Ysak struggled mightily in the grip of the lean BCPU... but no matter how hard he twisted or how often he kicked, he just could not get free. It was humiliating to be carried like this... he hadn't been lifted about like this since he was five. Worse was that the damn BCPU... whatever that meant... just seemed to think his struggling was amusing at best. A full grown man who worked out for a living wouldn't have been able to carry Ysak with such contempuous ease, especially when he was doing his best to get free. "You're a monster, you know that?" Ysak complained, ineffectively striking at Cray with his non-locked arm. "An inhuman monster."
"I never denied that. We're all just who we're made to be, by circumstance or desire. Lucky for me, my circumstances fufilled my desires." Cray replied. "Would you stop twitching? I'm under orders not to hurt you... but you're really stroking my pleasure centers... if you keep it up I might not be able to stop myself from breaking your limbs."
"You're sick... seriously twisted in the head. Just like that girl... whatshername, the one in Switzerland. She called herself a homicidal maniac... she seemed proud of it."
"Amy was pretty unstable, I'll grant you. But no more so than I am. If I wasn't under threat of death AND promise of reward right now... well... you won't need your legs, will you? And you can lose a couple pints of blood for me, couldn't you? You'd never miss it. And you don't really, really need TWO eyes, right? I mean come on... Asmodeus is probably going to kill you anyway... what does it matter if you're a little under the weather... he's just going to dump your carcass in the pit anyway."
Ysak couldn't think of a reply to that. He just renewed his struggles... he had to get out of this situation before it got any worse. He struggled until Cray sighed in annoyance and tightened his grip, bending Ysak like a twig between his arms. His spine groaned under the stress of being bent in the wrong diretion and his breath seemed to flee his lungs faster than he could draw it in. It didn't so much hurt as ache... an ever welling ache that kept getting stronger and stronger until it felt like his body was going to shatter into a thousand pieces. Just when he thought he was going to start screaming the pressure eased away. In minute fractions... but it was amazing how much relief even a little was. "You're tougher than I gave you credit for." Cray muttered, sounding somewhat surprised. "But try to keep as still as possible... it's for your own benefit... next time I might not be able to stop myself from breaking you in half... death threat or no death threat. You see, I'm not always in full control of myself... I'm ruled by impulse more than mind... I really want to kill you. You're a Coordinator... the enemy, the people I exist to kill. Nothing would make me happier than stnapping your spine, tearing out your throat and feasting on your still beating heart as you watched. Don't give me any opportunities. Ah, here we are." Cray advised.
He stopped and looked tenatively at the doors leading to the waste pit chamber. He wasn't superstitious or anything... how could he exist if there was God, after all? But he still felt something... mixed reverence and fear. A lot of his predecessors had taken a one way trip through this door... and he himself eventually would too, if he ever was crippled or killed or rendered obsolete. He steeled himself...today was not his day to die. It was the day of death for the flesh sack in his arms. That would be good... it'd been too long since he killed something or even saw something killed... he hadn't realized how much he'd needed to end a life until right then. It wasn't nearly as bad for him as it was for Frost... he wasn't drooling... he didn't think anyway. But it was a growing thirst... he wasn't a man lost in the desert yet, but he was getting there.
Ysak blinked as they traveled through the dark tunnel and into the reasonably well lit room. It was larger than he'd expected... it really was just a big cave, a cavity in the mountain about forty meters across and ten meters tall. More than three fourths of the floor area was just a big pit, which descended out of sight into the darkness below. Above this pit was suspended a metal mesh catwalk in the shape of a "Y", obviously placed so people could carry waste or trash out into the middle of the pit to dump so containers or whatever would not burst on the way down by hitting the pit walls. The lights in the room were just big mounted spotlights, maybe taken from a scout jeep or something of the sort. They were arranged so much of the room and the pit were in shadow, as were the two far ends of the "Y" catwalk. Most of the catwalk was lit up bright as day and standing right at the junction of the three legs was a man in a Earth forces uniform of unusual make... all dark reds and blacks and greys, unlike the usual white. The uniform contrasted sharpely with his prematurely grey hair and salt and pepper moustache... the man looked sixty or more though he probably was only in his late forties. His posture was ramrod stiff yet also loose and ready for action. His was like a cocked gun... ready to go off at any moment but able to maintain a degree of stillness that was quite shocking. A large pistol holster was belted at his left hip. Ysak met the man's freezing gaze almost the moment he entered the room... the hate in those eyes was startling.
