Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

Despite his own discomfort, Quint could feel the mirth radiating throughout their link and it made him whip his head over and glare at Sabastian, watching as the man just crumpled to the ground.

"I... think I would have a hard time sleeping without something of comfort."

His expression softened considerably as he turned back to her, and at last, the blood started to pump back to where it was needed-his heart.

"I think she needs a pillow though, Quint. You don't happen to have one, do you?"

One of his tentacles reached over and whipped Sabastian across the back of his thighs, hard, while he reached up with his human hands and began to peel his shirt off. He was right-she did need a pillow, and much in that dream logic way, the pillow that he had just held not seconds ago in his hands was now gone. Instead, he folded his shirt up neatly and tucked it gently under her head before he gave her a soft pat on her shoulder.

"Then I'll stay right here, Sayori. I'll sing until you go to sleep."

Suddenly he was aware that there was a chair behind him, so he looked back to grab it, and then he pulled it up next to her side. Ignoring Sabastian for the moment, he tried to think of what he could sing that would still sound like a soft lullaby.

Unlike most men, he didn't have a very deep voice. He couldn't, try as he might, hit those more baritone notes, so he always had ended up singing higher songs from artists like Prince, or Bruno Mars. But, there was one that he thought he might have been able to pull off, although it would take him some focus, and he would definitely have to change the pitch in some spots to be much higher.

Clearing his throat a bit, he starts to sing.

As he sang, he couldn't help but think of Sarah, but for once, he didn't feel the crushing weight of the pain that usually came with those memories. Perhaps because they were dreaming, or perhaps simply because he was sitting among friends.

"Hello, goodbye, t'was nice to know you
How I find myself without you
That I'll never knooow~
I let myself gooo~"

He sang just as well, if not better, than his sister. And where as her voice was deep and rich, like molasses, Quint's was light and sweet, more akin to honey.


"Hello, goodbye, I'm rather crazy
And I never thought I was crazy
But, what, do I knooow?
I let myself gooo~"

 

[Poprockz]

SLAP!

"Ah!" Sabastian gasped as Quint's tentacle made contact across the backs of his thighs, his eyes watering from how much power the annoyed man had put behind his swing. Curling up, he rubbed his legs, trying to relieve some of the stinging pain. He supposed he probably deserved that, but if that was the price of how hard he had laughed then he would gladly pay it. Still, Quint hit him pretty fucking hard. Just thinking that word made him almost giggle, but he restrained himself to avoid the other man's wrath once more.

Looking up and seeing Quint take off his shirt for her, he couldn't help but think to himself that Quint was like the hot male version of Cora. As before though, he didn't even hypothetically he would ever fuck Quint since all he could see would be Cora's face and that would be fucking weird as hell. His movements were so sweet though, and he found himself thinking that he treated Sayori with such care and affection. Quint had been married until recently, his wife having passed away. For that reason, he imagined that while Quint's dick was still working, his heart probably wouldn't be opening for anyone any time soon.

That being said, those two made a beautiful friendship. Even in the dream, Sayori looked up at him with a warmth and tenderness that he only saw when she talked about Quint.

Letting out a little sigh, he sat up and then against one of the walls, curious to see if Quint would actually sing her something. When he actually did, Sabastian thought to himself that Quint had a surprisingly lovely voice. It was one of those voices that made one stop and listen, the pleasantness of it like a soft breeze on a beautiful summer day. He found himself enraptured, silent as a mouse in order to listen.

Sayori watched him as he sang, a contented smile on her face as her eyes drooped. Her face soon relaxed and her breath slowed, his honeyed voice obviously doing the trick.

Once the song ended, there was silence until Sabastian whispered, "holy shit, dude. Not to be weird, but you sound like a fucking angel or something."

 

[Drobabes]

"holy shit, dude. Not to be weird, but you sound like a fucking angel or something."

His eyes were still on Sayori as she drifted off into the peace that only sleep could provide, but as Sabastian whispered to him, he cocked one of his eyebrows up. His face then took on a bit of a deadpan stare as he slowly turned to look down at the little blond, and his voice said just as quietly,

"You know...the devil was an angel before he fell..."

There was about a three second pause, wherein, Quint simply stared down at Sabastian with that blank look. And then...

Suddenly the man was up and out of that chair, his feet carrying him across the cell as he came after the man, and then, across more hard ground. Reality had somehow shifted once more, and what once was simply a single cell now became a long, dark hallway, Quint's boots echoing off the floor as he tried to sprint after, revenge hot on his mind. For a long, tense, few moments, the chase was on. Until, all at once, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Or, more accurately, a door.

Quint slowed, panting a bit as they came up on it. For the moment, his anger was forgotten, and before he reached out to open the door, he looked down at Sabastian with confusion. Hadn't they been in the cells just a moment ago? Then what was this? Were they dreaming? But if they were dreaming, then what was behind that door...

Warmth, and the smell of fresh baked cookies and cinnamon coffee greeted them as they stepped through. The kitchen was large and spacious, and near the island counter stood a young Cora, likely no older than eleven or twelve. Her hair was dyed hot pink, and she was wearing a matching outfit. In front of her stood a young Quint, his black hair pushed up into tiny spikes, and his outfit was a bit of a dark grey leather. Cora was trying to attach some kind of fin to his back as he munched on a cookie, and from the living room, they could hear a women's voice call to them.

"Alright my little Shark Boy and Lava Girl, get out here so we can take pictures before you go out with your dad."

It was Halloween. Their last Halloween, as the adult version of Quint knew that not a few weeks after this, their parents would be killed in a crash.

"Mooom! I can't get the stupid fin to stay on! I need your hee-elp!"

Quint leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms as a sad little smile came to his face. He was just waiting now, for once being able to enjoy the fact that he knew he was dreaming, and that he would be able to experience this particular memory as if he were watching it on a video.

 

[Poprockz]

God in heaven, the way Quint's head slowly swiveled to look at him sent a chill down his spine. It was as though Quint had ascended into a place past murderous rage where all there was was the assuredness that he was going to make Sabastian cry for his mommy. Sabastian's face slowly morphed to an expression of horror, his body tensing as he prepared for what he knew was coming.

"You know...the devil was an angel before he fell..."

After that tense silence, it only to a slight movement from Quint for Sabastian to bolt, running as though the devil himself were hot on his heels. Unlike Quint, Sabastian wasn't going to screw himself by looking back during the chase. He could hear the man seemingly catching up with him though, wondering to himself how that bastard could be so fucking fast. Dread crept up on him as he wondered how close Quint was, though he kept running through the hallway as though unperturbed by the change in environment.

