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Snippet #2655194

located in Sabrie, a part of Limerance, one of the many universes on RPG.

Sabrie

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Character Portrait: Doll Character Portrait: ZERO
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Slang, a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman. I.e. "She's nothing more than a doll."



{ Bird Set Free | Sia }


Garamound]Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #66CDAA || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #008B8B




Doll was scared, she didn't understand why Zero was acting like this, ignoring his brother and the Doctor both. "Zero? What are you doing?" Doll asked nervously, her chest feeling like it was tightening. Suddenly she couldn't breathe, her back arched and she choked, her eyes widening as she gasped, attempting to take air into her lungs. "Z-z," was all Doll could choke out until it stopped and she could breathe again, taking in short, shallow gasps. Her eyes fluttered closed, opening again once the spell had passed.

Zero reluctantly slipped his hand from hers, shattering the bond he'd made. An instant before he found he couldn't resist touching her hair, watching her.
"Are you alright?" Was this supposed to happen? Maybe, he's never done this before but was sure it'd work, he certainly felt its lasting affect on him, matters to which he'd give little thought. Beside him, Ren was still, perhaps his gaze captured by Loretta as they all were.

Slowly Doll nodded her head, she felt nauseous, but that was normal given every side effect of every pain medicine ever had that downside. "Yeah," Doll whispered. "Where did you go?" She didn't want him to leave again. He was back again, not acting like himself but he was there. "Don't leave me again. Please," it was a whimper, a plead for his warmth to stay beside her. Without him it felt cold.

Just looking into her eyes nearly broke him to pieces, nearly resurfaced the part of him he'd dismantled for she had the power to do that. Reach him in inexplicable ways and resurect fragments of him that time should have obliterated years ago. He wasn't human and never would be, but she made it seem like even that could be possible. He wanted it to be. And he'd keep searching for that possibility, no matter how small it was, he'd hold on to it. The sliver of hope. He'd keep it until proven wrong. Which had yet to happen. "I never left you." He couldn't speak much more, forming words for her to hear left him breathless. He gripped the fabric she lay on, pressed into it to keep him standing.

Ren grabbed at his shoulder, "The hell's going on?" Of course he wanted answers, everyone did. The weight of their stares was proof enough that something wasn't right, he wasn't right.

"She wants to play house," Then Zero stared up at the lens watching them. "...She's watching us even now."

"You mean that crazy bitch, she captured you, then let you go."

"Yes. She thinks I'm some sort of delivery service. Well, let me tell you what I'm not gonna do." Zero glanced at him, "Not giving her what she wants."

Ren nodded, "Doesn't explain the," He gestured the haphazard suit, "Or why you've shut off."

"I'll explain later." Then Zero glanced at Loretta, "Can you stand?" He asked, then he stepped from the bed, watching and anticipating their next move. Shit wasn't gonna be easy, but then again, nothing ever was.

Doll shook her head, no, she couldn't stand, she could hardly even move. "Zero, it's too dangerous." The Doctor warned, if they moved Loretta again it would be risking instability and all of their progress thus far would be lost. It seemed that Zero was right, Madam was watching them very closely. "Wrong decision," she sighed, shaking her head. She was going to have to bring the boy back and retrain him once more. It was ashame as he had been doing so well. She typed something on the keyboard, setting off a fail safe. It looked as though she would have to retrieve her puppets herself.

"Very well." Zero said, if they couldn't move her then she'd just have to stay put. He couldn't bring her out of this hell hole as he'd originally intended, not if it made her worse.

Doll was going to say something, to protest, when something beeped. The Doctor frowned, looking at the IV and his eyes widened. "Shit," he cursed and Doll suddenly couldn't breathe again. "No, no, no." Her heart was slowing, her head spinning. She could hear yelling as she faded, her hands shaking as she tried to reach Zero, to tell him something, but Doll could do or say nothing as her eyes fluttered closed once more, the monitor beeping rapidly as her heart appeared to stop.

When the machines started up with there incessant noises Zero froze, as though his body had locked up. Around him there was chaos and movement, Ren pulled him back and Loretta's image engulfed by the orderlies and white coated doctors. Her heart? Slowing? But how? He tried to reach for her but the distance between them was too great and he couldn't force himself beyond his limit. Not anymore. The sounds of their shouts and the colors of their motions blurred away.

"It's alright, I got you." Ren was saying, dragging him back, "You shouldn't have done that, but it's so like you." He said this, but was he mad? Disappointed? With no inflection in his tone how could Zero ever tell? That's it isn't it? A way to hide it all? Like wearing a mask or maintaining a permanent poker face by shutting down, like a switch. That's how perfect they were, able to control everything, so inhuman of them all.

Something rushed at him, but it wasn't painful and despite everything in him willing to stand up, to go, demand, and fight his body betrayed him. Maybe Ren was right, it was the biggest risk he'd ever taken. All for one girl. And these were his consequences, he'd live with forever. Ren eased him down into a reclined chair, his limbs were noodles, he couldn't even put up a fight.

Ren held him down, as if he didn't trust him, "It's the crazy bitch, you must have pissed her off."

"She's watching."

"We're waiting."

Zero gripped at Ren's shirt, "You can't kill her."

Ren stared down at him, his ice gaze distant, "I can."

"No."

"I don't need your permission."

"You had your fight, you took your time. This is my fight. Mine."

Ren covered his hand over Zero's hand that held him, "No, brother, our fight."

Zero could barely see him, barely move, if Ren wanted to stand by him then he could fly with that. If they could do this then they could over come their last fight, the one that nearly tore them apart. Trust unlike for most of their species existed for Zero, and if anything he trusted Ren, his only family. Or maybe it was more than trust, more than Ren being his brother. He was something that couldn't be labeled, something that filled the void in him, made him less empty, less insecure.

"Ren... I think she's coming."

