Chapter 7: Forgotten Family Ties
Vala and Cameron dived out of the way as Maria charged and tackled Claire. The two of them exchanged blows and each trying their hardest to inflict damage onto the other. Maria was getting out of control with rage and fury; her attacks were becoming more desperate and more aggressive.
Adria stared and watched the large view screen in front of her. On it the images of Claire and Maria battling it out were displayed, every move was shown, every sound, nothing escaped the viewing screen's recorder.
Adria was getting more annoyed and irritated. She was finding it difficult to believe that someone like Claire was so difficult to get rid of. But she remembered her own battle against Claire and realised that she only won because Claire let herself be sealed away so that she could save Mitchell's life.
This concept of love was something that she never fully understood. Love is so irrational and illogical and just never reliable. She also never understood why it was that the Ori never let her and the others like her the opportunity to love. She didn't see why it was such a big threat to them.
But Adria was not meant to question those she served, and neither was Claire, yet she did and she rebelled. Hard to believe that was all thousands of years ago, and yet Claire and only aged two years. Adria had been trying to figure out why Claire had revolted against those who gave her life.
Maybe because Claire had been raised properly and had been given a childhood like any other human, unlike Adria who had been aged quickly to help with the invasion of this Galaxy. But still Claire was a mystery to her and so were the others that had lived in her time.
Maria and Claire had been going at it for half an hour now and still no one had landed a hit on the other person, yet both were beginning to get tired. However neither one of them was willing to give up that easily.
"Why do you fight us?" Maria asked as she locked hands with Claire.
"Because I have no other choice! All you want is complete control over everything in this Galaxy! I won't stand by and let you kill millions of innocent people!" Claire spoke back, gasping as Maria dug her nails into Claire's hand so that began to draw blood.
"You have blood stained on your hands too. What makes you so different?" Maria asked as she dug her nails in further, making Claire wince and crunch up her left eye.
"I may not be able to erase my past, but I sure as can use that to save the future!" Claire shouted as she gathered her strength in her arms.
Claire held onto Maria's hands tightly as she moved swiftly and swung Maria up high into the air. Their hands separated and Claire took off after the thrown Maria. She clenched her fists tightly and pulled them back behind her. As Maria finally managed to stop herself from going any higher, she was unprepared for Claire's next attack.
Claire swung her left fist towards Maria's face that blocked it easily, however she had not seen Claire's right fist move and didn't block it. Maria looked down at her stomach, where Claire had struck her and saw the massive amount of blood flow onto Claire's arm and drop down towards the ground. Claire had used so much force in her attack that she pierced through Maria's flesh and her right fist had torn through her body and out the other side.
Maria looked back up into Claire's eyes as she coughed up blood. Claire carefully and slowly withdrew her arm from Maria's body and caught her as she fell into her arms. Claire slowly began to descend back down towards the village with the severely wounded Maria in her arms. As they neared the ground Maria finally spoke.
" I shouldn't be that surprised, Sophia-"
"Don't call me that, my name is Claire." She interrupted Maria with a strong warning voice.
"No matter what you call yourself, you'll still be the same person." Maria moved her hand and rested it on Claire's cheek. "You hate yourself even now. I can see it in your eyes. Just like all those years ago. You'll never change."
Claire stared down into Maria's eyes that changed from their usual red ones to green. "What makes you say that? Anyone can change given the time."
"But not us. We are different to these mortals; yes we may live in their world. But we are a completely different race. Adria was made completely by the Ori, we however are only half. While you on the other hand are only quarter." Maria once again turned her head and coughed up more blood that splattered on the ground. "Your father was human while your mother was a survivor of what in this language translate to 'angel.' Yet the other's and I were human and Ori. You only came to have Ori powers after your mother was pregnant."
"What are you trying to say? I'm the last of my kind or something? I'm special? No matter what you say, I'll never change, just as you said yourself." Claire snarled back, they were very near the ground now.
"Just remember that those you fight are your brother's and sisters. We may not be directly related, but our powers bind us together in the same way. And don't forget, little Sophia" Maria paused as she gasped for air and spat out even more blood that ran down from her mouth and onto her neck. "I love you, and don't blame you, I forgive you." And with that Maria drew her last breath and never again.
Claire finally got her feet to touch the ground and she lay Maria's lifeless body on the ground, kneeling next to it she silently cried inside as she let the tears in her eyes fall down like rain onto her clothes.
Cameron and Vala walked up behind Claire and glanced down at the dead body. "Claire you had no choice." Cameron said taking a step closer.
Claire stood up but didn't turn around to face them. Her body shuddered as she spoke. "Always we had no choice… Those are our magic words, but you know? The magic never works and the only thing we're left with is regret." She paused as she sighed deeply. "Somehow, we forget easily what happened yesterday, but I don't want that anymore. I don't want friends to die, or fade away. I don't want battles where we have to lose in order to win." Claire sighed deeply again and pulled her head back, so she was staring straight up at the sky. "I'll change it! Just watch me Mother! Helena! I'll fix everything…."
With that Claire turned round quickly and looked into Cameron's eyes sweetly. He didn't say anything, there was nothing he could say to make it right. He spread out his arms so that she could bury her face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Claire, like he was never going to let go again.
"They may be family, but I have to bring them down, forever." Claire whimpered in Cameron's chest, burying her head in as much as she could.
