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Futuristic Come on! Not agaain! -Sincerely, Adrian.

Cas stumbled to the side, turning his head to shield his eyes as the grenade exploded, and he moved away from the alley entrance. As soon as Olmos finally agreed, he shook him violently, a slight grin lifting the corners of his lips, "If you try anything, I'll kill you with my bare hands, Olmos." Olmos was right, Cas was dead serious. Let's not forget deadly too.


The Time Agent dragged Olmos to the back of the alley, hurrying towards a latter plastered to the back wall. He shoved Olmos into the metal bars, snarling as he yelled at him to climb, and quickly. The Lieutenant climbed close behind, practically running up the bars and forcing the terrified feline to move fast. He looked behind him once, to ensure Keve was not watching, or following, and shoved Olmos onto the rooftop, snatching his cloak edge and tugging him away from the conflict, towards safety.


The two ran across the rooftops; Cas jumped with ease, and Olmos shakily was dragged across the roofs, and forced to jump the tight air spaces between buildings. Soon they were far from the ambush, and the bullets and explosions seemed very distant, as distant as another drone of bullets far off in the endless looking city. Far above, if Cas looked, there was a cave rooftop, and a local pterodactyl swept past the two runaways, screeching into the steam that rose from the hot streets.


Cas stopped once he felt they were safely away, and he leaned in towards Olmos with a threatening snarl, "If you lead me in the wrong direction, or into a trap, someday I will personally rip you to shreds, no claws needed," He ironically hissed, mocking the feline. He was spitting the words in an intense rage, letting his rage out on this creature, who laughed at the notion that he was a prisoner, who had no morality, and just sat back, knowing he was there against his will. "I want to be there within five minutes. If Keve makes it there first, consider yourself dead."


*****


Anshik frowned slightly when Adrian's hand retracted, and he also retracted his scaly arms, crossing them as he stared awkwardly down at the cards. After Ade replied, and a few moments silence, he whispered a quiet, "Oh." With a flick of his tongue, he worriedly glanced up at Adrian, before casting his eyes downwards again, "But, that meanss that he won't come back for you? They've got themsshelves a sssorta ussselessh hosstage then, apparently."


If Adrian was not important to this agent, then the agent would most likely be compelled to make his escape instead of being concerned over the human. With a seemingly cowardly glance up at the human, the human who seemingly made his heart flutter, he whispered almost silent, with snake-like slurred words, "I'll take care of you; if he'ssh not going to come back..."
 
As soon as Cassidy slowed, Olmos doubled over, panting hard and looking as though he was going to collapse. The fur on his arms and the back of his neck stood up in terror as the human hissed and threatened him again. “All-humans-are-crazy…” He concluded in heavy gasps, narrowing his eyes at the dark blur in front of him and growling, “Did-you-forget-I’m-almost-blind…?!”


Olmos let out a frightened chuckle as Cassidy revealed his demands. “Five-minutes?! Y-you’ve got to be…The Yellow Box is-” He paused to cough and splutter, feeling the Time Agent’s eyes burning into his skull as if he was stalling on purpose. “-It’s a long way from here. It’ll take us a…while to get there.” His ears suddenly pricked as he spoke – a tiny beep, undetectable to human ears sounded from Cassidy’s prisoner’s cuff. He tried to mask the sense of relief he felt as he realised that Keve was already using the tracking unit to find his escaped prisoner. I’m going to kill you when you get here, Keve.


Sensing the Lieutenant’s anxiety and irritation that they weren’t moving fast enough, Olmos started walking along the edge of the roof, until his hands graced the metal handle of another ladder. At least on the ground there was no risk that the Time Agent would throw him off a building when Keve found them. “We have to get down from here.” He murmured, hoping the Lieutenant would take his word for it, “I only know my way to The Yellow Box through the streets. I can’t smell anything up here.”


****


Adrian chuckled, “Yeah, I’m sure he’d agree. I am useless hostage.” He nudged Anshik with a grin. “I can’t even escape from a friendly captor in an unlocked room.” The feeling behind the reptile’s sheepish response and fleeting glance completely passed by Ade, who was still examining the cards. He looked up at Anshik, cocking an eyebrow, “That won’t be necessary, thanks. I’m sure he’s coming back, as soon as he’s done…whatever he and Keve needed to do.” His voice was confident as he said it, although deep down he was worried about his Time Agent lover’s safety in a place where they were generally hated. It’s like being back at Iridium HQ all over again.


He finally leaned forward, spreading out the cards in front of him. “…Just out of curiosity, where did you come from?...”
 
Cas couldn't hear the beeping, but he wasn't forgetting the cuff. Not one bit. He bit his lip, realizing


he had actually forgotten that the feline was almost blind. He paced nervously, looking down at the cuff and biting his lip, then turning his head to look out over the edge of the building, and across the openings that held many misty streets, and people, below.


The Time Agent's head snapped back to Olmos, and he stomped over to the feline, snarling as he snatched the cat by the hood, and tugged him back upwards. "Listen here, before we go anywhere down there, you take this damned cuff off me. NOW." The agent was sweating visibly; he was losing his calm composure, this was one of the few times that actually happened. The cuffs have tracking, he knew that. He also knew if the cuff was not removed, his time to get there would be cut severely short, and they would be caught very quickly. "I am not playing around; you need to get this off me this instant." He knew he could run if Keve came; he was planning on setting up traps. "What kind of devices do you have on you, I want them all. Hurry." Cas swallowed thickly, not allowing himself to stumble or stutter in front of Olmos. But he kept looking over his shoulder, only afraid they were running out of time. He needed to set a trap, with the tracking cuff. He needed more time.


**********


Anshik's face fell slowly, and he looked down at the floor, from the corner of his eye, "Yeah, probably." He guessed wrong, apparently. The time agent would come back for him? Adrian had said he didn't know him all that well, but apparently they had some kind of connection. He drew his legs up to his body, gathering them in his arms and resting his head on his knees. Despite the mild rejection, Anshik's chest fluttered when the human spoke, and he developed a tiny grin on his face, like a young teenager who couldn't help but act silly around someone they liked. The reptile felt tired... Mainly of being alone. He had been alone for many years, since he came here, and that probably influenced the sudden interest he held in this red-haired creature.


With a slight hiss, he rolled his eyes, "You don't want to really hear that boring old story. It'ssh like everyone elsess around here." He chuckled under his breath, not really liking the telling of his personal story. But if this guy wanted to hear it, well, he supposed he would tell Adrian anything. "It'ssh like all the otherssh... I got exiled, I then had nothing, and I came to thissh dump to live my life out poor and in missery."
 
Olmos recoiled from Cas’ maddened grip, yowling as the Time Agent noticeably became shorter tempered. “I-ack!-I can’t take it off, you idiot! Only Keve can, since he’s got the hopper that’s paired with the cuff.” His voice rang out from the rooftop, echoing out through the empty streets. Despite his panic, he was glad Cassidy was still stalling; the longer they waited and the more noise they made, the more likely Keve was to find them. “Why don’t you just cut your damn hand off if you want it gone so bad?” He grimaced, spitting at his captor.


Sweat was falling down from the bald patches around Olmos’ head, now uncovered as Cas held him up by the hood. Having dumped his rucksack in the ally, he dug in his pockets and pulled out a few useless scraps; things he tinkered with when he had nothing to do. “You’re just-you’re just wasting time standing here shaking me.” He hissed. He dug in a back pocket, picking out a small metal box, hardly the size of a cigarette lighter. “This is the only working piece of technology I have on me, and it won’t help you. It’s sends out a powerful distress signal to Keve and all of his accomplices. He'll only find you faster - It makes you priority as it knocks out all other forms of electrical signalling.” He snivelled, throwing it to the ground. A few seconds later, he realised the implications behind the device; if Cas activated it, stuffed it somewhere, and ran off, Keve would have no choice but to find it before he could track the cuff again. His eyes widened, and he instinctively hit out as the Lieutenant turned to look at the device.


He hit Cassidy square in the nose, feeling a deep crunch as the already broken cartilage shifted. He gave the other a dark look as he hissed, “Time Agent or not, even if you make it there you won’t get very far. That place is crawling with Keve’s goons.” He continued stalling, edging closer towards the distress signal, “You’ll be captured again, and then your hostage will be beaten to death in front of you. There’s – there’s no way you’re going to save him. This is a waste of time.” Olmos panted, realising he was inviting a beating as well. But the beeping sound in the cuff was beginning to increase in tempo, a sign that Keve was getting closer.


**********


Adrian wilted at the explanation, feeling a pang of sorrow for the poor creature as he drew up beside him. He sighed, biting his lip at the harshness of the story – he could see that Anshik wasn’t a bad guy, simply a victim of circumstance. “Jeez. That’s pretty rough…I didn’t realise…” He twisted his face, unsure of what to say. Ade raised his head as the sound of footsteps clattered above him, and angry, baited voices could be heard through the floorboards. He unconsciously slid closer to the reptile as he listened, his heart thudding in his chest.