"Well," Ren smirked, "I'll be waiting."

"No," Zero closed his eyes unable to keep them open, he struggled to stay alert, to speak, his cells were everywhere and unresponsive, his heart jumped and his breaths weren't enough, "... Not with her... With her we're... sheep."

________________________________________

Ren watched Zero sink under the pull of sleep. The idiot. He had done more than merge with Loretta, he'd altered his internal structure; diminished his surface activity forcing him into a dormant state. His signal fell incredibly, near indiscernible and that was concerning. Sure Loretta was important to him, but why do this of all things? Ren couldn't understand it, wasn't even sure he wanted to. The threat is a parasite no, not even that, it was beginning to look like Maddox was a parasitoid. Just look at how she went along, causing this much trouble over a girl, the kid next door, and now even Zero. She wants to play house, she's coming here and Zero doesn't want him to kill her. No, don't touch the illogical nutcase, not yet. So they're to act like docile lamb, in wait, silent and steady, until they could drop the pretenses. Is that all? And how long would that take? Once Maddox had them all rounded up? Once she had her ways? Couldn't they just trap her when she made her grand appearance?

Zero wouldn't know, he didn't have to. He'd be locked within himself for several hours. All the time Ren needed.

He rose from his crouch near Zero, his gaze swung back to the frey. The blur of white and blue, of their struggle to decipher their newest puzzle. It's as though Maddox herself were creating this chaos, when they think they have the pieces sorted out, when they think they've solved the piece, she kicked away their work and leave them scrambling.

All this trouble for them. And parasites were supposed to be perfect, apparently perfection is just an illusion. Who was he kidding? Ren approached the one called Doc, "We have a situation, this is distraction if you haven't realized. The parasitoid, Maddox is making her move." He turned to the camera up above and sent a bolt of electric shocks. "Can we at least clear out the space, the less around us the better." With a freak like Maddox, and with prior experience, he wasn't taking any chances. "Stabilize the girl, call in reinforcements." He said, glaring back at Doc, "They give the signal as soon as her image is detected."

And he would stop her. No matter what.

"I have to take her out of here, to the OR." The Doctor said, he and the nurse arranging things so they could move the bed. He felt frantic, panicked that the human he had been assigned to watch over had died not once, but twice. As he walked, pushing the bed, he felt tired. There were security agents flocking them on every side, guarding, or at least, that's what was supposed to happen. Maddox tightened her strings and they were puppets, the Doctor disconnecting everything, unable to control his own body. The earpiece crackled, her voice flooding his senses, overwhelming his mind. They were in the OR already, someone walking up behind him, the telltale click of her heels clanking against the sterile white floors.

Red.

It was the color of blood, the color of the glossy hair that pushed the Doctor aside, tightening a string, making him fall, unable to move. Her agents moved, melding with the rest of security, going to pick up her other toys. The human, the brothers. She ran her hand through Doll's hair, looking at the supposedly dead girl. "Don't worry, your friends will meet us at home." She ran a hand over Doll's body, picking something out of her pocket. The chip she had given Zero, there were two of them of course. She pushed it into the wound Zero had made, smiling as she mentally thanked the boy for doing the dirty work already. The chip expanded, wires latching around her wrist, going into the wound, causing the white to be stained red.

Her favorite color.

She stripped the gloves off, dumping them onto the ground. "You see Doctor, I've always been a better surgeon than you." She smiled at the man on the ground, "you were naughty spilling all those secrets." She wrapped a sheet around Doll, transferring the girl. She wouldn't go to pick Zero up herself, it was far too dangerous knowing the brother was there, waiting. He would be fun to break, she could already hear the sound of his bones crunching, of blood splattering onto the ground, draining as it circled below like a snake coiling around its prey. "Oh how fun," she tittered, sitting in the front seat of her transport, a plane that was just big enough to carry them all. "Come now Zero, I have your Dolly." She smiled as she waited. He would know, especially with the cellular connection he had made. What an interesting move, he may end up regretting it.

Doll was already beginning to come to. They had kept the oxygen tubing, Maddox replacing it with oxygen mixed with a sedative. "He won't hear you if you're so quiet." She stood, "That's no good. If you want Zero to come, you have to cry out for him precious." She stroked Doll's cheek as the girl stirred, standing and pulling on a pair of silk white gloves. No need to get her hands dirty. She lifted the sheet she had wrapped the girl in, looking at the tangle of bandages. "That's not pretty at all, we'll have to fix that." She dug her hand into a wound, causing the girl to whimper. "Come on, you can do better than that."

A scream.

"Louder Dolly."

Doll was begging, wanting it to end.

"His name please dear."

"Z-Zero," she gasped, Maddox's gloves soaked through.

"There you go. Good girl, now rest." She patted the girl's cheek, leaving a bloodied hand print. "We'll be home soon."

__________


Ren held on to Zero, despite the presence of the enemy. He wasn't about to let Zero get taken. Never again. However he noted that despite her approach, the armed beings acted as though pulled by strings. Each one that neared, Ren struck them down. They dropped like flies, never to breathe again. So she came for the girl, it was her plan from the beginning, as he predicted. Took her away in a mechanical bird. Knowing Zero, he'd track them down soon as he woke.

_______


Beeps and hums of machinery as well as a near deafening roar echoed just at the edges of Zero's aurals. He slit his eyes opened and at first couldn't fathom where he was, or even when. Strapped down with the wave of flight nearly robbing him of breath he flickered his hands ready to slice and hack when Ren grasped his arm. He looked up and met Ren's steel eyes, noted the aviation headset, the same one over his.

They were moving, and moving fast.

"She came, she took, we're after her." Ren said.

Zero stared,"What?"

"She's gone to Germany, Intel locked on her current hideout."

Zero exhaled a sharp breath, he didn't need to question why they were giving chase.

