Ghost Man on Third

[Lex]

This is for Reese. It's supposed to summarize basically what happens with him from the time he left FH, until the time Garden finds him and brings him into the Infirmary.

I know I said I would post this, like, a WEEK ago XD. Things just kept coming to me and it's been in a constant state of rendition until now. I think I am finally satisfied.

I hope you like it!

---

Approx. 1:45am - FH/Esthar Railway

The pounding and crashing of the waves below was a whisper in comparison to the thoughts pounding and crashing in his head. He brought his arms together over his abdomen, shielding away the cold of the ocean breeze as he walked the train tracks that would lead him out of Fisherman's Horizon.

Not that it mattered which way he was headed. His dice were thrown and his cards in.

Nothing really mattered that much, anymore. To hell with it all. The only thing he felt his life was worth fighting for he left back in that city. And that would be a stupid thing to "fight for", because all he'd be doing is fighting himself. He didn't belong with her. She wouldn't care for him anymore; she never would have if she'd been able to see the entire picture. He'd rather leave here with her not knowing. At least not until after he'd been killed, that way he'd never have to see her again. Never have to look her in the eyes, his identity exposed. He couldn't imagine how that would make him feel.

This must be karma at its best.

For everything immoral he'd done up to this point--intentionally or not--he felt like was paying for it now. For abandoning his mother at the time she quite possibly needed him most, for disregarding all sense of morale and getting himself wrapped up in DotNA, for being the fool that gave all of himself over to a girl he knew never gave much of a damn in the first place. He refused to add hurting the one person who cared for him most purely, to that list.

So now? Now he would do the best thing he could--for her. For them all.

How sad. The best thing you can do is simply remove yourself from the situation. he thought, taking a long drink of the alcohol he'd bought on the way out of town. Just sad.

He let out a deep sigh after swallowing, glancing ahead through the darkness. The tracks seemed to stretch on forever. From here, he couldn't even see land. His legs ached, and he could feel the effects of fatigue creeping through his joints. Coupled with the alcohol, it muddled his thoughts, so much so that they jumped and skipped like a scratched disk. But he wanted to get as far away from FH as he possibly could. They would be coming for him, and he couldn't be in the area when they did. He stumbled along only partially coherent, just waiting to be tracked down and picked up.

Just like a bad puppy... he thought, bringing the bottle to his lips again. ... a bad puppy that broke its leash and ran away overnight.

What he was in for didn't scare him in the least. The thoughts were actually sort of amusing. Possibly due to his state of mind, possibly due to the fact that he just didn't care all that much anymore. Even if by some miracle he had a chance at living, it just didn't feel like it'd be worth the effort anymore. What did he have to really live for? Circumstances always ruled his life, and this one in particular had to take the cake. So he would let them take him, and be done with his existence. At least he could leave knowing he'd done something for someone other than himself, for once.

He didn't get it. He didn't know how the hell he'd let his guard down low enough to let some loudmouth teen drive her way so deep into his conscience. So much so that he would rather throw away his life than be responsible for hers. He cared, he didn't want her to die, so he was trying to take the hit for her. And he couldn't explain why. It frustrated him, it had been slowly chipping away at his sanity.

The bottle slipped from his loose grip and shattered on the iron tracks. He paused in his step and glanced down.

Wonderful. he thought. I see Fate still has her sense of humor.

He glanced about for a second or two, trying to ignore the aching of his body and the burning tears of frustration behind his eyes. He turned and approached the railing, crossing his arms over it and lowering his gaze to the dark waters. The cold ocean chilled the faint breeze around him.

"Are you cold?"

Reese blinked, her voice echoing in his mind as he stared blankly down below. He hadn't been very cold walking back there with her. Now, he felt as if he were already a corpse. He sighed quietly and turned around, lowering himself to sit on the wooden boards and lean his back against the first bar of the railing. The cell phone in his pocket pressed against his thigh uncomfortably, and he withdrew it after he'd sat.

