diversified | Everyone's got their chains to break. [ closed ]

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Everyone's got their chains to break. [ closed ]

WHO Jacob Kane (

insertdadjoke), Abel Fletcher (

sociopapathic).
WHAT Do not fuck with these brothers. Not even if you want to experiment and find out why one is immortal. Just don't do it.
WHEN Late 2014, several months after Cain and Abel have been working together to down the Death Erasers.
WHERE nfc.

"What do you mean, you don't know how to text?" asked Cain. He glanced over the lid of his laptop to give his brother a dubious look. There was a whole lot Abel had simply never picked up in his time as an Enforcer and Cain was painfully aware of how much personal experience Abel was lacking in his unlife. There was nothing to be done for it except curse the Reapers and move forward from there. Still... "Everyone knows how to text, Abel."

It was a bit egregious when Abel had a thirteen year old daughter (granted that she was adopted) who was quite the typical teenager in some respects and still Abel couldn't do much more than make calls with his phone. That just seemed like willful ignorance on Abel's part. Cain was going to have to fix that. There were worse things he was going to have to help his brother get through; this one would be a piece of cake.

Didn't mean he couldn't rib the hell out of Abel for it, though.

"Do you even know how to get to the text menu? Can you even turn your phone on? My God, does Holly have to charge it for you?" he asked, tone going more and more obnoxious as the questions came. Sometimes he even got a reaction for it. Those were always awesome.

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While Cain was going through the locker, Abel stayed near the door, listening to people passing by the room. He'd go still whenever he heard someone pause for any reason, but they would eventually move on and Abel would relax slightly. He didn't need anybody walking in on them and have to deal with them.

He turned to look at Cain and tilted his head slightly. New clothes would help hide them better and it would keep people from asking about the sharpie marks on his brother's chest. It was slightly worrying how Cain was looking, but they'd be out of here soon enough and then they could rest.

"Yes, we can leave now." Abel opened the door and walked out into the hall once more when it was obvious nobody was out there. "This way, brother."

Cain shrugged on a fairly hideous pleather jacket as his last step in an afterthought and fitted the few weapons he had on his person before he followed Abel's lead. This was the home stretch and they were so close to getting out of here that Cain almost couldn't believe it. The past however-long had done wonders on his psyche and not in the good way. Of course he would recover, he always did, but right now it was hard to avoid doubts that somehow this crash down upon their heads.

Then again... Abel was here. He wouldn't stand for that. That thought made Cain feel better.

"How far? Tell me we're almost outta here, Abel," Cain said, partly to keep some kind of conversation up and also to confirm that they were close as he thought.

Edited 2014-02-14 16:42 (UTC)

The locker room was the real sign that they were almost out, being location close to the exit. Abel put away one of his knives so that he could grab one of Cain's hands and hold tightly. He wasn't going to let his brother fall apart now, not when they were so close to freedom. One more turn and they were there, the exit not nearly as guarded as it would have been normally.

"Come on," he encouraged quietly, looking around to see if there was any sort of traps in place. "We're out of here."

Edited 2014-02-16 04:11 (UTC)

Cain was also looking around, but it appeared that their destruction of the security office had everyone running with their heads cut off (metaphorically speaking, unfortunately). The front room, something that looked more at place at a doctor's office or a law firm, was completely empty. What it meant for the brothers was that the Death Erasers' forces had become stretched out and suddenly uncoordinated in an effort to put some kind of system back in place for canvassing the building.

It meant they were free to go if they hurried.

Allowing himself a grin from sheer relief, Cain said, "Let's run. Let's run as fast as we can and not look back until we're free."

Cain's words pulled at his mind in that now increasingly familiar manner that Abel was getting used to. He tilted his head as if to grin back and looked at the doors. "Yes, we will run like horses until we can run no more. Then we will find our way home."

Without much warning, Abel broke out into a run, pushing the doors open into freedom. He looked back at his brother and laughed overjoyed to be outside for the first time in ages, stopping for a moment to take in the sight. It was dark out, the crescent moon giving them some light, but not much. The building they came out of wasn't easy to see as lampposts were rare around it and it wasn't close enough to a major street to get much light cast on it.

"Should we take a car or go by foot?" Being as much of a gearhead as Abel made him well aware as to how to break into a car and hotwire it. To him, it would be no trouble to do so.

