Taya was hunched in the corner of the van she had been tossed in. Wires held her hands behind her back and at each movement the vehicle made, they cut a little deeper into her skin. Her knees were brought up to her chest in a half-hearted attempt to form some sort of barrier with the world around her, though it was pointless. From below her blindfold fell no tears and her eyes held no fear, only hatred and uncertainty. She tried desperately to stay strong because that's who she was, the one without weakness, fear or doubt.
The motion of the van made her feel sick. She could hear the people in the front, their words muffled by the thin metal that separated them. She could recognise their voices though, full of shame and nervousness that they both tried to hide from each other. These people that she once called friends, the closest thing to a real family that she had ever had...they had betrayed her. Nothing could compare to the emptiness that filled her now, the loss of hope that had drowned her and the suffocating disbelief that had stolen her will to fight. Her body was laden with bruises, dark patches that lay across her shivering skin. They had got her to the floor and they just hadn't stopped kicking...hadn't stopped beating her. Why? Oh, she knew why.
They were terrified of her, every one of them reeked of fear. They had to make sure she couldn't fight back...because they knew that she'd win. She wondered how it had started, how they had managed to catch her in the first place...it was all a hazy blur, flashes of images that didn't make sense. But then she remembered the drink. That must have been it, she thought with a crazed laugh. They drugged her. Slipped something into her drink. Cowards.
The van stopped with a rattling jolt, causing her to fall forward onto her front. She herd doors slam, making the vehicle to sway slightly then the back doors opened, letting in the cold night air. Two huge hands grabbed her and flung her over a bulky shoulder. She kicked out in protest but stopped when a fist was slammed into her already aching back. She could hear voices from somewhere in front of her, but didn't recognise all of them and couldn't make out the words they were saying over the sound of blood pounding through her ears. Then she was flung into another van...a cleaner one she somehow noted through her mangled thoughts. The doors were closed. But this time there was someone in the back with her. She shuffled away from the presence she felt, until her back was pressed against the cold walls. A throaty chuckled filled the air as the van was kicked into life,
"Hush now, don't be like that," a warm hand traced its way down the side of her face. She bit down harder on the gag in her mouth, before squirming and wriggling in her bonds. She fell silent at the sound of a pen knife being unsheathed. The cold metal caressed the side of her face, leaving a chilling sensation in its wake. Then in one smooth movement the gag was undone. Not that she could speak, out of shock more than anything else.
Suddenly there were lips pressed against her own, rough and forceful. Ever aware of the knife pressed to the soft of her stomach, she didn't dare move or pull away. He tasted like copper, sickly and metallic as he invaded her mouth. His free hand was exploring her body, where ever his fingers touched leaving either more bruises or sending pain through the ones she already had. He reached down and unbuttoned her trousers. She began to kick out, but stopped when her side felt a sharp pain, her hot blood slipping out of shallow wound left by the blade.
"Play nice..." He told her, hissing his words into her ear. She couldn't do this...her body...herself...was all she had now. But how could she get out of this? How could she fight against what he was doing to her? With a cry of utter frustration directed to her now practically useless body...she gave in. He continued to do whatever he wanted to do to her...cutting her systematically whenever she made any sign of protest, until she was covered in tiny bleeding wounds. She didn't care about that though. She cared about what he'd done to her...violated her...then left her there in the back of the van for an hour or so. She was crying now and she didn't stop. They were never her friends and now, now they were her enemies. They weren't humans. They were monsters. She blacked out, thankfully leaving the world behind her.
Abe removed his hand from hers, unable to meet her gaze. He had no idea what was running through her head at this point, choosing to not pry into her mind. Her facial expression gave nothing away, her eyes locked on something that he couldn't see.
"Taya," he soothed after a moment, searching in his mind for something that would comfort her...a word, a gesture...anything. He was so unsure of himself, his instincts screaming at him to hold her but his mind telling him that she wouldn't want a man...even a Fish-Man touching her at this moment. He wanted to protect her, make her feel wanted, even needed, let her know that she was safe. But nothing he could say could truly express those feelings that he carried...not without reviling far too much. But, in a moment of bravery he told her what he thought she needed to know...what he needed to say.
