It's only been what, another six months since I updated again, sigh.
Sorry for the wait, but I hope it was worth it. Also I looked at the stats of my story and was surprised to find out that people have been reading it, even though it's been buried way underneath in the depths of the archive for PnF. Anyway I greatly appreacite people who took their time to read it, despite the fact that it hasn't been updated for some time.
Ryan, Shannon, and Eugene, were created by me.
Everyone else belongs to Dan and Swampy.
Beta Read by Sabrina06 (THANK YOU SO MUCH!)
On with the story
Resistance Base, Several Days Later
Ginger was in the practice room, sparing with the punching bag. She made several quick jabs to the middle of the bag, before landing a roundhouse kick with all her might; sending the bag sideways, stretching the rope to its limit, before swinging back.
As the bag swung back and forth, she breathed heavily, her mind replaying the fight with the borg. Particularly, how the borg easily countered her every move; almost effortlessly. As the bag began to descend again, she sent another kick into it, as the bag was making its return the rope snapped, it rolled to the wall before stopping.
"I know Candace said to brush up on hand to hand tactics, but you don't have to break our equipment while you're at it." Adyson smirked as she leaned against the doorway.
Ginger gave a side glare, "Pipe off Adyson."
"Sheesh, just trying to make a joke is all." She replied.
Ginger took a deep breath, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, I just have a lot on my mind."
Adyson took a few steps into the room, "Want to talk about it?"
Ginger shook her head, as she made her way to the exit. Adyson gently grabbed her arm. "Ginger if something's bothering you-"
Ginger shook her off, "I'm fine, I just need sometime alone right now." Ginger walked out of the room leaving a pondering Adyson behind.
Katie walked to her room, but muffled arguing caught her attention. She soon found herself in front of Ryan and Shannon's door. She stood against the wall and listened.
"Shannon, come on, that's not fair,-" Ryan started.
"Oh no? Maybe you shouldn't have been keeping secrets from me, everything I know is not even right, I don't even know you anymore." She exclaimed.
"You're right, you don't, Shannon please,-"
"Stop, just stop, I don't care. As far as I'm concerned you're no longer my brother. Now go on, go be a soldier, it's the only thing you're good at."
The door flung open, an enraged Shannon marched out of the room, not noticing Katie standing next to the door.
"Shannon!" Ryan called out as he followed her, Katie put a hand on his shoulder stopping him.
"Give her some space, don't push her or it could make things worse." She suggested.
Ryan sighed as he stared at his sister, she turned down a hallway disappearing around the corner, he ran his hand over his face, "I don't see how it could get worse, it's not like she'll ever forgive me. I can't even get a word out before the yelling starts."
"I'll try and talk to her, maybe she'll open up a little to me." Katie suggested.
"Yeah, maybe, she has taken a liking to you." He replied as he looked away.
"She'll come around, she just needs some time to process everything."
"Yeah, you're right."
"How are you taking everything?"
"I'm fine, it's not the first time I've lost people close to me." He answered simply, as his eyes slightly narrowed, thinking back about the past. He shook his head a little, pushing those memories back.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Katie asked.
"Long story, and not one open for discussion." He answered.
She eyed him suspiciously, he took notice, "Look, I know you still dislike me for what I did to you and Phineas, I know that no amount of apology will make it okay. However, I'm here now, helping you guys. My past isn't up for debate, I just want to bury it and move on."
"I've gotten past the first part, keeping secrets from the group is what worries me. You should open up a little, it might help the others with their suspicions about you and your friends." She warned.
He crossed his arms, "Good to know, maybe they should know what I lost when I chose to help you guys. After all, my mother's dead, my sister hates me,-"
"Look," she interrupted, "Everyone is just on edge right now, with the people we're hiding, and someone tampering with the electronics the other day, suspicions are high right now.
"Did they find out who did it?"
"No, but the security system is state of the art, when you've had three geniuses design it."
"Still, I would love to know who, anyway, I need to meet up with Isabella and Eugene. We got word of a camp being set up outside of town. We're going to go scout it out and see what we can find."
"Okay, I'll try to talk to Shannon."
They started down separate ways, Ryan stopped, "Katie."
She stopped and looked back.
He turned to her, "After I get back, come to my room, there's something I want to ask."
She tilted her head, "What is it?"
"After I come back." He stated and continued walking.
Katie stared at him as he walked away, thinking about his request. She turned and began her search for Shannon.
Shannon, sat against the wall of a quiet hallway, hugging herself, and crying. She wanted everything to be one big nightmare, she wanted to wake up in her bed; her mom calling her down for dinner. Though she knew this was reality, her mother was dead, her brother keeping secrets from her. Her mind then recalled her mother's death, how her brother stood and did nothing, how he never cried for her like she did, it was his fault that her life was like this.
"There you are." Katie said as she walked up to her.
Shannon jumped at the sound of Katie's voice, then she slowly relaxed. Katie noticed, how the girl's eyes were red from crying.
"May I sit?" She asked as she indicated a spot next to Shannon.
Shannon quietly nodded her head as she looked away from her. Katie sat against the wall next to her, a moment of silence passed between them.
"Shannon," Katie started, but Shannon already answered.
"I'm not talking to him, he can just… disappear again for all I care."
"Shannon, you don't mean that."
Shannon turned towards Katie, her face a mixture of emotions, "Yes I do, if it hadn't been for him, none of this would have happened. He never cared about me or our mom, I don't even understand how you can stand him, after what he did to you and Phineas." She said as more tears escaped.
