Gears anxiously tracked Azazel, trying to judge how much time Wagner and Virus had. Gears hastily altered the cameras to make it look like Wagner was walking Virus back to the procedure room. They needed to be where Azazel saw them if he went looking. What were they doing? Gears tried to reach to Virus and Wagner with a little more urgency. They needed to do something, to move. Gears paced again. Fuck. This wasn’t good. He debated leaving his cell, seeing the plan to play along didn’t seem to be happening. The door was unlocked after all. Seeing them leave the procedure room, Gears made his decision. He reached to the shapeshifter disguised as a guard outside his door. The guard turned suddenly, opening fire on the other guards in the hall. Virus moves into the holding cells and arch a brow to the dead guards. “Huh…” he smirk and moves through. He knew gears cell was unlocked, he go to bex cell. Gears stepped out of his cell as the others approached, nodding to the guard outside before he looked to Virus.
Bex huddled in his cell hugging his knees with his face buried in them.
Virus open the cell “24” he say. Moving into the cell “you didn’t think we were done with you. Noooo…not even close ” He grinned “take him to the combat area and let 1-2 and 3-3 practice with him.” He ordered the shifter guard. Stepping back “anyone sees azazel tell him he better leave.” Bex looked up as he heard his name called, his eyes widening in fear at his words. The shifter guard nodded, stepping into the cell, grabbing 24 by one of his horns, dragging him up to his feet and out of the cell.
“Your memories are back?” Wagner asked.
Virus stepped out and stared at Wagner “you’re adorable love.” He smiled and move to gears “figure while we handle Azazel. Bex can be torture some. Gears let 1-2 and 3-3 know they can do whatever to 24. As a reward from me to them for how proud i am.” He knew how to work them. Gears shook his head at Wagner’s stupidity, smiling a little. He was an idiot but he belonged to them.
“Perfect.” Gears smiled, reaching to 1-2 and 3-3 and relaxing Virus’ instructions and praise to them. “There, they’ve been alerted.” Gears said.
Virus grinned “good….” he looks to Wagner “we should make copies of the vids of 24 to watch. Be so romantic.” Gears nodded, sensing the shapeshifters in the monitor room and Voltaire’s word to them, ordering them to stand down.
“That would be wonderful to watch together with you both.” Wagner grinned at his words.
Voltaire apears “charming and all that but you lot need to go to Wagner office. A meeting is in order.” He stared at virus.
Virud watched Voltaire confused “what meeting.”
Wagner blinked in surprise as Voltaire appeared. “Meeting?”
Voltaire sighs “as much as making this lab independent would be fun….Azazel boss is not pne to cross and little one you are not ready. You barely know your full function. Learn your skills then think of taking labs.” Looking at all three of them. Gears watched Voltaire silently, trying to gauge his intentions.
Wagner smiled uncomfortably tight at the mention of Azazel and his boss. Gears didn’t like the sound of that, he was so tempted to drop the mass of nanites he’d been collecting above the angel’s cell straight onto Azazel’s toy. He held off for now, but he wanted to badly. “Fine…” Wagner growled.
Voltaire and Virus had a stare off for a moment. Before Virus just huff “very well.”
Voltaire chuckle some ” I’ll see you there.” He disappeared in fire.
Virus looks to Gears and Wagner ” don’t worry, I still plan to take the labs.”
“Ugh.. great.” Wagner sighed once Voltaire vanished. He knew Voltaire was right, but he wasn’t happy about it. Gears nodded, he had utmost faith in Virus. Wagner less so, but his stupidity was cute in the way one might look at an especially unintelligent puppy.
“Right. We just need to bide our time.” Wagner nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Let’s see what the goat wants then.”
Virus nods to them and turns to walk off “fear not love we will get your soul back.”
Wagner nodded as he followed, “Thank you. I know you will.” He said gratefully. He knew he had no hope of getting it back on his own. He’d have to depend on Virus for that. Gears nodded as he walked beside them, casting a glare at Mariel’s cell as he passed.
Bex was dragged to one of the combat arena entrances and shoved inside to wait for 1-2 and 3,-3. Bex looked around the arena, he’d need to think quick, knowing the ones Virus had ordered to do as they wish with him would soon be on the hunt. He turned himself into a mouse, scurrying from source of cover to source of cover, trying to find a good spot to defend himself from. He’d just scurried beneath a stairwell in one of the buildings when he could make out the distant slam of the doors on the other side of the arena closing. He wasn’t alone.
1-2 looked out over the combat arena, smiling wide. Virus was proud of them, was rewarding them for their good work. “Now, where is 24…?” He smirked.
3-3 nodded, eager to torment 24 as soon as they could corner him. “I’ll bait him out, you lull him into submission and then we’ll have some fun.”
“Let’s not lull him too quickly, I want to see the fear in his eyes. To hear him scream and beg in terror.” 1-2 chuckled.
“Very well. I’ll flush him out and then the fun begins.” 3-3 nodded, starting off at an calm walk, smelling for the other shapeshifter as he moved among the buildings.
