"Mara, Zed, I'd like to speak to you in private," the white armored Program asked.
His training of the mechanics was going as expected, slowly and painfully. They could hardly take a beating let alone fight back, to Tron's standards anyway. Mara had been commenting on how they were just regular Programs from a regular garage, the moves they used were mostly on the spot or taught to them by Able after the Occupation showed up so they could defend themselves if the need arisen. The need had definitely arose. Tron had mumbled something along the lines of 'Beck never complained this much' when he had the group do one of Beck's usual combat simulations and all of the members failed. Recalling his apprentice's failure due to his helmet being 'itchy'. That made for a good laugh. At least his next run of the simulation was not wasted and he had managed to save the holo hostages.
Having heard Tron's call Zed had pulled Mara from her analyzing of Bartik's attempt at the mission. Reluctantly, she followed Zed still watching Bartik who was about to be the first one to actually complete the simulated rescue.
"I have a job for you two," Tron announced once the three were out of ear shot from the other mechanics.
"A job? Like a real job or a simulated job?" Zed accused, receiving an elbow to the rib from Mara. Tron figured he liked the attention, and pain, it gave him to do snide remarks, if it was from Mara that is.
"A real job. As you know we're short handed in people to fight Clu, so I am going to send you two off to get recruits,"
"Recruiting? That's it?" Zed again received an elbow for his less than compliant remark.
"Yes, if it was up to me, I'd do it personally, but seeing that I do not know the Programs of the Grid as well as I used to, I try to stay away from others. You two are my second choice for this mission. I know you haven't finished the hostage rescue simulation yet but together I think you will be able to manage. You two perform very well together," Tron's last sentence was more appreciative than he would have liked it, but he still wanted to help the two idiots together. Yes, both of them were idiots. While one was too blind to see that the other was head over heels, the other was too scared to even tell her how he feels. At first, he thought a bond deeper than friendship would cause liabilities, but it was already at that point. Now, he wanted them together just so they could have some solace in their struggle for freedom. Beck thought Tron to be heartless and uncaring, and sadly he was to his apprentice, only because he knew he could handle it. Time was not on their side and it wasn't now. Another reason he had to send two vastly under trained Programs on a mission.
"Oh, thanks! We've known each other for so long, hard not to work well together," Mara replied off handedly.
"Right! As if we're made for each other!" Zed commented before his eyes bulged from his head.
"Made for each other?"
"Like partners,"
"What do you mean?"
"Hey wait a minute, you said we were your second choice? Who's your first?" Zed acted quickly, changing the subject. Tron, sadly, had to give credit to mechanic for keeping his cover, he had half a mind to try and let him finish his slip up.
"My first choice is and always will be the Renegade," he informed them solemnly. There was a silence that hung in the air after his statement.
"I have to brief, you may know Argon and the best spots so I want to talk strategy,"
He started walking over to the observation deck. The other two started to follow only to be stopped by a loud cheer of excited approval come from behind them. The three turned to see the mechanics who watched Bartik's mission cheering and running over to the elevator. Once they had reached it, the doors swung open to let out an exhausted looking Bartik. He was immediately swarmed and congratulated by his fellow renegades. Mara and Zed ran over to give their words of approval while Tron turned and kept walking towards the higher deck, a smirk playing on his lips.
One step closer.
"This is what Argon's like now?!" Zed hissed to his companion, as he stared down a group of sentries walking by the booth he was sitting at.
"Zed, don't antagonize them! We're here on a mission," she whispered back while pulled on his arm that lay on the table. The yank did its job causing Zed to look back at Mara in anger filled eyes. Once he looked to Mara, his expression visibly relaxed.
"You're right, but who's going to be here who would join us? I think any Program we talk to in here will turn us in without a second thought," he looked around the crowded club which was mostly sentries and guards, only a few regular Programs sprinkled in, who looked to be on the army's side anyway.
"What about that girl who took Able's bike?" Mara asked after a small pause.
"Pearl?" Zed shot back, bewildered that Mara would bring her up.
"Yeah, do you think her friends would join us?" this was the last thing he expected her to ask him. The girl who took Able's bike, nearly destroyed it, nearly got the two of them killed, and was a down right bitch.
