Love Struck Eternal
Chapter 43 - Internal.
Sam's POV.
I've been wandering for hours just looking for anyone. I knew something had happened, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what. One second Roslin and I were together and the next; I was in so much pain, then nothing. It was a strange yet familiar feeling. I've been in this situation once before.
As my mind remembered; I suddenly stopped when everything around me changed. I was back home again. I could tell from just the temperature. My body had grown used to being apart from it. The heat was all I felt when I quickly registered that I was now wearing my own gear. My armor and everything was on. I even had my rifle in my hands. Even my mask which I immediately tried to take off. However when I reached in to grab it I was unable to actually move it from its spot.
"What the fuck?" I mumbled out as I quickly took my hand back down to grip my gun again. Once I had refocused I realized I was now walking down a hallway. The hallway itself was fairly dark and the wallpaper informed me that I was maybe in a hotel or maybe some restaurant or even the capital.
Fairly confused, I was suddenly taken by surprise when I saw someone running in front of me further down the hallway. I couldn't see who it was but seeing someone else got me to chase after.
"Hey!" I tried shouting at them but they didn't stop. A moment later they made a turn down the hallway. With the turn coming up to me in mere moments, I used everything I had to send me at mach five around the corner.
When I did though I was immediately met with an M.E.A.F soldier. I didn't recognize them and I didn't have time to think on it, because in his hands was a rifle of his own and it was lifting up my way. So using my training, I stopped damn near at an instant to out lift him and began shooting for my overall defense.
The bullets I sent were as real as ever in my mind. The soldier went down much like any other person if they got shot five times in the chest. Yet it turns out this guy wasn't alone. I got a round sent into my chest and much like I expected from my gear; the shields destroyed it on impact, leaving me to return fire at two more men who were now holding position in what seemed like a smaller lobby which then broke off in two directions, followed by more hallways and what I could only guess be bedrooms?
I took the fight to these guys because I had no fear holding me back. My shields were strong enough to absorb the damage and my aim was enough to end them before they could try anything else. Once that was dealt with my attention was on the hallways. I saw nothing down one of them, but the other had someone at the end of it. I widened my eyes when I realized it was my uncle Peek.
"Stay back!" He ordered me as he opened fire with a pistol he had in his right hand.
Immediately I ducked behind the corner to both let my shield recharge and shout back.
"Stop shooting at me! Peek, it's Sam!" My voice was having no effect again. My uncle kept firing off rounds so I had no choice but to close the gap if I hoped to stop him.
I started off by blindly returning fire at him. He ducked inside a room and so I pushed out and ran at him; the whole time I fired out the last of my clip and quickly switched out for my Luger and even then I kept firing till I reached the door. However once I did I was tackled backwards by the bird. He went right for my legs and even managed to take me down to my back. My luger slipped out of my hands as he swung at me with all he had, hitting me square in the cheek of the mask.
"You fucking son of a bitch!" My uncle growled at me as I quickly grabbed him by the waist, lifting and throwing at the same time into the nearby wall.
"Aghh!" He screamed as his head had cracked open from the back with the help of the trimming the hallway had lining its walls.
Quickly taking command, I punched him twice in the face and screamed.
"It's me! It's Sam!"
Nothing I said worked. I was only met with the response of force which was my uncle deciding to grab onto my nearby knife which was in a holster I had on my lower back. I panicked when he managed to get it free and in front of me to prepare a lunge. Using all I had I grabbed him by the wrist and fought for control once more.
"Stop!" I yelled but to no avail. Everything went red when Peek slipped the knife past my
guard and into my stomach. Everything changed when I felt that enter me. I went full power and elbowed him right in the nose. In fact I did it about three more times till he was bloody and defenseless. Once he was in that condition, I pulled my knife free and panicked when I looked back down the hall to see another soldier rounding the bend.
Throwing the knife as hard as I could, I flung it straight into his neck from a good ten feet out. The dude flew back and it was at that exact moment I heard the door in front of me open. Instinct and adrenaline kept me moving and without any thought I threw myself to the side where my Luger sat and managed to grab both it and aim in the general direction of what I thought I heard. With no time to question anything, I just began to squeeze the trigger. By the time my mag was dry it was already too late to see that I had just shot my mother about three times in her chest.
She had a handgun of her own, but by the time I was finished; both it and her had fallen back into the doorway.
