Zero Tolerance: Nine Lives
Title: Nine Lives
Characters: Zero, Raw, Azkedellia, Cain, Glitch
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I'm not claiming to own anything bar my own imagination.
Summary: The dead haunt Zero.
Table of Contents
He arrived out into the hall in time to see the monkeys deposit DG before The Sorceress. His men had surrounded the Viewer and Zero joined them to deal with them. "Sir? What about the Zipperhead?"
"Leave him, he's no threat on his own."
"Mercy?" the Viewer muttered.
Zero huffed before stepping before the unwise Viewer. "Listen. Maybe I don't want his chattering. Maybe you should shut up before I show you how merciful I am."
"Zero! Come!" Come. Ok.
"Your sister lives." Zero froze. He moved to join The Sorceress.
Zero stepped in the room in time to see the conference between DG and her 'parents'. He wasn't really listening.
The damn Viewer was only trying to put him off balance. Read his thoughts and used it against him. The robot went too far and the illusion was quickly dispersed. He called The Sorceress 'baby girl'. "That was all fake? You are twisted!" Succinct and to the point. Can't argue with that.
The Sorceress looked at her. "Why? Because of a liitle rewiring, I got something I've missed out on for too long?" Yeah, but there are others too. "Father's love. Mother's affection?
"Where are my real parents?"
"Our parents? Well, Daddy the thief abandoned us after you... died. Mother never forgave him for that. Had his name officially banished from the lands. Ever the drama Queen."
"Where is she?"
"There came a time when she had to be... isolated." She turned the wheel.
The image of the Queen reappeared. "Mother?"
"DG, where are you?"
"Let. Her. Go."
"That can be arranged. But first you have to do something for me." She twisted the wheel again and this time the scene from the bedroom reappeared. "DG, just, tell me where the Emerald is. Just tell me what she whispered to you and I will take you to her. I promise."
"I don't remember. That was a long time ago."
"We can pry those memories out of her," Zero suggested.
The Sorceress shot him a puppy dog look. Which Zero found irritating. The Sorceress pretending to be this innocent flower. It was an transparent act. "Zero, she's my sister," she chided him. She sighed and looked at DG. "I guess I haven't made this much of a family reunion, have I?"
DG snorted. "Well, I wasn't expecting a picnic," she replied.
"I want to show you something. Share something with you." She slipped her hand through DG's arm and lead her out onto the Seeder balcony. "'The Majestic Queen of the O.Z./ Had two lovely daughters she/ The Double Eclipse it is foreseen/ Light meets Dark and the Stillness between/ But only one and one alone/ Shall hold the Emerald and take the throne'."
"...So. What is that? 'The Great and Ominous Prophecy of the O.Z.'?"
"It's a nursery rhyme," The Sorceress told her. "A few couplets that roll pleasingly off the tongue. It's not who we are, DG."
DG stepped back. "You tried to kill me."
"I was just a child. You know, I... I foolishly believed the part about the 'only one and one alone'."
"And you don't now?" DG asked, suspicious.
"No. I believe that prophecy can be what you and I make of it." She approached her. "DG, we were such good friends. We spent hours imaging what the O.Z. would be like when we grew up. Please, you must remember that."
"We were friends?"
The Sorceress turned to the view, lost in memory. "We'd explore the woods, gather apples, skip little stones across the lake. We made Mother crazy with worry."
"...Apples?" She shook her head. "No. I'm not buying what you're doing with this whole 'keys to the kingdom' crap."
"I'm not doing anything," The Sorceress protested, overdoing the sugar coating. She turned around with sad face. "I just want... what the prophecy can bring to both of us. It's our birthright. It's our chance to make a new O.Z." She got closer to DG. "Just tell me where it is."
"I don't remember!"
"DG..." she sighed and pulled at a strand of hair. "My lovely little sister..." The act was over. "That was the wrong... answer." Zero emerged from the shadows. "Now we do it your way," she told him.
"I'll take her for a reading with Lylo," he replied reaching for the youngest princess. He was very glad that DG turned out to be uncooperative, not least because he liked to respect his enemies.
"If you remember nothing else, remember this. The next time I snuff out your insignificant little life, there'll be no one standing by to save you." Zero guided her out.
He brought her back to the room they were in before going outside. "Now, don't you worry, Princess," Zero soothed as he strapped her in. "This won't hurt me a bit." She swung a kick meant for his crotch and he hopped away, laughing. "I'm starting to like you, Kid."
"Then let me go!"
"Can't let people think I'm easy, can I?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"I don't think I was loved enough as a child," Zero replied thoughtfully. "Aggressive dad, absent mother. It's very sad."
"Thank you, Zero," The Sorceress arrived, dismissing him. He nodded and left.
-------
Zero walked into Lonot's old office. He wasn't sure what he was going to find here. He started leafing through the files and folders. It wasn't long before he came to a magically closed box. Naturally, he was intrigued. Digging out an old charm, he used it to open the box. In it was a diary, which he might enjoy for the giggle-value, secret plans for domination which made Zero laugh immediately and explicit pictures of his ex-wife. Flinging the pictures in the fire, he sat down and began to immerse himself in the diaries.
