Scoundrels and Liberators, Ch8

Yuki closed the last zipper of her duffel bag, then tossed it onto the stack.

She looked around the room. Dragomir looked nowhere close to done on his own stockpile of weaponry, and Ougyoku was busy selecting outfits for the trip. "I dunno, I kinda like the gold. It's a bit flashy, sure, but think of the sorts that hang out at some of the downtown casinos. I'd fit right in!"

"Considering your penchant for attention, that seems counterproductive." Ashley snorted.

"Oh, right, I forgot! I'll save this for the upper-class. Thanks!"

"Do you just enjoy being contrary?" The fox cast a look of disbelief at him.

"Of course! We're outlaws, its our job to be contrary! They wouldn't be so desperate to kill us if we weren't!"

"Or you could keep nice and quiet and they wouldn't..." The fox mumbled.

"Yes, but where's the fun in that? It's a free shot of adrenaline every day! 'Good morning, world! I could die at any second today, so let's keep that blood pumping, would you kindly?' And then I'm off and running like a shot again. Whoosh!" He put down the shirt in order to run around the room, arms outstretched like an airplane.

Ashley covered her eyes with one paw. "And what happens when they catch up with you?"

"They can't! See?" He ducked under one of the tables, making motor sounds with his mouth before jumping over the ledge, landing on his hands and using a handspring to land gracefully on his feet. "Plus, what would they do with someone so handsome, anyway?"

"Shoot you until you stop moving? Carve you up into tiny chunks and devour you? Burn you and your companions alive? Slice you up until you bleed to death?" She glared at the feline. "How about gouging a hole in your body so large that your organs are..."

"Ashley!" Yuki snapped. The fox paused. Ougyoku's demeanor had faltered; the cat had paused, his expression drooping.

The doctor scowled. "I'll be in the garage."

She got up abruptly and departed without further comment, slamming the door behind her. Ougyoku sighed heavily and slumped in his chair, putting a hand over his eyes. Yuki took a step towards him, then hesitated. "Dragomir."

"Mmf?" The big Luminari had busied himself with his packing, trying his best to pretend that he hadn't heard the previous conversation.

"I'm gonna go check on Keys. Could you finish up sometime soon?"

"Yeah, will get done soon..." He sensed the cow was looking for an excuse to leave. Probably doesn't want to deal with this again. He could hear the quick footsteps and the closing of the door as Yuki left as well. He looked up. Ogy was staring at the wall again. He stood up, seeing if he would react.

Nothing.

He turned and sprinted down the hallway, heading after Ashley.

--

Yuki clenched her teeth as she headed upstairs.

What the hell was that?

She had been skeptical of Ougyoku's original invitation to the doctor. Ashley was bitterly cynical, and her pessimistic view on the world had bothered her. She knew something lay underneath; her own history gave her enough reason to remain quiet in most conversations. But the doctor seemed so bent on ruining the mood...

It gnawed at her.

And then you don't want me to write him up, so the cops don't come by and find out we helped you. If we do, then you'll kill me to shut up. To make it worth my while, you'll give me a fat stack of cash. Is that it?

Just...please...save him for us...

Ashley had faltered then. What had happened? Why had her rough exterior dropped then?

What is she hiding?

Yuki nearly bumped into the door. She had arrived. Keys had chosen a solitary room higher up in the building, presumably to get some peace away from Dragomir. The sniper reached up to knock.

*SMASH*!

Startled, she withdrew as she heard the crash of glass and the *THUMP* of something hitting the ground.

--

"Two! One..."

Rilvor turned, tucking his wings around his body and diving straight for the window. He braced for impact, closing his eyes as he smashed directly into the window. The wooden housing and glass shattered against him, exploding into the room as he forced his body into a roll. At once, he was back up on his feet and brushing shards of glass from his face before reopening his eyes. A quick glance told him everything.

Keys had backed up so fast that his chair had fallen over, leaving him in a heap on the floor. He looked up at the impassive face, the enormous, tearing talons, and the rifle stashed across Rilvor's back. He opened his mouth to ask something, to yell, to plead for mercy. Nothing came out.

But his fears ended up being unfounded. The enormous falcon seemed unconcerned with him, instead heading for the table where the papers lay strewn. The ripping talons closed around the sheets, quickly assembling them back into a neat stack.

The door opened. Yuki looked into the room, sizing up the situation. She saw Keys flat on his back, surrounded by shattered glass and the huge falcon. He was gripping a stack of the documents in one hand. What he intended to do with them or Keys did not matter to her.

