Time feels like it's standing still. My heart thuds heavily against my ribcage as I watch Andrea pacing back and forth, her skin bathed in the neon lighting of The Circle. She's nervous. Even just watching her on the screen, I can feel the tension rolling off of her, and I kick myself for not going with her. Not that I could have done much, I certainly wouldn't have been allowed in there with her. Her outfit is simple, a fitted jumpsuit much like the one Nigel had been wearing to train with Andrea, except this one doesn't have any padding. I had questioned her on this and she pointed out that the padding could potentially slow her down, and that speed is her biggest asset in the ring, especially against Nate.
"Do we want sound?" Jocelyn asks, looking between us all with a grim expression.
"Yes," I immediately reply, before anyone else answers. I want to know exactly what's going on, as it happens.
"It could be unpleasant," Serena warns, casting a sympathetic look in my direction.
"I know," I reply flatly. "But I need to hear it."
She eyes me seriously for a moment and then nods to Jocelyn, who switches on the audio. Down the side of the screen, I recognise the vitals from Andrea's Comms unit and I don't know if I am relieved, or not, to be able to see how she is faring. Her heart is as quick as I would expect it to be after fighting, but Nate isn't even there with her yet.
"She's nervous," Destra confirms when she sees where my eyes are fixated. "She's okay, though. It's good to be nervous. Her heart is flooding her muscles with oxygen-rich blood and helping her prepare for the fight."
A roar erupts from the speakers and Jocelyn switches to another view. Nate is walking down the set of stairs at the far end of the arena, following a path between the crowds to where Andrea is waiting. He's wearing fabric that clings to his body like a second skin, and every muscle is highlighted in sharp relief. His hands are wrapped with blood-soaked tape, and I wonder what poor soul has helped him warm up. Has their life ended without them ever making it to The Circle?
Jocelyn switches the screen back to Andrea, just in time to see her familiar scowl and I can't help but grin slightly when I see it. That expression should not be as endearing as it is, nor fill me with such confidence, yet it undeniably does.
I don't understand a word of the announcement that we can hear, but Nate holds up his hands, grinning smugly at the hoards of people. He seems to be popular, the crowds cheering loudly and chanting his name. He enters the ring and the door is closed behind him; Andrea is now trapped in the steel cage with this monster. My stomach plummets, hands shaking slightly on my thighs. A pulsating forcefield shimmers in the light and keeps Andrea and Nate separated until they are given the signal to start.
Watching Andrea prepare to fight is fascinating. The scowl disappears and it's like every last emotion leaves her face. Eyes unblinking, she steps into the middle when her name is called, refusing to play to the spectators the way that Nate had. Her message is clear. She is doing this on her own terms for her own reasons, and she won't play their game. She is here to fight, to win and then leave. She is not here to pander to the criminals, gamblers and adrenaline-seeking onlookers, who are eagerly waiting for one of them to die, leaving the other one victorious.
The lights dim around the arena, leaving the metal cage itself illuminated by spotlights that cast eerie shadows around the cavernous room. Serena leans forward, leaning on the desk. "Here we go."
A bell chimes loudly, and the barrier between them flickers and then fizzles away, all chatter stopping as Andrea and Nate begin to circle around each other, neither of them making a move. I've seen her fighting Nigel, and I've seen her training with the droid; lightning fast and lethal. So why isn't she attacking?
It's Nate that makes the first move, a blow to her head that's so quick, I barely see his arm flashing out in front of him. She's agile, ducking quickly; her reflexes honed by a lifetime of training. There is no escape from it entirely, though, and he makes contact. Even as the blow glances off of her, Andrea is thrown several steps sideways and her voice reaches us through the speaker.
"Fuck. He's faster than he used to be."
Nate wastes no time in following up, coming at her with several strikes in quick succession. She's a blur as she ducks and weaves her way out of his reach, countering with a powerful uppercut to his jaw. He staggers backwards, his eyes narrowing dangerously as she shakes her hand out, unflinching.
She refuses to waver, keeping on the move and searching for an opening in amongst his attempts to make contact with her. It's easy to see the differences in their style. He attacks with force, but his movements are clumsy compared to hers. Andrea is different, almost dancing her way around The Circle; light on her feet and graceful. Her movements are undertaken with pinpoint accuracy, a show of finesse and not brute force.
Time slows and the crowd holds its breath when Nate finally lands a hit on our Commander's face; blood spilling rapidly from a cut above her eyebrow. Eyes blazing with renewed fury, Andrea wipes her eye, determination fueling her as she feints to one side and then spins to make contact with his cheek. He roars, the sound inhuman, alien. Yellow teeth bared in anger, he spits venom across the cage, Andrea skillfully rolling away from danger. She's up on her feet and smirking at his failed attempt so quickly that her movements are blurred.
