Chapter 47
The next few weeks everyone tried to go back to a sense of normal. It took longer for Saya's body to adjust to the medicine and it continued to make her drowsy. The rest of the team were on constant missions trying to help as much as possible after the drones were deployed, and many agents were captured. Sophia alternated missions with Team Dark and the Freedom Fighters to keep herself busy. She had just returned from a mission with Team Dark as she heads towards Elias' office and enters seeing Saya asleep at a side desk while Elias was working,
"How'd it go?" Elias asked,
"Rouge managed to put the bug TK created into Robotnik's system to help fry the drones hopefully for good." She explained,
"Excellent, that will really help us." He said as she looks over at Saya,
"How long has she been asleep?" Sophia asked,
"A little over an hour, I thought Dr. Starline halved the dosage." He said
"Would it be alright if I take her out for a run? I think it might help." She asked,
"As long as you're with her that's fine. But don't be too long, your next briefing is this evening." Elias said as Sophia walks up next to the table hesitant to wake her. She nudged the table as Saya lightly lifts her head confused,
"Did I fall asleep again?" She asked,
"You did," Sophia chuckles,
"Oh hi! How was the mission?" Saya tiredly smiles rubbing her eyes.
"Everything went well, you wanna go outside?" She asked holding out her hand as Saya takes it. She had slowly gotten comfortable holding hands with Sophia again, but she would still flinch if approached too quickly. They walk towards the stairs to go outside as Sophia notices Saya still looking a little dazed, "How are you doing?"
"Just sleepy…" She said as they head up the stairs, "Doc halved this medicine yet somehow I still feel tired." She yawns as they get to the surface.
"Well why don't we burn some of the medicine out of you?" She said as Saya looks at her confused,
"Uh… what?" Saya raises an eyebrow,
"How about a race?" She suggested as Saya's eyes light up brighter than Sophia's seen in a while.
"Can we?" She asked as Sophia can't help but smile at her childish excitement,
"That is if you think you can keep up, you being so tired." Sophia teased,
"Tired or not I can still run circles around you." She said with a grin as they both transform,
"Is that so? Prove it, coast and back." Shadow said as Sonic nods,
"Ready when you are." Sonic said as they begin to run, anyone nearby only seeing a black and Blue blur side by side as they raced at full speed.
Meanwhile, TK was hard at work trying to get the exceedingly small and damaged sample of the drug that Sophia was previously dosed with. she finally managed to get a breakdown of the ingredients and goes to Elias immediately with the results practically bursting into his office.
"I know I have an open-door policy but that's a bit excessive." Elias said surprised by her outburst.
"I'm sorry, but I thought you'd want to see this." She said handing him the results as he begins to read it, "It's similar to the one we found in the bunker, but the percentages of the ingredients are different."
"All this tells me is that Robotnik is creating a drug that can take any of you down in a matter of seconds." Elias said,
"But it's the same drug, that means that Eggman must have Dr. Q." TK said sounding hopeful,
"And all that means is that we're back at square one. If Robotnik really did have Helen still alive we would have found her by now. One of our internal operatives would have seen her." Elias said,
"There's one thing I know about Eggman, he always has hidden bases out of sight of everyone. Don't lose faith just yet." TK tried to reassure him, "That's not all, look at the Dark Arms DNA in the readings. It's slightly different than in the first sample."
"Do you think more than Abyss escaped from the ship?" He asked,
"Let's hope not. We don't need Sophia going on a rampage." TK said shaking her head, "But I think you're right about this drug being made specifically to take us down, with how Sophia and Saya reacted after being influenced by this if it's altered any further it might be able to take down Sophia or Knuckles in a matter of seconds."
"I don't like that…" He said looking concerned,
"I have an idea; I may be able to create a drug similar to an adrenalin shot that could counteract it." TK explained,
"What will you need?" Elias asked,
"If we can, I need more of Eggman's drug. And I'll need Sonic's help. When she was injected she jumped back pretty quickly. Her speed and metabolism might be the key to preventing this drug from taking us down," She said,
"I'll have her meet up with you in your workshop once she and Shadow get back from their run." He said, "Get what you need and meet us for the briefing afterwards."
