thehauntedfrequency

doggone

[In the time following his departure from Tabito and Manabu's company, the alias "Grey" has wound up sticking.

Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.

By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.

It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.

He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.

And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.

Until the day it does.

SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]

* * *

[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.

Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.

He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.

The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.

But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."

Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]

Interesting?

["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]

Nothing would please me more.

[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]

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[Grey absently nods along to the list of evidence. It feels like they've got enough for the SDF to make a good start, particularly if they have Manabu to act as a combination witness and evidence. Nobody would be able to deny something is wrong if Manabu appears with dog ears and tail visible.

But they need to get Manabu into the right place first.]

And where do you think you could get that access?

The train station... [he lifts his head, searching the sky for sign of one of those familiar, noodly trails of light that would indicate a galaxy train.] If...my credentials are still active in the system, I can send it directly. Or I'll have to use an emergency line...

[his eyes wince. that won't be ideal. it'll be a lot of questioning right up front.]

We'll...have to get the story straight.

The security around the train station is tight. [And that was something Grey observed when he'd just arrived on Ruvinagald, and not before there was a fugitive SDF officer running around.] I hope you have some insights into how to bypass security.

[That issue, however, seems almost straightforward compared to the next, looming issue of Manabu having to explain the situation to his colleagues. Grey huffs.]

I don't suppose you could leave me out of the explanation.

I-- [he grimaces.] I...wouldn't know how. Grey, how could I have possibly gotten out of there on my own? Or, even that, recovered?

[as far as 'recovery' looks on him at this stage (which isn't terrible! good job Grey, you did in fact feed him vegetables).]

Would it...really be that bad? To get out in the open on this? People would be grateful--

Manabu. I know, alright? You can't lie to your colleagues.

[Even if Manabu did deign to lie about Grey's involvement, or at least gloss over it, the SDF would undoubtedly gather testimonies later down the line of a Rezo lookalike with lethal psychic abilities attacking the lab.]

I just- I merely- I have a past you know.

[Grey huffs and reaches up to irritably scruff a hand through his hair. "A Rezo lookalike with lethal psychic abilities" is a question with only a handful of possible answers.]

Helping one person isn't going to change that.

[he's hurting all over already, so what's one more ache? the one in his chest is harder to pin down and understand, but it's not like he's in a place with the time and means to really unpack it. all he knows is it hurts, it makes him unhappy, and he doesn't know how to make it better.

things are so much easier when there's an obvious fix to barrel forward toward.

he watches Grey with that unhappy expression, ears drooping and making it even more sad, brow knitting as he considers that response.]

...Doing anything doesn't change the past. That's...that's the past. I, I'm talking about moving forward. Past the past!

[Grey's hand slides to hide his face as his head droops. It's easier than looking at Manabu right now.]

Forward...

[To say Grey never thinks about the future would be inaccurate, but he does tend to focus on a specific goal without considering what comes afterwards. Once, that goal was to surpass Rezo. Now, his goal is to help Manabu. He can't think about what comes next beyond avoiding his own instinctual fear of being revealed or imprisoned.]

I don't want... to go back...

[His words slip out of him slowly, painful thoughts struggling to take shape and articulate themselves.]

If I go with you... if the authorities discover me, they'll make me into a lab rat again.

[earnestly:] I wouldn't let anyone do that! If they did, then--then I guess I'd be an outlaw, too!

[more earnestness than sense, the Manabu Yuuki way.

he sits forward a bit to try and see past the hand obscuring Grey's face.]

Grey, I'm...I'm not the only person in the SDF who wants to help people. I mean, it's...kind of what you have to want to do to be there. [sometimes it gets diluted. twisted. but those facets show their true colors...and get addressed! in his anecdotal experience, at least. which surely counts for an entire system covering multiple star systems, right?]

Maybe it...it won't be easy. But it has to be better than always running? And hiding?

...Running and hiding has been far better than what came before.

[Which Manabu has a pretty good idea of ever since Grey wound up crying on his shoulder all night.

Grey is quiet for a bit longer, brooding over what Manabu is saying. Eventually Grey finally lets the hand drop and tilts his head slightly to meet Manabu's gaze.

He's so earnest. Determined to help Grey join the rest of the world and live an honest yet free life, as a historian or astronomer or whatever.]

You really believe it's possible, don't you. Why?

Be-because...it's what I fight for. [his expression pinches.] I mean, what's the point of what I do if it doesn't help people...find better lives? Even if it's just keeping things on time, or if it's something huge like this, like--like some of the other things I've seen.

If people are going to go so far as clear across the galaxy...it...it may as well be to get to a better place. Right?

[again: more earnestness than sense. but it's a bit hard to deliver a fully-formed speech when freezing cold and sore.]

[But why him? Why Grey? It's maddening that he can't figure out a way to ask Manabu if it matters that he's a Copy- if he still counts as one of those people Manabu wants to help- without making it obvious that's what he is. And so Grey winds up staring at Manabu in frustrated silence, until he notices the shivering.

His expression softens.]

...It's cold. Come here.

[Hopefully Manabu will have no objections to curling up closer and letting Grey embrace him. Both of them could use the extra warmth.]

So then, what will you tell the SDF about me?

[Manabu scoots in, though he's slow to settling; his tail still tied down makes sitting comfortably a challenge, so he tries a few ways to bend or not-bend his leg until just...drawing his knee up and dealing with the least of the painful twinges. this sucks. he just wants to be comfortable!

Grey's warm, though, so at least a portion of him gets to be warm.

amidst this fidgeting there's a few 'um's and other uncertain sounds, since his impulsive speaking-from-the-heart can only go so far, and not far enough as to compose whole plans or speeches.]

