Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

That Which You Desire

*Two Days Later*

"Argh!" Summer's head snapped to the left from the force of the slap, and she tumbled to the ground. A hand grabbed her flimsy white clothing and dragged her back up, proceeding with yet another slap to her cheek. "Ah!" She cried, landing hard onto the tile floor. Her ears heard the heavy pants as the Doctor caught his breath.

"Tell me!" He shouted, moving closer to her prone form. He kicked at her side, shooting pain up and down her rib cage. Summer was sure she was close to breaking her ribs, no thanks to him.

One of her eyes was swollen, and she could only see well out of the other. Her vision was blurry, bruises dully burning all across her body. But still, she spit at him. Her gums had been cut, and blood came with it.

"You can go to hell, you bastard!" She shouted back, unafraid of him. He couldn't kill her. He wouldn't. Nemesis was too precious to risk losing.

"Rargh!" He bellowed, forming his hand into a fist and punching her in the gut. The wind was knocked out of her and she wheezed, curling in on herself.

"Dammit!" She muttered to her self, gritted teeth and painful breaths aside.

Two days of constant beatings. They got worse and worse each time, as the Doctor slowly spiraled into 'taking care of things himself.' Summer wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but there hadn't been another experiment in that time.

It irked her how much he could get the jump on her, and she was thoroughly powerless to defend it. He always entered her room when she was dozing, or distracted. He was well-fed, giving him the superior strength and stamina, and in her weakened condition she just couldn't keep up.

'Law would be furious.' She thought bitterly, taking another kick in the side.

"I want that power!" He shouted, sending a hail of kicks and punches on her small frame. "She's the only way!"

"I'll fuckin' kill you!" She screamed, closing her eyes against the pain.

~~~

The host was taking quite a beating, but Nemesis could feel the determination and hatred coursing through her system. The girl was strong, and she didn't worry about her mental condition any longer. Whatever was motivating her to live was effective and constant.

'Perhaps I should look for the pirate.' She thought.

The battle between the Pirates of Heart and the Pirates of Serpent had been satisfying. Nemesis had watched the leaders battle below deck, watching as he pushed out the heart of the other. They had taken his body with them, which was rather confusing for Nemesis. In her culture, they left the victims in their place of death, letting their soul wander the earth by neglecting to bury them.

There had been two deaths. The men seemed very close, and the general feeling was one of sorrow, so she was quite surprised that when she searched now, she found the crew in good spirits. Hadn't their kin died not three days ago? Her senses told her that yes, they still grieved, but something else had taken prominence in their minds.

~~~

Law narrowed his eyes through the periscope, searching the horizon, just to make sure that he wasn't making a mistake at all.

"You're certain the log pose points directly at that island?" He asked Bepo.

"Yes, Captain! Jean Bart and I have examined the maps and charts, and there's no other island anywhere close, or in the direct line further on." The bear was rather excited, and to his surprise, Law found Jean Bart smiling in delight as well.