~o~
I could see their monster blimp approaching from the evening sky and I felt the adrenaline starting to pump through my system. Assuming they didn't get recruitments already, we only had to deal with Breech, Skalamander, Biowulf, the two creepy things that joined to form one and Van Kleiss himself. Thank goodness the monster blimp didn't fight.
Nina was standing a few feet in front of me and Six was off to my left a little. Six soldiers were behind us and Circe was off to Six's left with Bobo between them. We had worked out a bit of a strategy that involved her being in the front line to make the first move and possibly disorient and provoke them. Circe was still collared. Nina had tried to convince us to deactivate the collar but Six still objected since we couldn't be sure of her loyalties yet. She decided that maybe we could use her to stir their tempers instead. She would take Breech, Van Kleiss was mine, Biowulf would have to try to handle Six and the soldiers would split into threes and get the creepy pair while Bobo got Skalamander.
As the blimp came closer, we noticed the aforementioned six were standing on the top of the monster blimp. I hoped for a second one of them would fall off. It was just wishful thinking.
"Oh, a welcome party? Or have you come to join us?" Van Kleiss asked with that creepy smile of his. Nina laughed scandalously.
"Not in your wettest, wildest dreams, Van Creepy," she retorted. I laughed.
"Good one," I commended. She turned back and winked at me.
"Kent might have neglected to tell you I see the future. I've already seen us hog tying you and throwing you in the dirtiest cell we have. Want to retreat?" she added. Van Kleiss gave a creepy, evil laugh.
"Not in your wettest, wildest dreams. It's a pity we have to kill you, though, you would have been so useful."
"Sorry, I don't work with scum." She flung five 'gas shells' at them, creating a thick smoke fog. "Remember their formation! Go, go, go!" she directed. While everyone else moved, she kissed two fingers and pointed them in my direction, directing me and endearing me all at the same time. I moved. She took aim and we all moved to where our intended targets would probably land. When the fog cleared, I noticed the monster blimp was falling. One of those smoke bombs wasn't a smoke bomb apparently. I noticed when Breech flung a portal at her but in a super fast, fluid movement, Nina made her way past it and hit Breech in the stomach with the barrel of the gun. I smiled. It was awesome watching her fight.
"Now, now, Rex, you don't have time to be looking elsewhere," Van Kleiss said, approaching me.
"You're nothing, Van Kleiss. Watching her fight is more entertaining anyway."
"I would love to watch her if you think it's so great. Hm, with praise like that she must be your girlfriend, am I right?"
"And I'm proud to admit it."
"In that case, I'll enjoy taking her away from you even more."
That flipped the switch. I brought out the BFS and charged after him. He quickly moved out of the way and just as I flew off the building, I brought out the Boogie Pack and flew back onto the building.
"Focus, Rex. Don't make this too easy now," he goaded.
"Easy? No way. No worries there." The fights were well dispersed to avoid any friendly fire. Van Kleiss was attacking fiercely, pushing me back. My back hit someone else. I turned to see Nina giving me a smile.
"How convenient. You'll have to stop messing around now and fight seriously," Van Kleiss.
"Messing around?" Nina asked. "That's not messing around."
"This is messing around," I said, finishing one of my trademark sayings. Nina and I in a split second changed positions and she came at him with the barrel of her gun while I took Breech. She was surprised and I managed to push her back with my continuous attacks. With any luck, this fight would be over soon. Biowulf and Skalamander had already fallen. Six and Bobo were helping with eyeballs one and two.
"Shiny, Rex. I won't let you get away with wrecking my precious things," Breech said, a crazed look in her eye.
"Take your best shot." It took all I had to dodge her portals that would send me to who knows where. I rushed her with a lot of energy and she tried using her large hands to block but kept retreating. I wasn't going to give her the chance to escape either. It needed to end. We needed to capture them and find some peace. I gave her a hard smack with the Smack Hands and she rolled away, apparently unconscious. Just then I saw eyeballs one and two fall.
I turned and saw Nina on the floor behind Van Kleiss and he was walking towards me.
"Rex, letting your girlfriend fight your battles for you is dishonourable. That was too easy," he said, shaking his head. Nina got up and I saw her fiddle with a round object. I smiled.