He stared at the small device, turning it in his hand. He flipped it open with his thumb, his eyes scanning the neon-green screen for no reason in particular. Surprised they haven't called yet. Guess they trust me a little more than I thought. he thought, flipping it shut again. His only remaining connection with those people.

He brought his arm up and carelessly tossed the phone over his shoulder. It sailed through the air a few seconds, and dropped soundlessly into the crashing waves below.

Not anymore.

He crossed his arms together to ward off the cold, looking down at his legs stretched out before him, decidedly content to wait for Master to come grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him home.

[Lex]

Approx. 5:30am - FH/Esthar Railway

"Are... are you going to laugh?"

"Amaerick."

"Why would I laugh?"

"Amaerick, get up."

Something hit him sharply in the thigh. His eyes opened and he blinked rapidly a few times, trying to get his eyes to focus. Two feet... boots. Steel toed. Dark pants. He blinked and looked up.

"What the hell is this, Amaerick?"

Eyes focused in. Pretentious features, lank, dirty-blonde hair. Devon?

Another man approached from a chopper they must have landed right on the tracks. Kal. Reese recognized him as one of the Rank 4's he had trained with.

"Hey," Reese felt the kick to his thigh again, and looked up at the Devon coldly. "I asked you a question."

"He just snap or what?" the other man let out a sardonic laugh, obviously talking to Devon. "What the hell?"

"Amaerick--" Devon said again.

"I'm fine." Reese said sharply, pushing himself to his feet.

Devon took a small step back, crossing his arms. "So I'm assuming you have some kind of explanation?"

Kal let out another laugh. "Oh man, don't tell me he let them get away... "

Reese glanced between the two of them. "I don't know where they are now." he voiced calmly.

There was a sudden fall of silence.

"What?!" Devon asked harshly, his questioning eyes gradually hardening into a glare.

"I don't know where they are." he repeated, eyeing Devon blankly. "We separated yesterday, not long after I made that call. They could be anywhere right now. They're probably flying somewhere in an airship."

Another silence.

"Are you saying you bailed mission?" Kal asked disbelievingly.

Reese's only answer was a barely perceptible shrug. He glanced at Devon, who just stared at him, seething. "So what is the explanation for this?" he managed through carefully controlled rage.

Reese watched him calmly, hardly in the frame of mind to take his temper seriously. "I don't answer to you." he said flatly, trying not to smirk. He brushed past Devon, passing between them and moving for the chopper, the broken bottle from the night before crunching under his boots. "I don't have anything to say to either of you. We might as well end this little discussion and be on our way."

Devon watched him, too furious for words.

Kal took a few steps in following him. "You abandoned them on purpose? You do realize, Miss Quan is--"

"You don't need to tell me about Waverly Quan." Reese cut him off shortly, opening the chopper door.

"There isn't a reason good enough for this kind of conduct." Devon muttered to his partner. "He's a walking dead man."

[Lex]

Approx. 8:00am - DotNA Headquarters: Holding Cell, Timber

Reese sighed, casting his gaze about the room but looking at nothing in particular. A POW room. And a rather small one at that. Not even a sink or toilet or bench for this one. Just walls and cement floor, and a cheap yellow light on the ceiling that cast an orange glow about the room.

He stretched his legs out before him, his heels scuffing against the floor. His back pushed against the back of the chair they had his hands cuffed behind. This was worse than having her here, in his face. Being left to his thoughts was always the worst. He wondered what the SeeD were up to at this point. Probably on their way to Shumi Village, maybe already there. Zacke was either instigating a fight, or breaking one up. He always had to be at the center of whatever drama was going on, couldn't stand not to be involved. Jun might be hushing all three of them like an exasperated mother. Blaze probably started the entire thing. Being a total bitch came so naturally to her.

Stardust. He wondered what her reaction to his note had been. How much it mattered. Was she worried? Was she angry?

"He's in this one."

Reese lifted his head at the sound of voices in the hall outside.

"Thank you. You can go now."

Her voice. His insides recoiled at the sound.

"Yes Ma'm." the other speaker addressed her.

His gaze dropped to his feet as the door slid open, the old metal screeching on its hinges, the rubber along the bottom sliding noisily over the floor. He watched her heeled black boots click across the cement and stop in front of him, one turning to the side as if she'd shifted her weight.

