The Grinder

Chapter 2

CB Manor

Lang Buddha wakes up, well-rested after a day off. He walks downstairs, and sees Harry waiting for him. "Lang, I have something I need to tell you." "Whatchu want, Harry?" is the first words out of his mouth, but they hang in the air. Harry's normal jovial tone is gone, a hard, angry tone instead. "It's about Ray and Mickey." Lang freezes; he knows what's coming next.

Tony wakes up minutes later. He comes down to find Lang and Harry talking, but this is different, a replica of Lang's first moments downstairs. Buddha's been telling Harry to hold off until now, when Tony walks in. "What's up baby?" Tony says, but the look from both of them wakes him up.

"Harry, what's going on?"

"Ray oceandumped Mickey. He's in the ICU now."

Shock fills both Tony and Lang's faces. They simply stand, stunned for a few moments. Tony opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Buddha takes charge, "Take us to Mickey". A few minutes later, Tony and Lang are sat beside the hospital bed, staring at a face. A face that means so much to them, but right now, is damaged beyond belief. The doctor walks into the room. "Will he be okay?" The only thought on their minds right now. The doctor takes a second, then says "We're not sure. He will have lost an eye at the least, but he needs to come out of this coma. Until then, we can't do anything." Lang and Tony nod, then look away. Nothing more to be said. They simply sit in silence around the bed for a few minutes, each deep in worry... and anger slowly boiling.

Tony and Lang get to their feet and walk out of the room. "You know what needs to happen right?" Lang says, breaking the silence. Tony responds with a burst of anger "He oceandumped one of our bois, doesn't matter who he is, that's it." Lang nods, but underneath, he feels a pang. Raymond Romanov, the man who has been at his beck and call for so long, who would do anything for him, has to be cast away.

This is pain, rare pain that Lang hasn't felt in a long time.

"You know where you want to have this?" Tony mutters to Lang. "Do it at Cerberus" Lang says. A tone of sadness descends over the conversation. Lang and Tony walk to their cars, and in a plume of exhaust, head to Cerberus. Lang gathers his thoughts, Tony with him. Him and Tony lock eyes, knowing what's going to happen. Two clicks echo through the room as Lang and Tony cock their guns. Lang pulls out his phone, and dials Ray...

Ray has been sitting in his car, locked in shame. The phone jolts him out of his thoughts, he scrambles to pick it up. He checks the caller ID, hands shaking: Buddha Lang. A hard expression crosses his face, he has to explain his side. He answers the call. "Ray, come to Cerberus right now."

The line disconnects.

Ray starts the car, nerves jangling. The car roars, and in a burst of flame, Ray heads off to Cerberus. He stops his car in front of the building, the imposing, tall building. He gets out, locks his car, and spends a minute organizing himself. He walks through the door, and up the stairs, where Lang and Tony observe him, cold as ice.

"Ray, what happened?" A simple question, but it's unmistakable in its gravity.

"I broke. Mickey finally broke me. He's PUSHED ME FOR MONTHS, and I took it, and took it, but I can't anymore." Tears stream down Ray's face, he can't do this, he never thought it would come to this, standing in front of the two people he needs in his life right now, defending the oceandump of one of his bois.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Tony screams at Ray, his anger reaching a boiling point. "You never touch the family, YOU KNOW THIS!" Tony's fists ball as he stares at Ray with pure hatred in his eyes.

Ray comes right back, "SO EVERYTHING HE PUTS ME THROUGH DOESN'T MATTER. All the insults, the jeers, the constant abuse around the family, the fun made of me EVERY SINGLE CHANCE HE GETS!"

Lang interjects before this escalates "Ray, you did something wrong. So wrong that I can't even begin to describe it. Stay here. Me and Tony need to talk." Buddha and Tony head to another room. Ray stands there frozen for a minute, the tears making rivulets down his face. He takes a shaky step back and collapses on the couch. Angry, sad, it doesn't matter, Lang and Tony hate him.

Tony explodes at Buddha in the other room. "Did you hear what he just said. NO REMORSE." He hurls that in Buddha's face. Buddha sighs... heavily... and simply says "I have an idea..." Tony looks at him, stunned. As much as he hates Ray right now, he can't fathom the idea of oceandumping him. He's fought for Tony, bled for Tony, saved Tony, he can't let him get oceandumped. And then the words come out of Lang's mouth, and they are far more chilling than Tony can comprehend.

"I'm gonna send him to Parsons."

Tony's face changes in an instant. He thought the oceandump was going to be tough, but Parsons... Parsons is a hole. A hole where people rarely come back from. He looks at Buddha in disbelief, and sees a face mirroring his own. A face dealing punishment, but full of deep, deep sorrow. A face that looks ready to crack any moment. Tony takes a deep breath, steels himself, and says two words: "You ready?" Buddha nods, incapable of words at the moment. They walk out together, and face Ray. Buddha says one sentence, it ignites a small spark of hope in Ray's chest. Maybe all is not yet lost.

"Ray, I still love you."

Ray looks up sharply. Stunned. Ray expected hate, anger, and he received that from Tony. He's about to speak when – "Lang I-" That is all he gets out before Lang cuts through him. "I wasn't done, Ray. You've broken our bond; you can't do what you've done. There's only one thing that you can do to salvage this." Ray sits in silence for a moment, his heart beating, palms sweaty. His voice has dropped to no more than a whisper. "What's that?" Lang takes a moment; he knows this is it, he won't see his friend, his boi, for a long time, maybe never again. "You're going to Parsons". Ray sits there for a minute, quiet. "If that's what you decree Buddha, then I have to follow it. I love you all." Buddha says nothing back, his face a mask.

Ray slowly gets to his feet, and takes a step towards the door. A blank silence follows him out the door. Ray walks to his Aventador, the gravity of what Lang has just told him hits him. He sits in his car, his face screwed up. He's fighting the tears, the shock, the pain, but he couldn't let it out, not in front of them. And then it explodes. Deep, unending tears, his body wracked with sobs. He can't possibly fathom the idea of being away from the people he cares about the most in the world, but he has to, there's no other way.

30 minutes later:

Ray walks to thefront of Parsons, aware of every step he takes. The attendant asks him as heapproaches "Who are you?". A simple question, but one that Ray cannot answerhimself at this point. He's lost the thing that keeps him grounded, his family,his life. Everything is alien to him. The words leave his mouth, "RaymondRomanov.". The attendant sifts through the files. "Wonderful, Dr. Plum has beenexpecting you." The gate opens and Ray walks through, unaware that Lang andTony are watching him. Tears roll down their cheeks as they watch their boywalk through those gates, knowing in the pit of their stomach that they maynever see him again. The DeLorean starts, and Tony and Lang are gone... Ray walksthrough the gardens and sees Dr. Plum, who tells him "You're going to be inhere, doing therapy with someone I know well, Dr. Rex." Ray simply nods...