All That I've Got

It was painfully bright. And not even a natural bright, but a sick, sad industrial bright. Frank knew it’d hurt to open his eyelids, but he did out of necessity.

A large, bug-eyed light hung inches from his face. It was one of those ones that they had at the dentist’s, with a long arm that extends and retracts.

Before Frank pushed it away from his nose, he listened for any movement. When there was none in whatever room he was in, he sat up

His head spun immediately, and his whole body ached like he’d been tumbling around in a human-sized dryer.

It only took one look around to know what room he was in. Scalpels, inhuman machines, and the metal table Frank was on. This was an operating room, and not even an official hospital one. This room looked like it’d been assembled from material bought during doctors’ office’s foreclosure sales: mismatched, miskept, and morbid.

Panicking, Frank quickly did a self-check of his body, looking for metal attachments or open wounds. All he found were unsightly bruises patterning his skin and shallow cuts.

The door opened just as Frank was attempting to stand. His entire body froze, and in came the boy with wings.

Wing Boy didn’t speak. He just closed the door, and leaned against it, blocking Frank’s only way to escape. The room suddenly felt too small for both of them and all the silence.

“Sit back down before you collapse,” the boy finally said, face stoic.

Though he wanted to be defiant, Frank knew he couldn’t stand much longer. His legs felt like he hadn’t moved them in weeks, and he could actually feel his bones shaking and protesting. He sat back on the operating table, trying not to think about how many horrible things had probably happened on it.

Once Frank sat, the boy stepped a bit away from the door and unfurled his metal wings. They were spindly and Frank had no idea how they had managed to support the boy, especially when he was carrying a terrified and blinded Frank.

The boy looked content to not speak to Frank again. He just stood motionless, the bright light reflecting off his glasses and preventing Frank from making eye contact.

“Where are we, and who are you?” Frank asked eventually.

For a moment, Frank thought the boy hadn’t heard him because he didn’t move even the smallest muscle. Then, he looked at Frank. “You’re at the Jury’s New York headquarters. I’m Mikey.”

Oh, fuck. This odd, frozen boy was Gerard’s brother. It’d been three months, and he was alive. He was alive, and he had wings. Wings that obviously hadn’t been there when he was with Gerard. Frank couldn’t imagine how bad it must’ve hurt to have metal twisted and shaped into his body like that.

“Do they hurt?” Frank said. He didn’t want to ask about Gerard just yet. He didn’t know if he could take it.

Mikey looked minutely confused, then his face when impassive again. “The wings? Not anymore.”

“You’ve been missing for three months. Did you know that?” Now Frank was trying to get an emotional response. He needed to draw the connection between this boy and Gerard. They were related, but so far, they were so opposite that it was hurting Frank’s brain.

“Of course I know that,” Mikey snapped at Frank. “Just because I was here, doesn’t mean I’ve lost track of time.”

Time to bite the bullet, Frank thought.

“Your- your brother, Gerard, has been going insane without you. And so- what?- you decided to recruit him into your sick clan?” Frank gained some steam. “That’s why they singled him out. Because you wanted him, you wanted him in any way you could get him. I don’t know how you were before, but they’ve corrupted you, I can see it.”

Again, Frank thought Mikey would remain frozen. Then, suddenly the boy was next to the table, wings out and forming a semi-cage around them. For a moment, Mikey just stared at Frank, eyes burning.

“You don’t know anything,” Mikey spat. “This isn’t my ‘clan’, and I would never drag Gerard into this. None of this was my choice. I thought I was protecting Gee. I thought they’d leave him alone if they had me. But they take what they want, and they destroy, and nothing in this world will make them stop.

That’s why they took you, Frankie. They want your mom. People don’t just get away with tricking the Jury. My parents tried, and they were killed. The Jury is still punishing them by using my brother and I.” Mikey’s voice had gotten so quiet, and his ferocity had drained from his eyes as he spoke. “We’re on the same side, Frank. But that won’t save any of us.”

Woah. Frank was seeing more of Gerard in this kid. The way he spoke, and the way he stood, but this hopelessness was something new.

“What happened to Gerard,” Frank asked, then.

Mikey withdrew his wings from around them, and kind of leaned against the table where Frank sat.

“They brought him in a few days ago. I had no idea that it was happening. I’m their inferior, which is why it’s absurd for you to think they’d listen to anything I said or wanted.” The next part appeared to be hard for Mikey to relive. “They- they called me from my room upstairs, and they forced me to- to make him forget.”

