Prerogative
Trial and Error
Knives looked over his results and frowned. They were better than they had been before, but still not what he had been hoping for. It seemed as if he had miscalculated again and that frustrated him. He couldn't figure out what he needed to do differently to get the desired results.
"Checkmate," said a dull soft voice.
Papers in hand Knives turned surprised not at the deadness in the voice but of what it had said. He dropped the papers he held on the small counter and walked over to the table where Hank had just made his move, ending the game. Knives looked at the board carefully.
"Indeed," he muttered quietly as he glanced at Hank who was still, as always, looking straight ahead with a void expression that would never change. "How…unusual," he voiced at the slightly overweight man.
Perhaps he should have been infuriated at the fact that he had lost his favored game to such a human. But rather, it intrigued him that this man, with his unnatural instincts, and yet dumb as a post had beaten him. He wondered what Vash would say if he knew. He frowned at the thought. Vash probably wouldn't say anything, just stare with that meaningful gaze of his.
There were only two to ever beat Knives at chess, and that was his brother and that dead woman he loved so much. The only two who had been capable of throwing off his plans. And as he was not one to discard things as mere coincidence, that was a human belief, he decided not to tell his brother. Instead he reset the chess pieces and gestured for Hank to make the first move.
The man did so automatically, instinctively.
It caused Knives to look back at the man and away from the board.
That was it.
He smiled. He knew this man would be useful, even in his everlasting new silence. Forgetting the move he had to make he walked back over to the counter and began reformulating his plan. Maybe if he…he grinned, though to anyone else it might have looked slightly insane.
He should have thought of it sooner, it made perfect sense. Why wouldn't it work?
Knives set to work right away, he didn't care what time it was, it didn't matter anyway. Things were working under his schedule, but the faster the better. His utopia was this much closer to becoming a reality.
He grabbed a test tube and filled it with a few grains of sand. Then he added his usual ingredients with one slight difference. The amount of the new ingredient would be trial and error until he could decide on the correct dosage. With added heat he stood and watched.
If he was known for manic laughter now would have been the time to partake in it. Instead he smirked as he watched the test tube give him the results he had been looking for. But while it all worked out well, he didn't hold his hopes too high. He would have to do many more tests, and more importantly he had to make sure his new ingredient could be used only one time and that it wouldn't be necessary for constant usage as he would eventually run out of it. Unless…no. He shook the idea out of his head as he would not want to have to do that. It would defeat the purpose of his main plan.
Either way he was pleased to know that the next big step in his plan was successful. Now that this was completed, all he had to do now was inform his brother. But he had to be creative in how he did it, simply coming out and telling him wasn't particularly entertaining.
"That woman," he muttered, thinking of her raven hair and petite stature. "She'll do," he nodded to himself.
But before he went about doing that…
He walked back over the small table and sat down, his own grace not being lost on even himself. He studied the chess board and lingered a hand over a pawn, thinking quickly of a strategy, trying to recall the mistakes he had made before that had lost him the game.
"E6," he said and watched with a bit of glee as Hank's hand moved automatically like it had before. "I won't lose this time," he said to the man, and went back to concentrating.
-
Out in the geo's greenery the group was lazing around, a few talking idly but most doing nothing except to lay on the grass. They could still hear the raging winds of the sandstorm outside, but they were getting antsy. Even for the ones who knew nothing about the true situation they were in, sensed something wasn't quite right.
"What kind of sandstorm is that?!" Adrian finally spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. "We've been here for five damn days! This kind of thing is supposed to blow over, it's acting completely unnatural!"
Meryl, Millie, and Vash exchanged looks.
"It hasn't been that bad Mr. Vettadini," Millie piped back, trying her best to not let her cheerful façade fall. "We've gotten to get to know each other, we've gotten to play a lot of card games and we-"
"And it's been boring. Shouldn't we just try to go through the sandstorm? People must thing we're never coming back! Suppose our families and friends move on and settle away from us!" He interrupted Millie, frustrated at her words.