"Could you imagine her fight with us?" he rolled his eyes as if the possibility didn't exist.
"Can you imagine her with the Occupation?" his close friend countered. This made him think, as she had a point. Pearl didn't like authority; she played by her own rules, or her boyfriend's rules. She wouldn't sit well with the other mechanics, and Tron would probably be against it as she was a loose end who could very easily jeopardize the whole Defiance.
"I don't think that's the problem either. The problem is whether or not we can trust her," Zed let out a strained sigh, "She would be a big risk. How do we know she wouldn't turn to Clu?" he reasoned.
"Why don't we go ask her?" Mara asked as if she was in the room and looking toward the exit. Turning his head, Zed was shocked to find Pearl walking in with a few of her friends from the place in the shipping units. Her expression was not reassuring, as she seemed to be a living form of hatred and disgust.
"Is that really a wise idea? She looks like she's about ready to derezz a Program," he said with hesitance.
"Fine, I'll go talk to her," Mara went to stand but was stopped by Zed's hand on her shoulder.
"No, I will, I just don't think she's in any mood to listen to us," Zed proceeded over to the pink haired Program who had seated herself in a corner booth. She was alone, her friends leaving her to get the drinks. She noticed his approach when he was only a few steps away from the booth she was at, her expression not changing at his appearance.
"How's it going Pearl?" Zed asked sitting down in the booth. His usual nervousness and fear cast aside as he had a bigger issue to worry about than talking to a pretty girl.
"Do I LOOK like I want to talk?" Pearl nearly shouted.
"What happened? What's wrong?" his voice was genuinely concerned. The rage she was showing was not normal or safe and he figured it had something to do with the Occupation.
"They happened," she spat glared around the room at the soldiers, "They came into our territory and told us to take a hike, the Users they think they are to tell us to move on OUR territory,"
"What'd you guys do?"
"We kicked their sorry asses that's what we did," at this Pearl's expression wavered and she seemed to grow sad before bouncing back to anger.
"They didn't try to get more soldiers?"
"Oh they did. They must have brought their whole army cause I've never seen so many Black Guards in my life," her gaze never broke from the dance floor where Black Guards stood and talked to one other.
"You guys got out okay it seems," Zed noted lightly, which was obviously the wrong move. Pearl's eyes shot to Zed with a fury that made him freeze.
"Do you think we all made it out okay? You think we just walked away without a scratch?" her voice was deadly. A pure pit of anger mixed with a low growl that showed the restraint and the glare that could kill if looks could. Zed shot his hands up in defense and shook his head violently.
"No, sorry, I just wanted to talk. I'm sorry, what happened?" he hoped he was conveying sympathy over his nervous annoying pleading voice that was his usual choice. Pearl's eyes became down cast and lost most of their anger. Finding the hands in her lap more interesting, she kept her head down hovering over the tabletop.
"They killed a lot of us," was all she murmured. The expert mechanic was unsure of how to handle her suddenly depressed mood. He turned to Mara and beckoned her over when she had caught his eyes. Sliding into the other side of the circular booth, she saw Pearl and immediately felt sympathy for the girl and slid over to wrap an arm around her. Not seeming to care about the touch, Mara continued to press against the young Program as she began to weep softly.
"They killed…" she started before a ragged gasp for air cut her off, "They killed Gage," as this she broke down, letting out the tears she was holding in. Mara instinctively wrapped her other arm around her and pulled her into a comforting embrace. They stayed like this for a long period, Pearl not ceasing her torrent of stinging tears. When her two friends had come back, Zed quickly took them aside to tell them what was happening, only to find the two bulky Programs crying on his shoulder and holding on tightly. After the waterworks of the three rebellious teens, they all sat down at the booth and decided to have a less heartfelt chat, the three looking quite drained and tear stricken.
"I know you guys are grieving but…" Mara started but found it hard to finish.
"Let's get some fresh air, we know a spot that is perfect to clear our heads," Zed offered, thinking of a spot he and his three friends would go to get some peace of mind, now he only had one left.
