Well, at least I updated right? I said I was determined to get this done this year! :) Please read and review!
-Oly
There are times where dreaming can almost feel like reality. The senses are so muddled together when you finally wake up that it can take moments for one to decide whether they are still lost within their mind or back in the physical world. For time unknown, she was trapped in a dark unforgiving nightmare that when Aiden finally opened her eyes, she thought she was still dreaming - the stormless atmosphere of wakefulness felt too good to be true. She laid confused, and groggy, staring at a sterile white ceiling, unsure of where she was or even who she was. Listening to the low beep, and hum of a heart monitor next to her bed, she decided that she was in a hospital. For what reason, she could not seem to recall.
It took so much energy to move, and she immediately regretted doing so. Her attempts at sitting up and opening both eyes were fruitless. "Ouch." She hissed, her bottom lip quivered from the pain, and she pressed a trembling hand into her chest and then moved her hand to the corner of her right eye, sparking more discomfort. She could feel a few teeth were missing too. The added pressure to her wounds didn't help soothe the burning ache - she couldn't describe the pain radiating from her body if she were asked to. It felt like a sandbag sat on her chest when she tried to breathe heavily.
"Glad to see you're awake. Please be careful putting pressure on your wounds. You're still healing."
Aiden turned her head slowly to see a woman dressed in green scrubs smiling calmly at her from the room's doorway. Aiden returned her gaze to the ceiling trying to make sense of the situation."Where am I?" She croaked out. She was thirsty, her mouth dry like it was stuffed with cotton, lips chapped. It even hurt to talk.
The woman walked up to Aiden to hand her a glass of water that was sitting on the stand next to her bed. "I'm the Head Nurse Practitioner. My name is Kara. Before I explain everything, I just need to let you know that it may hurt for you to speak - We had you on a ventilator until this morning. Please take your time talking. Now, could you tell me your full name?."
"My name? I'm Mar... "Aiden Damas Mar." She sipped at the water to moisten her lips. The liquid was sweet and absolutely refreshing - she began to drink quickly in an attempt to satisfy the ceaseless thirst.
"How old are you?" Kara looked up from the clipboard she was writing. "Whoa there, slow down you'll make yourself sick drinking that so fast. Sip."
Aiden put the empty glass down on the end table and stared up at the woman suspiciously. "Seventeen - What's with the twenty questions?"
Kara studied Aiden for a moment before finally responding. "You're in Spargus. . . you've been in a medically induced coma for the last three days. Marauders attacked your zoomer on its way to the city. From my understanding, you killed quite a few of those raiders, but not without injury to yourself. You're healing up just fine thanks to white eco injections acquired from the precursor monks. Should be another day before you can get out of bed and move about."
Aiden soaked in the information, her good eye wide in realization and horror. Marauders, the zoomer crashing, her attackers... Dark taking control - The death of her near rapist. Precursors - the pain. It all came crashing back into her minds. A hundred different questions were churning through her mind. She felt sick - Kara was quick to notice, placing an empty bedpan right on her lap. The girl vomited harshly, expelling all the water she had just consumed.
Kara shooshed Aiden like she was calming a child awake from a nightmare, and she gently rubbed the girl's uninjured shoulder.
Aiden sat back, pale and perspiring. Her chest was on fire, and she couldn't breathe. She began to panic. "Please, don't touch me." Hissing, she shoved Kara's hand off and edged away from her. "I'm sorry, but I don't need that right now . . . " She went silent as she tried to control her breathing; Kara apologized as she took the bedpan away. She left the room but for a moment, returning a clean bedpan Aiden, placing it on the end table before sitting down next to the girl. Aiden could hear the pen clearly scribbling against a sheet of paper, the silence in the room was unnerving her. She needed answers. "What happened to my friends?"
Kara studied the girl's face again for moment. "Alive and well, my dear"
Aiden closed her eye, feeling the sting of tears beginning to form from her happiness and relief. They made it out of the desert alive - that was all that really mattered to her. "Thank the Precursors."
Kara moved to stand next to Aiden's bed, and moved to pat the younger woman gently on the arm. She pulled away at the last second and reached for the blood pressure cuff instead. She could tell the girl was battling something more judging by the glint of anguish in her face, and she really didn't want to invade the girl's space more than she had already. "May I take your vitals?"
