Dark Fever

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Gabriel followed Cassandra without question and when she opened the window, he understood what she wanted before she'd even spoken it. He looked out the window, looking upward before he turned his body around and carefully pulled himself on to the window's ledge, his fingers reaching up cautiously to find a handhold. His fingers dug into the rough stone of the building, finding a suitable crack in the old siding that he used to pull himself up further until his feet were on the window and his eyes were searching for another place to grab on to.

He slowly made his way up the wall, glancing down when he heard Cassandra start to follow. He got to the roof sooner than he thought he would and was glad the building was only five stories tall. It meant they only had two levels to climb. When he was stable upon the roof, Gabriel reached down to take Cassandra's hand when she came close and he helped pull her the rest of the way up like her weight was nothing.

Once she was safe, he looked around carefully, spotting the next and closest roof over. It was within jumping distance, especially with their reflexes....maybe... Gabriel started to move toward the edge they'd have to use and he looked back at his companion, his gaze troubled. "We still need water." It was going to be a problem, dangerous to get, but they couldn't escape without it.
 
Cassandra looked in the direction where the well was. Agents and town soldiers alike were searching the nearby shops and houses and it seemed like the well itself was always within somebody's view. She looked back at Gabriel. "I don't know how we can. They'll catch us for sure if we try." She realized that they could probably wait for an opportunity when the well was less occupied, then swoop in and dispatch of any witnesses before they could alert anyone, but the thought of hurting others made her uneasy, even if it was necessary for their survival.

She was quiet for a moment as she battled with her indecision. "...There's... another place we could go. Another town close to here. It's bigger and has lots of wells so it's unlikely we would get caught." As she spoke though, she seemed to hesitate with every word. She obviously did not want to go to this other town that she talked about, even though it would be the safer option. Below them, she heard the soldiers shout orders at each other as they searched the area and she knew that whatever they decided, they would have to choose fast.
 
Gabriel didn't move, watching the soldiers unwaveringly for a minute, his mind actually being helpful for once as it stopped spinning with memories and focused, analyzing quickly. His demeanor was much like a soldier's himself as he finally made a decision, knowing Cassandra was waiting for his word on the matter. In Gabriel's way of thinking, they were a pack - because they certainly weren't mates - and in this pack, he was the leader. It just seemed to have happened that way.

"We'll have to try for the bigger town, Cass."

As soon as he'd spoken, as if confirming his silent thoughts of the situation, a shout was heard and Gabriel brought his head back from the edge of the roof calmly as a shot rang out, the bullet whizzing by the spot he'd been in just a moment before. They'd been spotted and now it would be impossible for them to get into the center of town. He reached for Cassandra's hand again, backing up with her so they could get a running start at the gap between the roofs and despite their circumstances, his smile was reassuring.

"Ready?"

At her nod, he squeezed her fingers tighter and they both took off toward the edge. Gabriel felt a moment of fear and then a thrill as their bodies soared over the gap, weightless. And then the roof was coming up toward them and because of their abilities, they both landed on their feet, landed running. And they continued to run, jumping when they had to and looking quickly for an escape down to the ground, preferably near the outside of the town.
 
As they ran, Cassandra's thoughts and concerns were completely overshadowed by the primal need to survive. She wasn't as graceful as Gabriel, but she handled the jumps and leaps well enough to never stumble or fall and she moved fairly quickly. As they ran towards the edge of the town, the buildings grew sparser and the distance between the roofs grew longer. Cassandra caught a glimpse of a stack of boxes several feet down from the roof they were currently on. That would have to do.

"Here," was all she said to alert Gabriel before she jumped down onto the boxes, doing her best to land gently and not lose her balance. Once they were on the ground, she took a half second to look around to determine their location. As soon as she did, she took Gabriel's hand again and started running in the direction where she knew the other town to be.

Behind them, soldiers could be heard shouting but they had made good time traveling across the roofs and they had a bit of distance between themselves and their pursuers. Assuming of course, the agents didn't use that jeep to track them down.

"The town is half an hour away. It's big though. We'll blend in," Cassandra said breathlessly as they ran.
 
"Good," he replied back, following where she led with complete trust and he would continue to trust Cassandra despite what happened next.

