Songs I listened to while writing this chapter:
Mercury Rises and Iron Poetry, by Really Slow Motion
The Gun Pointed at the Head of the Universe by Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori
Bullet Executions by Chris Benstead
Resuscitate by Fireflight
Machine by Amber Run
Tessa by Steve Jablonsky
Can't Stop Loving You by Sara Evans
Pink Time by Tom Cochrane
Unforgotten by Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori
2020
Ministry of Defense/Detainment Center/Heathrow Airport Base
Luke came to in Brigham's office. His hands were zip tied behind him, and he was sitting in a chair across from Brigham himself. He flexed his wrists. It wouldn't be hard to free himself. He'd been in worse situations.
"Did you really think I'd believe that nonsense?" Brigham said. His arms were crossed as he surveyed Luke.
"Then why give me the device?" Luke challenged.
"You had a soldier aiming a gun at me. What else was I supposed to do?"
"That never impacted your decision before," Luke reasoned.
"Your delusions are speaking once more. I've never done this before," Brigham stated. Luke refrained from rolling his eyes. He took in the four soldiers hanging around behind him, calculating how he could take them out once he was free.
"So what are you gonna do with me then?" Luke asked. Brigham looked at the four men behind Luke.
"Leave us," he ordered. Luke felt intrigued. What was the big guy gonna do?
"Sir, are you sure?" one asked.
"Yes. Go."
They traipsed out, shutting the door behind them. Brigham stood and came to stand in front of Luke with his arms behind his back.
"I know who you are," he said softly. Luke felt himself stiffen slightly at this.
"Who am I?" he asked, playing along.
"A deadly ghost," Brigham answered. "Son of Jess Wright. Stepson of Johnny Wright. Son of Brendan Jones, who was a decorated SAS soldier."
Luke's skin prickled. How did Brigham have this information? And what was he going to do with it?
"You can hide your surprise everywhere else, but it's in your eyes," Brigham went on, still looking at him. "You're wondering how I know who you are."
Luke very much wanted to know how he knew all of this, but he didn't say a word. He could see that Brigham wanted to tell him.
"Your father was my best friend," Brigham said. "Major Brendan Jones was exceptional. We ran so many operations together. He was like a brother to me, and he genuinely cared about the people around him."
"He was a good man," Luke agreed.
"It deeply saddens me that he wasn't able to save you from your fate," Brigham stated.
"He told you."
"I was a pilot. I helped him extract you," Brigham corrected. "Something I regret deeply because it got him killed, but he insisted he had to do it. For you. After I heard he'd died, I wondered what happened to you, but a few years ago, I heard rumblings of an assassin who was like a deadly ghost, and I just knew...I knew it was you. Something told me it was, and I couldn't shake it."
Luke could see the pain in Brigham's eyes. All this time he'd told this man his name...how did Brigham recognize it now?
"After you walked out of here with Sergeant Vrataski, it hit me who you were," Brigham said. "I couldn't let you go down in history as an insane person. I can't do that to Brendan. I'm sorry, but we need to contain this."
"Listen to me," Luke insisted. "I can win this war. Just let me go."
"I'm sorry. I can't do that."
"Sir, I'm begging you..."
"Were you there when he died?" Brigham interrupted. Luke opened and closed his mouth.
"Yea," he answered finally.
"Was he scared?"
Luke closed his eyes, remembering his father's face the moment before Johnny killed him. It was never too far away, just like Lance's empty eyes. He breathed for a moment to ground himself before opening his eyes again.
"He wasn't," he answered.
"I thought not," Brigham said. "He had no fear, that man. You know how many times he hung out of my plane like an idiot to get the last shot in? Crazy man, but a hell of a soldier."
"He'd want you to let me go," Luke tried. "He'd want you to let me win this war."
"He'd also want me to protect you from the repercussions of losing your mind," Brigham countered. "I'm sorry, son. It's the least I can do for him." He waved his hand, and the four soldiers came back.
"Where's Rita?" Luke asked. "What have you done with her?"
"Don't worry about her," Brigham answered. Luke was going to object when he was hauled up out of the chair by two soldiers.
"You're making a very big mistake," Luke said.
"Take him to the detainment center," Brigham instructed. Luke was swiveled and pushed forward. Outside, when they mistakenly gave him the chance, he broke his zip ties and started his escape. He was grabbed instantly.
