Disclaimer: I do not own any of the TSW characters involved; all belong to Square.
Author's Note: At last, this is the chapter where I can start to tie everything together, so the story can almost make sense! And it means that I am down to three remaining chapters. Can you believe it? OOTA's almost finished! Also, I should tell you this: It may take awhile for the final chapters to be put up, because I plan to work on them simultaneously. Once all three are done, and this fic is finished, I'll upload them, one every other day. By doing this, I hope make the climax flow more smoothly than if I wrote one chapter a month. I don't really like the ending to this chapter, but I suck at dialogue, and I just couldn't get it to work any other way! At least I can get back to the action in the next chapters.
OUT OF THE ASHES
Chapter Twenty-Four
Duo Personality
The shudder that passed through the Black Boa as it landed woke Aki from her fitful slumber. Ever time she closed her eyes, his face leered at her from behind her closes lids. Her breath would catch in her throat so she couldn't even scream as she relived the torture again and again…
Sweat matted her hair and streaked her face when she woke again, and her shirt clung to the skin bare of bandages. But she was safe, she told herself. Safe from the monster that had done this to her.
Aki closed her eyes, willing her breath to slow and her rapid heartbeat to calm. Most of all, though, she prayed that the voice in her head wouldn't be there anymore.
Dimly, she wondered where they were. It was too soon for them to have arrived in Houston, or wherever they were going. Had someone said something about Chicago? It was too soon for that, too.
For one gut-wrenching moment, Aki thought they'd stopped to leave her at a hospital. The doctor side of her knew she desperately needed medical help, but the victimized part of her didn't want to be left in the hands of strangers, even if they only wanted to help. She wanted to stay with the Deep Eyes, now the only people she knew she could trust, knew wouldn't hurt her again…
Aki choked down a sob. She didn't want to be left alone where he could get her…
"Are you all right?" The unexpected voice made Aki jump like a frightened rabbit, and she bit her lip to keep from screaming at the pain the movement caused. Blood trickled down her chin.
"I'm sorry," Jane said, keeping her voice soft and low. "I should have knocked first." Her movements were slow as she came towards Aki. She held a tray of food, which Aki doubted she could eat.
"Where… are we?" Aki asked in a raw voice.
"Philadelphia. We're refueling, and Ryan's going to transmit Boyer's statement from a secure location to Chicago."
Boyer's statement? Aki only dimly remembered their flight to the ship; now that Jane mentioned it, she thought she recalled the man had been with them. She'd think about that later. "No hospital," Aki said, then took a cup of water in her clumsy, gauze-wrapped hands and sipping.
Jane raised her eyebrows. "So the sarge was right that you'd feel that way. Not that I blame you… but you need a doctor, you know, since Ryan can't help you."
"No time." Aki carefully replaced the cup. She eyed the bowl of soup speculatively, wondering who had put the straw in the broth so she wouldn't have to wrestle with a spoon. "We have to stop… Ash," she said, her voice stronger after the water. "We need to find a way to attack him, to hurt him, through his shields."
"We can discuss that in Chicago – " Jane began, but Aki gave an emphatic shake of her head, resulting in another flash of pain. "It'll be too late. Please, I need to know everything that's going on, all that you have learned, so I can think of something!" She needed to strike a blow now before she was overwhelmed by all that had happened and slipped away… And she knew she'd missed quite a lot.
"I don't know the whole story myself." Jane pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I could gather the others before the sarge goes out, if you're feeling up to it." She smiled wryly. "I have the feeling we're not going to understand this without you, anyway."
"I'm up to it." Aki's face hardened. This needs to end now, before it tears us all apart."
She was surprised at the saddened expression that crossed Jane's face. "I think it's too late to save Neil," the corporal whispered.
As Aki listened as Jane told her about Neil's breakdown, she pretended not to notice the tears on the other woman's face.
* * *
Ryan was anxious to deliver his report to the Council, but he gave in to Aki's request. He didn't want to stress the injured woman further, but the possibility that she might be able to clarify some matters before he sent the information to Councilwoman Hee made him chance it.
So he sat at the table in what they'd dubbed their briefing room, watching as the others arrived and took their seats. Jane and Aki, looking no better than when he'd last seen her, were the last to arrive.
