Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

Sayori could only weakly let out a little noise of pain as he gripped her hair, wondering if he was upset at her little display of anger. Though it seemed like he wasn't too angry about it, as he didn't immediately harm her other than squeezing her hard enough to make her eyes water.

"We shall see."

That quiet voice in her ear sounded so sinister, almost as though he was challenging her in a way. It seemed like the sentence's words had been cut off, the unspoken words being, "... if you can last." She had no doubt that he would set her up again and that the next time he would cook up something even more horrific. Like Cora had said, it was what he liked to do and no amount of being careful would save her from his lust for blood and domination.

While he cleaned her feet, she simply stood there quietly, trying not to wince every time he would rub the cloth against her shredded feet. It was only by the saving grace of the handcuffs that she didn't lose strength in her legs as he worked. At last she had the gel applied, a bit of relief being brought to her feet. However, though the gel certainly had some pain-relief abilities, it was no match for such substantial pain. As he undid the cuffs on her wrists, her knees shook slightly as all her weight was now on those feet, pushing against her wounds with vindictive pressure. She hadn't realized just how raw her wrists were, the cuffs having even cut into her skin in places- they were two pink bracelets to go along with her fresh bruise anklets and fading bruise necklace. She looked at them as he put the items back, her attention being brought back to the man when he called out to her.

"Come Sayori. If you collapse now, I will leave you here."

Flicking down for a moment, her gaze appraised the distance between them before moving back up to him. Though it almost sounded like heaven to be able to simply collapse and rest on the concrete, she was determined to get back to the house to sleep in a real bed. She at least deserved that much after all that she had been through.

With a deep breath, she started to shuffle and hobble over to him, wincing upon each painful step. When she finally reached him, she put her hand upon his as she had done so many times before and he led her to the staircase, patiently waiting for her to take each step on the way there. The staircase soon was in front of her and she felt a bit of despair creep up on her- there was no way she could climb this staircase. It would seem that he too knew this, the man scooping her up into his arms and making the climb for them. Though she hated him, she felt relief and a bit of gratitude for that small bit of mercy, merely relaxing tiredly as he stroked her hair as one would a pet cat.

They were soon up and past the shed, walking in the crisp morning air with the sun creeping up into the sky. It amazed her just how long she had been in there, standing in those cuffs in her own little puddle of blood. He walked into the house with her, moving up the stairs with audible footsteps. When they reached the door of the room, he opened it and stepped inside, Sayori looking over to see Quint sitting there with a naked Cora curled up near him. Though she realized at that moment that she was naked as well, she was simply too exhausted to care.

The General walked over and set her on the bed, turning and leaving without a backward glance. It was almost as though now that the fun was over, she was no longer of interest.

"Quint..." she said in a hoarse voice, too tired at this point to even move over to him. Sayori didn't quite know what to say at that point, her mind feeling a bit tired and her train of thought derailing easily. Perhaps she had just wanted to say his name.

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She thanked her lucky stars that Kyle and Jameson were so close by, the woman letting out a breath of relief as the rushed in to assess the situation. Knowing that they needed to be close to him and needed a bit of room, she had backed up quickly to allow them the space they needed, moving more to the end of the bed so she could look up at what was happening.

When she saw his eyes open, it was probably the most excited she had been for days. He was awake! Tommy had done something they hadn't thought was possible. By all rights he should be dead or still in a coma, and yet he had woken up and was actually looking around consciously. It was possible that the trauma could have messed with his head or given him brain damage or amnesia or something, but by god she was going to make him remember her. Even if that was unsuccessful, she would 50-first-dates him back into having feelings for her.

Tears of joy came down her cheeks as she let out a little laugh, leaning in and putting her hand softly on his leg so as not to hurt him. "Tommy... You're alive... You're alive you strawberry-chocolate-brained goof! Kyle saved you and the mission was a success. Everyone else came back fine..." She wiped her tears with the back of her arm and let out another relieved laugh. "You better get better soon so I don't feel guilty about kicking your ass for making me worry!"

 

[Drobabes]

He heard the bootsteps before the door opened, and he had to look away. He had to. If he had seen the state that Sayori was in while she was still in that bastards arms, he would have done something stupid. It had already been so hard to hold back in the cells, when he had cared about her, yes, but she had still yet to find a place in his heart. Now she was more than just someone dear to him, and to have to look at her while also trying to hold his sister together might have broke him.

"Quint..."

The blanket of the bed was laid over her shoulders softly, his extra limbs then maneuvering it around her so that it wrapped her in a similar way to Cora. Once she was wrapped up, he used his tentacles to wrap around her torso and slowly drag her across the bed to him. It was a bit difficult, the drugs still kicking in his system making him sluggish, but he managed to get her by his side and pull her close with his human arm. Once she was there, Quint leaned his face down and rested it between the girls shoulders.

For a moment, he was silent. Then he started to cry.

Cora didn't say a word, nor open her eyes, but eventually, she moved her arm out from under the blanket so that she could softly stroke his hair.
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Despite his best efforts, Kyle was just as much of a sobbing mess as Jesse was. His hand had reached out and was laying over Tommy's less injured arm, gripping it gently but tightly as he tried to blink back tears of joy, pain, and some anger behind the relief.

"You fucking dumb ass" he choked, smiling despite the tears.

"She's not the only one going to kick your ass, you got a list now, and it's ten yards long."

Tommy tried to turn his head to look at them, his heart's wild drumming having calmed down to a gentle beating once more as he listened to Jameson's words, but his neck hurt so bad. Hell, everything hurt so bad. Even closing his eyes in relief seemed to cause him a twinge of a headache behind his temple.

Still, the pain meant he was alive.

Opening his eyes again, he looked down; first at Jesse, then to Kyle, and then back to Jesse. His lips twisted into a small smile before they quivered a bit and tears began to leak down his cheeks. He wanted so badly to tell her how sorry he was, that he hadn't meant to scare her-either of them, but he could barely croak out a sound.

Jameson saw him struggling, so he turned to the little table and grabbed the vial of medicine that they had brought. Twisting the cap off, he moved to Tommy's side and helped to guide it to his lips.

"You're throat's going to hurt like a bitch, so just try to let it slide down...that's it..."

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori simply let Quint wrap her up and pull her over, her body mostly limp and easily maneuverable. She was happy to have something warm around herself after being cold for most of the night, the blanket being almost as comforting as Quint's presence. When he pulled her close to his side and put his arm around her, she leaned against him and sighed, feeling relieved that she could now rest. She would be extremely hungry when she woke up, she knew, but for now her stomach had settled into a reluctant numbness.

Though she was close to sleep, the sound of him crying made her tired eyes force themselves open, the woman needing to be conscious for just a bit more. Angling her body slightly, she wrapped her arms snugly around his chest and murmured, "I can't stay awake for much longer, but I wanted to say that... I think we're all a little broken and bruised, but I... I don't want to give up and..."

Her head was a bit fuzzy now, having to blink her heavy eyelids and struggle to retain her consciousness. "I hope I'm glue enough for both of you, at least a little." At that point her train of thought fizzled out, the woman unable to keep herself awake longer than her last sentence. "I just realized I never thanked you for... trying to destroy my eggs, that was... mm."

With that, she was out cold.

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It was hard to tell whether Tommy was smiling and crying in relief, or whether he was just trying to keep a brave face in light of the pain. Jesse hoped it was the former, though she knew that he must be feeling awful every time he moved even a slight bit.

"You're throat's going to hurt like a bitch, so just try to let it slide down...that's it..."

Were she more inclined to make dirty jokes at the moment, she might have at least smirked. As it was, she merely watched as Tommy was "spoon-fed" the medical gel. She wasn't quite sure where they had gotten it or what it was, but it seemed to have worked wonders already. It hadn't seemed like he had been improving at all until they got some of the medicine in him. Jesse hadn't dared hope, but she had noticed that he had started to breath more evenly on the bed, his complexion becoming less sickly and strained.