He could feel the dream shifting, but it was odd that it almost seemed like they were crossing a bridge from dream to dream instead of it shaking and resetting like an etch-a-sketch. This wasn't his dream though, as he didn't recognize that door. Slowing down he hesitated, looking back at Quint with a bit of nervousness as he wondered what memory of Quint's awaited them. He followed after him when Quint opened the door, looking around and taking stock while catching his breath.

Sabastian grinned as he saw the adorable Shark Quint and Lava Cora, opening his mouth to say something before he noticed that sad look in his friend's eyes. Shutting his mouth, he leaned against the wall next to him, knowing that in times like this, it was better to simply let things be. He didn't want to spoil the dream for Quint, especially since Quint probably didn't have lucid dreams like this on a normal basis.

 

[Drobabes]

A women, about as tall as the Cora that Sabastian knew, came walking through the door. Her skin was almost ivory white, and most likely would have been much paler if the women had not gotten years of sun. Her hair, thick and flowing, was the same light honeyed blond as the little half zombies, if perhaps just a few shades lighter, and came down to just above her waist line. She was wearing a traditional witches outfit, and her ruby red lipstick drew attention to the soft features of her face and her dark, ocean blue eyes.

"Alright, let me see."

She bent over Cora's back, gently taking both of her hands in her own as she began to help her daughter re-attach the final piece of the outfit.

"Hmm... Seems we might need a little TLC for this job. Mark! Do you think you could come in here and help me with this? Oh, Quinton! That's enough cookies for you mister!"

Both the children giggled, and next to Sabastion, Quint let out his own little chuckle. That plate had been almost full before she had came in to help, and now it was almost half empty.

His purple jewled eyes looked up then, watching as his father came into the room. He was the same height as Quint, about six foot, and his Native American heritage was obvious in the tone of his skin and how dark his hair was. He wasn't bulky like Delvin, but he was a well muscled man, and the biker outfit he was wearing accentuated the tattoo sleeves all up and down his arms and seemingly some on his chest as well. His hair was tied in a tight braid and put up under a black baseball cap, and when he looked up to his wife, Sabastian would be able to see that he had those same green flecked hazel eyes as Cora.

With an easy smile, he bends down and makes short work of what the three of them had been struggling with, and then he snags the rest of the plate of cookies as his reward.

"Mark!"

He gives her a grin over his shoulder as he starts to walk out the door, and then with a mouthful of the sweet treat, says, "what? They're going to be eating candy all night anyway."

"Yea mom!" Cora chimes in.

"Yea mom!" little Quint follows it up with.

With an exasperated sigh, the women throws her hands up, and then chases the two little scoundrels out of the kitchen by tickling their sides, causing them both to erupt in squeals and giggles.

After that, the voices quiet down a bit, but Quint doesn't make a move to leave the kitchen. He didn't want to walk out into their living room, and watch them all leave the house together. With a little sigh, he instead walks over to the counter, and, grabs two fresh cookies from a plate that appears seemingly out of nowhere. With one in each hand, he turns around and gives Sabastian a smile before offering one to him.

"Still hot."

 

[Poprockz]

Their mother was gorgeous, and her features reminded him of his own mom a little bit. Their father on the other hand, was also a a damn attractive man. Those tattoo sleeves were awesome, and his overall build reminded him a bit of Vin- they had that same gentle but wild energy. The type that would take you out on a motorcycle ride for a romantic moonlight picnic. The family looked like they all got along well, and though the mom was exasperated slightly, it was all good-humored.

The whole scene was heartwarming, Sabastian being unable to keep himself from smiling softly. Little Cora and Quint were so cute, especially those little giggles of theirs. He found himself feeling a bit blessed to be allowed to peer into a memory like this, knowing that it was probably one that Quint held very dear. He almost wished the scene would keep going, but it seemed that it was not to be, the family heading out to what was most certainly a very fun Halloween.

When the scene was over, he felt like the room was way too empty. Without their excited smiles and joyful laughter, it was as though it was just an empty set for an show. He sighed slightly, watching Quint wander in and wondering what he was doing. When he returned with cookies and offered one, he raised his eyebrow but shrugged and took a bite. Maybe it was due to it being Quint's memory, but he could actually taste it, the cookie being everything that a cookie should be.

He was surprised, thinking that maybe he wouldn't be able to taste it, this being a dream and all. Once he chewed and swallowed, he smiled at Quint and said, "dream cookies... I'd give them a ten out of ten." After another thoughtful bite, he continued, "you had a perfect family if I ever saw one. Maybe there were rough spots, but it looks to me like your parents were very loving and involved with your life."

While the place they were in stayed the same, the rest of the scene started shifting, keeping them in the third-person rather than having them act out the dream itself. When it settled, Sabastian's stomach dropped slightly.

"Now don't you look dashing..." a soft, feminine voice could be heard as they saw two people standing near a vanity with a mirror. Sabastian immediately knew who it was, his eyes fixing upon her.

The woman was taller than him, a headwrap on her head from a pretty blue scarf. There was no hair slipping out from it, the woman having had a shaved head. She looked thin and a bit sickly, but her vibrant blue eyes still had the same life and mirth as they always had. Reaching up, she lifted Sabastian's collar and wrapped the black tie around it before letting the two ends of it rest on his chest.

It was his mother helping him get ready with his butler outfit, his first day at his new position. Watching the scene, he couldn't speak, lifting his hand to cover his mouth as he tried to drink in every detail. Had she really looked that sickly at this point? He couldn't seem to look away from her as he watched, his eyes only being released in very brief intervals.

His past self got a slightly furrowed brow, pretending to occupy himself by tidying up the vanity. "Hey mom... Now that I'm making more money, you could quit your job. I think maybe being able to rest a bit more would do you some good."

She had sighed and walked closer to him. "Sabastian, You know I fully intend on working. If I need to take a little break during treatment, that's fine, but I don't intend to simply lay in bed all day, watching television." The woman hovered near him, waiting for him to look up.

"I know that's what you think you have to do, but you don't have to do it," Sabastian's gaze was pleading as he met her gaze, worry evident behind his eyes.

There was silence for a moment before she reached out and took his tie in her hands. "You loop it like this and then pull it until it's just right." With that, she let her hands drift down to his and she held them, her thumbs rubbing the backs of his hands gently. "Sunshine... If I'm not here doing the things I want to do, then there's no point. I don't want to live my life just for the sake of living."

He had nodded, his eyes starting to water. Sabastian knew that in that moment, he had wanted to say, "there is a point. Live for me, please just be with me for as long as you can." But he hadn't said it. He knew that saying such a thing would put such guilt on her shoulders while not giving her any more time than she currently had. All he could do was stand there with a lump in his throat, trying to find a better way to respond. Maybe she had just said that to make him feel like she was at peace with having her time cut short, as he knew she would have done anything she could to be there for him.