I was motionless at what I just did. My body had frozen up and my breathing had stopped. My mother on the other hand was coughing up blood from her back, barely able to cover any of the holes I had just given her. When I heard her voice I managed to break free from my shackles and found myself at her side the very next moment crying. Her eyes were staring at me as I came in to yell at her.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't…..I didn't….I didn't know! I didn't! I swear to god I didn't know! Mom!? Mom, look at me!" I begged her as her head had lowered.
She was dead a moment after and it was at that exact moment I had shut my eyes and reopened them to find myself staring at my condo's ceiling.
A wave of emotions washed over me, but all from motionless silence. At the end I was left groggy and confused. At first I thought I was dreaming, but when I managed to look around I found Roslin under me on the floor. His eyes were shut but he was breathing, so I figured that was good and didn't decide to panic.
My head felt light, almost as if I was high. Very slowly I rolled onto my side. Once I was there I tasted blood and it came as a small concern when I found a few dry spots of it resting on my chin. It was then when I forced myself to get up. On my way to the bathroom I got a good look at myself in the mirror and I found out that I had a lot more than what was just on my chin.
I didn't have much to say or really anything to complain about. I figured this had something to do with Roslin. His mouth had some blood on it too. Deciding to wash my mouth and face using the sink, I planned my course of action to come. I wanted nothing more than to lay back down, but I wasn't going to do that until I figured out what time it was. It was dark outside and I was curious if I was out for days or just hours.
Going back out to the couch, I stepped around my master and got a grip onto my phone which I had placed on the coffee table. Turns out it was only a few hours, but my phone had missed calls from Royce, so I calmly laid back down on the couch to call him back. He answered on the second ring.
"Sam?" He first said to me as I slowly moved my hair out from my eyes to reply back in a small yawn.
"Yeah?"
"What's going on over there? Are you okay? I was starting to get worried when you didn't answer. Were you sleeping?" Royce asked in confusion as I took a moment to collect myself before replying.
"Power nap. I'm okay. Safe."
"You really fucking did it. You know what you did right? Azerbaijan is going crazy and the M.E.A.F are mobilizing some troops to help stabilize the city. You saw the riots right?"
"Yeah, I did. Sorry, I'm still waking up. What about you guys though? How is G.U.N reacting?"
"We're handling it. Ajex and Voltz are doing what they have to in order to keep the situation under control. Fenning on the other hand is a different story. When we got word about the hit he was the first one out of his seat. Fucking guy can't believe you did it. No one knows anything but you from what we know. You got out clean."
"Wait….you said Voltz right? What's happening? When did he get involved?"
"The second Ajex authorized your operation he was brought into the mix. Now Voltz already knew Ajex had a plan in the mix to get someone embedded with the terrorists. He's aware that we have an operation going on, but he's not involved to any degree that Ajex or Fenning is. They just keep him in the loop as we get more information. It's called being polite and considerate Samantha."
"Sam." I groaned out in disgust as he ignored me to continue on with what he was saying.
"Voltz and the M.E.A.F own the middle east. Esteban and Azerbaijan were allies of theirs. When your operation got approved, Ajex had Voltz pull Esteban's request for support from his troops back. It was the most we could do to try and make your work easier and your odds of survival better."
"Does Voltz or the M.E.A.F know who I am? I hope not, I don't need any attention for my work." I mumbled back as Royce quickly replied.
"Ajex has only talked with Voltz from what I know and it was just about Esteban and the request. As far as I'm aware Ajex hasn't discussed any details of the operation to him directly and to be quite frank, Voltz has only one concern and that's making sure a war doesn't break out from the friction. He doesn't have a chance to get involved nor does he even have the time. It's also simpler if he and Ajex agree not to cross their operations. Ajex is in charge of getting answers, while Voltz handles the political fallout. Voltz should tag along with whatever we bring up so long as we get results. So we have nothing to worry about and I have full faith that your name and profile will stay within G.U.N hands. Voltz and his people should remain in the dark about that much."
"Okay good." I yawned back as he then asked me.
"What are you going to do now? Are you still within the city?"
"Yeah. I'm back at my condo just laying down."
"Any plans to leave?" He then wondered as I looked down from my left side to rest my eyes back on a sleeping Roslin.
"Soon maybe. Depends on how things progress over the next week. Things go well and I won't know where that is."
"Excuse me?" Royce said back with some slight confusion to his voice as I just decided to drop the news on him.