"They'll never touch you again Taya, I promise I would rather end my own life than let them near you again," she brought her eyes to his, giving him the warmest smile she could muster. "I know that I am not the best with words, but you know, you can feel that I am not lying can't you?" And she could. It was an amazing feeling...so tender and caring, wrapping her in a bubble of warmth and blanketing her with a fuzzy sensation that started at her heart and moved its way through her entire body. What she had just learned had scared her, but at least now she understood herself that little bit more...and that was thanks to Abe. And his vow to protect her was genuine, he would never let her down.
"Your defiantly the best fish I have ever met," she said, leaning over the rail of her bed as far as the chains would allow, leaving a small kiss on a very startled Abe's forehead. Before he could stutter a word, there was the sound of another voice in the room,
"Vere iz zis Taya? I vish to bring her a get vell present," Both Taya and Abe turned their startled faces towards the door. There stood Johann Krauss, holding a key in his left hand. Taya's face instantly brightened up. "Manning vas being a nincompoop! Chaining you to zi bed!" he strode towards the cat girl, "But he listens to me," he finished rather smugly. Gently her un-cuffed her and she flexed her wrists, enjoying the feel of free movement.
"I don't think we've met," she said smiling at the...well...man she guessed. He bowed slightly.
"I am Johann Krauss, I have been buzy lately, wiz zi headless horse man and so on," he explained. She gave a quick nod of understanding.
"Pleasure to meat you," she said, offering a hand. He took it with his own and shook it vigorously, "I'm Taya Hawkins."
"Yez, yez, I've heard all about you, but I vas under zi impression you vere not speaking to anyvon? You must be feeling better."
"Yes, I am thank you Mr Krauss," she said, "Abe has seen to that," she gave Blue a quick glance and a small smile.
"I see," he replied, almost knowingly and if it was possible, he would have given them a cheeky grin. "Vell, I von't interrupt you two much longer, I vas just here to tell you zat you don't have to listen to anyzithg Manning sayz, your free to go," he made a move to leave, then stopped at the door,
"Oh, and zat zi Christmas party iz in two veeks," the door shut.
"Christmas party?" asked Taya, looking at Abe and razing an eyebrow. "What's the date?"
"I believe it's the 3rd of December, but I'm not too sure. I'd forgotten all about the party, not one for celebrations I think," he laughed and she gave a nod of agreement,
"Depends on if I'm drunk or not," she said honestly and stretched her tired limbs with a yawn. "I thought with the whole 'man trying to destroy mankind' thing might have put a stop to anything like that..."
"Well, yes but there's not a lot we can do until we know where to find him. Besides, I'm sure most people will enjoy it, intoxicated or not," Blue got up, then offered her a hand. "Care to join me in the library? I could use your help with some research," she took his hand and he pulled her up from the bed she had been bound to for the last month and a half. Her legs quivered slightly as she stood making her reach for the rail of her bad. She stayed there for a moment, only becoming aware of Abe's arm supporting her from her waist when she stood up and he left it there. She spun around in his arms and for a very long second, even she thought that their lips were moving closer together, then at the last moment Abe just pulled her into a hug.
She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She had no idea what she wanted from him, but she knew she wasn't ready for...a kiss. It was silly really, considering she was a grown woman, but she had always believed that the tiniest gesture could lead to something amazing. Or terrible. And was she ready to make that leap?...no, not yet. Maybe someday soon, when she was sure of herself. Maybe she'd allow him to see a side of her that rarely ventured from the depths of her mind.
They pulled apart, both of them blushing ever so slightly.
"Sorry, I thought you needed that," he told her with a shrug like action.
"I defiantly did," she giggled, then made her way out of the room.
"Umm, Taya...? You might want to get changed first..." Taya halted and looked down to see what she was wearing and found that Blue was right. Her clothing consisted of a rather reviling white nighty that showed off a little too much. With a sharp about turn, she walked back to the side of her bed, where a pile of clothes was waiting for her. She remembered Abe leaving them there for her when she still wasn't speaking. Quickly she dived behind a curtain to get changed.
Abe swung himself around when he realised she was getting changed there and then, just encase. He tried to think of anything but a naked Taya and found that his thoughts brought him back to her scars. Well, better that any other part of her at the present moment, he told himself. They still intrigued him, at least one of them did anyway. All the others seemed to be from fights...or from that night. But this one...this one was something else, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The gash was located at the bottom of her back, a deep scrape into her body. It looked vicious, whatever it was. He wanted to ask her about it, to quench his curiosity more than anything else, but he was afraid of how she might take it. He did know one of her most personal secrets, but he hadn't asked her about that...he had accidentally stumbled upon it. Maybe he'd ask later, when she trusted him a little more.
