VENGEANCE IS MINE
Hannibal faced Stuart, electrified, with his Harpy in hand. The blood coursed through his veins, pulsing firmly with the beat of his heart. His mercurial eyes dilated widely, the red irises glowed giving the shining maroon orbs a tiger-like appearance. In the dim light of this metal prison Hannibal's gaze moved over the younger man's body scanning like lasers, searching for any weakness on which he could capitalize. Approaching slowly, Lecter extended his arms, weapon in hand and began to circle, carefully stepping one leg over the other, moving sideways with the muscled elegance of a panther cornering his prey.
His brilliant mind constantly processing, he calculated quickly to measure the length of his opponent's arms in order to gauge his reach. Hannibal then concentrated on the forearms, wrists and hands to assess the strength of his foe's grip. Finally, the wily predator peered deeply into Stuart's eyes to estimate his courage and conviction.
What do you have behind your eyes, young Miggs? Are you a fierce or fearful man?
Feeling as if Lecter's burning gaze could reduce him to ashes, Stuart immediately looked away. Hannibal tilted his head to the side and smiled. At the precise moment Stuart's eyes left his, Hannibal recognized that he had discovered the weakness he was seeking. Seeing the doubt and fear in Miggs' eyes, Lecter taunted the much younger man as he slowly stalked across the room.
"Dear boy, remind me… how long has it been since Multiple Miggs gasped out his last breath? I must say, the fact that he was so suggestible was indeed a pleasant surprise to me, though it does reflect a painfully low intelligence quotient. I had hoped without his deviant paternal presence that you might have attained some sense of normalcy. Though seeing the man you have become it is obvious that all of my hopes for you were for naught."
Stuart spit his words, like venom across the room. "Your wife has nice tits Doc, great nipples. Shame they're wasted on the elderly likes of you, really."
And the hand that touched her body will be removed soon enough.
Hannibal's blood boiled at the reference to Clarice's molestation however he would not fall victim to this pathetic attempt to unhinge him. He circled around the large table bringing him dangerously close to his prey. Hannibal, feeling confident ignored the burning wounds in his shoulder and thigh, and continued to mock.
"Yes, her breasts are magnificent and I assure you they are not wasted. I enjoy each and every lovely portion of her physique and lavish my attentions on her nightly. I will be certain to pass along your compliment when I see her. Alas, you will not be alive to accept her gratitude but I will encourage her to thank your cooling corpse before they sheath it in the body bag."
Stuart beckoned with his hands, gesturing for Hannibal to approach. "Why don't you come over here and see whose corpse she's gonna stand over."
Hannibal closed in, a step at a time, watching intently, unblinking, waiting for Stuart to commit to a course of action. He held his Harpy firmly, though he remained fully relaxed.
"Come, young Miggs. Meet the same fate as your piteous father and die for my entertainment."
Hannibal smoothed his thumb across the razor sharp edge of the Harpy. He had carried the blade for so long that it was now, more or less an extension of his own body. Hannibal's heart thumped slowly and his respirations were even. He inhaled deeply and allowed the scent of fear to move down the back of his sinus passages and weave over his tastebuds.
This is going to be fun!
Hannibal was now only four feet away from Stuart, though there was a large table between them. Hannibal engaged the man's attention as he moved to close the distance between them.
"Your terror is delicious, Stuart. Though I must give you some credit, I will say I am quite heartened that you face your death like a man unlike your pathetic excuse for a father. He sobbed for hours before he choked on his own lingual muscle. Though I did indeed suggest it to him, I really did not think it was possible for a man to swallow his own tongue. It was fascinating and actually quite entertaining."
The Ripper was enraged but could only manage the response. "Go fuck yourself, Doctor Lecter."
The scent heavy in the air, Hannibal sensed the younger man's fear mounting. He noticed that Stuart's right eye had now developed a pronounced and persistent spasm.
"Bit twitchy Stu? Well, no matter. As to fucking myself, unlike your father and yourself, I have no need to enjoy that particular pleasure alone. You have seen my wife. She is perfection. When I feel that particular urge, which I guarantee is nightly, I avail myself of her lovely form. She is a wonderful lover and quite enthusiastic. I am sorry that you have not been able to kidnap a woman appropriate to your needs."
Rage building, Stuart let his anger get the better of him, he charged across the makeshift room grunting loudly, he used his large hunting knife and stabbed at Hannibal.
