Zero Tolerance: Hawk Eyes
Title: Hawk Eyes
Characters: Ahamo, Zero, Wyatt and Raw
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Unowned by the likes of me.
Summary: Ahamo and Zero see what they're up against.
Table of Contents
Zero made some changes to the map before him. "They're all heading for Ev Territory," Ahamo remarked.
"Not quite," he pointed to an area next to it. "This is Hawk's Territory. His family's been there for generations. His hold on it is unquestioned."
"Unquestioned? They're supporters of The Witch?"
Zero shook his head. "Hawk's too squirrelly for that. They've always wanted their independence," he added, remembering his history books. "But they, uh, never trusted the Ev as long as they could throw them. At least, eh, the House of Gale had always treated them well, given them supplies in times of famine, backed them up when the Ev got greedy and left them alone otherwise, so long as no, uh, 'outsiders' got involved. So they became OZians."
"But they've never really backed us."
"Not in their hearts, no. They do what the Hawks tell them. And Séan Hawk told them to support the Witch."
"But the Witch is dead. At least to them."
Zero let his doubt show on his face. "Well, uh, the, uh, Witch was an unpredictable ally anyway. More concerned about her own whims."
"And the Eternal Darkness, for whatever reason."
Zero looked at him. "The reason, sir, was to hold the world in hostage. She planned to kill off everything living here and tell them of the Other Side, how rich and bountiful it was, dissolve the divide between our world and theirs."
"And send her Longcoats over, conquering everything. You think that plan would have succeeded?"
"With no food, the, uh, other realms would have no choice but agree. With the Emerald, she could have dissolved the barrier - it's, uh, already full of holes anyway. You, uh, already know that. Maybe the Other Side would put up a fight..."
"Call that definitely," Ahamo interrupted.
Zero nodded. "Maybe it would have been good enough to fight us off for a while but with the Emerald..."
"There was a lot riding on that Emerald." Zero nodded again. Ahamo stared into space, considering the consequences. "Is Hawk aware of all this?"
"Yes, sir. And he, uh, suspects that the Witch still lives."
"You mean in Azkadellia."
"No."
Ahamo looked at him in shock at this news. "Are you sure?"
"He believes that I lied when I denied the rumours."
"Never believe anything until it's been officially denied."
"He didn't say anything as such, sir."
"But you believe he knows." Zero nodded again. "I'll trust your instincts. What do you think he's going to do with this information?"
Zero sighed. "Could be... he, uh, plans to set her free, so she can use the Emerald for him. Maybe sooner, to confuse us, getting us fighting in two fronts, maybe, maybe, later, to work the original plan."
"But the Double Eclipse. It's over."
"So she loses the bargaining chip. She can still accomplish a lot without it. Look what she did in the O.Z. That was without the Emerald." As Ahamo nodded while absorbed the information, Zero continued. "He can still use the Ev to do confusing."
"How likely is that?"
Zero shrugged, giving it some thought. "As it stands, not so much. Hawk's... a bit touched," he tapped twice on his temple. "He, uh, thinks he's doing all this for the people's own good. You know? Uh, even the famine. Believes he's making his people stronger in the, eh, adversity. That he's some kind of saint. And, uh, well, let's just say that you don't want be the guy under his power who doesn't appreciate his, uh, 'grand efforts'."
"Unlike you."
Zero gave him a bark of laughter. "I was never a saint, sir. Not even to myself." He sobered. "I wanted revenge. On everybody."
"So why didn't you kill them? The Cains?"
"Because that's what she wanted me to do."
Ahamo stared at him for a moment, working out something. He blinked and then returned to the map. "Have your men got anyone in the area?"
Zero joined him. "A few. Can't guarantee they'll be allies though. They're an insular people, distrusting of outsiders, and you're an outsider if you've been out of the holding for more than five years."
"I wonder how prevalent the Order is in there," Ahamo murmured to himself.
"The Order is everywhere."
"I'll talk to my wife, she's meeting with Bailey."
"They say he's retired," Zero remarked.
"They also say the clouds are made of cotton candy," Ahamo murmured. "Never mind," he added after seeing Zero's look. "I'll go consult with my wife, talk to your men, find all you can about this county and send for Wyatt, I need his help. We'll meet in two hours."
"Yes, sir."
"Cain."
Wyatt jumped, looking over at the new visitor. "Raw!" he grinned and reached out a hand. Raw took it. "It's good to see you!"