Ade waited a few seconds after they died down, swallowing thickly as he turned back to his dejected captor. “I get it. I was just wondering why you stayed on this…less than ideal planet.” He looked around the dimly-lit, barely furnished room. “I mean…that’s why you work for Keve, right? Because you didn’t have anything?” He murmured softly, feeling sympathy for the creature. “You must’ve been pretty desperate. I know I would be.”


He nodded back down at the cards, smiling weakly, “I mean, I don’t even know the language. Imagine if I got exiled?”
 
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Cas was not listening; he knew this cuff had tracking, and he could easily guess Olmos wanted Cassidy to be tracked down and caught by Keve. So, he growled in a low voice, "I don't believe you. Get it off me." He backed Olmos to the edge of the roof, trying to make it appear as if he was not going to be fooled. Although, Cas was not sure if he was being tricked. He just did not want to take the chance.


The Lieutenant grew silent, eyes fixating on the device as he instantly thought of the same plan. He licked his dry lips, and reached out for the device, momentarily forgetting about Olmos. He was not expecting the palm that squashed his nose, successfully moving the cartilage painfully downwards and to the right of its natural shape. In one sharp shift, and a crack that echoed across the roof, any part of Cas' nose that had been mildly spared was mush, and the agent dropped to the ground, blinded by the stinging sensation that consumed his mind briefly. The sensitivity from the swollen, yellow and purple area, was one of the most painful experiences Cas had ever dealt with, and he fought the urge to just drop to the ground and give up, for the first time.


Instead, Cas bit his lip, screaming through his clamped mouth, and jumped back up, clawing at the creature as he pulled Olmos down onto the ground, pinning his arms under his knees before bringing his own fist down in rage, directly into Olmos' nose, causing a satisfying 'snap!' to sound from below him. His own blood dripped in a heavy stream off his chin, into his captive's face below.


Cassidy hopped off the feline, and snatched up the device, playing with it expertly. He frantically pressed buttons, moving a good few feet away from Olmos to avoid another attack, before smacking the larger blue button on the device, instantly causing a dark blue light to splash against the surrounding area for a moment, before disappearing. He grinned, tensing his arm, and winding it up before throwing the object clear away. It seemed to float in the air, as it soared several buildings away, across many alleyways and a couple streets, and disappeared into an unknown location, in the hole between two buildings.


Standing back and admiring his work, with a bloodied grin, Cas crossed his arms and nodded to himself, before glancing down at the feline, whose face was now covered with his own blood, "Now, get up. And take me there, before I gouge your cat eyes out."


****


Anshik grinned at the language comment, but it looked slightly sour, "I didn't know the language when I came here. This is the only place it is spoken, apparently. It is a ghetto dialect, branched off some nearby sstar sssystem's native tongue. Ssomewhere I have never even been. I had no money, ssso I came here. Hitch hiking through deep space until I got to thissh dump, and found an eassy culture to join, because it'sh all people like me."


Pointing at the floor, he grimaced, "Half the people down there, working for Keve, are like me. Some are mean, yeah, but life hassh made them nasssty, I guessh." He leaned back, laying back on the floor in a dream-like haze, "Keve ish rich. He ownss all of ussh practically."
 
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Olmos held both of his hands to his face, yowling and groaning as the stream of blood gushed into his fur and seeped through his clothes. His ears flicked as he heard the distress signal emit a high-pitched beeping sound, gritting his teeth as the tracker from Cas’ cuff shut off. He shuffled to his feet, hands spread out again as he felt around for the ladder. He sniffed loudly, his sense of smell almost completely blocked by the metallic scent of blood clogging his nostrils. “Well, thank you, Mr. Petar. How do you suppose I find my way without my sense of smell?” He grumbled. Olmos eventually stroked the handle of the ladder, grimacing at his smug captor before climbing onto it.


The feline walked in front of Cassidy, his fingers tracing the walls of the city as he stumbled his way through, asking the Lieutenant every few steps for descriptions of landmarks. He seemed to shrink back every time the screech of a vehicle or slamming of a door sounded around him, his only good sense left assaulted by the noises that were all too common in Vos. He refused to tell the Lieutenant what The Yellow Box looked like until they were close enough, knowing deep down that he was safer with the Time Agent than he was alone at this point. A long while passed before the tracking unit activated in Cassidy’s cuff again, something which Olmos was careful not to give away as they paced through the misty streets.


He stopped, for the umpteenth time, a hand on his hip and he leaned against a wall and panted. Olmos was a hermit with an irregular heartbeat – the stress and the exercise were taking their toll. He gasped to the Lieutenant, who was somewhere behind him. “You should be able to see a Yellow-coloured warehouse from here, if the streetlights are bright enough.” He motioned in the vague direction, a little to the left of where said building was stood. “That is not The Yellow Box. That is a decoy. Nothing in there but a lot of sleeping gang members, guns and drugs.” The feline rolled his eyes, sniffing loudly as he carried on, taking a right down the next street. “It was Keve’s idea of being covert. What an idiot.” He hoped that Cassidy would believe him; as much as he wanted him to walk into a room full of Keve’s goons, the plan still needed to go ahead to save Vos, and Cas was a vital player in it. He couldn’t risk a group of sleepy trigger-happy Vosnians stumbling upon a weakened Time Agent, for the planet’s sake.


The cuff started to beep with a steady pulse, louder than before, and the sound of car wheels could be heard in the distance. Olmos slowed, pretending that he was having problems with his breathing. In truth, they were close to where Ade was being held – the anonymous, unsuspecting apartment buildings at the side of town were now in sight. “You realise you have only made it worse for yourself, Mr. Petar. When he finds us, Keve will be distraught that you have dragged me all this way and beaten me so.” He gasped, wincing as his nose throbbed still, “He will keep you alive because he needs you for the mission. But I doubt he will have much sympathy for your hostage. I’ve seen his guys pull teeth, crush limbs, mutilate faces – I hope you did not care much for him, because he will be tearing at your throat for what you’ve condemned him to.” He tried his best to stall the other, although his voice was heavy with guilt as he spoke.


**


Ade sighed, his face still twisted in discomfort at the creature’s anguish. “I wouldn’t say they’re like you at all, Anshik.” He murmured, “You’re the only friendly…thing…I’ve seen here so far. The only person who hasn’t tried to tear me to pieces for so much as breathing. And that includes my partner.” The auburn-haired doctor chuckled drily, tracing his fingers along his bruised arm.


He cocked an eyebrow at the last comment, remembering back to being at Keve’s house. It had looked pretty shabby and disgusting from the outside, but inside it was filled with expensive-looking machines and gadgets. And the fact that he had so many people working for him – people that obeyed his every order at the drop of a hat – posed one obvious question. “...Yeah. Why is that?” Ade asked, looking at the reptile inquisitively. It can’t have been from the Time Agency, since Anshik had already suggested that Keve was far, far wealthier than Cassidy, who was theoretically more experienced than the other. It simply didn’t make sense that Keve could afford all this, especially on a planet that was so poor and ghetto-like.“…How does he make all of his money?”
 
Cas did not think of the scent importance, mainly because he usually was not concerned over his enemy's sense of smell remaining intact. But he growled in assurance that they would get there, and that Olmos would be able to take them in time. He followed the other down the latter, into the misty and dangerous streets below.


As soon as Cas laid eyes on the yellow building, a smug grin overcame his features. He only managed half a step, however, when Olmos warned him about it being a decoy. He froze, and demanded the location of the real one, quickly. The agent recognized what Olmos was trying, and despite the actual breathing problem, Cas simply grabbed the feline by the front, and dragged him roughly into an alley, shoving him against the wall. He stepped on something hard, and an audible crack hit the air, sharply. He scooped the shard of glass up, and pressed it to Olmos' neck, "I don't give up golden opportunities. If they lay a finger on him, I'll hold you personally responsible. Make sure to keep that in mind, when you see Keve again."


A slight panic was rising in Cas' chest, but it was well disguised. He was talented at keeping his composure, or a calm demeanor. But Olmos' words were definitely getting to him, and he looked around frantically at the distant squealing of wheels. The agent held tight onto Olmos' front, and dragged him hastily towards the general direction of the building, glass in hand still, "I'm sick of your shit. Show me now."


****


Anshik could not help but let out a low chuckle at the comment... Even his partner? He looked in skepticism at Adrian, and snorted softly, "What do you mean, your partner attacked you?" The reptile let out a concerned groan at the sight of the bruises on Ade's arm, and couldn't help himself from reaching out and also tracing it extremely gently.


