#n then who Lockup would be close to out of the other commanders

[jekyllnahyena]

cody has friends.

he'd rather not

based on this gem <3

[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [44]

xv. perverse instantiation, pt 1

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 8.7k

Warnings: injuries, violence, fighting, language, mentions of nausea, a hanging (canon), mentions of blood. 

Summary: your group heads back to Arkadia to regroup and plans are made to take down Alie, without the help of Luna.

a/n: THE SEASON THREE FINALE IS HERE OMG OMG OMG!!! the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

The collective agreement is to head back to Arkadia, where you can regroup, talk to your friends, and figure out what to do next.

You sleep for most of the ride, the drug that Luna’s clan gave you making you drowsy, but sometime in the afternoon, Bellamy wakes you up. “We have to charge the rover. You should get out and stretch your legs, and let Clarke check your shoulder.”

You nod and follow the others out into Azgeda territory, and you stop beside the rover to stretch your body and shake the heaviness from your bones. Jasper passes around some rations from his pack, and you happily accept the small bag of dried fruit that he offers you. Everyone eats and sits in silence, the failure of Luna’s rig leaving most of you grumpy. 

Clarke eventually comes over to you, her face blank, jaw clenched, and you know she’s still upset, more so than everyone else. But she puts aside her anger and asks, “How’s your shoulder?”

You pull off your jacket and tug down the neckline of your shirt so she can peek beneath the bandage. “It’s fine. No pain.”

You wince as she pokes the skin around the cauterized wound, and she gives you a look that says, “Really?”

You give her the same look in return. “I mean, yeah, it hurts when you poke it, but it’s not that bad.”

She gives a little satisfied sound as she rewraps it and helps you back into your jacket. She takes a peek at the wounds on your wrist, from the cuffs Emerson put you in, removing the bandages completely when she sees that the only thing left behind are bruises. Bellamy checks the rover and yells, “Rover's almost charged. We need to pack up, we'll be home soon.”

Clarke steps away from you slightly, her worry for you now replaced by her earlier frustration. “Then what? Run away?

“We're not running away, Clarke. We need to regroup with the others and find another way to defeat-”

She cuts him off, “There is no other way! We need to find a Nightblood. We need to unlock the Flame. It's the only way to stop Alie.”

Jasper looks up from his perch on the hood of the rover and snorts. “What do you expect us to do, Clarke? Walk into random villages asking for their Nightbloods?”

“If that's what it takes.”

You give her a sharp look, and start, “Clarke-”

But Octavia cuts you off. “No, Clarke. If Alie can find us on Luna's rig, then she can find us anywhere. I won't help you destroy another innocent Grounder village.”

“If we don't find a Nightblood, there won't be any Grounder villages. Or a home for us to go back to.”

Bellamy glares at her, “That's all the more reason we go there and make sure our friends are okay.”

She looks at Bellamy, and then Octavia, then Jasper, seeing their disagreement with her. Then she turns to you, eyes almost pleading, but you shake your head, keeping the united front. She nods once, looking betrayed, before pushing past you and walking into the woods. You turn and look after her, watching as she disappears into the trees. You look at Bellamy and sigh, “She'll be fine. Just let her cool off.”

You turn and start helping the others pack up the rover, moving quickly and silently. As you’re lifting one of the bags of guns, you hear a grunt and you freeze, turning towards the woods, searching for the source of the sound. You see nothing, but the hairs on your neck are lifted, and you grab a gun and take off towards the forest. Bellamy calls your name, confused, but you ignore him and slip into the trees quietly. You pick your way through the woods, ears perking up at the sound of talking nearby. As you move that way, the voices grow loud enough for you to make out their conversation. “I need to find a Nightblood to put that in.”

“I already have a Nightblood to put it in.”

You step around a fallen log, glancing towards the man walking away from Clarke, immediately recognizing him as the guy that stabbed you in the leg when you found Clarke.  

“Roan, please just stop!”

“Because of you, Ontari never ascended. So, no, I won't stop. Not until the Ice Nation has its Commander.”

You see them coming towards you, and you step around the tree, gun raised, head cocked to the side. “You were saying?”

Roan lifts his hands in surrender, and you glance at Clarke. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

You nod towards the rover, “Let's go.”

“He's coming with us.”

You give her a crazy look, and a voice behind you exclaims, “Like hell he is.”

You turn and see Bellamy walking your way, gun pointed at Roan, the latter turning to Clarke in disbelief. “Why would I do that?”

“Because we both want the same thing, to put the Flame in Ontari.”

Bellamy protests, “How do you know he's not chipped?”

“If he were, do you think he would've saved me?”

Bellamy muses, “Still, we need to be sure.”

You turn and look at Bellamy, and he nods towards Roan. Catching onto his line of thinking, you turn back to the man, aim for his shoulder, and pull the trigger. He lets out a cry of pain, and Bellamy steps forwards and hits him with his gun, knocking him out. The two of you share a look, teamwork coming through, and you shrug, “Now we're sure.”

Clarke rolls her eyes at both of you. “Great, but now you both get to carry him.”

She turns and walks back towards the rover before either of you can protest, and you look down at Roan, groaning. You grab his feet and Bellamy grabs his arms, and the two of you half walk, half shuffle back to the rover, the King’s body in between you. When you reach the rover, Jasper and Octavia seem unsurprised to see the man between you, and they help you pull him into the back.

Clarke binds and gags him and bandages his arm before giving Bellamy the go ahead, and you all jump into the rover and continue back to Arkadia. Roan wakes up along the way but gives no trouble, just sits silently between Octavia and Clarke, eyeing everyone. You reach Arkadia well after dark, and you radio ahead for Miller to get the hangar doors open so Bellamy can drive the rover right in. As soon as the rover is parked inside, your friends all materialize out of the surroundings, heading straight for the vehicle. You and Bellamy head to the back to escort Roan out, and the others gather around the exiting crowd.

“We were getting worried. Where's Luna?”

Octavia barely glances at Raven. “Luna said no.”

You and Bellamy help Roan from the back, leading him around the side of the rover, into the view of all the others. Everyone’s eyes fall onto him, and Raven is the first to voice their collective question. “Who the hell is this?”

Bryan practically spits with disgust, “He's Ice Nation.”

“King of the Ice Nation actually.” Clarke looks between the others, and adds, “And he's our way into Polis.”

Bellamy nods towards the door, voice dripping with sarcasm, “This way, Your Highness.”

You turn and look at Miller and Bryan. “You two, follow us. We'll take him to lockup.”

They nod and fall into step behind you as Bellamy leads you through the halls and towards lockup. You shudder as you step inside, remembering the last time you were in here, minutes away from your execution. You glance at Bellamy and see that he’s tense, his mind thinking the same thing. You reach out and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he gives you a tight smile before opening the door and pushing Roan inside. He closes it behind him, and turns to the dating guards. “Keep an eye on him, we’ll be back to talk to him soon.”

They nod and each of them take up a post on either side of the captive king, as Bellamy nods at your shoulder. “Let’s get you some proper first aid while we’re here.”

You roll your eyes. “I’m fine.”

He gives you a serious look, one of the no nonsense ones that lets you know this is not up for debate, so you sigh, and let him lead you over to medbay. You’re unable to hide your look of surprise as you step inside the room, everything in chaos, a sign that Alie really has taken your mother over. You glance around at the mess, the tools scattered along the floor, a chair with restraints still attached to it sitting in the middle of the room, beside two pools of dried blood. You think of Raven and her wrists, used by Alie, and shudder. “She really is capable of anything.”

Bellamy turns to look at you, his eyes following yours to the blood, before he reaches out and pulls you away from it wordlessly. He leads you to one of the other beds and motions for you to sit while he turns to grab a few supplies. You shrug out of your jacket as he returns with a medkit, and he spreads out the contents of the bag beside you. He pauses, his eyes landing on your still clothed shoulder.

“Is it okay if I?” He reaches up, hands hovering near the neckline of your shirt, the rest of the question a silent one. 

You nod and smile. “Of course.”

He pulls your shirt down just enough to reach the bandage, which he unwraps slowly, careful not to move or jostle you too much. You can’t help but smile at his gentle nature. He cleans the burn just as gently, and when his head is bent out of view, busy cleaning the wound on your back, he mutters, “You said something yesterday that I’ve been wondering about.”

“Yeah?”

“You told me that you need me to love you. But I do, and I thought I showed you that.”

You soften at the anxious tone of his voice. “I know you do, Bellamy, and normally you do show me. But your guilt has gotten into your head. You keep pulling away from me and stepping back from my affection because you think you don’t deserve it.”

He lifts his head in surprise, “How did you know that?”

You have to resist the urge to laugh. Not at him, but at the idea that he thinks you don't know him as well as you do, and you say as much. “Because I know you, Bellamy. When we went to that bunker looking for supplies, you tried to run because you thought you were a monster that kept ruining Octavia’s life. You have this idea of yourself in your head that’s not true.”

You lift your hand to caress his cheek, “I just wish you’d see the Bellamy that I see. The leader that rules with his heart and would do anything to protect those that he loves, especially his sister. The guy that snuck into Mount Weather with the world’s worst plan just to save his people. The very same guy that pulled the lever to save them after we were left with no other choice. You’ve prepared us for war against the Grounders when there was no one here to protect us. You sacrificed yourself to save me and Jasper when Murphy locked us up. You’ve gone all over the place to help me find and save my twin. You’ve saved my life, and our people’s lives, more times that I can count. And I’ll say it as many times as I need to, but you are not a monster. You made a mistake, and bad things came of it, but that does not make you a bad person. The Universe has dealt you a cruel hand, Bellamy, and sometimes it’s hard to play the cards right.”

He gives you a loving look before he leans forward, pulling you into a kiss. The gesture surprises you at first, his recent intimacy only happening during times of extreme stress or near death, but you welcome the surprise with a happy sigh. He pulls away after a moment, both of you instantly trying to catch your breath, dizzy from lack of oxygen and happiness, and he smiles at you. It’s one of those dazzling, one of a kind, enjoy it while you can smiles, and it warms your body from the top of your head down to your toes. He whispers, “I love you.”

And something about the way he says it is enough to let you know that things are going to get better. He may not be 100%, and he may always struggle with his guilt, but he’s healing and he’s coming back to you, tired of being lost. You smile back at him, trying to match his energy and whisper, “I love you more than the stars.”

-

Clarke comes to find you and Bellamy a few minutes after your soft moment, and she leads you both from the medbay straight back to lockup to talk to Roan, who has managed to get out of his restraints and take off his gag. The first thing Clarke does after stepping inside is turn to you with an expectant look, her eyes flashing back to glance at Roan’s bandages. You know what she’s waiting for so you sigh and look at the king. “Sorry about your arm.”

He gestures to your now healed leg. “Makes us even.”

With your apology out of the way, Clarke launches into leadership mode. “Like it or not, we need each other.”

“Cut to the chase, Clarke. You said we wanted the same thing. I want an Ice Nation Commander.”

“And I can give you one,” She lifts up the box with the Flame. “With this.”

“And why would you do that, when you know she's vowed to wipe you out?”

“We don't have a choice. This isn't just our war. The enemy we're up against is after everyone, including the Ice Nation. The only way to stop her is to get the information off the Flame. And the only way to do that is to put it in Ontari's head.”

Roan sneers, “The Ice Nation isn't afraid.”

You step closer to him, sneering back. “You should be. Alie doesn't care what clan you're from. She controls people, and she'll take over the Ice Nation, just like she took over our people.”

Clarke adds, “It already has Ontari.”

“I'm listening.”

“We need to disconnect her before she gets the Flame, or we'll be giving Alie exactly what she wants. To do that, we have to abduct her from the center of a city filled with thousands of people, whose minds are linked. All of them thinking as one. Whatever one sees, they all see. Whatever one hears, they all hear.”

Roan nods, “I get it. So when do we leave?”

-

With Roan’s agreement and the plan in place, everyone is on the move again. 

Most of you are in the hanger bay, loading up the rover with nearly everything from the armory, preparing for a war. The energy in the room is tense and charged, everyone realizing that some of you might not make it back from Polis, or that things can go terribly wrong and you never save your people. Despite that worry, everyone does the task that Bellamy delegated to them, working together quickly to get the rover ready to go. 

You bring the last bag from the armory over to Miller to load up, and he checks the contents inside, pulling out the small metal canisters. Bellamy looks over at him, eyeing the canister in his hand. Miller nods and shoves it back in the bag, explaining, “Knockout gas. Mount Weather's finest. As soon as they bring Ontari out, we put them to sleep.”

