Fade

Part 15

By Dierdre

Beta read by the incomparable Reluctant Dragon. Go check out her fics!

And now, without further ado… on with the fic! I hope y’all enjoy. :)

Csssshink

The protracted sound had a harsh, metallic edge, and it tore away the oblivion cloaking my mind with a suddenness that was literally painful. A headache exploded in my skull, sending shifting flecks of white darting behind my closed lids, and only years of training prevented me from crying out in protest. I somehow managed to remain quiet and utterly still, playing opossum and wondering why the hell I was communing with the concrete.

Csssshink

That grating noise came again, and it set off another miniature fireworks display of pain behind my eyes. My heartbeat quickened and my stomach rolled with sudden nausea, but both maladies quickly faded into unimportance as my thoughts began to clear. One by one, memories locked into place, and my dismay grew with each passing second.

Oh, Christ… I remembered everything now.

Csssshink

My mind immediately boiled over with thoughts of Leo and April. I forcefully tamped down my panic, however, determined to assess the situation before giving up my pretense of unconsciousness.

My close proximity to the ground forced the musty, mineral smell of concrete into my nostrils, making it difficult to detect anything else. I nevertheless inhaled several slow breaths, and gradually a few other aromas filtered through. The stale, canned scent of a long abandoned building, cut through with the moldy whiff of stagnant water, and a trace of car exhaust, faint but still detectable.

So I was somewhere near street level, not below ground or trapped at the top of a high rise building. This was encouraging news for someone in need of a quick escape, but I couldn’t bring myself to get worked up about it. I would’ve gladly given my left arm to have been able to catch a hint of April’s perfume.

Csssshink

I gritted my teeth and concentrated on a new sense, even as a wave of fresh pain shivered through my skull. Beyond the maddening sound of a whetstone sliding down steel, I could hear the staccato drip of rainwater, the occasional resonant honk of a distant car horn, and the soft scrabbling of hidden rodents. And underscoring it all was a continuous humming; the bored, tuneless sound of a human with no concept of rhythm.

Imprisoned in an old warehouse with what seemed to be a single guard. I guess they weren’t too worried about me escaping.

Csssshink

Not only was the sound killing my head, but it was beginning to get on my last nerve. Better drop the charade now before I snap and go on a killing spree.

With a moan that was only half-feigned, I stretched out my stiff limbs and lifted my cheek from the rough concrete. The sound stopped immediately, a fact that I was deeply grateful for, but I didn’t have much time to enjoy the respite. As soon as I opened my eyes, I was treated with a fresh stab of discomfort, brought about by harsh light emitted from an unknown source.

I blinked rapidly to clear away the tears of pain, and gradually my vision swam into focus. The first thing I noticed was a series of bars, molded out of rust-mottled steel and bolted securely to the floor. My heart was gripped with an all-too-familiar sinking sensation, and a slow turn of my head only served to confirm what I already knew. I was in a cage, and there was a padlock on the door the size of my fist.

Well, ain’t that just peachy. And here I thought my life couldn’t get any better...

“Look who’s back among the living.”

The jovial tenor voice cut through my sardonic musings like a knife through rice paper. I growled in reaction, levering myself up with my good arm, and squinted furiously into the light. I caught a glimpse of a lean human form lounging in a folding chair, with the blade of a tanto glinting in his right hand. A portable halogen lamp burned at his feet, all but blinding me as it threatened to burn out my retinas.

As if reading my thoughts, the mysterious figure reached out with a booted foot and pushed the lamp slightly to the right. The luminescence fell away, and if I had been alone I would have gasped in relief. As it was, I merely shook my head to rattle away the white spots marring my vision and glared blearily at the man. The black dogi quickly betrayed his status as a member of the Foot, but his mask had been removed, revealing a face that seemed remarkably young. A shock of white-blonde hair and eyes that were a startlingly pale shade of blue did nothing to dispel this impression.