What happens if I lose Mara? Or if I die? What will happen to her? She'll be all alone…
The three nodded and the group proceeded to exit the infested club for a more peaceful setting.
"This is a cool spot," Pearl commented as she looked over the edge to see the distant dots of Programs and soldiers walking the street. She was back to her normal self, hiding the soft side of her somewhere inside. The other two had followed her example and showed nothing of what they were in the club.
"So you guys heard of the Recognizer that crashed near Able's place right?" Zed started as he looked to the three gang members.
"Yeah, isn't it some massive ship? Same one that flew from Purgos few kilocycles ago?" one of the bigger brutes asked.
"Yeah, same one. Well it crashed and it was the Renegade who brought it down," Zed continued. This seemed to intrigue the others.
"You're serious? He's just one Program! No way he brought that thing down!" the same brunt exclaimed as the others became speechless with shock. Though the trust was it was two Programs who more or less brought it down, no one except three Programs knew that, now only one was alive.
"So why are you telling us?" Pearl regained her composure first.
"Because we're working with that Program," Mara stated confidently.
"You guys are working with the Renegade now?" the other brute was clearly distraught at this turn of events.
"Yes, we're going to start fighting against Tesler," the female mechanic continued in her pride filled voice, "We're looking for others to join us," she let that settle in the air so that other three would catch her meaning.
"You're asking us?" Pearl didn't buy it.
"Yeah! Think about it Pearl, you and your friends can have revenge! You can get back at Tesler!" Zed pressed. It was the ultimatum, now or never.
"Think about Gage," this brought back the anger in the young Program, "He wouldn't let others walk over him, he wouldn't stay on the sidelines while Tesler and his troops took over the city!"
"…No…" the two mechanics stared in dismay as Pearl looked and talked to the ground, "No…"
"Pearl, please-"
"No, he wouldn't!" Pearl exploded. The mechanics jumped back, as Pearl figuratively let out an explosion of energy, "No, he wouldn't stand by and watch at his turf was taken over. Especially, from those orange robots!" Mara and Zed looked to each other at the random insult in confusion, raising and eyebrow and shrugging before turning back to the furious Program.
"When can I start?" Pearl's gaze was filled with anger, determination, and some sadist joy that made Zed cringe, knowing that look from when Mara was infected by the smoke a kilocycle ago.
"Whoa, let's calm down a little Pearl, we need to get you guys trained first," Zed motioned for her to relax, which backfired. Pulling her disc out, she walked over to the backtracking Zed and instantly swiped his feet, only to find nothing as he leaped in the air to avoid it. She shot her disc arm outward to his center mass but was once against met with nothing as he arced his body to the side. Following through, she slashed at the green circuited Program. Continuing to use his agility to his advantage, Zed manage to dodge several more attacks from Pearl before he had her in the basic arm twist Tron had drilled into him and she was prone on the ground.
"I told you, you need training," Zed stated once more, only slightly arrogantly, which was added to by his out of breath state. Mara only rolled her eyes at the sight of his pride.
"Well I bet he still hasn't taught you this one," snapping her wrist suddenly, Pearl was able to free herself from his hold and managed a well placed punch on Zed's crotch. He immediately felt the wrenching pain as his hands shot to the damaged area and he cried out before agony turned it into a pitiful whimper. The other two guys looked on in sympathy and faked pained expressions as they imaged the pain for themselves. When Pearl stood she saw Mara give her a nod of approval, which she returned with a smug grin.
"Alright, let's see this Renegade," Pearl said flipping her hair from her face. The four made their way to the exit while a slowly limping Zed followed far behind.
"I don't think Tron even knows that one," he breathed out in pain.
When the group of Programs reached the top level of the hideout they were greeted by a masked Program.
"I see we have new recruits," he stated as he analyzed his new troops.
She definitely has an attitude problem. He looks like he's build tough, but probably isn't trained in the slightest. And he looks… like he could hold his own, but could care less to be here. Tron deducted.
"Well, they kind of want to take a look around the place first," Zed corrected meekly, which earned him a hard stare from Tron.
"This is not a club. You don't get to look around and see if it's something you and your friends can play and have fun in," Tron barked back causing both Zed and Mara to lower their shoulders.