Aiden nodded limply before the sound of velcro ripped and the cuff wrapped around her arm; soon she felt the pressure of the cuff increase, leaving her more uncomfortable than before. She didn't complain though; this was a walk in the park compared to what she went through.
Removing the cuff, Kara walked back around to stand in front of Aiden to address her again. "Your family was here, along with your Commander. Your father told me to let you know that he and your mother love you, and he will return to check on your progress. The Precursor is safe at the Palace. Why don't you try to get more rest. If you need anything, press the call button right on your bed."
Aiden nodded in agreement. Even though she didn't want to return to the nightmares, the events of the passed few days tucked into a five minute report from an unknown nurse were overwhelming her heart and mind. She was exhausted. "Okay." She said finally before carefully slipping back between the sheets, whispering a soft thanks. Her breathing finally lighter and normal, the heaviness of sleep beckoned for her once more.
Four days later
The door to her hospital room opened and closed softly. Aiden didn't care to know who it was that decided to intrude on her moment of quiet. Instead, she continued to face the wall with the tiny, sand crusted window, light fading through to warm her thinning arm resting on her hip. It was close to dinner time, and with that came her assumption that the person now standing at the edge of her bed had a food tray in waiting. She continued to ignore their presence, closing her eyes to rest, but the gravelly voice beckoning for her attention would not allow it.
"Rise and shine, Runt." Torn spoke gently to the lump of thin blankets and blonde hair before him. He reached for a lock of hair, stroking it away from her face, allowing him to observe blue eyes opening in disbelief. The young woman lifted herself up onto her elbow and turned her head to see her Commander leaning over her. He gave her a tight smile and a nod in greeting before standing straight to move away. He could see the tinge of yellow from fading bruises scattered across her face.
"Commander?" It felt like she hadn't spoken in years; her voice raspy and harsh from lack of use. She sat up fully, a slight grimace of pain lit up her usually deadpanned features. Torn reached for the pillow lying in her lap, and without a word, positioned it between her shoulders and the wall. Aiden gave a small hum of appreciation, leaning forward to allow him better access.
He noticed the back of her gown was open as Aiden moved forward for him; he caught sight of more faint yellow bruises sweeping down her spine toward her lower back, and it caused him to pull away suddenly like he was on fire.
The Commander realized as he pulled away that she didn't call him by his first name- remembering that moment a week ago when he had screamed in her face after her hearing, his angry words haunting him once again. The guilt of everything had said and caused to happen to her sat heavily in his stomach.
He sank into the chair beside her bed, slouching. He cross his foot over a knee and rested his chin in his palm before studying the girl in question. A moment passed, Aiden realized Torn was settling in for what she could only believe to be a lecture or a discussion, either of which would be a welcoming change to the dull hospital atmosphere she was subjected to all week. Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice breaking the thickening silence in the room.
"You doing okay, kid?"
His simple question broke a dam in Aiden's mind, and she began chattering, feeling much like Delilah on a bad day when she couldn't contain her words, kind or insulting. Honestly, it felt good to be able to talk to someone other than the nurse, and Delilah.
"Better than I was a week ago. Just got my brace off yesterday, and I can finally breathe and move around like normal, thank the precursors. Ribs still hurt, but since dad got the white eco for me off the monks, the healing process sped up. I should be released from this prison in a few days." Aiden's eyes brightened at the prospect of escaping the hospital before she returned her attention to the musing man sitting next to her. "I take it you were cleared at the hearing?"
Although from undesired circumstances, Aiden's newly acquired lisp from missing teeth, was quite charming to the man sitting across her. He couldn't help but smile to himself as she spoke, her words giving her trouble as they rolled improperly off her tongue. She never missed a beat though, unphased as always by circumstance.
"Heh. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Her question had such an obvious answer and he replied, not really caring to go into detail over the embarrassing three hour long trial where they dug into his career, his personal life, and his relationship with his students. The only thing he got out of it was that he was no longer allowed to train students in his office. He'd take that over criminal charges and losing his job any day.
Now sitting in the odd woman's presence he finally realized what he had been missing the entire week, the empty feeling was directly related to her – he missed being near Aiden, having spent nearly every day with her for the last four years, the week had felt like a lifetime. And to think she was the reason he had a trial in the first place.
