Description: Now that Southtown is no longer hospitable, K' finds himself tacked along for the ride when his sister returns to Ikari headquarters. And the arrival of Whip's brother piques the interest of Commander Heidern; especially as the young man is fresh out of something of an insider position within the Southtown Syndicate itself.
"...really."
It wasn't a statement of confusion; rather, Heidern's response to the report laid out on the desk before him was one of muted disbelief. The old soldier's gloved hand lifts, a finger absently tapping against his jaw as his one, only good eye focused on the latter of the report.
Brother, it said. Whip had a brother--but it wasn't just any brother.
Her brother was the rogue NESTS experiment, K'.
"Sir?" Within the frame of the door of the Ikari Commander's office arrives a young soldier, who offers his supreme commander a swift and stiff salute before he's gestured at. The young soldier promptly relaxes, easing himself.
"You wanted to see the man personally, right? Are you sure?"
"Yes," Heidern replies coolly. "Bring him here to my office."
"Very well." Another stiff salute, and the young soldier leaves.
Easing back a bit into his leather chair, Heidern briefly eyes the report on his desk. Whip had a brother, who formerly within the employ of NESTS. Though rogue, it was still a bit unnerving to the Ikari commander; would K' and his former ties endanger one of his best Ikari? And what exactly are her connections, if any, to the organization? Was she formerly NESTS as well..?
The news was a little hard to swallow; thus it was best to interrogate the source itself and get to know the man behind the odd name...
Being within Ikari walls had been slightly upsetting to K' from minute one, even if he tried hard not to show it. The strict, regimented nature of military life-- the austerity of his surroundings-- echoed a time and place which K' had not particularly wanted to recall, even if he logically knew that this base was about as far from a NESTS facility as one could get.
He had attempted to stay close to his sister as long as possible, but the time soon came when she left him to go find some friend or another of hers. Left alone, out of his depth, the young man could do nothing but wait for this mysterious 'Commander' to see him and decide what to do about him. Every one of his instincts was on edge at the idea of being judged... of having to meet an expectation again.
For K', anxiety usually translated to a demeanor of defensive, bristling ferocity. What few personnel passed by his hiding place in an empty room left him alone.
It was almost a relief to be finally called in, even if K''s independence momentarily rankled at the thought of answering a call. Nonetheless, he follows the soldier sent to retrieve him in silence, and displays little to no nervousness or reticence when he finally opens the door and invites himself in to meet Heidern. He doesn't notice the scandalized look of the soldier beside him, who is horrified that this strange upstart has not even so much as tried to knock to beg permission to enter.
The young man is even more scandalized when Whip's strange brother doesn't even try to acknowledge Heidern in any respectful way: simply standing there. At the least, to K''s credit, the boy is silent, holding his tongue in a gauging quiet and waiting to be addressed as his yellow eyes settle on the famed Ikari commander. He looks like the experiment the files say he is, what with the odd color of his hair and eyes, the seamless and predatory way he carries himself, and the obvious lethality packed forcibly into his lean frame: still clear, despite the injuries that riddle him still. At first he seems as different from Whip as night and day... but there are blood similarities to his sister visible in his face, if one is observant enough to know where to look.
When K' enters Heidern's office without lead, the Commander is already standing behind his desk. With long, lanky arms folded behind his back, the one-eyed man just peers across the room, that eye fixed entirely on the rogue NESTS assassin with silent scrutiny. He certainly lives up to the reputation he has made for himself on public circuits.
"Well, we finally have a chance to meet, face to face," the Commander begins, his features stern and lacking much, if any emotion. The soldier behind K' in the door way looks nervously from the former assassin to his commander, who gestures lightly with a gloved hand. Bowing his head, the man closes the door behind K', leaving the two alone in the awkward silence of the underground office. His one eye shifts to the report laid on the desk before him.
"The report that was submitted from Whip was...interesting, to say the least. You've come across some hard times in Southtown?" Looking up, that solitary blue eye fixes on the young man.
"It also appears that you have some sort of blood relation to my subordinate."
Hooding that one good eye a touch, the soldier lets his gaze grow colder as he watches the man.
"Certainly, you look nothing like her at first appearance..." He observes. Sure, the slight nuances of their blood relations are there, but surely the two are just that--night and day. Still, the commander observes.
Stepping out from behind the desk, the imposing commander of the Ikari approaches the young man silently, disregarding his bristling nature he's notorious for and simply closing in, only to stop within a reasonable professional distance from K'. There, the man looks carefully upon the dusky youth.
