Fragile Truth and Tragic Freedom 12/?
Title: Fragile Truth and Tragic Freedom 12/?
Series: TDS, TCR, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: Keith-centric AU- Ages and backgrounds have been totally messed with. With the rise of a dictatorship regime in America, comes the rise of rebels. This is the story of the rebel group in New York City, fighting to bring the truth to the people and return their freedom.
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine / Ten / Eleven
Chapter 12
Friday came and went. There was no evidence of any renovations in the internal security practices. It was business as usual for the rebel groups across America. Some even messed up the inauguration celebrations in their cities. Keith, Rachel, Jon, and Stephen opted out of that.
Jon and Stephen were occupied in their bedroom. Keith and Rachel went out for a walk in the nearby forest.
They walked in a companionable silence, enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. Rachel broke away from Keith and climbed a halfway up a large tree. “Come on up,” she called down.
Keith grinned and scaled the tree until he was straddling the branch Rachel was sitting on. “Any particular reason for climbing trees?”
“Not really.”
“I don’t think this branch is going to hold our weight for long.”
“It will if you come closer to the trunk,” Rachel pointed out.
Keith scooted closer to the tree trunk, and to Rachel. He reached up to pick stray leaves from her hair, but froze when he felt something scuttle up his back.
Whatever it was stopped on Keith’s shoulder. Something soft and bushy tickled the back of his neck. “What is it?” he asked, not wanting to turn his head.
“It’s a squirrel, and he’s a cute one.”
“He won’t be so cute when he bites me and gives me rabies,” Keith shot back. The squirrel’s small nose sniffed at Keith’s cheek and ear. “What’s he doing?”
“Probably wondering why two people are in his tree,” was Rachel’s simple answer.
Keith felt small paws sifting through his hair. Dissatisfied with that side, the squirrel moved to Keith’s other shoulder and repeated the process. Not finding what it was looking for, it kept its perch on Keith’s shoulder and made a barking sound.
Rachel slowly reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the remainder of a granola bar. She took the piece of food from the wrapper and offered it to the squirrel.
“Of course it’s a good idea to associate me with food,” said Keith.
“Stop complaining. He’s not going to eat you,” replied Rachel as the squirrel took the half-bar of granola, sniffed it, and quickly nibbled at it.
The squirrel finished, leaped from Keith’s shoulder to Rachel’s, did a quick search of her hair, barked few more times, and finally ran up to the top of the tree.
“Well, that was an interesting encounter, to say the least,” Rachel commented.
“Can we get down now?” Keith asked. “Before he tells his friends about us?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of squirrels,” said Rachel as they climbed down the branches.
“I’m not. I’ve just never been so close to wild animal before.”
“I wouldn’t call a squirrel a wild animal,” Rachel replied. They reached the ground. “Although he did mess up your shirt. He put some holes in the back of it, probably when he climbed onto your shoulder. We should check if he scratched you.”
“No. I’m sure its fine.”
“Really? You were the one worried about rabies a few minutes ago. Come on, a quick check won’t hurt.”
Keith backed up into a tree to prevent Rachel from doing any unexpected. “I’m sure I would’ve felt if he had scratched me.”
“Not necessarily.” Rachel paused. “Why are you being so stubborn about letting me see?”
Keith slumped against the tree and stared at the Rachel’s feet.
“Now that I think of it, you’re careful about being fully-clothed, no matter how hot it is. Even when Jon, Stephen, and I strip down to minimal layers, you don’t even take off your shirt.” Rachel tilted Keith’s head up to look at his face. “Keith, what are you hiding?”
Keith closed his eyes. “I don’t want you to see.”
“I figured that out on my own. But why?”
“Because it still hurts me to see it every day.”
Rachel took one of Keith’s hands in both of hers and raised it to her mouth. She kissed the knuckles. “I understand,” she whispered. She stepped back and turned.
Keith tightened his grip on Rachel’s hand and pulled her back. “Rachel, you’re right. I need to get over this.” He let go of Rachel’s hand and stepped away from the tree.
