Blue was performing checks on the 4x4 when Ciri used a creeper to roll under the car next to Blue, handing him a wrench to fix the fuel line that was slightly faulty, Blue's hands slightly dirty from the work he had been doing on the car.
"What if we don't reach them in time?" Ciri asked Blue. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"I don't know sis, for the first time in my life I'm not sure that we'll all come out of this. I mean look at me for example, my brainwashing is coming back and I still haven't completely helped mum with the brainwashing she was subjected to in Laos. I'm...scared. I mean these people know details about me that half the team doesn't know but I don't know who they are yet." Blue answered as he fixed the car and slid out from under it.
"Mum isn't your fault."
"Like hell it isn't. I wasn't careful enough and when it mattered I wasn't fast enough." Blue snapped, Ciri remembered when he was in these mood as a child he would leave the keep for hours and sit somewhere off in the wilderness on his own with only a small weapon in case of bandits or a monster.
"Do you remember when you were 16, when you had to take me to the star wars reality, we hunted down that bounty hunter Torin Shan and found out that Damien was after me?"
"Of course I remember. that wasn't long before mum and dad adopted me officially."
"When Damien took me I heard a new story about you every day from his second in command, all of them about you tearing apart the criminal underworld on your own trying to find me. I remember hearing that and knowing that no matter how long it took you would rescue me, that is the same feeling mum had when he took her and dad along with me, we all knew it wasn't a case of 'if' you would rescue us, but 'when' you were going to rescue us."
"Your point is?"
"We all have faith in you Blue, you're the one who managed to stop two wars before reaching the age of 19 after all." Ciri said as Blue smiled.
"That's just it sis, everyone has so much faith in me and sometimes I wonder if I'd be doing them a kindness by telling them to put it in someone else, someone who can protect his friends from being kidnapped, someone who can protect his sister from going crazy. Someone who doesn't ruin the life of every partner they've ever had." Blue said as he rested his head against the car.
Ciri sat next to him quietly, resting her head on Blue's shoulder.
"we best get prepared for the mission." Blue said as his hand began to shake slightly.
Ciri decided not to tell Blue, knowing he was insecure about the tremors in his hand. As they put their combat vests on and gathered their equipment Blue stayed behind in the armory on his own for a moment to hold his wrist, trying to stop the tremor. just as he went to leave Blue heard a portal open behind him, turning on his heel Blue was able to see a figure dressed in all black wearing a helmet that covered their face, they were holding two katanas, Blue glared at them for a moment before the assassin lunged at Blue who swiftly reacted by casting the Aard sign, hurling the assassin across the room. Blue drew his sword and readied it in the fashion he was taught by Geralt and Vesemir, held pointing slightly towards the ground and with his feet ready to provide balance.
The assassin mimicked the stance before attacking, Blue was able to displace all of the incoming attack even with his wounded shoulder, albeit with less speed and relying more on smartly placed strong attacks. Park stepped from around the doorway to see the fight she immediately used a pistol to fire at the assassin who managed to block her bullets mid flight.
"How the hell?"
"Get the truck outta here now!" Blue said as he launched a flurry of attacks at his opponent.
Park opened a locker and grabbed a SPAS-12 shotgun and fired it three times at the assassin, who was unable to avoid or block the spread of the shotgun, it ripped them to shreds as Blue turned to Helen.
"Or...you...could...just do that." Blue said in a bewildered manner.
"Sometimes you need to try the simple things." Park remarked as Blue grabbed himself a short suppressed shotgun with no stock, stuffing his free pockets with shotgun shells.
"I like to keep this for close encounters." Blue said as he slung the shotgun onto his back. Park smirked slightly.
As the two of them headed for the car Blue hung back a moment to search the assassins pockets, finding multiple passports, a flip phone with the sim card removed and the keypad void of any prints. whoever they were dealing with knew how to cover their tracks.
The group drove to the old training ground to see it was on fire.
"I guess quiet isn't an option here anymore then." Blue said as he remembered another key fact about the place. "Back in '83, this is where Me and Blovinka met, this is where I was held. I knew it was familiar but thought it was from when I worked for Perseus."
"Focus. You can reminisce later, for now let's get whoever's being held there out." Park said in a serious tone.
"You know your quite sexy when you sound like that." Blue whispered as Park sighed.
"How about when I kick you in the bollocks, husband?!" Park growled as he heard Yirina and Ciri snickering.
"While I'm recovering from a dislocated shoulder, you wouldn't hurt a disabled man would you?" Blue replied in a mocking voice.