"Will do, thanks Elias," She said leaving,
Shadow and Sonic just turned back around after reaching the shoreline, Sonic was a little bit ahead of Shadow as they continue through a forest. In the corner of Sonic's eye she notices an Egg Transport guarded by Swatbots, "Wanna go mess with Egghead?" Sonic said pointing it out to Shadow,
"Not sure that's a good idea." Shadow said looking at her worried,
"Let me just smash a few of the bots and we'll continue running." She begged as Shadow rolls her eyes,
"Fine, but then we keep moving!" She demanded as Sonic quickly turns around before Shadow finished talking as she destroys all the Swatbots in a matter of seconds. The Transport stops moving after the last one is destroyed as Sonic stops and looks around wondering why the transport stopped. "I thought you were only going to take out a few?"
"I got a little carried away." She chuckles with a shrug, Shadow noticed how much she was acting like her normal self. A change of scenery was just what she needed.
"Uh huh," She teased,
"Well… since we're here, why don't we see what they were moving." Sonic said walking over to the back of the transport,
"Be careful, there could be guards inside." Shadow said moving next to her as she opens the door to reveal that the carrier was stacked full of crates.
"Don't see anyone up front, this must be automated." Sonic said walking inside as she goes over to one of the crates and tries to pry it open, but it doesn't budge. Shadow grabs the crate next to her and rips it open. "Show off." She sticks out her tongue,
"Ultimate Lifeform," Shadow jokes as they both chuckle. They look inside and see the crate is full of smaller boxes. Sonic takes one out and opens it showing it was full of small vials of a strange black colored liquid.
"That's gross looking." Sonic said moving the vial around trying to get a better look at the liquid inside,
"We should take those back so TK can analyze them." Shadow said as Sonic nods pocketing the small box. "Let's head back, Robotnik probably has this transport tracked so more bots will be showing up soon." She places her hand on Sonic's back to gesture her outside as Sonic jolts from the touch and dashes away from Shadow out of the transport. "I'm sorry!" Shadow apologized,
"No… It just took me off guard… I need to get over this…" Sonic said as she trembled, flashbacks of what happened flooding her mind. Whenever she was touched she could see his face and the feeling of fear overwhelmed her.
"Hey, you can't rush it. You went through a lot." Shadow said cautiously walking over to her,
"I hate feeling like this…" Sonic said trying to calm herself down. She grabs her arms to hide how much she continued to tremble.
"I know, just remember that I'm not going anywhere. Sure I miss holding you in my arms, but I already told you that I belong to you." Shadow said holding out her hand,
"I love you…" Sonic said taking her hand still slightly trembling,
"I love you too." Shadow said holding back just how much she desired to pull Sonic into her arms and embrace her tightly. More than anything she wanted Sonic to feel safe and she would go to the ends of the earth to find a way for help her, no matter how long it takes. "Let's head back," Sonic nods and they head back to HQ.
Kolt searches for Alan after he didn't show up for combat practice again as he finds him helping in the greenhouse gardening. He walks up to him slightly annoyed as he pulls out one of Alan's headphones to get his attention causing him to jump surprised to see him.
"Dude, you missed practice, again." Kolt said crossing his arms,
"Oh… sorry man, I guess I spaced," Alan said,
"This is the third time this week, what's gotten into you?" Kolt asked,
"I just have a lot on my mind." He said avoiding eye contact,
"You haven't talked to Saya yet have you?" Kolt said as Alan jolts at the accusation, "Are you afraid she's mad at you?"
"No… I'm worried she's afraid of me." Alan said taking off his gloves and washes his hands,
"She doesn't blame you for what happened, It was the ring." Kolt reassured him,
"Yeah, a ring I'm still wearing." He said pointing it out on his finger, "You don't understand… I was overwhelmed by the emotions for a moment and I lost control. She was trapped in that emotion for over an hour and then I…" Alan looks away still hating himself for what he did uncontrollably.