Aware of my scrutiny, the side of his mouth lifted into an easy grin that made me want to rip his lips off. God save me from cheerful people, especially when I had a headache.

Through sheer force of will, I managed to sit upright. My efforts rewarded with a hot stab of pain, I reached up to press a finger to my temple… and nearly jumped at the feel of my own skin. My belt, clothes and sling had been taken away, as I expected, but those sneaky bastards had apparently swiped my bandanna, too. I’d worn that strip of cloth for years, and it felt strange to be without it, but I missed its presence for a far more pressing reason. The tiny lock picks sewn next to the knot would’ve really come in handy.

While I was distracted by the loss, the kid had tucked away the whetstone and sheathed the knife. Plucking a cell phone from one of the many pockets on his belt, he flipped it open and quickly punched in a number. He pressed it to his ear, and when he spoke next his voice had deepened into a tone of solemn respect. “Mistress Karai… he’s awake.”

Upon hearing the name of the one who’d caused this mess, I suddenly found the strength to surge to my feet. Gripping the bars to keep from falling flat on my face, I shouted as best I could with a throat that seemed to be lined with sandpaper. “What’ve you done with April, you cowardly bitch! Where the hell’s my brother? I swear to Christ, if you hurt either one of them, I’ll make sure it takes you three days to die!”

The kid’s eyes widened at my outburst, his white face paling still further. Listening to the voice on the other end of the line, however, his troubled features smoothed out, and he seemed to regain his composure. “Hai, Mistress,” he said steadily. “I’ll tell him.”

The phone shut with a decisive snap, and he pocketed the device with rather more flourish than was necessary. “Oroku-san will be here in just a few minutes. She says she’ll discuss the matter with you when she arrives.”

Almost crazed with anger and worry, I wanted to reach through the bars and shake him until his teeth rattled. I settled instead for taking a steadying breath, leaning my shoulder next to the door and running a speculative hand over the hinges. With sheer-resistant studs and the latest in triple-weight design, they were the kind most often used in prisons; heavy, durable and resistant to any form of tampering short of a blowtorch. I’d have better luck trying to gnaw through the bars with my teeth.

“Great,” I growled lowly.

“You’re lucky, you know,” my jailor suddenly said. “It’s not often that Oroku-san has a private audience with someone, especially a captive.”

I shot him an incredulous look that went completely unacknowledged, for the boy was now standing and fastidiously adjusting the hem of his uniform. Cradling my bandaged arm against my plastron, I stared in borderline disbelief as he brushed at his shoulders, attempting to remove any tiny specks of lint. Finally, he pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves, his blue eyes alight with nervousness and something that I belatedly identified as hero-worship.

Shaking my head, I let out a protracted sigh of annoyance. I just knew I was going to regret this, but I had to give it a shot. The boy was obviously a new initiate, no older than sixteen and still so wet behind the ears I was surprised he could tie his belt.

“What’s your name, kid?”

He jumped a little, as if he had temporarily forgotten my existence, and lifted his head to stare at me. “Jacob,” he said cautiously.

I gripped the bars with both hands and fixed him with what I hoped was an earnest expression. “Look, Jacob, I don’t know what kind of lies Karai’s been feeding you, but you can’t trust her. She may not be related by blood, but she’s still Saki’s daughter, and nothing good ever came out of that family. If you stick with her, she’s gonna stab you in the back.”

Jacob’s eyes clouded over steadily as I talked, his lips thinning with an obstinacy I knew all too well. When he spoke next, his voice had deepened almost to a growl, “You’re wrong. The only reason I’m alive today is because of her. The Foot-”

“Has been a haven for murderers and thieves for longer than I’ve been alive. Three months of new management is not going to change that.” Pausing long enough to let the venom drain from my voice, I reached through the bars with my good arm and pointed a finger at him in a gesture of warning. “Listen close, Jacob, ‘cause this is the best advice you’re ever gonna to get. Go home. Your so-called clan is going to get you killed.”