Bellamy claps him on the shoulder and turns to look at you. You mutter, “At least something good came out of Mount Weather.”

He smirks in agreement as Raven walks over to the two of you, handing you a device. “Because she's chipped, you'll have to EMP her like you did me, before you give her the Flame.”

You shake your head in confusion, looking down at the device. “I thought that Jaha destroyed all the wristbands.”

She smirks at you, “So did he, then I came home. There's only enough usable parts to rebuild one, so use it wisely. Made a few improvements, too.”

You turn and put the device in one of the backpacks, tucking a few med kits around it to cushion it and keep it safe. Then you put the backpack in the middle of the other bags, pinning it to the wall to keep it from sliding around in the back. With the last bag packed, you turn back to the others. Everyone watches each other quietly, no one wanting to possibly say goodbye for the last time. Octavia steps into the room with Roan at her side, and is oblivious to the tension,or just doesn’t care, because she looks around at all of you in confusion. “What are we waiting for?”

They walk towards the rover as the rest of you hug the others, whispering a quiet assortment of “may we meet agains”, “goodbyes”, and “good lucks”. Jasper is the last one to hug you, and as he does he whispers, “Sure you don't want to stay here? They could use the protection.”

You pull away, and let out a short laugh. “If I stay here, who will protect Bellamy and Clarke?”

He laughs too, nodding, “That’s true. Be safe.”

“You too.”

You turn and head to the rover, pulling yourself into the passenger seat beside Bellamy. You look around at the small group in the back, Octavia, Clarke, Miller, Bryan, and Roan, before glancing at those you’re leaving behind: Monty, Jasper, Harper, and Raven. And then you turn back to Bellamy, give him a smile, and nod. “Let’s go save our people.”

-

The ride to the city limits of Polis is short, and you spend much of it looking out at the window at the stars and moon, knowing that once the rover stops, you’ll spend the rest of the journey in the tunnel system. Before you know it, Clarke is leaning forward, between you and Bellamy, pointing to a small clearing. “There it is. Stop here.”

Bellamy parks the rover between a dense spot of bushes and trees, trying to keep it from view, but he leaves the lights on as you all grab the gear. Clarke bails out of the back and jogs towards a break in the trees and you run out after her, following her gaze to a tall tower in the distance, with smoke billowing out of the top. You eye it in disbelief, your first view of the Grounder capital, and you mutter, “Wow.”

Clarke turns to you, smiling. “Wait until you see the rest of it. I never imagined we’d come to the ground and find a place like this. Dad’s stories never prepared us for it.”

Bellamy and Roan walk up behind the two of you, and you both turn to face them. Roan glances back at the tower in the distance, before looking at Clarke with a nod. “Alright, this is where we split up. The entrance to the tunnel is right over there.”

Bellamy gives him an annoyed look, “We know where it is.”

You cut him a look, telling him to be nice, and he shrugs in response. Roan is unbothered by Bellamy’s attitude though, and he just watches Clarke. “I'm gonna need the Flame. Look, this only works if they send Ontari out to get it. If they don't see it, they won't do that. Not much of a trap without the bait.”

She glances at you, and you can see her hesitation, so you reach your hand out for hers and nod, letting her know that it’s the right thing to do. She takes in a shaky breath, steeling herself for her departure from Lexa, her short lived love. She reaches into her jacket and pulls out the container, holding it out to him. “Fine.”

When his hand closes around the other end, she doesn't let go. His eyes lock with hers, confused, and she adds, “But I'm coming with you.”

You and Bellamy immediately protest, but yours is louder, “Clarke, no way! That wasn't the plan.”

She lets go of the Flame, and turns to look at the two of you. “It is now. I'm not letting that out of my sight, and I'm the only one who knows the passphrase. So you can tell them that without me, Ontari can't ascend.”

Roan nods in agreement. “You'll need to look like my prisoner.”

“Okay.”

You turn to her, a look of bewilderment on your face. “Wait a second.”

Bellamy glances at Roan, as he reaches out for you and Clarke, pulling you both to the side. “Give us a minute.”

Roan steps away, giving the three of you some space, before Bellamy gives Clarke the same bewildered look that you’re giving her. “Come on, Clarke. You're really willing to trust that guy with your life?”

“No.” Her response is immediate, matter of fact. Then she shrugs. “But both of you will be covering us the entire time. And I trust you.”

She turns to you, her eyes pleading with you to understand. And because she's your sister, your twin, you do. As much as you hate the plan, the separation from each other, the distance between you that’ll make it harder to save her if things go wrong, you understand, and you agree. “Fine.”

When you relent, Bellamy relents, sighing as he looks between the two of you. “The second I don’t like something or things seem wrong, we bail out.”

She gives him a reassuring smile, “Of course.”

She turns away and heads to the rover, and you follow. She passes her weapons to you, leaving herself defenseless. You reach into your backpack and pull some of the cloth strips from a medkit, handing them to her. “For your gag and restraints.”

“Thanks.”

You strap a thigh holster on your leg that doesn't hold your knife and slide Clarke’s pistol into the holster. Then you grab the backpack with the EMP and a rifle and pull them both on, pausing to make sure you’re locked and loaded. Once you’re ready, you turn and look at the others, who are all waiting, ready to go. Clarke pulls you into a tight hug and whispers, “May we meet again, la lune.”

“May we meet again, shining star.” When she releases you, you give her a smile that you hope is reassuring. “Don't worry, we’ll have your back.”

“You always do.”

You start to follow the others in the direction of the tunnels, but you pause in front of Roan, giving him a serious look. “If anything happens to Clarke, I will burn Azgeda to the ground.”

He gives you a surprised look, and you can tell that he knows you mean it. “I’ll keep her safe.”

You nod and then jog after the others, trying to catch up. Bellamy is waiting at the entrance of the tunnels for you, and he gestures to the entrance when you reach him. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

As soon as you step into the tunnels, a chill runs through you, and you’re not sure if it’s from the chill of the space, or the impending sense of doom. Bellamy hands you a flashlight and you follow him through the darkness as he takes the lead and guides your group through the passageways. 

It takes the rest of the night and into the next morning to reach your vantage point, though you can't tell until you’re in position and see the light streaming through the small windows. Bellamy stops in front of them and turns to the rest of you, “Alright, this is it. Get those grates open.”

You all quickly unscrew the grates to give you better access to the outside world, quietly setting them aside. You peer out the window in front of you, looking for any sign of Clarke, but finding none. In fact, there is no sign of anyone. When Clarke described Polis to you in the past, she always said that it was busy, full of people. But now, it lays barren in front of you, eerily quiet. Bellamy pulls you out of your thoughts as he says, “Let's get ready.”

You pull your backpack off and set it in a secure corner, away from any danger, and you check your gun to make sure it’s loaded. You also grab a few additional magazines, ready for any type of trouble. You and Bellamy both step into position beside each other, resting your guns on the ledge of the window, sliding them out into the open. As you both stand there, peering out into the streets, you overhear Bryan and Miller talking behind you. Bryan’s voice is soft and concerned as he asks, “Are we ever gonna be done fighting?”

“Hell yes. We're gonna build a house on a lake. You're gonna plant corn.”

Bryan adds, “And raise chickens.”

“Yeah. And grow old.”

You and Bellamy exchange a look, and you know he wants the same thing for the both of you. You reach out and give his hand a quick squeeze, letting him know you’re with him, before you turn back to the window. You let out a surprised sound at the sight of Clarke in front of you, bound and gagged, held in place beside Roan. “Hey, 11 o’clock!”

The others get into position at their respective windows, and Octavia comes to stand on your other side. She passes you a gas canister, which you set on the ledge beside you, within reach. You nod at her in thanks as Bellamy reminds you, “Roan will signal when he sees Ontari. We wait until she's standing in front of them and then we launch the gas.”

Bryan tosses Miller a gas mask, which he passes down the line, until it ends up with Bellamy. More gas masks follow until you all have one. “They're gonna be holding their breath, so we’ve gotta move fast.”

As you peer out the window again, you see that a few people are outside now, kneeling in a small patch of land nearby. Their eyes are all closed and they’re sitting so still, you start to wonder if any of them are even alive. Bellamy glances over at them, and then down the line at the rest of you. “Anyone who gets in our way, we use non-lethal force. These people are not the enemy, they're being controlled. The only thing we're here to kill is Alie. Is that clear?”

There’s a chorus of “clears” whispered, indicating that you all understand. Bellamy nods to you, giving you the signal, and you peer through your scope, looking for Clarke again. When you see her, you click the light on your rifle, on and off, signaling to her. You can tell she sees it because she tugs on her restraints enough to get Roan’s attention, and when he looks her way, she gives him a barely perceptible nod. You turn off your light and whisper, “Here we go.”

You watch as Roan pulls the Flame from his pocket and holds it up. He starts to yell, but from your place in the tunnels, it’s hard to make out. “I am Roan, King of Azgeda, and I have what the Commander seeks.”

All around him, the people that were kneeling start to stand and turn towards them. Guess they’re not dead. Roan adds, “I don't like what I'm sensing. So, if she wants it, she can come to me!”

You all watch with bated breath, waiting to see what’s going to happen. And much to your surprise, Jaha emerges from the shadows. You whisper, “It's Jaha!”

Octavia shifts beside you, trying to peer out the window. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Miller glances your way, “You see Ontari?”

“No. Hold.”

You can see Roan and Jaha talking to each other, but since neither of them are yelling like Roan was moments ago, it’s impossible to make out what they’re saying. All you can do is read their body language, and you can tell that both Roan and Clarke are on edge, distrustful of the situation. Bellamy mutters, “Something's wrong.”

Something that Jaha says puts Clarke further on edge, and she turns to you with a look of alarm. Something about the look she gives you, and the uneasy feeling about the whole situation tugs at a memory from Arkadia. You whisper, “They could use the protection.”

Bellamy turns to you, confused. “What?”

“When Jasper hugged me, he asked if I was sure I didn't want to stay behind because ‘they could use the protection’. He said they, not we.”

Octavia takes in a sharp breath, and then looks your way. “Jasper was in the room with Luna and the others, but they barely touched him. He said they tried and he didn't break, but-”

You turn to Bellamy in alarm, “It’s a trap!”

Bellamy turns to Miller and Bryan, yelling, “Do it. Do it now!”

Bryan turns to the window, and just as he is going to send in the gas canisters, he is yanked backwards. Someone yells, “On your knees! Drop your weapon!”

The rest of you are grabbed from behind, and you instantly fight back. Your gun is pulled from your grip, but you swing your elbow back and make contact with the man reaching for you. He doubles over, a natural instinct,  and you hear someone yell, “Blake, against the wall. Turn around!”

When the man reaches for you again, you pull out your knife and plunge it into his shoulder, using the non lethal force that Bellamy reminded you of. The man doesn't react, because there’s no pain in the City of Light. Still, you pull the knife back out and turn to run when someone yells, “Griffin! Drop it, or he dies!”

You freeze in place, and turn slowly, coming face to face with a guard who has Bellamy in his arms and a gun pressed to his temple. You instantly drop your knife, the fight now gone from you, and two men grab you harshly from behind and shove you up against the walls, restraining you. You hear a gunshot outside, and your blood runs cold, thinking of Clarke. You turn and try to look at Bellamy, panicking, but the guards at your back have such a tight grip on you, you can't move. 

Once they have you tied up, they pull you away from the wall and half lead, half drag you out of the little alcove and into the main hallway of the tunnel. Each of you are forced to your knees in rows. Octavia and Bryan in the front, then Miller and Bellamy, and you alone in the back. The guards surround you on all sides, armed, and you watch them closely, trying to form an escape. As you do, one of Pike’s men looks you all over. “Who’s gonna talk to us first?”

Everyone of you is silent and unmoving, not wanting to be the first one chosen. The guard takes his time teasing which one of you he’s going to pick, until finally, he settles on Miller. They pull him to his feet, and Bryan starts to protest, “Leave him alone!”

The guard nearest to Bryan uses his gun to hit Bryan across the face, effectively silencing him. The rest of you freeze in shock, and Miller turns to his boyfriend the best he can. “Don't say anything. No matter what.”

Bryan weakly nods and Miller is forced to his knees again. The guard smiles and tilts his head to the side. “We mostly have everything we need, except Jasper is struggling a little with the others.” 

You see Bellamy freeze in front of you, confirming your earlier suspicions. You berate yourself for not catching it earlier. The guard continues, “So, how are you planning to access code that’s no longer on Earth?” 

