Hey everybody, sorry I've been a little slow posting these chapters. I've been busy, but I try to make time to write. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and as always I always appreciate reviews and favorites. :)
The Knife Unseen
Chapter 10
"With friends like these"
"Wake up." Said a firm female voice, breaking his sleep.
Opening his eyes slowly, Victor scowled at the woman hovering over him. His eyes finally adjusting to the light, he carefully studied the face above him with scrutiny. Her face was warm with a light glow as the wrinkles in the edges of her eyes told stories of darker times.
"What?" Victor said hazily.
"You're Victor, correct?" She said, shifting her weight.
"Yes. What do you want?" He replied, slowly shifting in the bunk as he tried to sit up.
Scowling at him, the woman stepped back letting his feet touch the floor before standing up. "I think me and you need to have a chat before this ship leaves the Citadel."
"Do you?" He replied, raising his brow, before rubbing his eyes.
"Indeed." She said lazily as she turned to the door. "Lets go for a walk."
Victor let out a cautious sigh before forcing himself out of bed to follow her. He wasn't in the habit of following strange women, but what trouble could she cause him? Not like he had anything else better to do than sleep.
They walked quietly down the hallways for a few minutes, before either of them said even a word. Victor found something strangely familiar about her, as if he had met her already, but knew nothing about her.
"So is there a point to this walk? Do I get a question? Maybe some answers?"
"Answers? Like what?" She said, looking curiously at him.
"How about a name for starters and why you need to talk to me?" He whipped, beginning to lose his patience.
"My name is Natasha."
"That answers the name part, I guess." He replied, as they walked.
They continued to walk the length of the hallway until it emptied into the Mess Hall. The hurried sounds of crewmen filled the silence between the both of them. Natasha stopped in a corner of the Mess that was out of the sight of prying eyes.
"Listen to me carefully, I'm not in the mood for antics or lies. Do you know who Captains this ship?"
"Yes. The Ice Queen and I got acquainted an hour or so ago."
Natasha scoffed and smirked at him briefly.
"I should start by saying that I know everything about the previous 'job' you worked. The one that caused the council to hand you your spectre status." Natasha said with a dry tone. "I would be impressed, if I hadn't been handed the current case I myself have been assigned to."
Victor shook his head briefly.
"I'm a little underwhelmed to say the least. I figured you'd come at me with something more than reading a case file."
"Oh trust me, I wouldn't have made a trip all the way from Palaven to see you if I simply wanted to read you a story."
"Oh good, I was afraid I'd fall asleep from boredom." He smirked.
"Let's stir up the pot then, shall we?" Natasha replied, her tone rather calm. "I am a case worker for military families on Palaven. I have a lot of... Resources, that will bring me your head on a silver platter if you so much as think about putting my daughter in harm's way. Follow me?"
"Mhmm, idle threats from an idealist/humanitarian. Listen, I have little interest in your daughter, but I'm not responsible for what happens if she gets in my way. I don't play well with others. That should have been in my file, right next 'killer'."
"Wouldn't you at least like to say goodbye to her?"
"Your daughter? She going somewhere?"
"Unfortunately for you, she's staying put." Natasha said with a humored smile. "No, I'm talking about someone who holds a much higher interest to you... After all, the way things ended would leave me wishing I could at least tell her how I feel about her..."
Victor squinted his eyes in curiosity, half knowing who she was talking about. "Laural?" He whispered.
Natasha gave him another smirk.
"Like I said, I have resources that could hurt you more than you think." she said sternly. "You'd do well to not put my daughter, or her family, in needless danger."
"She's still alive?"
"Very much so."
"Where is she?"
"Under my protection." Natasha replied. "She's safe."
"Where? I want to see her. Now!" Victor yelled, taking a large and hostile step towards Natasha.
Natasha glanced to a place behind Victor before a loud, territorial growl was heard.
"If you want to cling on to your worthless life a little longer, take a step back." A double toned voice echoed out from behind him.
Victor turned to face the voice, finding a turian a little bigger than Victor himself towering over him. Scowling, Victor looked into his eyes as a faint growl came from his chest.
"How about you take a step back yourself, before we have a problem." Barked Victor.