Time seemed to slow down. Rilvor turned to see the newest intruder, reaching down to his belt to find a smaller firearm. Yuki took one step across the room, robbing the falcon of any chance at all. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand and lunged forward with the other. Her fist smashed into the bird's skull with the power of a battering ram. There was a crack, and his plans crumpled as quickly as his body did. Rilvor lay still.

Two of the other birds landed, weapons at the ready. By the time the two were up and ready, Yuki had her arms around the falcon's neck. She glared up at them.

"Get out or I snap your leader's neck. You have three seconds. One!"

The birds hesitated; they saw their captain's chest rise somewhat in an unconscious breath.

"Two!"

Both turned at once and dove back out the window, awkwardly struggling to get away as their wings were tangled up.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief, then looked behind her.

Keys again opened his mouth to no avail. Yuki glanced at him, then to the papers on the desk.

"Go get Ty or someone who knows how to get this guy talking."

The thief rose, deciding keeping his mouth shut would be a better idea.

"Oh, and Keys?"

He paused.

"Give Ogy his papers back."

"...yes'm." He mumbled. He scooped up the documents and practically bolted from the room.

--

"Ashley! Hey, Ashley!"

The fox quickened her pace as she heard Dragomir chasing after her.

He's gonna ask. I know it. He's gonna ask.

So? You lie to him.

I can't. I can't lie anymore.

If you trust him, you'll end up just like them.

Then maybe its my time to die.

Coward. Going to your death without a fight?

If I weren't a coward, I would've died to begin with!

And because you were, they died instead of you. Gonna throw your life away just to spite them?

I won't die.

You will. You'll die just like they did, whimpering at the end of his scalpel, begging for death just to...

"Ashley!"

The fox had stopped. She was hunched over, her arms wrapped around her waist, breathing heavily. Dragomir put a hand on her shoulder. She jerked back involuntarily, her voice a low hiss. "Don't touch me."

"Or you'll what?" The big Luminari snorted.

She couldn't answer. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for anyone that might give her an excuse to run away and hide. The hallway was empty except for the both of them. She slid down against the wall, still holding her sides as she flopped down into a sitting position. She did not look up.

"C'mon, Ash." Dragomir sat down next to her. "What was going on back there?"

She fiddled with the end of her tail for a moment. "I was trying to protect him."

He rolled his eyes. "By what, scaring him to death?"

"Yes." She looked up. "He can't survive all this. He's going to mess up eventually. And then he'll die, and the people with him will...will too..." Her lip quivered.

"Nawww, you don't understand." He ruffled her ears. "Ogy knows what he's doing, and he's got the best team to do it with. Sure, we've had some setbacks, but-"

"No!" Her voice was shrill. "You don't understand! The kinds of people that will hunt him down, the things they'll do to him, the...t-the..." She covered her face with both paws.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." He pulled her paws away. "Slow down. How would you know this stuff? I mean...well, I guess you worked in a hospital, so you've probably seen some pretty messed up folk, but, still..."

"It's not that, its...its..." She stared with great, glassy eyes. "It's...just...what I've seen, what I've...oh, that isn't telling you anything." She groaned and sat back up. "It's a long, long story. Way too long."

"Well, start at the beginning, then." The big Luminari stared back, his expression serious for the first time. "You didn't chew him out for nothing. Something major must've happened to bring that on."

"Why would you care?" She was again fidgeting with her tail. "You didn't even know me before you came to Queenston. I could be a spy, or some sort of information broker, or a..."

"Well, I'll pretend I'm the big stupid pyro for a bit and trust you anyway. C'mon." He stood back up and scooped her up with ease. She struggled. "What are you doing!? Put me down!"

"Moving us somewhere quieter. If this is some big deep secret of yours, then might as well keep it there." He plodded down the hallway until he found a meeting room, then closed and locked the door. He plunked the fox in a nearby chair and sat down opposite her, crossing his arms. "So, again. Start at the beginning."

She shifted nervously in her chair, continuing to fidget. "I...I haven't ever told anyone before, its..."

"At the beginning, Ashley."

Just run away, her mind whispered. Run away and he'll never have to know. These are good people. They won't come after you.

I...I can't run anymore...

You've done it before. Leave them to their fate or you'll end up on the table with them.

No.

She blinked.

What?

I said no. No more running. Too many people have died now. Maybe they are foolish and naive. But they are genuinely good people, and you'd do well to keep them alive.

Do you realize what you're doing!? You'll betray over a decade's worth of...

Stop talking. Now.

Why, I'll...

You'll do nothing. Things change now.

"Ashley...?"

"...yes?" She blinked again, wiping her eyes. Dragomir was waving a hand in front of her face.

"You spaced out there for a moment."

"...yes. I'm sorry. Let me explain."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

This is it.