Ysak knew a lot about hate... he seriously disliked a lot of people. A lot of people seriously disliked him, for various reasons. But he'd never been looked at with so much personal animosity... Ysak wondered what he'd done to piss this man off so much... he couldn't recall any sort of connection between himself and the Intelligence Director of Blue Cosmos. Ysak only really knew of this man because Alkire and the other TEMPEST people knew of him and had toldhim about him. Apparently this guy... Captain Asmodeus Sark... was supposed to have been a real hotshot in EFSOU... Alkire's old unit... back during the time before the previous war and during the previous war. He was supposed to be a real genius with gathering intelligence on targets, making sound plans, and executing perfect missions, no matter what.
He was so good he'd been given permission by the EA high command to create his own autonmous unit of Special Forces troops, the Hellhounds, named after his own nickname. Only the best soldiers the EA had to offer were even considered for joining the Hellhounds... they were the equivalent of the ZAFT red elites and maybe even FAITH members... they could act as they saw fit in battlefield conditions without recourse to the commander at the scene. They were only accountable to Asmodeus and the EFSOU directors. And apprently they were also loyal to Cervantes Zunnichi and Blue Cosmos as well... Ysak strongly suspected that it was a unit or units of Hellhounds that had captured them in the chapel. Certainly the natural who'd tossed him to the ground was one of them... Ysak hadn't been so easily thrown in his entire life... even when he'd been holding himself back against Katie and Chanel. It was people like that guy who always served to remind him that Naturals weren't quite as inferior as a lot of Coordinators and even Naturals themselves thought.
"Ysak Jule. I am Captain Asmodeus Sark. The Hellhound of EFSOU and Intelligence Director for Blue Cosmos. Do you know why we are meeting here, in this place?" Asmodeus asked. His lips quirked slightly at seeing a Coordinator held so helplessly by Cray... he looked like a long suffering older brother carrying a young sibling home from a long day of play.
"I haven't a freaking clue. Now put me down, you bastard piece of shit." Ysak growled.
"Put him down, Cray. And then kindly come over here and join me." Asmodeus ordered, drawing his pistol. It was a custom made firearm, built for his hand alone. It fired a full sized assault rifle cartridge and had a magazine of twelve shots, making it more like a carbine than a pistol. A bulky and well used laser sight was mounted on top, and a large silencer was permanently attached to the muzzle. All in all the gun was nearly a foot long and weighed a good twelve pounds... the exercises he needed to do in order to heft it were a large part of what kept him fit these days. It was getting to the point where he was actually starting to feel it's weight when he held it for an extended time... a sure sign of his age. But his hand was as steady as always... the little blue laser dot did not waver even slightly as he centered it on Ysak's head. The Coordinator was about eight meters away... too far for most people to go for a pistol headshot, even with a laser sight. But Asmodeus knew he could do it... he'd made harder shots for years. "Do not move... if you try to rush me, you will die before you reach me." Asmodeus advised Ysak.
"Aren't you going to kill me anyways?" Ysak retorted, rubbing feeling back into his limbs after being dropped by Cray... he noted that Asmodeus's aim had not left his head even when he'd been dropped... this man was an excellent shot, it was plain. He could almost certainly kill Ysak before he managed to cover the distance between them. Not saying he wouldn't make a go for it anyway if the circumstances demanded it... but things didn't look good. This guy was no idiot... he knew how fast Coordinators were. Cray scuttled over to Asmodeus, careful not to block the line of fire. Ysak shuddered slightly... whenever the tall and lanky BCPU moved he reminded him again of a humanoid spider.
"That remains to be seen." Asmodeus replied coldly. He waited for Cray to come abreast of him before drawing a regulation pistol out from behind his back and handing it butt first to the BCPU.
"What's this... you're actually giving me a gun?" Cray asked, incredulous... he hadn't been handed a gun willingly in... since he was a BCPU four. Usually people nowadays went out of their way to make sure he didn't get a gun. Cause he tended to use it on people as quickly as possible. He liked guns... liked the sound they made, the feel of the recoil, the flash of light... and he especially liked the bloody holes they put in people.
"There is only one bullet loaded. I'm not stupid. The gun is for a very specific purpose... one I'm sure you'll probably enjoy anyway." Asmodeus replied.
