It's been not a long time ago since I wrote this fic and now it's time for the final stage, so enjoy this first part of it...hopefully it'll satisfy your cliffhanging cravings
Final Stage Part One
"Casteon, I will kill you I swear it." Cody hissed through his teeth, the criminal staring right up to him with bemusement and without even hiding a shed of sadistic enjoyment of the torment he got out of him, crunched his boot further onto the detective's chest crushing air and life out of Cody who coughed and spluttered writhing underneath to get oxygen. Casteon was in no hurry, he had gotten a phone call from the operatives around the city and the objective of the dam was underway with police forces centering on the energy supplier to stop a bomb attack while another call from another group spoke of already achieving their objectives and that was good enough for him. Although, he had reason to believe that a majority of the bombs were not used to their full potential while the police were gone to secure that threat…leaving more lives at his disposal, and a distraction. Raising the trigger for his bombs, the master criminal pressed it once more forcing Cody to watch as more explosions and shockwave blasts rock the foundation of the building, small pieces of wearing rubble were falling apart from their supposed tough surfaced structures of buttresses and pillars as the statues shook for a moment before standing still once more.
"Casteon, you son of a bitch!" Cody struggled violently as he tried to reach for the control, but Casteon was faster with his blade already raised at the detective's face lifting it up for a strike upon Cody. However, he did not intend to kill the man but instead of doing so he struck the blade down cutting through the wind like paper before it rested on the detective's sleeved elbow, the bomber made sure he heard the distinct 'shank' of the blade plunging into flesh followed by Cody's painful cry as he thrashed around trying to attend to his wound. Casteon stood up, landing a powerful kick on the disabled elbow hearing the crack of bone and without humane mercy attacking his mind the criminal started to stamp repeatedly onto the wound, hearing splinters and pleas screaming through the air while his other victims watched in pure horror from their seats unable to fight the bonds and help their wounded friend lying on the smooth cold floor in a pool of blood and a piece of his bone sticking out, some of them threw up on the floor having to watch such painful ordeal.
"Take that, you waste of space. I want you to live; live to see my own plans flourish while I drop your friends like eggs on the unforgiving hard floor. Their lives are not spared in this game between you and me, you should have figured that out when I killed the black ops team, the guards, the patients even at some points in time…even your dear friend Noah. Too bad, he was such an annoying pest screaming and whimpering like a beaten dog without backbone whining constantly…he went crazy, you know. Tick tock, tick tock." He chuckled menacingly at that memory, Cody could tell he was reliving the horror on Noah's face when he got electrocuted, the smell of burnt flesh still ran pungent around the room much to everyone's disgust and terror staring at Noah's own shocked face upon death head thrown back violently on the headrest of his chair denting the wood by a little with cracks filling the gap. This man wasn't really just sane, he was also relishing in all sorts of deaths he had caused himself completely full of apathy and no regret, Cody couldn't even understand this man at all for what he was worth the trouble murdering his friends in cold blood…now, all that was left was how Cody could beat this last puzzle of the night or lose much more.
"I told you before, listen or you lose more than just your sanity. Here's a fun fact for this round: I'm not involved in it. Directly, if you will." Casteon shrugged nonchalantly to the utter shock and recoil of the detective who had expected a much worser welcome than this…statement of some insurance. His suspicions aroused at the very calm tone which the bomber spoke, he gritted his teeth at the prospect this man may just be playing another mind trick on him to relax and relinquish his guard, while on Casteon's mind it wasn't the exact case at all…Cody was right where he wanted him to be and so, without much effort with innocently beating around the bush will soon start attacking the depth of mind and soul, breaking the detective to see everything lost by his own hand. This wasn't his doing now…it was left all to the policeman to figure everything out and make a dreadful choice.
"It's simple, really. You make a choice, just like the aviary where you chose to save one or the other it is on a much larger scale than ever. However, the guests of honor are missing for this very special occasion tonight as they won't be able to make the cut, if you catch my meaning at all." Casteon paused in mid-sentence, the silence heightening the whole tension between the two opponents Cody's irritated and dark look told the story of impatience and readiness to jump at a chance to kill him…just the way he liked it and envisioned.
