"I am. Here, let me take you back to Topkapi, and we'll get you cleaned up. It's Jaeger right?"
"Ja… Und you are?"
"Andronicus Basil Michael Gabriel Constantine Palaeologai. You can all me Andy… everyone always does."
"Andy…" murmured Jaeger vaguely. Andy helped him up onto his feet with both hands, and looked him down.
"You're soaking wet! And looks like you grazed that knee at some point. Come on, we'll get you something warm to wear." Jaeger stared numbly as Andy set off down the pavement. After a while, he turned to see Jaeger still stood there.
"What? Oh, yes… these things. Yea, they're real." With that , he turned and set off down the pavement, his wings trailing just above the pavement. Jaeger shook off his stupor, and ran after him.
Andronicus VII had made his first new friend ever.
To be continued…
Well now. Jaeger has stormed out on Brocken and run into someone quite unexpected, Mars is still somewhere in Turkey and Brocken will have quite a storm to live down.