Evenfall (73 page)

"What are we doing?" he asked in a low voice.

It was bizarre seeing someone being able to so casually touch Sin, and that more than anything caused Boyd to be unable to respond for a moment. Sin had a pulse but he had to be almost entirely dead to allow that, to not respond, to not...

"We're taking him to his apartment," Boyd said as calmly as he could, his voice still a step distant to his ears. "I can't carry him on my own. I need help, I don't care who, I just need it, even it's a gurney or someone dragging him with."

Boyd stopped himself abruptly when he realized he was nearly rambling, something he rarely did. He took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly, staying out of Luke's way. He was going to have to close this all off once he was back within the cameras. He was going to have to find a way to stop the trembling of his hands, too. But he couldn't look around the box without some evidence of blood showing the pain and panic Sin had to be in. And that made a voice in his mind wonder with increasing alarm whether Sin was going to be okay after all.

Luke nodded shortly and slid both of his arms under Sin's, grunting as he tried to hoist him up. He stumbled for a moment, almost falling under Sin's weight. He caught himself and only managed to tilt awkwardly against the wall. Sin sagged against him, hair falling in front of his completely slack face that temporarily blocked the vivid bruises covering his head.

"Damn," Luke muttered as he backed out of the box, half carrying and half dragging Sin with him. "He's a lot heavier than he looks."

"He's a lot of things one doesn't expect," Boyd said almost absently, and moved in on the other side to take half of Sin's weight as soon as they were out of the box where there was enough room. He looked at Luke sidelong, his expression composed once again under the cameras, even if his eyes were narrowed seriously.
"Will you be able to escort him to the apartment or do I need someone else? And regarding the drugs," there was a twist to his words where he couldn't quite keep the disgust from his voice, "will there be any side effects now that they've been stopped?"

"James!" Luke called to the rookie as he shifted to get a better grip on Sin. "Radio Travis and tell him I need him to cover me while I give Agent Beaulieu an escort."

The rookie stared at the scene with wide eyes before grabbing his radio and fumbling with it, trying to find the right switches.

Luke glanced at Boyd over the top of Sin's bowed head. "It would be wise to take him to the medical unit for further evaluation. He might have a severe concussion or worse and he has been unconscious for quite some time. However, if the orders are to return him to his quarters I would advise that you request further instruction. I assume he is to be watched in some way to monitor his condition. While he has never shown side effects before, I'm not sure what will happen in this case. He has a strong tolerance to the drugs and they normally wear off quickly once they are no longer constantly added to his system, but given his head injury I am not sure what his response will be."

Boyd nodded but his mind was racing furiously. He really should take Sin to the medical unit but could he afford to? What if Connors discovered his ploy? Boyd's entire plan rested on the fact that he could barricade the two of them in Sin's apartment, which was built so securely that it should be easy to defend when it became apparent what Boyd did.

But at the same time, what use was it to get Sin somewhere safe if he only died there, or was permanently damaged? Thinking of the blueprints, Boyd quickly ran through a few scenarios in his mind and tried to consider where the most traffic would be according to the time of day.

He calculated that he could probably count on about twenty-five minutes leeway before anyone thought to contact Samuel, and then it would take at least that long for him to contact Connors and for an order to be given to the rest of the guards to go return Sin to the box. He would give the medics that long to check him over and give him the supplies he needed, and that was all he could afford.

"Follow me," Boyd said firmly and started dragging Sin and Luke both toward a back hallway.

Luke didn't resist although he looked back towards the main exit. "Where does this lead? I don't normally take this route."

"A shortcut to the medic unit," Boyd said calmly and Luke just nodded. The next half hour passed in a blur despite the awkwardness. They were able to take an old set of elevators that were rarely used once they left fourth, but even with the back route that Boyd chose, they still ran into some people who looked at them in alarm. Boyd ignored them and tried to rush Luke as much as he could without being obvious about it.

The medics seemed surprised at the sudden appearance more than Sin's condition; they had probably seen him many times in a terrible state after being in the box, though never quite like this. After a quick but thorough check, it was concluded that Sin would be fine with rest but just in case they gave Boyd a few things that may help. Luke and Boyd were told to inform them immediately if Sin seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, but they felt that he was resilient enough that even with the damage he would ultimately be fine.

Boyd didn't feel comfortable saying anything until they were in the open air of the courtyard on the way to Sin's apartment, the only place they were free of constant surveillance that could overhear conversations.

With his head tilted forward so his hair half-hid his expression, he looked at Luke sidelong and with eyes that expressed the emphasis of his words, he whispered, "Thank you."

Luke glanced at him and nodded, supporting most of Sin's weight as he tried not to drag his bare feet along the cold ground. "You're welcome," he replied. There was a brief silence before he spoke again. "I don't agree with some of the things he has done, I don't even agree with the fact that he is free, but I also don't believe that any human being should be treated like this and I don't wish for him to die."

There was another long silence and just before they reached Sin's building, Luke looked at Boyd again. "And I think being around you helps him."

Boyd's lips stretched humorlessly. "I don't think I help anything at all," he said softly, "and I know he's done terrible things. But he'll never stop if he isn't given the chance."

Luke grunted as he carried Sin up the front stairs. "You're not giving yourself enough credit," he replied but didn't have a chance to say more as they entered the building and approached the guards.

Boyd wasn't carrying as much weight as Luke was; somehow it'd just happened that way. Maybe Luke was trying to keep Boyd, who didn't look much better than Sin, from having to put too much stress on his body. It was easier for Boyd to pull the official document out though without having to fumble too much with Sin, and after minimal scrutiny by the guards, the two were finally able to make it to Sin's apartment.