"Out with it, bomber. You know I will hunt you down and gut you where you stand." Cody threatened darkly, the contestants were unable to react to the scene before them but any other victim who wasn't strapped to a chair and forced doses of electricity flowing through their nervous systems would have remarked it being so tense and dominating over the background with two intellectually powerful men standing against each other, one a proper intellect and the other a loon who could improvise plans off the back of his head in a few glances around his environment. But the next important thing on their minds were the glares and dark tones of venom and hate, it seemed so much like someone else speaking than the happy-go-lucky man they used to know guilt and somewhat pain coursed through each of their thoughts at the very sight, almost wishing to close their eyes to not stare at the creation they knew deeply had crafted with their own words. The criminal knew just what Cody was about to try and raised the death remote, ready to press the elimination button to end the lives of everyone in this room except the special surprise that Casteon knew secretly kept hidden from anyone here eyeing the placement before he spoke harshly.
"Try anything and I kill them before you can snap my neck, besides isn't this what negotiations aren't about? Killing people? We can't have that now can we, both of us need them for our own reasons and nobody helps one another if you behave exactly as foolishly and brash without consequences." The bomber's words dispersed any sort of ill intention towards him by the detective, who just stepped forward slightly before a pang of contemplation hit him sharply. His conscious told him that it was enough the initial plan failed to kill him, and the next best thing was only to give in to the desires of the bomber following his dangerous game. Seeing the hesitation gave the bomber more satisfaction than ever as he stared at the chained figure known as Bridgette being held up behind him, Cody's worried own faced hers trying to plead calmness with her so he could rescue her…Casteon however had more up his sleeves as he put his hands in the depths of his pockets walking to the makeshift throne, settling himself down on the surface of the cushion while he completed his talk.
"Easy, all you have to do is to save one or sacrifice one. In this case, I found that Bridgette here is a very good victim in this little game, in fact the other contestants found the electrical conductive wiring constraining if you will…so answer me this: what have you left to lose at the end of this night? The answers lie in your decision here, and then the main event starts then…compadre?" Casteon spoke menacingly questioning the detective, as usual the smirk on his face was never wiped off from his face like a permanent scar across. Cody could never understand that look, a look of an unfurnished veteran of death and destruction not even affected in the slightest of guilt for whatever he did nor had chaos even struck him like a warhammer…for the duration Cody could not pin any words to describe the utter ruthlessness of this man except one fact stood out.
He, unlike a protector of the law like him, was never meant to be a civil man. It was as though he was born right from the start for this…nothing but an agent of chaos.
"What will happen to the others if I free them?" At this, Bridgette's eyes widened in half-shock at the detective's own words as though she had been forgotten by the young man, staring and trying to fight her bonds while Casteon amused by the scene just sighed in plain bliss.
"Why then she dies and the rest goes free, and you traded a life for the masses to live. That is a good deal isn't it, if she is to cause the deaths of others then the logical choice is to kill off the one person who is dragging all of them down." The words even without a tone sounded so sadistic and inhumane with each and every syllable spoken, each one was like a tumbling pile of bricks crushing any sort of escape for either side as grim faces and some ready to break down or glaring at Casteon told its effect. Cody for one wasn't one to complain at all, looking towards the wiring that tied every single last victim to their chairs and the way the tangled limbs were stretched connected to Bridgette did tell him that the only way for him was simple and brutal: kill the blond woman.
"No problem, just show me how to reverse the electricity to Bridgette." At this statement of choice the room burst into shocked surprised looks and some of downright disbelief anger, as a beaten body known as DJ yelling out at Cody's unmoved facial expression.
