"I have to tell you something, in case this is my last chance to tell you; I know why you are the way you are but you don't know why I'm the way I am." she closed her eyes to ask god for strength.
"Remember that summer when we were 9, daddy he broke your jaw and locked you in the tool shed in triple digit heat for 6 days?" she bit her lip.
"Unfortunately yes," he said with his eyes closed." you slipped me food and water though the hole in the corner." he said smiled; he actually considered this to be a positive childhood memory.
"Usually you would just take it and tell me to leave before I got caught, but the day you asked me to hold your hand," she paused as he put his arms around her.
"I touched your hand I could feel how sick you were; I-I couldn't loose you. "She was still breathing hard. The next part she truly didn't want to remember. "I asked daddy what it would take to let you out. He was drunk and he started touching me...and he let me know what he wanted." Their father foced hger to her room and raped her for what felt like hours before surrendering the keys.
Their mother had been in the kitchen, trying to pray the situation way (her first and only line of defense for the protection and well being of her children).
"Mama, I have the keys." The little girl had gotten re-dressed so fast her shirt was on backwards, she hoped no one would notice.
"How did you get the keys?" her mother asked, her voice trembling, she already assumed the worst.
"It doesn't matter we have to get him out!" the little girl ran to the shed, her mother following close behind.
The little girl was shaking so bad she couldn't find the right key.
"Give it here, I know what key it is" the mother found the key and quickly removed the lock. "SEAN!" she picked up his nearly lifeless body and ran to the car, to get him to a hospital. She paused waiting for her daughter to catch up. There was no way she as leaving her behind.
"Sweetie, I need you to keep him awake,ok." She said as she started the car.
"Yes, mama." Sara held his hand, "You're safe now."
All Sean remembered of that day was being rescued by his mother and waking up in a hospital with an IV in his arm. He always knew his sister loved him, but this was a level of sacrifice that tore through to his very soul.
"You did that for me?" now he was the one who was getting emotional.
"The first time; but after that it started to feel like a show of affection; someone who actually loved me." Her heart was breaking just thinking about it.
Sean could have said 'I always loved you' but in that moment he knew the best thing was to just hold her.
"There's something I need to tell you." Sara said, crying- she was certain this was the 'secret' her brother already figured out.
"Your mission was to retrieve the Delta AI?" he nodded, still with his eyes closed as he was in allot of physical pain. "I don't care. Pretty sure I'm dying; my entire body is in agony, and my armor is going to fail any day now." He turned his head looking her in the eyes. "But that's just how it was always meant to be."
"No, no! I don't want to do this, I don't want to be Agent South I just want to be Sara again." She was shivering as she cried into his shoulder.
"Since you didn't take Delta, someone else did and you'll need bait to lure that person to you." he said, referring to whoever was 'recovery one'.
"Are you listening to me? I don't want to do this! I just want to be your sister. We can just run, I have no idea where, but at least we'll have each other." she caressed her hands to down his face, desperate for him to believe her.
"It's too late." he pulled her close to kiss her forehead. "it's ok," he retracted, coughing hard, "everything will be ok." He assumed/hoped if she fulfilled her mission she could return to the ship; where she would be safe.
He fell asleep before she did, shivering as she held him in her arms. The next day the twins awoke to the sound of agent Maine approaching.
"Hide. "North said donning his broken armor.
"no, please don't do this." she cried.
"theta.." North said in his sick, weakened state.
"I know." theta complied.
South suddenly found herself pinned in place in an domed energy shield. He put her in a corner allowing her plenty of room to flee if necessary.
"Like you said he's collecting AI, he won't go after you." As he put his helmet back on he looked away to speak the last words his best friend would ever hear." I owe you this." what he had not told her was, due to the brain damage and subsequent seizures he was now almost completely blind. As a result, even with theta he was not long for this world. He picked up his rifles, closed his eyes and walked towards the sound of Agent Maine approaching. He didn't look back, that would have broken him. He simply said in a whisper, "I love you Sara."
She begged him to come back to her, she wanted to hide together; just keep running until they left this world ."Sean..."
But he was right; fate had already put him in a position to die. The best she could do was to prey for his soul.
Sean opened fire, spraying a barrier of bullets as Maine used his time warp ability to get in close. North ran putting distance between him and Maine before the monster caught up striking him in the head. North shot at his legs.
Maine landed a well placed strike to North's broken ribs and it was all over.