A pattern develops between them. Andrea is almost ethereal as she dodges his attacks, waiting for the perfect moment to strike; quick and deadly like a viper. She hits once, and then retreats and I wonder why she doesn't go on the offensive, like I have seen her do with Nigel.
As if she has heard my unspoken question, Destra answers. "She's trying to wear him out. She knows she can't beat him using brute force alone. She's forcing him to do all of the work, for now," the woman murmurs.
"She's clever," Serena agrees seriously. "And unlike Nate, she thinks like a fighter. He's getting sloppy, look." She points to the screen, where Nate has stumbled into the metal cage, after Andrea escaped his latest attack.
Nate straightens up, thrusting his arms upwards and I wonder why he is leaving his torso exposed.
"Shit. The spurs are out," Destra tells us, leaning closer to the screen for a better look.
Andrea's eyes widen when she spots the green, serrated spurs, running in a line down the outside of his forearms. I know from Nate's file that they are deadly. If Andrea gets caught by one of those, then it's all over.
With renewed determination, Andrea's eyes narrow, and she sinks down into her stance, emanating an aura of silent intensity. He darts forward, but the expected blow never comes. Instead, he spits venom and Andrea's hiss can be heard clearly as it makes contact with her left shoulder.
"Des, this doesn't feel right. It's not burning, I'm numb," Andrea's panicked voice informs us.
Destra hits a button, and it's only then I realise that Andrea is wearing a covert earpiece. "I'm on it, Andy. I'm taking readings from your Comms unit, and it looks like it's a neuromuscular blocking agent. You've got about two minutes before you lose the use of your arm."
She releases the button, her face ashen as she turns to us. "This is not good. His files don't say anything about this. They must have known we would go looking, and didn't want us to be able to prepare."
"I hope there are not any other surprises," Serena mutters, staring at the screen as Andrea shakes her left arm, clenching and unclenching the fist a few times. For now, she still has control, but she needs to end this fight sooner rather than later.
As if she has heard me, Andrea changes tactics, reaching into her boot and pulling out the three inch blade she has been allowed to take in with her.
Nate laughs loudly. Mockingly. "Do you really think that will be any good against me?"
"It's all I need," Andrea replies. "You're going to do all the hard work for me, Nate, and this will just finish the job."
He laughs again and it's a mistake. She darts forwards, a slashing motion across his forehead opening a wound that bleeds freely.
"What's she doing? Why didn't she stab him?" I say frustratedly.
"She's giving herself an advantage," Doug answers. "With blood in his eyes affecting his vision, she's got more of a chance. She's looking for anything that will give her an edge. She needs to find his weakness, and use it. Stabbing someone with his mods and implants won't be enough to kill him. He can heal himself far too quickly."
"What if he doesn't have one?" I can't help but ask. "What if there isn't a weakness for her to exploit?"
"There will be. There always is," Destra reassures me. "Don't give up on her, she knows what she's doing."
I don't reply. I can't. How can they all be so calm when Andrea is up against this genetically modified maniac?
I soon see that they are right, though, as Nate has to use one of his hands to wipe the blood free from his eyes, leaving him open to attack. Andrea takes full advantage, breaking out of her defensive stance to land another blow to his head. She aims for the same spot every time, and I understand what she is doing. If she hits the right spot with enough force, then she will render him unconscious. It's a technique she had used in The Circle to end a fight, rather than be forced to fight to the death. I don't think they will let her walk away from this unless Nate draws his last breath, though. I don't want to think about the alternative, or picture her lying on the floor, battered and broken.
She doesn't have the upper hand for long as the cut on his brow heals at an inhuman rate, staunching the flow of blood and leaving him free to attack with deadly force. I inhale sharply when he strikes her in the throat, dropping her to her knees as she coughs loudly, her breath uneven and raspy. He spins, a roundhouse kick that makes contact with the side of her head, and her eyes glaze over for a moment. As he rushes forwards with the intention of finishing her off, Andrea's lithe body rolls to the side, and she slashes at the back of his heel with her knife, snarling triumphantly when she cuts straight through the tendon there.
"Let's see how you play now, you fucker," Andrea taunts him, and her eyes are colder than I have ever seen them. She is pure malevolence itself as she spins away like a spectral dancer.
"You bitch," Nate growls, spitting more venom her way, but she laughs as she dodges.
"Come on, Natey-boy. Is that all you've got?"
"What the hell is she doing?" I demand, my hands gripping my thighs so tightly it hurts. The pain grounds me, and I take a deep breath.
"Anger can work for you sometimes, but it can also make you sloppy. If he's angry, then he's more likely to make a mistake. Again, Miranda, you need to trust her. She knows what she is doing," Destra reprimands me, but her tone is soft.
