Stirring the Hornets' Nest

[adstring_npc]

Characters: Lieutenant Patrick Cosgrave (adstring_npc), Mello (codename_m), Allelujah Haptism (alle_halle), Lockon Stratos (meteo_sniper)
When: Tursday, July 16th
Where: Just outside of the Inner City
Rating: PG-13 for violence, may be bumped up to R for the same reason
Summary: Mello is making his move

Comments

[codename_m]

The predatory boy was hidden in the darkness, waiting for the right moment, the perfect chance to pounce on his prey

[adstring_npc]

Even in the middle of a drug-induced haze, Patrick remained a trained soldier. He let out a feeble snort of laughter.

"You really think I'm gonna hand you the keys to the place like that ? That's a laugh. 'Sides, you got no business in here. Saw what happened last time, didn't you ?"

He struggled against his bonds, muscles only half-obeying him as he tested their resistance.

"Not to mention, I know jack shit about electronic surveillance. They tell me to do stuff, I do it. They say 'go patrol, Lieutenant Cosgrave', and I say 'Yes sir', just like a good little soldier."

[codename_m]

"Ha ha," Mello laughed back, as if the conversation was pure amusement for both parties.

"Yeah, I saw what happened during the assault; there were many powerful people among the revels, but there wasn't much they could do against your army. I'll likely die if I dare to sneak inside your precious basement. This is why..." he leaned in again, a smirk plastered in his features, his voice lowering at the proximity. "You shouldn't have a problem with telling me. In fact, it's more convenient for you to do so. Would you risk being tortured and die now just to protect a secret that will as well just get your captors killed? Think about it. You risk nothing by telling us."

[adstring_npc]

Patrick blinked behind his blindfold.

"Basement ? What's in the basement anyway ?"

He shivered as the boy - he couldn't much more than a boy judging by his voice - suggested the telling him what he wanted would be the risk-free alternative. They really had no idea, those Outsiders.

"I risk nothing ? ... You really don't get it, do you ? If I don't tell you, you kill me, and if I tell you, they kill me. Tell me where it's a winning situation for me."

A sigh and a shiver. That drug was really doing a number on him.

"Why d'you want to go back in there anyway ? You wanna commit suicides, there's better ways."

[codename_m]

"They'll kill you?" Mello raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that how your superiors operate, killing their own innocent soldiers? That doesn't make them any better than the terrorists they fear."

Mello moved back from his slightly inclined position, standing up firmly now.

"This is the situation. No one is listening to this conversation, as I got rid of all your bugs; they won't know anything of what's being said in this room. If they still want to get rid of you just from the suspicion that you *could* have said too much, they'll do it regardless of what you do now, even if you don't speak a word. In other words, what they do with you won't depend on your behaviour here."

A small pause.

"On the contrary, what we do with you will depend on how well you behave. If you survive this interrogation, you might still have the chance to survive your superiors' judgment. Any chance to keep living is worth taking, and I believe that answering our questions is the most convenient solution for all of us. Now, what do you say?"

[adstring_npc]

They still had a way of monitoring him, of course. they wouldn't hear the conversation, but they'd calculate his position, determine who was most likely to have taken him, and use his psych file to see what he possibly could have done.

"Gimme a break, kid. I've been killing people since before you were born. You're not gonna scare me with words. If you're serious about this, then prove it. It's not gonna be just my funeral."

'Don't gaud the enemy ! Remain calm in all circumstances !'

'Oh, shut up !' Patrick directed this thought at the instructor's voice in his head. It was easier said than done when you were naked and spruced like a turkey ready for the roasting.

[codename_m]

If words weren't enough, Mello supposed that it was the time to take action. "Give me the syringe," he told Lockon, though he actually grabbed it himself form the nearest table. Without a warning, he sank it roughly into the side of the man's arm, near his shoulder. Whatever the syringe contained wasn't inserted into the man's body yet. Instead, Mello just held it in place.

"I sense that you're trying to make us waste time, Patrick, so I suppose that I need to keep this brief," Mello said with a cold and piercing voice. "For your information, this is potassium chloride, a lethal dose of it. If you don't tell me what I want to know before I count to ten, I'll kill you. You will be back, yes, but you'll never be the same; you could lose your memories of Eiléan or anyone close to you. You could lose your sanity or your humanity. Wanna check what the Animus is going to take away from you? You've got ten seconds to think about it.

1... 2..."

[adstring_npc]

Patrick jumped and winced as his arm was stabbed by the needle, but he interrupted the count with another bark of laughter.

