Chapter 28: Poisoned Hearts

Chapter 28 of: The Fate of the Wandering: Poisoned Hearts

'I love you, you schutta!'

Once the words are out there, there's no taking them back. Demi stood there, breathing hard, as she flung the last words out there for good. Whether it would close the gap between them did not matter. All that mattered, was that she said it.

Atton, far away, stopped in his tracks, his back still to her. 'You mean that?' he said, his voice sounding strange. He looked at her over his shoulder. 'It's not just some ploy to get me to stay?'

Demi just waited there, smiling a little sad smile that was mischievious and sweet and apologetic and anxious and desperate all at once. The wind blew her fair hair in the breeze so it clung to her cheek and some strands fell loose from their band and hung at the nape of her neck. Her eyes watched him. 'It's not,' she said. And even as she said it, she knew it was true. 'It's not a ploy, Atton. It's not any ploy.'

In a few strides, Atton was back again before her. 'What about the schutta bit?' he questioned, smiling a little, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. He felt closer than he ever had been before, and the aroma of leather, wind, and just Atton filled her senses, and Demi got the feeling that there was no place else she would rather be. He was familiar, so familiar, and yet...he wasn't. 'Because the way you said it,' he continued, 'I got a feeling that you meant it just as much.'

Demi laughed softly and shook her head. With one hand, she rested her fingertips over his chest hesitantly. 'I think,' she said slowly, 'that I've known it for quite some time, actually. The--the first part, I mean. And I know that I'm probably completely out of my mind, but perhaps you need to be for this. It's what makes every moment count. But we've been through so much already, haven't we? And I've been trying to deceive myself, Atton. I see that now.' And then, she looked up at him. An intense energy burned in his eyes, throbbed in his heart. 'But where does that leave us?'

Atton didn't say anything, but tightened his grip on her waist.

'Here?' Demi breathed. 'In the middle of some war?'

Atton saved her and quieted her with a kiss. No, he told her. Right here where we belong.

Demi smiled through the kiss, and finally, it felt like everything connected at last. Everything felt...new. But for once, Demi felt like she didn't need to be scared. A pleasant shiver coursed its way down Demi's spine; there was so much to know, so much to want...

Above them, the sky was black save for a few glittering stars that covered the city. The sun would rise soon. Everything felt warm and safe and there was nobody else who could see them.

Or so they thought.

Suddenly, what felt like blood gathered on Demi's lower lip and entered her mouth, smooth and vile and thick. Demi choked and stepped backwards, spitting on the ground and wiping her mouth on her sleeve. Blood left a trail there. But it wasn't her own.

'Atton?' Demi said in alarm, still holding one of his hands.

Atton looked up at her, dazed. A poisoned dart had pierced him just to the right of his heart. Blood gurgled in his mouth and then he fell to his knees.

'No!' Demi yelled, shaking him. 'Atton!'

Her eyes flashed. Looking to her left, she saw a shape on the rooftops, holding some type of crossbow. The figure stood up, and Demi saw who it was. Before she could react, another dart came flying at her. Demi knocked the first one away, but the second one caught her in her ribs.

A disbelieving sound came from Demi's lips, and then the world blurred away. She did not remember falling to the ground alongside Atton, or the shadow above the rooftops that swept away to collect her prize.

But she would soon.

Good, you're awake.

Where am I?

Don't open your eyes, Dem. Don't. Not yet.

What happened?

Just trust me. Hang in there.

Atton?

Silence.

'Rise and shine, sweetums.'

Demi's eyelids fluttered open, tired, straight into Renee's emerald green ones.

'Why don't you join us?'

Renee smiled and got back to her feet.

Demi tried to gather her surroundings but everything still felt hazy. What felt very real was the dirty gag that dug against her teeth and pressed into her gums.

'You're probably worrying about wonderboy. Yeah, yeah, he's here too.' Renee sounded dis-interested and bored. Demi heard the sounds of fabric and what sounded like metal or glass clinking overhead. She was in...a room. With greenish walls that were pretty much gray. It was almost empty and Demi could see a sleeping mat in the corner, as well as a few footlockers.

'No, don't strain yourself.' Renee's voice cut through harshly and Demi's ears intercepted its wavelengths painfully.

I'm over here. Don't give a sign. You alright?

I'm... Demi adjusted painfully. Her hands were tied together by an itchy rope behind her back. She couldn't help noticing just how tightly tied they were. And her lightsaber was gone. Again. ...just perfect. You?

