Good to be back, hope you all enjoyed the little surprise twist there but don't worry, there are loads more on the way ;)
I was exhausted. I had swam for hours now and even my body was beginning to feel the effects of savage waves and constant swimming. A part of me wanted to give up, to allow the water to swallow me but my more stubborn half of me kept going, pushing me beyond my limits to reach shore. The only thing was, I was pretty sure I'd seen that floating bit of seaweed before.
Without a doubt, I was lost. To conserve energy I allowed the current to drag me wherever it willed me to go, me only needing to keep my head above water. At one point I had swam across a bull shark deep underwater. It had shot at me with terrifying speed but I had kicked up and twisted, landing on its back. I had wrestled with it, punching it the moment it had leaped into the air to let it feel some pain. The shark had thrashed about, trying to shake me off but I held on for dear life, keeping out of reach of those powerful jaws.
Thankfully I had found my way into my belt and withdrew a shuriken, stabbing the sandpaper like skin to draw blood then let go, quickly swimming away because I knew blood would attract more sharks. Now I was just floating on my back, thirsty for dry water and my body screaming for sleep.
That's when I heard the clicks. Instantly I was alert, looking around for where I could hear agile shapes cutting through the water. "Over here! Please come rescue me! Good dolphins!" I yelled, waving my arms wildly at the pod.
They must have sensed me moving in the water because suddenly they were racing towards me. "Yes!" I laughed with relief then took a deep breath, diving underwater to meet them. The pod was large, around twenty dolphins all full matured, though some were a little smaller than the others. They were bottlenose dolphins, I suddenly knew. I remember reading a book about them when I was a child. One of those 'Animals of the World' things. Dolphins had been my favourite animals. Now I knew why.
They circled me, clicking their jaws at me as they tried to figure me out. I stayed perfectly still, allowing them to discern whether or not I was a threat, though I knew that dolphins were notoriously friendly creatures. One of then nudged my hand so I gently rubbed the head, smiling down before waiting patiently.
Another one jabbed me in the back, a little harder. One hit me in the shoulder then another in the gut, all clicking with laughter. Hey! That's not nice! My body hurts enough as it is. They kept on playing their little game. I sometimes pushed back at them but this only encouraged their play more. I don't want to play tag, please just show me how to get to dry land. I was begging silently in my head.
I pretended to play dead, letting myself sink lower into the ocean. Instantly the dolphins seemed to become concerned, nudging me higher up the water before I was exposed to the coolness of the strong breeze, several bodies supporting me with their noses.
They guided me along gently, pushing me towards a specific direction, never wavering off course. Once I felt a little stronger I moved, swimming on my own alongside them, smiling as they all leaped in and out of the water, twisting before tucking back in for entry. I know it was the wrong place and time to be thinking about it, but I began to think about some dance moves to mimic the movements of these dolphins. They seemed to put on a private show for me, leaping up into the air with gleeful clicks before landing elegantly back in. They splashed the water with their tails, spraying me in the process then swam in a circle around me, spiralling closer then further away then closer again.
A gentle body slid underneath me and I gripped onto the fin, grateful for something to lean on and relax completely. With a gentle touch I stroked the female dolphin's left side to give her my thanks. I was startled to find a long scar there, exactly like the one on the first dolphin I had ridden. "Well, I'm going to call you Hope." I whispered to her. "Thank you for coming for me." She clicked in reply, as if trying to talk back to me. "I know. I'm tired too. I'll be sorry if we never meet again but I promise, from now on I'll dedicate my life to saving your oceans. That is if I survive this clash of Cobra and Joes, they both want me dead you see." I explained to her. "But if somehow the Joes do take me back, I'll still do what I can to support the protection of the oceans and the creatures in it. I'll do it as a thank you." I said to her, giving her one last pat before allowing myself to relax into her care.
The pod took me as close to a harbour as they dared, already having left their territory just for my sake. I said goodbye to them all. "Billy, look after your brother Joey. Veronica, try not to boss little Felicity around so much, she's still only a baby." I cuddled Felicity to me, smiling. "Hope, you take care of everyone, I'm counting on you." I hugged her last since she was the hardest to say goodbye to. "Make sure you tell Douglas how you feel." I kissed her head then swam towards the harbour, keeping low and streamline to blend in with the grey waves.
