Pheromones

He gasped for a second at the blistering cold, before rolling slightly onto his back. He could feel a bandage around his head, and his hands had been cuffed behind him to stop him from removing it.

He gulped before feeling around with his hands for a moment. He could tell the lights were on, and he was sure he could hear the hum of a camera in the room. He guessed he was probably back in one of the lab's many cells.

No sign of Christian. And he could tell there was no one in the room with him.

His hands suddenly hit a wall. Grunting slightly, he managed to back himself over to it and sit up against it. He then paused for thought, remembering what had happened.

He bit his lip in an effort to stop himself attempting to cry. He knew it'd only hurt.

Slowly, he began to move along the wall to the closest corner. Once there, he huddled back into it.

This truly was hell. There was no other explanation.

~*~

Isaac deliberated for a moment. He knew that Taylor was awake.

He stood motionless outside the door. His son had gone to another meeting after seeing Christian off.

Finally, he opened the door and stepped inside. Taylor cringed as he heard the door slide open, and footsteps on the tiled floor. He had a little trouble for a moment, trying to decipher whether it was Blakesley or someone else that had entered. But by the time the door shut behind him, Taylor knew who it was.

He kept his head down, shaking slightly, as the footsteps made their way closer and stopped just in front of him. He suddenly felt a hand around his left arm.

"Stand up Taylor."

Without a sound, Taylor slowly did so. Isaac helped him over to the table in the room, and made sure he could feel the chair there.

"Sit," he instructed.

After feeling the chair over for a second, Taylor sat down. Isaac produced the key for his hand cuffs and bent slightly to unlock them.

"Hands on the table in front of you."

Taylor was tempted for a moment to try and get the bandage of, but thought better of it. He slowly set his shaking hands on the table in front of him, wondering what the old man wanted.

Isaac replaced the cuffs around Taylor's wrists, then made his way around the table to sit opposite him.

"Tell me what you feel," he said suddenly.

Taylor gulped again.

"How... do you mean?" he stammered.

"What you feel, what you understand now. Now that your sight is gone. How you knew it wasn't my son that entered the room just now..."

Taylor hesitated, biting his lip.

"By all means, take your time..."

"No, I..." Taylor shook his head.

"I... I'm not all that sure myself."

Blakesley's father raised an eyebrow slightly, watching him.

"I just... I feel it. I can't... It's hard to explain," he shook his head, "like I knew that... that the lights were on, and I just... I don't know, I don't know how I know."

He shook his head before putting his head in his hands.

"Hands on the table, Taylor."

Taylor jumped slightly, before quickly putting his hands back.

"Sorry."

Isaac nodded slightly, before reaching over to them slowly. His hand hovered above Taylor's left for a moment, before he lowered it slightly. His hand was only a few centimetre's above Taylor's when Taylor flinched slightly.

"You felt that?"

Taylor nodded slightly, biting his lip again.

"Interesting..."

"Please," Taylor shook his head again, his voice shaking, "what do you want? I'll do anything, just please tell me what I have to do."

Isaac hesitated, pulling his hand back.

"My son's quest to see you shatter beyond redemption still hasn't been fulfilled."

Taylor cringed slightly and turned his head away. Isaac could see his hands shaking.

"You are well on the way, but if you were truly broken would you have had to ask that question?"

Taylor bit his lip again, not answering.

Blakesley

Blakesley flipped through the pages of a report as he walked along the corridors, before handing it to the N-Clone trotting at his side.

"Bag the experiment. Destroy all traces of it. It was a failure."

And with those few words, he condemned twenty sentinent beings to death. Coming to the door of Taylor's cell, he opened it slowly.

"Surprised to see you here, Father."

Taylor & Isaac Blakesley

Taylor felt the pheromones Blakesley was emitting before he even opened his mouth.

Stumbling slightly, he jumped up and backed off a little.

"This* interests me," Isaac said softly, "what did I tell you, Taylor?"

Taylor gulped, keeping his head down, as he shakily replaced his hands on the table.

Blakesley

Blakesley lifted an eyebrow slightly.