Miller says nothing, partially because Raven never told any of you her plan, but partially because he’s not one to give up secrets to the enemy. His silence is met with a slap across the face, the sound echoing through the small cave, and you see Bryan struggling to keep himself cool. It’s enough to make you decide to take one for the team. “Hey, do you do everything that Alie tells you to do? What if she told you to walk off the top of the tower, would you do it?”

The man glares at you, and then nods to the guard at your back. He leans down and whispers, “Alie says you took an arrow to the shoulder.”

You stiffen a little, knowing where this is going. “Could it be right…” He presses a finger into each wound, pushing against the healing skin, and you let out a scream of pain. “Here?”

Bellamy turns towards you, upset, and the man releases you. You glance at the other guard, standing too close to Miller, and decide to push them harder. Before you do, you glance at Bellamy and mouth, “Don’t.”

He gives a sharp shake of his head, repeating the word back to you. “We’re gonna wipe the code on your precious computer program, and delete her from existence. What are you gonna do then? Without Pike or Alie, who will you follow?”

The guard puts a boot on Miller’s chest and pushes him backwards before stalking over to you, angry. The guard at your back grabs your shoulder, holding you in place, so the other guard can punch you in the stomach. You feel the breath leave your body in a rush, and you fight back the nausea rolling through you. You gasp out, “That the best you got?”

You rear your head back and collide with the man at your back, your skull making contact with his nose. He doesn't react, other than stumbling back from the force of the hit, and the other guard swings a kick at you with so much force, it knocks you flat on your back. You cough against the force that was pushed against your chest, struggling to catch your breath, as the guard descends on you to continue his assault. He pulls his leg back to kick you again, but he freezes in place, his gaze lifting off into the distance. And then he looks out to the others. “Let's go. She wants the twin.”

Two guards pull you to your feet, and you start to fight against them. Both Blake siblings stand, yelling, “Where are you taking her?”

“Stop! Leave her alone!”

They are both met with a rifle hit to the gut, and you turn to look at them the best you can, reassuring them. “Hey, I’m gonna be okay, just find a way out of here!” 

They only take you a few steps down the hallway when a voice yells from the darkness, “You know, if I were you, I'd hit the deck.”

Your head tilts to the side, recognizing the voice instantly. The guards at your side lift their flashlights, lighting up the man you suspected you heard. “Murphy.”

And then your brain processes his words, and you yell to the others, “Everyone hit the ground!”

You pull yourself out of your guards grip, clumsily, hitting your shoulder on the ground when you land, and you let out a groan. One that is muffled by the eruption of gunfire echoing in the space. When it stops, you look up in surprise, as Murphy moves closer to you and pulls you to your feet. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“I’ve never been this happy to see a cockroach before.” He gives you a mock offended look, and you smile at him. “Thank you, Murphy.”

He nods, looking uncomfortable, before stepping away to go help the others. Suddenly, the help he has materializes out of the darkness. Your eyes land on Indra first, who yells, “More will come, we have to hurry.”

And then they land on the one person you never expected to see again. Pike. He walks towards you, pulling out his knife, and you scramble backwards, putting space between you. He lifts his hands in surrender as Bellamy appears at your side, allowing Pike to cut off his restraints. He takes the knife from the man and frees your hands, all the while, your glare never leaves Pike. He looks between you and asks, “You okay?”

You balk, “Oh, now you care?”

Bellamy puts a comforting hand on your arm, and whispers, “Hey, it’s okay.”

You turn to him, incredulous. “No, it’s not. We may be fighting a different enemy, but don't you think for a second that I’ve forgotten what he’s done. All that guilt that you've been carrying for everything you've done the last few weeks? That’s because of him. That’s the same man that locked me up and was minutes away from killing me before the others saved us.”

Octavia materializes at your side, just as angry to see Pike still alive. Indra seems to sense the impending fight, because she moves over to her former second. “The only way we get out of here is together.”

Octavia turns her glare from Pike to Indra. “He killed Lincoln. Put him on his knees. Shot him in the head.”

The news seems to be new to Indra, because she looks over at Pike in shock. Bellamy can tell this is a losing battle, and attempts to stifle the fire of anger that’s starting to rise. “Indra's right, we need every fighter we can get.”

You open your mouth to protest, but Murphy cuts you off. “You guys missed the part where it's time to go?”

The words distract you from Pike long enough to turn towards Murphy and shake your head. “We're not leaving.”

“We just saved your lives. Why do I think I'm gonna regret that?”

Bellamy glances at you, then back to Murphy. “Clarke’s in trouble.”

“Clarke's always in trouble.

You lean down and pull the gun off of the man at your feet, and then stand to tell them, “They took her and the Flame to the tower. It's a safe bet Ontari's there, too. Everything we need to stop Alie is in the same place.”

Octavia remembers the mission, and gives you a serious look. “If we go up that tower, we won't be able to fight our way out again.”

Bellamy glances at her, “If we stop Alie, we won't have to.”

Murphy turns to look at Pike, who nods his agreement, and he sighs, “Up the tower, great. You know, after this, doing the right thing can kiss my ass.”

Bellamy turns and starts to run off, back where you were earlier, and you start to follow, until you see Miller, leaning against Bryan, bleeding from his nose. You stop in front of him. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.” He eyes the blood dotting the shirt around your shoulder. “Are you okay?”

You wave him off, “It’s nothing.”

You turn and follow the path Bellamy took, stopping in the alcove to grab the backpack with the EMP and your abandoned knife. You pull the pack on and slide the knife in place, before catching up with the others. When you reach them, Bellamy is reminding everyone of the non-lethal force rule, waiting for you to catch up. Once he locks eyes with you, he starts to move again, and you run through the tunnels quietly for a few minutes, the sound of creaking gradually growing louder. Bellamy stops at a corner and puts an arm out to stop the rest of you. You peer around the corner with him, spotting two Grounder guards at the end of the hall, standing next to a large wheel that controls the elevator. 

Bellamy gives the signal and you all start to sneak down the hall towards the guards, spread out in two lines, so they can't escape you. As you start to get close, the guards still oblivious to your presence, two shots ring out and the guards hit the ground, grunting as they do. You spin around and see Pike, his gun still lifted, and Bellamy yells, “Hey! I told you, that is not how we're doing this.”

“They were in our way.”

You give him an incredulous look. “These people are not our enemy. They're being controlled by Alie and we can save them.”

Miller glances down the halls, on edge. “There's gonna be a lot more of these people if we don't move. Let's do this.”

Indra looks over at the wheel. “I'll bring it down.”

Bellamy turns to look at the others, explaining the plan. “Once we're up, you blow the elevator and then climb. Destroy the ladder behind us.”

“On it.”

You, Bellamy, Octavia, and Murphy head towards the elevator, waiting for it to come down. As it does, Murphy eyes the closed doors. “You do realize we don't have a way down, right?”

Indra glances at him, unconcerned. “A problem for another day.” 

“Let's go, our ride's here.” You, Bellamy, and Murphy step inside, but Octavia stands outside of it, looking in on all of you. Bellamy turns to look at her. “Coming, O?”

“If anything goes wrong down here, they'll need my help. We got this.” 

You see her subtle glance at Pike, and you know that she doesn't want to let him out of her sight. You reach out and pull her into a hug, whispering in her ear so softly that no one else can hear, “The second he stops being useful, kill him.”

She gives you a small nod and you step away, back into the elevator, watching as Octavia slides the doors closed. A second later the elevator lurches, rising slowly, and you all stand in a line, silent, until Murphy asks, “You both get that we're screwed, right? Alie already knows that we're coming.”

“This plan will work.” You can't tell if Bellamy is trying to convince Murphy, or himself. Then a thought hits him, and Bellamy turns to look at Murphy. “Why are you here?”

“I'm just trying to survive.” When Bellamy gives him an unconvinced look, Murphy glances over at you, and then back to your boyfriend. “You're not the only one here doing something for someone you care about.”

Bellamy looks over at you, and you suddenly feel the weight of his survival on your head. The only reason he's here is because of you, which means anything that happens to him while he is here is because of you too. You feel the weight of the curse on you again, reminded of Raven’s words: Azazel, bringing destruction and corruption with your curse. 

 You don't get time to dwell on it further, because the elevator lurches and then suddenly stops. You all exchange a worried look, and Murphy mutters, “Well, that's not good.”

The elevator is only stopped for a couple of seconds before you all start to hear banging from the other side. “They're coming in.”

You and Bellamy run to the doors, and you try to hold them closed, but the Grounders on the other side are stronger and have a better grip, and they start to pry the door open. Bellamy turns to Murphy and yells, “Murphy, get that baton ready.”

You hear the shock baton crackle to life and the doors open wider. You yell, “Shock him, Murphy!”

Murphy squeezes in between you and shocks the first Grounder and he falls away. The second Grounder squeezes inside and grabs you, instantly dragging you towards the door. You scream, “Bellamy!”

You’re halfway inside the elevator and halfway out when Murphy hits him when the shock baton and the man drops you. Bellamy pulls you backwards, back inside the elevator, before rushing back to the doors and kicking the first Grounder away. Him and Murphy struggle to close the doors and they have it mostly closed when they force their way back in again. Murphy and Bellamy fight them off again, and as the doors start to close, a third man appears and dives through the crack in the door, just as the elevator starts to move again. 

The man lands on Murphy and starts to choke him, and you dive towards him, knocking him away. He turns and starts to punch you in the face until he’s pulled off of you by Bellamy. The man starts fighting with Bellamy, and as soon as he gets the upper hand, Murphy jumps in. This continues for a few seconds, each of you taking over and passing the man around until he grows tired of it and turns and delivers a strong kick to Murphy’s chest, sending him flying towards the opposite wall. Then he turns and pulls the shock baton from Bellamy’s grip and shocks him, and you dive at him again, knocking him away. 

The man turns to you and his hand instantly finds your neck and he squeezes and lifts you easily, pinning you against the wall and holding you in place. Your feet kick frantically, trying to find something to stand on, choking as the man holds you still. You glance at Bellamy, but he’s still doubled over, hazy from the shock, and you look away, trying to focus all of your energy on staying alive. You hear Murphy yell, “Bellamy, shoot him! He’s killing her, shoot him!”

Your eyes close, the spots dancing along your vision, and you try to focus on the last bit of oxygen left in your body. Just when you think you can take it anymore, a shot rings out and you fall to the ground, landing on all fours. You take in a desperate breath of air, gasping, and you feel Bellamy put a hand on your shoulder as he kneels beside you. “Are you okay?”

You nod, still trying to catch your breath, before you look at him, and see the sadness in his eyes. You know how badly he wanted to keep things non-lethal, and you reach up and put a hand over his own, comforting him. “Thank you.”

He nods, and helps you to your feet, and you glance at the door, uneasy. “Bellamy, they’re gonna storm in here as soon as we reach the top. We’ll never make it to the throne room.”

You all glance around, trying to figure out how you can make it out, when Bellamy looks up at the ceiling and lets out an excited sound. You look up and feel a rush of relief at the small vent in the ceiling, and he turns to Murphy. “Help me.”

Bellamy gives Murphy a knee to stand on and Murphy pushes the panel out of the way, and peeks up into the ceiling. “There’s room for all of us!”

He pulls himself up and leans down for your hand. You step onto Bellamy’s knee and take his hand, before grabbing onto the top with your other hand. You groan in pain when your weight pulls on your shoulder, but you try to ignore it as you pull yourself up with Murphy’s help. You both slide back as Bellamy jumps, his hands grabbing at the edge, and he pulls himself up easily, sliding into place behind you. Murphy puts the vent cover back on, and Bellamy turns to you. “Turn around.”

You do as he says and he unzips your backpack, pulling out a can of Mount Weather’s finest gas. You smile back at him as he pulls out three gas masks, passing one to each of you. You each pull them on, ride the last little bit to the top, before the elevator lurches, signaling your arrival. You all wait, still and silent, with the gas can in Bellamy’s hand and the edge of the vent in Murphy’s. You listen as the doors are pried open, and someone steps inside, asking, “Where’d they go?”

Bellamy nods at Murphy, who pulls back the vent, and Bellamy pulls the tab on the can and drops it, red smoke quickly filling the space. You hear the man cough and hit the ground, and seconds later you hear the thud of a second man following suit. Murphy pulls the vent back the rest of the way, and he drops down into the elevator, followed by you and Bellamy. You hit the ground, weapon raised, ready to shoot, but everyone nearby is on the ground, knocked out from the gas. 

Murphy leads the way since he’s the most familiar with the layout, and you and Bellamy follow, your guns still up. “Throne room’s this way.”