That was your first mistake, young Miggs.
Lecter simply stepped to the side, parried the attack and hooked his Harpy at the younger man. This swift action, elegant in its simplicity was extremely efficient and sliced a deep gash across his attacker's right forearm and down along to his hand.
"Pardon me…would that have been the hand you used to touch my wife, Stuart?"
Hannibal flipped the Harpy over and flashed his hand across his own body, hacking at Stuart's other hand, tearing the meaty flesh from his thumb.
"Or perhaps that was the hand you used to defile her?" Hannibal questioned with a mocking tone.
Stuart recoiled, blood spurting from his hand. He retreated quickly, pulled a cloth from a shelf, wrapped it around his left hand and tied a knot in it, tightening that knot with his teeth.
"Your wife is going to see who the better man is." Stuart screamed as he tried to stem the flow of blood.
Hannibal flashed a wicked grin. He had control of the situation and was the proverbial cat, batting the mouse about for his entertainment. He would finish him, at his leisure, when he had tired of the game.
"Though I am not normally one to brag Stuart, you have a long way to go before you better me in that department. We both know your father tossed the better part of you in my wife's face and that distasteful masturbatory mistake cost him his life. Your similar disrespect to her will soon cost you yours."
The heat of shame burned Stuart's cheeks causing him to shift his eyes away momentarily.
That was your second mistake dear boy.
Hannibal instantly capitalized on the distraction and attacked. He slammed his shoulder into the taller man's body knocking the wind out of him. Stuart collapsed in a heap but quickly scrambled to his feet. Hannibal slashed the Ripper across his chest in a semi-circular motion, hacking a bloody 'C' into his flesh. The younger man fell back on one hand, wincing in pain.
He reached for the wound and after several deep breaths, regained his composure, and in blind panic, Stuart charged.
Stepping to the side with the grace of a matador Hannibal twisted his body at an upward angle as if throwing an uppercut and in two quick passes of his beloved Harpy, hacked an 'X' over the initial.
He continued to mock Stuart, using his icy metallic dungeon tones. "You see I have crossed out my wife's initial to illustrate the fact that she will never be yours."
Stuart doubled over holding his hand over his torn and bloodied torso. "She will never be yours again either, Doctor. You'll never see her again."
In a blind rage, Stuart tackled Hannibal causing Lecter's wrist to hit the edge of the table sending his Harpy across the floor. Hannibal flipped over and scrambled across the ground for his blade. Stuart raced to head him off, both men battling across the ground for control and dominance each man seeking the same instrument of death. They arrived at the Harpy at the same time and both men reached simultaneously for it, their hand's touching each other's as together they touched the blade.
CLARICE
Clarice ran out of the container and through the clearing. Ardelia waved her over.
"Clarice! Clarice! Over here!"
Clarice ran to Ardelia, out of breath and in near hysterics. She was doubled over, her hand on her stomach protectively, desperately trying to regain her composure.
"Jesus Christ, Dee what the hell is going on? How did Hannibal get out so quickly?"
Ardelia put her hand on Clarice's back to help steady her friend. "They had to let him go. The president signed the order. Hannibal's sentence was commuted."
Clarice was incredulous. "How…what did Stuart do with the girl?"
"He did what Hannibal told him to do. It was part of the instructions he had published in the Tattler this morning The Ripper dropped her off at the Tattler offices early this morning."
Clarice finally regained enough composure to stand upright. She placed a hand on Ardelia's shoulder in an attempt to steady herself.
"Ardelia, they're in there trying to kill each other. We need backup."
"I called it in but Hannibal had already contacted Logan. They're on their way Clarice but we've gotta stop him. Hannibal's sentences have all been commuted. He can't kill again, especially not the same day he gets out of jail. Not to mention he went apeshit all over Pearsall less than an hour ago. We've got to get him out of there."
"What? Why the hell would he go off on Pearsall? I thought Clint was smart enough to play nice."
Ardelia guided Clarice to a fallen log and helped her to sit. She knew her next statement would upset her friend.
"Clarice, Hannibal asked Pearsall to do him a personal favor. He knew the Ripper would move to kidnap you. He told Pearsall you would be in danger and asked him to put agents on the house to protect you. Clint agreed to do it…but he forgot. When you were grabbed, Clint had Hannibal restrained because he was so afraid to tell him."
