Helioborg Research Station – Military Research Wing 13F – Laboratory
Many days have passed since the mystery girl was brought to the station. When not working on spyrites, Jude and Balan were trying with all their might to just get her attention. Jude was able to get a few of his friends come by, but none of them were really able to do anything. She was more mobile than before. She would do simple things such as walking around the station. Very recently she found a kitchenette and baked up a storm. She hasn't eaten a single bite of anything though. When Jude arrived in the morning, he found enough food to feed everyone there. However, he knew how she was before and she still wasn't near that. He had no idea what else to do. Balan kept trying to contact his cousin, for he is the only one that is relatively able to attempt to help. Not one call went through though for he's been busy with his own work. They didn't know what else to do now besides just wait and see if simply time can heal her. For now, the two of them where checking the results of the spyrite demonstration. If it wasn't for the girl, they would be over the moon. They didn't think they could achieve one-hundred percent success rate so quickly.
Just as the two were feeling hungry, the girl entered the lab with yet another dessert. She simply placed it on a cleared off desk. Just after that she went out to the roof. This was becoming routine for her to do. Balan couldn't help but take notice to the new scent in the room. Approached the cooled off pie. He cut out a tiny piece and tried it. Instantly his eyes widened. Not a moment later he was using his GHS. For what Jude could gather, he was actually able to get through to his cousin. Not only that, but apparently the pie tasted just like Leticia's.
Just after, Balan smirked at Jude saying, "he'll be right over."
"You really know how to work him, don't you?" Jude asked.
"Of course."
He really was right over too. Within half an hour he was at the doorway of the lab. He was trying to hide it but there were definite signs of him being out of breath. Balan couldn't help but laugh at him. Beginning to feel like he was just called over to be laughed at, he turned away to leave.
"Alfred," Balan called him.
"What?" Alvin questioned, not exactly hiding his annoyance.
When he turned back around, he saw his cousin handing him a plate with a piece of pie on it. He reentered the room and took the plate from him. For awhile he just stared at it. He didn't know if he'd be happy if it tasted the same or not. Jude walked over to him and rested his hand on his back. Alvin looked down seeing a comforting smile and his head hung. After a sigh he took a bite. Not a moment later did his eyes widen. It was truly an exact replica. He looked over at Balan, very curious of how this came to be.
Balan crossed his arms as he began to explain, "a friend of ours made that this morning."
"A friend huh?" Alvin asked back, very suspicious.
"Not now Alvin," Jude scolded him.
"Fine fine. So what is going on with this 'friend' of yours?"
Balan continued, "as you assume, she is a female. Something very traumatic happened with her and now she's little more than a robot."
"And?"
Jude added to the information, "you're our last resort. We already had everyone else try to make her crack and they all failed."
"So why do you assume I'll be any different?"
"Because... You're no stranger to trauma."
He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "fine, where can I find her?"
Jude pointed to the door leading to the roof saying, "out there."
"Take this," Balan told him, handing over a folding piece of paper.
Alvin put down the plate and took the paper asking, "and what's this?"
"If it does come to be that you can make her aware of her situation, give her this."
"This is becoming a burden already..." he muttered, dropping the paper in his pocket. "Wait, is this why you've been relentlessly calling me?"
"Yep," Balan calmly answered, already back to work.
He shook his head as he muttered, "let's just get this over with..."
With another sigh, he went over to the door and exited to the roof. Instantly he was hit by a strong gust of wind. He could hear papers going flying behind him. He shut the door before the lab was even more destroyed. Confused about the increase of wind, he looked up at the sky. He frowned a bit when he noticed it was darker than usual. He didn't know how long, but it wouldn't be too much time until the skies opened up. Aware he didn't have much time, he wanted to get this over and done with. However, when he looked around, there was no one in sight. He started to feel that he was tricked, but he knew they were too serious for this right now. Still doesn't change that he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just as he turned to go back inside, something caught the corner of his eye. When he turned back to face that direction again though, he once again saw nothing but the generator. Seeing that as the only possibility, he walked over to it. As he approached it, he saw long brown hair. He had to wait for the wind to die down in threat of getting attacked by the hair. Once the wind died down enough, he approached her. She didn't seem to notice him at all. She had a constant gaze into the distant fog. He kept a bit of a distance from her. She was sitting on the railing, her legs dangling over nothing. He simply leaned against the railing, and looked in the direction she was. He's seen that look before and knows that no matter what he says, nothing will get through to her. He attempted to study her out of his peripheral vision. Instantly he could tell that she was wearing Leia's clothes. They didn't seem to fit her quite right though. Despite being incredibly skinny, the outfit was still too small for her. Besides that, her eyes were sunken in. Even though he had no idea what has happened, he knew it had to be bad to be unaware of such exhaustion. Suddenly, there was another powerful gust of wind. He raised his arm to cover his eyes so that nothing blew into them. By doing so, he nearly missed the female losing her balance. She was on her way to plummeting to her death.