"If they piss me off enough I'd gladly hurt him while he was on the job now shut up and focus." Park sighed, putting Blue in his place as Ciri and Portnova could be heard laughing among themselves.
"Hold the ball busting, sighted a possible ID 300 yards to the north east, by the helicopter." Blue said as he looked through the scope of his highly modified sniper, it was semi automatic with a bipod, a hybrid scope, a range finder, a suppressor and an SAS Combat stock.
"I have eyes on someone, wait for positive ID." Park said as Blue waited patiently. Park was looking through her binoculars when the prisoner turned to face her, she gasped in shock, Blue was already half way through planning the order he'd kill off the guards.
"Rachel's mum. Amy could still be alive." Blue said as he took a deep breath.
"Blue we have to let this play out see what's going on, my gut tells me she's involved in more than she's letting on" Park said as Blue restrained himself, being reminded that the mission was to rescue the prisoners, and that the mission came before personal vendetta's.
"Fine, this doesn't play out and turns out that she's actually a prisoner, we're questioning her and leaving her behind." Blue said with venom. "Bitch ruined my childhood."
"Blue! No! We're better than them we leave her behind then the mission might as well be a failure-"
"No! She killed my best childhood friend, this is something not up for debate." Blue said as Park glared at him.
"Bell-"
"Don't call me that."
"Bell listen to me-"
"Don't call me Bell."
"Bell...you're better than her, now come on, don't make me use the phrase to complete the mission." Park warned, Blue immediately went silent. Park returned to looking through her binoculars.
"Bell we got to kill bad guys, Bell you're better than killing bad guys...make your fuckin' mind up." Blue muttered to himself as he readied his XM4 and slid down the incline to the side of the road, from there he managed to sneak past all of the guards and cut the wire fence with bolt cutters, silently breaching the compound and moving in, weapon in hand. He had a knife in his boot and on his vest's left shoulder strap, he had three throwing knives on the front of his vest as he approached the entrance, using a bobby pin he had pick pocketed from park combined with his shoulder knife to lock pick the door, moving in silently and taking out two guards, hiding thei bodies in lockers. Park and Portnova followed Blue while Ciri stayed on over-watch with a sniper.
"This is Blue, I got eyes on three tangos here, might need some help taking them out quietly." Blue said over the radio.
Park and Portnova crept up the the vantage point over looking the three guards.
"Okay, drop down and knife 'em, Park you get right, Yirina you get lift, I got the middle." Blue said as he drew both his knives. they simultaneously dropped onto the hostiles and plunged their knives into their throats, covering their targets mouths with their hands. the three of them wiped the blood from the blades on their shirt sleeves and then swapped back to their firearms. As they moved further into the base they entered the arcade mockup, Blue gave a chuckle.
"What?"
"When I was here with Woods, he was acting all badass until he reached the door we just came through, he burst through and took down a mannequin, told me 'not a fuckin word Bell'." Blue said, suppressing his laughter as they moved through the arcade. Park was looking at through a small window to see Rachel's mother begin to order the troops around, her hands still bound.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Park asked as she spotted a masked figure walking onto the training area with a gun and punched Rachel's mother to the floor.
"They're forcing her to train the troops in the same manner that me and Damien were trained in, they're trying to replicate the success they had with me and him." Blue said as he readied his rifle.
"What are you going to do? Go in guns blazing hoping you don't die?" Park said as she grabbed Blue's arm.
"If they succeed then we won't stand a chance and they'll begin running tests on my mother for my family's ability. I can't let that happen whatever the cost."
"No but you can't stop them without a plan, so stay here while I think of one." Park returned as Blue sighed, peaking through the window.
"I know that drill, Park either tell me your plan or I'm going in."
"Portnova take the left side of the street, Blue you move up the middle I'll take the right side." Park said as Blue smirked at her taking command.
"Pitchfork, nice Idea." Blue noted as he allowed Park to take point. Park's MP5 at the ready as they moved out of the arcade, the three of them checking the lines of sight as they moved through the old training ground. Park was checking her corners when a shot smashed through a car next to Blue, the three of them dived for cover.
Portnova pushed up through to the burger town while Blue pushed up another two cars, moving between cover. Park pushed through the diner and up to the street corner, the three of them moved further, Blue and Park moving left down the road and up to a catwalk, as they jumped off the catwalk Blue performed a recovery role on impact and drew his shotgun, shooting an incoming juggernaut's helmet off before following it up with another shot to the head. The trio moved to a cargo elevator when Park noticed Portnova's was holding her side.