"Settle down, Private," the soldier wrestling with him said. Luke managed to punch him in the throat and slip out of his grasp before dodging the other three. He ran for it, but a shot went off behind him. The bullet landed in Luke's upper leg, and he went down hard.
"Well, well, well," a voice said as hands pulled him back up again. "Look who it is." Luke twisted his head to see Mike, his former bully from high school, approaching. He gave Mike a level stare as the man stopped in front of him. He looked exactly the same right down to the sneer.
"I should put a bullet between your eyes for what you did," Mike commented.
"Do it," Luke urged. He knew he could bleed out and die from his leg wound, but shot in the face would be better.
"You don't deny it then?"
"It wasn't my fault," Luke stated. "I had nothing to do with what happened."
"I disagree," Mike replied. He flicked his head towards the others. "Rough him up good, eh? He deserves it." Luke fought them, still getting some blows to his face and stomach despite his efforts. They were a tougher bunch than the Russians he'd taken down on the subway, and his leg was buggered. He had all four soldiers on him now, one handcuffing his wrists behind him after a moment. He didn't care. He was going to die anyway. He could feel it happening slowly.
They could save the world. They could do it. He just knew it.
"Shit you're an animal," Mike commented as he looked down at him and gave him a small kick to the ribs. Luke just smiled back at him.
"Hey, he's bleeding out," another said, noticing a moment later. "MEDIC!"
"No," Luke said. "Leave it."
"I should put you down like an animal," Mike said, aiming his gun at Luke's head. Luke prayed he would pull the trigger.
"You don't have it in you," he taunted. He watched Mike's finger waver over the trigger. The hatred was strong in his eyes.
"Knock it off, Corporal," a Master Sergeant ordered, approaching. "We have enough bloodshed without you taking one of our own men. I should write you up for this."
"He tried to kill me," Mike said simply. "I was defending myself."
"Get him fixed up and over to detainment," the Master Sergeant ordered. "Now." Luke was slipping into unconsciousness again, and his last thought was hope that he'd wake up again that morning so they could end this war.
...
Rita came to strapped to a gurney. She felt the headache immediately and groaned. She turned her head and saw no one in the room with her. She didn't see Luke either. Panic tried to set in, but she didn't let it linger. She remembered her training and freed herself from her bonds very quickly by bringing her foot up to her hand and pulling out the knife she stored in her boot. It was very fortunate no one had found it. She used it to cut herself free. Then she carefully got up, knife in hand, and listened behind the curtain for any sounds. When she heard nothing, she moved it aside and went to find Luke.
She felt her heart pounding as she crept along. They could end this. They knew where the Omega was. Luke could reset the day. They could actually win this.
She found him ripping the curtain back just as she approached.
"I beat you," she commented, holding up her knife. "Sorry for this." He grabbed her wrist before she could stab him, and she felt her heart drop.
"I'm sorry, love," he said, his voice defeated sounding.
"No..."
"It's gone."
"But...how?"
"I got shot trying to run away, and I thought I'd bleed out in time, but I didn't. They gave me a transfusion," he answered, gesturing to the equipment behind him. "That's what took me a bit longer. Had to pull all that shit out of me."
"Oh my God," Rita moaned, pressing her hands into her face. They were done for. It was over.
"Hey," he said gently, taking her hands in his and holding them firmly against his chest. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," she said, her voice tight. "We can't do this, Luke. Not by ourselves."
"Let's worry about getting out of here first before we worry about that, okay?" he said. She nodded, and he held her hand as they slunk out of the building and found their way back to base in a borrowed car. She noticed he appeared a little on edge, constantly looking around as they moved. Rita didn't let go of his hand on the drive back. She took it again when they were walking from the car to the base. She just wanted to feel his strength right now. They had to be extra careful not to be seen, which was frustrating. She felt like she should just turn herself in and get it over with. It started to rain, and she let her tears fall and mix with the rain drops on her cheek despite her efforts to keep them in. Luke noticed and ducked into a private spot to pull her close and hold her against him. Rita let it all out. She was tired of holding it in. Her mother. Her father. Carol. Willow and all her other beloved animals. Keira. Luke. The war. Hendricks. Her reason for being there. Simon. Everything. It was all too much.
