One and Two and Three

And the Clouds parted and a voice said; GIVE THEM ANOTHER CHAPTER

And so i do, and it is good.

although not so good is the part where i don't own jack shit.

~*~

The Twins' were, in fact currently chasing after Morpheus, Trinity and the KeyMaker. It was as the three peeled off in some stolen car that Two began hotwiring their own while One shot back to the restaurant to collect Keyes. What he found was the hookah table tipped on its side and one of her arms nearly out of its bindings. She glared up at him and bit down even tighter then she already was on the gag. One grinned at her and bent down, taking her arounbd the waist and lifting. Keyes immediately went dead-weight, attempting to make things more difficult for One. She paid the price for it when One’s hands slid from her waist up to just under her breasts. She froze for a minute but One didn’t seem perturbed in the lightest. He squeezed her a bit and picked her up, settling her over his shoulder, giving both of them views of each others’ respective prosteriors. He then turn and headed back to Two and what ever he'd gotten started.
When he arrived, he tossed her in the back seat area and climbed in, and they were off. opening the bag of weapons they'd pulled off Keyes, which was... extensive, to say the least, slapped a magazine in one and begun shooting. The next half an hour or so where bumpy, rocky and silent in the car. No music, no talk, no swearing, Keyes bounced around the back and chewed at her gag, which seemed to be getting only stronger the longer she gnawed at it.
Keyes had just gotten the gag down and around her throat when One materialized back in the front seat. she shifted onto her back in time to hear
"...We are getting aggravated"
"Yes we are"
~of all the... what is going on?~ She nearly sat up and asked but deemed it better to stay where she was at the moment. Neither Twin seemed in the mood to explain anything to her. Instead she stretched a little, arching her back gently, searing pain shot through her gut and she curled up into a tiny ball. It felt like her ribs were on fire. She breathed, hissing through clenched teeth, praying neither Twin paid her any attention. But no such luck.
"Mayhap we kicked her a little hard brother"
"Her own fault isn't it?"
"Of course"
"I'll...make you... pay..." Keyes growled out, grinding her forehead against the back of the driver's seat, hoping the pressure would help somehow. It didn't.
"Is that a threat, or a promise?" No answer, Keyes' eyes were screwed shut and she rolled over onto her back again and wet her lips letting them hang open as she panted lightly. Using her bound legs to push up a little, relieving the weight on her ribs. But with Two driving so fast, this didn't last and her legs gave out, pushing a soft moan from her, then a throbbing sigh.
"Hey girl"
"Keyes" she moaned out.
"Whatever. your friend is up ahead" Two said with a grin
"Mazon?"
"Crush him" One said and Keyes wrenched herself up straight with a little cry.
"Morpheus!" Then they started rolling. the next thing Keyes heard was gun shots, yelling and then what resembled an sonic boom underneath her, then there was just heat, pulsing, painful, endless heat. She felt like her body was being incinerated, then like she was flying. And then she felt nothing at all.
"Do you think she's still alive?"
"Who?"
"Keyes."
"We'll check when it dies down a bit"

Mazon woke up to Trinity's voice echoing from the main deck. she sat up and looked around, then down at Keyes' body and yelped.
"Shit!" She'd completely forgotten, clamping her hands down on Keyes' shoulders and concentrated on her friend's coding, then recoiled with fear.
~my god Keyes! what's happened to you?~ She'd actually managed to patch into Keyes' body for a moment and felt only pain, miles of leagues of pain, then a knocking on her door.
"Mazon? It's mom..."
"Oh shit"
"What is it? I'm coming in..." The door creaked open and Trinity walked in.
"What's this? A sleep over?"
"Not exactly mom....there's something I've gotta tell you... and you not gonna like it..."
"Oh can it wait honey? I really have to go watch Neo..."
"No mom... it's about Keyes..." Trinity looked from Keyes' seemingly sleeping form to Mazon and sighed.
"Oh honey, I don't care if you're gay. It doesn't matter. okay?" and she turned to leave.
"Mom that's not it" Trinity sighed and leaned against the door.
"What is it then?" Mazon looked pointedly at Keyes and Trinity took notice for the first time. "My god...." she was suddenly sitting on the bed with a hand to Keyes' forehead. "What did you do?"
"We were in the Matrix and-"
"You went in? Fuck Mazon..." Trinity scooped up Keyes' form and frowned. "Why didn't you bring her out with you?"
"I tried mom!" Mazon was starting to suddenly realize what she'd done, and guilt, frantic worry and pure terror was starting to crash into her all at the same time. "There's like this wall up and I can't even get into the Matrix at all now!"
"You know she's not experienced enough to endure injuries yet..." she turned to go
"Where are you taking her?"
"Well you left her in didn't you? We have to plug her in then wait... and take her out"