I, I mean...you're a victim of bad science practices too, right? We're not--I mean, not exactly the same, but. Similar. Like that. It's further proof that something needs to be done! And...and neither of us should be getting punished for that. Is what I think...

Right?

[that sounds sane and coherent, right? he can't tell. it's cold.]

[Grey wraps his arms around Manabu, loosely enough to allow for all the fidgeting that Manabu is doing, and listens. And thinks.

Manabu has a point, more than he realizes. It isn't as if Grey ever asked to be created. By comparison, being punished for the murders and other crimes he's committed feels fairer- even if he doesn't regret any of it at least those are choices he made. Emotionally, it's hard not to think of himself as an abomination, but he can understand logically that it isn't his fault.

Grey's voice is soft:]

I was referring more to my involvement in your situation, but I can't say I disagree.

[Anyway, the fidgeting finally made Grey remember about Manabu's tail and how it's uncomfortably tied away under his pants.]

-I think we can untie your tail now.

[Not like anyone else is up here to notice it. Or if there is, then they've probably spotted the dog ears first.]

Oh. [well now he has to think about THAT more critically! that'll go great in these circumst--] Uh? Oh--really? That'd actually...probably help a bit.

[...but that means being un-hugged. these are the sacrifices a soldier has to make sometimes.

Manabu reluctantly wriggles free so he can sit up on his knees and deal with the matter of pants and tail-bindings, which would be way more embarrassing if he wasn't trying to hurry up and not freeze his actual ass off. once the tail's loose, he's distinctly less tense, exhaling in a loud sigh while trying to get pants back up without pinching the base of his tail.

while sagging back against Grey:] This has to be the weirdest situation I've ever been in...even without time travel.

[If it helps, Grey's not enthusiastic about unhugging Manabu either! Partly because Manabu's kind of eminently huggable and Grey's maybe a tad overprotective, and partly because Grey also appreciates the body heat. But he lets Manabu get on with things and once he feels Manabu's weight settling against him, Grey once again wraps his arms around him.

That might be the point at which Grey would relax a little if it weren't for the next weird thing that Manabu blurts out.]

-Without what.

[Pardon??? Is that a metaphor or something?]

Oh--uh...eheh...heh... [did he not bring that up before? woops. he's slippin', too far away from SDF consequences.] I, uh...I got stuck in a Time Knot. On my train out to Destiny, when I was recruited.

[Ah. There's that sheepish chuckle that Grey is familiar with.] Elaborate.

[Grey isn't actually annoyed with Manabu and his oh-by-the-way-this-impossible-thing-happened schtick- but the confusion might read as irritation in the moment, whoops.]

Auh, uh...it's this thing that happens out in space? I don't know the full science behind it, but there's...bends...that happen in certain levels of...magnetism? [he can't remember. it's too cold for science!] It makes little pockets of altered states of time, compared to regular relativity.

The train I was on got caught up in a magnetic storm that threw us through one. Shot us onto a planet three years in the past for a bit until we could get rescued.

[Grey is definitely very curious about the details here, but it does seem unfair to make Manabu try to explain science at a time like this, so he swallows back any questions and huffs.]

...Out of everyone in the SDF, you would be the one to get kidnapped and turned into a chimera.

[Between the time knot and the ghosts, Manabu doesn't have the most normal of track records. ~~And Grey still doesn't know about the memory stealing elf or the plant aliens from another dimension.~~]

H-hey! You don't know that...! [his tail flicks once, thumping on the concrete.] There were lots of circumstances, and, and besides! I was enlisted, but not officially sworn-in when that train hit the knot...!

Yes, yes. [Grey squeezes Manabu a little tighter in his arms.] I wasn't casting aspersions on your competence, merely observing that you have an affinity for the strange.

[there's some resistance and wriggle to that, interpreting the squeeze as a shushing, patronizing gesture.]

Just by chance, okay? I'm not some screwball who goes looking for trouble. [not unless it wants to hurt people on the railway or something.

he stops fidgeting and relaxes again, head tucked in such a way that it rests on one side against where Grey's collarbone would be.]

And I guess that's fine... Better me than someone else. [...] And if you're including yourself in the strange stuff, then...that's fine, too.

[A lot of it is just Grey being hungry for Manabu's warmth, but there's also a bit of Grey being patronizing. Or at least, of enjoying teasing him. Making Manabu squirm is one of Grey's favorite pastimes, after all!

But as ever, sincere words and kindness are enough to soften his mean impulses. That's fine too.

Grey tilts his head, resting his cheek against the top of Manabu's head.]

Thank you.

[Imagine that. Someone actually being glad they met Grey.

Grey is quiet for a bit, brooding over their situation, his feelings about Manabu, and how the hell they're going to get out of this mess. One thing that's clear is they can't stay up here indefinitely. They need to find better shelter.

With how much the trip from the apartment to this factory roof took out of Manabu, it's obviously not a good idea for Grey to carry him while he looks around, nor to leave Manabu to shiver on the roof until Grey finds something, but luckily Grey still has his psychic bullshit.]

I'll use my clairvoyance to scout for somewhere we can get out of the cold.

A--oh, will, is it going to be okay? I mean, will it wear you out too much? [not that they have many options: it's like...do that, find somewhere to go, or just freeze to death up here.

doesn't mean he can't worry about it. he's not good at being the one behind waiting!]

Well, don't take too long.

[Grey smiles at Manabu's concern. It's a wry expression.]

It's not that strenuous. But, keep me warm until then.

[Waiting may not be Manabu's forte, but hopefully it will be of some consolation to know that Grey needs him. Even if it's in the quiet capacity of having someone to watch over him while he's vulnerable and partly detached from his body.]

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