There was no reply for a moment.

The darts, Demi. They drain away your energy, which means we won't be able to use the Force as much as we'd like. We'd drop from exhaustion if we do. Do everything you can do conserve it. Don't waste it.

Where are you?

He was gone. The sound of a blaster being charged caught Demi's attention.

'You wanted to talk, Jaq?' Renee said. She was on the opposite side of the room. Another figure--Atton--was tied by his wrists to the wall there, but he wasn't gagged. The blaster was picked up. 'Then here we are. The little triangle all here together. Seems to me there are a few things we need to settle.'

'Well, since we're tied up here so nicely,' Atton muttered, sarcasm and hate dripping from every word. 'We might as well get it over with.'

Renee started pacing. 'When you left that cantina earlier, you actually thought this was over. But boy, Jaq, are you wrong.'

'Damn it, Renee,' Atton said angrily. 'What will it take for you to get over yourself and your miserable pain, and move on? Wait! I have an idea!'

Don't do this, Atton, Demi said warningly. Don't--'

'Kill me,' Atton said, his voice hard, his face expressionless. 'Just do it. Just pull the trigger, and all of your problems will go away. How does that sound, Renee? It's what you want, isn't it? So that's all you have to do. Frack it, Ren. Just kill me. Just do it.'

'Shut--' Renee screamed, shooting the wall just a few inches to the side of Atton's head. The plaster exploded, spraying onto Atton's Jedi robes, but Atton barely blinked. '--up!'

It was then that Demi realized, although Renee was not the one tied up right now, she was really the one held prisoner.

'Why is it so hard? You finally have your chance after all these years. Pay me back, really give it to me.' Atton laughed hollowly. 'But you can't do it, can you?'

'Wipe that smirk off your face,' Renee said. 'Maybe I can't, but I can do this!' The blaster was suddenly pointing at Demi, still bound, on the floor. Her eyes were wide. 'Maybe you don't care about your own life, Jaq, but you do care about hers. And, honestly, I couldn't care less about the little Jedi myself.'

'You're not going to do that,' Atton said threateningly, eyes on Renee. Hold on, Dem he said to Demi. Hold on...

This time, it was Renee who laughed. 'Right! Because you're really in the best position to tell me what to do.' She walked closer to him, blaster still in hand. ''Cause I'm really curious, Jaq, what will you do if I do this?' In a flash, she shot Demi, a bolt of energy hitting her arm. Blood started pouring out. Demi winced in pain, and she bit the gag in an effort to hold in her cry. Atton could feel it happening to her, felt it pierce her skin and deeper to her veins and bone and marrow and blood. Force, how did they get here?

'We always liked our experiments, didn't we, Jaq?' Renee said, moving closer. 'And you can't do anything right now. And you hate that. You never dreamed you'd be in this situation, did you? And I'm sure, that none of you imagined this was how you were going to die. I mean, I think both of you have your death wishes. But you're all very picky about how you want them to be. Probably doing something heroic, I guess. Does this apply? Slowly, slowly tortured, watching the other die before you. But, see, before we get to that, I'm also wondering how you'll react if I do this...'

And then she was on Atton, pressing her body against his as he was held to the wall, violently twining her tongue with his, hand on one side of his face, the other clutching tightly around a fistful of his thick, brown hair, angry, angry, and searching, searching for that one familiar moment, searching for the part of him she knew, that he wouldn't let her reach or find. Giving herself fully to him, but it wasn't enough. And Renee pushed back, and turned away, her eyes blinded with tears.

Atton watched her. 'Why are you living in the past, Ren?' he said quietly. Every part of him felt sore now, in fatigue and worry for Demi and himself.

'Why did things have to change?!' she shot back, picking back up her blaster.

Demi was able to loosen the gag and move it away from her mouth. 'Renee,' she said weakly.

'Don't pity me!' Renee yelled. The blaster was again pointing at Demi. 'Is it because of her? Did she charm you with her angelic face and words and that was enough to take you away? If so, then that's just shameful and pathetic, Jaq. I was kept captive by dozens of do-gooders and Force sensitives, and they all tried the same thing on me. Over and over they tried to change me. But it didn't work. Not one bit. It was living hell, Jaq. Being torn apart that way. So when I got free, I killed every last one of them, made them know what it felt like, being tortured, trying to be made into something you're not. But you...' She laughed again, disbelievingly. 'Oh, that's just unbelievable.'