"I've made contact with three members of the group. Dusk being one of them."
I heard Royce scramble for what I could only assume to be his notebook. Halfway through his scramble he raised his voice up an octave to question.
"What!? When?! How?! Who else was with him?! What did they look like!? Did they tell you anything about their plans or motives?! Any idea where they could be based?! Did they….?!"
"Calm down! One at a time!" I chuckled at him as he quickly got his shit back together to reply.
"I'm sorry but this is huge. Sam, this means you were right and what you did actually paid off. Ajex and Fenning thought this would have taken a lot longer. How did they find you? What happened? How did they approach you?"
I knew I had to fumble around with most of the truth. After all, I killed Esteban earlier in the morning. It wouldn't be good to mention that Ace came to me the day prior. It would make me look horrible. G.U.N and Royce would be pissed to no end if they thought for even a second that I didn't have to kill Esteban to get these results.
Putting my thoughts together quickly I replied to my handler.
"They've been watching my movements ever since Roman. Turns out they have a pretty good team keeping eyes on the city. The guy who figured out it was me is a rabbit. His name is Ace. I don't know his last name yet. He came to me not about an hour after I got done with Esteban. Followed me back to my condo and had the balls to confront me alone. I'm assuming he was just trying to confirm it was me who pulled the trigger on the president. Once he was certain and we had a mutual conversation going; he called two of his friends over. Dusk and the third guy, who goes by the name Gwent. Apparently he was with G.U.N at some point. Demolitions I think."
"That's huge Sam. If Gwent was with us at some point we can surely track everything we need to know down involving him. We could have more leads with just that, but this Ace guy, is he the guy in charge?" Royce asked back as I decided to roll off the couch in order to lay next to my master. Resting my head over his chest, I replied while snuggling up to his sides.
"No. Ace is just one of many informants these guys work with. He is, however, really good. I still don't really know how he tracked me down as fast as he did. He made it very clear to me that it's only the three of them operating in the city and that they don't ever get involved with the network. So where he managed to get any information is a mystery to me. If he had none then he's just got a really good gut instinct to him."
"How was Dusk? Did he say anything?"
"The dog barely said much to me. In fact I'm pretty sure he doesn't trust me. That and he was probably upset that I told Ace I would only be speaking in Russian to him and his kind."
"Ha! Why would you do that? Do they speak Russian?" Royce chuckled back.
"Ace does. And I told him that because I don't yet trust any of them ethier and I refuse to get comfortable. Ace knows I speak English though, but I think we have a pretty good agreement on my terms if they wish to enlist me."
"What's their take on you then? How much do they really know?"
"Nothing serious. They think I'm some crazy contractor who just came to the city to make a name for themselves. They think I did what I did just to further my own personal gain, and for now I'm going to be rolling with it. It seems like I'll get more freedom that way."
"Yeah nothing serious." Royce again laughed which soon led him to wonder.
"So what are they asking you to do? Clearly they came to you to talk after what you did. I doubt they want you dead if that's the case."
"They don't. Money is a major concern for them and they want me to continue my work as a contractor for them. They didn't get into the details yet, but Ace made his people out to be rebels of some kind. They are firm believers of the old world when G.U.N controlled the majority of the world and its resources. They want that government back for some reason. I can't yet say why, but it's a start."
"So from what it sounds like these guys are looking at you as if you're some kind of crazed killer who wants nothing more than the M.E.A.F and its relationships to burn. If that's part of their agenda and if money is a major concern; then it makes sense why they would want to contract a person who can kill a president to work for them. How much money do they want?" Royce then asked.
"Twenty percent, but that price hasn't been solidified yet. I'd need to be extra careful as well. Using the network is a gamble."
"Not really. Fenning and Ajex were already considering this to happen and made sure that the network would be ready to blacklist a profile if we needed to get you one to work out from. That way no other groups could interfere and potentially hurt you if a contract you take turns sour after the fact. If this has to happen I need to know ASAP so Fenning can mobilize."
"I don't already have one?" I questioned.
"All three of the kills you performed were clean. No one saw shit, so no one can report you and it's not like you made anything off of those guys; so there was nothing to claim. You should be clean."
"Okay then. I'll let you know as soon as they get back into contact with me. Ace said it would be about a week till he got the okay to bring me aboard. The people he's referring to are unknown. They refer to them as their Uppers." I informed Royce as he then asked.
