by SA Payne
They were worries he kept to himself as he leaned on Ichi and let himself be lead back to the
door they'd come in at. There was some worry about going out past Vince, they had thick skulls
and it was even odds the other man would be coming around. He couldn't fight him again, he'd
have to shoot him.
Codes were entered and doors opened and they staggered back out into the waiting room but it
was when the door opened to the outer room, where they'd left Vince, that the pair froze.
"Aw, shit." Ichi sighed.
The room still looked like a knife fight had happened there but instead of Vince laying where
they'd left him, he was sitting stiffly on one of the chairs. Kneeling beside him, working on getting a pressure bandage across the stab wound, was a blonde man. His hair had no brown tones and
was a soft, butter yellow blonde. It fell in all one length, slicked back from his face, to below his shoulders. He was dressed in dark, classy, pants with a very stylish shirt that screamed money.
When the door opened, pale, ice blue eyes slid over to study the pair in the doorway. The blonde
was handsome, with a long nose and strong features. In another place, Ichi would have found
him attractive, sensual. Only, the blonde man wasn't the only one in the room with Vince.
Standing to the side, careful of keeping expensive shoes from the splatters of blood, were two
more blondes.
"Rye? I'm seeing the same man in three places." Ichi said softly. It was the same man, same face, same hair, even the same clothes. There were three sets of ice blue eyes staring at them.
"The triplets." Rye whispered as if that explained everything.
"Of course." Ichi sighed. "What now?"
"Please," one of the blondes standing spoke. "Join us."
Rye pushed away from Ichi and got the gun aimed at the nearest blonde. "Get away from the
lift."
The triplets passed a look between them and the other one standing spoke this time, in the same
voice. "283, we intend you no harm, just a word. Or would you rather Jude?"
There was no point to stand in the doorway, the easiest way out of Conti's suite of rooms was
this way. They had virtually no chance of escape if they didn't make it into the lift right here. Rye limped forward, trying to hide how badly he was hurt.
"Please, sit, you must be badly hurt to limp so much." Standing blonde one said and moved to bring a chair closer to Rye.
The raised gun stopped the man and he smiled gently without the smile touching his eyes and
carefully set the chair down, facing them.
"As you wish. Do you know us?" Standing blonde two nodded.
"Papa's nephews."
The blonde near Vince stood and moved to his brothers. "Yes," he said easily. "And the new CEO's of Lerman..."
"Unless..." The middle blonde spoke.
"You didn't kill him." The third finished.
It was enough to give Rye a headache. He nodded. "I killed him." He braced himself for their revenge and wondered if he could barter to get Ichi out alive. "I don't care what you do to me, let him go. He's no part in this." Rye nodded a little to the side and where Ichi was hovering.
"You don't understand...."
"We have no intentions..."
"Of even thinking about revenge."
Rye wasn't sure if he was speaking to one person or three. "You expect me to believe that?"
There was a shrug and an exchanged look and the center blonde stepped forward. "I am Harper
Dubois, my brothers Julian, and Oliver." He waved slightly to the brother on his right first. "We hold you no ill will, Jude, in fact, you've done us a great service."
"Just as we had hoped." Julian spoke.
"Actually." Oliver finished and the three smiled softly, that same empty, sly smile that didn't warm their icy eyes.
"Oh, stop looking so suspicious." Harper gently teased. "Do you imagine you and your siblings were the only young boys Uncle Howard couldn't keep his hands off of? The man was a pig."
"We would have killed him years ago..." Oliver nodded.
"If it wasn't for his will." Harper finished.
"Harp, he's bleeding still." Julian nodded to Rye and the blood that still dripped from his arm.
Harper nodded and Julian gathered up the med kit that had been opened to treat Vince but as he
got closer Rye raised his gun and was more than happy to kill any of them. "Perhaps, your friend would care to help you instead?" He set the kit down and pushed it with a foot closer to where Ichi hovered.
Ichi didn't move until Rye nodded slightly and only then did he crouch down to snag the med kit.
It was well stocked and had pressure bandages in sizes far larger than most kits came with. He
hurried to get one open and Rye's sleeve torn away. The red head didn't flinch as he worked and
the gun never wavered.
"We're Uncle Howard's only family..." Oliver explained.
"We get everything." Julian finished.
"But, Uncle was paranoid. If we killed him, we get nothing." Harper added.
"Our hands were tied."
"So to speak."
Harper glanced to his brothers. "When Uncle Howard ordered you be disposed of, we knew what
he meant but we talked about it."
"It would have been like smashing a stained glass window." Oliver shook his head.
"We may not approve of Uncle Howard's treatment and creation of you and your siblings but
you're amazing agents." Julian glanced from his brothers to where Vince sat, eyes down cast.
"So, we had you tossed out into Pets' random upgrades."
"Hoping I'd remember and kill him." Rye was shocked, chilled and it wasn't just the shock of his injuries.
The triplets shrugged. "It's a chance we were willing to take to be merciful to you."
"It's such a shame about Uncle Howard." Oliver sighed.