A few moments later from the doorway, Randy casually strolled in with a blanket. He had been having a hard time sleeping, so he figured he might trudge over to the medical building and check on Jesse. Sometimes she forgot to wrap herself in something warm, so he thought she might appreciate it. He froze a few steps into the room when he saw what was going on, his eyes widening as he realized that Tommy was awake.

"Tommy... You're awake!" Though the statement was obvious, it was almost as though he was simply reaffirming it by speaking it out loud. The young man had done such a service in getting him and Jesse out of harm's way that he felt so grateful to him. More than that though, Tommy was just a good man through and through, the type with his heart in exactly the right place. Maybe he had been a bit impatient and foolish in his rescue mission, but he hadn't deserved to go out that way.

He walked to the bed near his legs, looking up at him with slightly glossy eyes. "Jesus, it's good to have you back. We all hoped you would wake up, but it wasn't looking super good for a bit... You're a fighter, Tommy. It might take a bit, but we'll get you up and running with some patience." Indeed, he wasn't sure how long it would take for Tommy to walk again with that broken body of his, but he knew that he would be right there helping however he could.

 

[Drobabes]

Jameson looked up as Randy came in, giving him a smile as he talked. Indeed he was a fighter. Even without the medicine, Jameson had been questioning how the boy had survived for as long as he had. He didn't consider himself a true doctor by any means, so he didn't think it was just their hospital equipment and his own knowledge that had kept him going.

After he was done, he sat the young soldier down gently once more, though this time he propped him up with a few pillows so that he could at least look around more easily.

"It might take a bit, but we'll get you up and running with some patience."

Kyle had moved his hand down from Tommy's arm to take hold of his hand, and though he was very gentle about with it, he couldn't help but give him a little squeeze.

"Fuck yea we will," he said, giving his friend another smile. Tommy managed to return it, albeit weakly, before his eyes moved around the room once more. Everything was still a bit fuzzy, but each second he spent awake was bringing him further out of the fog. With a bit of puzzlement in his face, his brows knit a bit and his eyes turned back to Kyle. The other young soldier could tell he was trying to say something, but he had to bend down near him to be able to pick it up, and even then, it was so quiet he wasn't sure if he heard him.

"Zac? Where's Zac?" he asked, leaning back up. Tommy answered with a small nod. He could see a lot of people in the room, and even though they had sad the mission was a success, that didn't mean that they hadn't lost someone else along the way.

"He's alright, but that's a good question. Here, let me go find him."

Kyle turned his eyes towards Jesse, giving her a relieved look.

"Why don't you come over here and keep him company while I go look? Hold his hand-you know he likes that dirty shit" he chuckled, his voice almost breaking on another sob.

 

[Poprockz]

Jesse rolled her eyes at Kyle in a good-natured way before walking over to take his place, "uh-huh, sure Kyle. We all know it's really you who gets off on that sweet sweet hand action. I've seen the way you look at them."

A smirk crept onto her face before she reached down and gently scooped up Tommy's hand. Her fingers didn't interlock, merely letting his hand rest upon hers while folding her fingers around him; the woman's other hand coming down to affectionately rub the back of his hand delicately. While here eyes lingered down where she was stroking him, they soon moved to his face, a warm smile being given to him.

While she was upset about him making them worry, that was merely the tip of the iceberg. If he had been up and walking around being more healed than not, she would absolutely have ripped into him and let him have it. There were so many things she would need to talk to him about to really feel okay with what he had done, especially the part where he and her dad had tricked her and carted her off to the base. For now though, he was much too fragile for her to be rattling him like that unless he felt brave enough to bring it up. Until then, she would try to be supportive while that conversation was on hold.

Randy sighed for a moment, watching her stroking his hand and being reminded of Jesse's mother. A soft smile came to his face as he said, "you know, Puffs has been glued to your side since you got here, holding your hand and making sure were doing okay. I tried to get her to come back to one of the other buildings, but she said she wanted to stay here until you woke up."

His daughter flushed slightly before flashing him a look and saying, "shut up, dad."

 

[Drobabes]

Vin was halfway to Damien's car, keys in hand, (which he had made sure to snag earlier when the women soldier had came in, telling her that they were traveling together), when he saw the headlights. For just a brief second, fear kicked through his chest, unsure of who would be travelling into the rebel base area until the vehicle got close enough for his eyes to see the driver in the early grey light of dawn. It was just one of Tommy's friends, and once they recognized each other, they both offered up a polite smile and wave. Though Vin did wonder what the young man was doing out at this hour, seemingly by himself.

His need for a smoke far outweighed his curiosity at the moment, however, so he hurried in grabbing his guitar from the trunk. It was also this hurry that made him completely miss the small handheld recorder, strapped to the underside of the trunk lid, that became loosened when he slammed it back down to close it.
________________

After Kyle had left the room, Tommy's eyes had gone back to Jesse and were now glued on her beautiful face. He had been so, so scared of losing her, and even though she was here now and they were relatively safe, he couldn't bring himself to look away. Randy's words were heard, but only a small smile was given in his direction.

Jameson let out a little sigh and crossed his arms before clearing his throat.

"I think we should let him rest a bit" he said softly, looking over at Randy with a relieved smile.

"You can stay if you like, Jesse. Actually, I would prefer it-let me know if anything else happens, or he just needs something. I'm going to be upstairs in the guest bedroom at the end of the hall, working on some supply documents."

With that said, he gave them both a smile and Randy a little pat on the shoulder before he left the room and headed upstairs. On his way to the end room, he noticed one of the doors had been barred in with a hammer.

He walked up to it, scowling, before removing the hammer. Either someone had placed it there for god knows what reason, or, more than likely, one of his young soldiers was playing a prank on someone. And indeed, it would seem that was the case, as when he opened the door and took a quick peek inside, he saw someone on the bed. The moon was long past it's point in the sky of giving any good light, and the sun wasn't up high enough to illuminate the room just yet, so he didn't recognize who it was. Stepping back and shutting the door, he gave a frustrated little head shake and walked away, intent on tearing whoever's idea of a laugh it was a new one tomorrow.
__________________

Kyle was just walking around the outside of the building when he saw Zac pull up, and all his momentary relief and happiness at having Tommy wake up, was suddenly replaced with suspicion and worry. Zac had said he was going to be sleeping in the bunks in building B, so what the fuck had he been doing outside the safety of town, with a vehicle to boot?

 

[Poprockz]

Ker-chunk

Damien flinched and sat up slightly, looking around blearily. His hair was stuck up in some places and he felt like complete and utter shit. Based on the noise, it had sounded like a door closing, but when he looked arund there was no evidence of anyone being there. Speaking of "being there," he wasn't sure when he had ended up on the bed as the last thing he remembered was getting into a chair and drinking himself silly. Though come to think of it, the vodka bottle was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he had dropped it or something.

Oh god, his stomach felt awful and his head... His head felt like he had been a shoe in a clothes dryer. With a groan, he sat the rest of the way up and squinted at the window, the sun itself not yet visible over the horizon. Though he did his best to walk straight, he stumbled a bit as he got up and walked over to the window, sticking his upper body out of it and sighing as the cool air soothed him a bit. There was a slight breeze, so he closed his eyes and relaxed his body, draping himself over the windowsill.

He could hear a truck pulling up, but he didn't pay it much mind yet, taking the time to simply enjoy the way the cool wind ruffled his hair. It was probably better that he was hanging out the window anyway- after all, he felt like he could lose the contents of his stomach any minute.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"I'll be sure to let you know." The puffy-haired woman responded respectfully, knowing full-well that it was mostly due to Jameson that Tommy was alive. If there was anyone she would call if Tommy needed help, then it would be him.

With the pat to his shoulder, Randy nodded at him and walked over to Jesse, putting the blanket he had around her shoulders before giving them one last smile and leaving. He was picking up what Jameson was putting down- his daughter needed some alone time with the young man, especially since they hadn't been able to talk for quite a while.

