Chapter 11
"What are we planning on doing to you?" he returned, shaking his head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, first we are going to get rid of this useless creature," he glanced toward Farfello as he said this, then continued, "And then we are going to get more information from you in order to make certain that our creations will be adequate."
Nagi attempted to regain control over his body and senses, fighting desperately against whatever chemical had invaded him. He struggled in vain for he was only able to twitch, at best, and his efforts went unnoticed by all except, perhaps, Schuldig who was watching him out of the corner of his eye. He could almost read the red head's thoughts, with or without his powers; if nothing else Schuldig would want him to be spared. They had gone over this time and again and he had hated it each and every time: "If something is to happen, I want you go get the hell out of here."
He had stared quietly at Schuldig, nodding, not in agreement, but that he had heard him. There had been several incidents where he had blatantly disregarded him and had ended up saving them from sticky situations. That had not stopped him from being angry that he had not left when he had told him to, but he wasn't certain he could go on without them. Now he knew he wouldn't be able to leave on his own power in the new future but maybe he could help them.
//Schu.//
The red head took in a sharp breath, his eyes darting back toward Nagi for one moment. Never before had he heard a thought directed at him by the boy, at least not in words and that he had that ability, especially now, surprised him. Unable to project his own thoughts he shouted back, in his own mind, hoping he would be able to catch them without his help. //Can you free Brad? Can you get these things off him?//
There was a long pause and what sounded like a low growl in his mind. //I can't move anything, not even myself.//
Schuldig's eyes turned back to the scene before him and to the helpless figure of their friend and teammate. //Try.// That was all he could ask.
"You would kill a subdued creature? Where exactly is the fun in that?" There was a dark challenge in Brad's voice. He had not "heard" the conversation from the other two and was trying to provoke the man into holding back for a moment. If he could give Farfello time to recover, which he rather hoped wouldn't take long, he would be able to shred them all to little bits.
"Fun? That's not the fun part. The fun part is the creation of our super beings that will take over and put us in control. I don't delight in killing scum such as you, but it just comes with the job."
Schuldig made an amused-sounding utterance, glancing down at the ground for a moment. "Using underhanded means to bring others into submission. I can understand and admire that. It's very effective, indeed. Obviously you could not possibly have faced us when we were at our full power, not even with these 'perfect' humans of yours."
The leader of Rosenkreuz's eyes narrowed sharply, his light tone gone. "It was a precautionary measure since we had no idea the extent of your abilities and there are many things we would do for the sake of such a grand experiment."
"Yes, if you want to take the cowardly way out, of course."
Brad and Schuldig sat up a bit straighter in alarm as the first shot was fired suddenly without any warning, the bullet tearing right through Farfello's leg. He didn't feel the pain but he still struggled weakly, knowing that there was only so much his body could take before it gave out on him; it had taken a while, but they had managed to instill the idea that too much blood loss was actually a bad thing. Without pain as a teacher it was a difficult concept for him to master, but he no more wanted to die than they did.
"Perhaps it is cowardly, but it doesn't matter. We'll carry out our orders to the very end and there's nothing you can do about it."
Nagi's vision went red, the color of Farfello's blood staining the floor as several more rather random shots were fired at him. He had seen blood before on many occasions, most of which involved Farfello going overboard with his bloodplay, but this was not the same thing. That he couldn't control this situation, couldn't do anything - well, he felt helpless in the face of this circumstance, which, he realized, he pretty much was.
Desperately he called upon his powers, whatever reserves remained within him, called upon something, anything that could possibly help him in this most critical time. The gun was aimed at Farfello's head and his mind screamed out in pure agony -
And the latches on Brad's shackles burst free. //GO!//
As if in slow motion the bullet was fired, making a beeline for their friend. Brad sprang forward, not questioning this good faith, or perhaps spurred on by his surprise freedom (and the mental voice that somehow sounded like Nagi's would though he had never heard it before) and tackled the Rosenkreuz leader to the floor. Too late.
"Farfello!" He was at his side in an instant, examining him, careless of the Rosenkreuz members that were hurrying toward him, having been momentarily shocked into a standstill.
Brad seemed to go into a trance of some sort, as if trying to call Farfello back to them and then he screamed - a strange and truly frightening sound on the lips of such a generally calm and collected individual. He fell back, his eyes widening as he stared at the body before him whose very life had just faded away before his eyes.
Not faded entirely, he realized with some alarm, but the life in the body had vanished entirely, leaving a bloody corpse before him.
//Nagi!//
Pain coursed through him as he fought against the unfamiliar agent. He was glad that he had not taken their previous tests seriously, very glad indeed, for if they had made it any stronger they could very well have knocked him out completely and then he would have been no help at all. As it was he knew they had tried to compensate for him having stronger abilities than he showed for them, which they had done in abundance, but it hadn't quite been enough. They had forgot to factor in sheer determination and the overpowering fear for the lives of his team members, his family.