Julian grinned wickedly. "By dying at your hand, he's been killed in an industrial accident."
It didn't confuse Rye, he'd had assignments before where deaths had to appear a certain way to
circumvent revenge or a solid will. This was just the first time he'd been used unknowingly. It
mocked him, he'd killed his father for profit, not for the protection of those he loved. It was
almost too much and if the triplets hadn't just confessed to being the ones to send him to meet
Ichi, he may have killed them right then and there.
He had to get Ichi away, that was all that mattered. "So, what do we do now?" Rye asked, feeling exhaustion settling in and needing to get them out of there before shock dropped him.
The triplets exchanged a look but it was Harper that spoke again. "Uncle Howard's projects, while innovative, are no longer viable."
"Lerman is moving in a new direction, more streamlined, more flexible." Oliver added.
"Sadly, this new streamlined system, leaves no room for you and your siblings." Julian finished.
That snapped Vince's head up, proving he was paying greater attention then he'd shown. Rye
didn't spare him a look, he didn't trust the triplets and kept his attention and gun on them.
"I don't care what Lerman does, I'm out."
"Indeed." Harper nodded and let one of his brother's brush his hair back from his shoulders. "It would be prudent of us to see to it that Uncle Howard's hobbies died with him. Some would look
at us and wonder if he practiced those hobbies with us and view that as weakness."
"The only two still alive that know what a pig Uncle Howard was, are both here."
"It would make logical sense to not allow either you or your brother here to walk away." One of the triplets finished.
Rye tightened his grip on the gun.
"However," Harp started quickly. "The problem still stands, we respect
you, and your siblings, you're well trained. We would hate to destroy you, needlessly. If you were willing to walk away
and remain silent, knowing the value of silence, we're certain a man of your skills would do
nicely running his own freelance security firm. Avalon has quite a fascination with security right
now and we're certain Lerman would be delighted to offer a company run by such a trained agent
right of refusal on projects contracted to them."
It was an idea he had half considered, late at night during their travels. "I've no plans to continue in this line of work." Rye answered carefully.
"Please." Julian rolled his eyes and waved toward Ichi. "I don't care how pretty he is, being his lap dog will drive you mad."
"You'll miss it, it's in your blood, as it's in ours."
"Within a month, you'll be setting up your own freelance firm anyway. All we're doing is offering you your first contract." Harper finished.
"This isn't the place for that negotiation."
Harper laughed at that and glanced to his brothers. "God, I like you. No wonder Uncle Howard
was obsessed with you."
"Do we have an understanding?" Oliver asked, impatient with his brother's amusement.
Rye didn't even need to think about it, it was a concern he didn't have. "I have no plans to ever speak of my past."
"We have an understanding." Julian nodded.
"One that will be kept, because there are innocents that shouldn't be harmed in the cross fire if a word of honor is broken." Oliver pushed.
"I understand." Rye didn't need them to glance to Ichi to know their meaning.
"Good. Your employee number is functioning. The lift is operational. Take it to the docks, berth thirty two. The ship there isn't the best yacht but it's nice, consider it severance pay."
"We're to just walk away?"
"Of course."
"But..."
"If you do, we'll be forced to destroy Vince and turn out the rest." Oliver finished.
He should have walked away, he owed them nothing. "We both know, they can't survive out
there alone. Not after this long."
Harper nodded. "Lerman still employees eight of your siblings, seven of which are on
assignment, five are expected to return. Only Vince here was kept back."
"Uncle Howard liked his comforts." Oliver spat out.
"Take him with you." Julian added quickly and glanced to his brothers. "There's been enough pain for him and if anyone can understand and help him, I believe you are the one."
It was the first time one of the triplets had spoken of themselves singularly and Rye had little
doubt which of the three Conti had found special. "He's not property to be given away."
"You don't really believe that, do you?" Oliver mocked.
"All of you and your siblings are Lerman property, even if not officially."
"Property we must now dispose of." Julian reminded them all.
"You sick bastards, you can't just kill him, he's a human being!" Ichi snapped out for the first time. He was angry, frustrated and didn't know why they were having this debate.
"We have no desire to destroy the others but Vince here was special."
"Stop, I'll take him." Rye forced out and wondered how he was going to keep Vince from killing them in their sleep. "I'll keep his mouth shut."
"And the others?" Harper asked carefully.
"Release them as you'd planned, tell them they can go about their lives but they're welcome in Avalon. They have a home there, work there. That Ìll take care of them." And if by work he
meant trying to teach them what it meant to be human, well, that was fine. Any of the survivors
that showed up, Rye would manage, somehow.
Harper didn't look thrilled with Julian's idea but neither did he look willing to contradict him. "Fine.
Take this one now, we'll send the others as they return. Go, before we change our mind."
Rye tried to take a step forward but his knee locked up and it turned into a stumble. The last
thing he wanted was to fall but as he struggled to get his leg moving, Vince darted across the
room. As suddenly as he was moving, he was under Rye's arm, his undamaged side against
Rye, supporting most of Rye's weight. It was surprising enough that Rye nearly pulled away.