Oh, the irony burned.
Relief washed over her at his half assed response, but Aiden didn't reply or question him anymore. What went on at the hearing was only his business. She knew there was a need to give him a huge apology, but she could not bring herself to open her mouth, her embarrassment was caught up in her throat.
Torn observed Aiden as she nervously played with her hair, glancing back and forth between him and the long braid. Her legs were crossed at the ankle, and he could see her foot twitching from side to side under the thin sheet. Aside the quickly healing chest injury, and possibly well closeted mental scars, she looked as healthy as the day she left Haven City; the look in her eyes once again defiant, but tired...soon to be a look of hate when she learned of his betrayal.
"Your father and Uncle are coming to see you in two days."
"Really? They were just here to visit a few days ago." She watched Torn look down at the floor as he spoke again, clasping his hands against his stomach. She could tell he was uncomfortable judging by his twitching jaw, and sudden closed off behavior. Curiously, she wondered what could cause such a thing to the usually calm man.
"What I mean to say is." Torn paused; apprehension written all over his face. He scratched at the shadow of a beard on his jaw, finally sitting up again to address her directly. "Jak will be here to train you -with dark eco."
Aiden dropped her braid onto her chest, and allowed her hands to rest in her lap. She sank back against the pillow suddenly feeling weary. Her eyes moved back to the window, filled with a dusk sky. She couldn't look him in the face, out of embarrassment and anger. "... You promised."
Low guttural laughter filled the room. The noise startled the girl and she returned her full attention to the Commander. She found him shaking his head at her, a smirk plastered on his face. "I also told you I would tell Jak what was going on if things got squirrely . . . which they obviously did." He waved his hand at her before tapping a finger to his head. "Your selective hearing must have chosen to ignore that part of our conversation." He stood, towering over the woman, his height adding to the heat of anger that rolled off him.
"Everything I've done and have dealt with these past five years has been for your benefit. I am not apologizing for putting our city before you for once. If you are so selfish to avoid your dark eco training and risk killing innocent people, then I suggest you stay in the fucking desert this time. I don't have the time for your ego."
Well that got ugly really fast. Torn had already move around his chair to the door, his hand on the doorknob before Aiden could process his angry words. "Wait, Commander Nolan. Please?" Torn paused, and looked over at the distraught woman, moving to get off the bed as quick as she could manage. Her mind racing at the idea of him walking out angry at her yet again.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I'll- I'll do the training. Not like I have much of a choice, huh?" Aiden pulled the blanket off her legs, and swung them over the edge of the bed, and stood. "I know I need to stop acting like a child. I know I need to face this demon, but I'm scared."
Torn faced Aiden, and leaned against the cool surface of the door. Crossing his arms, he began speaking at an even, demanding tone. "Let me explain it to you like you are that fearless asshole kid sitting in Dead Town with a crater in her leg -" He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at Aiden. "Get. over. it. The world doesn't revolve around you."
He paused to let his words sink in, which they seemed to be doing judging by the muddle of emotions playing across Aiden's face. He moved to pace in front of his student, continuing his speech with a look of determination on his face. "Your father spent two years in a prison being pumped full of dark eco which nearly killed him, and on top of that, he discovered he turns into a monster. He has his issues just the same as you do, but obviously he's dealt with them." He paused in his pacing to face the girl he lectured. "I'm assuming that the kid who beat the shit out of everyone who looked at her wrong can handle this. Am I right?"
Aiden nodded, she glanced at Torn and rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, you're right. You're always right."
"You're damn right I'm right."
"Did my father say when he'd be here?"
"Two days from now. You're being discharged tomorrow."
"So soon? What about my injury? I only started treatment three days ago"
"You still got training to start, tomorrow. Trust me, you'll be healed up by the time he's here. That white eco works wonders. Broken ribs and a punctured lung take 6-8 months to heal. You're already off the ventilator, and your brace is gone - you'll be fine. Wait until you see your dad heal his injuries just by will. It's insane."
"So I've heard." Aiden mused for a moment before she padded slowly up to Torn still leaning against the wall. He eyed her curiously as she offered her hand. "I am truly sorry. I know I have some growing up to do still, and that I screw everything up all the time, but I hope you can give me another chance to redeem myself. I don't mean to be a pain in the ass."