They were a pathetic looking bunch, Ryan admitted to himself as they all settled at the small table. Aki took a seat as far from the others as possible. She looked as though she was in agony, but there was a shocking clarity to her eyes despite the pain. She was ready to do whatever it took to end this. Ryan studied her out of the corner of his eye, taking in the stained bandages and the too-large clothing. She was wearing one of his off-duty outfits, the only clothing they could find that would fit comfortably over her bandaged form. She looked like a small, scared child.
Neil was slouched in the chair to his left. His face was pale, and sweat beaded his brow. Lines of pain were etched deeply into his forehead, and he kept touching a hand to his temple as if to dampen the pain. Ryan wondered how much control Neil had left over his body.
Major Elliot sat as far as he could from Neil. He was unhooded, and his ravaged features looked gruesome in the light. But, Ryan noticed, he somehow seemed more fleshed out than before, as if he were healing slowly. Ryan was reminded of the wound in his abdomen, a wound that was growing smaller by the day.
Jane, sitting by Aki, was perhaps the only one seemingly untouched. But something haunted her eyes, and he didn't think it was just horror at what had been done to Aki. What had happened to her and Neil while they'd been separated from the rest of the group?
No, they weren't much of a group, not with one member dead and another changed beyond recognition. Yet they were all that stood before General Ryder.
"What is it you wanted to know, Dr. Ross?" Ryan asked, keeping his voice soft and pleasant. She still flinched under his attention.
"Everything. All that Ryder and Boyer told you. Maybe I can figure out what's happening." Aki's voice was softer than his had been, barely audible. Was she up to this?
"We don't have all the facts," Ryan said. "Boyer obviously left things out. He never even mentioned his own role in this; he seemed to be trying to place the blame squarely on Ryder."
"Boyer's devious," Neil said thickly. "Ryder may think he's using Boyer, but it might be the other way around."
Ryan tried not to frown at that. That had to be Hein's opinion; Neil's dealings with Boyer weren't enough to form such an impression. And if Hein felt that way, then it was a strong possibility.
"Ryder has known about the green spirits for years," Ryan continued, "though Boyer never said for how long, or how he became aware of them. He never properly explained them-"
"Ryder said they're a fusion of Phantom and human spirits at the prenatal stage," Neil supplied.
"So that's why…" Ryan halted his train of thought to clarify it to Aki. "The general began his own secret operation using funds embezzled from the Zeus." Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Neil's jaw tightened. Control yourself, Neil… Control him… "He… he sacrificed pregnant woman for his experiments."
Aki's eyes narrowed in anger, but she said nothing. Neil's fingers clenched until his knuckles were white.
"But that wasn't enough; he caused barrier failures so he could create greater quantities of these green spirits by using all the unborn children in the cities." Possibly hundreds, he realized with a sick feeling in his gut.
"That is the most alarming aspect of this," Major Elliot broke in. "To carry out such an operation, he'd have to have much of the USMF under his influence. There's no way just he and a select few men could have gone in to a Phantom infested city and gathered all the altered fetuses."
Silence met his remark. Then, "You mean, this could be part of one big conspiracy?" Jane said. "We could be heading in to a trap if everyone's in on it."
Ryan was left reeling at the thought. He hadn't even considered how far this could go. "Councilwoman Hee's not in on it," he said, though he couldn't conceal his uncertainty. "She had no idea about New York."
"But Drake did; we told him and several of the Houston Council members," Jane said.
No wonder the Councilwoman wants me to send the report from a secure channel. She could be surrounded by conspirators. For a moment, Ryan wondered if he could even trust Hee. She could just be pretending, to lure us into a trap. Ryan hadn't thought it would be possible for the world to feel less safe. He was wrong.
"The spirits," Aki interrupted. "Did Ryder or Boyer say if the fetuses were just used for tissue samples, or were they allowed to grow and develop into children?"
Neil's eyes widened, and he uttered a choked wail. "My child… just a sample in a jar…" he moaned, as Hein again spoke. The pain was clear in his voice. Ryan couldn't blame him for his anguish. Elliot didn't look quite so sympathetic.
