Their feet crunched over the cobblestone and loose brick that littered the once proud streets. The place was desolate, what at one time was called 'The Big and Easy' was now nothing but an abandoned city, the damaged antique houses a fallen testament. No longer filled with tourists and shop keepers and people ready for a laugh, a drink, a lay or to put on garishly colored clothes to sin the night away, New Orleans was, at that moment, beginning to crumble back to the ground from whence it was erected.
Which, of course, didn't bother them a whit. In fact, to Quick, it made the entire experience all the sweeter as he trudged forward with his usual spring. Behind him, with considerable less enthusiasm, were Shadow, Forte, Blues, Slash and, trailing behind and complaining about the weather and the effect it had on his hair, was Zero. Blues remained neutral in the entire trip, knowing that if Quick didn't get his way, he'd bug them all until he did. Slash, easily bugged into annoyed submission, agreed only so the speedster would shut his trap and the others were swindled along for one reason or another, not finding spending their vacation in such a decrepit place a very enjoyable idea.
On some street within the French Quarter, Quick finally stopped in front of an amazingly old house, arms spread wide as he regarded it in all its faded and falling glory.
"Here it is!" He announced happily to the rest of the troupe. "The LaLaurie mansion! Isn't it amazing?"
"It looks like it's about to fall apart."
"Just like the rest of the place."
"We saw it, can we go now?"
Not deterred in the least by his friends' cynicism and lack of enthusiasm, he began the short march inside the heart of the building. At the threshold, he turned to the others. "Come on, guys!"
The others looked at him as if he had just asked them all to bungee-jump off the Space Needle without the cord.
"Come where?" Shadow asked in dull elegance.
"Inside! What, you think I'd drag you guys here just to look at the outside?"
"Damn, you didn't?"
Ignoring Forte's sharp tongue, Quick turned yet again and disappeared into the darkness of the mansion.
"Che." The black 'bot spat aside. "Looks like we really are going to be goin' inside." With a heavy sigh, he made his way into the graying mansion. "Right, let's go." The others followed in grumbled silence.
Except Zero. He was too busy trying to get the tangles out of his hair and didn't particularly feel like going into a house that might spew dust all over the long strands at any chance it got. Not even five minutes had passed as he sat outside on his duffel, waiting for someone to come out and either get him or inform him that they were leaving before he got too impatient to wait anymore. He stood, stretched out a few cricks in his back and bent to holster his bag when he saw... he squinted.
Was... was someone staring at him through the window?
"Oi, Zero!" Forte's voice bellowed from within. "Get you're pretty-boy ass in here!"
The blonde scowled, then looked back at the window.
Nothing.
He shook his head. "I must be getting bored."
"Well," Blues admitted, "the place looks a lot nicer inside than it does out."
"I'm surprised it's in such good shape."
"Yeah, well," Quick beamed, always ready to show the intelligence that he was never credited with, "this place actually hasn't been lived in since the mid 19th century. After that it was just renovated and kept clean in case someone wanted to stay in it for a while. Of course, after the last war and all the demonstrations and all, and especially when that last earthquake hit the area, no one's been around to take care of it."
"Of course not," Slash said, idly kicking at a sheet covered sofa, "the place has been evacuated for two months, regular residence aren't even allowed back into their own homes just yet."
As the 7th generation Robot Master and the two kagemusha continued to scrounge the area in an uninterested manner, Forte and Zero were beginning to warm up to the place.
"This is really cool! I haven't seen such an old house be so big before!" The Hunter exclaimed, enjoying how his voice echoed off the high stairwell.
"There musta been a hundred people living here! Where did you hear about this place from, anyway?"
"Actually, Metal told me about it. He said that there's a house in New Orleans that I might be interested in seeing and, well..." he spread wide his arms with an even bigger grin. "So how do you guys like it? Want to spend the night here? Just for the hell of it?"
"We're in!" The two shouted, raising their fists. They turned to the other half of their party expectantly. "So? What about you guys?"
Slash just looked at them flatly. "You guys never do your research, do you?"
"What kinda answer is that? Yes or no?"
"C'mon, Blues! This place is great!"
His brow furrowed behind his shades. "I don't know... it seems safe enough."