You follow him down the hall, passing the knocked out bodies of the other guards, and when you reach the end of the hallway, in front of the throne room door, you pull your masks off and breathe in the clean air. This time, Bellamy leads the way, and he kicks the door open. Your eyes immediately fall on Clarke, who is chained to a pole, restrained, and she yells to Bellamy, “Bellamy, stop him!”

And as soon as Bellamy runs off, Clarke screams your name, and a single word. “Mom!”

You follow her gaze over to your right, where your mother is hanging from a noose, struggling for breath. “Oh my god.”

You run over to her, and you hear Murphy right behind you. A shot rings out behind you, but you ignore it, and as soon as you reach her, you grab her legs, pulling the tension of her weight off the noose. “Murphy, my knife!”

You shift towards him, so he can see the knife on your thigh, and he pulls it from the holster. He finds the box your mother used to stand on and puts it upright, climbing onto it quickly and cutting her down. As soon as she's cut free, she falls towards you, taking you both down, but you recover quickly and roll her over, loosening the noose. You press a finger to her neck, checking for her heartbeat, as Clarke frantically calls, “Is she alive? Is she breathing?”

You feel the slow, but steady thump of your mom’s heartbeat beneath your fingers, and you let out a sigh of relief, turning to look at your twin. “She’s okay.”

She sags with relief before directing Bellamy, “Jaha has the Flame. Get it.”

Bellamy mostly freed her from her restraints, and she finishes the job, running towards Ontari. “We can't let Ontari die. We have to stop the bleeding.”

She calls your name, and you look over your mother one last time, checking on her. Murphy mutters, “Go, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Thank you.”

You run over to your twin, pulling one of the med kits from your bag as you do. You hand it to her as she touches Ontari’s neck. “Her pulse is weak.”

Bellamy mutters, “At least she's alive.”

Clarke hands you a bandage, “Here, hold this to the wound.”

You press the cloth to the wound on the back of her head, black blood soaking through it instantly. “Clarke, she’s losing a lot of blood.”

Clarke digs around in the medkit and pulls out a small flashlight, before prying open Onatri’s eyelid and shining the light in her eyes. “Her pupils are unresponsive.”

Bellamy looks at her in alarm, “What? What does that mean?”

“She's brain dead. She can't give us the kill code. It's over.”

You all sag in disbelief, leaning away from Ontari’s dead body. You drop the cloth, looking down at the dark blood as it runs over your hands and down your arms, a terrible realization coming over you. “We're trapped here.”

-

To be continued….

-

next chapter

[marvels-agents100]

waltz (part 3)

pairing: bucky x fem ! reader

word count: 5709

trigger warnings: none

author’s note: so, it’s obvious the plot isn’t my own, and this part is very movie heavy (aka not much insert of the reader), but i promise it’ll get better as i’m able to add extra scenes! thank you for reading anyways!

It wasn't a shock to you when a full police escort guided the armored vehicles to Berlin. The Joint Counter Terrorist Centre didn't take any chances with security, not only securing everyone within protected vehicles, but having a long trail of police cars on each end of the transport. You knew it was completely overdramatic, but you knew who Bucky was now. Of course, most only saw him for what he was for the past seventy years, not who he had become since the fall of HYDRA.

You sat next to Sam, Steve on his other side and the man who you now knew as T'Challa in front of you. You kept your gaze out the window, trying to ignore the pain in your side while actively avoiding any confrontation with Steve. At that point, you weren't sure how he would ever forgive you for hiding Bucky, and you were even more unsure of wether you deserved his forgiveness. If the worry you felt in that moment for Bucky was only a fraction of what he felt all those years searching, then you couldn't even imagine the pain he had been going through. You knew that if you were in his position, you wouldn't forgive yourself.

"So you like cats?" Sam broke the silence.

"Sam." Steve scolded.

"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don't wanna know more?" There was a slight bitterness to his words- he was clearly holding a grudge.

There was a pause before Steve spoke.

"Your suit, it's vibranium?

"The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations," T'Challa spoke, "A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father," your  eyes snapped to him at his words, "I also wear the mantle of king. So I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"

His voice held a venom that made your blood boil. You were half tempted to scream at him, shouting that Bucky was with you, in Bucharest, the entire time. You wanted to take T'Challa by the shoulders and prove to him how wrong he was, a complete disregard of his feelings in your actions.

But, you didn't. And you wouldn't. Because at the end of the day, T'Challa acted in a way you could imagine yourself reacting to the situation as he saw it. This man had lost his father, watched him die when it was not yet his time. Not only did he have the weight of a new loss on his shoulders, but he also had to walk into a role where he protected a whole group of people, how large you weren't sure, but you assumed that responsibility didn't come without stress.

Your heart broke for T'Challa, not being able to imagine the pain he had suffered in such a short period of time. In fact, all of the people that surrounded you- Avenger or not- suffered from pain in their own way, and while it is so much easier to act upon pain, you have to be able to step back and provide understanding for rash decisions and impulsive action.

Trauma is one hell of a drug.

Maybe that's why you hid Bucky away without second thought. You had to give him room to feel his pain, so he didn't act out as a result of unprocessed trauma. You only hoped that Steve could see that as well, eventually.

The Joint Counter Terrorist Centre was a modern yet industrial building. In closest comparison, you would say it looked like a Stark-made building, but everyone had been following in Tony's design standards for years, so that wasn't anything new. You exited the van you were transported in behind Steve, your eyes immediately catching the glass cage Bucky was being moved in. It looked like a tank, like he was a caged animal, a spectacle to see. It made you cringe visibly, your lips pulling into a grimace. Steve followed your line of sight, his eyes softening for the first time since he hopped into the passenger side of the car you stole on that Romanian highway, his Captain exterior crumbling instantly when he saw his oldest friend.

Bucky seemed calm. Pissed, hurt, and overall unhappy, but calm. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, trying to avoid any eye contact with either you or Steve. He had learned how to keep his emotions in check through training as a soldier, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep it together if he saw either of you. The game completely changed when it came to the people he cared for.

You- in some way that even he couldn't explain- had been able to break down Bucky's walls and see the person he hid underneath. He had allowed himself to be fully expressed around you, wether it was a full, beaming smile while he laughed, or the way he let himself feel refreshed as the voice of Billy Eckstine filled your apartment, or when he would try to apologize to you a thousand times in a single glance while also fighting off GSG 9 units. It was the small things, the micro expressions and whispered confessions that his former self, his darker self, would've forbidden. Somehow, someway, he had no problem exposing those hidden parts of himself to you. So, he kept his eyes forward, refusing to give his captors any inkling of what was going on inside his head. He was so tired of people picking his brain; he'd had enough of that for a lifetime.

You ripped your gaze away from Bucky, following Steve as he approached the five people waiting for the five of you to arrive. You recognized the three men standing in the background as soldiers, there for protection. To the left was a small-framed blonde woman you knew as Sharron Carter- someone you had grown to know when SHEILD initially collapsed. Apparently, she had been reassigned here with her job in the CIA while you were hunting for a former assassin. The man standing next to her, although short in stature, held a confidence and slightly threatening nature to him, and you immediately knew that he was in charge in this facility.

"What's going to happen to him?" Steve asked flatly as you reached them.

"Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition." The man spoke, no fear or wavering in his voice.

"This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander." Sharron introduced. Your eyebrow raised at him, a sneaking feeling in your gut making you believe that you shouldn't trust him. It wasn't something you could explain, but the way your stomach dropped when he began talking was a clear indication from your intuition that he wasn't on your side.

"What about a lawyer?" Steve asked, to which you had to hold back your scoff. It was a bold question, seeing as to how many laws were broken within the past day. Lawyers were completely out of the question at that point.

"Lawyer. That's funny." Everett spoke with a sarcastic grin. "See to it their weapons are placed in lockup." He spoke to Sharron without looking at her. "We'll write you a receipt."

"I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that." Sam threatened.

"Yeah, handle carefully, mine's borrowed property." You chimed in, "Also, you might not know me, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), former SHEILD agent," Everett looked straight at you as you introduced yourself, a sarcastic and slightly venomous air to your words, "if it wouldn't, you know, be too much of a bother, I am in a significant amount of pain, having fought alongside what was mostly super soldiers only hours ago, and would like to see any kind of medical professional before I bleed out internally, thanks." You smile sweetly, almost enjoying the way Everett's eyes narrowed at you. Sharron fought a smirk, finding herself missing the way you always fought for the best treatment of you and everybody else, no matter what the consequence was. It was a trait you shared with Steve, and it definitely made the bond between the Captain and yourself stronger.

"Can we get someone upstairs, to look her over while they meet." Everett spoke to one of the soldiers, who relayed the message into their walkie-talkies. He looked back to you with a slightly annoyed look, then turned and began walking towards the elevator, you, Steve, Sam, and T'Challa in tow. Steve glanced over his shoulder at Bucky, and you followed his line of sight to see Bucky was looking back, his eyes flickering to you. It was only a second, but his once emotionless face looked so helpless, his eyes turning sad and his lips curving downwards. It made you take in a deep breath, giving him a small nod and the best reassuring smile you could manage. He returned the gesture before leaning his head back, a large, steel door closing in front of him.

It was always those small, unspoken looks that made you see Bucky as he truly was. He wasn't incredibly flashy in his personality, not in the way Steve said he was back in Brooklyn. He was reserved and quiet, but opened up as you grew to know him. Most of his communication was done through small smiles, emotion filled glances, or the occasional soft touch. It took someone with perception to see into the mind of Bucky Barnes, and you were the perfect person to do the job. There was so much pressure on him to be better, to be a normal person, that it was almost suffocating. He felt only a fraction of normalcy in Romania, something he didn't know if he'd ever get back. But you, your way of knowing what he felt before he even knew what he was feeling- it was something that shocked him every day. When he was with you, there was no pressure to be the person someone had assumed he would be. People always thought they knew who he was before meeting him- wether they expect someone cold and murderous, or even if they expect their long-lost best friend, full of wit and charm.

It was a fact that ate at his heart, especially now that he sat within the mess that he had created. His existence had driven Steve Rogers, someone who held high regard in the world he was thrown into, to break numerous laws and risk his life to save Bucky Barnes. And at the end of it all, the person he sought out to save didn't exist anymore. Bucky Barnes now was not the same Bucky Barnes that existed in 1943. He wasn't charming and funny anymore, he could barely remember any inside jokes he shared with his life long friend, and he didn't hold the same confidence. Steve risked everything to save a ghost, and he was terrified of what would happen when the Captain finally realized that.

***

"You 'll be provided with an office instead of a cell." Everett explained while leading your small group down a stark white hallway, "Now, do me a favor, stay in it?"

"I don't intend on going anywhere." T'Challa spoke.

Natasha walked up the opposite end of the hall to meet Steve, a serious look in her eyes.

"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like." She spoke. What exactly had you missed during your time in Bucharest?

"He's alive." Steve ignored her taunting. "That's all I've been searching for." His eyes flickered to you, his voice hard. It sent a wave of guilt over your body, your muscles visibly tensing at his subtle jab. Natahsa looked you up and down with observant eyes, picking up on the tension between you and Steve.

You entered a conference room, screens with security and news footage lining the walls. You had to hold in your happiness when you saw Tony there, resisting the urge to run up and hug one of your closest friends.

"No, Romania was not Accords-sanctioned." He spoke on the phone. Accords? What Accords? "Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup." That made you cringe internally, thinking of the crumbled overpass that Bucky had exploded. You were shuffled to the side of the room by Nat, her seating you in a chair as what looked to be a doctor walked towards you.

"Try not to break anything while we fix this." She told Sam and Steve, not even looking over her shoulder to address them.

Tony turned and glared at Steve, his phone still at his ear. "Consequences, of course there will be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that, because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you sir." And he hung up, stepping towards Sam and Steve. The doctor pressed antiseptic to your shoulder while you looked up at the three men, seated just to Sam's right.

"Consequences?" Steve asked.

"Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted." Tony explained, "Had to give him something."

"Prosecuted? Secretary Ross? I'm sorry, what in the actual hell is going on?" You asked, unable to hold your words any longer. You tried to keep yourself out of the arguments the best you could, but if there was any hope on getting Bucky released, you had to understand why Captain America was now an accomplice to crime as well.

"Well, kid," Tony began, hands finding his pockets as he took another step towards you, "while you were having your vacation in Romania with Private Ryan on Ice, the rest of us had some messes to own up to." His gaze flickered to Steve before he continued, "The Sokovia Accords. After our run-in with Ultron, which I'm sure you know all about, the government realized how we need to be put in check."