~no.... I'm not alive. this isn't me waking up after what felt like a goddamn meteor hit my spine.... this isn't real.... Fuck...~ One looked over Keyes' body, the extensive bandaging had saved her calves and forearms from most burning, and she'd curled into the fetal so her front and face weren't too bad, but her back.... Two had removed the huge cuffs, lying her on her stomach with her head to the side, slowly breathing, in, out in, out in, out. it was practically impossible that she was even alive, but here she was. breathing, feeling, hurting. after pulling her from the wreckage, the Twins hijacked another car and were heading back towards the city. it was a mini van this time. and they'd shoved the seats out to stretch Keyes out on the floor and drive back. they'd stop at a hospital or something and hand her over to a doctor.
"then what?"
"Return?"
"Not much point"
"Well what do we suggest then?" One glanced back at Keyes' slumbering form.
"hang out with her"
"what for?"
"she mentioned money. which means she's got to have money somewhere, which means she'll pay, probably well."
"where? we cleaned out all her pockets, and anything we missed is cinders now" it was true. most of Keyes' clothes had been incinerated. leaving her in only most of the pants and part of the top of the leather dress. and these had been cut in the back to allow her burns, mostly 2nd degree, to get some air. leaving her practically naked except for a fun pair on underwear, black with the coding of the Matrix on it. most of her hair was burnt off as well, leaving the remains still purplish red at the roots, but now black at the tips, reaching only barely past her shoulders.
"then her friend was probably carrying it all. from the way they acted. she won't leave this one... Keyes, here to die"
by the time they'd actually reached the city, twilight was falling and after a stop at an emergency room, with a little bit of shooting to relieve some of One's stress, they got a doctor to look over Keyes' still unconscious self. he told them to wrap her with special bandages lightly, burn salve and the dark for a few days and it was only a matter of time. they got rid of the doctor then and stopped at some all night place, got the salve and bandages, then to an apartment they kept on the side.
said apartment was a cozy two room on the top floor of an apartment building. the Twins' separate rooms where each tucked into corners and the rest of the apartment was given over to white walls, carpeting and furniture. large windows governed one side of the apartment. after a second of debating, they sacrificed One's room to Keyes and the Twins would take turns sleeping in Two's room if need be.
One claimed the bathroom connected to his room for a hot bath, from which steam was pouring as he scrubbed himself free of highway grit and ash. During all this, it can be safely assumed was happening next door in Two's personal bathroom as well. after an hour or so of soaking, One let the water out, grimly satisfied to see the water a shade of grey and himself clean again. wrapping a towel around himself, he hadn't heard any movement from next door and was fairly sure that Two had fallen asleep in the tub. One shook his head, drops of water falling from his dreadlocks, streaming down his shoulders and spattering on the black carpet of his bathroom.
One opened the door and stepped into his room, it was also black, bed, shades, walls and carpet. One fancied the idea of his room being entirely black while he wore white. there was some kind of irony there which pleased him immensely. Two's room, he knew, was grey and silver and white with a few shadows. Two had always liked blending into the background, a type of fatal shadow that you didn't know about until it was too late. he was all the way to his closet and had pulled the towel off, draping it over a chair, and was digging through the closet when he heard a shifting then:
"Mmm huh? Eeeeaahhh!! *thump* Oooooo....." and a soft crying. One twirled around and noticed that Keyes was gone, though her shredded clothes were still there. grabbing the towel and re-wrapping himself, he stepped to the other side of the bed and looked down at Keyes who had landed on her back and how had tears streaking her sooty face. trying not to notice that Keyes was naked but for her underwear, One sighed, he'd have to get his entire room cleaned after all of this, tied the towel off, and leaned down, carefully picking Keyes up. she stiffened then gasped and clung to his shoulder, his hands touching her blister covered back and the angle she was held at grinding her bruised ribs together. He was painfully aware of her breasts brushing against his chest and used every shred of willpower then to keep himself under control as he carried her to the bathroom and set her down carefully in the tub then plugged the drain and turned on the water.
"wash your self.... call when your done." and One promptly turned to leave.
"wait..." One turned back looking down at her disdainfully. her shoulders slouched down and everything about her seemed defeated. "I...I don't think I can..." One turned to face her fully, then making sure the towel was tied correctly, he leaned over, turning on the showerhead, which shot down from the middle of the ceiling above. Keyes gasped as the water pounded onto her and looked up, closing her eyes and letting the water hit her, sending soot streaming off her face in small rivulets. One stood and watched her for a moment, still telling himself over and over that she wasn't really naked, it was just a clever suit, and stepped partway in the tub, slipping his arms under hers and lifting her to standing. She stood well enough with his support to keep her at a conducive angle for broken ribs and gripped a small bar inset into the wall, a wash cloth hung over it and she pushed it aside, clinging to it with one white knuckled hand. the veins sticking out a little in the forearm and she nodded to One who slowly loosened his grip and stepped away. when she was fully standing without his help, she nodded again and he turned and left, though he kept the door open. when he was out of the room he sat on the bed and sighed. maybe he'd just go and get the place fumigated. it was probably easier. he wrinkled his nose at the burnt remains of clothes on his bed and gathered them up, taking them briskly to a trashcan and dropping them inside. One suddenly envied Two for having his whole room to his self. Sitting back down on the bed, One lay back, straightening out and sighing, hearing his back crack several times, and then his neck. He vaguely recalled hearing the shower shut off and the sound of the tub draining, then feet on black tile, then black carpet, material sliding, a towel. foot steps, slow and hesitant, then a soft sinking on the bed, shifting and a sigh.
"gods..." One vaguely resented kicking her in the ribs, but refusing to dwell on it, he stood and grabbed the bandages and salve. Looking from them to Keyes already stretched on his bed, getting his blankets all wet his hands shook a little and he shook his head. Dropping them on the bed One went next door. Entering he looked resentfully at his brother, passed out on his bed. and sighed.
"brother.......Two. get up. she needs.... wrapping...." and One turned and left the room. Two blinked several times and stood, stumbling to One's room. Poking Keyes in the leg several times, he got her to sit up and raise her arms, then smeared some salve on her back quickly, grinning at her hissed breath, then growl as he began to wrap her ribs. He noticed as he did that she didn't make eye contact and in fact, kept her head turned away from him the whole time. when she lay back down on her stomach, he sighed, she was still wearing her underwear and it was soaked, he suspected that One hadn't the decency to help her take it off for her shower. He applied the rest of the salve and covered her with the comforter, then went up underneath it and sidled off her underwear, earning a kick and extra growl from her. tossing the underwear across the room and straightening the blanket again he turned to leave.
"Don't sweat it girl. cute undies though" a yowl of anger met his ears as he exited the room with satisfaction. it was, as he entered his room though, that he sat One had stolen his bed. sighing dejectedly, Two pulled an extra blanket out of a closet and pulled out the couch in the main room. Pulling the blanket over his head, Two closed his eyes just as the sun was coming up behind him.

~ YAAAAY!!! yay for me and my amazing ability to update.