There was no way out, not as long as Virus wanted him in here. It was fight or be tortured without a fight, and he wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction. He remembered the form his body had taken when Azazel ordered him to ravage Virus and Wagner. That form was strong, durable. He needed that now. He crawled out from the stairs to the center of the building and began to shift into the form he’d taken earlier with a bit of concentration. Bex waited still and silent once the transformation had finished. He could feel the vibrations of 3-3’s steps as he walked with the crystal spines on his back. Calculating the distance. He’d have to time it just right. When 3-3 walked along the outside wall of the building he was in Bex sank to all fours, aiming his horns at the wall. He charged, managing to catch 3-3 off guard as he busted through the wall. 3-3 tried to move but one of Bex’s horns caught him in the chest. Bex roared, continuing his charge, slamming 3-3 through several more buildings.
1-2 grinned at the cloud of dust being kicked up in the distance. “There you are.” He smirked. 3-3 scrambled, phasing himself off Bex’s horn. Bex notices instantly, turning with a growl as 3-3 rose from where he’d dropped off behind him.
“Good first move, at least you’re making it fun unlike that other sniveling shifter I killed here.” 3-3 chuckled as he faced 24. Bex didn’t respond as 3-3 spoke, trying to feel out everything this new form could do. 3-3 didn’t give him long to think, charging at 24 as blade like bones sprouted from 3-3’s arms. 3-3 slashed at him but the crystals didn’t give as Bex and 3-3 clashed. 3-3 aimed a blow for one of Bex’s eyes but Bex was quick to deflect, whipping his tail around and sent 3-3 flying with the force of the impact. Bex gave chase, pouncing on 3-3 as the other shifter skidded to a haul, not hesitating to pin 3-3’s arms with his massive limbs. He opened his jaws, ready to tear 3-3 to shreds but 3-3 thought fast, sprouting a spine of bone that lodged into Bex’s eye. Bex reeled back in a shriek of pain, giving 3-3 time to scramble away and try to regroup. Growing tired of waiting 1-2 started in the direction of the chaos. It looked like 24 was actually giving 3-3 a challenge.
Bex shook his head, pawing at his snout to get the bone loose from his eye. He growled, fixing his remaining eye on 3-3.
3-3 smirked but was panting a bit from the scuffle. “C’mon 24, you can do better than that.” He taunted. 24 was angry now. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want any of this. He couldn’t do anything to Virus or Wagner or Azazel, but he could destroy the creature in front of him. He braced as though about to charge once more, but instead opened his jaw wide. The shift in tactics caught 3-3 off guard and he couldn’t move fast enough to avoid the beam of searing plasma that left Bex’s jaws. It left a scorched path of destruction all the way to the reinforced walls and even the outer layer of the wall melted a little from the heat. Bex didn’t give 3-3 time to regenerate, pouncing on the scorched body of the other shapeshifter, tearing chunks out of him, devouring him.
“Looks like you could use some help, 3-3.” 1-2 smirked at the half-dead shifter beneath Bex as he approached. 1-2 and 3-3 got the command from Gears, 1-2’s mouth pulled into a snarl.
“No more dicking around. It’s time for you to suffer.” 1-2 hissed. As if to prove he wasn’t afraid Bex lunged his jaws down around 3-3’s head and bit down, shaking the body viciously like a monitor lizard until the head came free. Whipping his head to throw the mangled remains of 3-3’s skull at 1-2’s feet.
“Idiot.” 1-2 mutterd as he looked at the mangled head. “Well I’ll have some fun for myself while 3-3 regenerates.”
Bex roared and turned to charge 1-2 but the other shifter began to sing. Bex skidded to a halt in front of 1-2, growling as his mind went foggy. 1-2 smirked as he continued singing, moving closer to the crystalline beast in front of him. Without breaking his melody he swiped his fingers over his own tongue, sliding his hand into 24’s mouth and swiping his saliva against 24’s tongue. 1-2 stopped his singing once he had 24 under the effect of his saliva, “Turn back to your humanoid form.” He ordered. Bex did as instructed, his form shrinking until he was on all fours in his human form before 1-2.
“You look good like that, 24.” 1-2 smirked, pulling Bex’s head up and spitting into his mouth for good measure to be sure he stayed nice an obedient before he moved to circle 24.
“Yes, so much better like this.” 1-2 nodded to himself as he debated how best to torment 24. As he circled back around to the front of him he traced 24’s face with his talons, dragging hard enough to leave thin scratches.
“I’m going to paint my feathers with your blood.” 1-2 purred, “Maybe I’ll pleasure myself with your guts while I do.. or I could have your skull like Wagner was going to do to Virus. This eye is already damaged.” He pressed his talon into the eye Bex was bleeding from to keep the wound from healing too quick. He pulled his talon out and moved again, circling behind him. “Be a shame not to use you while you’re on your hands and knees for me.” He dug his talons into Bex’s shoulders as he grabbed them, his hind talons digging into Bex’s calves as 1-2 pressed himself to Bex’s back. Bex didn’t make a sound, frozen as 1-2 manhandled him. 1-2 raked his talons down Bex’s back, shredding his shirt and leaving bloody gashes in their wake. He tore at his clothes viciously until he had enough of him exposed to his satisfaction.