"I got you," Luke said softly, his hand pressed against the side of her head as she sobbed. It wasn't fair. They were so close. How could they have messed it up?
"I...don't know...what to...do," she said around hiccups and tears. She hoped no one she knew was going to walk in on her crying like this. She wanted to keep her reputation with everyone else that she had everything under control. She was the Full Metal Bitch after all.
"We'll figure it out."
"We can't...do this...alone," she insisted. She worked to calm herself and breathe properly. Luke simply smoothed her head with his hand slowly as she did this.
"We're not alone," he said simply once she had pulled herself together. She shifted her face so that she was looking into his eyes. She hated getting upset, but she had to admit she felt a little bit better letting some of it out. She could focus on what to do next better.
"We aren't?"
"No."
"Who's gonna help us?" She thought of her team, but she didn't think they would be convinced so easily. She could try, but they didn't have time to waste on skeptics. Luke broke into a slight smile as he smoothed her cheek with his thumb.
"J-Squad."
"J-Squad?" Rita repeated.
"Yea," Luke said with a nod. "My crew. They'll help us."
"How can you be sure?"
"They're a good lot. They like me," Luke answered with a shrug and a small smile. In a few of his resets, he'd spent time with each of them to know them better. He knew with some convincing they'd come along. "Also, I think you're not giving your team enough credit. They'd follow you to hell and back, Rita, especially now." She looked at him and suddenly believed him, dismissing her earlier thought. It was worth a try anyway. If anything, she could maybe get Kamden on board. He was always the more adventurous one.
"Then let's go," she said, getting businesslike again. "We can't waste any time."
Luke nodded again, and he kept hold of her hand as he walked to his barrack. He told her to wait outside before going in. He found J-Squad hiding their cards and looking sheepish.
"It's just Luke," Ford said, relieved. "Hey, man. What's up?"
"If I told you we had a chance to end this war tonight, would you believe me?" Luke asked, looking at them all. Kuntz's attention was instantly seized. Kimmel, Nance, Griff, and Skinner were intrigued as well.
"We're listening," Griff said for all of them.
"We don't have a lot of time, and it's a long story of how I got to this point, but please bear with me while I summarize," Luke said.
"Go ahead, mate," Skinner encouraged. Luke shared the story, and he watched the expressions of all his teammates change the more he talked.
"Holy shit," Nance said when Luke finished. He waited for the others to respond. Most of them were just staring at him.
"London falls tomorrow," Luke added softly. "If we don't do this, we're all dead. The world as we know it ends."
"You don't have the power anymore?" Griff confirmed.
"No."
"You can't get it back?"
"Unfortunately, no. Even if there was a chance, it's way too risky."
"So we go, and if we die, that's it."
"We're dead regardless, man," Ford said. "Aren't you listening? It's either tonight or tomorrow. I'd rather decide when I'm gonna die. Wouldn't you? I'm in." He stepped over next to Luke and gave a curt nod. Luke looked at the others. Kuntz stepped over to him as well. Nance was next. Kimmel, Griff, and Skinner looked at each other before Skinner joined Luke.
"If you have any doubts, maybe this'll help," Luke offered, and he gestured to Rita in the shadows. She came forward, and Griff and Kimmel gasped.
"What?!"
"Whoa!"
"We need you," Rita said simply. "This is for the world, the human race. No one else is gonna do it for us."
"I'm in," Kimmel said immediately, crossing over. Griff worked his jaw for a moment before giving a nod and finally joining them.
"Let's do it," he said.
...
Rita found her team sitting in their barrack. Harvey was shirtless and lightly chewing on an unlit cigarette. She knew it was his way of feeling closer to his father; he never actually smoked. Pete was laying on his cot with his arms behind his head, and Kamden was doing push ups on the floor, his dog tags jingling off the wood every time he touched it.
"What's up, Sarge?" Harvey asked around his cigarette.
"I have something I need to talk to you about, and I know you're gonna think I'm crazy, but I need you to believe me," Rita said, looking at all of them.
"Sounds serious," Pete commented, sitting up now. "We're listening, Rita."
"I tried to tell you guys this before, but you never really believed me," she started. "I understood. It was a crazy notion, and there wasn't much proof. This time, though, I still don't really have a lot of proof, but I need you to just trust me."
"Go on then," Harvey prompted. Kamden had stopped and was now sitting on his haunches, waiting.