"What's the plan?" Ren held a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Don't die."

"I'd say the same to you."

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


"It was a good idea, probably saved your life." Doll was turned on her side, a paralysis drug running through her veins from an IV in her shoulder. All she could do was whimper, eyes closed as Maddox walked around her. She had several hideouts, several fakes fly to the different locations so that they could escape underground. Maddox's new hideout wasn't within view from the top of the earth, it was more a bomb shelter converted into a luxurious underground castle. There were fake windows with fake views, an artificial greenhouse that had flowers that could grow without natural light. "He'll no doubt be able to sense you with the merge, but from this far away I have no idea if it'll work." She was wearing a starch white lab coat and latex gloves, a needle in hand. It was like sewing according to the woman and Doll was the broken toy that needed to be stitched back together.

"There, all done." She threw the needle away, having inserted a new chip in Doll's spine. It would be hard to take out and was connected to the central nervous system. She had put one inside Zero in his rare moments of sleep. It was her latest and greatest medical miracle that was more for her benefit than the betterment of life. She disconnected Doll from the IV, lifting her up. She weighed nearly nothing, "You really are nothing more than a Doll." She smiled, taking the girl to a new room.

The paralysis drug was wearing off, Doll could move again. Her body still refused to cooperate and thanks to the chip, Maddox could turn off certain functions, restricting Doll from using her arms or legs if she wanted to. There was a new collar, this one a buttery yellow. "I want to go home," Doll slurred, her mouth refusing to cooperate. Her tongue felt like sandpaper and her throat the desert, dry and parched. Maddox placed her on a bed in a room, donning Doll in a nightgown. "Oh but dearier you are home." She smiled, "and you're very happy too. Say it, come now or I won't let you have anything to drink."

"I'm very happy too." It came automatically, at this point Maddox didn't even need to nudge. Her influence over Doll's mind was a tight bound, if Maddox had told the human to stop breathing Doll would have. "I'm very happy too," she repeated, a whisper. Maddox pat her head, calling her a good girl like a dog. She tilted Doll into a sitting position, having restricted anything more than slight shuffling. She slurped down the water greedily, the cold feeling settling in her stomach. "He'll come back, you'll have a playmate soon, not to worry." Maddox was smiling, but there was nothing warm about it. Doll blinked away the tears, her hair was no longer blonde but something like a mix of dirt and blood. It was appropriate, she thought, since she no longer felt like herself.


After the team landed, it was up to Zero and Ren to lead the way. He kept insisting that what they were looking for wasn't anything they could outright see, not from the angle they were going. Without much time to waste they went on that lead and made preparations to infiltrate the underground hide-out their sub had taken refuge in. After which both Ren and Zero as well as a team of agents went in, they were to extract Loretta and take Maddox on sight. No mercy.

Maddox wanted to play games it seemed, she had an armada waiting to greet Zero and Ren as well as their agents. Doll was deep below ground, somewhere hidden with no obvious doors. She had left the girl there, unable to move, hoping to catch her other two toys. Doll lay in a pile of stuffed animals in the corner, at most she could make her fingers twitch. She was itching to get up, itching to rip off the nightgown and do something, anything. Even without Maddox's little chip, Doll wouldn't be able to move around too much due to the damage her body had suffered from dying for two hours. Zero's blood had fixed her internal organs, meaning there was no longer a risk of death, but Doll would have to undergo a bit of physical therapy should she want to walk again.

So now all she could do was sit and wait, staring straight ahead in hopes that someone, anyone would come through the hidden entryway.

Loretta thankfully wasn't present. Good. It meant she wouldn't get caught in the cross-hairs. When the hidden entrance burst open, a bunch of canisters releasing smoke were tossed in, others tear gas set the entirety of the space in smoke screen, followed by armored men with lazer focused weapons. Soon as their target came within sight of them they opened fire. Aiming for the head or the heart, direct shots. It went for Maddox and anyone else that served her. While the rest infiltrated her base, in search of the girl. Among them was Zero, who figured he'd tag along in case Maddox decided to run. He wouldn't let her slip away. Not this time.

Ren had parted from him at some point, his mission already clear. Get the girl, leave. The sooner the better.

Doll was working, trying to cut herself somehow so she could use her blood even with her useless limbs. She couldn't scream, there was something tied over her mouth and around the back of her head so that stifled her voice. Someone came in then and Doll had stopped, watching as the man in the dark suit grew closer. He picked Doll up, throwing her over his shoulder as the secret door shut and walked into the bathroom, filling up the tub. He threw Doll inside, the water rising dangerously around her head, over her ears, drowning out sound, into her mouth, down her nose. She fought to stay afloat, but she sank uselessly to the bottom of the tub, the water covering her. He turned off the water and promptly took something out of the cabinet, a pair of scissors, stabbing his own chest. The man in the dark suit fell over then, the scissors driving further into his chest. There was no scream from the girl in the tub, it was absorbed by the water and cloth, drowned out in the forms of harmless bubbles raising to the top of the tub.

No doors. No problem. That's what bombs are for. They'd make doors where there were none. So that's what what happened. Any means necessary right? Ren latched on to Loretta's weak signatures, following it through the underground much like mice after a mobile cheese. Not that they could eat it. Or taste it. It was when said signal took a dip in the negative spectrum, one that raised Ren's hackles when he, for just an instant, froze. At first he assumed she'd gotten injured from the sudden explosion of concrete and metal that'd shot out in every which way upon his entrance—until he couldn't even see her where she should have been, where he had detected her.

"Clear." An armed man stood near the corner where a mound of what looked to be plush toys had been gathered.

"She's been moved." Ren said, expressing his thought aloud for them to hear.

Another made a signal to keep going, so they spread out.

Ren pressed his hand into one of the walls, he couldn't rely on just his eyes it seemed, but what he could detect. So now they had company, he'd sensed another, a blip in the airs before that too had gone out like a light. Another puppet who's strings had been cut. How unfortunate.

