Nineteen

[maderr]

Chapter Nineteen


Planet 00000000 (Zero), Alexander Private Estate

"You look so unhappy, Blue." Jade clucked reprovingly at his brother. "Really, such a face you make. So uncalled for. Especially as in a very short while you will be free to go."

Cyan looked warily at his brother from where he was curled up in a chair by a sealed off window, an electronic book forgotten in his lap. "And why are you bothering to say something like that? We both know very good and well that you're not going to just let me leave. I'm not stupid."

"Personally, I think you're very stupid. And cowardly. And foolish and weak." Pink nails flashed brightly as he held his fingers to his lips, suppressing his own laughter. "Don't like what I have to say, Blue?"

Sighing, Cyan set his book aside and stood so that Jade couldn't trap him in his seat. "Better a coward and a fool, Jade, than the monster you've become. Though personally," he mocked, "I think you've always been a monster."

"What would you know? Mom's precious little boy who could do no wrong, and was so sweet and nice to everyone, so generous and easy with his smiles."

"Come off it," Cyan said in disgust. "That's as untrue as all your other flights of fancy. So maybe I was the doted upon little kid - you were their damn shining star and everyone knew it. If you're going to bitch about me, at least find something real to complain about."

"You mean like the fact that you're a coward?"

"You keep calling me that - does that we mean you're in the mood to rehash the old argument?" Cyan moved to the side and way as Jade stalked toward him. "I thought it bored you."

"It does, but you anger me more than it bores me. You walked out on me, walked out on mom and dad!"

Anger began to override Cyan's fear of his brother, "I didn't walk out on them! You're the one who's betraying their memory, not me."

"Yes," Jade sneered. "I'm betraying them. I'm not who changed my name, and left home to hide away in Rehab to avoid doing what I should be doing."

"I'm not hiding, damn you! Why can't you understand that?" Cyan was as miserable as he was angry. "Mom and dad just wanted us to be happy. Do you think you're happy like this? Living your whole damn life for revenge? And what do you plan on doing when you're done? Tell me that!"

"Like you have reason to lecture me. Just admit it, Cyan! You slunk off because you're too much of a damned coward to help me hunt down their killers. And you slunk off to Rehab to make yourself feel better."

"No I didn't!"

"YES!" Jade snarled back, "You did. You could have done anything with your training, but instead you went to hide away and watch over prisoners because you're too much a coward to become a merc, or an officer, and track down the criminals themselves. You could have done either of those, and been commended for it. Instead you're just a pissy little guard, doing the easy job and leaving the catching and sentencing to others. Just admit it."

"So what!" Cyan roared miserably. "Mom and dad wanted us to be happy. How often did they say that? With their meetings and parties and myriad obligations. They didn't want us to get dragged into it unless we wanted - over and over they told us to what we wanted, to be happy. Sure," he raked a hand through his hair. "I could have stayed and helped you. I could have been a merc or an authority and hunted down bad guys - but I didn't want to. I'm no hero, and as much as I wish we could have found their killers - what kind of life is that? Dad and mom told us over and over and over again - do what makes us happy. So what if that's what I chose to do? It that's what makes me a coward, then fine. I'll be a fucking coward."

"Funny, you don't look so happy."

"That's because you've succeeded in making my life quite miserable," Cyan said dully as Jade drew close, not even resisting as his brother manhandled him, nails biting painfully into the still-healing wounds on his neck. He stared into his brother's eyes, "You're trying to hurt my best friend, you've already killed my lover," he choked on the word, voice full of pain, "You're threatening Alice and you're probably going to kill me before the day is out. You're all the family I have left, Jade. And every day something forces me to remember that you hate me. I was as happy as I could be, and now you've taken all that from me."

"You could just stop being a coward and help me. If you'd quite being stubborn, we could be family again. And I wouldn't have to kill you."

Cyan gasped briefly in pain at the force of his brother's. "You could give up your scheming and be my brother again. You're never going to find their killer - why not let it rest?"

"Because I have found their killer, you little fool."

Cyan went still. "W-what? How? Who?"

"Cohen did it."

Already pale from pain, Cyan faded to a ghostly white. "That. That. That can't be, Jade. You've got to be mistaken."

Impatient with the protests, Jade threw his brother to the floor, waiting until his coughing had subsided to speak. "I'm not mistaken. I've checked over and over again. And then I repeated the process."

"But that just can't be…" Cyan looked up his brother, horrified and still pale. "Gory did it? No! NO! I refuse to believe that. You're just toying with me." He shuddered. "Gory was dad's best friend. There's no way he killed them."

Jade stared at his brother dispassionately, "Believe it. The High Chancellor is a back stabbing bastard, and I'll do whatever it takes to bring him down - including killing you, if that's what it takes."