'You don't know the first damn thing about what happened,' Atton said menacingly.

'No,' Renee said, stepping backwards. Her tone had suddenly changed. 'It's not just that. I don't--I don't know you anymore. At all. You've fallen...so far. And you know what, Jaq? I think I'm just sick of this whole charade.' And she slowly pointed the blaster toward her own head. 'It won't hurt, you know,' she said softly. 'It'll be quick. And then you can both go on living a lie; a big, happy, fracking lie. I hope you enjoy it while it lasts, love.'

'Don't do it,' Demi said through gritted teeth.

Renee turned towards Demi, laughing lightly. 'Still think I can have redemption? Boy, some of you just don't give up.' She walked over to Demi, and placed the sole of her boot on Demi's jaw, and started applying pressure, so Demi heard something crack. 'How about I take you with me?'

And then she stopped, and took her foot back. 'No. No, that just won't do. That's not fun at all. See, 'cause then we'd be leaving Jaq here all alone and with no lover of any kind, and that's just a sad, sad ending.' She knelt down so she was face to face with Demi. 'So I guess it'll just have to be you then.'

'No!'Atton fought against the ropes that were binding him as Renee hit Demi hard across the face. As Demi turned to face her again, Renee hit her again. Demi's nose was bleeding, and rich, red blood stained through her Jedi robes. Demi lifted her feet up and kicked Renee back, so that she slammed against the wall behind her. She realized that the walls here were rough and sharp, so she quickly used them to her advantage to unbind her hands, rubbing the ropes against them until the rope finally fell to shreds.

Then, she hurried to untie her ankles using her hand that wasn't part of the arm that had been shot at. That arm felt heavy and awkward and severed. Numb yet full of stinging; blinding, grimacing pain, feeling barely attached to her body, only by a thin string that could easily break.

The strange thing was, there was a part of Demi that knew she should be panicking, but there was another part of her that felt strangely calm, even through all of this. All of this chaos and turmoil and greed and hurt and confusion...

'Okay,' Demi said, standing up and cricking her neck back into place. 'Now I'm just really, really pissed off.'

Renee grinned and jumped to her feet as well. 'Fueled to fight by anger, now, huh? Isn't that against some sort of Jedi code?'

Demi winced as she stopped the bleeding from her arm using the Force. Calm and soothing lights of energy encircled her arm. It helped a little bit. 'Yeah, it goes, 'There is no emotion, there is peace,' but there isn't peace right now, is there Renee? And to fight you, I'm going to have to have to fight your way.'

Renee put her hands on the two dagger hilts on her belt, and took a step backwards toward something hanging on the wall. 'Well, D, I'm flattered, but unfortunately, you don't have what it takes.'

Renee spun out one of the daggers and threw it at a rope on the wall that was holding up the chandelier. It was bright and sharp crystals swayed dangerously, and then the whole thing came crashing down above Demi. Using a touch of Force speed, remembering Atton's warning, she rolled out of the way, just as the chandelier fell a few inches to her left, the crystals breaking into thousands of pieces. Some shards dug into Demi's leg, every inch of her skin screaming in protest.

Demi looked back at Renee and before she could react, another dagger came flying straight at her. Demi dodged it in time, and it bounced off the wall behind her and fell to the floor.

'Let's recap,' Renee said, advancing towards Demi, so she had no time to recollect the dagger. 'You have no weapon. You're trapped in this room with me. My territory. I pull the strings around here. And, oh yes, your boyfriend over there is tied up and slowly dying because of some poison that I put into his mouth when I kissed him.' Demi looked over at Atton, horrifed. Sure enough, his lungs were collapsing and he was choking and Demi could feel every part of it happening to him.

'Dem,' Atton wheezed out, but then he couldn't finish as he couldn't breath.

'That's right, D,' Renee said, a satisfied smile on her face. 'I'm over him now. For all I care, he can die, you can die, and there can just be a nice, big cycle of dying because there's only one person coming out of here alive, and that's going to be me.'

'Stop talking,' Demi said through gritted teeth. 'Fight me! Leave Atton out of this.'

