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

[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.]

[siriusly]

[Saint Simona...? Ruvinagald? which system is--]

A--!!

[he is not prepared, even with the forewarning, of suddenly flying?! without a plane?!?! the raw absurdity of it has him startle, scrambling to hold fast, already dizzy from not been breathing properly from the onset.

it's probably a good thing for both of them that he zonks out the next time he manages to glimpse down.]

[repeatedprayer]

Manabu-!

[Grey has enough sense to at least be prepared for Manabu to yelp and panic and cling, but he doesn't expect Manabu to suddenly go limp, and for several moments there Grey winds up panicking, floating in place as he tries to think of a way to check Manabu's pulse while carrying him at the same time.

But he finally notices that Manabu's still breathing, and Grey thanks God that he didn't kill him from sheer shock. Time to finally get out of here.

The flight back is uncomfortable, honestly. Grey's strong, but Manabu's a grown-ass man and quite a load to have to carry all the way to town, even if he's flying at a faster pace than he can walk. The entire time he's having to worry about the state Manabu's in and if anyone might spot them against the night sky.

And it's cold. After about ten minutes of flying, Grey's already chilled, and he's wearing a coat and vest. Manabu must be freezing. Grey will need to get him into a warm bed the instant he's back at his safe house.

Grey does well following the roads back to town, but once he's flying above the city he's stymied. From the above it's... really difficult to properly identify any of the areas. His safe house is in one of Saint Simona's many poor parts of town however, and he spots a neighborhood that looks right eventually.

He takes them down, landing them on the roof of a shabby tenement building. Poor Manabu gets set down on the ground, but once he's dug his phone out of his pocket Grey at least has the decency to strip his coat off and drape it over Manabu.

Right, now how do they get to Ivory Boulevard from here?]

[siriusly]

[waking up after indeterminate amounts of time in an unknown place is a rotten, rotten thing to undergo even once, let alone the number of times it's happened since the fight with the pirates that landed him in this mess. waking up shaking and dreadful and nauseous never gets easier, and it is in fact worse when the surroundings are this starkly different.

for those first few moments back awake, Manabu's forgotten what had happened. there was a very bright room and blood and--]

Grey-?!

[he startles himself, struggling under the coat (restrained again?!) to sit himself up despite shivering cold, instantly aware he's missing something. or...not? they didn't leave yet, but he'd imagined...floating? or--wait. huh??

he looks around, recognizing nothing still, swallowing back on an urge to vomit.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey turns the GPS on his phone on, and spends a few minutes browsing the city map before Manabu startles him. He nearly drops it, hastily shutting it off and stuffing it in his pants pocket as he rushes to Manabu's side.]

Manabu. It's alright, we're safe now.

[Safe, but not in a very comfortable spot. Grey crouches next to Manabu and examines him carefully. The man looks terrible. He needs to be somewhere better than a rooftop. And unfortunately, that means there's more transportation required.]

We'll have to do more flying. We're a few blocks from my safe house, and I think we'll attract attention if we walk.

[Seeing as Manabu is wearing a hospital gown, and has dog ears and a tail- and God those look so strange now that he has a moment to really take them in- they might raise a few eyebrows if someone saw Grey carrying him down the street.]

[siriusly]

Fl, flying? [wait, seriously? he was ready to be comfortable with the notion he just hallucinated that.

swallowing thickly, looking queasy:] You...you fly, now? [maybe the drugs hit too hard. maybe?]

[repeatedprayer]

You don't remember? Well, you did pass out when I took us up.

[And terrified the hell out of Grey in doing so, but he's just going to not mention that bit.]

It's just another form of psychokinesis. I thought it would be faster and less risky than walking back to town.

[siriusly]

[Manabu's expression winces, as though Grey just asked him to do a math problem on-the-spot.

psycho...kinesis? sounds like something out of one of Louis' TV dramas. or that seminar he definitely didn't attend.]

Uh... [okay. sure. if Grey were messing with him about this, it'd be pretty wild, but he's willing to let that be the case if it makes all the weird shit in his head be fake.

he rubs at an eye with the heel of a hand.]

I'm...I'm not still asleep, am I...?

[repeatedprayer]

You're awake, but you're certainly not well. It should still be a few hours before the anaesthesia is entirely out of your system, and I don't know what else they were drugging you with.