"I'm fine ma'am." Portnova said as Blue grabbed a stim-shot from a crate, injecting it into Portnova.
"Blue, get her out of here, I'll finish up the mission." Park said, authority in her voice.
"I'm not leaving you here on your own against an army-"
"Just do it, please love. For me." Park commanded. Blue paused for a moment before he nodded at her.
"I-"
"I know, now go." Park said as she moved further into the base, Blue carried Yirina out in his arms as she kept her pistol out to help defend the two of them as Blue made a run for the outer fence, using bolt cutters to make a hole in the fence, Blue carried Portnova up to where Ciri was providing over watch from, placing her down next to his sister.
"give her medical treatment, I'm going back in to help Park." Blue said as he moved back through the hole in the fence, taking advantage of the troops being distracted by Park.
As he moved through the base he could hear the echoing sound of gunfire, leading him to Park being pinned down with Samantha, Rachel's Mother and Rachel herself.
Blue spring-boarded himself off of the crate the three women were using as cover and while in mid-air threw a grenade, blowing up barrels of petrol next to enemy soldiers. Using his XM4 to wipe out a platoon of incoming attackers before pulling out the shotgun and shoving it under the helmet of a heavy attacker. When a shot landed near him Blue was swift to throw a throwing knife into the eye of the attacker responsible before grabbing C4 off of a soldier and throwing it at a crowd of hostiles. He heard an enemy approaching and used his ability to portal behind the enemy and shoot them in the head with his iconic Colt.
"Come on, get in a jeep and go I'll hold them off!" Blue called as he holstered his pistol and picked up an AK-47 and emptied the magazine into a wave. Blue launched the rifle at a lone attacker before drawing his pistol and double tapping the attacker in the head.
"Blue, get in!" Park called as Blue sprinted over to them the jeep beginning to accelerate as he continued to sprint after it.
"He won't make it, Mum slow down for him!" Rachel said as her mother sped the car up, bursting through a tunnel the jeep barely being missed by an LAV, Blue climbed onto the moving LAV and through a grenade through the hatch as he ran and leapt from the very end of the 25mm cannon barrel, his arms flailing as he went through the air, only on hand being caught by Park, Blue used his other hand to grab the back of the jeep and climb into it immediately taking the wheel from Rachel's mother.
"Who taught you how to drive, Stevie Wonder could have fucking done better than that!" Blue remarked as he drifted the car round a corner and towards the exit. Slamming a cassette tape into the player to hear 'Radar Love by Golden Earring' start to play.
"Blue we have another on our tail." Rachel called as Blue noticed some explosive barrels, he let the LAV get closer than most would have been comfortable with, turning at the last possible second and speeding away as the LAV tried to avoid the barrels, only for it to implode on contact with them.
"Someone tell me they got that?" Blue said as he drove the jeep to the rendezvous point. "Ciri, you and Portnova make your way to the exfiltration point, mission success, we're on our way."
As Blue drove away from the base, the orange glow of the devastation lighting the night sky, he felt a strange sense, like it was all going too smoothly.
Helicopter flight to a new Safe-house:
"Regulate her breathing." Park ordered as Blue obeyed, trying to keep Portnova's breathing in check.
"Come on, with me now. Breath in, out, in, out." Blue said repeating himself as he tried to calm Portnova down.
"She's been shot, she's not giving birth, just try and keep her down while I get the bullet out." Park said as Blue held Portnova down by her shoulders. "Got you, little bastard!"
Blue immediately began to clean the wound and stop the bleeding. As he and Helen sat back, allowing Portnova to rest Blue felt Park grab his hand.
"You know I wouldn't have really used the trigger on you? Don't you?" Park said as he held Blue's hand.
Blue could feel his left shoulder acting up.
"I shouldn't be doing all this, my arm fucking kills." Blue grunted as he tried to massage it.
"Let me-"
"Please Helen I don't need a nurse, just some rest." Blue said as he rested his head against the wall of the chopper. Park kissed him lightly on his injured shoulder.
"Better?" Park said as Blue went red in the face.
"Yeah, can you wake me when we arrive?"
"Of course." Park said, smiling warmly at Blue.
New York Safe house, 6:45 AM:
Blue was in his quarters asleep with Park, her left arm across his bare scar covered chest. He was actually catching some genuine sleep, a rare occurrence in and of itself. As Park woke up she looked at the sleeping Blue.