There was silence for a moment or two as her attention returned to Tommy, continuing to stroke his skin while looking into his eyes. "I saw the dick you shaved into Kyle's head. I don't think he knows, but when I was in the truck on the way over, I took out a packet of his honey and put the tiniest amount on his steering wheel. It was hilarious watching him scowl and wipe off his hands, even though he couldn't get the stickiness off." Her eyes were full of mirth as she recounted it to him, thinking to herself that he would appreciate the little prank.

 

[Drobabes]

Zac pulled the truck up and put it in park, his body becoming tense as he caught the way Kyle was coming towards him, anger written all over his face. And it was for good reason, he knew, but knowing did nothing to help the anxiety of having just been caught.

"Get out of the truck" Kyle demanded, after having yanked open the door. He didn't wait for his friend to make the decision on his own, though, but instead reached in and yanked him out by the arm and then pushed him up against the side.

"Alright, spill it. Where the fuck were you?"

"I was, looking for something" Zac said, fidgeting as he watched Kyle cross his arms. They were all on relatively equal terms in their circle of friends, but there was a bit of unspoken acknowledgement that while Tommy was away, Kyle was basically like their second in command. And right now...Tommy was definitely away.

"Looking for what? And why didn't you tell me you were going out?"

"Because you wouldn't have let me."

"Wouldn't have let you? Why would I...oh Zac, you didn't."

Zac's dark brown eyes looked away, his face tensing with rage.

"That fucker almost killed him Kyle. I wasn't going to let him get away with it. Well, I wouldn't have, but the fucking dogs barking gave me away."

Kyle took a step back, shock written all over his face as his wide eyes stared at his friend. And then he exploded.

"ZAC WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! Do you know how much danger you just put everyone in?! What if they followed you back?! What if they had caught you?! We're you trying to get killed?! Huh?! Answer me you stupid fuckface!"
_______________________

The boy smiled again and a very weak chuckle managed to work up through his chest. After that, he was silent once more.

With a heaviness in his limbs that made his arm shake slightly from the effort, he manages to move his hand out of hers and bring it up to her face, stroking her cheek with an affectionate look before he then moved it to her shoulder. His grip was still very weak, but he manages to get his limbs to obey him just enough, to gently tug her shoulder down towards him and guide the adorable little rockstar to his chest. Having her lay her head just below his chin, he takes in as deep of a breath as he can, and then tries to speak loudly enough for her to hear.

"...mm'sorry. So...sorry. He..."

He has to stop, for a few seconds, his breath a bit labored as he tries to catch it, and hot tears run down his cheeks as he stares ahead at the wall.

"So bad, Jesse...so evil. I couldn't...let him get you..."

With the few words seeming to drain the last of his energy, Tommy very quickly finds his eyes closing, much too heavy to hold up for even a second longer. Not a moment later, he is breathing evenly once more, once again fast asleep.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien groaned softly as he started to hear the two young men bicker. It hurt his head, and he couldn't help but hear every word clearly as they were fairly close by and weren't making any effort to be considerate of those who could be recovering from a night of excessive drinking. Lifting his head slightly, he almost glared down at them, wondering if he would risk the throb to his head to request that they should be a bit quieter.

"That fucker almost killed him Kyle. I wasn't going to let him get away with it. Well, I wouldn't have, but the fucking dogs barking gave me away."

He perked up slightly and wondered why that bit of information had set off some bells in his mind. Ah, that was right- they were talking about the General who had kidnapped Cora. His face darkened and he couldn't help but agree with both of them simultaneously. On one hand, he would do anything to put that bastard in the ground, but at the same time he knew Cora wouldn't have wanted anyone to be killed or put in danger because of a lust for revenge. Still, Zac certainly had guts. It seemed a bit odd to him that the General would be the sort of man who had dogs though, as monstrous as he had sounded according to Cora.

Nearby, Stanley had been doing his morning exercises, having always jogged at dawn before completing the rest of his regimen. There was something extremely satisfying about breathing in the cool air of the new day while getting your blood pumping and your body warmed up for what was to come. It was almost meditative in a way, the man able to let his mind wander as his large body carried him swiftly around the buildings of the base.

He had started to hear raised voices, so he made his way in the direction of them. It was probably just a drunk fight between solders, tension being high and all, but they couldn't afford anyone to be injured nor could they risk being at odds with each other.

We're you trying to get killed?! Huh?! Answer me you stupid fuckface!"

Like a gazelle who had been overindulgent in steroids, Stanley rounded the corner and jogged to them, stopping in front of them and scowling. his eyes went to the truck and back to them before he spoke in a stern tone. "Kyle. Zac What is the meaning of this? None of the trucks were scheduled to be operated in any capacity tonight. You do realize that we are trying to conserve resources, don't you?"

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When he reached up, she was almost tempted to take his hand and put it back, clearly seeing how much effort it was taking to do such a simple action. That being said, she allowed him to do what he wanted, knowing that if he was making the effort then it was important for him to do. It touched her to feel that hand upon her cheek, that look on his face reminding her of how he had looked at her back in the base when they had shared their first kiss with one another.

The hand now on her shoulder didn't have to work very hard, the young woman being very responsive to where he wanted to guide her. To be nestled against his chest felt nice, the closest she would get to giving him a hug for a while. His body was so warm, perhaps even warmer than it should be with how hard it was working to heal itself.

"...mm'sorry. So...sorry. He..."

"Sh, it's okay." She whispered, her heart breaking at how hard he was trying to speak and the pain in his voice. Every little thing was like a reminder of how badly Kuznet had hurt him and she couldn't help but feel frustrated. Tommy, her sweet Tommy tour guide did not deserve to be lying in this bed, barely able to speak to her.

"So bad, Jesse...so evil. I couldn't...let him get you..."

"I know," was her soft reply, the woman saying nothing more than that. Jesse could feel the way his body had relaxed, his arm sliding slightly off of her shoulder. He must have been exhausted to pass out so quickly, and there was just a small spark of fear in her heart that he might go back into his coma.

Jesse knew he wanted to protect her and that it was one of his motivations for doing what he did, but she couldn't help but feel like he should have still been honest with her.

With a sigh, she adjusted herself so that she was holding his hand again and leaning on the mattress itself. While she would have loved to sleep on his chest, her body would put unneeded stress on his breathing, even though she didn't weigh all that much.

 

[Drobabes]

Both of the boys straightened up very quickly as Stanley came into view, their training to be respectful taking over there feelings and making them stand at attention. When they were then questioned, Kyle shot Zac a dirty look, watching as he looked down, before he himself looked up to Stanley.

"Apologies sir," he said.

"And you're right, we are supposed to be conserving resources. Infact, it's rather selfish" he growled, shooting Zac another glare.

"When someone doesn't communicate with the team before deciding to go out on their own selfish errands."

Zac didn't say a word, only continued to stare at the ground. After a heavy silence, Kyle cleared his throat.

"Anyways, Tommy is awake. He just woke up a few minutes ago."

"What?!"

That got the other soldiers attention, his head whipping up and staring at Kyle before he turned quickly to Stanley and gave him a curt, "Permission to be excused, sir?"

He needed to see for himself.

 

[Poprockz]

Judging from the comments Kyle was making, it seemed as though Zac had been doing something he shouldn't have. What it was, he didn't know. However, Stanley was no spring chicken, he knew that Zac had likely attempted something dangerous from what he had overheard.

"Permission to be excused, sir?"

His eyes went from Kyle and then back to Zac, leaning forward before looking the young man in the eye with a very serious look. "Do not. Attempt whatever it was you were attempting previously. Do you understand me soldier? If you do, then you can run along to Tommy. If not, then I suggest you do some hard thinking about whether you're cut out to be part of a unit."

The man straightened his back and nodded, "you'll be on the supply run and heavy-lifting duty with me at one-six-hundred hours, Zac so enjoy your free time with your friend. Dismissed."