"Any clue where else they operate?"
Lying through my teeth I replied.
"No idea yet. They're being careful with how much information they give me. My best guess is that I won't know anything more until I'm accepted. If I'm accepted."
"If they're main focus is on restoring the old G.U.N, then that's simply not going to ever happen. Even if Ajex was killed today, we would never revert back to what we once were. The M.E.A.F showed us how the world could be if we worked more together. However, that never stops people from trying and if they're out looking for someone with some talent, then there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that they would let you go. Keep me up to date on this Sam. You still have no clue how much happiness this will bring Ajex and Fenning. I'm going to contact them personally as soon as we hang up."
"Tell them that this is my main focus now. If things go as planned from this point on, I won't be making anymore gambles. I'm gonna be absolutely dedicated to getting on their good side. I might not be able to contact you again for a while if that happens." I stated back to Royce who immediately urged me with a happy voice.
"Don't worry about that. We understand fully. You do whatever you gotta do to make yourself comfortable. I'll maintain a monthly call; if you answer? Well that's another question. If you don't I'll just wait a few days then try again till I get you. Don't worry about nothing."
"Okay." I whispered as I was face deep in Roslin's neck. Royce must have thought it was my pillow because once he heard my response and how I framed it, he again urged me.
"I'll let you rest up. Just stay safe and keep your head down. Once you hear something from the rabbit you just let me know. If I hear anything I'll be in contact."
"I gotcha. I'll be in touch. Talk to you then."
"Okay bye." He fired back quickly as I already had my phone off my ear and halfway shut down.
Putting my phone down next to Roslin's other side, I realized his heart was beating. I could feel it on my left ear as I had that part of my head resting on his chest. I'm assuming that was natural, but what could I really do? Maybe it had something to do with what we just went through.
Listening to his heart, I recalled what he had told me. Gently reaching up to rest my right hand over my heart, I listened and focused for any sign of it moving or beating from within my chest. It didn't take long for me to realize it wasn't doing ethier. What he said was true. Was I really a god now? I had to wonder as I knew testing my powers wouldn't be an option. Despite being awake, I had no energy to work with right now. It feels like I've been drained. Another part of the process? I had to wonder as I decided to take my head off of Roslin to get a good look at his face.
The man was out. He was sleeping like a baby and I bet he needed it too. Seeing the blood on his lips as well, I licked my arm and wiped it off. Once he was remotely clean, I decided to move him. He deserved a bed to sleep in. Not this fucking floor. Upon getting onto my knees, I prepared myself for his weight. Roslin had to have fifty pounds on me, but when I first got my hands under his legs and upper back and began to lift, I was shortly stunned by my strength. It was like he weighed nothing. I lifted the echidna with such ease, I bet I could dance.
"Holy crap." I chuckled to myself as I chose not to dance and just carried him off to the guest room where I once housed Ace.
Upon putting him down, I got bold and managed to get him out of his shirt before putting him under the covers. I figured if his heart was beating that meant he was quite possibly vulnerable. Maybe his powers weren't there and that could potentially mean his body was busted for now. I couldn't feel much of an aura around him so getting him nice and comfortable made me feel happy.
After he was tucked away, I left the room and proceeded to sit back on the couch. My immediate first thought was about how I shot my mother and beat down my uncle. I couldn't get either of their faces away from me at the moment. I just had to focus on something else for now. I was strong enough to not let a vision take my mind and if this was anything like the one I had about my dad then it meant it wasn't entirely real. I could prevent it and that gave me the comfort I needed right now to test out my meditation. I needed my energy back.
Taking off my vest and my arm armor, I put it all down to my side and crossed my legs. From there I took a breath and closed my eyes. This time however when I started to meditate I was transported to a place in my mind that I've never been to before. It was pitch black and dead silent. It was tranquil silence though. Nothing to bother me. What made this a little weird though was that I instantly forgot that I was just sitting on the couch in my condo. Instead I was on the blackened ground with my eyes open and my focus on the area around me.
I wasn't scared or confused however. This all felt like it was natural for my head to witness. What did however get a reaction out of me, was the fact that when I thought about my father for the splittest of seconds; he appeared standing before me. Motionless and voiceless. It was just a hollow version of himself. Interested by the ordeal, I stood back up and approached him to see that he wasn't even registering my presence. Reaching out to poke his chest, I mumbled to myself.
"This is weird."
