February 3, 2138 (Evening continued)
I had to go after Sarah and try to help her. The guys got up and ran after me. All the while I wondered what it was that finally pushed her over the edge. Was it something one of us had said? Was it Cane? Was it Mom dying? Maybe it was the fact that we were housing someone wearing the uniform of the enemy among us. I think it was all of them.
She had gotten out of the room so fast that we lost track of where she had gone. Tad broke off on his own and started looking to the South of the zoo while Tommy and I started looking on the North side. He and I didn't find her before we came upon Dad and Kim together. I wanted to walk away and find Sarah, but a part of me couldn't go. I felt like I needed to know what was going on with Dad as much as I did Sarah. I had to hope that Tad would find her and be there for her long enough for me to listen in on what they were saying.
Dad really wasn't saying much of anything at first. Most of the talking was done by Kim.
"David? Do you want to take a break from that," Kim asked.
"No. I have to get this done," Dad replied.
"I know, but it can wait for a little while. Can't it," she asked.
"What do you want," Dad asked her without looking away from his work.
"The pain to go away," Kim said to him.
Dad stopped working and sat the machine he was working on down. He wiped his eyes for a second, and then said, "How do you do it? How do you live like this? Every single day of your life? How can you do it, Kim?"
"I don't know. Someone told me to learn from the past once. When I was young, Mark saved me one day after school. He almost died doing it, but he did. And it took me forever to see the message in that. I never really knew what it was and I gave up on everything until Carrie helped me see it. No matter how much I didn't want to go on, he saved me for a reason. Because he wanted me to live, David. He wanted me to be all right and would have died there making it happen because I made him happy while we were together. Like he made me. Like she made you, and you made her. They wouldn't have tried to save us just to see us live our lives in pain and never to be happy again. And no matter how much it hurts and we don't want to go on anymore, I can't make myself cheat them out of what they wanted for us. Can you understand that," Kim asked Dad as she started crying.
"I told Karl so many things years ago, when Gina was killed. I had no idea what I was talking about. I just wanted to say anything to make him and the boys better. And now I know what it's like for him. And for you," Dad said as he stared off to the side.
"You don't deserve this, David. You didn't want or ask for this. You didn't earn it for some wrong doing. It just happened because she chose it. Even though we don't know why, she did. She didn't do it to hurt you, David. We have to believe that she did it to save us. Like Gina did to save Tad years ago. Like Mark and I did when we joined the military years ago to save someone else out there," Kim said through her tears.
"Save us? I failed her, and everyone else here," Dad said as tears started falling from his eyes.
"No. We all tried to help her. She didn't let us until it was too late. You're a good man, David. You are, and we need you. The girls need their father, and the boys need a leader. And…I need you. I can't do this alone. I know that it hurts, but I'll help you. Please help me too," Kim said back to Dad.
"I don't know what to do, Kim. What am I supposed to do," Dad asked.
Handing Dad her plate, Kim said, "You can start by trying to force some of this down. I know how your stomach is tied up in knots right now, but you need this. Can you try," Kim asked as she sat next to Dad and put her arm around him. Dad didn't reply to her, but took the plate and ate a few bites. He was still trying to eat when Tommy and I left them to their moment.
Once we returned to look for Sarah and Tad, Tommy spoke up saying that we hadn't fed Rachel and still needed to. I had thought of it before when we were in the lounge, but had forgotten about it after seeing Kim and Dad talking together. Maybe Tad was right. Maybe Dad needed help from someone else besides me. I just felt like it was my place to be there for Dad. Then again, maybe I was just jealous that Kim could have such an effect on Dad where the rest of us couldn't. Either way, she's helping him somehow. I just wish it didn't have to hurt them both to do it.
Anyway, Tommy and I fixed up something for Rachel and went to see her. She looked at us like she didn't know what to expect from us when we entered the room. Seeing her sitting there in that uniform bothered me a lot. The same uniform that meant the death of Mom. That's when I noticed that she wasn't wearing the hat with the symbol on it anymore. As if to save me from having to talk to her, Tommy took the plate to her. That's when she looked at me and spoke up.