"They tried to make us sign a paper so they could dictate wether or not we had a chance to fight." Steve interjected, his arms crossing over his chest. "They get to decide where we go, when we go. Anything out of their permission makes us criminals." His eyes met yours. "What was the word they used? Oh, yeah. Vigilantes." His gaze moved to Tony, an obvious annoyance in his features.

"The amount of innocent lives lost due to our 'Avenging' is what they're trying to control. We were trying to keep our list to New York, Sokovia, DC, and Lagos. I guess now we can add Bucharest, huh?" Tony argued, breaking the staring contest with Steve to look at you. "We were given free reign, and we failed. Now's the time for us to recognize that." Tony didn't give you or Steve any time to comment, turning around and falling in stride with Natahsa.

You looked at the floor, a furrow in your brows. It was a lot to take in, from the Accords to the obvious tear it was creating amongst the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It made sense, the Accords, but only in a perfect world. Trusting the government with full control over people as powerful as the Avengers was a scenario you couldn't see ending well. Politicians weren't people you put full trust into, no matter who they were. Also, you had a hard time siding with the same government and intelligence agencies who decided that sending a nuclear missile to Manhattan in 2012 was the way to end the fight with the Chitauri. Plus, the infiltration of HYDRA within SHIELD made it hard to trust anyone in positions of power. You understood why Tony signed, and you didn't think it was the wrong decision, but you didn't think it was the right decision either. If it were you with the pen in your hand, you wouldn't sign. And you knew exactly why Steve didn't sign.

Telling that man to walk away from a fight was about as useful as telling a pig to fly.

You thanked the doctor as he finished bandaging your shoulder, taking the painkillers he handed to you for your- thankfully- only bruised ribs. You stood as he walked away, finding your place next to Sam.

"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve asked.

"Technically, it's the government's property." Nat answered.

"As before mentioned, gun was borrowed and I assume it was treasured, so I'm gonna need you to tell the government to shove it." You told Nat, causing a smirk to inch its way onto her face.

"Sorry, pistol's locked away." Her eyes moved to Sam, "Wings, too."

"That's cold." Sam muttered.

"Warmer than jail." Tony piped in over his shoulder.

***

You sat at a large table in the middle of the room, glass panes surrounding it to form a small conference room. Your hands flipped a pen you had found between them, your knee bouncing as you thoughts mulled over everything you had learned in the past hour. Steve stood looking out the window, his hands in his pockets and eyes fixed to the screen that displayed where Bucky was being kept. You were actively trying to avoid looking at that particular monitor.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Steve." You broke the silence. He kept his back toward you, but his head fell, indicating that he heard you.

"Are you?"

His words felt like a dagger to your heart. He felt beyond betrayed, first with Tony and Nat siding with the government over him, then to find out one of the only people he saw as a true friend, (besides Sam), had been lying to him for months. Not just a small lie, but a lie about the one thing, the one person, that has occupied his mind for years.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way." You said truthfully, "I did what I thought was best for him, and I hope you can see that. If not now, then eventually." He let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. In a way, he knew why you did what you did. But, he couldn't fight his anger and disappointment either. It was truly a problem, it seemed, that only time would heal.

He opened his mouth to say something more, when Tony entered the room, gaining Steve's attention.

"Hey, you wanna see something cool?" Tony asked. "I pulled something from Dad's archives."  A thin, rectangular box was held in his hand, black velvet surrounding the outside of it. Steve sat in one on the chairs as Tony strolled closer, "Felt timely." He added.

Tony paused a moment, giving Steve a look with a small sadness in his eyes. "FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941." He placed the box, now open, in front of Steve, two black fountain pens with shiny, gold tips placed delicately inside. "Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most," Tony continued.

"Some would say it brought our country closer to war." Steve replied, his voice taking a certain melancholy tone at the mention of the Second World War. It felt like moments ago, he was battling Nazis in France, but in all reality, his life as a World War 2 soldier ended decades ago.

"See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here." Tony said matter-of-factly, the light insult making you cringe slightly from the other end of the table. "I'm trying to... what do you call it?" Tony sat beside Steve, "That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?" His hand came up to rest on his chin, his elbow leaning against the table.

"Is Pepper here? I didn't see her." Steve asked, turning away while changing the subject.

"We're kinda.." Tony hesitated, "Well, not kinda-"

"Pregnant?" There was an unmistakable hopefulness to Steve.

"No, definitely not." Tony scoffed, "We're taking a break. It's nobody's fault."

Steve's gaze fell, focusing on the ground. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know."

"A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits." Tony began, "Then, we had to mop up HYDRA, and then Ultron. My fault." He pointed to his chest, "And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because, the truth is, I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference."

Tony leaned back in his chair, a moment's silence falling over the room.

"In her defense, I'm a handful." He added as he stood, hands settling in his pockets. "Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and mom always made it work."

"You know, I'm glad Howard got married." Steve piped up. "I only knew him when he was young and single."

"Oh really? You two knew each other?" Tony drawled out sarcastically, "He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you."

You closed your eyes, feeling like you shouldn't be hearing this conversation. The tension was so thick in the air, it felt almost hard to breathe.

Steve looked up at Tony, voice a bit softer, "I don't mean to make things difficult."

"I know, cause you're a very polite person." Tony mused, slipping his suit jacket on.

"If I see a situation pointed South," Steve reasoned, "I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could."

"No, you don't."

Steve let out a sad chuckle, looking down again, "No, I don't," and his eyes were back to Tony, the faintest grin on his face. "Sometimes-"

"Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth."

Your gaze popped up at Tony's remark, muscles ceasing all movement as you watched them carefully. You were now in defense mode, ready to jump up and break up a fight if needed.

"But I don't wanna see you gone." Tony sighed, "We need you, Cap."

Another silence.

"So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you sign." He gestured to the pens in the velvet box, and edge of desperation in his words. "We can make the last twenty four hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison."

Your fist clenched around the pen in your hand, nearly snapping it in half. If Tony trying to persuade Steve to sign the Accords didn't get on your nerves already, he spoke about Bucky like was an object to be passed around, not someone who had lived peacefully among other human beings for months in Romania. No one seemed to want to acknowledge that.

Steve picked up one of the pens from the box, standing and walking towards the glass pane opposite Tony, turning the pen over in his hands. He turned to look at Tony, then dropping his gaze.

"I'm not saying it's impossible," Steve began, "but there would have to be safeguards."

"Sure." Tony replied immediately, "Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended. I'd file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated-"

"Wanda? What about Wanda?" Steve interrupted.

"She's fine. She's confined to the compound, currently. Vision's keeping her company."

Steve's disgust was evident. "Oh, God. Tony." He walked a few paces away, "Everyt- Every time I think you see things the right way-"

"It's 100 acres with a lap pool, it's got a screening room, there's worse ways to protect people."

"Protection?" Steve challenged, one hand finding his hip and the other resting on the back of a chair. "Is that how you see this? This is protection? Its internment, Tony."

"She's not a US citizen." His voice raised.

"Oh, come on, Tony."

"And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction."

"She's a kid!"

"Give me a break!" Tony yelled. "I'm doing what has to be done. To stave off something worse."

Steve nodded, just a small motion that you could've missed if you weren't paying attention.

"You keep telling yourself that."

Steve dropped the fountain pen on the table, "Hate to break up the set." And he left the room.

Tony put on his aviators, his eyes downcast.

"Neither of you are wrong." You said softly, understanding eyes looking to Tony across the table.

"I know, I know." He said dismissively, "That's the worst part."

"When all of this is done, no matter what happens," you stood and walked towards him, "you have to remember why you were all put together in the first place."

Tony stayed silent, his gaze following you. You reached for the pens, delicately putting the one Steve held back in it's place within the velvet box.

"It is so hard to find people to trust in this world," you began, "don't let them go so easily."

He gave you a small nod of acknowledgement, to which you gave a soft smile.

"How'd you get tangled in all of this, kid?" He asked, more to himself than you, "This all isn't going to end without a fight."

Your eyes found the monitor with Bucky on it, your heart swelling at the memory of your times in Bucharest. "You know all of the deep, dark thoughts I told you about?"

"Every one."

"Well," you sighed, tearing your gaze away from Bucky, "I didn't think it was possible, but I found happiness."

Tony's eyes moved to Bucky, a disappointed frown pulling at his lips.

"I hope it isn't temporary." He says sincerely.

Lowering your eyes, you gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leaving the room, following Steve.

Your sole purpose in this fight wasn't within the Accords, or even in the wellbeing of the Avengers. It was in a single man- James Buchanan Barnes. If agreeing with Steve on the issue of the Accords would help bring Bucky to safety once more, then to hell with the government.

***

You sat by Sam in the conference room once again, Steve taking his place by the glass wall to watch Bucky, Sharron placing a paper in Sam's hand.

"The receipt for your gear." She explained.

"'Bird costume'? Come on," Sam complained.

"I didn't write it." She defended. She looked around, earning a suspicious look from you, before reaching towards a button pad in the middle of the table, clicking the center. The surveillance footage on Bucky came upon the screen within the conference room, the voice of the therapist hired by the centre seeping through the speakers.

"I'm not here to judge you." He spoke with a strong Russian accent.

Steve looked back at Sharron, a small nod being sent his direction. You immediately sat straighter, your blood running cold when you saw Bucky, still confined in the glass tank. You wanted nothing more than to hold his hand and tell him that you would figure everything out, that the normal and happy life he had created wasn't out of reach. You wished you could hold him close while he hummed a song that danced on the edges of his memory, his hand planted firmly on your back and his cheek pressed against yours. All he deserved was warm, soft moments for the rest of his life, and yet he was sitting in a cold, hard cell.

"I just want to ask you a few questions." The therapist continued. "Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James."

"My name is Bucky."

His voice was so soft, so hurt. You felt everything inside you shatter, a sad sigh leaving your lips. A day ago, he had everything. He was adjusting to life in Bucharest, living day to day with the added bonus of a beautiful girl to share it with. In all honesty, he didn't know what his life in Romania could've looked like with you, but the daydreams he imagined always were heavenly. He would dream about the domestic moments, the moments that are so overlooked in the name of routine, the moments no one ever cherishes because they were never ripped from their grasp. Moments like seeing you smile as he approached the table at the bakery. Watching you rummage through the refrigerator for a quick snack. Watching you work on your laptop, your bottom lip curling between your teeth if you concentrated enough. It was the little moments he would dream about, and they always included you.

Apparently, even that was too much to ask for.

Steve looked to the pictures taken of his friend in Vienna again before setting them back down on the table.

"Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?" He asked.

"Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?" Sharron answered.

"Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding." You didn't miss the way his gaze flickered to you momentarily. "Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier."

"You're saying someone framed him to find him?" Sharron questioned.

"He never left Bucharest." You chimed in. All eyes turned to you, Sharron looking the most surprised.

"What?" She asked.

"I've been with Bucky for a little over two months, in Romania. He hasn't left since he arrived there." You leaned back in your seat, letting out a breath, "I know any court of law won't just take my word for it, but I can promise you that Steve is right. Someone wanted to get him out of hiding, and made sure they did something big enough to get the whole world looking."

"Okay," She began, processing your words, "But, that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would."

There was a moment, just a moment, where her words hung in the air. Then the realization began to sink in, your stomach dropping as soon as it clicked together in your brain.

"Yeah." Steve agreed, his stare on the therapist in the same room as Bucky.

"Tell me Bucky, you've seen great deal, haven't you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry. We only have to talk about one."

Suddenly, all of the lights in the building turned dark, the small emergency lights barely illuminating the room. You stood quickly, panic filling your veins. Steve turned towards Sharron.

"Sub-level five, East Wing." She said, her voice lightly shaking. You, Sam, and Steve began running, hoping to reach Bucky before it was too late.

***

You turned the corner behind the two boys, noticing the security guard laying unconscious on the floor. The three of you carefully tread forward, the next room reveling several more bodies.

"Help me." A raspy voice called. Steve stood and ran towards it while you knelt by one of the guards, checking for a pulse.

Steve walked towards the 'therapist'. "Get up." He ordered. He yanked the imposter off the ground, slamming him against one of the concrete walls. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"To see an empire fall."

Sam entered the room, you only a couple steps behind him. He immediately dodged down, a metal fist swinging for his head. You jumped back, stumbling over one on the unconscious guards' legs. In an instant, Sam was being thrown across the room, hitting the glass cage and the ground with two loud thuds. You pulled yourself behind a desk, knowing you wouldn’t beat Bucky in a fight on your best day, and watched with horror as Bucky fought Steve, each punch moving him backwards further and further. They reached the elevator, Bucky punching Steve with so much force that it ripped the metal doors away and sent him tumbling down the elevator shaft.