"Care to tell me why your sister felt it necessary to bring you to base with her? I had assumed that you would be just as hardy as your sibling, but if it's my guess, you've done something fairly bad to warrant a lot of heat upon your back."
He waits for a response.
Were K' a more skittish or easily-intimidated individual, doubtless Heidern's regard would have been too much for his nerves. As it is, he's feeling himself inclined to do something he doesn't often do: shift about restlessly and pointlessly. He ignores and quells the urge. Oddly, the awkwardness of their interaction seems to bother him less than whatever it is that's makes his eyes so guarded; he copes rather well, his expression a mirror of Heidern's austere blankness.
The phrase 'some sort of blood relation,' if only for a moment, does get a reaction out of that young man. His eyes narrow even in the face of Heidern's cold, inspecting gaze. To the young experiment's credit, he does not shrink back when the tall commander approaches, even though the urge to gain distance swiftly becomes acute. As Heidern studies him, K' simply continues to hold his silence. His eyes contain the same wary, potentially-vicious watchfulness as that of a beaten animal.
Why indeed would Whip feel it necessary to hang onto him? Surely he could have taken care of himself...?
"I saved her when she was captured by the Syndicate." K''s response is sudden, and his voice-- as usual-- cuts like a knife. "I betrayed Geese Howard by doing so. That's why I can't go back." Brutally honest, as always, K' speaks with a certain aggression unsurprising given his appearance. The look in K''s eyes seems to challenge Heidern to even try and say he should have done differently.
It's the last question, however, which gives K' pause. The young man is noticeably quiet for a few moments, his eyes hooding as he thinks over what happened between himself and his sister on the drive over. It's difficult for him to put it-- he's already terrible at expression, and the fact Heidern is possibly the most unreassuring person on the face of the planet isn't helping, but eventually, K' ventures-- perhaps hoping Heidern will just intuitively understand, sparing the young man having to explain-- "...I can't leave her. She's my family."
K' might still not be entirely clear on his sister's reasoning for bringing him here, other than what she told him in the car of how she needed him... how afraid she was of him dying. But he can sure tell Heidern why he himself wanted nothing more than to stay with her. And his pure dedication to her is very obvious.
The slight nuances of K' and his behaviors are noted carefully by the Ikari commander. The man approaches regardless, casting off any concern or worry that he may have when in the presence of a youth who is seemingly far more akin to a wild dog than anything else. One wrong move could set K' off, he figures and assumes. It's not what he wants...
But the Ikari wants answers.
The man's features do not shift as K' begins to speak, however sudden and sharp the tone of his voice may seem. Instead, the soldier offers a discreet nod, arms still looped behind his back as he listens. Inwardly, however, there is some surprise. Geese Howard, a seemingly untouchable figure within Southtown, was the one betrayed? Heidern supposes that explains much, but...
There is a long silence after K' speaks. Initially, the soldier says nothing, instead opting to half-turn away from the young man and eye the report on his desk. Family, he responds. She's family, he can't leave her. As cold and as seemingly straight-laced and callous the soldier may seem, inwardly he knows he can relate to this situation and circumstance facing the former assassin.
"Geese Howard, you say?" the Ikari eventually speaks, his voice lacking emotion. "I'd like to know more information. What do you have on the Syndicate? What do you know of their operations?" His one good blue eye slides back onto K', his expression blank and seemingly impossible to read. "I see this as a sort of compensation in return for harboring you. It seems fair, doesn't it?" The old soldier offers a tired and terribly faint smirk.
"As for you taking refuge here, so long as you do not bring harm to my men or the base of operations itself I have no qualms. Whip asked if you could stay here, and as I regard my subordinate in considerably high favor, I find myself unable to deny her this request. Furthermore, you are her family."
Pausing, the Ikari commander turns to face K' directly.
"And as you are family, you are without a doubt one of--if not the most--important thing in her life. Therefore I cannot stand by and deny her this wish. As I see it, I owe you for saving her from the clutches of the Syndicate. For that, you have my gratitude."
It's not an inaccurate concern. K' is indeed a person for whom many impulses are set on a hairtrigger, ready to go off at the slightest provocation or unwelcome insinuation. But for the time being, all that tension beneath the young man's exterior merely simmers, without ever reaching close to a breaking point. K' watches Heidern as closely as most people watch enemies, but there is never any indication that regard carries any hostile meaning. It's simply instinct, cultivated in K' by a world that has taught him such wariness is essential to continued life.