"Reese... " she cooed the name. "This hurts my feelings, you don't even look happy to see me... "

He blinked, and raised his gaze.

She smirked, cocking her head to the side. She brought back her arms and clasped her hands behind her, taking a step closer. He eyed her intentionally cute, disarming body language with general distaste. "So... ?" she raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"So what?" he replied quietly, staring back blankly.

She looked away for a second, and he could tell she was masking utter rage with her cool exterior. "So what is this all about?" She let out a laugh that echoed against the walls of the hollow room. "Did you just forget your orders?"

Her gaze met his again. He looked away.

"Reese, I know you. And I know there is a reason you did this." she said, bringing her arms around and crossing them over her chest, stepping back so she could lean against the wall behind her.

"Brilliant deduction." he said flatly.

"Why can't you talk to me?" she countered, her voice catching in her throat.

He laughed. "What?!" he asked, looking back at her.

"Does this have something to do with me and you? Was this some kind of revenge?"

He laughed again, looking downward and shaking his head slightly. "Waverly... please."

"I'm not kidding Reese."

"No, I know you're not kidding." he replied, lifting his head again. "You're acting. You know me, I know you. You're not pulling anything over on me." He stared at her blankly. She pursed her lips, shifted her weight, and simply stared back. "This has nothing to do with you." he continued. "Congratulations Wave, you're the first piece of my past I've been able to let go of. Sorry I don't have... you know... a prize or something."

She smirked coldly and cleared her throat. "That's really funny."

He grinned, cocking his head slightly. "I thought it was pretty humorous."

His lips came together, sarcastic grin fading. A silence permeated the room that seemed to drag on for minutes. She stared back at him. The look in her eyes was hard to read, it was as if the emotions behind them were changing, one to the next like a rapid kaleidoscope. He couldn't keep up. Nothing new. He stared back. It was a battle of will she was not going to win. She could push the matter if she wanted. He wasn't volunteering a single word.

"I really don't think this is funny at all." she finally spoke, her voice hardening. She approached, stepping right up to him. He watched, expecting her to strike out somehow. He tried to mask his flinch when she brought her boot up quickly, planting the toe down on the edge of the wooden chair seat between his legs. He looked down at it, and raised his gaze to her face. She smirked. "Fear." she stated. He blinked, forcing himself not to look away, feeling as if he were under a microscope every second she looked down at him. "I smell it all over you." She laughed and pulled a small blade from the side of her boot. "It's you or the chair babe, 'cause this little area just reeks."

His stomach twisted at the sight of the blade. She moved her boot off the chair and straightened. "Anyway, since you've apparently decided you don't like me anymore, I guess the most logical first course of action is to take back what technically belongs to me." Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she stepped closer still and moved one leg over his, and then the other. He watched her impassively as she lowered herself down, planting herself right on his lap. She flashed a coy smile. "Sorry. Have to have a close look for this, you know. Delicate stuff."

He returned her smile with a sarcastic smirk. "Oh I'm sure my well being is your prime concern at this moment."

"As always~!" she countered in a sing-song. He stared at her face she as took the collar of his shirt in her free hand and yanked, stretching it wide enough to reveal his left collar bone and holding it there. She brought up the blade in her other hand and pressed hard, sliding it into the flesh just behind the bone. His jaw clenched at the pang sent rolling through his nervous system. She pulled the blade out. "Have to admit, I'm a little surprised you haven't already dug this thing out yourself." She spoke so casually and calmly, pulling the slit in his flesh wider with two fingers. He looked away, trying not to close his eyes and reveal his pain. It was nauseating. "You must have wanted us to find you?" she let out an infectious laugh. "Kinda... masochistic of you. Guess some things never change, hmm?"