"I...used to be just like him. Ougyoku, I mean. I'd read books as a child about adventurers...people who would go out and slay monsters and evil kings and stuff like that. There was always a band of people that was...kinda like this group, I guess. There was the main guy, who the story was usually about...and then his traveling companion, usually a rogue of some sort. There was the big brawler with a weapon almost as big as he was, but he was always able to use it easily. Usually there was some kind of love interest.There was always another person, though. The healer."

"They'd sit in the background and rarely say anything, but the hero always lauded them for being the backbone of the group. They'd smile and blush a bit, but keep quiet anyway. They never did much in combat. They weren't flashy. They weren't big and strong, nor were they nimble...and the hero already had his love interest, so they couldn't even be that. But, still, they kept the group going. They fixed the group when things went wrong, and kept morale high when things seemed hopeless..."

She sighed. "I pretended I was just like them. I'd wear a stethoscope around the house and listen to my parents' heartbeat, then proclaim them to be healthy adults. I'd carry around little first aid kits stuffed to the brim with bandages and fix myself up whenever I scraped a knee. I did well in my classes. I went to medical school on my parents' dollar and did even better there. My professors were impressed enough to offer me an internship at a local hospital."

"It...it was a nice place." She closed her eyes, imagining it. "Little gardens out front. Playpens in the lobby for the kids. The sort of idyllic place you'd read about in...well, like the books that I used to read. The guy who ran it was a fellow named Renfield. Great guy. He was always so...so warm and generous, like he was a second father. After my parents passed away, he comforted me...when I did my first surgery, he was watching. Helping. Making sure I did a good job. When I graduated with top honors, he even bought me a car. Said that he had more than enough money to cover it and that he was so proud of me..."

She paused to take another deep breath. "...I thought I was on top of the world then. I was an official doctor. Could've walked away and made a hundred thousand a year. But...well, I didn't want to leave. I was an adult, sure, but...well, things were just so wonderful there, like those stories with the happy endings. It was like a...a sanctuary. Like nothing could go wrong while I lived there."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "...of course, I was wrong. They came two weeks after I graduated." She spat the first word. "It was the most villainous-looking gang I had ever seen. We treated the occasional outlaw here and there, but...well, Renfield was an idealist. He believed that if he turned away every truly evil person, then...well, others might follow his example. Stupid philosophy." She wiped away a tear. "...stupid, stupid philosophy. But I believed in it. I believed so hard that the stories I read were really how things worked, and that things would work out..."

"...anyway, the group was called 'Vengeance'. They were...well, they were mercenaries, technically. But..." Her expression hardened. "They were assassins. Murderers. Psychopaths. They made money for it, but they did it because they loved it. They came to us because they had been outmatched in a fight. Their leader was...dying. They demanded that we treat them and waive the fee."

"Renfield refused. When they threatened to kill him, he pointed out that his hospital was almost all internships, none of which were capable of the surgery that the guy needed. I think that was the first time I ever heard him lie to someone. They shouted threats and insults for a while, but they ended up driving away. We all cheered him on, thinking that he had saved us from the brutes. Again, we were wrong. They returned a week later to prove their namesake..."

She paused again. Her breaths were slower. Deeper. Her voice was cracking. She swallowed and wiped away another tear.

"...I was putting away materials upstairs when it happened. They broke down the door and started grabbing anyone with a staff badge on. Anyone who resisted was shot. I...ran. I found the first hiding place I could. One of the storage lockers. I stuffed a towel in my mouth so I couldn't scream. There was a lot of yelling. Lots of gunfire. And...and then there was the group itself, who just...just kept laughing. They were laughing. It was just some huge game to them! All those deaths, the lives shattered, the families broken up, the...the everything! They thought it was...it was funny..."

She swallowed, the tears coming too quickly to wipe away now.

"Things quieted down after an hour, which was when everything started becoming a fuzzy blur. The police came and pulled us out...only me and one of the staff members that survived a bullet wound were left. They asked us where the rest of the staff went, since only a few bodies were left behind. We didn't know what had happened to them. They took some notes and said they'd track down the people for us. I remember going to a hotel to stay for weeks, since they even murdered the patients we had in there at the time..."

"I...I don't remember a lot of what went on in that hotel. I stared at the wall a lot and spent so much of my time crying, hoping against hope that they might be able to rescue them. But...time kept passing, and we heard nothing. I just...couldn't operate. My sanctuary was gone. The storybooks I had believed in for years were nothing but frauds, and the only friend I had ever really known was missing...probably dead. I ate and slept and stared at the wall. Even Yume...sorry, the other survivor...tried getting me to go outside. I couldn't..."

She swallowed again, hugging her tail as she scrunched up in her chair, rocking back and forth.

