doggone

[repeatedprayer]

[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.]

Comments

[repeatedprayer]

...

[Some machinery beeps in the background, and the surgical team watches "Rezo" inspecting the specimen, shifting uneasily at the man's quiet reactions.

"I'm sure he can hear you. He's just under sedation right now, and he hasn't exactly been chatty for a while. Ahaha... He was very uncooperative initially, so we've had to take special measures-"

Grey's chest hurts, and his hands are trembling minutely. Why does he feel this way? Why is he even here? Because he owes Manabu for the week he'd let Grey stay with him? No, that's not quite right, is it? It's a sense of gratitude that's deeper than merely wanting to repay a debt.

As frustrating as the man could be, Manabu had treated Grey better than anyone else ever had. And it may have been from a position of ignorance, it may not be entirely rational, but it had meant something to Grey. Something important enough to drag him out here, pretending to be a man he hates in an environment he loathes.

Manabu is important.

And these people did this to him.

Still murmuring so that hopefully, nobody else in the room will be able to understand what he's saying, Grey says one last thing to Manabu.]

Manabu. It's going to be alright.

[Grey finally raises his head, straightening, and propping his cane against the surgical table.]

Dr. Parish? I have a favor to ask of you. And of the rest of the surgical team.

["A favor?"

Dr. Parish sounds eager. No doubt he's thinking of all the ways that Rezo might be willing to repay that favor later on.]

[siriusly]

[he heard his name. he...didn't make that up, did he? he'd spent time replaying softer moments with the people he cared about in his mind to hang onto something all this time, but that was different. this is different.

Grey...?

it couldn't have been recency bias: Grey had been gone for a couple months now, off searching for new skies. logically, if Manabu were to hallucinate the most recent of voices, it would've been those on his team. Louis, David, Captain...

but he can almost swear he can hear him - Grey. the last word he'd said was farewell, not...

it's going to be alright. he'd never said that before, had he? and about what? dragging him overhung to a train? even if he did, it wouldn't have been that soft and certain - Grey could barely stand him then!

distantly, he can hear that rotten doctor's voice, yanking him the way a cement brick around the ankle would through haze and grounding him back into what little reality he can cling to in a barely lucid state.

it...wouldn't be so strange to want to hear Grey's voice, would it? they had an interesting rapport - one that Manabu could admit to missing, at least to himself. even Grey's snark is heaven compared to this! even if it meant having to get put down by his chiding, that would be better than this!]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey opens his eyes, and looks at Dr. Parish. It's bright under the operating lights, but even he can see the way Dr. Parish's eyes widen and mouth gapes at the sight of "Rezo" looking directly his way.]

Kindly be quiet, and die.

["Rezo? Wh-"

Grey raises his hand and shoots a ball of psychokinetic energy through Parish's torso. The stench of heated blood fills the room as Parish collapses to the ground. The suddenness of the assault momentarily stuns the surgery team, giving Grey an opportunity to twist on his feet and start firing at the next person.

He rips two holes through them and knocks them down before the orderlies snap to attention and rush him. They grab at his arms and head, the three of them struggling against one another and knocking against machines and a table of equipment. Distantly, Grey hears metal tools clatter against the floor and glass shatter.

Something sharp digs into his side and pain courses through his body. A scream tears out of him, all his nerves feel like they're on fire- he doesn't even have to think to will the source of the pain backwards. Something explodes and sharp bits of hot plastic and metal cut into his ribs, but the burning recedes enough that he can move.

He blindly grabs an orderly by the hair and sends pulses of psychokinetic energy through their skull, slicing ribbons out of their flesh and bone until he feels their body go limp and drops them.

The other orderly is still holding onto him, so Grey twists and flings the orderly against the wall and fires his next barrage of psychokinetic bullets through them. By the time they drop, the room is empty but for Grey, Manabu, and four bodies- the anesthesiologists must have fled while the orderlies were keeping Grey busy.

Grey pants, ignoring the pain in his side and the blood covering his hand, and hurries to Manabu's side. Time for a very hasty examination.]

Manabu.

[The anaesthesia- how are they getting it into him- where is he tied down, what do they have him hooked up to- he needs to move fast, before anyone else shows up- but it usually takes ten minutes for someone to wake up from anaesthesia-]

[siriusly]

[they didn't alter his olfactory senses, but in this case, there's no need: the coppery smell fills the area, filling Manabu's addled thoughts with even direr notions. were they cutting him open? pulling his pieces out? why? why are they doing things like this? all the screaming, the clatter...when something hits the side of the table, rattling it, it feels like he's about to float right off.