"Her signal is weakening. We gotta find her fast." He gripped at the wall and sent a powerful surge of energy and shock-waves, enough to dismantle its structure without the damaging effect a bomb would make. The room she was in didn't allow for it. He stepped through, booted feet crunched over dirt and debris, a dead unsub lay at his feet, and a giant tub.

Loretta.

He went in and plunged his hands into the bubbling water, his fingers grasped at slender shoulders, he pulled her up and out. The frigid water made his fingers numb but he barely noticed, what the hell is going on? Didn't Maddox want to play house? Why kill the girl she'd crossed countries to steal only to have her nearly drown in the end? Then again, Maddox was mad, illogical at best. He tore the cloth from Loretta's lips, it was the lack in movement however that startled him. He touched her face, "C'mon, breathe." He looked to see if she was awake, even if a little, some kind of sign.

The water in the tub was full of blood and dirt from Doll's skin, her bandages were soaked through, the scars clearly visible and outlined from underneath the no longer opaque material. There was water in her lungs, in her mouth, the cloth had made the drowning faster, making Doll cough and gag as she desperately tried to take in air, her lungs filling with water instead. Her fingers twitched, the only movement that showed any remaining life until finally, it stopped, body going still, eyes fluttering shut.

Then, a miracle. Ren's hands lifted her from the tub, even soaking wet she was far too light. Thankfully he was quick, he tapped her cheek and Doll felt it, coughing, choking, water bubbling from her lungs. The cloth was no longer in her mouth and so she retched the water she had swallowed, unable to even turn her head. It dripped down the side of her cheek, mixing with the blood on the floor. Her eyes fluttered open and closed, until finally they stayed open. She looked up at Ren, thinking it was Zero until the lights came into focus and she realized it was the little brother.

There were no words, but the gratitude was evident in her eyes, their soft turquoise color glowing in the bright light of the bathroom.

She lives! He gave a signal to anyone of the agents watching so that they' d relay the success of having gotten her across the unit. Now it's time to go. Ren shucked off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, he picked her up into his arms, "It's alright now. We're getting the hell outta here." That was a promise. He left the room and followed the agents lead going out another route. While the world trembled and shook from the war zone above, Ren kept going, all he heard was Clear, clear, clear. The stomp of their foot falls and sweeping lights amid the dark, beacons of hope. Outside the chopper was on stand-by, waiting for them.


The world moved quickly as Ren left to the standby chopper. Doll could hardly comprehend what was going on. She felt far too tired, far too weak. Her head lulled to the side, leaning on Ren as he walked, talking her away. It was a great relief to be out of there, to not be a toy anymore. She still couldn't move and the only real telltale signs that Doll was present at all was the rise and fall of her chest. She closed her eyes once more, the light of outside feeling far too bright as the wind whistled in her ears, snowing blowing in every which direction. Was Zero still down there? Fighting no doubt. She hoped he wouldn't come back injured like the last time. He had needed surgery the time before and then... Doll couldn't really remember. In fact, many details were fading as darkness settled in around her.

Maddox was still in the base, she sighed with a shake of her head. It was time to stop this foolishness. It seemed that they weren't willing to be her toys and so Maddox was done with them. She would try again sometime later, when they were more modable, at an easier point to weaken. For now though, Maddox would let them get away. They would have to seek her out if they wanted their precious doll to work like before and the thought of them coming to her made her smile with glee. Yes, not all was lost, there was still something to look forward to.

Zero wasn't leaving until Maddox was dead, though they had Loretta and Ren was up in the air, it changed nothing. The mission wasn't over until the bitch was obliterated. Knowing her, she'd try to get back at them again, or did something to Loretta that'd ultimately have them all make an inevitable 360 and he wasn't having it. She wanted to play, well now, let the games begin.

Doll couldn't help but feel guilt. She kept making them come after her, kept causing them pain. She wasn't worth it, not a lowly human like her. Why did they keep going through all this trouble? Doll wanted to ask, surely they could find another human to replace her, there were other humans with the same traits no doubt. The thought made her want to cry, but she tried to keep it down, Doll owed them that much.

Ren noted her return to conciousness, by then they were several hundred feet above. With his end of the mission near completion it was now up to Zero and the others below to finish it. He watched Loretta, she was surprisingly calm despite the horror of near death—multiple times—and he wasn't sure what that meant. Not that he knew much about humans, each one was always a surprise.

"You okay?" Was all he could think to ask, all that mattered.

Doll would have loved to answer, she opened her eyes again, a plead in her expression. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she may as well have been dead. So that's what Doll asked for in her expression. There was no point in this useless life where she only brought people misery and pain. He should have let her die in the bathtub, they should have let her die on the table. There was no way they could be happy living like this, with a useless human who couldn't even move on her own.

Yet when Ren met her regard he didn't see a girl wanting death, more of the opposite really. He reached out, quite frankly and placed his hand over her head, gentle in his ministrations. "You'll be alright. So don't look so scared anymore." A sense of nostalgia hit him then, because once, Zero had told him the same thing. So long ago it seemed, but he wasn't wrong then. Ren should have believed him, that had been his mistake. Back then Zero was trying his best but Ren was prepared for the worst, more like expecting that, giving up on any hope they'd ever get out of the rut they'd been in. Then had turned him into something else, and he couldn't stop until all those lose ends were tied. Zero was pissed off with him, understandable, but they'd be alright.

They would be.