My father was clearly just here because I thought about him. What would happen if I thought about someone else? I wondered as I switched my mind back to my mother who took his spot near instantly. She however was the same way my dad just was. Thankfully this time she was alive at least.
Trying to understand what this was supposed to mean to me, I thought about Jari and before I knew it the little rabbit was standing where my mom once was. This time however I wondered if I could make them do something if I thought about it. For some other reason I wanted to see if he could fight me, and to my surprise the second I switched my thoughts over to violence, the little rabbit came right at me swinging.
I had no worries at all when it came to fighting Jari. In fact, I was out right disrespectful to him. He couldn't touch me. I was just moving too fast for him to keep up and before I knew it I kicked him square in the stomach.
"Aghh!" He yelped out as I had hit him with enough force to send him off his feet and onto his side in pain.
Hearing his voice made me stop for a moment. I really thought I just hurt him, but I soon recovered, recalling that this was all just in my head. Not wanting to beat him up further, I switched away from him and instead decided to think about Royce. The jackal appeared just as fast as Jari vanished and when I had readied myself I started the fight again. This time I expected a lot more considering Royce was my instructor back in boot.
If this world was a part of my mind and I could come here to practice fighting just about anyone on my mind, then I could really be prepared for just about anything. I was curious what other things I could do, but with Royce coming at me I had very little time to contemplate it all now. Hopefully with some time and some experimentation, I could be back at full strength soon enough. God knows if I was as strong as I was when lifting Roslin up, I was excited to see just how much more I could lift and do when at full power.
Marx's POV.
"Easy there." I begged Maggie who was determined to leave her bed even after getting shot in her leg.
Using a crutch I gave her as support, I watched very closely as she managed to stand. Giving her a concerned face I asked her.
"How does it feel?"
"Heavy." She replied as she fully focused to look at me.
With her ability to do the impossible and my ability to care, we were still stuck in a strange spot. She wanted to go see Raptor which wasn't yet possible. While I was stuck wanting her to relax and take it easy for the next few days.
"I can walk on it if I try." She informed me which instantly got me to chuckle and reply.
"If you try, sure, but you're smart enough to know that the damage you'll cause your leg will be catastrophic. You're lucky you didn't bleed to death. If the bullet was a hair more to the right it would have hit an artery and you would be dead."
"I still want to go see him." She bluntly stated back to me a moment later. Giving her a small sigh and a shake of my head I decided to tell her the truth.
"You can't see him. Even if I let you leave. Raptor has been undergoing some extreme security measures ever since the shooting. The only people allowed to see him are Zandro and a select few men under his administration."
"I'm part of that admin Marx. I didn't go through all the training just to be excluded. I'm trained. I can help."
"Help what? Help man the front desk? Look at you Mags. Can you just listen to me for once and do what I say? Why do you have to take after Raptor?"
"What do you mean?" She asked me back as I sat down at her bedside to reply.
"I mean you don't listen. You never listen to what I have to say. Raptor sure as hell doesn't and I've been giving him advice for most of my life."
"You're stretching the truth." She tried to tell me back which instantly got me to state back at her.
"I'm not. I really ain't."
The wolf reminded me so much of that man. Not even Samantha was this hard to work with and that was Raptor's blood. In theory it should be worse. Yet here I am. I thought to myself as I proceeded to beg her.
"Just listen to me please. Everything is under control. Zeta is fine, Raptor is fine, and you know Yoga is fine. That ferret survives everything. The only person who isn't fine is you and your going to fuck yourself up even more if you keep walking on that leg of yours. You're a grown wolf Maggie and I know for a fact that both Zeta and Raptor want you there at the wedding as a bridesmaid. You want to be Zeta's bridesmaid with a bum leg? No right? So please listen to me. Just lay back down and take a break. Do it for their sake. Do it for yourself. I know you don't want this event to lead to any permanent side effects and I can promise you that if you push yourself you'll have a fucked up limp for the rest of your life."
I don't know what part of my speech got her to listen, but about ten seconds after I had finished she nodded to herself and decided to lay back down on the bed. For a moment I didn't know what to say. I think I was just shocked that I might have got through to someone for once. Any doubts in my head vanished when she handed me back her crutch to say.
"You're right. I don't want anything else to happen and I definitely don't want to get a bum leg before the wedding. I'll be good. Just tell me what needs to happen."
