WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? || ONE-SHOT / CLOSED

[Vaughan Rees]

ONE-SHOT fear is an absolute driving force

I need to know. A reasonable argument for the newest guard at The Underground. Dealing with mutants was a dangerous job. He couldn't simply be thrown in without knowing the details of the most recent occurrence. If he was going to be operating at his fullest then he needed to be kept in the loop of what was happening in this city. He was a diligent guard, kept up with his duties, responded to calls immediately, and finished his work in a timely fashion. His scores for the training were at or near the top, especially when it came to the physical portions. What he lacked in height- and power compared to the mutants- he made up for in quick thinking and leverage. He wasn't a man to be taken lightly. Vaughan also wasn't a man to remain ignorant of the going-ons of this world, especially so close to home. Mutants escaped. A man- an officer of the law- was missing and now simply labeled dead. One face in particular rose to the forefront of his mind. It was bad timing as the corner of his lip twitched in irritation while speaking to one of the officers showing him to the former office of the man most recently determined to be deceased after his body was never found. The thought of that one escaping too was... well, he wanted to say horrible, but what he really felt was the slight twist of his stomach and the trembling of his hands before he clenched them into fists and chuckled at the officer's comment on the mess. "It's no problem, really!" It was a pain being so friendly. Normally if it were any other person he would've just given them the cold shoulder more or less as far as idle chit chat went. He didn't have time to listen to the man's attempts to fill the silence as they traveled to the room. He just wanted to get there and find whatever it was that put the man in so much danger. Er, well... to them he was just seeking information on the mutants. Much to Vaughan's relief they finally made it and the man once again spent too long saying his goodbyes before leaving Vaughan to the many papers to sort through. With the door closed and Vaughan on his own he set to work, first heading for the filing cabinets. If the police had left them unlocked then that would be convenient, not that a bit of fiddling wouldn't get them open for him. He just needed to remember to lock them back up if such was the case. The last thing he needed was anyone prying into why he was being so nosy. But he had to know. Was it a mutant? Or one of those sympathizers? That was what he was after. The city had been all abuzz about what had happened. Fear trickled through the community, even if none really acted on it. They all wanted the police or the government to decide what to do. Mutants weren't as frightening to them as they should be. Just turn them in when you saw them and everyone was fine. No harm done... Until you meet one of the more volatile ones. He slammed a cabinet drawer shut in irritation, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself before he flopped into the chair by the desk. He leaned back and stared up toward the ceiling, and for a moment that panic started to set in. It wasn't uncommon. Shadows scared him, even if he knew it was unreasonable. A part of him wondered if his bro-- if that monster could reach him from that pitiful cell he was in. Could he move shadows so far away? If Vaughan closed his eyes right now, would he wake to find his blood splattering the walls from a cut at his throat? Would he hear the dull thump of his limbs hitting the ground as they were sliced off? He reached into his pocket to find a small bottle. With one swift motion he popped two into his mouth and swallowed, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. The shadows weren't going to get him. He was safe here. When he finally opened his eyes again he looked onto the desk. He first caught sight of a picture of a man- he assumed the deceased officer- and a black shepherd. He wasn't one for big dogs, but he had to admit this one was beautiful. He could see why the man kept a photo of it. Next his gaze dropped to the papers on the desk. One word caught his eye: Beilschmidt. That was the name of the escaped mutant, but the name before it wasn't his. Gilbert Beilschmidt, the older brother of Ludwig Beilschmidt. Vaughan turned the chair to face the desk, concentration now focused in on the papers. The man wrote about the main culprit of the breakout being Feliciano Vargas. From his understanding, the mutant's brother had been recaptured already. Did his brother- Lovino if he remembered correctly- remember anything? He along with a few others from the escape had already been captured. He was surprised so many were able to get away at one time, though. It just proved his theory that the government wasn't capable of keeping a tight grip on these monsters. They just needed to be put out. Here it was... Gilbert Beilschmidt had managed to bump into his brother recently when he was questioned, but refused to say anything about it. Was he that afraid? Or just that loyal? The latter made him sick to his stomach. How could anyone feel compassion for those things? It was only a matter of time before Ludwig did something... Perhaps his brother would regret not telling them where he was sooner? The factory. What the hell was this? Giving the mutants work? They already had work! What sort of sick fantasy included living so harmoniously with these creatures? They'd probably take the first chance they got to organize themselves and plan to show humans just how powerless they were against their abilities. Was this seriously a consideration? No, there was no way. It couldn't happen. Vaughan dug through more papers, but there was little else to go on. Just that Ludwig had been bought under false names and addresses in the past. Fingers tapped mercilessly against the desk as he read the papers over and over again. Gilbert Beilschmidt. Gilbert Beilschmidt... Why did that name sound so familiar? Aside from the Beilschmidt name. The man had already been cleared as a human despite his odd appearance, so there was no concern with that... So where had he heard the name from? Vaughan set up quickly as a knock came to the door. The man from before opened it, an apologetic smile on his face. "S-Sorry, but we need to close down this office for today. People will be by tomorrow to start compiling everything into boxes." The Welshman nodded and stood, brushing himself off. Thanks for allowing me to look around." "Oh! Did you find what you were looking for?" Vaughan smiled, his grin wide. I did. Thanks~." With a curt last nod he headed out, leaving the man trailing behind. Gilbert Beilschmidt... why was that name so damn familiar?