Chapter 60:
"What are you doing?!" Angel snapped a little too harshly as Nosedive hit the mats.
"What are you talking about?" Nosedive replied with a slight groan as he got up from the ground and rubbed the shoulder he had landed on.
"You're holding back!" Angel snapped, feeling a pang of guilt at how she was speaking to her friend. He had wanted them to wait a little longer before training again, but she had insisted. She wasn't sure why. Part of her wanted to simply curl up and sleep for as long as possible. The other half wanted to train and fight until she dropped from exhaustion. She knew in exhaustion the memories wouldn't come to play around in her head. In exhaustion, she could ignore the feel of hands on her body and the disgust she felt at doing nothing to stop it, even if she didn't know how to at the time. What was worse for her was that she had seen women like her before and had written off those who had let their past affect them. She regretted that now she knew what they had been through. She felt lost.
"What do you mean, I'm holding back?!" Nosedive looked at her incredulously, "I didn't want to be training yet in the first place! But I know you would have trained with or without me! At least if I train with you, I can help if something goes wrong!"
"You fought better than this!" She tried to explain.
"What?" Dive frowned, trying to figure out what she was talking about.
"When you were under Akane's control," She explained quietly, looking away sadly, "you fought as well as I did."
"I…" Nosedive took a step back as if he was afraid of her. "I… can't."
"Why not!" Angel gritted her teeth and held back a growl.
"Because she put that stuff in my head!" Nosedive bellowed, "The same woman who used me to get to you! The same woman who made Ikaru… Who let him…" He was trembling when he had finished, and Angel felt far worse than when she was simply snapping at him. She took a deep breath and moved closer to him. She placed a small hand on his still trembling chest. A flash of unwanted hands touching her, came to the forefront of her mind for an instant, but she pushed the feeling down and rested her head on his chest.
"Just because she put those skills in your head," Angel whispered, "doesn't mean you can't use them." She pulled away to look at him and was pleased that he was no longer trembling, "Look at it this way, what could be better revenge than to use the same skills she gave you to bring her and Ikaru for good." Nosedive stared at her for several long moments before wrapping his arms around her and softly beginning to cry. "If the skills she gave you will help keep you alive when we face them again, then please use them."
"I'm sorry Angel." He said softly, "I'm sorry I'm such a screw up. I…"
"Stop it!" Angel wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, "I'm to blame too you know? I should have known that Akane would never have released you but…"
"But what?" Nosedive coaxed, tears still trickled down his cheeks, but he wanted, perhaps needed to know what Angel was going to say.
"But I was scared." Angel was muffled as her face buried into his chest again.
"Of what?"
"Losing you." She answered simply. Nosedive remembered watching her surrender, how his heart had broken as he had watched her give up her freedom thinking it would give him back his own. His body shuddered at the memory and he held her a little more tightly for a few moments.
"Come on babe." He rubbed her back and steered her away from the training room, "Let' give this a break. Taz is going to show us some of her tricks when she thinks we're up to it. Plus, mom said she was going to make us something nice for dinner. Lets go, okay?" He felt her nod as he walked her out of the room.
They ate in silence, getting worried stares from both Tazani and Rose. Once their bellies were fully, quiet thanks were offered, and Nosedive took Angel to her room. He left her to get some rest and went to his own room to shower and think.
Angel has watched Nosedive's retreating back and stared at the closed door for several minutes before sighing and sitting on her bed. She hated being alone now. Before, she had been so comfortable in her own company, although she supposed she did have Moogie to sit with. Now? Now she felt uncomfortable being alone. She kept telling herself that the feeling would fade as time passed and she could go back to the fearless act she showed before. Then the memories would come. Although she hadn't remembered who she was as Anyuka, she seemed to be cursed with remembering every painful moment experienced by her alter ego, now that the spell over her had been broken. She knew her discomfort was thanks to what had happened. She had always been prepared and then left alone before her so called husband would arrive.
"Damn it!" She punched the soft bed beneath her in frustration. The feeling of hands was back, and she felt soiled. Dirty. So much so her skin itched. Quickly undressing, she got into the shower cubicle in the corner of her room and began scrubbing. She scrubbed until her skin was raw, yet the feeling didn't subside. She leant back against the wall and slid down. Bringing her knees up to her chin, she began to sob.