"Calm down, old timer, I'm here to stay, these two will too," Pearl stated as she walked past Tron without fear from his intimidating stand. The four Programs still in the elevator just watched in awe as she effectively brushed off the greatest Program on the Grid as if he were a mere janitor Program, though Pearl's friends didn't know that, but could still feel his power. Instead of acknowledging Pearl, Tron addressed the other two.
"So, you two. What are your names?" he asked sternly.
"I'm Ralph!" the biggest one stated first. His hair was a simple brown, medium in length and unkempt. His face was almost vial shaped, like one of a mad scientist. It was rather soft for such a big looking guy as his eyebrows were rather normal, his eyes were bright and open with the iris matching his hair color, his nose was round and flat, which worked well with his large rounded chin. Though, he was friends with Pearl, he seemed to be a rather kind looking Program. How did he get mixed up with her and Gage?
"Gavistan! Everyone just calls me Gav," the other announced. He wasn't as big as Ralph but was definitely well built and didn't show any areas of fat that Ralph had around his stomach and legs. He wasn't as tall either but seemed to match Tron's height. His hair was a dark rich brown, half the lengths of Ralph's and looked well maintained. He seemed far older than Ralph and based on a closer look he was definitely nowhere near Zed or Mara's age. The wrinkles and hardening look of his eyes helped steer that train of thought. His brows were thin and a lighter shade than his hair, his eyes were sharp and a light gray with a greenish hue, his nose was straight and slightly larger, and his 5 o'clock was nearly invisible due to common lighting of the Grid.
I like this one. Tron thought approvingly as he continued to scan the aging Program before him. He was very well built throughout his whole body, and his stance proved to have seen some amount of training and combat. Who ever he was, this wasn't his first war, and based off the look in his eyes it wouldn't be his last.
"Welcome to Defiance, Programs," Tron nodded his head, receiving a curt nod from the built Program and a sloppy hesitant one from the bulkier one.
"Zed, Mara, take your two new friends to meet the others, I'm going to have a talk with your… nice one," Tron stated turning to follow Pearl who had started watching the mechanics practicing. She definitely was holding onto a lot of anger, and Tron knew that if it wasn't tended to, it would lead to liabilities when she worked with a group. Once again, she ignored Tron as he neared and continued to hold his intimidating pose.
"Do you really think this'll win a war, Renegade?" Pearl asked without looking up from the glass.
"It can, we just need to train, and get more loyal Programs," Tron answered as he turned to look at the glass.
"There's an army out there!" she yelled back, facing his emotionless visor, "You're crazy if you think you can beat Clu!" she barked.
"How do you know Clu's out there?" Tron asked knowing the announcements hadn't explicitly said Clu was here, just perfection.
"Who else has an army that big? I doubt he'd just let Tesler quadruple his own guys," she kept on.
"I believe it's ten times the original force Tesler was given to take Argon," Tron correctly with his same even tone.
"How could you possibly know that?!" her arms shot out as he glared at the mask, willing him to break.
"Because I once worked for Clu, I know him better than any other Program," Tron admitted.
"You used to work for Clu?! And they wonder if I can be trusted, can we even trust you!?" she exclaimed.
"He betrayed me! He betrayed all of us! He betrayed the Users, the Programs, the Grid!" the white armored Program shot back.
"So why are you only just now starting this Uprising?" the pink haired rebel interrogated.
"It's a Defiance. I couldn't until now,"
"Why?"
"I can't tell you,"
"Oh, just one more thing we're supposed to trust you with huh?" she grilled. He definitely wasn't making it easy.
"Yes, like it or not this is how it's going to be. We need to stick together to beat Clu, why I didn't start this earlier is in the past and can't be changed. We have to focus on the future!" he was expecting this from the teen but was growing tired of it, the stress of more pressing issues taking over his mind. There was a long silence after his outburst, as Pearl turned back to the glass, not watching the mechanics as they were introduced to Ralph and Gav, but thinking heavily on the situation.
"I already said, I'm here for the long run, I just wanna know what and who I'm dealing with," Pearl announced.