"I didn't want this for you. I'm sorry that everything has led to this. I didn't want any of you to be hurt," Rachel said with sympathy in her eyes.
"We know that you didn't, Rachel," Tommy said as he sat down at the table in the room.
"If I could heal this pain for all of you, I would," Rachel said as a tear started falling from her right eye.
"I know you would," I said back as I found myself more amazed by her tears than the uniform she was wearing still. "Thanks for caring, Rachel," I said.
"Did you find her? Your friend at the hospital, was she there," Rachel asked us.
"Yeah, but she's really messed up," Tommy said to her.
"What do you mean? I thought they would save her, not hurt her worse," Rachel asked.
"It's her back. Karl thinks she either has some kind of spinal injury or something is putting pressure on her spine somehow. She's having a hard time walking at all. And I know that Karl isn't saying it, but she could still die," I said to Rachel.
"You can't tell what it is," Rachel asked.
"No. We don't have the tools to scan her and find out," Tommy replied.
"I can help you. If you let me," Rachel said as she sat her plate down.
"What do you mean," Tommy asked.
"I can see what's wrong with her for you. But you have to let me look at her so that I can do it," Rachel replied.
"You can see inside of a person with your vision? Why would the machines give you that kind of ability," Tommy asked.
"It's a necessary evil you might say. Dread Youth are humans. As such, they need medics when they get injured. Until such time comes where they make everyone into the machine, people like me remain necessary to stave off the suffering and pain," Rachel replied.
"You really think that you can help her," I asked.
"I'll try to," Rachel replied.
"We have to ask permission beforehand. At least from Carrie because it's her life we're talking about here," Tommy reminded us.
"I'll talk to Kim too. I don't know how she'll feel about all of this, but I'm sure she would agree to anything that could help Carrie," I said.
"Maybe you should bring Kim here. There are other things that all of you need to know," Rachel said.
"Like what? Something that you didn't tell us before," Tommy asked.
"It didn't need to be said before. But now that Amber's mother is gone, it does," Rachel continued.
"What are you talking about, Rachel. Just say it," Tommy said in an annoyed tone.
Rachel hesitated for a moment as she wiped the tear from her face, then looked at me and said, "Without your mother they'll come looking for you, and maybe your sister too. They think that you'll both have a very high chance of inheriting her ability to foresee things. And a special team is being sent here to deal with capturing you both alive. But they'll destroy anything and kill anyone that gets in their way."
"Bring them on. If they want to return to Volcania in pieces, so be it," Tommy said with a cold look in his face.
"You don't understand. You can't just shoot your way out of an encounter with them. They're enhanced and have laser ablative armor that they wear. It negates energy weapon fire," Rachel said.
"What? It negates laser weapons," Tommy asked.
"Yes. It can't negate stronger lasers, like the ones from the mobile laser cannons and such. But if you can carry it in your hands, it's no good. This forces most enemies to try to fight them in close combat, which is what they want you to resort to. That's where their enhancement comes in," Rachel went on.
"What enhancement," I asked.
"Adrenaline boosted fighting strength and abilities. They wear devices that shoot them up with adrenaline when they need it for combat. They're constantly boosted with it while their enemies are brought down by their sheer strength alone most of the time. They'll literally beat you into submission as they keep going while you can't," Rachel said.
"Are the adrenaline boosting devices shielded by this ablation armor too," I asked.
"Yes. They're prepared for an attack against the devices themselves. It's been tried before and they've armored them up to keep it from working again," Rachel replied.
"We've got to tell the others. Kim and your dad both need to know about this. But the way your dad is right now…" Tommy said.
"You go talk to Kim and I'll go talk to Carrie. She might be more convinced by someone who trusts Rachel more than everyone else. Otherwise she might not be willing to put her life in the hands of another Dread Youth again," I said.