Raw smiled shyly. "Cain, troubled."
Cain looked at his hand. "Sorry."
"Raw know already. Zero trial cancelled."
"That why you've come?" Cain was touched, knowing how much effort it took for Raw to be here, even with just the various guards for company. After all, they had their thoughts and emotions too.
"Cain put country before self. Again."
Cain shrugged. "The other way round was starting to make both me and Jeb feel very strange. And not in a good way. Besides, he and I have enough things getting us off balance." Raw gave him a curious look. Wyatt blinked. "I'm really the first one you've seen, aren't I?" He smiled at his thoughtful friend. "Adora's back. And she's been multiplied."
Raw's curiosity turned into astonishment. "Adora back? Multiplied?"
"Zero killed a robot," Wyatt explained, the idea, or rather, its sheer lunacy, really striking him now. "She was replaced when she was taken from me." He had to swallow the lump in his throat, which had strangely gotten larger. "Zero brought us back to the Old Cabin, to, uh... discuss our feelings..." even though Raw would likely sense the violence behind the phrase, Wyatt was loathe to articulate it. "... she just turned up. Pulling a gun on him."
"Where?"
Wyatt paused a second, realising that Raw had meant where had she been. "In Ev, if you can believe it. Being an assassinating gardener." Oh, this was sounding better and better. Wyatt shook his head in disbelief.
"Cain, troubled," Raw repeated his first phrase, this time with a sympathetic nod. "Not sure, feeling about Adora. Feelings for Cassandra."
"I barely know her," he retorted, meaning Cassandra, but realising that it could just as true for Adora now too. But it was Adora he was married to.
"Raw sorry, gone."
"You've your own life to lead, Raw. Your own people. I was dealing with emotions long before I met you."
Raw cocked his head to the side at that, amused. "Raw surprised."
Wyatt not-smiled and continued as if he hadn't heard. "Admittedly, these days there are more of them... but I'm surviving."
"Raw stay awhile. For son," he added, in case Wyatt would put up a 'I'm a self-sufficient Tin Man' protest.
"You don't have to do that."
Raw smiled. "Raw want to. Miss friends."
Wyatt smiled back. "I'll find you a room."
Paper Pushing and People Pleasing
Characters: Ahamo, Zero, Wyatt and Raw
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Unowned by the likes of me.
Summary: Ahamo and Zero see what they're up against.
Table of Contents
Zero made some changes to the map before him. "They're all heading for Ev Territory," Ahamo remarked.
"Not quite," he pointed to an area next to it. "This is Hawk's Territory. His family's been there for generations. His hold on it is unquestioned."
"Unquestioned? They're supporters of The Witch?"
Zero shook his head. "Hawk's too squirrelly for that. They've always wanted their independence," he added, remembering his history books. "But they, uh, never trusted the Ev as long as they could throw them. At least, eh, the House of Gale had always treated them well, given them supplies in times of famine, backed them up when the Ev got greedy and left them alone otherwise, so long as no, uh, 'outsiders' got involved. So they became OZians."
"But they've never really backed us."
"Not in their hearts, no. They do what the Hawks tell them. And Séan Hawk told them to support the Witch."
"But the Witch is dead. At least to them."
Zero let his doubt show on his face. "Well, uh, the, uh, Witch was an unpredictable ally anyway. More concerned about her own whims."
"And the Eternal Darkness, for whatever reason."
Zero looked at him. "The reason, sir, was to hold the world in hostage. She planned to kill off everything living here and tell them of the Other Side, how rich and bountiful it was, dissolve the divide between our world and theirs."
"And send her Longcoats over, conquering everything. You think that plan would have succeeded?"
"With no food, the, uh, other realms would have no choice but agree. With the Emerald, she could have dissolved the barrier - it's, uh, already full of holes anyway. You, uh, already know that. Maybe the Other Side would put up a fight..."
"Call that definitely," Ahamo interrupted.
Zero nodded. "Maybe it would have been good enough to fight us off for a while but with the Emerald..."
"There was a lot riding on that Emerald." Zero nodded again. Ahamo stared into space, considering the consequences. "Is Hawk aware of all this?"
"Yes, sir. And he, uh, suspects that the Witch still lives."
"You mean in Azkadellia."
"No."
Ahamo looked at him in shock at this news. "Are you sure?"
"He believes that I lied when I denied the rumours."
