Tourniquet
(Here I am again! Don't really have anything to say this time, just announcing my presence in case someone didn't know it was me or something... Yeah, I know, shut up!
Kay! Enjoy the chapter and send me your reviews!)
Chapter 13
"Help me!"
"And what the hell do you think you're doing?! Get over here, you little whore!"
His entire body was frozen as he heard the screaming that followed. Awful sounds reached his ear and he knew immediately what he was listening to. He couldn't speak; his vocal cords simply refused to work.
"Edgeworth?" Phoenix began waving his hand in front of Miles' face, trying to get his attention. "Edgeworth. Hello?"
"Franziska…"
"Huh?" Suddenly, something clicked in Wright's brain and he leapt up, running to the door of the medical wing. Soon, he came back with Ares at his heels. The youngest man darted around to the front of the bed and took the phone from its owner. Meanwhile, he spoke into his nearly invisible earpiece.
"I need a call traced," he said very quickly. "Mr. Edgeworth has just received a call down in the medical wing. I need it traced!"
There was a pause, and then Ares held the phone to his ear, listening to what was taking place on the other end. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his expression steady. He brought his own cell phone up and pushed a button that caused it to act as a communicator. "Phoenix… I-I think we're about to find her."
"What've you got?"
"A… call that is apparently from Sanders' phone. I've got Allen tracing it."
"I'll be right down."
The connection ended and Ares continued to listen to what was coming from Edgeworth's cell phone, making sure the line wasn't cut off. "Have you got it yet?" he asked into his earpiece. There was a pause, and then he said, "Well move it along! This guy's bound to figure out we're listening sooner or later."
"W-what's going on?" Wright kept looking from Miles to Ares, trying to get some sort of hint. His friend was trembling and sitting perfectly still. It didn't seem he was capable of moving. "Edgeworth? You okay?"
"Franziska… Oh my God… Franziska... God no…" He was now rocking back and forth with his arms wrapped around his own knees, the tears he had earlier been holding back threatening to overpower him now.
"E-Edgeworth!" Phoenix jumped up and went to his side, shaking him to try and bring him back. "Snap out of it, Edgeworth! Come on!"
"Got it!" Ares flipped the cell phone closed, grateful for being able to do so. "Mr. Wright, quickly! We have to leave now! There's not much time." A pistol sailed across the room and landed in Phoenix's left hand.
"Uh, I've never…"
"No time! Hurry!" Ares was headed for the door, unwilling to stand around and wait. "Just point and shoot!"
"Um… O-okay then… Edgeworth, are you-"
"Wait!"
Both Wright and Ares spun around to look over at Edgeworth, who was suddenly wide awake and fully alert. "Yes?" Ares inquired, a bit confused.
"I'm… I'm coming with you." Miles stood up, causing Phoenix to move toward him to push him back down.
"No," the defense attorney protested. "You'll get yourself killed. You need to stay here and-"
"Back off!" Miles snapped, pushing him away. "I… I need to help her! I can't just lie here and wait while Brad Sanders rapes her to death!"
Phoenix took a step back in shock. "W-what?!"
"You heard me! I'm coming as well!"
Ares watched him momentarily, mulling the situation over in his head. The expression on his face was difficult to read, but it looked…knowing. Finally, he turned to the doctor. "Get Mr. Edgeworth a shot of adrenaline. He's coming with us."
"B-but, sir," the doctor tried to reason with him.
"That's an order!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Choking coughs mingled with her sobs as Brad finally let up on her, getting to his feet while laughing. She couldn't move at all and felt that she would not be able to stay conscious for too much longer. The pain was tremendous; she couldn't handle it.
"Do you see now, Miss von Karma?" She cried out as the whip once again began lashing at her skin. "Do you see what happens when you mess with people like us? Look at where it's gotten you!"
Suddenly, a high-pitched ring pierced the air, taking them both by surprise. Brad growled in annoyance and went to answer his phone. "What?!" There was a pause during which he listened to the person on the other line. "You're sure? How the hell did they find us!? Goddamn it!" He threw the phone down and strode back over to where Franziska lay, grabbing her by the back of the neck and lifting her up to his level. "What the fuck did you do!?"
She didn't respond to him. Aside from the fact that it was nearly impossible, she had no desire to reveal what she had done. He had only taken his attention away from her for a moment, but it had been all the time she had needed to dial that number.
With an enraged roar, he flung her across the room, turning to head toward the door. "I'll be back to finish you after I take care of your little rescue party."
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"Land here."
"Are you sure we haven't been detected?"
"No." Tilea stood up and walked to the front of the chopper, which Ares was expertly piloting.
