A/N: Yes, Smarley, bullying and intimidation does work! Lol, thank you for cornering me until I updated. ;)
Thank you to Aislinn Graves, my beta for my 'Magnificent Seven' stories who took a chance on checking out 'Losers' so she could jump into beta-ing the rest of this one for me. She now has an unhealthy obsession with Cougar, and it was her idea to write a little crossover drabble of 'Losers/Magnificent Seven' (which she insisted I cowrite so it became a joint effort) in which the two similar snipers from each group hang out on a rooftop (and I threw in my Jakie-poo 'cause you know I loves him). If you guys want to check it out, wander over to the TV/Magnificent Seven fandom and look for Ambush or you can just find it on Aislinn's profile. (and thank her for also bullying me into updating sooner, lol).
Jensen continues to sit with an oddly satisfied smirk on his face when the door to the lab slides open and Max steps in.
"Well, we're certainly in a good mood today, aren't we?" Max grins.
Jensen turns to face the new arrival. "Maaaax, buddy!" he greets through a laugh. "You're late for the party!"
Max keeps his gaze locked on the hacker, stepping closer and studying him as if he were a fine work of art. "Wow! The virus is responsible for this?"
"Uh, yes sir," cane-scientist answers quickly. "His behavior has been…erratic, to say the least. He seems to shift moods as quickly as-"
Jensen suddenly hisses in pain and brings up his shackled hands, pressing the heel of one palm against the bridge of his nose. Keeping his head bowed and his eyes squeezed shut, he takes a few halting breaths before letting out a shuddering cry.
"What's the matter?" Max asks with mock sincerity.
"Worst….brainfreeze…..ever," Jensen manages to gasp out. He leans forward and begins to rock back and forth, breathing out each time he rolls forward. The men in the room observe him for a few moments until the rocking motions slow and the hacker's breathing begins to even out. He lets out one long, calming breath before he goes still again, letting his hands drop down to his lap as he stares blankly at the floor.
Max straightens up and smiles. "That was fun. If I didn't want my virus back so badly I might consider selling him off to a freak show. Would probably make a fortune…" He turns back to the two men standing behind him and shrugs. "But, frankly, I don't have the time to be making negotiations with some midget ringmaster. Get the equipment ready. I want my bots out of his useless brain."
The strike comes so fast that it takes everyone completely by surprise. Like a snake snapping up a mouse in its fangs, Jensen springs from the chair and throws his arms over Max's head. He brings the short chain connecting the cuffs up against Max's neck and pulls it tight, but not enough to actually choke the man.
Max glares at the two scientists. "See, now this is why you should always strap down a prisoner. Tell me, why was he not better restrained?"
"Shut up," Jensen hisses in his ear with an eerie calmness that further supports the comparison of the man to a snake. "I should kill you right now," he says slowly, drawing the words out in that oddly quiet tone.
"Jensen, I really don't thi-" Max's words are choked off as the chain is pulled tighter against his throat.
"I told you to shut up," Jensen scolds with the patient tone of a loving parent reprimanding his child.
The doors slide open and a couple soldiers rush in, aiming their guns at Jensen's head. He whips around to face them, twisting his hands to a slightly different angle without loosening up on the chain's choking pressure.
"Don't do it," one of the soldiers orders, his hat pulled low over his face.
Jensen stares at the man for a second before a slow smile spreads across his face. He immediately releases has captive and pats the gasping Max on the back in a brotherly manner. "Just kidding. No hard feelings, right?"
Max spins around and punches the hacker across the face. Jensen hits the ground and rolls onto his back, laughing as he gently touches a finger to his bloodied lip. "Ah Max, you know I can't kill you. Who else would pay these nice lab dudes to get the virus out of my brain if you were dead?" He reaches his arms up and shoots his nemesis an innocent look as he waits for help getting pulled to his feet.
"Get him up, and strap him to that chair," Max orders the soldiers. The one who had spoke to Jensen steps forward, still keeping his face down, and reaches down his hand. The blond grasps it and uses his leverage to pull himself up beside the soldier's ear.
"Thought you were dead," Jake whispers so quietly that Pooch almost doesn't catch the words. His only response is to squeeze the hacker's hand reassuringly, careful not to do anything further that might risk blowing his cover. Just to make it more realistic he shoves Jensen down onto the chair hard, bringing the restraints up from beneath it and cinching them down tight over his friend.
"Had a lot of practice with that? Maybe do a little S&M on the side?" Jensen winks. Pooch pulls the strap even harder, causing the hacker to flinch and mumble out a little "ow."
Pooch takes just a millisecond to study Jensen's eyes, noticing how clear they are. With a gruff voice he snarls, "Better watch yourself, kid, we're all right outside with our guns loaded just itching for a reason to shoot somebody." In agreement, the other soldiers smile and twitch their fingers on the triggers of their guns.
"Yeah, I gotcha," Jensen says dismissively, the tiny smile on his face barely discernible.
"Enough of this," Max fumes. He points to the soldiers as he gives them orders. "You, out. If you hear a gunshot, ignore it. It's probably just me shooting one of these idiots in the face."
The scientists both tense up, looking at one another. The uninjured one speaks up with a shaky voice. "Sir, both of us will need to remain functional to operate the machine."
Max seems to mull over the information for a second as the soldiers, along with Pooch, exit the room. He rubs at the raw spot on his neck and huffs out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, I won't shoot you." He turns his head to the side and mumbles out a tiny "yet" before clapping his hands together. "Let's get on with it, then."
The two frightened men jump into action, one moving over the computer-ridden workstation as the other wheels a large apparatus from the corner. Jensen swallows as the man maneuvers the arm of the machine, centering what looks like a half-rectangled magnet over his ears. Another piece of metal is flipped down that resembles a cross hovering over his eyes and the length of his nose. He snorts out a little laugh.
"Something funny?" Max snaps, his own good humor long gone.
Jensen shakes his head ever so slightly. "Just imagining what I look like." His grin grows wider. "RoboCop," he laughs again.
His laugh is cut off as Max reaches a hand up and flips a switch on the side of the machine. Jensen holds out for a full two seconds before he starts to scream.
"Dammit, I told you to stay away from Max," Clay scolds into the comm.
Pooch rounds a corner away from the other men he had just exited the room with and leans heavily against the wall.
"I had to do something. Jensen was gonna kill him," Pooch explains.
Aisha's voice cuts in. "And that's a bad thing why?"
"Because if Jensen killed the bastard, Max's boys would've shot him down, virus or not. Besides, it was my chance to let him know we weren't dead." Pooch sneaks a peek back around the corner and curses as he watches the other soldiers still milling around outside the lab's viewing window.
"You get through to him?" Clay asks.
"Yeah, yeah I'm pretty sure I did." He scowls as he sees smiles form on the men he's watching. "Clay, something's happening, but I can't get close enough to look. Got some goons that need taken care of."
"Guess that's my cue," Aisha states. "Showtime boys."
She starts punching in buttons on the keypad and alarms start blaring all around the building. The soldiers rush off immediately, passing Pooch by as he makes himself small against the wall. Taking just a second to make certain the way to the lab is clear, he races over to the viewing window and freezes at the sight in front of him.
"Oh god," he mutters, wanting to look away but unable to pull his gaze from what is happening to his friend. His eyes widen at the sudden realization of what the high-pitched noise is that's been carrying just beneath the wailing alarms. It's the sound of Jensen's tortured screams pushing right through the supposedly soundproofed room.
A/N: And what does bullying get? Terrible cliffies of dooooommmmmm! Lol, okay, so I tend to end on cliffies anyway. This one was a particularly evil one, though. :)