"What is that?" Cray asked. Asmodeus beckoned for him to lean down so he could whisper without Ysak hearing. He only whispered a few sentences, but Ysak watched Cray's face light up with pleasure and his heart plummeted to his toes... anything that could make a madman killer happy was not a good thing for him. "That's awesome! You were right, sir, I do like it. I'll do it... and I'll even follow your plan, it's so wonderful. Thank you sir. Thank you for letting me do this. I'll never forget this... why, when it comes time for you to die, I'll make it quick even."
"I suppose that's about as good as I can hope for, hm?" Asmodeus replied in a bored voice. "Now get into position... I'm on a timetable and I need to bring this to its conclusion." Cray clumsily saluted with the gun hand and bounded off down the left fork of the "Y", disappearing into the pool of shadow at the end. Asmodeus proceeded at a more measured pace... keeping Ysak's head fully in his sights at all times. Ysak cautiously moved forward one step for every backstep Asmodeus took... by the time the Hellhound was at the end of the right fork, half hidden in shadow, Ysak was at the junction of the three forks. "That's far enough, Ysak Jule. Do not move a single muscle. You and I need to talk and I need you to be completely honest with me." Asmodeus called out, reaching down and grabbing a handful of Katie's hair. The girl was secured to the metal deck next to him, hidden from easy view in the shadows and gagged so she could not call out a warning to her precious Coordinator. Her sister was similarly secured on the left fork, with Cray standing by for the order.
"All right... talk. I'll do what you say for now... but if you think I'm afraid of dying... you're wrong. I think I can get to you before you hit me with that clunker of a gun. I just want to hear what an old stogy like you wants to say first." Ysak replied with a superior smirk.
"I never thought you were afraid of death... youths these days never are." Asmodeus replied. "In Switzerland, at the Zunnichi family estate... you were ambushed by Blue Cosmos on the grounds during a costume party?"
"Yes... they got more than they asked for though, since not only was I armed but so were Chanel and Katie... they're also captives here, I'm surprised you haven't talked to them."
"Maybe I have." Asmodeus countered, moving so that Katie was almost fully obscured from view... the Coordinator hadn't sighted his love birds yet and he didn't want him to until the proper moment. "Anyway... one of the Blue Cosmos soldiers was my son, Ray Sark. He was killed in the gunfight... shot through the head. Held down and shot through the head if the forensics team reconstructed it right. Did you shoot my son?"
"If I did?" Ysak challenged.
"I asked you if you SHOT MY SON! I'd appreciate a reply." Asmodeus said flatly, fingers tightening both on his gun and in Katie's hair, pulling her head back painfully. She was looking with wide eyes at Ysak, a very concerned expression on her face... well that was too. She was in a very dire situation... her very life was dependent on a choice not her own, one that she would be utterly unable to influence.
"I don't remember." Ysak answered. "I killed a few people that night... after they attacked me and my friends. I don't remember... I was trained to always shoot for the head at close range."
"Think harder... it would have been after the grunts were killed, but before you engaged Amy and Frost."
Ysak suddenly pursed his lips... he remembered now... He'd been half garrotted by the Amy girl and there had been a gunshot... Chanel had pulled her gun away from a Blue Cosmos man on the ground for a moment and he'd tried to pull a weapon, so she'd planted one right through his head, single tap death. "What exactly are you planning to do to the person who killed your son?"
"I thought you weren't afraid of death?" Asmodeus taunted in reply.
Ysak was in a quandry. He knew he hadn't killed this guy's son... Chanel had done the deed. But if he admitted to that, this guy would kill her... he'd as much as said it. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he caused Chanel to be killed... Katie and everyone else would never forgive him... more importantly, he would never forgive himself. On the other hand, if he claimed to have killed Asmodeus's son, he was probably going to get shot in the head right here and now... and that wouldn't make many people happy either. Certainly not him.
Katie was trying to stare around Asmodeus's leg... trying to move so Ysak could see her or make some noise or something, so that he knew they were there. She wasn't exactly sure why Asmodeus had brought them here, since apparently he thought Ysak had killed his son, not Chanel. She had a very bad feeling about this though. She couldn't move at all with her wrists chained together, chained to her belt and then chained to the metal walkway. And Asmodeus was right in front of her, gun almost pointing in her direction, pulling hard enough on her hair to make her want to cry, holding her head up and back so her neck was bared almost towards the ceiling. The gag tasted rank in her mouth and her hands were numb from lack of circulation, as were her legs from her sitting on them for nearly ten minutes now. She wished she had some way of warning Ysak... she tried to drown out all the physical sensations she was feeling, tried to go for her inner balance... it was hard for her, she hadn't spent nearly as much time practicing with her mind like Chanel had. But Ysak was still dithering when she managed to put herself into a sort of trance. It was ugly, shoddy work... but it was enough to get her into dreamland. She wondered if Asmodeus would notice her body going slack... hopefully he'd just think she had fainted or something.