The creature focused on the appendage, and ended up offering secret ice, for the swollen parts, later on. He shrugged at the inquiry, and shook his head, "They say he was a time agent, and can control the entire planet's fate or something. His gang members are rich-er- than many other citizens. They definite got their wealth going through that. So, he officially has a following, who practically worship him. And kill, or commit crimes, so far. But, he also has a tons of enemies, because he is an TA."
 
Olmos let out a harsh chuckle, sensing that he’d struck a nerve. “They’ll do more than lay a finger on him, Mr. Petar.” He scrunched his face up at strained his neck in an effort to get away from the shard of glass, knowing it was little use. “This is all your fault. If you had stayed put and simply taken cover Keve would have been happy with you. You might’ve even been allowed visitation with your hostage. But you had to be a brave little Time Agent-” He growled, cut off as Cassidy pressed the glass more forcefully against his neck, feeling the vessels throb against it. He was exaggerating, of course – Keve would’ve probably still been annoyed about the ambush, and he’d never allow a hostage and prisoner see each other.


The feline felt himself jerk forward, and he started shuffling again, his upper lip curled into a snarl as he sniffed. “Even though my broken nose, I can smell your fear.” He said ominously. “I would be scared if I was on the wrong side of Keve, too.” The screeching of wheels abruptly stopped, and simultaneously, so did the beeping in Cas’ cuff. He suddenly held out his hand in the vague direction of The Yellow Box, mere blocks away, stopping again as he panted. “It’s in the basement of the sandy-coloured apartment building. Just keep left until you see it. And you might want to, you know, hurry up, if you know what I mean.” The Time Agent did not need to be told twice, and the feline sighed with relief as he heard the Lieutenant sprint off, dropping the piece of glass.


He pressed himself up against a wall, clearing his throat and slowing his breathing. It was nothing but a detached curiosity that caused him to tell Cassidy where to go – he wanted to see how close Keve would let him get before shutting his lights out. As he sighed, he mused to the approaching figure, gently touching his nose and grimacing at it’s distorted shape. “Tell Keve he took his sweet time. That friend of his really is a vile one.” He looked up as the smear in his vision advanced towards him – one of Keve’s goons, carrying an ice pack. He held it out to Olmos, who snatched it off him, pressing it against his face and walking away with his escort. “Tell Keve he’s to pay to fix my nose as well as my eyes. I'm sure he'll love that.”


****


“Well…” Ade murmured, knowing better than to mention Cas’ panic attacks to the enemy, “He was upset that I was putting myself in danger, I guess. Some aliens at a bar were getting annoyed that I was speaking in English, and so I tried to leave. He made sure I didn’t, which was probably for the best.” Ade chuckled, not noticing the reptile had been stroking his arm until that point. He let Anshik, continuing quietly, “We had a fight when he got back to Keve’s house. I know he didn’t mean to do it.” He tried to sound convincing, but the reptile’s face remained twisted with sympathy. God, he thinks I’m some kind of abuse victim.


Ade licked his chapped lips, nodding in agreement, “Yeah, Cas said something about…a mission. Saving planets, exploring the universe…it’s a Time Agent thing, isn’t it?” He sniffed, not realising he was making the connection that his partner was a time traveller. “What exactly does Keve do with his time, though? From what I saw…he just sat at a table, drinking and smoking those…things…and talking. It doesn’t explain where he gets all his wealth from.” The auburn-haired doctor’s face was still scrunched in confusion.
 
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Cassidy sprinted towards the building, remaining hidden in the shadows the entire way. He only slowed upon coming near, afraid that there were armed guards patrolling the area. There was one, but he was facing away, and turning the corner at a different end of the wall. With a huff of relief, he closed the distance between the sandy wall and he, and pressed himself against it, looking up at the sill above. With practiced ease, he pulled himself up onto the sill, peeking in and finding no one in that particular room. Golden opportunity. He reminded himself, before pulling the heavy, post-war apartment window open, and slid himself carefully through, landing in the dirty, tiny room in the dark.


Within a few minutes, Cas had silently made his way down the hall, and was contemplating opening doors to find the stairs. He could hear heavy noises, above and below him, and the occasionally loud laughter of some creatures hanging out, probably slacking. That is why this part of the building seemed abandoned, unguarded. He pressed his ear against one of the doors, and couldn't help but jumped back, letting out a strangled yelp, because he stopped himself. He touched the side of his head, and upon drawing his hand back, found his fingers completely smeared red. The adrenaline rush made him forget about the shrapnel, which apparently had torn his ear in two. He just wiped his hands on his pants, leaving large streaks of blood where his fingers had rubbed.


Cautiously, Cas began opening doors instead, and found this entire floor was abandoned. He thanked Helmi that he was on the first floor, however, instead of far from a basement entrance. Upon opening one door, he found an entire stair well, one for the entire building. He slid himself through, and began to descend, and found finally a single guard, sitting in a chair, puffing a voff, with his eyes closed and completely relaxed. The scaly creature was a mixture between Anshik, and Olmos, a furry reptile. Probably a result of an odd partnering in this awful ghetto.


He jumped on the creature, forcing his slippery hands over his mouth, and began the death struggle, holding the creature still as one hand strangled him, then two, for minutes, until the thrashing stopped, and he dropped the guy dead on the ground. At this point, Cas' breathing began to imitate his during an attack, due to the coldness and closeness of the encounter, and he recoiled, sitting against a wall and reminding himself to breathe, for Adrian. The Lieutenant took the man's gun, and pressed on.


Eventually, he found the room. It was actually right in front of him, one of the only doors in the basement, which was filled with supplies and food rather than prisoners. He opened it slowly, before hopping in upon catching a flash of familiar auburn hair, and pointed the gun expertly at Anshik, remaining silent and wild looking, with his blood covered hands, shirt, and face, ruffled hair, wide eyes, and heavy breathing, which was verging on panicky.


He wouldn't admit to himself, this kind of work was getting hard. Misty images of people he had killed, and gruesome scenes he had witnessed, began flickering before his eyes. The only betrayal of his attack was his breathing hands, the breathing was uneven and quick, and his hands shaking violently. "Adrian..." He whispered, voice wavering, as he motioned weakly towards the door, "Helmi, come on..."


****


Anshik did not understand why Cas had supposedly beat Adrian, but he did understand the concern, "Yeah... You alwayss want to blend in around here. You could get yourshelf kidnapped, hurt, or even killed by these awful people." Anshik lifted a brow, when the connection was made. He blinked in shock, and stayed silent, a bit confused over the ordeal. He had been told the agent didn't think Adrian important... Now he was his lover?


The reptile never got time to respond to Ade's hasty topic, which acted as a distraction well enough. He only began, "It's rumored... Only rumored... That Keve time travels somehow, and fixes his futur-" He was cut off, by Cas jumping into the room, and sticking a gun right at the lizard. Anshik had always been a gentle creature, never one for violence. It was just unfortunate circumstances that landed him here. So, upon having the gun pointed at him, he yelped in shock, and froze, wide eyed and sputtering as he gawked at the agent, whose seemed to have blood soaked clothes, head to toe, and to have the red fluid splattered all over his face. "...T-There h-h-he ish, Adrian!" He whispered, putting his hands, that were shaking violently, up in the air, as a surrender.
 
Adrian looked up at the wild-looking man, barely recognising him as his lover, with bruised knuckles and blood stained clothes, shaking as if he were loaded with drugs. At first he thought it was some bizarre dream or hallucination, but the hushed, desperate words from his mouth seemed to stir it into reality. Ade sat frozen on the floor as Cas took aim at Anshik, barely able to stutter words out as he sat there. “C-Cassidy…? How did y-” He was abruptly cut off as the Time Agent jolted, dropping the gun and collapsing suddenly onto the ground. His body shuddered violently, and although he made no noise his expression was harsh and pained.


Only at that moment did Ade realise the sound of slow, heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, the couple’s collective tormenter stepping out into the room, clicking his teeth together in disapproval.


---


As the Lieutenant finally began to stir, Keve lit a voff and pushed a button, causing a large screen in front of the two to flicker and illuminate the room as it turned on. There were back at Keve’s place, less than half and hour after Cassidy had been found mere feet away from his love before being dragged away, unconscious from a powerful electric shock, and sat at in a chair, his hands firmly cuffed behind him. As Keve turned to face him, several of his workers were bandaging a wound on his leg, and suturing a cut on his temple.


He puffed the voff vapour at the other, moving his mouth in such a way that they formed rings as they drifted over to the Lieutenant. “You know what, I take it back, Petar. You and I aren’t that similar, after all.” The picture on the screen began to come into focus, revealing a blank, gray-white wall and filthy-looking floor. At the same time, alien murmuring could be heard off-screen, to which Keve murmured back after some thought. He never explained his previous statement to Cassidy, simply drawing on his voff and closing his eyes as he tried to ignore the pain in his thigh. He was picking a scab at the bottom of his chin when the camera suddenly swung over to the other side of the room, focusing on a nervous, almost embarrassed-looking auburn-haired human standing against the wall. His hands were bound behind his back, and he slouched as if he’d been standing there for some time. He stood amongst several of Keve’s goons, whom stared at Adrian with a carnivorous intensity.


