5 for 6 Challenge: Prompt #68
Oct. 28th, 2006 05:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cmk418Author's notes:
My need to write on this prompt came with my frustration from writing the first (non-workable) draft of the last 5 for 6 prompt. I do love Said, love writing for his character, but I've got to admit, I did enjoy killing him a lot.
Special thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
history_gurl for giving this a good read and offering suggestions & support.
Five Ways Kareem Said “should” have died
Just Another Casualty
The reporter’s impassive voice continued with the afternoon news. “One more casualty to report from the recent uprising at Oswald State Penitentiary. Outspoken Muslim leader, Kareem Said, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained during the riot. Said, believed to be one of the chief organizers for the uprising which claimed the lives of six prisoners and two correctional officers, was serving an 18-year sentence for blowing up a warehouse. He was 41 years old.”
At the Hands of the Gods
“I refuse your pardon.”
Something switched on in Devlin’s brain. He was Zeus, goddammit. Here he was, showing his mercy, showing that he could be compassionate, something that his p.r. staff was always trying to emphasize. And this fucking con was refusing him?
Devlin now understood. The only purpose of this conference was to show him up. And those things didn’t happen. Not here, not on Olympus. And in the next moment, he did something that definitely would not be considered compassionate.
Kareem heard a high-pitched shriek, then felt strong hands around his neck, squeezing the life out of him. He would have never expected the tiny man had it in him.
Prison officials looked on in shock, frozen in place. The television crews continued to film. No one stepped forward to stop it as if they expected Devlin to come to his senses at any moment. The last thought in Kareem’s mind before he lost consciousness was that he had found a way to bring the Governor down.
Beyond Saving
Adebisi felt Said’s body go limp against his. It was over. Said was dead. Adebisi was seized by an unfamiliar emotion – fear.
It wasn’t supposed to end this way. They’d kill him now for sure, but it wasn’t the way he’d wanted to go – on his feet, dying like a warrior. Instead he’d wait in a place set apart from Emerald City, for someone to stick a needle in his arm to put him to sleep permanently.
He gently lowered Said’s body onto the floor. He killed Kareem Said. He’d done the unforgivable. The fear hit him with another wave. If Said was gone, who would save him? As Adebisi held the body of the one man he’d ever truly respected, he realized that the two of them were well beyond saving.
The Practice Room
Omar’s head felt like it had splintered into a million pieces. Where was he? Oh yeah, the practice room. He remembered through the pain. Said was pissed at him. Really pissed. Had hit him, again and again and again.
As Omar turned his head, he could see that Said hadn’t left the room, but was lying near the door, one hand clutching his arm. He wasn’t moving.
Omar crawled over to Said, nudged his shoulder. “Said, hey man, wake up. Whatcha do, have a heart attack or something? C’mon, Said, c’mon,” then quieter, “Said?”
Said didn’t move, didn’t show any response. Omar leaned closer to him, “Oh shit, he ain’t breathing. Ohshitohshitohshit. They’re gonna blame me. We both go in here and only I go out. They’re gonna know something happened. It’s not good. I need some tits. Fuck. Fuck, Said, why’d you have to be dead? Fuck.”
Omar rose to his feet, desperate to put some space between himself and Said’s body. He paced the small space, continuing his running monologue, “What time is it? Can’t be time for count already. If I don’t show up for count, I’m fucked. Gotta show up for count. Said don’t show up for count, they’ll look for him. Won’t blame Omar. Right. Gotta get back to EmCity.”
Satisfied with the solution to the problem at hand, Omar gave Said one last look before leaving the room.
The Way It Should Have Been
“I’ve known you for over half my life.”
Kareem glanced up from the book he was reading and looked at Tim with amusement, “I heard you the first four times.”
“Well, it’s amazing. I never thought I’d be with anybody that long.”
“I guess I must be pretty special then.” Kareem smiled again, making Tim realize what had hooked him in the first place.
“Yeah,” Tim acknowledged, then changed the subject before Kareem lapsed into sentimentality. “We’ve got a meeting on the Hill tomorrow.”
“With who?”
“Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri.”
“You’ll go.”
“Is this because of your problems with the Senator from Missouri? If it is, then-“
Kareem lifted a hand off the arm of the easy chair, stopping him. “You’ll go,” he said in that quiet voice that left no room for negotiation.