Doll wasn't sure what to make of this, the gentle pat on her head, the soothing smile from Ren. It was like a reflection of his brother and it made Doll feel weird. She closed her eyes again, not liking the confusion. Why did her mind feel so cloudy? It was like the further away they got, the less things made sense. Her head listed to the left and there were streaks of blood left wherever her wet hair touched. She wanted to tell Ren how much she appreciated his presence, how no doubt it made Zero feel better too. She remembered sitting in the room at the place she had once thought to be her home, Zero telling Doll about Ren, about what he was like and how he had thought he died. Ren was different from the description, no doubt the boy had been forced to grow up too, just like his brother.

Ren lifted the strands of her hair, there was blood, had she been hit on the head too? He looked into her eyes, they were clear and relatively focused, "Are you hurting anywhere?" He asked, just to be sure.

Beside him one of the on board personal laid a navy kit with a white cross, opened it up to reveal varius first-aid supplies. Without any prompting the woman knelt close, she introduced herself as an R.N. named Kat and that she was to check Loretta's vitals, BP, etc.

Doll didn't like it when people touched her, she especially didn't like it when strangers touched her. Even if the woman had introduced herself she was still unfamiliar and as she checked various things, Doll could feel a chill creep down her spine. That could have also been from the fact that she was soaking wet, but she hadn't felt it before. Doll looked at Ren, anxiety clear in her expression. She wanted Kat to go away, to turn around and leave Doll alone.

The nurse nodded, "I'm aware of what's happened but I only wish to ensure there aren't any further complications. If you'll require hospitalization it's best to figure it out now than later, can you help me with that please?" She asked and even smiled reassuringly.

Ren wasn't going to let anyone hurt her either, he agreed with Kat, "She just wants to help. Stay cool."

Staty cool? Doll wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. She was already still, it wasn't as though she wasn't cooperating. Even if she didn't want it, it wasn't as though Doll could do anything to prevent it. Her eyes stayed on Ren, her gaze steady and focused. No doubt Maddox had gotten away, she always did. They would probably be fearing her for an eternity.

Ren nodded toward her, glad she hadn't made any fuss over Kat, and the nurse continued doing her job, she wrapped Loretta's arm in a sleeve and stuck a plastic thermometer between her lips.

It was quiet, not that he expected for any news so soon after they'd taken off. Did Zero find her yet? Or were they still fighting? Only time would tell.

It was normal, Doll reminded herself. The pressure of the blood-pressure cuff, the cold feel of thermometer in her mouth. "For now everything looks good, I'm worried about those bandages though. I'll have to change them, it wouldn't do well for your wounds to get infected." So she cut away the old ones, re-wrapping Doll's middle. The entire time the girl was still, "Now I see why they call you that." She chuckled, she looked at Ren. "For now everything looks good, I'd keep a close eye on those wounds though."

Ren nodded before lifting his wrist to his lips, "Why not speed up the process?" Their blood after all was efficient when it came to the healing factor.

"I wouldn't do that, too much of it wouldn't do a human any good." The nurse was aware of the unique situation they were in. "You should only do that in a place where they can better monitor for symptoms and rejection."

"Someone should mention that to Zero." Ren said with a shrug.

They landed at a nearby military base, this one also underground much like Maddox's hideout, only, it made much more sense in terms of doors. Doll wasn't sure where she was being taken, but she was laid on a mattress, the Doc coming out to greet them. "You did it," he seemed relieved. "We're gonna do an X-ray, so sit tight both of you."

Ren merely followed and kept silent. His mind kept reeling back to Zero, they'd practically left him behind, but that's what he wanted. Wasn't it? And here Ren had to hope that he'd make it. That he'd be walking or running through the halls later on, and Ren didn't care if Maddox was iced or not. As long as Zero was alright, that's what he cared for. When Doc spoke up it snapped Ren from his thoughts, he nodded, "Sure, do whatever you gotta do." He said with a sigh, his gaze lingered on the doors however, willing them to open and reveal his brother. He just might not be able to keep his promise.

"He'll be back soon," the Doctor said soothingly. He lifted Doll onto a stretcher and rolled her away, transferring her to a table for the X-ray. They took several pictures from different angles and Doll lay on her side as the Doctor looked at the pictures, frowning. "There, zoom in," he said, pointing to a spot in her back. "That's it," he murmured, taking off his glasses and cleaning them. "We'll need a local anesthetic and a very large needle." He took Doll back to the room, lining the bed and laying her on her back again. He set up the equipment, allowing Ren to stay and watch should he please. He just couldn't get close. The Doctor sanitized the area, inject the area around it with lidocane to numb the spot.

Next came the extraction, a very dangerous part. If not done right, it would have an adverse effect and only further the damage to her spine. The Doctor inserted the needle carefully, a tiny bump beneath her skin from where it was. He was using a live X-ray to search for it, the large needle about 3/4 of the way in before he finally got it and sucked it up as well as a bit of spinal fluid. "There, thank goodness that didn't have any wires or anything." He patched up the spot with another bandage and went to analyze the chip.

Doll could move around a bit on her own once more and she seemed to come to life, shifting so that she was laying on her back. She turned to look at Ren, "Thank you," she whispered, voice a bit hoarse.

Ren watched the proceeding invasive removal of Loretta's chip—most likely implanted by Maddox for nefarious reasons no doubt. After Doc had successfully taken it out and went away to analyze the foreign object, Ren noted that perhaps it must have caused Loretta's strict movement. Maybe it was impeding her receptors from sending and receiving the electrical synapses of motion. That and whatever else Maddox had programmed it for. When he was allowed access into her room once the nurses gave the clear he took a seat beside the bed.

"You're welcome." Ren said, then nodded, "Try to rest now."

