Chapter Two: Stolen

Aya raced down the hall swearing. Somehow he'd gotten separated from the others, which wasn't really a problem in a normal setting, however, he wasn't in a a normal setting. It felt more like a labyrinth. With him as the mouse being herded and it didn't seem to be to anywhere good. No. Not with how strangely fun-house maze like the tactics used to force his direction were. There were hallways leading to nowhere, doors disappearing. Not fun and definitely not in the mission dossier.

That happened with alarming regularity, though, but normally a mistake wpuld be chalked up to clerical error rather than malicious intent. He couldn't remember it ever being this wrong. He felt like a lab rat in a maze, with no way out. Plus there were no guards, security, nothing. The building was empty. Had the target set a trap?

He was running through seemingly endless halls, trying to get back to the others. Suddenly a wall shot out of the floor in front of him. With no time to even brace for impact; he crashed into it. His shoulder flared in pain, the impact had dislocated it. Aya clutched at it as he slid to the floor. A wall had also sprung up in the rear. He was now trapped in a box of plaster and wood paneling. End of the line. He sat there, his jaw clenched against the pain, and tried to think of a way out of this. Whoever had trapped him must have made a way out. Or was this a death trap? His eyes flicked over his surroundings as he calculated rapidly. If there was a way to-a section of wall to his left slid open. Beyond it was a room full of blinking lights and computers. It was too dim to see much, but the room was rendered unimportant as a man walked out of it. A man that was supposed to be dead.

"Hello there kitten." Schuldig smiled. "Do you like my fun house?"

"We killed you." Aya got to his feet, barely able to keep the shock and pain from his face. He knew that any sign of weakness could cause the German to attack, which was inevitable since the man had obviously trapped him for a reason. Singled the swordsman out and trapped him. Culling the weak. Shit was it that obvious that he was currently struggling to hold on to sanity?

"No, I'm quite alive." Schuldig's smile grew, stepping closer. Like a shark smelling blood. He knew his prey was weak. "Brad and that psycho Farfarello are around here somewhere." Not a comforting thought since Youji was also somewhere. Suddenly the creep's grin disappeared and his foot lashed out connecting with Aya's wounded shoulder. The swordsman could barely keep from crying out in pain as he fell back to the floor. "Naru's dead."

"Good." Aya grunted. The green eyed psycho in front of him frowned. A moment later he was straddling Aya's thin waist, his hands gripping the smaller man's coat. Schuldig slammed him against the floor hard enough to make his mind spin and a couple of ribs crack. Blood spurted out of his mouth and he could feel something scrambling his thoughts. Schuldig glared down at him. Crap the man was a telepath. How could he have forgotten?

Where was Youji? Omi? Shit he'd settle for Ken right now. He just needed help, which was slightly ironic since he had only come along so he could help them. Schuldig was laughing above him, taking obvious delight in Aya's helplessness. He'd never been able to penetrate the swordsman's defenses before, but with the swordsman's mind as weak as it was at that moment; he was having no trouble getting in and fucking things up even more. Maybe Aya still stood a chance. If only he could reach his sword. It was at his side, luckily on the right where the hand that was currently still functioning.

"That's not your fault of course" Schuldig continued tossing away the sword Aya had started reaching for and increasing the mental assault. "But unfortunately for you; it means we need a new member." What the fuck did that have to do with him? Wasn't it a requirement to be psychic to be in Schwartz? The American leader had that premonition thing and this asshole had power over minds. He didn't know what the Irish Guy had except a whole lot of crazy and Naru had been the protection guy. Also a teenager like Omi. Aya was at a loss and then he thought of the light.

Give me your pain. I can make you strong. It was a voice in his head. Not Schuldig's. Something else. It was buried deep, but coming closer. Like a man under water, clawing to the surface to escape drowning. It wasn't close enough for the German to sense. Not yet. Soon though.

The sickly sweet smile on Schuldig's face made Aya's stomach roil. There was a shine to his eyes. Desire, kind of like what Youji tried to hide, that's what the shine was. Unlike with his friend, though, the attention from Schuldig was unwanted. The redhead knew Youji desired his body, but he also knew the blonde would never hurt him. The same could not be said about the man currently above him.

He cried out as a white hot pain lanced through his skull. Apparently thoughts of Youji pissed the German off. Weird. "I want you." The words drifted to him through a sea of pain and confusion. Aya got his right arm working enough to try and push the other man away. His fingers fumbled against green corduroy. Laughter then his arm was pinned. Shit. His left arm was useless and his legs were trapped. He was now at Schuldig's mercy. A fact which excited the other man. "I can make you want me."

