Look! I'm back! YES! I know that there are a lot of people waiting for this, and I'm happy that I can finally say, WAIT NO MOAR! XD
Anyway, first off, I want to thank a reader. Since he/she decided to be an anonymous reviewer (darn it!), I couldn't reply to him/her the way I want to. He/She did say I can reply to him/her at the beginning of the chapter, but I figured that that'll take up too much space. So, I'm leaving my reply in the profile. See you there, The One Whose Reviews Are Long!
Also would like to thank Shiona Acitiu, Illyria Lives, Absolutechimera, Le-AwEsOmE-One, EppopinkfangirlXDXDXD, Beastial Moon, and Jazmin for their reviews! Thanks to you guys!
And without further ado, the chapter!
Disclaimer: Don't own…wait, do people even read this?
Chapter 6: Turmoil and Tranquility
Marlene stared out the window. It was raining. She watched as drops of water attacked everything outside. People huddled under what little dry space the few tents offered, doing everything they can to avoid the wetness. A bird caught in the rain tried its best to fly to the nearest branch. It was failing.
She thought about everything that had happened in the past few hours. She thought about Ant's words. She thought about the tattoo. She thought about Skipper. She remembered his face the last time she saw him.
It hurt to know that he really thought she was somehow part of this. Part of what Ant called The Aces. Ant had gone through the trouble of giving her a tour of this "base". It was really just another warehouse on the side of the city. He had made sure that everyone knew she was his sister. Marlene figured he must be in a pretty important position, because everyone else in here that saw him looked either respectful or fearful. Now she was standing in what Ant called his "office". It was the only room that could be locked from the inside in the entire base.
Ant had said that there was something he needed to take care of and left Marlene alone in the room. She wasn't really surprised by the great amount of trust he placed on her, but was somehow uneasy that he didn't even mention anything about what would happen if she tried to leave. It was as if he just assumed that she wanted to be part of this.
Did she?
She fingered the switchblade Ant had given her and leaned back against the old desk near the window, one of the only furniture in the room beside the chair and a beat-up couch to the side of the room. She tried to think even as her brain stormed with so many questions and uncertainties that she was afraid she might pass out from hyperventilation. On one hand, she knew what this group was doing was wrong. She knew that there was really no way she could do any of the things that Ant had showed her. Her conscience won't let her.
But on the other hand, she knew there was no way she could betray Ant. It wasn't that she wouldn't, it's because she can't. She couldn't bring herself to turn her back on the one that had become her only family over all the years. He had cared for her. Raised her. Helped her when she fell. And she trusted him. She still trusts him. She still couldn't really grasp the fact that Ant was part of something this big.
There must be a reason he's in here, she decided. She couldn't imagine him joining something like this by his own will. He must have been forced somehow. Maybe the people here threatened him. Or maybe they threatened to hurt her. Either way, it must have been something that left Ant with no other choice than to join. Like her.
Of course. She realized. He didn't say anything about the consequences of leaving because he wanted her to leave. To get out while she still could. It might be too late for him, but she still had a chance. A chance to set things right.
The bird finally reached its branch, away from the downpour in the safe haven of leaves.
Marlene smiled at the sight. Then she put the switchblade away, turned, and walked out of the room, a bit more confident than before.
She knew what she had to do.
Kowalski pursed his lips as he typed furiously at the supercomputer in the Tech Room. A person that looked notably younger than the strategist stood by him, frowning.
"You know, you can just let me handle this. It'll be much faster." The boy said with slight impatience while fingering the large headphones that hang around his neck.
"No." Kowalski stated firmly. "I need to do this. Besides, I could use the practice."
"Well, I can't really argue with that." The thinner of the two shrugged. He chewed on his bubble gum a few times before blowing a bubble, letting it loose with a loud pop. He watched as Kowalski worked. "You're right. You really do need the practice."
Kowalski winced. "Coming from you, it's a bit different."
They fell into silence. The boy blew another bubble. Pop.
He then ran a hand through his dirty blond hair in annoyance. "You're my brightest. You're even better than her. But I swear, the day I find one that can actually surpass me, I'd already be in a lab somewhere, dissected to find my secret."