"C'mon," Forte said, stomping a foot with a winning grin. "This place is structurally sound, it ain't fallin' anytime soon!"
Quick looked around, realizing that one was missing. "Hey, where'd Shadow go?"
"I think he went into the dinning room to look around."
"Well, let's get him, see what he thinks about the idea."
Slash followed Zero and Quick out of the main room. "Hey, Blues and I haven't agreed yet!"
Actually, the younger kagemusha wasn't in the dinning room; he was in the kitchen just beyond, looking about warily.
"Hey, Shadow! What'd you think about staying here for the night?"
He turned coolly, violet eyes bright in the semi-lighted room. "What kind of house are we staying in?"
The speedster smiled with a confused look. "What do you mean?"
A sharp yelp cut off the conversation and within seconds, Blues stormed in, Forte hot on his heels.
"What? What're you talkin' about?"
The older 'bot whirled around. "I know you wanted me to stay, but you didn't have to hit me to get me to do it!"
"I didn't hit you!"
"Then what did? You were the only one in the room and you were behind me!"
"But I didn't!"
The others looked on part in amusement, part in curiosity.
Blues scowled and folded his arms tight over his tightly robbed trench coat. "I don't mind a little rough affection every once in a while, but not anything that hard."
"Dammit, Blues! I didn't hit you!"
"Whoa, whoa, guys!" Zero shouted, getting between the two. "What's going on here?"
Forte pinned him with a gold glare. "I did not hit him!"
"We figured."
The glare turned murderous.
"Fine, I don't care." Blues said, throwing his hands in the air. "Stay, it doesn't matter to me. But you're sleeping in your own bed."
"What?? Why?"
"Not until I hear an actual, honest apology for that."
"But I didn't hit you!!"
Zero rolled his eyes. "This is turning into the perfect vacation already."
Despite its old age, the house was actually in relatively good condition. The French Quarters was, luckily enough, far enough from the epicenter to only experience a rough shaking, not enough to tear at walls or foundations. The water and the electricity were all in working order and the rooms were clean enough to stay in as well as large and numerous. Slash received his own room with little argument while Blues locked Forte out of his, forcing the purpled marked 'bot to room with Zero for the night. Quick lay on his bed, set across the room from Shadow's unfortunately, enjoying the contrast between the soft mattress and the cold metal slab of the lab table he generally frequented.
Finally, there came a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Zero poked his head in with a small smile. "Hey. Crashing already?"
"Feh. No way! This is the Big and Easy! We haven't even done anything yet!"
"Good to hear. Dinner's ready."
The two made their way to the stairs with Forte waiting at the foot and Slash helping to set the table.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"How old is this house?"
"I dunno... I think it was built maybe... 18th century?"
"Hn. You'd think it'd be done settling in by now."
"I know. I hope it won't be loud enough to keep us awake tonight."
The evening passed in its usual way. The guys all talking and joking, teasing each other to point to fainting from blood rush. Only Shadow seemed uncomfortable, shifting in his chair and glancing around, but he never gave a reason when asked. Blues, too, seemed a bit on edge, though he might have just been a bit upset at the hit he had taken on the back earlier.
After the meal and the group retiring to the sitting room for several hours more, they decided to call it a night near 1 o'clock.
By that time, Forte had managed to seduce his way back into Blues' bed.
"Don't think I've forgiven you yet." The elder hummed into his crossed arms. Forte just grinned and continued to kneed the tension out of the other's shoulder, occasionally placing a kiss here and there.
"And what can I do to make you forgive me?"
A delicious shiver ran up his spine as those hands wandered down his sides, gently working the muscles there. "You're getting there. Slowly, but you're getting there."
"It would be easier to have done," he whispered sensually into Blues' ear, "if we took off that shirt of yours."
"If you really insist."
Once bereft of the clothing, though, Forte drew in a sharp breath as he looked upon his back. "Shit."
At the soft curse, Blues became worried. Propping himself on an elbow, he looked back at the Wily 'bot. "What? What's wrong?"
"Shit, Blues. Where the hell did you get this?" Almost fearfully, he traced the red that angrily slashed itself on the pale skin beneath him.
The other frowned. "That's where I got hit earlier."