I was still stunned in all honesty. A member of the Voltz family was listening to me for once? To be honest I wouldn't have done much else if she ignored my speech. What could I do at my age to stop a girl like her? All I can do is run my mouth and for once I was thrilled it paid off. Hopefully Raptor won't worry too much. I'm sure he wanted to see her about as much as she wanted to see him.
Ace's POV, A day later.
"So what do you want us to do?" I asked Tika who I had on the phone.
Dusk and Gwent were both out doing their rounds while I was resting up. However I wasn't being wasteful. I had to have a conversation about bringing Sam on board sooner or later and thankfully after everything I've said and done Tika is taking me for my word and going along with what I was suggesting. Sam was going to be a huge asset to us. A talented contractor like her could do just about any contract work. She'd bring in a lot of money and that was what Tika was concerned about the most. Losing this city would cost us and Sam could help alleviate that loss.
"I want the three of you to close out your business contacts. No survivors this time. We have to be sure we cover our tracks. Take them all out Ace. Take them out, gather what you can in terms of product, then get a move on to extraction."
"Which is what?" I asked her as I questioned the term extraction during riots. As expected though Tika replied harshly back.
"You three can walk right? We're gonna use rendezvous Limia this time. I'll have someone swing by to pick you up."
"Airlift?" I then asked back.
"Too risky. We're not using choppers till things have time to cool down. I'll send a truck. Once you're on board we'll figure out where we're sending you."
"What about Sam? That's my last concern." I informed my upper who went on to order me.
"Bring her along for the trip, but have Dusk or Gwent keep an eye on her till I can figure out the proper place for a meet and greet. I don't trust anyone to not screw us over. She tries anything and you'll be the one answering for it Ace. Do you understand? Am I clear about that?"
"Crystal." I replied back. I knew the risks, but I had faith that this was the right call to make. Give the wolf some time and I'm sure Tika can be won over. Truth be told, Tika might already be sold despite acting like this. She was a visionary like me. She saw the potential a recruit like Sam could make for our cause and if Tika was on our side for sure she'd be quickly adopted by the other groups. One upper makes all the difference. Especially when the one we needed to win over was one of the scarier ones.
Sam's POV.
"Drink." I urged Roslin, who was still asleep. I had to personally give him water. It was clear to me that he was indeed still mortal. So after a full day of that being the case he needed to drink something.
Thankfully the echidna was easy to force feed. I felt like a legit mother at this point, but that was okay considering it was for his sake. Not like I'd honestly argue with being a mother, so long as it was with his kids.
As I finished giving him some water I took a moment to think about what I just said. I was really this attached, this addicted, and this taken by this man. I'd hate to jump the gun, but I could believe this to be my body's way of saying it might be in love with someone. Yet did he have to know that? I don't even know if I have it in me to really tell him that. How would he even respond if he knew his demi loved him this way? I wondered as I took a few moments to just stare into his calming face.
My train of thought was broken however when I heard my doorbell go off. My mind instantly shifted gears when I realized I had allowed someone to get right up to my condo without being detected by my new found powers. I should have noticed a long time ago, but Roslin was always my distraction. It was fine though because at my door was Ace. I could see the rabbit through the walls separating us.
My vision was hard to describe now. I could see normally at any given point, but the moment I had my interest peaked or my attention taken, I'd have this weird interaction with that and the ability to sense energy. They combined almost and that energy I could feel was now fully visualized when I focused in any given direction. It was honestly kinda trippy. Being able to see Roslin for instance through my bedroom's walls was just a strange sight to behold. It was like x-ray vision, just a whole lot better considering my reach expanded well beyond what I had grown used to before this happened.
Getting up and making my way to the door, I asked from behind it in Russian.
"I thought you were gonna text me? What do you want?"
The rabbit cleared his throat before replying back in my language.
"I got a plan of action for you early if you're still interested."
Taking a moment to fix my hair before unlocking the door, I opened it up to look right on down at the man. He was giving me the nicest smile as I then urged him.
"Come inside."
"Thank you." He replied as he walked past me to wait till I had closed the door again. Once I did he said to me in confidence.
"I'm sorry to come in person. My people think it's safer right now to just discuss this in person. Word is the military is listening in on a lot right now, so I'm not gonna chance any info getting out. I did however get to talk to one of my uppers. I told them everything that had happened between you and I when we first met and I went ahead and told them about your business in Azerbaijan."