"I don't think either said. But, they're likely the source of the green ovo-pack we have." More silence. There was a sickly cast to Neil's features.
"Why do it?" Aki asked finally. "The magic would have been no good against the Phantoms as they were, and he had no way of knowing they'd become corporeal, so what was he after?"
"We don't know, really, but it wasn't official business, because the operation was secret. That's why he had to abduct Dr. Sid." Ryan bit his tongue as soon as he said the name, and Aki looked away, but not before he saw the expression on her face.
"What about… us?" she asked finally, stumbling over the last as though she had difficulty including herself among the afflicted.
"From the sound of it, they haven't been able to figure that out," Ryan said, remembering what Dr. Sid had told them about his captivity. "They're as baffled as we are – but they had the knowledge to take advantage of it."
"The return of the Phantoms, the sudden growth of plants, the resurrection of New York and the powers… I think these must be Gaia's doing." Aki said. They waited, and after a moment, she continued. "Gaia received several injuries since the Phantoms arrived – this may all be a side effect of the healing process. Or there may be something terribly wrong with Gaia."
Ryan wanted to listen to Aki with an open mind, but even after his experiences, he had some difficulty with the Gaia theory. Which reminded him… He turned to Neil, watching the man closely, waiting for Hein to break through and scoff at the woman's theory. But, though Neil looked as if he were in greater pain than before, he said nothing.
"Why is Ash different?" Jane asked. "And you… he said you were like him, right?"
Ryan cringed inwardly at the lack of tact, but Aki
considered the question carefully. "The
only things I can think of are that we were physically closer to Gaia than
anyone's ever been… o r it has to do with the spirit wave," she said finally.
"Enough of this," Neil/Hein interrupted. "We need to figure out what to do about Ryder…"
"I don't think," Ryan said, in an attempt to lessen the tension, "that there's anything we alone can do. We need the Council, and nay USMF people not under Ryder's control."
"I doubt even they could stop Ash," Aki said softly. "It will take much more than guns."
From the grim expressions on the faces of everyone at the table, Ryan realized that all had agreed to eliminate Ash, despite who he had once been. "If only I'd been able to pull the trigger," Jane hissed under her breath.
"Let's not worry about that," Ryan said. "I couldn't do it either. How long will it take us to reach Chicago?" he asked, changing to a safer subject.
"'Bout four hours using normal engines," Neil said, sounding like himself for a moment. "The Black Boa's more like a big commercial airliner than, say, a Copperhead – it's sluggish in the atmosphere. This thing was designed for the vacuum of space, not for long range flying."
"Two hours if we do a couple of burns," Aki said softly. "That uses a lot of fuel, but it'd be worth it."
"Can you fly?" Ryan asked her. He had some rudimentary piloting skills – everyone did, for no one could predict when a pilot could be killed by a stray Phantom – but he didn't trust himself if they were going to use the Black Boa's engines in powerful bursts, like what vehicles used to escape the atmosphere into space.
Aki held up her bandaged hands, a pained expression on her face. Ryan turned to Neil. "How about you?" He feared the pilot was no longer sane enough to even set the autopilot.
"I… we… I have trouble concentrating…" Neil said brokenly. "But I'll do what I can."
Ryan wished they could just set the autopilot, but the ship would be unable to dodge the attack all feared was coming, and Aki had once said that the ship was difficult to pull out of auto. He'd have to trust Neil.
"We'll leave as soon as I make my report to Councilwoman Hee," Ryan said, rising from his seat. "The sooner we're off, the better. They should be done fueling by the time I get back." Ryan paused as he met Major Elliot's face. "Major? I'm sorry – did you have any orders? I shouldn't have taken charge like that…"
"You did fine, sergeant," Elliot said, getting to his feet. "I trust your judgment more than my own." He shot an angry look to where Neil was still seated. "I'm going to check on our prisoner," he added before stalking off.
Aki had quietly slipped away, and Jane was moving towards Neil. "I'll help you however I can," she said, her hand on Neil's shoulder. Neil shot her a look that was purely Hein's, then stood unsteadily.
"I don't think there's help for me," he said flatly, pushing her hand away. He left without a backwards glance.
