AN: If you play League of Legends, you'll get the references in the later part of this chapter. She's my favorite champion.
Wade Tobias Terence Lytton has nine easy to reach vital points. It will take approximately a fifth of a second for me to reach him if he attempts to do anything. But Skyra glaring daggers at him and Aiden is clenching and unclenching his hands, so I don't think he will try. If Torrent were here, Wade would have a hand around his throat. Good thing Torrent is healing. I told Skye to keep him in the room.
Wade isn't scared, though. Of course, he is someone who flourishes under stressful situations, who molds alliances during war. He owns the largest energy provider company and is second in technology only to Devon Corps.
And he has a shit-baby son named Wally; I haven't forgotten.
"Then he threw the PAL at me and it clamped around my wrist. Skyra took it off as fast as she could, but it left a scar," Baby Girl explains, but she doesn't show him the snaking defect and hides it behind her back instead.
Wade rubs his watch, steadily looking at Alexa with unsettling green eyes. His hair is the same color and definitely artificial, as the roots are grey. She doesn't look away, straight-backed, chin high.
"If you're expecting an apology—"
"I'm not. I'm not even sure why you're here."
At that, he falls silent again. His voice is plain, especially for a multi-billionaire. I was expecting someone more substantial. More memorable than this man who is neither tall nor short, who wears a clean-cut suit, but with no accessories besides his watch.
"I'm also aware that my daughter has caused you trouble."
"She did, but Steven Stone talked to her and you might want to check her into a burn ward after that."
I choke to suppress a laugh. Skyra shoots me a murderous scowl, her wings raised to make herself look bigger. She did it when she was a Taillow, and even though she's big now, sometimes, she still does it unconsciously.
"So," he says, leaning across the small table at the back of Piece Center, steepling his fingers, "so, then. What can I do for you?"
"What do you mean?" Alexa inches away from Aiden, who is glowing, literally, with rage and a heated bloodstream. "You're the one that found me right after I beat Tavor's Gym."
"What can I do for you?" he repeats.
"Nothing."
"You don't want anything? You don't want me to buy you anything?"
"Buy? I have Steven's ring and his credit card number. What do I need to buy?"
"Passage. Hit-men. Cloned Pieces from Kanto and Johto. Prostitutes," he leans back, "USBs."
"Are you a mob leader? What's a prostitute?"
"Interesting. Aren't you also friends with Mr. Birch?"
"Who, Brendan's dad?"
"No. Brendan. Recently-incarcerated Mr. Birch. Multitude-of-published-papers-on-the-workings-of-the-abnormal-human-mind Mr. Birch."
"He's not in jail. He's getting help at Steven's hospital."
"And I've noticed you're at first-name basis with Dr. Stone."
"What does that matter?"
"Are you two in a relationship?"
"Yeah?"
"No," I interrupt. "Friendships don't count, Lexa. They're not dating."
"Just friends, but you have his ring and credit card."
"Wait a second," Alexa stands up, "I just realized I don't have to answer any of your questions."
"That's true." Wade fishes in his pocket and pulls out a USB and slides it over to Alexa. "It's the Surf USB. That's all I wanted to give to you anyway. That, and to ask if you needed anything. The rest was just… curiosity."
"You want to do a favor for me as an apology?" Alexa asks, pocketing the USB. Torrent will be happy with that; he has been aching to learn the move.
"Not as an apology. I won't apologize for anything my son has done. His actions, his consequences. But yes. A favor. For my curiosity."
"You should spend more time with Wally, President Lytton."
"No," he responds flatly. "My son is… unnatural."
"Because he doesn't spend enough time with you or anyone," Alexa counters earnestly, hands flat against the table and looking Wade in the eye.
"You seem oddly invested in this."
"My dad did the same and look at me now," she says, sweeping her hands wide.
"I see a well-adjusted little girl whose only fault is the inability to recognize the status of whom she is talking to, which is actually more of a blessing in this situation and many others, if Dr. Stone and Mr. Birch have anything to say about it. It's refreshing."
"Oh!" She flops down in her seat. "Well-adjusted?"