"So they know about Esteban then?" I asked to be sure which got me a nod back before being told bluntly.
"My upper wants to discuss business with you, but not here. The meeting is going to be face to face, but we'll be leaving the country to do so."
"All of you are leaving? Did I screw up your business that bad?"
Nodding, Ace replied back calmly.
"It's not that you screwed anything up. This decision was only made for the security of our organization. If you want the truth, both Gwent and Dusk claim our business here could be salvaged. However our upper is pulling us out just in case. We can always come back when things cool down."
"You guys really don't take chances when it comes to keeping a low profile. When are we supposed to leave then?" I asked him back as I stood by the door to listen as he proceeded to inform me.
"End of the week you promised me. That's why my plan after this is to go right back to where I'm staying to rest up my body. We'll have a bit of a hike ahead of us and I want to make sure I can make the trip without begging for help. However I am being rude here. I'm assuming you're okay with this. Are you?"
I gave the question some thought, but I knew this was always going to be the answer. I just didn't want to come across as jumpy. So after about ten seconds I looked back at the rabbit to reply.
"I am."
Smiling Ace proceeded to state.
"That's great news. I know you're making the right choice."
"So what's going to happen at the end of the week?" I asked him back bluntly as I walked right up to him now to listen.
"Do whatever it is you gotta do before then. I'll bring Gwent and Dusk over here then we'll be making our way out of the city on foot. We're gonna be heading into the mountains so wear good boots."
"What's in the mountains?" I then asked.
"Our extraction point. My people are gonna be sending a truck to pick us up. Typically we would get airlifted out, but that's not an option due to the military being on full alert for anything unusual. Once we reach the truck, we'll figure out where we are going."
"You don't even know?" I questioned which got him to reply.
"The uppers keep it that way for a reason. Chances are we'll be separating once we get to our first location. Dusk, Gwent, and I probably have to go assist another team while you should be heading right for my upper who wants to speak with you."
"What's his name?" I then asked which got Ace to reply a moment later.
"Her name is Tika. That's all I can tell you Sam. The rest she can tell you if she wants, but if you want my advice? I'd just play to your strengths and your…charm, we'll call it. Tika likes people who aren't scared of her. Be confident and you and her should be on the right path together."
The rabbit took a second to look around my living room before looking me back right in my eyes to say.
"I should get going. Gwent is waiting on me. Same time as today though, we'll be swinging by to grab you. How does that sound?" He asked me as I quickly replied.
"Sounds good. You better rest up though while you got the chance."
"That's the plan till the day comes. See you then?"
"I'll see you." I smiled back as I escorted him back to my front door where we proceeded to part ways once more. I watched through the walls as he got to his car, and again he wasn't lying. I could see Gwent in the driver's seat. I wanted to see just how far I could keep the visual just to test my limit, but I quickly realized that so long as I had my focus I could follow them no matter the distance. Only thing that changed was the size of what I was looking at. The car got very small once they were probably a half mile out.
Letting go of that distraction, I went back to Roslin's room to continue my meditation. I made sure he was watered before I went back into my mind of course, but once I was where I wanted to be it all just felt one and the same. The small amount of energy I used to follow Ace and Gwent was given back to me in mere seconds of beginning my treatment. Using my gifts wouldn't be a problem so long as I kept track of my power properly. I'm sure if I let myself go too far I would still be very capable of feeling quite literally drained.
Unlike my first visit into my own head, I wasn't planning to fight anyone. I just wanted time to think. I had a lot on my mind and I wanted to plan ahead. I had to think about the situation with Ace, the condition of Roslin, G.U.N, my intentions when it came to what I was aiming to achieve by even being in this situation, and of course I had to consider my gameplan for the wedding. So much to consider and look over. I'd have to draw a line sooner or later when it came to my family. Did they deserve to know any of the changes in my life? If anything I could come clean about joining G.U.N. At the very least I don't think my family would outcast me. They would if I told them everything else I've already done for myself. I could hide most of it either way, but one thing was still on my mind.
"Face to face with my dad? If I said nothing about my relationship to Roslin, would he ever figure it out? My eyes might be a dead giveaway, but Roslin said I could alter them with practice. I wonder how I could do that?"
The other thing I was wondering was if my dad could read my own mind? Much like he's probably been doing his whole life. Could I read his? Or would we just not be able to because we're both demis? So many questions I wish I could ask Roslin. Hopefully he'd get up soon.