They were just emerging from the edge of town when Gabriel heard the gun cocking. Many of them. An instinct greater than any logic made him skid to a stop, jerking Cassandra to a standstill with him as his eyes darted around as the men started to emerge from the shadows, noting that they were completely and thoroughly surrounded. He didn't understand, couldn't wrap his mind around how they'd known where they were, where they were going and when the jeep pulled up and Vince stepped out, grinning, it only confused him more.

Why hadn't they been shot yet?

Gabriel moved closer to Cassandra, but the dark-haired man shook his head, making a clicking sound with his tongue. "No, no, no. That won't do." He signaled to his men and two of them stepped forward while the others trained their guns on Gabriel, ensuring that he could do nothing as the gloved and masked men took hold of Cassandra and dragged her several feet from Gabriel, their holds bruising on her wrists, not risking her escaping. Vince smiled again. "Much better, but still, I expected a great deal more from you, Jaguar....or do you prefer Gabriel these days?"

Gabriel's head flared with fire at the man's words and he grit his fangs, trying to ignore the pain in favor of figuring out how to get out of this. He wouldn't leave without Cassandra, though, and he could see no way to get her out. The man before him was watching him closely, like a predator studies wounded prey and it made the blond angry, but also incredibly confused. "Who are you?!"

"Ah, Gabriel, I am wounded." Vince chuckled and tilted his head, hands behind his back, perfectly at ease. He has control of the situation and he knows it. "Well, maybe not that wounded. Gray really did a fabulous job with you. You are starting to remember, though, yes?" Even as he spoke, the man was taking something out of a container and Gabriel didn't understand why, but his blood ran cold to see it was a syringe filled with a yellow liquid. Terror, raw and overwhelming, swept through his body and his eyes widened with fear as he backed up, not even knowing why, just knowing he had to. He couldn't let them touch him with that needle. He couldn't!

Vince tutted again, walking toward him calmly. "Now, now, are you going to be a good Feral or are we going to have to shoot your little friend? Don't worry, you won't remember her either way after this. You won't remember anything at all." He smirked. "Again."

Gabriel shook, violently, but he'd stilled again, his dark amber eyes finding Cassandra's with panic. He couldn't think and his body had frozen with fear too powerful to ignore. He didn't know what was going on and he didn't know why his mind and body screamed at him to get away, to RUN...even as it refused to, not willing to leave her.
 
Cassandra was furious. Absolutely furious. She was so angry that the extremity of it took even her by surprise. She despised these men for what they were doing to Gabriel – what they had already done to him. She struggled to get away from the men holding her back and her inability to free herself made her all the more angry.

"Get away from him!" She snarled, but knew that her words wouldn't make a difference to the agents. She then met eyes with Gabriel and the anger subsided briefly into sympathy and fear for his well-being. "Run!" She saw the guns trained on Gabriel and she hoped that they wouldn't use them – but they hadn't shot him yet and there must be a reason for that. They wanted him alive and that meant he had a chance to escape. "Go, run!" she urged again, hoping it would break him out of his trance and make him listen to her.

She then whirled to the side and sunk her teeth into the arm of one of the soldiers holding her, hoping it would distract him enough to let her go, at least long enough to grab a weapon.
 
Gabriel stared at her. He heard her words, but he couldn't act on them. He couldn't even consider acting on them. He wouldn't leave her. He couldn't, it wasn't even an option, it wasn't something his mind would even allow him to ponder. He didn't move, fear still whirling through his expression, but a flicker of determination igniting in his eyes as well. When the agent holding Cassandra, the one that she'd bit, hit her hard enough to make her head snap back, he snarled and started to move forward without thought. How dare they hurt HIS Cassandra!?

His eyes flashed from fear to fury in a moment but before he could even get close to Cassandra to help her, Vince's voice stopped him. "Would you like me to shoot her?"

The blond whirled, teeth bared and a dangerous growl in his throat, his entire body shaking with both fear and anger and the inability to act on either one. "What do you want?! Let her go!"

The dark-haired man chuckled, shaking his head, dark eyes glittering with cruel laughter. "I think not, Gabriel. She is, after all, going to make you cooperate, isn't she?" When Gabriel didn't respond, he turned his eyes to Cassandra, speaking to her as if they were friendly acquaintances speaking about a dog. "He'll be in some pain in a few hours but it will pass. Don't be alarmed by the fever, but if he starts to speak at all, do be a good girl and write it down in that notebook of his, all right?"