"Perhaps genuine is the correct word."
"Wally needs you. I think he does all this stuff for attention from you." She frowns, "That isn't to say, the next time I see him, I'm punching him in the face again, to hell with his hemophilia."
"You punched my hemophiliac son in the face?"
"Your hemophiliac son electrocuted me," she says with the same tone.
"Touché. I was told that you would be a lot quieter than this. Docile."
"I just had a Gym battle. The adrenaline is still in my system. And… and I'm happier." She looks at the palms of her hands. "I don't know why. I still miss Cobalt and Lana, and I killed Flannery's last Piece, and Brendan's still sick, but… I don't know. Flannery said there were things worse than death. And that made me feel better. And Tavor stood up to your son. You should spend more time with him, President."
Wade idly stirs a spoon in his tea. The light citrus smell curls around our heads.
"Do you like Lady Grey?" she asks.
"Yes."
"I like oolong. It reminds me of home."
"Why don't you go home, Alexandra Oak?" He leans back, eyes subdued.
"Because my father is here and I want to bring him back to my mother. Because I need to know what happened to my brother. Because Hoenn has PALs, President Lytton, and they are horrifying."
"What can you do to stop a culture so steeped in capturing Pieces easily and readily?"
"I will challenge the Piece Keepers. I will become champion. I will outlaw PALs."
"You say it like it's easy, Alexandra. You need money for that. Connections. This is the livelihood of Devon Corporations we're talking about."
"I have Steven. I have Brendan."
"Alexandra Oak…" he says her name as a question. "Oak. Oak. Where have I heard that name before?"
"Maybe my grandfather. Professor Oak?"
"No. Not that. Well, I do know your grandfather, and that you've come from another dimension. I've known for quite some— oh. Oak." He pulls out a small book that looks like a diary. And then another. And then another. "Oak. About two years ago." He ruffles through the pages until he finds the right journal entry. "July 17th. Asher Oak dies in a mysterious accident that President Stone is paying money to cover-up. Interesting. Steven Stone much less depressed than he should be." He looks back up at Alexa, who is staring at him with wide-eyes. "Yes, I see the resemblance. Same colored eyes. Who is your father?"
"You knew my brother?" Alexa whispers. Her fingers are clutching my sleeve.
"I knew about your brother. I still know about your brother. Devon is a rival corporation, so I did research on that entire business. I know the full story, if not the intentions. But it seems," he says, looking at Alexa's face, "that I have found a bartering chip."
Alexa's hand flies to Aiden's arm before he can complete his motion of standing up.
"Sit down," she says, with steel in her voice. He does so, eyes flickering like fire. "What can I do for your information, President Lytton?"
"You are close with Steven, yes?"
"Close enough."
"Then do me a favor and ask him to find out what his father is doing with the Devon Goods."
"What if he says no?"
"It's alright, then. I just want you to ask."
"I thought they were building a ship with it. Or a submarine or something like that."
"Oh, Alexandra," he laughs, "They're building something… but it definitely is not a ship."
"What else could they be building?"
"Who knows? But, President Stone did invent the PAL. And that is… ominous."
"You're on my side, aren't you? You would support me if I became champion."
"Devon would go down and I would rise to the top. I'm not on your side because of some inner morality. I'm on your side for other reasons."
"I'll ask him."
"Alright. Now, for your brother. Are you sure you want to hear this?"
"I'm sure."
"Like I said, I don't know why any of these things happened. But as far as I know, Asher Oak arrived in this world at some time and was assigned as a PAL tester by President Stone. He also appeared at many parties with Steven Stone, who confirmed to be dating him. He swept through the gyms one by one, never having trouble, and had no trouble with the Piece Keepers. And then he battled against Steven Stone and lost."
"He battled Steven?" Alexa asked, incredulous. Steven never was very honest. Omission of a fact is still a lie.
"He did. Apparently, he fully lost his mind that day, although many people say he was very... strange before. No. Psychopathic? Anyway, he wandered down to Petalsburg and ordered Gym Leader Tavor to give him a rematch. The Gym Leader refused and Asher struck him and soon after, ordered his Pieces to kill Tavor. At that moment, his Pieces rebelled and turned on him." Wade pauses, studying Alexa's face. "And they ate him."