Manabu.

again, ears twitch and brow knits.

...Grey?

there's no chance he's here. wait-- was that screaming... if he's here, he's in danger, isn't he? same as Manabu himself. worse, maybe! and even if not, he can't let him get caught up in this.

fighting the drugs is hard; even getting an eye open won't convince his cotton-laden mind to interpret anything properly. that's not for lack of trying, but rather all the focus he can muster already grabbed onto the smells and sounds that he may have just dreamed up. it's a bad enough dream to warrant more effort to try, try and wake up, though.

the other eye opens, as cloudy as the first, while an alarm sounds.]

[repeatedprayer]

[The first thing Grey does is locate the IV pumping the sedative into Manabu, peel off the tegaderm and tape, and pull it out. He should probably have grabbed some gauze- but it's on the floor and covered in broken glass right now, so the pulses of healing energy he sends into the site will have to be enough to at least close the puncture. Manabu's probably going to have a nasty bruise there later but it's better than what these people had in mind.

Grey undoes the strap on Manabu's wrist, then on the upper arm, but pauses at the sight of Manabu's face. His eyes are open. They're hazy and unfocused, but the sight makes Grey's heart clench.]

Manabu...

[The alarm blaring overhead reminds him that he does not have the time to indulge in idiotic emotional responses. He starts yanking at more straps, tugging them loose, reaching under Manabu's gown to pull off the electrodes attached to his skin, just getting rid of everything- asides from the oxygen mask- he can find that's keeping Manabu leashed to the table and machines. He babbles as he works, hoping that some part of Manabu is listening.]

That's it, try to wake up! You can't stay here. I know how you enjoy your naps, but this is a terrible place for it and we need to leave. Come now, focus! Breathe, Manabu!

[He hears footsteps racing down the hall and with a surge of irritation tosses a barrier up over the door. Since he's forming the barrier in person instead of over a distance with clairvoyance, it's easier to maintain- but he still keeps one eye on it even as he starts gently smacking Manabu's shoulder.]

Come on, wake up-!

[siriusly]

[no amount of experience with being shaken into consciousness makes it comfortable or graceful (and boy, if Manabu had a nickel...). that said--]

Auh...

[between the swatting on his skin and the sense of his own voice in his throat, things start to finally feel more properly tactile, and sounds can get tied to something other than fleeting notions.

wake up...because he's just been dreaming, right? that noise isn't imaginary, and that voice really is outside of himself.

he blinks a few times, the spots from the overhead lights still lingering in his vision even as a shape blots it out. one he can focus, the shape finally gets painted in, and Manabu's eyebrows lift.

Grey? wait-- really?!]

Ha-? [how?

he tenses up, feeling more of his body, and clenches his fists. how may not matter, especially if he's still in the same, horrible place. Grey shouldn't be here.]

[repeatedprayer]

[He spoke! Kind of! It's still a sign of progress, and Grey lets out a shaky breath at the bit of relief it brings. Moreover he swears Manabu's eyes look brighter, that Manabu's finally looking at him instead of through him.]

That's right, it's time to get up.

[But now there are people pounding on the barrier over the door and Grey has to turn away from Manabu to deal with them. With a snarl, he rapidly reshapes the barrier into a series of spikes that shoot forward, stabbing through those luckless enough to be in front of the doorway and into the back wall.

That should buy them a little more time, right? Grey turns back to Manabu and starts shaking him by the shoulder.]

Come on you idiot, don't fall back asleep!

[siriusly]

How-- [how did you get here? what's going on?!

Manabu grunts in protest to the shaking, his expression scrunching into a grimace as he shifts to move his arms, surprised he even can for how long he'd been strapped down. wait, does that mean his legs...?]

-!!

[he lifts his head, genuinely surprised to see no restraints, and--

wait.

blood...

while his eyes are starting to dart around the room:] What, what's...what is-- [what happened in here? what--

his focus snaps toward the door, barely able to process the ragdolled shape against the wall parallel. his stomach immediately clenches and adrenaline starts kicking in.

he has no idea what's gone on, but it's not good. and Grey's here. gotta get out of here--]

[repeatedprayer]

[Thank God. He's coherent! Sort of- Manabu's obviously confused and, based on how his eyes shift about, probably frightened as well. Sensible, really. Unfortunately, this isn't a good moment to explain.]

