Chapter Six: Banishing Age-Old Demons
Risika stared in shock between her brothers, glancing back and forth between the growing red welt on Zack's jaw to Ty's clenched fist. Snapping out of her trance, Risika hurried to Zack's side. "Oh My God, Zack, are you okay??" Zack gingerly rubbed his jaw, then nodded his head. "I'm fine little sister, but, Ty's got one hell of a right hook, I guess we all got taught well." Ty glared daggers in his older brother's direction. "You're fucking lucky that's all I'm giving you, you arrogant son-of-a-bitch!!" Risika shot Ty a Look, and wrapped an arm around Zack's broad shoulders. "Ty what the hell do you think you're doing??! He's our brother, Ty, not our enemy!!" Ty whipped his head around and turned his glare to Risika. "I should be asking you that question Risa!! How the hell can you still consider this bastard our brother??! He abandoned us remember?? He broke his promise to us, called us his brother and sister, and then left us to fend for ourselves!! What I don't get is how you can still defend him after all these years, of not having him here!! He left us on our own, he didn't care if we lived or died!!" Finishing his tirade against their sister, Ty once again turned to Zack, the fury in his eyes seeming to grow. "Isn't that right, big brother??" Ty spat the last word out, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You left Risa and I for dead didn't you?? You just made that promise to make us feel better, to make it seem like splitting up wouldn't be that bad right?? It was fake right??! Where the fuck were you when Risa got shot?? Where the fuck you when I got shot?? Hell, where the fuck were you whenever the hell it was that we needed you??! You promised to be there big brother, so where the hell were you?? We needed you, Risa needed you, I needed you!! Where the fuck have you been these last eleven years, huh Zack, where the fuck have you been??! You left Risa and I alone when we needed it most, and I'll fucking hate you, you asshole, for the rest of my life."
Risika walked forward quickly, and backhanded Ty across the face. "Don't you dare talk to our brother that way Ty!! Whether you knew it or not, he's always been there from the beginning!! He's been there, just in the background, watching us, keeping us safe, just like he promised he would do!! I know you never believed me every time I told you that I always had this feeling, ever since we got out, that he was there, in the background, watching us, protecting us!! You never would believe me Ty!! But he was there!! You remember when you snuck in with us, before you got shot, when the ingrate and I, were fleeing from the FBI?? Michael may have blown up the Jeep they were driving, but you remember seeing those bastards getting the shit beat out of them don't you??!! That was Zack, Ty that was our brother, not Michael!! I don't know why the hell you always were so against Zack!! He would have to us he was there is it wasn't so dangerous for us, he would have!!!"
Ty sneered at his sister's expression, before replying, "Oh, I'm so sure that that's what Zack convinced you happened, right?? Now he's taking credit for Michael too right, trying not to make it so obvious that he abandoned us??!! Honestly Risa, it makes me sick how you constantly defend him!! What, when I wasn't looking, did you two shack up or something?? 'Cuz you two sure are close, close enough to be sleeping together!!" Risa's expression was one of shock, and then anger, as she raised her clenched fist, and struck Ty in the cheek so hard that he crashed into the brick wall behind him. Zack stood behind Risika, and gently rested a hand on his sister's shoulder, his expression unreadable. He was angry at his younger brother of accusing their sister in such a way, but he knew that he deserved everything it was that Ty said to him, he hadn't been there for them the way he should have been, he let his siblings down, abandoned them when they needed him most.
Ty picked himself gingerly off the ground, his eyes full of regret as he stared at Risika. "Risa, I'm sorry, really sorry that I said to you. I guess I'm just so pissed at Zack that I took out on you, I'm sorry." Risa slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding, and nodded. "I forgive you Ty I know you didn't mean it." Ty nodded, trying not to let his relief show. Then he turned his attention back to his older brother. Angry tears started to form in his eyes, and he didn't try to wipe them away. Doing so would be a sign of weakness, and Ty refused to have Zack see him in that situation. "Where the hell were you Zack, why the hell couldn't you tell us you were here?? You were like my idol, big brother, ever since we were kids; you were the one person besides Risa I thought I could always count on, that you'd always be there. I looked up to you, I thought, when I grow up, I wish that I could become only half the leader and brother that you were to me, I'd consider myself successful. And then, you left, you left and never came back. I haven't seen you for the last eleven years, Zack, where have you been??" Tears were coursing down Ty's cheeks, and without hesitation, Zack pulled his younger brother into his arms, murmuring soothing words to Ty, occasionally patting him on the back.
"It's alright, little brother. It's alright, I know I deserve everything you threw at me tonight, I wasn't there for you when you needed me, and I let you down. I'm sorry for that little brother, I am sorry." Zack continued patting his brother on the back, knowing that Ty needed to get this out of his system, if he was ever to move on from it. Risika watched the scene, her own eyes bright with tears. Although she knew that Ty had idolized Zack when they were children, he had never told her the reason why he became so closed off when it came to Zack, and why he became so angry every time she mentioned Zack's name. She was glad that Ty was finally able to put the eleven years worth of pain, anger and abandonment that he felt, behind him, and embrace Zack as his brother, not as his enemy. Zack roughly then pushed his brother away from him, and barked, "Suck it up, soldier." Risika, sensing from her older brother that it was time to get serious; she also quickly wiped away her tears, and stood up ramrod straight. Ty straightened up, and greeted Zack with a half-salute, "Sir, yes sir!!" he barked. Zack removed a roll of papers from the pocket inside his leather jacket, and spread them out the low table Risa had set up. "This is a map of the interior of the base, soldiers. Risa, you and Ty will infiltrate the base from the left wing on the north side, and destroy any facilities that you see there. However our main priority is to destroy the DNA lab."
Risa and Ty both nodded, and Zack's eyes barely flickered as he looked from one sibling to the next. "Permission to ask a question, sir??" Risa requested. Zack nodded, "Go ahead soldier." "Who will be with us on this mission?" Zack answered with, "You two, 711, 701, and 452." Zack had always felt that it was a liability referring to their siblings, when talking about a mission, since you never knew who was listening, so he restorted to using their designations. Gathering up the papers, he barked out one last order. "Training starts tomorrow in the desert at o six hundred be ready soldiers." And with that, Zack descended down the ladder. Risa and Ty looked at each other, both apologetic for what happened between the two of them. "I'm sorry for backhanding you, then punching you Ty." Ty just shook his head, "I'm the one who's sorry, I deserved it." Risa wrapped an arm around her brother, "Come on let's go, and get some sleep, tomorrow's going to be one hell of a long day." Ty followed his sister back into her bedroom, where he promptly dropped onto a cot placed on the floor. Tomorrow was another day.
tbc…………………………………………………