Life's Bitter Truth Chapter 5

[darklord22]

Chapter 5: Collateral Damage

?Listen up people?, said Une in a commanding voice, ?here?s the situation so far. The arrest of Agent Yuy is in an off the record holding facility being briefed by Ms. Catalonia. He will be moved to the deemed prison after a staged trial and press conference during which I will leak false information to our media sources. Does everybody understand?? Zech?s, Quatre, Duo, Trowa, and Wufei all nodded with a murmur from Noin and Sally. ?Good? said Une.

There was a knock at the door and a voice declaring there was a package for Quatre. The door then opened and one of the new agents entered with a box. He walked to Quatre in the far left corner of the room and handed him the box then walked out.

?I wonder what could be so important?? Quatre spoke aloud while opening the box. He opened the flaps enough to look inside then dropped it looking up with a pale face and trembling hands.

?What up Quat?? asked Duo who had gotten up and started over to Quatre. He was about four feet away from Quatre when he realized what was wrong. About a foot from where the box was sitting a human head rested, blond hair streaming in all directions and flaps of bloodied skin dangling where the head had been hacked from the body. The left eye had been removed and a small phone put in its place. It was an altogether gruesome spectacle.

?Dor? Dorothy?, Quatre began to stutter, ?No, Dorothy it can?t be? Quatre was in near hysteria. Everyone in the room with- with the exception of Zech?s, who got up to retrieve the head- was silent. Zech?s bent down and grabbed the head but dropped it when the phone in the left eye socket began to ring. He slowly pulled it out and flipped it open ?Hello? he said shakily.

?Shut up and follow my instructions or I?ll be sending another head via first class mail? said a smooth and confident voice. It was a very familiar voice but for some reason Zech?s couldn?t remember where he had heard it. ?Do you have a vid screen where your at?? the voice asked Zech?s.

?Yes there is one here?

?Good, I want you to connect this phone and put me on screen.?

?Wait, who are?? Zech?s began to ask.

?Shut the hell up and do as I said? the voice, still confident and smooth, commanded.

Zech?s handed the phone to Une and told her what to do. He looked around and saw that everyone was still in their own worlds; he also noticed that Quatre had picked up the head and was now sitting on the floor cradling it like a mother holding a child. He turned his attention back to the screen which had just been turned on by Une.

?Hello Zech?s? said the man on the screen, and at that moment Zech?s realized who it was.

?Treice, how could you?? and with that question all eyes in the room turned to the screen.

When Heero awoke all he could feel was pain. His entire body was consumed by an intense throbbing pain that seemed to get worse the more conscious he became. Whatever they had drugged him with was so far having no after effects. Something wet on his wrists and ankles distracted him and it was then that he realized that he was being suspended in the air. His body was in a cross position, stomach down and body about eight feet above the ground. Looking around he quickly realized where the pain was coming from. His body was being held up by four meat hooks, one going through each wrist and one through each ankle.

?Hello Heero,? someone said. He couldn?t tell who it was for the person was in his blind spot and he couldn?t move for the immense pain rushing through his body like bad heroin. ?Can you not see me? Let me move for you?. The figure of a man slowly moved into view and Heero quickly realized who it was.

?John you fucking bastard what have you done with me?? Heero growled, the movement his body was making was enough to cause the hooks to move further up, the pain moved slowly up and down his body, intensifying every second.

?Save some of the pain for later Mr. Yuy? he smiled as he said this. ?Right now your in our main base? as he said that the door to the room opened and four men in olive drabs walked in. ?Your about to be taken to our communications room where you will be enlightened on the full spectrum of things? John said this as he snapped restraints just above the hooks on Heero?s ankles.

There was a noise from a machine and he was slowly lowered to the ground. Heero then saw two of the olive drab men separate each chain, not by taking the hooks out but by undoing the chains from the hooks. After this was done shorter chains were attached to the hooks in his wrists. Each of these chains, which were about five feet in length, was taken by the guards who had unhooked him. He tried to roll and trip up the guards but the other two guards pulled out Tazers and shot the barbs through his back, letting the devices run the full five seconds. This pain was enough to make Heero stop struggling.

John walked up and stood on Heero?s left temple ?Let?s go, keep him awake and in pain.? Each guard gave a salute then the two holding Heero began to drag him out the door by the chains and down a dimly lit corridor, slowing every now and then to let the other two guards Tazer him or to give a good jerk on the chains causing the holes made by the hooks to grow slightly larger.

Finally after about three minuets of twisting in and out of corridors they arrived at their destination. One of the guards with the Tazers knocked and the door was opened. When they entered Heero was immediately put onto another set of chains and suspended from the ceiling. He was able to see all of their equipment. His attention was immediately focused on the video screen and the man standing in front of it, but when he was who was on the screen his entire grasp of reality changed. Pictured on the screen was Zechs, and what he had to say shook Heero up the most.

?Treice, how could you?? this is what Heero heard Zechs say. It shook him up so bad that he didn?t even hear the door open nor did he see the other figure walk in. His head was spinning too much for him to even care.

?How could I do what Zechs?? he seemed to be smiling while he said this. ?You of all people should know Zechs that being dead changes people. I guess it just leaves you with too much time to think.? He began to turn around but stopped to add something to his speech. ?Is my dear lady there Zechs??

?Yes, I?m here Treice? Colonel Une said with a shaky voice from the background.

?My dear lady, they say you don?t learn life?s lesson until you?re gone. But that doesn?t mean you can?t learn it from the departed.? He was now smiling ?The bitter truth of this fucked up life is this, peace is for the dead.? With that he gave instructions to John who was standing in the back to give their demands, then left the room.

John came into Heero?s view as he walked towards the front of the room. ?Bring the view into full focus so they can see their two most beloved people fall? he said, then smiling, he looked at one of the guards who had brought Heero in and said ?Bring the other prisoner in, and make sure to roughen her up a bit.? The guard saluted the left.

John then turned to the screen and asked that they put their image into full focus as well which was complied to. Heero was now able to see who all was in the room with Zechs and Une. Just then the door behind Heero opened and the sound of somebody being dragged into the room could be heard. Heero could see the figure of a person being dragged around him then strapped to a set of hand and leg braces attached to the ground below him.

?Turn on the lights? said John, ?It?s time for the Preventers to see their beloved prisoners fall to shit?.