He chuckled then and moved so he was standing directly in front of Gabriel, cool as could be. "Now, which means more to you, Gabriel; her life, and I will have her tortured first before she dies, or your memories?" Vince loved this, seeing the fear that swam in his prey's eyes, seeing them realize there was no options, seeing them understand that HE was in charge and they were merely puppets dancing on a string.

He watched as Gabriel looked back at Cassandra - who now had a piece of cloth tight across her mouth to keep her from speaking - and the blond's eyes seemed to trail down every curve, wanting to commit the woman to memory. Vince knew in that moment that Gabriel had already decided.

Gabriel held his arm out without saying anything, his entire body trembling with fear, every instinct telling him to run as Cassandra had told him to. He couldn't, though. He couldn't leave her and between her life and his memories? There was no competition. He didn't watch the needle go into his arm, keeping his eyes trained on Cassandra. He watched as she was released and Vince walked back to his jeep, speaking pleasantly to Cassandra as he went. "Do keep an eye on him as long as you can stand him. Don't worry though, my dear, we will understand if you leave him. Everyone does at some point." He grinned. "We'll see you both in about three months, for another dose, yes? Do find something more interesting to do in that time than hop to random towns."

With those parting words, the jeep drove away and the remaining soldiers departed, going back the way they'd come, leaving the two alone.
 
As soon as they were gone, Cassandra ripped the cloth away from her mouth and threw it on the ground. She choked back a sob; she was thoroughly enraged at the agents and in particular, Vince. She never hated anyone so much. She hated the way he had toyed with Gabriel and the way he had spoken with her so casually even as he unraveled everything that they had worked for. She hated him, yes, but she was also heartbroken. They had scared and hurt Gabriel and made him lose his memories all over again, and worse, she had watched it all without being able to do a thing to stop them. Gabriel needed her in that moment and she had failed to help him.

A million thoughts and emotions threatened to rush forward but she pushed them back down and turned her attention to the man in front of her. She had failed him once but she would not fail him again. She promised herself that. He needed her to comfort him and walk him through the memories that he had lost. She knew this, so she forced herself to inhale a shaky breath as she approached him.

"…Gabriel?" she asked gently, not wanting to alarm him.
 
Gabriel's eyes were closed. He had shut them as the soldiers left, knowing there was no more point in fighting them as they'd already gotten what they wanted. He didn't understand what it was, though. That man had known him, had mentioned names he only every heard in his own head. He'd known how to manipulate the blond to within an inch of every breath, but Gabriel didn't know him, didn't recognize him. It was terrifying.

It wasn't fear that made him stand so still now, but the feeling of the serum running through his veins. It was cold, so very cold as it worked its way through his body, into his head and he could already feel it starting to take effect, stealing what little he did remember. It would take random things first, things that he didn't hold on to very tightly, but as the hours progressed, it would take more, prying every coveted thought from his grasp. The more he fought it, the worse the pain would get and Gabriel WOULD fight it. Vince had known that, hence his mocking words to Cassandra.

Cassandra. Her voice jolted Gabriel back to reality, back to the present and he opened his eyes, his dark amber gaze meeting her bright blue. There was clear recognition in his gaze as he turned toward the dark-haired beauty - for now. He tried to smile for her, he really did, but in the end he couldn't and the tears slipped down his face without control as his body started to shake with sobs he wouldn't release.

In a few hours, it would all be gone. Everything. And he'd be lost again.
 
Cassandra bit back her own tears. She needed to be the strong one right now; she couldn't afford to cry. She went to Gabriel and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have stopped them. This will be the last time though. I promise. They will never do this to you again. I'll help you get back your memories and then we're going to free you from those men forever. Nobody will ever hurt you like this again."

She wanted to continue holding him. She wanted to stroke his head and talk to him through the whole ordeal but she knew she couldn't. She had a limited amount of time to act and she needed to accomplish a lot before Gabriel lost his memories and therefore, his trust in her. She let go of him and looked him in the eyes, wiping away his tears gently as she spoke. "I'm sorry. I need to take away your privacy. If I am going to help you with this, I need to know everything that I can."

With that, she grabbed Gabriel's bag and emptied its contents on the ground. She hated to do this to his belongings, but she didn't feel like she had a choice. She knew of places they could go where it would be safe – safer than sitting out in the middle of the wasteland at least – but she couldn't risk endangering the people there. She knew Vince and those agents must be tracking Gabriel in some way but she didn't know how. She assumed something that Gabriel owned must be bugged, so she started to search through his belongings to find any trace of a tracker.
 