[Grey lifts his hand, pauses, then raises his other, less bloody hand and touches Manabu's cheek.]

You're also freezing. We need to get you inside.

[siriusly]

[he is unwell: the gesture doesn't make him balk or fuss the way it would in better moments. instead, he just stares back at him like he's a very confusing puzzle or painting he can't interpret.]

I don't get it... How did you find me? [how did Grey find him and not the SDF?] Did you get grabbed, too?

[repeatedprayer]

Your abduction by pirates was in the news...

[Grey cannot imagine Manabu taking it well if he tells him that he's been working with criminals, even if it meant that he'd had connections the SDF didn't. He's not sure how long he can keep the truth from him, but right now he does not feel like putting up with Manabu potentially yelling at him.]

It's a long story. For now, let's get a move on.

[Grey tucks his coat over Manabu's shoulders and once again lifts the man into his arms. His muscles protest a little at the break already being over, but his grip remains steady.]

[siriusly]

[puzzling over how Grey found him at all is enough of a distraction as to keep him from being overly fussy with being handled - though it is uncomfortable, to be sure. he stifles his discomfort by gritting his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut to lessen the stomach-dropping feeling of flight as he leans into Grey's much-sturdier frame.

it's not your job to find me, what were you thinking?! you could've been killed...

...like those orderlies, their blood all over the walls and floor. and Grey. he gulps back down on bile and ducks his head.]

[repeatedprayer]

[It's fortunately only a short flight to Grey's safe house, and he doesn't go nearly as fast or as high as he did on the way here. They glide over dimly lit city streets, apartment buildings, bars, and convenience stores.

Grey takes them to a laundromat that's still open, although not for much longer, and sets them down at the top of a wooden staircase at the back of the building. Here, he sets Manabu on his feet, but keeps Manabu still propped up with one arm while he digs in his pocket for the key to the second floor.

He shoulders the door open, dragging Manabu inside with him, and then fumbles for the light switch, revealing a tiny apartment.

It's only two rooms- the area by the entrance is a kitchenette, and the door across from the entrance leads into a bathroom. No walls or doors separate the kitchenette from the main area, which is mostly taken up by a sofa bed. Other than that it's pretty sparsely furnished. The windows are quite thoroughly covered by blinds, and the scents of laundry and the faint sounds of a TV and machines rumbling drift up from below the floor.]

...Let's just sit down now.

[Grey is exhausted. His arms and side hurt, and he has a headache forming. He can't imagine how Manabu must be feeling.]

[siriusly]

[stiff, sore, and chilled to the bone, Manabu finds it alarmingly painful to be on his feet even for those scant-few moments, and even then not on his own! it reinforces the severity of what's gone on, that a lot of it wasn't just imagination, and that a lot more's gone on without his awareness than he's ready to admit.

trying to even start to come to terms with that leaves little room for brooking arguments or starting down a line of interrogation, and it's worse when, as he's sat down, he's startled by a shooting pain up his spine from sitting on something wrong that shouldn't be there.]

Tsst-! Ow! Uh! [he pulls himself up with Grey as leverage. what the heck did he sit on?

...

what the heck is that?]

...

[dead animal? where's it's--]

Wh, what...? [wait.

is this a joke?]

Wha, what is...

[repeatedprayer]

[Honestly, Grey truly thought they could maybe take an actual break at this point- sleep, take a shower, actually eat even if all Grey has stocked in the safe house is instant noodles and cereal- but when Manabu makes those pained noises and grabs at him he sets that aside.]

What's wrong?

[He clutches Manabu's shoulders and looks the man over. For a moment, he thinks maybe Manabu got injured at some point and they didn't notice, but then he realizes that Manabu is looking at something.

He follows the direction of Manabu's gaze. Then looks back at Manabu.

Shit.]

You... You don't know what they were doing to you, do you.

[siriusly]

[the nervous waver to his voice when he'd watched those men die returns, but his voice is much quieter - as though being any louder would just make things more real and worse than what he's seeing and feeling.

at a loss:] What...what did they do to me...? [that's not seriously a tail sticking out of him, is it?]

[repeatedprayer]

[For better or for worse, Grey is the sort who believes it's better to rip the bandage off. He does, at least, have the grace to take a moment to think over his words before responding, but that's likely to be cold comfort to Manabu.]