“Worthless failure! Failure! FAILURE!” 1-2 yelled at Bex. He grabbed his arms and pinned them behind 24’s back, pressing his face into the dust and debris on the ground. He wanted him to suffer. He curled his tail feathers downward as he pressed his member to Bex’s hole, pushing the tip inside. “Now 24, I want you to be aware but you can’t move your limbs or shift, understand?” Bex blinked as he came back to awareness, he tried to throw the other shifter off him, feeling the tip of 1-2’s shaft in him, trying to move or shift more crystal spines to his back but body wouldn’t respond.
“There now. Look at you completely helpless. ” 1-2 crooned, slowly working the tip of his ridged shaft in and out of him.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Bex snarled against the concrete. If he could convince 1-2 to let him struggle he might have a chance.
“Awfully difficult to kill me when you can’t move.” 1-2 cackled, “And 3-3 will be back soon to help me break you.”
“Coward!” Bex snapped, trying to bait 1-2 into letting him struggle, “Too weak to handle me without your tricks?”
“No, just not stupid like you.” 1-2 grinned, gripping Bex’s wrists hard as he pushed the rest of the shaft into him with a hard buck of his hips. Bex tried not to scream but a strangled sound slipped out through his clenched teeth.
“No… you’re weak… and pathtic.. at least 3-3 could handle a fight.” Bex spat, looking at 1-2 with his undamaged eye.
As much as 1-2 knew what 24 was trying to do but the words still dug at him. Bex could see it in the other shapeshifter’s face in his peripheral vision.
“I. Am. Not. Weak!” 1-2 yelled, thrusting hard with each word. Bex could feel the delicate membranes of his gut tearing, sending a fresh wave of pain that pulled a real scream from him.
“Ngh… You are… Too weak.. to even let me… struggle.. in this form…” Bex strained out, trying to focus past the pain, adding to twist the knife that bit extra, “Virus must be… disappointed to have… a coward like you.. working for him.”
“You want to struggle, fine! Struggle for all the good it will do you, but you may not shift.” 1-2 snarled, releasing 24’s wrists and sinking his talons into his hips, establishing a punishing rhythm as he thrusted into 24.
That was exactly what Bex was hoping for. Not to give away his plan he clawed at the ground, trying pointlessly to pull himself away from 1-2, making it look as though he intended to earnestly struggle.
“Hah, now who’s pathetic. All that begging and you can’t even do anything.” 1-2 cackled.
Bex curled his arms in, burying his head in them as though to sob, using the movement to conceal his hands. As Voltaire had said, what was the point of the bond if he didn’t use it to the best of his ability.
“Awww giving up already? Go ahead, weep, no one will save you.” 1-2 laughed cruelly, feeling triumphant. Unaware of Bex flexing his concealed fingers. Bex let himself weep, to make the act convincing, but his thoughts were focused on Stahs memories and knowledge of blood magic.
“Yes, cry, 24! Howl in agony and despair!” 1-2 said gleefully. That glee suddenly disappeared as the spell Bex was weaving took hold and forced him to stillness. “What?!”
“Sucks being helpless, doesn’t it?” Bex chuckled darkly, turning his head to look at 1-2 with his undamaged eye, the other eye almost healed now. Bex moved his fingers, forcing 1-2’s mouth shut, and then to release his grip and pull out of him, shuddering at the sensations and the blood that trickled down his thighs.
“I’m done playing with you two. Done with being this lab’s damnit dog!” Bex snarled as he braced his free hand against the ground, pushing himself to his feet unsteadily, keeping his other hand flexed as he held 1-2 in place. Bex glared angrily at 1-2 and the remains of 3-3 which were nearly reassembled. He narrowed his eyes, moving his fingers sharply and 1-2 exploded in a shower of blood in all directions, coating Bex from head to toe in the spray.
“Fuck this place.” Bex hissed, he moved to what was left of 1-2’s body. He looked to 3-3’s reassembling body, focusing his magic there now and ripping the blood that was trying to return back out of 3-3’s body. He stood panting a moment in the devastation before moving to 1-2’s bloodless body and tearing off a chunk, eating it as he moved over to 3-3 to do the same. He’d take their forms too if that’s how they wanted to act. When he finished eating the mouthfuls of flesh he set about ripping the corpses up further, trying to make sure they’d take as long as possible regenerating. Bex finished dismembering and hurling limbs and chunks of flesh and bones in as many directions as he could he sank down to his knees in the mess. He looked at 1-2’s dismembered head, the only thing he hadn’t thrown as far as he could from himself yet. Shaking, he screamed incoherently at the head in a blind rage. Reeling back he turned one of his hands into a sledgehammer and brought it down on 1-2’s head as hard as he could.