[Mushverse: Open To All, specifically seeking Shoutarou, Jou, and/or other cop/doctor types]

[gibken]

[OOC: This is a behind the scenes ficlet starring Enter (interpolate) and Joe (gibken), both belonging to me. Warnings for captivity, implied torture, and mind fuckery.]

Like crawling from the depths of his own mind, he clawed his way to the surface just to stick some small part of himself through into wakefulness. His physical body was stuck, frozen stiff, unresponsive. But he could hear. Two voices, bickering. He had the fleeting thought that it might be two of his brothers, the tone was the same as any one of their disagreements. But then the laugh, high pitched and sharp. No, that wasn't anyone in his family. Someone else's family, probably.

His tenuous grip on consciousness failed and he slipped back into peaceful oblivion.



-

Enter isn't often frustrated. He simply wasn't designed that way. He was the calming influence, he was made to be agreeable, even pleasant, when the need suited him, and otherwise to be efficient. But rarely angry, or even annoyed.

All of this was of course before Escape was created. She had been saddled with a number of Messiah's less savory traits, her temper primary among them. When she discovered him here in his make-shift laboratory, preparing to wake his prize, she had fits when he told her in no uncertain terms to leave, immediately.

This prize is his. Every incredible streak of energy in his existence is now Enter's to dissemble, to pull apart, examine and learn. And there is no way, on this Earth or any other, that he is about to share in his glory with Escape.

So there.

Petty and childish it might be. Tit for tat, as they say. If Escape's entire raison d'être is childishness, it is simply logical for him to follow suit.

Preliminary research, undertaken as Enter waited for the boy to reach a mental place from which he might actually wake, had given Enter a name, Joe Gibken. A crew, the alien pirate Sentai, Gokaiger. A family, the much older scientific Sentai, Livemen. A cabal, the self proclaimed support of Kamen Rider Fourze. Three very disparate influences, each with claim on him. And there was more energy clinging to him than even that.

Heroes. This boy was a magnet for them.

A cable twists lazily in the air over his prone body for a moment before Enter pressed the tip of it to the center of the boy's chest, sending a spark into him.

He responded, with a low pained moan. Now he was awake.

Now the fun would begin.

-

The pain stops for a moment and Joe chokes on his feeble attempts at breathing. His eyes clear slowly as he blinks away lingering tears. The stranger, his interrogator, stands impassive as ever beside him.

"This is getting us nowhere, now, is it, mon chou." He's not really speaking to Joe. It's not a question and he expects no answer. Joe's learning to tell the difference.

"I fear you've already told me all you consciously know."

Joe swallowed once, twice, three times. "Are you going to kill me?"

As per usual, any question posed by Joe goes unanswered. Like magic, the stranger pulls a small computer from nowhere. A thin wire leads from a port on the computer's side to a small sort of electrode. This is new, for all the pain he has caused thus far, it's always been with thicker cables exposed at the ends.

"This is of course assuming you have no knowledge locked away deep down in your admittedly quite scarred psyche." His mouth twitches up on one side into a near-smirk, but the expression doesn't reach his eyes. "Luckily, I have contingencies."

He presses the electrode quite unceremoniously to the side of Joe's head at the temple.

Terror grips Joe's heart and catches his breath in his throat.

-

Things seem to be going well at first. The boy's uncontrolled thrashing is violent but he's lacking in the strength to make any difference in his position. His eyes are rolled back and his mouth is open, his breath ragged.

Enter's computer, connected directly to the boy's mind, gave him incredible access. He had uploaded a small program he wrote on his own, which had all the effect of particularly virulent truth serum without the necessity of forcing the victim to swallow anything, or forcing an injection.

Humans, or human-like aliens anyway, were not so different from machines after all. Jacked in this way, Enter was able to hack through and break down a number of metaphysical barriers constructed in the boy's mind, hopefully freeing the information he still desired to rest from the boy.

"Now." He gave his computer a sharp tug, pulling the pad from Joe's temple and leaving him alone in his mind. "Tell me, why does your energy contain traces of the sands of time? Tell me what you know about Den-O."