Torn laughed softly and stood up fully to accept her hand of apology. "I appreciate your apology, Runt. Just remember that we all fall down sometime - you can't let yourself be the only one to pick up the pieces. Your family and friends are here for you. You can't hide a secret as important as yours when it can affect all of those around you."
"I understand that now." Aiden responded dropping her hand to her side. "It's going to be hard, but I have to accept it and quit fighting the dark. My Grandfather was a lunatic wasn't he?"
Torn scoffed. "You have no idea." He watched Aiden walk to the bathroom door where a full mirror hung. She reached for the ties on her back, pulling the robe loose.
Torn shifted uncomfortably by the door as he watched her undress in front of him; she was dressed only in a pair of black shorts and her hospital gown. The smoothed surface of her back now fully exposed to him. "What the hell are you doing?"
"It's okay. Not like you haven't seen my assets before. I was told that Guard, Tye, scissored my favorite tank top up." Aiden pouted before sticking her tongue out at him. Returning her attention to the gown; she grabbed at the sides of fabric, holding it in place over her chest, and moved it down to observe the still tender bruise over her left breast. "I'm only checking out my ribs. Don't need you in trouble again."
"I- I need to leave now." Torn replied, clearing his throat trying to avoid looking at Aiden's back. "I have to stop in at the palace."
"Oh, okay." Aiden replied still looking over her injuries, oblivious to the discomfort in Torn's voice. She pulled her gown over her shoulders. "Could you tie me up real quick before you leave?" She walked toward Torn and turned back around for him to tie her gown together, pulling her long ponytail of curls over her shoulder..
Torn's breath hitched slightly at the request which could have been taken an entirely different direction in his mind had she not walked up to him and exposed her back. "Sure." He complied and began tying the gown back together. He brushed his knuckles against her hot skin as he moved down her back. Her skin so smooth, he yearned to continue touching it. As he finished the last tie he moved closer to her, and spoke softly. "By the way, we're on a first name basis again."
His raspy voice reverberated through Aiden's body causing the woman to shiver in subtle excitement. "Okay, Torn." She breathed, turning around to smile brightly at her Commander as he stepped back to open the door. "Tell the Queen and Delilah to come visit me." Torn nodded tightly in reply, leaving as silently as he had arrived.
Aiden spied the Guard, Tye, standing at attention by the doorway with the other Guard Simon as Torn exited the room. "At ease, Gentlemen." Torn said as soon as he passed through the threshold. Tye relaxed and his attention was caught by Aiden waving hello to him. Tye nodded his head at Aiden knowing he couldn't blantly say hello to her in front of Torn. Torn frowned at the small interaction between the two; he couldn't stop it, but it didn't make him happy that it was happening. He began speaking hoping to break up the interaction between the two.
"Your assignment is almost over. Aiden will be going to the Spargan palace tomorrow morning. After I return tomorrow, you may make your way back home and have a few days off. I've already informed your Captains of your returning date to your posts. Thank you for your service this week. I'll be leaving for the evening - continue the schedule you have set for yourselves. Carry on." Torn turned and began walking down the hall to leave the hospital.
Torn left the hospital in a hurry only to wander aimlessly through the sandy streets of Spargus. It was a blatant lie that he needed to return to the Palace. He had already checked in with Sig when he'd returned to the city. He really just needed to get away from that unknowingly tease of a woman. His hands deep in his pockets, he stared down as at his feet and went where they took him trying his hardest to forget about what had occurred minutes earlier not only between him and Aiden, but between her and his Guard. He inhaled, the air smelled of grilling meats, firewood, seaweed and salt - he was close to the market right on the oceanfront. It felt nice to not be recognized by the citizens - rarely had he traveled to Spargus in recent years; having been so busy with running Haven with Ashelin, and focusing on the academy, he had no time to visit or breathe really.
Now on a strange rendition of vacation, he could take the time to explore the desert city. The city flourished in the years past, now economically on par with Haven and Kras City. The evening was drawing closer, pulling the merchants away from their tents to return home to their families. The heat of the sun disappeared behind the horizon as the streets thinned out around him - Torn walked absently until he found himself down a seedy street, a bar facing him at the corner of the street.