Ade swallowed thickly, recoiling as the camera was thrust in his face. “Since you didn’t get the chance earlier, why don’t you give your boyfriend a nice big kiss, hmm?” Keve growled, testing that the call had connected successfully. He smiled contentedly as his dark voice echoed in the small, stuffy room that surrounded Ade. The other grimaced, blinking back at the machine. “N-no, thanks…” Adrian murmured, unable to hide the anxious quiver to his voice. “You haven’t hurt him, have you, Keve…?” He asked, unable to see the two on the other side of the video call. Keve let out a glorious cackle, nudging Cas hard in his seat with an elbow. “You hear that, Petar? He’s worried you’re going to get hurt.” He leaned forward in his seat, slightly closer to the microphone that was implanted into the wall. “I think you should be a little more worried about your own safety, Adrian.”


At that, Ade unconsciously let out a frightened whimper, and the group of goons around him started to laugh in unison. Keve let it die down, enjoying the pinkish glow that was now visable on Ade’s face and neck. When they were done, he nudged Cassidy again, his voice switching from amused to righteous, like a judge addressing the jury. “Now, Cassidy. Why don’t you tell Ade why he’s standing there, about to get the living shit beaten out of him…?”
 
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Cassidy did not remember a single thing from the last five minutes of his futile mission. Not the immense pain, not falling face first into the floor, which re-animated his nose bleed- nothing at all. He woke up to the smell of burnt hair, and aching joints. His muscles were soar and tense, and flexing them caused a groan from the back of the Lieutenant's throat. His vision was swimming, eventually focusing on the TV, once Keve had begun speaking.


The extremely disoriented agent blinked, cross-eyed as he tried to see the screen in front of him. His bound hands were shaking violently, and he was shivering, despite the humidity of the room. Keve's words eluded him, he could not think clearly. He could hardly remember the events of the previous days, while in this state, let alone process what was happening. That was, until the camera shifted and focused on his lover.


It finally came together in his mind, the events clicking into place solidly; the Lieutenant instantly shouted a sharp, 'No!', and thrashed against his bonds, quite uselessly. "Keve... W-We don't harm civilians, r-remember? It's wrong!" His eyes shone, as he desperately tried to free himself, to somehow stop what was about to happen. The Lieutenant looked to Keve, eyes pleading, "...Keve, I'm the soldier. Please." He whispered, unable to even look at Adrian; forget explaining the situation. Of course he tried to save Ade early, to escape! It was his natural instinct, and usually it worked. But not today; he was dealing with another time agent, who had plenty of connections.


The agent thrashed as Keve spoke, breathing heavily by the end, before letting his head droop in a type of defeat. "Keve, do whatever you want to me. Just, he didn't do it."


***


Anshik stood in the same room as Adrian, watching the dreadful scene unfold. He had butterflies in his stomach again, but this time in fear of what would happen to his new infatuation. The reptile knew he could not do a thing; they'd skin his invaluable self alive, and make a nice snake skin purse, before he could speak up in agreement with Cassidy. The crazy time agent should have known better, it was not Adrian's fault! Cas should solely be punished, over both of them suffering.


He opted instead to look away, standing back by the door with flighty glances at the door. He stood in a crowd of goons that were taking a food break, waiting for the gruesome display. The entire building was invited down to watch the fun, and even participate if they wished. In the pit of his stomach, he felt a growing rage building, towards the voice of Cas that he heard over the microphones, after Keve's showy announcement. Humans. Idiots. Rash. Inconsiderate. Worriedly, he bit his lip, lifting his eyes to glance over at Adrian, cursing Cas, and himself, for not helping Adrian.
 
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Adrian caught the glance of his reptilian captor for the moments of silence before the Lieutenant spoke, a weak smile on his face as for a second he fooled himself that Anshik would raise his hands and tell them to stop. Of course, none such action took place, and he seemed to melt away in the crowd that had gathered, barely able to look Ade in the eye. He sighed heavily, a distinct tremble to his breath as he pressed his head against the wall, closing his eyes to avoid making eye contact with any of the other goons in the room. He bit his lip as the room was suddenly filled with the sound of his partner screaming as if he were in pain, the faint clinking sound of the shackles punctuating his struggle. The other creatures in the room with a strong sense of smell started cheering again, revelling in the tension and fear that was emanating from Ade.


As Cassidy was blabbering helplessly, Keve leaned over to him, a spiteful look in his eye as he took the Lieutenant by the shoulder. “Well, nobody’s perfect, are they, Petar?” He growled, “That boy you strangled to death was a civilian. Did you think that was so wrong, hmm? Anything to save your ginger prince, right?” He started thrashing again in his seat, and Keve gave him a few more seconds to struggle before reaching around his head and grabbing his torn ear. He tugged on the flimsy scraps of flesh, his face starting to crease as the Lieutenant refused to play his game. “Well, didn’t you hear me, Petar? I asked you to tell Adrian why this is happening to him.”


The Lieutenant was too slow in his reply, and Keve gave him a quick and light jab to the face, just enough to start the bleeding in his nose again. Ade squirmed against the wall as his partner’s gasps and cries filled the room. “I’ll tell you for why, Adrian.” Keve said, redirecting his focus towards the screen. “Being the coward that he is, he ran away from an ambush between us, and a rival gang, the Hafen.” At the sound of the other gang’s name, the room became filled with the hum of distain for the mentioned group. They quietened as Keve spoke again. “Unable to accept his punishment due to previous commitments, the required beating and humiliating instead goes to his partner, whom elected himself by sharing a bed with a Time Agent.” He growled at the screen again. “…That would be you, sweets.”


Ade tried to stay calm, but even from the poor quality video it could be seen that he was trembling, sweat dripping down his forehead from the heat of the room. Two or three in the room took Keve's last statement as a cue to start, and they advanced towards him, stopping mere feet away as Keve uttered a Vosnian word. “Before we begin, I want to hear Petar tell his love that this is all his fault. I want to see that he feels responsible for his actions, and accepts the consequences. That way, he might think twice before running away, kidnapping my allies, interrogating them and leaving them for dead, as well as trying to free his precious hostage, despite previous warnings.” The goons waited for Cassidy’s voice to remerge with bated breath, the bloodlust visable as they eyed the auburn-haired human.


Before he spoke, Keve motioned to the goons in front of Ade. "And you know the rules, boys. First hit goes to the captor. Where's Anshik?"
 
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Cas could hear Keve of course, but when the leftovers of his ear were tugged and twisted, prompting a rough voiced scream from Cas. He could feel the piece of skin Keve was tugging pulling further away from his head, and the flap suddenly was dragged further downwards, as the skin ripped further. He opened his mouth to breathe, and control his mental state. He gasped in shock when the hand connected with his nose, and he sputtered and any focus he had was gone, as he began spitting and gasping, trying to suck in air. The shaking was already awful, the cuffs were clinking rapidly against the rusty metal chair's back, but, as he always did, he lost control of his breathing when the boy was mentioned. He finally replied, being rewarded with a generous amount of blood into his mouth. "N-No... He was a-a guard... A soldier, Kev-e." He hissed, taking a large gulp of air when his voice cracked; he was trying to convince himself he did the right thing.


Afterwards, he spat the blood out, which reddened his dark lips, into a crimson, and he tried to rip himself of the metallic vile fluid, but his nose was now gushing, and it was no use. He fell silent at the announcement, and he tried to jump up, pulling at the cuffs around the chair. He instead lost his balance, and fell over in a heap, rolling a few feet, the chair landing on him. "K-Keve, stop it! I can take the p-punishment. D-Do whatever you like, to me!" He pleaded, squirming under the chair in an awful attempt to get up, "


****


Keve and Cas' interactions creepily filled the entire room, causing a chill to run up the reptilian's spine. Suddenly, he was being pushed forward, and cheered on, by the other goons in room. They were like apes, jumping around excitedly, with booming low, and stupid, grunts and shouts. Soon he was in front of the trembling auburn haired human, with a mock 'tough-guy' face. In English, he whispered a low apology, before carefully aiming for Adrian's head. Perhaps, if he tried hard enough, he could knock Adrian out. A mercy blow, maybe they would leave him alone.


Anshik wounded up his arm, before letting a powerful punch loose across Adrian's cheek, which only caused Adrian's head to snap sharply to the side, and Anshik standing there awkwardly.
 
