A/N: Prerpare for more brewing trouble. :P

WOLF - Listened to that song. Really liked it! I'll have to add it to the story's "soundtrack". :D The song "My Demons" by Starset is a great song for the previous chapter, now that you got me thinking about music. LOL

Sciencegal - Opps! Least you remembered. Heh. Yeah, Soap's weaknesses are coming to light. Girl isn't a super soldier after all. D:

Chapter 34: Twist

Turns out, there was a point where one is in so much pain, it stops. Hugh never intended to discover where this point existed, but unfortunately Bishop had other plans. And boy, did the psycho's visits make the days seem long.

'I almost wish he had other means, like a Truth Serum,' the African-American thought with a groan. 'Then again, the guys would really be screwed if something like that worked…'

Sighing, Hugh ran his tongue along his teeth. They tasted of iron and an empty space replaced the canine on his upper left side. What remained were generally loose, which was to be expected given how many punches his face had endured.

At least, he thought they were punches. Maybe they had been kicks or a sledgehammer. Who cared? All he could recall was a painful haze that led to his current numbness.

"Reese."

Hugh didn't bother opening his eyes; Bishop's voice alone pulsed in his skull. He swore the jerk turned the PA system on the highest volume possible out of spite.

"You have visitors," Bishop continued.

'Visitors?' thought Hugh, brows furrowed. 'Is this a joke?'

"Tell them to leave a message," the detective said as loud as he could. "I'm busy."

"Then this is an inconvenience for both of us."

What did that mean? Of course, Hugh never got a chance to ask. Not that Bishop would've given an answer anyway.

Thus, he braved the sting in his eyes and opened them as his cell door hissed and grinded. He expected strangers to enter the brightly-lit space, lower class agents or even Bishop himself. What he didn't expect was Kyle Erlich or Luis Eckley.

The unlikeliest of duos entered then approached his chair with calm strides. Their gazes glossed him over once they reached him; however, neither looked appalled or even mildly concerned.

"You're doing well," Eckley remarked. He wore a wide grin that pushed up his fat cheeks so far they almost hid his eyes.

So Hugh flashed a mock smile in return. "Guess I look better than I feel, Doughnut. Too bad you can't say the same."

"Don't know about that, Hombre," the robust Hispanic countered, straightening the tie around his uniform's collar. "I think my looks have kept par with how ecstatic I've been that you were finally caught."

"And whose fault is that?"

Eckley quirked a faint brow at the detective's snarl. "Your own, obviously. A badge plus forensics? It's almost pathetic how much evidence is built against you. The Commissioner's so disappointed."

"Just like planned, right?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Reese?" Eckley's dark eyes narrowed to mirror the bound detective's glare. "I had nothing to do with this."

Voice lowering, Hugh tensed his hands in the shackles that bound him stationary to his prison chair. "Who else would set me up?"

"Is that what you're pleading? Wouldn't you have a better chance saying you're insane?"

"I'm not the insane one here."

"Good luck convincing others of that. Precinct Nineteen is the only one who thinks you're innocent. And by that, I mean Blaine says you're innocent while Noah and Donna say they'll defend you, regardless."

"I don't care what anyone else thinks."

"You never have."

Hugh's tart smile returned. "You, on the other hand, care a lot about being recognized. You expect me to trust that you've gained favor with two of the most powerful men in New York, and didn't feel compelled to further your career by throwing me under a bus?"

"While tempting, I've been busy," Eckley said as he cracked his neck. "The EPF Academy requires so many hours you can't even sleep. But then there are some of us who skip out anyway. Right, Kyle?"

At Eckley's pat against his chest, Kyle blinked—a slow, calm action.

'Why's he being so quiet? That isn't like him.'

"Moving on"—Eckley clapped his hands then smiled—"we're here for an evaluation for the Commissioner."

"What kind of evaluation?"

"The boss just wants to ensure you're being detained within the perimeters of the law. Seeing as how you aren't dead or missing limbs, I say Bishop's doing good work."

"You call missing teeth good work?" Hugh forced a smile to show off the missing bone, but the fat Hispanic only shrugged.

"One tooth is hardly proof of abuse, Reese. Now a full mouth? Maybe several bad bruises and cuts? That would be proof."

