Disclaimer : I don't own anything except for the original characters and blah blah blah
A/N: Yes, the great Cristalina is back, bow low before your goddess (the author gets shot by a reader)
Chapter 15: Sadness
Joanna was completely caught off guard by this attack. The punch was so powerful that she fell on the floor. Jonathan violently kicked her in the stomach. Joanna simply tried to protect herself against him. She didn't even tried to fight back…she didn't wanted to. A few seconds later, the pain suddenly disappeared and the wounded woman saw her attacker fall on the floor, unconscious. Behind the now unconscious form of Jonathan was Matt, holding a tranquilizer.
"You're quite stubborn aren't you" commented Matt.
"I…he…I was s-sure he was"
"It's alright, I think you've been punished enough after all" said Matt as he noticed in which state Joanna currently was.
"He…he made me believe he was…back…" replied Joanna with a pained tone.
"I guess we should all stopto listento what he's saying…he's not in his normal state after all" concluded Matt.
"Yes…I suppose so…"
"Are you going to be alright?" asked Matt as he helped her to stand up.
"Y-yeah…I…think so" responded Joanna.
"Why haven't you tried to fight back?"
"I…didn't wanted to hurt him"
"Well…it's true that he doesn't have a single scratch…but I cannot say the same for you…"
Joanna slowly sat on the bed and looked at Jonathan with a saddened look. Matthew noticed her eyes were shiny…too shiny. A few crystalline tears fell down her eyes just before she buried her face in her hands and sobbed silently.
"Why…why are those things keep happening…" whispered Joanna between two sobs.
"Come on…don't cry like that…he's gonna be fine for sure when we'll be back to the CI" replied quietly Matt.
"Who cares?! Some other shitty things will happen after! I wonder what it'll be…Jonathan getting killed by Jeffrey or Carrington getting kidnapped or me getting raped another time" retorted Joanna.
"Getting raped another time?!"
"YES! THE ONLY THING WHO DIDN'T HAPPENED TO ME AND JONATHAN YET IS TO HAVE PEACE!" shouted Joanna.
"I…I'm sorry…I knew you have..err…dangerous lives…but I didn't knew you faced horror like that" responded Matt as he sat next to her.
"Yes…I…I don't think anything worse could happen to us….all the worst things already happened at least twice" replied Joanna as she brushed away her tears.
"No…not the worst…you or him could get killed"
"Well…I thought for a while that Jonathan was dead when he was stuck on the Skedar planet" retorted Joanna.
"Stuck on the Skedar planet? Man, there are things I don't know about you and him" murmured Matt to himself.
"Yes…it was one of the worst moment in my entire life" commented Joanna.
"…"
"Since I came back from the Skedar planet…it's like we are doomed…like an evil force of some kind will never stop harming us…"
"I think that…it's useless to look back at the bad things who happened…you should focus on the present and the future"
"Yes…you're right…"
"So now for the present…you need to recover from Jon's attack and after we'll find a way to get outta here without anyone noticing us"
"Come on, I'm not that injured by a few punches and kicks. I've already lived a lot worse" commented Joanna.
"Yes but you still look a bit stunned" retorted Matt
"Well…not anymore…" replied Joanna as she stood up.
"You're sure of that"
"Yes…I think that I just need to take a walk"
"No way! Don't you think you suffered enough! We don't know who will be waiting for you outside. An employee from O'Donnell or a Skedar could be waiting for you out there"
"O'Donnell has nothing to do with me…and I don't think that the Skedars will be stupid enough to send an assassin to kill me during the day so everyone can see how nice they are…let's not forget they're supposed to be some cute and inoffensive creature after all to O'Donnell's point of view" retorted Joanna.
"Okay then…I'll stay here with Jonathan…but don't tell me I haven't warned you if you get abducted"
…………………………………………………………
Joanna was walking at the exact same place where Jonathan stood up a few hours ago. She stared at the eternal waves as the cold breeze blew in her hair. She slowly approached the waves and walked along Bondi beach. The night had fallen since a while now. She looked at the moon for a few seconds and what she would call a crazy thought crossed her mind. She wanted to pray…pray for their safety…for everyone from her family and the CI to be alright. Suddenly, she noticed something that was shiny a bit further on the beach. She quickly approached the shiny object and noticed it was…a ring…an engagement ring to be more accurate. Joanna stared at it with amazement…the diamonds shone wonderfully under the moonlight. Was it supposed to be a sign of some kind? Or was there a woman somewhere in the city who was sad to have lost her ring?
"Should I keep it? Or should I give it to someone who's working on the beach?" asked Joanna to herself.
Joanna suddenly shivered and realized that it was now probably very late. She concluded that she was going to take a decision tomorrow as she put the ring on her pocket and went back to the hotel.
…………………………………………………………..