Although you had no chance against the super soldier and highly skilled assassin Bucky was, you ran from your hiding spot, following Bucky as he walked away from the elevator.

"Hey!" You shouted, stopping him in his tracks. He turned slowly, his eyes void of emotion as they looked at you. "Where do you think you're going?" You taunted.

He ran at a full sprint towards you, a yell leaving his throat. You stood your ground, nostrils flaring as you prepared yourself to fight.

He swung with a left hook, making you dodge the metallic fist. Your right foot kicked at the middle of his chest, making him stumble backwards. You took the opportunity to swing your right fist at him, but he was too quick, catching your swing mid air. Eyes widening in fear, you met his gaze. His left hand shot out and wrapped around your throat, backing you against a wall as you clawed at the metal fingers with your own.

"Buc-Bucky." You choked out, his face staying monotone. "Please."

You could feel your lungs begin to burn, your head grow heavy with pressure.

"My.. destiny." Your voice was strained, but you sang the words the best you could. "Is to be... in love... with you."

He blinked, a softness in the blues of his eyes for a fraction of a second before disappearing again.

"Makes.. no difference... what you say, or do."

His hand loosened the slightest bit, your voice coming out stronger as you sang softly to him.

"I must stay... in love... with you."

He began seeing flashes- an apartment with a laptop propped in the corner, playing a song that made him feel warm, content.

"That's my.. destiny."

His head shook, images of the soft sunlight peaking through the curtains flashing in his mind. He could feel your eyelashes on his cheek, he could hear your heart racing.

"It's a thing.. you can't control..."

He let out a pained grunt, dropping you to the floor in a crumpled heap. You coughed, sucking in lungfuls of air. His head twitched side to side, trying to ignore the memories fighting to get through to the forefront of his mind. You looked up at him, standing hesitantly with your hands in front of you.

"I belong to you, both heart and soul," your voice was raspy, but it kept the sweetness that Bucky adored. His eyes trained on you, his breathing heavy. You stepped towards him cautiously.

"With a love beyond control," You kept taking small steps towards him, his eyes never leaving you.

"They say nothing is sure," your hand slowly met his cheek, him flinching slightly at your touch, "even the sea runs dry." Your other hand met his other cheek, encasing his face in your hands.

"They're wrong, one thing is sure," you looked up at him, now less than a foot away from his body, "love like mine can never die."

He blinked, his breathing slowing to a normal pace. His eyes were glued to the wall to the right of your head, nostrils flaring slightly with every inhale.

"Bucky?" You asked softly. His eyes snapped to yours, the icy blue becoming soft, but freezing over just as quick.

His fists clenched at his side, and in a moment he had flung you off of him, your body hitting the wall as he continued on his rampage. The impact sent you to the floor, your side with already bruised ribs throbbing. You tried to breathe through the pain, but between the shock of it all and your hyperventilating, you eventually passed out, the world going black.

TO BE CONTINUED

TAGLIST:

@thewolfgirluniverse​

[jekyllnahyena]

Thx for answering Leo, this is awesome >:D

Yeah, to get Lockup emotional you'll probably need Margo in close proximity and that mostly boils down to him sincerely saying 'You're doing great, kid.' Oh he'd be so down to talking shit about people with Nocte and probably finish the bottle with him on the spot. Regardless of the Everything, he's always down to talk shit about people. I think he'd actually enjoy having someone not under his command around for that? The 'not under my direct care' tends to help there. He'd have fun there, might even smile in his weird Lockup way when drunk enough while he listen to Nocte complain about his chaos commanders.

(I finally learned how to do that read more thing cause ahhhhhhhhhh this turned out longer than planned)

Bastraaaaaaaaa!!!!! <3<3<3 ohhhhhh, I wanna know about that village situation. That sounds, hm. Yeahhhh, Jackal has very much adopted the 'lemme fight the council and order' mentality of their order. If Bastra explains his situation and his complains, there's a very high chance that Jackal will join the cause. Also. Kids. Important. They will automatically like someone more for caring and a jedi's relationship and handlings with their padawan (if they have one) are one of their biggest indicator for them. If you don't hold respect for someone in your care, they won't like you. Quite simple there.

Didn't know about Jaro, would love to hear more how that one came to be n how they are together. Jaron is just. Good. I like.

They're a few years older than Obi wan and Quinlan, they're 42/43 at the start of the war, so they tend to take on a sorta older sibling role there. Calling them a walking pillar is very apt, both in physicality and mentality. They're very secure in who they are, so they enjoy being there for others (within the boundaries of their own energy n emotional strength) and would probably like to just hear from him, listen to his thoughts and strategies and views on things, especially if he has issues with the order. Their strength lies in emotional intelligence and are very thankful for anyone helping word out problems and solutions, especially if it involves working out changes and the little n big things that involves. It's kinda funny, cause they're a pretty rare sight at the temple since pretty much their padawanship, spending most of their time out on missions. So for them to start relations in any form in the order, the other party will have piqued their interest, which Bastra seems perfect for, both for his character and history. (their master had a personal dislike for Dooku, so Jackal tends to keep a non-existant ear out for the people in his proximity. It's part of the reason that they got closer to Obi wan. Mostly because Eisen kept antagonizing Dooku and later Qui-Gon so they'd meet most of the people by association. It's very fun with very little seriousness in it).

This turned a bit longer than planned😅 But yeah, I'd totally be down for working out that dynamic!

hey, eh, if you wanna, I'd be interested in Nocte meeting mister 'I show now human reaction to things' Lockup? Idk how that would happen, but I'd love to see Nocte's thoughts, they're very fun to read >:D or, if you're down for it, literally anything about Bastra. His growing up, his friends and relations (I vaguely remember Obes the Kenobes somewhere?) or how he you think he'd react to Jackal. Ehhh, yeah, only if you wanna n have time n fun with it!

hiiii hmhmhmhm thinking thinking

since Lockup isn't on Coruscant very often and Nocte generally steers clear of the Temple, it would probably be kind of hard for their paths to cross 🤔 but it could definitely happen for the sake of I Would Like To See It lol so I just finished scrolling your Lockup tag and fell in love with him all over again, and I think Nocte would actually have mad respect for his commitment to not sugarcoating and being honest regardless of who he's talking to. like if Nocte saw him completely shut Anakin down, he'd probably figure out a way to gift him a bottle of champagne and an invite over if he wants to share it or something djdbdjd

they would probably never successfully talk about anything emotionally charged because they both stonewall the topic immediately, but that's fine they can just shoot the shit and complain about the war and whatnot

(this got long so I'm putting the rest under the cut jshddj)

and Bastra! my dearly beloved! so he's from Dathomir and lived there until he was like 6, when Dooku scooped him up (at the Urgent request of his village) and brought him to Coruscant. he and Sifo-Dyas made a case for him to the Council, got him accepted into the Order despite mixed levels of resistance from the Council, and kept an eye on him while he was growing up. Sifo took him as a Padawan once he was old enough and Dooku basically stood around providing "supplemental education" (read: micromanaging and pushing makashi unconditionally) while pretending he wasn't actually interested in helping train him

hmhm relationships! yeah you remember right! he's buddies with Obi-Wan and Quinlan and Luminara. when he's older, he meets Omura Vane (@certified-anakinfucker' Jedi OC) and promptly takes on a big bro role to it. he only ever takes one Padawan, and I'm kind of in the middle of overhauling her story rn oopsie but that's his kid and he loves her dearly. uhhh he's on decent terms with the Guard (Temple and Corrie), chatty with the upper command structure of the 7th Sky, and very close - basically siblings - with Eesla Lunelle (@dilf-archivist's Jedi OC). he's also in a long term relationship with Jaro Tapal and terribly fond of little Cal Kestis by proxy. have you noticed a trend of being soft for kids yet? 😅

[takes a breath]

whew. sO he would probably get along with Jackal! he's the type to stay loyal to people moreso than institutions and it seems like Jackal feels similar. Bastra definitely butts heads with certain colleagues in the Order, but it's mostly because their morals and values clash. Mundi (derogatory), for example. regardless. he would definitely recognize the way Jackal treats their troops and the way they see Jackal as an honorary buir and decide that Jackal's one of the Good Ones. I'd definitely be interested in hammering out their dynamic if you've got thoughts!

[saibh29]

Soldat (Part 3)

Pairing: Bucky / Reader

Warnings: There’s a lot of violence in this one people and torture. Angst galore. 

AN: You can find the previous parts of this story just down here PART ONE  PART TWO 

Also please feel free to add yourself to my taglist here... TAGLIST 

@just4muggles @morganlb23 @yet-another-lockup @angelaiswriting @georgiagrl1990 @selldraug  @im-hurric4ne 

They had left her secured in one of the medical chambers in the Wakanda Facility. There was CCTV in every room so they could see exactly what it was she was doing.

Steve stopped Bucky before he could walk too far away. “Buck wait” his friend stopped walking but didn’t turn to look at him. “Bucky just how well did you know her? We’ve been searching for the other soldiers all this time and you never mentioned knowing any of them. You’ve never mentioned knowing anyone”

Bucky’s shoulders were tense as he did eventually turn around “I wasn’t sure if she was still alive” his eyes were haunted “I hadn’t seen her for 3 years”

“Who is she Buck?”

“327651” Bucky repeated “her real name is Y/N”

“She knows you as well. How is that possible? Doesn’t the mind wipe clear out her memories of you?”

Even the mention of the mid wiping machine was enough for Bucky’s muscles to tremble in remembered pain. The electricity coursing through muscle and pounding into your brain removing everything that made you an individual.

“Some memories are impossible to remove, imprinted so strongly as to be a part of you”

“And she imprinted on you so strongly? How?”

Bucky didn’t answer, instead turning to look at the screen of the CCTV screen. Y/N was sat on the small bed, legs crossed underneath her with her eyes closed. She looked like she could be asleep apart from Steve had seen Bucky sit like that before. In utter stillness. It was how he sat when he was the Winter Soldier and he was waiting for his next orders.

“Is it safe to keep her here Buck?”

He shrugged “it’s as safe as anywhere else. She shouldn’t attack without any more orders and no one else speaks enough Russian to be able to trigger her”

“You aren’t all that comforting Buck”

Bucky dragged his eyes away from the CCTV footage to look at Steve once more. “She’s dangerous Steve. Just as dangerous as I am, yet I’m not in chains or locked in a room”

“She tried to kill you when she heard your name”

“A left over mission protocol. She didn’t this time and she saw me a lot more”

Steve sighed to himself. “This is going to cause nothing but trouble is it?”

“You can’t save one and not others”

“So yeah, nothing but trouble”

**********

1992:

The machine meant nothing but pain. You knew that much even if everything else was starting to become blurry and undefined. How long had you been here? You couldn’t remember. The days blurring into more and more of the same thing. More pain and endless suffering.

“Bring her”

No, you were quickly picking up the Russian words your captors spoke and you knew exactly what that meant. Rough hands grabbed your arms pulling you up from the floor. It was instinct to fight back, you hadn’t thought you had a chance against trained soldiers but you were winning. Kicking out at the man on your left he flew through the air as if propelled by jets slamming hard into the wall and dropping unconscious to the floor. The one on the right had drawn an electro shock baton and was advancing towards you. Lashing out you saw his movements almost as if in slow motion. Twisting around is attack and taking hold of his wrist you wrenched it around snapping the bone with nary a thought. He dropped to the ground screaming and cradling the wrist. You now in possession of the electro shock baton.

“Soldat restrain her” The Russian was screaming again as the figure beside him moved out of the shadows. Tall and wearing all leather armour you knew him. Those blue eyes holding you still as he stalked towards you.

“Who are you people?” You gasped out voice breaking. “What have you done to me?”

The soldier didn’t answer you. The fight had gone out of you as without trying you knew it would be useless to fight this soldier. You dropped the baton as his hands wrapped around your wrists holding you trapped.

“You will only speak when spoken to Soldat” the commander had approached you now you were effectively contained. Why was he calling you Soldat though? You weren’t a soldier you were a ballet dancer.

“Who are you?”

His hand lashed out hitting you hard across the jaw as you jerked in the Soldat’s grip. “Russian. Only speak Russian here”

You hung limp in the Soldat’s grip, not bothering to try and speak anymore. You may have started to understand some of the Russian being spoken around you but it didn’t mean you knew enough to form a sentence.

