Taylor
"I was thinking of asking someone to make it, so you know... it meant more. But I think this should do," Taylor nodded, a smile on his face.
"She'll love it anyway," Bee insisted.
"Yeah I know," Taylor raised his eyebrows, "I've just... gotta sort out which one. We should probably go over to the yard within the next few days or something."
He looked down the street.
"Did you find the guitar..."
"Oh, umm..." Taylor scratched his head, "I was checking around. I haven't found it yet, but I'm really hoping I don't have to import it."
"And do you know what you're getting Zac?"
Taylor hesitated with a grin.
"No idea yet. I've worked out what to get Avery, and I'm just getting Mom and Dad some garden ornaments. Dad's spending a lot more time in his garden for some reason..."
Blakesley
Blakesley watched Taylor from down the street and smiled slightly. The sack in his hand moved faintly and a mew issued thinly from it. He withdrew slightly into the mouth of the alley and put his hand into the bag to bring the kitten out.
A small ball of black and white fluff sat on his hand and mewed at him again.
"Let's bring Taylor running, shall we?"
Blakesley broke its fragile leg with a flex of his hand.
The kitten wailed.
Taylor
"And what about friends?" Bee asked.
Taylor froze, listening attentively. Bee frowned slightly.
"Taylor?"
Taylor held up a hand, and turned back down the street toward the alley. Bee remained silent, letting him concentrate.
"Something's in trouble," Taylor's eyes darted back and forth.
He turned back to Bee and handed him a bag.
"Wait here, I'll be back in a moment."
"Are you sure that's a good..."
"Not now Bee," Taylor scorned, "and it's only a kitten. Someone's hurt it."
"Very well."
"Thanks."
Taylor turned and began to walk towards the alley, keeping his head down and concentrating on the cries. The kitten's leg had broken. Gulping a little, he picked up pace, before turning into the alley.
Blakesley
Blakesley smiled slightly.
"Taylor...we meet again."
He caressed the kitten's head, it whimpering in pain as he did so and mewing pitifully.
With another sharp twist of his hand, he broke the tip of its tail.
The kitten screamed.
Taylor
Taylor froze, his eyes widening as they darted between the doctor and the kitten.
"Bl... Blakesley," he managed to choke out.
He closed his eyes for a second, concentrating on keeping the block on Mouse. He'd already had one in place (Christmas shopping, duh).
Blakesley
"How have you been?" Blakesley asked conversationally.
"Well, I hope."
The kitten cried weakly, leg dangling.
Taylor
Taylor slowly put one hand up to the wall, then leant against it.
"What do you want?" he swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat.
This was a bit... sudden.
Blakelsey
Blakesley smiled slightly.
"Well...a few things, really. But I suppose you want to know why exactly I am here."
Taylor
Taylor gulped and nodded, keeping his eyes on the kitten. If only he could block his ears...
"It's going to be ok..." he said softly in cat.
Blakesley
"Well, it's ridicously simple, really," Blakesley said.
"Did you know I have Christian? And Christina...but she's not much use to anyone at the moment."
Another bone in the kitten's body snapped under his fingers.
Taylor
Taylor flinched as the kitten wailed, and turned his back to the wall.
"I knew you had Christian... just... just let the kitten go..."
He glanced behind him, knowing that Bee wasn't all that far away. But he didn't want to take his eyes off Blakesley for long.
Blakesley
"But it's working so well," Blakesley said with a smile and another soft snap.
"You're here...not running. Which is useful. Did you know Natalia is dead?" he said, going off on another tangent, watching Taylor's face carefully.
"White werewolves...especially female ones are highly prized. I'm not sure about the photographer."
Taylor
Taylor cringed every time the kitten wailed.
He didn't know what to think about Natalia... after the way she acted around him. Of course he wouldn't like it if she was dead, but... What the hell was going on?
"Let it go..." he tried again.
All he had to do was yell out, and Bee would come running...
Blakesley
Blakesley smiled.
"Say please."
