Thicker Than Water 5/?
Title: Zero - Tutor
Author: diabolicalfiend
Characters/Pairing: DG, Jeb, Wyatt, Zero, OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: The Longcoats attack the palace.
Warning: A couple of deaths.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man
Word Count: 1062
“Hi!” DG waved.
Zero gave her a sceptical look as she entered, with at least three guards. The room he was in, wasn’t a cell and was large enough. Several books were strewn about the place. “Hi!” he replied, mimicking her tone.
“That was… an interesting class,” DG remarked. “I learned a lot.”
“Good,” Zero muttered, making himself busy.
“How does it feel? Not being the bad guy for a change?”
“Fan-wheeling-tastic.”
“You’re not planning to give me extra homework, are you?”
“Well, I’m the bad guy. Old habits.”
“I had my heart broken too.”
“You kill the guy? Or… girl.” He frowned.
“Guy. No, I didn’t. Popsicle nearly did though.”
“Popsicle? That the robot?” Zero blinked. That guy didn’t look like he could harm a fly.
“Yeah. He was so mad…” DG shook his head. “His… programming was to protect me, I guess.”
“Why are you here, Princess?”
DG shrugged. “I guess… I thought… you might be lonely.”
Zero laughed. “Lonely? Lil ol’ me? I’m never lonely. Get out.”
“He’s like you, you know.”
“He’s like his father.”
“That is you.”
“No, it’s not. Go away, Princess.”
“Az says that even the worst outcasts yearn for redemption.”
“I’ll take whores over redemption any day, thanks.” She grabbed him. The guards reacted. “Gonna protect me?” he asked them.
“Jeb can be your opening to it.”
“I send him to that brothel once only, Princess.”
“Redemption, Zero!”
“Why the hell do you care?”
“Look. My entire family… well, I don’t know what my dad did, but I don’t see anybody but us caring about what he’s up to… we’re searching for redemption, for all that’s happened in the OZ. Why… why… can’t you do it with us?”
“You think that guy thinks I deserve ‘redemption’, huh?” Zero asked her, waving at the nearby guard. “Or him?” he indicated the guy next to him. “The only redemption they think I deserve is my death! Being the scapegoat of the old regime… saving the life of your sister. That’s my redemption! My part in history! But no, here I sit. Teaching you munchkins, while that guy glares death at me.”
“It’s not supposed to be easy, Zero.”
“Give me a break.”
The Fates had a sick sense of humour. A blast ripped through the corridor outside. The guards reacted immediately, getting DG to a far corner. Zero didn’t move. It’s not like he had a weapon. “What’s going on?” one of the guards asked.
Zero got up and stepped warily towards the door. He peered out. “My guards are dead. There’s a man down. He’s not moving.”
“General Zero.”
“Hi. Leeds. What’s up?”
“We’re here to rescue you, though killing She Who Killed The Sorceress would be an added bonus.” He gave Zero a gun and stepped forward.
“Ah, shit.” Leeds jerked before dropping dead to the ground. “I really liked that guy. HEY! You guards? You got GUNS by any chance? Maybe start USING them!”
They eyed him suspiciously. DG pushed them out. “People are hurt!” she told them. She stormed out first. They followed right behind. Zero wavered when they vanished through the door.
“Not my fight,” he whispered to himself. He sat back down. More firing was heard, along with the occasional groan. Battle.
“Sir.”
Zero swallowed his sigh and looked up. “Yang. How are you?”
Yang sneered. “I knew it.” Zero frowned. “You’re working for them, aren’t you? Giving them info about our locations, our strategies! You came up with them after all.” He cocked his gun. Zero fingered his own gun. “Thanks for the memories, Zero.”
BANG! Yang fell to the floor. “Where’s the princess?” Cain asked.
Zero shrugged. “Left.”
“So I just saved your life?”
“Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I saved the princess’.” He kicked Leeds. “You really got tell those guards that it’s all well and good being a crack shot, but you’re still dead if you don’t draw.” He looked at his own gun. “And I had a gun anyway.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Zero shrugged. “Uh… don’t you have a palace invasion to worry about?”
“You just… going to stay here?”
Zero shrugged. “Good here, innit?”