He barely digested the words she spoke, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, his palms wet and his jaw clenched so tightly he felt his teeth may crush against each other. He could feel her slim index finger poking around in the open wound, scraping at his torn flesh. Hot blood ran down from his collar, causing his shirt to stick to his chest. "So mouthy before, and now not a peep... " she cooed on, taunting him. His gaze shifted to her face. She was smiling down at what she did, as if she were painting something or writing a friendly letter, as if tearing into him were a pleasant hobby. He could feel hot tears of anger burning behind his eyes. She paused, raising her eyes to meet his. "I'm sorry, does it hurt?" She blinked innocently, her finger jabbed into his exposed muscle tissue, her nail piercing. He closed his eyes and swallowed, his stomach churning at the feeling.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, pulling from the small gaping wound a small metallic object. A chip, imbedded into the very flesh of every DotNA member Rank 3 and higher, a leash of sorts for the superior officials to keep on their subordinates. This was how they had tracked him to his location on the tracks -- this was how he'd been kept under their thumb.

His half-open eyes rose as she pushed herself to her feet and climbed off of him, stepping backward. Her fingers were covered in blood. It ran down her palm and the back of her hand, drops sliding and trailing down to her wrist. His breathing was quiet, but deep and heavy as he watched her twisted smirk.

"Well... I guess I'll give you time to think about what you've done." she announced. "I'll check back later to see if you're ready to play nice." She flipped her hair with her clean hand and sauntered toward the door. He allowed his eyes to close as the rubber along the bottom of the door scraped again against the concrete floor. There was the clicking of her heeled boots, the shutting of the heavy door, and then nothing.

Nothing but the pounding of his heartbeat and the ringing of the pain in his ears.

[Lex]

Approx. 10:45am - DotNA Headquarters: Holding Cell, Timber

Reese sat, hands still cuffed behind him and ankles bound to the chair. He swallowed tightly and tried to keep his mind on things other than what he knew waited. The front right shoulder of his shirt was completely soaked in cold blood, causing it to stick to his skin. The bleeding had almost ceased, but the pain would not relent.

"... whether he wants to or not."

He heard her voice from somewhere out in the hall.

"Weiss told you this was a weak one."

Accompanied by someone else. He knew that voice. His head raised and he moved to sit up more straightly. A shock of pain caused him to wince as he shifted his shoulder.

"Yes, well, contrary to popular belief; Weiss isn't always right."

"I'd say he hit the nail on the head this time."

The door opened wide suddenly and light beamed into the musty, windowless room. Reese stared up his new company, his expression completely devoid of emotion.

"Reese, man, you look great." Mitch expressed in an unnecessarily loud and jovial tone, clamping his hand down on Reese's good shoulder and shaking him a bit. Reese tried and failed to hide another wince as his body recoiled. Mitch grinned and released him, straightening and crossing his arms. “Ah my bad, it almost looked like that hurt.”

Reese’s gaze lowered away from Mitch, and he said nothing. Waverly circled around him. She had a towel in one hand, and placed it gently down on his wound. “You now have a choice.” she said quietly. He could feel her staring down at him from behind. “You can comply by answering all of our questions, and thus improve your current situation; or you can makes things difficult for us, and only make your situation worse. A bad decision got you into this. Is it very smart to make another one?”

Reese glanced up at Mitch, who stared back down expectantly with that same smug look he always wore. Reese looked away and chose not to speak -- again.

Waverly came around to face him, kneeling down so as to be eye-level with him. Her eyes were hard, and penetrating as ever. “You didn’t used to be such a fool.” she stated coldly. “In fact,” she added, rising, “I would consider you a completely different man now.”

She smirked, glanced sideways at Mitch. “Look, he can’t even meet our eyes with his own. Coward.” Reese continued to stare downward.

“Are you going to volunteer some information, or is this going to be harder than that?” Mitch asked bluntly, staring down at him. Reese could sense the irritated edge in his tone and knew they were both becoming impatient with him.

“I don’t have anything to say to either one of you.” he said, his voice quiet and steady, his eyes locked on the floor in front of him. The tension in the atmosphere around the trio doubled.

Finally, Waverly spoke. “We don’t have the time to coax information from you. Take this as your last opportunity.”

Silence.