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Gabriel had clung to her like she was the only lifeline connecting him to the world, to this place and time, keeping him from shattering and he'd worked to not fall apart completely as she held him, spoke to him. He knew they couldn't stay like this. They still needed water and they didn't know if the men would come back...and in a few hours he wouldn't even know how much danger they were in. No, he had to help Cassandra NOW, while he knew how to.

When she pulled back and wiped his eyes, he let her, drawing in a deep breath and simply nodding when she spoke again. He didn't stop her from emptying the bag and even started to look with her, his thoughts starting to connect the same dots she had now that he was committed to DOING something. It helped chase the fear away for a little while, making his mind work, but it didn't stop the serum's effectiveness and even as he picked up the cans of food, Gabriel couldn't remember where he'd gotten them from. Such a memory hadn't been clung to tightly, it hadn't mattered all that much to him. So it was gone.

His dark amber eyes flickered over the other things, but there were only three things that caught his attention. The gun, the dog-tags with the name 'Jaguar' on them and the picture that he never let himself look at. Gabriel looked at all three items, but his eyes stayed on the picture and his fingers picked it up carefully. He looked at it then, not caring if the pain came, as he studied the two men in the photograph. One of them was him and the other...looked so much like him that Gabriel knew instantly that the other man was related to him somehow. He just didn't know in what way and to think about it caused him unbearable pain. So he'd avoided looking at the photograph.

Now, though, as he held it and studied the picture - the fire in his mind didn't come as the serum was already trying to eat through the memory that would have caused the pain in the first place - Gabriel found himself frowning and turning it over, his fingers moving over the back with a searching expression. It felt...too heavy and the backing...wait. He quickly grabbed a knife and started working carefully to slit the back off the photo without wrecking the front and soon something slipped out of the 'pouch' created by the fake backing. It looked like a chip of some kind, a microchip that looked like it would slide into a computer and Gabriel looked at Cassandra, puzzled.

This wasn't a tracking device, but it was something. Something he'd not even been aware was in the photo. Had he put it there or someone else?
 
Cassandra saw the microchip fall and she gently took it from Gabriel, looking it over. She recognized that it wasn't a tracking device but she didn't know what it could be either. Her knowledge of computers was almost nonexistent and even though she could identify it as something technical and computer-y, she didn't know what to do with it. Still, it must be important for it to be hidden so well and she made a mental note to find somebody who could explain to her what it was. She handed it back to Gabriel. "Put it back in the same way you found it." She didn't know if Vince and the other agents knew about the chip, but it had been hidden well so far and she wanted to keep it that way. As he put it back, she caught a glimpse of the picture and she too saw the similarity between Gabriel and the man beside him. Could that be David…? Cassandra pushed the thought away. She would have to think about it later when they had more time.

She continued to search through his belongings, pausing for a moment when she saw the dog tags and gun. She disliked guns – they made killing people far too easy and impersonal – but she held no judgment towards Gabriel for having one. When she was done looking, she sighed. She couldn't find any tracking device but she knew there must have been one, otherwise those men wouldn't have found them.

Three months. He said he will be back in three months. I have until then to find a way to get them off his trail.

Cassandra looked back up at Gabriel. "We need to keep moving. It's dangerous out here in the open. I know the town really well so I'll be able to find us a place where you can…" She didn't want to finish her sentence. She didn't want to say, so you can forget everything you know. She swallowed hard and put Gabriel's belongings back in his bag before handing it to him.
 
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He knew what went through her mind, what she didn't say and Gabriel shuddered, but didn't speak. He knew her unspoken words, but he was still grateful she didn't say them, didn't remind him out loud even if his mind could complete the thought anyway. He felt another wave of fear sweep through him like freezing ocean water over the sand, but the blond didn't voice it, didn't start crying again or shake. He simply took the pack from Cassandra and stood, helping her up.

No words were needed for them to start walking in sync and as they started to head down the same highway they'd come in on, only in the opposite direction, Gabriel found himself grateful that the town was only a half-hour away. He didn't want Cassandra to be alone. He didn't want her to be out in this great emptiness when his eyes finally emptied themselves of any recognition of her. The thought made him feel sick and before Gabriel even realized it.....he was sick.

He felt the sobs building again as he vomited bile - they hadn't eaten that morning - and then dry-heaved. He didn't let them out, though. He couldn't. If he did he'd shatter and he couldn't do that to Cassandra. Not here, not now. Soon, soon he wouldn't have a choice but he did now.
 