Someplace Else. He eyed the bar name critically, the sign waved slightly in the breeze, squeaking on its rusted hinges. "Sounds like the place I need to be." He muttered before entering the rundown building.
The establishment was his definition of a dive bar - dark, smokey and already filled with people who longed to forget their lives; some drowning themselves in alcohol, others looking for a hit, others looking for a one night stand - for some, all of the above. A few of the patrons leered at the tall, well dressed man, who was out of place amongst the alcoholics and addicts, standing in the doorway searching for a spot at the bar. He walked to the end of the bar near the restrooms and sat, removing his jacket to breathe in the hot barroom. The bartender walked up to him with a skeptical look as Torn sat down. "You patrol?"
Torn raised an eyebrow at the question. Did he really look that out of place? "Not tonight, I'm not - vacation."
"Good to hear. These guys are jackals; they'll fucking eat you alive." The bartender smirked, lighting a cigar. "What'll it be, boss man?" He blew the smoke in Torn's face.
Torn glared at him, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the smoke before answering. "Scotch on the rocks. . . could you not do that, please?"
The bartender promptly ignored Torn's request, popping the cigar back into the corner of his mouth. "We ain't got that gentleman's drink in this bar."
"Whiskey then." Torn grumbled, placing his communicator on counter. "On the rocks."
He settled in with his drink and focused on his communicator, reading all news reports from Haven City and Spargus. Still nothing from the investigations. Reports from the Council, and Lieutenant Commander Learson. Torn couldn't put his finger on it, but he sensed that something big would soon happen. The question of what or even where - he couldn't determine. When he returned to the city the week before, he had Ashelin immediately lift the evening curfew - noticing the restlessness and irritation from the Haven Citizens not even a day after the murders. He didn't want an all out riot over the boogie men just yet, especially since the murderous psychopaths have yet to have been caught.
Vin's reports were monotonous and gridlocked with exclamation points about fuzzy video camera feed - Torn's eyes hurt from reading the mess. He'd have to speak with Vin once he returned to the City about how to write reports. For being a genius locked away in a computer, Vin certainly did not have the brains to effectively communicate his point across in writing.
"You look a little stressed."
Torn's intent focus was interrupted by a woman sitting down at the corner of the bar. She smiled at him as he turned his communicator off, shoving it away in his jacket. "Trying not to be." He replied. "It's hard to keep people and organizations in check when you're on vacation. Things tend to. . . fall apart."
"Things would not fall apart if you let people do their jobs." She sipped her bottled brew clutched in one hand. "Micromanaging employees tends to make things worse. People think they can't be trusted, and in the end it makes them bitter toward their employers. Poor work, poor performance"
"Oh, really?" Sarcasm dripped from the question. Torn studied the woman as she scooted closer to hear him over the noise of the bar. She was easy on the eyes - her blond hair clipped back in a loose bun, wavy strands fell into her eyes. She had a tan, heart shaped face. Torn couldn't see the color of her eyes in the dim lights, but he imagined they were a lovely dark muddled blue, intelligent and shrewd. Judging by her clothes, she had just come straight from work. "Let me guess, you work human resources?"
The woman laughed, deep and musical, her smile all teeth. She placed a palm over her heart. "Am I that transparent?"
"I deal with H.R. a bit in my field of work. They give me more gray hair than my students do. I can easily recognize them by the way they strut down the hallway - I tend to avoid them at all cost." Torn smirked into his finished drink, setting the glass down toward the bartender for a refill.
"Hmm, I don't know if I should be offended or not." She winked at Torn before holding her hand out to him. "I'm Loraine."
Torn grasped her hand, shaking it firmly. "Torn."
"You're a teacher?"
Torn shrugged, thanking the bartender for his refreshed drink. "You could say that. I do babysit bratty teenagers on occasion - some days they make me regret my career decisions."
"Oh, they can't all be that bad."
Torn laughed. "If you think so. Do you have children?"
"Absolutely not, I'd rather drink sewage water."
Torn's face twisted into disgust at the image. "So your assumptions are quite baseless."
"Quite." Loraine replied smartly, a grin stretched across her face at their playful banter. "I am going to assume that you are part of Haven City's guard, judging by the lovely, blue tattoos all over your face."
"You are quite perceptive, Loraine. I can't hide anything from you."