Things fell apart very quickly after that, as the boy's back arched off the table, punctuated by a long drawn scream that tapered off with a hiss of failing vocal chords, and then silence.

"Merde."

-

Nebulous. Dark, light, grey haze.

His body convulsed, his stomach reflexively emptying. It wasn't even pain, at this point. It was simple blinding confusion.

What was real, anymore, except the rough feel of concrete against his face, and the twinkle of numerical code dispersing behind him.

Pirates. Soldiers. Students. Siblings.

It's all real.

Comments

[halfboiledjoker]

It's a dark night as I walk back to the house from the shady little bar I continue to frequent, despite the messy affair with Nogami a little while back. I take my time, observing the dark streets and the well-spaced lightposts, keeping an eye out for anything unsavory I might be able to interrupt for the sake of the city's heart.

At first it looks like a pile of garbage, balled up and left by the side of the street. It's not the garbage collection location, nor is it a collection night, and the first thing I do is jog over to pull it away from the street and figure out where it should actually go.

Then I realize it's actually a body, wrapped in a torn black garbage bag, and my heart drops into the pit of my stomach.

"Who...why..." The words spill from my mouth before I can catch them, and I tear the plastic away from the body to get a better look at who this person might be. It's a boy. Dark, shaggy hair. My age, maybe younger. My stomach's turned to ice and I shake him by the shoulders.

"Oi! Wake up! Are you in there? Talk to me!" He's wounded, definitely, but nothing that seems particularly fatal. I pull him close and listen to his chest, and I can barely hear the rattle of breath in his lungs. He's alive, and breathing. That's very important. However, he isn't waking, and that scares me more than anything.

"Dammit...okay, kiddo, let's get you to safety." There's a hospital just two blocks from here, so I gather him into my arms and start carrying him there myself. He's heavy - lots of muscle mass, I think - but I get him there without too much trouble. The nurses whisk him away and I give them all the information I can think of, then I sit in the lobby and wait.

I'm not leaving until I know he's okay.

[catcameback]

It's been a frantic few days since Joe's gone missing with no hint of him. I patrol around every night, mostly in my Horoscopes form because it's easier to track things that way, and I'm admittedly petrified of missing any hint of where he went, who has him, how to get him back.

It's his scent that catches me up tonight. It's no where near our house. It's nowhere near anything I know, really, but it's definitely the scent of Joe. I'd know it anywhere, even all muddled up with some less familiar scents lingering in the air.

I track this, our first real hint at where he might have gone, right up until the edge of a brightly lit hospital entrance.

I can't exactly go in there as a Horoscopes, so I click my Switch and deposit it back into my pocket before storming in, following my nose to a stranger in the lobby with a drawn face and a silly hat.

"You." I snap, walking right up to him and putting my face close to his. "You smell like my brother. Why."

[halfboiledjoker]

It hasn't even been half an hour of waiting before some kid in a hideous yellow plaid shirt storms into the lobby and stops right in front of me. He growls a command in my face and I can't help but wrinkle my nose - he smells of dark alleys and the more unsavory parts of the city. Who is this kid?

"Your brother?" I ask, moving back a few inches so I can breathe. "Tell you what - I may be more inclined to talk with you if we could be more properly introduced. I'm Hidari Shoutarou, private detective and protector of Fuuto---er, and now this town too, it seems. And you are?"

[catcameback]

"Yes, my brother, and he's been missing for almost four days so if you know anything..." He cuts me off and I'm tempted to snarl. I miss having Yummy on my shoulder, but I didn't want to start a scene so I left him to guard the outside.

"My name is Kazari and my brother's name is Joe Gibken. If you're really a detective I'm a little inclined to think you're not responsible for him going missing but that doesn't explain why you smell like him. Is he here?" It's a hospital. Jou's going to freak if Joe's in the hospital.

[halfboiledjoker]

He's angry, but panicked. I can't help but believe he's genuinely scared for his brother, and for the moment I decide to trust that this is the person I should be giving the benefit of the doubt.