"What the hell, Cody! What are you doing?" Cody merely gave the pacifist a blank slated look of pain and silent agony, the frown never removing itself from his face as he turned towards the dark skinned man trying to reason the whole situation with him. DJ was unbelieving of the look that was aimed right at him full of hurt and a mix of dangerous emotions that the man could not point nor perceive, but just from one glance it seemed to become much more dangerous by the second as Cody opened his mouth to speak and the words themselves…resolved. In the past DJ had not done anything to actually verbally inflict damage on Cody mentally and so out of the very few he kept in touch with, the pacifist was part of that circle the detective actually held dear to him as people who cared and they often shared views of life, DJ and Cody agreed together that all such forms were sacred and should not be so sacrificed for a selfish reason. But now, Cody couldn't see any choice to resolve the matter at all and the whole night had only showed the policeman a more pained and harsher view enforced by one single individual…
Casteon showed him mercilessness. Casteon was the polar opposite, a lawman and the rule breaker, the order and the chaos, serenity and respect…malice and hate. The lesson of showing cold logical reasoning constantly drove his mind wild with its constant haunting, the reason he couldn't save himself from the gas and the attack of the patients while he was succumbing to the effects wore on in his mind. He wasn't strong, he was being so passive and not doing enough to save more lives than intended in short his efforts dire in total showed that Cody was speaking than doing what he should be in saving those men and women lost to the criminal's own personal game. But what was exactly Casteon's own game to win was now beyond reason for Cody to even give a shit, the only goal that laid ahead was nothing but apprehending the bomber after playing along long enough to strike a blow…the detective had thrown that annoying question away to care.
"I'm merely trying to help you, DJ…it's either her or you all. The numbers speak for themselves, don't you think is enough to confirm my decision? I'm killing Bridgette." Casteon's own face lit up slightly with surprise and hidden joy, the grey smile illuminating the detective in a new light with this declaration of logic…so much like him, very Casteon-like as well. Smiling, he flickered his finger towards the machine where there was a mass of wires as thick as grass bundled together like wheat causing any proper footing or movement difficult with screens and buttons revealed to control the various functions of the chair, Cody had an inner smirk as the bomber just showed his machine to him and with the directives it would prove easy. Steadily, he walked towards the controls without much interference from Casteon who sat at his throne eased and off guard much to the pleasure of Cody who could see an opportunity to actually deal a large blow to his ego, hopefully throwing Casteon off his game as he gripped the handle that would be the transference of the electrical power to Bridgette much to the others' outbursts of shock and horror.
"Cody-kins! Don't do it!"
"Cody…if you pull that lever, I promise you I'll hit you pacifist or not!"
"Please Cody, think about this clearly!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Cody's yell brought silence to their objections, his eyes turned to them smoldering with inner fire and hate evident in the glare as he eyed each person of certain guilt for what he was about to do. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the lever, the one thing that would essentially end Bridgette's life for the lives of all his friends no matter what the reason he would have for saving them and they can carry on with certain regrets of what happened and he could go back to being who he was…
At that moment, time stopped abruptly as Cody paused in his actions much to the half-relief of the contestants who watched helplessly at the man who would be the person to make the choice and save them, at the cost of a friend each with different thoughts. DJ on one hand had known Cody as the one person who you could rely on for secrets and his loyalty to Gwen was well known to the point of keeping 'dirt' of his crush to himself and never revealed them to anyone especially DJ when curiosity got the best of him, always saying that "curiosity killed the cat and I won't let it kill Gwen". It was amusing to the tanned man that Cody was trying to pursue a girl who had not returned his feelings for three seasons, and the World Tour was the first time that he saw Cody so hurt dragging his two heavy feet from where DJ and him had seen Gwen rush off to contemplating about recent events…it pained the soft hearted man to see him depressed, in fact all the bluster and energy died along with that very event he dropped out instead of Gwen by Courtney by volunteering to take the fall for her…
"Chris, if I could interject with this voting against Gwen." Cody's own broken voice croaked out, not blurted out for a sudden change in the energetic teenager who was eager to meet the challenges and impress his 'claimed' lady which brought everyone's attention on the plane who glanced at him with mixed feelings, Heather was a little more sympathetic so she had a frown etched on her face at the gloomy face that was Cody. The Latino didn't really care for Cody's own personal feelings against the votes, he was expecting another round of Gwen talk from the young man so he blocked his ears to the entire conversation about to happen anyways…he had other plans for the contestants remaining to care. Chris remained frowning slightly, he was about to announce the person who was about to go off the plane and here was Mr. Casanova wannabe trying to say something in response to the growing Gwen votes, obvious since the recent events making so much avoidable drama had the cameras not been rolling…things just got interesting as Chris decided to give the man some slack.
