Make the best of the situation before I finally go insane
Please don't say we'll never find a way
Tell me all my love's in vain
Layla... You've got me on my knees, Layla
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?
-Lyrics to 'Layla' performed by Eric Clapton
Crimson Bonds Part 57
Dorothy was certain that she had misunderstood the whimpered comment from the trembling girl in her arms. Frowning deeply, she ran a hand over the child's red hair as she urged quietly, "Are you sure you weren't seeing Shinigami as opposed to your Uncle Duo?"
Shaking her head, Rosie peered up at the Companion, insisting, "No, it was Unca Duo. He was angry... scary... and hurtin' alotta people. He wasn't the same anymore."
"Okay, it was just a nightmare, sweetheart," Catalonia whispered as she cradled the little one close. Not about to upset her charge anymore by bringing up the dream, she resorted to humming and rocking the youngling until she finally went back to sleep rather easily.
Out in the hallway, Rosshe and Trent were anxiously standing by when Dorothy was closing the bedroom door behind her with a sighed, "The poor thing just had another nightmare. That was her first one since this whole mess had started and she came to stay with us."
Her husband tilted his head, musing aloud, "And here I was sure that she had experienced the last of those. I am only assuming that it had something to do with Anna and Duo, then?"
Biting her lip, the lovely blonde replied, "Only Duo. And what's most confusing is that this time she dreamt that he was the monster."
"What?" Trent came just shy of yelling in surprise. Catching himself and his proximity to the childrens' rooms, he slapped a hand over his mouth with wide eyes before he murmured, "That doesn't make any sense at all. Rosie and all of the kids love Duo. Granted, nightmares don't always make sense, but that one's really a stretch."
Behind the lot, a voice that they recognized asked, "Was she sure that it was Uncle Duo and not Shinigami?" Spinning, the family took in Isabel as the oldest of the girls finished tying a white robe around herself while she approached. "Did she say anything more about the nightmare?" she pressed.
Dorothy quickly collected herself and shook her head, "She did say that it was definitely Duo... and that he was hurting people. That was as far as she could say and I didn't want to push her."
Pulling her long, dark hair back, the young immortal muttered, "No, you did the right thing." Dry-washing her face, she lost her focus as she repeated in a breath, "He was hurting people... when he's the one being held prisoner. That has to be it."
Trent cleared his throat to bring the Infected back to the present. When gold-and-blue eyes fell on him, he inquired, "What has to be it? I think I missed something, since there's no way in hell the Duo I know could ever be considered a monster."
At that, Isabel offered an amused smile, raising her hand as she reassured, "I know that there must be more to it than that since there's not one of us who would ever argue with you." Her grin sliding away, she added, "But up to now, we haven't been able to figure out Rosie's gift... and I'm starting to think that she can see the future."
* * * * * *
Hours after Anna had been examined, the medical team finally had a chance to check on Duo's hands. Though they were still in a rapid healing process, he had done quite a bit of damage to himself when Shinigami took over to do his damnedest in fighting through their cell.
Like the last time, Maxwell didn't actually feel the painful effects since his body was already recuperating by beginning with numbing the nerves that had been ravaged by blow after violent blow to them.
But he had to admit that he was startled by the amount of blood running down his main glass wall and the exposed bones in his knuckles and fingers.
An application of ointment and gauze was wrapped around the Hybrid's hands to speed along the recovery whilst staff members worked to clean his prison prior to his return. With a band of sensors strapped around his head, he waited for the machines standing by to finish recording whatever it was they were catching.
On the other side of the examination room's 'mirror,' the reports were running live across Doctor Berg's laptop monitor. The old man had called off any scheduled treatments of his patients so that he could watch the most disturbing video captures of Duo's very real transformation.
Now driven to understand the drastic change that had overcome the braided half-breed, Berg sat hunched forward over the simple table that he had set up as his work station.
A few feet away, Septum was pacing the floor with his hands folded behind his back. Following a long silence, the white-haired man murmured, "Absolutely no change in his brain waves from the last recordings."
Millers came to an immediate halt, spinning himself to face his associate as he yelled in frustration, "It simply can't be possible! You saw how he was a completely different creature the moment Anna was in danger! There must be some change in his patterns that carried over since we had him in here as soon as Barnett was taken out of the holding room!"