"Just talk to her, you're over thinking this." He said patting his shoulder.
"I'll try to talk to her later…"
"Good, now we gotta get going to the briefing." He said as Alan nods and they head to the conference room.
Brandy and Caroline walk down the hallway towards the briefing room as Sonic runs up to them taking them off guard for a moment. "Have you seen TK?" Sonic asked as Shadow runs up behind her,
"Last I checked she was in her workshop." Brandy said,
"Thanks, Good luck on your next mission." She said running past them as Shadow transforms back,
"She seems more full on energy." Caroline said with a smile,
"That's because she burned some of the medication out of her system." Sophia said as she walks over and hugs Caroline.
"That bad huh?" Brandy said as Caroline pats Sophia's head,
"She ran away from me when I accidently touched her back…" Sophia said letting go of Caroline,
"Oh sweetie." Caroline said, as Sophia rests her head on Caroline's shoulder,
"I just want to hold her…" Sophia said with a heavy sigh,
"I'm not going to lie; your willpower is extraordinary. I'd probably break if I couldn't hold Caroline." Brandy said,
"Stop, you're making me blush!" Caroline giggled, "But you can give me a hug anytime you need it Sophia."
"Thanks… We should get to the meeting." Sophia said looking sad as Brandy pats her back and they head to the meeting room.
Sonic bursts into TK's workshop taking her by surprise as she drops multiple papers and gives Sonic an annoyed look. She quickly picks up all the papers and hands them back to TK apologetically, "Sorry about that little dude," She said as TK lets out a sigh,
"It's fine, I'll reorganize them later. Did Elias explain why I needed your help?" TK asked as Sonic looks at her confused,
"Elias? I just got back from a run and came to give you something." Sonic said taking the small box out of her pocket. "Shadow and I went on a run and ran onto an Egg Transport carrying crates of these." Sonic said handing it to her.
"You just ran into it?" TK asked not sounding convinced,
"Well… I wanted to fight a few Swatbots and got a little carried away." Sonic chuckles as TK facepalms. At least glad Shadow was with her at the time, she opens up the box and sees the vials.
"I'll have my computer start analyzing one of these right now." She said walking over to her computer and setting everything up.
"So, what did you need my help with?" Sonic asked following her over to her computer,
"You remember that drug you and Sophia were injected with at the Crimson Tower?"
"How could I forget, the room was spinning, and I hadn't even spin dashed," Sonic said jokingly grabbing her head remembering the dizzy feeling.
"Well the drug is similar to the one that we found at our previous base when looking for clues about Dr. Q." She explained,
"Wait seriously? So Eggman has her?" Sonic asked looking hopeful,
"If he does he's hidden her really well… Elias is starting to lose hope that she's alive." TK said with a frown,
"I refuse to believe she's gone. He wouldn't have taken her without a reason." Sonic said, "So what does this drug have to do with me?"
"I want to use your speed to counteract Eggman's drug by creating an antitoxin that helps reenergize the one influenced."
"Can I get that with an English translation?" Sonic asked confused as TK lets out a sigh rolling her eyes,
"I want to make an antidote that wakes people up." She simplified,
"Ohhh okay, What do you need me to do?" Sonic asked,
"This arm band will track your speed and send the data to my computer." TK explained as she reaches for Sonic's arm, but she cowers back.
"Sorry… I'm still a little jumpy."
"Don't apologize, you went through something difficult and healing takes time." TK said as Sonic holds out her arm and TK quickly puts the arm band on her. "You're already doing a lot better than before and that's what's important."
"I literally ran from Sophia earlier… I hope she's not mad…" Sonic said, thinking about Sophia's comment about missing holding her,
"Sophia understands you need time." TK said,
"You didn't hear it in her voice… I can tell she's struggling. I just want to stop feeling this way but every time I try to push through it my body remembers that feeling… I hated that feeling…" Her ears lower as she starts to tear up,
"You've been away from any physical touch for so long that you may be becoming hypersensitive to it." TK said,
"So because of my fear it's making it worse?" She asked as TK nods, "What do I do?" She looks at TK slightly panicked; she didn't want this fear to continue to hinder her.