---------------------------------------------------

Damien watched with satisfaction as the officer shut them down, finally able to get some peace and quiet. Walking over to the bed, he noticed it was actually kind of gross and dusty, wondering why he would have chosen such a place to lay down. Perhaps in his drunk state he had been a little less discerning about where he laid down his head. Whatever the case was, he now found it a bit difficult to stomach the idea of feeling the dust on his fingertips every time he rested them on the mattress.

With a sigh, he walked over to the door and opened it, walking out and dusting himself off before heading downstairs back to the room. He could see Jesse sleeping next to Tommy as per usual, so he quietly made his way to his bed and laid down. The covers were just a bit chilly but he knew they would warm up in time, the man closing his eyes and drifting back off to sleep in the hopes that his hangover would be less intense when he woke up.

 

[Drobabes]

Stanley's words were as clear as day; Zac swallowing hard and giving a quiet "yes sir" before he was finally released and took off running towards the medical bay. Kyle watched him, his eyes still burning with anger, but also, betrayal. First Tommy went and got himself almost killed, and then Zac simply went out on his own. They were both so stupid. Didn't they care about him enough not to leave him alone in this frightening new world?

His now wet eyes went up to meet Stanley's, giving him a respectful nod and saying, "goodnight Sir" before he tried to walk off. Now that they knew Tommy was actually making a recovery, he finally felt confident enough to go lay down in a real bed.
_________________

Zac came flying through the door, but as soon as he looked in and saw Jesse laying near his side, seemingly sleeping, and Tommy's hand on her, he slowed to a stop and just took it in for a moment. His breathing was a bit labored, but he forced it to slow so as not to wake them, and after another few minutes, he simply smiled and then walked back out. Shutting the door as quietly as he could, he wiped away the renegade tears from his eyes and went to the bunks, his mind also following a similar path to Kyle's.

...

A few hours later the sun was beginning to rise and Jameson, though he had gotten a good bit of work done, was still making very little progress on the ongoing investigation. There were some key components he was missing and he doubted he would get very far without Francisco being able to drop him some more information, so he resolved to take a break.

He was just coming down the stairs with a somewhat empty binder, filled with blank papers. So far it had only been used for a few notes, but he planned on filling it with medical information regarding his own observations of the healing gel that they had managed to bring in with them.

 

[Poprockz]

A large hand landed on Kyle's shoulder as he turned away, the man walking to his side so he could look down at him and smile. "Bravery and foolishness so often go hand-in-hand that one might mistake one for the other. It takes a discerning eye to determine whether bravery is warranted in light of the circumstances... But it's hard to be discerning when everything is so dissonant."

He was silent for a moment before continuing, "pardon my saying so, soldier, but it sounds like your friend might need help getting his head out of his ass by someone who has his best interest at heart. See to it that he doesn't continue to tickle his tonsils every time he speaks."

With that, he patted the man on the shoulder and jogged away.

----------------------------------------------------------

It was the morning light peaking through the window that awoke Sabastian. Even though the two of them were alone, Sabastian still had to wear his eyepatch just in case one of the soldiers came to wake them up. With a yawn, he reached up and rubbed under that thin piece of cloth, getting up and using the restroom. Once he had brushed his teeth, he put on his army uniform and looked in the mirror for a moment.

He longed to see Vin again, but at the same time he felt more than a little awkward and plenty melancholy about it. It felt like it hurt to look at him, but he couldn't stop looking. The feelings he had defied logic, and yet had the audacity to demand his attention.

After lacing up his boots (which made him about an inch taller, to his great satisfaction), he started out and wandered in the direction of the medical building. That was typically where Jameson could be found. While he was basically the commander in charge of operations at this rebel base, he was also a damn good doctor from what he heard. It was almost funny how the man was kind of like what General Kuznet should have been like had he actually been a decent man.

There wasn't much do do around the place, but he was curious about the time-frame on the supply delivery, seeing as he might have the rest of the day off if he could finish sorting early enough. The blonde opened the door to the building and briskly walked up the steps, heading to Jameson's office. Turning a corner, he saw Jameson headed his way and he raised a hand.

"Hey! Good morning. I was actually looking for you to ask about the supply shipment later tonight. Are you busy?" His blue eye looked around before he paused and moved closer to the man, lowering his voice and saying "and... I don't think he'll ask, but if Vin asks about anything with me, please don't say anything about my back. You and Robert are really the only ones who know and I'd like to keep it to myself if at all possible..."

 

[Drobabes]

Kyle stopped as that hand was put on his shoulder, becoming just a bit tense. Was Stanley looking to lay into him as well? It didn't seem so, as what he said instead had Kyle looking up at him quite seriously as he listened, before smiling a bit and nodding. As he made his way to bed, he had a lot on his mind and hoped that sleep would help to sort all those confusing feelings out.
_________________________

Jameson looked up as his feet landed at the end of the stairs, a smile touching his lips as he heard Sabastian greet him.

"Good morning! No, not at all, although I was just about..."

He paused, seeing the shift in Sabastian's body language. The shorter man really wasn't hard to read, although Jameson suspected that if he needed to, he could act, but more than likely he was just the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

"Of course I will," he said, giving a little nod.

"It's no one's business, not even my own, but I had to treat you for injuries when you first came in, so here we are."

His eyes looked over towards the medical bay, and then he lifted the hand holding the paperwork and gestured in that direction.

"Want to join me? We finally got some good news-Tommy woke up from his coma. I was just about to go check on him again and see how he's doing."
__________________________

Tommy was sitting up and looking around, though he had decided not to try and move much. Even if he wasn't feeling like a cat that got caught under a tractor tire, he wouldn't have moved simply because of who was still sleeping on his chest.

Sleeping, with cute little pigtails and puffy eyes that were still absolutely adorable, even if she had been crying. And the way she would make cute noises in her sleep, or furrow her brows, had him all but swooning at moments. It wasn't the way in which he envisioned their first time in bed-if he would have ever been lucky enough for her to take him to bed, but nonetheless, her warm little body felt so right by his side.

The noise behind the curtain alerted him to someone coming in, and when it moved aside, he cleared his throat and tried to speak, finding it surprisingly easy now.

"Morning..."

 

[Poprockz]

"Cool." He let out a little breath of relief and gave him a satisfied look when he assured Sabastian that he wouldn't be letting it slip to his... ex? Could he really call Vin his ex? The idea of calling him that didn't sit right with him, the man preferring to think of him as a dear friend even if he couldn't have anything more than that.

"Want to join me? We finally got some good news-Tommy woke up from his coma. I was just about to go check on him again and see how he's doing."

Sabastian's eyebrows raised in interest, starting to move with Jameson in the direction of the room. "Yeah, that'd be great. I owe that man a thank you for busting me out of that hellhole."

They continued to walk, simply exchanging pleasant chatter back and forth until they reached the room in question, Sabastian letting the other man lead as he moved to one of the beds and pull the curtain back. It was adorable- Jesse seemed to be sleeping on Tommy, and the guy seemed to be quite pleased with that situation.

Tommy wasn't aware of it, but Jesse had actually started out on the bed near his hip, her body and position migrating until she had ended up on his chest again. It was almost as though the lady subconsciously wanted to be closer to him despite not wanting to hurt his chest by sleeping on him. Jesse murmured something in her sleep that sounded a lot like, "don't eat my drumsticks..." before smacking her lips slightly and relaxing again.

Turning, Sabastian closed the door behind them and checked each of the other beds real quick, taking note that a sleeping Damien was the only other one there before approaching Tommy. A grin was given to the soldier as he walked to his other side and looked down to him.

"Morning yourself. Well well well, looks like you're awake." He paused for a moment as though a bit curious about something and turned toward the little bottle of medicine, lifting it and taking a little sniff. "Huh. I suppose it makes sense that you'd get better more quickly with this. I didn't know it could heal shit on the inside though."

 

[Drobabes]

Tommy wasn't expecting to see Sabastian, but in all honesty, he felt a bit of relief that the blond now knew that everything he had said in front of him, the last time they had seen each other, was just an act for The General. He gave him a genuine smile as he came to stand near his bed. It was also good to see Jameson, having not seen him since the last time he had went with Fran.