Leaning down, she had kissed his forehead gently and let her lips linger. Her arms went around him and she swayed slight from side to side, her sweet voice starting to hum 'You are my Sunshine.' He had closed his eyes, letting his head rest on her shoulder as he held her and listened. She had done really well with the first round of chemo, but that was no guarantee that she would make it longer than a year or two.

The scene shifted, Sabastian setting a tray of coffee and breakfast on Margaret's bedside table. "Hm... how is your mother's treatment going?" Margaret asked, a slight curiosity in her expression.

He had paused, glancing at her as he added cream to her coffee. "It's going okay so far. The jury's still out though. Sugar?"

"Always." She waited until he was done fixing her coffee before picking it up and taking a sip. There was a pause before she got a look on her face that wasn't mocking, but one couldn't discern whether it was truly concerned or not. Her hand went to his shoulder and she rubbed it in what she might have guessed was a comforting gesture. "I could have her fired, you know. That way she would have to rest. She does look very tired, doesn't she? Poor thing probably thinks that if she doesn't continue to work, she won't be able to leave you with anything, but she should know that I'm more than happy to make sure you're always welcome here."

Sabastian had paused, his lips pursing slightly as he carefully formulated a reply. "With all due respect, I think she can decide what she wants on her own."

Margaret had merely chuckled, letting her hand linger before removing it from him. "I suppose that's that then... Happy eighteenth birthday, by the way."

 

[Drobabes]

Quint had grinned, still chewing his own cookie as Sabastian spoke. At the mention of his family being very involved and loving, he felt that familiar old ache in his heart. It wasn't as strong as it used to be, as time had healed that old wound, but still.

"Mm," he said swallowing.

"Maybe not perfect, but they were perfect for us."

He took another bite of his cookie, watching as the scene began to change once more. He started to feel that strange tug of unconsciousness, luring him into forgetting that they were dreaming together, so he tried to fight it. It wasn't too hard once he focused on what he was doing, and about the time he finished his cookie, they were now staring at something knew.

"Now don't you look dashing..."

Quint wiped his hand on his shirt and then stepped back a bit, crossing his arms once more and simply contenting himself with letting the scene play out for them. He thought he knew who this was, as she looked familiar, but it wasn't until Sabastian actually addressed her as 'Mom' that he knew for sure. A little frown came to his lips, and when he glanced down at his companion, he could see that it was hurting him as well.

So she had gotten sick? From the looks of it, Quint could guess that it was something like cancer. While there was a small part of him that was a bit envious of the little man, that he had been able to experience having his mother in his life until he was basically an adult, the majority of Quint simply felt sorry that Sabastian had had to watch her become ill, likely wasting away from the disease. Maybe...he didn't envy it, after all. The adults in his life had often said that, one should bury their parents, not the other way around, but it seemed as if both paths were just as cruel and unfair.

"She's beautiful Sabastian" he said quietly, not wanting to disturb him from being able to see her once more, even if seeing her might be causing him a bit of pain.

When she had pulled him into that gentle hug, Quint found himself having to look down at his feet, lest his own emotions completely take over and leave him a sniveling, sobbing mess. Sabastian didn't need that right now, though he had to say, it was difficult to fight it off until the scene changed once more. His eyes looked up, and again, he was greeted with that women's face.

"I could have her fired, you know. That way she would have to rest. She does look very tired, doesn't she? Poor thing probably thinks that if she doesn't continue to work, she won't be able to leave you with anything,..."

Until that point, Quint had simply been hanging back, but those words and the way she said them made stiffen up and then take a few angry steps forward before he realized what he was doing and stopped. This was a dream, what was he going to do? Still, that evil bitch...she was being manipulative as fuck, likely only trying to get his mother out of the way so that she could do whatever she wanted without that sweet women interfering.

"I don't like that cunt" he growled quietly, wanting nothing more than to tell the bitch off in that moment.

 

[Poprockz]

"She's beautiful Sabastian"

"Yeah..." he said, swallowing hard. Indeed, she was beautiful. She had always been a beautiful woman, not only because of the way she looked, but the way she acted as well. She had been so kind and loving, willing to do whatever it took to make sure they had a good life together. It had been tough being a single mom after they had left his dad, but she never seemed to regret it. Why was it that such good people could could have so much taken from them?

He hadn't noticed, but tears had started to come down his cheeks as he heard her hum to him. It was something he thought he would never hear again, and yet he could hear it just as clearly as he had in the moment. He may have been her sunshine, but she had been his world. It had been so hard to watch her work, the woman laughing it off after accidentally dropping something or having to lean against he wall for support after going up a flight of stairs. Sabastian had wanted so badly for her to simply rest, but she had kept working until she fell one day and broke her leg.

Taking a deep breath, he then sniffled and wiped his eyes dry. The next thing he heard was Margaret's voice, making him lift his gaze to her and himself. Now that his mother was gone, he felt both relieved and just a bit sad. It wasn't healthy to dwell too long on the past though, so he concentrated on the next scene. He knew what was going to happen, so he simply watched as she was her normal, conniving self.

He felt Quint's anger before he saw him move forward, Sabastian being a bit confused over why Quint felt so strongly about it. True she was a cunt, but she wasn't being particularly bad in the moment. Perhaps he had simply been desensitized to her over the years, having had to deal with a lot worse than this.

When Quint weighed in with his opinion, Sabastian got a little smile on his face. "Yeah, she was definitely a royal cunt if I ever saw one. She gave us excellent insurance for working and the pay was phenomenal, plus she treated my mom pretty well and was lenient with her when she got sicker. She even got a bully of mine transferred to another school three months before graduation. Still... I don't think she did any of those things because she was kind; she always had ulterior motives, and the bad far outweighed the good."

 

[Drobabes]

"Still... I don't think she did any of those things because she was kind; she always had ulterior motives, and the bad far outweighed the good."

He nodded slowly, crossing his arms again as he watched the little butler serve her. For a long moment, he was very quiet. Then he looked down at Sabastian, a bit of a bitter look set on his face.

"Ray took really good care of us physically, and on the surface. He was a military man, so he had an excuse why he couldn't be seen with us in public a lot of the time, but he made sure that we looked happy. Looked being the key word there. He always blamed our depression on losing our parents, whenever anyone tried to help..."

Looking away, he shook his head a bit and tried not to linger on those bitter feelings. So far, the night seemed to be going relatively well, and he really didn't want to fall back into one of those cruel memories or some kind of twisted nightmare. It seemed as if his wish would be granted tonight, as when he started to look around again, the scene was shifting once more.