Still Tim tried. Kareem would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. “This is part of the Religious Education Initiative. It’s your baby.”
“You know it as well as I do.”
“Fine,” Tim pouted and left the room.
Kareem chuckled to himself. Tim was always like this. Always running hot. It’s what attracted Kareem to him in the first place.
Kareem set his book aside, leaned back in the easy chair and closed his eyes.
About an hour later, Tim walked back into the living room. “Do you know where the file is?”
Kareem made no response, just stared at Tim with unseeing eyes.
Tim moved closer. “Kareem?” He crouched next to the chair and touched Kareem’s hand. “Kareem?” he whispered.
Still no response, and then Tim knew. All those times, all those chances Death had with both of them, and now this. It almost seemed unnatural.
Tim’s mind flashed back to the beginning, to Kareem’s smile when he stood in Tim’s office that first day, patronizing, but beautiful all the same. He saw Kareem in the infirmary after a near heart attack, saw the man quietly controlling the riot, and saw him coming out of the pod with blood on his hands and body. More images flew past – Said in the infirmary twice, one after a fight with the Aryans and the other after being shot by a crazed man named Idzik.
And yet, among all the times that Said had nearly left him, Tim’s mind focused on one image - Said strutting through the quad after refusing Devlin’s pardon.
Coming back to EmCity. Coming back to him.
My need to write on this prompt came with my frustration from writing the first (non-workable) draft of the last 5 for 6 prompt. I do love Said, love writing for his character, but I've got to admit, I did enjoy killing him a lot.
Special thanks to
history_gurl for giving this a good read and offering suggestions & support.Five Ways Kareem Said “should” have died
Just Another Casualty
The reporter’s impassive voice continued with the afternoon news. “One more casualty to report from the recent uprising at Oswald State Penitentiary. Outspoken Muslim leader, Kareem Said, succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained during the riot. Said, believed to be one of the chief organizers for the uprising which claimed the lives of six prisoners and two correctional officers, was serving an 18-year sentence for blowing up a warehouse. He was 41 years old.”
At the Hands of the Gods
“I refuse your pardon.”
Something switched on in Devlin’s brain. He was Zeus, goddammit. Here he was, showing his mercy, showing that he could be compassionate, something that his p.r. staff was always trying to emphasize. And this fucking con was refusing him?
Devlin now understood. The only purpose of this conference was to show him up. And those things didn’t happen. Not here, not on Olympus. And in the next moment, he did something that definitely would not be considered compassionate.
Kareem heard a high-pitched shriek, then felt strong hands around his neck, squeezing the life out of him. He would have never expected the tiny man had it in him.
Prison officials looked on in shock, frozen in place. The television crews continued to film. No one stepped forward to stop it as if they expected Devlin to come to his senses at any moment. The last thought in Kareem’s mind before he lost consciousness was that he had found a way to bring the Governor down.
Beyond Saving
Adebisi felt Said’s body go limp against his. It was over. Said was dead. Adebisi was seized by an unfamiliar emotion – fear.
It wasn’t supposed to end this way. They’d kill him now for sure, but it wasn’t the way he’d wanted to go – on his feet, dying like a warrior. Instead he’d wait in a place set apart from Emerald City, for someone to stick a needle in his arm to put him to sleep permanently.
He gently lowered Said’s body onto the floor. He killed Kareem Said. He’d done the unforgivable. The fear hit him with another wave. If Said was gone, who would save him? As Adebisi held the body of the one man he’d ever truly respected, he realized that the two of them were well beyond saving.
The Practice Room
Omar’s head felt like it had splintered into a million pieces. Where was he? Oh yeah, the practice room. He remembered through the pain. Said was pissed at him. Really pissed. Had hit him, again and again and again.
As Omar turned his head, he could see that Said hadn’t left the room, but was lying near the door, one hand clutching his arm. He wasn’t moving.
Omar crawled over to Said, nudged his shoulder. “Said, hey man, wake up. Whatcha do, have a heart attack or something? C’mon, Said, c’mon,” then quieter, “Said?”
