A. H. Wong

Chapter Fourteen

 

April 10th, 2012

 

Mid-Evening

 

Taylor stared at him, coldness alight like flame in his eyes. "What makes you think you will ever be allowed back into my office, after everything you did? I know that Master John may not believe me, but I know that you are the one that led to Lily White's fate. I know that you are directly involved in, not only her expulsion, but also her winding up dead. I will prove this to him one day, no matter what it takes."

 

Kevin just smiled. "That isn't going to work, Taylor. Do you want to know why it's not going to work? Well, that's easy. It's not going to work because I'm going to make sure Master John knows you just tried to rape Beatrix.

 

"What. The. Hell?" a yell sounds from the hall, and Maverick leaps into the room. She shoves Kevin aside, before landing--with her full and complete weight--right on top of Taylor.

 

Taylor howls in pain, as the chosen body part her knee landed on was, of course, his crotch. Unthinkingly, he hurls her off of him, sending her slamming into Kevin's legs. The force of the hit sends Kevin, already teetering from Maverick's earlier smack into him, sends him collapsing to floor. He yells in pain, as well as Maverick, who is beginning to feel more than a bit bruised.

 

Sensing this is the best time for him to speak, Taylor opens his mouth.

 

Only to have Beatrix cut him off for a change. "He did NOT rape me. Maverick, I swear. He never even touched me. He just invited me into his office so we could talk, and we didn't want anyone else knowing because Master John told him to stay away from me."

 

Feeling slightly amazed that Maverick let Beatrix get away with saying all of that, he watches as the tiny redhead raises her head, regarding him silently. Slowly, her expressionless face changes, and she begins to smile. A small bit of hope beginning to well in his chest, he waits for her to speak.

 

"Not good enough."

 

Kevin let out a laugh. "Of course it's not! I mean, the only reason that Master John would order Taylor away from someone is if he's doing her."

 

Taylor winced. "I'm not doing her. I NEVER touched her."

 

Maverick shook her head. "No. No, I know you did. I know you spent the night with her once, Taylor. Martin told me."

 

Resolving to find Martin at a later date, Taylor swallows. "She was...she was having a nightmare, so I stayed because she needed someone to cuddle. Someone to hold her. That's all I did."

 

"No, no. Still not good enough. You see, I've been here for years. I've been here a lot longer than you have, and I have NEVER seen Master John so angry at someone that he does what he did with you and Beatrix. I know he feels you're a threat, and if he feels that, then it is a good enough reason for me."

 

Beatrix spoke up this time. "Maverick, please. Listen to me. He never touched me. He never forced himself on me. Not that night, not now. He never hurt me, and I know he never will. Please, girl....Please. Don't take him away from me."

 

Maverick narrowed her eyes at her, crawling towards her until she's leaning over Beatrix. Her red hair frames her face, firetruck red locks setting Beatrix' wood-colored hair alight. "I don't know why you love him, girl, but....I guess I really...can't get between the two of you. So....I guess Kevin was kidding, then?"

 

"Nah, girl. The pair of them are just working together to keep their illicit romance secret. Just because Taylor never forced himself on her does not mean he didn't touch her," Kevin says from behind them, coughing a bit. "You know you've seen the way the two of these guys look at each other. They've done it, and she's still Martin's girl....Unless, of course, that ship sailed some time ago."

 

Beatrix winced, lowering her head. Oh, right....Martin.

 

Her silence was all Kevin and Maverick needed. The pair of them made eye contact, and shrugged. "Well, I don't entirely know what Master John will say, but I suppose he'll want to know." Maverick says quietly, rising to her feet.

 

Kevin grins widely. Victory shines upon his face, as Beatrix begins to shudder. Even though a lot of it doesn't make sense to her, a part of her is starting to realize what kind of fate had just been sealed in this conversation. "No....No. Maverick, Maverick please! I'll break up with Martin, I'll do whatever you want. J-Just don't tell Master John!"

 

Maverick pauses for a second, taking the time to grab Kevin by the arm. "God, just listen to the girl. We can't tear the two of them apart."

 

Kevin looked at her, a smile growing upon his face. "I love how much of an idiot you are."

 

He backhands her across the face, hard enough to send her reeling.

She hits the floor. A thud sounds throughout the hallway.

Footsteps sound in the hall, hard and fast.

 

Kevin is running, running to Master John's office.

 

Taylor reacts instantly, leaping to his feet. He kisses Beatrix on her hair, giving her an apologetic smile before running off down the hall.

He had a psychopath's plan to stop.

 

<3 <3 <3 </3

 

A Few Minutes Later

 

"Oh, Master Jo-ohn!" Kevin calls, marching into the office.

 

Only to be met by a pair of burly guards.

 

He freezes solid, staring up at them.

 

Footsteps sound in the hall, calm and relaxed. Taylor enters the office, grinning huge. He pulls a small cellphone from his pocket, dropping Kevin a playful wink. "Ah, technology....Don't you just love it? A quick phone call was all it took to bring you down."

 

Kevin snaps then, his fist slamming into Taylor's chest.

 

Or, at least, it would have. Luckily for Taylor, the guards were faster, and had Kevin by the arms before his fist ever got close to making contact.

 

Taylor just grins, raising his eyebrows. "Now, now, now....Don't get mad at me because I won."