Kowalski's steady typing faltered ever so slightly. "Don't say that." He said seriously. "You know it'll never happen if Tom could help it. If we could help it."
"You don't know that." The blond said darkly.
Silence settled between the two again. After a few seconds (and another pop), Kowalski sighed. "Why are you always so pessimistic?"
"You'll be, too, when you've lived through as much as I did." He replied as he sat down on a stool. His electric blue eyes watched the screen as Kowalski's commands pulled out window after window.
Pop.
"So, what're you searching for, anyway?"
"A certain low-life who doesn't know when to listen." Kowalski muttered darkly. The blond raised an eyebrow, having connected the dots immediately. "Does he know you call him that?"
"You'd think," Kowalski continued, ignoring the question altogether. "You'd think, that after all these years, he'd listen to me at least once. But no, he's more upset that I've been monitoring him. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have been doing that, but I happened to come across something important because I monitored him. But when I try to warn him, he went all mighty leader on me and left without hearing what I had to say. Not even when that fact might cost him his own life!"
"Hey, go easy on my keyboard." The boy said with an amused look. Kowalski had been adding force into his fingers as he ranted on, and by the time he had finished, he was typing so hard that the whole desk rattled. Kowalski blushed in embarrassment and quickly adjusted his typing back to normal (well, normal for him, anyway). "Sorry."
Pop.
"So, am I the only one you rant to?" The short boy asked. Kowalski's typing faltered again. "C-come again?"
"I've been asking around, and apparently no one besides me has ever seen this side of you. Not even that low-life you just mentioned." He replied slyly. He's going to enjoy this.
The black-haired operative coughed and instead of replying, he focused on the screen before him. His companion watched on in amusement.
Pop.
"You find him yet?"
"No." Kowalski muttered. "He left his earpiece in our room. Must've gone topside right after our argument. His belt isn't responding, which is disturbing all by itself."
"Whoa-ah, wait." The other straightened. "What do you mean, his belt isn't responding?"
"He might have just taken it off." Kowalski replied uneasily, inwardly kicking himself for his habit of thinking out loud. "Or it might have short-circuited. Or malfunctioned."
The blond glared. "One, you and I both know he never takes the belt off without a reason. Two, I designed them to be waterproof. You should know that. Three, nothing I designed malfunctions. Ever. So move."
"But-"
"I. Said. Move."
Kowalski complied. The skinny boy positioned himself in front of the keyboard and cracked his knuckles. "So, not responding, are we? We'll see about that."
And with that, he began typing at a speed that made Kowalski's typing seem normal.
"Didn't you say to go easy on your-"
POP.
"Right. Shutting up now."
Marlene took a deep breath. She's pretty sure this was where Ant had said they kept their "guest". If nothing else, there was also the fact that this was the only room with guards. Not that they looked like guards. Just two kids with a bit overdose of leather, chatting cheerfully. One even got a few more tattoos to try to look menacing. But the ribs told the real story.
She walked up to them, and the two stopped their conversation. They looked warily at her as the one with the tattoos stood up straight and attempted a sneer at her. "What're you looking at?"
She glared. Tattoos' confidence obviously dwindled, but he still stood his ground. "What does it look like, kid? I want to see the prisoner." Marlene inwardly winced when referring to Skipper as the prisoner.
"Sorry." The other one with blond hair shook his head. "No can do. Mr. Antonio said no one goes in or out."
They call Ant by his full name? Marlene thought with slight disbelief. She hadn't heard anyone refer to her brother by that name in a really long time. These kids obviously fear Ant more than they would let on. Well then, let's try another way.
She hardened her glare and straightened her back. "You two punks obviously don't know who you're talking to."
They stared. Then Tattoos' eyes widened. "Wait a minute, isn't she Mr. Antonio's…"
Blondie's eyes widened, too. Marlene inwardly rejoiced that her plan was actually working. "That's right, brat, I'm his sister. If you don't want to have a run in with Mr. Antonio himself, I'd suggest you let me in. Now."
The two exchanged a nervous glance with each other. Marlene tapped her foot in what she hoped was an impatient manner. "I'm waiting." She warned.