"Enough!" I say, standing up. The wooden table beneath my hands starts to grow bark and roots into the tiled floor. At Aiden's end, the table smolders, leaving black char marks and glowing cracks. Behind me, I feel the wind rush past my ears, and I know Skyra is gritting her teeth.
"Sit down!" Alexa says, to all of us this time. I do, but the top of the table already starts to sprout little, red-capped mushrooms. They radiate death.
"I'm going to check on Torrent," Skyra growls and stalks off.
"You go, too, Aiden. Cuddle next to Torrent or you'll set fire to everything."
Aiden flushes, making the air around his head waver in the heat. Then he walks off, leaving just me and Baby Girl.
"You have impressive control over your Pieces considering you're a small child," Wade says nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just revealed that Ash's own Pieces had consumed him.
"They brought his ashes for the funeral. He couldn't have been eaten."
"They lied to you, Alexandra. Are you a big enough girl to handle the truth? Because they ate him until there was only bloodstains on the floor. Even the Pieces that are only supposed to eat plants and nuts and berries all forced bite after bite down their throats and turned him into energy."
"I am a big enough girl," she says quietly. And that one sentence makes me want to cry.
"You must be careful around President Stone and his family," he says, standing up. By the doorway, his bodyguards scramble to get his coat and open the door. "They silenced what happened to your brother. And maybe they will silence you." He rummages in his pocket again and pulls out a card. "This is my personal phone. Call me if there is something neither Steve nor Brendan can get you."
"Thank you for your service, President Lytton. I will remember you when I am champion."
"Oh," he chuckles, turning and walking towards the door, "What a fierce face."
Mauville has changed.
Already, houses have been built in place of holographic walls. The scaffolding of unfinished buildings reach into the sky in some unchecked ambition. Best of all are the people. Workers scaling sides of houses, children skirting the danger zones. The sky is blue. A natural blue.
Too bad Skye and Aiden are inside. They would have loved to see a city being reborn. Both for different reasons.
"The air tastes fine," Skyra mumbles more to herself than me. I kiss her and she starts. "What?" she asks.
"Nothing."
"Girl!"
We turn around to see Wattson striding towards us. It still looks like rolls of fat are strapped to his body, but his beard and thinning hair is as white as Skye's wings and his eyes are a sharp blue.
"Girl, you've come to visit! When Tavor said you'd be looping around my town, I was ecstatic? Ha! Static! Get it?"
Torrent, who usually laughs at these tasteless bits of poison - I mean, jokes - doesn't make a sound. We're all remembering a girl with fearless blue eyes.
"My name is Alexandra, Wattson," she responds, and I can tell by her voice that she still hasn't forgiven the Gym Leader. But he doesn't seem to notice or mind.
"Alexandra and Pieces! Welcome to our humble, progressing town! It will have the newest technology, while still keeping in touch with nature. Clean energy all around! Well, I mean," and here, Watson folds his arms, tumbling onward with his speech as if he has rehearsed it, "we would have clean energy if we could turn the generator on. There's an island a little way off from here called New Mauville. A lot of powerful electric Pieces live there. A lot of not powerful Pieces, too. The point it, a lot of Pieces live there, which means oodles of electricity gets casually thrown off."
"So you collect it," I complete, while Skyra shudders at the thought of that much electricity.
"Of course I do, little bird," he exclaims. Odd name choice. "Who wouldn't? And I would go there myself, except-" and here he falters. "I'm..."
Baby Girl starts to rub her scar.
"I'm not really good at saying sorry, lad."
"I didn't come here to hear it, Watson. I'm just passing through."
"But I'm sorry. I am." There is no trace of happiness in his face. If you look closely, you can see the faded indents that the nosepieces of the hologram glasses left behind. His eyes are clear and coherent. "I found her grave. There's an Oran sapling there, now. You must have planted it, huh, little lad?"
Alexa nods.