"Restrained! How did Hannibal handle that?"
"Not well…did you see his wrists. He tried to rip his hands out through the cuffs. It was the most heart wrenching thing I've ever seen. Then, when I uncuffed him…he went after Pearsall. I was scared to death. He had him by the throat. It was insane. He was lost without you, Clarice. He loves you more than you can ever imagine or know."
Clarice shook her head. "No…I know how much he loves me. If you think his wrists are bad, you should have seen him hack off his hand. I've got to stop him, Dee. He won't be able to stop himself."
"You don't look like you're that worried about him." Ardelia questioned.
"Dee, I saw him kill a fucking mountain lion in total darkness with nothing more than his bare hands and that Harpy and he loved every minute of it. I'm pretty sure he can handle Stuart Miggs. I almost hate to break up his party."
Suddenly, FBI agents swarmed the area. Logan had called in the cavalry and he himself was strapped to the side of an FBI helicopter with his weapon system mounted and trained on the container. He was in contact through a head set. As they circled the area, Logan contacted the Agents on the ground.
"Has anyone down there seen Ardelia Mapp? She left the prison escorting Hannibal Lecter and I want to get a location on her. Can someone find out if she's okay for me?"
Pearsall had just arrived on scene. "Marley, I'm on location and can see Mapp. She's talking to Starling."
"What about Hannibal? Is he with Clarice?"
"No, I don't know where he is yet. I can't find Lecter or the Ripper."
Pearsall approached the women. "Ladies, where's Lecter and do you have a location on the Ripper?"
Clarice pointed over her shoulder. "In there. Both of them…I'm going to try to get Hannibal to open the door. It's locked from the inside."
Pearsall rubbed at the welts left on his neck by Hannibal. Clarice noticed them and turned her head, surpressing a smile.
Pearsall paced back and forth nervously, trying to come up with an alternative. There was no way to enter the container and with no windows, no way to assess what was happening inside. When he could think of no other approach he turned to Clarice.
"Okay, get it under control so we can take that psychopath into custody."
Clarice asked Pearsall sarcastically. "Precisely which psychopath are you referring to Clint?"
"C'mon Clarice, your hubby and I may not be the best of friends but I appreciate all he did to help solve this case and get Mariyah released. Now go get him out of there while there is still something left of Miggs for us to take into custody."
THE FINAL CONFLICT
Hannibal's hand fell on the Harpy as if it willed itself into his possession. He flipped onto on all fours and spun around to face Stuart. His voice was low and growling as he brandished the weapon.
"Come Stuart, let us end this."
Stuart stood slowly and began to back up against the wall. Suddenly, Hannibal could smell Clarice's scent. There was a loud banging on the door.
"Hannibal…Hannibal… Open up right now!" Clarice demanded.
Hannibal shifted his attention for a split second. He did not see Stuart reach for the gun.
"Clarice move away from the door. I will be out momentarily."
"Hannibal, leave him to the police…for me…for the baby, H."
When she mentioned the baby, Hannibal's heart sank. He could not continue this game and place his newly found freedom in jeopardy. Hannibal proceeded slowly to the exit, unhinged the latch, and carefully moved the metal door open, standing just on the outer edge of the trailer. He reached his hand out to Clarice. Just as her hand touched his, a shot rang out and a large wound opened up to the right of Hannibal's chest. He looked at down at the wound and back to Clarice, his eyes wide.
Barely able to summon enough wind in his lungs, he yelled to his wife. "My Love…Run!"
Hannibal turned to face Stuart seeking to draw his attention away from Clarice. His breathing was labored but his movement remained unaffected, the adaptive nature of his primal responses caused his adrenalin and endorphins to fire at levels far exceeding that of the normal man.
Hannibal taunted his opponent in an effort to keep the shooter's aim from Clarice. "Come, Stuart. Surely you can do better than that. Bring your gun out here in the light of day. You will have an audience when you kill me. If you are lucky, the sunlight will improve your aim and your next shot will hit my heart."
Stuart moved toward Hannibal. Hannibal in turn, backed very slowly down the ramp, careful to remain within his own striking distance. Stuart approached leveling the gun.
"Hey, Stuart… Over here!" Clarice called in an attempt to get Miggs' attention away from her husband.
