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Blackjack remained silent as he looked out over Heoi, Duncan knocking on the ship lightly to let him know of his presence
“Hey.”
“Hello.” He looks over to him, watching carefully.
“So.. what.. is all of this from?” Duncan looked him up and down- waving haphazardly at the chrome that littered his body.
“It is a long story, Duncan.” Blackjack turned back to what he was looking at.
“I've got time.
“And, I'm saving you the horrors.” Blackjack said flatly, his voice lacking inflection and tone, like always.
“so? I can handle it.” Duncan persisted, watching as Blackjack sighed in defeat
“If you must know, little buddy. the corp did this to me.”
Duncan didn't respond, a stunned silence.
“explain.”
“the day i was thrown under the bus by Kyoaku, Casino- or whatever he's going by now. was the day the corp found me. It was 2 days of us planning this run, we knew each other well, We were friends, and I was in a corp cell three days later.”
Duncan looks over Heoi, as he listens.
“they tortured me, took away a part of my brain, broke me emotionally- mentally, and made a massacre of me, that's when Ajax died, the night he was both a prisoner and a test subject.. they wanted to make another MKVII… I was the troll they got quickest…” Blackjack looks down, putting his metallic clawed hands together.
“8 years.” there is pain and sorrow now faint in his voice. “8 years. I was tortured, Duncan. I am not.. alive.. like I used to be, I felt something- I could physically feel- and do so much… and it's.. gone, it's been taken away from me.”
Duncan looks over, He's crying.
“Ajax.”
Blackjack looks over to him
“You're.. uh..”
“I want to be happy again, Duncan. I am in so much pain, I'm dying.” he frowns
“why am I still alive..? its- I shouldn't be.”
“Don't- say that.” Duncan faces him fully, hissing through his teeth
“Duncan, I am dying. I should be dead by now- nothing can survive with as much chrome as i have on me, it's impossible. I want to die, I can't.. keep living like this.”
Blackjack rubs tears out of his eyes, choosing not to face Duncan.
“Pain inhibitors only did so much for me.”
“did?” worry hid itself in the orks tone
“when we fought qian ya, one of her.. things busted my inhibitors.. Ambrose hasn't been able to find me a replacement yet.. but I'll manage..” Blackjack scratches his throat- Duncan can see the small slivers of his older brother leak through metallic plating.
“Don't worry for me.” he starts, tightening his grasp on the ship's railing- “I'll manage.” he repeats
“I just don't want this to start getting in the way of runs.” Duncan rests his arms on the rail, looking up at Blackjack, watching him snicker.
“And I thought you said this was 'temporary', Wu.” he gives him an easy grin, hissing in pain- quickly rubbing at where flesh and chrome meet on his wrist.
“I'm just saying, Ajax.. This is as much a risk as anything else.”
“I will survive, it is not the worst thing I have endured..” he sighs, pain branching throughout all of where is could reach, he wanted to rip up the plates now melded into his skin until he once again could not feel- rip out wires until the body no longer his own is hollowed out of every synthetic cell-
“I'll be fine.” he reminds Duncan, knowing he's not convinced.
“Alright, Ajax..” his heart hangs heavy, like a rock sinking in a pool of water, incapable of escaping, at the defeat in his brother's voice
“Whatever you say, man..”