'He's so cute when he's like that.' Park thought as she admired him finally having a good nights sleep. She stood up and headed to the on suite. She stepped into the shower, calmly keeping the water at a lukewarm temperature. When she had finished getting ready for the day she walked back into the bedroom to see Blue was still asleep. 'I wonder what he's dreaming of.' Park thought as she looked at Blue.
She left Blue to sleep for a while longer, heading to the medical bay to check on Portnova.
"Park? Where are we? I can't remember." Yirina asked as Park checked the medical monitors.
"A safe house in New York. You passed out from blood loss, luckily we had spare bags of blood in medical storage here." Park said calmly with a friendly face.
"How's Blue doing under all this?"
"Right now he's fast asleep. First time in a while, I'll let him have a lie in for another hour or so." Park said smiling as Portnova grinned, Park went to leave when Portnova spoke.
"He called for you in his sleep, when he worked for the KGB, he would have dreams of you and nightmares where Perseus would hurt you, he woke up in a cold sweat many times before disappearing." Yirina said as Park looked at her.
"Why are you telling me thi-"
"You should tell him about..."
"No, not yet, he needs to focus on the mission before anything." Park said as Portnova nodded, understanding where Park was coming from.
When Helen arrived at the canteen Ciri was sat on her own eating breakfast, she looked tired.
"Cirilla." Park said as she sat down at the table with Ciri.
"Oh...Helen, I didn't hear you coming in." Ciri said as she gave an exhausted smile.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing I can't handle."
"Rachel's mother?" Park asked as she began to eat her breakfast.
"Yes, she helped make his life hell for years and now she had the nerve to accuse Blue of selling out the Organization when it was attacked by Linda." Ciri said with obvious disdain for Rachel's mother.
"hopefully we'll be able to get rid of her soon, I know Blue doesn't want her around. Rachel, though, she seemed nice for someone who worked at the Organization, she seems to care what happens to Blue."
"She fancied him when they were young, before he met Anarietta, but he never really thought of her as anything more than a friend, she's accepted that I think."
Park smiled as Ciri gazed at her. Helen's right hand pushed a fresh glass of water to Ciri.
"How long have you been up?"
"I haven't been to bed yet, I keep thinking of what's going to happen to Yennefer and Geralt if we don't reach them in time." Ciri said as she took a sip of the water.
"Go. To. Bed. You're almost worse than your brother." Park said as she shook her head.
"And you sound like my mother." Ciri laughed.
While they were talking Blue had woken up and was washed and dressed in minutes, his casual set of clothes being a pair of dark khaki jeans, a pair of brown combat trainers, a simple navy blue long sleeve polo shirt, and a brown wax biker jacket.
"Mornin Sis. Hey hon'." Blue said as he walked in and gave Park a kiss on the forehead and gave Ciri a pat on the arm.
"You're finally awake. You managed to get a good nights sleep I see." Park said as Blue poured himself a coffee.
"First in some time, how's my mother?" Blue asked as he lent against the counter.
"I have yet to see her, she hasn't left her quarters." Park said as Blue made some breakfast for Samantha and carried it to her quarters.
"Maxis, you in there?" Blue said as he knocked on the door. "Mother?"
Blue's mutation kicked in when he heard the sound of Maxis throwing up. He immediately used his key to open the door and ran to her aid.
"What's wrong?" Blue said as he helped keep his Mother's hair out of her face.
"They...they injected me with something, I don't know what it was but ever since I haven't been well. The carried out tests on me."
"What? Why not mention this earlier? we might be able to treat it." Blue said as he looked at Samantha's eyes, they were red in the area around them and her face was pale.
"You should be careful, don't want you to catch whatever's going on with me."
"No need, witcher mutations eliminated that possibility, I can't get sick." Blue said as he checked Samantha's pulse. "C'mon, I'll take you to med-bay, have a professional opinion made based on what symptoms you can tell me about."
Blue grabbed a bucket and handed it to Samantha as he picked her up and helped her walk, wrapped in a blanket. When they reached the med-bay Blue went through all the basic checks and took notes before letting Park read them so she could diagnose what was happening.
"From the symptoms you've told me and looks of her I'd say it's a minor illness, like a cold or something of the kind. What concerns me is the possibility that whatever they injected her with could make it worse, until I'm certain I want her staying off the mission roster and getting as much rest as she can in her room, you're the only one immune to illness so you'll be the only one allowed to visit her until this passes. Meaning you're off the mission roster too until she can help herself." Park diagnosed as Blue let out a sigh.