Took you long enough. Chanel said the moment she saw her sister. She had appeared much where she was in the real world... the dream world was a replica of the room they were actually in. The dream wasn't very high detail, unlie the beach meeting point. There was no pit in the floor, just a big black spot, and the colors were mostly washed out of everything. But it was enough for them to converse and that was all that was important.
I'm sorry... I was a bit busy having my hair half yanked off my head while being forced to kneel in perhaps the most uncomfortable position ever. Katie retorted. Chanel's image turned to her and Katie shivered... her sister's eyes were brimming with tears but more fiery with anger than she'd ever seen before... normally she was the one who got royally pissed and Chanel who urged calm... now she was the one looking askance at her sister not vice versa. What did I miss?
Don't you complain to me about your hair... I've got the crazy tall guy holding me hostage... and I can assure you, he's doing quite a bit more than just holding me. If I can ignore that you can ignore a little pain. Chanel informed Katie. I've been trying to beepcall Ysak... but the Stump barrier is just too hard for me to break given the cirumstances... if he was asleep I might be able to do it... but if that were the case he'd hardly be in a position to do much either, would he?
Well, what do you want me to do about it?
I don't KNOW! I'm nearly out of ideas... and I'm getting a real bad feeling about this. Ysak will never admit to me shooting Asmodeus's son... not after Asmodeus practically admitted to planning to kill the person who did it. I need to figure out some way to tell him we're here... I think we're going to be used as hostages so Ysak doesn't try to fight back.
I don't know... I think it might be worse than that. Katie replied, forcing herself to be analytical. Asmodeus isn't just your average revenge oriented bastard... he's got something bigger planned than just shooting Ysak in the head, an eye for an eye. Don't ask me how I know... I can't even sense the man, much less get a feel for him... but there is something in his voice and posture that suggest to me that he's got something worse planned. Katie ran through the mental mantra that brought her sensing ability to the front of her mind... she didn't see people as sparks like Chanel did, she saw them as colored cartoon animals. Ysak was the silver eagle over there... Chanel was a green housecat... Asmodeus wasn't anywhere to be seen... and the guy standing behind Chanel... Katie flinched away from the image. It wasn't any beast she knew of... a swirling black and white conglomerate of several things, all fangs and claws and crude stitch marks. She didn't want to know what the person who's mind looked like that was like. Christ... what sort of person is that guy?
He's insane... very homicidal and twisted to his core. It's hard to ignore him when he's so close to me... he kills for fun and pleasure... the cries of his victims feel like they're leaking off his hands and onto my body. It's... it's terrible. Chanel replied with more than a shiver... she wanted the man to stop touching her, to go away... preferrably by falling into the pit and cracking open his head on the bottom. She could feel his spark burning right on top of her... it felt like she was wilting in the heat. He was easy to read... he almost projected his thoughts, no mental barriers to speak of... he was either the most receptive Latent she'd ever seen or something else... not an Active though. If he was Active he'd already have been in the trance with them... which would have turned it from a dream to a nightmare. He was a seriously messed up person, this Craydon Thresher. But that's not the issue here... Ysak's in trouble... he needs help. And we're the only ones who can help him. I need your help... I'm going to try to beepcall him again... I need you to try as well... maybe with both of use trying one of us can slip through. And if that fails and cirumstances get as bad as we're both fearing... well, I know of something else we can try. Hopefully it won't come to that.
Come to what?
You don't want to know. Now get calling.
--------------------------------
Ysak was still weighing his options. He sure had the raw end of the deal here... damned if he did, doubly damned if he didn't. He steeled himself... there really wasn't an option. He'd sooner get his own head blown off than condemn Chanel to the same... a thousand times sooner, really. "Yes, I killed your son. Shot him right in the head when he tried to pull a gun on me rather than surrender... he tried to kill me and my friends and I stopped him. Happy?"