"Adrian they're not going to just leave us, I'm sure at some point, once the storm settles people will come looking for us," Olivia answered him lightly. "There's no point in getting worked up over it, and we are most definitely not going out in that storm. It'd suffocate us for sure."
"Either way I'm bored. Vash," he looked over at the blonde plant who had been listening disheartened to their conversation. He figured at some point he would have to tell them, that they might never be able to leave this geo plant, but he wasn't ready for that yet.
"What is it?" Vash questioned back.
"Where's your brother been, we haven't seen him in the five days since the storm started."
All eyes turned to Vash and he held himself from flinching at the inquiring gazes. "He's been…busy."
"Busy doing what?" George, the older man asked curiously.
"Busy experimenting," Knives answered for himself. He strolled lazily out into the geo, stopping only to frown at a flower that was crumbled on the grass. "Why has my flower been ruined?" He asked quietly looking over the small group of people.
"Oh, that," Adrian said listlessly, as his own eyes fell on the little daisy. "I stepped on it by accident," he glanced up at Knives, not seeming too apologetic.
"Then you should watch where you walk," Knives answered back simply, but even so a minor hint of irritation, mixed with something… caused Adrian to nod his head slowly and mutter a quiet almost frightened apology.
The rest of the group stared silently at the younger and more egotistical young man, who had been easily put in his place for something has trivial as the crushing of an insignificant flower.
"The storm will be over in three days," Knives announced, cutting through the silence aggressively and causing everyone, save Vash to jump in surprise.
"How do you know?" Olivia dared to ask.
Knives turned his eyes to her, before they, oddly enough, fell on Meryl, "I have a feeling is all."
Meryl only met his gaze for a bit before she turned away facing the ground flushed and angered. 'Damn him to hell for playing these games with us!' She thought angrily.
'You don't like games?' A voice questioned her and she gasped at the sound of Knives voice in her head. She whipped her head back at him and her eyes widened in surprise and fear at her sudden and new surroundings.
"Wh-where are we, where are the others?" She demanded, but even she could hear the high pitched panic in her voice.
She was standing alone with Knives in what looked to be a cement room, it certainly felt like one, but she wasn't sure if it was the cold of the room that made her shiver or Knives' intense gaze. There was no furniture, only a door, and she found herself aching to head toward it, but she remained where she was. Not out of want, but because even before she attempted a step she knew she wouldn't be allowed to go through that door. It was just another teasing mechanism and she clenched her fists together. She hated being toyed with!
"I want to go back with the others!" She raised her voice, controlling the fear, and only allowing her anger to show.
"As far as the others are concerned you are with them," Knives finally spoke. He smiled at her, "as for where we are, it's just a small simple image of a room in the backs of the geo plant."
"I-image?" She shook out.
"Yes, image," Knives offered no further explanation.
"What do you want with me, with us?" She asked after a very long and uncomfortable silence. Knives wasn't saying anything, just staring at her…smiling gently, like they were friends.
"Interestingly enough, I hadn't had much use for any of the others, save you, until a few hours ago…though it might have been days…one loses track when there's no windows," he muttered. "In any case, you all do serve a purpose now…" Knives stood there thoughtfully as if pondering something and Meryl wondered if he really was.
"Even I have to sit back and think every so often," he sneered at her, starting to laugh. "Hank," he suddenly stopped laughing, and the name he uttered caused Meryl to widen her eyes and interrupt him before she could stop herself.
"Where is he?!"
Knives eyed her curiously, "he's fine, far better off. Hank is a very instinctual human, quite rare really, and it's his instincts that he should have listened too. Adrian," he began remembering the brash dark haired, slightly tanned skin man who had stepped on his flower without a care. "Is rebellious, but no doubt can be very obedient when forced too…Olivia," he smiled. "Has a fair intelligence and is rather reasonable, George is useful, your friend, Millie…has a rare compassion. They are all very interesting traits. Each human is a little different from the next, yet they are all interconnected. And you," he stared harder at her. "You have control over Vash, an admiral trait in itself, and the best one out of you five."