"Yea, awake but I feel like I got hit by a truck" he chuckled.

"Sorry for the uh...blind faith act. Back in the cells..."

Sabastian seemed distracted by what was by his bed, and it was just as well, because Tommy didn't really know what else to say after that. Now that the mission was a success and everything was cleared up, his words were probably unnecessary. Still, the absolute disgust in the blonds eyes as he had turned to walk away with Kuznet wasn't something that he could forget so easily, so it helped his, albeit, unnecessary guilt to be cleared a bit.

"Huh. I suppose it makes sense that you'd get better more quickly with this."

Sabastian was watched with curiosity by the two men, although Jameson was the one to speak up to that comment.

"You know what it is? We were able to steal quite a bit of it from Kuznet's second, but we haven't been able to run it through any tests yet. All we know is that it has amazing ability in speeding up injuries."

Tommy's brows knit a bit with curiosity, though he seemed completely innocent as to what was really in that vial. If he knew, he might have puked.

"Speaking of Kuznet..." he said, clearing his throat and looking Sabastian's way for a moment. He wouldn't have minded learning about the healing gel, but he had something much more pressing on his mind.

"While we were trying to get you out of there, I managed to break into his safe and read his files. You were in quite a few of the more recent one's Sabastian, and I uh..."

His eyes flicked over to Jameson, and then towards the door. He gave the man a small nod with his chin, which prompted Jameson to tilt his head with curiosity before walking over to the door and locking it. Tommy didn't know that Damien was in the bed next to them, and for the moment, Jameson seems to have forgotten about it as well.

"I have a photographic memory. Well, sort of. At least with words. I was hoping I could give you the reports, Jameson, and we could use them to get this evil bastard."

 

[Poprockz]

"Yea, awake but I feel like I got hit by a truck. Hahah.. Sorry for the uh...blind faith act. Back in the cells..."

Sabastian had merely shrugged at the comment, not having taken it personally once he found out that it was all an act. Besides, he had called Tommy out for jerking himself off earlier that day, so he considered them to be even. It couldn't have been very comfortable for Tommy at the time to have known that the General knew he'd been touching himself that morning.

"You know what it is? ... All we know is that it has amazing ability in speeding up injuries."

He had to restrain himself from letting out a little snicker, settling for a bit of a smug grin instead. Oh, the man had no idea what he had been drinking, and if he knew, he wondered if he would be weirded out by it. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure how he himself would feel if he had to drink Quint's gel. Logically, it was fine since it was basically just a medicine he produced, but it was still icky since it was a liquid he had dispelled from his body.

Opening his mouth, he was about to say something about it when Tommy redirected the conversation. It was all just as well- he'd probably end up telling Jameson later and letting him decide when to tell Tommy that he had been drinking zombie goo from a man's tentacle.

"While we were trying to get you out of there, I managed to break into his safe and read his files. You were in quite a few of the more recent one's Sabastian, and I uh..."

This piqued his interest, Sabastian getting a surprised and curious look on his face. Why would Kuznet be mentioning him? Maybe he had just been taking research notes regarding his strength, the mental connection with Quint, and the transference of pain. Whatever it was, he really wanted to know.

"I have a photographic memory. Well, sort of. At least with words. I was hoping I could give you the reports, Jameson, and we could use them to get this evil bastard."

"Shit, that's fucking brilliant, Tommy! Do you need someone to write stuff down? I could probably do it if you talk fairly slowly." He looked around, wondering if there was something to write with in there, like perhaps they had left notes near Tommy's bed.

Nearby, Damien stirred, turning quietly on the bed and not saying anything. He had been debating on going back to sleep until he heard Tommy and then Sabastian speaking. It was really good to hear Sabastian's voice and he couldn't help but smile, wishing he could pull back the curtain and say hello. That being said, he probably already knew about Damien, so he imagined he would only sour the atmosphere if he did so.

Instead, he was resolved to eavesdrop and listen from afar.

 

[Drobabes]

Why did Jameson feel like he should be concerned about that look on Sabastian's face? Was the gel made of something super common and simple, perhaps making them look like fools for not having realized what it was sooner? In any case, what Tommy had to say next damn near made his mouth drop open. Francisco had saw some real talent in the young man, but a photographic memory had never been mentioned. Perhaps he had been keeping it to himself, and now that he was out of Kuznet's hands, he saw smart that was.

"More than half of this notepad is empty, Sabastian" Jameson said, coming over to sit by Tommy's side.

"And it's probably best if I do it. I'm used to writing military reports, so I'll be able to make sense of it and transfer over a proper copy. Feel free to stay here, though, I certainly don't mind you hearing what's in them. Especially seeing as you will probably be needing to know if you are going to help us."

Opening the notepad up to a blank page and clicking his pen down, he gave a little nod to the soldier, his eyes then going over to Jesse's sleeping face. In all honesty, he saw the way she had been training with Stanley, how well she had improved already. Unless these reports started going into some really disgusting territory, he didn't feel the need to wake her up and make her leave just yet. He hadn't told her yet, but, he had decided to intensify her training and start prepping her to be on one of his more elite teams.

"Go ahead Tommy."

He nodded, adjusting himself a bit and being mindful of the beautiful little women on his chest.

"The first document seemed to be a list of prisoners that he was keeping on hand. Some of them I recognized the names from my own research-real criminals that had gotten freed from a few prison cells, seemingly so he could run tests on them. Notably a mister Abe McGawfin, 'convicted March eighth, twenty fifteen. Three counts of manslaughter-the victims being his wife, teenage son, and ten year old daughter. Currently being kept in area C-A, lower cell B'.

That bit I skimmed through, but I still have the info if you want it for later reference. I was trying to find what types of things he was doing with them; if he was just holding them, or experimenting on them, and this is when I came across something interesting.

"A 'Mister Fredrick Mason was picked up by Officer Niles, approximately two PM on Sunday morning, after the infection spread. He was made to cooperate with false promises of immunity from the infection for himself and his two sons, a Mister Bradly Mason, and Sam Mason. Once he was in agreement with the Officer, they were brought to Base C and taken directly to cells K and N eight. Once there, Mason was questioned by General Kuznet and ordered to follow through with a deal, worked out between Mr.Mason and General Kuznet, to capture a young women by the name of a one Cora Simantha Bluefield. Mr.Mason's end of the bargain would be freedom, both for himself and his two sons.'

What's interesting about that is that he wasn't in the criminal records list that I had been going through before, and if I had to guess, wasn't a criminal at all. Although why Kuznet would have wanted him in particular beats me..."

Tommy stopped there, looking over to a glass of water that was sitting next to the gel. Once Jameson helped him to get a drink, they continued on.

 

[Poprockz]

"Alright," Sabastian nodded as Jameson volunteered to do the writing. He looked around and grabbed a chair, pulling it up to the end of the bed and resting his elbows on the railing while resting his chin on his hands. That blue eye of his focused on Tommy with an intent gaze, wondering just how much Tommy had been able to tuck away into that brain of his before Kuznet had shown up to ruin his information gathering.

What's interesting about that is that he wasn't in the criminal records list that I had been going through before, and if I had to guess, wasn't a criminal at all. Although why Kuznet would have wanted him in particular beats me..."

"I mean, I don't find it odd that the manipulative bastard tried to twist someone into trying to grab Cora, but I'm not sure why he would chose that person in particular either." The blonde thought about it, wondering if maybe the man had a personal relationship to Kuznet in some way, perhaps someone that was no longer useful to him in any other way than to be used for tasks such as that.

Behind the curtain, Damien thought to himself that he finally found out who this "Sam" was. It was the son of the man who had tried to drug Cora. Because he failed, he had been taken out on purpose, his son likely killed due to his failure. It was tragic, and he felt a bit of guilt twisting in his gut for beating the man before he was assassinated. All he had been trying to do was save his family, but Damien still had an obligation to keep Cora safe so he didn't regret that part at least.