"I'm just as boggled as you, my friend," the doctor stated, peering over his shoulder so that his speckled eyes showed their resolve in his find. "If you doubt what I am telling you, then you are more than welcome to look over these readings yourself." It was an invitation as well as a challenge in his tone. No one questioned him, not even his employer.
Shoulders slumping, Millers let out a sigh. "No, there's no need," he relented, even bearing a bit of humility in his voice. "Please forgive me for my outburst. You're one of the most thorough scientists I've ever encountered. I should have known better."
Contented by the sincere retraction, Berg nodded firmly and returned his focus to the laptop. "I understand the irritation over our missed opportunity," he reassured as he typed away to save his new data. "I have no doubt that we were looking at a completely different creature in that cell. If only we had a way of hearing what had happened in there to go along with the visuals."
The researcher rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tense muscles building in it, growling, "That is the challenge of having a Siren in our possession. Since Lucie told me of Anna's ability to lure and manipulate minds with her singing, I can't run the risk of having audio become available over the camera link lest she catch on and use that to her advantage."
His head shaking to end the matter for himself, he declared, "We'll just have to continue relying on reading mouths. I have a team reviewing the tapes for anything that might give us some idea of what we couldn't hear as we speak."
Grunting in response, the doctor's fingers typed off a few more keystrokes and he shut his computer down. "Well, I'll return to my office and get back to task on my essay on the Hybrids that is to be presented to your interested buyers. You should have my detailed analysis within a day or so."
The corners of Millers' lips curled up as he nodded firmly, "Very good. I am going to be meeting with three of them this weekend. Those statements should be more than enough to whet their appetites. I wouldn't be surprised to have a bidding war begin outright."
"How long do you plan on holding out if that does happen?" Berg asked, rising to his feet with his sealed off laptop tucked under his arm. "It would be a shame to lose either of them this soon, considering what we were just witness to with Maxwell."
Waving a hand in the air, Septum reassured, "Don't worry. I'm the one who still holds all of the control here. I don't plan on letting either of them go before we at least have a couple of Vampire newborns to throw into the mix. I can hold off the buyers until then."
He shifted his attention onto the braided Hybrid on the other side of the glass before him. "When you resume your testing tomorrow, I want you to double the treatments you're giving our honored guests. There must be a way to bring out what they're really made of without the risk of hurting Anna's pregnancy."
"Now that I know they'll be able to handle it, I'll gladly double my efforts," the old man smirked. Exchanging salutations with the Boss, he stepped out of the room.
Folding his arms across his chest, Septum went on to stare at Duo Maxwell. He took in the subtle grin, the ease of the shoulders and the underlining fire that was brewing behind violet-and-gold eyes. There was definitely something new brewing in the Hybrid... something very dangerous...
...something that could bring forth death and destruction the likes of which the world had never seen. And heaven help everyone in existence that stood in its way if the half-breed were to ever learn how to tap into it.
* * * * * *
"Anna?" Solo called softly. "You alright?"
There was no response from the Vampire lying in her bed with her back to him. Not even a shift to let him know she had heard him. Sitting up against their separating wall, the blonde Hybrid sighed softly and ran a hand through his long bangs.
Across from him, Celeste had her legs folded beneath where she had perched herself on her floor. "She may be sleeping," she frowned sadly. "She's been through a lot these last few hours."
Finally peeling his gaze away from the Infected to take in his lover, Solo gave a small grin of encouragement. For the briefest of moments, he thought over how naturally smiling had come to him as of late. Having been one to find solace in his misery, he had no reason to do anything but scowl and act indifferent since he was captured.
What was more, he had come to worry for someone beyond Celeste and himself. It was an annoyance, but one that he found oddly comforting at the same time.
For Solo, the trouble with Anna's being so quiet and detached was the timing. She was already more 'herself' by the time she had been taken to see the medical examiner. By the time she was returned, however, she was despondent and quiet... more than she had been immediately following the attack on her. That didn't add up.
Something had happened during her visit to the doctor. And the Hybrid was pretty sure that it had something to do with Septum, who had been hovering around the lab and holding room since he had first arrived early hours of that morning.
Whatever was said or done by the researcher, it was just another mark against him that would give Solo no remorse in removing Millers from the world in the most painful way he could muster.