Nonono. Frank was sure he was going to throw up.

“Forget. . . Everything?” He choked on the words.

“He won’t remember you. I erased the last three months, and they convinced him he’s on their side,” Mikey winced at the look on Frank’s face. “He fought it at first, but. . .”

That explained why Gerard had done this. He couldn’t remember Frank, he wouldn’t remember he loved Frank. This wasn’t fate, this was a cruel joke where Frank remembered things that might as well not exist.

Frank’s legs seemed to remember how to work just then. “You-!” He lunged toward Mikey, a shoved the boy as hard as he could. Mikey stumbled back, clattering and catching his odd wings on protruding ceiling wires and a roll-cart of medical instruments.

Though he wanted to stay and use Mikey to beat out his hopelessness and aggression, Frank spun toward the door. Unbelievably, it was unlocked.

Frank was out and running in under a second. Behind him he could hear Mikey cursing.

He took turn upon turn, following those red ‘EXIT’ signs that appeared on the way. On each of his sides there was a marching parade of metal doors. Frank assumed this wasn’t the first floor- it was NYC after all- and so he frantically searched for the stairs that the signs must’ve been pointing him to.

Just as he reached it, a door with a mini-window set into it and stairs beyond, there was a whooshing and arms were around Frank. Mikey tugged him back from freedom, so Frank let his body go limp, hoping the dead weight would be too much for the boy. No such luck.

Mikey dragged Frank all the way back to the creepy operating room, but he didn’t force Frank back into it.

“We’re on the same side, Frank,” Mikey said when Frank collapsed to the floor on being released.
“But that won’t save us. If you escaped the Jury would chase you down like a cat does to a mouse. They need you to get to you mom. You’re bait. And as of now that’s better than the alternative.

It was barely a whisper when Frank spoke, “Prey.”

Mikey was about to agree, but they were both interrupted by a voice from down the hall.

“Well he looked a lot like prey when you were chasing him down, Mikes.”

Both their heads snapped up. Gerard was sauntering toward them, wearing some kind of tight black suit and a smug grin.

When Gerard reached them, he looked down at Frank, a sneer crinkling his perfect nose. “I’ll help you watch him. I wouldn’t want him to succeed in escaping. They’d blame you, Mikey, and send you away. Back to Nevada.”

Mikey took a step in front of Frank so he stood between him and Gerard. “They sent me here to get you, and now I think we’re pretty much a package deal. You’d be going with me anywhere they sent me.”

Gerard considered this. “You’re probably right. Anyways, I’ll help you still. They’re getting his room ready, so we’ll only have to deal with him for today.” That sneer was back, and directed full force at
Frank.

That snapped Frank from his silence. “Fuck you! Fuck you!” Frank shot forward, as if to tackled Gerard. “I loved you! Fuck-” He lunged again, and was met face first with Mikey’s skinny legs. The kid had predicted this would happen, and had maneuvered perfectly to keep them apart.
Frank spit toward Gerard, seeing as it was all he could do without toppling Mikey over. Gerard’s eyes
had gone wide and he was staring blank-faced at Frank now.

“Yeah, that’s right, Gee. I loved you, and you can’t remember, can you?” Frank spat again. “That’s because your fucking brother made you forget. How does that feel? You don’t remember, and now what happened doesn’t exist. So fuck you! You can both get fucked!”

Frank ran out of breath, and his body sort of collapsed in on itself until he was curled up on the floor, trying to get air into his lungs.

“Mikey- Mikey, what’s going on? Is he right?” Gerard.

Mikey didn’t answer, and Frank started shaking uncontrollably.

“Is he okay?” Gerard again.

“Don’t get so close, he’ll panic even worse!” Mikey finally spoke. Someone on the edge of Frank’s tunnel vision backed away, then rushed forward again when Frank swayed a bit. Frank pulled away from Gerard’s suddenly outstretched arms, though.

When he finally got himself under control, he looked up to two towering figures with matching concerned faces. That expression on Gerard made Frank’s heart stop.

“Gee-” Frank started.

He was interrupted by the sound of boots on linoleum. A group of white-clad people were heading their way. They looked official and heartless, and both of the Way brothers inched a bit closer to Frank before remembering their duties and stepping back.

The woman at the front looked at Frank with distaste, then she said “Come with us,” in a short clipped voice.

When Mikey tried to help Frank stand, she gave him a piercing look and again he retreated, letting the white-clothed men man-handle Frank up. They stayed with their hands on his arms as he walked down the hallway obediently, not looking back once.