"Never believe anything until it's been officially denied."
"He didn't say anything as such, sir."
"But you believe he knows." Zero nodded again. "I'll trust your instincts. What do you think he's going to do with this information?"
Zero sighed. "Could be... he, uh, plans to set her free, so she can use the Emerald for him. Maybe sooner, to confuse us, getting us fighting in two fronts, maybe, maybe, later, to work the original plan."
"But the Double Eclipse. It's over."
"So she loses the bargaining chip. She can still accomplish a lot without it. Look what she did in the O.Z. That was without the Emerald." As Ahamo nodded while absorbed the information, Zero continued. "He can still use the Ev to do confusing."
"How likely is that?"
Zero shrugged, giving it some thought. "As it stands, not so much. Hawk's... a bit touched," he tapped twice on his temple. "He, uh, thinks he's doing all this for the people's own good. You know? Uh, even the famine. Believes he's making his people stronger in the, eh, adversity. That he's some kind of saint. And, uh, well, let's just say that you don't want be the guy under his power who doesn't appreciate his, uh, 'grand efforts'."
"Unlike you."
Zero gave him a bark of laughter. "I was never a saint, sir. Not even to myself." He sobered. "I wanted revenge. On everybody."
"So why didn't you kill them? The Cains?"
"Because that's what she wanted me to do."
Ahamo stared at him for a moment, working out something. He blinked and then returned to the map. "Have your men got anyone in the area?"
Zero joined him. "A few. Can't guarantee they'll be allies though. They're an insular people, distrusting of outsiders, and you're an outsider if you've been out of the holding for more than five years."
"I wonder how prevalent the Order is in there," Ahamo murmured to himself.
"The Order is everywhere."
"I'll talk to my wife, she's meeting with Bailey."
"They say he's retired," Zero remarked.
"They also say the clouds are made of cotton candy," Ahamo murmured. "Never mind," he added after seeing Zero's look. "I'll go consult with my wife, talk to your men, find all you can about this county and send for Wyatt, I need his help. We'll meet in two hours."
"Yes, sir."
"Cain."
Wyatt jumped, looking over at the new visitor. "Raw!" he grinned and reached out a hand. Raw took it. "It's good to see you!"
Raw smiled shyly. "Cain, troubled."
Cain looked at his hand. "Sorry."
"Raw know already. Zero trial cancelled."
"That why you've come?" Cain was touched, knowing how much effort it took for Raw to be here, even with just the various guards for company. After all, they had their thoughts and emotions too.
"Cain put country before self. Again."
Cain shrugged. "The other way round was starting to make both me and Jeb feel very strange. And not in a good way. Besides, he and I have enough things getting us off balance." Raw gave him a curious look. Wyatt blinked. "I'm really the first one you've seen, aren't I?" He smiled at his thoughtful friend. "Adora's back. And she's been multiplied."
Raw's curiosity turned into astonishment. "Adora back? Multiplied?"
"Zero killed a robot," Wyatt explained, the idea, or rather, its sheer lunacy, really striking him now. "She was replaced when she was taken from me." He had to swallow the lump in his throat, which had strangely gotten larger. "Zero brought us back to the Old Cabin, to, uh... discuss our feelings..." even though Raw would likely sense the violence behind the phrase, Wyatt was loathe to articulate it. "... she just turned up. Pulling a gun on him."
"Where?"
Wyatt paused a second, realising that Raw had meant where had she been. "In Ev, if you can believe it. Being an assassinating gardener." Oh, this was sounding better and better. Wyatt shook his head in disbelief.
"Cain, troubled," Raw repeated his first phrase, this time with a sympathetic nod. "Not sure, feeling about Adora. Feelings for Cassandra."
"I barely know her," he retorted, meaning Cassandra, but realising that it could just as true for Adora now too. But it was Adora he was married to.
"Raw sorry, gone."
"You've your own life to lead, Raw. Your own people. I was dealing with emotions long before I met you."
Raw cocked his head to the side at that, amused. "Raw surprised."
Wyatt not-smiled and continued as if he hadn't heard. "Admittedly, these days there are more of them... but I'm surviving."
"Raw stay awhile. For son," he added, in case Wyatt would put up a 'I'm a self-sufficient Tin Man' protest.
"You don't have to do that."
Raw smiled. "Raw want to. Miss friends."
Wyatt smiled back. "I'll find you a room."
Paper Pushing and People Pleasing