"…I don't have control over him," Meryl said quietly, her mind running with why Knives bothered to remember all their names, why he had paid attention to their personalities….
"But you do. Whether it's because you are the first human he's told our past too, whether it's because he sees you as a dear friend…or something more, is of no matter to me. What I care about is that you do have control over him. Something I have yet to obtain, even now, in this current situation he still tries to defy me."
Knives stopped for a second, thinking on his twin. "Vash is stubborn and reluctant, but he can be broken, I'm sure of it." He didn't bother to add to the woman that she would be the main puzzle piece to ensure that, he liked to think her mildly intelligent and figured she'd reach the conclusion all on her own.
"And I'm being told all this why?" Meryl gritted her teeth together.
"So you can relay it to Vash."
"Tell him yourself," she bit back.
"Don't forget who you're talking to," he said lightly and smiled as he saw the realization pop back onto her still young face. "Follow me," he said and turned his back on her making for the door.
Meryl hesitated, 'where is he taking me?'
"There is such little point in thinking personal thoughts as I hear them all," Knives responded as he turned back to her, holding the door open for her. She scowled but stopped outside the door, next to him. The door led into blackness and she glanced at Knives. He raised an eyebrow at her and she swallowed her apprehension and went through the door.
A moment later she was joined with Knives. She looked around, noticing the blackness had faded and was replaced with a dim light that lit a short corridor, home of five doors. Besides that, there was nothing else.
"Each of these doors holds one thing, or, will hold one thing. For now they are empty, save a few machines. Would you like to see it?"
Meryl knew it was a not a question truly aimed at her and she watched as Knives opened the closest door. She took a tentative step into the room and looked over it confused. It looked like a plant bulb.
"It's a plant bulb…or something similar."
"Yes," Knives nodded. "All the rooms have them, but as you have noticed they are not made to encase my brethren, rather…" He turned his head slowly to look at her, "they have everything necessary to hold a human in a living, but permanently catatonic state, while withdrawing valuable nutrients from their bodies, until there's nothing left to withdraw. Interesting isn't it?"
"…how many of these do you have?"
"Five."
Meryl turned around slowly to face Knives. When she faced him their eyes met and he stood at her unblinking.
"Come with me," he said and turned leaving the room and returning to the corridor.
Meryl cast a last glance at the room and left to follow Knives. She wasn't entirely surprised to see that the corridor that had just walked out of was not the same one as before. In fact rather than walk into a hallway they walked into a room and Meryl's eyes widened as she saw Hank sitting at a small table that held a chess board.
"Hank!" She called out, forgetting momentarily about Knives as she rushed forward to the man. She stopped before him and stared at his face. He wasn't blinking, and he kept his eyes forward. "Hank…" she muttered his name again this time softly and a little unsure. "What has he done to you?" She whispered.
"At first I simply trapped his own thoughts, it would make him far more agreeable, and less troublesome for me. Now though, he's proving to be of physical use," Knives cut in, not at all bothered by what she had said about him.
"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.
"It's simple really, I'm almost embarrassed I didn't think of it sooner," Knives took the chair opposite of Hank and sat down, eyeing the board. Naturally Hank had already made his move and he glanced at his own pieces curiously before speaking again. "As you are very much aware you…humans, have been using plants as a means of energy and resources in a rather barbaric fashion, wouldn't you agree?"
Meryl opened her mouth to protest, but of course she was cut off before she could say a word, "my hatred toward you, I believe, is rather justified. My wanting of revenge is only natural, you humans ought to take your punishment and die. But," he paused. "At the same time, whether you live or die, I would still be left here on this desert. Not particularly ideal. Two suns is a bother, and they help to ensure the desert says a desert. I have no intention on living in such a wasteland, and for quite some time I've been – interesting move," Knives cut off his own sentence as he had made a chess move and watched as Hank did so.