"No you can't." Aya would fight to the end. Lips pressed to his. He jerked his face away. His broken ribs were jarred and more blood was pushed into his throat as Schuldig slammed him into the floor again. He coughed and spat the liquid to the floor. The other man leaned in close.

"It is within my power to make you do exactly what I want." He grabbed Aya's jaw with his free hand then forced it open. Seconds later a hot tongue invaded his mouth. Aya struggled weakly. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move. The broken ribs ground together. It hurt, but also meant more blood in his throat, completely cutting off his air. His vision began to dim. Shit.

He forced himself to cough up the blood. It forced Schuldig to back off and his airway to clear. His cough turned into a chuckle at the other man's expense. "You may have all the power, but I can still make your life a living hell." A fist hit him in the face. A blow that crushed his left cheekbone and bloodied his nose.

"We need him alive, Mastermind." Crawford had arrived. All the last vestiges of hope died. "You can have your fun later." With the arrival of Schwartz's leader; there was no way to win, . Before he could have tricked Schuldig into killing him. Now, however, the German would be in control, but these guys obviously didn't know him that well. There was no way in hell he would just give up without a fight. So Aya struggled underneath the telepath, even though he knew it was futile. All it resulted in was coughing up more blood and evil chuckles from Schuldig.

When the needle came out he stared at it in fear then began to struggle harder. The needle represented a future he couldn't accept. Death would be better. A little whimper escaped him as it pricked his neck and he could hear laughter as everything went black

Youji was frantic. They couldn't find Aya and Schwartz was here. The fact that they too had survived did surprise him that much, but them being in the building did. Had Schwartz set up a trap? Is that why there were no guards? They had lost Aya somewhere on the seventh floor. A wall had just appeared in the hallway between them. Now there was no sign and he was worried. Before his sister had died; Aya probably would have been fine, but right now his mind was too fragile and with Schuldig's power...well it was just dangerous.

"AYA!"Omi suddenly screamed as they ran into a huge room. There was a ledge on one wall where the floor above intersected the room. On it stood the three remaining members of Schwartz. Apparently Naru hadn't survived the lake disaster. It didn't matter. Youji shook himself and looked up to find Schuldig carrying a broken looking and bloody Aya. His eyes widened. It was an image almost straight out of his nightmares.

"Bastards!" Ken snarled. As much as he and Aya didn't get along it didn't mean he wanted bad things to happen to the redhead. "What did you do to him?"

"He isn't dead." Crawford smiled. Youji sagged in relief. Maybe they still had a chance. If Schwartz stuck around to battle it out...he tensed as the four eyed freak spoke again. Voice calm but smug. "It would be better if you thought of him that way since you won't be seeing him again."

"Give him back!" Youji cried running forward.,his emotions overriding his head. He really didn't want Schwartz to take Aya, but the blonde couldn't take on all three. Plus there was no way up to them. He cast his eyes around desperately. Youji knew the redhead didn't have the strength to fight back right then. Who knew what Schwartz was up to?

"Or what?" Crawford laughed. His next words froze the blonde's blood. "It's a wonder that neither Kritiker or Esset knew what kind of a treasure this man is, going after his sister. Tut tut, what a waste of time that was." He shook his head with a sigh. "It was hidden well all these years, but you see; about two months ago we felt the barriers in his mind collapse. I can only assume the parents found some way of keeping his powers at bay." Youji looked back at Omi's gasp of understanding.

"What is he-" Youji began, but Omi interrupted.

"That's not possible. He was being monitored."

"Not well enough." Schuldig snorted, jarring Aya in his arms. The swordsman let out a groan his face contorting in pain. A face that was normally pale, but had now taken on a sickly white hue and was covered in blood with more leaking out of his mouth and nose. A bruise was spreading across his cheek and his left arm was hanging at an odd angle.

"Can we kill them?" Farfarello asked speaking for the first time.

"Not now. We need them alive for the moment." The Schwartz leader replied with a careless shrug. "To bring a message to their employers, which reads as follows." He cleared his throat as he held up a slip of paper and began to enunciate. "Dear Kritiker, We alone are the future of this world and the one you fear most shall be our key. With it we will open the door to a new age. Prepare yourselves for the death of the world you hold dear and the birth of the one we have designed. With love,"

"And hugs and kisses" Schuldig added, ignoring the glares sent his way.

"Schwartz." The American finished irritably. "And since we wouldn't want you to forget..." Brad smiled and tossed the paper towards them. Youji ignored it. His eyes were on Aya. He cursed to himself as the three members of Schwartz turned and disappeared through a doorway behind them.