Nosedive frowned as he passed Angel's door once more in order to go speak to his mother. He had wanted to see if his mother could help him make sense of the thoughts going through his head. But then he had heard Angel's cries from her room. He placed a hand on the door for a few moments, wondering if going to her was a good idea, or if maybe she needed her space. Something inside him told him to use the passcode known only by Angel, Rose and himself. As the door slide open he could see the shower cubicle full of steam and heard the still running water. He walked over and the small form of his friend became visible. Another sigh slipped from his beak, making him wonder if he was turning into his brother. He stepped away to grab a towel and organise something for her to wear for bed. Once he was satisfied, he caried the towel over to the cubicle and placed it on the floor before opening the door. Ignoring Angel's flinch of surprise, which in itself was proof of how upset she was that she hadn't sensed him there already, he turned off the scolding water then quietly took the towel and wrapped her small body in it.
"Come on." He said gently, "I think your skin needs a break." He tried to bring levity to the situation, but Angel kept her head down, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes. He took her to her clothes and turned so she could dress. When she didn't say a word for at least five minutes he risked a glance behind him to see Angel was indeed dressed but was now simply sat staring at the floor with her still soaking wet hair getting her fresh night clothes wet. Another sigh worthy of his older brother and he was sat beside her with the towel and gently rubbing the hair to dry it as best he could. "There, much better." Nosedive said as he was satisfied that her hair was only damp and not soaking we anymore. "Try to get some sleep Angel. You look tired." He placed a hand on her cheek, finally forcing her to look at him, "Please?" He received a nod but that was all, and Angel moved to lie down on the bed, curling into a foetal position. Another sigh and Dive got to his feet to leave. Just as he reached the door though…
"Wait!" Angel pled quietly, "Please don't leave me alone." The request was so familiar to him yet sounded so much more desperate than it had ever been before. He turned to look at her and his heart broke at the lost and broken look in her eyes. His hand dropped from the control pad that would open the door. He Quietly walked over to the side of the bed and took up his position on the floor. "No, I…" He looked over his shoulder to see Angel moving over and patting the bed beside her. A faint blush graced his cheeks, but he complied and allowed her to rest her head on his chest. Wrapping his arms around her he waited until her breathing evened out and allowed himself to drift off too.
/
"So, the suit will stimulate the damaged nerves, essentially reconnecting them to allow you to walk again." Kii'era explained to Wildwing who looked at the diagrams on the screen. Tanya sat at her usual chair avoiding eye contact with the white feathered mallard.
"You think it will work?" Wildwing was trying not to allow himself to hope. It had been just over a year since he had woken up to find out his wife was missing and his ability to walk was gone. He had to admit that there was some small part of him that wanted to believe that what he was being told would work. It had been designed by his team tech after all. He was sure it would. But at the same time, the doubt still trickled in.
"Almost pos…Posi…," Tanya stuttered finally looking at him, He hated that pitying look in her eyes. It was a look he received far too often from his friends now. "Almost 100% sure." She managed to finish, "I p…promise I'll help you walk again. I promise!" She said in an almost desperate tone.
"Tanya," Widwing frowned, "This isn't your responsibility you know? What happened wasn't your fault and it could have been worse." He tried to reason with her, but his mind asked how it could have been worse.
"I know that," She said quietly, "I just…"
"It's okay Tanya." Wildwing stopped her, "I know you're trying to help. Thank you." He spun his chair around and wheeled his way out of the lab, wanting to get as far aware from his friends as possible. They still had to put the suit together. Now he knew about it they didn't need him till it was ready so he could go back to his children and his studying. He had learned a lot. From how their legend had been helped by an Amayan Princess named Ayeka who had only found Puckworld, then known as Avia, due to an accident caused by her ship's hyperdrive unit. He had also learned that DuCaine had fallen in love with the woman and the pair had chosen to remain in limbo, living in prace until his death. At which point Ayeka returned to her home and passed shortly after. According to the scrolls, she had passed due to a broken heart. He had made detailed notes on the story, more for his own interests than anyone else's. He was currently researching a scroll that spoke of both the armour they had found and the mask. He vaguely wondered if Mookie was okay with his children as he rolled into the room. He frowned when something felt off. Looking around the room warily he moved to his desk, brushing it off as him being his usually worry wart self.
"Interesting." Wildwing froze at the voice, one he knew, "You seemed to notice my presence despite my little trick."
"How did you get in here!" Widwing turned to Reika and reached under the desk where a button had been placed that he could use to call for help if ever he needed it. He had thought it was his friends being overprotective, but now he was grateful for their concern for his health.