"The alien race that we're fighting, they have the ability to reset the day," Rita began.
"What does that mean?" Pete asked.
"It means they can go back in time and do the day over again," she answered. Kamden's eyebrows flew up high at this.
"What?" Harvey asked, laughing, after removing his cigarette from his mouth and tucking it behind his ear. "Get out."
"Shut up," Rita ordered, pointing a finger at him. "We don't have time for that."
"Alright..."
"Go ahead, Rita," Pete encouraged.
"The Omega is what controls the Alphas and the Mimics. The Alphas are bigger and blue...we don't typically see them on a battlefield, but I did."
"What makes them different from the Mimics?" Kamden asked. He played with his fingers, resting his arms on his bent legs.
"They reset the day if they're killed," Rita answered. "That's how they're winning this war. They're always one step ahead of us because they know exactly what to do to change the outcome the next time around."
"Freaky shit," Harvey muttered. "I don't believe it."
"You have to," Rita said strongly. "I'm telling you the same thing I told you last time and the time before that and so on...you never believe me, but I don't care if you believe me. I need you to help me."
"With what?" Pete asked.
"Just...before we get to that," Rita said, looking at him, "I need to tell you that in Verdun, I killed an Alpha and hijacked the power to reset the day."
"What?!" Harvey exclaimed, lifting his arms and then letting his hands drop to his sides. "Come on..."
"I did 300 resets," she talked over him. "Travis believed me every single time. He trained with me. He fought with me to find the Omega to kill it. I had a vision after so many resets that showed me where it was, and we were going to destroy it."
"So...what happened?" Pete asked. "I mean, he's dead. How could he be dead if you could reset the day and bring us all back?"
"I did bring all of you back," Rita said strongly. "I have watched all of you die at one point or another, some of you repeatedly." This made Harvey swallow loudly and Kamden look alarmed as she looked solely at them.
"That must have been really hard, Rita," Pete said softly.
"You have no idea," Rita said, her voice tight. She cleared her throat roughly then. "Anyway, in my last reset, Travis got hit. I had no idea that I wouldn't fully die, that I'd be given a blood transfusion that would eliminate the power entirely. He died because I failed to reset the day." She looked at her team, and they looked back at her with a mix of sorrow, disbelief, and shock.
"You carry that by yourself every day?" Pete asked quietly.
"I do," Rita answered. "It's my fault. I own that."
"It's not your fault," Kamden cut in. "I mean, you didn't know."
"I still don't..." Harvey started.
"Shut up, Greene!" Pete barked at him. "Why would Rita make this shit up? She's not a liar."
"I agree," Kamden said, nodding. He looked back at Rita. "I'm sorry we didn't believe you in the past."
"It's okay," Rita said.
"What do you need us to do?" Pete asked, reminding her. "You were starting to tell us that."
"I need you to come with me to kill the Omega," Rita answered. "A Private gained the ability to reset the day, and he lost it a few hours ago, but before that happened, he found out where the Omega is. It's in the Louvre in Paris, and we need to kill it tonight. He's seen what happens tomorrow. London falls, and humanity is doomed."
"Shit," Kamden said, rubbing the back of his neck before standing up fully.
"Seriously?" Harvey asked. "How do we know it's real?"
"The device used was created by Dr. Carter, and he knows what he's doing," Rita answered. "Because the Private had the blood of the Alpha in him, it connected him to the Omega to reveal its location."
"Ah," Harvey said.
"When do we leave?" Pete questioned.
"We have to go right now."
"You believe this Private?" Pete asked next.
"I was with him and stuck the device into his leg that showed him where to find the Omega," Rita answered. "He's not lying."
Pete was on his feet now, standing next to Kamden. Harvey still looked skeptical.
"We'll ride to the death with you," Pete told her. "I'm not gonna sit around and lose this war."
"Hear, hear," Kamden said, nodding. They all looked at Harvey.
"Well, I'm not a coward," Harvey said, looking back at them all. "Obviously I'm in, regardless of how crazy this all sounds."
"Good. Go gear up. We have to be discreet. Luke and I escaped detainment, so they'll be looking for us," Rita said.
"Luke?" Pete asked.
"The Private."
"Gotcha."
"Hustle up," Kamden said, moving past Rita. Harvey went next. Pete stopped by Rita and met her eyes with his sad ones.