Edited 2014-02-16 04:36 (UTC)

It was beyond freeing to feel the slap of fresh air on his face, the artificial light no longer searing into his eyes. When Abel laughed, Cain automatically pulled him in for an ecstatic hug, breathless from the small jaunt and the excitement.

He pulled back momentarily to take a look around the lot, letting the information soak in while his heart pounded out a warning not to linger. "Foot," he answered quickly. Last time he had entered a vehicle when the Death Erasers were around, it had been rigged. "Who knows what they do to their cars here. Find some other car along the way."

He didn't know how to react to the hug and merely allowed it, not really knowing anything better. It was a rush just being outside and if he had any grasp of the emotion, he would have felt giddy. Instead, he listened to his brother, nodded, and then led him away from the building, moving with the same fluid slink that he had used in the hallways, making his movements seem effortless.

"Then we will go by foot until we find something suitable for our travel." He looked up at the stars, finding familiar ones and constellations that could lead him in the right direction. While he may have relied on magic throughout most of his unlife, he still retaught himself the constellations to keep himself from getting lost. "This way, brother."

Cain didn't even have the presence of mind to fall back onto such old habits. He only needed to follow Abel, his oldest habit that had never actually led him wrong before. Nothing that wasn't permanent, anyway. (Where it had led Remus, on the other hand... that was a different story.)

Instead of trying to place where they were going, Cain kept his eyes on the surroundings as they moved. If they were lucky, they would be somewhere even only somewhat populated and have a chance to jack a car and put some clear distance between themselves and their captors very soon. Despite being all the way out in Texas of all the places in the world, there were worse places they could have been stuck. At least it was within driving distance of Phoenix.

"We made it. We're out of there. This is the home stretch, brother."

"Yes. Now we must get away from here and find somewhere for you to rest for the evening." He glanced back momentarily to quickly study his brother. Abel knew Cain wasn't going to be able to keep up this amount of energy for too long and not being at full strength was going to make this escape a challenge. "The drugs are still in your system and they weaken you."

Cain could only grimace in agreement at the assessment. As much as he was loathe to bring them down in their run for safety, Cain knew there was only so long he could last with the cocktail of mysterious substances running through his blood. If he were healthy and in a more optimum condition, then Cain knew he could have kept pace for days. He was nowhere near his best right now.

"I know. I apologize," he said. It wasn't actually his fault, but it was still a fact they would have to deal with. "Lead the way. There must be someplace."

"Do not apologize." If the situation had been different, he would have said that this was not his fault, but Abel still blamed him for their capture. There was only so much comforting that he could do without directly lying to him and Abel didn't want to lie to his brother right now. "There is always someplace. We just need to find it."

And hopefully soon. His abdomen was starting to ache and his eyes felt odd, almost heavy. Once again he wondered what exactly the collar was doing to him and if removing it would reverse the damage done. When they were rested and they had daylight, Abel would have Cain take a look at it to see if it could be removed.

Once they found their way to the main road, it was surprisingly populated. Nothing as active as an entire city full of nightlife, but there were buildings down the street with stoplights and a few small businesses already closed and locked up for the day. Cain had completely lost all sense of time when he was being experimented on, but he was willing to believe it was late enough at night that no one would be out on the street at the time. Considering they were in Texas, Cain thought it very likely that most buildings would be locked and rigged with a shotgun to go off at anyone opening a door without knowing the security code.

That was when he saw it off in the distance. It was small for a hotel, but larger than most of the corner stores and pharmacies along the road. However, it appeared to be under some type of construction guessing by the vehicles parked around it and several types of cordons meant to keep the populace out from the possibly-dangerous site.

"Do you see that?" he asked. It wasn't actually all that rhetorical. While everything else probably had heavy security, it looked like there wasn't even any electricity on in the hotel. Could that be their lucky break?

It took a moment to find what Cain was talking about, but when he did, he couldn't help but approve of the choice. The hotel would be a perfect place to rest up and give them some security to keep them from being too paranoid about the Clockless finding them. He turned to look at Cain and tilted his head slightly in approval.

"Yes, that will work well for our use. Let's go, brother. I do not like to be out in the open like this."