Tommy continued, glancing at Sabastian before saying, "This one's about you, Sabastian.

Report Zed-R: Mission to capture target unsuccessful- report adjusted for information gathering
The acid successfully dissolved but was not successfully administered to the target. The target was anticipated to exit the building so the dose was released. Instead of target, companion Sabastian received the dose.

Time to impact: Roughly 5 minutes
Duration: Apprx 3-4 hours
Symptoms:
>Loss of human consciousness
>Destructiveness/Rabidness

Notes:
>Cannot differentiate between friend/foe/neutral (hostile to all)
>Can differentiate between life forms/undead (see below)
>Enhanced mental warfare (brain liquification of zom- see report on specimen 1B)
>Strength indeterminate, exceeds expectations
>Will consume meat during episode
>Does not retain memory of episode afterward

Summary: Highly volatile while under influence of acid.
Conclusion: Approved to relocate to cell F under Prime base."

By the time Tommy was done, Sabastian was simply staring at him with a wide-eye, not quite sure how to process what he had just heard. The report Tommy just read out loud was specifically about the time he went mad and it seemed that it was entirely because he had been drugged. Did that mean he was safe and that he just needed to avoid getting dosed to hold onto his sanity?

"I'm... safe?"

His heart started to beat more quickly as his mind went to Vin. The fact that it had an actual, identifiable trigger meant that it could be avoided and that he likely wouldn't ever naturally go into that sort of state. It relieved him beyond measure that he actually wasn't dangerous, his worst fear being alleviated. However, was he still safe enough to be with Vin?

Even if he was, would it be fair to Vin to expect him to take him back? He had essentially abandoned Vin and treated him cruelly. Though it was to keep him safe, he was a bit nervous about going to Vin and expecting for things to just be okay again.

 

[Drobabes]

Tommy nodded, not doubting it either. Kuznet was insane. Smart, but insane. When he then went on to repeat the rest of the report, he was also a bit surprised. Of course, he had been a little surprised read about it the first time, but his mind had been mostly focused on just gathering the information-not really digesting it or it's meaning.

"I'm... safe?"

Jameson paused in his writing, looking over to give Sabastian a smile.

"Looks like it, and I'm glad to hear it. And now that we know what caused it, we can start working on figuring out why it does that to your system. Maybe even find a way to neutralize it before it escalates to such a degree again."

His eyes turned back to the notepad, scribbling down the last of the notes, and then giving Tommy a nod to continue.

"Right, clipped to that report was various notes on other substance..."

Over the next ten minutes, Tommy went on to 'read' the reports on what they had given to the regular zombies, Quinton, and to the half zombie women they had captured before. Notably, the use of Marijuana was brought up in multiple applications, but most often used to subdue them. Even very small amounts were often enough to to put the zombies asleep for several hours, with larger doses leading to days, or even weeks. It was noted though, that as in the case with regular people, the subjects showed very little, if any side effects to the drug, except in the case of higher doses causing some bouts of nausea and vomiting that were temporary and would go away as the drug left their system.

Another drug was alcohol, with the half zombies showing an inclination to prefer to drink it, almost as if their new bodies craved it. When administered, even in very small amounts, it was found that it could neutralize the make-up of their skin and blood that caused the zombies to be so prone to fire. They were not fire proof, as mentioned with a regular zombie having large chunks of flesh burnt off with a continued torch, but they would no longer simply combust like a match to gasoline.

"'Side note: All three of the test subjects still seemed to show an instinctual fear, bordering on irrational, when faced with an open flame, even while being administered with alcohol'."

 

[Poprockz]

His eyes watered and he had to blink a bit and look at the window for a moment before nodding. They may not have known just how good it was to hear that report, and to hear that there was a possibility of saving his mind and the people around him if it were to ever happen again.

Tommy continued to read various reports, some regarding testing on the turned animals. Both Damien and Sabastian were saddened by what was described in those reports, horrible and cruel things having been done to those captive beasts. As for the eggs, most of the information about them wasn't super helpful, not being as conclusive until they got to a report that mentioned Sayori specifically.

"Report Brth: Subject- Sayori Yuki Nakamura

Subject had eggs placed inside her by half-zombie of the V100/0 variety (Sab). During incubation within subject additional sperm was donated by K. During pre-birth removal of 4 eggs, three had accepted sperm donation while one kept DNA only from host.

Subject did not display normal pregnancy symptoms other than enlarged belly, and cravings for certain foods. Subject was more sensitive to cold temperatures, and became increasingly hungry over the course of the pregnancy.

All four eggs placed within half-zombie built nest. Material used: meat from prisoners A,Q, and W. Original four eggs were observed to be starting to melt into meat of the nest due to immaturity."

Shifting uncomfortably, Sabastian nodded. "Yeah. That sounds about right." He was quiet for a moment before his eyes drifted to Jesse absentmindedly. It was good to hear that half of her eggs hadn't made it, not wanting for that lunatic to get his hands on any of them. The reality was that her other eggs would likely be healthy and when she had them, Quint would end up impregnating her again if his tentacle was healed. He hated that he had been made to leave both Sayori and Quint behind; it ate at him that they were both subject to that madman's whims. It was possible that Sayori was already dead, though he didn't envy Quint even though he was sure he was alive.

Damien's face was one of pain, having had to listen to everything about Sayori. It hurt knowing that she had gone through all of that. He could only assume that "sperm donation" by "K" meant that the General had forced himself upon her, and he thought to himself that it was a miracle that he hadn't killed her just by putting himself inside the woman's tiny body. How much pain and humiliation had she endured, all because she had been someone Damien had taken.

He felt immeasurably guilty, wishing he could take it back. There was no going back now though- he had to live with the fact that everything happening to her was his fault.

The sinking feeling in his chest just seemed to get heavier and heavier until he felt like he was under a dark blanket of melancholy. Normally this would be a time when he would have liked to lean on Cora or hear what she had to say. Maybe she would even have offered him a kind smile even if her opinion didn't condone what he had done.

He didn't really know what he needed to feel better, but he knew he couldn't stay in that room any longer. The man slowly got up from his bed and made sure that his feet were heard as he pulled his shoes on, not wanting them to be jump scared by him pulling back the curtain. When they were on, he pulled back the curtain carefully, then looked at each of them in turn, nodded, and strolled to the door. It was unlocked and he then stepped out, closing it behind him.

Having checked earlier, Sabastian wasn't too surprised when Damien got up and left, but he was a bit surprised that the man had woken up. He wondered at what point he had done so and how much he had heard. It was odd that the man hadn't lingered to greet him even though they hadn't seen each other since he ran off, but maybe he was just a bit tired or overwhelmed. Or perhaps he had taken the note to heart- hopefully he could rectify that with him later.

Damien took a deep breath as he stepped outside, looking around to see some of the soldiers jogging while others simply were talking as they walked to wherever they needed to be. There was no one he could talk to, no one who would really want to talk to him. He supposed there was Robert, but he didn't believe what the man had said about deserving love. It was all well and good to preach such thing until one was faced with an honest-to-god criminal like himself.

He felt himself longing for Cora's smile, her touch, her warmth. He wanted so badly to feel her there with him. There was no way that would happen though, he thought to himself dejectedly as he watched a soldier carry a basket of laundry, his eyes lingering for a moment before widening. Her clothes. They still probably had her smell on them. Hopefully she wouldn't mind, but it would be an enormous comfort for him just to have a shirt of hers he could breath in, just to get her comforting scent.

Now with a purpose, the man walked toward where they kept the car. He didn't have any car keys with him, but he always kept hairpins in his pocket just in case, so it would be easy to get the trunk open. Once he reached it, he did just that, picking his way into the trunk of the car before lifting it and beginning to look around for Cora's suitcase.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora had become all but unresponsive. Even during their 'family' meals, she said little, only just barely responding to any questions, and even then, that was mostly when Kuznet demanded it of her. She ate, but only so much as she could get away with, and though she had dressed and would shower, she spent most of her time sitting by the window. It was here that she was perched, simply waiting for her brother to return from whatever new experiment Jonathon was testing on him, when Kuznet decided to pay them a visit once again.