Unable to see the chaos unfolding, all Ade could hear was his lover’s desperate voice, and the sudden clanging of metal hitting the floor. “C-Cassidy...?” He suddenly blurted in a panicked voice, momentarily distracted from the crowd as he stared into the camera. He could feel tears forming in his eyes as the tragic sounds of the Lieutenant struggling filled the room, and Ade sighed heavily, leaning against the wall and biting his lip as he saw Anshik approaching. “C-Cas, it’s – it’s OK, please, just- just-” His voice quivered and croaked with fear as he spoke, and he froze as the reptile was pushed in front of him. Ade begged with his eyes. Don’t do this, Anshik.


Of course, with the baying from the crowd and his boss – practically his master – watching him, Anshik had no choice but to strike out. Before he could even think, Ade cried out dramatically as his cheek connected with the scaled fist, the pain spreading across his face and down his neck instantaneously. The scream welcomed a cheer from the audience, and Keve sat back in his chair, drawing on the voff with a contented smirk as he watched. Ade instinctively crumpled himself against the wall as the jet-black goon he saw earlier approached, and he had to force himself to straighten up, to at least give the appearance he was being brave. The creature’s eyes bored into his as it smiled demonically – Adrian was so terrified by them he completely froze, not even noticing the dark fist at his side until it collided forcefully with his stomach.


Keve watched as the punishment began to unfold, slowly getting up from his chair as Ade’s cries started to fill the darkened room. He blew the vapour onto the Lieutenant again as he drew the chair up, turning the squirming Cas back towards the screen to watch his lover. Before he could turn his head away, Keve slid his own chair so it was next to Cas’, resting a hand on the back of the Time Agent’s dark wisps and tugging hard so he couldn’t move. His anger only truly started to show as he shook the Lieutenant by the hair, hissing in his ear as he kept one eye on the screen. “I warned you, Petar. I warned you. I said, ‘Do as I say, or your pretty boyfriend gets hurt’. Why couldn’t you do something so simple, hmm?” There was a deep thud, followed by a chorus of cheers as Ade hit the floor. The auburn-haired doctor writhed in agony, unable to control his sobs as he was buried in a volley of punches and kicks. “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve such a habit for hurting the people you love, don’t you? It's no wonder you were so lonely.” Keve continued, his voice becoming deeper and deeper, darker and darker.


His eyes seemed to glaze over as his fingers stroked the other’s dark hair, despite his struggling. “Knowing you, you'll watch him die, just like you did with Vireen...” Keve mused, eyes twitching as he mentioned the old name.
 
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Zise, the large black creature, seemed to be the leader of the goons from this building; he greedily commanded the goons to do different things, and took charge in the torture, while Anshik retreated, looking proud carefully, before quickly excusing himself to go to the bathroom. No one noticed, however, they were too absorbed in showering Adrian with kicks, particularly to his shins, elbows, and ribs. Nothing that would kill him, but would definitely cause a hefty amount of pain.


Zise made the assault halt, and he leaned down, digging his claws into Adrian's hair and lifting him into the air, shaking him violently. He chuckled, quieting the minions too. He pressed Adrian against the wall, digging into his pocket and digging a pair of tweezers. "Hold him." He commanded in English, to build Adrian's anxiousness, and immediately four aliens hopped to Ade's side, nabbing his arm, his shoulders, and pressing them against the wall. A fifth replaced Zise's hold on his hair, pulling the Scot's head back and down, so he was almost looking at the ceiling.


Zise took Adrian's hand, and pulled it upwards, crushing it in between his strong fingers. Taking the tweezers, he held them to the tips of Adrian's index finger, pushing one half of the metal instrument under his nail, going slowly, and laughing as the doctor began to scream and pull at his arm, which was held easily in place. Once he reached all the way to the base of his finger nail, Zise clamped the tweezers down, tugging on the nail forcefully, so it peeled off the appendage, throwing it backwards. It clinked against the close lens of the camera, and skidded across the ground.


****


The Lieutenant's head was spinning, and he felt genuinely nauseous for the first time, in a long time, on this adventure. His ears were filled with Adrian's cries, which began to get more intense as the torture also increased in intensity. He doesn't have your training. Helmi, no, please. Keve, stop... Ade,; he doesn't have the training, he can't do this; it should be me, not him; stop.





Once he was hefted back upwards, he tried to look away, but instead found his head held fast, by Keve's claw-like grip. Cassidy's mouth was dry, as the horror unfolded in front of him. The mention of Vireen only sent his mind into more turmoil, as the thought of Adrian dying too, on his watch, became a possibility. "D-D-D-Don't." He stuttered, eyes beginning to unfocus, as the day Vireen died began to play back to him, side by side with an image of having to repeat the tragedy, but with Adrian.
 
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Wave after wave of nausea overcame Cassidy’s lover as he thrashed and protested, begging with his torturers as they continued to beat and mutilate. The alien holding Adrian’s head had to strengthen his grip as the nail was ripped, preventing the doctor from smashing his head against the wall in a vain attempt to knock himself out as the intense pain burned across the entire right side of his body. He struggled to swallow the pool of blood and saliva in his mouth as he continued to struggle, making his cries a gargled mess that echoed disturbingly throughout the grey-walled room.


The hand on his auburn curls was finally released and Ade threw his head forward, blood and spit gushing on the floor as he coughed and spluttered, much to the amusement of the other aliens. He gasped and looked up at the camera with pleading green eyes. Keve barked a Vosnian command and several of the aliens took a step back, allowing Ade to stand on his own. The camera panned around, showing the extent of his injuries as he wobbled on his feet, his knees threatening to give way at any second. What flesh was visable was badly bruised and even cut in places, and Ade buried a hand into his side and heaved as he felt a broken rib shift under his skin. Keve made a disapproving sound, shaking his head to himself. “I’m disappointed, comrades. That’s not nearly enough to warrant what Petar did. We buried eight of our friends today, and I expect to see those souls marked into this human's hide before you’re finished.” His words seemed to rouse the crowd again, and as he finished they became more aggressive, advancing forward again with teeth bared.


Zise once again was at the forefront, and he suddenly lunged at the doctor, opening his feline-like jaws and clamped down on side of the doctor’s head. Ade struck out absentmindedly at the creatures’ face as he did so, which caused Zise’s mouth to twist into a disturbing grin, waiting a few seconds as he puffed hot air against Adrian’s face. He then placed one hand on Ade’s chest and pushed him violently backwards towards the wall, causing a disturbing splot sound as flesh split just below his hairline. The camera panned to Zise as the other crumpled and sobbed holding his side of his head. The proud creature held the strip of cartilage between his teeth, before spitting it out in triumph mere feet away from where Ade’s bare feet. His sobs and screams fell from his mouth beyond his control as he wailed; “C-Cassidy, are you still theee-re?! P-p-please - make them stop!”


“Look at your love, Petar. He is begging you to help him, and you are powerless to help.” Keve murmured. He looked over to the Lieutenant, and saw his eyes glazed over, as if in some sort of trance. The other Time Agent growled bitterly at him, spitting at him and smacking him in the face again; the whole point of this punishment was to get revenge on Cassidy, and yet his mind seemed to be in a different place and time, not focusing on his struggling love in front of him. “I told you, Adrian, Petar is a coward. He would rather close his eyes and pretend this isn’t happening than answer you.” Ade’s sobs continued to fill the room, and Keve narrowed his eyes at the Lieutenant, and he grabbed his hair once again, yanking it forward and closer to the screen. “Look. At. Him.”
 
Cas' mind was far, far way. He saw Vireen, her blood all over him, and her eyes as she faded from the universe. Over, and over, and over again. Adrian, in her place. He did not see the screen, but he heard the screams. Vireen's last, guttural, screech, and Adrian's current screeching, as his finger nails were torn off, one by one. Like in previous attacks, Cas felt like he was in a pressure cooker. He was sweating, his clothes now soaked in blood and copious amounts of sweat. He developed a splitting headache, and felt compelled to grab the sides of his head. But of course, he could not, so he tugged at the bonds uselessly instead.


The Lieutenant was half woken from his trance, upon hearing Adrian's panicky, terrified cry for help, but it only forced him deeper into an attack. He straightened up, dilated eyes focusing on the screen as he was smacked, and his head smacked to the side with another sharp crack, from the hand hitting the skin of his cheek. Immediately, Cas screamed, "I-I-I-I-I'M SO-SORR-SORRY! M-Make s-stop, i-it-t-t s-stop- stoap- sap- s- sta-sit- sur..." He continued screaming the words, barely able to stutter out each syllable, and eventually his words transformed, from actual words, to unrecognizable gibberish. Cassidy was thrashing, and kicking, shaking his head and sobbing, eyes clamped tightly shut. The agent leapt up, successfully landing on his feet, and swung the chair around, bent over. As he turned, it smashed into the monitor, cracking the device.


