The Visit
Title: The Visit
Characters: Zero, Jeb
Fandom: Tin Man
Rating: PG
Summary: Jeb visits Zero in his cell.
Prompt: Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe.
The cell was dark and cold, not a fresh cold, the kind of cold that you’d find in a cavern, like it sucks all the heat out of you and you’ll never be warm again. Zero would touch the walls and always be surprised to not find it wet.
The sounds of feet echoed in the dungeons. It was possible that someone was coming for him. He didn’t much care. The Suit did that to him.
He spread his palm across the brick of his cell. Not cold. Not wet. Maybe it was him.
“Zero.”
Zero looked back at his visitor. “Hello, Jeb,” he greeted the man blandly. He glanced back at the wall before letting his hand fall. “Can I help you?” he asked sardonically.
“They’re convening your trial.”
Zero consider the young man. He looked down at Jeb’s hands. He was cold too. Was it a prison thing or a Suit thing? He wished a guard would walk by.
“Aren’t you going to ask?” Jeb blurted finally.
“Huh?” Zero blinked at him. “You gonna gloat?”
“Don’t I deserve that much?”
“For me killing your mom.”
It wasn’t a question, but it sounded enough like one to Jeb. “You will pay for that death and all the others you’re responsible for,” he growled.
Zero snorted, turning and stepping further into the cell. The lighting back there wasn’t great, so it allowed him to see Jeb better than he could see Zero. “I’m afraid I couldn’t possibly pay for all of them, Jeb,” he smirked, his eyes glinting in the darkness. “There were so many… and you can only execute me once.”
Now the bastard was mocking me!?! “My only regret. But at least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that the Butcher of the O. Z. is punished. At long last.”
Zero laughed outright at that. “‘Butcher’? One man’s butcher is another’s hero.”
“Is that what you are, a hero?” Jeb scoffed.
“…like you,” Zero confirmed.
“I’m nothing like you.”
“You’re like, uh, a son.”
Jeb smashed the bars. “You don’t know shit!”
Zero laughed. “Ok.”
“Bastard.”
“Well, if you’re going to descend into name-calling, pretty much I’ve won the argument.”
“You’re also insane.”
“No, no, no, Jeb… Can’t dismiss me that easy. Nope. I did what needed to be done.” He nodded. “My men understood that. Why they loved me,” he gave Jeb a beneficent smile. “I’d order them to go out and murder resistance scum, and they would do it! They’d come back… covered in blood… and they’d still feel clean. Clean! Why? Because they were clean!”
Jeb gave him a dark smirk. “So you admit what you’ve done.”
“I admit everything,” Zero’s grin was that of an unstable man. “Why not? I was the best at what I did. My accomplishments speak for themselves. Can you say the same?” he sneered. “You and that little cell you belonged to. You did nothing but annoy the odd Longcoat, while I was busy exterminating hundreds.”
“Make sure you tell that to the tribunal.”
“Oh, I will,” Zero smirked.
“And then they’ll execute you.”
“Let them!” Zero dared. “Don’t you see? It’ll change nothing! Kill me… torture me… Doesn’t matter. You’ve already lost, Jeb. You can never undo what I accomplished! The dead will still be dead. Adora’ll still be dead.”
“You’ve got no conscience,” Jeb growled through gritted teeth.
“Conscience. But a word that cowards use, devised to keep the strong in awe. It means nothing to me.”
Jeb opened his mouth before closing it. He left.
Characters: Zero, Jeb
Fandom: Tin Man
Rating: PG
Summary: Jeb visits Zero in his cell.
Prompt: Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe.
The cell was dark and cold, not a fresh cold, the kind of cold that you’d find in a cavern, like it sucks all the heat out of you and you’ll never be warm again. Zero would touch the walls and always be surprised to not find it wet.
The sounds of feet echoed in the dungeons. It was possible that someone was coming for him. He didn’t much care. The Suit did that to him.
He spread his palm across the brick of his cell. Not cold. Not wet. Maybe it was him.
“Zero.”
Zero looked back at his visitor. “Hello, Jeb,” he greeted the man blandly. He glanced back at the wall before letting his hand fall. “Can I help you?” he asked sardonically.
“They’re convening your trial.”
Zero consider the young man. He looked down at Jeb’s hands. He was cold too. Was it a prison thing or a Suit thing? He wished a guard would walk by.
“Aren’t you going to ask?” Jeb blurted finally.
“Huh?” Zero blinked at him. “You gonna gloat?”
“Don’t I deserve that much?”
“For me killing your mom.”
It wasn’t a question, but it sounded enough like one to Jeb. “You will pay for that death and all the others you’re responsible for,” he growled.
Zero snorted, turning and stepping further into the cell. The lighting back there wasn’t great, so it allowed him to see Jeb better than he could see Zero. “I’m afraid I couldn’t possibly pay for all of them, Jeb,” he smirked, his eyes glinting in the darkness. “There were so many… and you can only execute me once.”
Now the bastard was mocking me!?! “My only regret. But at least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that the Butcher of the O. Z. is punished. At long last.”
Zero laughed outright at that. “‘Butcher’? One man’s butcher is another’s hero.”
“Is that what you are, a hero?” Jeb scoffed.
“…like you,” Zero confirmed.
“I’m nothing like you.”
“You’re like, uh, a son.”
Jeb smashed the bars. “You don’t know shit!”
Zero laughed. “Ok.”
“Bastard.”
“Well, if you’re going to descend into name-calling, pretty much I’ve won the argument.”
“You’re also insane.”
“No, no, no, Jeb… Can’t dismiss me that easy. Nope. I did what needed to be done.” He nodded. “My men understood that. Why they loved me,” he gave Jeb a beneficent smile. “I’d order them to go out and murder resistance scum, and they would do it! They’d come back… covered in blood… and they’d still feel clean. Clean! Why? Because they were clean!”
Jeb gave him a dark smirk. “So you admit what you’ve done.”
“I admit everything,” Zero’s grin was that of an unstable man. “Why not? I was the best at what I did. My accomplishments speak for themselves. Can you say the same?” he sneered. “You and that little cell you belonged to. You did nothing but annoy the odd Longcoat, while I was busy exterminating hundreds.”
“Make sure you tell that to the tribunal.”
“Oh, I will,” Zero smirked.
“And then they’ll execute you.”
“Let them!” Zero dared. “Don’t you see? It’ll change nothing! Kill me… torture me… Doesn’t matter. You’ve already lost, Jeb. You can never undo what I accomplished! The dead will still be dead. Adora’ll still be dead.”
“You’ve got no conscience,” Jeb growled through gritted teeth.
“Conscience. But a word that cowards use, devised to keep the strong in awe. It means nothing to me.”
Jeb opened his mouth before closing it. He left.