"Not a lot. I was his student, not his employee." Student? Curiouser and curiouser. What about this sulky whelp could be that interesting? "But he would make me do shit for him, and I heard enough from those who -did- work from him. I can tell you who his last few major business partners were. Some of the deals he had open on the table. His safehouses and the routes his transporters use. May or may not have been changed since I left, for obvious reasons..." K' shrugs. "But it's something."
But K''s gaze returns to Heidern's when the older man sees fit to grant Whip's request K' stay... as long as the young man brings no trouble around. For a moment, he seems troubled rather than pleased to know how much Heidern seems to favor Whip-- perhaps sensing and inherently distrusting the potential competition he has there, as well as realizing just how much Whip seems to have that isn't him-- but the emotion is quick to be suppressed.
"You don't owe me anything," he eventually replies, his voice once again gone as cold as his expression: but not necessarily cruel or unkind. Just... a little territorial; K' is not taking the insinuation of gratitude all that well, perhaps reading into the harmless phrase a little too much. Letting himself suspect Heidern's gratitude means he believes he has more right to care for Whip than he does. "She's my sister. She's all I have." A shoulder lifts briefly in a noncommittal gesture. "I would have done it anyway."
As K' speaks, Heidern listens silently, keeping his eye on the young man. Carefully, his mannerisms are noted and observed. His associations with the mysterious Geese Howard are more intriguing that first the man had assumed. Granted, he had no idea a man like K' was in association with the now-revealed criminal mastermind behind the Syndicate, which was equally more surprising, but...
Drawing his eye shut, the soldier nods. "Student to Howard? An interesting relationship with the man. I didn't think he was the sort to take people under his proverbial wing." Sliding a hand around, the man absently lifts it up, rubbing idly at the side of his neck before both arms move, hands sliding into his fatigues' pockets.
"I'd be interested to know who his major business partners were," the Ikari CO offers bluntly. "Any information you have will do. We can use it against the Syndicate. It certainly is 'something.'" The man's dry lips twitch slightly, offering a faint smirk in response to the rogue assassin.
Lifting a hand as K' insists Heidern owes nothing, the man silently insists otherwise. "You saved a soldier," the man offers in response, his blue eye fixed on the man. "If you had not helped her, she could have very well been killed. In fact, I would expect the Syndicate to do as much, considering her actions against them." Shoulders rise, his breath drawing in deeply before the man slowly exhales.
"For that I see it fit to honor Whip's wishes and extend my thanks to you."
A heavy pause follows as the man turns away, glancing to the report, averting his gaze from K'.
"Remember that well. Remember that she is your sister--that she is family. Blood is precious."
Another pause follows before the man offers a light cough, his attentions turning fully onto the young man as he begins to pace past K' toward the doorway. "We'll leave the information exchanges for another day if you would like. Or, if you would prefer, you can offer me a report on the information you have on the Syndicate."
Pausing, Heidern keeps his back to K' as he lifts his head, his eye on the ceiling.
"You can stay here for as long as you need to or feel necessary. You will find lodgings for you in the barracks--we've set aside a room for you, so you needn't worry about sharing accommodations with anyone." Besides, K' probably wouldn't want to, anyway.
Turning to face the young man squarely once more, the Ikari CO asks,
"I presume all your matters in Southtown have been resolved..?"
"He isn't," is K''s curt, almost amused reply. A hint of a smirk curves his mouth, but the expression is humorless. "He's the sort to use people. I guess he had a use for me, or he wanted me for a resource, so he 'offered' to teach me. Guess I did learn a couple things..." K' trails off. A shrug cuts off the thought, but he finishes in his own mind: he learned more from his sister.
Heidern explains what it is he'd like to know-- which amounts, basically, to anything and everything. K' lets his eyes slide shut, the gesture more an expression of thought than anything really insolent. Given a choice to report now, or to do so later, he predictably chooses the latter. ...I'll make you a list. Whatever I remember." One eye cracks back open, a clear desire for vengeance gleaming in his regard. "Whatever you need to know to hurt him."
As for the commander's thoughts on the siblings? K' pauses visibly at the unexpected words, obviously unsure how to react to or accept the terse, but meaningful words of wisdom from the older man. It's clear his hesitation is from a lack of ever having heard such things before. Constantly exposed to horrifically poor examples of fathers, older men, and 'mentors'-- to Igniz, to Rugal Bernstein, to Geese Howard-- the young man's ability to heed the words of those older than him has been almost totally damaged. And yet... there's something about Heidern's quiet reminder of how important blood is that K' can't find a sharp retort or a defensive sarcastic bite for.
It's true. She's his only family. She is precious to him.