The other turian started to raise his fist, as well as the growl in his chest before Natasha spoke. "Vallok, calm down. He's just eager. Understandably so, with the situation at hand. But if you wish to know where she is, Victor, I suggest you calm yourself down. A fight will cause Rayhel to shove you out of an airlock. I can give you the information you want, but you'll have to agree to what I've asked."
Victor hesitantly backed down slowly from Vallok as he continued staring into his eyes. "I have no interest in hurting your daughter. I doubt it's me you have to worry about anyways. You know where we are heading I'm guessing?"
"I am aware of the dangers you face, and that is exactly why I am ensuring you will not be another danger added to her list."
"Don't worry, I don't have a reason to hurt her. Now where is Laural? I'm tired of this game." He scoffed.
"No, that's not how this works. Promises can be broken. I need action first."
A moment of silence passed between the three of them as Victor bit back the growing aggravation from the interaction. Natasha watched him carefully, waiting for a response.
"Fine. It's an easy enough of a promise. Where do I need to meet you after this is all over?" He asked.
"Palaven."
Victor paused a moment, letting thoughts rush over him. The last time he had been to Palaven was when he was a kid. He didn't remember much of it. He had multiple opportunities, but never went back. The excuse he made, was there was nothing there for him.
"Fine." He replied, breaking the silence.
"I'll send for you, when I know Rayhel is back and safe."
Without saying another word, Natasha walked past Victor, brushing his shoulder as she went by. Taking a sigh of what little relief he had, due to her absence a throat cleared behind him. Turning around to face it once again, he found Vallok staring him down.
"Didn't your master tell you that it was time to leave, pet?" Victor said with a smirk.
"I want you to know, that if you hurt her or Rayhel I will find you and I will kill you in the most painful way I can imagine. We understand each other?" Vallok replied, visibly using all of his self control to not punch him.
"Perfectly. Now bye."
Gritting his mandible, Vallok turned around hesitantly as he began to follow Natasha. Victor watched them both pass out of sight as they left the Mess Hall and hopefully the ship. Exhausted and annoyed, he went back the way he and Natasha had came, trying to make his way back to his quarters.
Victor walked, watching the passing floor under him, somewhat lost in thought as he mulled over what had happened. Laural was alive and he still felt in shock about it. He watched her die in his arms. He remembered the blood that still stains his talons as if an invisible ink only he could see. Everything seemed surreal to him in that moment, now that he had time to look back on it. After it all, he had only his guilt to drive him. Now he had something else. Curiosity.
"Sir?" Surprised, he found a female turian leaning against his door. She flared her mandibles and fidgeted her talons together, occasionally brushing her lite gray skin.
"I'm not a ranking officer." He replied dryly.
"Sorry. Habit. Anyways, I'm Arie." She said, extending her hand with a nervous smile.
"Ok. Is there something you need?"
Smiling nervously at him, she paused. "Umm, well the Captain wants to see you on the bridge asap."
"And you needed to come down here and tell me this? Are the intercoms broken?" He asked sarcastically.
"Well... No. I just volunteered to bring the message." She said lowering her hand.
"I see. Thank you."
She shifted her weight as she awkwardly smiled at him, before leaning off the wall as she walked past him. Feeling a little unsure as to what had transpired, Victor turned his head and watched her carefully as she walked down the hallway quietly.
-21 Years earlier
Turian Cruiser
"Victor run!" Garren's voice echoed throughout the corridor with duress.
Victor's head spun around as he looked around at the different corridors, looking for the origin of his father's call. Panic began to fill his chest as it heaved in anxiety, giving way to tears that filled his eyes. He felt conflict as he forced himself to not run after his father and run in an opposite direction. His footsteps had never felt so heavy as he ran through the empty corridors, cursing the promise he made to his father. He must have known how hard it would have been for him not to come back, but what would have he had done? He was helpless to do anything.
His steps became faster as he ran through the empty corridors, having no real notion what he was looking for. He just knew that he had to run from whatever or whoever his father was fighting.
Stopping to take a breath, Victor looked behind him, searching for something or someone. All he wanted to hear was his father's voice again. He wanted him to tell him that everything was alright. Victor jumped when he turned around and found a large turian towering above him looking down at him.
