EPIC SIDESTORY: LOVER'S DUEL CONTINUED

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

[Pain got a call from Viper fifty minutes ago telling him to show up for a fight or he'd kill Alek.]

[Forty minutes ago, Pain called his 'nephew' Ocelot for help and started a plan.]

[Twenty-five minutes ago, The Pain used Mantis to find the Sorrow and figured out the plan.]

[And now he's waiting for Sorrow to report back on the state of Viper's traps before he goes to confront him. He's going to rescue Alek, no matter what he has to do.]

[The Pain is here. The Pain is not happy.]

[The Pain is ready.]



((for actuallyhornets , donttripwire , old_gunslinger , a_sign_of_rain  and hall_patrol ))

Comments

[coveredinmeeeee.livejournal.com]

[Did you know that hornets are fast? They are. The giant Asian hornet is known for it's speed, although not nearly as well as it is for being enormous and having flesh-melting stings.]

[Viper may notice as the hornets start stinging that he is in incredible pain. These hornets have one of the most painful--and deadly--stings of any kind of wasp, bee or hornet.]

[There are thousands of them. They swarm over Viper, crawling and stinging every inch of skin they can find at their master's command.]

[They won't stop. Killing them only encourages them. What will Viper do now?]

[donttripwire.livejournal.com]

[He'll scream, find his mouth full of hornets and his world full of pain, and collapse to the ground before he reaches the door. His last half thought is the crushing knowledge that he has failed all over again.]

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

...Well fought, warrior.

[He stalks over to Viper's body and closes the bulging, teary eyes. Ignoring the horrified looks he knows he's getting from Ocelot and Alek, he looks up and finds Viper's ghost lurking over his body.]

I hope that in your next life, we do not have to be enemies.

[donttripwire.livejournal.com]

[The ghost refuses to look and fades swiftly into the ceiling.]

[old-gunslinger.livejournal.com]

[Listening for an end to the commotion, Ocelot returns from leaving Alek with the Sorrow at their rear position to find...]

...huh, a fitting turn-out.

[He looks to Pain.]

Well?

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

[He turns to look at Ocelot; when he speaks, his voice is still and quiet.]

He's dead. I don't think we'll have to worry too much about him after this, but it remains to be seen.

[He looks down at Viper.]

I can understand where he was coming from; I was quite upset when I found out Sorrow died. Wish he'd just asked; I would have come to fight him.

We should do something about the body.

[He stares down for a moment, then looks back up.]

How's Alek?

[old-gunslinger.livejournal.com]

[Well he can see the dead part. He more meant where Pain was at, psychologically... But he can infer that part from the rest of what his uncle says.]

There was a problem with the extraction, so he seems to be paralyzed. My apologies. It should wear off, however, and otherwise he seems to be... stable. Certainly at no great risk at present.

[Ocelot left him his coat before coming in. He'll spare Pain the lecture about wanting it back washed.]

If we're done here, it would be best to retreat now. My father being less than corporate at the moment, I'll require your help to move Alek back to the theater.

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

Not hurt otherwise?

[His eyes light up.]

Good.

[He grabs his bag and pulls out a lighter and gasoline; hornets swarm inside it to check on the queens and larvae inside.]

I'm going to burn the body in the room. It should only take a moment.

[He picks up Viper's body carefully, then takes it inside the torture room. He pours the gasoline, then sets the lighter to it; Viper's body goes up in flame.]

[He steps outside.]

We can go now.

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

[Although properly appreciative of the jacket Ocelot had left him, Alek is not, in general, feeling all that good. He's just been left lying paralyzed on the floor; bound, gagged and blindfolded.]

[All in all, he is really not pleased with things.]

[old-gunslinger.livejournal.com]

[Quit whining. Ocelot was going to get to it. Eventually. Or maybe not. He was brought in for target extraction, not hospitality.]

[To Pain, as he steps over Alek] Care to take his arms? You said we had a medic waiting at the theater, correct?

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

She should be there, yes. I'm untying him now.

[He kneels and cradles Alek in one arm.]

I'm taking the tape off. This may hurt.

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

[That actually does hurt quite a bit, and he illustrates that with a few quiet Russian curses after Pain pulls off the tape.]

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

Blindfold or hands next?

[He's already starting to unwrap the tape around Alek's hands, where it doesn't stick to skin.]

[old-gunslinger.livejournal.com]

[Ocelot eyes this warily. He hasn't forgotten what Pain mentioned in the infirmary, about this man being involved during the Tanker Incident...]

We can save that for later, can't we?

[This modest effort to save them all a headache is surely made in vain.]

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

[Other than the occasionally muttered curse, he doesn't react to either Pain or the mystery person. It seems like all he can do now is talk and blink his eyes.]

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

...you may have a point. Keeping his arms like that would probably prevent any further damage to the tendons. We should wait until the paralyzing powder wears off.

[He curls Alek into the coat and kisses him on the forehead, then in a monumentally clueless move pulls off the blindfold.]

You're safe. We're getting a doctor right now, alright?

[He picks Alek up bridal-style and turns to Ocelot.]

Let's go before evil me shows up. I don't need more fighting now.

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

[He's not pleased when Pain fails to remove the tape from his hands, but that thought disappears pretty quickly when he turns around, bring him (almost) face to face with...]

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

...

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

...

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

SHALASHASKA!

[old-gunslinger.livejournal.com]

[Face. Palm.]

This is going to be brilliant...

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

...Huh?

I thought you were working with him....?

[So. Confused. And possibly will go back to being angry in a minute or two.]

[hall-patrol.livejournal.com]

He is traitor, what you are doing!? He kill my first commander and try to kill us all! You cannot trust him!

[He eyes Ocelot nervously, unable to comprehend what he was doing here anyway.]

[actuallyhornets.livejournal.com]

...what?

[His eyes narrow.]

Ocelot, I want an explenation. Now. Or I'll use the cute icon again.

[He starts walking quickly, then turns and looks back at Ocelot.]

Come on. Evil Pain may come back and we don't want to be here then.

[old-gunslinger.livejournal.com]

[Damn it, uncle. Ocelot should really dig his heels in and say his business with the man is done, but he feels himself getting led along anyway. Someone will need to press the button for the elevator.]

I've done plenty that I'm not-- no longer proud of. If your friend is looking for reparations we can talk about that once we're out of the hallways. It's not important right now.