We can catch up later. Here-

[Grey reaches over and pulls Manabu's oxygen mask off. Then he hesitates, before sliding his arms under Manabu's legs and torso and lifting the other man off of the operating table.

Since he knows Manabu is likely to protest such treatment:]

There's glass on the floor and you don't have shoes.

[siriusly]

H-hey-!! [protests engaged, right on schedule, for all the good they do; he's still too strung out to really thrash about or coordinate himself enough to do much more than grab at some of the fabric at Grey's shoulders, and that becomes more for feeling a bit more stable in all of this.

the dog tail dangles out from the open back of the gown, but beyond some weird, heavy phantom-sense, Manabu has no awareness of it.

from this angle, he can see more of what's befallen the room, and his blood runs cold.

whatever's happened, whatever did this...] Y-you gotta...get out of here, Grey. This is-- [this is messed up!! to put it extremely lightly.] Get, get away or you'll...

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey briefly feels the tail both in the process of lifting Manabu and when it brushes against his leg, but as weird as it is it's getting filed firmly under "to deal with later."

Poor Manabu's concern is merely met by a strained smile.]

Yes Manabu, that's the plan. Let's go-!

[Manabu's understandably pretty distracted by all the dead bodies in the room and hall, but there are a few details about Grey that may or may not filter in as he carries Manabu out. Grey's dressed in a white coat, his right hand is still sticky with blood, and his face and clothes have also been spattered with blood.

Out into the basement hallways they go. The surroundings are a strange mishmash of older stonework and the more clinical refurbishments that the scientists made. The alarm is blaring and briefly, the screech of a bird can be heard- Grey's surprised by the pang of pity he feels at hearing that, but his hands are quite literally full right now.

He's headed towards the basement exit when more orderlies appear. They're armed this time, but the moment he spots them Grey throws a barrier up around Manabu and himself. The bullets ricochet off of the barrier, leaving Grey and Manabu untouched and the orderlies looking considerably paler.

With a contemptuous look he walks forward, and the barrier moves with him.]

[siriusly]

[this is the first time Manabu's had any sense of space in this place beyond a concrete room, and none of it is encouraging. he'd dwell on it more, but he's very swiftly taken by animal-instinct fear at the sight of orderlies he knows he can't take a swing on, and--]

-!!

[it's happening again!

that glow... once he stops flinching and closing his eyes when guns are fired, he looks back and sees what he's sure he saw in space, in the tunnel.

it followed him. just like Grey did.

...hang on...

as guns are cast down in frustration or fear, Manabu slowly looks up at Grey.

it's him?]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey's grip tightens whenever he feels Manabu flinch, but for the moment he's not actually looking at Manabu or even paying poor Manabu much mind. Right now, his goal is just to get the two of them out of here. And as far as Grey's concerned, these men are in the way.

The barrier spikes again, cutting into one man's neck and another man's side. The other two are injured, but not so badly they can't start shakily running for the exit. Grey picks up speed in return. Like hell he's letting any of them get away-!]

[siriusly]

Don't--! [Manabu's grip on his shoulder tightens, his horrified gaze affixed on the retreating men.

don't kill them! they're retreating!]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey hears Manabu's outburst, but doesn't really register what he's saying. The barrier spikes again, catching one man in the leg and narrowly missing another. Not good enough.

Grey stalks toward the injured man, who's doing a poor job of trying to crawl away, leaving a streak of bright red blood on the polished stone floor. The barrier ripples as Grey considers where exactly to skewer this miserable bastard. Through the skull? Or through the chest? Perhaps both- that seems most efficient.

He thinks this, and arcs of psychokinetic energy bend to his command and plunge into the man's body. Now where did the other one get to?]

[siriusly]

[Manabu's breath seizes, but he can't bring himself to look away. in some sense, this hearkens back to the futility of witnessing his brother's murder, of coming upon the bombed-out train...losses of life Manabu had no control or means to stop. he can't stop it now, even right here?]

S...Stop. Stop it...Grey, stop. Stop it--

[repeatedprayer]

[...!?

Grey's pace slows, the usage of his name finally catching his attention. He comes to a halt, the barrier reshaping itself into a smooth bubble around them, and looks down at Manabu.]