At the opening of the doors, the couple craned their heads around to watch Duo being led back to his cleaned cell. Glaring at the backs of the Hunters marching ahead of him, the braided Companion never spoke a word as he stepped inside his room and the nearly invisible entrance was closed behind him.
Once the entourage was gone, Celeste gestured to her brother's wrapped appendage and asked, "How's the hand?"
"It'll make it," Maxwell smirked to her with a soft chuckle. "Berg seems to think that it'll take until tomorrow night before it'll be completely healed, but I know it'll be sooner than that. I've had a lot worse as far as damage to me over the years." His sister's warm smile spread further across her face.
Clearing his throat, the braided Hybrid muttered to her, "I'm sorry about the scare I gave you when..."
Quick to let him off the hook before he had to think back to that frightening experience, the lovely Hispanic giggled, "Don't ever be sorry for something like that. I'm just glad you're okay." The violet-and-gold eyes drifted over to the Vampire lying in her bed across from him and his own grin washed away.
Swallowing roughly, Celeste informed quietly, "She's still not responding right now. We've tried, but she just needs more time. I'm sure she'll be back to her old self soon. I do know that everything is fine with the babies. It was the only thing she said before she went down."
Of course that news was what Duo had been hoping to hear.
Ignoring the slight sting from the tears of relief filling his eyes, he let out the breath that he had been holding for his little ones. But then, he had never doubted that Anna was doing everything within her to protect them even at her own expense. It should have been enough to have the redheaded Infected bounce right back from her ordeal...
...except that wasn't the case at all.
In a rare moment, the Hybrid's violet-and-silver gazes locked in a silent discussion over their sister. Seemingly on the same page, that something else was going on, they reluctantly decided to wait until Anna was ready to bring up whatever was troubling her. And should she decide to keep it to herself, they would willingly leave it to her to handle as she saw fit.
Knowing that they were on the same page for the first time that they could remember, the twins went on to make a pact between them.
"That son of a bitch Barnett is Anna's to take care of when we get the chance," Maxwell hissed under his breath.
Nodding firmly without hesitating, Solo smiled darkly, "Normally I'm not so generous, but no argument here in this case. She's more than welcome to him." He stole a glance over at the Irish Vampire, only to find that she hadn't moved in the slightest to acknowledge the pact. Only all the more concerned, he sighed.
* * * * * *
Upon the conclusion of his very long day hours later, Septum's feet were particularly heavy in his walk back to his living quarters. Mentally drained after having to deal with so much surrounding the foolish acting out of one of his Hunters, all that he wanted was to change into more comfortable lounging clothes and crawl into bed.
However, when he rounded the last corner before his private estate, the researcher froze with wide eyes at finding Lucie leaning back against his door.
Unfolding her arms, the woman that had captivated him gave a sultry smirk as she pushed herself to stand up straight. "Word travels pretty fast around this place," she commented. With a tilt of her head, she offered in a tone that left no room to the imagination to what she was thinking. "I thought that you could use some company tonight."
It was easily the first time that Aisley had ever come onto Millers beyond a bit of casual flirting; not that he was complaining... but he was also not oblivious to the fact that she must have been told by Broderick to back off.
As the Hunter had said herself, word traveled fast around the base, so the Boss was well aware of her infatuation for the handsome young man.
"What about Dawson?" Septum asked. To the flash of surprise and pain that rushed over Lucie's face, he shrugged, "Nothing gets past me around here, darling. Just making sure that I'm not being played or treated like some second place prize."
Rolling her shoulders back, the blonde scrunched her nose in an undignified expression. "Why the hell should I care what Broderick thinks about what I do or who I'm with?" she growled out. "He never did give me the time of day and it's high time I returned the favor."
Hips swaying, she sauntered over to her new prospect, she smirked, "You, on the other hand, only gave me the attention that I deserved all along. It was my own fault for not seeing that from the start."
Gracefully wrapping her arms around Millers' neck, Aisley purred, "You are by no means a man to come in second place for anything." That little voice inside her head giggled, 'Of course, there's the bonus of the wealth and power you have at your whim. I can forgive that I should have someone more handsome.'
Her head dipping to the side, she grinned, "Give me a chance to make up for lost time and to prove myself. I promise it'll be worth your while."
