"Follow him." The bluenette instructed upon seeing the Omid gentleman, watching as his friend approached the building. It seemed as though he was expecting them, however. The way he looked around was key, yet somehow, he still seemed surprised at seeing the duo. There was a moment of hesitation as he stalled in his steps. Preston's eyes eventually narrowed and he kept moving forward, his path not changing despite the fact that it intersected with the demons' location.
"Don't do it, Preston." The blonde said as the pair moved toward him. There was a casual fluidity in their movements, suggesting that this sort of thing was routine for them. In reality, it wasn't. The event that they would have to potentially engage in combat against a friend was not ordinary. Despite this, it was in their best interest to give the impression that they knew exactly what they were doing.
"We don't want to have to hurt you. You're our friend. We can work this out." Alois continued, much to the visible annoyance of the Omid.
"I already tried that." Preston answered, furrowing his brow in a menacing scowl. "'With enough physical therapy, you'll be right as rain!' 'You're getting better! Just look at you!' was it?" he quoted from his doctors.
"That was a lie to make me feel better, wasn't it? There wasn't anything you could do. Nothing you would do, anyway." He accused, continuing on. "If Cerberus could fix me, then why didn't you?"
"Did you really expect us to try something that we've never done and possibly kill you with it?" questioned Ciel. "We're not willing to experiment when it comes to people's lives, especially not when it comes to the lives of our friends."
"You could have done something!" the man with the golden eyes barked, stopping his movements for a moment. "You didn't do anything! You wouldn't even see if I was alright! You were too busy playing to care!"
"We were in the middle of tracking down a terrorist, and we still are!" Alois said back. "We've been solving murder after murder, and on top of that, we have to deal with this mess! Don't get involved in it!"
"Don't get involved? I already am! I was from the moment I got infected with this… this… thing! I'm not even human anymore! Did you expect me to just shrivel up and die with it? I couldn't walk, I couldn't move, hardly, and you expected me to just be okay with that?!"
"And the alternative you're choosing is to become a terrorist?" asked Ciel.
"It's better than not being alive!" Preston shouted, his voice cracking, slightly. His face spelled anger but his eyes conveyed fear. He knew very well what kind of situation he was placed in.
Driven to the edge by despair, he was about to teeter over it by being pushed into a corner. Preston was fully aware of the fact that what he was doing was wrong, but he couldn't back out now—not after he had already been paid. Cerberus had fixed him to the best of their ability. He could walk again and move freely. It had cost him both his humanity and his loyalty, but what was the alternative? The shards that grew from the gash in his chest had begun to grow inward, piercing his organs. He would have died slowly, painfully, and without anyone noticing, as he wasn't able to go out with his bizarre "illness".
Fear crept in and it had taken him over. He was afraid of dying, afraid of pain, and now, he was afraid that he had made the wrong choice, given the reaction of his friends. He knew that they were capable of cruelty. Would they give him the same treatment? He didn't know. They weren't human, so what did he know? They are demons—monsters, by nature. Surely, once he had crossed over into the abyss, he was fair game to them, having stripped himself of his humanity and leaving himself bare to them. HE knew that they weren't allowed to kill humans willy-nilly. What of annies?
"Preston…" the blonde began. "Do you really think we don't know what it's like… to turn our backs on the light for the sake of living?" he asked. "Who do you think we are? That's what made us, Preston."
The man took a step back, his expression faltering. Once it did, the duo began moving forward again. Now they knew what they were doing. Preston was a child in comparison to them. He was angry, hurt, and afraid. That feeling was all too familiar to his company.
"We too, were human once." The bluenette said. "Once upon a time, back when our stories began."
"Did you think we became demons for shits and giggles?" the menace asked. "Do you think we made the choices we did because we thought it would be fun?"
"We didn't. We made them because we had no other options left." His beau chimed in. "Our lives were forged from suffering and despair. How do you think we became what we are now?" The duo were almost right on top of Preston when they both stopped.
"We may be demons, but we are not mindless beasts. Don't dare undermine this fact." The Phantomhive declared. "As both agents of her majesty and your friends, we will not simply allow you to run wild. You can still choose your fate, Preston."
"There really isn't any need for us to fight you. What we're interested in is Cerberus." Stated Alois. "There is still hope, Preston. As long as there is a thread of it still intact, there is no reason to give up. Allowing despair to crush you is for the weak of heart."
"What will you do, Preston?" asked Ciel. "Can you pull yourself back up, or will you continue to take orders from people who live life for the sake of cheap thrills?"