Keith took a deep breath to calm himself. He pulled his shirt up over his head and let it fall to the ground. The scattering of scars on his chest and stomach were what he considered minor, and he was encouraged that Rachel’s only reaction was her eyes widening.
Keith spread his arms out to his sides and slowly turned until his back was exposed to Rachel.
Rachel put her hand over her mouth and took a step back. She had been through five weeks of re-education, but could not imagine what Keith had been through. Slightly-raised whip welts, burns that looked like they had been carved into the skin, and pale white scars criss-crossed Keith’s back. Three burn lines began halfway down his back and disappeared down past the waistband of his jeans. One jagged and dark scar started at the base of his neck and went across the back of his shoulder.
Keith waited in silence for Rachel to say something, anything. He rested his head on his forearm against the tree. Keith flinched and shut his eyes as Rachel’s smooth fingers traced the healed scar on his shoulder.
“Do they… do they still hurt?” Rachel softly asked.
“Only emotionally,” Keith sighed.
Rachel hugged Keith from behind and laid her head on the back of his unscarred shoulder. “Keith, they don’t try to permanently scar people like this in re-education,” she said quietly.
“They do in prison. Staten Island Prison, at least.”
“That’s where they were going to send me the day you rescued me,” stated Rachel. “Why haven’t you told me about this before?”
“Because then I would’ve had to remember it once more than I already do every day.”
Rachel let go of Keith. “Then, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Keith replied as he turned to face Rachel. “You’re not the one who did this to me.” He traced her jaw line with his thumb. “Ask me anything you want, and I’ll answer you.”
“Okay.” Rachel reached around Keith’s back and felt for the three burns that went past his pants waist. “How far down do these go?”
“Halfway down my thigh.”
Rachel’s hand moved up to Keith’s shoulder. “This one isn’t like the others.”
“That’s the only one I’m proud of. If you ask the right questions, I’ll tell you about it later.”
Rachel half-smiled. “Alright then, I’ll get to the serious questions.”
“Can I put my shirt on first?” asked Keith. He reached down and quickly pulled it on. Then he sat and leaned against a tree trunk.
Rachel sat down cross-legged in front of Keith. “You sure you don’t mind me asking anything?”
“Anything, Rachel.”
“What did you do to get sent to Staten Island?” was Rachel’s first question.
Keith lost track of time as he answered all of Rachel’s questions. Some were emotionally hard for him to answer, but he got through them.
“So, did I ask all the right questions?” Rachel concluded.
Keith grinned. “You did. The scar on my shoulder is from my escape.”
“Escape?”
“You don’t think they’d really release me, their most stubborn inmate, did you?”
“How many people have escaped from any of the island prisons?”
“Only me, as far as I know. I climbed up the barbed wire fence on the roof and slipped on the way down. Like I said, if there were some way to get rid of all my scars, I’d keep that one.”
“Wow. You’re the only person to ever escape from an island prison. That’s amazing.”
“It didn’t exactly feel amazing at the time. You know that hill I like to go to every morning? That’s where Jon and Stephen found me.”
“Found you?”
Keith nodded. “I passed out on that hill, and woke up two days later in that house.”
Rachel took a minute to absorb all the information. “I’m still stuck on the fact that you’re the only person to escape. But…” Her face displayed a mischievous grin. “Can you escape from this?”
Keith was hardly surprised when Rachel pounced on him. He caught her wrists and quickly had her on the ground on her back. Keith trapped Rachel’s wrists above her head between his hands and the grass. He held himself up over her, his face only a few inches above hers.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Keith whispered. He became completely mesmerized by the spark in Rachel’s warm brown eyes. Then he had the crazy notion to kiss her. And not just the quick friend-kiss that he, Jon, Stephen, and Rachel would often give each other.
A long howl sounded from somewhere nearby and froze any ideas in Keith’s mind and any movements his was going to make.
“I’m suggesting we don’t move,” Rachel said quietly before another howl reached their ears.
“Agreed,” replied Keith just as quietly.