"Did Sophia ever explain how she broke you out of Erazor's spell?" TK asked as Sonic shakes her head wiping away the tears, "The spell blocked you from hearing or seeing us and we were starting to run out of ideas."
"Then how did I wake up? Was it the kiss?" Saya asked,
"I don't think so at least not entirely; when Sophia touched your face your body reacted. Like it knew she was there." TK explained, "I think the physical connection you two have is what brought you back."
"I do remember feeling calm when I woke up before realizing what was going on." Sonic said blushing,
"If anyone can help you through this it's Sophia." TK said confidently,
"Either way, I'm not going to take that medicine anymore. I've felt better today than I have felt in a long time. I hate how foggy it makes me feel." She said,
"Wasn't the dosage halved?" TK asked,
"That's what Dr. Starline said at least." Sonic said crossing her arms, she was beginning to question that.
"Do you still not like him? He's been really helpful to all of us. We've all been working together for almost half a year now." TK said,
"That doesn't change the gut feeling I get from him…" Sonic said looking away,
"Alright, but just be careful, cutting off a medication cold turkey can have its own side effects. Now I need to get to the meeting. All you need to do is press that button when you're running at full speed. This light will go on and will turn off automatically when it's done, you just have to keep a constant speed until it turns off." She explains as Sonic nods.
"Guess I'm going on another run. See you later, good luck on your mission." Sonic said as she runs out of the room. TK gathers her stuff and meets with everyone in the conference room,
"Sorry I'm late!" She said sitting down,
"We're almost finished, I'll give you the cliff notes. Robotnik is holding a group of scientists against their will at this facility." He said pointing out the facility on the map. "Your mission is extracting them."
"Anything important that I should know about before we head out?" TK asked,
"We don't know what Robotnik is forcing them to work on so you all need to be cautious." Sally said as they all nod.
"Wings up in thirty, good luck," Elias said as they all start to stand up,
"Where's Saya?" Sally asked,
"She's out running again to get the readings that I need, she should be back soon." TK asked,
"I'll make sure to let you know when she gets back." Elias said looking at Sophia as she nods,
"Did Sophia tell you what Sonic brought me?" TK asked,
"Yes, I'm wondering if it's the same drug." Elias said,
"We'll know shortly, but If Eggman has crates of that stuff already, we're in trouble." TK said,
"Be extra careful on this mission, that drug might be what the scientists have been working on." Elias said as TK transforms and meets up with the others before they leave.
"Everyone good to go?" Knuckles asked as they all nod,
"Let's get going." Shadow said as the helicopter takes off. Sonic sees the helicopter take off as she stares at it longingly. She wanted to help her friends, but how could she when her body cowered at others approach? She shakes her head of the negative thoughts. She starts running and presses the button to start the scan trying to distract herself.
"Sonic can you hear me?" Sonic hears Sally on her coms,
"Everything alright Sal?" She asked, worried something might have happened.
"Just wanted to make sure we had radio contact while you're on your run." She said,
"I can hear you loud and clear, I'll let you know when the scan is done and I'm on my way back." She said,
"Sounds good, please be careful."
"What's the fun in that?" She chuckles,
"Why are you like this?" Sally lets out a sigh,
"You wouldn't want me any other way." Sonic laughs as she sees the light go off, "Wow that was fast, I'm heading back now Sal, see you in a minuet." She quickly turns around and heads back to HQ. She missed the freedom of just running wherever the wind took her and a part of her wanted to keep running and not go back to HQ for a little longer. But she knew everyone would worry if she did, hopefully soon she can run free again like she used to.
The Helicopter lands on the outskirts near the secret compound as they get ready to sneak in, "I'll find us a way in, hold tight." Shadow said warping away,
"How's Shadow been doing?" Tails asked looking at the others,
"She's struggling…" Cream said, "I don't think she realized that being touched starved was an actual thing."