"It won't work." Reika laughed. "I disconnected it." She smirked at the growl she received. "Your kids and that weird human are already held captive, so stop your posturing." She revelled in the reaction she received to that. "Now be a good little cripple and behave." She laughed again then activated her communicator. "I have him. Begin phase two."
Wildwing tried to control his breathing and pay attention to what was going on. His and his kids' lives might depend on it but all he could think was that the pond was about to have a lot of unwelcomed visitors and there was absolutely nothing he could do to warn anyone. Sure enough, there was a boom from above and the base shook. He looked up as Reika took the handles of his chair and began pushing him along.
"Time to go cripple." He could hear the sneer in her voice. Wildwing wasn't armed so there was very little he could do. Not to mention he had to find his children. All he could hope was that Reika would take him to them and he could find a way to get away with them before they could be hurt. He could already hear the shouts of those rushing to deal with the problem. None of whom seemed to be rushing anywhere near his location. He was wheeled to what had been their hanger, the long tunnel had been sealed off, but he saw that someone had cut their way through the metal wall.
"How did you even get in here?" Wildwing asked as he looked around for his children and Mookie. "We changed all the frequencies and the codes to get in. There's no way you could have got anywhere close to that tunnel, let alone past the door."
"I may have only been an agent, but I'm smarter than I look." Reika scoffed, "It wasn't hard to hack back into GA systems and decode everything I needed to get past the shields and into the base!"
"Dad!" Wing finally spotted his kids and Mookie as Molly called to him. Reika wheeled him over but then roughly tipped the chair forcing him out and onto the floor. He landed in a heap and felt Molly drape herself over his upper back, "I won't let you hurt my dad!" He heard her yell.
"Molly don't…" He cringed as the sound of a slap and Molly's yelp. He pushed himself up and rolled himself over, so he was at least facing his enemy, just as a wailing Molly flew at his chest. He used one arm to prop himself up and the other to wrap around her. He wanted nothing more to have a break down about his family's currently hopeless predicament, but he knew that would only scare his children more.
"I'm sorry Wing." Mookie said quietly as she helped shift him so he could lean against the wall instead, "I didn't know what to do! When they came into the nursery I just grabbed them, and I couldn't… I mean…"
"It's okay Mookie." Wildwing offered her a smile as Mookie passed him his son who hiccupped and gripped him like a limpet but otherwise didn't cry, "They're alive. For that…. You have no idea how grateful I am."
Elsewhere:
Kii'era panted as she looked around the now quiet room. They had been caught off guard. She hadn't even realised anything was wrong. When the feline had slipped into the freezer, her sensitive ears had heard the door open but with all the new recruits coming in each day she had assumed the strange scent she had picked up was nothing to worry about. The woman had heard the shots fired and she had bolted out of the walk-in freezer designed for the projects that required such an environment. The scene that met her made her see red. As a Catatonian, there was a state her people could slip into when they feared for their lives or the safety of their closest friends or family. She had been too young when her family had been in such danger as they escaped their planet, so had never experienced it herself until now. The people who had attacked Tanya now lay dead. Blood was everywhere and her claws were covered in it. She took in a few more deep breaths as she shakily held out her hand to gently feel for a pulse. When she found none, she let out a feral sound that was rarely used by her kind in modern times. If were to be compared to anything on Earth she supposed it would be a cross between a yowl and a roar. Either way, it was mournful, and she cradled Tanya's head to her chest for some time before a gentle hand found her shoulder. Her head whipped round has she bared her teeth and hissed at the intruder to her grief. Only to find Duke looking at her sadly.
"She wouldn't want ya ta die here too." Duke said gently.
"I won't leave her here!" She snapped at him holding Tanya's body just a little closer.
"That's not Taunny any more Kiki." Duke said using a nickname he had heard some of the children use when addressing her. "They can't hurt her anymore where she's gone."
"I couldn't protect her." Kii'era buried her face into Tanya's neck sobbing, "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to her and I failed!"
"I know kid." Duke knelt and reached to close Tanya's eyes, still frozen in shock, "She wouldn't blame you. But she would want you to get outta here and…"
"Oh gods!" Kii'era's eyes widened, "The children!" She turned to him, "And Wildwing! They'll be helpless!" Duke looked over his shoulder, clearly already worried about that same fact. With a shaky kiss to Tanya's forehead, Kii'era stood and followed Duke from the room.