Any other day... any other woman and Septum would have doubted her charming come on. In the end, this was the one being that he had wanted from the moment he first set eyes on her and so he was unable to keep his walls up now that she was finally knocking on them.
In the next heartbeat, he was the one closing the distance between their mouths for a scorching kiss.
* * * * * *
"I will be sure to update you if anything else should come up," the middle-aged woman said, standing on the front porch of her secured mansion while she shook hands with her visitors before waving them off as they shot off into the distance in blurs of themselves.
Better than ten miles away, the trio of Vampires materialized to discuss their findings. Holding up a data disk before his face as they walked through the thick patch of forest around them, Wufei stated, "So, we're either dealing with an underground or mountain side base, according to the ventilation system that was created for Mister M."
Trowa peered over to his cousins, frowning deeply, "Does that sound at all uncomfortably familiar to either of you?"
"Antarctica," Heero supplied, his tone in a deadpan though the look on his face revealed his dread thanks to those unpleasant memories.
How could any of them forget the ice-and-snow-covered peaks of metal rising up from the frozen ground in the dozens upon dozens that had twisted, warped extensions had been shredded apart from their original shapes as though they had been little more than paper to take on various shapes and sizes?
Who had trouble remembering that below those 'fingers' of ice and steel was a labyrinth of rooms filled with the skeletal remains that were hard to find fully in tact? It was nearly impossible to recognize most of those crushed, severed bodies to have ever belonged to humans at one point in time.
It had been a horrifying look into the power that a Hybrid had in turning their subjects. An entire underground city filled with over a thousand souls had been obliterated with most of those victims completely unaware of what had happened to them.
Shuddering at his own mental images of that base, Barton questioned, "And do either of you find it a strange coincidence that the man responsible for Solo's treatments in that place went by a single initial like our Mister M?"
His cousins halted dead in their tracks, eyes wide and already pale skin turning even more translucent over the startling concept being brought up. "Son of a bitch," Chang breathed. "Instructor H. There are too many similarities now for it to be just a fluke."
Yuy glared ahead into the darkened woods, hissing under his breath, "It's more like a taunt for him to purposely abbreviate his name like that. M must be of relation or a close friend of the scientist's family." The rage boiling inside of him was quickly replaced by an even greater dread than what he had felt up to right then. "And he is probably following the same guidelines of treatments that H had used on Solo."
"H-Holy shit," Trowa whispered, this time being the stricken one of the lot. "Now that you mention it.... I have a feeling Solo's still alive." Their heads snapping to fix their enlarged eyes on him, his fellow Infected silently urged him to explain such a suggestion.
Shrugging, the Latin immortal said, "It would make perfect sense to why Relena's sight isn't revealing where Duo and Anna are. Our powers don't work on him or anyone in close proximity of him. He was why we couldn't get a fix on any of the Chosens he had turned before we finally got lucky in finding the island that he made his fortress."
Their gazes locking on, the brothers measured the possibility to the facts that they had at their disposal. "How in the hell did we miss that?" Wufei muttered, running a hand over his head. "There's no other possible answer to how Anna and Duo can't be detected at all when we know they're still in existence."
Heero nodded shallowly, trying to not dwell for long over the thought of Duo being in the presence of his estranged brother. Things were not exactly great between the two, so it was hard to believe that they were coming along any better while under confinement together. "We need to go over everything we have on Instructor H... his reports, his family line leading all the way up to now and their closest acquaintances. There has to be a way of finding out who this Mister M is. Maybe there'll even be a hint to where he's hiding."
* * * * * *
Emerging from the ramp leading to the ground level of the earth, Lucie kept a particularly amused smile on her face. Her performance the night prior couldn't have gone any better. And her acts in Septum's bedroom wouldn't leave any room for him to doubt her ever again.
Things were working out exactly how they should for the Hunter. By the time Millers' work was finished, she would be living the high life with him. Already, she was mentally spending their endless wealth that would see them well beyond their years as she climbed into one of the sand color camouflaged jeeps standing by.
Flipping her hair back with the wind from her drive through the rugged terrain, she sighed and took in the sun hanging high overhead with thoughts of meeting the world's most powerful dignitaries danced in her mind until she took the time to appreciate her surroundings.
It was just another beautiful day in the Australian Outback.
TBC...
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