Zero Tolerance: House of Cards
Title: House of Cards
Characters: DG, Zero, Wyatt, Jeb, Ambrose, Witch.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: No profits made.
Summary: The Witch reawakens.
Table of Contents
When he grabbed her, she wanted to resist, the memory of the last time he held her fresh in her mind. Then, as now, his grip remained firm. She was taken a few metres before he let her go. Landing on the floor, DG looked over at Zero, aware now that the screams she heard were his. He cursed and moaned.
She pulled herself over to him. "Are you ok?" She unconsciously put her hand over his back, immediately soothing him.
He sighed. "My arm's dislocated. Can you... pull it?"
"Uh... ok," she grabbed his hand. "Where's The Witch?"
"I don't know but I don't like it." Pulling, they reset the joint. Zero returned to the floor cursing.
DG returned to his side. Reapplying her hand, she said: "Thank you."
He nodded. "We should get going," he advised.
"But if The Witch is the building, then how are we going to get out?" she asked him.
Zero shrugged, causing him to wince. "Look, I'm guessing here, but maybe the reason she hasn't come after us is because she can't. Maybe... she hasn't 'inhabited' the whole building." He drifted off, thinking. "The fact that she managed it in the first place... well, that's impressive. I just hope she hasn't gotten to my office."
"Wait! Why should I trust you?"
Zero let out a small laugh. "I got a better question, Princess. Why should I trust you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You may have everybody else fooled into thinking you're just the 'Princess of Light' but I saw you. When your parents betrayed you, what was your reaction? Disgust... at your sister."
"That's not fair! They were just robots..."
"You're right. The fact that they betrayed you... totally mitigated by the fact that they were robots. No wonder you had absolutely no emotion. Thing is, Chicken? Not sure about trusting someone who just shrugs off losing their family." He wanted to shrug himself. "Time is of the essence."
DG followed him.
"DG!" Cain yelled at the sudden wall of debris. Ambrose watched as the debris merged together to form a thick wall. Cain threw himself against it. The Witch's laughter was the only response.
"Cain!" Ambrose stopped him from throwing himself into the wall again. "I'm... ok. I mean, I'm sure they're ok."
Cain shook his head, his eyes watering. "No, I saw... rocks."
"Now you're doing it," Ambrose tried to smile. It dropped. "If... her. If she was dead, she'd show us."
Cain nodded. "We need to find them," he decided.
The Witch laughed again. A form of rock appeared from the wall. Cain and Ambrose stepped back far. She cackled at their response. "Help me, Cain, and I'll spare her." Cain glared at her, not believing a word. "Give me her body and I'll let you have her whenever you want her. And I kill Zero! Slowly and painfully. I'll give you the location of his sister. I know where she is. She's still alive, Cain. We can change that, together. We'll make Zero watch. TRUE JUSTICE!"
"If you think I'll agree to that, you're mad."
She sneered at him. "Father?" Jeb had arrived with one of his men. His eyes went wide at the stone Witch.
"Evacuate the Tower. NOW!"
"Jeb?" The Witch sneered as he ordered his man to get moving. He was determined to stay with his father. "Want to know why your mother was really killed?"
"Son, leave. Now."
"Not without you."
"How about finding another route?" Ambrose suggested.
They turned but didn't get far. Mobats came creeping out of the walls, screeching and surrounding the three men. "Now, that would be rude," The Witch told them. "Why go to DG when she'll just come to me?" Cain tried pulling at the Mobats, but ended up on his backside, sliding across the floor. "They're made of stone."
"We'll never give you DG," he retorted, his face pouring with blood.
"Oh, precious," the sweet words sounding like ashes out of her mouth. "A few weeks already madly in love. Aw! Not sure what your son thinks. Mommy's forgotten, sweetie."
"You know nothing about my mother," Jeb snarled.
"Really? I met her, you know."
"Why would she talk to you?" Wyatt asked.
She showed him her gruesome teeth. "I'm surprised Zero never told you. She was a spy for me."
"YOU'RE LYING!" Jeb rushed her.
With little effort, The Witch grabbed him by the throat. "Made. Out. Of. Stone," she snarled. She waved at the surface at the wall and a scene appeared. Adora Cain stepped up before The Sorceress. The Witch dropped Jeb who gasped for breath.
"No, no," Wyatt murmured. "Turn it off," he pleaded.
Surprisingly, The Witch complied. "That's why I sent Zero to kill you. I figured that he'd kill your wife just like he thought you killed his sister. Your pathetic Resistance cell meant nothing to me. She, however, it was a pleasure to betray her. Just like she betrayed you."
"Cain," DG spoke. Zero looked at her. "That's why she hasn't come after us. She has them."
"Cain and Ambrose," Zero nodded. "Well, look, she won't hurt them much until we get there. And when we get there, we'll be ready." He entered his office, still cautious. He began searching.
"Cushion the blow, why don't ya?" DG muttered, realising she had no idea what she was looking for.
"I was," Zero muttered back. DG went cold. "She might kill Ambrose."
"Why Ambrose?"
"Because you care about Cain more. Ah!" He pulled out his gadgets.
"Zero? Those are ghost traps."
Zero treated her to a genuine smile. "I know," he shrugged with one shoulder. "My father thought it was necessary for us to get a taste of the Other Side in order to get a full education."
"'Us'?"
"Me and my sister. That's what I got against Cain, I thought he killed my sister. Turns out, The Sorceress did that. Framed him." He let out a mirthless laugh. "Let's go."
DG grabbed a ghost trap and followed Zero out.
