Chapter 11: Unravelling Values

The Kids Next Door is destroyed...The Moon Base belongs to you Grandfather...

Those words; they were enough to surprise her, frighten her even as she saw them escape her wrinkly lips. Her chest continually tensed, her breath sounded hoarse as panic consumed her. Desperately, she reached out towards the image of the horrid blonde hag, screaming how this wasn't her. Yet her only response proved a malicious cackle from the putrid hag, resulting in a horrid scream before she found herself in a quiet, almost docile room.

Beads of sweat appeared present upon Rachel's horrified expression, her breath proved fast yet slow and cumbersome as her heartbeat began to return to normal capacity. Still though, she managed to find confusion if not comfort in the figures who stood before her; Herbie and Fanny. Their faces appeared ripe with concern even as she continued to stare at them in momentary silence. That is until Herbie opened his mouth to speak.

"Are you okay Sir", Herbie asked his superior even as she remained in her dazed state of confusion.

"What...", asked the dazed sounding Rachel, that is before she regained her sense of surrounding and composure. "Oh, don't worry about me Herbie, I'm quite alright."

"Really; ye' sure about that Sir", Fanny asked, the suspicious look in her emerald eyes enough to convey to Rachel her current thought process.

"Trust me Numbuh 86; my word is often my bond", the young Supreme leader sternly explained to her still suspicious looking subordinate. "Besides, even I've had my fair share of bizarre dreams. In fact, today I recall dreaming that I was being pecked on the cheek by someone."

"Yeah right; sorry Sir, but the chances of that happening would only be 5.7%", the snooty boy began, unaware of the unsettling glare that formed upon his leader's delicate face.

Yet unbeknownst to him, the only sound the Irish girl could hear emitting from his mouth was a resounding "blah, blah, blah", as was ever so potent upon irritated looking face. To put it simply; one minute, Herbie found himself pontificating the scientific facts of science rather snootily as per usual. The next, he found himself being literally booted out of his superior's office, yelping before landing face first into the floor. The Irish felt a sense of accomplishment as she dusted her hands together, a prideful smirk ever present upon her freckled face. Yet one glance at the young blonde's stern glare was enough to wipe the smug smile off her face as it found itself reforming into a nervous stare.

"Was that really necessary", the young girl asked her Irish friend, stern integrity ever so prominent in her tone as she did so.

"Are you kiddin'? I've been waitin' te' do that since cadet graduation", the Irish redhead explained, not that it did much to win her brownie points from the stern looking brown.

"Funny, I thought you were the kind who kept to yourself", she replied, her stern tone ever present even as she she began to glance over her paperwork once more.

"Well, yer' as snippy as ever I see", the Irish girl observed, her deadpan snarker sounding tone enough to catch the angered attention of her blonde friend once more.

"Look; unfortunately, I don't have time to argue which of us is the bigger hypocrite. So I suggest that you kindly return to your post, that way I can continue to overlook these documents", the young blonde replied rather angrily, all the while keeping her stern composure before doing just as she had said she would.

At first, it seemed enough to paint a disbelieving scowl upon the Irish redhead's face. Yet a second glance revealing a trash can containing four, maybe five cans of opened pop allowed her disposition to waver momentarily, reverting to her stubborn grimace before speaking once more.

"Yeah, well...maybe I want te' talk about it now, did that ever cross your mind", the stubborn Irish girl asked as her friends eyes widened in surprise, she even giggled a little at such a response.

"I'm appreciate your sentiment Fanny. But to be honest, I don't think I'm ready to talk about it just yet", she explained,
her tone calm yet soothing even as her friends emerald eyes remained ever intact upon the young blonde.

"Well ye' might as well; you've been moppin' about it all day", she bluntly remarked.

"Yeah, but so has everyone else", the young blonde replied ever so calmly as she turned to face the window containing the blue orb they called Earth.

"I can't blame them though...I'm as desperate as any of them to forget that eventful day...To forget that evil smile and that evil laugh...that feeling of the unexpected while raising against the clock...to look in the mirror and see someone who has your face and your voice...", Rachel explained even as her voice became shakier with every breath, causing concern to form upon the freckled Irish girl's face.

"But she's not you Sir...", Fanny began, her tone whispery in its concern.