"What is it you find so interesting? Do enlighten me, Father."

He glanced at Taylor, and his lips curved slightly in a cruel smile.

Isaac Blakesley & Taylor

"He, feels* everything. In a substantially enhanced way," Isaac replied slowly.

Taylor carefully knelt down beside the table, still keeping his hands on the surface.

"Observe."

Isaac slowly reached his hand over to Taylor's left again, but when he got just under four inches away, Taylor flinched back again.

Blakesley

"Ah..."

A long low exclamation of sadistic delight escaped Blakesley's lips before he recalled himself and looked to his father.

"I wonder how that would work into the Art."

Isaac Blakesley & Taylor

"Oh Jesus*" Taylor half breathed, half cried as he shook his head.

Isaac rubbed his chin softly, as if contemplating the possibilities.

With quick movements, he brought his right fist down onto one of Taylor's fingers. He smiled as he heard the crack and Taylor's yell.

Taylor pulled his hands from the table again to cradle them into his chest, leaning his head against the edge of the table.

Blakesley

"Beautiful," Blakesley murmured.

He walked a little closer, studying Taylor thoughtfully.

"Do you think it hurts more now?"

Isaac Blakesley & Taylor

Taylor flinched away from Blakesley, falling backwards then retreating to the nearest wall.

"I don't know," he cried softly, still cradling his hand - his heart thumping.

"Taylor?" Isaac got his attention.

"Your hands are not on the table."

Taylor cringed, then buried his face in his arms.

"Leave me alone. Please," he begged pitifully.

Blakesley

"When you're given an order, you will follow it," Blakesley murmured silkily.

"Or should I nail your hands there?"

Isaac Blakesley & Taylor

Isaac smiled slightly at the obvious surge of fear that ripped through Taylor's body right in front of them.

He began to mouth `I'm sorry', not being able to form the words in his throat.

He shifted to the side a little and extended his leg to try and find the table again. Failing, he brought his knees in to his chest and just continued shivering fearfully.

Blakesley

"Hands, Taylor," Blakesley almost purred.

"I would really hate to have to put holes in the table, but you're leaving me no choice..."

Isaac Blakesley & Taylor

"Oh God," Taylor cried, leaning away from Blakesley.

Fully shaking, he quickly reached out for the table. This time he managed to touch it with the hand without broken fingers, and he pulled himself over to it before kneeling beside it again and basically slapping his hands down onto the surface.

He was still trying not to cry, but his body soon took over and - tears or not - he cried.

Blakesley's father smiled again slightly, before wiping it from his face.

"Taylor…" he began softly, before Taylor dropped his head to lean his forehead on the table.

"We've been meaning to ask you something about Christian. He has a rather large scar on the back of his neck…"

Blakesley

"It's in the shape of an M," Blakesley continued, going across to the cupboard and opening it.

"Do you know anything about it? And may I remind you that lying to me is not a very good idea..."

Isaac Blakesley & Taylor

Taylor's cries died down as his ears twitched.

"I… I-I haven't seen it," he stuttered, "I mean, his hair would have always covered it, I…"

Isaac sighed, and sat back a little.

"But… but an `M'?" he gulped slightly.

He sat back onto his legs, lifting his forehead from the table.

"How big is it?" he almost whispered.

"Rather large," Isaac had an interested look his face at Taylor's reaction, "three or four inches across, I should think."

Taylor froze.

Blakesley

Blakesley tapped the end of a knife against his palm, not flinching as it slit his skin slightly.

"Taylor has an idea. I think he should share it with the class."

Taylor & Isaac Blakesley

Taylor's mouth opened and closed for a moment, before he sat back heavily - making sure to keep his hands on the table.

"Please…" he began in a whisper, "keep me away from him. If Guffery comes and thinks that I'm Christian…"

He shook his head with a gulp.

"Please… You, you didn't touch it, did you?" his eyebrows crinkled with worry.

"No, we did not," Isaac insisted, leaning forward.

Blakesley

"What if I cut one just so on the back of your neck?" Blakesley inquired.