"Yeah, yeah. Of course you did. I put a bucket by there. Iron, of course. It seems like some of the children there take turns watering it everyday. I didn't know they enjoyed that kind of stuff. Well, frankly, I didn't know they existed but well, now I do." He took a deep breath and moved onward. "And I stopped using PALs." Alexa looks up sharply. "I've been training Pieces that I caught in PENs. A girl and a boy, uh, Piece. Well, they aren't little anymore. They evolved recently. Roe and Ren. They're unlikely siblings. They met when they were young and- well, you wouldn't want to here the whole story! They make me walk everyday and frankly, it's killing me. In a good way! Uh. The point is, I don't have Surf. And even if I did, well," he patted his ample stomach. "I'm not exactly in the best condition. I'm fat. I've been trying to reach Champion Stone, but it seems like he's been busy. And I'm trying my best to get stronger but-"
"I'll turn on the generator for you, Wattson," Alexa says, her voice much gentler than it has been so far. "What did you do with your PAL caught Pieces?"
"You will? That's great! I'm-"
"What did you do with your PAL caught Pieces?" she repeats patiently.
"They're... They're on my desk. In their PALs. Releasing them kills them so I thought it was better off to-"
"Release them," Skyra interrupts and I put a hand on her wrist to remind her where she is. But her heart is calm and steady. Drumbeats. "Don't keep them another day in the PAL. You'll be killing them, but those bodies you see are just empty shells. Their spirit will rise and then fall to the ground. You'll find them in dew, in oceans, and maybe you'll find them again in the eyes of another Piece. The body is temporary but the spirit is eternal. You have to release them. You have to."
"I - I will," the Gym Leader replies, surprised. "What's your name?"
"Skyra."
"I will, Skyra."
My eyes are caught on Baby Girl's. Bright and big and the sunlight glints off them until they are their own sunny day.
"Recycled," Alexa says. "Not really dead, right?"
"Dead. But not gone," Skyra pulls her hat down further, which she does when she's embarrassed. "My mother used to say it to me a lot. She said the spirits looked like rain and that only certain people could see it. I never believed her. She was a shaman and chief, and she was weak and crippled, so I despised her but," she tucks her hair behind her ear and looks straight at Alexa, "But I was wrong. She was physically weak and I hated her for that. But she could see more than I can ever hope to."
"I'll turn on the generator for you, Wattson," Alexa repeats, turning back to the Gym Leader. But this time, her eyes are sparkling and she is much happier than I've seen in a long time. "But you have to do me a favor."
"I will do everything in my power."
"Do you have large screens in this world? Like LCD screens but they take up entire walls. So you can make phone calls and see other people or watch TV or something like that."
"Yes, something like that. You mean like monitors, right? They're fairly common."
"Would the hospital in Mossdeep have them?"
"Steven Stone's hospital? Mossdeep Neurological Hospital and Psychiatric Care Unit?"
"Yeah."
"I don't doubt it. This is Steven Stone we're talking about. He invented the wall monitors when he was twelve."
"After I come back, I need you to place a call to Steven. Alright? I have someone I need to talk to."
"Is that… Is that it? That's all?"
"That's all," she says, turning on her heel and walking down to the waterside.
Torrent grins wider and wider the closer we get to the lake.
"What did Surf teach you, Torrent?" Baby Girl asks, picking her way through the underbrush. "I mean, you always knew how to swim. The only difference is that you'll have to carry us."
Aiden, of course, had opted to stay in his PEN, far from the water. I had forbid Skyra and Skye to come to an electric generator, so it was just Alexa, Torrent, and I.
"I think," he answers, "that all the USBs teach you a way of seeing. It's like half-vision. A way of not seeing and seeing at the same time. You know how all the trees Foxglove Cut turned into the gold energy stuff?" Alexa nodded. "The same with Rock Smash, too. If you hit a certain spot, things will turn into energy. It's sorta like that, but with Fly and Surf, you see where the energy is the thickest, and how to — well, maybe it'll be easier to show you. The first thing I learned, was this." He throws both his guns into the air. Halfway up, they start to meld together, much like Cobalt's shield used to crumple and smooth out at will. When it comes down, it is no longer a pair of guns, but a surfboard. He wades into the water, laying the board flat, and waves for us to come. I pick up Alexa and jump onto the surface, thinking it will plunge into the water. It doesn't; it barely moves.