This time, Quint's unconscious mind won out, and he was pulled from his third person view to be put in his own shoes once again. Forgotten was the knowledge that he was in a dream, but instead he found himself 'waking up' in his own bed. The only light in the room was coming from the soft glow of the hallway, a small sliver of gold through the half open bedroom door. His blanket was a dark blue, but the stars and galaxies that patterned it's soft fabric glowed in the dark.

Something had woken him up. Something that seemed to still be lingering in the dark shadows, threatening to eat him up as he hesitantly crawled out of bed, and then made a dash for the door. Once he was outside their room, he reached up with his little hand and grabbed the railing of their hall, feeling along it until he made it to the top of the stairs.

The living room was dim, the lights softened down to just a few shaded lamps, and he could hear voices talking. His father, and that other man that he liked to visit with on occasion.

"I only saw the body after I threw it. If I had known he was in there, I might not have... God, Mark, he was just a kid. A little boy,and it... it just blew him up."

Quint looked down the stairs, spotting his sister sitting on one, where she was just out of reach of the lamp light.

"You were taking orders Fran."

"But if I had known he was in there, I could have taken the orders after I got him out! I killed him. I killed that little boy."

"Francis, look at me. You didn't know."

He reached out and tapped her shoulder, making her jump and whip around to stare at him with wide eyes. Just as quickly as she realized who was behind her, Cora put her hand up to her mouth and made a 'shh' gesture.

"Cory, there's something in the closet" he whispered, a bit annoyed that she had gotten annoyed with him.

"Then go chase it out Quinton. You have dad's bat."

"I'm scared..."

Cora furrowed her brows, bit her lip, then looked back down the stairs. After a moment of contemplation, she turned back to her brother and took his hand, gently leading him back down the hall and to their room. Once they were inside, she went over to their lamp and turned it on before grabbing the bat.

With her brother behind her for backup, Cora then made her way over to the closet, bravely raising the bat up in the air and getting ready to swing it if she has to.

"Alright," she whispers.

"On the count of three, open it."

Quint nodded and got into position, his hand reaching out and grabbing the handle.

"One...two...three!"

 

[Poprockz]

"Ray took really good care of us physically, and on the surface... He always blamed our depression on losing our parents, whenever anyone tried to help..."

Sabastian couldn't help but give Quint a frown at that. Kuznet was a fucking cunt too, the man seeming like a deranged control freak. Had he been born that way, or had there been some event that shaped Kuznet into the monster they knew today? Whatever the case, the fact that Cora and Quint had been struggling against him for most of their lives, always being controlled and suppressed... it made his blood boil. That fuck didn't have the right to fuck with their lives like that, and he hoped that Kuznet would mess up at some point. He hadn't ever killed anyone on purpose before, but he thought that given the chance, he would have no regrets in popping the General like a grape.

He too soon felt the world slipping away, but seeing as he wasn't truly part of this new dream, he could only watch from the side-lines like a ghost. Quint seemed to have reverted back into the dream, scared of something in his room. Sabastian wondered what it was but didn't get to find out just yet, following the younger version of Quint out to the stairs where he joined his sister. What was Cora doing out? Maybe she was having trouble sleeping. With the shit they went through, he couldn't blame her.

Drifting to the railing, he looked down to see their father mark and... Francisco? His eyes widened and he tilted his head slightly as he eavesdropped. What the officer said was horrifying, the fact that he had unwittingly blown up a boy with what he assumed was a grenade. His face became grim as he realized who must have given the order. The General didn't give a fuck whether there was anyone there, perhaps even intending for it to have happened this way. It was awful, and he knew that shit would haunt Francisco for the rest of his life.

Turning his attention back to the twins, he raised an eyebrow as Quint let her know of the dangers inside the closet. All together, they went back into the room. Sabastian was very tense, hoping to God that they weren't going to open the closet to find Niles in there, the blonde remembering the man's evil smile in the other dream Quint had shared. This was just a fucking dream and it wouldn't change the past, but he found himself preparing to open a can of whoop-ass if there really was something scary in there.

 

[Drobabes]

Quint pulled on the door hard, yanking it towards him before stepping back quickly. What flew out of that closet was not a man, but simply a little mouse. It's tiny little eyes met Quint's, and in that brief second before his sister swung the bat down, Quint could almost feel it's fear.

Cora squeaked, the mouse squeaked, and Quint dove over to stop the bat before it could smush it's tiny little head, the backs of his knuckles taking quite the crack from that old wooden bat.

"Quinton!"

"Don't kill it!"

"Oh great! There it goes, right under my bed!"

Cora dropped the bat and threw her hands up in exasperation, in such a similar way to her mother that she almost looked like a tinier version of the women.

"It's just scared Cory! You would be scared too if some giant tried to smash your head in with a bat!"

"Well I wouldn't have tried to smash it's head in if you weren't such a chicken liver!"

"Quinton? Cory?"

The twins had gotten up close and in each others faces, but at the sound of their mothers voice, they both froze as their eyes turned to the door.

"Go back to bed you two, it's the middle of the night."

"Yes-"

"-mam" they both answered, each letting out a frustrated little sigh before looking at each other with a glare. There was a tense moment between the two, each one deciding if they wanted to continue the fight in hushed whispers where their parents couldn't hear them, until Quint suddenly crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. Cora immediately erupted into a fit of giggles, and then she took his hand and drug him over to his bed.

"Come on, I'll brush your hair until you fall back to sleep" she said, petting his head as they walked over, and then climbed up into the soft covers.

And as Cora grabbed the little brush from her nightstand, she began to hum a soft tune, the scene fading out into the blissful comfort of deep sleep...

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian had been looking up as though to see a person, so he didn't see the mouse until Quint blocked Cora's downward swing. He watched as the little thing skittered underneath Cora's bed, feeling a bit shocked that a tiny rodent was all that was lurking within. He let out a exhalation of breath out of his nose in amusement, turning back to the two of them and thinking to himself that Quint was a very compassionate person to have saved the little guy.

No wonder he was such good friends with Sayori- he probably had a weakness for all things small and cute. He smiled and crossed his arms, enjoying the adorable nature of their childish bickering. The sound of their mother's voice caused him to glance at the door before seeing what they would do. It seemed as though a silly face was all it took to reconcile the two of them. Cora and Quint had such a good friendship in his opinion, both of them unafraid to to say what they wanted and be themselves, but never letting it put a wedge between them.

Since they were both on the other bed, Sabastian climbed up into the other one, pulling the covers up over himself. Quint remembered them as warm and comforting and so they were for Sabastian. He suddenly felt tired, closing his eyes and relaxing as he listened to Cora's soft hum. Not even realizing it, he drifted off into a comfortable, dreamless sleep.