"That bad?" Knuckles asked,
"Their relationship has been physical since the very beginning. She's fighting her own instincts just to keep Saya from breaking." Blaze said as they all frown,
"That must be really difficult…" Amy said looking away,
"I found a vent big enough for one of us to crawl in and open the door." Shadow said reappearing as they are all taken off guard for a second, "Did I interrupt something?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Just talking about Saya. I bet she misses being on missions." Knuckles said trying to change the subject as Shadow looks a little sad at the mention of Saya,
"Yeah… Anyway, we need to get moving." She said as they all follow her to the vent.
"I'll go in, I can hack into the security first before I even get the doors open." Tails said confidently,
"Just be careful." Shadow said. Tails flies up and crawls into the air duct while they wait for the door to open,
"You still need to talk to her." Cream said to Amy,
"Knuckles already lectured me…" Amy said with a sigh,
"Can we put the Saya talk on hold? We need to focus…" Shadow said as they all stop, the door opens and Tails pops her head out,
"Record time!" She smiles,
"Good job," Shadow said walking past her ruffling her hair, "Let's find the scientists." The all stealthily enter. Most of the facility was quiet, they kept out of sight of any patrols since Tails had already disarmed the alarms they weren't having any resistance with hidden traps. They find a locked door needing a keycard for access.
"I think I can bypass the keycard; I just need a minuet…" Tails said as she was about to dismantle the panel. Knuckles pulls her back and hides her as two guards exit from the door. They wait for them to go by before letting out the breath they were holding in.
"You need to keep an eye on your surroundings." Knuckles said giving her a stern look letting her go,
"Thanks for the save." Tails said with a quiet chuckle, "I'll try to be more careful."
"C'mon before the door closes." Blaze said as they all rush in before the locking mechanism reactivates.
"What do you think they are working on?" Amy asked,
"We can ask them," Shadow said. They enter the lab as they see four scientists chained to desks looking exhausted and underfed.
"It's the Freedom Fighters!" One of them said sounding hopeful,
"Two cameras," Cream points out as Shadow and Blaze take them out.
"Is anyone hurt?" Shadow asked as they all shake their heads. Knuckles and Amy move over to break the chains.
"We were starting to think no one was coming to save us." One of them said sounding relieved as Amy frees him,
"Can you tell us what you're being forced to work on?" Tails asked,
"It's a drug that causes instant paralysis." One of them said, As Knuckles frees two of them.
"So this is where they're making it…" Tails said walking over to one of the computers and puts in a flash drive as she starts copying the files,
"We need to hurry… H… He'll be back any minuet." The other said as Amy frees him,
"He? Robotnik's here?" Shadow asked as they all shake their heads,
"H… he's a monster…" One of them said looking terrified. "He killed innocent people because we refused to work… he's not even human…"
"What does he look like?" Shadow asked looking angry, wondering if it's who she fears it is.
"Shadow, we're here to rescue them, stay focused," Blaze said as Shadow snaps out of it. Tails finishes copying the files and removes the flash drive,
"You all can explain more after we get out of here." Shadow said, "Follow me," She said as they head towards the door.
"But if Abyss catches us…" Another one of them said as Shadow stops, just hearing his name triggered her,
"What did you just say?" Shadow turns towards him.
"Shadow, we'll get him later, the mission comes first." Knuckles said trying to keep her focused noticing she was losing control of her anger as she clenches her fist.
"We need to get out of here," Cream tries to help Shadow relax but just as she was starting to compose herself, the door to the lab opens and she sees him… Abyss enters the room looking shocked to see them all. He makes eye contact with Shadow as his face of shock turns to a grin.
"It's been a long time, sister." He said calmly as she snaps quickly warping in front of him and throwing him through the door, breaking it off the hinges.
"Get the scientists out of here. Now! I'll keep an eye on Shadow." Knuckles yelled as the others all grab one of the scientists and run past Shadow and Abyss who instantly started fighting.