Rest was an impossible thing, in fact Doll believed that she had, had possibly a bit too much of it. She was itching to do something, to help some how, even if she had limited movement. There had to be something she could to do help... I was probably better this way, at least here, in this room, she couldn't cause anymore trouble for the brothers. "I'm sorry," Doll whispered, looking down. "I-I put you all in danger." Her heart clenched painfully, knowing it was true. "Knowing Zero he's probably gotten hurt again because of me." (e)

"So would you have prefered we stay and let you be taken by Maddox is that what you're saying?" How was any of this her fault? He didn't understand how she could possibly place herself at blame, "Don't apologize, and don't worry too much about him. He's stronger than you think." If he were to compare this with all the crap they'd been through, this was child's play. Ren was more concerned with wether Maddox was finally eliminated. If Zero would truly destroy her. If he was even capable of. Or maybe he was, after all, it was that woman who'd forced him to switch off, if she could bring about that side of his brother, what else was she capable of? Maybe it shouldn't have been Zero tasked with ending her, but Ren instead. There were paths too dark to simply walk away from unscathed. He didn't want to think it, but it lingered on him, festering like an illness taking its hold on him and spreading fast. (e)

Doll looked down, no, she wouldn't have preferred to stay with Maddox, she simply didn't deserve the kindness that Ren was showing her. "Yeah, he's really strong." Doll whispered, although more to comfort herself than to reaffirm what Ren was saying. He'd always been strong, so now wouldn't be any different, Doll was sure of it. Zero would return successful, just like he always did. She thought of his smile, his warmth and it made her blush. Doll tried to hide it beneath the blanket that had been placed on the bed beside her, hoping that Ren didn't see. It was silly, a human bearing feeling for a Being, it would never work so Doll was foolish to even think of such things.

"Your face is red, is the room's temperature unfavorable for you?" Ren asked, he of course had no way of knowing her relationship with Zero, nor could he ever imagine it being anymore than what he'd gathered in his short time of having spent around them. "I'll let the nurse know," And he stood up, although it was safe to say that whatever it was, from what he'd seen, Zero seemed to truly care about this girl. Why, he'd never fully gather, maybe in time he would, or maybe that'd be a mystery.

"No, it's alright." Doll shook her head, of course that only made her blush even more, she would have to tell him the truth. "I was just thinking and it made my face feel warm." What about Doll wouldn't say, those were her private thoughts and Ren was not Maddox, he was not going to poke and prod and make Doll do things she didn't want to. Ren was Ren, the little brother Zero loved so much, the one that he made faces of pain when he thought about. "He told me about you once." Doll said quietly, "I never thought I'd get to meet you."

Thinking made her blood rush enough to color her skin? Or perhaps it was the context of such internal pondering that did. Humans are intriguing like that. Ren settled beside her, "I share the same sentiment, I never thought I'd meet the girl Zero would go above and beyond the call of duty for."

Doll buried her face in the blanket, embarassed, but also... Pleased. "I don't know why," she whispered. "I'm just a human," inferior in every way to the beings, Doll didn't understand why Zero went out of his way to make her happy, why he went above and beyond any other Being.

Ren sighed, "You must mean so much to him, other wise we wouldn't be here." That's just fact, when Zero had his mind set on something, he'd go all in and never quit 'till the end. That's just who he is.

Meanwhile, Maddox had been found. She was waiting, a cat like smile on her face. "Zero darling, you've failed horribly. I'm going to have to punish you, you know." The woman in red stood, leaning against her desk as she waited for the boy.

"I'd like to see you try." Zero said, he watched her from a considerable distance, kept himself cloaked in the darkness.

"Oh come now, I made your little toy better. Is that what your bitter about? Now you can have your way without human with no resistance." She smiled again and it was just as sharp. She tugged on her strings, hoping to catch Zero in the cross hairs.

"No, you tried to break her. You're truly damaged. For that, I have to kill you. And I will... Oh, I will." He circled her, as if he were some kind of animal preying upon her. He curled his lips into a smile it held anything but amusement.

Maddox laughed but there was nothing kind about it. "Kill me? Darling don't you think I have a safety in place? Do that and you'll never see your Princess live again." She sighed, "I swear it's like you animals never learn." This wasn't fun anymore, Maddox decided, no, Zero was boring, far too predictable, like an animal that had been poked and prodded for far too long.

Zero smiled, "Threats again? Such a coward you've proven yourself to be." He shifted into attack mode, she wasn't walking out alive. He was done with her.

"This isn't a threat Zero," Maddox yawned. "I have several protocols in place should I prove to perish." She turned to face him, her smile amused. "How would you like to lose your family again?" All it would take was one final prompt that would go off if Maddox's heart stopped. Dr. Atarashi, Grell, Doll, anyone of substance to the Being that she had planted her seeds into.

"How would you like to lose several limbs?" Zero moved in swift and precise, his hand no longer human in appearance stretched and curved sythe-like and lethal, swiped at her legs, chopping away the limbs. "If I can't kill you, then I can push you far enough. You'll beg to die."

Maddox smiled, "It doesn't have to be death dear. I'm afraid you've made a terrible mistake." Maddox coughed, spattering blood against the already red carpet. "By the time they've realized what happened it'll be too late."

Zero stepped out of the darkness and latched his hand onto her throat, forcing her back into the wall. "So have you, if she dies, so do you."

___________


Doll couldn't breathe, she had gone from smiling to confusion to trying to take in air. It was as though her mind forgot how to breath and so she was choking, unable to feel the rise and fall of her chest. The world turned as she fell into a laying position, curling up and trying to take short, shallow gasps. She couldn't though and she couldn't speak to tell Ren, to tell anyone what was wrong. Doll grasped at her throat as though to try and somehow force it, but she couldn't figure out what was wrong herself.

The little white finger thing blipped, noting the decline of oxygen levels, a machine monitoring her went off like crazy.

Ren shot to his feet, "What's wrong?" Then he glanced up and hailed one of the passing nurses, "Something's wrong, I think she can't breathe."

The nurse ran in and went to Loretta, she checked inside her mouth, but nothing seemed to block the air-ways. "This isn't good." She picked up the oxygen mask and activated the machine, placing it over her mouth.