***


On Adrian's side of the monitor, the goons temporarily stopped, as the unwarranted screeching, and gibberish. They all froze, and turned to face the open room, looking at the camera. One whispered in Vosnian, in a sort of dumbstruck awe, "What the fuck?" And most of them nodded in agreement.


After a few moments, however, half of them shrugged the terrifying screaming off, and one picked up the ear, waving it in front of Adrian's face, "Cat got yurr ear!" He drunkenly slurred, leaning in and breathing a sour odor into the Scot's face. Cassidy was still screaming on the other side, half the recognizable words in English, half in the universal tongue, and even some in some odd languages that the Vosnians had never heard much of. But the gibberish added into the equation made the erratic behavior even stranger, and some of the creatures were puzzled about why he was reacting in such a manner.


Zise grinned, growling, "Heh, your boyfriend is a dumb fuck, as well as a dirty agent, I guess." He spat directly into Ade's face, before opening his blood covered jaws wide over Adrian's nose, making a mock clamping motion, as if he would bite that off next.
 
Keve lept out of his seat seconds after Cassidy did, and the two crashed onto the floor as the room became coated in darkness. Confused whispers and growls still echoed through the speakers as Keve felt around in the pitch black. His hands found the Lieutenant’s neck, and he applied a light pressure as Cassidy continued to thrash and blabber, his voice a mixed tape as he continued screaming and switching languages. His frustration building over the lack of control, Keve shook him hard, blocking off his airways as yelled at him, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Petar?!”


There was a pang of concern in the back of his head as he thought the Time Agent must have cracked – no other prisoner had reacted in the same way, even when their binding partner had been killed before their very eyes. Cassidy continued to spasm, even as his consciousness began to fade from the lack of oxygen. His panicked screams got quieter and quieter until they died down, with Keve releasing his neck just as he stopped murmuring, and he allowed the other to take a swift and dramatic breath of air. Keve stumbled up, flicking the light switch at the side of the room, before pacing back over and rolling the Time Agent onto his back, checking that he was still breathing and pulling out pieces of the smashed monitor from his face. His eyes had rolled back into his head, and Keve continually slapped him hard against the cheek, his voice cold and angry as he murmured, “Wake up, Cassidy. Wake. Up. Come on.”


Discouraged voices began to sound through the speakers at the side of the room, and Keve yelled back at them, losing his temper, “Well?! Keep going, you fucking useless mongrels!”


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


Ade continued to tremble at the sound of the chaos at the other side of the call, unable to understand what was going on from the language barrier. He called out for his lover once again, falling on deaf ears as the grinning Zise threatened him. Ade stared into the creature’s eyes in defiance, his voice still trembling, “He isn’t-…C-Cassidy isn’t-“. The helpless man cried out and collapsed backwards as the creature went for his nose, and Ade covered his face with his bleeding hands in an attempt to get away, shaking his head and sobbing loudly. “P-p-please, no…I can’t take any more…” He wailed, the throbbing on the side of his head causing him to lose his balance and slide onto the floor. Zise instantly seized him by the hair and pressed his face hard into the ground, howling into his remaining ear. “What’s that? You want more?!” The jet-black grin formed again as Ade shook his head violently, his speech reduced to quiet whimpers.


Zise whispered quietly so his voice wouldn’t transmit across the video call, and only a handful of aliens in the room heard the quiet demand he made. “Then I want you to tell your filthy boyfriend that you hate him. You say to him-“ The creature’s voice lowered further, and he shook Ade hard as the other moaned in anguish, “-And I want him to know that you mean it.” He felt the creature’s hand close over his fractured wrist, and he forced it up behind the doctor’s back, simultaneously wrenching it up towards his neck and crushing the bones and tendons between his fingertips. The pain was nauseating, the heat was stifling, the sounds around him were loud and terrifying, only muffled by the pool of blood gathering inside his ear. The assault on his senses were only intensified by the assault on his mind, and in that moment the choice given to him by Zise seemed to be the only release. He found himself speaking the words Zise told him to, with a trembling, angry conviction to his voice that sent a chill down his own spine;


“I-I’m going to kill you, Cassidy, you fucking disgusting Time Agent scum. I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done to me.”
 
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The Lieutenant's mind was reeling, even as he was losing consciousness because of the hands slowly suffocating him. He pulled instinctively at his bonds, thrashing his feet uselessly, trying to continue screaming. Darkness began to swallow him, and it occurred to him he was going back to the nothingness that followed death. Panic swallowed his being, and he opened his mouth in a silent scream, as his kicking slowed, and his mind clouded from a lack of oxygen.


Soon his thoughts slowed, and his body relaxed. His previously tensed face fell expressionless, and limp. He laid on the floor, unconsciously, as Keve rolled him over, and picked a couple shards of glass out of his cheek, which had unfortunately embedded themselves in his dark cheek. He did not stirr, however, but laid there, breathing peacefully now, with his eyes rolled back. The first sharp slap did not have an effect on the exhausted agent, and neither did the second. It was only ten or so hard slaps later, and Keve's screaming, that got him to stir. He lifted his head, a frown carved into his features, as he was whacked once more, causing him to bit his tongue through, releasing blood into his mouth like a gummy filled with fruit juice would. He gasped, eyes flying open, revealing bloodshot, deep brown wide eyes. The first thing he fully heard was Adrian's words. I'm going to kill you. You disgusting Time Agent scum. I'm going to make you pay.





Cas blinked a few times, remaining silent, seeming much calmer, but slightly confused. He looked around the room, looking for Ade, before finding the microphone and the smashed TV monitor. This instantly caused him to realize the situation all over again, and he swallowed hard, "Oh." He whispered, voice cracking, but not saying anymore. His mind began to swell with thoughts of all the comrades he had let down, like Vireen. All the young soldiers he accidentally left behind. All the people he had killed. All the friends and family he had lost. Adrian is being added to the list. He thought, eyes remaining wide like discs, a shaky breath huffing out. He could not find any more words, only frantic and panicky thoughts filled his mind, about what he had done to his lover. It's your fault, Cas. He's left you. They all leave you; it's all your fault. All your fault. All my fault. Adrian, please, stop, I did not mean for this...


*****





Zise grinned in reply to Ade's words, and motioned in the air, whispering close to Adrian in a voice unheard by the camera, "Keep going, if you like having toenails too." He snatched one of Adrian's hands, and pressed his thumb over a raw spot, where a nail once had been. "I can sew them back on, later." He grinned evilly, before leaning in and licking the Scot's bloody spot, where the ear had been, "Blood is my element. My entire family, canivores." Proudly he murmured the information, grinning ear to ear over the fear he was inducing in Adrian, and the wonderful usage of his talents.
 
“I hate you, Cassidy Petar!” Ade instinctively curled his toes over his feet as they were mentioned, and started to thrash as the pain in his head, his ribs and his hand failed to subside. As he closed his eyes, he fell into a fantasy where the more he said, the more his pain would disappear, and the words once again fell out of his mouth unfiltered as the creature lapped at the bloody nub where his ear once was. He hastily put together sentences that barely made sense in an attempt to please the beast, whom went back to twisting his arm behind his back. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. D-don’t you dare ever look on me again, unless you want a fucking…bullet between your eyes.” He squirmed as he spoke, as if he was trying to burrow through the floor and away from everyone.


“Come on, Adrian, you can do better than that…” Zise cooed, taking a rag from someone in the crowd and pressing it to Ade’s head. It was soaked in a mildly acidic substance – like vinegar – that burned the torn flesh at it’s seams. Adrian let out an inhuman wail, his gasps and cries becoming laboured as the pain intensified, “I haa-te that you’re a Time Agent, I hate that you’re a man, I-I-I hate that you tried to save me even now…I wish you had stayed dead and never came back! You’ve…f-f-fucking ruined my life!” Ade was practically screaming, his voice echoing back on the video call as it filled the room where Keve and Cas were. He would’ve said anything, anything to make the pain stop, and he was rewarded with blissful unconsciousness at last as Zise punched the ear-wound. The auburn-haired doctor’s thrashing abruptly stopped, and the alien chatter around them turned into an amused hum as they waited for a response from the other side.


Keve didn’t fully understand the insults Ade had hurled at Cas – why would being a man be an issue? – but he knew regardless that they had cut deep, and he glowered at the Lieutenant as his eyes glazed over once more. He had to restrain himself from hitting out at the other again, if only to spare what little sanity he had left for the mission. Instead, he spoke at the microphone, asking his goons to check that Ade was still breathing, still alive. Cas would be useless as a prisoner without a hostage to persuade him, and Keve gritted his teeth in anguish as he was forced to think of something quickly to regain Cassidy’s faith in his lover, after his harrowing confessions.