Eventually, K' just lets his head dip. It's the sole acknowledgement he gives of Heidern's continued insistence on thanks, though it's clear the young man still feels awkward about it. For a moment it seems almost as if he will openly admit to not being able to live without her... but true as it is, it's just too personal a thing for the emotionally stunted, reserved young man to say to a stranger. The line of his shoulders shows an obvious tension, but he says nothing.
Gladly, he grasps onto the change of topic when it comes. His gaze lifts back as he's told he'll be given a room to stay in. He isn't sure how to respond that kindness either, his behavior that of an animal that's only ever really been struck, not soothed... but when he's asked a question, he readily answers. "Taken care of before I left." Briefly, he thinks back on Shurui-- on Hotaru. On Chun-Li, who he left with knowledge of just who Geese Howard truly was. His brows knit. "I cut those ties."
He should say thank you. Maybe some part of him even wants to. But it never quite manages to come out.
"At least you got something out of it?" is Heidern's reply, his words tinged with the faintest hints of amusement. "But that is about what I expected; Howard is a shrewd businessman, and likely, an even shrewder businessman when it comes to the Syndicate." Regardless, the Ikari CO merely rolls his shoulders and offers the youth a mild shrug.
"Well, that past is behind you now, I imagine."
Glancing past K' toward his desk, the Commander offers a discreet nod in response, his features stern and business-like. "Very well. Whatever information or dirt you have on Howard or the Syndicate is helpful. I can't sit idly by while he threatens my soldiers. If we have the chance to take down the Syndicate and their hold on Southtown, well..." Another discreet shrug. "We'll do it where we can.
"Anything you know helps us in the end. Right now you're the best insight we've had into the Syndicate for years." Howard covered his tracks well, but even Heidern knew: it was really only a matter of time...
K''s response to Heidern's words earns him a faint grin, the soldier's features lightening a mere fraction as he offers some shred of sympathy toward the former assassin. Surely his words have hit home somehow. He hopes, anyway. Whip is just as important to the Ikari CO as she is to the Ikari--if anything, she too is family to the man who lost his family.
Fortunately, Heidern doesn't want to press the topic too much. "Good. It's best if you continue to stay out of the Syndicate's radar. I'm sure you'd do that anyway, but I just want to reiterate that it's best not to bring any more unwanted attention onto you--especially while you hide here. Again, I'm sure you knew that already." Heidern's eye draws shut as he turns his attentions to the door of his office once again. While no thanks are given, K''s actions and posture speak louder than words.
"You're dismissed," he offers. "Feel free to move about as you see fit. If you leave the base or travel, leave word with either myself or your sister. If you choose to leave here and return to Southtown, please do the same."
He moves to open the door, but pauses briefly, a gloved hand clutched to the heavy knob.
"Please leave any information regarding the Syndicate that you write up in my hands only. I assure you that we will use this information to do what we can to get the Syndicate taken out of Southtown." He pauses, giving the door a tug.
"I'm sure we'll help you get your revenge. I'll see to it personally that the Syndicate suffers for taking my soldier hostage."
Some of K''s reserved guardedness lightens slightly when Heidern finally proves his humanity with those amused words. "Maybe," he replies vaguely, shrugging in turn. "I don't waste too much time thinking about it now, though." It's a past which -is- behind him, and which with any luck will stay behind him. It's not particularly a past he wants to recall fondly, either. Geese's training was, half the time, almost needlessly brutal.
A more normal person would likely have expressed a gladness to be of use, a willingness to help, and some sort of feeling of importance to have such value and insight. K', however, just follows Heidern with his eyes, listening to the commander express his plans... and to his cautionary reminders that K' not draw attention to the base. "It won't happen," he states, perhaps a bit shortly... but not without sincerity.
His sister is here. Damned if he'll bring any trouble where she rests. Now that Heidern has shown him some kindness, belying the austerity and the intimidating outward nature of the man, K'-- like a stray-- is warily starting to express some hints of loyalty there as well. It would not be fair in the least to harm this place for harboring him. Not like he's brought harm to the YFCC. And while Heidern's request to report any departure does momentarily make him feel caged... controlled... K' thinks he can put up with it. As long as he can stay near his sister.
Dismissed, K' simply turns with a surprising docility. Wild, independent, and freedom-loving as he is now, there are always little reminders left in his movements to hearken back to how indoctrinated he once was... how conditioned and engineered he was to be little more than an obedient machine. Briefly, he meets Heidern's eye, the single candid glance a response enough to Heidern's assurances revenge will be had... and then, with a curt nod, K' excuses himself from the commander's presence.
Log created on 20:41:45 02/07/2009 by K', and last modified on 21:22:40 02/08/2009.