"And why should we not have touched it? Not that we did. You removed my signature from Jane and Natalia. Perhaps I should have copy this man's onto you."

Taylor & Isaac Blakesley

"No no no no no no no no no…" Taylor trailed off, shaking his head.

"Answer the question, Taylor," Isaac insisted.

Taylor bit his lip with a cringe.

"He's… His… The… The scar… If you touch it, he knows. He's been hunting the Little Raider for almost twenty years. If he finds him…"

He cut off and shook his head again.

"It has some power thing on it. Oh my God Christian's the Little Raider…"

Blakesley

"Explain," Blakesley said silkily.

He stepped up to Taylor's side and ran the knife down the side of his face. Not to cut, just to threaten.

Taylor

"The Little Raider... The Little Raider... I thought it was a f**king legend, or a story or something..."

Taylor flinched away from the knife and turned his head away.

"Guffery runs a centre dedicated to taking children with powers and turning them into slaves for those who can afford one. Christian was obviously supposed to be one. But he escaped and took eleven others with him. Guffery's still been hunting them, and specifically the Little Raider who led the charge. The 'M' stands for Maarshall which is Guffery's first name," Taylor rattled off at top speed.

Blakesley

"How interesting," Blakesley observed.

"I think I would like to meet this...Marshall Guffrey."

Taylor

"He's too powerful, everything always goes his way," Taylor practically whined.

"It's just because of his power. He could probably walk right into a YIRAAS station and get away with it. He wouldn't have any trouble getting into here."

Blakesley

"Doesn't mean that he would leave..."

Blakesley brooded quietly for a few moments.

"He could be useful in procurement. He may be interested in...trading."

Taylor

"He doesn't trade," Taylor shook his head, "he takes what he wants and gives when he feels like it. And he would leave if he wanted to, anything you have here he can match it. Collectively."

Taylor stopped and took a deep breath, feeling his arms shake.

"Can we please not talk about him?" he asked softly.

Blakesley

"I doubt he has the power to match with a god," Blakesley said, lifting one shoulder in a slight shrug.

"But what would he give for you?"

Taylor

"Nothing," Taylor said incredulously.

"He doesn't want me. I'm worthless. He only wants Christian. And the others who evaded him."

Blakesley

"And what do you know about these others?" Blakesley asked.

He played with the knife in his hands delicately.

Taylor

"Nothing, I swear," Taylor insisted, shaking his head.

"You only ever hear about the Little Raider. I'm not even sure how many others there were. All I know is that they would have been Dathrians."

Blakesley

"Narrows it to a species, at least," Blakesley sighed.

"Do you have any questions, Father?"

Taylor & Isaac Blakesley

Isaac rubbed his chin as Taylor shivered, returning to reality after letting his mind wander for a moment.

"What power does this… Marshall Guffery have?" he asked finally.

"It seems rather… shall we say powerful?"

"It's beyond powerful," Taylor almost choked on his words.

"Anything around him within a certain radius that has… powers that humans don't I guess. He can take it. If you have ten soldiers with the power of strength he'll have the strength of ten soldiers collectively. You just can't win with him."

Blakesley

"I remember a mutant I heard of once...he had the power to change reality."

The sadist looked thoughtful.

"Does it only work on living creatures?"

Taylor

"Anything with power. Anything with a power. Anything with a power that works," Taylor shrugged, careful to keep his hands on the table.

"It's an extremely rare power. Like mine."

Blakesley

Blakesley wondered idly how he could get his hands on a DNA sample.

"Rarities are often more valuable."

Taylor & Isaac Blakesley

"Of course," Taylor's voice cracked on the second word.

Isaac just stared at him for a moment, noticing his irregular breathing pattern.

Blakesley

"Thoughts, Father?" Blakesley asked.

"Or have we learnt all there is to learn here?"

Taylor & Isaac Blakesley

Taylor froze as Isaac considered.

"We have plenty of time to find out more," the old man said finally.

Taylor shivered as he realised he couldn't feel what the old man… felt, for lack of a better word. However whatever Blakesley was giving off was undeniably obvious.

June
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