Wright leaned back in his seat and sighed, trying to calm his growing nerves. "Man… If she's not sure, then I might start panicking."
"No sweat, pal," said Gumshoe, looking completely relaxed. "The excitement is the best part of it all. Embrace the butterflies!"
Phoenix stared at him. "Um… Sure thing…" He then looked over at Edgeworth who was sitting up perfectly straight and remaining silent. He looked intense, determined, and impatient. "A-are you sure you can do this, Edgeworth?"
He received no response from the prosecutor, not even a glance. The man seemed to be in a complete trance, unable to hear anything that was going on around him. In his hand he held a pistol of his own which rested across his lap. Phoenix wondered if he was even aware that they were about to land.
When they touched down, both agents came to the back. "All right, listen up," said Tilea. "You too, Mr. Edgeworth."
"…"
"Mr. Edgeworth!"
"Huh?" He looked up to see everyone staring at him. "Oh… S-sorry…"
Tilea cleared her throat. "We're going to sneak in as best we can, though there is a chance we've been detected already. I want you all to keep your weapons at the ready and don't be afraid to use them if necessary."
Next, Ares stepped forward. "Since you've been given clearance to work on this mission, you too have the right to shoot to kill, but only if you must. If possible, aim for a shoulder or a leg to disable your attacker. Aim carefully, because we don't have time to teach you how to reload these guns quickly enough to survive during a fire fight."
"The vests you've put on under your shirts will protect you from receiving a major wound to the stomach, chest, or back. However, the material cannot absorb all of the shock from the blow. If you are shot, it will most likely take the wind out of you and maybe send you to the ground, and if you're unlucky enough to hit something, you could be knocked out." She looked between all three of them after finishing this speech. "Does everybody understand?"
Wright and Gumshoe both nodded; Edgeworth remained motionless and silent.
"Right then." Ares came forward, showing them his PDA, which presented a schematic of the surrounding area. He began speaking, using his finger to show them where to go and explaining the attack plan he had formulated. "Now of course," he added in at the end, "if they have anticipated our arrival, this will probably be thrown out the window, but stick to it if possible."
After making sure everyone was clear on their instructions, they exited the chopper and split up. Ares, Wright, Gumshoe, and another agent headed toward the front entrance to the building while Miles, Tilea, and two other agents headed toward the back entrance. The area was thick with foliage, and though it was mostly dead, it still provided them with decent cover in the darkness of night.
"Mr. Edgeworth?"
"Yes?" He looked over at the young woman who was leading the operation, sure that she was about to tell him to stay back.
"I know that nothing I say is going to change your mind," Tilea began while peering through a pair of night-vision goggles to check that there was no one nearby. "However, I believe I need to make you aware of this."
"Look," Miles said, trying not to speak disrespectfully to this young woman who was doing all she could to help him. "I know that I could easily be killed in there. I've known it since I decided to come along, and I don't care. I have to help her; I can't just wait around while someone else does it for me."
"No." She removed the goggles and looked at him, her coal black eyes filled with purpose, no longer blank and emotionless like he was used to seeing them. For the first time, this girl looked human. "I understand that you have lost all regard for your own life in the desire to save the one that is most dear to you. Ares and I have been close friends for a few years now, and during that time, I have risked my own life on several different occasions to preserve his, and he has done the same for me."
He continued to watch her, now finding that he was listening more intently to this than he had Ares' tactical information. He just had this feeling that she was staring directly into his soul just by looking him in the eyes. He felt as if she was reading him, and knew exactly what thoughts and emotions were running through his mind. Even though she had only just become a legal adult, she seemed infinitely wise to him all of a sudden, and he was sure that what she was about to say was important.
"I may be young," she began, "but I have seen things that most could never imagine. I have done things that—given a different situation—would have placed me at the front of the line for execution. I speak now from experience, not as an agent, but as a human being with feelings, thoughts, and compassion."
The other two agents had moved ahead slightly, keeping watch while the other two talked. Miles found that he was on edge, anticipating what she was about to tell him, as if it was a story full of suspense.
"To kill a fellow human being, even with no consequences, is an act that will destroy you. To pull that trigger for the very first time, aiming to take someone's life will tear your soul in two. I can see the hate in your eyes; I know how badly you want to make him suffer for everything he has done to her, and I'm sure you have been planning all along to end him tonight. Just know that putting that gun to his head and letting that bullet fly will be the hardest thing you have ever had to do."
With that, she left his side, leaving him speechless. The hand that held his pistol was shaking, her words repeating over and over in his head.
"Just know that putting that gun to his head and letting that bullet fly will be the hardest thing you have ever had to do."