'Oh, but you see,' Renee said, circling around her. 'It was never about you. It was always about that miserable, pathetic, good-for-nothing scoundrel that's dying over there! You, my girl, were just a bonus.' She walked over to Atton and cupped her hand under his chin, making him look up at her, his eyes full of loathing and hatred. She patted his cheek, oblivious. 'Oh, don't be like that, Jaq. Since I'm accommodating, I'll explain to you what's happening to your body, and how you're going to die.' She turned to Demi. 'First, the poison, a pill I made him swallow, takes over his lungs so breathing, pretty much out of the picture. Then, it freezes the rest of his body and stops the communication to his mind, so moving and thinking, also out of the picture. But the best part?' Renee took a deep, relaxing breath, spreading her arms out and stretching luxuriously. 'He can't talk anymore. His big mouth, his smooth way with words, that's what gets him around the galaxy, but now, that won't be happening will it?'

Demi lunged in and punched Renee, kicking, kneeing, elbow-striking, anything, because the fury within her had risen so high. 'Make! It! Stop!' she screamed, throwing Renee against the wall. Renee blocked her next strike almost lazily.

'No can do, D,' she said. 'See, once it starts, it can't stop. Your precious Atton, he's going to die. You always wanted a heroic death to be part of this, right?' Renee lowered her voice. 'Well. Are you happy now?'

Demi stood there, breathing hard, not believing this was happening. Atton's eyes were rolling to the top of his head, his chest was shuddering. 'Atton,' Demi whispered fearfully, hurrying to his side. Atton...Can you hear me? Hold on...

'He's strong,' Renee said softly. 'That's why the pill didn't affect him so quickly at first. But he's not strong enough.'

'You're just going to let him die?' Demi said, disbelieving.

'Why not?!' demanded Renee. 'He left me to die, didn't he? Goes after that one Jedi who wears all white, and he forgets to come back at all. And you know what?' She kicked an empty plasteel canister out of the way. 'Let the bastard rot for all I care.'

'I don't buy that,' Demi said softly. 'I think you still care for him. You can't get what you want, so you kill him?'

'I don't see you trying to stop me!'

The two women stood their ground, fuming.

And then Demi closed her eyes and reached for Atton with the Force. She used their bond like a silver rope that would lead her back to him, even through the expanse of darkness that surrounded the both of them. She followed the link until it came to him. Atton. Who she knew, and who knew her better than anyone else. There he was, and there was the poison, slowly taking over his mind and body, a plague that blackened the remains it left behind.

Force, Atton...Let me in. Let me help you...

But he wasn't there. He wasn't responding. His heart beat was slowing, like a distant drum playing a beat that inevitably comes to an end.

When Demi opened her eyes, a fist collided with her jaw, and she fell, and Renee was standing over her wearing a smirk. 'Now you know it's hopeless,' she said.

Demi's eyes were on fire. She kicked Renee's legs so that she tripped and fell on the floor as well, and then Renee clamped her fingers on Demi's hair, yanking and pulling right at the roots, so Demi yelled in frustration and pushed her off. She drove Renee over to the edge of the room, in a series of punches and ducks and turns, then grabbed the dagger that had fallen to the ground, and held it in front of Renee, pinning her to the wall.

'What are you going to do, D?' Renee gasped, breathing hard, but still grinning. 'Gonna kill me?'

Demi hesitated, and in that moment, Renee kneed her in the face, and Demi whirled and slumped against the wall beside Atton. She would have gotten up, but just then, something happened.

Atton coughed and sputtered, waking from whatever stupor he had been in, and spat something black and rotten onto the ground, where it lay among the discarded glass shards. 'You forget, Renee,' he said, his voice hoarse and rough. 'I've been trained against poisons. And you were using my own pill against me. Not a smart move.'

Demi stared at him. How did you--?

Hello to you, too. Demi could hear the wry smile behind his voice. It wasn't easy. I'm somewhat out of practice. I had to...I had to contain the poison inside the pill. The acid in it is supposed to leak out and spread out into the blood stream, and I had to keep it under control using the Force, then get it out of my esophagus, and...It was hard. And honestly, kind of gross. Not exactly how I like to spend my evenings.

Demi lept up and started to saw through his bonds using the fallen dagger. I should have done something. I tried, but you were locked down. I couldn't reach you...

'Well, isn't this just picture perfect,' Renee said, blaster in hand again.

Demi opened her mouth to say something, but Renee hit her against the skull, using the back of the blaster. Lights imploded in front of Demi's eyes, and suddenly she was hurtling through space.

Renee shrieked and slammed her against a door, the door to the exit. An escape. Demi jammed her fist onto the keyhole, an old and rusting one, and it gave way. Demi went through the door, and Renee came after her. 'You ruined...everything!' The blaster and dagger lay on the floor and Renee pushed her against some of the pipes inside this narrow room. Smoke started filling the air.