"Sure, keep an eye out on missions for any details about what they injected her with. Sooner we find out what this is the sooner we can stop it." Blue said as he looked through the glass pane at Samantha.
"I need to keep an eye out for our next lead on these people. I'll keep you posted." Park said as she left the medical bay, Blue stepped into the room Samantha was quarantined in with some food for her.
"He're mum something for you to eat." Blue said calmly as he put the rolling table over her bed.
Park was sat in her office calmly for the next hour until a phone call came through, she picked up cautiously.
"Hello?" Park answered.
"Helen Park? I thought you were retired?" The new Director of MI6 answered over the phone.
"Something dragged me and Blue out of retirement and off of our honeymoon." Park answered calmly as she continued to write in a report folder.
"So I've been hearing, you took a recent trip to Ukraine, wiped out a Perseus training installation to rescue three prisoners." The new director said jokingly.
"Yes, along those lines, though to be honest Blue did most of the damage, he's struggling though, a recently dislocated shoulder. Whoever these people are they know things about us and about Blue that many haven't even gotten a breath of yet, they knew about his long lost sweetheart. They were using prisoners to train their troops to the same standard as Blue, Damien and the rest of his family." Park said as she checked something on her computer.
"Can MI6 provide any support on this mission?"
"I'm afraid that unless you can get me a terminator there's not much else you can do, the rest of the squad are missing and out of the present members one is off the mission roster due to sickness and only one capable of helping her is Blue meaning he's off the roster as well." Park said as she signed off the report the was writing and filed it into the correct cabinet.
"Very well, remember, if you need us we're only a call away." the Director said as she hung up.
Park put down the phone and noticed Anarietta carrying out what looked like preparations for a mission outside.
"Anna?"
"They're attacking Kovir, I'm coming with your squad to help and to find out who these people are. They're attacking my reality and that is ending." Anna said as she readied her Aug tactical rifle.
"Lead us to Kovir then." Park said as she gathered the rest of the team. Rachel was among them carrying a QBZ assault rifle.
The team rushed off to help the army of Kovir repel the attacking force. Blue was still helping his mother as he watched them run off, using a device Blue had created to allow them to open portals without him being there. he was sat in the corner of the room writing in his diary while also keeping an eye on Samantha.
'Entry #30:
I recently married Helen Park, Price was best man obviously. Our honeymoon however has been cut tragically short by an unknown attacker. Me, Park and Portnova are the only members not kidnapped or killed by whoever the fuck these people. The enemy knew about Anna's existence, a small group I intend to make smaller when I find the people responsible for the attacks. we saved Maxis (Mother) but she's ill, meaning I'm the only one capable of looking after her, thus meaning me and Maxis are off the duty roster for a while. Recently managed to get some real sleep, had a lie in, must be the first time in a while. P.S: If you're reading this Helen...I love you xxxx' The new entry said as Blue sketched the wedding picture of him and Park.
"You really kept...a diary from your childhood?" Maxis coughed as Blue smiled.
"I wanted to show it to my biological mother if I ever found her, guess I haven't gotten around to finishing it yet, besides, I doubt it is good reading material." Blue said putting the diary on the coffee table next to him.
"May I *cough* read it?" Maxis said as Blue's stomach felt like it had a knot in it.
"You can read when you've recovered from whatever this is. I promise, now get some rest." Blue said warmly, trying to suppress the fear of losing his real mother a second time.
"Where did the rest of them go?"
"Enemies attacking Kovir in the Witcher reality, they left to repel them. Mother...do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Not at all."
"What was my real father like?" Blue asked honestly. Samantha was lost for words, her eyes welling up at the memory of him.
"Your father showed was one of the best men I had ever known in the brief time I knew him before he had to leave. He was brave, very smart and one of the most honorable men I have ever met in all my travels, and if he was here today beside me, he would be so proud of what you have become, proud of the men both you and your brother have forged into...As am I. You're a credit to your father's memory."
"So...why did he leave, why didn't he ever come back for any of us."
"If he could he would have, but he was sent somewhere where he can't reach us and we can't reach him." Maxis said as Blue felt a tear run down his face. "you, your brothers and your sisters make him so proud."
"Brothers? Sisters?"
"Damien and Linda are your real siblings while, he had another two children, Scott and Sara, they are your step siblings."
"Why did he run away with another woman?"
"Because me and him were a one off occasion, we both knew it. The point is I and the rest of our family are proud of you and even Damien for who you've both become, dedicating your abilities to helping protect the world. You're good men, both of you, don't ever hold that in question."