Said didn’t move, didn’t show any response. Omar leaned closer to him, “Oh shit, he ain’t breathing. Ohshitohshitohshit. They’re gonna blame me. We both go in here and only I go out. They’re gonna know something happened. It’s not good. I need some tits. Fuck. Fuck, Said, why’d you have to be dead? Fuck.”
Omar rose to his feet, desperate to put some space between himself and Said’s body. He paced the small space, continuing his running monologue, “What time is it? Can’t be time for count already. If I don’t show up for count, I’m fucked. Gotta show up for count. Said don’t show up for count, they’ll look for him. Won’t blame Omar. Right. Gotta get back to EmCity.”
Satisfied with the solution to the problem at hand, Omar gave Said one last look before leaving the room.
The Way It Should Have Been
“I’ve known you for over half my life.”
Kareem glanced up from the book he was reading and looked at Tim with amusement, “I heard you the first four times.”
“Well, it’s amazing. I never thought I’d be with anybody that long.”
“I guess I must be pretty special then.” Kareem smiled again, making Tim realize what had hooked him in the first place.
“Yeah,” Tim acknowledged, then changed the subject before Kareem lapsed into sentimentality. “We’ve got a meeting on the Hill tomorrow.”
“With who?”
“Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri.”
“You’ll go.”
“Is this because of your problems with the Senator from Missouri? If it is, then-“
Kareem lifted a hand off the arm of the easy chair, stopping him. “You’ll go,” he said in that quiet voice that left no room for negotiation.
Still Tim tried. Kareem would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. “This is part of the Religious Education Initiative. It’s your baby.”
“You know it as well as I do.”
“Fine,” Tim pouted and left the room.
Kareem chuckled to himself. Tim was always like this. Always running hot. It’s what attracted Kareem to him in the first place.
Kareem set his book aside, leaned back in the easy chair and closed his eyes.
About an hour later, Tim walked back into the living room. “Do you know where the file is?”
Kareem made no response, just stared at Tim with unseeing eyes.
Tim moved closer. “Kareem?” He crouched next to the chair and touched Kareem’s hand. “Kareem?” he whispered.
Still no response, and then Tim knew. All those times, all those chances Death had with both of them, and now this. It almost seemed unnatural.
Tim’s mind flashed back to the beginning, to Kareem’s smile when he stood in Tim’s office that first day, patronizing, but beautiful all the same. He saw Kareem in the infirmary after a near heart attack, saw the man quietly controlling the riot, and saw him coming out of the pod with blood on his hands and body. More images flew past – Said in the infirmary twice, one after a fight with the Aryans and the other after being shot by a crazed man named Idzik.
And yet, among all the times that Said had nearly left him, Tim’s mind focused on one image - Said strutting through the quad after refusing Devlin’s pardon.
Coming back to EmCity. Coming back to him.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-10-29 02:54 am (UTC)I like what you did with the third one. Adebisi knows there will be no forgiveness now, as the only man whose forgiveness mattered to him is dead. So good.
And I have much love for the Devlin, as you know. God, that man is such a little toad. Zeus, my ass.
I'm going to just be happy with the image of Kareem dying at peace, with Tim, having lived a full and useful life. Yep, that's what really happened.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-29 04:20 am (UTC)On Devlin, you'll love him more if you write for him. He's a magnificent bastard.
I love Said/McManus. One of these days I'm going to figure out how to get them from two repressed guys shooting sparks off each other in EmCity to two halves of a quasi-romantic couple.
Thanks again for the feedback.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-29 03:38 pm (UTC)And then, there's McManus and Said. Two men trying their best to live up to their principles. Sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, always entertaining.
Dear god, it's not Oz ... it's the OC.
Yep, definitely gonna burn in hell for that one. Bwahahahahahah!
no subject
Date: 2006-10-29 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-29 04:44 am (UTC)I was going to put a throwaway line in at the end of the first one. "In related news, Jahfree Neema was found guilty..." And then we'd have had to deal with that pompous s.o.b. instead of Said. Kinda like we wound up doing anyway.
I had a blast writing the second one. It was fun getting inside Devlin's head. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-30 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-30 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-01-25 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-01-25 09:42 pm (UTC)Thank you. I have a soft spot in my heart for McManus-Said just based on their first exchange in the series. And the Devlin one was a blast to write (and "At the Hands of the Gods" is one of the better titles I've come up with, imo.)