"Good, I can tell you'll be a great ally to the Defiance," he answered.
"Ally huh? Weird way of saying pawn," she deadpanned.
"We're all pawns until we stop Clu," he rectified.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Clu's the bad guy, no need to cram your propaganda down my throat," she waved off before silence once again took them.
"Who'd he take from you?" Tron decided to ask, knowing this was the reason she was so bitter and angry.
"Who said anything about him taking anyone?" she muttered darkly.
"Were they close to you?"
He decided to wait her out, knowing she'd talk. Having told her about his betrayal, she'd talk about her own, or loss to be more accurate.
"I was close to all of them," she started weakly, "They were my friends. My family. They were all I had in this world. Everyone else just… threw me away, like I was worthless. It didn't matter how hard I tried, there was always someone better than me, someone faster, who would work longer. I was never good enough in the regular world.
"Then Gage found me. We started hanging out together when we both got fired. We were both rejected from that world… so we made our own. Found our own way to keep busy and get things done. Before we knew it, we had started something. A group of Programs who were outcast from their worlds because they weren't good enough… and now… half of them are gone, including Gage," her voice soft now, defeated and tired. So when the tears came, she didn't try to stop them.
Tron only stared at her, knowing the feelings she was going through only feeling a hundred times worse knowing the force that took away what he held closest to him was a friend he trusted, one he thought he could go to in his times of need, but no. He was just a dark hollow shell, waiting to come out and destroy all those near to him. For what exactly? Tron figured he'd never know. Clu masked it so well, sometimes Tron still dreamed that he was in the Grid with the ISO, with Flynn, with Clu and Dyson helping to create the perfect system.
"We should get the others, you know. Before it's too late," Tron stated calmly.
"I know," Pearl's voice had given up its fight to be rebellious and was now quiet and accepting.
"Does Gav know where they are?"
"I think so,"
"Good. I'll send him out while you and Ralph stay and train," he glanced at the girl next to him and began second guessing himself.
"Sounds good to me,"
"On second thought, you should probably get some rest," he offered more gently.
"I don't need rest," her voice was soulless.
"I doubt that. Get some rest. Come back when you're ready. I'll be sure to have you start working with Mara," he informed her.
"Why her?"
"Because I have a feeling you two will be needing a bit more time to work together to get used to each other,"
"I'm used to her," Pearl stated weakly.
"No, you're not. You're both leaders. Strong headed, determined, leaders, but you have different frames of mind. Whatever, her and Zed said to get you down here, whatever she did for you, will probably be the little that you two have with nice terms," this bit of new information elicited a small harsh laugh from Pearl.
"That sucks. I was hoping for a girlfriend. Never had one before," she said genuinely disappointed.
"Oh, you'll be friends, just not when you're on the field," Tron said lighthearted.
"Again, how could you even think you know that?"
"Because I know your types. Seems to be the only kind of woman around this city," Tron joked.
"Maybe you just mixed up in the wrong crowds, old timer," Pearl teased feeling her spunk coming back.
"I don't think it's me, I think it was another Program who started this. He's the reason,"
"The reason for what?"
"For everything," Tron stated boldly.
The large commotion around the elevator had caught the attention of all the mechanics who were training. Mara had been one of the last to go and see what was grabbing everyone's attention as she was just finishing her sparring match with Zed. It was an odd feeling sparring with Zed again. Bringing up the memories of a time before the Occupation when Beck and Bodhi were the other two of the squad. The two would compete on so much it was hard to tell when they weren't trying to best each other in a friendly game of rivalry. Zed and her would compete too, but only on the field. Now, that friendly rivalry came back and the partner she used to fight against was in front of her. She hadn't realized it until the first time they sparred. Zed was far different from when they had lost Bodhi, his witty comments weren't so harsh, they were funny and friendly. Not that they weren't after Bodhi's death but they were darker and cruel, and they were never really meant for anyone but himself, she was just close enough to him to hear him mutter the jokes.