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

Genevieve was sleeping, but Robert's half-full eyes almost glowed in the darkness as he got up. Leaning over, he jostled her slightly, letting her know in a soft voice that it was time to go. He would have liked to go alone, but he couldn't leave her by herself lest one of the corrupt people in the complex find her and imprison her as well. They both dressed quickly, stealing out the window. It was faced toward the back of the building, so no one saw him jump lightly down with his wife in his arms. There was a camera back there, so he made sure to avoid it as he did so. He had seen it blinking in the darkness, alerting him to its presence.

Why were they up at 2:49 am? Well, once he had come back to the room with his wife, he had taken the Bible out to see if Tommy had left a note or something, but all he could see was that Tommy had circled letters and words, Robert having to go through and write them all down so he could make sense of it all. The message ended up being: "Code: Marcus Cog. 3 AM. Far South Entrance." It was all he really needed. After discovering the message, they had burned the Bible in a little trash bin, making sure it was all ash; well, Genevieve had. It hurt both their hearts to burn such an important book, but they figured that the lord would forgive them since this was all to save one of their friends.

Obviously, the young man wanted to meet them at the back entrance of the base at 3 am and give a Code word. He wasn't sure if Tommy himself was going to meet them, but he figured he'd wing it when he got there. With Genevieve cradled against his chest, he would lower his sunglasses every now and then so he could avoid the cameras until he was where they should meet. Setting Genevieve down, he took her hand and hesitantly walked forward, looking around to see if anyone was coming.

 

[Drobabes]

The three of them had set out just a few minutes before Robert and his wife. They had lined it up for when Kyle got his night shift to watch the perimeter with Brandon, knowing that he would have an easier time reaching his truck once the General was alerted to the danger. And while Kyle was doing his rounds, Zac had snuck over to the back of the building to meet up with the couple while Tommy headed towards the bathrooms that were closest to the office, planning to lay low until the trap was set.

At exactly 2:36 AM, Kyle radioed in on the emergency line to Officer Niles, alerting him to the danger of an incoming horde. Luckily for the three renegade soldiers, they didn't have to completely fake it, as, while they were not in any immediate danger, there was indeed quite a large crowd of zombies nearby. Just close enough for Kyle to give the exact coordinates, and watch with a grin as, at exactly 2:47, the gates opened up to let out a small, well armed team. After the last of them were gone, Kyle clicked his radio a set number of times to let Tommy know. It was time to make his move...

...

A tall and young soldier approached the couple, his dark skin making him blend in easily with the shadows of the night. He held a large gun in his hands, and although it was not directly aimed at them, the young man gave off a vibe of stiff authoritarianism.

"You two!" he said, approaching them at a brisk pace.

"Civilians are not allowed back here, and especially not this late at night. What is your name, sir?"

 

[Poprockz]

Genevieve pressed herself more against Robert as a man approached. The nature of his demeanor made them hesitant, wondering if they were going to get shooed away before they could ever get a chance to meet with Tommy. The zombie wrapped his arm around her waist protectively; though he would go quietly if they were turned away, it didn't mean all hope was lost. If the codeword didn't work and this wasn't someone to be trusted, he could always sneak away and travel by rooftop.

"Ah, sorry about that sir. My name is Robert, Robert Anderson and this is my wife Genevieve Anderson." Robert gave him a relaxed smile before continuing. "We were just trying to find a mister Marcus. Marcus Cog? I think maybe we wandered into the wrong area, but he was going to teach us a bit about astrology seeing that it's such a clear night tonight." His tone gave no indication that he was nervous, the man having relaxed his body before speaking, making it seem as though tensing earlier was only a result of the man having been unexpected.

 

[Drobabes]

"We were just trying to find a mister Marcus. Marcus Cog?"

Zac kept his stiff stance for a moment, just having a bit of his own fun as he reached down and gave his radio a set amount of clicks. He waited until he heard a certain number of clicks back, and then he lowered his gun and gave the couple a dashing grin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mister and Misses Anderson. Tommy the Tour guide is going to be leading this lovely little mission from the shadows tonight, but don't worry, you are both in good hands. Now, do either of you know how to shoot a gun?"

...

Tommy pulled out his duplicate key-curtesy of Francisco, from his back pocket. He had been given explicit instructions to never use it unless there was an actual emergency, but his conscious told him that this was worth the risk. What was being done to those prisoners down there, he could only imagine, although he really would rather not.

Once inside, he didn't bother to lock the door behind him, but instead, just hid his own key on him very carefully. If he got caught in here, he planned on using that young, naive, and slightly foolish persona of his to talk his way out of it. Moving quickly over to the desk, he hopped behind it and found the little camera feed, beginning to fiddle with it until he got the feed of Zac up on the screen. Just as he did so, he got the clicks on his own radio and then watched as Zac offered both Robert and his wife a pistol. He wasn't sure if they would go for it, but he really hoped so. It was better to have everyone armed.

Taking a look up at the door, he looked back down and brought his radio up to his lips.

...

"Zac, I got the feed up. Do you remember where I showed you? Use that leather glove I gave you for the finger pad-there isn't any code for the door."

"Right" he said, looking over to Robert.

"Alright, let's go you two."

 

[Poprockz]

He fully intended to go quietly if told to do so, but if they were going to be detained for questioning, then he knew he would unfortunately have to knock this young man out. The man prepared himself for that possibility as Zac tapped a code into his walky, possibly alerting someone or asking for instructions for a particular scenario.

When they saw the man give that suave grin and introduce himself as an ally, they both let out a breath of relief, relaxing and smiling back at him. It was a shame that Tommy couldn't physically be there, but they figured he was doing important work in this operation by being the command center, so to speak. If Tommy trusted Zac, then they would too; besides, he seemed like a nice young man.

"...Now, do either of you know how to shoot a gun?"

Robert and Genevieve looked at each other and then at Zac. "As the son of a preacher, no. Unfortunately I was never taught how to use a weapon. Genevieve though..." He looked at her expectantly.

"I do. I'm comfortable with a pistol, my mother having taught me how to do so when I was considering being a police officer." In her life, she had wanted to be a champion of justice in that way, but quickly learned just how awful and gritty a cop's life could be when she shadowed someone for a day and watched him get stabbed by a druggy. They had to shoot that guy as he ran at the cop's partner. It was at that point that she decided that she would rather be a teacher instead.

The woman took the firearm and checked to see that it was loaded, putting the safety on for now. Robert shrugged and didn't take the pistol he was offered, "I think I would just end up making a needless amount of noise, having never shot a pistol in my life."

Once that was settled, they started to follow Zac as he briskly walked away, wondering how this was going to work. "So what exactly is the plan?" Genevieve asked.