"But she is...", the young blonde replied, her soft voice remained ever so shaky, even as her eyes never left the empty view of space.

"But ye' were followin' the ideals of a man ye' know ye'd NEVER agree with", the redheaded girl tried to explained, her desperation ever so clear in now stern sounding voice.

"That doesn't change the fact that those words came out of my mouth...or entered my own thoughts...",the young girl replied, the shakiness in her tone ever more prevalent with every breath she took, further aggravating the stern yet concerned look in her friend's emerald eyes as she went to speak.

"Rachel, just forget about it already", Fanny proclaimed, her voice ever prominent in its stern yet concerned integrity.

"I have no choice; I have to hold onto it", Rachel explained, her shaky tone still prevalent despite the stern tone she took upon her now aggravated looking friend.

"No, ye' don't! Look, I understand ye' want ta' make sure ye' don't make the same mistake twice, but maybe this time ye' should just accept it and move on", the Irish girl replied, her tone stern despite the obvious aggravated look forming upon her face.

Yet blissfully unaware was she of the small smile forming upon the young blonde's face, she even snickered ever so slightly.

"That's just the problem though Fanny...you could never truly understand...", said the almost apathetic Rachel as she stood up from her seat, her feet carrying her ever so slowly towards that magnificent view of the earth.

Such words though; they were enough to surprise the young Irish girl as her face depicted. Yet such a state could only last so long before she felt her freckled face twitching into anger, her eyebrows sharpened even as her emerald eyes became glazed by such emotion.

"Not understand?...Hello! I was there, we were all there with ye'! If yer' goin' te' start jumpin' on the "woe is me" bandwagon-"

"No, nothing like that...I mean that you could never know what it's like to be me..."

"To feel lonely...To feel as though everything rests upon your shoulders...That even one insignificant mistake could easily decimate the lives of many...including your own...", the young girl explained, her low yet calm tone a perfect match for her watery looking chocolate eyes that continually stared at such a beautiful blue orb.

Not long after did she feel a soft hand gently grasp her shoulder, surprise overtaking her as she turned to discover the hands owner; it was Fanny, her bottom lip seemed to quiver, even her emerald eyes appeared watery as she spoke.

"Can I at least try", she asked, her tone high-pitched, almost as if she couldn't hold back the inevitable any longer.

Yet such words; they proved enough to make Rachel's chocolate eyes widen in realization, enough that her tears came pouring down as she caressed her friend in a tight hug, feeling soon enough the warm embrace of friend's arms around her own slender torso.

"I'm so sorry Fanny...I'm so sorry", said the teary eyed Rachel.

"What are you sorry for", asked Fanny, tears pouring down her own freckled face as well.

"Because I shouldn't have pried when you didn't wish to, especially if I wasn't willing to discuss my own feelings", the young girl explained through weepy tone and constant tears.

"Oh don't blame yerself' for that; if anythin', I shouldn't have been so "stand-offish" about the whole thing", the Irish girl explained through weepy tears, feeling their embrace end as she came to face the sad looking smile that belonged to her dear friend.

"So...do you feel like discussing it now", she asked while wiping her own tears away, a small yet adorable little nod from Fanny enough to convince her likewise.

"But only if yer' ready ta' talk about it lass", she explained soon after.

"Yeah...I guess I am...", the young blonde softly proclaimed with a small smile upon her face. "Besides, it'll probably make that Ice-cream I recently acquired taste all the better."

"Oh great, mixed ice-cream again", Fanny said rather disappointingly, reverting almost instantly back to her bitchy persona as she made her way to the tiny freezer in the corner, her friend not too far behind.

"Not necessarily", Rachel happily proclaimed as she watched her friend's face light up with such curiosity.

"Ye' mean...", was all she could muster as a nod from her friend gave her the answer she seaked; cookies and cream.

"Yes", the Irish girl said with delight, her tone enough to make Rachel chuckle as they proceeded towards their destination.

Yet unbeknownst to the duo that a lone figure stand outside Rachel's office; it was Patton. True, he had only been standing for such a short period of time. Yet his black eyes, even his expression revealed budding anger, even regret as he made his way down the corridor, though not before allowing his gloved hands to transform into raging fists.

End chap.11