"Not yet." Asmodeus replied. Something didn't ring true here... from his files, Ysak Jule wasn't the sort who'd even think twice about shooting a Natural who threatened him with a gun. Yet there had been that long pause... almost as if he was debating which truth to tell. There was more to his son's death... Asmodeus was sure of it. He knew just the way to jog Ysak's memory too... abject terror and love were a potent mix after all. "I don't believe you yet. And don't worry about me killing you... I don't plan to, unless you try to come over here."
"How can I be sure you're not lying?" Ysak asked.
"I swear I'm not... unlike Mr. Zunnichi, I'm a soldier like you... my word means something to me. Tell me again... did you kill my son? No lies... I won't kill you... you have my word."
"Yes, I killed your son." Ysak retorted... he couldn't exactly change his story now that he was committed. His head suddenly buzzed a little bit... it sounded like a very distant alarm clock had gone off for just a second. He blinked the distraction away... he could not afford anything less than total focus right now... a single slip could end up with him dead... or worse, Chanel dead.
"Very well... I will not kill you, like I promised. However, you don't get away scot free... you tore a hole in my heart with that shot... a hole that can never be filled again. I'm not a sadistic man by nature... I much believe in equal retaliation for equal hurt. If I have to live with my son dead... it is only fitting that you should go on living with the same pain as well."
"What? I don't understand... I don't have a son..." Ysak trailed off, blinking away a slightly louder buzzing noise, half raising his hand to bat away the gnat or whatever it was.
"Fortunately... or not... for you, you don't need one. And you'll still have the chance to create one, assuming your genes let you, after I'm done here. You see, it's come to my attention that you have a rather close personal bond with two rather pretty young girls, who also happen to be languishing in our care." Asmodeus casually thumbed the control he held in the hand entangled in Katie's hair... flipping on the lights that had formerly been off, stripping away the shadows that had cloaked the ends of the forks, revealing Katie kneeling next to Asmodeus, hands bound close to the floor, head tilted painfully back, his pistol muzzle pressed flat into the side of her head. On the other fork Chanel was similalr chained down, with Cray standing over her, gun pressed hard into the top of her head, which lolled limply atop her neck as Cray ran his free hand over as much of her available flesh as he could... which was nearly all of it, given how long his arm was. For a second Ysak thought they were both dead, given how limp they both seemed... but then he noticed their deep steady breathing. They were just unconscious. Both were gagged as well, which went a ways towards explaining why they hadn't alerted him to their presence.
"You would not dare..." Ysak snarled. Asmodeus stared him back down, as calm and assured as a man who has all the power can be.
"I would dare anything... my legacy... my heir... my son... he's dead. Killed by your hand. My heart died when he did... the world is almost meaningless now, to me. This war... Blue Cosmos... my friends and colleauges... all of them are just shades now, without Ray. It's strange, since we were never close... but he was my SON! He was me... he was all I had... and you stripped him from me. You did... by your own admission. None other than you. And I'm going to make you pay for it yourself. It's too bad your girlfriends fainted... I wanted them to hear what you had to say. I wanted them to hear you make your choice. You see, I'm no monster...I'm not going to take both your loves from you... my son's single life is not worth the lives of two people. But they're twins, you see... I just couldn't make up my mind who to kill. Katie here..." Asmodeus nudged her head with his gun. "... or sweet Chanel, lavishing in Cray's arms over there? Which? Then I hit on it... you can choose, Ysak. Choose who lives and who dies. It's really not all that different from what you did to Ray... you chose to pull the trigger, chose to aim for the head. Now you can chose which head too... isn't that wonderful? And then afterwards you can explain to the surviving sister why her twin had to die. No doubt that will be an interesting conversation." Asmodeus gave Ysak his most wintery smile. "So... who's it going to be?"
"You wouldn't... I can't... I can't make that sort of decision!" Ysak yelled back frantically. "I can't just chose one!" He didn't even feel the buzzing this time, thought it was like a frantic toothache in the back of his mind. His thoughts were shooting off like flares in the night... they'd briefly illuminate his mind but not enough for him to make his way to a good answer. "You bastard... I CAN'T CHOOSE ONE!"
"Then I'll kill them both... maybe going a bit overboard... but I'll offer you a consolation prize... I'll let you shoot me in the head if you end up forcing me to kill them both. That way we'll be even." Asmodeus promised.