Thinking of Zed's change worried her. Not necessarily about him but about herself. How had she changed? What did she lose after Bodhi? What did she gain, if anything? Pain and loneliness was her immediate answer. Zed was not the lighthearted goof ball, but a darker, hate driven Program with self esteem issues that were brought to the surface and worsened instead of healed. Beck had… become distant and guarded, but she knew it was for good reason. After giving it second thought, she realized he hadn't really changed so much. His drive to see the best in others close to him, especially himself, was still there. He still pushed himself and went past his limit to find a new one. It always made her do the same. He was a beacon to their group, most of all to his best friend. That was another thing she knew about Beck and Bodhi, they were a pair, brothers. At the same time, she and Zed were closer to each other than either Beck or Bodhi. They were… something. Back then she didn't see, but she knew it was there, in the back of her mind just starting to bloom, something more than just a close companionship. Only now could she feel that same buzz, getting a taste of her old life, of her old friend.
She decided to put the fluttering feeling in her heart aside for the moment and focus on the crowd in front of her. Boosting herself on her tippy toes, she could see Tron's helmet through the crowd. He stood next to a large group of other Programs, about half the size of the group of mechanics.
"Calm down. Give us space," Tron said in his usual authority voice. Following their leader's command, the renegades backed up and spread around the main entrance. Tron and the others headed for the center, obvious that he wanted to talk to everyone.
"We have new members to our Defiance, renegades," Tron stated after reaching an appropriate spot, "We will be working with them from this point on so make sure to get to know their names. I will evaluate them and continue to gather you all in groups of similar skill levels. For now, keep sparring as planned. You can meet your new members after you are done,"
Having just finished coming to the main entrance only to be ordered back and wait didn't make Mara too happy. Instead of complaining, she did what she was told and proceeded to the original match platform the holoroom had generated for her and Zed. Starting off a new set of rounds the pair began their disc duel.
"Hey Zed," Mara started while they were in the middle of small break.
The two sat against a wall of the holoroom that was attached to the glass preview area. They were nearly touching. Mara had curled her self into a ball, her legs pressed against her chest as her arms wrapped around them to keep them in place. Zed was a little more casual having only one leg propped up and not as tight as hers.
"Yeah?" Zed looked to her after taking a gulp of energy from a bottle.
"Do you remember when the four of us would hang out at the field and spend micros talking and having fun?" her voice was distant, clearly remembering the said times.
"Of course. Not that I think about it as often, but yeah I think about the better days from time to time," Zed answered in a lighter tone than was his normal.
Better days… Mara thought to herself.
"Doesn't this feel kind of like that?" she wondered, turning to look at him.
"Yeah, a little," he responded with content agreement.
"Just a little?"
"Well, you know it's not the same without Bodhi or Beck tearing it up in the court next to us," he smiled. Something she was glad to see.
"You're right," she nodded giving him her own smile.
"But it's… weird. Now that they're both gone, I don't feel like I have to worry about either one of them,"
"You mean like when Beck was gone doing his thing?"
"Yeah. I always got worried he was off doing something he'd regret, something he wouldn't normally do because Bodhi was gone," Zed shook his head softly, "I guess it wasn't exactly normal, but," he took a pause to look at the other mechanics fighting, "It wasn't a bad thing,"
"It's weird how we lost Bodhi and we all changed, but now that Beck's gone too, it seems like things are going back to the way they used to be," Mara rested her head against her knees.
"I've been thinking the same thing. And I think I figured out a clever little analogy for them. Beck and Bodhi were like two halves of the same thing, when one was gone, the other tried to compensate and do its best on its own,"
"How is that clever?"
"I'm not done yet! You and me are the same way, well in a different way. Doesn't make any sense I know, let me finish. We were two pairs that worked well together, so well that we had become two halves of a bigger thing! When our half saw their half in… well half, we worried and tried to help compensate but we didn't know how things in their half worked so we ended up trying to figure it out and changed ourselves to fit their needs. So when that last half disappeared, we became our own whole thing, not some weird quad pair thing," Zed finished.
"Zed… I think that's more complicated than clever," Mara joked.
"I know. You know I'm not good at explaining things,"
"Or coming up with them," she teased.
"Hey! You understand it don't you?"