Renee snatched the dagger from the floor, and dragged it diagonally across Demi's back, slicing her skin. Blood gushed from beneath the glinting dagger as it drew its mark.

'Stop!' Demi gasped.

'It's all your fault!' Renee exclaimed, hysteric tears running down her face.

Demi flung a fist at Renee as she whirled around, her brown robes following her, making Renee fall back against a strange wheel. Renee used this wheel as a leverage to get back up, but that moved it, and the wheel creaked and groaned. And then, thick, green, poisonous, fumes were creeping up from the vents. It filled the air, licked their skin, and a single inhalation of it could kill. What was this place? Demi instantly used the Force breath power that Kreia had taught her, long before when she had been in the Jekk Jekk Tarr. Even as she did so, she could feel her stamina draining away; everything slowly was starting to feel hazy...

Renee grabbed something from her black pant's pockets, a mask, and attached it to her face, but the oxygen in that would run out eventually, and she knew it.

Atton then came bursting in, having been biting and tearing through his ropes while Renee had been distracted when fighting Demi. Demi panicked, realizing too late that she hadn't taught him the Force breath power, and even the skills he had picked up long before would not be enough this time. Demi could feel his pain, even Renee's, and the lungs that were seizing up, refusing to give in. But eventually, they had to.

Demi hurried to catch Atton before he fell, and he hung limply, an arm draped across her shoulder. Demi supported him all the way down the hall, going as fast as she could, one leg dragging the other at a time. He was heavier than she had expected. She nearly tripped on a protruding pipe, but kept going. Everything was a blur, and there was no coherent thought except to get out, go fast, and go now.

Behind her, Renee held the mask she always carried around to her face tightly, but there was no more air left in it. 'Jaq?' she whispered, before collapsing.

Demi turned back and saw Renee, sprawled on the ground, her shape almost covered and obscured from her view by the green fumes that worked their way up in the air. Her luscious, brown hair fell around her, one hand outreaching for the wheel, trying to turn it back, but the wheel was stuck and Renee had passed out.

'I'm insane,' Demi muttered, and in one vigorous decision, limped back to Renee, reaching down to hold her around her slim waist. Demi hoped that the Force breath power would channel over all three of them, at least long enough. When they finally reached the exit, Demi's eyes were burning, and her arm was screaming in agony, but she kicked open the last door, and fell down to her knees.

They were now outside, the early morning air calm and cool. Demi could hear the sound of a nearby cantina, a few people talking and laughing over drinks, just like any other morning. The door slammed shut behind them, and Demi let the unconscious Atton and Renee rest on the ground.

The sky is beautiful, was the last thought she had before she passed out.

When Demi woke up, she was staring right into Renee's black boots.

'Why did you save me?' Renee's voice was calm but quavering, her emerald eyes angry. 'Why didn't you just let me die? Why?!'

Dried blood clung all around Demi, and weariness captured her, but she pushed it away. 'I'm not sure,' Demi said, her voice cracking. She attempted to get to her feet, but she winced as a sharp pain in her back prevented her. She crumpled to her knees again, beside Atton who was still unconscious. 'I think...I think it's because I still think you have a chance.' And I feel sorry for you...

Renee's voice was hard, and her eyes showed pure hatred. Her face was pale and bruised. 'Let me just make something clear for you, D,' she said. 'You cross me again, and things will turn ugly. You cross me again, and I'll kill you.'

There was a pause. 'You saved my life.' She gave a harsh laugh. 'Gods! I don't have a damn idea why, but personally, I'm not going to over-inspect it. I play fair. Maybe Jaq's told you that.' You're anything but fair, Renee. But somehow, I can't blame you. 'I'll let you and the loverboy live out one more night. But if I see you again, I swear on the Force I will not hesitate to plunge the nearest sharp object into your heart, and you will be bloody and screaming for mercy, begging me to let you die.' Renee dropped the mask on the floor, and left it there, as she disappeared into the night. 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...'

She left the sentence hanging, and once Demi could see her no more, she lay her head back on the ground and gave herself in to sleep. All her muscles and bones and every inch of her skin ached. She could feel and smell raw blood, even taste it in her mouth. The winds of Nar Shaddaa rustled her clothes and Atton's brown hair, and they stayed there in the shadows until the sun fully rose and somebody dragged their bodies away.

:) tWiNkLeT.