I was grateful that my entire suit was impervious to erosion, otherwise the salt would have eaten everything away. The gloves were safely tucked away into a waterproof pouch pocket and the guns were waterproof anyway, I would just need to give them both a good clean when I got the chance.
The moment I was on dry land I thought I would cry with relief, my legs were shaking from the joy at being safe on land. I didn't particularly like the vast expanse of water surrounding me on my own, it was slightly terrifying.
Pulling myself together I snuck through the docks, keeping out of sight before disappearing into the city. I was in New York, would you believe it. Perhaps Mother Nature really was on my side. After all, the innocent are innocent until proven guilty. Although technically I was guilty until proven innocent…which didn't really help a lot. Anyway, at least in this neighbourhood, I had a few friends.
I had remembered practically everything now. Even those I had struggled to recall before. Old Jim, Young Jimmy, Petunia, Sabrina, even Max and Michael. Not only that I knew so many others on the street. If they were still around, I could blend in. I was used to being on the streets, being overlooked. It wouldn't be too hard to keep off Hawk's radar for a few days.
I'm pretty sure he'd already figured out that I hadn't died in that explosion, which left me with little time to move. The moment I had returned to the slightly less appealing end of town, I was sprung upon. "Give us your money!" The youngster growled, protruding a small pocket knife which he brandished at me. I snorted.
"Put that away Kyle, before you cut yourself." The skinny ratty haired boy narrowed his eyes then gaped at me.
"Robyn?"
"The one and only." I spread my hands with a smirk. "I can't be exposed, think you can help me hide out for a while?"
"Sure! This way! Wow, it's so great to have you back. Last I heard you were taken by those freaks with the trucks. I'm sorry about the others, I'm guessing they didn't make it." To keep things simple I shook my head.
"No." Kyle and I went back to when he was very young. He's a care kid, not technically homeless but he hung out with characters like us most of the time. I was the one to teach him how to pick locks so that he could get into the sweet cupboard at his home. It stopped the bullying pretty soon.
He was harmless really, a bit like me. Patriotic with his means. He always brought food out to us, whether he stole it from his care home or robbed some rich people from it. We all liked him and when he came crying to us one day at only nine years old, we'd sorted out his problems with the other kids. I was the one to lead the charge. When they saw Kyle with me and a few mean looking guys, who were actually harmless, they were nothing short of impressed and they never picked on him again.
"How have you been keeping Kyle? It's been months."
"It's not the same without you around. People stick to themselves now. Our numbers have fallen since the last kidnapping but the cops don't care about street dwellers like us." He explained, pulling his beanie hat lower over his ragged long locks. "They did nothing about it really."
"Figures." I muttered under my breath. I refused to tell Kyle about what happened, saying that if he knew, then they'd come after him. He was a sensible kid so didn't ask any more questions. He knew when he was out of his depth. He led the way down a narrow alley then banged a fist on the door at the end. "Open up, it's Robyn! She's back!" I heard something crash, a chair falling over, as large footsteps pounded the ground before the door was wrenched open.
"Robyn! You brilliant mastermind!" Roberto, a portly man with a merry twinkle in his eye half bellowed but I hurried to clap my hand over his mouth.
"No one can know I'm alive. This is between us, please?" I begged him with a smile and when he nodded I pulled my hand back and hugged him tightly.
"Oof! You've got some muscle on you now. Look at you! Did anyone tell you how pretty you are?" His Italian accent thickened with his excitement, pulling us both in. "Come! Come! I'll find you food and…" He took a precarious sniff at me. "Have you been swimming?"
"Let's just say I've spent the last ten hours swimming for my life." I stifled a yawn. "I'd really appreciate the hospitality."
"Of course! My wife is upstairs, she will help you draw a bath then we'll find you a bed. You want to stay for some supper, Kyle? It's my famous spaghetti!" Kyle grinned then nodded his head. I trod upstairs, weary to the bone. Roberto owned this hostel for the homeless. He allowed anyone in, as long as they promised not to kick up a fuss or damage anything.
There were limited amounts of space though, which meant there were often queues stretching back around the block to try and get in. I was a particular favourite of Roberto's though. He and I sometimes worked together. If he didn't ask where I got the supplies from, I didn't say.
Jessica, a woman as portly as her husband, helped me draw a bath then found me some dry clothes to change into. She was tough and beefy but she was just as sweet and loving as her husband. She sobbed as she held me in her arms, babbling in Italian as she stroked my salt stained hair crushing me into her large bosom. "It's good to see you too, Jessica." I smiled up at her, straightening up. "I'll be right down." She sniffed.