"Damn him," Ryan heard Jane whisper. Ryan wondered if he should comfort her, but she brushed past him and went down the corridor in the opposite direction of Neil. No, Ryan thought with a heavy heart, we aren't much of a team anymore, are we? He wondered if they ever would be again.
* * *
So that was the Black Boa. Corporal Meredith Jones studied the smooth lines of the famous ship, curious about the people within. Dr. Aki Ross was a hero; what had she done wrong? Could the newscasts blaming Dr. Ross for the return of the Phantoms be true?
Well, it wasn't for a lowly tech to question her CO's orders. They made no sense to Meredith, but she was sure the general had his reasons.
Meredith stepped over the massive tube connected to the fuel tank, waving at a couple of other techs doing a quick check on the hull. They barely glanced at her; her security clearance was clipped to her shirt. What was one more tech in a hangar?
Still, she was glad her goal was beneath the ship, under the cover of its landing gear. No one else was under the ship's belly, though the opened panels in the hull showed it wouldn't be long before someone else came, and she wanted to be done before then.
Deft fingers pried apart another, larger panel, exposing the wires within. She frowned as she examined them. The Black Boa was an experimental craft; the wiring was like nothing she'd ever seen. She couldn't afford to choose the wrong one.
There. She recognized one large wire with familiar plastic casing, and smiled in satisfaction. She pulled her laser cutter from her tool belt and, without touching any of the others, neatly cut the line.
But why? Meredith found herself wondering again. If they've done something wrong, why not just arrest them? She wrinkled her nose in puzzlement as she replaced the panel and walked out from under the ship. Well, General Ryder is the highest ranking officer in the USMF; who am I to question his orders? I'm sure he has his reasons.
* * *
"Are you up to this, Flyboy?"
No one had called him that in years, and its unexpected use startled Neil. It's a reminder, he realized. He's trying to tell me who I am.
"No," Neil responded to Ryan's question honestly. "But it's just a straight shot; I could do it in my sleep." He hoped. Hein's breakdown had shattered Neil's tenuous barriers, and foreign/familiar memories kept washing through his mind, merging with his own until he wasn't certain what was his and what was Hein's. Now he understood why Duos went mad. But at least Hein was neither talking to him or through him at the moment; he seemed to be lost in his anguish… His control seemed to have shattered, and that's why Neil was getting so many of Hein's memories mixed in with his own….
Just do this for them, Neil told himself, latching on to the memory of how to pilot a ship and clinging to it like a lifeline. No time to sort through all those other memories. Just do this…
Neil rubbed his temple with one hand, doing little to relieve the throbbing headache. Maybe if his mind stopped screaming over the murder of his wife – no, he didn't have a wife, she was Hein's, right? – he could focus better.
Maybe it would be better to have Aki attempt this, after all. Even if he did hate the woman… no, that wasn't him, was it? Either way, the woman knew how to fly the ship. But she wasn't in any condition to do so, they all said. It was all up to him and his unwilling copilot.
Terror seized Neil. Did he know how to pilot this? No, yes, no… He'd lost his grip on the knowledge… No, it was right there… Was it his or Hein's? It doesn't matter! Just do it!
"Are you all right?" Ryan's voice was concerned, and his eyes never left Neil's face. He's just waiting for me to crack! Should I charge admission for it? It bet it'll be a hell of a show.
Was that sarcasm his? Or Hein's? That's not important! Focus! Neil took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers around the control stick. In a quivering voice, he asked for permission to take off. Air control had him repeat the question before he received their permission and the, with a smoothness that surprised him – both of him – he took off from the hangar.
Neil wiped his brow with the back of one hand, which came away sticky with sweat. Ryan's hand was on his shoulder, and he gave the tech a comforting squeeze. He hadn't wanted to do this; he didn't trust his dual set of instincts which told him different things and was driving a wedge between him and the rest of the world.
The ship flew straight under his guidance, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Now, he just needed to take the ship higher, nearly out of the atmosphere, and begin the first engine burn which would send the ship shooting forward. For that brief moment when the Black Boa had reached its top speed, he had to be at his best. No pressure, no pressure…
"You can do it, Neil. And once we get to Chicago…" Ryan faltered. I'll be locked away, he finished silently. Both of me…"We'll be safe," Ryan concluded weakly.