"Where's your mate Shadow? There's been no mention of her lately." He said knocking her back, "I'd love to sink my teeth in her again. Out of the humans I've tasted, her blood was definitely the sweetest." Abyss laughed purposefully enraging her as the ring on her finger began to glow fueling her hatred of him.
"I'll rip you to shreds!" She knocks him down as he counters, Knuckles trying to stay close but not get in the middle of the fight while wanting to be sure he could grab Shadow and run at a moment's notice,
"Did I strike a nerve? Did she dump you? No something else must have happened." He continued to distract her as Knuckles began to notice Abyss was aiming his attacks at Shadows head as if trying to grab her.
"Stop talking about her!" Shadow yelled,
"Are you keeping her hidden like a little pet? You know Robotnik will take her back eventually. He has plans," He laughs as he almost has a grasp on Shadows head.
"Shadow stop! He's trying to make you angry on purpose, we need to go." Knuckles grabs her and starts pulling her away from Abyss.
"Don't get in my way!" Abyss hissed as he quickly grabs Knuckles' arm and bites him,
"Ow!" He quickly kicks him off as he starts to feel dizzy.
"What's the matter Shadow, going to let someone else fight your battles?" Abyss laughs. Knuckles knees start to buckle as his body goes numb.
"Shit!" Shadow snaps out of it as the ring dims. She grabs Knuckles and warps them away from him.
"You can run as fast as you want sister! I will find you and your Mate!" She heard him yell from a distance. Shadow drags Knuckles to the helicopter as Amy helps her get him in.
After they secure Knuckles in the helicopter, Shadow turns around looking at the facility as Both Tails and Cream grab her arms trying to pull her back onto the Helicopter knowing what she was about to do. "Let go! I need to finish what I started," Shadow said starting to pull out of their grip and both Amy and Blaze quickly help them get her back on the Helicopter,
"Knuckles is already unconscious; we need to get the scientists to safety!" Tails said, "They are our priority."
"Fighting Abyss isn't part of the mission." Amy said as they give the clear and the helicopter lifts off the ground,
"He could come after her again!" Shadow said fighting their grip, "I won't let him hurt her!"
"And we'll be there to stop him, you're not thinking straight Shadow." Blaze said trying to calm her down, but she was blinded with rage as the ring begins to glow again.
"No! He dies now!"
"That's it!" Amy quickly changes his hammer to a staff and waves his hand casting the sleep spell on her as it causes her to calm down.
"Please Shadow…" Tails said as she takes some deep breaths as the helicopter flies off away from the facility.
"W… why didn't you fall asleep?" Amy looked shocked and a little frightened thinking she might turn her rage towards him,
"Ultimate Lifeform… It'll take a lot more than a sleep spell to take me down," Shadow said continuing to calm her breathing as the ring dims again. "But it did mellow me out, thanks." They all let her go with a heavy sigh of relief. "I'm sorry for losing it."
"Your ring was glowing." Tails said,
"It must have been reacting to your emotions." Amy said as Shadow looks at the ring.
"Is Knuckles going to be okay?" Cream asked as Shadow looks over the bite mark,
"He'll be out for a bit… Damnit, it only took seconds for me to lose my composure." She said sounding angry with herself.
"We got the scientists out of there, that's all that matters." Blaze said, "We'll see how Elias wants to proceed."
"H…he called you sister…" One of the scientists said looking frightened of Shadow,
"He's insane, I'm in no way related to him." Shadow said,
"But… there is a resemblance…" Another one said,
"Hey buddy, drop it. She's not like him." Amy said as they all go silent.
"This is going to scare Saya more…" Shadow said,
"We'll get him next time Shadow," Amy said,
"No matter what, the next time I see him I'm taking him down," Shadow said as they head back to HQ.
Saya took the arm band back to TK's lab and finished eating dinner with her family. Afterwards her and Sally walk back to the hanger bay to see how the others' mission went. They see the helicopter fly down as some of the medical personnel rush up next to them with a gurdy waiting for the Helicopter to land. Shadow and Amy jump out carrying Knuckles as they put him on the gurdy and roll him back to the infirmary. "What happened?" Saya asked as Shadow pauses, not wanting to answer.