The man before them fell to his knees, flabbergasted by what exactly was being asked of him. They were still willing to give him another chance? After what he did? He wasn't human anymore, so wasn't the policy just to do away with him? Were they lying? That was possible. They were demons after all, and they worked for the government. Knowing them, it was entirely possible that this was a trap.
"How gullible do you think I am?" he asked, his voice breaking. Fear was brought to the forefront of his expression as it contorted. He tried his best to conceal his feelings and put on a defiant façade, but he was failing miserably. Nervous laughter bubbled up from his throat while he began to lose his grip on things.
"You're demons." He said. "Lying is what you do. I know that. Cut the crap."
It was the most rational though he could come up with in his irrational state of mind. Paranoia ruled him in a nearly tyrannical way. Reason could not reach him.
"In what way would lying benefit us, here?" asked the Phantomhive.
"It'll be easier to kill me if I just roll over and die!" barked the Omid. "That's what you do, isn't it?! Kill monsters?!"
"Preston, you're not a monster…"
"I am! Don't fucking lie to m—"
"We have seen monsters." Ciel interrupted, his voice booming as he glared down at the man with the golden eyes. "I assure you, you are nothing compared to them. Monsters devour people. They stir them up and tear them apart, gaining a sick, twisted sense of amusement from it. Is that you? Are you like them? Knowing you, Preston, you don't have the brutish, sadistic nature for that. You don't know anything about this world that you claim to be a part of. You're the kind of person who will be eaten alive if they try to involve themselves in the matters of monsters. Turn back while you still can, Preston. You want to live, don't you? Live, become prey, or become a beast. What will you do?"
The Omid stared up at the demon, seeming to shrink down in front of this goliath as he roared. The world of Ciel and Alois wasn't quite what he imagined. There wasn't any black or white, only shades of grey. Demons could be bad, but demons could also be good. Here, Preston was, believing himself to be a part of something he wasn't by nature of achieved genetic make-up. He was like a naïve child, being set in his place by a much bigger person, but Preston, in his fragile state, couldn't quite grasp this in that moment. No, he was too afraid to think. He just wanted to escape. He didn't want to talk anymore. He didn't want to do anything anymore.
"Wh-wha?" he sputtered out, unsure of how he should react. "Why?"
"We're your friends, Preston. We don't want to see you end up like us." Alois replied. "Just tell us where Cerberus is, and go with H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. They can't hurt you without orders."
Preston's eyes flickered to the clock tower before landing back on the duo. The demons' own eyes lit up at the action. Alois turned to face the structure while Ciel stayed honed in on Preston.
"What will it be?" the Phantomhive questioned, crossing his arms. "Calm down. You're going to be fine."
"But… But they?" the Omid began. "They won't…"
"We're gonna kick their asses." The blonde said. "You don't have to worry anymore. Just leave it to us."
"You're just going to back out?" called a voice, prompting the attention of the group. Heads spun around to give their attention to a woman dressed in dark green whose skin was covered in scars, and a man in a black half-mask trimmed in gold, with long blonde hair and two square teeth that stuck out of his mouth.
"Araneus…" the menace spat, recognizing the man in the mask instantly.
"And Verdegris…" the bluenette chimed in. "Looks like they've come to greet us."
"You really did a number on Araneus, here…" said Verdegris. "We had to put a collar on him so he would stop rambling on about lions. It's not that bad, though. He's actually a lot less annoying this way."
"Glad you think so." Alois replied with a smirk. "When scum mistakes itself to have importance, I can do nasty things. It's best to keep it put in its place. Would you like to join him?"
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass. I sort of have things to do." The woman stated, pulling out a hunting knife. She crouched down, preparing to advance and prompting the menace before her to whistle a flat note.
"You really don't fuck around, do ya?" he asked.
"No, I don't. I'm not like your father in that sense!"
Alois' brow furrowed and his face contorted into a snarl at the remark, clenching his fists as the demoness before him leapt toward him. Anger bubbled up from within him as he prepared his own strike. With a gasp from the tourists around him, the clang of metal crashing against metal rang out, causing both parties' eyes to go wide. A smirk, however, appeared on the face of the Phantomhive as he registered what just happened.
"I thought you had a score to settle with me?" called a voice. It was sweet, but strong. A woman with hair as white as the snow that fell around them held up her sword, blocking the blade of Verdegris with minimal effort. "Or did you forget just who gave you those scars?"
"Hellsing!" the demoness snarled, taking in the sight of the angel's face.
"This time, it's just you and me." Elizabeth declared. "I'm sure my cousin and his beau can take care of your friend. This time, I don't intend to lose!"