It didn't take long for the two to come to the conclusion that messing with Mr. Antonio's sister isn't a wise idea, and within two minutes she was allowed access to the door.
She inwardly prepared herself as she pushed the door open, but her stomach still churned at the sight of Skipper locked up before her. He had a few bruises on him, but the most noticeable one was the one on his left cheek.
Said operative glared up at her from his position against the wall. "What do you want?"
A half of Marlene wondered how he can seem so intimidating even when locked up and chained to the wall, while the other half felt hurt to find out that he really didn't trust her.
Marlene gulped and made sure that the door was closed behind her before taking a step forward. "Look, Skipper, I-"
"Save your apology. I don't need it." Skipper scowled and looked away.
She clenched a fist in frustration. Walking up to the cage door, she knelt down in front of the bars. "Skipper, please, listen to me. I didn't know."
"You expect me to believe that?" He shot her another heated glare, making Marlene flinch back. She always knew that Skipper would be terrifying when enraged. Heck, he was terrifying enough when annoyed. But to actually be on the receiving end of the Penguins leader's rage was a whole other story. She had never seen him like this.
"Skipper, please." She begged, sagging down into a sitting position. "You have to believe me, I didn't know Ant was going to set a trap there! He used me. I wasn't in on it! If…if I knew that was going to happen…I would've…I wouldn't have taken you there. I would've done everything to make sure that-"
"Enough!"
Marlene snapped her mouth shut so quickly that she bit her tongue. The force behind that one word was enough to make her jump. She looked at the captured operative with shock.
"Don't you have anything important to do?" Skipper said quietly after a moment of silence. His head was bent low, hiding away his face. "What would your brother say if he knew you're here?" He spat the word "brother" like it was venom.
Marlene flinched and looked away, feeling more ashamed than anything. Why wouldn't Skipper believe her?
"Just…leave."
Marlene looked back at him hesitantly. "Skipper…"
"Leave."
This time, Marlene couldn't even try to mask the hurt. She looked at him pleadingly, but his head was still bent down, making it impossible for her to meet his eyes. She bit her lip in frustration and distress. Deciding it was probably too late to do anything now, she began to turn away.
But then she saw his hands. The operative's hands were clenched tightly, his knuckles already white. And, ever so slightly, they were shaking.
There's still hope. She realized. Marlene turned back to him. She can't give up now. She was so close. She just needed something to convince him.
But what?
Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind. It really was the only thing she could do to prove her innocence.
Here goes nothing.
Skipper was exhausted.
He was mentally exhausted.
Since the moment Marlene stepped into the room, he had done everything he could to make it clear that he didn't trust her. He had been tricked by her. There was no reason for him to trust her. Hell, her brother was the head of everything he was against. There were a lot of reasons why he shouldn't trust her again.
So why, why did every inch of his instinct tell him otherwise?
Skipper had lived a dangerous life. And he believed that the only reason he was still alive now was because he had listened to his instinct. And it had proved to be right all those time. He had never gone against it.
That is, until now.
Now his mind was at war with itself. Instinct said that everything she said was true. Logic said it won't be wise to trust someone who had already betrayed him. Logic also said that it's not wise to trust someone who was related to the enemy. But instinct was louder.
That's why he told her to leave. If she left now, it'll save him from making the same mistake again. It'll save him from trusting her again.
But instead of hearing the sound of her getting up and leaving, he heard a small twang sound.
Glancing up, he saw that it was the sound of a switchblade. He stared at the weapon in confusion.
"What are yo-! Marlene!" He cut himself off and called out when the girl swiftly slashed the blade across the tattoo on her arm.
Marlene looked up at him, eyes shining with determination. The message was clear.
I am not one of them.
In that instance, instinct overrode logic completely. Without thinking, Skipper sprang up from his sitting position and rushed forward, his eyes fixed on the gash the girl had inflicted on herself. He cursed when the length of the chain came short before he was anywhere near the bars, pulling him back. Still, he moved forward as much as he could. Using what little space he was left with, he twisted his hands down and managed to tear a piece of cloth off his tank top.