"This?" For a moment the voice almost became shrill. "How could that be possible? You-You're actually marked! It might even become a bruise!" He looked into the other's uncovered eyes. "And you know I would never hit you hard enough to mark."
In a moment of silence, Blues lamely said, "I didn't think it was that hard of a hit."
The younger wrapped his arms around Blues' waist, mindful not to touch the impression. "Blues, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, it wasn't you."
He glared. "That doesn't make it okay. I don't want you to be hurt by anyone. Me or otherwise!"
Blues just tightened his grip on Forte's wrist. It didn't matter much when one didn't know who was the cause of the mark.
It was nearing two in the morning when Slash finally set down the book. He was glad when he took the room furthest away from Blues. Even though the shadow slinker could hold a grudge -- Wily and Light could attest to that –- when it came to Forte, he could barely last out a couple hours before the make-up sex marathon began.
Actually, he didn't really feel like falling asleep. He actually kind of wished that either Zero or Quick were in the room. He didn't feel like reading, but he was going to get bored out of his positronic mind laying awake in bed for an hour or more.
Sighing, and with nothing better to do, he switched off his light, plunging the entire mansion into darkness, making sure his bag was in easy access in case the nightmares decided to plague him once more. Though they had gotten better, there was always the few times where they had gotten serious.
As he closed his eyes, he imagined he heard a breath next to him. He turned his head, looking at the large, empty space that occupied the side of the bed to the other end of the wall. With a huff, he turned onto his side and closed his eyes.
Odd house. Perfect for Quick.
Who believed in ghosts, anyway?
Soulless, vile creatures.
First those dark animals thought they could stay in the house, even though they did the work.
Presumptuous vermin.
And now these man-made creatures, soulless, lifeless puppets thought they could take over.
The whip snapped.
Perhaps they'd be as fun to break as the dark animals had been.
It took a moment to realize that pressure on him wasn't normal, mainly because it had to dredge him up from the realm of suspension. Then his lungs began to scream for air and his dark eyes snapped wide in response, flailing to heave the attack off of him. But he couldn't reach.
Auburn eyes wide and red with frenzied fire, Slash gagged against the force the pressed against his neck, tightening around him. In a panic, he lashed out, trying to hit something-anything. A cold shiver raced over him and the need to breath became more frantic, causing him to flail ever wilder, claws unsheathed and shaving off chunks of wood from the nightstand whenever his wrist hit it.
His vision began to grow dark, then flashed white as he-
the child
-- couldn't breath --
rocks crumbling down
-- couldn't fight the thing --
choking what was choking him
-- can't breath too bright --
nonononono the child the child
-- can't think can't stop it stop it --
he killed her he couldn't save her he wouldn't let him
-- can't --
save her
-- can't --
kill you both
-- can't breath...
Forte curled deeper into the bed, rubbing against the naked skin that rested partially upon him.
"Damn... does that guy have to be so noisy?" He grumbled.
"Mmm." Blues said intelligently, nuzzling the shoulder that butted against his collarbone.
The thumping continued.
"Why isn't anyone shutting him up?"
"Late. Hush. Sleep."
"Right."
Something crashed.
Blues jumped out of the bed.
"Okay, now something's wrong."
Before a drowsing Forte even recognized Blues' absence, he heard bare feet padding out the room and down the hall. Then came the cry.
"Shit, Forte! Anyone! I need some help!"
When Forte rushed into the room, Zero and Quick were holding down a thrashing Slash, the red Robot Master with a small slice across his cheek for his troubles and the other trying desperately to hold a depressor against the tongue to keep him from biting it. Blues, ignoring the fact of being naked, was shifting haphazardly through the bag Slash kept with him.
"What is it? What's going on?" He looked over to flailing 'bot, his heavy rasping oppressive in the room that seemed so much smaller with the five of them in there.
Blues, still digging through the bag, responded quickly. "He's going into shock. I don't know what triggered it, but he's gone into another panic attack. There!" He pulled out a vial and a needle. "Fill it and give it to me." He then picked up a divider and rushed towards the others. He slid in between Quick and Slash, telling the speedster and hold the arm at the hand and elbow -- tightly. The fitted the curve of the divider over the moving appendage and slid it down from wrist to mid forearm, pulling back the skin to reveal the mechanics and tubes running under it. "Syringe!"