"Right," Neil said, his voice twisted in pain. "Here goes," he murmured, as the ship reached the correct altitude, and he toggled in the command for the engines to power up for the first burn.
An alarm sounded, and Neil hastily cancelled the command as a warning flickered across a screen. Neil peered at it, struggling to make sense of it. Damn, he was a tech, wasn't he? He should be able to make sense of the warning!
"What is it?" Ryan demanded.
"A malfunction in the engines somewhere. I think." He studied the message, feeling a mixture of dismay and relief as the technical knowledge reasserted itself. "We can't bring the engines to full power."
"Why not? We did it before when we escaped into space," Ryan said. Neil thought it was a criticism until he added, "Has the ship taken any damage between our rescue at the base and now?"
A paranoid side Neil hadn't known he had suggested sabotage, and his knowledge as a tech pointed out a dozen different ways such an effect could be achieved.
"This isn't an accident, sarge; someone sabotaged our engines. One guess who ordered that."
"Shit," Ryan hissed.
"What do you want us to do? I can turn the ship around and go back to Philadelphia, where we can get this problem fixed – though that could take hours, since we don't know where the malfunction is – or we can continue at our present speed." Neil waited as Ryan considered the options.
"Is Ryder trying to slow us down, so we arrive in Chicago too late to do anything? Or is he planning an ambush?" Ryan said, his tone frustrated. "If we turn around, we could be stranded in Philadelphia while Ryder carries out whatever he's planning."
"Or we may be heading straight into a trap," Neil finished for him. "Either out here, or in the city. Maybe they couldn't arrest us in Philadelphia because Ryder didn't have a real excuse at the time. If we're stuck there, he could have the time to find one. But if we keep going, he may have troops waiting for us. And… Ash."
Ryan grimaced. "Damned if you do…" he muttered, but didn't complete it. "Does… Hein have any suggestions?'
Neil shrugged. "I don't know how much of my mind is mine, and how much is him any more. I wouldn't trust anything I can come up with." He kept his tone matter-of-fact, but he saw Ryan wince.
Ryan's jaw tightened. "We'll go on," he said at last. "Can you plot a course that Ryder may not predict?"
"That'll just make it longer before we arrive," Neil warned.
"I know, but I want us to get there. We're the only ones who have any idea of what's really going on, and it may be our word that finally sways the Council. And our powers that save it. Hopefully, we'll arrive in time to help."
"Better late than never, huh?" Neil smiled thinly. Without another word, he brought up a map of the region, and began to plot a course that would get them to Chicago eventually.
* * *
As the only person aboard the ship who could be near Aki without frightening her, Jane had agreed to help the scientist as she used their unexpected delay for her studies. Jane's mind lay elsewhere, however, as she absently activated the controls to scan Aki's spirit.
Neil… The tech's brusque treatment of her had hurt, and she wondered if she could blame it entirely on Hein. And the expressions on his face… She'd seen those looks before, in New York when they'd discovered the first Duos. How long, she wondered, before he took that final plunge towards insanity? How long before he'd begin to claw at his own body, tearing his flesh, all the while screaming incoherently as two trapped souls battled for supremacy? Jane shuddered. She didn't want to see Neil that way.
She'd been trying so hard to hate him. If she didn't care for him, his madness wouldn't hurt her, right? She'd thought it would be easy, with General Hein inside of him, but… she couldn't do it! Twice, she'd woken in his arms after she'd thought herself lost. Twice, she'd experienced joy, kept carefully hidden deep within, that he was the one there when she'd woken. Her knight in shining armor, the one she'd vowed to herself she'd never need. He was doing it again; making her feel like a weak, helpless, needy damsel in distress.
Yet, she couldn't hate him for it.
The scanner bleeped as it completed its job, and Jane dismissed her thoughts and focused her attention on the matter at hand. She quickly displayed the results as Aki stepped out, regarding them silently.
"Green," Jane said, taking in the ghostly human form that was a luminous green, without even a fleck of blue. "I don't understand."