Reese’s head snapped backwards and to the side with a resounding crack, pain exploding in inside his ear and all along the side of his jaw and neck. The metallic taste of his own blood immediately filled the side of his mouth. His eyes closed, the sudden pain disorienting.

“Talk.” Mitch commanded, bringing his arm back, his tone the hardest it had been since he entered the room.

/Reesie! Tell them!!/ Perish’s tiny voice urged.

“Why?” Waverly demanded, her tone carrying an edge.

Reese hung over, his head pounding. He couldn’t think enough to muster up a response. Not that he even wanted to.

/Reesie!!/

Mitch dealt him another blow, this time in the stomach. He doubled over and gagged, all the air leaving his lungs. Mucus mixed with the blood in his mouth and dropped to the floor, thick and pink. Even worse, he felt the wound in his collar leaking more blood because of the sudden jerk forward. The towel slipped from his shoulder onto the ground. He struggled to inhale and coughed hard, gagging again, more fresh blood spreading across the old and dried on his shoulder.

/Reesie!! Tell her!!/ Perish was wailing. It was the first time he had ever heard his Guardian Force’s voice quaver.

His brain rattled as he took another jarring blow to the head. His vision faded and blurred, his head hanging over to the side. His jaw clenched against the pain that followed.

“Wait.” Waverly stopped Mitch before he swung again. She stepped forward and knelt down before Reese. He couldn’t keep his eyes focused on her, or much of anything for that matter. They were only half open. The pounding in his head was relentless and agonizing, and it was all he could do to take a breath without coughing and choking on his own blood.

Waverly reached out and placed a hand on his damp forehead softly, brushing his hair away from his eyes in an almost soothing manner. She watched him suffer with an absolutely blank expression.

Suddenly, wave after wave of excruciating pain roiled through his entire nervous system. He growled and cried out in agony, trying in vain to twist away from her. A Pain spell? He was barely paying any mind to what else was being done to him until he realized what exactly it was -- Draw. His senses came back to him in sharp focus as he realized she was taking Perish from him, and there was nothing he could do. He tried to move his head away from her hand but she swiftly grabbed a fistful of his hair and held him in place, releasing him roughly only when she finished.

He felt what little strength and resolve his Guardian had given him diminish when Waverly stepped back. Burning tears formed behind his eyes. The spell still coursed through his system, wracking his already battered body.

“What did you Draw from him?” Mitch asked, looking at her. She closed her eyes and ignored him. “Waverly, what are you doing?” he asked, this time with much less patience. Her eyes snapped open and she gave him a silencing look of warning. He looked between her and Reese, uncomfortable being left out of the exchange.

She was communicating with Perish, Reese knew. He mustered the will to raise his gaze up to look upon her face. She stood with one finger pressed against her lips, staring at the ground. Suddenly, her eyes connected with him. In that moment, he knew; Perish revealed Stardust.

Waverly’s expression contorted as she brought her arm back and slapped her hand across his face, two of her nails scraping his cheeks deeply. His head whipped to the side and he let it hang over. His whole cheek felt is if it were on fire.

“A changed man indeed.” she hissed coldly. “Changed by a little tramp SeeD.” Mitch glanced between the two of them, his expression recovering it‘s usually smug look. By now he had figured things out.

Waverly brought her hands up and swung her arms in the direction of the chair, an Aeroga spell hitting Reese full in the face and blasting him and the chair together backwards into the wall. The wooden chair splintered and broke underneath him. His back slammed against the wall before he fell in a limp mass to the floor, his head cracking against the hard brick and spinning his vision yet another time.

Waverly closed in on him, kicking pieces of the broken chair aside. She brought her foot up and stomped the tiny pointed heel of one black boot down into his thigh, tearing the denim and piercing the skin. This time he couldn’t hold back from crying out, his leg flinching and back arching, eyes shutting tight. He could hear her sick laughter echo off the walls as she twisted the heel around in the puncture wound.

“So this is it, then.” Mitch made it a statement of fact, not a question.