He sat up suddenly, a passage becoming very interesting. Plans on the capture of his sister, its completion and The Sorceress' reaction. He snapped the book closed, his heart in his throat. Glaring at the diary as if it had itself betrayed him, his grip tightened, almost crushing it. He tried a deep breath but did little to relax him. After a moment's consideration, he pushed the book into his inner pocket and pushed himself out of the chair.
He almost ran out of the room.
"Sir!" one of his sergeants ran to him. "A few of our men have been found unconscious, sir. They report..."
"What is it, Sergeant?"
"Cain, sir. One of the men who attacked him was Cain." Alarms suddenly sounded from the Tower as if to confirm the sergeant's story.
Zero rushed into the chambers and found the aide, grabbing him by the collar. "I should kill you."
The aide, seeming irritated more than anything else, shushed him. He pointed to the window, where The Sorceress was talking to Azkadellia. "She's in conference."
Zero glanced in her direction before continuing in the same quiet voice. "My men just told me Wyatt Cain is alive," he shook him. "He was here. If she finds out..."
"Finds out what?" The Sorceress asked him loudly. "That you're utterly incapable of putting one man in his grave?"
"I shot him," Zero replied, letting go of the aide and turning to her. "Out a window. Into a freezing lake. The man has nine lives."
"He's not the only one." Xora returned, redirecting her attention. "Xora." The monkey tossed her something. "That's my girl." Ah! It's female. Zero now reminded himself who killed his sister - not that it mattered as far as Cain was concerned. Now it was a case of getting Cain before he got Zero. Zero knew he couldn't stand up to The Sorceress on his own. Though he had Azkadellia...
The Sorceress placed the coloured disc into the viewer. "She's heading south," she told Zero.
"My men will blitz the area immediately," he replied.
"No. They won't."
"You have them. Dead to rights. And you don't want to take them?"
"No. I want her to lead me straight to the Emerald." She indicated at the viewer.
Zero watched as the image replayed, the view suddenly shifted as someone looked down at the disc and dropped it, walking behind the troop. "You planted a spy."
"Just keeping an eye on her as any concerned big sister would. I want you to shadow her. Don't get too close. Think you can handle a little restraint, Zero?" she challenged him. Zero resisted the temptation to reply and left.
Next: Walking Distance
Characters: Zero, Raw, Azkedellia, Cain, Glitch
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I'm not claiming to own anything bar my own imagination.
Summary: The dead haunt Zero.
Table of Contents
He arrived out into the hall in time to see the monkeys deposit DG before The Sorceress. His men had surrounded the Viewer and Zero joined them to deal with them. "Sir? What about the Zipperhead?"
"Leave him, he's no threat on his own."
"Mercy?" the Viewer muttered.
Zero huffed before stepping before the unwise Viewer. "Listen. Maybe I don't want his chattering. Maybe you should shut up before I show you how merciful I am."
"Zero! Come!" Come. Ok.
"Your sister lives." Zero froze. He moved to join The Sorceress.
Zero stepped in the room in time to see the conference between DG and her 'parents'. He wasn't really listening.
The damn Viewer was only trying to put him off balance. Read his thoughts and used it against him. The robot went too far and the illusion was quickly dispersed. He called The Sorceress 'baby girl'. "That was all fake? You are twisted!" Succinct and to the point. Can't argue with that.
The Sorceress looked at her. "Why? Because of a liitle rewiring, I got something I've missed out on for too long?" Yeah, but there are others too. "Father's love. Mother's affection?
"Where are my real parents?"
"Our parents? Well, Daddy the thief abandoned us after you... died. Mother never forgave him for that. Had his name officially banished from the lands. Ever the drama Queen."
"Where is she?"
"There came a time when she had to be... isolated." She turned the wheel.
The image of the Queen reappeared. "Mother?"
"DG, where are you?"
"Let. Her. Go."
"That can be arranged. But first you have to do something for me." She twisted the wheel again and this time the scene from the bedroom reappeared. "DG, just, tell me where the Emerald is. Just tell me what she whispered to you and I will take you to her. I promise."
"I don't remember. That was a long time ago."
"We can pry those memories out of her," Zero suggested.
The Sorceress shot him a puppy dog look. Which Zero found irritating. The Sorceress pretending to be this innocent flower. It was an transparent act. "Zero, she's my sister," she chided him. She sighed and looked at DG. "I guess I haven't made this much of a family reunion, have I?"
DG snorted. "Well, I wasn't expecting a picnic," she replied.
"I want to show you something. Share something with you." She slipped her hand through DG's arm and lead her out onto the Seeder balcony. "'The Majestic Queen of the O.Z./ Had two lovely daughters she/ The Double Eclipse it is foreseen/ Light meets Dark and the Stillness between/ But only one and one alone/ Shall hold the Emerald and take the throne'."
