ZRP-2: Chapter 4, Backtracking

(James)
=Standing up, I gently held her chin, tilting her face to look at me=
"Are you cool?"

=I wasn't asking about her popularity. I needed to know if she was level=

Hibiki sighed, then pressed against James.
She nodded.
"I am."

Eve was slapped and kicked. But she wasn't eating something that smelled disgusting.

(James)
=Gently, I kissed the top of her head=
"Good. That's the only way we're going to get them back."

(Sam)
=Someone grabbed me by the hair, and lifted me to my feet and planted me in the chair again, tying me up=

*Raider*
"Don't like our hospitality? I"m hurt."

Hibiki didn't move
"We will get them." She stated.

Eve was again lifted and dropped into a chair.
Oh look.
A knife.
How original.
"How would you like a haircut sweetie?"
"I'd like it a bit shorter. Less likely to poke your eyes out of course, but hey. Beggers can't be choosers."
Scowling, he painfully sawed off Eve's hair, until it was a bit above her shoulder. "What now?"
"Much better. I can't do anything with my hair. Unless you got Loreal. Cause I am so worth it."

The man backed away. "What the fuck are you?"
"I am an asari who underwent plastic surgery. Too bad I only bang Commander Shepard. Sadly...you ain't my Shepard. No red hair."

(James)
=I simply held her closer, letting her soft hair press against my face=
"Yes we will."

(Sam)
"Well then why don't you let me go and I'll ease the pain."

*Raider*
=His eyes flashed with anger, as he hit her again=

The raider finally crossed his arms.
"Maybe you need to be taught a lesson..." he smirked. "How does a lesson in love sound? My bed is nice and soft."

Eve rolled her eyes. "I've heard better pick up lines from old timers."

The man kicked her chair onto it's back, cracking her head on the floor. "Maybe I'll just take it by force."

That shut Eve up.

"It's not safe in the battle anywhere. I mean, I'm not even safe."

Then again, nobody will actually be safe. Not even before the outbreak.

"Now that I think about. It would be good for you to come.'

(Jenny)

I grin and lay back.

"I knew I would get my way."

"Heh, sure you did."

I lean back into the chair, taking off my hat and running my hand through it. I stop at my neck and let it rest there. Kind of at a loss of what to say.
So it was time for random! At least, that's what my brother say at a time like this.

"Hey, what's your favorite color?"

(Sam)
=I was actually quite proud of myself, having held out under this. Granted, I'm sure there was more they could do, and more that they would do, even without electricity. But I knew that no matter what, I couldn't tell them anything. I suddenly felt the bonds on my wrist coming loose, and then someone grabbed a hold of me, lifting me to my feet from the hair on my head=

*Raider*
"Come on. There's someone else who's proving a pain in our ass, won't share a thing. So maybe all we need to do is...show her she's not alone. And maybe put on a show for her."

(Sarah)

=I look to Miranda=

Could you let me go, please? You're kind of crushing me.

=I smile, showing that I was only teasing. I gave her that look I often gave Andrew when we were kids=

(Andrew)

=I chuckle a bit when she gave Mira that face=

Try and say no to that face...it's hard to do that...

=I just sit and watch, my face one of amusement =

(Sam)
=They dragged me out of the room, and through the hall. As I was shepherded, I did my best to get a good look at the interior, every corner and door. If I could get out when they let their guard down, maybe I could find a way out. They opened another door, shoved me through, and I found that the room was already occupied. There was another Raider inside.....along with Eve=
"Eve?"

=That was all I could say before a hand clamped down around my jaw, squeezing hard and squishing my lips together=

*Raider*
"Now, it seems your friend here is a bit of a masochist. Youngest member of the BDSM crowd I've ever seen. But I wonder how well she...or you, can handle watching the other one in pain."

(Jenny)

I look over with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm... green."

Eve looked at Sam. She couldn't survive it.
"Don't hurt her!" She cried. "Do it to me."

