I do not own Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. I do own Core and her back story and the parts of the plot that aren't in the game. This fic spawned largely from my dissatisfaction with the ending of the game. It was an awesome game and I didn't want it to end. So I decided to write a fic. It's rated for language and violence mostly, but also for some sexual scenes.
Enslaved: Marks of the Past.
Chapter Four: Out in the Sand.
"Why won't you tell me who she is?"
Monkey turned enough to look at Trip, but he kept walking, Core still slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour or potatoes or something. "Why does it matter so much? Her name is Core, and she's someone I knew a long time ago."
Trip balled her hands into fists and couldn't think of what to say to the same answer she'd been getting since they'd left Pyramid. As Monkey turned back around and continued walking in the direction the dragonfly had shown them a river lay in, she fell in step behind him, her eyes glued to Core's unconscious form, the remnants of her dreadlocks swinging back and forth, and Trip's mind wandered through all the possibilities of the connection between the blue-haired woman and Monkey.
The most obvious was the possible romantic connection, and that one bothered her most, especially since whatever relationship there might be between her and Monkey was just beginning and it was beginning under forced and stressful circumstances. If there had been something natural, something easy between Core and Monkey it was very likely going to threaten whatever was between Trip and the surly man. But Trip wasn't one to jump to the worst conclusion—she never had been. So there were other possibilities in her mind. Core could be Monkey's sister, biological or adopted. They could just be friends. They could have only met once, but the shock of seeing each other after thinking they were dead could make their relationship seem closer.
Whatever is was, Trip didn't like it, and she wanted answers.
"Is Core your sister?" she asked, putting on a burst of speed to catch up to Monkey.
Monkey didn't look at her as he answered, "No."
"Do you know her well?"
"I did."
"When was the last time you saw her?"
Monkey stopped walking and turned to face Trip. His eyes were narrowed and there was darkness in them that told Trip he was angry, frustrated; it was a look she had seen many times during their travels together. It still made her uneasy. "Core is someone I knew a long time ago, Trip. That is all you have to know right now."
"What do you mean `right now`?"
"I don't know how long she's going to stick around. She could get up and leave as soon as she's feeling well enough. I don't know who she is anymore, so stop asking questions about her."
"I want to know who she was to you. Who she could still be."
Monkey just glared at her for a moment before striking out again across the hot golden sand. Trip followed, feeling like she'd been punched in the gut and starting to get a little angry. Monkey had always been private—at least for as long as she had known him—but this was just infuriating. They had had a moment on the giant mech, a moment after she'd destroyed Pyramid... there had been a few on the journey West, and she couldn't shake the feeling that all the potential was going to be destroyed by this one, formally blonde woman.
The colourful trio walked for a while in silence, Trip every once in a while sending up the dragonfly to make sure there were no surprises waiting on their trek to the river. As the sun began to set, she started looking for some place to make camp, and just after the sun had dropped below the horizon, she found one: a large piece of rock or rubble of some kind that was buried in the sand, creating a semi-sheltered area where they could rest; Trip was hungry, but she wasn't holding out hope for a fire and food, not when they were in the middle of the desert.
"There's a place we could make camp over there," she said quietly, pointing.
"Or we could push on to the river."
"Monkey, I'm tired. I need to rest. You might be able to go on, but you can't carry both of us and you won't leave me here!"
The big man turned to face her again, but he wasn't glaring this time. Trip was right, and if he tried to leave—as if he even wanted to leave her out here unprotected—she could command him to come back, if she wanted to hurt him. He liked to think she was beyond that, but he couldn't be sure. He started walking in the direction she'd pointed and spotted the stone almost immediately. It only took about fifteen minutes of walking to reach the makeshift shelter, and when they did arrive, Monkey slipped Core off his shoulder and settled her on her side, with her back against the rock before sitting cross-legged beside her head. Trip settled herself across from the pair and once again studied Core's face, willing her to wake up. Maybe she would share her history.
"Monkey, is there a reason you won't tell me about her?" she finally asked, voice timid and quiet.
Monkey sighed heavily and rubbed the palms of his hands along his red pants. "I don't see why it matters."
"Because..." It was Trip's turn to sigh. "Because, Monkey, I want to know about you and it's obvious she's a part of your past."
"The past is the past, Trip."
Trip was getting frustrated again. She put her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees and stared at the dark sand between her feet. How could she explain what she wanted without telling Monkey outright how she felt? Should she tell him? Did she actually love him? This was a lot more than she wanted to face, to think about, but there might not be a choice. "Monkey, I..."
"I know, Trip," he said in a tone of voice that said he knew what she'd been about to say.
"Then you should know why it matters to me who Core was to you."
Monkey's eyes darkened again and she could see it even across the distance and through the darkness. "You don't have anything to be concerned with."
Core began to stir then and the motion stopped whatever fight might have broken from the words between Monkey and Trip. She coughed once before rising up on her hands and knees and coughing more violently, black goo splattering the sand beneath her. There were tears in the corners of her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips; the black stains on her lips made the expression frightening rather than reassuring. Core settled with her back against the stone before she turned her blue-green eyes—startling even in the dark—to Trip and then Monkey and her smile grew.
"Good," she said, "I didn't dream it."
"No you didn't," Monkey replied. "You're free and now you can tell me how you survived that mech attack."
Core looked across the circle at Trip, almost as if she was sizing her up or gauging if she should hear the story. "First, I think we should do the whole introduction thing."
And perhaps they would have.
Trip certainly wanted to—maybe she'd finally get her answers. Core also wanted to know who Trip was and what the story was behind the bizarre headband around Monkey's forehead. But no further conversation was had. A slight clinking noise arose in the darkness around them, a noise unmistakable. Mechs. There were mechs coming and there was nowhere to hide.
Monkey rose silently to his feet and wrapped his hand around his collapsed staff. He gestured for Trip to move closer to the rock, to hide, and then looked to Core who nodded and got to her feet as well, her own weapon in hand; whether or not it was a collapsible staff like Monkey's remained to be seen, but as Core dropped into a fighting stance, Trip had no doubt she knew how to fight as well as Monkey. Core pressed her back to the rock and peered around the corner, looking for the target and Monkey did the same on the other side.
Five mechs, all big and shiny and dangerous.
"Just like old times," Core breathed, a small smirk on her face.
Author's Note.
AHH, I'm apologizing again!
March (Essay) Madness is upon me! I have so much to do! I'm going to keep writing updates (during class) so never fear! But still... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Okay, I'm better now.
Enjoy.
Next Chapter: Fight, Fight, Fight.