Cyan shuddered again, "Killing me isn't necessary. You just can't stand the thought of me around because I betrayed you almost the same as Gory has apparently betrayed our parents." He looked at Jade, "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"I am positive."

"Then just…just…" Cyan looked as if it hurt to speak. "Just let it go, Jade."

Jade narrowed his eyes.

"Please. Exacting revenge on Gory won't bring mom and dad back. It won't change or improve or solve anything. He'll get his eventually - why waste you're life on it? If you have evidence, turn him in. Just let it go." He gasped in pain, but didn't fall from his kneeling position, as Jade backhanded him.

"How dare you say such a thing. And here I came to give you one last chance to see reason."

"I'm not the one who needs to see it."

"Indeed. Well - all traitors deserve to die. If I don't hear from Val in another hour or so - you'll be the first traitor I kill. And you can see your lover in hell, and if the mutant doesn't show up shortly thereafter - Alice will be joining you as well." Jade eyed his brother one last time, then turned on his heel and strode toward the door.

"How? Why?" Cyan asked. "You have to tell me that much."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Jade said coldly, pausing. "And do you really have to ask? As long as father was around, Cohen was only ever going to be second best. I guess he decided that wasn't good enough." He resumed walking.

"So what are you going to do to him?"

Again Jade paused, turning to look at his brother. "I'm going to ruin him. Ruin his position, his power, his standing - his life. He'll be tried for everything, and stew in Rehab the rest of his life. And while he's in there stewing, I'll ruin the rest of his family and friends, so he can hear about it and suffer that much more. I'm going to make his life the living hell mine has been since he ordered mom and dad killed. It's a pity you couldn't just stay where you were - you might've gotten to be the one that locked him away. Hell - you might have even been one of the team to go in and remove some of the criminal elements holed up in that godforsaken rock you worked on, after they get 'caught' by the IG. But I guess we'll never know."

"What?" Cyan asked, confused.

"Nothing. Now, I'm going to go see if Val has successfully retrieved your friend and his Draconis. If they're anything like you, they should be waiting for me."

"No!" Cyan was suddenly a blur of motion. "You can't - what do you want with them? Damn it, Jade!" He latched onto his brother before he could leave, jerking him back into the room.

And earned an angry Jade for his trouble. His brother wasn't typically given to violence - but for Cyan he'd ever made an exception. "You forget yourself, Blue." Jade deflected blows that had crumpled more than a few uncooperative prisoners, lashing out with several of his own, nails raking down one bared arm, as Cyan had earlier stripped down to a tank-top. "I'm the one that first taught you to fight," he feinted, then spun and slammed down hard on the back of Cyan's head.

His dropped to the floor, and Jade dragged him back to the bed. Smoothing his robes and tidying his hair, making sure the dark pink ribbon securing his long braid was still neatly in place, Jade cleaned his nails on a handkerchief as he stalked from the room.

Outside, he paused to reinsert his In-lens. His brother's room had been shut off from any form of communication and most devices - even stunners wouldn't work in the dampened room. And the power keeping his room lit was from an independent source, so even that could not be tampered with. Which Cyan had no doubt discovered, a thought that made Jade smile.

He'd hoped Cyan would see reason, but hadn't actually believed he would. People couldn't change their natures, after all. And his brother's nature was that of a cowardly fool.

So be it. He was the last worthy Alexander.

Jade stalked down the hallway, completely oblivious to the lush trappings of his once happy family home. Once friends and guests and servants had strode these same halls; the house had seldom been completely empty.

They were empty now; Jade had permitted little beyond momentary visits. Most of the time, his house was empty, and cleaned by special robots under his exclusive control. The house might be cold and empty, but it was safe and controllable, and that was far more important.

He frowned, flicking through messages for one from Val. He'd told the man he would be out of touch for a while, and that he should leave a message. Nothing. Jade took a left at the end of the hall, going into the eastern wing of the house rather than downstairs as he'd originally intended. Something had gone wrong, and he was none to pleased about it.

Striding into the communication center, he took a seat at the main console and punched up the Dragonfly, sending a request to speak - he avoided speaking live as much as possible.

No answer.

Jade frowned, and punched a button to speak. "Dragonfly, this is base. Answer me."

No reply.

Then a woman's voice spoke up, "I'm sorry, the Dragonfly is currently unable to respond."

"Who is this?"

"Victoria, of the Brilliant."

Jade snarled and cut off communications. "What's going on here?" He punched in a new series of numbers on the console, waiting impatiently for Val to pick up his private comm unit. But there was no reply.

Surging to his feet, Jade abandoned the communications room and strode back the way he'd come. "Bastards. I'm not that stupid." His fingers went immediately to the stunner hidden beneath his elaborate-looking thigh-length robes, then moved to touch the knife also stowed away out of sight. "A rescue mission is it? We'll just see."