 

[Drobabes]

Zac had simply nodded and took the pistol back, satisfied that at least one of them knew what they were doing. He had a vague grasp on what the half violet eyed man was, but he had yet to see anyone like him in action yet, so he would have preferred that he had his own gun as well.

"So what exactly is the plan?"

Zac looked around them as he marched them towards one of the service tunnels that would lead them to the entrance of the hidden prison, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anyone who might spot them.

"We're going to enter a service tunnel that will lead us to the underground prison. While we're getting there, Tommy is going to keep an eye out for us on the camera's, and then he's going to get us the code to open the cell. Once the cells open..."

He looked back over his shoulder, checking their backs.

"We're going to grab the prisoner, then meet up with Kyle and Tommy and get the hell out of here."

They reached their destination quickly, Zac pulling out the 'leather glove', which was actually just a regular old latex glove which Tommy had carefully used to collect the fingerprints for the keypad. Once he had it on his hand, he flipped the little cover down and pressed it up against the display.

"Hope this works...if it doesn't, we'll have to break in, and that will be a pain in the ass."

It would seem that luck was on their side, however, as they soon saw a green light indicating that the print had been read. Zac reached down and quickly opened the door before it had a chance to lock on them again-he didn't know if that glove trick would work a second time.
________

Tommy watched them on the feed, a huge grin coming to his face when they got the door open. Now that they were on their way, Tommy just had to watch the feeds, and...

His eyes wandered down, seeing something that he hadn't noticed when he had first come in. Was that...a safe? Come to think of it, he had often spotted General Kuznet moving his hand down here pretty often. He wondered...

 

[Poprockz]

As they moved, the couple also would glance around intermittently. What they were doing was very dangerous, especially since most military personnel were armed. If this went sideways, there was a good possibility that one of them might be shot. They listened to Zac’s breakdown as they snuck forward to the door, Robert thinking to himself that it sounded pretty straightforward.

“I hope the girl is with him too. It would be ideal to be able to rescue both of them... if we can,” Robert said quietly. While Sabastian was the priority, it would really bother him if he knew that there was a woman somewhere in that prison being used like that. There was a lot of semen on her clothing so either she had been used multiple times, or whoever it was had been saving up for a while.

Genevieve nodded and reached out as they came to a stop, rubbing Robert’s arm in a comforting manner, “we’ll do everything we can. Besides, maybe we’ll come back someday to break the rest of them out of at all possible.”

That suggestion made Robert smile. Though he hated what would happen to the prisoners in the meantime, he wanted to hold on to the hope that maybe they would be able to help them in the long run.

Both of them diverted their attention back to Zac as he was able to open the door, the couple once again letting him lead them toward their friend.

 

[Drobabes]

"We'll do what we can for them, but you have to remember, we're on a tight schedule. We have to get who we can, and then get the hell out before their team comes back. Once General Kuznet realizes what's been going on under his nose, all of us are going to be in some serious shit. That's why we're leaving..."

Zac would have liked to stay, to continue to bring the system down from the inside, but they had simply ran out of time. Still, with Jameson and his own men out there, and their own key to the whole plot still being here at the base, he was confident that they had at least a good head start. Already they had allies in other bases, people who had been informed of the corruption and were working to weed out the conspirators.
________

Tommy flicked through the camera's until he could see them again, and took a moment to watch as Zac used the keycard on the door that would lead him to the elevator. Good, they were close now, and making good time.

Glancing up towards the open door, he saw that everyone was still asleep, or at least, unsuspecting of what he was doing, so for few seconds, he closed his eyes. With his eyes closed, he was now able to concentrate and remember how Kuznet's hand had moved behind the desk. He didn't think it was going to work, in all honesty, but he put his hand down until he felt the buttons of the keypad, and then he moved his fingers in the same motion.

The next thing he knew, he was hearing a series of beeps that let him know that the door was unlocked. His eyes flew open and he let out an excited breath before quickly opening it. Inside, there was some small little tapes-likely to be played on the camera, but there were also documents.

Picking them up, Tommy began to read the first one, and...it was nothing really. Just reports on what they had already found out about the zombies, and the fully violet eyed people. Why would General Kuznet keep these documents in his own safe? Was it just to keep it out of enemy hands? But he was sure that other people were doing their own research already, studying them just as they had. Unless...

He leafed through the papers, his eyes scanning the lines quickly and looking for a pattern. After a few minutes of reading each page carefully, he was about to give up and put it down, until...yes! Right there! There was a turn of phrase on one of the sentences that indicated that these documents were likely encrypted. Reaching into the safe and pulling the rest of the documents out, Tommy began to read through them as quickly as he could.

I'm finally putting it to good use, Dad.
________

"Officer Francisco, this is North Team. We've secured the perimeter."

Francis sat his gun down for a moment to radio back, and then he looked over at Kuznet.

"I got this covered here Ray, why don't you take your team and head back?"

The General emptied his clip out and began to refill it, taking his time in doing so as he thought the offer over. Once he had his gun loaded back up, he gave a small nod.

"Report in if anything goes south."

"Will do."
________

"Alright, this should be the door" Zac said, stepping up to yet another small panel and swiping the card. After the door clicked open, he stepped through first, taking a look around before looking back and ushering them forward.

Behind the cells, zombies began to run up and beat themselves against the glass, their heads smashing so hard against the bullet proof barriers that blood began to drip down. Some of it became smeared as they clawed and growled, trying to get at Genevieve and Zac.

The young man tried his best not to show it, but he couldn't stop the adrenaline that began to pump through his veins, and the way his bootsteps became just a bit more hurried.

 

[Poprockz]

The couple nodded at Zac, poised and ready in case something were to go wrong. They filed out of the elevator and moved swiftly forward, the reaction of the zombies making Genevieve jump before she recovered and shook it off. Robert looked at the zombies sympathetically, hoping that their souls were with the lord. He could feel Sabastian so near, and he couldn't help but feel excited that he had the opportunity to save him from this terrible place.

*BONK*

Sabastian jumped, startled out of his sleep by the loud sound of the zombies trying desperately to get out. It only happened when there were people passing through the halls, so he assumed either he had a visitor, or someone was just passing through. Still, when and why had they turned the goddamn lights on? Even he could tell it hadn't been that long since he fell asleep, his eyes almost aching with tiredness. He hadn't noticed the lights coming on since he had been huddled under that threadbare blanket, but once he opened his eyes, the lights hit him full-force.