"Shit!" he cursed under his breath.
He reached over and was just barely able to grab her wrist. For a moment, he let her just hang there as he caught his breath. The last time he went through this, he couldn't save the girl. His head was immediately filled with flashbacks. He was frozen. It took him a few moments to realize he was hearing something."
"-up..." He looked down seeing the girl looking up at him completely terrified, "please help me up..."
He nodded and pulled her up as quickly as he could. The moment he had her back on her feet, she collapsed. He sat down next to her with a heavy sigh. He looked over, seeing her on her hands and knees, shaking like a leaf. He rested his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. When she looked at him, he saw how truly pale she was.
"You okay?" he asked her.
She nodded and whispered, "thank you..."
"Hey, why don't we go inside before anything else happens?"
She nodded once again. He nodded in return and stood up. He handed her his hand before she even started. She took his help and slowly rose to her feet. It was obvious that she was still shaken. It began to rain so he rested his hand on her back to give her a small push. He pushed her just enough so that she'd walk in front of him. The rain began to pour as soon as they reached the laboratory door, barely avoiding getting soaked. They completely ignored the gazes of the scientists as they walked through the room. He led her through the stairway and down a few stairwells. At the end of the walk, they reached a locked door. He entered a password into the keypad and the door opened right away. He gave her another push and they entered the room. The door shut right after they entered. The only item in the room was a couch, so there was no question of where to go from there. They both sat down with heavy sighs. For a bit, they simply sat there letting what just happened wash over them.
Once Alvin was sick of the silence, he looked over at her saying, "you look like a mess."
"Yeah, I know..." she responded softly.
"You don't care?"
"Recently? No," she answered with a bitter smirk.
"So what exactly happened to you? Those two wouldn't explain it to me."
"Really?"
"Is that so surprising?"
"Heh... They've changed their strategy it seems... They told what happened to me to everyone else they called in to talk to me."
"You seem way more aware than they gave credit."
With yet another sigh, she leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. She then told him, "just because I'm aware, doesn't mean I'm not grieving."
"What happened for you to grieve over?"
"My parents died a few days ago."
The way she said it so matter-of-fact bothered him. He knew instantly that she wasn't telling him the whole story so he asked, "what really happened?"
"Why would you question my words?"
"If you're not lying, tell me the whole story."
"Do you really even care? I can tell them you tried to help and you'll be off the hook."
"Were you so stubborn with the others?"
"Why does it matter? All of you that have come here only did so because of the constant calling. I'm sick of it. I just want to be left alone."
He studied her for a few moments before concluding, "that's not true at all, is it?"
"What do you know?"
He smirked bitterly and put his hands behind his head before saying, "I know more than you think. I've been through my own share of shit."
"...Really? Like what?" she quietly asked, looking over at him.
"Hey, I ain't spilling if you're not."
She looked down at her hands that she balled into fists whispering, "fair enough..."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her over to him. She looked up at him confused. He looked down at her saying, "take your time in telling me, but just so you know I'm not letting you go until you tell me."
"If I agree to tell you, will you let me go?"
"Nope. Oh, and if you fight me I'll just have to hold you tighter."
She frowned and looked back down at her hands. Before she was willing to tell him she had to know, "why are you trying so hard?"
"I know how you're feeling. I will not say more until you do."
"Fine... You win."
"Good."
With one last sigh, she gave into his demand, "for as long as I can remember, my mother had been sickly. She could never really do too much without getting exhausted. Because of that, my father and I always took care of her. Despite that though, everything was perfect. That all ended when the Schism disappeared." When she felt him twitch, she nodded telling him, "Jude already told me how it happened. I can understand why it happened." He nodded and she continued, "when it happened my mother fell into a coma. Simply broke my father. We couldn't find what was wrong and so I went looking for help. Bet you couldn't guess who I ended up finding."
"I wonder..."
"Balan was the first one I found, but in the beginning he turned me away. Jude had convinced him otherwise during my second visit. He's such a do-gooder." Alvin couldn't help but laugh at that and so she asked him, "so he's always like that?"
"Too much of one if you ask me."
She smiled for a moment only to lose it as she continued, "even with their help they couldn't do anything for her. Though with my father being the smooth-talker he was, he was able to convince them to help find us an apartment. The one that was across from Balan's was empty so it worked out that if something were to happen it wouldn't be too much of a nuisance for someone to stop by. But, with nothing actually working, my father just fell more and more into a deep depression. A few days ago when I went home I was already on the phone with Balan just to give him an update which had just become routine. Just as I opened the door I heard a loud bang. So, of course I immediately go and check on my parents. What messed me up was not just seeing my mother shot, but my father shooting himself right in front of me. I got covered in his blood and everything."