"Woah," Alexa marvels, jumping up and down. Once again, I expect the thin board to capsize, but it merely sends out gentle ripples. "Torrent, you're amazing. How are you doing this?"
"Energy. You can't see it, but I can. And I can manipulate it. I think, that's what we've been doing all this time, when we use Water Gun, and Flamethrower, and that stuff, but now I can actually see it."
I dip my hand into the water and find it almost rubbery. Could this energy be the same material spirits are made of? Where did this energy come from? And manipulation of energy doesn't explain how there is always a seed whenever I reach into my back pocket, no matter the circumstances. My father would have told me such questions were for humans, and that I could be exiled for asking them.
"Are you okay, Briar?" Alexa asks, startling me. I smile.
"Are you in tune with my heart, too?" I respond, smoothing the worried wrinkle in between her eyebrows.
"Of course," she says, "maybe not as much as Torrent, but you are still my Piece."
"I'm alright. I'm just thinking of many things. As usual."
She grins.
"I like that about you," she says and turns back to Torrent. The Marshtomp looks over her head at me, eyes questioning. I wink at him and he snorts, rolling his eyes. He no longer goes red in the face.
Slowly, the surfboard starts to move. Eventually, it accelerates until we're skipping over the water like a well-thrown stone. We reach the small, hunched building in no time.
"Briar, get off," Torrent says, and I do so, landing lightly on the sand. He turns the board and this time, the lake starts to make waves, undulating in size until they're ten, twenty feet high. Alexa screams in excitement, clutching onto Torrents arm when he pulls both of them to their feet. I catch a glimpse of them both. It's a memory I wish I can keep forever, the sun glittering on the drops of water in their hair, Torrent leaning into the turn of the surfboard, and Alexa laughing, finally laughing. Then, they drop across the wave, cutting across the crest. The sun shines through, illuminating them in a turquoise light with only the shadow of fish and the Pieces that live in the lake blocking the clear water.
The wave deposits them near the shore and they are both laughing hard. Torrent picks her up in one arm, steps on top of the water, picks up the board in the other, and walks back to me, the lake lapping at his shoes.
"I didn't know you could do that," I comment mildly, catching Alexa when he throws her at me.
"Me neither. I'm so glad I learned that move. It's gonna be great when Skyra learns Fly."
Alexa wriggles out of my arms.
"Wait, wait, does this count as a new area?" She pulls out her Icon, which I haven't seen for a very long time, and presses the screen a couple of times. "It does!"
"Please note," the GLaDOS states, "that we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an unsatisfactory mark on your official testing record, followed by death."
"You see, this is why I never pull you out," Alexa says, disapproving.
"I have not seen the light of day for quite some time. I need to say all the things I have been meaning to say to you."
"Fine," Alexa relents, "you can talk while we look for the generator."
GLaDOS does not stop talking for a long time in her detached, mechanized voice. I mean, really. She doesn't stop talking. And she has no need to take a breath, so she keeps going on and on and on.
"There was even going to be a party for you," it says, "A big party that all your friends were invited to. I invited your best friend, the Companion Cube. Of course, he couldn't come because you murdered him. All your other friends couldn't come, either, because you don't have any other friends because of how unlikable you are. It says so right here in your personnel file: 'Unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikable loner, whose passing shall not be mourned. Shall NOT be mourned.' That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you were adopted, so that's funny, too."
Alexa doesn't seem to mind, though. We walk through the dim halls of the building, flashes of electricity briefly illuminating our way.
"Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science Self Esteem Fund for Girls? It's true — true — true — true."
Alexa shakes the Icon lightly.
"GLaDOS?" she calls, shaking it again, "You okay?"
"Why are you running?" says a voice that is definitely not GLaDOS'. Alexa shakes the Icon again.