"It's okay." Vince spoke in a small whisper.
Together they hobbled toward the lift, keeping their backs toward the wall and their eyes on the
triplets. At the lift, it was Vince that punched in the his code and the doors quickly opened. Ichi scurried inside first to be out of the way.
"We'll be in touch, Rye Sullivan." Harper said as the doors slide shut and lift waited for directions.
"They know your name." Ichi whispered into the waiting silence.
"I'm sure they know a lot more than just that." Rye staggered back to lean against the wall with a grimace. He turned to where Vince stood, one hand pressed to his side. "Think the ship is a
trap?"
He shrugged. "From my dealings with them? They don't bother with elaborate games. They want
to use our training but don't want us on the lists. They want us as freelance, no point in killing us now."
Rye nodded. "Agreed."
He let Vince punch in the access code that would take them to the company controlled docks
within the compound. The gun was a dead weight in his hand and he was tired, horribly tired.
"You really killed him?"
"Yes." Rye answered simply.
Vince stood silent for a long moment, eyes seeing something that wasn't in the small lift with
them. Finally, he nodded. "Good." Vince's eyes fell on the grim, silent man following Rye so blindly. "The two of you..." he didn't quite ask.
Rye felt a small smile tease his face. "It's good, Vince, really good. We can have a life, we're real people, not just weapons."
"For you, maybe." He disagreed.
That made Rye push himself off the wall and stand as straight as he could. "Will we have a
problem, Vince? Do I need to worry about my back being to you?"
For a moment the blonde looked willing to fight, willing to threaten but after a tense breath he
shook his head and dropped his eyes. "No, sir."
"Good." It was a gamble. Rye knew, first hand, how desperately they all needed a strong leader.
If he didn't fill that role, his siblings would be wild and dangerous. Ichi gave him a touch stone, he could manage to be that for them. He leaned back against the wall and for a heartbeat closed his
eyes. "Good." It was a start, a small, very tiny, start.
Chapter Thirty Nine:
Lerman's private docks were in three levels, the first were local transports, the second held
planetary transport and the third were long range, true space ships. Berth thirty two was on the
third level, second slot and from the access hall there was little to be seen of the ship itself. The other two levels were always busy as employees came and went from company provided
transportation but the third level was always nearly deserted. The ships, in dock, required little to no maintenance and the ground crews only came in for the look overs when a ship returned to
port. The only people that would be moving about here were other agents coming and going or
Lerman executives.
Vince glanced from the lift and down the hallway. "No one in sight."
"Triplets would have cleared it. They wouldn't want us spotted." He had to bite his lip to keep from groaning as Ichi helped balance him.
"I've got him." Vince nodded and moved to take up his place on Rye's other side.
"I'm okay." Ichi said and meant it even if it wasn't possibly true.
Vince just shook his head. "Even odds I cracked one of your ribs, just let me."
Ichi glanced to Rye and at his slig
ht nod backed off. "Never mind the whole stabbed in the side thing." He heard himself muttering.
"I'm used to it and I'm stronger than you and I did this." Vince explained as he helped Rye hobble out into the hallway.
By the time the made it to the second access tunnel and Vince got the code punched in, Rye was
seeing black spots floating in his vision. His body just didn't take shock well anymore, it was a
limit he'd have to keep in mind. It didn't seem to matter that he was slowly adjusting to the pain,
he was hitting his limit and it was way sooner than it had been before Conti had modified him into
a Pet.
The inside of the ship was comfortable and almost home like. Vince helped Rye stagger forward,
past a small kitchen area to a lounge. "They gave you one of the Pep Cruisers."
"They can afford it." Rye groaned as he happily dropped into one of the plush seats. He glanced up again. "Where are your loyalties, Vince?"
The blonde didn't even pause. "With you."
"Get us out of here, aim us for Avalon." Pep Cruisers were made so one person could pilot from anywhere on the ship but there was a formal bridge. Really, piloting was a kind word, it was a
simple interface with a great deal of automation that could be overridden if the owner desired.
Right now, Rye didn't desire, in fact, the only thing he wanted to was to curl up and cry his eyes
out.
"We're in atmo." Vince announced as he returned to the lounge.
"Shhh, he's asleep." Ichi slipped Rye's head from his shoulder and got him propped on the arm of the lounge. "We need to get you both to a doctor."
"We'll survive. You?"
Ichi grimaced and staggered back toward the kitchen. "Same, I'd imagine."
He paused to look and saw Vince as some one other than an adversary. He knew the uncertain
look in the blonde eyes from Rye. He knew it covered a real fear and Ichi felt his heart break a
little. How old was Vince when Lerman picked him up? How old was he now? If he was like Rye,
he'd never sat and listened to music for enjoyment, or learned to dance or laugh freely or love.
Ichi paused in the kitchen. "I don't want to be your enemy."
That made Vince shake his head quickly. "You aren't."
And Ichi knew the blonde meant it but they needed to get beyond that. In Vince's world there
