I’ll Be Your Deity - Chapter 8: Revelations
Pairing: Handsome Jack/Rhys
Even though he had left at five, he managed to wander around Helios long enough to not get home until nearly after nine. Too much ran through his brain as he tried to decipher the complex feelings he held towards both the men in his life.
Yet as he stepped into the familiar comfort of his shared apartment, his mind only repeated one thing. The file. He had seen it and figured it was the usual nonsense Jack dropped on his desk. It had been living in his bag for the past few weeks, completely forgotten about until now.
The folder was blank on the outside, betraying nothing of the layers of papers on the inside. Upon flipping the cover, he saw it was a file on Andy. He flicked the folder shut again and sighed. Of course that was what this was about. He knew Hyperion kept files on all employees with comprehensive background checks and employment records. Rhys felt ridiculous for entertaining Jacks tantrums as he flicked it back open.
What started as a simple curiosity, devolved quickly when he saw something horribly familiar on the third page. Rhys had never asked what exactly had happened to get Andy the promotion that got him out of data mining, but always assumed it had to be something impressive.
The schematic attached was of a grenade, something simple really but innovative compared to the previous generation. It had an option to switch between long shot and bouncing, allowing for complete control in the field. Rhys felt a wave of nausea as his vision filled with tears and a half hysterical laugh burst from his mouth. As he began to flick through the other schematics, it only worsened. By the end of the employment history, he was nearly in hysterics.
Several of the schematics, including the grenade that earned Andy his promotion, were Rhys’ design. He could still see the small symbol he drew in the corners of his schematics for his personal filing system. They were meant to mark how happy he was with the design and each of the schematics were marked with the same one, a simple circuit he only drew on his favorites. Tears were free flowing now as he thought back to the night he ran into Andy at the bar. Hell, the man had mentioned the damn grenade he had ‘helped design’ as he had put it.
Rhys couldn’t believe he had been too wrapped up in forgetting how Jack made him feel to notice the way Andy would sometimes ask about his old designs. Always just a little too curious and never wanting to share his own.
Rhys pushed down the pain and flipped to the next section, complaints against him from other employees. Several people complained about him snooping through desks and plagiarizing others code just a bit too closely. One, however, stuck out as a name he recognized.
Complainant: Geoffrey Evans
Evans claims that Clarke befriended and eventually entered into a relationship with him in order to get close to the designs Evans had been reviewing on for a colleague. Evans claims that upon confrontation of his suspicions, Clarke got violent with him and threatened to use deadly force in order to keep his silence.
Outcome: Complainant withdrew complaint and left the department, follow ups have been ignored and any attempt to locate complainant has failed. Case dismissed due to lack of evidence.
Rhys felt bile rise in his throat as he ran to the sink. As he emptied his stomach into it, he barely processed the contents of the complaint. His mind tried to come up with alternate solutions, anything other than what those unfeeling documents claimed. There had to be an answer that wasn’t what it claimed. Andy was a good person after all and had only ever been kind to him.
He heard Vaughn’s bedroom door opened and he realized he had been looking through the folder for hours. He was nearly an hour late to work and Vaughn was getting ready to leave for his day, but he couldn’t find himself caring as he threw himself into the arms of his best friend.
“Dude, what’s up? What’s going on?” Vaughn seemed shocked at the contact, but still held him. It was an awkward embrace, the height difference between the two meaning that Rhys had to bend more than was comfortable. Rhys waited until his coherency returned before attempting to speak.
“Andy took my designs.” The words came out rough after the crying and throwing up, but Vaughn still understood enough to be appropriately shocked.
“What are you going to do?” Vaughn guided him back to the couch, sitting him down before fixing his clothes where Rhys had been draped over him. Rhys let out a long sigh before leaning back against the couch. Truthfully, he had no idea.
“Talk to him, I guess. Maybe there is an explanation?” He tried weakly. He could see that Vaughn didn’t like that answer but as his friend’s echo went off, he grimaced as he realized he would be late.
“Go, go. Don’t worry about me right now. I’ll be okay.” Rhys reassured him as he waved him out the door. Vaughn didn’t seem convinced but didn’t argue as he left with a promise to talk later. Rhys had sent out a quick message to Andy and then, simply waited.
Andy had taken about an hour to arrive, which made sense considering he was supposed to be working. Rhys couldn’t help but wonder what he actually did all day as the work that got him the job wasn’t his. He pushed that thought away as he let Andy in, the folder still sitting out on the coffee table.
“What did you want to talk about, babe?” The syrupy sweetness of his voice made Rhys’ skin itch as he settled back down on the couch next to Andy. It was difficult to ask outright if Andy had stolen his work, so instead he chose a work around.
“I’ve come across something that concerns me. What happened to Geoffrey Evans?” Rhys watched as panic briefly flashed across Andy’s face, gone as fast as it came.
“I don’t know what you were told. He was a liar and he manipulated situations in ways that made him look good. He was not a great guy.” Andy spoke as if he couldn’t get the words out fast enough, reaching forward to take Rhys’ hands in his own. Rhys, however, flinched away at the sudden movement.
“Did you know whose schematics he was looking over?” Rhys’ heard the shake in his voice but kept going. “Did you know whose designs you stole?”
“Stole? Babe! I would never. Geoffrey is a liar and he was stealing shit from everyone, even me.” Andy tried to reach forward, but Rhys wouldn’t allow it as he pulled the grenade schematic from the folder. Every denial that came from the man made Rhys more and more angry as he thought back to the hundreds of hours of personal time he had used to design the damn thing.
“It was mine.” That seemed to shut Andy up as he froze in place, the offending document now in view. “In fact, a lot of these in your file are mine. Ones I only ever showed Geoffrey to have him show his boss.”
It happened quickly starting off quiet as Andy merely regarded the paper that Rhys held. Then, he was grabbing onto Rhys’ non-cybernetic arm and squeezing hard. Rhys tried to push him off weakly, not really wanting to hurt Andy, but panic was rising fast and his brain began to short-circuit.
“This is Jack. That’s what this is. I bet he gave that to you, huh?” Andy laughed darkly as he pulled Rhys closer, his body and mind frozen in panic.
“That doesn’t matter.” Rhys tried weakly, but Andy’s other hand came up to his neck. The usual pleasure he felt when Jack held him by the throat was gone and only fear was in its place now.
“Oh! How rich!” Andy squeezed his hand, cutting off Rhys’ air. “You wouldn’t do anything with me, but our boss? You’ll bend over desks for him it seems. I forgave you. Every time you ran off to sleep with the amazing Handsome Jack. Now it’s your turn to forgive.”
Rhys finally got his brain to work as he used his cybernetic hand to rip Andy’s hands off of him. Andy seemed surprised, but recovered quickly as he grabbed the arm, working his fingers beneath the plates to disconnect random wires with his fingertips. Pain flashed through Rhys as he managed to hit the right wire, rendering his arm and eye useless.
Andy was rambling about forgiveness as Rhys looked around the room in fear, hoping for anything nearby to be useful. He was used to Jack’s manic episodes and anger. He never panicked like this during those, it was only just about controlling where the chaos landed when it did. This, however? Completely unfamiliar territory.
Rhys mind finally checked out as his eyes refused to focus on the quickly deteriorating man in front of him. His thoughts drifted to moments with Jack again, the ones he guilted himself over for hours. He never noticed his echo come back online when Andy moved his hand or when there was a quick spray of liquid across his face. He didn’t even register when someone began talking to him. It wasn’t until the familiar warmth of two hands cupping his face brought him back to the present.
Handsome Jack was standing in front of him with Andy’s lifeless body shoved to the side.