He cursed again when he realized a bit too late that he won't able to treat the wound himself.
"Take this." He tossed the cloth towards the girl, but it only reached near the bars. "Stop the bleeding."
Marlene looked at the cloth hesitantly. Skipper gritted his teeth, "Take it!"
Without another word, Marlene quickly reached through the bars and took the cloth. And without wasting another second, she did what she was told.
Skipper allowed himself to relax only after he was sure that the wound was properly bandaged. He sat back with a sigh.
"Idiot." He said sternly after a period of silence. "What were you thinking?"
Marlene smiled almost sheepishly. "I wasn't."
"Idiot." Skipper said again. But this time, his tone softened, and they shared a small laugh. Sure, it had been stupid of Marlene to hurt herself, but now everything was clear. Heck, he was kind of glad that Marlene did it. Instinct was right. Again.
"You'll have to get away from here." Skipper said quietly after the laugh. "The Aces don't exactly like their members openly baring a mark of defiance."
"I know." Marlene said sulkily. The thought had hit her after she did it, and she kind of regretted not thinking it through. "But I don't have anywhere to go."
It was true, Skipper realized. The rooftop wasn't safe, as it was too out in the open. And she certainly couldn't go back home.
There was really only one place left. Skipper pondered if it was the right thing to do to tell her.
"About five blocks away from our training spot, there is a small café." He finally began. Marlene looked up at him in surprise. Skipper ignored it and continued. "The owner of the shop knows about us, and he's the only one you can go to now that's safe. The shop is called Roger's Café. You should be able to find it."
Marlene listened intently, not wanting to miss anything. "When you do find it, go straight in. There will only be one man in the café, and he is Roger. Tell him what happened. He'll know what to do. " He paused to let Marlene take in the information. "Do you understand?"
"Roger's. Five blocks away from Platform. Got it." Marlene repeated and nodded.
"Then go." Skipper said, nodding towards the door behind her. "Go now, before someone figures you've been in here too long."
At first, she got up immediately. But then she paused, like she just realized something. She looked over at Skipper, who met her eyes with a blank stare. He shrugged. "Go."
Marlene hesitated, but she still turned towards the door. As she went over and reached out to the handle, she paused again. This time, she looked back at Skipper with determination. "Skipper?"
Skipper raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
"I'll get you out of this. Somehow."
And with that, she opened the door and left the room, leaving Skipper to himself.
Skipper replayed the entire incident in his mind again. He chuckled. "Platform, huh? Well, it does have a nice ring to it."
Ant walked down the hall, hands in his pockets. Marlene wasn't in his office when he returned, but he had expected that. He could guess where his surrogate sister is now. There really was only one place she would go.
It didn't matter what his sister's doing now. He knew there was no way she'd be able to free their "guest" in such a short time. Let her do what she wants for now. He figured.
He rounded a corner which led to one of the entrances of this base. To his mild surprise, he saw Marlene fiddling with the handle.
"Hey, sis." He called out. Marlene visibly tensed. "Where're you going?"
Marlene didn't respond for a few seconds. Ant figured she was probably nervous. She had a right to be, being dragged into this mess so suddenly. "Out." She finally answered and continued to work with the handle.
Ant cocked his head. "You do know that it's raining out there, right?"
"So what?" Marlene said. "The water won't hurt me. I figured I needed to get some fresh air, you know?"
The handle finally gave in and the door opened. Marlene gave a small triumphant smile.
"I'll be back." She called over her shoulder and went through the door.
"Hey, wait-" Ant said, but Marlene was already gone.
"But you never go out when it's raining!" He continued even though he knew she couldn't hear him. Ant scratched at his short hair. If Marlene was willing to go out with the risk of rain, she must've been really serious.
Oh well. He shrugged. This didn't mean anything. And even if it did mean anything at all, he'd be prepared. Nothing could change what's about to happen.
Nothing.
"Oh, my." Roger sighed as he watched the downpour from the glass walls of his café. "Will it ever stop raining?"
Staring outside for a few more seconds, the big man then busied himself with a new recipe he's been trying to make. The operatives haven't been up here for a while, so Roger wanted to make something new to surprise them. He knew that Mort and Private in particular would be very happy if he did.