At the same time, Grell filled up the water in the bathtub, unable to move his own body as he plunged his head below. Dr. Atarashi was prepping an emergency room for Zero, he picked up a scalpel, stabbing himself in the chest. Thankfully, he had enough willpower to miss his heart, but he collapsed to the ground, a nurse hearing the sound and running inside. They seemed to figure out what was happening quickly and someone went to find Grell, pulling him out of the bathtub and quickly doing CPR.

Doll still couldn't breathe and the nurse had to do something a bit more invasive. She pulled the oxygen mask off, threading a tube down Doll's throat and into her lungs. For now it would take care of breathing, doing it manually for the girl. Doll's shoulders relaxed as a sedative worked it's way through her body. She was still conscious, just relaxed enough that she wouldn't choke on the tube.

Ren watched unsure what to make of this, a nagging feeling however told him this had to be the work of Maddox, he went out to the door way, "Where's Doc?" He asked of the passing staff.

"In the OR, there was an accident in the ER." The nurse replied, pointing Ren in the right direction.

"Accident? What happened?"

"He fell on a scalpel, it hit him right here." The nurse pointed to the spot on her own chest, "Luckily it missed his heart."

"Fell, really?" Ren slapped the wall with the open palm of his hand, shit was starting to get hairy, and Zero wasn't around. What else could he do if everyone suddenly started turning into door nails? He glanced back at Loretta, then to the nurse, "What happened to her?" As far as he knew, she was fine, suddenly she can't breathe?

"We don't have any information yet, but as soon as there's an update it'll be in the computer." The nurse replied as though it was actually helpful. The only problem was, was that Dr. Atarashi was Loretta's Doctor and if he was temporarily out of commission it meant that there was nothing they could do but wait until the Doctor was back up. Thankfully, Being's had supernatural healing and he would be fine in a few hours, but by then it could be too late.

"Screw that, get Doc, we don't have time to waste here. He's not made of glass, we can't afford anymore of this." He gestured toward Loretta, "Go get him over here." He would himself, but Zero had implicitly ordered him never to move from her side.

The nurse nodded her head and went down the hall, coming back with a very flustered looking Doctor. He pushed his glasses up his nose, grabbing his lab coat from a passing nurse and getting out his kit. He did the standard exam first, checking vitals and oxygen levels, knowing that the machine was breathing for Doll so her oxygen levels were very low. "There's good news and bad news," The Doctor said, his expression serious. "The Good news is, the nurse saved Loretta from brain damage, the bad news is, there's no guarantee that she'll recover." He ran a hand through his graying hair. "Maddox needs to give the order for her to breathe again. I need you to call Zero and tell him, he has to get it out of her. Then I want him to kill her so no further damage can be inflicted." He didn't want Maddox to get out an order that would make Zero destroy himself.

"I've heard that one before." Ren said, poor girl, the hits just keep coming to her endlessly. "I'll let him know, though I doubt crazy can be persuaded so easily." He pondered on that, persuasion, what if they could make her do whatever they wanted? Taking a page right out of her book. Ren nodded, the more he thought about it the more it seemed logical. He stepped into the hall, pressed his finger into his ear, activating the ear piece, "Zero. Can you hear me?"

Maddox laughed once more, "you think you're so high and mighty. You and that infuriating father of yours," she sneered, the truth coming out. This wasn't about the children at all, this was about Maddox's wanting revenge on Dr. Atarashi, "Just because you have power. Well guess what? It's quickly going to go to your head! Then just like me, you'll spiral into nothingness until you see the world as nothing but a chess board and everyone your pawns."

Father. For a split second did she mean Aleron? No, dad wouldn't mentioned her at least once to mom. No, she meant Doc then. Zero chuckled, "It just eats at you doesn't it, when the control you trick yourself into having falls apart?" Zero met her regard with one of pure abhorrence, "You're the perfect example of a broken species, so tragic. I hear you tried to take everyone out, how predictable." He stabbed into her stomach and tore at the flesh, hot blood coated him. He reached further, deeper, was he going to regret this? Maybe. But for her, he'd plunge into the depths of hell.

Anything to protect her.

"You're a selfish Queen who sacrifices her pawns without any care to those who serve her. Such a Queen shouldn't exist."

"Careful Zero, if I die she does too." Maddox tsked at his loss of control, "Don't think I'm not afraid to take you with me either. Then you'll never see her again, that mutt is far too good for you." She laughed, shaking her head. "It's almost humorous the way you try to protect her. Is this how you think you'll repent for your sins?" Maddox believed she was hitting home, "You think she could ever love a monster like you?"

Risky. Deadly. What he was doing exposed himself as it did her, as if their minds were linked, as if they were merged. He pushed deeper, connecting into the high way of nerves that went up her spinal cord, directly home. Jack pot! She was actually enjoying this, too much. How far gone was she? Despite him wanting to pull out, disgusting, too close too close, but he endured, there was no other way.

"If I believed there was a god that could cast judgement over me, maybe. But I don't. The only sins I've done was let assholes like you get away." He said, he wanted to kill her right then and there, she was starting to see all the secrets in him. She was like this walking projection, no filter, she could easily link and broadcast any fleeting thought. Such control tickled and shocked him, a wave of sensation that jarred him. He grit his teeth, he'd been through worse shit.

"You talk too much Maddox." He synced into the regions of her brain that controlled the muscles of her face, testing. The notable twitch of her jaw muscle, the struggle she put up against him. Progress. Silence. What bliss.

"Did you get through to him?" The Doctor asked Ren, concern clear in his expression. Was his adopted son still alive? Had Maddox torn him apart too? He would never be able to live with himself if Zero had died because of this. He had taken the boy in, in hopes of showing him that not all Beings were bad. The Doctor should have been the one taking care of this, his enemy was not Maddox, not Zero's, not Loretta's. He had gotten Zero into this mess and he would get them out of this. He would fix it and move Zero, Loretta, and Ren somewhere where they could live in peace.