"Let her fight my battles? You don't seem to get it. I was just telling you that you suck so badly that a girl easily could take you." Nina flashed behind him and planted the device on his back.
"Hey, Van Kleiss. You talk too much. Hasn't anyone ever told you to shut the hell up?" she said. "Rex! Circe's collar!" I ran and deactivated it and Circe aimed her sonic scream at him. Electricity began to flow through his body simultaneously, forcing a shout from him. He managed still to turn and give her a forceful elbow to the chest, sending her sprawling down back onto the floor. The electricity flowed through her while the contact remained but then she fell and a loud cry came from her. I waited for her to get up. She didn't. Van Kleiss fell to the ground and curled into a ball. The charge continued to run through his body but seconds later it stopped. He was already out.
"Nina!" I shouted to her and ran over, stooping down.
"Rex, something's wrong! It hurts when I try to get up!" I tried to get my hand behind her back and she gasped in pain. Something was behind her. I managed to get it out from under her despite a sharp and painful cry. Her rifle came from behind her, the side-scope broken and half of the object she'd been fiddling with was beneath it.
"Someone call Doctor Holiday! Nina's been hurt!" I shouted at them. Six touched the communicator in his ear. She ran up in half a minute.
"Move, Rex. I've got to examine her," she said, looking deadly concerned.
"It's her back, I think," I told her, moving away just a little. She slid her hands under her and I could just see the tears form and fall from Nina's eyes as her face contorted in pain. She was actually crying.
"Don't hurt her, Doc."
"I've got to know what's wrong. I think her spine is broken," she said, then turning to the crew who came in after her. "Bring the stretcher."
"No way? Her spine?" I shrieked, voice going up in pitch. She looked back at me.
"Did she fall on anything?"
"Yeah." I pointed to the pile of hard plastic inches away from her. She hissed.
"That must have hurt. I'll have to operate."
"My tattoo," Nina barely breathed. Her fists were clenched tight and her eyes were barely open. I touched her hand and wrapped mine around her fist.
"Don't worry about something like that, Nina. Just stay with me," I begged.
"I should have actually kissed you before the battle. Sorry." I shook my head and I felt panic rising. It sounded like she was saying goodbye.
"Don't be sorry. I should have...I should have..." My sight started blurring. I couldn't cry. I had to show her she wasn't dying. "You are not allowed to die, Nina. Not until we're old and have been married for half a billion years." She half-cracked a smile.
"Why are we talking about marriage?" Her eyes fluttered closed and her head rolled to the side. I squeezed her fist.
"Nina? Nina! Nina, wake up!" The soldiers got her on the stretcher.
"Let go of her hand, Rex," Holiday said.
"No. I have to be there for her." Six came and yanked me away from behind unexpectedly and then the soldiers took off with her back into the building, Holiday rushing after them.
"Let them do their job, Rex. Nina needs them to help her," he said.
"I broke my promise, Six. I told her everything would be alright and it wasn't. I didn't protect her, Six. I failed." My tears started to fall and I wished it was me instead of her. Six pulled me to his chest unexpectedly and I wasn't strong enough to pull away.
"She didn't want your protection. All she wanted was your love, Rex."
"She has it so she can't die."
"Nobody's going to die, Rex."
"She'd probably try to punch the Grim Reaper," Circe said, her own tears so obvious and visible, and trying to chuckle. "She won't go without one hell of a fight." I pulled away from Six to face her.
"I hope so. In the meanwhile, we should get them in captivity." Soldiers were already securing collars on them.
"I guess you're on our side now," Six said to Circe.
"I guess I am." I looked down. I felt useless. She couldn't depend on me to be there for her when she needed me the most. She couldn't depend on me to save her life. Bobo walked over.
"It's not your fault, chief. Don't look like that," he said, his face looking sad, too.
"You told me to protect her. I didn't."
"It wasn't anything you could have avoided."
"If I hadn't let her take him, if I'd just not followed the plan..."
"We'd be toast and Van Kleiss would have gotten away."
"I should have—"
"Shut up, Rex. Leave this. What's done is done," Circe said.
"Let's go inside. I'm sure we'll all want to know how surgery goes and White's going to want to know what happened," Six said. We started going inside.