"I found the kid on the side of the road. He's beat up pretty badly, but breathing. Nothing fatal. I handed him over to the doctors so they could take care of him." I pull my hat off my head and toy with it in my hands as I sigh. "Listen. I know I don't know the kid, and you don't me, but I'd rather stick around until he's well."

[catcameback]

"His name is Joe." I sigh, hesitating on the spot, trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do now. "If it's him, I mean. Do you think they'd let me see him? How else are they going to know who he belongs to?" He didn't just leave his phone and stupid henshin thingy at home, he hadn't brought his wallet with him or anything either. No identification. "I mean, I know, I know it's him, if you're telling the truth, because I know his scent but..."

I frown at the floor for a minute, then throw myself into a chair beside the strange detective, digging my own phone out of my pocket to call Jou. He's totally going to freak. "Um." I squint at him while I wait for the phone to ring through. "Thanks." Megumi's always on me to try and be more polite. "For bringing him here."

[halfboiledjoker]

"He's not too young," I supply, hoping to help Kazari determine whether it's his brother or not. "Tall, doesn't look heavy but he's got some muscle mass on him. Dark hair, shaggy cut. Does that help?"

He sits next to me with an air of frustration, and I restrain the urge to pat his shoulder sympathetically. He turns his focus on his phone as he dials a number and waits for an answer. "You're welcome," I say whole-heartedly, placing my hat back on my head where it belongs. "I couldn't just leave him there. Not when he was so obviously in need of help."

I lean back, looking up towards the ceiling while listening in on the phone call - as much as I can hear of it, at least.

[catcameback]

"Sounds like him." I mutter.

The phone goes through to voice mail, damn it, and I hiss into my phone for a long moment. "Jou, I've found Joe. He's at a hospital, um." I look around, straining for an idea of what hospital it is, and a passing nurse helpfully tells me. I repeat the name to the voice mail, then sigh, maybe a little pathetically. Whatever. "Hurry."

I turn back to... Shotarou, he said his name was. "You're a good person." I can tell, not just because of what he did for Joe, he's just got this... aura about him, of serious goodness.

Reminds me of OOO. Eiji. I squint at him curiously. Is he familiar to me?

[halfboiledjoker]

The call goes into voice mail, and I frown sympathetically. My heart goes out to him, obviously stressed and distressed, but not able to reach his loved one in this time of need. My eyes slip shut and I lower my head, paying my respects to his palpable pain.

Then he speaks to me, and I open my eyes to look at him properly. "Ah, I just do what needs done," I say dismissively, waving my hand for emphasis. "I'd hope any decent citizen would do the same in that situation, that's all."

When I look next, he's squinting at me, trying to analyze me. I tilt my head curiously, hoping I measure up. "Something the matter?"

[catcameback]

I can never get comfortable in chairs. I shift around quite a bit before I just stand up and start pacing, clutching my phone in my hand and hoping it'll ring, hoping Jou's on his way.

"You'd be surprised, but there's not a lot of decent citizens in this city." I should know, I'm technically one of them.

I bite my lip and shake my head. "You just remind me of someone I know."

[halfboiledjoker]

He's a pacer, I can see that now. That explains why he got in my face so quickly, so impatient for an answer to the question that's weighing so heavily on his mind.

It's sad to hear that apparently this city is suffering from a lack of good citizens, but hopefully that's something that's more of a symptom than the actual problem itself. With time and care - especially the care of the removing the monsters from this city - the good citizens will resurface and the city will once again thrive. I'm sure of it.

He shakes his head at my question, and I find that I'm more curious than concerned now. "Oh really?" I ask, bringing my hand up to stroke my chin thoughtfully. "Anybody I might know?"

[catcameback]

He's pretty introspective. I wonder if he knows what he's got himself into, claiming to want to protect this city. This isn't Fuuto, after all. And there's always been a lot of evil here.

I chuckle at his question and shrug. "Who knows? I don't know him very well myself. Hino Eiji."