Eve gave Sam the look. The one that reminded Sam, that Eve had survived shit Sam onlg had nightmares about.
The look of someone taking the bullet without hesitation.
The look of apology, for everything.

And, of course, love. Because Eve can't look at Sam without a bit of love in her eyes.

*Raider*
=He smiled, eyes gleaming with victory=
"And now, we have our point of attack."

=And then without warning, he wrapped his hands around Sam's neck, and began to squeeze=

(Sam)
=Bands of iron wrapped around my throat and I gasped for air. I thought he was going to choke the life out of me, but then he sat me down in another chair, opposite Eve, and had me tied up=

*Raider*
"Now, lets get this show on the road."

"SAM!" she involuntarily cried. "Don't!"

She somewhat calmed down...but while outwardly she was a scared little girl...inside?
They were just fueling the fire of the inner motherfucking Cyborg Ninja Commando.

=The torture proceeded slowly, as if they enjoyed toying with her. First, they cut off whole chunks of her hair, leaving it uneven, and ragged. Then they cut her more, shallow cuts along her chest and stomach though they were careful not to damage "the goods." She whimpered in pain, and humiliation at being displayed like this to Eve, being tortured and mutilated in front of her. But even then, she was defiant=

(Sam)
"Eve...no matter what, tell them nothing."

The cuts she stood.
The inappripriate remarks.
They just cut off her hair. Her fucking hair.
Fucking with Eve's hair was no prob.
Cutting Sam's?

"Oh. I will talk. Because, after I ram this asshole's knife through his throat...well...let's go with this. You let us go. You all get a chance to run. That's it; that is the ene. You all will not die. You see, I have a prticular set of skills. Skills honed through shit you. Might believe. Which means, I am a fucking nightmare. But if you do not let us go, I swear, I will hunt every single one of you down after Asshole One dies, and I will kill you."

"I had you figured for orange. Maybe blue."

I shrug and bring my elbows to my knees, letting my head rest in my hands.

"Sorry. I don't know what couples will usually talk about."

(Jenny)

I look at him and laugh.

"Probably the same that other people talk about. The way I see it is your boyfriend is.. well your boyfriend but also your best friend."

I get up and walk over, sitting in front of him.

"It doesn't change how we talked before, but adds in new things to talk and do together. If that makes any sense?"

=One of the raiders gagged Eve to shut her up=

*Raider*
"Now, 'Eve.' If you decide to actually tell us anything useful, just nod your head. In the meantime, we're just going to keep having some fun with your friend here."
=He placed a hand on Sam's chest, groping her breasts even as she made sounds of protest=

"And I can think of all kinds of ways to have fun with her, even if she is a little damaged."

Eve had one trick left.
Through the gag, Eve began to hum "It's a small world" through the gag, in all being a fucking nightmare of a child.

Sam probably was seeing the fact her eyes were shining a bit with bloodlust.

And, deep down, fear.

*Raider*
=He eyed her, a wary look in his eyes=
"Really? You're going to hum your way through this?"

=As if to show her the futility of the gesture, he took it a step further, removing Sam's shirt and baring her chest. Exposing her like this in front of Eve, someone she cared for or at least, in the eyes of the raider, someone Eve cared for, was meant to humiliate them. Sam certainly felt that way, not wanting to be exposed like this in front of Eve=

(Sam)
=Dammit, the fucking bastard. He was using me as another tool against Eve. And I wasn't even sure if it was information they wanted anymore. For all I knew this was some kind of sport for them=

Eve started to nod frantically. One Raider removed the gag.
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Ya know the Movie True Lies? Arnold is handcuffed, injected with drugs, and all that? Promises to kill these guys then reveals his handcuffs were picked?"
"Right. like you really are going to escape."
"While you were busy abusing my friend, I did a novel idea."
Eve stood and spun, grabbing a guy's knife and ramming it through one guy's throat. "I untid yself."
Grabbing a gun, she spun and planted three shots in one guy and four in the next. "YOU SUCCEEDED IN PISSING ME OFF!"
Emptying the clip into another, she was taken down by a flying tackle. Her head cracked the floor, and she went limp.
"Little bitch." the Raider kicked her side. "She'll pay for that."
Another cracked his knuckles. "First...some fun."
picking her up, he started groping Eve. "And to think sweetheart, you get to do this every day." be said to Sam. "Take a good look. This is the last time you see her...intact."