Ren listened, he could only hear his brother's voice, but the pattern of his voice wasn't right. Ren sighed, "I relayed the message if that's what you're wondering, it's up to him now."

It was a risk to let this go on, "Tell him it's time to come back with the captive." The Doctor said, Zero could work on Maddox in the plane. Zero needed to come back, the Doctor needed the Being to return before he reached the point of no return.

Ren nodded, "Zero, Doc wants you to come back. With the bitch, can you?"

The Doctor waited, looking between Ren and Loretta. "Tell him what's going on," the Doctor said gently, hoping it would give Zero a cause to return.

"You remember what I told you—" Ren winced at the shock of noise that nearly burst his ear drum. He shook his head, turned to Doc, "Says he can't move, not til it's done. If he moves, it might make things worse." Ren exhaled a sharp breath, "I think I know what he's doing. Damn."

"Alright," the Doctor replied. "Then tell him Loretta and I wish him luck," he looked at the girl on the bed, standing and pacing. He had his hands behind his back as the door opened and Grell stepped in. "I'm going out to wait for him," he said and the Doctor nodded. "Take someone with you, just in case." It was dangerous for him to leave having heard Maddox's voice, but the Doctor trusted Grell.

Ren latched his hand over Grell's wrist, "Don't." He shook his head, "He doesn't want any interference or distractions."

Grell didn't seem happy about it, but he nodded his head in respect of Ren's wishes. "Then I'll be waiting here with his favorite meal." It was the least that he could do, seeing as how Zero was finally going to kill his evil mother.

Ren let him go, he pressed into the ear piece, "...Yeah, so far it's alright here. Just do what you have to do. I'm watching her, and she's counting on you ya hear?" He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, you're welcome."

Maddox was struggling against Zero's grip, she wouldn't let him overpower her, she would take them down, all of those damn Atarashi's. They would suffer for what they did! Besmurching Madame Maddox's name and having her medical license taken away.

"The more you resist, the more I push. You really want to make it that much difficult for yourself." Zero said, he couldn't help exalting from the sheer challenge she'd presented before him. "They're not responsible for your own ruination. If it's anyone to blame, it's you." He whispered into her ear. The stream of her consciousness stemmed into him, the influx of it rushing all at once, he grasped for threads that linked him to Loretta.

"So intimate, your binds are amazingly strong." If dad were around he would have found this to be quite a topic of study. Their species able to cross that barrier from sensing one another to binding the will of another. If only.

Doll was stirring on the bed, the strings being plucked. The Doctor looked down worriedly, something was wrong. What was Zero doing? Could he sense as to which strings were being plucked? They were depending on him to cut the ties Maddox had made, to render her useless.

"Only an idiot would sever bonds, uncaring of the damage that would bring. Can't do that here. You twisted and interconnected those bonds. Clever." Zero had to speak out loud the things he sensed, the images that formed in his head to make sense of it all. He closed his eyes, made Maddox do the same. Lights out. The real process began in the deeper folds of the unconscious, with careful measure he undid the multiple threads that linked Maddox to Loretta. From her to Grell, to the kid, Doc, everyone she ever forced or weaved her way in. A task he had to complete as quickly and efficient as possible.

There was a flicker on the monitor, Doll was stabilizing once more. "Keep going Zero, you're doing great," Doc murmured as he worked, watching for any sign of Doll breathing on her own, of the damage being undone. Then, there, a flicker, it was getting stronger, she was fighting, trying to ressist the tube in her throat. "You've almost got it Zero, just one more."

There was one final thread, it was finer than hair, weaving into Lorreta's mind, deep within, and he reached for it as he had with the others before it, then carefully, eased it out of her. Guiding it free from Lorreta back into Maddox. She could keep her rotten binds, each and everyone of them. He locked them within her, all of them, much like marbles trapped within a lead box and tucked away into the secrets of the mind. Not that Maddox would live long enough to even wonder why she can never link with anyone again.

Once that was complete, he opened his eyes and cut himself free, stealing the electrical impulses within her as he did so. He stood over her, watched as her body struggled for survival. Watched her final moments until the first cracks of death flickered across her flesh. There was no coming back from that.

Zero pressed his free hand into the ear piece, "Is she awake?"

Doll took a few minutes until the sedation had worn off and she rolled over, groaning. "Tell Zero he did it," the Doctor said in relief as he disposed of the tube. Doll's throat felt sore and her head was hurting, but that was it. She wanted water desperately and it was almost as though the nurse could read her mind, she brought in a pitcher of water and a few cups, helping Doll into a sitting position so that the blonde human could drink. She took the cup from the nurse with shaky hands and sipped at it, the ice water cooling the fire in her throat.

"You did it. Now get your ass over here." Ren said. He looked over at the girl, finally she'd be free. It was like some kind of miracle, and maybe it was. Maybe that's how it worked sometimes, you have to make your own miracles to believe. Whatever that means.

Zero sighed, wiped his hand over Maddox's shirt, her clothes left in a pile where she had once been. The only signs of her existence.

"I'm going back, see you soon." Zero turned and headed out.

Doll was waiting for him, staring at the ice inside the cup. She couldn't wait to see Zero again, for thinking him for risking his life once more. The Doctor did one final check over now that she was awake before leaving Doll alone, closing the door behind him so that she was in the room with Ren and no one else.

With Doc gone, Ren started pacing the room. "Where are you now?" He asked more than once, for some reason over come with anxiety, it was inexplicable and he had no idea where it came from but it was there. "Sorry, I just... OK, no don't start humming Metallica." Ren sighed but couldn't help smiling. He looked at Loretta, "She's awake, yeah. she's okay." Ren said.

"I don't think I can relax til I see you, so hurry on up."