“Put her in the machine”

“Niet!” that Russian word slipped out without your conscious control, struggling weakly as you were bodily picked up and placed in the chair. Manacles clamped around your wrists, arms and legs holding you trapped. “Please” you begged the Soldat softly in English. “Please help me”

You thought for an instant you saw compassion flicker in his eyes be it vanished in an instant as he took a step back from you. It was close enough though that you could still stare into his steel blue eyes as the machine groaned moving into place over your head.

It started with a whir and pain unlike anything you had ever felt before wracked your whole body. You couldn’t have held in the scream even if you’d tried. It forced its way up out of your throat, bleeding your throat raw with the intensity.

The electric cooked your brain, frying your senses and burning out the memories of anything that came before the pain. All the time though you could see him. The Soldat, as your body jerked in pain your eyes held fastened to his own steel blue ones.

[jolienjoyswriting]

Found and Lost, Ch. IV

Chapter IV of "Found and Lost," an Essence of Ragnarok story. (Formerly one-third of Chapter III)

Word count: 3,809 – Character count: 21,055 Originally written: March 19th, 2017 Split and revised: September 8th, 2017 Further revised: December 14th, 2018

With low hopes and even less sleep, a dissevel Joseph attends his friend's court case.

[ ↶ Prev. Story | ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → | Next Story ↷ ]

    Within a darkened movie theater, Joseph sat beside his friend, Jessica.  While the latter seemed highly entertained by the movie – a sci-fi thriller about a group of unlikely heroes trying to stop rogue nanomachines from taking over the world – the former just couldn’t find the same level of interest.  He’d hoped that the night out would clear his mind and help distract him from his worries… but, no matter how loud the actors on the screen shouted… no matter how grand the explosions and other special effects were… and, no matter how frequently Jessica reacted to what was going on in front of them… he just could not let the events of that day go.  And, that attitude continued on well past the movie and into their next location, a fast food restaurant.

    “So… ya gonna tell me what’s wrong ‘r do I gotta wrassle th’ info outta ya?”

    The male fox jolted in his seat before looking up.  His companion was giving him a smirk as she sat across from him, at their booth.     “Don’t think I ain’t noticed, kiddo!” she commented.  “I just wanted t’ see if you’d open up ’fore I said anythin’.  Don’t guess that’ll happen anytime soon.”     She wasn’t wrong.  He’d been extremely hesitant to let her know something was going on… and, even as he watched her bring her elbows to rest on the table, place her head on her overlapping hands, and stare at him with half-closed eyes… he still didn’t feel compelled to tell his tale.  It wasn’t her problem, after all.

    “So, what happened?” she asked, still wearing her smirk.  “One’a yer harem girls d’cide t’ jump ship, on ya?”     The bat paused, giving a blink… then, she started laughing!     “‘Jump ship!’” she repeated.  “That’s funny!  ‘cause, ya know… ships an’… ah…”     When she noticed her fox companion wasn’t laughing, though…     “Okay, but, fer real… what happened?  Why so detached ‘n stuff?”     Joseph remained hesitant to answer the question.  His problem wasn’t meant to be hers… and, he knew that if she thought, even for a moment, that there was anything she could do to help… she would make it her problem.     “It’s a long story,” was what he offered as an answer, hoping she’d lose interest.     “S’okay,” was Jessica’s reply as she leaned inward.  “We got all night, sweets.”     He was starting to get the impression that she wasn’t just going to let the subject drop…     “Tell ‘Momma J’ what’s on ya mind!” she encouraged.     The fox’s brow furrowed, at that.  She was such an odd lady, sometimes…

    “Jessie, promise me something.”     The bat perked, her eyes opening wide in attention.  “Yea’?”     “What I’m about to tell you stays between us.  Okay?”     “Yea’-yea’, sure-sure!” was her reply.  When she noticed the serious look her companion was giving, however, she quickly decided to revise that statement.     “You have my word that I ain’t gonna tell no one ‘bout whatever-it-is, Josey.  Promise.”     The fox gave a murmur… then, he sighed.  And, finally… he began to explain why he’d been so disinterested in the events of the night.

    “So, lemme get this straight…”     Jessica sat back on her side of the booth, scratching her head and looking perplexed.     “Hope – not some girl wid th’ same name, but our Hope – lost her everything ‘cause her creator came outta th’ woodwork?  But… it turns out he made her without th’ Achromium region’s knowledge, so he’s gonna be put on trial?  But… she’s in lockup at th’ M.C.P.D. as evidence fer th’ case?  Even though she’s got no recollection that she was ever his property?”     “That’s about right, yeah,” Joseph confirmed.     “Babe, that’s a whole lotta confusin’,” she flatly stated.  “Like, if she ain’t got no mem’ry’a what she once was ‘n there’s no maker’s marks ‘n all that, why would they even put her in storage?  She could’a literally been made by anyone!”     “I’m pretty sure Dr. Lewis has some sort of proof that shows he was the one who made her.  He had to have shown Miss Lyra something, in order to get her on his side…”     “Well, sure, but, like… hm…”  The bat paused for a moment.  “I wonder if she’s gonna be used as physical evidence… or, as a practical demonstration’a proof’a ownership?”     Joseph gave a blink.  “What?”     “Think ‘bout it, Josey,” she said as she gestured to him.  “Let’s say she gets activated, in th’ courtroom.  Let’s say he uses that override code.  Let’s say someone else tries it ‘n it don’t work ‘cause it’s tied t’ his vocal pattern?  That’d be pretty damnin’ evidence, right there…”     The fox murmured, again, showing a frown.     “Though, now that I think about it… it might only prove ownership.  I mean, ya can set an android up t’ where it only pays attention t’ certain commands ‘r certain people, ‘n whatnot.  But… I guess it really doesn’t matter who made her, outside’a punishin’ th’ creator fer not doin’ it legit-like.”     There was a brief silence between the two, each taking into consideration what was just said before continuing.

    “All I know for sure,” Joseph began, again, “is that Dr. Lewis is going on-trial sometime before the end of the week… and, that Hope is being used as evidence – at least as far as Miss Lyra knows.  What I don’t know is what the trial is going to determine.”     “Wuzzat?”     “Well…” the fox started after eating a fry, “if he’s already admitted he’s a criminal… why would he need a trial?”     “Who knows…”  Jessica gave a shrug.  “Th’ legal system ‘n this region is weird.”     “The legal system in most regions is weird.”     “True dat!” she laughed before sipping on her soda.  “In any case, I’mma just say… try not th’ fret, too much, ‘til th’ trial date comes, a’right?  Hope is safe ‘nuff in storage ‘n Doc Lewis can’t do nothin’ t’ get at her from ‘is cell.  Thinkin’ ‘bout what ‘might be’ ‘r ‘could happen’ ain’t gonna do nothin’ but make ya shed ya fur so jus’… ya know… wait it out.  I can even help ya stay distracted if ya want!”     “Well… you are pretty distracting, Jessie…” the fox replied with a small grin.     “It’s th’ heterochromia iridum, baby,” was her reply.  “Can’t take yer eyes off mine!”     “I was more thinking it was your bombastic personality… but, now that you mention it…”     The two shared a grin as they caught each other’s eyes.  After a moment of playful staring, the two returned to their meal and, a short while later, made their way outside.

    “So, about that offer…” Jessie said as she walked arm-in-arm with Joseph through a park in downtown Masamune City.     “What offer?” was his reply.  He felt her squeeze his arm before replying.     “Need a distraction?”     “I think you’re already being one…” the fox said with a smirk.     “Oh?  Good!” she said with a laugh.  “But, no, what I’m askin’ is–”     “I think I know what you’re asking, Jessie…” he interrupted, a slight blush showing under his fur.  “I’d never be one to turn down your company.  Not since… you know…  But…”     Joseph gave a perk as the bat kissed his warming cheek.     “Then, that’s all I’ll be fer ya, t’night.”     “I mean, don’t get me wrong…” he started to explain.  “Under other circumstances…”     “Sometimes, all’s we need is a friend who’ll be there, fer us.  Ya know?  ‘n I won’t even charge ya fer my time ‘r nothin’,” she teased, ruffling his bangs.     He paused… then gave a soft chuckle.     “Thanks, Jess.”

    The remainder of their walk through the park was a quiet one.  There was a lack of people out, at that time of night, which made for a pretty peaceful journey.  As the two walked together, Jessica continued to hang on to his arm.  By the time the two had finished their journey through the lightly-wooded public place, however, the bat was ready to head to his place… but, something stopped her.  Specifically… him.     “Um… Josey?” she said, giving him a confused look.  “This whole arm-in-arm thing is cozy ‘n all but, uh… yer gonna have t’ lemme go so’s I can get in yer car.”     The fox remained silent, staring off into space and keeping her arm locked between his arm and side.  It didn’t take the bat long to realize…     “Whatsamatta, Joe?”     “Can we… can we, maybe, not go home?” he quietly asked.  “Maybe, not end the night?”     “Oh, Joe…”     She sighed as she removed his arm to free her own.  Not a second later, she wrapped her arms and wings around him from behind, giving him a tight hug.     “Time ain’t gonna stop jus’ ‘cause ya ain’t sleepin’, sweetie…  Whether we stay in town ‘r go back t’ yer place, it’s gonna keep movin’ on.  But, fer what it’s worth?”     The fox gave a light shiver as he felt her nose run along his cheek.     “Momma J’ll be there wi’cha… fer as long as ya need ‘er…”

    After a moment, the bat spun around in front of the fox, taking his right hand in her left.     “C’mon, let’s get you home so’s we can get all cozy ‘n snuggle!  You’d like that, right?”     “W… well, I mean–”     “‘course ya would!  I am pretty cuddly, after all!”     Joseph gave a chuckle… and, he nodded.  “You sure are, Jess…”     “So?  Let’s go home ‘n I’ll give ya aaall th’ cuddles ya need!  ’n, believe me…”     She gave his hand a little squeeze.     “I can tell that’cha need more’n a few!”

    With that, the bat led her friend away from the park and back to his car.  The two entered the vehicle with minimal delay and, soon enough, they headed back to Joseph’s house.

    From that point on, Joseph’s life seemed to be a blur of fuzzy details…  He remembered visiting his friends, such as Miranda or Edgar and Evelyn… though, what he did with them seemed to fade from his mind, as the days rolled on.  He also remembered spending a lot of time with Jessie, doing things she liked as well as things he did… though, it was harder to lose track of her since she was practically living with him, in order to keep his spirits high and mind distracted.  However, as distracting as Jessie and his other friends had been… he just could not keep himself distracted enough to forget about Hope, even for a minute.

    “That android is evidence,” someone told him from the other side of a phone.  “It is not to be re-activated until the day of the trial.  We’ve told you that.  Repeatedly.  Now, please, stop calling here or we’ll have this number blocked until the hearing is over!”     “Tol’ja callin’ th’ M.C.P.D. again was a bad idea, Josey.”     Joseph narrowed his eyes at the black-and-orange bat sprawled on his couch in a matching tank top and panties.  She seemed to be occupying herself by grooming her finger claws… or, maybe, her teeth…  Both, possibly?  He wasn’t sure which, since she seemed to be using one to groom the other.  Regardless, he did not take her comment kindly.

    “If you’re not going to help, Jessie…”     “Look, asshole…” she shortly said, “I’ve been tryin’ t’ help fer th’ past week, but’cha ain’t havin’ it ‘cause yer so worried ‘bout yer li’l–”     She bit her tongue, then.  She almost said something she knew she’d regret…     “Fact’a th’ matter is,” she continued, “she ain’ in any danger ‘n she ain’t awake enough t’ be lonely, worried, or anythin’ else!  Not like th’ rest of us.  Not like me…”     “Well, I’m sorry that you’re feeling lonely but–”     “I’m fuckin’ worried ‘bout you, dumbass!” the bat shouted as she leaped up.  “Ya look like roadkill, ya ain’t gotten much sleep, ‘n frankly, yer obsessin’ over someone who’s jus’ fine!”     Jessie strode over to the fox, putting her hands on his shoulders and locking eyes.     “Ain’t nothin’ more to th’ story, than that…”     “I’m not going to be able to relax until she’s back in my arms…” Joseph murmured as he turned away from the bat.  “That’s the only place where I know she’ll be safe…”     “Really, now?”  Jessica narrowed her eyes.  “R’mind me’a what it was what happened at th’ precinct?  I seem t’ recall you sayin’ she actually removed herself from yer arms t’ be powered-down?”     “That was… that was different…” he quietly replied as he looked down.     “An’, really, what in th’ world do ya think you could even do?  Even if she hadn’t complied, what would’a happened?  That wolf lady would’a tossed you ‘round like a rag doll!  An’, fer what?  Th’ law’s pretty cut ’n dry on this one, Joe…”     “I don’t know… I don’t know!!”