"Was it really necessary to give ourselves all this trouble? I mean…why couldn't we just leave in Sydney"
"The instructions I received were clear, the security in Sydney is now too high. It would be impossible for us to leave incognito like we did before" replied Matt.
"And we truly need to make ALL the way up to a deserted place ONLY to be sure no one will see some people disappear for an unknown reason"
"Yes…Elvis' ship can be in invisible mode but we can still hear the noise it produces and people will see us go in…to Carrington's point of view, it's too risky"
"Yeah, I knew that"
"Anyway we should stop for a sec…Jonathan will probably wake up very soon…we need to inject him more sedative before this happens…or you might receive another punch and look like a racoon hehe" replied Matt with a smirk.
"Very funny Mr Stupid" retorted Joanna with an annoyed as she looked her nasty black eye disdainfully.
After injecting Jonathan more sedative, they continued their long road for a few more hours. Nothing was said for a while…Matt seemed to understand that Joanna wasn't in a mood to be picked up. He'll be forced to execute his plan B. Pick up Velvet would probably be a lot easier.
"There we are" Matt said as he stopped the car.
"It's…here?" asked Joanna.
"Yes…it seems that it's the nearest place who is deserted enough to be able to leave without any trouble.
"I still think that it was useless to make all the way up there only to be sure to not be seen" commented Joanna.
"I wasn't the one who took this decision…If you wanna blubber…blubber to Carrington okay?"
"I'm not blubbering at all" retorted Joanna with an irritated tone.
"You know you're a pain since Jon punched you?" replied Matt
"And do you know you're a pain since the first time I saw you?" snapped Joanna back.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that…at first you were almost fully seduced by my handsomeness" responded Matt with a proud tone.
"Oh…shut it would you"
"Oh…I think I know what's wrong" said Matt with a grin.
"…"
"You're not in a bad mood because of Jon…you're in a bad mood because you're PMS!!"
This comment was only responded by a snap behind the head.
"You guys will never learn…" whispered Joanna with a sign.
"Learn what?"
"Ah never mind…I'm gonna make a contact with Elvis" answered Joanna as she got out of the car and called Elvis with her CI communicator.
…………………………………………………
An hour later
"It's not nice to abandon your vehicle like that. You're literally polluting your planet" commented Elvis
"Yeah…sorry but it's not like we had the choice" retorted Matt.
"So Elvis, do you know what is Carrington's plan" asked Joanna.
"I'm not sure…he talked about infiltrating Datadyne for the 10th time and how dangerous it could be to infiltrate this place again…"
"Of course it is! Every employee in there saw me heaps of times…and their helipad is now probably under high security…it would be suicidal to…"
"In fact…I think he's planning to ask someone else than you Joanna…he talked about sending Velvet and a new recruit"
"Oh really? What is his or her name?" asked Joanna.
" I think it was…something like…Mattttioooo…I don't remember clearly…"
"Ah…he meant we wanted to send ME with Velvet…yahoo" commented Matt with a mischievous smile.
"And Carrington is trusting that fool?" asked Joanna with a sceptic tone.
"Well…I don't truly trust him either…don't you think he looks like he's in rut?" asked Elvis.
"WWWHAAAAAAAAT???????"
"Yes, he truly does!" replied Joanna while laughing.
"Oh and by the way…the CI came back in America"
"Why?"
"Carrington said that like that it would be easier for his…plan…and that anyway the CI is going to be proved innocent very soon with what he planned"
"And…we're like…going to return there…even if O'Donnell would give MILLIONS to get us?!"
"The US won't know itself you're there…he said we are going to hide for a while…he said he found the perfect spot…but "for our security", he refused to reveal which state we're going to be in"
"And if you don't know the state…how are we going to land at the right place?" asked Joanna while raising an eyebrow.
"I have a radar that is guiding me on the ship…it's really simple…I must reach the little shiny point on the map and…"
"Yeah yeah…we know how it works" interrupted Matt with an unhappy tone, probably upset about the "in rut thing"
Joanna shot a glance at the unconscious form of Jonathan at a corner of the ship…while unconscious like that…he just look like the same old Jonathan he usually is. Joanna hoped silently that everything was going to be fine…for a change…
………………………………………………
"Good to see you again Joanna, Elvis…and Matthew" greeted Carrington.
"Hi Mr Carrington…so…what's you plan?" asked Joanna as Matt and Elvis were trying desperately to bring Jonathan to the place that was supposed to be their new infirmary.
"Well…finally getting the antidote was easier than I thought" commented Carrington.
"Really?"
"Yes…a…person…brought it to us…because she wishes for us to forgive what she has done to Jonathan…"
"No…this can't be…" Joanna whispered
A door was opened and Jessica, the woman who threw Jonathan in jail, slowly entered to room.
"YOU! What do you want you bitch?!" asked furiously Joanna.
"I know…you have a lot reasons to hate me but I brought what you needed at the moment so you shouldn't make this kind of face" replied Jessica.