Paying more attention now, he could hear several sets of footsteps all brisk in their pace. He hardly thought that all three officers would come at once, so he assumed they were transporting more prisoners or zombies. With a sigh, he sat up in his bed and immediately was alarmed. He could feel another half-zombie nearby and it was... "Robert?!" he jumped up from the bed and pressed against the glass door, trying his best to look down the hall. When the three of them came into view, he felt a mixture of joy at seeing Robert again, and hesitation as it may mean that he had been captured. But... if he had been captured, then why did his wife have a gun?

Jogging forward slightly, Robert came to a stop in front of Sabastian's cell, giving him a warm smile. "Indeed, it's me. We're breaking you out of here."

The blonde's jaw almost dropped, realizing that Robert, Genevieve, and whoever that other guy was were all here to do a jailbreak. How the hell had they gotten in? Who was that other guy? When had this been planned? Were there other people releasing other prisoners? Where was Kuznet?! Everything swirled around in his mind, prompting Robert to raise an eyebrow.

"We'll explain everything when we're out, but we have to be quick. We don't have much time."

Sabastian nodded, his mind still buzzing before he looked up once more, "what about Quint and Sayori? Are we going to rescue them too?" A surge of hope came to his chest, the thought of them all being able to leave this place being the best thing he could have ever wished for.

 

[Drobabes]

He stepped up to the keypad quickly, his fingers dancing over the buttons as he listened to them talk. Just before he hit enter, he heard Sabastian mention other prisoners, and it made him pause. Leaning over a bit, he looked at him through the glass.

"Do you know where they are? I want to get them out now if we can, but we might have to risk coming back later for them."

With that said, he turned back to the pad and hit enter.

For a two long seconds, nothing happened. And then it beeped red.

"Shit."

He looked down to his belt and brought his radio up.

"Tommy, the code didn't work. They must have changed it."

There was a long pause before they received an answer back.

"Robert? I'm going to try and take the defenses offline. Do you think you can break through that glass?"

 

[Poprockz]

“I know where Quint is, but I’m not sure exactly where they keep Sayori. I’m pretty sure he would know where she is though,” Sabastian replied, starting to get excited about the idea. “Quint’s cell is further down the elevator and past the lab.”

Robert was about to reply to him when the keypad turned red and let out an angry little beep, the man frowning slightly- that couldn’t be a good sign. This was further reinforced when Zac swore and looked to Tommy on the radio for help. When given the question of whether he could break the glass or not, he nodded. “Yeah, just let me know when.” He was completely confident in his strength. Likely Sabastian could also shatter it fairly easily, but he assumed they were suppressing him somehow.

“Sabastian, move to the other side of the cell for a moment.” He commanded firmly but gently.

The blonde didn’t need to be told twice, not wanting to have a wall of shattered glass sticking out of him like some kind of abstract pincushion sculpture. Turning around, he quickly moved into the other side where the wall shielded him. His shirt was still ripped in the back, so he took the opportunity to switch it around so that it was more like a coat, the top now being in the front and covering up the evidence of that maniac’s knife-work.

 

[Drobabes]

Quint blinked blearily, something having had woken him up, though he didn't know what it was just yet. There were no windows or sources of light in his room, so unfortunately, even his enhanced night vision didn't give him much to work with.

Her rolled over in his bed, letting out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. So tired was his mind, that he almost hadn't noticed the presence of another person, gently tickling against that link in his psych. Once he did notice it, however, he became hyper aware of it, or who, ever they were. He wasn't sure what to do about it though, and feeling a bit hesitant, he tries to reach out to Sabastian, sending him a mental image of a question mark.
________

Zac took a step back as well, radioing back to Tommy and then waiting for the command. It didn't take him long at all, maybe only two minutes.

"Alright, do it now Robert."
________

Tommy was watching their feed, but suddenly his radio clicked. Looking down, he saw that it was a line going directly to Kyle's radio.

"Oh shit" he breathed, grabbing the documents he had been reading and shoving them back into the safe, trying to get them as straight as he had seen them when he first opened it. He then quickly switched the feed of the camera to the front of the compound as he brought his radio up to his mouth.

"Zac! Zac, take the cameras out!"
_________

Kuznet was walking across the compound, taking his time as he simply enjoyed the bite of the cool night air. He had no intention on his mind other than to see himself back to bed. However, a light caught his eye. A light that should not have been on, this late at night.

Curious, he took out his radio as he made a little detour towards the office.

"Jonathon? Is Niles with you?"
________

"Zac, take the cameras out!"

Panic flashed across the young mans face as his dark eyes looked up to the corners of the room. Immediately he brought his gun up and shot the first two camera's he saw, and then, once Robert had broken through the glass, he shot the one in Sabastian's cell as well.

"Times up! We need to move!"

 

[Poprockz]

As Sabastian watched, he felt Quint "tapping him on the shoulder" in a way, a question mark coming to him in his mind's eye. Concentrating, he sent Quint an image of Robert, imagining his pink appendages coming out and giving Quint as close to a thumbs up as a tentacle could give.

One of his pink appendages came out, Robert bringing it back before slamming it into the glass hard. needless to say, the wall shattered, most of the glass being flung forward into the cell as though someone had thrown a grenade. He hissed softly, bringing his appendage back, a couple drops of his purple blood dripping onto the floor before he was able to withdraw it back into his side.

Sabastian came back over, jumping over the glass to prevent stepping on any. They hadn't given him any shoes, so he had to be careful. He almost felt giddy about being able to leave this place with his new friends, and he knew Cora would be so happy to see her brother alive and well.

"Zac! Zac, take the cameras out!"

They all jumped when Zac shot out the cameras, adrenaline now pumping in each of their veins as they became a bit on-edge.

"Times up! We need to move!"

They all ran toward the elevator, Sabastian keeping pace with Robert as he huffed, "Quint and Sayori! We have to grab them!"

Feeling the hope from Sabastian only made Robert's stomach twist a bit, his expression becoming apologetic as he dashed the blonde's zombie's hope. "No... we don't have time. I'm sorry."

"They're just down the elevator. We could grab them real quick and-"

"No, Sabastian. We have to go now. I know you care about them, but now isn't the time." Robert panted as they entered the elevator, the doors closing behind them.

Those mis-matched eyes of Sabastian's narrowed before he replied, "then you guys go on ahead, I'll go down and grab them." He knew he was being stubborn, and he knew that they likely couldn't spare even a moment, but the thought of leaving Quint and Sayori here in the aftermath was excruciatingly painful. That beautiful little woman and that playful man didn't deserve to be behind bars. He couldn't bear it. Despite his frown, on the inside he felt like his heart was twisting inside him.