...What? What's wrong?

[Is Grey hurting him somehow? Is he holding too tightly, or...?]

[siriusly]

[by contrast, Manabu's horrified gaze is still ahead of them, the images burned into his mind despite the vacant hall ahead of them.]

Stop, stop...they were running, they were--why did you-- [why did their bodies move like that? he's seen people die before, but not in such a twisted way. the visceral horror of it makes him tremble and feel more cognizant of his defenselessness.]

[repeatedprayer]

Did you want me to let them go?

[Grey is incredulous. He knows Manabu is softhearted, but after everything he's been through, surely he can see the necessity of getting rid of them?]

They would have killed us if they could, they're probably looking for reinforcements as we speak- They spent weeks torturing you!

[Manabu should be furious. Grey would be, if he were in Manabu's situation!]

[siriusly]

[there's no room for fury in the face of fear right now, and he can barely process the words Grey is saying while keen dog ears are still full of the blaring alarm and his mind is repeating the echoes of the screams and drop of bodies.

it's hard to breathe. panic hadn't seized him so readily until winding up in this place, and it squeezes at his lungs now as he quakes.]

Just run. Just run. Just--just run, don't--don't make them--make you--[become a murderer?]

[repeatedprayer]

Alright.

[Grey does as Manabu says, an act of obedience that will stun him later when he looks back at it. But Manabu has a point- this isn't a good place to stay, so Grey hurries down the hall and finally reaches the basement exit.

The door is locked when he finds it, but smashing it is child's play with his abilities. It's been a while since he's been able to let loose like this, and half of him just feels good at being able to break everything and everyone in his path.

But the other half of him is concerned by the way Manabu is shaking in his arms.]

Breathe, Manabu. I've got you.

[Grey scampers over the splintered remains of the door and hurries up the stairs, bringing them to another door- now a former door- and an upstairs hall, with windows lining the wall opposite. Grey briefly pauses to glance around. The alarm's still going, he can hear people running around the building, but the hallway itself is empty at the moment.

So he smashes one of the windows and jumps outside from there, landing on the neglected shrubbery out back.]

[siriusly]

[they move faster than Manabu can process, even though he's desperately trying to. things are just hitting him in irregular intervals, not giving him a chance to properly compartmentalize and cope: the operating table, the drugs, the doctor's voice, the blood, the barrier, the crumpling of bodies, the architecture, the florescent lights, the slam of doors and busted hinges, the glass, the rush of wind--

he gasps involuntarily when they crash out into the night, and it's enough of a sensory shock to give him something to grab on in the midst of the spiral. though he still shakes, his wide, unblinking eyes are more alert than horrified as they flit focus along manmade light fixtures in the dark.]

Where...? [where are we?]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey blinks a few times himself, adjusting to being out in the night after the bright artificial light of the lab. But since Manabu doesn't want him to confront any more people, he strikes out for the shadowy, unlit parts of the estate grounds. His left eye is fortunately good at seeing in the dark!]

Back of the building. Parish said the laboratory used to be a manor belonging to one of his benefactors.

[Grey's answer has the absent tone of someone who's also thinking of at least six other things. They're not alone out here, he's quite sure. Other people will be trying to escape, they might have risked calling the police, and...]

We're quite a way from town... [Even as he keeps moving Grey casts his eyes about, uncertain. Parish drove him here, and Grey can't drive them back. He also doesn't think Manabu's in a fit state to drive.]

[siriusly]

[town...?]

What town? What planet? [he has no idea where the hell he is in the universe beyond the dark, carried by a guy who can explode people with a glowing orb-wall-thing.

wasn't there some seminar a while back about these kinds of claims? he sure as heck didn't attend it - it wasn't required!]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey glances down at Manabu. It seems Manabu's recovering a little, enough to be able to ask coherent questions. That's a relief.

...Manabu's starting to ask questions. That's going to be a pain. Still, Grey goes ahead and answers.]

The city is Saint Simona, and we're on Ruvinagald.

[The alarm's still blaring, but getting a bit quieter now that they're outside and moving away. He can also hear a car starting up somewhere. Grey keeps going in the opposite direction of the front drive. It looks like they'll be making the trek back to town on foot... But once they're deep into the shadows, he looks up.

Sky's clear.]

I'll need you to hold on tightly for this next part.

[And Grey lifts the two of them into the air, rising at a brisk pace.]