"Here."
"Hold his hand in a tight fist."
"Right."
Blues, with surgical precision, fitted the tip of the syringe into the main tube, flushing the blue liquid into it, watching as the other two filled as well. Slowly, the thrashing stopped and the ragged chokes became gradual, deep breaths. Slash's pupils contract and his chin quivered as air flowed through his system again.
Finally, voice thick and gritty against his throat, Slash said, "Thank you..." then, as an after thought, "Why are you standing naked in my room?"
Forte and Quick huffed in mock annoyance while Zero threw an extra pillow at him, purposefully missing. Blues just chuckled and took the robe that was offered him. "At least we'll know you'll be okay."
Unlike the others, Shadow hadn't even made the attempt to sleep. Something about the house was bothering him. The noises that it made was too much for normal building, even one as old as this one. And what he had seen earlier in the day... that had shaken him up slightly. And what he had seen just now, that was --
Something crashed upstairs and he jerked his head towards the sound as running feet hurried to it and Blues' concerned voice.
Seems like it already started.
He began bounding up the stairs, ignoring the chill that went down his spine as something seemed to crack and cry behind him. Instead, upon the second landing, he saw something standing there. The same thing he saw before.
A man, a black man dressed only in chains, walking slowly down, not seeming to see the dark bot at all. Shadow, this time having planned out this encounter, set one eye to scan and scowled lightly at the result. The scan showed absolutely nothing before him, but the other eye clearly saw the human walking down. He realized, as the figured walked closer, that he was much thinner than humans normally were, every rib open for count, one arm set at an odd angle and, what made Shadow bump into the corner as the man passed, his eyes and mouth were all stitched shut.
The black man walked by, not noticing the kagemusha's presence, and continued down the final set of stairs to the bottom floor. He watched the man go by and looked back up the stairs to see another man standing there, also in chains. But this one had lacerations all down his body, holding his head by his waist, one eye poked out, the other lolling in its fleshy pocket. And at the crown of the head, a stick stood out of a hole drilled through the skull.
The sight was enough to make Shadow quiver, but didn't have the time as the figure lunged for him, free hand outstretched, fingers shattered and unable to grip. But the 'bot was too startled at the sight to do more than react and misplaced a foot, tripping himself down the stairs. He gave a choked cry as he realized that the first figure was waiting for him at the bottom.
"Shadow. Shadow, are you okay?"
A pair of gentle hands tugged at his cold shoulders. The moment of disorientation passed slowly as he looked up, trembling. He was lying, cowering at the bottom of the stairs, the only ones around him being Quick and Forte.
"What happened to you?" The latter asked as the other helped him up.
"I..." He took a few deep breaths to even out. He looked back up the stairs. "Where are the others?"
"They're with Slash. He's had another attack."
He reached out a hand to grab the hem of Quick's sleeve with a level glare. "You knew what kind of place we were staying at, didn't you."
"I-I don't -- "
He was cut off by another sharp cry from Blues once more. This time it was crisp with startled pain. Instantaneously, Forte bolted up the stairs to find him crouched down in the hallway, his back against the wall, a hand halfway down his shoulder. Zero, half out of Slash's room, watched in confusion.
"Blues, what's wrong?"
The other hissed. "Something hit me again. I was walking down the hall to get you guys when something struck me. Shit... it hurts more than the first time."
"Here, let me see."
Forte helped him slid out of the robe and growled at the sight. Another lash, this one longer and darker, was splashed against his back. Starting from the top of his shoulder down almost to his hip, intersecting the first at an acute angle.
"Who did this to you?"
The kagemusha shook his head. "I don't know. I left Zero with Slash so it couldn't have been either of them. And you three were downstairs." He looked up to see Quick and Shadow above him. His red eyes sought out the younger 'bot, noticing the odd look within in that must have been reflected in his own. He then turned to Quick. "We need to talk and you need to explain."
They all were gathered in Blues' room, it being the biggest with the most places to sit. In a pseudo circle, Blues started: "Something strange is going on in this house. Does anyone disagree?" He was met with silence. "The first thing to do to understand it is to know what exactly is wrong. Everyone that has seen or heard something out of the ordinary, speak now."
