“Herman Gomez, please report to the Reactor level.”
Kate’s teasing lilt echoes in his apartment, clashing chaotically with Pepper’s frantic pleas—pleas with Herman to let her out, with God to calm her heart, for Freddie to be safe.
Herman tears at his hair as he stares up into the focused lens of the security camera, feeling light-headed as the piercing wails of his wife needle through his ears.
“Repeat: Herman Gomez, fat cock extraordinaire, report to the Reactor level for a chat!”
There is a mechanical click and a hiss as their apartment door opens, spilling Pepper into the empty hallway. Herman turns just in time to see Pepper fleeing, running through the halls, throwing herself bodily at the locked doors like a frightened animal.
“Pepper!” Herman yells after her. She’s gone, cowering somewhere at the end of the dark hall.
He doesn’t hesitate when the door beside him opens with an ominous creak of gears.
Herman follows the trail laid before him by Kate: doors unlocked magically and locked quickly behind him. He feels like a rat in her experiment, following the sound of her teasing commands, running down the tunnels that she pushes him through.
She must be in the Overseer’s office, has to be, and Herman wonders if there would be any way to reach her, to end this. How could he cheat her, though—he knows that she is watching him, can see the camera’s following his every move.
The next door that opens leads him into the Filter room, where Stanley’s dead body is sprawled across the floor.
“Draw your pistol, Officer!” Her delighted squeal sends his heart shuddering.
Herman whips around, heart aching from the panic, expecting her to be there with him. She isn’t, however—she’s still speaking to him through the intercom.
He does as he’s told while moving slowly over towards Stanley, looking around the room cautiously before crouching to examine the bullet-hole gouging a grotesque, leaking hole where his eye once was.
“God damn it…” Herman sighs, his pistol shaking audibly in his hands, and fights to calm his jumping heart. Jesus, I can barely breathe…
…
But then… he can’t really… think.
Herman let’s himself relax into a sitting position, not caring that Stanley’s blood soaks into his vault-suit, simply reveling in the strangely lulling throb in his brain, in the overwhelming light-headedness that makes his eyes roll back into his head.
“Hey Manny.” Her whisper is warm and moist in his ear, her lips hot against his cheekbone. “How’re you doin’?”
“I… I feel… ugh.” He lets his head loll back against her thin shoulder, eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of her hand ghosting over his groin. “Ah… I can’t really… concentrate…”
“I know, Mister, I know.” She makes her voice high and child-like, causing him to laugh a bit deliriously. “Why don’t you let me handcuff you to these bars, hm? That might make you feel better.”
“What? Oh… um…” Herman is dragged with some effort towards the railing that Kate speaks of. She is handcuffing him to it before he can answer. That’s...okay with him, actually. “Sure, Katie… I trust you.”
He smiles dreamily as she leans down to kiss him—truly kiss him, with hungry lips and a warm tongue—with her hands sliding up the arms that are bound above his head. Katie hasn’t kissed him in a long time, not like this… He’s missed it, missed… her.
Kate pulls away, steps over his sprawled legs and wanders past him and out of sight.
Missed Me 4a/?
Kate’s teasing lilt echoes in his apartment, clashing chaotically with Pepper’s frantic pleas—pleas with Herman to let her out, with God to calm her heart, for Freddie to be safe.
Herman tears at his hair as he stares up into the focused lens of the security camera, feeling light-headed as the piercing wails of his wife needle through his ears.
“Repeat: Herman Gomez, fat cock extraordinaire, report to the Reactor level for a chat!”
There is a mechanical click and a hiss as their apartment door opens, spilling Pepper into the empty hallway. Herman turns just in time to see Pepper fleeing, running through the halls, throwing herself bodily at the locked doors like a frightened animal.
“Pepper!” Herman yells after her. She’s gone, cowering somewhere at the end of the dark hall.
He doesn’t hesitate when the door beside him opens with an ominous creak of gears.
Herman follows the trail laid before him by Kate: doors unlocked magically and locked quickly behind him. He feels like a rat in her experiment, following the sound of her teasing commands, running down the tunnels that she pushes him through.
She must be in the Overseer’s office, has to be, and Herman wonders if there would be any way to reach her, to end this. How could he cheat her, though—he knows that she is watching him, can see the camera’s following his every move.
The next door that opens leads him into the Filter room, where Stanley’s dead body is sprawled across the floor.
“Draw your pistol, Officer!” Her delighted squeal sends his heart shuddering.
Herman whips around, heart aching from the panic, expecting her to be there with him. She isn’t, however—she’s still speaking to him through the intercom.
He does as he’s told while moving slowly over towards Stanley, looking around the room cautiously before crouching to examine the bullet-hole gouging a grotesque, leaking hole where his eye once was.
“God damn it…” Herman sighs, his pistol shaking audibly in his hands, and fights to calm his jumping heart. Jesus, I can barely breathe…
…
But then… he can’t really… think.
Herman let’s himself relax into a sitting position, not caring that Stanley’s blood soaks into his vault-suit, simply reveling in the strangely lulling throb in his brain, in the overwhelming light-headedness that makes his eyes roll back into his head.
“Hey Manny.” Her whisper is warm and moist in his ear, her lips hot against his cheekbone. “How’re you doin’?”
“I… I feel… ugh.” He lets his head loll back against her thin shoulder, eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of her hand ghosting over his groin. “Ah… I can’t really… concentrate…”
“I know, Mister, I know.” She makes her voice high and child-like, causing him to laugh a bit deliriously. “Why don’t you let me handcuff you to these bars, hm? That might make you feel better.”
“What? Oh… um…” Herman is dragged with some effort towards the railing that Kate speaks of. She is handcuffing him to it before he can answer. That’s...okay with him, actually. “Sure, Katie… I trust you.”
He smiles dreamily as she leans down to kiss him—truly kiss him, with hungry lips and a warm tongue—with her hands sliding up the arms that are bound above his head. Katie hasn’t kissed him in a long time, not like this… He’s missed it, missed… her.
Kate pulls away, steps over his sprawled legs and wanders past him and out of sight.