Chapter 9: Déjà vu
Sosuke strode over and looked at the captive captain. He removed her hat and there was a loud gasp from Kaname as the woman's hair fell down. Long silvery hair fell around her shoulders and she looked up at Sosuke with blue-gray eyes and a soft face. A spitting image of Teletha Testarossa. She looked at Sosuke with a steely look in her eyes.
"Get the fuck out of my life, Sergeant." She said in a perfect imitation of Tessa's voice, then broke out into musical laughter. Sosuke released the woman, his heart pounding in his ears. Tessa rushed into the room, Kalinan and company trailing behind. She paused, hair loose around her shoulders, and the color draining out of her face. She stepped up to the other captain and reached out a hand. The captain did the same and their fingers touched. They both turned to Sosuke.
And Sosuke turned pale, too. They were identical. Both captains, both beautiful, both exactly the same down to each freckle, and curve of the nose. The enemy captain stepped forward.
"There is one way you can tell us apart, Sergeant." She moved closer, fumbling at her collar. She ripped it down, exposing a slender neck and collarbone. There was one small scar on her left clavicle, star shaped, and almost impossible to see.
Kaname stepped up to Sosuke and murmured, softly, in his ear, "Sagara. What should we do?"
Sosuke turned to look at Kaname and for a moment his attention diverted away from the enemy crew. In that moment, the captain and a high ranking officer grabbed Kaname and Tessa before any of the Mithril crew could do anything. Sosuke reached forward to grab them back, but it was too late. Ranks of officers closed in and protected the four until no one could see where they had gone. Until the four reappeared, several minutes later, Sosuke was confused. The officer held the other three by gunpoint. The three girls were in identical white dresses, halter tops covering their necks but exposing their backs. The thin dresses fell short of their knees and their hair had been taken down and quickly combed.
"Which one Sergeant? Which one should I release first? Which one is your dear captain?" The officer cackled. Sosuke took a step back. Which should he choose? He couldn't tell who was the real Tessa.
Kurtz and Melissa stood watching as the action ensued. No one could see them so they slipped out, meandering around the sub. They collected all the weapons they could find and made their way to the lab on board. The computers had been hacked, as suspected, and most of the information removed, changed, or totally deleted. Melissa sat down quickly, typing as fast as she could, her fingers flying while Kurtz checked several other rooms for information.
Sosuke heard a voice in his ear. Kaname still had her codec! She murmured "Feet, ocean, and injuries." Sosuke looked at her, obviously puzzled until it hit him. The real Tessa would be wet from the ocean, have dirty feet because of a lack of shoes, and have a bruise on her face from where he supposed she had been hit. Sosuke looked closer. The girl on the left was slightly thinner and the tips of her hair were darker. That must be the real Tessa.
Sosuke, proud he had found her, did not think and said out loud, "The girl on the left." Then, he shut his mouth, horrified. He hadn't thought about who was supposed to go first, he thought about which one was Tessa! The officer released the girl and she stumbled forward. When she reached him, she fell into his arms, shaking from fright. Sosuke leaned down and brushed away a strand of her hair.
"Captain.." The girl looked up and quickly stood up, pressing her lips to his. Sosuke stood, frozen with shock. This was different from when he kissed Kaname. The heat rushed through him quicker, probably induced by the surprise. When they pulled apart, she smiled.
"You chose me...and you chose," She paused, then smirked, "wrong." Sosuke pushed her away, fingers brushing his lips. He had kissed this, this, horrible person. He glanced back up at Tessa and Kaname. The officer took a step forward.
"Sergeant, you are now faced with a choice. You can release only one of the other girls. The other one stays with us and dies. It is up to you. Your captain? Your...lover?"
"She is not my lover." Sosuke said, a steely tone underlying her voice. "She is my charge." Kaname sat down, crying uncontrollably. Tessa looked at Sosuke, a thousand questions in her eyes. Tears to came to her eyes and she kneeled to comfort Kaname. Sosuke thought hard on his decision and scrutinized each girl with focus.
There was Kaname. She was feisty, sporty, and brave. She would never give up and she loved him. He thought about all the good times together. He looked at her long blue hair framing her face and her amethyst eyes regarding him with fear. She also was uncontrollable, hyper, not exactly the smartest girl, and violent. But she was Kaname.
Then, there was Tessa. A genius, a child prodigy who had solved Einstein's Field Equations at the age of 6. She was shorter, more petite than Kaname and quieter. She was more graceful, more elegant, and certainly more mature in military situations. She had knowledge of the field and was accustomed to militaristic responsibilities. She wouldn't complain if they were separated. But she was also whiney and a bit childish. She was ignorant in the ways of the world and she was his captain. But she was also a friend. Sosuke blinked. Was there a way to save them both? The odds were pretty small.
"The one that you don't choose, we will shoot right here, and make you watch." The officer cackled, putting more pressure on Sosuke.
"Sosuke..." Kaname burst out despite a black handed slap across the face from the officer, "I love you, I will always love you despite 'slap' who you choose." Her lip was bleeding, split open by the slaps. Kaname looked at Sosuke hard, trying to tell him that the woman he had with him, was indeed Tessa but she had a bomb attached to her wrist, and if she didn't obey and pretend to be the other one, she would be killed. But she couldn't. Now was her chance to truly see who he cared for more.
Sosuke walked closer.
"Not one more move, you." The officer smiled, smirking at the despondent Sergeant.
"Release the Caucasian girl." Sosuke didn't know why he chose Tessa. Something just compelled him to.
The officer smiled and put a gun to Kaname's head.
BANG
Hahaha. Talk about a cliffhanger, no? Well guess what, readers? I have the next chapter already typed up. All I need is some more reviews (ones from DI don't count!!) and I will update.
Hehehehheheheheheheh. PS: The next one will be the last chapter.
I decided to make this into a trilogy
Yatori: Sosuke's Crush?
Rescue: Save Tessa?
&
Sosuke's Choice
Hee...read on my friends, read on.