"I -- " Zero stopped when all eyes were turned to him, feeling slightly foolish. "I saw someone in the window... when we first entered the building." He flushed, looking away. "It was a woman with a beautiful, pale face and long black hair. She didn't seem too happy with us going in. At first I thought I was just imagining it, you know, because there was no one else around."
"A woman with a pale face and long dark hair..." Slash said to himself, curled up under a heavy comforter. "That was the person. She was trying to choke me in my sleep, when I looked up, all I could see was her face and she had the look of pure hate. After that," he waved a hand.
"I didn't see any woman." Shadow started. "I saw a dark man a little while before we ate. He was going down the stairs from the second floor, only had chains on. When I tried the ISS on him, it indicated nothing and when I switched it back off, he was gone. A little while ago, when I was going back up the stairs, I saw him again. I set the ISS to one eye, it showed nothing in front of me but the other one clearly saw him there. And behind him was another dark man, also in chains, with his head in his hand. He lunged toward me and I fell."
"What were you doing downstairs this late at night, anyway?" Forte asked.
"These noises we've been hearing aren't normal in any house. I've heard a lot of them in the downstairs halls and the kitchen. That earthquake shook up the house a bit more than you'd think. In the kitchen closet the wall had fallen and inside were human bones."
A hush fell over the group.
"What kind of place are we staying at?" Zero asked quietly.
Quick finally spoke up. "The LaLaurie mansion is said to be one of the most haunted places in New Orleans. But in the mid to late 1900's, there were no real mentions of ghosts or anything. I just know that the lady of the house-"
"Was a murderer."
The room lapsed into silence again as Slash spoke. He looked up, his eyes a golden fire.
"The LaLaurie mansion was inhabited by a woman, her two daughters, her husband and dozens of slaves. She was a socialite, her husband a physician and her daughters getting the best money had to offer. But she was cruel to the slaves, even more so than normal 1800's slave owners were. She regularly whipped them, beat them. She chased a young slave girl until she was forced to jump off the roof of the building to her death. Even though New Orleans had a law on slave cruelty, it matter to her. Every time her slaves were confiscated, she paid friends and family to buy them back for her. She never kept a slave for very long and no one knew why, until the mid-1800's when the cook, regularly chained in the kitchen, set fire to the place. The firemen, after putting out the blaze, went upstairs to the attic to check for survivors. Instead they found a torture chamber. Countless slaves, some in cages built for dogs with all their limbs broken, others with their intestines tying them to beams, some whipped or starved to death. Others whose eyes and mouths that had been sown shut..." his fingers curled tight on the blanket. "A mob went to the house when word had gotten out, but the family escape. No one knew where they went, maybe north of New Orleans, maybe France, but ever since then, the house had been haunted."
A long pause ensued and the room temperature dropped. Finally, Forte smacked Quick upside the head.
"You idiot! We're spending the night in a psycho lady's house??"
"After a while the haunting stopped! No one said anything about the place being haunted after a while!"
The others ignored them.
"What sort of 'haunting' happened here?"
A slight pause as he drudged up the information. "Generally it was just moaning and crying, sometimes even the crack of a whip. Also it was slaves walking around in the garden or the floors. Later it was of figures that seemed to attack people, or people attacked by a phantom whip, someone ever claimed a lady in an elegant dress was leaning over her baby. Sometimes people would say they saw a vagrant entering the house and never coming out, other people would talk about how their animals would be slaughtered there overnight. Then it was turned into a furniture store, but the furniture was always covered in a dark, stinking liquid. Even when the owner stayed up all night to find the person that did it, the furniture was always ruined. But there was always the crying and the whips. After a while, though, it did fade away."
"Then why would it start back up now?"
He shook his head and shrugged.
"Who cares about that?" Zero asked boisterously. "I say we just grab our stuff and get the hell out of here. No one else wants to be whipped or choked."
It didn't take them long to pack up. Without a word they all lined up in the hall, marching with precision down the stairs and into the main room.
Quick had lingered slightly, staring up at the stairs leading to the third floor. He had wanted to explore up there to following day. Didn't look like he'd be getting the chance.