"I'm not forcing you to do anything! You can just let them go. You can shoot me... please shoot me... just don't hurt them!" Ysak begged, finding himself suddenly on his knees, feeling nauseated.
"No... I'm not letting you off easy, Ysak. Now CHOOSE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES! It wasn't that hard for you to do it to my son... why can't you make a snap decision now, Coordinator?" Asmodeus said, baring his teeth in anger and hate. He hadn't been so worked up about anything in a very long time... not in years and years. He pushed the gun muzzle harder than strictly necessary against Katie's cheek... working out a little of his pain beforehand, even if she wasn't the target... yet. He was perfectly serious about his punishment... he would kill who Ysak chose and that would be the end of it. An eye for an eye... a heart for a heart... a head for a head... a son for a girlfriend... equality was the only way to do business.
"Don't... please... I'm begging you not to kill either of them. They haven't done anything to you... I'm the guy who killed your son... why can't you take it out on me?" Ysak pleaded, tears falling from his eyes. "I can't make that choice. I can't. I love them both. Both equally. I LOVE THEM BOTH!"
"I am taking this out on you... you can feel the pain, can't you? And let us not forget... you have a third option... if you fail to choose within the next five minutes... both die... and you get to kill me." Asmodeus hissed.
"Five minutes! You bastrard monster! I can't chose in five minutes. God damn, I CAN'T MAKE THAT CHOICE!".
"Then it'll be a long five minutes... for you. You may as well start mourning right now, if you really cannot choose. And looking up a few old girlfriends might be a good idea... you'll need a replacement... assuming you ever leave this base alive... which considering who the Doc is... isn't likely."
Everything was starting to get a bit blurry for Ysak... he hadn't cried this much in his life, not even when he'd gotten his face torn open. But it was more than that... the world was starting to recede somehow. His pain... his fear, his anger and hatred and everything he was feeling right then... everything was welling up inside him and overwhelming him. He felt like he was drowning in his own mind... could almost feel the water closing in around him. It was odd... almost like he was dreaming. Aqua blue seemed to be surrounding him... he actually felt wet... his lungs were hurting with the effort of crying and shouting at Asmodeus for mercy he obviously did not have. His eyes suddenly burst open, flooding his perceptions with nonspecific light that seemed to come from everywhere. He looked around... there were no sounds... no smells... he couldn't see Asmodeus or Cray or Chanel or Katie... he couldn't even see the room he was in. He seemed to be floating in the... ocean. A tropical ocean somewhere... there was no land in sight. He twisted around... it was strange, he couldn't feel himself treading water, yet he obviously wasn't sinking. Had he passed out or something... was this a dream? Or maybe he'd just been pushed over the edge by trying to force himself to think of a solution to the problem... 'cause he could swear he was looking at a sandy beach on some tropic island somewhere... a deserted beach. He was only a few yards off shore... he actually found that the water was now only waist deep... he could have sworn he'd been forced to swim up out of it... he felt dazed and confused... what was going on?
What the FUCK is going on! Ysak cried, immediately clapping his hands to his head afterwards... it wasn't that he'd shouted too loudly... it was that he hadn't felt his mouth move... and yet he'd heard himself cry out in such anguish... more emotion than he'd actually intended to express. Much more. It was like his innermost feelings had been released all at once when he tried to speak, only to build back up to the breaking point when he stopped speaking. Where am I?
In trance. Ysak heard a familiar voice say softly and wearily from behind him. He turned, not realizing that he was now standing on the beach until he staggered backward and fell ass first onto the sand. Chanel was standing right behind him, naked as the day she was born. He glanced down at himself... he was still clothed... though he was dressed in his elite uniform, not the tux he knew he was wearing. As he watched his uniform seemed to shimmer and move, like a heat haze.
What's going on? What is this? Where is this? The questions seemed to spill forth straight from the pits of his mind... still oddly without sound but perfectly comprehensible. Why am I in uniform... and why the hell are you naked?
There is no time to explain, dear Ysak. We have only minutes remaining before Asmodeus carries out his ultimatum. Katie and I have been trying to contact you for quite some time now... since you first set foot into the room. Our efforts were in vain though... you're a Stump... beepcalling doesn't work on you. I was forced to take drastic measures to contact you... measures the consequences of which must be faced. Chanel walked past him, over to a wooden lounge chair which had appeared from nowhere. Chanel plucked a straw sun hat from thin air and carefully placed it on her head. She sat down on the chair, which elongated into a bench. She patted the bench next to her. Come... we have even less time than Asmodeus has granted us... Katie will be with us shortly, as soon as she calms herself... I can't keep you here for long... the strain is... well, it's the most difficult thing I've ever done, let me say.