His mind reached clumsily in his drugged state to Schuldig, seeking and finding comfort there. A quick, sharp breath, a burst of power, and he tore his shackles away, freeing him as well. For a moment he slumped in exhaustion, only half-watching as the redhead flew to his lover's side. It was really where he belonged, after all, though he was torn, wanting to remain with him, as well.
//Protect him. I can take care of myself.// Nagi had said it often enough in the past, but rarely had Schuldig taken him seriously - it went against all of his instincts. With his lover in immediate danger he took him quite seriously, whether he really was or not.
It was then the battle within him came to a terrifying peak, forcing him to go beyond every ability he had ever tested within himself. This was it. If he failed, there would be no second chances for any of them. It was all he could do to concentrate on anything, knowing the guns that were aimed at his friends. But they couldn't shoot them, not yet! After all, they hadn't gotten all of the infor-
"KILL THEM!"
A gun was aimed at Schuldig's head; he saw the bullet fly free and for a moment his heart stopped completely.
His mind went white. Not red, not the color of blood, but the purest white that blinded him in its brightness, telling him it was over, that all was lost. And it snapped, reality snapped in half because he couldn't take it, couldn't take their loss. He had lost Farfello, but he didn't want to lose them, too. And through the haze he heard a voice raised in fear, calling to him, calling him back from the brink though he wasn't certain if he wanted to follow.
"Nagi! Nagi, where are you? What's happening? Please, I know you're doing something! Stop it! Do you want to kill us all?"
//Us all?//
He felt a shudder from somewhere; he was being held in someone's arms. It was a mind he touched but couldn't recognize, a mind whose thoughts were confused and chaotic, not a telepath, not someone who had honed their supernatural abilities. Just someone who was as lost inside as he was and wasn't able to deny it quite as well as he had.
His eyes opened up to see a face that was both familiar and strange. "Omi." There was red, no, orange all around them. Flames. Schuldig and Brad were there, looking panicked and rather upset in the chaos all around them, a chaos, he realized, that he had caused. He had released the rage within him as he had not done since the time that he had first manifested his powers in fear and desperation.
The building was crumbling around them, but he could barely move, though he noted that somehow his own shackles had come flying off and that he had collapsed to the floor. Everything was a swirling mass of confusion and he felt hurt and tired.
Omi was brushed aside and he was being lifted by Schuldig; he recognized his familiar scent as he had closed his eyes tightly against the destruction around them. He had lost it, he had lost his control and it was perilously fragile at the moment and he would not, could not do that again. He would not harm those he cared about.
"Can you break the chains on Farfello?" it was a quiet question amongst the ruin, asked by Brad. There was a deeply sentimental streak beneath his hard exterior; he would want to give him a proper burial.
So he reached out cautiously, his mind raw and aching, and snapped them. It was a familiar gesture he had done numerous times before for him, but the body his mind encountered was cold; he pulled back quickly. Something had happened, something horrible yet awesome at the same time. In hindsight he knew it had existed, but in reality he knew he had previously been blind to it, to this telepathic ability, this empathy of sorts. He had hated it, deep down, and had tried to and succeed at hiding it, even from himself, but when all else had failed him it had given him strength. He had drawn from Schuldig to boost his own abilities; it was a confusing thing, these powers.
"Come with me." Omi was saying, a quiet observer who could not understand the almost gentle expression on his ex-enemy's face as he picked up the body of the "crazed" one. They wordlessly followed him, hurrying before the building collapsed completely. All around them it was deafeningly silent, almost peaceful and the air crisp and clean, a vivid contrast to the choking ashes and debris they had been inhaling moments before.
Nagi whimpered faintly as he allowed his mind to shut down, dragging him down into comforting darkness. The young assassin looked up at the red head in concern. "Is he okay?"
A nod. "He's exhausted and little wonder. It helps that they drugged him."
"They drugged all of you."
Schuldig nodded again, wondering how long the other had hovered in the shadows waiting for a chance to strike, his gaze drifting to his lover whose eyes were clouded over as he carried the cooling body of their friend. Omi had made his presence known just before all hell had broken loose (otherwise known as The Wrath of Nagi) and had shot an arrow through the arm of the man that had tried to kill him. It had been enough to affect the path of the bullet and it had missed. Chaos had ensued after that, but he knew the young man and injured, but not killed, several of the others. Apparently he made a rather useful ally after all.
Omi gestured to them, almost impatiently. "As soon as we get back we'll be able to take care of all of you. We can make arrangements -"
"Back where? To Kritiker?" Schuldig raised an eyebrow at him then shook his head slowly. "No, we won't be going anywhere with you."
"But you are hurt and you need a place to rest!"
The red head smirked, cast his gaze toward Brad, who seemed lost in a trance-like state. Now was not the time for them to be so close to their not-really-allies. They needed to be alone to tend their injuries, both mental and physical. "We will manage on our own. We always have." Plus, he was not yet ready to let Nagi go.