Andrea's left arm now hangs loosely at her side, and she looks down at it with such a look of betrayal that it's almost comical. In a dazzling display of strength and agility, she runs towards Nate, swerving at the last minute to jump up the rungs of the cage at his side, flipping herself towards him and wrapping her legs around his neck. She throws her body towards the middle of the ring, her whole weight behind her as she topples them off balance, sending them both crashing down onto the concrete floor below. Quick as lightning, the knife slashes at the back of his other foot, severing the connective tissue. She grins ferally as his anguished scream rings out through the arena.
Nate tries to stand, roaring angrily when his partially severed feet prevent him from getting up. He flicks his hands forwards, metal claws unsheathing from his hands, and I can see the movement in her throat when Andrea gulps, taking several steps backwards.
"Des? What the fuck are those?"
Destra hits the Comms button. "No idea, Andy. Another unpleasant surprise that wasn't in his file."
"Have you seen anything like it before?" Andrea asks, keeping her distance from the man still on his knees. "Are they likely to be coated with anything I should know about?"
"Could be," Destra muses. "Try not to find out."
"Helpful," Andrea mutters, grinning slightly. She turns to Nate. "You're making me look bad, you know. Killing an already incapacitated opponent is considered bad form anywhere else in the universe."
"You don't have the balls to kill me," he taunts. "You've lost your edge, Baby."
She scowls at the unwanted pet name, adjusting the grip of her hand around the knife until she is holding it like a spear over her head.
"I'm not your baby," she growls, lunging forwards and bringing the knife down towards his head. He's quicker than she had planned for, and she swipes mid-air, as metal claws slash across her thigh. Blood pours from multiple wounds, and she curses loudly, jumping backwards out of the way of another attack.
"Des, it's burning."
"Shit. End this, Andy. You have to end this," the Medical Officer replies.
"I'm trying," Andy bites back, voice tight with pain.
Without delay, she springs forward, propelled by a lifetime of desperation and anger. Nimble and quick witted, she expertly sidesteps his counter attack and brings the knife down heavily; the blade piercing Nate's skull and lodging itself in his brain. He rears up like a serpent about to strike, metal claws blindly thrashing through the air. My heart stops beating for a moment, but she's too quick for him, leaping backwards before he can make contact. He makes one last hopeless attempt, before slumping forwards onto the stone floor.
Andrea approaches cautiously, suspicion clear on her face. He doesn't move, blood collecting in a pool of macabre red gloss around him. She reaches for the knife, but rather than pull it free, she pushes it deeper, the twist of her hand evident as she makes sure she has finished the job. She staggers to the side, collapsing against the side of the cage, holding on tightly as she pants for breath. A loud bell marks the end of the fight, and she drops to her knees, covering her face with her hands. The crowd of spectators falls into stunned silence and it's clear none of them expected this outcome. Nate has been at the top of The Circle for a long time, and it's shocking to them, and me, that he has been beaten by someone who is so much smaller than him, with far less recent experience. The silence draws out for a long moment, and then the arena erupts in a burst of noise; the people have a winner now, after all, and what a fight it was to witness.
It makes me feel sick. These people and the other alternative life forms are barbaric, and I realise the significance of what I have just watched. This is what Caroline would have ended up doing if we weren't successful. If Andrea wasn't successful. I take a deep breath, and release it slowly, repeating the action as I try to swallow down the bile I can taste in the back of my throat. Destra's hand finds my back and rubs slowly, in soothing circles. I smile at her gratefully.
"Stay with us, Andy. Don't let them win now," Serena commands sternly through her Comms unit. "Get back to the ship, Commander. That's an order."
To my surprise, Andrea responds, looking up and nodding. With grim determination, she pushes herself to her feet, and heads to the door of The Circle, nodding to the person standing there. He lets her out, and Lily runs forward to help her, a supportive arm going around her waist.
"What happens now?" I ask, looking at the Lieutenant.
"Now, we better hope that Irv doesn't get greedy and decide he wants to keep Andy," she replies darkly, her fingers white where they are grasping the arm of her chair. "He's usually good at keeping to a deal, though. Let's hope he isn't yet another unpleasant surprise."
Serena gestures to the screen tiredly, and Jocelyn seems to understand her meaning, switching between cameras until she finds Lily and Andrea walking through a dimly lit corridor. Andrea is limping significantly, and I can see just how heavily she is leaning on the Ensign.
"Okay, keep eyes on them until they are back on the ship," Serena instructs. "Destra, make sure you're all set up. She's going to need a lot of care when she gets back, and we don't know what condition Caroline will be in."
"Will do," the Medical Officer replies, getting to her feet and leaving the Cave.
"Is there something I can do?" I ask, but Serena shakes her head.
"No. Now we just have to wait and see. Hopefully it won't take too long for them to get back to the ship, and then we're leaving right away. I want to put as much distance between us and Bellator as possible."