"We ran into Abyss… Apparently he works for Robotnik." Shadow said as Saya looks shocked,
"Did he hurt you?" She asked looking concerned,
"No, I'm fine…" Shadow said avoiding her eyes, "But Knuckles got bit because I was blinded by my hatred…"
"You were taken off guard." Saya said hesitating for a moment but then she takes Shadows hand, "I'm just glad you're okay." Shadow was surprised to see her reach for her unsure how to react. She desperately wanted to hold her tight just to make sure she was protected. But she didn't want to see her cower.
"We'll get the scientists taken care of and brief Elias to what happened," Tails said,
"I put the armband back in your workshop." Saya said,
"Thanks Saya, We can talk more later." Tails said walking away,
"Can we talk?" Saya looks at Shadow as she transforms back and Saya starts leading them to the alter room,
"Is everything okay?" Sophia was afraid to hear the answer.
"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you in private." Saya said. That response frightened her even more as they enter the Alter room, "I need your help."
"What is it?"
"I want to get better… but I'm afraid… TK reminded me that you make me feel safe. I want that feeling back… but I'm not sure how to ask…"
"I'm confused…" Sophia said looking at her like she was speaking gibberish.
"I… want to try… hugging you…" Saya said as her face turns red. It took all of Sophia's willpower not to hug her right there after seeing her look embarrassed.
"Are you sure?" Sophia asked already noticing her trembling,
"Yes! I can't let this hold me down… I need to move forward… But you're the only one I trust to help me." She said as Sophia smiles,
"I'm here for you no matter what. What do you want me to do?" she asked,
"C… could you hold out your arms?" She asked as Sophia opens her arms out welcoming. Saya steps closer to her. Her entire body shaking as she steps forward. Sophia tries not to move to make sure not to startle her as she gets right next to her.
"You're doing great, do you want me to hold you?" She asked as Saya grabs onto Sophia's shirt and she nods. Sophia slowly and calmly moves her arms closer to Saya. She closed her eyes and continued to cower as Sophia's arms wrap around her. She jolts with a frightened whimper at first as her breath heavies echoes of Erazor's voice taunting her attempts at freeing her mind from his lingering grasp. "Let's stop here… this is still good." She said starting to release the hug as Saya shakes her head in protest.
"N… No…I can do this!" Saya said with determination looking up as Sophia and as their eyes met. It was as if a door had been unlocked as Saya slowly wraps her arms around Sophia's waist not breaking eye contact. Sophia tightens her grip around Saya as the trembling lessens. She leans in closer as Saya doesn't flinch, just closing her eyes as she kisses her. Saya could feel herself melting in Sophia's embrace feeling the safest she's felt in a while as Sophia let's go of the kiss, both of them breathing heavily.
"Chaos you're maddening." Sophia said fighting back a hungry growl, the urge to continue kissing her.
"Sorry…" She said as she rests her head against Sophia's chest.
"You should sit down; I can feel your knees buckling." Sophia said but Saya doesn't let go, she didn't want the safety she felt right now to go away, "Locked in place huh?" She chuckles as she slightly moves sitting down on the grass as Saya just went along with the movement still holding onto Sophia tightly, "How are you feeling?"
"Warm…" She said, her legs curling in, "I don't want this feeling to end."
"Well you're going to have to, We should try again. This could just be a fluke." Sophia said as Saya lets go reluctantly with a pout on her face, "Don't you tease me." She crosses her arms, seeing her act like that made her want to pull her close and not let go.
"Okay… now you hug me." Saya said holding her arms out as Sophia slowly reaches for her waist as she flinches at the first touch.