"Shannon, I understand that you're angry with him, and I was too when I woke up in the prison. Though the reason he did what he did was for you and your mother. Sometimes people have to do bad things in order to protect the ones they love, or give everything." Katie replied as she started at the ground, Shannon took notice of how Katie seemed distant after speaking.
"Did you lose someone too?" She hesitantly asked.
"Yeah," Katie began, "About four years ago, almost right after I joined the resistance, one of the older members of the team, Stacy, died during a mission. Needless to say, we all fell pretty hard, especially Ginger, her sister. We had each other to get through it though, we gave each other strength, we honored her memory by continuing the fight."
Shannon looked away and thought of the prison escape, and her mother's final words.
"Your mother may be gone," Katie began, knowing what Shannon was thinking, "But her spirit and bravery will live on with you and Ryan."
"How do you do it?" Shannon asked out loud.
"Do what?" Katie asked as she looked at Shannon.
"How do you get over losing someone you know? Someone you love?" Shannon clarified.
Katie sighed, "You don't, you just have to move on, the pain will always be there. It's what we chose to do with that pain that matters. Shannon, I know you think your brother doesn't care, but her cares a lot more than you think."
"How do you know?" Shannon asked skeptically.
"Because... in a way, he's like Candace was after Stacy died, trying not to show any weakness, trying to keep busy and not having time to think about it. It doesn't matter how much training you get or how strong you are; you're never fully prepared to lose someone close to you and right now you and Ryan need each other, whether you know or not."
"He kept his other life a secret from me, we've both said bad things to each other, there's no way we can got back to how we were." Shannon replied.
"Maybe not, "how you were", but the best thing you can do is hear him out and listen to him. Don't push him away until he's too far to reach, or otherwise you'll both end up hurt in the end. He's the last family you have."
"Not quite the last." She mumbled.
"What do you mean?" Katie questioned.
Shannon shook her head, "Nothing, don't worry about it." Another moment of silence passed between them, "Maybe you're right. I guess I can at least hear him out... give him a chance."
"That's all I'm asking, and that's all he wants." Katie replied with a smile, as she stood up. Shannon stood up also, wiping the tears from her eyes. She then surprised Katie by giving her a hug, Katie tentatively closed her arms around Shannon, "Thank you, Katie."
"That is strange, though, we've all had some tough times since the borg showed up Adyson." Isabella replied as Adyson sat in her room, worried about Ginger.
"I know Isabella, but this time it's different, something's off, it's not the usual stress. Last time I saw her like this was-" Adyson trailed off as she went deep into thought.
"When Stacy didn't come back from that mission." Isabella finished.
Adyson nodded in return, both remembered the day of her death. Isabella sighed, "I can believe it's been four years, come to think about it, the anniversary's coming up isn't it."
"Yeah, a few days from now, still, I'm worried about her Chief."
"I am too Adyson, I'll talk to her later and make sure she's all right after I get back." Isabella answered.
"Thanks Isabella." Adyson replied as she stood and left the room.
Several Miles Outside Danville,
Ryan, Eugene and Isabella crawled up a small hill overlooking the hastily erected camp. The camp was in the center of a large clearing, surrounded by trees, except for a dirt road leading in and out of the camp. Three barbed wire fences surrounded the perimeter, a large building overlooked the entire camp, guard towers overlooked the main gate and corners of the fence. People were being herded into the center of the camp, shipping containers stacked on each other made up their living space. Normbots and soldiers patrolled the perimeter, and kept watch as the people were unloaded from transport trucks.
"This looks like a prison camp." Eugene noticed.
"Yeah, but why is it out here, surely the jails in the city aren't that full." Isabella questioned.
Ryan looked through a pair of binoculars. He took them off and passed them over to Eugene. "Take a look at some of the inmates, recognize them?"
Eugene took the binoculars and looked through them, he looked closely at some of the prisoners. "Yeah, you're right, I do recognize some of them. You… don't think we had something to do with this, do you?"
"I can't rule it out." Ryan simply answered as he looked at the camp.
"You two going to let me in on the secret?" Isabella asked.
"The people down there are all soldiers in the army, looks like Raymond cleaned out the ranks of anyone who had the same idea as us." Eugene answered.
"But, why take them all the way out here?" Isabella questioned.
"It's to prevent them from escaping easily. Look around, there's nothing but open ground around the entire area, it's to make spotting escape attempts easier; and keep curious people from sniffing around. However… it also takes reinforcements longer to get here." Ryan trailed off.
"What's going on in that head of your Lieutenant?" Eugene asked.
"I told you to stop calling me that, and nothing, let's get back to base, and report this to Candace." Ryan suggested, as the trio started to turn, weapons fire caught their attention.
They hit the ground, but soon noticed it wasn't directed at them, they looked around to see three Normbots chasing a little blonde girl through the open field. She was running towards the safety of the trees, but the Normbots were catching up to her.
Isabella raised her rifle and took aim at the lead Normbot, but Eugene put his hand on the rifle.
"You fire and you'll give away our position." Eugene pointed out.
"And if I don't, that little girl dies." Isabella countered.
"You both have a point, but Eugene remember the new reason we fight." Ryan stated as he aimed at the bots.
They aimed their weapons at the Normbots and fired simultaneously, hitting all three at once. As the bots fell and rolled on the ground, the little girl kept running; reaching the safety of the woods. A laser beam hit a tree near them as the prison guards began to fire where their shots came from.
"Well, I think it's safe to say, we've been found." Eugene stated.
"They don't know exactly where we are, their just trying to flush us out. Stay low and move back into the woods, they won't' know where we went."
They stayed low and backed into the woods, the guards and Normbots still firing blindly.
Please Review, lmL.