I nod, but don't ask any more questions, my eyes glued to the screen as we follow Andrea and Lily through a series of tunnel-esque corridors. They reach a huge metal gate where they are stopped by someone in uniform, a guard of some kind. I think we all expect trouble, holding our breaths, but he doesn't hesitate to let them through.
"Joss?" Serena prompts when we lose sight of them.
"We don't have a visual. There's no circuit to piggyback where they are now," the Communications Officer replies desperately. "Shit. We're blind until they come out again."
"That's where Caroline is being held," Nigel informs us, looking up from his Info Glass. "According to the plans, those are the holding cells for new recruits still in training."
"So they won't be too long?" Doug ventures hopefully.
"As long as we're not being played," Serena replies, her eyes not leaving the screen.
It's a long and tense wait. Several people come and go, but there is no sign of Andrea or Lily, and I am growing increasingly anxious, waiting for the first glimpse of my daughter. What if she isn't there? What if Irv has refused to hand her over?
The minutes drag by and my eyes begin to water from staring at the screen for so long, barely blinking in case I miss something. Half an hour passes and we are all restless, Jocelyn bouncing her knee and Serena tapping her fingers on the console. Nigel has resorted to pacing, his quiet steps behind me sounding more like percussion grenades in the silence of the ship.
The door opens, and Andrea limps out, blood pouring down her face; the cut above her eye has reopened and is bleeding profusely. What the hell happened in there? She looks over her shoulder, smiling when she sees Lily behind her and I get my first look at Caroline, being carried by the woman.
"Why isn't she moving?" I blurt out. "What's wrong with her?"
"Don't panic," Serena warns. "There are a number of reasons why she isn't conscious and not all of them are bad."
"Not all of them are bad? My daughter is out cold, Lieutenant!"
Serena glares at me. "And as I said, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
Nigel rests a hand on my shoulder. "Miranda, Caroline has aggression mods. It's entirely possible Andrea had to knock her out to get her back to the ship safely. Once she's here, we'll do everything we can to help her."
Oh. If that's what has happened, then Caroline is worse than I thought. They all warned me about what has been done to her, but I just can't imagine my sweet and quiet daughter ever behaving that way.
I'm silent, lost in my thoughts as we track them back through the city, adrenaline spiking every time they meet a guard, just in case they are stopped. It appears that Irv has remained good to his word, though, as they make their way back to us without interference. Andrea looks decidedly worse for wear, stumbling occasionally as she walks.
They reach the shuttle that will bring them back to the ship and Andrea smiles tiredly at us through the surveillance, giving a half hearted wave. I'm so grateful she's okay and I'm so grateful to her, but I only have eyes for my daughter. She looks like she is sleeping peacefully, propped up against Lily on the seat. It's impossible to think that she might be a threat. That she might be someone to be wary of. This tiny, waif-like child is nothing like the monster that we have just seen fighting in The Circle.
The crew talk quietly around me, and I vaguely listen to their words as they plan their next moves. There is some concern that this is not over yet, and they make counter plans in case of a sudden change. I ignore them all in favour of watching Caroline. Her eyes flutter and she begins to stir. I watch, horrified, as Andrea sharply elbows her in the head, before she can fully open her eyes. The blow lands just behind her ear, and Caroline's face goes slack again. Andrea's eyes flick up to where she knows we are watching, smiling sheepishly.
"I'm sorry," she mouths at the camera.
"It's not easy to see, I know," Serena sympathises.
"She wouldn't have done that if it wasn't necessary," Doug assures me. "Andy would never hurt your kid just for the sake of it."
"That's worse, isn't it?" I ask rhetorically. "I know Andrea wouldn't, which means that my daughter is a threat."
"We'll take her to Meliora," Serena reminds me. "She's going to be fine."
"How long will that take?"
The Lieutenant grimaces. "It's in Sector Nine and will take several more weeks of travel just to get there. Depending on their assessment of Caroline, we might have to stay there a while."
I nod. I don't care how long I am away from home as long as I have my daughters safe and well at the end of it all. I do feel guilty for the crew though, and I say as much. "I'm sorry. This is all taking up so much of your time."
She surprises me then, reaching out to rest her hand on my arm. "This is more than just a job, Miranda. You know that, right? You're one of us now," she declares with a certainty that makes my throat tight and my eyes sting. "We do whatever it takes for one of our own, and no one begrudges it. You're family."
"Thank you," I croak out. It's almost impossible to speak as my emotions get the better of me.
Nigel stops his pacing to perch against the Command desk next to me, throwing an arm around my shoulders and squeezing me tightly against him. It's not the same as being hugged by Andrea, but I accept the comfort anyway. We stay like that, in quiet companionship, until the shuttle pulls up outside the ship. I realise just how true Serena's words are. They feel like family to me now.
We move as one, rising from our seats and walking quickly through the Cave to the back of the ship where Andrea is walking up the access ramp, with Lily and a still unconscious Caroline.