I don't understand. What is going on... I thought you were unconscious... and Katie too. I thought you were chained to the decking on the far side of the room, with a gun pressed to your head. How can you be here... wherever this is? Ysak asked, ignoring the soundless talking oddity for now.
I am unconscious, as is Katie. We're... asleep, you could say. So are you... this is a dream.
I'm dreaming? This isn't real? Why can't I wake up... I need to wake up so I can try to save you!
It's not that sort of dream. Katie appeared, walking right out of the water, yet not touched by it. She was nude as well. Ysak had to force himself to look away... he disliked it when they walked around in the nude, totally unconcerned for who saw them. People... did not do that on the PLANTS. Katie sat down on the other side of Ysak. Both girls rested their heads on his shoulders... Chanel's sunhat cut right through him without hitting him or hurting him... he tried not to look at it. Without thinking about it he put his arms around them. I don't know how to explain to you what this is... I'm not sure even Chanel knows exactly. We call this trance.
If I had to say where we were... we'd be in my mind somewhere. In my dream. Chanel added. Of course you're not physically here... you're lying on the catwalk... just like Katie and I haven't left our positions either. I suppose you might want to think of this like a tele-conference... but without cameras and projectors. Its not at all accurate, but you've been resistant to hearing the details in the past and we don't have time now.
We're in a bad spot, Ysak. A very bad spot... I can't see a way out of this that ends in happiness for us. Katie whispered plainitively.
Neither can I... I can see only one solution...and it's not one you or Katie will be happy with. Chanel said sadly.
What? I don't understand anything... I'm so dizzy... I feel sick. And tired... really tired. Ysak complained, trying to stifle a yawn.
We're reaching your time limit then, my love. I'm sorry I couldn't hold you here to talk longer... it's just too much stress on your mind. It's time for you to go back. Chanel told him. She started to stand. Ysak grabbed her around the waist and pulled her forcibly back down.
Nobody is going anywhere. Least of all me. Not until I'm sure you are both safe. What is this solution you thought of? Ysak asked. Chanel stared at him for a long moment, tears starting to trickle out of her eyes. She looked over at Katie, who was crying also.
So that's what you meant. You knew what pulling him into trance would do to you. God damn it, Chanel... why do you have to be so nice? Why couldn't you be selfish for once? Why... why did you do something so incredibly stupid?
WHAT... IS... GOING... ON? Ysak demanded, yawning between each word.
You aren't supposed to be here... Stumps are mentally inert in the parts of the brain we're using. Chanel... Chanel is doing something very complicated to your mind... temporary rearranging some neuron paths... thats why you're here. But the stress of doing so is eroding her mind... if you use any muscle too much it will tear and bleed and eventually die. Chanel's muscle is her mind... and it's tearing and bleeding. So is yours... thats why you're getting tired... your brain is trying to shut down to preserve your life. Katie told him.
Send me back right now. I can't stand either of you being in pain. I'll think of something... I'll...
You'll accept my final wish and do as I say, love. Chanel interrupted him. I'm dying already... the feedback shock of bringing you into the trance in the first place burst blood vessels in my skull... I'll die from a brain hemorrage if nothing else. Keeping you here is just hastening the process. But I think I'll be a little selfish... this is the last time I'll ever get to see you.
NO... NO... this isn't happening... this is a dream... I'm going to wake up and this isn't going to be HAPPENING!
Shhh... yelling won't change anything. I'm very sorry Ysak... I wish we could have told you sooner... I wish... a lot of things. I wish I could have married you... could have been with you... could have loved you for a longer time. I know this is sudden... we tried to explain but it was hard for you to listen before... I can understand... I didn't want to believe it either when I first learned. But facts are... facts. I'm grateful beyond what you'll ever know for the happiness you did give me... you made my life worthwhile. Now... you need to let my end be worthwhile too... you need to choose me... I'm the one who killed him anyway. Chanel's image flicked and returned a moment later, looking far more weary. Katie...