I had to give him credit; he didn’t just tell me to go to hell. It was easy to read the uneasiness in his body language as he reached down and plucked a small bundle of cloth from behind his chair. He ran the mask through his gloved hands in an absent gesture, his eyes distant and unseeing, and for a second I thought I’d actually gotten through to him.

The moment passed quickly, however, for his hands soon tightened around the cloth. His shoulders squared, and when he lifted his head back up to gaze at me, I saw that the look of indecision was gone. I could almost hear the iron gates of his mind clanging shut.

“They are my clan,” he finally responded, his voice strangely calm. “The people in it are my family now, and I stick with our jonin to the death.”

I wish I could say I was surprised. Jacob had been immersed in Karai’s doctrine for too long, which just about killed any chance I had of making him see reason. Hell, it was stupid to have even tried.

I laughed a little; a harsh, ironic sound that had nothing to do with humor. “Heh, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Even as I spoke, my headache, which had been temporarily banished during the short conversation, came back with renewed vigor. Suddenly feeling the full effect of the last couple of days, I turned my back on my jailor and leaned against the bars. My new accommodations lacked anything resembling furniture, so I simply slid down until I was sitting on the floor, my head lolling back to rest against the cool metal. Might as well take it easy until Karai decided to show up and gloat.

There was a faint whisper of cloth as Jacob shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. He seemed slightly surprised at his own voice when he suddenly blurted, “Oroku-san told me a lot about you guys. You had a clan once, too, so surely you-”

“Shut up, kid,” I said tiredly, cutting him off once again. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to talk to prisoners?”

He lapsed into an annoyed silence as I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to drift into a meditative doze. Anything to keep from reflecting on the grim reality of the situation, which was looking bleaker with each passing moment. I was locked in a freaking cage with a greenhorn as my keeper, my family was missing and our collective fate now rested in the hands of the Shredder’s heir. We were ass-deep in alligators and sinking fast.

What had they done with Leo and April? Were they even still alive? I simply didn’t know, and the uncertainty ate at my spirit like a cancer.

Speaking of which, I could really use a cigarette…

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I nearly jumped when the silence was broken by the squeal of rusted hinges. Surging to my feet and whirling around so quickly I nearly staggered, I strained my eyes and attempted to see past the artificial lighting into the darkness beyond. There was a protracted groan and a hollow boom as an unseen door swung shut, and although I couldn’t hear the resulting footsteps, I had no doubt who was coming.

Jacob shot a glance at me and for a moment our gazes locked, his expression a potent mixture of anticipation and dread. Karai had finally decided to make her appearance.

“Remember my warning,” I said lowly.

He shook his head, as if to banish a lingering daydream, and then hurriedly tugged on his mask. The black fabric leached the color from his eyes, making him look almost blind, and brought about an immediate change in his demeanor. His shoulders rolled back even as his posture relaxed, and when he turned on his heel and stepped gracefully into the darkness, it was hard to believe that it was actually the same person. It was amazing what a little nullity could do.

My hands tightened on the bars, and I could feel my blood pressure rising as a quiet conversation took place, just beyond the circle of light. Karai was out there, only a few easy strides away, but with me locked in this cage it might as well have been miles.

Christ, I hated to be confined, locked away like some animal in a zoo. Yet another mark against her on my blacklist.

After a moment the voices ceased, and my hearing was again assaulted by a ponderous squeal. The door slammed shut with discouraging finality, and an instant later the illumination was disrupted by a slender figure. Clad in concealing black except for the red slash of her headband, her steps were unhurried and light as she moved forward with the easy grace of a lifelong athlete.

Stopping just outside my reach, she lifted her gaze to meet mine, her expression still locked in that same maddening air of serenity. Her hand reached up to touch the leather strap that weighed down her right shoulder, and my blood ran cold when I recognized it as April’s backpack.

“Now, Raphael,” Karai said evenly, “we will talk.”