Swiping his card through the lock on Sin's door, Boyd shoved his way into the apartment and had Luke help place Sin on the couch. He didn't want to bring him back to the bedroom where he couldn't see him clearly from everywhere. Stepping back, Boyd stared at Sin for one long moment before turning to Luke and affecting the same composed detachment as before.
"I'm fine now, guard," he informed him almost imperiously. "You can return to your post."

Luke's mouth quirked up into an almost amused smirk but he hid it quickly. He nodded and backed towards the door with one final glance at Sin. "Good luck with your... friend." He let the words roll off his tongue sarcastically and turned around, disappearing from the apartment and leaving the two alone.

If he weren't so aware of the cameras and the situation weren't so serious, Boyd would have been amused by the act Luke put on even until the end. As it was, he had to get several things done before he would let himself rest. The moment Luke was gone, Boyd shut the door firmly behind him, though he could not lock it from his side in a way that anyone with keycard access would be unable to enter. That was unimportant until they discovered his ruse, however, and he needed to get the surveillance off them first.

He had watched Sin through the live feed enough to know exactly where to find the cameras.

They were a little difficult to remove, but Boyd had done some research during his planning period and he knew what types of cameras they probably had installed and how best to deactivate them. It damaged the walls and took quite a bit of pained wrenching on his end, but he eventually managed to rip every one of the contraptions down.

The camera in the bathroom mirror was most difficult, as he had to figure out where it was located. It took him awhile and he eventually had to pry the part of the mirrored cabinet off the wall before he found the camera tucked in a recess behind. That also came out, though it was hardest to do because the angle was incredibly uncomfortable for him to try for any amount of leverage, and he had to attempt this all without breaking the actual mirror unit off the wall because he had no way of putting it back on if he did. He could have just shattered the mirror and gone through the front, but he didn't want Sin to know that the camera was there.

It seemed evident from when he'd watched the feed in the past that Sin did not think anyone was watching him in there. Boyd did not have the heart to take away that last shred of privacy Sin had thought he'd retained.

Every time he passed through the living room, Boyd looked at Sin very carefully to make sure he was still alright. Through the duration of taking the cameras down, Sin stayed almost entirely still, but as time passed he started to move a little more. By the time Boyd had the cameras in a pile in the middle of the living room, Sin was starting to twitch. He didn't look in pain so Boyd kept an eye on him as he considered the pile of electronics.

He didn't want Sin to know about the mirror camera and he was also angry with the Agency for watching Sin so invasively and denying him so many simple human comforts. There really had never been any other option than to destroy them. He sat on the floor and dismantled them one by one, using tools for some but for the most part just breaking them. He tried to stay as quiet as he could, so as not to wake Sin or alert the guards to what was happening. Even with that intention, he couldn't help the occasional crack as plastic snapped, or his subsequent hissed curses when he hurt his hand or smacked an elbow against the floor.

Movement caught his eye and he looked over suddenly to see Sin's eyes slit open and turned toward him. Seeing Sin seemingly conscious caught Boyd off guard and for a second he stared back at him, slightly wide eyed, before he thought to drop the camera he'd been working on.

Even within the handful of seconds it took Boyd to get by him, Sin had already fallen back asleep. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his skin turned a little clammy.
Even so, the sight of Sin showing even that much life was relieving. Boyd let out a shaky breath he didn't realize he was holding, and he couldn't stop himself from tentatively touching Sin's forehead. He tensed, half expecting a hand to grip his wrist painfully but Sin didn't respond at all. Boyd felt as comforted by the ability to touch him as he was alarmed because it was so unlike Sin to allow it.

For the next few hours, Boyd was constantly on edge. He watched Sin carefully, almost fiercely protective. At the slightest sound of movement at the door he turned immediately, ready to intercept anyone who stopped Sin's recovery, but no one came and no one even called him on his cell. He could only assume that Connors did not know yet what happened, or there was some other interference that was delaying the inevitable confrontation that would take place.

Boyd knew he'd placed himself in grave danger with this act but it didn't matter. He was determined to make sure Sin was alright and aware before he would let himself be dragged away, if that was what they intended to do. He wouldn't mind too much as long as Sin was alive and well-- and out of that horrible box.
Someday
, Boyd wanted to destroy that as well.

Sin woke up a couple times, but he was in such a state of disorientation that all he could manage was slurred speech and mumbling. He looked very confused, his eyes glassy any time they opened. He seemed even more baffled whenever Boyd came near, as if he could not quite believe it was him.

A few times he suddenly jerked and threw himself around as if he were having a nightmare or thought he was still in the box. Boyd was there each time to put a gentle hand on his forehead and a quelling one on his shoulder to keep him from hurting himself.

"It's okay, Sin; it's Boyd," he assured him each time. "You're out of the box. I'm here."

It was clear several times that Sin was almost aware of Boyd's presence but then he slipped back asleep for varying lengths of time and Boyd just took to gently threading his fingers through Sin's overgrown hair to soothe him even when he was asleep. He felt strangely liberated by the idea that he could touch Sin without reprisal; he didn't want to stop stroking his hair, even though it was greasy and dirty from Sin being in the box for so long. He trailed his hand softly down the bruises on Sin's temple, smoothed his hand over his forehead, then found his fingers in Sin's hair again.

At one point, Boyd realized he had been staring at Sin quietly for long enough that his knees cramped against the floor where he knelt and one leg had fallen asleep, so he shifted and forced himself away. Sin stirred and mumbled something that sounded a little cranky, but otherwise did not respond. He was so out of it, so incredibly different than his usual self, that Boyd didn't know what to think. On the one hand, he felt special to be privy to such a moment but on the other, the vulnerability frightened him. As if he could do something now that would break Sin when he didn't have the chance to defend himself.