Authors Notes: I'm going to have to up the rating on this one to a T simply because of the tortures that are going to happen. Also...forewarned...torture!

Frozen Timepiece

Chapter 21

Reasons

Echo found himself looking down at yet another medical book. Turns out Kates library within her office had a lot of books. Lots and lots of books. Each one had been read by Kate. Even the medical books, but she didn't like the sight of blood so never really did anything with them. She was glad she kept them though since they were now of use to Echo and his chosen profession. He wasn't looking to become a doctor, but he wanted to be of use to his Kate in any way he could.

Kate walked back in with an envelope and held it out to Echo. Echo looked a little bewildered for a moment. He turned it over in his hands, and then opened it. Within was a paycheck.

"Your pay for your efforts at the dig." Kate said. Echo looked bashful for a moment.

"All of this...its so much." He said and looked back at the four digit number.

"Well it is three months worth of work, and we only get paid upon completing it." Kate said and held up her own paycheck. "We could always try again to find a place of our own." She said looking back down at the papers on her desk. Echo shrugged his shoulders and put his paycheck in his book that way he didn't lose it.

"Anywhere you go is good for me." He said and stretched his back panels. It was 3am and they only just got back. Parking their camper in the large garage in the back where they keep all the equipment.

"Maybe we should get some sleep before we make any life shattering ideas." Kate said picking up her envelope, and Echos book.

"Also a very good idea." Echo said. Kate giggled swatting at him knowing he was playing with her. He dodged and ran ahead. Kate wasn't much of a runner. Actually every time she did run it would hurt her ankle after what happened. So he would stop and taunt her. She would just stick her tongue out at him.

"Kate?" A monitor nearby had Pixals image on it. Kate walked over to it accompanied by Echo.

"Pixal what are you doing on the museum monitors. If Misako found out about it she'd split a seam." Kate said looking over the femme taking in her worried features.

"Pixal are you alright?" Echo asked having also noticed her. He had taken to either calling her by her name or sister. As Zane would also call Kate by her name or sister. The ninja thought their whole relationship and family was adorable, and even influenced it by also doing the same thing.

"Zanes missing." Pixal said at a yell. She was really tired of explaining everything, but explain she did.

"Kate...we need to get back to the Bounty." Echo panicked. His hands were crossed over his chest, his legs were going back and forth between one and the other. The last time he looked this worried was when Kate went in for a check up after they found out about her soul being sucked out. Cole had the same thing happen to him. Kate had to calm him down physically holding him to show him she was there. Into which he promptly fell asleep after he calmed down after they got back to the Bounty.

"Its alright Echo we'll find him."

"The Bounty is waiting for you a few streets over." Pixal said. Kate took hold of Echos hand and they began to run from the building.

"Kate your ankle." Echo said seeing Kate limping as they went.

"Screw my ankle!" Kate said as they ran. Echos heart hurt seeing her hurting herself like this. Yet he didn't have much time to complain. At the front of the park was the Bounty.

At first he couldn't open his eyes, almost as if something was holding them closed. When his eyes turned on he was able to see that he was laying down on a large metal bed, the room around him was made from concrete, and the ceiling too. There was a single window in the room and it was about the side of his hand, but a yard long. He slowly turned his head to see if he could. Over in one corner Dr. Sanza was on his knees. He was shoulder deep inside a machine, one with a large tank on top of it. Within the tank seemed to be a lot of purplish pink liquid. A containment unit? Perhaps that's where they were going to stick him once he was finished with it. What then? He softly pulled at his restraints not making a noise. They weren't budging, and it did nothing but hurt his wrists.

After a few moments Dr. Sanza stood up and closed the door.

"Its an incubation room. This is where we're going to grow my super soldier. While you were out we took the liberty to scan your body. You are a veritable hodgepodge of parts. Almost like you were in a hurry to create them." Sanza walked over and leaned over his patient. "Just what happened to you Zane?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with. Just hurry with your experiments so I can go."

"Oh my dear boy you aren't going anywhere...ever again."

"My friends will stop you. They'll find me, and you won't get away with this." Zane said. Sanza leaned in closer and whispered.

"What about that beautiful brother we saw?" The surprise on Zanes face told Sanza all he needed to know.

"Ah..so he did build him." Zanes face grew angry at him.

"If you touch my brother I'll tear you apart."

"We shall see." He reached over and opened Zanes chest plate. He looked inside and smiled down at Zane. "Is he built like you." He flipped a switch.

"What are you doing? Stop that. No ones aloud to do that except a select few that know my inner workings."

"Don't forget...I scanned your inner workings. I know what they do." He flipped another switch so he could feel all his emotions.

Zanes heart felt heavy, as if something was wrong.

"S...Stop." He tried to grab Sanza's hand, but the bindings wouldn't allow him to.

"Ah here we go...your pain switch." He smiled down at Zane. He must have turned it of or he would feel everything in battles.

"No stop...turn it off!" Zane struggled and looked around as Raya turned on the lighting in the room. Zane looked around the room able to see if clearly now. Their was blood everywhere. The walls were splattered with it and it looked like their was a half attempt to clean it off the walls. Zane looked up when Raya brought out a camera and pushed a few buttons on it.

"Don't worry...its just for educational purposes. I promise." She said smiling down at the nindroid. She walked over and pointed the camera down at the chest cavity. Zane looked up at Raya with pleading eyes. Raya just smiled and turned the camera on Zanes face.

"Don't worry...you'll live...I think." She laughed and stepped back to give the doctor some room to work. He put a screw driver into Zanes chest plate and began to pull parts out and look over them. But each time he did so Zane would feel every agonizing moment. A loud screeching noise escaped his throat, and his back would arch trying to get the pain away from him. After the first hour Zane stopped yelling, and lay there to exhausted to fight anymore. Almost as if he had given up. He would pant and his engine would make hitching noises like he wanted to throw up.

"Just like I thought Zane...you are perfect in every possible way except one. The inability to have children. I can see why they denied such a thing. They didn't want anymore of you. To bad Borg rolled out his nindroid series some years back." He said screwing the last part back into Zanes body and closed his chest plate.

Zane just blankly stared off into nothingness not even answering the man holding him hostage. Zane tried often to try and get some sleep, but he couldn't. Every time a program would pop up and stop his progress. He was forcefully denied rest. He was in so much pain now, and his mind was hurting from the multiple forced intrusions. He wanted Pixal, he wanted Echo, he wanted Kate. He just wanted to go home. His body hitched again and he doubled over on the table. Coughing from the feel, and trying to hold onto the one thing he knew. His family would come for him. They always did.