"I wish you could have told us sooner," he said.
"Well, hearing you all call me a nutter kind of deterred me," she replied. He twisted his lips.
"I guess we're so sick of this war now that anything seems possible, right?"
"Lucky me," Rita retorted. Pete scoffed a laugh and headed for the armory. Rita walked out to find Luke leaning against the wall in the shadows waiting for her.
"Well?" he asked.
"They're in," she answered.
"I told you."
"I'm not sure what made them believe me this time," she admitted, "but I don't care."
"Perhaps because you showed some emotion," Luke said, and she realized he was probably right. Showing some vulnerability had made her more believable. She could see that.
"Don't rub it in," she warned. He held up his hands in response to indicate he wouldn't dare.
"Let's gear up then," he said, pushing off the wall and starting to walk. She fell into step beside him.
"You keep looking over your shoulder," she said, noticing.
"Mike's here," Luke answered.
"Mike? As in Mike from high school?"
"Yea."
"I had no idea..."
"Me either. He had fun getting me beat up, but he wasn't able to kill me like I hoped," Luke sighed. "He wasn't done with me. I feel like he's watching somehow."
"We'll be out of here soon enough."
"I know."
Rita shook out thoughts of Mike as they kept walking. She had someone else in mind who could also help them, and she caught his arm after a moment to stop him.
"What's up?" Luke asked.
"I have another person in mind who could also help us," Rita said.
"No," Luke said immediately.
"You don't even know who I was going to suggest..."
"Except I do, and the answer is no."
Rita looked at him and remembered he'd reset an awful lot of times. Of course he'd know who she was talking about. How could he not? If she'd had the same thought before, then she'd have voiced it before, so he'd know. She wondered what else he knew.
"She's a good soldier," Rita said quietly.
"I am not going to lose Mei if I can help it," Luke said.
"But we need the help!"
They'd stopped walking, but no one had noticed. Rita was staring at Luke. She needed him to see that they needed Mei's help.
"I am not getting Mei involved in this," Luke said firmly.
"Involved in what?" Mei asked, surprising both of them. Luke ran a hand over his face, sighing in frustration.
"Mei," he started.
"I know, I lied," she cut him off, holding up a hand. "I feel really bad for that, but I'm not sorry that I'm here. I was trying to avoid you, but hearing my name made me intrigued."
"I knew you were here," Luke explained. "I could reset the day, and now I can't. I ran into you here a few times in my resets."
"Oh," Mei said, processing it all quickly because she'd known about resetting the day beforehand anyway. "Wow. Okay. So...you're not mad at me?"
"Not anymore."
"So what are you guys doing now?" Mei asked.
"We are going to kill the Omega," Rita explained.
"I'm in," Mei said immediately.
"No," Luke said just as quickly.
"Luke, it's not up for debate," Rita started, but Mei held up her hand to stop her.
"I got this," she said, stepping closer to Luke.
"I can't let you do this," he said.
"Luke, I want to. You would too if you were me. I am more than capable, and I am an adult. I'm doing this. You did your job. You got me to this point. Now let me do this."
Luke looked at her sadly, and Rita knew what he was feeling. She felt bad, but she also knew they would be better off with Mei's help.
"Now I know how Lance felt," Luke said, looking at Rita. Her heart lurched.
"Why do you say that?" she asked.
"He just wanted you safe no matter what. If I had gone back that day to help him and something had happened to you, it would have killed him even worse than the way he died."
"I know," Rita whispered. Her father's sacrifice had hurt like hell for years, but she understood it. She would have done the same thing in his place.
"He also told me that one day I'd understand how he felt knowing he was giving himself up for the greater good," Luke added. "Today's that day."
"Oh, Luke." Rita didn't know what else to say. He just gave her a grim smile back.
"So is that it? End of discussion?" Mei asked, looking back and forth between them.
"Get your stuff," Luke answered, and she grinned and ran off. Rita placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"We're all in this together," she said. She looked at him, noticing the intense way he was looking back at her, and she knew that he still loved her. Even after everything, he still loved her, just like she still loved him. She wanted to know everything they'd talked about or done in all of his resets, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. There wasn't enough time.
"If I recall correctly," he said after a moment, his fingers finding the chain against her neck, "you're still my wife."