He strode into the room with a recorder in his hand, and the second she saw it, her expression changed from apathy to apprehension.

"Are you ready, my little doll?"

"Ready for what?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper and shaking with the fear that was beginning to course through her as she watched him turn it on, and then lift it up to take in her pale and bruised face.

"To send that little street mutt of yours a message, of course. We are going to show him just how useless he is."

Her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes widening as she realized what he was doing. Not only was he going to record her as he did god knew what, probably catching her moments of forced pleasure, and pain, but he was then going to show it to...to...

He knows where he is. He knows where he is, and he's still sending him messages.

Her hazel eyes had looked down at the carpet, her hands coming up to try an unconsciously cover the bruises on her shoulders, ashamed and saddened of what Damien would likely soon be seeing on her skin, where the dress couldn't hide them, but suddenly they shot back up and almost glared at the man behind the camera. There was a sudden fire in her eyes, a determination and courage that she did not at all feel.

"I won't" she whimpered, her eyes beginning to moisten.

"I-I won't do it Ray! I won't!"

She had never, not since she was a little girl and had thrown a tantrum, told him no. Her defiance at the table had been nothing compared to what she was doing now, and even then, had been seen by the big man as simply a need to remind her of her place. But this...this, was different.

Cora was blatantly and intentionally trying to shut him down, to hold her ground and dare to say that she had any choice in the matter. Not begging to get out of a situation, not trying to take an easier path, or even begging him to change his mind. She was consciously and willfully trying to push his will away and daring to stand her ground. She was poisoned, tainted, and Kuznet could see all his years of careful work being flushed down the drain.

As if to announce his rage, the dogs in the yard began a chorus of ferocious barking just as he advanced upon her, the camera dipping down as Cora let out a scream of fear and pain. He had grabbed her by the end of her hair, tugging her to him roughly with an iron grip and forcing her across the room and then out it, leaving Sayori to be locked away in their cage until he was ready to play with her again.

Very quickly they were across the yard, and then in front of the shed. All the while, Cora had screamed, clawed, and fought his unyielding grip.

"NO! I WON'T DO IT!" she cried, watching with mounting panic as the shed came into view. Once inside, he sat the camera down on a table, and then turned on her. He slapped her so hard that she hit the side of the door frame and bounced back, where he was quick to catch her and sling her over his shoulder. After that he wasted no more time and getting them downstairs.

His breathing heavy, mostly due to the rage of her defiance coursing through him, he made short work in hooking her up to cold metal table. Even then, she tried to fight him, squirming away from his bruising grip until he had properly secured her, and once she couldn't couldn't lift herself up, she finally settled enough for him to set the camera up properly.

Ignoring her sobbing and incoherent babbling, he placed the camera down in front of her. It had a view of her face, the table below her, but little else. This was about her, after all, and the words that she needed to admit were true.

"So my little Cora" he growled, reaching down to pull and rip the dress from her skin, making her yelp as it stung her already sensitive flesh. Once she was naked, he went over to another table and procured a bottle of oil.Her face was flushed flat against the cold metal when he returned, eyes shut tightly as she tried not to give in. It was only pain...it would pass. Eventually, it would pass. It was only...

The second she felt that oil drip onto her ass, and then leak down the warmth of her crack, her eyes flew open and she started to shake. It was only by the grace of that camera being right there, in front of her face, that she had the strength to shut them once more and try to hide the absolute terror in her eyes as she prepared for him to rape her plush ass. She could not, however, fight the gut wrenching scream of pain that tore through her throat as Kuznet slowly, but surely worked his huge cock into her tight little ring.

"STOP! Please Ray!"

"Say it."

All she could do was scream and shake as he pulled back out, only to shove back down into her with more force.

"Who do you belong to, Cora?"

"YOU!"

"And did you ever love that little street mutt?"

"R-RAY! Please! Please, it hurts!"

"Say. It."

"N-no!" she sobbed, absolutely losing her mind to the drumming of his hips against her ass. She couldn't think anymore, and she certainly couldn't fight. She just needed it to stop, and she would say whatever it took to get there.

"Good girl" he breathed, pulling out of her with sudden force and leaving her to scream and convulse on the table from as her body tried to recover from the rough treatment. As she was catching her breath, and her screaming finally turned to simple sobs, he made his way over to the camera and picked it up. Loosening her bindings on the side, just a bit, he then turned back to her and gently pushed the hair from her sweaty and tear stained face. He then gripped it roughly and forced her to turn her face towards the camera.

"Now say it again, my little Cora. Who do you belong to? Who will you always, belong to?"

Cora's eyes looked up over the camera for a brief second as she sobbed, and then they turned back down to the little screen. She knew what he was doing, how he would splice this and make it seem as if she had said and willing did things that she would have never done, even under the worse torture. But, she wasn't going to let him get away with it. Not this time.

Taking a second to close her eyes, disguising it as a need to breathe and collect her voice enough to speak, she then swallowed hard and blinked back the tears. When she opened her eyes once more, she willing stared into the camera. No, not the camera. Him. Her Damien. Her one true love, who she would never betray.

"I am yours. And nothing, in this world or the next, will ever change that."

After it was said, and because her eyes could only briefly take in that demented grin on his face, Cora looked away towards the wall and laid her head down in defeat and exhaustion. He had gotten what he wanted-for her to scream, so that he could use it strike fear in Damien's heart. But it had come at a price. A price that, he probably wasn't even aware that he had paid, because he simply lacked the ability to feel what they all felt, and would not be able to recognize it behind those burning forest eyes as he edited his little message.

If that message did indeed make it to him, then she could only pray that Damien would be able to see it in her eyes. Even if she couldn't say it out loud, he simply had to know that she loved him.

...

He left her there for hours, and when he finally returned, it was with a needle in one hand, and a device in the other. She didn't bother to question him as he sat the camera up again, nor did she bother to lift her head as he injected the needle. Once she began to feel the heat pulsing in her veins, and the tenderness in her loins, however, she did begin to cry once more.

Suddenly, there was a pressure against her clit, and though unwelcome, it was no doubt pleasurable. It became even more pleasurable as it was turned on, vibrating her little pearl with intensity, and then making her scream out as an orgasm rocked through her hard, spurred on by the drugs coursing through her. She screamed again when he entered her, slowly, and well oiled, so that her body could accept his invitations with wanton lust. And, over the next hour, she came again..and again...and again.

Each time seemed to be more pleasurable than the last, and even though he made her moan, writhe, pant, and admit to liking such naughty things into that camera's little screen, there was never any true feelings in her voice. There was never a true sense of gratification, of affection, or even real lust, and the only real relief that seemed to fill her tone was when it was finally over.

...

Kuznet left his mess for Sayori to clean up once more, locking the girls away and taking his prized video to his room to doctor up. He kept the beginning, loving the look of horror on her face and her little bout of defiance, until she screamed. He left out the unnecessary footage of dragging her out of the room, across the yard, and down into the cell. Once there, he spliced it to start up once more at her screaming in pain from his initial few thrusts, begging him to stop, and then cut it. From there, he edited in a few moments of some of her best orgasms, splicing in few seconds of her admitting that she belonged to him-so that it looked as if she was screaming it out in pleasure, rather than pain, and then he cut it off once more. Where he started it back up again, was when he had brushed her hair back and told her to say it once more, the video ending on her looking deeply into the camera and finally telling that mutt the real truth. She was his.

____________________________________

Both Jameson and Tommy were surprised to see Damien move the curtain aside, though they hoped that he had not heard too much. They decided to simply remain quiet until he left, Jameson taking the opportunity to give them a bit of a breather as he locked the door. The information on the eggs was pretty disgusting, and he felt they both needed a break before they continued on with the other documents.
____________________________________

Vin was strolling back from the small party, satisfied and relieved of stress from the few smokes and about three beers he had had. It certainly wasn't enough to get him drunk, but it was a pleasant little buzz and likely wouldn't hurt his still recovering body too much. Though, he almost felt like a new man after having gotten some proper sleep.