Aki's shadowed face solemnly took in the results. "Neither do I. Entirely green, like Ash's." Her voice was a whimper when she said her torturer's name. "It must be from our time in the crater together," she whispered to herself, and Jane had to strain to hear. A tear glistened on Aki's cheek before being absorbed by the bandages.
"We have to stop him," Aki said, after getting control of herself. "I may have an idea how."
Jane's head jerked up. Why hadn't Aki mentioned this before? "How?" Jane asked.
"Don't know if it will work… Damn, I wish Sid were here to tell me…" Aki's voice was choked, but again, she seemed to collect herself, and Jane had to admire her determination not to fall apart when they needed her so badly. "Bullets don't stop him; magic won't, unless it catches him by surprise… We need something that will strike at his spirit, like with the Phantoms. A modified Nocturne."
"How long would it take to develop something like that?" Jane wondered. It had always seemed to take the scientists forever to design new weaponry during the Phantom war, and Jane doubted they could come up with something fast enough.
"I think I'd only need to alter the ovo-pack," Aki said after a moment. There was a peculiar look on her face that was strangely reminiscent of Neil's when he was "speaking" to Hein; as if all her attention were focused on something within. "In fact…" Aki said after a moment, "I could use that one we found at the base." She walked over to the cabinet where she'd stored the green ovo-pack, then scowled as her wrapped hands couldn't handle the knob. Jane moved forward to open it for her, but stopped as Aki put one bandaged hand to her teeth and tore the bindings away. Jane winced as she saw flesh pull away as well, but Aki didn't seem to notice. She repeated the process with her other hand, then flexed her mangled fingers. Weren't a few of her fingers broken? It looked as if they'd healed since Jane had last checked… It seemed Aki's powers were doing her some good, after all.
She watched Aki extract the ovo-pack and, holding it in her hands, cracked the casing along the seal, freeing the nutrients and the tissue within that generated the power. With shaking hands, she pulled a vial of liquid from another cabinet and set it beside the ovo's casing, then drew a scalpel from a drawer. When she saw what Aki intended to do with it, Jane moved forward, grabbing Aki around the wrist. "Dr. Ross, don't!" she said. "You're hurt enough already!"
Aki jerked her arm free, as though frightened, and Jane cursed her own stupidity for grabbing the frightened woman. "It has to be me," Aki said. "It has to be my spirit." Before Jane could react again, Aki ran the scalpel along the flesh of her palm, cutting a small sliver of skin, which she dropped into the ovo-pack. Then, she opened the vial, which Jane recognized as fresh nutrients, and poured it into the pack. Her hands trembling, she closed the pack and resealed it.
"This," Aki said softly. "This will hurt Ash."
"In time, maybe," Jane said. "But the tissue sample wasn't properly prepared; it can't – " Jane halted as Aki cupped her hands around the ovo-pack, and a faint green glow encompassed her hands and the pack. After a moment, the glow of Aki's hands faded, but the pack itself shone brightly.
"Impossible," Jane breathed. "You shouldn't have been able to prime the pack like that! How did you… How could you know to do that?" Jane demanded.
"A little voice inside my head told me I could do it," Aki said, and Jane marveled that the woman could show humor at a time like this. But then she saw the look on Aki's face, and realized the woman wasn't joking at all.
* * *
Neil was slumped in his seat in the galley, fast asleep. Ryan had sent him away, saying he'd keep watch as the ship flew on autopilot. He doesn't even trust his own tech anymore…
Neil had staggered into the galley with the intent to get something to eat and drink, but had collapsed the moment he'd taken a seat. His drink and sandwich were untouched; the effort of keeping his mind on the job had just been too much.
But part of Neil wasn't asleep. Part of him stirred, struggling to break completely free.
Hein couldn't take it anymore. He was trapped in a realm of nothingness, deprived of all senses except in flashes when his host let them slip through the barriers he'd constructed. Thoughts invaded Hein's own, thoughts that were as alien to him as his were to Corporal Fleming.
And it was getting worse; the revelation of what really had happened to his family had made him lose complete control of himself, and he knew Fleming was suffering as a result. It was frightening to be exposed to so much, to have access to another's innermost thoughts and subconscious – or to have his own thoughts just as open to another person. Admittedly, Fleming had done an admirable job of clamping down on the unwelcome invasion, but it left Hein completely alone and helpless when he did.