“Come on,” Wyatt decided. “I’m not leaving you here. If nothing else, you’re a target. Let’s go.”
“I could just shoot you.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Jeb warned, appearing by the door. Zero stared at him for a moment, before nodding and walking out. “Uh… do you think they’re after the Sorceress?”
Zero shrugged. “A few might. But Leeds knew The Sorceress was dead. So I figure it’s just going to be a few of the optimists.”
“So what are they doing?” Wyatt asked. “Getting you out?”
“With two guys? Nah.” Zero was quiet for a while, obviously mulling over the possibilities. He dived for cover when they met further resistance. Fortunately, Wyatt and Jeb meant he didn’t have to fire. He looked over at Cain, fingering his weapon. It’d be easy to shoot him now. So easy.
Wyatt grabbed him, snapping him out of it. “Let’s go.”
“Ok.”
“You were telling us why you’re old friends decided to pop in,” Wyatt prompted.
“Actually, I was telling you why they weren’t here.” Zero grew thoughtful. “Not here for DG.”
“You sure?” Wyatt asked.
“It was an added bonus,” Zero whispered. “The Queen’s half-dead anyway.”
“She is not!” Wyatt retorted, making Zero smirk.
“There’s gotta be a reason…”
“Sir!” a man ran for Cain’s side. He gave the token glare to Zero before reporting. “We’ve managed to drive them off… with the princess’ help.”
“Good man,” Zero replied. “Don’t worry about protecting her, she can do your job for you.”
“Shut up, Zero!” Wyatt smacked him across the head. “Do you know what they were after?”
“Prisoner abuse,” Zero murmured, rubbing the back of her head.
“Nobody cares…” Jeb breezed.
“Looks like they were after the treasury, sir.”
“The treasury?” Zero repeated in disbelief. “We already got money… places.” He glanced up between the enemies as if to check they heard. Of course they did. He returned to his train of thought and scratched his head. “What the hells are they up to?”
“Damned good question. We’ve got a lot of those.”
“You’ve also got clean up. I’ll go find some guards.” He walked off.
“Rogers,” Wyatt tapped him. “Go after him, make sure he doesn’t wander.”
“Sir.”
Author: diabolicalfiend
Characters/Pairing: DG, Jeb, Wyatt, Zero, OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: The Longcoats attack the palace.
Warning: A couple of deaths.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man
Word Count: 1062
“Hi!” DG waved.
Zero gave her a sceptical look as she entered, with at least three guards. The room he was in, wasn’t a cell and was large enough. Several books were strewn about the place. “Hi!” he replied, mimicking her tone.
“That was… an interesting class,” DG remarked. “I learned a lot.”
“Good,” Zero muttered, making himself busy.
“How does it feel? Not being the bad guy for a change?”
“Fan-wheeling-tastic.”
“You’re not planning to give me extra homework, are you?”
“Well, I’m the bad guy. Old habits.”
“I had my heart broken too.”
“You kill the guy? Or… girl.” He frowned.
“Guy. No, I didn’t. Popsicle nearly did though.”
“Popsicle? That the robot?” Zero blinked. That guy didn’t look like he could harm a fly.
“Yeah. He was so mad…” DG shook his head. “His… programming was to protect me, I guess.”
“Why are you here, Princess?”
DG shrugged. “I guess… I thought… you might be lonely.”
Zero laughed. “Lonely? Lil ol’ me? I’m never lonely. Get out.”
“He’s like you, you know.”
“He’s like his father.”
“That is you.”
“No, it’s not. Go away, Princess.”
“Az says that even the worst outcasts yearn for redemption.”
“I’ll take whores over redemption any day, thanks.” She grabbed him. The guards reacted. “Gonna protect me?” he asked them.
“Jeb can be your opening to it.”
“I send him to that brothel once only, Princess.”
“Redemption, Zero!”
“Why the hell do you care?”
“Look. My entire family… well, I don’t know what my dad did, but I don’t see anybody but us caring about what he’s up to… we’re searching for redemption, for all that’s happened in the OZ. Why… why… can’t you do it with us?”