'It would, which explains why that nurse was rushing to clean me up not long ago…Bishop really does think of everything, doesn't he?'

"Now I gotta go, Detective; I have a date to attend. I've already spent more time with you than I'd like."

"You won't get away with this," Hugh hissed at Eckley's back.

The Hispanic paused by the metallic door then twisted, his chubby face contorted in a smirk. "Seriously, consider the insanity angle. You're delusional."

Delusional, his ass! Hugh huffed then ground his teeth until a sharp pain in them caused him to groan. After shaking his head, he faced Kyle, who hadn't moved an inch since entering.

"Okay, Kyle," the detective said over the door's grinding. "What's the plan?"

Kyle sent him a blank stare. "Plan?"

"The one for getting me out. Come on; the door won't make noise forever before Bishop can hear again. Did Blaine send you?"

"No."

"Weird. Donna then? Noah?"

"No and no."

"I—I don't get it. Are you planning this alone?"

"There is no other plan, Reese."

Hugh froze under the lanky man's subtle glare, which was accentuated by the sudden silence when the cell door shut. "What?" he whispered.

"Why would I go through the trouble of getting you here then break you out?"

"W—wait"—Hugh struggled for air—"you're telling me, you're the one who framed me?"

"Yes." Simple, blunt, Kyle ran a hand through his slick brown hair, unfazed.

Impossible. It had to be a lie—it just had to be. Why would Kyle do such a thing?

"You're wondering why," the pale man added. He smiled at Hugh's gaping expression, but then sneered and lifted his narrow chin. "You're stupider than I give you credit for, if you're this surprised."

"You're our ally," said the older man in a small voice.

"Maybe once. Now, I hate your guts."

"Enough to put me here?"

"Enough that I want your whole reputation ruined!" Inhaling a deep breath, Kyle collected himself until he was stoic once again. "Evidence was harder to gain after my transfer, but volunteering to work as your mole kept me close enough for the final pieces."

"You're shitting me."

"No, Hugh. You shit on me."

"I don't…" Damn, the pain was returning. It made Hugh feel like his head would explode, which further fueled his budding anger. "Why would you frame me? I've done nothing except help you."

"Really? Because the only time I recall you helping me was when Kaiya went missing. Had it not been for that overlapping interest, you never would've looked into my cases. Just like any other cop I've met."

"Look"—Hugh tried smiling, although his headache made him cringe—"I can respect that you have special cases you're into. Really, I can. But to bomb places then frame the guy who least likely picked on you is an extreme twist."

"I never took any violent action," Kyle replied, arms raised. "I contacted a third party under the alias Nikt. They did the rest."

"What third party?"

"It doesn't concern you."

Had his legs been unbound, Hugh would've stomped them. Seeing as how they weren't, he settled for struggling in his chair, wishing it could scrape across the cell's concrete floor. "I think it concerns me a lot! My being here endangers nearly a dozen others. Maybe more!"

"There you go, being self-important again. No wonder you're having marital problems."

Hugh wanted to kick the man so badly that he screamed in a horse voice then launched his weight forward. The chair didn't budge an inch.

"What the fuck did I ever do to you?" Hugh demanded. Was the answer obvious? Kyle's dour look insinuated it was supposed to be.

"You killed my career," the greasy-haired cop spat. "Everything I've stove for—what I've fought to prove for years—was rendered moot because of Black Lotus."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Everything." Bending in half, Kyle placed his hands over Hugh's arm shackles, squeezing them as his words grew softer. "You and Blaine are the ones others regarded as heroes for saving those prisoners. I should've been included. You knew I've been working to bring awareness to the forgotten. Yet when you had a solid lead where we could prove homeless were being kidnapped, you dropped me. My one chance to show my father I was right and you took the credit."

"That situation was…complicated, Kyle. Besides, would you have liked a building collapsing on top of you? It's not as glamorous as TV shows make it seem."

"Justify your selfishness however you want. You used me. That's all anyone ever does. And I'm sick of it."

"Revenge has a hollow reward. Putting me here—"

"Is the one thing I've ever been successful at. Funny, seems I'm more fit to drive people away than to save them."

"But saving people has always been your passion. That's why you pay so much attention to those overlooked."

"Ever wonder why that is?"

Hugh blinked, silent as the visitor began circling his chair.