(Sam)
"EVE!!!!"
=I struggled against the bonds. God, I worked so hard to get out that I broke the scabs on my arms. But I didn't care. they hurt her. They were touching her=

"Kill you. I'll kill you all. Rip your hearts out, chew them up and spit bits back into your faces! I'll kill you al-"
=One of them slugged me, and I went silent. I also saw black=

*Raider*
"Damn, they're dangerous as hell. Take them back to their rooms, and keep them locked up. And no funny business. Take it from a pro boys, it's more fun when they're awake."

Eve woke up on the bed again.
A new guy sat there, cleaning his fingernails with a knife. No gun. Only anknife.

Shirt ruined.
The guy stood. "Awake. Finally." A smirk. "Hope you like a ride. It will be your first and last one, sweetie."

Eve actually cowered back. She wasn't in any shape to fight now.
Sam...

(Sam)
=I held her face, and despite what had just happened I felt cold steel fill my voice=
"Eve, it's not a dream. It's real. So get your head straight, and let's get out of here!"

(James)
=We entered the building, running through the hallways as we looked for Eve and Sam. Fear fueled each step, more than anger or rage. I needed to know they were okay, that they were safe=

--49 Hours Earlier--

(Sam)
=I wished....I prayed, this was all a dream. Some kind of nightmare. But no, it was all real. They cut off the rest of my hair, leaving me close to bald. More cuts and bruises covered my arms, legs, and face. They....touched me, even went so far as to 'tease' in an effort to scare me. But I held my tongue=

(James)
=It was going to be an agonizing night, I could tell that much. Just sitting here, waiting before we could actually go and save them. It was torture for us, just as much as it was torture for them=

"Nothing different but new stuff. Makes sense to me."

I nod.

"So, last night?"

(Andrew)

=I kept up a decent amount of cover fire, the occasional bullet whizzing past my head=

Dammit...these guys are working my last nerve...

=Remembering my injuries, I then popped up when the fire slowed, a couple of rounds hitting me in the body armor. I ducked, feeling as if I had been punched by a hydraulic ram, the smell of cordite clinging to the air like a heavy fog. My breath came ragged, the sound of gunfire my only friend=

C'mon, you two...I can't hold these bastards forever

--49 hours beforehand--

=Mira had, with much amusement following, relented and let go of Sarah, giggling like we were kids again=

You'll learn how to resist eventually...

=I had nothing to fear at this point, except for when Sarah would snap again. Otherwise, I felt genuinely happy at having some quality time with our happy, albeit dysfunctional, family=

Eve nodded. Reloaeing her pistol, she stood up. If zhe still had long hair, and if it was in a ponytail, Eve could have been passing for Lara Croft.
"Which way?" she asked.

Hibiki still had two guns.
She still held them, blasting the fuckers away with a prejudice of proportions unseen by man.

--49 Hours Earlier--

Eve had it no better. She had to bite the man before his tongue entered her ml
outh. She got a beating,but that was better then the alternative.
Now his hand toyed with her.
She was going to snap again.

She had to control it this time, wait for the right moment...aoon.


Hibiki fell into a fitful sleep, for good reason.

(Andrew)

=I kept firing, a majority of the shots hitting their marks=

C'mon...hurry up, dammit...

=I hear the rifle click empty, and I mutter a curse=

Shit...now I'm up a creek without a paddle...

=I switch to a closer cover, unholstering my .45 and take aim, waiting for them to get in range=

That's right...come get me you sons of bitches...

--49 hours earlier--

(Sarah)

=I go into a fitful sleep, worried that I might have another nightmare=

Just one night...please...