"You really think that's gonna scare me ? Either you're bluffing, or you're not, and I'll be gone nice and easy and with relatively no pain, rather than the kind of stuff they have in store for me !"

They seriously would have to up their game if they expected him to say anything beyond that.

"You know, that kidnapping was about textbook, but the torture leaves a lot to be desired. I'm disappointed."

'Go on, Patrick. Real smart boy, you are. Got a big mouth. Mama always said it'd get you in trouble. Maybe it'll get you in more trouble.'

[codename_m]

Speaking of bluffing.

"Is torture what you seek, little masochist?" Mello smirked, cruel and sarcastic. "We can go there when you resurrect, or leave the job to your people. They'll likely want to have their ways with you to make you confess your crimes."

To Mello, Patrick's provocation sounded like a trick. The man was trying to make them waste their time, perhaps certain that he'd be able to endure any sort of torture for a brief period of time. Was he hoping for his partners to find him soon through any means Mello didn't know yet? Whatever it was, Mello had to be extremely careful.

Just to give the young soldier a tiny taste of what he was requesting, Mello punched him violently in the face, making him bleed from his mouth. Then, Mello leaned in again, whispering into the man's ear with a soft voice that contrasted his actions. "Torture can be endured, but the part of your soul I'm going to steal now will never be back. Choose wisely where to place your priorities."

And then, the counting continued.

"3... 4..."

[adstring_npc]

This kid, whomever he was, was stupid. Patrick was dead no matter. He'd accepted it. And this idiot, along with whoemver gave him the syringe, thought a calm, peaceful death would be a threat. He was getting pretty pissed off at himself. He'd gotten captured by someone who didn't know what the hell they were doing

[codename_m]

A BioID system, just as Mello had thought. It was a difficult task, but there were ways to fake it. Mello just had to pull a few strings and check the results.

In the darkness, the was the small sound of a muffled shoot. Patrick's now useless leg was bleeding, his knee broken. "Tell me more about that system. Does it check your DNA as well? 5... 6..."

[adstring_npc]

Patrick grunted, more from the pain, but there was shock too. He'd been through pain for training, but it didn't compare. The waves of pain working their way up his leg combined with his anger and the drug.

"You can't fool it. Any of it. Not the fingerprint reader, not the biometric reader, none of it. You fucking Outsiders don't have the technology or the brains. It was a fluke, last time. You're screwed. You and Silent both."

He groaned, holding on to simple hopes. He would be rescued after one death. Sure, he didn't want to die, but it could still be a peaceful death. He had, what, three minutes left until they knew where he was? And then it wouldn't take them long to get to him. A half-hour, tops. Thirty-three minutes. He could make it.

[codename_m]

Mello listened, word by word. Words that spoke of a failure Mello couldn't allow himself. to him, nothing was impossible; there was always a way, no matter how thin the chance to succeed was. There had to be a way, and Mello would go through it.

"Lieutenant Patrick Cosgrave. Thank you for your cooperation." This said, Mello removed the syringe (which was full of common water) from the man's arm, and turned to look at Lockon and Allelujah. "I need bandages, he's losing too much blood."

[adstring_npc]

He glared through the mask, angry that he'd let some slip in anger. At least it couldn't possibly help his captors. He was confident that security had been upped enough to cover any future attempts to get in. He couldn't be blamed for the little he'd said, at least.

"What, you're too chicken to kill me now?" Bewilderment was mixed with the anger in his voice. He'd expected to die there. It was probably a trick. "Who do you work for? What do you even want?"

[codename_m]

"The condition was to kill you if you refused to speak. I am a man of my word."

Mello would have really killed Patrick if he hadn't given them any sort of information, but it wasn't like the blond took pleasure in gratuitous murder. He'd only pull the trigger as long as it was strictly necessary, nothing less, nothing more.

Cloth in hand, Mello crouched down and started bandaging the man's leg himself. It was more convenient if Lockon and Allelujah didn't approach the soldier; he would never know how many people there were.

"As for what I want..." Mello's eyes became colder, just like the tone of his voice. "Unlike you, careless fool, I strive to survive."

[adstring_npc]

Patrick was trying very hard to find solace in the fact that he couldn't have given anything useful.

"Man or boy?" There, enough time had passed. The SOS would be being sent now, he'd have help on the way. He felt a jolt of pain from the chip. It was working, good. Maybe he'd survive this after all.

The kid's talking told him that they were bandaging his leg, not someone else. Was it an act, speaking to the other? No, Patrick decided. It didn't feel right.

"You're not going to survive this. You just made a very stupid decision." He felt queasy. Maybe it was the shock starting to sink in.