Next: Ghost Trap
Characters: DG, Zero, Wyatt, Jeb, Ambrose, Witch.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: No profits made.
Summary: The Witch reawakens.
Table of Contents
When he grabbed her, she wanted to resist, the memory of the last time he held her fresh in her mind. Then, as now, his grip remained firm. She was taken a few metres before he let her go. Landing on the floor, DG looked over at Zero, aware now that the screams she heard were his. He cursed and moaned.
She pulled herself over to him. "Are you ok?" She unconsciously put her hand over his back, immediately soothing him.
He sighed. "My arm's dislocated. Can you... pull it?"
"Uh... ok," she grabbed his hand. "Where's The Witch?"
"I don't know but I don't like it." Pulling, they reset the joint. Zero returned to the floor cursing.
DG returned to his side. Reapplying her hand, she said: "Thank you."
He nodded. "We should get going," he advised.
"But if The Witch is the building, then how are we going to get out?" she asked him.
Zero shrugged, causing him to wince. "Look, I'm guessing here, but maybe the reason she hasn't come after us is because she can't. Maybe... she hasn't 'inhabited' the whole building." He drifted off, thinking. "The fact that she managed it in the first place... well, that's impressive. I just hope she hasn't gotten to my office."
"Wait! Why should I trust you?"
Zero let out a small laugh. "I got a better question, Princess. Why should I trust you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You may have everybody else fooled into thinking you're just the 'Princess of Light' but I saw you. When your parents betrayed you, what was your reaction? Disgust... at your sister."
"That's not fair! They were just robots..."
"You're right. The fact that they betrayed you... totally mitigated by the fact that they were robots. No wonder you had absolutely no emotion. Thing is, Chicken? Not sure about trusting someone who just shrugs off losing their family." He wanted to shrug himself. "Time is of the essence."
DG followed him.
"DG!" Cain yelled at the sudden wall of debris. Ambrose watched as the debris merged together to form a thick wall. Cain threw himself against it. The Witch's laughter was the only response.
"Cain!" Ambrose stopped him from throwing himself into the wall again. "I'm... ok. I mean, I'm sure they're ok."
Cain shook his head, his eyes watering. "No, I saw... rocks."
"Now you're doing it," Ambrose tried to smile. It dropped. "If... her. If she was dead, she'd show us."
Cain nodded. "We need to find them," he decided.
The Witch laughed again. A form of rock appeared from the wall. Cain and Ambrose stepped back far. She cackled at their response. "Help me, Cain, and I'll spare her." Cain glared at her, not believing a word. "Give me her body and I'll let you have her whenever you want her. And I kill Zero! Slowly and painfully. I'll give you the location of his sister. I know where she is. She's still alive, Cain. We can change that, together. We'll make Zero watch. TRUE JUSTICE!"
"If you think I'll agree to that, you're mad."
She sneered at him. "Father?" Jeb had arrived with one of his men. His eyes went wide at the stone Witch.
"Evacuate the Tower. NOW!"
"Jeb?" The Witch sneered as he ordered his man to get moving. He was determined to stay with his father. "Want to know why your mother was really killed?"
"Son, leave. Now."
"Not without you."
"How about finding another route?" Ambrose suggested.
They turned but didn't get far. Mobats came creeping out of the walls, screeching and surrounding the three men. "Now, that would be rude," The Witch told them. "Why go to DG when she'll just come to me?" Cain tried pulling at the Mobats, but ended up on his backside, sliding across the floor. "They're made of stone."
"We'll never give you DG," he retorted, his face pouring with blood.
"Oh, precious," the sweet words sounding like ashes out of her mouth. "A few weeks already madly in love. Aw! Not sure what your son thinks. Mommy's forgotten, sweetie."
"You know nothing about my mother," Jeb snarled.
"Really? I met her, you know."
"Why would she talk to you?" Wyatt asked.
She showed him her gruesome teeth. "I'm surprised Zero never told you. She was a spy for me."
"YOU'RE LYING!" Jeb rushed her.
With little effort, The Witch grabbed him by the throat. "Made. Out. Of. Stone," she snarled. She waved at the surface at the wall and a scene appeared. Adora Cain stepped up before The Sorceress. The Witch dropped Jeb who gasped for breath.
"No, no," Wyatt murmured. "Turn it off," he pleaded.
Surprisingly, The Witch complied. "That's why I sent Zero to kill you. I figured that he'd kill your wife just like he thought you killed his sister. Your pathetic Resistance cell meant nothing to me. She, however, it was a pleasure to betray her. Just like she betrayed you."
"Cain," DG spoke. Zero looked at her. "That's why she hasn't come after us. She has them."
"Cain and Ambrose," Zero nodded. "Well, look, she won't hurt them much until we get there. And when we get there, we'll be ready." He entered his office, still cautious. He began searching.
"Cushion the blow, why don't ya?" DG muttered, realising she had no idea what she was looking for.
"I was," Zero muttered back. DG went cold. "She might kill Ambrose."
"Why Ambrose?"
"Because you care about Cain more. Ah!" He pulled out his gadgets.
"Zero? Those are ghost traps."
Zero treated her to a genuine smile. "I know," he shrugged with one shoulder. "My father thought it was necessary for us to get a taste of the Other Side in order to get a full education."
"'Us'?"
"Me and my sister. That's what I got against Cain, I thought he killed my sister. Turns out, The Sorceress did that. Framed him." He let out a mirthless laugh. "Let's go."
DG grabbed a ghost trap and followed Zero out.
Next: Ghost Trap