Cain merely nodded, continuing to walk with Abel. Running had been a great idea when they were at the threshold of the laboratory or whatever it was, but now Cain felt his pace was much more suitable. Their tracks were carried inside thanks to lingering dust and construction material in the area, but they were no different from many others exactly alike to hide their own coming. Thankfully the front door was a cheaply immodest thing, revolving glass that led into the stale and standard hotel lobby, looking well-decorated and tacky all at the same time. Darkness reigned inside where only the lights of the storefronts along the street shone through the front windows.

It was really very difficult not to call the lobby as good enough and collapse right there. Instead, he moved away from Abel and began to dig around behind the front counter. If they were lucky, there might be some kind of master key there that would get them somewhere much safer and away from prying eyes. After a moment, he came across something metal and cylindrical with a familiar heft to it. Taking a moment to feel it over, he found the button and clicked. The flashlight spit its light out abruptly and Cain couldn't help the small giggle.

"This will help. Don't see any master keys back here, though. Ideas?"

While Cain was searching for the master key, Abel was on alert, keeping an eye on the street from the safety of the shadows. He was back in guard dog mode, more worried about protecting their position than running or fighting. Cain could deal with other things while Abel dealt with this. At the flashlight turning on, he glanced back, almost tempted to tell him to shut it off, but deciding not to at the last moment. They'd need it to find the key and then make their way to a better position.

"They would probably be located in a more secure location like an office or a staff room," he replied as he looked around. "It would not make sense to be kept here unless someone was here."

Cain stood, light pointed to the back of the building rather than have it shine out where someone might notice it. He nodded in thought, then started to walk down the length of the wall until he found a door. Very unlikely to be the kitchen and the laundry room was most definitely not at the front of the hotel. Probably a staff room like Abel had suggested. He tried the door, then frowned when there was no give: locked. With a frustrated sigh, he moved back to the desk and started to shuffle around near the top.

"At least it's not locked electronically," he muttered aloud. "That'd probably be a nightmare if something ever wiped their cards or something."

He came out triumphant with a well-used paperclip and returned to the door. Placing the flashlight in his mouth to free up his hands, he bent the clip just enough and started to work it into the lock. He wasn't at the top of his game, but picking something as simple as that was not a very arduous task. After another minute or two, there was a click and Cain shoved the door open before pocketing the paperclip and sweeping his light over the room.

"There we go. Help me look around, Abel," he requested as he stepped inside.

Once Cain started to move around more, Abel began to follow him around, making sure that he would stay in sight. He didn't seem at all surprised by his brother's lockpicking skills, instead mentally adding that to the list of things he should learn for future emergencies. When the door was unlocked, he followed him into the room and started to look around for where the master keys would be located.

"Of course, brother." Switching between languages was difficult for Abel now that he was feeling off, but he'd stick with the same language Cain was using for his brother's sake. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my legs will give out any second and that I'm hearing everything underwater," Cain said candidly. "Also, it sounds like you're speaking French, but I'm pretty sure you don't actually speak French and I have no idea what language I'm using right now." He paused, turned around and shone the light onto Abel's chest to gauge his expression. "We are speaking the same language, though, right?"

Cain waited only long enough for an answer before he went back to his search. It seemed to be a sort of employees' lounge, where people could put their clothes or take their breaks. Two doors at the back indicated actual managerial offices that Cain really hoped he wouldn't need to break into because there was absolutely nothing exaggerated about his answer to Abel; it may have, in fact, been something of an understatement. There were some uniforms up on hangers along the wall and he started to dig through the pockets for anything that might be of use. If they were lucky, maybe someone would have forgotten to put away their key on the day before they closed up for renovation.

In the second to last uniform, his hand closed around something rectangular and hard with just enough give in it to get his hopes up. He drew his hand out and focused his light on it, grinning delightedly when he saw what it was: a key. Not that it was guaranteed to be the master that they needed, but chances were high and ever since they had escaped, Cain was really quite happy with their chances.

He turned back around and held it up. "Think I found it."

"We are," Abel answered calmly, a raised eyebrow the only indication that he was wondering about how his brother was still functioning. They were close to resting, so he wasn't going to let him collapse just yet.

At Cain finding the key, he walked over and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder in a comforting manner. If Cain could make it this far, then he could make it to a room. "Then I believe it's time for us to find a room so you can rest."