"Sure, you gonna talk about how much you care for her to not leave this plane?" At this the audience leaned slightly, most of them had not known about the incident at the hold where Cody was rejected as a friend and so no other idea formed in their heads than him complaining about the votes being so biased and unfair. But DJ knew, right from the beginning when he saw the young man tense in his seat the place warming up from the anticipation of some sort of confession…but instead Cody shocked them by walking towards the parachute near Chris, who had stepped back slightly to let him pass and watched him take the item which he to the second shock of the contestants, strapped it to his back. The host instantly knew this was very unlike Cody's behavior and decided to inquire his actions as to many of his friend's own stunned faces Cody stood at the edge of the plane ready to leap off into the dark night sky, Gwen's was the most hurt of all at the very sight her head buried in her hands all the while thinking of what she was doing to make it the pain go away as Cody glared right at her through the crowd of people.
"Cody, what are you doing…" Chris never got the chance as Cody cut him off, speaking two simple yet daunting words to the host and the contestants who now looked upon his face filled with despair and hate as well as…sadness and grief folded in one.
"I'm done." He said softly, as he turned to leave the plane only to be questioned further by the others who now jumped from their seats rushing to him and speaking in broken questions wondering how it was that Cody, the most energetic and happiest of the lot had suddenly lost all sense of color or ivory courage reduced to a broken toy but he ignored all of it and eyed Gwen constantly as he spoke.
"I said I'm done, done with the show and done with all of it. I had enough…enough." He spoke softly at the last, trailing off to wonderment before he shrugged it all off and turned to the turbulent wind smashing the metal of the plane as Cody could see lights up ahead of him indicating the stop was here for all voted out contestants, but before he could jump DJ approached him with a frown at what Cody was about to do to risk all chances of Gwen being changed as he tried to talk him out.
"How about Gwen? How's she gonna feel about this?" At that, imprinted in DJ's mind was Cody's own cold and dark response since ever for the three seasons he knew him from with burning dim eyes.
"Gwen's dead to me, DJ…I'm done talking." He said as he leapt off the plane into the night sky, landing a few moments later on the roof of a tall building he assumed to be a hotel for the losers. What did surprise the teen was that throughout all that drama, Chris had actually taken down the cameras and told them to stop filming the scene essentially giving the viewers a different outlook of the situation, saying that Cody left for personal reasons and refused any headway for explanations.
"Think man, what would you have done for Gwen?" At that moment, Cody's own mind started to burn at the very thought of DJ his best friend possibly even using her name for an excuse justified by freeing Bridgette for them as he spat out the hurtful words.
"Bridgette IS NOT GWEN!" Cody's own cool had burst, Casteon was still sitting down relaxing at his throne of power utterly intrigued by the choice the detective was about to make with whatever leftover intellect that he had to pull the lever down. His hand had gone for the armrest, tapping slightly but not too hard on that very area as it would be risky with what he had planned for such moments of hesitation waiting very patiently for the detective to make his own move, DJ's own eyes narrowing right at Cody's own outburst of emotion as the detective suddenly cooled down looking confused around the hall seeing their stone faces at him now, like he was the monster.
"My God, what have I become?" DJ never replied to Cody's own shock at his changed actions, now going straight for an appeal to the Cody he used to know. Hoping now would give him a shot to convince the detective that what his view on life was, it could help him regain that lost resolve he noticed missing utterly from his current messed up thinking.
"Remember when we used to say that life was sacred and meaningful, remember when we told each other not to play with other people's lives to save others for selfish reasons? Well this is one example of what you've become, look at yourself! Casteon has changed you, slowly by surely he has turned you into a near replicate of himself with each passing of our friends…don't you see? He already knew your weakness, it was us friends that he wants to prove are useless, he wants you to think you're not strong enough. But before you pull that lever, ask yourself this: if you do it, who's the bigger monster?" Cody seemed to stop completely, his eyes now fading back from DJ to Bridgette and then to the other contestants who had faces of hope radiating from their looks enough to stun the detective as he was left confused.
"Do what you must, Cody…but remember the consequences. What will it be? You being a monster to save all, or come back to us?"
End