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"The Road to Hell is Paved With Second Chances "Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, angst (sort of), abuse, torture, memory loss, mental instability, character death, violence, dark Pairings: 1x2 Summary: The war ended, and Duo disappeared. Heero
never stopped searching. When he found his love, locked in a research
facility with devestated memories, he swore he would destroy the one
responsible. "The Road to Hell is Paved With Second Chances "
As if providence itself was on Heero's side, the night he planned his move a massive storm front rolled in. It took about three minutes before rain slashed down, wind shrieked through the buildings and trees, and lightning flashed followed in moments by great booms of thunder. It was the worst storm the area had seen in about six years, and it was predicted to last at least all through the following day. Warnings of power outages were issued for a hundred miles in all directions. Heero couldn't believe it. Thanks to the roiling black clouds the only illumination came from the brief flares of lightning, and they were too erratic to provide good light. He logged onto his computer and sent his virus to work. The monstrous clash of thunder outside the building reverberated eerily down the halls. He curled up in the corner, eyes tightly shut, trying to keep his mind anywhere but here. Not an easy thing to do when this building defined the very edges of his world. The horrors he faced inside these walls could hardly be paralleled by a storm, but he'd been conditioned to fear everything. It was serving him well, now. Or perhaps, unwell. Pressing his hands to his temples, he squeezed until it started to ache. Lately, something always nagged at him. Like an itch at the base of his skulll where he couldn't reach. With his fractured memory, perhaps it was something he couldn't quite remember. Something important. Something that should have been important. Yes, that was possible. Likely, even. The more he thought about it, the more right that seemed. There was something he should remember. He didn't know why the doctor constantly erased his memories. Probably because it kept him a frightened wreck. He could never get used to things, never knew what to expect. Each torment he faced every day was new, whether he'd been subjected before or not because he couldn't remember. The worst part was knowing it was all recorded somewhere. He hated it when the doctor talked to the cameras like this was all legitimate research for some great cause or another. It made him feel absolutely worthless. Less than a bug, because even they had their place in the world. He, he was merely a thing. A subject. Existing purely for the doctor's 'experiments' and 'research.' No. No. That thing. The thing he was trying to remember. What was it? An event? Something before he'd been brought here? He wasn't sure how he knew he'd not been here all his life. It was just something he was sure of. Somewhere deep, deep down. A feeling or an intuition, or perhaps something of his memory still intact deep down in his psyche. It was the only thing that kept him from going completely mad from the constant unknowing and mind-melting fear. Everything made him afraid. What was it? A place? A situation? A circumstance . . . or . . . a person? For some reason, the color blue filled his mind. Not the blue of a rainbow or water or the sky. A deeper, colder blue. A color of pure cobalt, like glass. Smooth and deep. Calm and still. It was soothing, and for long moments, he was lost in it. As if it could physically manifest and wrap around him, enshrouding him in a protective embrace. Blue . . . clothes? No . . . The weak light of his cell flickered, distracting him. That light never flickered. It never went off. It always gave off its sickly white glow, a harsh glare against the bare walls. Meant to maximize his discomfort. It flickered again. Outside the gale continued unabated, perhaps sharing in his sense of helplessness. Blue eyes? That seemed right . . . The light winked out with a faint buzz. Startled, he flattened himself against the wall at the sudden black. It took several long moments before his eyes finally adjusted, and he could make out only the faintest thin line of light beneath the door from the hall. A split second later he heard a whirring sound at the door, a soft beep, and a faint click. Breathing hard, he waited. And waited. Nothing. No one came. But that was the sound of the lock disengaging. The electronic lock . . . He blinked and slowly got to his feet, still keeping to the wall. The light was out, so perhaps the power had gone out in the storm. He knew the only locks on that door were electronic ones. No physical locks requiring a key. So . . . if the power was out, the door would be unlocked . . . right? His heart was pounding as he took a few hesitant steps forward, hugging the wall. Wind howled around the building like an enraged banshee. A swarm of them. Every time thunder crashed he froze and cowered, panting as the fear mounted. But each time he forced himself to straighten and take another few steps forward. If the door was unlocked . . . Yes, blue eyes. His hand trembled as he reached out and laid it flat against the door. The cold concrete made him recoil as though burned. Trying to reason with himself, he reached out again and this time gave it a push. It was extremely heavy, but it was enough to make it swing out and let a thin sliver of light spill in. Pale, not the typical flourescent lights. It was a few moments more wile he marshalled the tattered remains of his courage and gave the door a