You don't need to say anything, sister. I know... I hate it... but I know. I... Katie stopped talking. There was really nothing to say... what could one half of a pair of twins so close they could literally share thoughts have to say to the other half at a time like this? Everything that she felt Chanel felt as well... and vice versa. There was perfect understanding between them... Katie didn't like it... but she understood. Her feet had been placed upon this path ot of her free will... but now she had no choice but to follow it.
But... but I love... you. Both of you. How am... I... supposed... to...? Ysak asked. Back in the waste pit room Asmodeus looked impatiently at his watch... less than a minute to go.
"Made up your mind yet, Ysak? You haven't got much time left, boy." he called.
"Hey... sir... Asmodeus?" Cray shouted excitedly.
"WHAT?"
"This one's going all limp and shit... she's bleeding out the nose too."
"I told you not to touch her... females are fragile... if she's not the one he chooses I'm going to have words with the Doc about you!"
"I didn't... okay, so I did touch her. But I didn't hurt her... she's bleeding a lot. Enough to... make... me... I'm losing it over here, sir! I need to kill her... I need the blood!"
"Damn it, Cray... if you so much as scratch her without my permission I'll see you dismembered slowly and tossed in a latrine!"
"As-Asmodeus!" Ysak called. He cranked his head up... his eyes were glassy and blood was pouring out of his nose too. "I... I-I... I choose... god may they all forgive me, but I choose Chanel!"
There... I did it. I hope everyone forgives me... no... NO I DON'T! I HOPE THEY HATE AND REVILE ME FOR THIS! I DON'T WANT TO BE FORGIVEN FOR THIS! I... I killed you. It's as if I pulled the trigger myself.
Don't be stupid. It's Asmodeus who killed me... and Cray's the one who pulled the trigger. They're the ones you should be angry at... they're the ones you should hate. Certainly not yourself. Promise me... promise me you'll let me go... that you'll bury me... that you'll love Katie with everything you'd saved for me in your wonderful big heart, Ysak. Promise me you'll avenge my death. Promise me you'll do everything you can to stop this terrible senseless war... so more tragedies like this aren't necessary. Please.
Of course. I'll do anything you want. I promise. I PROMISE. Ysak pulled Chanel's image or whatever it was that existed in the dream world close... closer than he'd ever permitted himself to hold her in real life. Their lips met for the briefest of moments... during which Ysak could swear he really was in her head... he heard with her ears, saw with her eyes. He was looking up at Cray, with streaks of red patterning his vision everywhere. He saw Cray as a person and as a black and white flashing spark, spiralling out of control. He saw Katie as a blue spark, pulsing with grief. He saw himself, lying on the ground, superimposed over a yellow-flickering spark that seemed to be absorbing the blood from Chanel's vision... slowly turning a deeper and deeper red. He saw Asmodeus... a man with no spark.
He heard Asmodeus say the awful words. "Shoot her." He heard the hammer on the pistol go back. He looked up into the barrel and felt Chanel smile beautifically through the gag... she had won... she had saved the people she cared about most... she had no regrets besides that she couldn't have spared them the pain in the first place... though that was impossible. He heard the gunshot... and felt the impact inside his own head. His own eyes jerked open and he found himself lying facedown on the metal deck... watching his own blood drip from his face and fall slowly into the depths below through the metal decking. He didn't want to look up... he didn't want to see what he knew he would see. He forced himself to... to look away would be to insult her memory and her sacrifice. He would never do that.
He looked up and over... past Asmodeus who was bent over Katie, releasing her from her restraints with surprising gentleness. He looked over towards Cray... the spider limbed madman was capering about in delight, splashed with crimson which he was contentedly sucking off his fingers. At his feet lay a limp form... blond hair sticky with red, face calm and beautiful except for the gag on her mouth and the red hole between her eyes. Ysak felt something snap within him... something he'd always known was there but had never thought of. A seed of some plant appeared inside his head... slowly falling... slowly falling and then bursting on the inside of his skull with the force of a nuclear detonation. He was on his feet and moving without consciously realizing it. It was like back in Switzerland... but a hundred times as intense... back then was just the wading pool... he'd just dived in the deep end... of the ocean.
"YOU! YOU'RE BOTH DEAD!" Ysak shouted with all the hate and sorrow and loss and love he felt. Asmodeus's head snapped around and his jaw dropped. Cray stopped in mid dance and looked up with a sick look of enjoyment. Ysak went for Cray first. He was going to kill him... he was going to kill him so hard...