He placed a foot on the first step and something wrapped around his neck from behind, choking him and dragging him away from the others.
The others, however, didn't get much further than the sitting room when a fire suddenly flamed up around them.
"What the fuck??"
"Where the hell did this come from?"
"The heat sensors aren't picking up anything!" Blues shouted above the roar. "It's not real!"
"Like fuck it's not real!" Zero shouted back, patting a smoldering sleeve. "It's damn hot!"
"Forget it! Just get outside!"
Someone from the back began to push forward, ever step a fight against the smoke and the heat. Slash reached for the doorknob, one arm covering his nose and mouth as his eyes watered. The gilded knob wavered in the heat and began to melt before his startled eyes.
"Quick!" Someone cried. "Where'd Quick go?"
Shadow swore and looked around, setting his sights to Electrical Scan. The fire disappeared, but all he could count were the three others accompanying -- what? The ES was switched off.
"Forte's gone!"
"What??"
"There! There, I see him!"
Beyond the fire, trudging up the staircase was Forte, surrounding him were several dark figures, some naked, some in full dress, others in rags and in varying degrees of abuse. Some were obviously dead from their wounds, entrails dragging on the floor, limbs cut off, or long slashes running down their bodies. Others, however, looked as if they had never touched.
Blues fought passed the other robots and toward the spectral group. "Shit, FORTE!!"
He gritted his teeth against the sting, arms set at too odd of an angle to break free of the bonds. Another cry was cut off against the lash.
"Scream for me, little boy." The voice said in seductive dominance. "Let's hear you beg and cry."
The whip snapped across his back again, the only indication of pain was the trembling and his fists clenching tight.
"Those dark animals thought they were worthy of staying with me. All they were worth was to do work and become subjects to my various fancy." The voice said, snapping the whip between unseen hands. "For countless centuries I've been waiting for something else to be my entertainment. You'll do just fine." She struck at him again.
Quick didn't dare say anything, knowing that if he opened his mouth he would scream and probably wouldn't be able to stop.
"Say something for me, little boy. Say that you want me to stop. Beg for your pitiful, soulless existence."
He hung there, head bowed. "...psychotic bitch." His yelp was forced out from the next whip before he could stop it. Something dribbled slowly down his back, and he whimpered. Crap, that hurt. Must have broken the epidermal layer with that one.
"Do not insult those better than yourself." Her voice growled like a velvet purr. "It shows your ignorance."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because, child," the whipped snapped in her hands once more, "you try to hold yourself on the same level as humans. You try to be like them, try to be better than them. You're like the black animals, creatures lower than mindless beasts. Your lives are worthless, just to do the bidding of those better than you. You have a place at the bottom of the world, it is time for you to know that place."
"Drop the whip, bitch."
At first, Quick believed he had imagined the voice, wishing that someone would save him. But as he turned, he nearly cried, never so happy to hear Forte's voice before.
Then he recoiled in horror when he saw exactly who -- what -- was accompanying the bioroid.
His arm cannon was raised towards the spectral woman, though it most likely wouldn't affect her. However, the crowd of dead slaves, those that fell on the woman in waves, drowning out her cries, would. They pushed, hiding her elegant figure from view as her voice screamed out in rage, trying desperately to flail the weapon. Quick watched in morbid fascination, trying to decide if they group was dragging her away, towards the wall, the afterlife, whatever, or were merely fading from view. He was jostled back to his current situation when Forte tugged the ropes apart with his pocketknife.
"Quick! Forte!"
The others moved in. Having come in during the spiritual struggle, they only felt comfortable in making their presence known after the ghosts had moved on. Shadow took Quick from Forte with a gentle yet possessive grasp as Blues berated the cobra-crested 'bot.
"You idiot! Don't you ever go off like that again!"
"Sorry. I was behind you guys, but then I saw this group of dark-skinned humans just kinda standin' there and lookin' at me. Kinda like they wanted me to follow them."
Zero's voice cut in. "Uh, guys?"
They all looked up. Standing before them was a thin black woman. Her long dress worn through to holes in places, her hair tied up underneath a scarf to cover her head. She smiled to them, nodding, as if thanking them, before her skin and clothes began to smoke and bubble, as if she were on fire and then disappeared.