 

Kevin laughed quietly, clearly not seeing the danger that he was in. He looked up at the guards, attempting an imperious look. When he realizes just how studiously they are ignoring him, he shrugs faintly in their arms, before turning his gaze right back to Taylor. "I am going to tell him the truth. I am going to tell him that you are disobeying him, and continuing a relationship with Beatrix. That ought to be enough to get you run right out of here, oh lovely Taylor. You do, after all, know for a fact that there is exactly no way he will allow you to stay here."

 

Taylor responds in a much shorter method: He laughs. "Oh, you bloody fool! You see, it's almost adorable how foolish you are. Why, if only I had the time to fully tell you how much I appreciate the amusement that your idiocy brings me."

 

"W-What do you mean?"

 

"There is simply no way at all that Master John is going to let you poison his mind any longer. Not after he reads the psychological profile I handed him on my way into the room."

 

Finally, it begins to appear that Kevin's mind has absorbed some of the information that Taylor has been feeding it. Biting his lip hard, he shivers slightly as he asks, "H-Handed him?"

 

A laugh, its darkness a severe contrast to its usual bright and cheeriness, sounds from the doorway. Taylor steps out of the way, revealing Master John standing there. Master John walks in slowly, his blond hair glinting in the light. His smile is vivid, teeth like diamond gravestones. "Kevin, you simply are a fool. And, dear dear boy....You've been playing me like one. You led me to kill one of my absolute favorite operatives, and you also planned on the firing of one of my absolute favorite operatives. Now, that is definitely something I don't take kindly to in the least...."

 

"You won't hurt me. You'll just--"

 

"Oh, I'll just what? Make an example to the others what kind of reward an insurgency gives them? I'll just ensure that nothing like this ever happens again?" Master John walks closer, his shoes padding softly along the soft brown carpet of his office. His head angles curiously to the side, examining the imprisoned boy closer. "Why, yes, of course I won't hurt you."

 

Kevin catches on the last phrase, a tiny flicker of hope growing in his gaze. "Y-You mean you won't?"

 

Master John smiles hugely, nodding. "Why, of course I won't! No, I think I'll just do exactly what you and I did to Lily," his huge smile fixed upon his face, he looks at the guards, a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, lovely men. Do me a favor, and release young Kevin here from the Agency. I'm quite certain he'll be able to fend for himself."

 

The men nod, and keeping a very firm hold on their charge, they begin to escort him out of the room. However, just before they disappear down the hall, Master John calls out in farewell: "He'll fend for himself just fine...until I have him killed, of course."

 

With that, Master John closes the door behind him, leaving himself and Taylor alone in the office. Paying the younger man no mind at all, he simply sags into the chair, closing his eyes tightly. "What....What I wouldn't give for a simple vacation."

 

Taylor chuckles softly to himself, only to silence when Master John pegs him with a death stare. After Master John lies his head upon his desk, Taylor breaks the silence again. "Well, then. Today was certainly an interesting day."

 

Muttering into the pillows of his arms, Master John responds: "You interrupted me on my coffee break."

 

"Well, I do apologize for that. But, Master John, I had hoped that--"

 

"Taylor, why? Why do these people do things like this? Why is it that...."

 

"That all of this happens? That a good deal of your seventh floor residents are criminally insane psychopaths? That more than half of the people you have me act as therapist for would take YOUR life without blinking?" Taylor's voice cuts into him like a knife, and he shudders upon his desk, sobs wracking him.

 

"I-I....I don't think I want you to answer that any more...."

 

Taylor nods, before rising to his feet. "Do you want me to go and buy you a coffee? I know you hate leaving the Agency, so I imagine it's been a while since you had one."

 

"I-I'll take one of those slushie coffee things, please. The ones with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on the top...."

 

Taylor can't help but smile, staring down at the almost-pitiful man collapsed at his desk. "Anything for you, Master."

 

In response, Master John can't help but bark a very small laugh. "Oh, hush....Just go and get me my coffee, and you and I are perfectly fine."

 

Breathing slowly, Taylor can't help but nod. He turns and leaves the office, closing the door as gently as he can behind him. As he walks out the front door--waving at the door guards as he does so--he murmurs to himself, "If only I believed that...."

 

Right before he can go too far, his feet freeze mid-step. He turns, races back inside, and darts off to his office. Inside, he finds Beatrix still collapsed by his desk, her eyes shut.

 

She had fallen asleep waiting for him to return.

 

Knowing for a fact that Master John's coffee was of minuscule importance compared to this, he lifts her into his arms. He staggers only slightly as he catches his grip on her buttocks and shoulders, before he turns carefully to the door of his office. Feeling rather glad he had left the door open, he carries her out into the hallway.

 

As he begins to pad his way down the corridor, she sleepily nuzzles into his chest. He smiles down at her, shaking his head. Feeling rather pleased that Martin had not done what he was wont to do, and popped up at the worst possible time, he reaches her bedroom. Holding her as carefully as he can, he manages to open the door--and bring her into the room--without smacking her bodily against something. Silently cheering in his mind, he lays her down gently upon her bed. He tucks her in beneath her blankets, before stepping back to admire his handiwork.

 

She lay, angelic, beneath the sheets. She was still and silent, apparently perfectly at peace. He grinned very faintly to himself, shaking his head. Before he turns to go, he bends down, and places a gentle kiss on her forehead.

 

He leaves then, breaking into a very fast--yet still completely dignified, as he did have an image to uphold--pace to fetch his Master's coffee.