The kitten's ribcage started to crack as he tightened his hands and it wriggled, mewing frantically.
Taylor
"Please!" Taylor exclaimed, "Please, let it go..."
He hesitated for a second,, then took a deep breath.
"Bite him," he began in cat, "but if he dropped you, don't land on your hurting leg, ok? Then try and get away without letting it touch the ground."
He looked across at Blakesley again, hoping he was thinking he was only calming the cat.
Blakesley
Blakesley smiled and dropped the kitten. It shook its head dazedly for a moment, then the scientist stepped on its tail.
It squalled with pain.
"How is Jane? More importantly, how is her pregnancy progressing?"
Taylor
Taylor glared at Blakesley, keeping his eyes away from the kitten.
"Why the hell should I tell you?" he stopped his voice shaking.
"You're not going to get them."
Blakesley
"People keep telling me that I'm not going to succeed," Blakesley mused.
He moved his foot slightly and the kitten shivered, started to bolt then wailed again as Blakesley stepped on its paw.
"Yet I do manage to. Christian told me I was never going to get my hands on him again. Yet I did. Christina said much the same. Of course, now she's an amnesiac, she was much easier to capture. She wasn't watching..."
Blakesley slid his hands into his pockets, feeling the collar in one and the syringe of sedative in the other.
"And wolves don't get up from a bullet to the head."
Taylor
"I'd love to see how you'd fare up against someone who controls your very thoughts," Taylor couldn't help but sneer.
"And I'm not telling you who they are either."
Blakesley
"And that's the other interesting thing Christina has given me...not volountarily, indeed, I don't think she even realizes the full consequences of my testing," Blakesley said.
"I've managed to manufacture the...essence, if you will, of her mutation. Not quite ready for full scale production, but enough if I need it."
The kitten's front paws scrabbled at the ground as it cried in pain, trying desperately to get away from the crushing weight on its back leg.
Blakesley slid the syringe into his hand, watching Taylor carefully.
Taylor
Taylor couldn't take the screaming much longer.
Judging the distance, he suddenly made for the kitten. He managed the push Blakesley's leg backwards making him stumble slightly, before grabbing the kitten.
He missed his footing and slipped down onto a knee, before reaching out with the kitten - accidentally turning his back to Blakesley.
"Run!" he urged in cat.
Blakesley
Blakesley brought the syringe out and slid it into the vein on Taylor's neck, depressing the plunger.
"It will probably die, you know that? A noble sacrifice but in the end, ultimately for nothing."
Taylor and Kirk
Taylor cringed as he felt the pain in his neck, remembering all too well what happened at Anaheim.
"Find a tall black man," he cried in cat, "he'll heal you..."
When he finally pulled away from Blakesley, he fell onto his back. He had to do something before he blacked out...
"HELP! BEE! HELP ME!"
Bee's head darted up at Taylor's calls, and he immediately whipped out his cell phone and speed-dialled.
"Yo?"
"Steel?"
"Yeah Bee."
"Where are you?"
"Stacey's restaurant."
"Ok, get over to your East block. Taylor's in trouble and I think you might wanna get involved..."
"On my way."
Kirk hung up, then rushed outside, feeling the gun in his trenchcoat.
Blakesley
Blakesley hissed in frustration.
"Dammit."
He looked out the mouth of the alley and saw far too many people for his liking. He wouldn't be able to take Taylor out of there without inteference.
The kitten limped off as quickly as it could, but Blakesley caught it and snapped its neck efficently. It had served its purpose.
But he could still do something...
He took the collar and placed it around Taylor's neck, keying it closed.
Taylor
Taylor gulped as the collar went on, then managed to sit up and back into a corner.
"What... what do you want?" he cringed as his voice shook.
"You already have everything that you could possibly want from me. Just... just let me go..."
Blakesley
"I don't," Blakesley said.
"There are still so many things I desire from you...but that will have to wait."
He flipped open the remote control of the collar and looked at Taylor.
"I would suggest you come with me quietly."