When she was dressed, they made their way to the library. Apparently, finding things on the old legend was difficult, even for Abe. He enlisted the help of her and Johann, to try and speed things up and they sat for a few hours together, Taya and Johann reading on the couch and Abe from the comforts of his tank. When he thought Blue wasn't listening, Krauss explained to Taya that Abe had gone an entire twenty four hours without water when she was first hooked up to the machines. A little more than flattered, she found that for the rest of the night she would steal a glance of the Fish-Man from over the rim or her book every few minutes, admiring those patterns again.
In all truth, she did find Abe quite handsome. She realised that it was probably more to do with his personality than his looks, though in her time at the BPRD, blue had became her favourite colour. She wondered if anyone had ever told him that the markings across his body were beautiful, or even given him any kind of comment anywhere near that. She understood that him and Nuala had shared something of a mental bond...and that they had told each other through thoughts about how they felt, but she couldn't help but feel that hearing it would make it realer for some strange reason.
It was about one in the morning, Johann had gone away to 'Sleep' leaving Abe and Taya reading. She and Blue hadn't really spoken all night, set in a quiet determination to get some work done. But, as a yawn escaped her lips, she decided it was quit time. She'd never really enjoyed reading, unless it was about weapons or mechanics anyway, so her brain had a hard time keeping her attention on the words. She closed the book with a loud thud, then just sat for a moment, wondering what to do. Logic told her to go to bed, but she wasn't really tired, after all she had just spent the last month and a half sleeping almost all the time. Abe was still switching between his four books, gliding through the water with effortless twitches of his hands and feet. His concentration seemed to be fully lodged in the old pages. Sighing she started to wander around the library, in search of a useful book. Most of the documents they were using at the moment had been brought in especially for them, but some were already at the BPRD. They had asked around as well, to see if anyone had heard of the legend...apparently they had not.
"I brought you these," Taya jumped at the sudden voice from behind her and turned to see Nuke, holding arm-full's of paper. She rushed to take some off him as they began to topple. "Mr Krauss said that they might be useful," he explained.
"Thanks," she said cagily, not enjoying his presence in the slightest. She put the papers on the table and noticed that Abe now had his full attention on her. He was giving her a look that said, 'Do you want any help?' But she shook her head, mouthing "I can handle him." Blue gave her an uncertain look, then continued to read. Nuke had placed his papers down next to hers and was now standing, like he was waiting for something.
"Um," he began, taking a step forwards, "You need any help here?" he asked. Taya wanted to say no, but knew they could use some extra eyes. Besides, it's not like she had to talk to him.
"Sure, knock yourself out. If you find anything, give me or Abe a shout," she said, grabbing a hand full of papers and sitting down. Seconds later, Nuke did the same...sitting very close to Taya. She cleared her throat to say something about it, then decided to ignore the fact he was only inches away from her. This man obviously didn't believe in personal bubbles.
But, over the course of the night, she found that Nuke wasn't really that bad. In fact, she would quite openly admit she was wrong about him...and that made her even more nervous, because she was ignoring the part of her that always seemed to be right. In a desperate attempt to avoid getting even more confused about the man, she told him she was tired, saying goodnight then walking to Abe's tank. She tapped gently on the glass, making him wince at the sound.
"Sorry!" she whispered but held the smile that was on her face. He swam to her,
"It's quite all right. Are you ok?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Wasn't hassling you I trust?"
"No," she sighed, "That's why I'm going to bed, far too many things swimming around in my head at the moment. Night night Blue," she said placing a hand to the glass. He mirrored her action with a small smile. Then she walked away, towards her room.
Early next morning, she was woken with a knock at the door. After trying to ignore it for a few moments, she sluggishly crawled out of bed, taming her hair as she walked to see who it was. She opened the door and was almost surprised to see Abe standing there, looking very existed about something. It was too early for this.
"Hi," she groaned, stepping aside to let him in.
"Good morning!" he exclaimed with a wide grin, brushing past her with one of his huge steps. He was holding a book and a few pieces of paper to his chest. "I have some fantastic news!"