Meryl jumped when she saw Hank move. With the way his eyes were, and his body she had figured there was nothing left in him. But he had moved…to make a chess move.
"Where was I?" Knives muttered to himself as he glanced at Meryl momentarily. "Hmm, oh yes, for some time now I've been trying to figure out means to make this entire planet as lush as this geo. It's been difficult I admit. The geo was easy enough as it's an encased structure, a…greenhouse if you will. I can control the climate, but an entire planet? You can see where my problems arose. Prior to a time ago I had been experimenting with a number of plant fibers, and my own tissues to see if there was any way to infuse my bodies interesting physiology with that of the actual plant fibers. I've been looking for a serum that could be used to make this planet worthy of me. I haven't had much luck." Knives eyed Meryl to be sure that she was listening, to his amusement she was, intently. Almost as if she was taking mental notes.
"Until recently that hadn't changed, and it was our dear friend Hank here that inspired the change. He's an instinctual human, and I wondered, if such…traits could be used in lieu of a plant fiber. And not traits per se," he added thoughtfully. "But more…nutrients. Human bodies, like the bodies of other animals belong to the planet and when you die you return to it as the dirt you once were, physically. I wondered if infused with a few other prime ingredients if the human body could act as a fertilizer…would you like to guess the results?"
Meryl only stared at him, choosing to rather hear him say it then question it herself.
"It does work, wonderfully," Knives smiled. "There are still tests to run, things to make sure of, but I'm rather confident that everything will work out fine. So you see, you are all of great use, which is almost ironic isn't it? That every human will play an important role in my utopia? It's a fitting reparation really, giving back to the planet when you scorned and destroyed your last one."
As Knives studied Meryl's reaction he was a little surprised to see she was shaking, more so because he wasn't sure what it was due to, if it was unadulterated anger, or fear. Either way, neither reaction interested him and he raised his hand to wave her off in order to dismiss her.
"Go tell Vash," he said to her, and when Meryl blinked she was back in the geo plants greenery, very much aware of the five faces crowded around her in worry.
"Meryl?" Vash questioned when he saw a spark of life return to her grey eyes.
She blinked quickly as her eyes began to water. Meryl found herself taking deep inhales of air as she ignored the questions that were fired at her.
"What happened?" She thought that might have been George.
"Are you alright?" That had to have been Olivia.
"You scared the shit out of us," definitely Adrian.
"Oh Meryl…" the short whisper was Millie.
She flinched as she felt an arm rest on her shoulder and she looked up at Vash who gave her a sympathetic yet firm look. "What did he do?" He asked and Meryl turned her eyes to the small group. Millie, George, Olivia, and Adrian.
Not being able to look at them any longer she shook her head and buried her face in Vash's chest. How could she tell them, how could she even tell Vash their fate? She wasn't even entirely sure all the information had sunk in, rather for now she wanted to bury her head in Vash's chest and take comfort in him as he squeezed her in a gentle hug.
She would tell them all later, when she felt less tired and more like herself. Though, she wondered, if she would ever feel the same knowing what she did.
'How much longer?' She thought to herself, 'how much longer will he allow us to live?'
"I'm tired," she finally croaked out into Vash's chest.
The group studied each other as they all wondered about the shorter insurance woman. For almost a half hour she had been silent, staring ahead, unmoving as they called out to her. They had started to worry, and panic had been starting to fill them, when she suddenly blinked and came out of whatever trance she had been in. And now…now she was like this.
Each one of them eyed their surroundings wearily. The gorgeous plant, with its fragrant flowers, and its light animal life of butterflies and a few other miscellaneous, but harmless insects. The entire geo was pretty, and perfect…too pretty and too perfect. It had amazed them at first and now it was starting to settle uneasily in their systems.