He didn't like being helpless.
But there was a way to ease his frustration, if he only dared take it. If he could escape the mesh of Corporal Fleming's thoughts, to take the body as his own, however briefly, and be free…Then confinement would be bearable. He'd almost done it before; had come very close to it, in fact, when he'd been able to speak through Fleming at the meeting. Could he take complete control?
And, if he did, would he be able to relinquish control back to the body's proper owner? Giving up life to return to this prison would be impossible!
Yet the other alternative was to go mad, as the other Duos had done, as Corporal Fleming was. And madness was not an option he was ready to face.
So now, with his host asleep, he made a tentative attempt to connect with Fleming's body, to take hold in a way that wouldn't jar the corporal from his slumber. His last efforts had been too hasty, too aggressive. It was no wonder the other had fought him.
As the first sensations came to him, he had to struggle to hold himself back. To actually feel again was a headier drug than any he'd ever encountered, and he had to fight to keep himself from rushing. But his patience was worth it; he was rewarded with complete control over the sleeping tech's body.
Hein wriggled the fingers for the joy of it, then pushed the body into a catlike stretch as he got the feel for it. The body felt strange, like an ill-fitting garment, but it was better than nothing. It felt so good! How could he go back to nothingness after this?
But that would mean trapping his host in the same prison he'd come to loathe. Once, he wouldn't have cared. He was the superior officer, the one who was important. Now, though… It's my fault Corporal Fleming is this way… My fault New York is a city of tortured souls… My fault Captain Edwards is a monster and Dr. Sid is dead… Once, he would have been able to lay the blame on General Ryder and Major Boyer. But they'd merely taken advantage of the opportunity he had given them. All my fault! His borrowed fingers clenched, the nails biting into the palm and drawing blood.
A soft sound behind him startled him, and he tensed as light footsteps padded into the room. Dr. Ross, seemingly unaware of his presence, moved through the shadows towards the galley's refrigerator. He took in the pained way she moved, and flinched. Also my fault…If only he'd let the woman go through with her plan to save the earth…
Aki finally caught sight of him, and gave a frightened gasp. "Oh," she said faintly. "I didn't know anyone was in here!" Her eyes were wide and fearful; she'd been able to sit in on the meeting with Jane at her side, but now she was completely alone in a room with a man… It was a reaction Hein recognized all too well.
She looked ready to scurry out, and Hein almost let her. She didn't need to know who he was, after all, and she didn't need any more stress. But his conscience nagged at him to say something to her. "Dr. Ross…" he began uncertainly, his voice lowering to a tone approaching his own, "I'm… I'm sorry," he said finally, aware of just how inadequate it sounded. As if those two little words could take it all back! "This is my fault… All my fault."
Aki stood frozen, her face puzzled. "What do you mean, Neil?" she asked.
"I'm not Neil," he said softly. "And you know exactly what I mean." Damn, why was this so hard?
He could see Aki's fingers tighten around the thermos she held. "General Hein," she hissed, anger flaring in her eyes. Good; he hated seeing that scared look, hated seeing her withdrawn from the world around her. She need to yell at someone, to vent her hatred, get it out of her system so she could think clearly when the time came. Aki's hands were shaking as she took a step closer, hate overcoming her fear. "What are you doing… Where's Neil?"
"Asleep," Hein said calmly. "It seems I can take over this body when he's exhausted."
"No…" Aki said. "No… I can't face you right now… It is your fault… If you hadn't killed all those people, Gray would never have… The people of New York would be safe…" She couldn't speak coherently; her voice was shaking with rage. "You! You killed him! Gray…" She suddenly lunged forward, her hand lashing out and striking him on the cheek. His head snapped back, and blood trickled down his lip from where he'd bitten it. He was rather stunned the pain hadn't awoken Fleming. "The Deep Eyes… All those innocent people in New York… Dr. Sid… They all died because of you! I should kill you!"
She slapped him again, and Hein didn't flinch away from the blow. Corporal Fleming was going to be furious when he awoke, but Hein didn't care. The general was getting what he deserved, and he didn't want to hide behind Fleming.