"When I was a boy," Kyle started, "I was left alone a lot. Dad worked like a dog and my mother left for a 'vacation' when I was five. I spent hours playing in the backwoods around our house, away from my babysitter. I met someone there: a boy without shoes who smelled like wet dog.

"He never gave a name, but he liked to talk about our interests and even random scenarios. For a while, I didn't question his origin. He always denied when I offered him a bed, and anyone I asked around town had no idea who I was talking about.

"They called me crazy, a liar, a kid with a hyperactive imagination. I wasn't any of those. To prove it, I planned for him meet my father. But…they never got the chance."

Kyle paused behind Hugh's chair, sighing. "My friend vanished. Weeks later, some hiker discovered a young John Doe's body, and despite how I begged, Dad refused to let me identify him. To this day, he believes my friend was imaginary. But he was real. And alone."

"I—I'm sorry about your friend," Hugh said, stiff. "But I'm not the reason your father doesn't believe you."

"Yes, you are." A pressure wrapped around the back of Hugh's sweaty neck, subtle yet dangerous. "I've gone my whole career with one goal in mind: uplift the forgotten so they won't die as Jane and John Does.

"Dad says it's how society works, that I can't change it. He thinks my focus should be elsewhere, like on promotions. So I'm just one giant embarrassment. By now I've been transferred across the country. Still he believes I'm not working towards anything valuable.

"Black Lotus, though…that would've been a big break. That?" The pressure strengthened. "That would've given me the leverage to finally prove I'm not a failure. Instead, he thinks I'm lying about partaking in it. Says I'm desperate and should let things go. But you know"—Kyle squeezed so tightly Hugh gasped—"I'm not good at letting things go.

"So enjoy yourself, Reese. I hope you'll be here for a long, long time to come. And maybe soon, Blaine will join you."

"Blaine was only following my lead, Kyle; leave him out of this."

The slick-haired man chuckled at the detective's snarl, releasing Hugh's neck to head for the exit. "I think signing up for the EPF has been the best choice I've ever made," he said over his shoulder. "I've never felt more at home or at peace. Perhaps I've found my place at last, eh?"

Hugh was too stunned to answer. In fact, he hardly recalled the door opening before his vision grew white.

"You don't have to check up on me, Figo," Sophia said from behind her windowsill. But even though she frowned through the glass, a light behind her hazel eyes convinced Michelangelo she appreciated his visit to her townhouse.

"You were pretty beat up last night," the mutant countered, slipping inside her bright bedroom. "I had to see how you're holding up."

"Meaning: you wanted to stalk me."

"Guess I can't deny I'm curious about how your room looks with the lights lit. I was too focused on not tripping when we dropped you off."

"My place isn't grand. It's just a room."

"A room says a lot about a person, Hoshi. Like, I never would've guessed you were into"—the mutant paused by a black desk, leaning closer towards a Gothic-esque poster pinned above it—"Nightwish? Who's Nightwish?"

"An opera metal band," the petite blonde answered. She was quick to shoo him away, closing a journal below her desk lamp.

"That's a genre?" Mikey asked while meeting her gaze.

"Si. What music did you expect me to like?"

"I don't know. Techno?"

Hoshi sent a pointed look. "That repetitive, bubblegum merda? I have a few exceptions, but on the whole Techno can't compare with the haunting feel of Nightwish, Apocalyptica, or Within Temptation. It's not deep enough for me."

"Funny; this is coming from the girl who fights hard to avoid being deep with others." Michelangelo grinned, although Sophia's embarrassment forced away her gaze.

Nose red, she spun on her bare feet then headed for a terrarium tank in the corner beside her full-sized bed. Mikey couldn't help watching her slender figure as she did so; her silk pajamas caught her subtle curves perfectly, drawing attention to her narrow hips. It was the first time he had seen her out of uniform, and he found it adorable how she matched her pink and black room like a kid's toy set.

"Scusami, Figo?"

Mikey blinked, unaware of when Sophia had crossed her thin arms. "What?"

"I asked how long he's gunna lurk there."

Who? Oh, she must've meant Raph. Mikey sent the hothead a smile; however, the mutant on the fire escape returned his invite with a glare.

"He insisted on escorting me. Ya know, since walking is a pain."