"Of course I do. You said it yourself, we're a pair," she comforted unnecessarily.
"But we're not a pair like they were. They were closer, almost seemed like they knew what each other was thinking,"
"They're like brothers," Mara simplified.
"Right, we're not as close as them, and I don't see you as a sister," Zed added softly. Mara was glad to see the friend she had come to know over the cycles next to her. The one that wasn't afraid to tell her how he really thought deep down about important things, emotional anyway.
"Then what do you see me as?" her voice was incredibly gentle and inviting. Zed could feel the effects as they ran through his body, calming, relaxing, and encouraging him.
"Mara… about us…" he started slowly, turning to look at the ground, "I wanted to know more about you, more than I already did. I wanted to be the Program who knew you. I wanted to be like Beck or Bodhi, knowing what the other was thinking, being able to watch out for them, help them when they were down," he paused.
"But when Bodhi was… I changed, like you said. I was so mad at everything. I couldn't understand why he was taken from us. What did he do? But I couldn't figure it out and that only pissed me off more. Then the Renegade showed up and you started looking at him. I wanted to be what you looked at. Now, I realize that it was me being angry that worked against me, but back then I couldn't see it. I'm changed because of that anger. I don't know if I'll be the same Zed you knew before the Occupation. And that's what causes me to be so afraid, that I won't be what worked so well with you. I forgot how to make those jokes that make you laugh so much, I haven't listened to you talk about your emotions in a really long time. So I'm afraid that what's going to happen is that I'll lose you. Mainly, I mean I'm afraid I'll lose you as friend. I hate it. I hate being afraid of losing the person I've become closest to. I hate the thought of losing the one person I love," he finished, letting out a sigh.
He had peered up at Mara a few times during his speech before looking down. It wasn't that he couldn't look her in the eye it was just that Mara failed at hiding her emotions and he feared if he saw anything to discourage him he'd freeze up. But he had finished, he let out everything he had been holding onto since Able's garage.
His arms were wrapped around under his knee, his let still pressed up against him. It took a second to register but he started feeling a pressure against his shoulder and then before truly acknowledging it, he was wrapped in Mara's arms. Being pulled into her, he was pressing against his wrapping friend. Like a roller coaster, his nerves were calm before becoming highly on tension and then falling to a warming relaxation of bliss, one he had not felt in a very long time.
"I love you too,"
AN: (Gonna be bigger than usual) I guess I'll start by saying I became a little distracted from this project. I had a sudden explosion of inspiration for another idea and had to get it down. Almost 7k of words in one night, it was nice. Anyway, that put me three days off track and the feelings from the story are still kind of looming so I hope they didn't bleed too much into this chapter. That said, I never intended to have this Mara and Zed thing happen. In fact, I never really planned to have the two become official in this story. Then I watched the last episode of Young Justice and felt they (Zed and Mara) need to say their feelings, life's too short. And really it is. But I'm still to stubborn to make right my own mistakes in love so what can you do?
Next, if you saw the movie and I described him well enough, you'd figure out that Ralph is Wreck It Ralph. I don't know why, he just popped in my head and I rolled with it. Gavistan is one of my first characters I made when I played World of Warcraft, I think I'll be having him be reoccuring.
Back to the couple. Zed I feel was far from his usual character in this chapter. So this is the time I break my rule: "The characters define the story, the story doesn't define the characters" So I added backstory to support my change in character, while changing what was in the show a bit. I don't think he was as dark as I was making him. Another thing, ever notice how Bodhi's circuit lines were red? Just like Paige's. Funny how Beck got along with both of them. I wonder if that means anything?
I don't plan on making any Zed and Mara scenes anymore, well I never did but here it is anyway. They're not my favorite couple, Zed reminds me all my own flaws while Mara is that bright person who I can't help but be slightly jealous of because they don't have fear. Are they a good couple? Yes. Though I prefer a spitfire kind of relationship. You know each other enough to keep each other in line, while also calming to let the love heal any lasting wounds. What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic.
Now to end my less than professional author's monologue. I have a few sections already typed in the upcoming chapters, but I think I'm going to stick to a 7-10 day time between chapters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
-Rose's Requiem