The two rebels waited with baited breath as the creature’s footsteps rustled closer and its howl punctuated its approach.
Series: TDS, TCR, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: Keith-centric AU- Ages and backgrounds have been totally messed with. With the rise of a dictatorship regime in America, comes the rise of rebels. This is the story of the rebel group in New York City, fighting to bring the truth to the people and return their freedom.
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine / Ten / Eleven
Chapter 12
Friday came and went. There was no evidence of any renovations in the internal security practices. It was business as usual for the rebel groups across America. Some even messed up the inauguration celebrations in their cities. Keith, Rachel, Jon, and Stephen opted out of that.
Jon and Stephen were occupied in their bedroom. Keith and Rachel went out for a walk in the nearby forest.
They walked in a companionable silence, enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. Rachel broke away from Keith and climbed a halfway up a large tree. “Come on up,” she called down.
Keith grinned and scaled the tree until he was straddling the branch Rachel was sitting on. “Any particular reason for climbing trees?”
“Not really.”
“I don’t think this branch is going to hold our weight for long.”
“It will if you come closer to the trunk,” Rachel pointed out.
Keith scooted closer to the tree trunk, and to Rachel. He reached up to pick stray leaves from her hair, but froze when he felt something scuttle up his back.
Whatever it was stopped on Keith’s shoulder. Something soft and bushy tickled the back of his neck. “What is it?” he asked, not wanting to turn his head.
“It’s a squirrel, and he’s a cute one.”
“He won’t be so cute when he bites me and gives me rabies,” Keith shot back. The squirrel’s small nose sniffed at Keith’s cheek and ear. “What’s he doing?”
“Probably wondering why two people are in his tree,” was Rachel’s simple answer.
Keith felt small paws sifting through his hair. Dissatisfied with that side, the squirrel moved to Keith’s other shoulder and repeated the process. Not finding what it was looking for, it kept its perch on Keith’s shoulder and made a barking sound.
Rachel slowly reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the remainder of a granola bar. She took the piece of food from the wrapper and offered it to the squirrel.
“Of course it’s a good idea to associate me with food,” said Keith.
“Stop complaining. He’s not going to eat you,” replied Rachel as the squirrel took the half-bar of granola, sniffed it, and quickly nibbled at it.
The squirrel finished, leaped from Keith’s shoulder to Rachel’s, did a quick search of her hair, barked few more times, and finally ran up to the top of the tree.
“Well, that was an interesting encounter, to say the least,” Rachel commented.
“Can we get down now?” Keith asked. “Before he tells his friends about us?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of squirrels,” said Rachel as they climbed down the branches.
“I’m not. I’ve just never been so close to wild animal before.”
“I wouldn’t call a squirrel a wild animal,” Rachel replied. They reached the ground. “Although he did mess up your shirt. He put some holes in the back of it, probably when he climbed onto your shoulder. We should check if he scratched you.”
“No. I’m sure its fine.”
“Really? You were the one worried about rabies a few minutes ago. Come on, a quick check won’t hurt.”
Keith backed up into a tree to prevent Rachel from doing any unexpected. “I’m sure I would’ve felt if he had scratched me.”
“Not necessarily.” Rachel paused. “Why are you being so stubborn about letting me see?”
Keith slumped against the tree and stared at the Rachel’s feet.
“Now that I think of it, you’re careful about being fully-clothed, no matter how hot it is. Even when Jon, Stephen, and I strip down to minimal layers, you don’t even take off your shirt.” Rachel tilted Keith’s head up to look at his face. “Keith, what are you hiding?”
Keith closed his eyes. “I don’t want you to see.”
“I figured that out on my own. But why?”
“Because it still hurts me to see it every day.”
Rachel took one of Keith’s hands in both of hers and raised it to her mouth. She kissed the knuckles. “I understand,” she whispered. She stepped back and turned.
Keith tightened his grip on Rachel’s hand and pulled her back. “Rachel, you’re right. I need to get over this.” He let go of Rachel’s hand and stepped away from the tree.