"You seem fine."

"I had painkillers earlier."

"What about when those wear off?"

The mutant continued his smiling, despite the human's blanch. "Then Raph will carry me home because he loves me."

"I'll drag ya, Doofus," Raphael interjected through the open window.

"Will you come inside, Grouch?"

"Forget it, Mike. It looks like a Pepto-Bismol commercial threw up in there."

"You have a problem with pink, Defi'?" Sophia snapped. Her hand cupped something as she approached the window. Maybe she meant to hit the hothead, except Raph backed up before she reached him, his mouth gaping like a fish.

"The fuck is that?" he squeaked. Uh oh; it was his 'there's a spider near me' voice.

"Don't speak to Cuddles like that," the blonde countered, holding out her hand. In it, a white tarantula rested and wiggled one of its front legs as if waving hello.

Raph was unimpressed with its good manners, nearly falling over the fire escape's iron railing. "It's disgustin'! Kill it!"

"Defi'"—Sophia spoke calmly with a still hand—"this is Cuddles. Cuddles is famiglia. Hurt her, and I will personally saw off your limbs with a steak knife. Capito?"

"Y—ya named it 'Cuddles'?"

"You have a problem with how I name pets too?"

"No; I got a problem wit' gross, creepy things wit' hairy legs 'n too many eyes. Get it away!"

"My, what a brave hero."

"Come on, Hoshi, let's not tempt tragedy." Michelangelo wrapped a gentle hand around Sophia's, guiding it away from his shaking brother. The fat spider shifted so she faced the mutant. He wasn't sure if he was being assessed, but he smiled anyway, stroking Cuddles' back with a finger. "My sister would think you're cute."

"Which one?" Hoshi shot back, bland. "You keep coming up with names, so I'm not sure if you have one or ten."

The Chūnin gave a weak laugh. "As of right now, I have three. April, Melody, and—"

"Sarah. Or, what did you say her real name was?"

"Nia." After a quick glance at the silent Raphael, Mikey sighed. "Put simply, her name was changed for the same reason yours was: to escape Bishop."

"Since she's associated with mutants, that isn't surprising."

"Among other reasons."

"So how's she doing? Last I saw her she…"

"I'd love to give you an answer, Hoshi," said Mikey after a drear grin, "but we don't know. Her father's never been too fond of us, and used the chance to, well, hide her."

"What a douche."

A scoff reached through the window, followed by a muffled chuckle. Raphael met Sophia's eyes, his fists clenched around his damaged Shell Cell. Donatello had repaired it, although its assemblage lacked the genius' usual skill. At least it functioned. Unless Raph shattered it again.

"Next time I see that ass, I'm gunna—shit!"

Raphael backed up, fast. In the seconds it took to draw his sais, a metallic crash sounded, followed by rattling. The fire escape's small platform was now occupied by two figures, and Mikey knew the red-masked Chūnin was cursing himself for being so distracted while outside—even at night.

"Is this the residence of Sophia Moretti?" the stranger asked, unmoving.

His smooth tone and casual behavior unsettled Michelangelo, but it seemed to outright startle Sophia. Her hazel eyes were wide as her hands lowered, as if Cuddles had gained a hundred pounds, so Mikey waved for her attention. He never gained it, even when he tugged her arm. Instead, she croaked, frozen on the carpet while the stranger squatted to view inside the open window.

"I—it can't be," she whispered while shaking.

"Can't be what, Hoshi?"

"Sophie," the man said, cracking a handsome smile, "I knew you were alive."

"This can't be real. Y—you're dead." Voice small, Sophia swayed until she found stability by leaning against Michelangelo, who regarded the stranger's rugged tan features with a frown.

"Who're you? And what do you want with Sophia?"

The man didn't wait for permission to enter; he slipped inside effortlessly then approached the pink-clad blonde until he caught her distant gaze. "My name's Marco Rizzo," he said without glancing away. "And I'm here to help Sophie finish the mission we started long ago."

A/N: How do you like that? Seems the burning question of the hour is "Who should our heroes REALLY trust?" Don't worry, things just get worse for Hugh and Hoshi soon. *bricked* Meanwhile, why not review? ;)

"Torn" is next. We pick up where we left off, following Marco through an important explanation. Then, Raph gets a startling text...