Zane hears the news within a day. He attends the funeral. It's closed casket, he doesn't get to see her face. He looks at it, unable to cry, unable to say that he's sorry or he wishes that there was something he could have done better. Her killer's gotten off scot-free, it was perfectly legal. Vernon hires a lawyer, but they get nowhere. Figures. He wishes there were a better outcome, wishes there was something he could have done to prevent this. There probably was.
He can't think of anything. Adana would have found it, easy, that's what she did, she was the thoughtful, careful twin. He was the emotional one. The one who went with his gut and did what seemed right without thinking it all the way through. His sister's not here, not anymore, so he will need to make up for her. He thinks, very carefully, about what he is going to do.
Calmly, rationally, he decides that he is going to kill the woman who shot her. He will not go charging off to shoot her and get stopped partway through. Death is the end result he wants, because his sister is dead, she is gone, and now he will make sure her killer is gone, too. It will take time. He can't get close to her immediately, can't walk over and shoot her, she needs to know what she has done.
He summons a fairy. He'd thought it was stupid, before, but she wanted him to do it, so he does. Zane thanks the fairy, quietly, and then dismisses him. It's stupid. But it's what she wanted, he doesn't know what she was planning but she had to be planning something, she always was. He trusts her. He always trusts her, he just - doesn't think it through, enough. He did stupid things, and he upset her. (And he's sorry.)
He quits his job. He's got savings, he's now got insurance money, and it's not like he's saving for retirement. His retirement is in a jail cell or a grave, he can't decide which. There isn't much he can do about her space station, he's not good at managing things. The companies are the same, he just - picks some people that seem reasonable, and then ignores them. Zane's got a job to do. It's a pity that his sister's work is just going to languish, but he is going to do what he knows. He knows how to hurt people.
It takes months, to get close enough. Security job on Mars, perfect security guard. Promotion. He had a good record, he was good at guarding things. (But not her. He was not good at guarding her, if he were she would not be dead.) He gets access key codes to the security cameras. To monitor them.
That's all he needs.
Cameras sets a looped feed, and then he goes to her quarters. He knows her name, the murderer's name. He doesn't use it. She doesn't deserve it. She doesn't deserve anything but pain, she killed his sister. He rambles, as he kills her. Things that Adana was good at, things that he misses about her, all of the various things she was planning to do. The ways she actually made them happen.
It's not fast, it should probably be fast, Adana wouldn't want people to suffer - but Adana is not here. He is. So he makes it slow. He makes it painful. He makes sure the summoner screams, and begs, and that she gets everything she deserves.
But his purpose is to kill her, not to keep her alive for ages. So he does.
They find him. He doesn't resist arrest. He doesn't care, he's too busy laughing because he killed her, she is dead. Dead, dead, dead. The woman who killed his sister is dead. She will not be coming back.
He doesn't do well in prison. His father visits, but - he's locked, in a cage, staring at four walls every day and feeling like they're closing in and crushing him. Like he's suffocating, slowly, like he's dying as slowly as he wished his sister's killer would have died. He wishes he could have made her suffer this much. But he didn't have time, he had to kill her. (But he still made her suffer.)
Eventually, he does something desperate.
It gets him killed. Trying to threaten a guard with a makeshift weapon, making it into a hostage situation - not smart for the long-term. He goes down fighting. They have no choice but to kill him.
Then he is standing on solid gold, and he has no idea how he got here. Someone tells him that he's a demon, that he can just - make whatever he wants. He tries it, and it works. He makes himself a knife, like the one he used to kill her, the one that was sharp and serrated and extremely good at slicing. Useful. He pockets it.
He wanders, wingless, because who cares, if he's a demon for what he's done then he just does not care.
Then he sees a flier. He stares at it. It has her name. It has directions. His sister.
It snaps into place. This was why she asked him to summon a fairy. She knew. She knew he would be here, she planned this. She's got to be here, too. Hell's such a big place - but now he has directions. Now he can find her.
He makes himself wings. He follows the directions.
And then there is a knock on Cam's door.
Generated:
Post last updated:
Desolate
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam opens it, puzzled.
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
There is Zane. "My sister. Where is she?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"I think she's an angel. But I wasn't sure. You saw the fliers, huh?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"I saw the fliers," he agrees. "She's - not here?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"I don't think so. Maybe she just hasn't seen the fliers, but you saw them. How'd you die?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"... Killed the bitch that shot her. Died in prison."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Good. She summoned me but I wasn't thinking straight, I didn't hold out what she wanted for anything more than a confession. And then I begged her for fifteen seconds on a comm with you or your dad and she sent me back. I've been taking randoms again, but no one lets me talk, I imagine you'll have the same problem."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Probably. We're all immortal, though? You're sure she's not - gone forever?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Oh, yes, even if she hadn't been a summoner, Limbo. We can write her letters. I have one in progress. Concordances are always choked with people desperate to get the mail across, though. Not really suitable for - in person visits."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Okay. But no matter what, even if letters don't get through - she's alive."