Robert could feel the sureness of Sabastian's resolve, and he knew the little man wouldn't be dissuaded. For a brief moment, Robert fixed his eyes upon Sabastian, concentrating hard before Sabastian's eyelids started to droop. Sabastian felt like a fog was coming over him, almost pushing him down into his mind by force. It was like his dream where someone had tried to get inside, but in this case, the presence was forcing him deeper into his mind, shutting and barring all the doors to keep him there. It wasn't trying to pull him out or make him do anything physical, so his mind didn't know how to defend itself.

"What are... you... stop... I... Quint.." The last thing he thought to himself was that he couldn't leave them; his eyes closed and just as he slumped over, Robert caught him, panting hard now with a bit of sweat on his brow. It had taken an enormous amount of effort and will, but he had essentially forced him to go to sleep. That was something he had practiced on regular zombies, but hadn't had the chance to test on a half-zombie. It would seem that necessity was one of the best motivators though.

"I'm sorry, Sabastian." The man's strained voice broke while a pained expression came to his face, hoping to God that he would be forgiven for doing such a thing. Reaching out gently to the other presence, he softly said, "I'm sorry. I hope we can come back for you." Due to his own mental abilities surpassing Sabastian's, Quint could actually hear the message as though Robert had whispered it into his ear. With that, he picked Sabastian up and put him over his shoulder as though he weighed nothing at all.

 

[Drobabes]

Quint got the returning image, sitting up in his bed with sudden excitement. Although, over the next few minutes, his excitement turned to fear, and then panic as he felt Sabastian suddenly lose himself to sleep. He had felt the worry and pain in Sabastian's emotions, seemingly directed towards himself and Sayori. He didn't know what it meant until he heard those words in his mind, so clear that he actually turned his head a few times before he realized that they weren't actually next to him.

Quint stood up, wishing he knew for sure what exactly was going on, or at least where they were. If Sabastian had wanted to come get them, and now suddenly couldn't then that meant that someone was onto them. His eyes searched the darkness blindly for a moment before he shut them hard and put his hands up to the sides of his head. With every ounce of concentration that he could muster, he tried to reach out to Robert.

Don't go back the way you came, don't go back the way you came!

He thought hard, rememberingd Kuznet's face as he imagine the elevator and the hall that would lead them to the surface. He then thought of Niles and Jonathon, and the back path that they would have taken himself out of if there was a fire, or some other disaster.

Trap, that's a trap!

With his breath picking up a bit, he concentrated as hard as he could and tried to remember the side path, the path that Francisco had taken him down only one time. They would have to go down the elevator and it would bring them towards the lab, but instead of traveling through the lab, as soon as the elevator opened, they would turn right and go down a dark hall. It would take a moment to get through it, and they might have to run to buy themselves some time, but at the end of it there would be an elevator that would take them up to one of the service tunnels that would lead them to just outside the back of the base.

As he let that last image burn through his mind, tears began to leak down his face. Not for himself, but for Sayori. He would have done anything to get her out of here, but, he knew that if they couldn't get him out too, then Kuznet would have only hunted Sayori down with ruthless passion. He probably already had Jonathon heading over to his room right now, to make sure he didn't try to pull anything and escape during the confusion. Or maybe he was already in Sayori's room, holding a gun to her back...

If you can hear me, tell Sabastian we'll be alright. I'll keep her safe.
________

Zac felt his chest pinch with pain as Sabastian spoke. He too wanted nothing more than to go down there and get those other prisoners out, but like Robert, understood how little time they really had now. Something had happened up there, something unplanned, and now he didn't know if they had minutes or seconds.

When they all piled into the elevator, Zac watched with confusion as Sabastian was knocked unconscious. He didn't know what had happened to him, but he didn't have time to question it. Instead, he turned his gun and used the butt end of it to break the screen on the camera, and then he tried to radio in.

"Tommy, we're on our way up. Meet us at the back?"

There was a pause as he waited for a reply.

"Tommy? You there?"

Nothing.

Zac's face fell and become a look of pure panic as his hand shakily put his radio away, and then he brought his gun up and got it ready. He didn't know what was going to be waiting for them when those elevator doors opened.
________

Tommy had gotten the safe shut, and knowing the danger that was possibly coming up on him, switched his radio off. Just as he was walking around the desk, he looked up and saw a mountain of flesh standing in the doorway.

"General Kuznet! There you are!"

The General's eyes roamed over the office quickly before coming back to land on Tommy, taking in that young and naive face of his. He didn't say anything immediately, instead choosing to let the young man speak for himself as he slowly walked into his office.

"I heard the report that your team was called out, and I wanted to see if I could help, but when I came over here to find you, your door was just open and no one was in here."

Tommy let some of the worry leak through his voice as he came out from behind the desk to stand in front of Kuznet. He couldn't show his fear-he had to be the loyal little soldier that Kuznet thought he was, young and stupid and so willing to help.

"Is that so? What were you doing behind my desk, Private?"

Kuznet didn't look angry, merely curious, but Tommy knew better. He was going to have to really put his skills to the test here.

"W-well I was worried, sir" he said, letting a mild stutter leak into his voice and his composure begin to break just a bit.

"When I came in, your chair was knocked over. I don't know, I guess my brain just jumped to the worst possible conclusion. With the office just being open, a-and...I just thought-"

That giant hand, coming down on his shoulder, made him jump. He looked up slowly, swallowing hard as he did so. Instead of seeing anger or suspicion in the General's eyes, however, there was only a soft compassion. That same, soft, compassionate look that had first lured Tommy in and made him trust the evil before him.

"You are a good soldier Tommy, and a good man."

"I try to be sir" he said quietly, trying hard not to swallow again.

"Everything is alright Private. The threat was dealt with. Now, go finish your watch and I will clean up and investigate here."

Tommy nodded before remembering himself and giving the General a proper salute, and as The General walked around him and made his way to his desk, the young man made a deadly mistake. He took a brief moment-just a brief few seconds, to collect himself enough to head for the door.

Had Tommy not taken those few seconds, he might have made it to the door before it clicked shut before him. He might also have not raised suspicion to himself, with the General having turned around just in time to see the young man's shoulders slump, ever so slightly. Merely a quarter of an inch, perhaps, but it was enough for Kuznet to reach down under his desk and press a button. When the young man then reached for the door handle, he would find it locked.

Confused, Tommy tried again, only to feel that he indeed was not imagining it. Did the door lock automatically? He didn't think it did that, as Kuznet had never had to press anything to let him out before.

"Um, sir, the door is...locked..."

When Tommy turned around, he saw the General standing behind his desk, holding something in his hand. Something that looked an awful lot like a small camera. The type of camera that would have been hidden within plain sight.

"Tommy."

Those ice blue eyes coming up from the little screen of the camera, to meet his own slate blue, made the color drain from his face.

"You naughty boy. I thought you said that my chair was knocked over?"