"Why are you doing this? And how did you knew we needed this antidote?" asked Joanna.
"Jeffrey told me what he had done to Jonathan with a proud tone. He's…not the same he was before…At first I wanted to help him, believing the old Jeffrey would suddenly come back but…it never happened. There is no point to help him…I knew what he was doing was completely wrong…I tried to make him understand how wrong his behaviour was…but he won't listen to me anymore. I've given up…and I thought you would be happy to not have to infiltrate Datadyne again" explained Jessica.
"So…since the beginning you're against what this freak is doing and only NOW you decide to help us?!"
"Yes…I'm sorry…I know how those things were…but I was afraid to disobey him. He was getting violent very often and…well, I'm bored to be with someone who only see me as a slave"
"So now you hope we're going to forgive you"
"Well…I had a doubt this antidote wouldn't be enough. But Carrington suggested me something and I'm willing to help"
"Yes yes, she'll be very useful to us…to help me to make my plan against O'Donnell even more deadly…but for now curing Jonathan is my first objective" commented Carrington.
"Yes, you're right Daniel" replied Joanna.
…………………………………………………………
"So Sarah, how much time will it takes?" asked Joanna.
"Mmmm…Around a few hours I would say. Don't worry Joanna, he will be fine" answered Sarah with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you Sarah. I guess I'm better to go to the firing range than to wait here and worry for nothing" commented Joanna.
A few hours later
"Man…Jo. Your score isn't even worth bronze…What's wrong? Ah…got it…the punch you received was so powerful that you can see as well as before huh?" said Foster with a grin.
"…This is not funny at all, Foster" retorted Joanna with a cold tone
"Is it really silly Johnny who made you that? Man…I didn't knew he was able to punch like that"
"Shut up Foster! Don't you see that you make Joanna feel upset?!" retorted Velvet who entered the firing range.
"Hey, it was only a joke! Don't be upset about this Joanna!"
"Anyway…Jo, Jon is waking up. You can go see him if you feel like it" said Velvet.
"Okay…I shall go see him then" commented Joanna as she left the firing range. Velvet followed her.
"Velvet?"
"Yes"
"Do you think I should put some make up on my black eye? I mean, he probably won't be happy to see that after all"
"…I'm not sure about this Jo. Anyway Sarah told me that he's supposed to clearly remember everything that happened. And soon or later, he'll surely discover it"
"So…when he'll ask me if he is the responsible of this, I'll have to answer yes? Don't you think the memory of him punching me will distress him enough?"
"Come on…anyway it wasn't his fault. Hiding the truth won't solve anything" replied Velvet.
"I know Jon. He'll feel guilty even if it's not his fault. He'll say something like "Why did I wanted to go on vacation in such a state? Why haven't I bought you a present before?" or some things like that…"
"Don't worry Joanna. After all you'll be there to tell him he's stupid to have such a point of view" responded Velvet with a smile.
"Well…if you say so…" said Joanna with a sigh.
………………………………………………………
Joanna entered Jonathan's room. She did her best to smile to him but it was useless. His reply was only a weak smile and after he looked away. Joanna cursed to herself. She rarely saw him so sad.
"Hi Jon…so…how are you feeling" asked Joanna hesitantly.
"How could I be feeling good" questioned Jonathan while looking at the floor.
"Jon, please…it's not your fault. You don't have to feel like that"
"I…I'm sorry Joanna that you only received a black eye for your birthday" said Jonathan with an even more saddened tone.
"Don't worry for such silly things. The only thing that's important for me right now is to know that you're alright" answered Joanna.
"Jo…I know I couldn't control anything but…how could I not feel guilty. I still remember them…the frightened face they had…the shout of the little girl when I killed her mother…her shout growing even louder when I killed her brother…the tears she cried when I shot at her and that she didn't died instantly. Joanna …in the 5 people I killed…there was a mother with her two children…I killed them! I killed children Joanna! I KILLED THEM!" exclaimed Jonathan as he buried his face in his hands.
"Oh god Jon…" whispered Joanna as she embraced him.
"This fucking Jeffrey…I saved his life and in exchange he made me become a killer…" murmured Jonathan as he put his arms around Joanna.
It took Joanna around 10 seconds to realize that Jonathan was crying in her arms. It was the first time ever that he cried in front of her.
"Don't worry Jon…Jeffrey…is gonna die" whispered Joanna with a deadly tone.
End of chapter 15
A/N: Sorry for the huge delay. If you're following chemistyphysicsenriched math class, you probably understand me. Well, what to say? I'm an angst freak :P Anyway, thanks to everybody who reviewed, I think I at least told you 50 times if not 100 times how much you're important to me :) Next chapter will be a HUGE flashback explaining some details that were a bit…blurred. It "shouldn't" take as much time as it took me for the next update.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!