“No,” she jerked her boot heel out of his thigh and looked over her shoulder at Mitch. “Stay quiet.” she turned back to Reese, looking down at him with utter disdain. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, lying there writhing in pain. She bent over and, smiling slowly, grabbed a fistful of his hair tightly and jerked him upwards. He coughed, a mixture of saliva and blood spurting out onto his chin. His body was limp but for his head and shoulders that she held up. He finally looked up at her, his expression dazed.

“Was she worth this?” she asked through clenched teeth. She didn’t wait for an answer, releasing him with a shove and letting him slide sideways down the wall and hit the floor. “She must not have expected you to abandon her. I would assume she‘s very confused, and very hurt, wouldn‘t you?” She continued snidely.

He allowed the hot tears to slide from the corners of his eyes, no longer concerned with what either of them thought of him. He had let go of all dignity and self-respect the night he left Fisherman’s Horizon. Nothing mattered anymore.

“You can thank your little Guardian cat for letting me in on your secret crush.” she spat. “Now I know just who to personally punish after we retrieve the gem.”

His blood instantly turned to ice. No.

She smiled cruelly, immediately picking up on the fear in his eyes. “Oh yes, did you think you would be the only one to pay for screwing us royally? Tell me you weren‘t so naïve… ”

No… Stardust. He tried to push himself up from the floor, but Mitch stepped forward and kicked him back down. “Stay down where you belong.”

“En route to Shumi Village, little Perish says.” Waverly murmured.

“Star…” Reese’s voice came out hoarse and weak. “This was my choice. She has nothing to do with this.” He shot a glare up at Waverly. “Leave her… alone.”

She smirked. “Listen to him, Mitch. Protecting the SeeD. He’s become so good at the role, it’s almost as if he has started to believe he really is one of them!”

Mitch let out a ’hmph’ and simply stared at him, leaning against the far wall.

“What do you think? Killing him would give him such an easy-out.” She looked down at Reese, seeming both fascinated and disgusted by him. Reese barely listened to their conversation at all, too absorbed in his excruciating pain to focus on anything very much.

“I’m not sure Garden would be so happy to receive DotNA Rank 4 spy who infiltrated their top mission.” Mitch said. “Maybe we should leave him at their mercy.”

Waverly smirked. “His little whore would be so happy to see him in his present condition, wouldn‘t she?” She watched Reese, struggling to even remain conscious. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and stepped away from him, headed for a briefcase leaning against the opposite wall. “And just to make sure he remains in his present condition… “

Mitch stepped forward and slammed his foot into the left side of Reese’s ribcage, pushing the air from his lungs. Reese choked and gasped again for breath, a stifled cry escaping his throat.

Waverly came back to him with the briefcase and knelt down once more. She set it upon the ground and opened it up. “MOD-Dispain… I’m sure you remember what this stuff does, Reese, baby. No restorative magic for you!” she said with a smile, carefully selecting a syringe and a small glass bottle from the briefcase. She pushed the needle of the syringe into the tip of the bottle and turned it upside down, drawing the liquid slowly. Reese had lost so much blood and endured so many blows he was beyond the point of even being capable of comprehending her anymore. It was a fight just to maintain coherency.

Without warning she grabbed his arm firmly and pushing the needle deep into his vein, injecting the serum. When she finished she pulled it from his arm quickly and tossed it aside carelessly, snapping the briefcase shut and rising.

“Were I you, I would hope not to wake up. ‘Cause it doesn’t matter who wins this war -- you have enemies on all sides now.” She stepped backward. “Congratulations, Amaerick.”

“Mitch,” she passed her comrade a nod before taking her leave.

Mitch stepped forward and bent over to pick up a leg of the broken chair.

Reese’s eyes locked onto the other man’s shoes, but his vision was so twisted and blurred that it didn’t matter where he looked.

Mitch swung the makeshift bat forward in a downward arc.

Reese shut his eyes and pictured that bright shade of pink he would never forget.

A split-second later, everything went completely black.

[Lex]

Approx. 11:20pm - DotNA Headquarters: Upper Wing Meeting Room, Timber

“So you’re proposing we just let him go?” Mitch asked disbelievingly.