=I close my eyes, almost feeling Andrew watching me if trouble came=

(Andrew)

=I watched Sarah, only falling asleep if I felt everything was okay=

What happened in those twelve years...?

=I fell into a light sleep, knowing that I might need the rest=

(James)
=I couldn't sleep. How could I, knowing my daughter was probably being tortured? I sat at the edge of the bed while Hibiki tossed and turned, nearly pulling my hair out as I thought about what we would do=

Mira, evee the nice one, curled up and spooned against Sarah's back, one arm drapped over Sarah's waist and another tucked between them. Mira was also fast asleep.

(Sam)
=If this was a torture technique for them, then it was certainly a confusing one. They left Eve and I alone in the room, both tied to a chair and across from the other. I was practically nude, my head bowed I was so tired. And I couldn't look at her=

Eve managed to look at her.
"I'm sorry." Was all she could say. Like Sam would care. Sve could survive it all. Now her best friend had been given a pixie cut - a bad one - and was exposed. Not the way Eve wanted to see her naked...
And to Eve, ahe felt it was her fault.
"I love you." She then managed...because Eve was afraid...she'd never get to say that again.

(Sam)
=I was able to grin a little, and raise my head to look at her=
"I love you. And Eve....if we don't make it out of this one.....well, see you on the other side."

"If I don't, expect me to lead an army after you." She smiled weakly, then looked sad. "I'm sorry I screwed up and caused our fight. I'm sorry I can't slow down or stop being clingy. I just can't help loving you."
She sjiffed, tears welling. "I'm afraid Sam." She finally admitted. "After all that, I'm afraid."

Falling silent, Eve looked at her lap. "Sam...I won't let them rape me. I...I won't let them take it. So...if mama bear is too late...let my last words...be I love you. Now and forever."

Eve closed her eyes. She had to save her strength.
She had to.

(Sarah)

=I turned red as I slept, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was also strangely comforting=

Well...it isn't all that bad...

=I smiled, my past fears staying away from the time being=

Abernathy: I will always be here child...every waking moment, I will be there...

=I shudder in a bit of fear=

(Sam)
=The moment was soon over, as the raiders walked back in and dragged me out of the room and back to my cell. I could only assume they did the same with Eve=
"So how long before you guys kill me? Seems clear you're never going to get a peep out of me."

*Raider*
"Just because we can't get information, doesn't mean we're going to kill you. You and your girlfriend still have plenty of use."

Mira stirred a bit but didn't really notice the shudder.

Eve again found herself flying through the air onto the bed.
Guess they really hated her.
"I'm not Supergirl. I can't fly." She groaned, the impact probably having bruised her arm. She did land on it.
Asshole.
"Oh shut up kid." His knife cut through the fabric of her t-shirt, exposing her tanktop.
"Ah, layers and layers...maybe I'll give you a break.
The raider yanked the tanktop up, revealing her teenage, still-developing breasts.
"Not as good as I like."
"I can imagine. Yours are bigger then my. You got a manjina too?"
That punch to the get hurt. As did his very harsh grabbing of one of her breasts.
"You wanna be smart again?"
"Can't help my IQ pwns yours."
Eve was dragged from the bed and forced onto her knees. Of course she had to be a bit tall.
Unzipping.
Oh fuck no.
"Put that near me and I swear I will bite it off." She said through closed teeth.
"If you don't, I'll let you watch as your girlfriend gives three of my buds service as I see if you still kept your precious innocence."
"Unless you are a very hot redhead, you take it and I will destroy you here, then chase you to Hell and destroy you, then come back and fucking annihilate your entire base."
The man blinked, then kicked her down. "I prefer my girls broken...so let's see how you fair."

Eve gave a hollow laugh. "I've been broken for two and a half years asshole."

(Sam)
"Eh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. For all you know, we're both more trouble than we're worth."
=I was shoved through the open door of my cell and down to the floor. The door closed behind me, and the sound of a voice, dulled through the door, came in=

*Raider*
"That's for us to decide."