“We’re done here.” Keve growled at the crowd, prompting an impatient groan from those that hadn’t even had a chance to strike at the human, “Nobody is to touch him except his captor from now on. Anshik, take him back to his cell and clean him up.” Zise was lucky the monitor in the other room was broken, as the facial expression he made as he slammed Adrian in the face one final time was enough to warrant punishment on it’s own, for insubordination. Nevertheless, the hungry crowd began to dissipate, making way for the scaled captor as he paced through them, gathering the unconscious man up in his arms and dragging him back to the basement.
 
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Cas' head slowly drooped down, and hung limp, his now oily, and matted dark hair shifting to cover his forehead. His eyes were open, and he was shivering, silently. His mind was racing, through thoughts that were doubtful he would ever find anyone that would not suffer because of him. Even his family suffered because of him; they were always worrying about where he was. But he did not call them often, or ever tell them about the missions. He did not need to be worried about.


But he constantly worried about his friends. Only three left, not including Adrian, but then again- Not Adrian. I've lost another. This was a new kind of loss, usually they died. Now he had lost a connection, and left a scar in its place. He shuddered visibly, feeling a dread clutch his chest, a lurching feeling in the pit of his stomach developed. Insults hurled in all directions in his mind, but especially at himself. Even if he wanted to speak, he could not find words.


The agent did not look up, even when two men approached, through the large metal door on the opposite end of the room. One held a short syringe, and came up behind Cas, digging his fingers into the dark hair to hold his head still, while sticking the needle in Cas' neck and injecting him with the clear fluid. Within moments, Cas' body drooped forward, and the man grabbed a hold of him, while his assistant unchained him. The Lieutenant spiraled into darkness, his vision faded into black and his thoughts died into a deep nothingness.


***


About an hour or so later, the Lieutenant began to stir on his gurney. His movements were groggy, and he only shifted his head really. There was a slight tugging sensation he could feel, but at first he hadn't any strength to move. He summoned his little power when a sharp sting spread across the side of his head, where his left ear once had been. He jerked away, eyes fluttering open to see his vision flooded with black spots, from his scattered state. As his vision developed, a hand clamped itself over his nose and mouth, the fingernails digging into his cheeks sharply, holding his head down. He yowled when his nose was struck, but no blood gushed from the broken feature this time, due to large cotton balls that were stuck in his nostrils. He twisted violently, finding his arms and legs were bound on the gurney, his arms shackled above him, his legs spread slightly and bolted to below him. Easy access for wounds, of course.


The intruder of a sharp, tiny object, in the gaping hole where his ear had been causing a couple more minutes of useless struggle on Cas' part. The woman holding him was stitching up the gash on the side of his head, making Cas' stomach reel as he felt the inch by inch tug of a sting through his flesh. No pain relievers, he could tell, from the horrible burning sensation that consumed the raw wound.


He stiffened, waiting for the woman to finish, breathing in and out his mouth with wide eyes, which stared at the Vosnian, who was a mixture of a hoofed creature and a long eared humanoid, out of the corner of his vision. She finished up by pushing an alcohol soaked pad to his wound, summoning a sharp howl from the Lieutenant. She spat into his face, telling him he was shit, before slapping him across the mouth. "Scummy agent." She hissed, before packing up her bloodied supplies and clacking away to the exit.


Cas began to observe his surroundings through blurry vision, and found he was in the same room Keve had given to Ade and he earlier. The bed was now replaced with a gurney, the room was white washed. Cas closed his eyes, and noticed his hair was wet, and face felt fresher. His face had been washed, no blood leftover now, and his hair was washed. The scent of fresh shampoo filled his nostrils, and he breathed in deeply with a faint smile. It was the simple things that always got him, so relaxing finally (despite the dire situation), and smelling something decent in contrast to the rank, vile blood soaked clothes he still had on, and the B.O. that wafted off his body, well, in comparison it was a gift from the Heavans.


****


Anshik had carried Adrian back downstairs, after being given a bottle of pure alcohol, and a basic first aid kit. No pain relievers included. They were a luxury on Vos anyway, for medical use. Most of the painkillers were used for drug use on this planet, and it was hard to find decent hospitals with them. An addict paid much more than a patient usually did, so hospitals went without here. The dealers went with the higher bidder, of course. Besides, patients could technically go without painkillers, they were not necessarily essential to the survival of the patient.


Nearly forty minutes after the incident, Adrian began to stir, like Cas on the other side of town. Groggily, and wanly. He had been dabbing gently at the Scot's wound, Adrian's head in his lap. There was a pool of blood beneath them, but the bleeding nearly had ceased. He held the cloth with care to Adrian's head, and placed a strong scaled hand on the bruised, and exposed, chest of the human. "Sshhhh, shh..." He hushed the other, stroking his auburn locks in comfort, "Jusssst relax, poor thing..." He cooed, worriedly looking the source of his new found joy over.
 
There was a low hum in the kitchen of Keve’s house, where several of Keve’s higher-ranking goons were stationed, whom were seriously discussing what had taken place in the Yellow Box, as well as future plans for Vos. Keve sat at the side and drew on a voff heavily. All in the room were trusted, long-standing friends of Keve, and were the few on the planet that knew about it's real fate. Poorly educated and slow-thinking, they were the closest thing he had to a crack-team that wasn’t Cassidy, and they were awful. Keve shook his head, beads of sweat dripping down his cheek. “…No, that won’t work. I already said, Petar wants to use a utility truck, to get into the main quarters of the base without being traced.” There was a collective grumble from the rest of the group as Keve mentioned the other Time Agent. He eyed them threateningly, tapping on the papers covered in his and Cas’ handwriting. “This is the closest thing we have to a plan, and we’re sticking to it. As soon as Petar comes around, we’re-”


He was cut off as the hoofed woman appeared at the door, her mouth a straight line as she dumped the bloody supplies into the incinerator and nodded at Keve. The Time Agent grunted, casting an accusatory look at the rest of the group. “The plan is good. Don’t you dare change anything, you little shits.” He grunted as he walked out of the door, shakily pacing over to the guest room where Cas was being held. His mind was being invaded by the combined pressures of running a gang, a business, and an operation to save the planet, and it was beginning to show from the harsh creases in his face. Their metaphorical deadline had moved forward, and the fact that they needed to mobilise quickly, with their plan half-finished, was in the forefront of his mind as he swung the door open.


“...Good, you’re awake.” The Lieutenant looked hazy in his stretcher, although he began to struggle as Keve approached. He took a few minutes in silence to examine him– he was no doctor, but then again, neither was the woman that had fixed him up. The stitches in Cas’ head looked haphazard and painful, but at least they weren’t infected and looked as though they would hold. The some of the tiny cuts in his face caused by the monitor smashing had steri-strips on them, and he was thankful that Cassidy’s nose had finally stopped bleeding. He noted how pale the Lieutenant looked – he had lost a good amount of blood on that day from the continual nose bleeds alone, and he pulled out a transfusion machine from a compartment underneath the gurney. He looked at the Lieutenant with narrowed eyes as he tightened the strap around Cas’ left wrist, before uncapping the needle from the machine and plunging it into his forearm. As he switched the machine on, he drew up a chair so he was in full-view of Cas. The fluorescent-green fluid – an oxygen-rich blood substitute - began to drain through the needle and into his veins, and Keve finally spoke to the Lieutenant as soon as he was sure it was working, his face distorted in a picture of concern and irritation.


“I hope you have learned not to cross me now, Petar.” He said, licking his dry, chapped lips. “I’m sure your lover would agree. That is, if he's still your lover.” There was a knowing grin on his face, although he knew deep down Ade was the only bargaining tool he had. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, lighting another voff and drawing on it deeply. “Perhaps now we can get back to the mission, hmm?”


****


Ade let out a heavy moan, arching his back and writhing in the reptile’s lap as the pain returned to him in agonising waves. His hands especially were on fire, numb from the knuckles downwards and a nauseating tingly pain travelled down his arms as the blood returned to them. Second came the realisation of the gaping wound on the side of his face, and he sloppily lifted his right arm to touch the side of his head, only to drop it as he yelped and screamed when the alcohol pad was pressed against it.


He flailed his limbs as he struggled to sit up and scramble away from the pain source. The hand on his chest prevented him from moving much, and the doctor wailed as he looked up at his captor, “A-Ah-Ann-shiik…M-my-my-h-head-” he gasped. A part of him was glad to see the reptile, at least – the first punch was forgotten, and the gentle, comforting words soothed his mind, which started swarming with the horrific memory of the punishment.


The tug on his locks for a brief moment reminded him of his lover, and he softly whimpered as tears began to form on his eyelids, joining the thin stream of blood that was still oozing from his nose and dripping from his ear. “Ansh-Anshiik-” He gasped again, lifting his bruised left hand to the reptile’s face and patting it softly, sending red-hot needles into his fingertips, “A-ah-aah-Aanshik, please, I n-need...pain...pain r-rel-ieef..." He struggled to get his words out, constantly cut off by the sobs in his voice and the heavy pain on his chest. "I-I...O-oh...my god...!" Adrian retched abruptly as he caught sight of his own hand, mangled and nailless, and he struggled again on Anshik’s lap, failing to calm his breathing.
 