"Fantastic enough to wake me up at-"she glanced at her clock, "Half five in the morning?! This better be good Abe!" she said, flopping back down onto her bed. He laughed at this action, then went to sit next to her,
"It is, don't worry. It means no more late night readings for us anyway," he opened the book he held, "Look what agent Nuke found," he said pointing to some inscriptions that she didn't understand. She gave Blue a blank expression. For a moment he didn't know why.
"Ah, yes of course, would you like me to read it to you?" he offered.
"That might be a good idea," came her sarcastic reply. Abe cleared his throat,
"....Seven were created by the old man, all chose because of their kindness and fair hearts. This man wanted these creatures to protect the humans that were leading themselves into self destruction, causing themselves and the ones around them so much pain. They were entrusted with eternal life.
First was the human – one so beautiful and kind, her mere presence would invoke happiness. She was the only human chosen, for the old one believed that in one man's lifetime, he would make more of an impact than any being that lived forever. When her heart turned sour with the knowledge that she would always be the fairest creature on the planet, she was trapped underground, bound by the bones of her dead lover. It was said that is she ever tried to leave the cave, her dead lover would be punished in the fires of hell, forever to be burning and in pain.
The next was the Griffon- the creature so noble and gracious, inspiring the good qualities in the hearts of men. Knowing that they could not kill him, he grew cruel and unjust. He was bound by base iron, forged by the most ignoble and mindless creatures – Trolls. Bolts pinned his wings to the ground ,so he will never fly again.
Next the Dragon – So generous in all that she did, willing to give her blood to save the lives of humans. But soon she began to take more and more, hording the things she stole and killing any who dared enter her cave. She was bound by the promise that if she ever left the cave, her last egg would crumble into ash.
The Sphinx- Smart and proud, her words spoke in riddles and poems. So large was the fountain of knowledge she had to offer to man, it could last a thousand years. Soon she became obsessed with knowledge, the forbidden arts and the dead. For this she was trapped in an unsolvable riddle.
'Gods' creature, the Angel- Pure and perfect, corrupted only when he shared his heart with a human girls. Her darkened sole left him lust filled and greedy. As a symbol of what he betrayed he was crucified and atop his head lay a crown of thorns. He could never leave the cross he was bound to.
Next chosen was the Gorgon- unlike the rest of her kind she felt no malice to the humans and enjoyed helping children into the world. But, they began to accuse her for the wrongs the others of her kind committed. In revenge she killed children until she was bound in a maze of mirrors, with only a blindfold preventing her from becoming living stone.
Last was the elf spirit- She was graceful and beautiful, curing the illnesses of man and the wounds they caused one and other. But, she fell in love with one and caused a war to protect him that killed millions. As punishment she was bond to her own ashes, never able to wander far from them."
Abe finished, staying quiet to let the story sink in. The book was just one full of fairy tales that Nuke had just happened to flip through. The Agent seemed to be quite determined to do a good job and refused to sleep until he found something. Now he was resting in his room and considering Taya didn't really like the man too much, he brought her the information instead. Her green eyes seemed to be alight with curiosity now as she looked at the pages, even though she couldn't read them.
"You know," she said, lying back down on her bed, "That just sounds like any other fairytale to me. I wonder how many more are true?"
"Quite a few are based on fact I imagine," he agreed, nodding. A thoughtful silence filled the room, until Abe remembered he had something else to show her, "We also found this," he handed her an old looking piece of paper that was ripped and yellow at the edges. She squinted at it, her eyes not quite woken up yet.
"What is it?" she asked. Blue laughed,
"Well first of all you have it the wrong way around," he said, taking it and flipping it around before handing it her back. "It's a map," he explained.
"Does it tell us where they are?"
"Maybe, I'm not sure yet. The world and the islands on it have changed shape since it was created, so it will take some work to figure out...but, with any luck, it will lead us right to them."
"And you honestly think we are that lucky Blue?" He grinned.
"No, but something's got to go right for us."
A/N: Hehe, next chapter ^^ I had forgotten all about Johann until I read back and said to myself 'Someones missing....' Yeh, i'm just that cool. Anyhow, updates might slow down next week because i'm back at school *Sobs* Sorry guys, i'll try to update atleast once every three days, I don't think thats too bad... Next chapter will be more based on the team (The Christmas party) And less about the plot, but the chapter after should have pleanty of...erm...plotness? lol. As always thanks for reading guys (: Big Hearts to the reviewers!!! ^^