Taylor and Kirk
Taylor shook his head.
"But Master Blakesley, it's only ten days 'til Christ-"
Taylor cut himself off as his hands flew to his mouth, realizing what he'd just called him.
Kirk tapped Bee on the shoulder.
"Where is he?"
"That alley," Bee pointed to it.
"Very well."
Kirk pulled his gun out and made sure it was loaded.
"Know who it is?"
Blakesley
Blakesley smiled.
"Superstition and nonsense. You think I care? Let's go."
He pressed one of the buttons on the remote and watched Taylor's face react to the mild electric shock.
"And they can get worse. As Christian has already found out."
Taylor and Kirk
Taylor cried out as the shock hit him, his hands flying to his neck.
At that moment, both Bee and Kirk stepped into the mouth of the alley. Bee held his hand up and instantly created a shield around Taylor, as Kirk already had his gun aimed.
"Kaleb Blakesley..."
He raised an eyebrow.
"So we meet at last."
Blakesley
"You obviously seem to know who I am," Blakesley said.
"And you would be...? Introductions would only be polite. But there is so little good breeding these days..."
His fingers were poised over the control.
"And killing me would be very unwise. Unless you want harm to come to Taylor, I would suggest putting the gun away."
Kirk and Taylor
"You don't need to worry yourself with who I am," Kirk squinted slightly, clicking the gun off safety.
"And pray tell, how exactly would my finally killing you endanger Taylor's life?"
Taylor's eyes darted between them. Kirk looked different since that last time he'd seen him - his mowhawk now pointe dupward in spikes with maroon tips, and he was wearing very large earrings.
Blakesley
"Like this."
Blakesley depressed one of the buttons and sent a stronger electric shock pulsing through Taylor, then pressed another one to send a poison into his veins.
"He's poisoned now. Kill me, and he dies."
Taylor and Kirk
Taylor gulped, almost choking in fear.
Kirk simply quirked an eyebrow.
"I still fail to see how we could endanger his life by sending your ass to the afterlife. Bee?"
Bee concentrated for a moment on healing Taylor, before Kirk dusted the collar.
"...Considering you couldn't touch him if you wanted to now."
Blakesley
"He'll die in ten minutes or so now," Blakesley said, shrugging slightly.
"The collar contained the antidote as well as the poison. Which I designed specifically for Taylor's genetic sequence, so there isn't one elsewhere. Unless you let me go to get the antidote from my car."
Taylor and Kirk
Kirk laughed as Taylor felt faint.
"He doesn't need your antidote asshole," he scorned, "he has us and that's enough."
He glanced at Bee who nodded.
"Almost done."
Kirk smiled and turned back to Blakesley.
"Now unless you want me to... immobilize you in my own way, I'd suggest leaving. Unless you'd like to tell me where my Christian is?"
Blakesley
"Not particularily," Blakesley drawled.
"Then I'll bid you...gentlemen good day."
He started towards the other end of the alley.
Kirk and Taylor
"Asshole," Kirk muttered under his breath, spinning the gun in his fingers and hiding it again before making his way over to Taylor.
"Tay man... you ok?"
Bee stepped forward, but kept his eye on Blakesley. If something went wrong, he'd have to be their defense.
Taylor just nodded shakily, and clasped Kirk's hand as the punk pulled him up.
"I'd... I'd better call Mouse..."
"Hold on for a sec Tay. We'll get you home and you can tell her when you're safe. Not that you aren't now."
Taylor eyed off the body of the kitten and gulped.
Blakesley
Blakesley disappeared around the corner of the alley, then paused to call back.
"Tell Jane that when her children turn on her, I know how to control them. After all, I designed them."
He walked to his car quickly, got in and drove off. Well, that had been rather disappointing.
Taylor
Taylor watched after him, his thoughts returning to Mouse.
"I... I have to get home," he insisted, staggering to his feet.
"And we'll get you home. Come on," Kirk insisted.
And Taylor was escorted back home, with minimal Christmas shopping done.