Humming a tune he had heard from somewhere (he had forgotten where) before, he collected the different ingredients from his cabinets and began either sampling them or smelling them one by one. As he did, he thought about what everyone liked. Private and Mort shouldn't be any problem, as they liked everything he made. Julien liked sweeter tastes, while Skipper preferred more bitter flavors. Maurice needs sugar, period. Doris likes saltier thing. Mason and Phil are more likely to favor something more on the sour side. Tom, when he occasionally came up, always took more insipid orders. Eric hasn't been up for over five years now, so Roger wasn't sure what he liked anymore. Though Roger really didn't blame him. Poor kid.
Then there was Kowalski. Roger had long since noticed that the tall operative didn't seemingly favor any taste. He ate whatever Roger brought to the table, but it wasn't like Private's or Mort's love for food. It was more like he didn't care. And though it seemed like Kowalski liked sweets at first, Roger soon noticed that he didn't eat any of the sweets given to him right away. The baker wasn't sure what the scientist did with the confectioneries afterwards, but he suspected that they haven't been touched at all. It's been like that for the last seventeen years he'd known him.
Thinking about it all, he almost jumped when the bell above the door to his café chimed, signaling that a customer had come. Sorting his thoughts, he glanced up at whoever it was to greet them. With a smile, of course.
He was surprised to see a girl he hadn't seen before. The girl was soaked from top the bottom, her clothes dripping with water. She was panting heavily as she glanced around the small space of the shop, seemingly unsure of what to do next. What really caught Roger's attention, was an unusually white streak that stood out against the natural brown of the hair that was covering the left side of her face.
Then he saw the alarmingly red tinge mix with the water dripping down her left arm.
"Good heavens." He gasped as he quickly made his way out from behind the counter. "What've you been through? You're hurt! C'mon, I'll get you a towel and-"
"You're Roger?" The girl cut him off with the demand. Roger blinked. "Yes, I am."
The girl's face changed from that of uneasiness to relief and happiness as she sighed. Her tensed shoulder relaxed as she straightened herself. Roger took a moment to take that in before finally breaking the silence, "I'm not sure why my name would mean so much to you, but you're obviously unwell. I'll go get you a towel, and then we can figure out what to do, alright?"
He turned to find a towel from the back of the store, where he lived. He'll grab the first-aid kit, too. Just in case.
"Wait!" The girl called. Roger looked back at her, confused. She shook her head. "Forget the towel. I need your help."
Roger turned to face her fully as he tried again to make the girl understand that she's in desperate need of a towel before she caught either a cold or pneumonia. But the girl's next words stopped him cold.
"My name is Marlene, and Skipper told me I should come find you." She said steadily.
"Skipper's in trouble."
To be continued…
So….It's finally finished! Chapter 6, that is. XD
So in the time I was writing this chapter, I took the time to put up my arts over at both DA and FP, thanks to the newly acquired scanner. And people actually liked them. And somehow, it seems that my arts led to more readers for the story. Which is ironic, since I had initially wanted my story to get more viewers for my arts. Ha.
The hardest part of this chapter, the part that had me banging my head against the wall a few times was the scene between Marlene and Skipper. It was hard to write them for that scene to turn out the way I wanted it to, yet keep them both in character at the same time. I had to rewrite that part so many times that it's not even funny. But I like how it turned out in the end, though The One Whose Reviews Are Long would probably tell me that I could've done better. XD
On the bright side of it all, the anime/manga club at our school has planned to publish any work its club members could give. And, being in the Novel Team of the club, all the members in the team are required to write a story to publish. I have decided to use this arc of my otherwise long story. In other words, when I'm finished with this arc, this part will be printed into a book. But I probably won't sell it. I'll just add a cover for it to protect it and lock it in my vault.
Yes, I am very excited. I am forcing myself not the use Caps Lock. XD
Anyway, I'm very happy that I'll be able to get my story published into a real book. This gives me more motivation to finish this arc as soon as possible, though I reckon the next part of this arc shouldn't be that hard to write. I already have half of it planned out, after all. Do expect more from me!
~ruth~