"I was so worried, I thought you were going to be turned into an experiment subject!" I flinched at the words but didn't show it, keeping my face plastered with the smile I wore.
"Well, I got away and now I'm back for a little while." I assured her then practically had to push her out of the room before I could strip down. I lay out my suit on the floor, checking for any damage before slipping into the bath.
The heat relaxed my muscles and I groaned, washing all salt and smell from my body until I was calm and soothed by the water. I let it drip from my cupped hand, admiring the sparkling light before getting out of the water, having spent a good ten minutes in it. I drained the water away, taking away remnants of sand, salt and heaven knows what else before taking both guns.
I cleaned them carefully, getting all salt evidence out until they were gleaming perfectly at me. Then I did the same for my suit. Once everything was cleaned I folded everything away, tucking the suit, which did not fold extremely well, into a backpack Jessica had picked up for me. She knew I wouldn't be able to stay long. One night at most.
With weapons concealed and my belt around my hips I stepped outside, feeling fresh and slightly less afraid than I had been. Downstairs in the cafeteria I sat down next to Kyle then picked up the jug of water. I lifted it with one hand then drained it all, gulping it down whilst everyone stared at me. "Man. You have no idea how salty the ocean is until you're practically living in it." I remarked, smacking my lips. "That was good."
"You want some more?" Kyle asked, getting up to go fill the jug again.
"I'll do it, you just sit down. Make sure no one steals my seat." I grinned then went over to the tap to fill the water jug again. There were so many faces I recognised but I dared not let anyone recognise me. Keeping small and remaining inconspicuous, I returned to the table with the fresh jug of water before sitting down. When it was our turn to go up for food, I walked behind Kyle, not making eye contact with anybody.
"Ah! Bellissima!" Roberto said to me with a cheeky grin. "It's good to see you fattened up a little more, Isabella." I smiled at him, nodding my head. He was such an intelligent man, did you know that he used to work with top scientists developing drugs and stuff? However he stopped to help out here when the business was bought by a criminal drug dealer, planning to sell the drugs on the streets as dope.
"It's good to feel fatter." I replied, accenting my voice to keep it unrecognisable. "Thank you, it smells wonderful." With one last smile I followed Kyle back.
"I guess we won't see you for a while after tomorrow." Kyle said to me. "Moving on and all."
"Have to keep moving. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer Kyle." I said, giving him a quick one armed hug as I knew he didn't feel comfortable with prolonged contact. We finished the food, which was amazing by the way, I wished Roberto would open up his own restaurant like he always dreamed. I knew he wanted to in the past but this place sort of took over when he couldn't afford the deposit on the restaurant he was intending to buy.
Good people like Roberto and Jessica deserved their dreams. Why was life so unfair to loving, caring and kind people like them? Sighing with weariness I finished my food, said one last goodbye to Jessica, Roberto and Kyle before heading upstairs. I could hear Kyle chasing after me so I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned, waiting for him. "Wait!" He skidded to a halt in front of me then blushed deeply. "I just…wanted to tell you I don't want you to leave." He said then looked up at me. Awkwardly he placed his arms around me and gave me a weak hug.
I caught his waist and pulled him closer to me, smiling into him. When I pulled away I reached into my boot and drew a knife I had managed to swipe sometime in my escape from Joe headquarters. It was an army knife, finely sharpened and well taken care of. "This is for you." Slowly Kyle reached out for it but I drew it back slightly. "It's not for killing, or maiming. You hear? I want you to protect yourself, but that's all. That rusty thing you call a knife couldn't gut a fish. There's some dangerous people out there, so you'd better keep your eyes and ears open."
I took his hand then placed the knife into his palm, folding his fingers over. "Responsibility like this comes with maturity. You need to know the difference between right and wrong, the different forks in the road." I said to him, gripping his shoulder. "I can't protect you forever, but you can. Make sure those kids back home stay off the streets. Show them what life is really about." Leaning forwards I kissed his teenaged flecked skin, making him blush the colour of beetroot. "I'm counting on you."
"I won't let you down. I'll make something of myself. I promise. Maybe I'll go into the army, then I'll really get to do something good." I smiled proudly at him then watched as he walked away.
"Who knows? Maybe you'll make a fine Joe one day."