Nothing was right about their condition, about the geo, about the sandstorm, and they were as a whole starting to realize it might have all to do with Vash's twin brother.
Brushing the others and their question filled eyes away Vash scooped Meryl up in his arms, and carried her to where she had been sleeping the past few days, with Millie walking beside him.
"Did she tell you everything?" Vash muttered to Millie as he tried to set Meryl down on the soft cooling grass.
Millie nodded silently as she knelt down beside Meryl who still refused to move her head from Vash's chest.
"Yeah," Millie responded quietly rubbing Meryl's back, willing her to lose her grip on Vash. "Mr. Vash?" Millie asked.
"Hm?" Vash responded.
"I'm really, really scared."
Vash nodded, "yeah," he cast his eyes down at Meryl who was starting to let him go to lean on the grass. "I…kinda am too. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. My brother…he really has a vendetta against humans, and I'm not sure if there's…anything I can do to stop him at this point. I'm not going to give up, but I worry."
Millie only nodded since she didn't know what else she could say. She eyed Meryl and eyed Vash as he suddenly stood up. "Mr. Vash?" She questioned curiously on his sudden behavior.
"I have to go find him," he muttered as he walked away, eventually being swallowed up by the shadows on the edges of the geo plant.
Vash stopped walking when he saw Knives leaning casually against the side, eyeing him. He narrowed his eyes at his twin realizing that Knives had probably seen and heard every exchange he had just had with the insurance girls and the rest of the group.
"Why did you…" Vash stopped and shook his head disgusted. Knives only told him why if he felt like telling him. Otherwise he would only get some half assed answer. Meryl in her state had been unable, and she looked unwilling to tell him what Knives had done to her. But there were ways around that. He didn't like having to invade her mind, but he had to find out what he had done to her. He didn't condone playing with people and their emotions, but that especially held true for one of his insurance girls and Knives had crossed the line repeatedly.
"Because," Knives began as she started to answer the unasked question. "It made my message more painful for you, to know she had to see and hear everything. It should remind you where you stand, and where you will forever stand. We're doing things my way and I only wanted to remind you there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, not this time."
"You're not going to use people as fertilizer," Vash growled out as he recalled the explanation he had drawn from Meryl's mind.
"But I am."
Vash slumped, "what do I have to do?"
"What do you mean?" Knives played dumb.
"What do I have to do to make you leave them alone?"
"Suppose I said you had to be my faithful servant till you died, more worthy than Legato had been?"
Vash didn't say anything.
Knives folded his arms and scoffed, "tempting, but not what I want. Stop begging, it's disgusting."
Vash closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, "what do you want from me?"
"The fact that you're asking pisses me off Vash, you know exactly what I want from you. You know I want your devotion to not only me, but my cause…I've told you time and time again that I'm doing this indirectly for the both of us. This utopia will be for us, and the freed plant angels."
"You're like talking to a brick wall," Vash scowled.
"I know the feeling," Knives bit back.
Vash turned on his heel and began to make his way back to Meryl, Millie, and the others. "Leave Meryl out of this Knives, I'm warning you."
Knives eyed his brother's back with hatred, "she'll be fine. It's the others you should cast your concern toward and you know it."
As Vash whipped around to glare at his other half he found Knives gone. Clenching his fists together he slammed the closest wall with his right fist in aggravation. He didn't do well with cat and mouse games.
-
AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone. Its nice to know people still read this.
As I have told many, if not all of you, who were kind enough to review, THIS is the last planned chapter. From here, we are in an unknown world. I don't know if I will discontinue. It's a mystery to all of us.
Oh, and I changed the genres. It had been romance/action and adventure, but now its suspense/action and adventure, so if you want out, you can leave. I think this story is better without it, besides if I did do romance it wouldn't be hetro, and since Legato is dead in this there won't even be shonen ai since I don't do the twincest thing. And I don't do original characters with Nightow's characters. I tend to really hate that.
Faery Goddyss