“You think that guy thinks I deserve ‘redemption’, huh?” Zero asked her, waving at the nearby guard. “Or him?” he indicated the guy next to him. “The only redemption they think I deserve is my death! Being the scapegoat of the old regime… saving the life of your sister. That’s my redemption! My part in history! But no, here I sit. Teaching you munchkins, while that guy glares death at me.”
“It’s not supposed to be easy, Zero.”
“Give me a break.”
The Fates had a sick sense of humour. A blast ripped through the corridor outside. The guards reacted immediately, getting DG to a far corner. Zero didn’t move. It’s not like he had a weapon. “What’s going on?” one of the guards asked.
Zero got up and stepped warily towards the door. He peered out. “My guards are dead. There’s a man down. He’s not moving.”
“General Zero.”
“Hi. Leeds. What’s up?”
“We’re here to rescue you, though killing She Who Killed The Sorceress would be an added bonus.” He gave Zero a gun and stepped forward.
“Ah, shit.” Leeds jerked before dropping dead to the ground. “I really liked that guy. HEY! You guards? You got GUNS by any chance? Maybe start USING them!”
They eyed him suspiciously. DG pushed them out. “People are hurt!” she told them. She stormed out first. They followed right behind. Zero wavered when they vanished through the door.
“Not my fight,” he whispered to himself. He sat back down. More firing was heard, along with the occasional groan. Battle.
“Sir.”
Zero swallowed his sigh and looked up. “Yang. How are you?”
Yang sneered. “I knew it.” Zero frowned. “You’re working for them, aren’t you? Giving them info about our locations, our strategies! You came up with them after all.” He cocked his gun. Zero fingered his own gun. “Thanks for the memories, Zero.”
BANG! Yang fell to the floor. “Where’s the princess?” Cain asked.
Zero shrugged. “Left.”
“So I just saved your life?”
“Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I saved the princess’.” He kicked Leeds. “You really got tell those guards that it’s all well and good being a crack shot, but you’re still dead if you don’t draw.” He looked at his own gun. “And I had a gun anyway.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Zero shrugged. “Uh… don’t you have a palace invasion to worry about?”
“You just… going to stay here?”
Zero shrugged. “Good here, innit?”
“Come on,” Wyatt decided. “I’m not leaving you here. If nothing else, you’re a target. Let’s go.”
“I could just shoot you.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Jeb warned, appearing by the door. Zero stared at him for a moment, before nodding and walking out. “Uh… do you think they’re after the Sorceress?”
Zero shrugged. “A few might. But Leeds knew The Sorceress was dead. So I figure it’s just going to be a few of the optimists.”
“So what are they doing?” Wyatt asked. “Getting you out?”
“With two guys? Nah.” Zero was quiet for a while, obviously mulling over the possibilities. He dived for cover when they met further resistance. Fortunately, Wyatt and Jeb meant he didn’t have to fire. He looked over at Cain, fingering his weapon. It’d be easy to shoot him now. So easy.
Wyatt grabbed him, snapping him out of it. “Let’s go.”
“Ok.”
“You were telling us why you’re old friends decided to pop in,” Wyatt prompted.
“Actually, I was telling you why they weren’t here.” Zero grew thoughtful. “Not here for DG.”
“You sure?” Wyatt asked.
“It was an added bonus,” Zero whispered. “The Queen’s half-dead anyway.”
“She is not!” Wyatt retorted, making Zero smirk.
“There’s gotta be a reason…”
“Sir!” a man ran for Cain’s side. He gave the token glare to Zero before reporting. “We’ve managed to drive them off… with the princess’ help.”
“Good man,” Zero replied. “Don’t worry about protecting her, she can do your job for you.”
“Shut up, Zero!” Wyatt smacked him across the head. “Do you know what they were after?”
“Prisoner abuse,” Zero murmured, rubbing the back of her head.
“Nobody cares…” Jeb breezed.
“Looks like they were after the treasury, sir.”
“The treasury?” Zero repeated in disbelief. “We already got money… places.” He glanced up between the enemies as if to check they heard. Of course they did. He returned to his train of thought and scratched his head. “What the hells are they up to?”
“Damned good question. We’ve got a lot of those.”
“You’ve also got clean up. I’ll go find some guards.” He walked off.
“Rogers,” Wyatt tapped him. “Go after him, make sure he doesn’t wander.”
“Sir.”