"The police finally managed to catch them a month later and dragged them over for the lineup. It was the first time I had left the hotel. I broke down and started crying again when I saw them all. They had lost two members in the shootout, but there were still five left...four of the biggest, toughest thugs I had ever seen. And one other."

She stopped talking for a moment, her eyes glassy. Dragomir opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay, but she took another rattling breath.

"We identified them and brought the case to trial. The whole thing was a foregone conclusion, especially...especially when the cops showed the evidence. The last member had...videos. They had taken every last one of my coworkers to their headquarters and...and...what they did to them...was..." She coughed and rubbed her shirt sleeve across her eyes.

"...it was some sort of grisly parody of surgery, all done by the last member. His name was Sivar." She spat the name. "Some clever play on 'Sever', he said. He was the most harmless-looking of them all..." She shivered. "The others were huge, strong beasts...and he was just...a ferret. My height. No strength, no killer eyes...just an ordinary, harmless ferret. He was even disabled. Deaf. And there he was, giggling like a damn kid as he...as he cut them up. The videos lasted for hours, where he'd take his time, talking to his victims. They could only scream in response, and...and he couldn't hear them. He even played with his deafness, like it was some sort of joke!"

"And then he...he saved Renfield for last. He yanked him up on the table and had him smile for the camera, and then...and then...oh, Renfield..." She sobbed, choking up and finding herself unable to speak for a few minutes. Dragomir squirmed uncomfortable in his seat. He opened his mouth to say something...anything to comfort her, to no avail. Fortunately for him, she was able to recover her composure.

"Yume disappeared after that day. They said she committed suicide in her grief, but...but Sivar was smiling all the next day, like he knew better. He even admitted to everything, as if he had known all along that he had no chance. I just...sat and shook in my seat for the rest of the day as the lawyers made their closing arguments, like everything was a million miles away. I waited to hear the 'guilty' verdict, for that small bit of closure that I'd be safe..."

She snorted and wiped her eyes. "...they couldn't even give me that. They let them go. Found out later that some company had employed them for years to spread terror in their rival's districts and had rigged the trial. The police offered me protection, which lasted for...about an hour. The group broke into the station and was shooting cops. It was then when I just...went numb. I stopped caring. Life was out to destroy me in any way it could. I stole a gun and a set of car keys and took a squad car out of the city. I ran some more. I'd stop at hospitals and work temporary jobs. They always found me, and I was off and running again."

"...time passed. The group slowly died off. I shot one of the brutes myself when they had me cornered in the eastern quadrant, and they told me some famous sniper was hired to kill the rest of them. She got two of them..." She swallowed, her expression hardening once again. "...but Sivar still lives. Rumor has it that he went back to the company that bailed him out and does work there. Probably torturing. I had stopped at Queenston to try to make a new life for myself when you showed up."

She stopped. Dragomir blinked, waiting to see if she would continue any further. The fox looked down, but said no more.

The big Luminari struggled with his words for a few minutes. It was hard to think of some kind of response...any kind of response that would somehow reassure her. Instead, he found himself asking a question.

"...you were lying to us before, then. You didn't join us because you needed our protection. It was for something else, wasn't it?"

"...yeah." She sighed. "I kept telling myself that I was atoning for what happened on that day back at Renfield's. I could've called the cops...could've found a weapon, somewhere...could've done something. But I ran away. And because of me, they fell into Sivar's clutches. What...what he did to them was because of me. Because I ran away." She wrapped her arms around herself, rocking back and forth again. "I keep fixing people up, hoping that somehow, I'll justify it to myself as being another payment for that day. When...when Yuki started crying because I threatened not to help your friend there, it was like...it was like being back in that courtroom, where I watched those videos of Sivar...doing...his stuff...where I whispered for someone to help those poor, poor people, and...I had to help him. I had to help you guys, because you reminded me so much of what it was like, back in the day, before...before..."

She broke down again, shivering in her chair as tears ran down her face. Dragomir closed his mouth.

It was a while before he decided on what to do.

The big Luminari stood up, heading to a nearby storage closet. He dug around inside until he found what he was looking for, then went to go lock the door.

Ashley was still curled up in the chair, sniffling. He scooped her up and carried her over to a far corner, then wrapped the blanket he had obtained around them both. He sighed as she tilted her head somewhat, leaning on his shoulder. She gulped. Her voice was a whisper.

"You can't tell anyone else about this."

"Yeah." He grunted.

They didn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally, Dragomir broke the silence.

"I don't suppose the adventure series you read was The Adventures of Croylon Mouse, was it...?"

"...yeah. How'd you know?"

"Call it a lucky guess."

They didn't say anything after that.