Cassandra gasped and started to rub Gabriel's back to soothe him. "Are you okay?" Cassandra immediately reprimanded herself for the stupid question. Of course he was not okay. There was nothing okay about the situation. He was getting sick and chances are, he would get progressively sicker until he finally lost all of his memories. Cassandra waited for him to finish his spell of sickness before she continued walking. She hated to push him like this, knowing that he must feel terrible, but she needed to get them to safety.

Not long after, the town became visible on the horizon. It was the most expansive town they had seen so far. The streets were crowded with vendors and residents alike and it wasn't hard to see that blending in would be easy. Cassandra took no solace in that, however. The closer they got to the town, the more on edge she became. She pulled up her hood and made an effort not to look at anybody as they entered.

"This way." Cassandra took Gabriel's hand and led him through the crowd. She walked quickly but surely and it was apparent that she knew the town's layout very well. She stopped outside an external basement door and then kicked open the rusty lock before opening the small double doors that led into the ground. Stairs led them down into a fairly small cellar that seemed largely abandoned. A few wooden boxes sat in the corner but it looked like they hadn't been touched in ages. Once they were inside, she closed the doors behind them but left the doors slightly cracked to allow some light in, though it would be dim.

"We can rest here. Nobody will bother us."
 
Gabriel had followed her blindly, his own hood pulled up so that he wouldn't have to keep control of his face or his eyes as he started to feel the first spikes of pain go through his mind. The smells all over made his stomach shift uneasily, but he resisted mightily the urge to puke again. The sounds were even worse, echoing in his ears, too loud for his skull as it was already pounding. He was grateful when Cassandra finally led them into the cellar and he didn't care about the state of it. He didn't care about eating or blankets or even the darkness.

He didn't care about anything but making the pain stop, but he knew that to do that....he'd have to surrender his memories without a fight. And Gabriel just couldn't do that. He couldn't let them take everything from him without struggling to keep it, even if he failed in the end, even if he knew it was fruitless.

The blond set his pack down and took his hoodie off - he was growing warm with fever - throwing it down too before he sank down against the dirt wall. His fingers came up to cradle his head and the trembling he'd kept such a tight control over while they'd gone through the city shook him in earnest now. He felt sick again, but had nothing to throw up and the pain kept him from wanting to move at all.

The serum had started to move onto memories he didn't want to give up and the worst, cruelest part of it was that he remembered what he'd forgotten before as the memories were taken. In the brief moments between the thoughts being pulled from the dark abyss of his mind and being erased, he could see them. He was remembering who he was, what he'd done, everything....even as it was being mercilessly ripped away completely.
 
Cassandra sat down next to him and started to run her fingers through his hair again. She knew it wouldn't really help but she couldn't think of what else to do. No matter what she did, Gabriel would suffer and in the end, he would forget everything. The only thing she could do now is try to make the process more bearable for him.

She took one of his hands and held it tightly. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have stopped this." She didn't expect a reply from him – she knew he was probably far too preoccupied to even listen to her. Still, she felt obligated to say something. "I'll take care of you. I won't leave like the others did. I promise." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. She was doing her best to stay strong but all she wanted to do was cry. She hated seeing Gabriel hurt and being unable to help him absolutely broke her heart.
 
He wished he could have purred, could have told her in some way that what she was doing, it mattered. It mattered more to him than he could put into words and right now, he couldn't put anything to words as the battle raged through his mind. It hurt. It hurt more than anything he could remember and he was remembering even as he was forgetting. He frustrated and angered and scared him terribly and Gabriel didn't try to stop the sobs this time as they pulled from chest.

The blond couldn't think. He could barely breathe as the pain built to unbearable and he finally moved, curling on the dirt floor, gripping his head tightly, his nails digging into his scalp, desperate to make it stop. The only temporary relief came when he finally was forced to let the memory he was hanging on to so tightly go. He watched in his mind's eye as the serum devoured it and while his sobbing had quieted, silent tears dripped down his face, running over the side of his nose and past his cheekbones to the dirt floor. His mother. He couldn't remember his mother anymore.