    Jessica gave a blink of her mismatched eyes as she felt herself be pushed away.  When she looked back to Joseph, she noticed he wore a hugely frustrated expression on his face and looked even more frazzled than before… almost on the verge of tears!  The bat brought her hands up to chest level and began to wring them together, looking on with concern…     “Ain’t nothin’ you can do ‘til th’ trial, Joe…  ‘n since that’s tomorrow… you should pro’ly get some sleep.  As fer me?  I… think I worn out my welcome, here…  I’ll see ya, um…”  The bat hesitated…  “I’ll just… see ya.  So, see ya.”

    Joseph did nothing to stop his friend from gathering her items and hitting the road.  Even as she closed the door, all he could do was just stand there and impotently fume.  He knew the bat-girl was right… knew that there was nothing that anyone could do, until the trial… but, that did very little to stop his gut from twisting and turning or keep his mind from agonizing over potential scenarios.  Not even his subconscious mind would let him stop worrying as he slept, his brain transmitting nightmarish events and horrific outcomes, that night…  He was almost thankful he’d awoken, the following morning… until he remembered what he’d had to do, later that day.

    After a light breakfast to try and settle his stomach, the fox arrived at the Masamune City courthouse.  Once he was inside, a glance around the gallery told him that he’d arrived early; only one person seemed to be in attendance…     “Miss Lyra?” the fox called as he walked toward the familiar white wolf.     “Mr. Lithius,” was her reply as she took notice of him.     “What…” he’d started to ask before changing to a different question.  “Where’s Hope?”     “The M.C.P.D. will be delivering the A.I, as well as the charged party, within the hour.”     “W… what are you doing here, then?” he asked as he sat next to her.  “Shouldn’t you have come along, with them?”     “My job was finished the moment I’d retrieved the A.I. from your residence.  I am here purely as a curious spectator, at this time.”     “Okay, but… why are you here?”     The wolf narrowed her eyes.  “As a curious spectator, as I’d said.”     “Uh… oh…”  The fox scratched the back of his head.  “Well, you look nice.”     Lyra gave a confused look at the comment.  “I’m just wearing what I always wear.”     “Yeah, but…”  Joseph made an odd noise and looked away.  “Sorry.  I’m a little–”     “I couldn’t care less about what you’re feeling.”     He gave a blink… then, he his ears folded.  It was pretty clear Lyra wasn’t interested in his small talk… so, he decided to get up and take a seat, elsewhere, as he waited for things to start.

    The minutes seemed to count down slowly as Joseph sat there in his gray suit and green tie.  There was a moment where he actually wondered why he’d bothered getting so dressed-up, in the first place… but, he ultimately decided it just felt like the thing to do.

    “Joseph?”     The fox perked.  Someone had called his name… someone unexpected.     “Car… Carlos?” he asked as he looked up from his seat.     Standing not a few feet away from him was the familiar form of the dark gray wolf… and, he was wearing something Joseph had never seen him wear, before.     “N-nice suit…” Joseph said with an unconvincing smile.  “You look good.”     “You alright?” the wolf in the black dress suit asked as he sat behind the fox.  “You look like 10 miles of bad road…”     “Oh.  You… noticed that, did you?”     “Hard not to,” he replied as he reached into his back pocket.  “Want my comb?”     “No, I’m fine.  But, what are you doing here?”     “Same as you, I imagine…”     Joseph tilted his head and gave a blink of his tired eyes.  He wasn’t entirely sure what Carlos had meant by that… but, he also didn’t feel the need to ask.

    “How’s Kris and the kid?” is what he ended up asking, instead.     “Kris is fine.  Iris is a little firecracker, though.”  Carlos gave a chuckle.  “I think she gets that from her mother, personally.”     “My ears are burning, beloved…”

    Joseph perked at the sound of another voice.  Both he and Carlos stood and turned, finding themselves greeted by another familiar form.     “Well, speak of the Spring Maiden, herself,” the wolf said in a jesting tone.  “I was starting to wonder why you were taking so long to park.”     “I was straightening up the dashboard,” the orange-brown vixen in the purple dress suit explained with a smile before turning to the male fox.  “Greetings, Joseph.  You… do not look terribly well.  However, I can understand why… given the reason that we are here.”     “Heh, yeah…” he said with an uneasy chuckle.     “Still,” she said as the three of them sat down, “did you make any attempt to rest, prior to today?  You look as though you have not slept well in several days…”     He remained silent, at that.     “This should be an interesting trial,” Carlos randomly said as he crossed his arms.  “I wonder what they’ll do, once everything’s said and done?”     Neither Joseph nor Kris said a word in response, the former having had quite a few thoughts about that very topic, himself…     “Hope this doesn’t take long, though.  I’d rather be spending the weekend with our kid.”     “We shall see,” Kris replied as she set her handbag on the floor.

    After a couple more minutes of waiting, Joseph noticed that the courtroom was becoming a little more lively.  People he didn’t recognize seemed to be coming through the swinging doors in spurts and finding their places within the gallery seats.  What appeared to be the prosecuting attorney arrived after a while more, taking his seat at the left table in front of the bench.  Shortly after, Joseph heard the nearby crowd start to murmur and had to raise his head to see what was going on… only to lower his ears and narrow his eyes at the familiar figure.     Dr. Lewis had entered in his usual vest, dress shirt, and slacks.  He still wore the bruises from taking metal bars to the face but otherwise looked clean-shaven and dressed for success.  He was also escorted into the room by a man with a briefcase.  Neither looked into the crowd as they took a seat to the front-right of the bench.

    “Issat this ‘Doc Lewis’ I’ve been hearin’ ‘bout?”     The fox jolted at the intrusion of another sudden, familiar voice.  He jerked his head to the left and immediately took note of the bat-girl standing beside him in a black blazer jacket and somewhat muted, red, knee-length dress.     “Jessie?!” he sharply asked.  “What the–”     “‘cause, I wasn’t expectin’ him t’ look like that,” she continued.  “He’s kinda cute… inna ‘I drink a lot ‘n live alone’ kind’a way!  What happened to ’is face, though?”

    Joseph narrowed his eyes as he watched the bat try and peer over the two rows of people in front of them, all the while wondering where in the world she’d come from and, more importantly…     “What are you doing here?”     “Whaaat?” she replied as she turned to the fox with a grin.  “Ya didn’t think I’d let my favorite punchin’ bag go through this mess by himself, did’ja?”     “Uh… well…”     “O’ course not!”  The bat gave a quiet laugh.  “No matter what happens, Jessica U. Ingmann’ll always be there, whether ya need a shoulder t’ cry on, a blanket t’ snuggle into, or just an ear t’ listen!  An’, believe-you-me, these big ol’ ears pick up quite a bit!”     Joseph gave a blank stare as Jessica wiggled her bat ears and grinned to him.  For a moment, he didn’t know what to say… but, eventually, all he could do was smile, happy to know that she was there for him, despite the unpleasantness from the day before.

    “All rise!”

    Joseph, as well as the rest of those seated in the gallery, got to their feet, just as a bailiff instructed.     “The honorable Judge Zachary Pascal is now presiding over the case of the Artificial Intelligence Committee of Achromium vs. Xander James Lewis.”     The fox watched as another figure walked in from a side door.  The man coming into view was wearing a typical black judge robe… but, he had long, silvery hair, which he kept tied back in a ponytail, and fur which was silver-gray in coloration.  Some of the longer fur around his muzzle had been styled into a thick, pointy moustache, Joseph noted.  A second look also revealed him to be a fox, not unlike himself, judging by the tail… though likely of a different sub-classification, given his large ears and tiny nose.

    “You may be seated,” the judge said.  Everyone in the courtroom sat back down, then.     “Now, Mr. Lewis…” he said as he took a moment to look at his paperwork, “you have been charged with the crime of creating a free-willed artificial intelligence program without the knowledge or consent of the A.I.C.A.  How do you plead?”     “Your honor, my client pleads guilty to the charges, plain and simple,” Dr. Lewis’ attorney, a taller human with black hair, replied.     “I see.”  The judge straightened his papers for a moment before setting them back down.  “You do understand that, under the laws of the A.I.C.A and in accordance with Masamune City, by pleading guilty, you will spend up to three years in federal prison as well have to pay a fine of up to 500,000 Rai, correct?”     “Both my client and I understand the penalties involved in what he has done, your honor.  My client’s sole concern is the reclamation of his A.I. program and android body, which is the reason he came forward, in the first place.”     “Very well.  Bailiff, please bring in the android to the stand.”

    The bailiff gave a nod and left the room.  Joseph had to resist his urge to stand as he returned a moment later, escorting yet another familiar form…

    “Hope…”

[jekyllnahyena]

1 and 7 for Lockup?

ello my dude!! thx for askin me stuff, i love answering these >:D oh, it's this question thingie

rightio, Lockup, ma boi, lets do this!

Who are they closest to? How did they meet and what do they like to do together?

I'd say, during the war at least, it's Jackal. Lockup doesn't get close to people, he kinda doesn't know how to? Ok, so, Lockup was very close with his batch on Kamino and he lost every single one of them over his time there, which has left him in a bad enough state that he started completely shutting off and practically only lives to function. Which has made him into a considerable force in pretty much every way, but also very lonely and emotionally stunted. He has his moments where he breaks, where he'll sit down and realise again just how bad his situation is, but he shuts it all off pretty fast because it's in the way of him, basically, functioning. Jackal is his general and comes in because he's forced to get close to them. I talked about it a bit, but the way Jackal communicates on the battlefield, is via projecting their words n thoughts into people's mind. They're deaf and can't do anything with the coms. Lockup is thus forced to let down his mental shields, which absolutely terrified him beyond reason at the start. So for the first time in ages, Lockup has somebody that actually is there with him, a person he does not have to fear losing because Jackal is the equivalent of a freighttrain if I'm being honest, a person he let's himself trust without the constant fear of failure and death. Somebody that gives him the freedom to act however he wants, because Jackal is general in name but nothing else. And he slowly starts building himself up because of it (like the pink thing. very much Lockup finding himself). And he comes to trust Jackal because of it and at some point 'general' becomes 'Jackal' becomes 'buir'. It's very fucked up, but Lockup is the happiest in life during the war. Because he stops existing just to function, but to live. And Jackal plays a big part in letting himself realise a chance to do so. They were never the one to save him, or give him his freedom or any of that. But they are a stable figure that he'd let himself trust in for the first time in years, which is enough for him to claw himself out a lot of stuff because he's inhumanly strong and keeps fighting. He starts getting close with his battalion, his vode, the padawans, and even other commanders. But he is closest to Jackal I think, because of their start, the way they start working together, the build of trust, the fact that they are the one he can lean on without feeling guilt and fear for it, all that jazz. It's a bond started in pragmatism that turns into love. For his favorite thing to do with Jackal, I'm not really that sure? He's currently in the way of even learning what he likes, so it's difficult to gauge that? He enjoys sparring with them, or doing lightsaber training with them, or fighting with them. It's a 'i dont know who i am but that doesn't matter when i'm with you' situation. So I don't really know how best to formulate this, but I think his favorite thing to do with Jackal would be 'living'? Because he let's himself.

7. What are 3 foods they can’t live without?

Lockup, in the name of finding stuff he likes, has tried an ungodly amount of food every chance he gets. Hold anything even remotely food like in front of him, he'll eat it. He really, really enjoys Centershocks which are basically a terribly sour monstrosity of gum that has a very sweet middle. Kazoo gave him one once to see if it would get a reaction. It didn't really, but Lockups eyes started kinda glowing so now the battalion keeps a stach around. They love their weird commander so much. Lockup starts keeping some in his belt and yes, he has put an armlock on someone trying to steal his. He likes sour stuff generelly, it gives him a sorta funky kick. He also really enjoys a very weird coffee, sugar, caramel, chocolate connoctation that he somehow managed to turn pink. It keeps him awake, he gets a slight sugar rush, and he enjoys the taste. He's the only one to have ever touched it because in all honesty, it looks almost radioactive. Nobody knows how he did it. And last, on one mission he ate one very weird, very spicy lizard stew. He only at it once, but he gets really bad cravings for it and plans to return to the planet the chance he gets. He loves that stew more that certain people. It haunts his dreams.