“’Just’ let him go?“ Waverly snapped back. “What do you think he wants right now? Don‘t you think death would be such an easy release for him? Don‘t you want him to suffer?”

Mitch usually admired her cruel quirks, but in some cases they were just annoying, and her headstrong attitude made every disagreement a monumental battle. “I just don’t think this is a call we should be making without Weiss’ input.” he stated bluntly.

“Are we going to go running to Weiss every Hyne-damn time something is amiss?” she retorted angrily. “I am not a flunky, I have just as much say in what goes on around here. And furthermore, if anyone should be making calls about Reese, it’s me--I know him better than you or Weiss or anyone else can even pretend.”

“Yeah,” Mitch cut her off. “Got it, Your Excellency.”

“Don’t you dare get sarcastic with me.” venom laced her tone.

“So what are we doing then?” he continued, ignoring her anger completely. “How are they even going to find him? Are we just dropping him off at Garden, or what? Seems like a pretty stupid way to do things. Go out of our way to play delivery boy, when we shouldn’t even be leaving him alive--”

“I don’t understand why you so desperately want him dead.” she interjected quickly. “If you were using your brain at all, you would see that it simply doesn’t make sense to kill him. He only has a relatively small amount of information he could give to Garden, and he probably won‘t even remember most of it, if he ever wakes up… “

“You just like toying with people.” Mitch said. “Just like with Laice. I am using my brain, and I’ve noticed you don‘t really have a good reason for any of this. It’s unnecessary games-playing.”

“Listen, I don’t see the point in killing him when we can make him miserable instead.”

“Miserable?“ Mitch raised an eyebrow. “He‘s out cold. He might as well be dead.“

She looked over at him. “Reese doesn’t have anyone now. He’s turned his back on us. I want Balamb Garden to know that not only was he affiliated with us, but it was his personal duty to terminate their precious Trinity team. He’s not going to get off by running from those issues, we’re making him face them.” She flashed a wicked smirk. “And the little bitch that‘s responsible for all of this? I wish I could see her reaction when she sees him in this state.”

Mitch just sighed, looking away. It was all so ridiculous. He knew this was going to come back to bite them in the ass.

She ignored the sigh, sitting up more straightly in her chair. “Through Laice and Reese, we are sending messages to Garden. We’re not a stupid little terrorist group, and this isn’t games-playing.” She paused for a second. “Here’s what we do--we need to get his profile onto a disc, and leave it with him for them to find. I want them to know exactly everything they can charge him with.”

“Garden is just going to throw him in D-District. That bunch of goody-goody officials? There’s no way any of them would endorse torture or maltreatment. That’s what’s gonna happen--he’s gonna end up going to prison and getting free meals and place to sleep for the rest of his life. We‘re doing him a favor.”

She shook her head. “No. Reese… he’s capable of punishing himself mentally and emotionally and doing more damage than any of us--Garden or DotNA--could do to him physically. I know exactly the kind of hell he will put himself through, and I want him to go through it.”

“Hah, and if he never wakes up?” Mitch dropped the question, standing and speaking before she could answer. “It’s pointless to argue with you further. You’ve made up your mind, I get it. What do you want me to have done?”

She watched him stand, annoyed by his mistrust in her judgment. “Let’s leave him somewhere. Somewhere in the Timber area. Same thing as Laice, activate the distress signal via the main ship when you’re out of range, and Garden will come to investigate. And as I said, make sure his profile is with him.”

He nodded and started to leave the room. She averted her faze downward and examined her nails. “I know you think this is stupid Mitch, but have I ever led us astray? Any of us?”

“No. But just so you know, I’m reporting all of this to Weiss.” Mitch announced, pausing at the door to look back. “Reese is not Laice, the circumstances and people involved are totally different. If this whole thing comes back to haunt us, it’s on your head, not mine.”

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I think you have a backbone, and then you go and say things like that. I‘m going to start referring to you as Weiss‘ Lap Dog.” She smirked in an sarcastically cute way, as if it were funny.

Mitch just shook his head and shut the door behind him. Stupid brat.