"GLaDOS, is that you?"
"Why are they running?" asks the voice. It's definitely coming from GLaDOS though, and sounds robotic. At the same time, it possesses a strange, almost musical quality to it.
"We're not running," Torrent states, looking around. "Come out and play."
"A ghost Piece?" Alexa asks, holding GLaDOS tightly to her chest.
"No. I don't think so," I muse, looking at GLaDOS' wavering screen.
"This is a fun game." From the darkness of the hallways, a Magnemite that seems to be about twelve human years floats to us. As most first evolutions, she's wearing a plain tee-shirt and shorts, grey-colored. Two horseshoe magnets orbit her body and three screws swing around her head like a makeshift halo. One of her eyes shine red. But when she blinks, they glow blue. The other eye seems to be more robotic than not, with it's circular eyepiece pulsing a consistent red. "This is very exciting." The air tastes like ozone for a second, and then an arc of electricity sizzles out of a magnet and hits Torrent. His eyes light up while the Thunder Shock writhes around him. Even though we know it can't hurt him, Baby Girl and I both hold our breath. "Interesting." One eye turns to look at Alexa. The other whirrs counterclockwise. "No. You will shut down."
Suddenly, GLaDOS sparks and fizzes. The Magnemite cocks her head.
"Why does it fight me?" the Magnemite sings.
"You think you're doing damage? Two plus two is — is — ten," the Icon crackles and spits out a couple of chips. We exchange worried glances. "IN BASE FOUR, I'M FINE."
"Motivating."
"Would you like to come with us?" Alexa questions, her hopes lilting her voice up. "We're aiming for the Piece Keepers. We use PENs."
The screws above the Magnemite's head spin until they're blurring. They stop abruptly.
"Yes. I am your weapon. I am Capala. Catch me."
Alexa fumbles through her bag for a PEN. Capala floats forward and one of the magnets press the button. She disappears in a flash of red light. Alexa lets her out immediately.
"Can you use my phone to talk?" Alexa requests, "I don't think GLaDOS likes you using the Icon."
"Winding." Capala is silent. Then, there is a click from Alexa's iPhone. "We are as one."
"Let's be honest. Neither one of us knows what that thing does. Just put it in the corner and I'll deal with it later," GLaDOS says.
"I think that's enough of you for today." Alexa closes GLaDOS and shoves it deep into her bag. "Do you know where the generator is, Capala? We need to turn it on."
"Yes." But she doesn't say anything else.
"Can you show us where it is?" I finally ask after a minute of silence.
"There is no need." The lights flicker on and deep within the building, we can hear the hum of a newly activated generator.
"Will it stay on?" Torrent asks.
"I know what makes it tick. I know how to make the ticking stop. I know how to make the ticking never end." She floats towards the exit, turning to make sure we are following. "We go."
"Delicious," Capala says when the gigantic screen powers on. I pull her out of view of the camera and she slides along easily, not resisting. Skyra sidles away from her.
"Come on, Skyra," I say, "Capala's nice."
"Yes. I am a nice girl," Capala offers.
"Robot Pieces are creepy," I hear Skyra mumble. She flutters to the other side of the room.
"She doesn't mean it, Capala."
"The ring is sad." The three screw orbiting her head spin slowly, despondently.
"It's alright, Capala. Can you keep Skye company?"
"We go." She walks out the doors.
"Dr. Stone, please. Say Alexa called."
Suddenly, the large screen flicks to a video feed of an office. It looks real enough to be a continuation of the room, if not for it's different style of furnishings. Large, black bookcases line the walls. Certificates and diplomas are framed and hung on the side next to a door. Bits of sea glass hang in jars by the window, throwing colorful light over the large desk. Through one of the open windows, we can see the sea, clear and beautiful. The soft sound of the waves and children laughing can be heard.
"Oceans everywhere," Aiden mutters.
Abruptly, the windows fold back with a mechanized whir. The space grows wider and wider until we can see part of the rocky coast line, and even some of the children. There is a rush of clanking, and Steven drops in through the aperture. Bastion flies in a moment later.
