Challenge table fic: Tangible, 19/30: Indecent (R)
Headers in part 1
A/N: Plot, the necessary evil. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me so far! If you can make it through this chapter, I promise fluff will follow! :)
19. Indecent
Looking across the room, Zero locked eyes with Raw. “Can you show them?”
Raw glanced at Cain, who gave him a nod. The viewer moved to stand between Zero and the mirror resting on the mantle. He hesitated, remembering that the last time he tried to read Zero he got nothing but a dark, disturbing cloud.
Placing one hand on Zero’s head and the other on the glass of the mirror, Raw searched for whatever it was the soldier had wanted them to see. Flashing past his mind were images of horses, trees, men and women in leather coats and others in handcuffs, pictures rushing by until he felt the pull of a specific memory.
On the mirror a blurry-edged and discolored scene appeared for everyone to see. A dozen young soldiers were led from their barracks, still in their Queen’s royal forces uniforms. Chained together, they walked in a line between armed Longcoats.
The angle changed and suddenly the clear view of a few of the hostages came into focus. One of the men looked up and to his left, and the group watching recognized him as a much younger Zero.
Just before the connection blurred and broke away they could see on the edge of the glass the unmistakable outline of the Sorceress Azkadellia with her trusted alchemist at her side.
Zero shuddered and opened his eyes as Raw let his hand drop from the glass. Raw’s other hand slid down to rest on Zero’s shoulder, keeping the connection alive but muted.
“She took the officers first, those who showed the most loyalty to command,” Zero continued the story with his own voice. “Enlisted men were next, that’s when they came for us.
“Her alchemist branded us on site, some kind of magical compound in the ink that messed with our minds, drew us to her. It wasn’t mind control, not like the vapors. We simply saw her as the proper Queen.”
Cain narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the flood of information. “You acted on her behalf but had your own free will, then,” he said slowly, trying to understand what Zero was saying.
Zero blew out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “It’s - hard to describe. I knew what I was doing, could make decisions and choices. But it was always in Azkadellia’s best interest, everything came down to how we could please her.”
Glaring at the man whose name he had cursed for years, Cain raised his chin stiffly. “You came to my home. You and your men destroyed my family, beat my wife, my son, and locked me up,” he hissed. “Why? You had a choice. I was the only one you had a reason to hurt. Why did you go after my family?”
Jaw clenched tight, Zero shot a look of pure rage at him. “I hated you, Cain. Azkadellia knew the Tin Men were too loyal to the former Queen to be turned. She let you go on with your lives, with your homes and families, until you finally made a mistake and we had an excuse to come for you.” He squeezed his eyes shut hard and seemed to deflate. “I had a family. A little girl. After I joined the Longcoats, I never saw her again.”
Across the table, Hank shook his head in disbelief. “It’s positively indecent, what Azkadellia did to those men,” he said sorrowfully. Emily rested her chin on his shoulder, her hand coming up to stroke his other arm. She remembered being used in the same way, twisted and reprogrammed for the Witch’s desires.
Wyatt considered what he had heard so far. He remembered the glazed look of devastation on Azkadellia’s face after she was separated from the Witch and literally everything she had done had struck the young woman. When the Witch died, so did her power over her prisoners.
Jerking his head up to stare at Zero, he gaped for a moment in stunned realization. “How long where you in the suit?” he ground out.
Zero looked back at him and Cain knew he had hit the mark. The former Longcoat swallowed hard and turned his gaze to the floor. “Five months.”
Cain’s breath caught in his throat.
“My men all felt it, that moment when we were freed from the Witch. It took them five months to find me,” he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked up at Cain, eyes burning with a look of betrayal. “You knew I was out there, you and your son were the only ones who knew.”
Feeling sick, Wyatt shot to his feet and turned away from the others. He remembered making a promise to his son, to come back for Zero if they survived. In all the chaos following the battle at the tower and the fallout of the change in rule, retrieving a prisoner had never been a priority.
“We didn’t know,” Cain whispered roughly. “After the fight, all the Longcoats just disappeared; we assumed they went underground. There was too much to do. No one came forward; no one knew any of this, Zero. How could we?”
“Why haven’t they come forward?” DG asked.
“They’re afraid,” Zero answered. “If they make it public which side they’d been on, they’d be arrested or killed outright. They’d been searching for me from the moment they realized what had changed. I’m their General, it’s my job to speak for these men.”
Cain turned back around and met Raw’s eyes. The viewer gave him a single nod, hand still sitting on Zero’s shoulder. Everything Zero had said was true.