This seems to be a great relief to him.
This seems to be a great relief to him.
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Yes. Of course, so's the bitch who killed her."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
Zane frowns. "Damn. I want to kill her again."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"No can do. Even if she's here, worst you can do is make her pissed off enough to try to piss you off right back."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Mm. Extra damn. But if it means Adana's alive, I'll take it."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Yep. Probably an angel. She has a much better shot than we do of managing to talk to somebody, but somebody who's willing to summon demons for happy reunions, that could take a while."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"She could get dad, maybe. He'd do it."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"But it's been long enough that I don't think she's having that much luck."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Yeah," sighs Zane. "But she's alive. I can deal with her not being here if I know she's alive."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam nods.
"So, how do you like being a demon?"
"So, how do you like being a demon?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
He shrugs. "I haven't thought about it, honestly. I've made like - two things. I wandered for a while, found your flier, gave myself wings, came here. That's about it."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Well, that's more than enough to qualify you for unprovoked face-punching if you meet a nice human and somebody walks in on you."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Yeaaaah, um. Sorry about that, by the way."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"I'm sure."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"To be fair, I thought you were raping my sister. I will punch people for that without hesitation."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam smiles slightly.
"That's more or less what I told her when I was trying to be fair to you after the fact."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Thank you!" he says, brightly. "But obviously that is not the case now. So, I guess you can punch me back for punching you. I don't care."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"I don't want to punch you."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Then I am not complaining about not being punched in the face."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Good, it'd be in pretty poor taste. Why don't you come in?"
Cam's house is not nearly as tacky as the rest of Hell. It is tastefully decorated, spacious without being ludicrous, and full of books, many of them paper.
Cam's house is not nearly as tacky as the rest of Hell. It is tastefully decorated, spacious without being ludicrous, and full of books, many of them paper.
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Sure."
Inside he goes. "Surprisingly untacky! Nice, even! You deserve a gold star." He makes one. It goes on Cam's head.
Inside he goes. "Surprisingly untacky! Nice, even! You deserve a gold star." He makes one. It goes on Cam's head.
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam snorts and unpeels the star and tosses it into the hole in the wall that leads to the magnetic chute towards his black hole. "I prefer not to live anywhere tacky, and I have a disposal system that is not a traditional lake of fire. How long have you been dead?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Eeeh. I was noooot counting the days. Kinda hard to, anyway."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Well, what was the date when you died?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
Zane takes a bit to think.
"... Is it sad that I have no clue?"
"... Is it sad that I have no clue?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Yes."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"I mean, I was in prison, I wasn't paying attention to days then, either. But yeah, still pretty sad."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"They locked you up for killing - yeah, of course they did," sighs Cam. "I'm sorry I didn't stop them - they just - they looked like they were just talking and I wasn't close enough to hear them -"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
Zane looks at him. Then, wordlessly - he offers a hug.
"Dude. Just from the look on your face you would have taken a bus for her. It's all good with me, shit happens."
"Dude. Just from the look on your face you would have taken a bus for her. It's all good with me, shit happens."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam sighs and hugs him.
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
Hug. Manly hug.
"Pretty sure she's not going to be upset with you, either, if that's what you're worried about."
"Pretty sure she's not going to be upset with you, either, if that's what you're worried about."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam snorts. "Nah. She probably won't. But I still wish I'd been paranoid and put up a wall."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Yup. Wish I'd dropped everything to go running off to hear why she wanted me to summon a fairy, but noooo. Had to be responsible. Shit happens."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"I'm pretty sure she was planning to tell you that time you visited, and then she had to evict you from her room."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Yuup. Lots of things I could have done better. Whoops."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Yep. So you haven't made yourself a house yet?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Nope. Guess I should, huh?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Only if you want a house. If you don't want a house, it's a waste of time."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Well, now I can actually think about things that I want now that I know Adana isn't dead. So... Hmmmm. Sure, house, why not. Where should I put it?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
Cam shrugs. "Do you want to live in a city or not?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Meh. Near it, not in it. I like my privacy."
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Are you going to be an annoying or loud neighbor if I offer to let you share my black hole?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"Loud, no. Annoying, I make no promises, what kinds of things do you consider annoying?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"I don't know, what do you do?"
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"... Well, I guess I don't have a job anymore aside from being a demon, soo... Pick up hot guys? Make cool things for no other reason than because I can? Occasionally get into fights because I can't get rusty just 'cause I'm immortal?"
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Can you keep the fights away from the miniature neighborhood? And ideally consensual? And the gratuitous stuff relatively low-mass, this black hole is not evaporating faster than I'm adding to it at my usual rates of usage and I don't want to have to abandon it all that soon."
Zane Tristan Sanders
questions_later
"I could go make my own black hole and not bother yours. Might be fun. Give you my address and tell you to keep me posted if there's news about Adana," offers Zane.
Campbell Mark Swan
from_scratch
"Yeah, that works too."