It was a matter of both determination and practice in equal measure. Cain had been through a lot of things in his years and was also well aware of the danger they were currently evading. It would be insane of him to give up and let himself keel over when they were so close to the finish line. Well, maybe a pit stop. Somewhere to pause and refuel.

At Abel's hand on his shoulder, he beamed over to his brother. Physical interaction wasn't uncommon with them, as it was an easier way to express oneself than using emotions when Abel was still unpracticed with them. However, being comforting in and of itself was something fairly new and he appreciated the gesture for what it was. "Let's go. We can test it, then find someplace in here to hole up. Speaking of up, that's probably the way we should go. High ground, right? Yeah. It'd be better to get some height."

"That was what I was going to suggest," he said. It was good to see that even though Cain was drugged and nearly about to collapse, he was still able to think tactically when he needed to. "It would be wise for us to hurry."

After a quick test of the key to see if it worked--which it did, thankfully for them--Abel took the lead and led Cain up to the top floor, making sure that he didn't fall behind or stumble at any points and if he did, that he would catch him before he rolled down the stairs. He picked a room facing the street and once opening it so that they could enter, Abel left his brother to his own devices while he examined the room and closed the blinds so that nobody could see in, darkening the room so that the only light source was the flashlight.

It wasn't until they got to the room that Cain stumbled. As if a weight had been lifted, he moved over to one of the beds inside and rolled himself onto the heavenly surface of a cheap mattress and scratchy comforter to stare at the popcorn ceiling above of him. He could hear Abel moving around the room and making sure they would be as protected as possible, but everything was getting fairly difficult to concentrate on. Before he would let himself finally succumb, Cain tilted his head toward his brother.

"Tell me we're safe. We can stay here, right?" he asked. If Abel said no, Cain could probably have mustered something up to get going again, but that wasn't a sure thing. He was teetering on the edge and it was so very tempting to leave all the rest to his brother like things had been in lifetimes past. He was so very exhausted, stretched and bent and spent 'til there was almost nothing left.

"We'll be safe here for now," Abel answered calmly as he walked over to the door and locked it. They wouldn't have to worry about anybody just walking in with the help of a key. Abel would have to wait until daybreak to remove the batteries in the keycard lock so that it would add yet another layer of security as they rested.

Once he made sure the door was secured, he sat on the bed Cain occupied and with one swift movement, pulled up Cain's shirt and stabbed him in the chest with one of the knives he had. Despite how he had acted previously, he had been waiting to do this since he escaped. This had just been the first opportunity that he had to finally do it. "Do not forget that I am still angry with you."

Cain had already let his eyes fall shut at Abel's reply, ready to let himself drop. When his brother sat next to him, he made to shift over and give him room in case he wished to stay nearby, then let out an unexpected yell at the sudden pain. His eyes shot back open and he stared up at Abel for a long moment before his face crumpled and he reached out to close his hand around the one his brother was using to hold the knife as if to remind himself who had done the deed.

His head was swimming from the short spike of adrenalin flowing through his nerves, mixing with the tiredness of his body and weariness of his mind. It took a moment for him to suck in a breath around the sting of his brother's anger, but when he finally managed, all he could say was, "I know, Abel."

There was nothing else to say. It was something they needed to face, and he was certain there would be much more serious discussion about it later — Abel was right, however, that the reminder was probably needed. After however long of experiments being run, between indeterminable time unconscious and long hours under the knife, it had been easy to look over the fact that Abel was mad at him and yet had been aiding him out of love. It wasn't mutually exclusive and Cain needed to remember that Abel wanted to distance himself from the foreignness of their relation. That wasn't going to happen, but it did mean a different approach would be needed.

"Good." Now that he had gotten that over with, he wasn't going to have to worry about that for the rest of the trip back to Phoenix. He had got what he needed, getting the chance to vent his anger so that he wouldn't have to dwell on it until they got home.

With two of his main drives gone, the heaviness of his eyes and the pain in his stomach took precedence and it was as if Abel was a puppet that got his strings cut. He collapsed across Cain, the grip on the knife loosening as his eyes closed and what breathing he did slowed considerably. Nearly three thousand years dead without the memories of being alive and he had fallen asleep for the first time.

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Everyone's got their chains to break. [ closed ]

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