[halfboiledjoker]

My eyes widen without my consent at the name drop, and I start suddenly in my chair. "Ah, you know Eiji-kun?" I ask, trying to sound as composed and put-together as possible. Suddenly I'm wondering about Kazari quite a bit more, knowing that he's in touch with the former Rider. "He's definitely a good guy, if a little, ah..."

I search for the right word for a moment before settling on, "...amateur."

[catcameback]

"You do know him?" I ask, a little surprised. Eiji doesn't know a lot of people personally, does he? The lady from the restaurant. What's his name, Ankh's old host, and her crazy strong sister. Ankh, and the rest of us Greeed.

And possibly other Kamen Riders. I know he knows Joe's friend Fourze.

"Y-yeah, I know him." I rub at the back of my neck, wondering if I've somehow stumbled on another damn hero. This city is seriously crawling with them.

Oh, well, I'm nothing if not blunt. I clear my throat, then lower my voice. "I mostly know him as OOO, though."

[yellowlion]

I come out of the labs and my phone bips at me. I yank it out of my pocket. Voicemail.

Voicemail.

It's Kazari, and Joe's at the hospital. I yelp, send a quick text, then haul ass to my car.

[catcameback]

I dive outside when I get a text from Jou saying he's on his way, and start pacing around the entrance with Yummy on my heels while I wait for him.

I still haven't seen Joe, they won't let me in since I'm only a foster brother and supposedly not of age or something. I don't know, but it's driving me crazy. I need Jou.

[yellowlion]

I arrive far too slowly and leap out of the car, barely remembering to lock it before I bound towards the entrance. "Kazari. What happened?"

[catcameback]

I meet Jou at the entrance and manage not to hug him, since he needs to get inside the hospital and start throwing his parental weight around.

"I don't know. I was out looking for him, and I... caught a whiff. Of him. And I followed it here, and there was this guy, with a dumb hat. He brought him here, but it's Joe, I know it is even if they won't let me in."

[yellowlion]

...why is he not hugging me?

Oh, of course.

I hug him anyway as we stride inside; it's awkward, but he's my son, he's terrified about Joe, too, he found him here, and I can manage a hug while I walk.

I toss a hurried but genuine "thank you" at the person I assume is the 'guy with a dumb hat' as I head for the desk and start demanding answers.

[catcameback]

Only Jou would manage to stride quickly, with purpose, and still manage to hug me with neither of us falling over.

I trail along in his wake, bouncing a bit while he turns on the dad voice and tries to figure out where they've got Joe. I'm not sure what else I can do, but I keep my hand tight around my Switch in my pocket.

Who's dependent?

[yellowlion]

Over that way. All right.

I gather Kazari up with a look and a nod, and near break into a run towards Joe's room.

[catcameback]

I follow close on Jou's heels, I know it's probably a bad thing we're running in a hospital but right now I don't care. I don't care about the people looking at us as we run past. I care about getting to Joe and finding out what happened and fixing this.

[yellowlion]

I shove the door open and stop short for an instant. "Joe," I breathe.

He looks like shit.

[For Megumi and Jou]

[catcameback]

I'm glad to have two of my parents here with me as we approach the hospital room supposedly holding Joe, seeing as I'm practically vibrating with anger and fear and violent tendencies.

We push into the room, though a passing nurse tries to tell us that 'the patient' might be critical and only one guest at a time. I almost roar at her and she scurries away, probably off to get a doctor. Well, fuck that. My brother needs us.

He looks terrible. In that stark white bed, hooked up to all kinds of machines, and oh yeah, not conscious. His eyelids don't meet, but all I can see beneath them is red-veined white.

I clutch at Jou and Megumi's hands, and my words come out an angry hiss. "Who did this to him?"

Re: [For Megumi and Jou]

[yellowlion]

I swallow, hard, and squeeze Kazari's hand. "Don't know, son. But we'll do something about it," I say as levelly as I can manage.

We make for the bed, and I tentatively stroke Joe's hair back from his forehead. "Heyyy, Joe, we're here."