"More sarcasm! Are you generally an asshole to everyone?" She couldn't wait for his answer before leaning toward him with mischievous curiosity in her eyes. "Where do the tattoos stop?"
Torn laughed in disbelief at such a personal question. "Are you generally this nosey?"
"Touche, darling. I am quite the talker, and I am very nosey."
An hour passed, the duo sat nursing their drinks, deep in conversation about everything and anything that came to their minds. More so, the flow of conversation came from Loraine's end, but Torn gladly kept up. He mused at his sad social existence, accepting that Loraine was the first woman in nearly a decade that he had actually found an interest in, outside of his career. The fact that she did not throw herself at him the moment she sat down was what really caught his attention. It was rather. . . refreshing.
A very rowdy group burst through the bar doors, hooting and hollering. Torn winced at the noise, irritated at the loud distraction. Loraine noticed his discomfort immediately. "Would you like to get out of this dump? We could go back to my place and have a drink."
Without a second thought Torn stood, looking forward to getting out of the bar. "Sure." Slapping money on the counter, he pulled his jacket on and followed Loraine out the door.
"Not now, Jace. I have company."
Torn opened his eyes in the dark room before sitting up. A wedge of light fell on him from the cracked bedroom door, and he could see Loraine at her front door, hiding a person from his view. She was dressed in gym shorts and a lace bra, her hair still disheveled from waking up - no shame on her state of dress judging by her anxious posture.
"I have nothing on me, Jace. I haven't heard anything from Krew's distributors in over a week; she's completely dropped off the face of the earth. Come back when I actually get a shipment." She whispered harshly to the junkie standing in her doorway.
"Please, Lori. I need my fix."
"I'm sorry. I have nothing for you. Find someone else." Loraine shut the door softly, hoping not to wake Torn. She leaned against the door's cold surface before relocking it; padding back to the room where she found Torn, still thankfully asleep, stretched out languidly in the bed. She crawled up the mattress and laid herself next to man relishing in the heat of his skin in the chill of the morning.
Torn stirred from his pretend sleep once Loraine laid next to him, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What time is it?"
"It's five in the morning, love."
Torn sat up, swearing and kicking the blankets off his naked form. He reached blindly in the dark for his clothing. A bedside lamp came on, allowing Torn to finally retrieve his pants. He pulled his clothes on, wincing from the unexpecting assault on his eyes. "I'm late for work." He buckled his belt and began his searched for an elusive sock, finally finding it at the foot of the bed. He placed it on his foot and grabbed his gun belt sitting on the floor.
"I thought you were on vacation?"
"I am." Torn replied, turning to look at Loraine as he strapped his holster to his leg. "I'm also acting as a guardian. My student is getting out of the hospital in a half hour, and I am nowhere in sight to escort her to the palace."
"I could give you a ride."
"No." Torn responded tightly. He zipped his jacket up, and gave Loraine a stern almost disbelieving look. "Thanks, but I'll walk - I need to sober up." He walked out of the room, Loraine following close behind.
"I haven't gotten your number."
Torn stopped at the door and silently studied Loraine. He sighed and grasped the doorknob, opening the door. He reached up and cupped Loraine's cheek, stroking her skin gently. "I'm sorry Loraine, but I don't' think we should see each other again." He smiled tightly at her. "Thank you for your company." He stepped away and opened the door fully, leaving her behind to watch him walk away.
"My luck." Torn muttered to himself as he walked down the dark street. It was still well before dawn so the roads were quiet. He fucked a drug dealer. This is exactly why he couldn't trust people to get close. Disgusting to stoop so low. . . even without knowing she was a dealer, he still had sex with someone he knew nothing about.
He really must have been so desperate or awfully drunk. He couldn't really tell, they go hand in hand. He did get good information without even trying which was sadly a plus. It was going to be quite interesting to explain how he got the information to Sig though. He discovered a new hemo dealer for Spargus guard to take care of, and a very interesting bit of information: Rayn was missing and hadn't been heard from. He hadn't even thought about that woman in a long time - having been off Haven's threat meter for several years now. Minus her drug trade which was weaning along with the dark eco supply.
He stopped at an early opened market for bottled water, wincing at the light and sounds already assaulting his senses.
It was going to be a very long day indeed.
R & R, Loves! Sorry I took forever again!