The scientists at that laboratory were experimenting with genetic engineering. They were using you as a test subject for chimera creation techniques. A chimera is a hybrid of two or more animals. In your case, they've given you the tail and ears of a dog.

[siriusly]

[Manabu chokes a bit on his own breath in the effort to stifle himself, but the more he processes, the more horrible reality makes him feel. it's a struggle to stay upright, even clinging as he is, especially when a wave of nausea starts to overtake and make him lurch and double over, about to throw up where he stands if he's not successfully yanked along to the washroom.]

[repeatedprayer]

Ah-

[Grey recognizes the signs of someone about to throw up and tugs Manabu along to the kitchen sink. (The washroom might be better, but it's narrow enough that he'd have trouble fitting both of them in there.)

Comforting words aren't remotely his forte, so all he can do is stand at Manabu's side, with one arm supporting Manabu's back, being utterly useless while Manabu is sick. What the hell is he supposed to say? "You're going to be fine" feels a little incompatible with the reality of "By the way, you're now visibly a hybrid human-dog freak."

But when Manabu's finally emptied his stomach, Grey... makes an attempt.]

I know the things that happened to you were terrible, but they won't happen anymore.

[That, at least, Grey feels confident he can guarantee. He's killed a good chunk of the people responsible for Manabu's current predicament, and he would happily have killed more if Manabu hadn't pleaded otherwise.]

You're a chimera now, but you're still alive and your prognosis is good. We'll work on regaining your strength.

[siriusly]

[even after the faucet has washed away the mess, Manabu stays slumped over the basin, needing to keep his elbows propped up in order to keep himself upright. slowly, though, his stamina wanes, and he starts to sink down - down to his knees, unless he's caught and situated.

Manabu doesn't respond, but he does hear. and process.

'chimera'...what the hell... prognosis? does that mean it can be undone? how?

some minutes pass.

eventually:] Did they...try to do this to you? [is that why he had that...power?] Is that why...you were there?

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey attempts to situate Manabu, but it's rather tricky to try and shift Manabu into a more comfortable sitting position with the tail in the way. In the end, they're both on the floor and Grey has Manabu leaning sideways into him, one arm still wrapped around Manabu's torso.

Now that things aren't so chaotic, Grey has ample opportunity to actually take in the modifications that Manabu has underwent. There's an uncanny quality to them- they're real, organic, and look shockingly natural on Manabu, and yet he knows they're not.

Manabu's questions finally cut into Grey's gawping. It looks like the man is starting to think again. Grey closes his eyes, and tries to find an adequate answer.]

No. I came there to find you.

[Alright. So only a few minutes ago he'd decided honesty would be the best policy. But. He can't tell Manabu he's a copy of Rezo. The last thing Manabu needs is to find out he's alone with a lab-made monster.]

...I'm closely related to a former colleague of Dr. Parish's. I resemble him strongly enough that I can impersonate him if need be. I lied to Parish about my identity and once I had him convinced, he invited me for a tour. He wanted to show you off.

[siriusly]

[there's hardly any resistance to being slumped up against the other as there perhaps ought to be, especially when Manabu hears he was only there for him. the notion makes his chest tight, a mix of elation and shame that's easier to keep down given his guts have already emptied themselves.

...just for him? all this trouble, this blood...

those people are dead now because of him.

Manabu stares at some small patch of floor, feeling the exhaustion of post-panic and the suffocating weight of emotional toil start to leaden his body. he hasn't felt this emptied out and immobile since...

he gulps.]

...My fault. [this is my fault.] You could've gotten killed, because of me...

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey reacts to Manabu's guilt by scoffing.]

Hardly. There were only a handful of other psychic users in the facility, and they were all just card shufflers and spoon benders.

[Nobody who could do anything on the level that Grey could. Nobody who could deflect bullets, impale people with psychokinetic constructs, and have spare energy to close up wounds.]

I knew what I was doing.

[Debatable.]

[siriusly]

Psychic...users...

[Manabu goes quiet, seeing those images in his head again. it's really something out of a TV show to him, but then...this is the guy who has interacted with more ghosts than most ghost-hunting TV shows.]

So when...the debris broke through the magnet rail...

[that was him?]