"The next time he calls me to ask for information, I swear I will take your saber and give him a prefrontal lobotomy with it," Steven fumes, ripping off his jacket and throwing it on his chair.
"Steven, we have company."
Steven glances at the wall and jumps when he sees Alexa.
"Dear Arceus, Alexa! You scared me!"
"I heard you invented this when you were twelve."
"Well, yes, but — I mean. Cristo, it's good to see you."
"Really." Her voice is smooth. "I want to talk to Brendan."
"Alexa," Steven sighs, "I told you—"
"There's a lot of things you didn't tell me, Steven."
"Someone's in trouble," Aiden sing-songs savagely. I shoot him a look and he just shrugs. He's enjoying this.
"I don't understand—"
"I had a chat with President Lytton."
Steven sighs.
"I didn't think that the things I left out were important—"
"My brother was eaten!"
"And what does that matter?!" he walks up to the screen, close enough so that we could reach out and touch him. "What does it matter how he died?!"
"Because that funeral was a fake!" Alexa shouted. "But those ashes were human ashes, because they were examined by the coroner! Who did you kill?! Whose ashes does my mom have in her living room?!"
"You are asking the wrong person for that, Alexa. I had nothing to do with—"
"But you did battle him, right?!"
At this, Steven takes a step back, as if she had punched him. Then, he advances, step by step, until he is right in front of the monitor. It looks like he is standing in front of her. She looks up at him, hellfire in her eyes.
"Yes. I did battle him. And he lost."
"Let me talk to Brendan," Alexa hisses.
"I am not keeping him from you because I am jealous, Alexa. I'm keeping him from you because he is—"
"When I become champion," she breathes, jabbing a finger into the screen, "I will ruin you, if you do not let me speak with Brendan now."
"Alexa," I say, but Bastion throws up a steel plated wing, blocking Steven from the screen. When the Skarmory looks at Alexa, her yellow eyes are sharp and angry.
"I will connect you to Brendan now," she says. The screen goes black.
"Alexa, that was unnecessary," I reprimand, but she isn't listening to me, because in the next instance, Brendan shows up on the screen.
"Brendan?"
He is standing by the window. There is a bed in the background, but it's bolted to the floor. Listlessly, he slides his eyes over to Alexa. But he doesn't move. His arms are bandaged, and he's wearing a simple shirt and shorts. His skin is as dark as ever.
"Brendan," Alexa calls again. She puts a hand to the screen, as if she can touch him.
"I'm not supposed to talk to you," he says sullenly. His voice sounds scratchy.
"Who told you that?"
He taps his temple and remains silent.
"Brendan, how have you been?"
"Broken," he answers and then looks away. "I'll probably be punished for talking to you."
"Punished by whom?"
This time, he doesn't even move.
"Brendan, I miss you."
His eyes are softer when he turns.
"You shouldn't have called me, Alex. You should have listened to Steven. I'm disconnecting now." He walks over to the screen, matches his hand on hers, and kisses where her mouth would have been if he had been in front of her. The screen disconnects to black, and then, again, to Steven's office.
Steven is sitting on the beige couch, hands folded over his stomach, eyes closed. There are dark circles under his eyes. Bastion is nowhere to be seen.
It is silent for a long time. I want to go to Alexa, but I feel that's not what will be best for her right now. Skyra meets my eyes and I nod towards the door. She nods back and drags Aiden out.
"What can I do for you, Champion Alexandra Oak," he says bitterly, eyes still closed.
"President Lytton asks what President Stone is doing with the Devon Goods," Alexa says. I can't see her face, but her voice is hollow.
"I wouldn't know."
There is a long, aching silence. Alexa lowers herself to the ground and sits crosslegged in front of the screen. I feel every muscle in my body screaming to go there and pick her up, but I resist because I love her too much.
Instead, it is Steven who stands up and crouches in front of her with a sigh. He makes motions like he is wiping away her tears, and she drags the palm of her hands across her eyes. He talks softly to her until she raises her head.
"I forget you're a child, sometimes," he says.
"I'm not," she says. "No. I'm all grown up now."