Keith took a deep breath to calm himself. He pulled his shirt up over his head and let it fall to the ground. The scattering of scars on his chest and stomach were what he considered minor, and he was encouraged that Rachel’s only reaction was her eyes widening.
Keith spread his arms out to his sides and slowly turned until his back was exposed to Rachel.
Rachel put her hand over her mouth and took a step back. She had been through five weeks of re-education, but could not imagine what Keith had been through. Slightly-raised whip welts, burns that looked like they had been carved into the skin, and pale white scars criss-crossed Keith’s back. Three burn lines began halfway down his back and disappeared down past the waistband of his jeans. One jagged and dark scar started at the base of his neck and went across the back of his shoulder.
Keith waited in silence for Rachel to say something, anything. He rested his head on his forearm against the tree. Keith flinched and shut his eyes as Rachel’s smooth fingers traced the healed scar on his shoulder.
“Do they… do they still hurt?” Rachel softly asked.
“Only emotionally,” Keith sighed.
Rachel hugged Keith from behind and laid her head on the back of his unscarred shoulder. “Keith, they don’t try to permanently scar people like this in re-education,” she said quietly.
“They do in prison. Staten Island Prison, at least.”
“That’s where they were going to send me the day you rescued me,” stated Rachel. “Why haven’t you told me about this before?”
“Because then I would’ve had to remember it once more than I already do every day.”
Rachel let go of Keith. “Then, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Keith replied as he turned to face Rachel. “You’re not the one who did this to me.” He traced her jaw line with his thumb. “Ask me anything you want, and I’ll answer you.”
“Okay.” Rachel reached around Keith’s back and felt for the three burns that went past his pants waist. “How far down do these go?”
“Halfway down my thigh.”
Rachel’s hand moved up to Keith’s shoulder. “This one isn’t like the others.”
“That’s the only one I’m proud of. If you ask the right questions, I’ll tell you about it later.”
Rachel half-smiled. “Alright then, I’ll get to the serious questions.”
“Can I put my shirt on first?” asked Keith. He reached down and quickly pulled it on. Then he sat and leaned against a tree trunk.
Rachel sat down cross-legged in front of Keith. “You sure you don’t mind me asking anything?”
“Anything, Rachel.”
“What did you do to get sent to Staten Island?” was Rachel’s first question.
Keith lost track of time as he answered all of Rachel’s questions. Some were emotionally hard for him to answer, but he got through them.
“So, did I ask all the right questions?” Rachel concluded.
Keith grinned. “You did. The scar on my shoulder is from my escape.”
“Escape?”
“You don’t think they’d really release me, their most stubborn inmate, did you?”
“How many people have escaped from any of the island prisons?”
“Only me, as far as I know. I climbed up the barbed wire fence on the roof and slipped on the way down. Like I said, if there were some way to get rid of all my scars, I’d keep that one.”
“Wow. You’re the only person to ever escape from an island prison. That’s amazing.”
“It didn’t exactly feel amazing at the time. You know that hill I like to go to every morning? That’s where Jon and Stephen found me.”
“Found you?”
Keith nodded. “I passed out on that hill, and woke up two days later in that house.”
Rachel took a minute to absorb all the information. “I’m still stuck on the fact that you’re the only person to escape. But…” Her face displayed a mischievous grin. “Can you escape from this?”
Keith was hardly surprised when Rachel pounced on him. He caught her wrists and quickly had her on the ground on her back. Keith trapped Rachel’s wrists above her head between his hands and the grass. He held himself up over her, his face only a few inches above hers.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Keith whispered. He became completely mesmerized by the spark in Rachel’s warm brown eyes. Then he had the crazy notion to kiss her. And not just the quick friend-kiss that he, Jon, Stephen, and Rachel would often give each other.
A long howl sounded from somewhere nearby and froze any ideas in Keith’s mind and any movements his was going to make.
“I’m suggesting we don’t move,” Rachel said quietly before another howl reached their ears.
“Agreed,” replied Keith just as quietly.
The two rebels waited with baited breath as the creature’s footsteps rustled closer and its howl punctuated its approach.