Alvin's eyes widened and he looked down at her concerned. He couldn't figure out how she could be so nonchalant about something that horrific that happened this recently. Taking note of his gaze, she looked up at him. She seemed confused by his concern which concerned him even more.
"You haven't grieved at all, have you?" he questioned her.
"Everyone does in different ways. What makes you think you know so much?" she asked back.
He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand saying, "a deal is a deal."
Focusing his gaze up at the ceiling, he explained everything that happened to him from Leticia, to Gilland, to Presa and everything else in between. She couldn't stop watching him explain his demons. What happened to her feels like child's play. After a moment of silence, he looked down at her with his own version of an empty smile.
"Balan had me try a piece of the pie you made this morning. Tasted just like my mother's. Didn't think I'd ever have it again."
"Is that a good or bad thing?"
"You know, I wondered the same and I still don't really have an answer."
"Oh..."
Ruffling her hair with his free hand, he told her, "so as you can now see, I understand quite well."
"How? How did you deal with all that?" she asked him shocked.
"I did snap. After feeling like I lost everything, I tried to kill all I had left at the moment. I ended up shooting Leia and would have killed Jude if he didn't beat me to the ground. Thinking about that time makes me feel like a total ass. If it wasn't for those two and the rest of the group... I don't want to think where I'd be or what I'd be doing right now. I owe them a lot. But... don't tell them I said that, okay?" She covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled very softly. "Hey! Are you laughing at me?"
"Maybe..."
"I will remember that, but for now I just remembered something." She coked her head in confusion as he dug out the paper from his pocket. "Balan told me to give this to you."
She frowned and took it from him. After unfolding the paper she froze. He rested his head against hers so that he could look at it as well. Instantly he could tell it was a note to her from her father. He felt no ounce of guilt for reading it. Better read it so that he wouldn't have to get the answers out of her again anyway.
I know what I'm about to do is going to hurt you, but I can't stand it anymore. Life without your mother is no life at all. We both know that there is nothing at this point that will wake her up. And I want you to finally live your own life. You have spent all your time taking care of your mother. You've never done anything just because you wanted to. Just before the Schism vanished, your mother and I bought you something that would have, still will give you a career that we knew would be perfect for you. It's still at our home. If you can ever get yourself to forgive me for this horrid sin, go get it. I just hope you never forget that your mother and I love you very much. I'm sorry.
The two sat there, very still. Alvin read it a couple times before he looked at her. When he did, he couldn't help but frown. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. He tried to turn her and pull her to him so that he could properly hold her, but she fought against him. He frowned down at her.
Desperately trying to hide the cracking in her voice she asked him, "I don't want to ruin your clothes... Aren't they high quality..?"
He smiled a bit, feeling impressed, "just because you were able to tell, I'll allow it."
This time when he tried to hold her, she didn't fight. She simply didn't have the will left. The instant he had both arms around her, she fully broke down. When she grasped onto the front of his jacket, he tightened his grasp on her and rested his chin on her head. It wasn't too long until his shirt was absorbed enough with her tears that he could feel them. The second he did, he began to run his fingers through his hair. He finally understood why his cousin was so persistent in summoning him here. Even though their situations are different, he can understand her pain. After a few more minutes, she did quiet down. She wouldn't back away from him though. He didn't dare push her away either, knowing how fragile her state is. Less than a minute later however, she quickly backed away from him. He was nearly knocked off the couch from such a tug. When he looked at her again, he took note to her hunched over holding her head. He rested his arm on the top of her head and bent over to examine her face.
"What's going through your head now?" he asked her curiously.
"I don't know anymore..." she muttered. "Too many thoughts..."
"Understandable, but what would make you react the way you did?"
She let out a shaky sigh and leaned back. She gave him a side glance before answering, "my dad wore a similar cologne..."
"Are you saying that I remind you of him?"
"Parts... Besides the cologne, he was very touchy-feely..."
"I was wondering why you weren't putting up much of a fight," he said as he wrapped his arm back around her.
She nodded and let out another shaky sigh. After a few seconds of silence she questioned, "putting all the clues together, is it safe to assume that you're Alvin?"
He nodded and answered, "you got it."
"They all mentioned you at some point... Leia, Elize, Rowan... And of course Jude... The term kindred spirits came up a few times..."
"Those guys..."
"They really respect you..."