It was too much. Wyatt pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes hard. “I’ve got to go check on Glitch.” He turned sharply and walked down the hall without waiting for a reply.
next
A/N: Plot, the necessary evil. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me so far! If you can make it through this chapter, I promise fluff will follow! :)
19. Indecent
Looking across the room, Zero locked eyes with Raw. “Can you show them?”
Raw glanced at Cain, who gave him a nod. The viewer moved to stand between Zero and the mirror resting on the mantle. He hesitated, remembering that the last time he tried to read Zero he got nothing but a dark, disturbing cloud.
Placing one hand on Zero’s head and the other on the glass of the mirror, Raw searched for whatever it was the soldier had wanted them to see. Flashing past his mind were images of horses, trees, men and women in leather coats and others in handcuffs, pictures rushing by until he felt the pull of a specific memory.
On the mirror a blurry-edged and discolored scene appeared for everyone to see. A dozen young soldiers were led from their barracks, still in their Queen’s royal forces uniforms. Chained together, they walked in a line between armed Longcoats.
The angle changed and suddenly the clear view of a few of the hostages came into focus. One of the men looked up and to his left, and the group watching recognized him as a much younger Zero.
Just before the connection blurred and broke away they could see on the edge of the glass the unmistakable outline of the Sorceress Azkadellia with her trusted alchemist at her side.
Zero shuddered and opened his eyes as Raw let his hand drop from the glass. Raw’s other hand slid down to rest on Zero’s shoulder, keeping the connection alive but muted.
“She took the officers first, those who showed the most loyalty to command,” Zero continued the story with his own voice. “Enlisted men were next, that’s when they came for us.
“Her alchemist branded us on site, some kind of magical compound in the ink that messed with our minds, drew us to her. It wasn’t mind control, not like the vapors. We simply saw her as the proper Queen.”
Cain narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the flood of information. “You acted on her behalf but had your own free will, then,” he said slowly, trying to understand what Zero was saying.
Zero blew out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “It’s - hard to describe. I knew what I was doing, could make decisions and choices. But it was always in Azkadellia’s best interest, everything came down to how we could please her.”
Glaring at the man whose name he had cursed for years, Cain raised his chin stiffly. “You came to my home. You and your men destroyed my family, beat my wife, my son, and locked me up,” he hissed. “Why? You had a choice. I was the only one you had a reason to hurt. Why did you go after my family?”
Jaw clenched tight, Zero shot a look of pure rage at him. “I hated you, Cain. Azkadellia knew the Tin Men were too loyal to the former Queen to be turned. She let you go on with your lives, with your homes and families, until you finally made a mistake and we had an excuse to come for you.” He squeezed his eyes shut hard and seemed to deflate. “I had a family. A little girl. After I joined the Longcoats, I never saw her again.”
Across the table, Hank shook his head in disbelief. “It’s positively indecent, what Azkadellia did to those men,” he said sorrowfully. Emily rested her chin on his shoulder, her hand coming up to stroke his other arm. She remembered being used in the same way, twisted and reprogrammed for the Witch’s desires.
Wyatt considered what he had heard so far. He remembered the glazed look of devastation on Azkadellia’s face after she was separated from the Witch and literally everything she had done had struck the young woman. When the Witch died, so did her power over her prisoners.
Jerking his head up to stare at Zero, he gaped for a moment in stunned realization. “How long where you in the suit?” he ground out.
Zero looked back at him and Cain knew he had hit the mark. The former Longcoat swallowed hard and turned his gaze to the floor. “Five months.”
Cain’s breath caught in his throat.
“My men all felt it, that moment when we were freed from the Witch. It took them five months to find me,” he said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked up at Cain, eyes burning with a look of betrayal. “You knew I was out there, you and your son were the only ones who knew.”
Feeling sick, Wyatt shot to his feet and turned away from the others. He remembered making a promise to his son, to come back for Zero if they survived. In all the chaos following the battle at the tower and the fallout of the change in rule, retrieving a prisoner had never been a priority.
“We didn’t know,” Cain whispered roughly. “After the fight, all the Longcoats just disappeared; we assumed they went underground. There was too much to do. No one came forward; no one knew any of this, Zero. How could we?”
“Why haven’t they come forward?” DG asked.
“They’re afraid,” Zero answered. “If they make it public which side they’d been on, they’d be arrested or killed outright. They’d been searching for me from the moment they realized what had changed. I’m their General, it’s my job to speak for these men.”
Cain turned back around and met Raw’s eyes. The viewer gave him a single nod, hand still sitting on Zero’s shoulder. Everything Zero had said was true.
It was too much. Wyatt pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes hard. “I’ve got to go check on Glitch.” He turned sharply and walked down the hall without waiting for a reply.
next