F-Fire?
Zero looked down the steps, then back up at the others. "Um... do you remember how Blues said the fire isn't real? It, uh, just turned real."
"WHAT??"
They felt the attic floor shift as the fire ate through the ancient wooden beams.
"Screw it." Shadow snarled, hitting the Flash Case on his wrist, suddenly shrouded in his armor. "I'm teleporting out of here." He picked up Quick as the others changed, trying not to jostle him or put too much pressure his back. "Hold on tight," he said gently, "this may be a little rough."
Quick blushed slightly, wrapping his arms around Shadow's neck.
With a running started, the younger shadow slinker crashed through the side of the roof and falling to the earth below, the others following close behind. Before they had even passed the second floor, the six of them teleported out, leaving the LaLaurie mansion to be consumed by its greedy flame, after so many centuries of tortured souls the place finally fell to its lonely demise.
When the group returned to their headquarters, no one asked them anything. But no one asked why Blues jumped when something crashed behind him. No one asked about the bright red marks that decorated Slash's throat, shaded by his jacket collar. No one asked why Shadow carried Quick, mindful of his back and growling at anyone trying to get near. They just walked down the halls, back in their civvies, a bone weary and badly shaken mess. This adventure wasn't for talking, it was for forgetting.
"Why do you think she did it?" Forte asked once in the privacy of his chambers. Blues lay next to him in the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I don't know. I've never heard of any ghost being as strong as she was. Look, she managed to break the surface of Quick's back without marking his shirt. That's like cracking the side of a titanium wall with an egg and not breaking the shell." He frowned. "But she and the slaves were still fighting each other, even in the afterlife. Maybe that's why."
He turned towards Forte, not really talking to him, but caressing his lavender hair and cheek as he spoke. "I've heard about ghosts gaining power over time if they haven't been used. If they stay in this world because they're angry with something or someone. From what Quick said, Mrs. LaLaurie hated the slaves because she believed the only good they were for was to work, and they kept getting more laws to protect them. I don't know, maybe one of the slaves started getting defiant towards her because of it, so she did something to put all her slaves in their place. Eventually it just led to her sadistic pleasure to disfigure and kill them."
"So, what?" He asked, gold eyes wide. "Why does she hate us? Because originally bioroids were created to do work? Because we can't do anything on our own until we've been programmed?"
"I guess so. And since no one lived in the house since the 20th century, her anger and hate towards slaves -- and those like them I suppose –- grew and gave her power. I'm not sure why the slaves were there after death, though. I guess they had wanted to... not really protect us exactly –- but to warn us that there was a danger there. I suppose they were trying to find a way to stop her."
"And with the house burning down, they've lost their haunting residence and hopefully they'll move on to the next life."
"Right." Then, with a small, smug smile, Blues pulled Forte close against him. "But enough with that. You. Me. In bed. And all we're doing is talking. Something seems to be missing, doesn't it?"
Forte grinned and said nothing but pulled Blues' face towards him for a long kiss, promising to lead to something more... enjoyable.
He hadn't been able to sleep a wink for the remainder of the night. Not because he knew someone was watching over him, that actually made him feel secure. It was just that he was too afraid to be alone so soon after everything, thinking something else would come out and attack him. He idly wondered if this was how Slash felt after a panic attack.
Quick shifted under his blanket, shivering slightly as it rubbed against his back. The wounds weren't bad, just marks that stung the nerve endings. Just one broke through, but it was a shallow lash. By the morning it would be healed completely via nano- technology. Though Wily didn't really give his older 'bots a second glance when a new generation had been made, he still regularly upgraded them whenever a vital function was improved.
Something moved in his room and he slid further down in his bed, covering his head with the blanket. As a weight settled in beside him, seeking hands pulled softly at his shoulders, bringing him to rest on the newly positioned torso. He snuggled thankfully against the body, gripping it almost painfully.
Shadow just let out a huff, one hand running fingers through fiery brown hair, the other resting protectively over his shoulder. Uncertainty was something that he couldn't shake, especially in consideration of Quick. But whenever his presence was needed most, he would be there without a second thought. Unable, yet, to be exactly what Quick wanted, he would always be there before something broke within the other. And for Quick, that was enough.