Miggs shifted his eyes briefly. That was all it took for Hannibal to react, knocking Stuart from the ramp to the unforgiving ground, causing Stuart to face plant in the dirt. Hannibal landed on his injured shoulder and grunted in pain. Ignoring the sensation he rolled over and mounted Stuart's back and wrapped him in a choke hold the Brazilians call the Mate Leao. Hannibal pulled with all his strength and forcefully arched Stuart's head back, exposing his neck. Hannibal poised his Harpy and readied the hooked blade at young Miggs' throat.
"When you reach the inferno…say hello to your Daddy for me!"
Hannibal's eyes flashed blood red crimson. He was enraged, the burning in his chest radiating from the gunshot wound. This man caused him to be away from Clarice. He caused him to feel the sting of separation, the pain of being alone again. This man caused him to watch the anguished expression of his wife's face as she placed the mask of the monster over him. This man forced him to endure the hitch in his smothered breath as that mask tightened against his flesh. He wanted to inflict the same amount of pain on this monster. Just before he pierced the point of the Harpy's hook into the flesh of the man's neck Clarice called out to him.
"H…Stop!"
Hannibal looked up at Clarice. His eyes were wild. He dared not speak.
"H, No. You need an ambulance."
"Forgive me my Love…" Hannibal tightened his grip on the Ripper, squeezing his skull he held onto Stuart's head as tight as a boa constrictor, using his arms to coil it firmly against his chest. Very slowly, deliberately, Lecter pierced the tip of the Harpy into the man's flesh.
Stuart Miggs screamed in pain and terror as the blade sunk into his flesh.
Hannibal's mouth watered. The scent of the freshly spilling blood permeated his olfactory senses, activating his taste buds. The door to Predator was opened and he was Hunger.
All others remained firmly back, too terrified to approach Lecter in such an obviously unstable state. Unafraid of Hannibal's terrifying presence, Clarice moved closer still, locking her eyes on his. Hannibal shook his head; the pleading in his eyes told her what he himself could not.
No, Clarice…No!
"You are still in there…you're still Hannibal…my Hannibal. You promised me…You told me you could walk away from this…for me…leave him. Please, stop…if you love me…stop."
With the pain crushing his chest and the blinding fire still raging in his eyes, his body shuddered. All he could manage was her name, spoken softly, with the devout love and reverence of a prayer.
"Clarice…"
"H, you are my husband. I love you and I'm having your baby…That's got to be enough for you…We have to be enough for you." She held her arms open to him. "Come, H… hospital."
Hannibal released his hold on the Ripper.
Clarice held out her hand steady and unafraid. "H…the Harpy…Give me your Harpy."
Hannibal chest wheezed and heaved as he handed her the knife, stood up and moved quietly away from Stuart to embrace Clarice.
Pearsall and the assembled agents stood in disbelief. No one expected Clarice to disarm Hannibal.
Stuart raised his weapon. Pearsall noticed and boomed over his headset.
"Take the shot!"
The Ripper squeezed the trigger. A loud shot rang out.
Before he could fully engage his weapon, Stuart's chest exploded in a sudden burst of blood and muscle.
Logan screamed over his headset. "OOO-RAH, Mother fucker!"
Logan was now wildly pumping his fist as he boldly leaned out of the helicopter circling above.
Logan you were correct, my friend. With that weapons system, you do not miss.
The adrenalin that had been holding back his pain had now begun to wane, causing the full effects of his wound to become apparent. Hannibal's legs folded beneath him as he slowly collapsed into Clarice's arms. She was not strong enough to shoulder his full weight and lowered him to the ground.
Hannibal's breathing was labored. His chest heaved mightily like the bellows of an accordion, struggling to force air in and out of his lungs, the nature of it almost mechanical…there was nothing natural about it. He wretched and choked his body in full spasm as he choked up large dark clots of blood.
His hand trembling, Hannibal reached up and touched the face of his wife, stroking her cheek with his blood soaked hand. Between strained inhalations he spoke, his breath ragged and forced. "I… always said… you were… dangerous… for me… Clarice…"
Hannibal's body seized for a moment…his eyes closed. His hand fell away from Clarice.
A message to Little Lecter- Thank you for all your reviews- you have your pm disabled so I have been unable to thank you. Needless to say I appreciate your dedication.
Thank you to all my faithful friends who are reading and reviewing! You make every day a joy. You are truly appreciated! To my new friends, thank you for reading. Drop me a note and say hello!
Until the next chapter my friends!
LH