It went like that for nearly an hour, his young-past going first and continuing until it came to his nineteenth year. Gabriel had almost seemed to give up for a time and the pain had lessened somewhat, but now he stiffened as the memories were dredged up, sucked toward the vacuum that would consume them unless he held on...and he did. The scream was sudden as it tore from his throat and Gabriel writhed, his body covered in sweat, burning up. His movement stopped almost as soon as it had started and his eyes snapped open, finding Cassandra's as he started to speak, his words coming out between gasps of pain and clenched teeth.

"S-security code: 145..83..4. Government b-building 14..E. C-computer. Chip. P-password: 85..673. New v-virus...n-new virus..."

Gabriel screamed again and whatever intelligence, whatever memory that had been in his eyes faded and so did his cry of pain as the memory left completely.
 
Cassandra jumped a little when he screamed and it had taken her a few seconds to understand exactly what was happening. When it hit her though, she moved fast. She quickly unzipped her backpack and pulled out the notebook. She wrote down everything that he said, though she didn't understand it. She assumed the computer chip was the chip they had found in the photo. What was the new virus though? She didn't know, but she didn't bother to dwell on it for too long.

Watching Gabriel suffer was taking its toll on Cassandra. She never got used to his screams or tears and although she was constantly at his side, doing her best to comfort him, she knew it was futile. She was emotionally exhausted and all she knew was that she wanted Gabriel to stop suffering. She began to stroke his hair again as she spoke to him softly, "Tell me any information you remember that has to do with the people that did this to you. If it doesn't involve them, let the memory go. Don't keep holding onto anything unnecessary. You will feel less pain if you just let it go."
 
He didn't want to let go. He didn't want to forget. He wanted his mind back. He knew it wasn't going to happen, though, and Gabriel only nodded faintly, quiet again as he did as Cassandra wanted, watching with a feeling of hopelessness as his life flashed before him, clear and then disappeared just as quickly. There was a void growing in his head, ever-expanding as more and more was taken. It was emptying him and he was terrified of the moment when there would be nothing left. Nothing at all.

He spoke on and off for the next two hours. He told Cassandra that this had been ongoing for six years. They'd f***** with his mind for six years. One of those years had been in a facility headed by a Dr. Gray. She was an expert in science, pyschology and torture and she'd used all three on Gabriel during his stay. He'd been separated from his group, from the Resistance during a raid and captured. He'd escaped during the third day there and had gotten information from a...he couldn't remember that part. It was already gone. They'd wanted him to tell them where his brother was, where the others were but he hadn't broken. He'd told them nothing and so they'd developed a new way to get what they wanted. They'd used the serum, taking his memory so that nothing stood between his 'homing' instinct - and every other instinct - and his intelligent mind. They had planned on following him back to the central base of the Resistance, but Gabriel hadn't gone back. He'd wandered and he'd gotten other Infected killed when they came in contact with him. And every three or four months, he was found by Vince and his memory wiped clean again, just as it was starting to come back.

This was the information he told Cassandra between the screams and the tears and the times when he couldn't breathe for the pain. It was a fraction of his history but by the time the night was over, she would know more than he did.

It was just starting to get light when his fever reached its highest spike and Gabriel had been quiet for some time, but in no less pain. He had not told Cassandra, but he only had a few memories left...and they were all about her. He didn't want to give them up and so he fought, his entire body radiating agony as he refused to let them go, refused to severe his last connections. Especially not his connections to her.
 
While the two hours passed, Cassandra had dutifully written down everything Gabriel said into the notebook, making sure she wrote verbatim so that there would be no errors. She had questions but she knew they would not be answered and it would be cruel to even try to ask him, so she kept quiet. When she wasn't writing, she had spent her time trying to soothe Gabriel and help him through the pain.

When she touched Gabriel now, she felt his skin burning up under the fever. She didn't know if the fever was capable of getting worse, but she knew he must be nearing the end of his remaining memories. She didn't know that the memories were about her, but she did know that they could no longer be about the government and its agents. There was no point in him prolonging his agony.

She reached out and touched his face gently. "Relax. Let it go. It's almost over. I'll be here when you are done and I will help you every step of the way. Let the memories go, Gabriel. Don't do this to yourself any longer." Her voice was soft with fatigue and she was emotionally exhausted. Watching Gabriel suffer through the pain for so long had left her bitter. She hated the government. She hated the agents. She hated Vince. Further, she hated herself for letting this happen to him. Afterwards, she would work tirelessly to protect Gabriel and in time, her optimism would return. However, in this moment, she was far too tired and too upset to feign any happiness.
 
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