Aki drew back her hand as if to hit him again, but stopped herself. "No… I can't do this. I won't hurt Neil." She collapsed into the chair furthest from him and began to weep.
She was feeling secure enough to let herself go in his presence… Good, then this had helped her. He remembered similarly baiting Rhiannan so many years ago, back when they'd been dating while he was attending the Houston Military Academy… and he'd received the message that, on a visit home, she'd been attacked and raped. Despite knowing that he loved her and would never have hurt her, she'd been frightened of even being near him. He'd thought he'd have to break it off with her because he'd been unable to get through to her – until one day, he'd said the wrong thing, and she'd taken out all her rage on him. He'd still had the scars from it, before his body had… died. But after releasing all her bottled up feelings, she'd felt better, and they'd been able to work it out. And, while Aki would need much more than a screaming session to make her feel better, it at least put her on the road to recovery.
Hein, on the other hand… He didn't think there was anything that would help him. He'd brought this upon himself and everyone else. His thoughtlessness had killed so many… He'd never really given it any thought; after losing his family, he'd always considered the deaths he'd caused as the means to an end. And he still hadn't learned his lesson… He was still manipulating, still hurting people to get his way, like Corporal Fleming, who'd never asked for any of this.
He watched Aki weep, and ached at the realization that there was nothing he could say or do to help her, or anyone else. When had he forgotten he'd joined the USMF to help people? By God, he deserved the nothingness Fleming had tried to confine him to! Hein buried his face in his unfamiliar hands, feeling the strange shape of his features beneath his fingers. He didn't weep – he'd run out of tears years ago – but the misery was overwhelming.
In his mind, he gave the presence that was Corporal Fleming a gentle nudge. (Wake up,) he told the other, feeling it start at his intrusion. As the corporal became aware of what was going on, Hein felt a frantic push at his thoughts. He looked up at Aki and whispered, "I know you don't believe it, but I truly am sorry for everything I've ever done to you. I won't interfere anymore. Ever."
He slipped back into the dark abyss from which he'd come, determined to hide himself deep within Fleming's subconscious. With any luck, he could hibernate there and never have to make his presence known again.
* * *
Neil woke with a jolt, his startled face turning to meet Aki's. "Doctor? What… what just happened?"
Aki's tear-streaked face turned toward him, and Neil wondered what had brought her here, with him, in such a state. "Neil?" she gasped out, and he nodded. That was when he realized just how accurate her question was. He was Neil Fleming, not an amalgamation of two very different men.
"He's gone!" Neil said with shock. "Hein isn't in my head any more!"
Aki blinked at him through her tears. "But he was just there. He took over your body. He… apologized to me." she said uncertainly. "And he said he wouldn't interfere, ever."
Neil stared. What if that was Hein's whole purpose for being in my body… to atone for his sins? But, if that's true, what about the other Duos? "That's-" Neil began.
The Black Boa suddenly shuddered, and the loudspeaker came to life. "Neil! If you're listening, I need you in the cockpit right away!"
Neil jumped to his feet and, after casting a last worried look in Aki's direction, sprinted towards the cockpit. "What is it?" he asked, a little breathlessly, as he came within earshot of Ryan.
"We're under attack," Ryan said grimly. "The scanners didn't pick anything up; whatever hit us is something they're not programmed for."
Neil slid into the vacated pilot's seat and began to shut down the autopilot. "What hit us? Which direction did it come from?" he demanded.
"I don't know-" Ryan began, then fell silent. Neil jerked his head up as he regained manual control of the ship, and his eyes widened at the sight visible through the window.
A ball of flame hovered in the air a hundred feet ahead of them, and as they watched, a smaller missile of fire detached itself and came straight towards them. Neil yanked the Black Boa into a roll, but he wasn't in time, and the flame's impact rocked the ship. Alarms blared as the damage report flashed across one screen. Whatever Ash had hit them with, it had been far more powerful than a simple ball of flame.
Neil barely had time to assess the damage and how it would cripple the ship before Ash fired off another blast – and the Black Boa refused to respond to his commands.
To Be Continued…