He stopped, his eyes having caught the sight of Damien digging around in his trunk, and his body suddenly tensed. How had he gotten out of the room? Had someone let him out? Or had he escaped? That old familiar anger built back up in him quickly, not knowing what the man was doing, but only remembering that he had said he wouldn't go anywhere. Another lie, apparently. Was his sad sob stories a lie too?

"Are you looking for your gun?" Vin's voice growled, just a foot behind Damien.

"Because you ain't gonna find it in there."

He didn't know if Damien had been looking for it to shoot him, or himself, but Vin was absolutely convinced that that's what he had been searching for. The possibility of it being anything else could not even come to mind in that moment.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori did her best to tend to Cora when it was all over- cleaning her, whispering words of comfort, and wrapping her up in a blanket before letting her lean against her. Based on the fact that he had used Cora so many times, she doubted he would be back again that day and it was just as well. She didn't like dealing with Kuznet more than she had to and she was worried about Cora' s mental state, worried that at some point Cora would depart from this world before her heart even stopped beating.

------------------------------------------------------

Though he had heard movement behind him, he had figured it was just a soldier or something so he paid it no mind. However, when he heard Vin's voice he stopped what he was doing.

"Are you looking for your gun? Because you ain't gonna find it in there."

Damien turned around with a slightly puzzled look on his face, wondering to himself why he would be out here digging around for his gun. Did Vin think he was fixing to grab it and murder him now that he knew his secret? Or perhaps he thought Damien was going to run off to try to find Cora and take that bastard down himself. While he would have loved to head off in search of her, he really needed the rebels' help if he had any hope in finding her as he had absolutely no idea where he had taken his lover.

"What? No, I wasn't looking for that, I was looking for..." He hesitated, unsure as to whether Vin would even believe him. If he did, he would probably think it was creepy that he wanted to smell her off her clothing for comfort. "I was looking for something else." With that, he turned around and continued to shuffle around a bit. He could see that her bag was under several other bags and a little food crate, so he'd have to be careful or some of it could come tumbling out.

 

[Drobabes]

Damien was only met with a glare as he tried to explain himself, but when he didn't even answer what he was really doing, and then had the audacity to just turn around and ignore him, Vin lost it. He had been holding his anger in check for too long, feeling as if Damien was just playing him every second he got. This was the last straw.

"Don't fucking ignore me" he growled, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder and then using it to spin him around. Once he had him turned around, he gave him a hard shove, all but pushing him back into the trunk.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to leave that room?! And was that sob story about, huh?! Trying to pl-"

He couldn't finish the sentence, as something falling down and to Damien's side caught his eye. It was a recorder.

His face paled a bit as the anger was replaced with suspicion and dread, his eyes going up to meet Damien's as he took a step back.

 

[Poprockz]

"Don't fucking ignore me"

He heard him and was about to turn around but Vin beat him to the punch. Damien found himself yanked around to face the man and was only briefly able to take in the anger on his face before he was shoved into the trunk of the car. Falling backwards, he landed on their supplies and slid downward on his now unbalanced feet. The man landed on his ass on the ground, hearing a noise as though something from the trunk had fallen down beside him.

When he saw what it was, he noticed that there was a pretty red ribbon around it just like the envelope with the tape he had received at the base. His face turned white like a sheet when he realized that it was a "gift" for him from the General himself. The fact that they weren't all dead meant that the recorder was probably put in the car while they were still at the base, so whatever was on there was at least a day old. There was a pit in his stomach as apprehension started to bloom within him, his steely eyes going up to meet Vin's.

"Look, I... I'm sorry. I had a dream about Cora last night and it really unsettled me. I took myself some booze and I went upstairs and drank until I passed out. When I woke up, I went right back to the medical room and slept some more. I only told you that story in Dave's room because you asked and I thought you deserved the truth. I could have lied to you and told you that it was all fake, that the General was twisting your view of me but I didn't because..." Damien reached up a hand and rubbed his temples with it, his head still feeling a bit shitty from all the alcohol he had imbibed.

"I don't actually know why. It would have been much easier for me to let you keep believing that I was a decent person, and I could have been with her again if you didn't know. Maybe that's part of why I did it. She is my reason for living and I want her so desperately, but I know it's selfish of me. By all rights she should find someone else who is better for her. I've tried to tell her this, but she told me that it's not up to me whether I deserve her or not, and that she'll make that decision herself. Maybe she'll listen to you."

While that was certainly part of it, Damien suspected that there was a bit more to it than that. He couldn't say it to Vin, but he had come to think of him as a friend. When Vin had looked at him in that room, waiting for an answer, the thought of lying to him had made his heart ache. He hadn't wanted to conceal who he was from him any longer and he had truly thought that he deserved to be told Damien's awful secret. It was almost funny, the truth that he would only tell a friend then breaking the friendship. The true mark of friendship with Damien was that he was willing to let go of that friendship if it meant letting the other person see into his past.

He gave Vin a shrug and reached out with a shaky hand to grab the recorder, looking at it with trepidation. If there was one thing he didn't want to do, it was open that recorder and watch whatever it was inside. Watch it he must, though, so now he was simply stalling.

"As for the trunk... I just wanted one of her shirts."

The recorder was opened and he wasn't surprised to find that it had been fully charged. There was only one video in the menu, so he knew which one to select.

"Are you ready, my little doll?"

"Ready for what?"

"To send that little street mutt of yours a message, of course. We are going to show him just how useless he is."

Damien's entire body tensed, his eyes wide with terror as he saw her sitting there in that dress. She was bruised, though she tried to cover it up. That voice... he could only assume it was truly his, the man who had been sending him messages. He could only stare as she defied him, putting her foot down and saying that she wasn't going to be complying with him. There was no doubt that it would go over badly, though Damien still flinched when he heard that scream from her lips.

What he witnessed next shook him to his very core. He was forced to watch him take her over and over again, the woman saying dirty things in between throes of bliss, admitting with eyes streaming from pleasure that she never loved Damien and that she was his. So consumed in the video, he wasn't sure when he had started crying, but his own tears were soon sliding down his cheeks as he bore witness to her pleasure.

Though she was cumming, his eye was keen enough (at least in the beginning) for him to see that there was no feeling in her eyes. Her voice and expressions were hollow, almost as though the pleasure itself was a torture. In that moment, he recognized that expression as one he had seen time and time again on women he had taken. They had all cum for him, moaning and writhing in bliss, and yet the pleasure never reached their eyes. His body trembled in pure shock as the realization hit him.

What had he done? He had never truly understood the gravity of his actions until now. While he knew that their pleasure hadn't been given willingly, he had thought that it still meant that they were being given something pleasant, something good. Now as he watched the video before him, he knew that it wasn't the case. Damien hadn't understood that the pleasure inflicted upon those women was translated into emotional and mental pain to that extent.

He was truly a monster, just like the man hidden from view who was making the most kind woman in the world cum over and over for him. At that point, Damien broke slightly, his expression becoming one of hollow despondency. He didn't even have the will to look away, continuing to watch until the end a few seconds later.

"I am yours. And nothing, in this world or the next, will ever change that."

Her eyes were so intense as she said it, seemingly looking into his very soul. Though he imagined that she was truly looking at was the man behind the camera. The General had probably pushed her to the point where she herself had broken, saying what he wanted her to say. She was broken, and Damien himself had contributed to this.

The recorder was dropped from his limp hand, falling to the ground beside him. Thankfully it didn't break or anything, merely getting just a bit scratched from the fall. With that, he simply cradled his face in his hands and silently cried. There was nothing else to be done, really. What was he going to do? They needed to find her NOW. Even if she hated him, even if she was broken, they needed to free her from that horrible existence.