He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and turned his head away from her. Despite his efforts, she was still able to see his burning cheeks. She couldn't help but find his reaction cute and chuckled. Beginning to get irritated, he looked back down at her with an eyebrow arched. She simply stared back up at him, not feeling like she was in any danger. He moved his arm from her shoulders to her waist and instantly began to tickle her. She shrieked and tried to get away, but his grasp on her was too tight. Grinning widely, he continued tickling her. Going straight from crying to laughing uncontrollably was too much for her so she tried desperately to pry his hand away. With his free hand though, he was just able to grab both of her wrists. In having no other choice, she used all her power to knock them both off the couch.
"You're really heavy..." she groaned.
Her plan seemed to have worked to get him to stop tickling her, but now his entire form was on her. His back was hurting a bit from her form, but he found it just too funny. He just stared at the ceiling.
"You brought this upon yourself," he calmly responded.
She pouted and gave up. He laughed and got off her so that he'd sit on the floor next to her.
"You're evil..." she muttered as she sat up.
He laughed even harder at that before responding, "yeah... That's nothing new."
"Geesh..."
"By the way, I never did get your name."
While straightening her clothes, she answered, "Rhea."
"Rhea huh? That's nice."
"Thanks..."
Grinning again, he ruffled her hair. She frowned and attempted to fix her hair. He pulled a comb out of his pocket and handed it to her. She took it with a quiet thanks and properly began fixing her hair. He leaned back against the couch and let his mind wander to what they discussed. He completely zoned out. He came back to reality when a hand was waved in front of his face. He blinked and looked over at its owner. Instantly a fresh coat of red appeared on his cheeks when he looked at Rhea. Her extreme bedhead look was gone and was replaced by waist-length wavy hair.
Frowning, she covered his eyes saying, "don't look at me like that..."
She felt a blush appear on her own face and she really didn't want him to see that. So, when he reached for his wrist, she grabbed a cushion from the couch. The moment he moved her hand, she counterattacked with the pillow. With his free hand, he reached over and tickled her. After a squeak, she jumped away from him. She ended up hitting her head on the wall so her eyes closed in reflex. She attempted to hold her head but her hands were trapped.
"I hope you realize that you brought this upon yourself," he told her.
She opened her eyes and couldn't help but take notice of him on top of her. He smirked as her face completely flushed. Being this close to her, he truly noticed her eyes for the first time. Ignoring the red rings from when she cried, he saw that her left eye was green while her right was blue. He felt like he was being hypnotized by them. Before he knew it, he lowered himself just enough for their lips to connect. Not picking up on any resistance from her, the kiss quickly deepened. If it wasn't for his phone suddenly ringing, he didn't know how far he'd try to go with her. He got off her and backed up just enough so that she could also get up without colliding into him.
He took his GHS out of his pocket and answered, "hey Yurgen."
While he talked to his partner, she got herself to sit up. She couldn't hear his conversation for she couldn't hear anything over her racing heart. She stole a glance of him seeing that he turned his back to her. Not one ounce of him reminded her of her father anymore. It would be quite odd if he did. But it was still strange for her to be comfortable around him with that first idea gone and washed away. He sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket.
"I have to leave," he told her, not turning around.
"Okay..." she responded softly.
He glanced back at her seeing that she was looking away, rubbing the back of her neck. He smiled a bit as he asked, "you feel just as awkward as I do, don't you?"
She looked over at him and returned the smile answering, "seems so."
He shook his head and rose to his feet. After he brushed himself off, he looked down at her seeing that she was just watching him. He smirked as he offered his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up. She would have instantly fallen back to her knees if he didn't catch her. He picked her up and sat her back on the couch. He knelt down in front of her with a frown. He then rested his hand on her forehead and cheeks. Just after realizing that she didn't have a fever, her stomach growled loudly. He laughed as her face returned to a light shade of red.
"You need to go eat and then get some rest," he told her.
"Yeah..." she agreed, resting her hand on her waist.
"Do you think you can make it back on your own? If I go with you I'll be held hostage by those two and I really do have to leave."
"I'll be fine, I'll use the elevator."
"Hey, you got your GHS on you?"
She shook her head and explained, "it fell when I nearly fell."
"What were you doing there anyway? Sitting there looked so uncomfortable."
"I mainly just wanted some fresh air. And as for sitting there, I was mainly using my arms as supports to hold myself up. I liked the view but it's not as nice through the metal bars."
He nodded in agreement and then looked at his phone. His eyes widened at the time and stood back up. "I really have to go now."
"Then go." With one more nod he walked over to the door. Before he left the room she called out to him, "hey Alvin?"
"Yeah?" he asked, glancing back at her.
Smiling at him she told him happily, "thank you."
He nodded and left.