"Who are you?" Victor mumbled.
"The better question is who are you? I'll tell you my name, if you tell me yours." Rumbled the man.
"Vi... Victor"
"Hello Victor, I'm Sven." He said, reaching his hand out to Victor.
Taking it hesitantly, Victor scowled. "Are you one of them?"
"Who?"
"The bad guys?"
"I don't think so. I consider myself a pretty good guy." Sven chuckled.
Nodding his head he looked behind him again. "There's bad guys back there and..." He stopped.
"And what?"
"And... I think they are hurting my father." He said, feeling his chest tighten.
"Just stay with me and I'll protect you Victor and I'll see if I can help your father. Ok?" He looked at Victor softly.
Victor simply nodded, ready to follow the man back. They walked quietly together back to where Victor had originally left his father as Sven gripped his rifle with care, checking each corner. Turning into a hallway, they found three turians laying motionless on the ground surrounded by bullet holes, each clinging to their weapons as blood dripped from their wounds.
"Dad!" Victor said, ready to race to the downed men to find his father, but he was stopped by Sven.
"Hold on. Let me make sure it's safe first. Stay here, you understand me?"
"No, I..."
"Just do it." Sven looked at him sternly as he turned away and went to the bodies.
Checking the rest of the hallway and its rooms he came back to the bodies, motioning Victor over. His heart heavy, Victor sprinted over and looked over the men. Each of them had horror in their eyes that he felt he'd never unsee.
Victor froze, looking over to the last turian leaning against the wall of the hallway. Slowly, he approached the body, hoping the man was just another soldier caught in crossfire, but he knew it was unlikely. The turian wore the same clothes as his father and was about the right size. His heart felt as if it slowed to match his steps as he got closer, finally bending down to face the corpse.
"Dad?" Victor spoke softly, as he carefully touched the turian's arm. In a split second the turian moved, grabbing Victor's arm and lifting his head to look at him. It had been what Victor feared. Garren, with fear in his eyes, found his son hovering in front of him.
"Victor." Garren said faintly as he grip loosened on him.
"Dad, it's ok. I brought help." He said, feeling his chest flutter in anxiety.
"I'm sorry, Victor." Garren coughed, letting a little blood slip past his flat lips.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, I was so hard on you. I wanted to be better than... what I had."
"You are a good Dad."
Garren smiled, before suppressing a cough. "I'm proud of you and I... love you."
"I love you too. It'll be alright now. Right?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe we can go help Mom too?"
"I don't think so." Garren said faintly, as his hand dropped from Victor's forearm.
Victor reached for Garren's arm as his head slouched again. "Dad?"
Sven, watching, crouched down behind Victor, putting his hand on his shoulder. "He's gone."
"No! Dad? Please, don't leave me! Please!" He cried as tears fell steadily down his cheeks.
"Victor?" Sven said softly.
"No. We can help him. He's not gone. He wouldn't leave me." He whimpered, leaning his head on Garren's shoulder softly.
"Victor?" Sven said a little louder. "We have to go."
"No."
"Victor, your father would want you to come with me. He wouldn't want you to die with him. Come on." He said, looking around cautiously.
"No." Victor said, clinging to his father.
"Ahh, fine." Sven put his rifle on his back and picked up Victor, throwing him over his shoulder.
"No! Put me down!" Victor thrashed at Sven.
"You'll thank me someday kid." He said, walking down the hallway before turning a corner.
"No! Stop!" Victor struggled to keep sight of his father's body as they turned the corner.
"Damn it! Would you settle down?"
"Please take me back." Victor coughed, trying to gasp for breath as he cried.
"No, I don't need your death on my conscious."
Victor's body went limp as he cried.
Sven, with his pistol drawn walked quickly until he stopped at a door. Opening the door, he walked into a cargo hold of the ship where a smaller vessel had boarded. Approaching the airlock in the hold, two other turians met Sven with a salute before boarding.
"Sir, what's left of the other teams are already aboard."
"Good, were there any survivors?" asked Sven.
"No, sir."
"Ok, lets detach and blow the ship to make sure we didn't miss any of their forces."
"Aye." Said one of the turians on guard.