Chapter Text
Ballister watched her shift, watched her flee, but could do nothing as guards filled the room. Would do nothing, not wishing to lead them to her, despite everything.
"Your door is broken."
No shit, he wants to snarl, glaring daggers as Todd approached without a hint of fear. Without the fear that was coursing through Ballister with every second that passes. He feels like a cornered animal, and he almost wants to laugh at the irony -
And then a fist is smashing into his eye, pain whiting out his vision as he stumbles, grabbing his face with a gasping breath as a hand yanks him upwards by his cloak. "Now, trash, you're going to tell us where it is." Todd says with far too much enjoyment.
"Where what is?" Ballister hisses out, hands grabbing onto Todd's arm to try to get him to release him from where he held him just slightly in the air.
He only gets a laugh in response, then is thrown to the floor before a foot plants itself on his chest. "Don't play stupid - oh, sorry, you don't have to play! The monster, idiot. Where. Is. It."
Silence rang out in the tower, and after a few seconds, it seemed to click in Todd's brain that he wasn't going to get an answer, and he lifted his foot up just to smash it downwards, drawing a choked sound from Ballister as he heaved a breath and tried to scrabble from under him. "C'mon, murderer! Shouldn't be so hard to rat out something when you didn't have trouble killing the queen!"
"Shut up -" Ballister managed, though that didn't seem to do anything but irritate Todd further.
"If you're not going to talk, then I guess we'll have to make you!"
Ballister only saw it for a moment, but he recognized the weapon Todd pulled into view as something far too similar to what they had used on Nimona, and confirmation came when it was pressed just below his collarbones and every fiber of his being felt as if it were lit on fire. A strangled cry ripped itself out of his throat, and he could distantly hear his metal arm making some distinctly not-good sounds once it finally ended.
Letting out a gasping whine, he struggled to pull himself away, realizing there was no foot pinning him to the ground any longer, but the vague sound of voices and the feeling of hands grabbing him, dragging him from what had become a home ended whatever fantasies he had of getting away, especially when his legs didn't quite respond correctly.
When he was let go once more, he recognized the feeling of grass and dirt against his face from where he was shoved down, and his senses came back to him in time to hear Todd's voice again. "Now tell me, where is it? You don't wanna be on the wrong end of this bad boy again just to protect it, do you?"
"F - ... Fuck you." Ballister pushed out, raising up just in time for him to sharply push it into the small of his back and leave it there for what felt like hours as he tried to keep his voice under control, not wanting to draw Nimona back. If she would even be drawn back. He wouldn't blame her at all if she left him after this, he would deserve it, he -
Apparently Todd had spoken again and he missed it, or just decided that he was being far too unruly, and he felt it press against where his prosthetic met his skin and -
He couldn't dampen the pain-filled scream that escaped him, not when the area was still tender in the first place, not when the wires connecting into his body were being fried, not when he could smell his flesh burning from either too many electrocutions or from his arm being destroyed and taking him with it. Tears were racing down his cheeks as he curled in on himself, but he didn't beg. He didn't utter a coherent word, not to Todd, not when he wouldn't deserve it.
His world went white once more, but when it returned to normal, he was sprawled on his side, raggedly breathing with far too much difficulty to be good, the taste of blood sitting heavy on his tongue.
"Do you think you went too far...?" The voice was distant, almost as if it were underwater.
"Pfft, nah, he's probably just being dramatic," he felt a foot ram itself into his ribs, drawing a low, pained noise from the back of his throat, "just faking so you can get out of snitching, yeah? C'mon, freak, tell us where your monster pal is!"
"Nn... nno..." He wheezed out, barely able to keep his eyes open as he heard the crackle of the weapon once more, but he couldn't get himself to prepare for it, instead just waiting.
And waiting.
And his consciousness seemed to come back from wherever it had slipped to in time to see a pink... something. Something. He couldn't place it, not yet, not right then. It had gotten most of the knights to rush off, likely pleading for reinforcements, but he focused in enough just to see it - her, her, her - land a heavy punch to Todd's cheek, sending him flat onto the ground before he scrambled on all four limbs for a moment as he panicked, and soon enough he was out of sight.
Ballister must have blinked out for a few seconds, because the next thing he registered was Nimona with her hands on his face.
They were shaking, and cold, and he could see tears forming in her eyes when he looked to her. "Boss, boss - boss, please, Ballister -" She sounded so desperate, so scared, so much like the child she argues that she isn't, that he forced his good arm to move and cup her cheek with a gentleness that had previously only been reserved for Ambrosius.
"S... ssorry," he pushed out with far more difficulty than he was comfortable with, "not... not monster. 'Mona."
She bared her teeth as a tear slipped down her cheek and a sob choked her as she moved to hold onto his hand like a lifeline. "Why didn't you tell them?" She demanded, "why did you do that?"
He could feel himself slipping again, just a little, but he fought it as best as he could. "Deservve t' be safe." He unintentionally dragged out the first word, "all I coul' do."
"No, no, no, no, you deserve to be safe, you stupid little man -" She hissed, actually hissed, "you're better than me, you shouldn't have -"
"Wanted to." He interrupted her as he pressed his hand against her cheek a little more, as he gave as stern a look as he could manage. "Wanted to, Nim. Worth it."
She gave a tearful laugh, one that was harsh and disbelieving, and he felt himself slip far too fast and far too hard to stop it.