"Sorry," She quickly pulls away as Saya shakes her head,
"I'm okay, I'm just jumpy. TK said I might be hyper… what's it or something?" She said sounding confused,
"Hypersensitive? That makes sense, no one's touched you since…" Sophia could feel the rage starting to boil over just thinking about it. Saya looked uncomfortable just hearing her talk about it. Sophia reaches for her again as this time she tries not to flinch but instead of hugging her she pulls her closer and rests Saya in her lap,
"This wasn't what I meant," Saya lightly chuckles as Sophia lets go of her waist and rests her hands gently on her arms.
"You told me that you belong only to me." Sophia said rubbing her fingers against her cheek then combing her fingers through her hair as Saya starts to relax to the sensation of her touch. "I'll clear every trace of memory he left on your body." She said leaning in to kiss her again, but she stops when she notices Saya started shaking again, talking about what happened still brought flashes of memories. She kisses Saya's forehead and loosens her grip, "No matter how long it takes."
"Thank you." Saya said as she starts to relax.
"Maybe you should take your medicine, I think we burned it out of your system completely." She said but Saya shakes her head,
"I'm not going to take it anymore. I need to fight through this, but I can't do that when my head's in a fog and I'm half asleep." She said as Sophia nods,
"Alright, why don't we go make sure Kolt's alright." Sophia said as Saya stands up and holds out her hand to Sophia. She takes it with a smile,
"A step in the right direction." Saya said pulling Sophia to her feet as they leave the Alter room,
Kolt starts to wake up in the infirmary as Dr. Starline sees him attempt to sit up. He quickly rushes over to stop him. "You should continue resting. The wound hasn't completely healed yet." He said as Kolt looks at his arm already bandaged,
"Where's Sophia?" He asked,
"I'm not sure, the others all went to talk to Elias," Dr. Starline said,
"But she's okay?" He asked,
"As far as I'm aware…" He said confused, Kolt lets out a sigh. Both Sophia and Saya walk into the room. "Oh perfect timing,"
"How are you feeling?" Saya asked,
"I should be asking you that." Kolt said looking at Sophia,
"Sorry for losing my temper…" She said avoiding eye contact,
"I'm glad you snapped out of it long enough to get me out of there. That venom is no joke." He chuckles,
"It's really not." Saya said shaking her head, "Try getting bit three times." Kolt quickly noticed the change in Saya's demeanor, she seemed more relaxed.
"You seem to be in a better mood. How are you feeling?" Kolt asked as Saya smiles,
"I'm feeling a lot better, now that I'm off the medication." She said,
"What do you mean?" Kolt asked confused,
"I burned it out of my system when Soph and I went on a run today. I'm not going to take this medicine anymore."
"I don't think that would be wise to cut off the medication cold turkey." Dr. Starline interjected. "Cutting off the medication that quickly could have unknown side effects."
"Sorry Doc but I've already made up my mind. Not going to take it anymore." She said,
"Maybe we can slowly wean it out of your system, so you don't get sick." He said,
"No, in one day I've made more progress than I have this past month on the medication. I refuse to let that stuff cloud my mind anymore. And if there were any side effects I would already feel them." She said crossing her arms.
"Alright, but please come to me if you have any issues." He said letting the argument go and walking away,
"That was a bit extreme." Kolt said,
"I'm going to get better my own way. Speaking of which, I need to get back into sparing…" She looks at Sophia, "Would you be willing to help me with that?" She asked sheepishly feeling like she's asking for too much knowing Sophia already had a lot on her plate with working on two teams,
"When I'm free I'd love to." She smiles,
"I can help too if you want. Especially since Sophia is working with both teams." Kolt said,
"Thanks." She smiles,
"You should also try and talk to Alan," Sophia said,
"Yeah, I know he's been avoiding me. I'll see if I can talk to him tomorrow." Saya said, "Looks like I'm going to have a busy day." She chuckles,
"What else do you have?" Kolt asked,
"I want to make sure TK doesn't need any more help making her antidote for Eggheads drug." Saya said,
"Don't overdo it okay, you're still recovering." Sophia said,
"I'll try," She said as she finished planning what she was going to do the following day. She felt more confident than she has in a long time and she was determined to keep that feeling going until she was healed.