She said nothing at first. He wasn't wrong. She'd never gotten a divorce. She'd simply taken off the ring. She'd never cared to be with anyone else. Guys had tried, but she had never been interested. No one knew her as well as Luke, and she kept it that way. Travis had been a close second. The rest of her team didn't know her as well, but they knew some things.
"I am," she whispered when he kept looking at her. He slid his fingers down the chain until they found her wedding band at the bottom, and he held it for a moment while looking at it.
"Hendricks?" he asked, looking up at her again.
"He was a really close friend," Rita answered truthfully. "I told him about what was going on with having the power and all, and he didn't think I was crazy. He knew all about you. You would have liked him. He was persistent with his questions and wanting to get to know me. I realize now how annoying that must have been for you when I did it." She smiled briefly when he chuckled lightly.
"You never annoyed me, Rita."
"Good, cos I'm not sorry I did it."
"Me either."
She met his eyes, and he rested her ring back against her chest.
"I'm sorry you lost him," he said.
"Me too," she whispered. Luke touched her cheek gently, and she closed her eyes. She wasn't brave enough to ask him about the woman she'd seen him with 11 years ago. She didn't really want to know.
"I know you saw her," Luke said, reading her mind, and she opened her eyes again.
"Who was she?"
"Just someone I helped hide," he answered. "People assumed she was my wife, but that wasn't the case."
"Oh." She knew they didn't have time for this, but he was so close to her, and she knew they were going to ride to their deaths very shortly. She touched her fingers against his chest, feeling his heart beat underneath them. Then she realized what he'd said.
"How did you know I saw her?" she asked.
"Because I saw you," he replied. "You vanished before I could talk to you, but I knew you were there. I knew what you saw."
"You're not lying about her?"
"No," Luke answered, reaching under his shirt and pulling out his wedding band attached to a chain. "I'm not." He held it up for her to see, and she reached to take it and curled it in the palm of her hand. The weight of it was familiar, and she remembered all the times she'd played with it or wore it on her thumb when he was getting his hands dirty with something or when he was away on a job.
She dropped it against his chest after a moment, still looking at it. It was where she'd gotten the idea to start with since he'd started wearing it that way while working on the force in New York. She wondered how many conversations they'd had about it and hers over the course of his resets. She wondered if she'd told him that she'd gone to find him in Jersey to make things right. She almost told him now, but she didn't want to make him feel hurt over what could have been, not with the little time they had left together. She decided to believe he already knew anyway because if he didn't know, he'd be asking her about it more questions about it, and he wasn't.
"I also have something of yours," he said, unzipping his side pocket and pulling out another ring. "I believe you lost it."
"My mother's ring," she breathed, taking it from him. "Where did you find it?"
"Under the dresser."
"I thought I'd lost it forever," she said.
"I was waiting for the right time to return it to you," he said. "I didn't know if I'd actually get it back after resetting...I still don't really understand the mechanics of it, but regardless, I wanted you to remember me giving it back to you."
"You kept it all this time?"
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked.
"Because you hated me?"
"Rita, I never hated you," he answered. "I was angry and confused and hurt, but I never hated you." She bit her lip and didn't say anything, but she did slip her mother's ring back on. It felt familiar; her hand had missed it all these years. He gently pulled her in and held her face in his hands. "I always have been and always will be yours. It's only ever been you for me. I will say it as many times as I need to because it's true."
"Okay," she said, her voice a half-whisper. She recalled the gruff way she'd greeted him when he'd come for her all those hours ago. It really had been her way of protecting herself. If she was short and curt first, then he couldn't hurt her, even though she knew she had it coming for abandoning him the way she had. She held back her tears, and then she closed her eyes when he closed the gap and kissed her, his mouth warm and soft like she remembered. After forty seconds of him kissing her in that knee weakening way he did and their hands sliding all over each other, she pulled him into a private spot. Once there, she began undressing him and let him do the same with her. It was quicker than she liked, but they only had this moment before it was gone forever and they disappeared.
With his hand cradling the back of her head and his mouth on hers, it was like time had never passed. She didn't know how many times they'd done this in his resets, but for her, it was the first time again in 17 years. She was unleashing every last single emotion towards him she had held in for all this time, holding his shoulders as he leaned against the wall with her in his arms. Eventually, his kisses went from sweet and slow to urgent and demanding, conveying his love and desire for her in that familiar way she'd missed for so long, and she was thrown back to all the other times they'd done this in the past.