Eve's defiance cost her, she he jerked her head towards him.
"Open up. Come on. Maybe I'll let you see your girlfriend." He said a bit sarcasticly.

Eve weighed her options. Rape or torture.
Torture. No doubt.
So, as Eve pushed back against the hand with all her might, she prepared for a pretty decent hit to this asshole.
"And you're obviously not broken enough sweetheart."

(Sam)
=So as I sat there, alone in my cell the only thing on my mind was Eve. Countless, horrible scenarios played in my head, where they were raping her in every conceivable way. Or that they tortured her more, even skinning her, flaming her, and then eating her. My stomach nearly emptied what little contents it had left at the thought of being fed Eve=

(James)
=There wasn't a lot for me to do. But there was someone I needed to talk with. I didn't know if it was spiritual guidance, or simply words of advice, but I went to talk with Book=

(Book)
=I had heard of today's recent events, and was sitting in my room, head bowed and crucifix held in prayer. But that was interrupted when I heard a knock at the door=

So this guy ried to shove a dick in her mouth.
Good thing he was an idiot.
Having pressed back so the man was pushing her head forward with decent force, she stopped resisting as she ebnt her head. The man rammed her head into his dick pretty hard.

He let go and fell to the floor, screaking in pain. She stood and stombed his dick for good measure.
As another raider entered, Eve shook herself so her shirt fell back down. "He fell. On his dick."
The man could barely speak as he was dragged out. Another came in, then yanked her head back.
"Sweetheart, this can end and you'll see your friend. Just tell us what we want to know."
"P Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney."
He scowled. "Stop being a fucking kid."
"Dumbass. I am a kid."

Yep he was pissed. "I will personally rip your virginity from you in front of your friend, then inflict unspeakable horrors on you before her. So speak."
"Taylor, Eve. 133742. Blood Type O. Christian."
He scowled. "Too many war movies."
"Go dance with the angels."

The man drew his knife. "Let's hear you scream."

(Book)
=Walking to the door, I opened it and found James standing outside. He looked...ragged, torn. Weary. No surprise, considering what he was going through=
"James....please, come in."

=I stepped out of the way, and he walked in and immediately sat in a chair=

(James)
"Book.....I need your advice. I need help."

(Book)
"Just tell me what's on your mind son."

(James)
=I took a few deep breaths through my nose, struggling to find the right words, how to begin=
"Right now, I want to leave. I want to go out to that compound myself, and save my daughter, and my friend. I'm not going to sit here, waiting for the order, not when I can save them."

Hibiki was hiding under the covers, shaking.
She coulsnt save her daughters right now.
Waiting
Fucking hell. Why...

"WHY!" She screamed futily.

(Book)
"If you do that, you may very well die before you get to them. Only with a plan, and the support of those around you do you stand a chance."

(James)
"But it's killing me, sitting here. While Sam and Eve are going through God knows what, I'm here, safe and comfortable."

(Book)
"James.....sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing. It is the hardest, but most important lesson we learn. All you can do is be patient, and have faith that they will be alive when you rescue them."

So.
Eve was pretty sure she tasted blood. Yep.
Blood.
Bastard cut her cheek...pretty high, which trailed into her mouth. Then the man came back, checking her pulse. The man then cleaned up some wounds sloppipy. Mostly trying to keep her alive for later.
"Soon sweetheart. I'll make sure you and your girlfriend get to see each other. Maybe let you two have one last fuck together before you become our bitches."

(James)
"Have faith? Book.....I've tried to have faith. To see it rewarded but that's never happened. It's a wait for something I know will never come."

(Book)
"God does not work in grand displays of light and trumpets James. He works in subtle ways, and almost always puts us through a test. This is yours, and your wife's test."

Hibiki was sitting in the shower, letting the warm water roll over her. She really didn't care if someone complained about no hot water.
Their harsh language versus her katana.
"Please God. Dont let them be raped. Dont let their innocence be taken without their consent. Please."