"...So. What is that? 'The Great and Ominous Prophecy of the O.Z.'?"
"It's a nursery rhyme," The Sorceress told her. "A few couplets that roll pleasingly off the tongue. It's not who we are, DG."
DG stepped back. "You tried to kill me."
"I was just a child. You know, I... I foolishly believed the part about the 'only one and one alone'."
"And you don't now?" DG asked, suspicious.
"No. I believe that prophecy can be what you and I make of it." She approached her. "DG, we were such good friends. We spent hours imaging what the O.Z. would be like when we grew up. Please, you must remember that."
"We were friends?"
The Sorceress turned to the view, lost in memory. "We'd explore the woods, gather apples, skip little stones across the lake. We made Mother crazy with worry."
"...Apples?" She shook her head. "No. I'm not buying what you're doing with this whole 'keys to the kingdom' crap."
"I'm not doing anything," The Sorceress protested, overdoing the sugar coating. She turned around with sad face. "I just want... what the prophecy can bring to both of us. It's our birthright. It's our chance to make a new O.Z." She got closer to DG. "Just tell me where it is."
"I don't remember!"
"DG..." she sighed and pulled at a strand of hair. "My lovely little sister..." The act was over. "That was the wrong... answer." Zero emerged from the shadows. "Now we do it your way," she told him.
"I'll take her for a reading with Lylo," he replied reaching for the youngest princess. He was very glad that DG turned out to be uncooperative, not least because he liked to respect his enemies.
"If you remember nothing else, remember this. The next time I snuff out your insignificant little life, there'll be no one standing by to save you." Zero guided her out.
He brought her back to the room they were in before going outside. "Now, don't you worry, Princess," Zero soothed as he strapped her in. "This won't hurt me a bit." She swung a kick meant for his crotch and he hopped away, laughing. "I'm starting to like you, Kid."
"Then let me go!"
"Can't let people think I'm easy, can I?"
"Why are you doing this?"
"I don't think I was loved enough as a child," Zero replied thoughtfully. "Aggressive dad, absent mother. It's very sad."
"Thank you, Zero," The Sorceress arrived, dismissing him. He nodded and left.
-------
Zero walked into Lonot's old office. He wasn't sure what he was going to find here. He started leafing through the files and folders. It wasn't long before he came to a magically closed box. Naturally, he was intrigued. Digging out an old charm, he used it to open the box. In it was a diary, which he might enjoy for the giggle-value, secret plans for domination which made Zero laugh immediately and explicit pictures of his ex-wife. Flinging the pictures in the fire, he sat down and began to immerse himself in the diaries.
He sat up suddenly, a passage becoming very interesting. Plans on the capture of his sister, its completion and The Sorceress' reaction. He snapped the book closed, his heart in his throat. Glaring at the diary as if it had itself betrayed him, his grip tightened, almost crushing it. He tried a deep breath but did little to relax him. After a moment's consideration, he pushed the book into his inner pocket and pushed himself out of the chair.
He almost ran out of the room.
"Sir!" one of his sergeants ran to him. "A few of our men have been found unconscious, sir. They report..."
"What is it, Sergeant?"
"Cain, sir. One of the men who attacked him was Cain." Alarms suddenly sounded from the Tower as if to confirm the sergeant's story.
Zero rushed into the chambers and found the aide, grabbing him by the collar. "I should kill you."
The aide, seeming irritated more than anything else, shushed him. He pointed to the window, where The Sorceress was talking to Azkadellia. "She's in conference."
Zero glanced in her direction before continuing in the same quiet voice. "My men just told me Wyatt Cain is alive," he shook him. "He was here. If she finds out..."
"Finds out what?" The Sorceress asked him loudly. "That you're utterly incapable of putting one man in his grave?"
"I shot him," Zero replied, letting go of the aide and turning to her. "Out a window. Into a freezing lake. The man has nine lives."
"He's not the only one." Xora returned, redirecting her attention. "Xora." The monkey tossed her something. "That's my girl." Ah! It's female. Zero now reminded himself who killed his sister - not that it mattered as far as Cain was concerned. Now it was a case of getting Cain before he got Zero. Zero knew he couldn't stand up to The Sorceress on his own. Though he had Azkadellia...
The Sorceress placed the coloured disc into the viewer. "She's heading south," she told Zero.
"My men will blitz the area immediately," he replied.
"No. They won't."
"You have them. Dead to rights. And you don't want to take them?"
"No. I want her to lead me straight to the Emerald." She indicated at the viewer.
Zero watched as the image replayed, the view suddenly shifted as someone looked down at the disc and dropped it, walking behind the troop. "You planted a spy."
"Just keeping an eye on her as any concerned big sister would. I want you to shadow her. Don't get too close. Think you can handle a little restraint, Zero?" she challenged him. Zero resisted the temptation to reply and left.
Next: Walking Distance