And he was still so gentle with her. He'd never treated this moment like anything other than what it was to him: important, something to be cherished, and a place to be as equally vulnerable as she was. It was revealed in his voice when he said her name and in his touch.
When it was over, he nipped her shoulder the way he always had, and it felt like their time apart hadn't even happened. She pressed her face against his, feeling close to him like she used to. She had missed him so much. She wished she could go back and change everything. He pressed a hand against her cheek and kissed her softly one last time.
"I know you like to cuddle after, but..." he started.
"There's a war on, moron," she said, and he scoffed in laughter. She pushed him playfully, and he kissed the palm of her hand before moving to get dressed again.
"You were the cuddler," she corrected, doing the same.
"Guilty as charged," he replied, smiling a little. He rested his hand on her shoulder and touched her cheek lightly with his other. "I love you."
"Ditto," she whispered. He chuckled and moved to kiss her forehead. They stood there close together with their heads resting against each other's.
"I think this will finally make up for it," he said quietly.
"Make up for what?" she asked.
"Everything. Everyone I ever failed."
"I really wish you would stop taking on all that loss by yourself," Rita chastised lightly, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I wish you'd realize none of it was your fault."
"When you stop blaming yourself for Travis's death, I'll stop blaming myself for all of theirs." He looked at her, and she knew he had a point.
"Maybe in the next life," she reasoned. He chuckled softly.
"Yea, maybe."
"You'll come find me there?"
"Of course I will. There's nothing without you," he answered. She kissed him softly, slowly, and she savored it. She hated that they reconnected only to be lost hours later. She hated to pull away.
"Come on," he said. "We gotta go save the world."
"Just a second," she said, taking her mother's ring off again and unhooking the chain at the back of her neck. She slid it on with her wedding band before hooking it back together, deciding it was better for it to be there than on her finger right now. They were together again over her heart. It was the second best place to be. She saw his smile and smiled a bit shyly back, feeling like her younger self again just for a moment.
But it was time to be the Full Metal Bitch again, so she cleared her throat and stood up straight.
"I'm ready," she said. He nodded, and she took his hand in hers. Together, they walked to where J-Squad, her team, and Mei were gearing up, letting each other go just before anyone else saw.
She really hated how much it felt like a goodbye.
...
Luke took a moment to talk to Mei while the others were busy. He could feel the nervous tension from everyone, but they were all trying to joke with each other and pick on one another to ease it. He hoped it was helping. He felt nervous too. His moment with Rita had felt very much like a goodbye in a sense, and even though he knew that was probably true, it still hurt.
"Hey," he said, approaching Mei. She cocked her rifle loudly in response.
"Hi," she said back.
"It's not too late to back out," he told her.
"I'm not going to," she replied.
"I know."
He looked at her fondly. She was like a daughter to him despite their deal to be just friends. She'd had a nonexistent father and then a Chinese Triad "father." She hadn't wanted anymore fathers, but it was hard not to be fatherly with her at times. Like now.
"Eight years ago, you saved me," he said.
"Then you saved me," she commented.
"And you saved me again," he added.
"We save each other," she reminded him.
"We do," he agreed. He felt himself growing emotional in this moment now. "But I can't save you this time."
"And I can't save you," she agreed. "So I guess this is the end of a beautiful friendship."
Luke gave a slight laugh that barely hid his choking of emotion in his throat. He reached to squeeze her shoulder, and she rested her hand on his arm.
"My dying day," he said.
"Our dying day," she corrected.
"Right," he agreed. He looked at her, not knowing what else to say.
"You were my best friend," she said simply, "and you gave me a life I wouldn't have had otherwise. It was one hell of a ride, and I thank you for giving that to me."
"It was my pleasure, Mei," he said, his throat tight. "And you are my best friend. We're not dead yet."
"Touché," she agreed, smiling. Her eyes were wet, though.
"Luke?" Rita called.
"I gotta get back," he said to Mei. "You're okay?"
"I'm good."
"Okay. See you on the transport."
"Alright."
He went to leave when she pulled him back into a very tight hug. He held her back, feeling a tear slide down his cheek as he did so. She released him just as quickly, never having been one to display affection publicly or at all, really. She went back to her gun, and he went over to Rita.
He didn't even bother to hide his tears.