hard shove. It swung open slowly. Emergency lights cast ghostly illumination down the long hall, drawing attention to shadows rather than dispelling them. There were no people in the halls, and he wished he knew if that was a bad thing or a good. For the first time in a duration of time he could not recall, he stepped out of the cell without someone forcefully removing him. The floors felt much colder than they should beneath his bare feet. The skin-tight bodysuit did nothing to ward off the chill, and he shivered violently. His ears strained for any sound over the constant wailing of wind. He could hear the distant clamor of movement, but none coming toward him nor getting any closer. After a moment he felt another pulse of near-panic. He didn't know the way out. He could find his way to the lab with his eyes closed. But out of this building . . . ? Just as quickly, something else replaced it. Something as desperate as the fear. Where . . . there was someone here. Someone important to him. Someone he needed to find. Who was it? His mind could dredge up neither face nor name, but he knew there was someone here he had to find. A sense of purpose replacing the fear, he bolted down the hall, bare feet slapping against the floors. Hallways like mazes. Doorways revealing empty rooms. Equipment rooms. Some rooms like the lab but smaller. Some rooms with beds. Couches. His mind supplied the words when he saw them though he could not remember the last time he'd seen or touched one. Some with people, and they always looked up in surprise to see him. Where . . . where . . . and all through his frantic searching the color of cobalt blue surged in his mind. Demanding and safe and right. He opened a door and there were two guards. He backpedaled immediately, fear momentarily warring with need. The latter overrode the former and he continued. Where is . . . He pushed open a door to what looked like a control room. There was a single person in there, a young man. It gave him momentary pause, because those blue eyes met his and widened. Is that-? But no. The color did not match the urgency in his head, so he backed out and ran on. People helping other people out. Men and women in white coats like the doctor. Guards. He was utterly lost, completely turned around, and he'd not seen even a hint of an exit. Where is-? He pushed open a door to what looked like a surveillance booth. A young man stood in front of screens showing static all save for one, this one monitoring a lab he knew well. The lab. The one that defined both his world and his fears. The doctor was in it. A touseled head turned. Skin a warm golden hue. Eyes . . . eyes the color of cobalt. Clear and cool, matching the color in his head. And just like that, he knew. He's the one. Looking at him in undisguised shock. "Duo . . . ?" My name. I remember it. Feeling at once terrified, frantic, and so, so relieved, Duo half-staggered, half-ran across the small distance and flung his arms around him. Heero. Strong, blessedly warm arms didn't hesitate to enfold him. Like that the fear simply melted away. He was safe here. "How did you find me?" The heat of the words washed over his ear, but Duo didn't try to answer. He instinctively knew he couldn't break down. Not yet. Not here. Not until they were far, far from this place. Heero would know where to go. He just clung tighter. "He's issuing orders to find you," Heero murmured. He sounded darkly furious. "I'll take care of him later. C'mon, Duo. I've gotta get you out of here." Heero shrugged out of his jacket and settled it around Duo's shoulders. Back out into the labyrinth. Duo didn't try to watch where they were going. Heero would take care of him. His mind was beginning to go numb, disbelieving that he was getting out of this place. A place he'd accepted as his reality, his nightmarish reality. Heero abruptly skidded to a halt, pulling Duo close behind him. Ahead around the corner three gunshots clipped the silence between thunder and wind. Duo muffled his yelp of shock in Heero's back, eyes clenching shut. Would they find him? Take him back? Back to the cell, away from Heero? A handful of seconds later he heard a soft scuff of movement and looked up to see someone materialize out of shadow directly in front of them. This time Duo couldn't stop his outcry of surprise and fear, but Heero's arms were around him in an instant. "It's all right, Duo," he whispered stroking Duo's hair, "he's a friend. Shh, it's all right." "There are more coming," the newcomer said in a low, quiet voice that barely carried. "Isenger's determined he won't escape." "I'll die before letting him take Duo back," Heero hissed. "What's the fastest way out of here, Trowa?" Duo closed his eyes and blindly followed Heero, that strong hand closed firmly and tightly around his own. It seemed to take forever. They were walking, then running. More gunshots. From where? He couldn't tell. Sometimes they stopped moving altogether. At one point Heero even left his side for a few minutes while he waited and barely able to breathe. As a result he was shaking, heart pounding, mind perilously close to simply shutting down when a door opened and suddenly they were outside. The blast of icy wind shocked him into awareness again, and he immediately cowered against Heero's side as the sound of the gale strengthened by tenfold without concrete walls to muffle it. Heero held him tightly and guided him away from the building. Duo winced against the stinging slash of rain, flinching every time thunder struck. The moment Heero ensconced him in a moving vehicle and
started putting distance between them and the building, Duo blacked
out.
tbc |