[Lex]

Approx. 1:00pm - DotNA Airship B153

Devon cranked the stereo inside the airship. Incomprehensible vocals and thrashing instrumentals filled the cockpit. He sat back with his legs propped up on the edge of the control console, absently keeping an eye on autopilot. A cigarette hung from the edge of his lips.

“How are we doing back there, Amaerick?” he yelled over his shoulder. He laughed and shook his head. The situation was entirely too enjoyable.

Reese lay blindfolded and gagged, with his hands bound behind him and his ankles bound together. All of this done to him, despite his unconscious state. Better safe than sorry, Devon had decided. Plus, it was just fun to do that kind of shit to this particular guy.

The Timber Plains were getting closer. He brought his feet back to the ground and sat up. He took a long drag from the cigarette, blew out the smoke, and took hold of the pilot control.

“Time for a landing,” he murmured to himself, flipping a few switches and pulling back on the control.

The front of the airship veered downward first, then the back half lowered to match the front the closer it got to the ground. The craft shuddered only slightly as it touched the ground. Devon left it running but locked the system before standing.

“Alright,” he said, and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing another cloud of smoke out with a sigh. He moved over to where Reese lay and knelt down. Holding the cigarette between his lips, he laced his hands underneath Reese’s arms and lifted him partially from the ground, dragging him down the center of the cockpit. He stopped and dropped him at the steps. “Sneaky bastard,” he muttered, pushing Reese’s limp body down the steps and out the side of the airship with his feet. Reese rolled downward and out quite easily, landing in a crumpled form onto the grass.

“Adios.” Devon slid the cockpit door shut and made his way back over to the pilot’s seat.

[Lex]

And that's it. XD Sorry, it was so long I had to post each scene separately. I guess it extended the character limit proboards imposes? hahaha.

[waterlily43]

AWWWWWW REESE *wants to huggle him but afraid of aggravatingh is injuries*
Jun: STARDIE BETTER KISS HIM TO MAKE IT BETTER! *drags Stardie and pushes her in front of Reese*

[Lex]

XD I knew I was gonna see some crying smilies in this thread.


^_^ let's count the injuries, shall we?

-stab wound near collarbone
-bruised jaw
-black eye
-bruised stomach
-fractured ribs
-lacerations on cheek (Waverly's she-devil nails XD)
-puncture wound in thigh
-skin rubbed raw around wrists and ankles (bindings)

and then he was also hit with Pain and Aeroga...

all of this, plus that blow to the head that gave him a concussion, which has become a coma...

I figure it's bad enough, but not so bad that he's on the brink of death due to injuries alone. I read this in one of the Wake threads:

"We might transfer him to the nearest hospital in a few days," the old doctor said. "He has suffered multiple injuries, and he lost a lot of blood." She placed a hand on her pocket. "He has been stabbed, fractured, and bruised all over. It's a miracle that he's still breathing."

And I wanted to keep this version of what happened to him accurate to what Kadowaki said. I hope I did okay!


Reese: >( Thank you for absolutely humiliating me.

^.^ oh, you want to feel humiliation... think of when you wake up and have to face them all!!

[Lex]

hahahaha oh and one more thing!

The "Devon" DotNA dude... he was created and named before I ever met Devin. I actually wrote the very first scene of this whole "fic" like two years ago, before I stopped RPing.

XD I just didn't want anyone to think I named this guy after my bf or something on purpose...

[ani]

Ahhh what a torture scene My muscles twinge everytime I read it. *HUGGLES REESE* He's so sweet.

Stardust: *hands Reese a towel* I'll kick them for you. Don't worry. You just rest and...be in a comatose. *is not good at comforting*

Man, that's all you can say? >[

Hadrian: HAHAHA I think Reese's bowler hat is a way better nominee for the best couple.

[waterlily43]

So which is the best couple? Reese's bowler hat + Reese's head or Reese's bowler hat+Stardie's head?

[Lex]

HAHAHA XD she hands him a towel and says she'll kick them to comfort him. oh Stardie, you crack me up.

^.^ I'm glad you guys think it's any good.

XD Can DroJun condoms be a nominee for Best Couple???