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Cas stiffened back from his relaxed state when the door moved, and a man approached. He did not turn his head to see, it would have pained him too much, but instead waited until Keve was over him. Instantly, his eyes sharpened into a deep glare, and he felt compelled to try and lash out at Keve, despite it being useless. He did not speak, or move, only watched the other carefully.


He didn't bother to flinch away when the needle was drawn out; he knew what the fluid was, and at least it was not vekkil. The solution would probably ease the stiffness and slight light headedness he developed from the multiple injuries anyway. So, he accepted without protest the oxygen solution, and closed his eyes, not wishing to look upon Keve. He wanted to be home. I want home. I want... safety. That thought was a new one, he realized, as he pictured the image of safety: Adrian's apartment, Adrian's arms. He never had that before, and now his mouth turned dry thinking about the comfortable bed, the heater attached to the wall, the warm blankets that Ade kept all over the place because of the average Boston chill, and, especially, Ade's warm and strong arms, that felt impenetrable.


The Lieutenant almost was smiling at his memories, until Keve said one sentence: That is, if he's still your lover. And new memories flooded his mind, of Ade's wails and screams from a couple hours previous, the way he had screamed at him that he hated him, never wanted to see him again, or how he wanted to see him dead. With a visible gulp, his eyes flew open, a feeling of dread clutching his chest, "Y-Yeah? ...Why should I help you anymore, he doesn't want to s-see me..." His voice was barely audible; he choked on every word, unable to say Adrian's name specifically. His eyes slowly slid shut, and he let his head roll to the side lazily.


****


Anshik cooed comforts into the auburn-haired Scot's ear, trying to sooth him, "I'm sssorry, they wouldn't give me the pain medicine." He apologized, urging Adrian to keep still. His wounds were small, but horrific, and definitely painful, "Jussst please, stay sssstill.."


The reptile sighed, and decided to distract Adrian with conversation, "Your Cassh does this all the time, remember that. Okay? You will be alright. Tell me abooout... Earth." He smiled warmly, cringing internally at the mention of his competition's name, however. But it was a desperate attempt to get Ade to be brave.
 
Keve groaned, rolling his eyes and pressing fingers into his temples. It took all of his will to prevent himself from shocking the Lieutenant, knowing that it would only make himself feel mildly better, while also decreasing the chances that Cassidy would partake in the mission. His physical condition was slowly improving – the colour slowly returning to his cheeks as he closed his eyes - but his heavy sighs and sorrowful voice spelt a reluctance that was going to put the whole planet in danger. “Don’t be stupid, Petar. You know it was part of the punishment. He was being forced to say it.” Keve spoke flatly, secretly angry that he had to admit the facts. He mentally cursed himself for letting the bloodthirsty goons getting carried away, again, and threatening the willingness of his prisoners. If only I had waited until the mission was over. Then they could’ve done whatever they wanted with the whelp.


He leaned closer towards the Lieutenant, so he could easily smell he breath from where he was sat, “You’re going to help me for the same reason we agreed to. This planet is filled with helpless, unknowing civilians – not gang members, not gun-toting mutants, but civilians. The Uniri are advancing quicker than expected, and this whole planet – you, me, everyone – is going to end up in a black hole in less than three days if you don’t help me and my guys.” Of course, he knew that this was unlikely to sway Cassidy, simply because of the mood he was in. The Time Agent sighed heavily, a dark look in his eye as he stared out of the window at the side of the room. “Adrian is still alive, and he’ll stay that way, so long as you get in a ship with me, do as I say, and finish the mission. What happens after that is up to you.”


He licked his dry lips again, lowering his head to look up as he heard the screech of the pterodactyl-like creature outside. “Whether or not he loves you anymore, I know you still care about him. And because I know-” He paused for a moment, turning back to face the Lieutenant with a stony look, “-I know what happened to you on that Iridium mission, I know that you know what it’s like to die, Petar. What they say about it is terrible, but I’m sure to experience it first hand is far, far worse.” His voice became low but soft, almost sympathetic as he looked into Cas’ glazed eyes. “Do you really want your love to feel the cold, numb feeling, for all eternity, knowing it was you who pulled the trigger? Does Adrian really deserve that, after all he’s already been through?” Keve murmured, spotting a spark in the Lieutenant’s eye as he spoke. With any hope, the emotional blackmail would spark some kind of compliance into him, and he unconsciously tensed up as his mind wandered back to the mission, and how little time they had left.


****


Adrian straightened and tensed his shoulders in an attempt to stay still, opening his tearful emerald eyes and staring up at Anshik with them. He focused on steadying his breathing as best as he could, though each exhale came out shaky as his bare chest continued to tremble beneath the reptile’s hands.


At the mention of his home planet, Ade’s face creased again, and he raised his hands to his eyes, whimpering softly. “Earth…Earth…” He murmured. It seemed so far away from him – and it was far away – on Vos, and it was only now that he had the time to think about missing it. A violent tide of homesickness washed over him, after which came an equally painful pang of sorrow and loss, for the vital component in his life on Earth for the past six months – Cassidy. “Earth…was b-boring, and tedious…until I met C-Cassidy.” He whimpered, unaware of the effect of his words on the reptile. He groaned in his anguish, lowering his hands to his sides before struggling to shuffle up on his elbows, to face the reptile. He barely managed it, after a few moments of yelping and whimpering in pain, his shaking features in line with Anshik’s, their faces inches away from each other. “He-he changed my l-life, Aan-shik…A-And I, I…” He trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he stifled a sob.


His upper arms shook under his weight, and that combined with the lack of balance from his destroyed ear caused him to weakly topple over, gently bringing the non-injured side of his head to rest against the reptile’s shoulder and chest. He remained there, exhausted by the struggle and the pain, still blabbering helplessly in his heartache, “I – I said such h-h-horrible things to him…j-j-just because I was s-scared of being beaten more-” Adrian sighed heavily again. He felt the warmth of the other’s chest as he breathed steadily, and it only reminded him of Cassidy more, and how much he wanted to see him again, to wrap his arms around him, to hold him close enough to feel his breath on his collarbones. In a similar way to Cas, merely having the other around, especially in the alien environment, made him feel safe. Without his translator, his protector, his lover, he felt terrified, and vulnerable. “I’m such a…fucking pathetic…cow-ard…”
 
Cas knew that millions of civilians were in danger. But, a selfish thought came to him. All he had seen so far in this planet was an uninhabitable trash wasteland, and tons of foul, awful people. He had not met a single kind person on this planet, and it was getting too hard to even believe that somewhere there was still a nice, innocent, person living out their days here. "All I've seen in Vos is... Helmi, well, absolutely rotten shit." He growled, in the universal tongue. "As if you even care about civilians. If you cared about the safety of civilians, you wouldn't have let earlier even come close to happening."


The Lieutenant froze up at the mention of death, and he snapped his head back towards Keve, imagining the metaphorical trigger he would be pulling by refusing to help. Keve was as cold as ice; killing Adrian would be nothing to him. Lives were at stake, but specifically one life was at stake. Adrian Mason, one of the only people Cas felt a connection with in the whole universe. His teammates and Adrian were all he had, but most of those people, dead and gone. Keve was absolutely correct, the agent cared immensely for his silly damsel, but he felt a pang in his chest upon hearing his name now, remembering the words. It did not matter if Adrian meant them or not, it just emphasized to Cas the fact that he was the reason Adrian was being mutilated like that, he was the reason the Scot was suffering. "I'll help you still." He murmured, knowing he needed to get Ade out of this place, no matter what, "But I want to see him. And I want you to swear no more harm will come to him. At all."


****


The reptilian man couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy shoot through his chest. He bit his lip, as the other began stuttering on about how much he loved this time agent. Suddenly, he couldn't help but feel a strong animosity towards time agents himself! He, however, could not bring himself to express this jealousy outright. He stiffened as Adrian flopped onto his chest, and he felt the butterflies in his stomach soar, and looked down to find their faces inches apart. He breathed in awe, staring into the green eyes, before hastily snapping out of the brief trance, and let out a whisper reply, "He has ssspecial training to deal with torture, you know. Of courssse you buckled, you haven't had that privilege. Not that you'd want it..." He assured the other he was fine, and that Cas would not hate him.


On a side note, he found a strange opportunity that he nabbed immediately, "Although... That wass very inconsssiderate of him to leave hisssh possition, even to sssave you. What made him think he would have got far? He knew you would ssssuffer." Anshik stroked Ade's auburn curls, and put on a doubtful frown, "He isssh dangerouss, Adrian..."
 
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