Zeta's POV, Three days later, Voltz Residence.
The house could have been in worse shape. The windows were all broken and there were bullet holes everywhere, but at least nothing caught fire or blew up. I was busy collecting some of my things. Just clothes and the essentials. I wasn't looking forward to moving back into the capital, but it wouldn't be too bad Zandro told me. We'd have our privacy. Raptor however wouldn't have much though considering the situation. Armed guards around him twenty four seven. I doubt that'll change for a long time.
As I collected my belongings, I asked myself what I planned to do about Raptor. Yoga was right when he claimed things were different with him. Raptor still wasn't really talking to anyone outside of interviews and a few meetings and when I got my time alone with him he barely would say anything interesting. He just wanted to go to bed every night. I had to wonder if he was doing that to get away from life. I knew he wouldn't ever kill himself, but this could be the next best thing if he wanted to get away from reality.
I wanted him to come around before the wedding, but my faith was barely standing up on its own and I didn't know what to do to fix it. Usually I have a plan, but I just can't figure it out.
When I had finished my packing, I made my way to the basement where Raptor had gone with a few guards and Yoga. I'm assuming he wanted to clear out his safe and round up all his belongings. I was right when I saw the bags, but what threw me off was that when I got down the steps I looked over at the safe to find Raptor just staring at Shadow's M1911. Yoga stood right next to him as I came to a stop to wonder.
"How are things coming along?"
Yoga looked up at me to reply.
"Almost got everything. We should be ready to leave soon."
I nodded but stared at my lover as he just kept his head down in silence. After a few seconds he flipped the gun over to then offer it to Yoga. The ferret widened his eyes as the gun entered his grip. Raptor on the other hand stood back on his feet to look up at me. I smiled as best as I could as he said to me in a daze.
"I don't know what to do."
Losing my smile I said back to him calmly.
"Finish up here and let's go back to the capital. You can lay down if you want."
Raptor nodded and that just made me more sad. He didn't have to sleep. This was all a choice he was making and that's what hurt. I feel like I can't help him. If I could he would act. Not hide.
I watched for a few minutes as the men gathered everything else up. Once they were ready Yoga ordered out loud.
"Let's load everything up and get back to base."
I led the course back to the convoy. Raptor got in the truck next to me and just out of instinct I tried to comfort him by hugging him close. He was more or less emotionless the whole ride back. I didn't know what to do. What was he thinking? What changed?
As I released him back to the public and his guards, I asked myself if what was missing was my daughter? Sam could make this so much better with such little effort. A phone call could probably help her father drastically. I knew what he was concerned about mentally. He almost lost Maggie. If he wasn't a god he would have.
What this man needed more than anything was a daughter. Or someone close enough to be one. I knew Sam wasn't going to come home until the wedding. I just had a sense about it, but Maggie on the other hand was different. She wanted nothing more than to be by his side right now and I know it kills her to be alone in her apartment thanks to Zandro declining her admission due to the injury. She would have to wait, but I couldn't let Raptor continue being this way. So the moment we were separated I went and found Zandro standing in the center of security with Vetra and three of his other operators.
"Zandro?" I called out to get his attention and the moment we exchanged looks he asked me.
"Ahh Zeta. How did things go at the house? Get everything you need?"
"It went fine. Thank you for sparing the time, but can I talk to you about something?"
"Something important?" He asked me back as I just bluntly decided to say it to him for his friends to hear.
"It's about Maggie. She needs to be here, not at home."
"She's not a member of the presidential family Zeta and it's my job to look out solely for them. Yes Maggie is a good friend to you guys, but she's not essential. She's one of my people yes, but I can't afford to have her here on that leg she's dragging. It's better for her health that she gets some time away from this. Don't you agree?"
"I agree." Vetra jumped in to state which got me to immediately snap my fangs while ordering her at the same time.
"Keep quiet. That question wasn't your queue to speak up for your boss."
Vetra widened her eyes as Zandro quickly urged me as carefully as he could.
"Let's keep this tame Zeta. Vetra? Give us some space for a few minutes. I'll come find you after."
The other wolf gave me a mean look back as I watched her leave. The other men were still hanging around as I decided to refocus my attention on him. Getting right into his face, I informed him with some force backing my tone.
"She may not be a member of our family right now, but she will be soon. We were gonna do it back at the bonfire before we all got ambushed!"
Widening his eyes now, Zandro looked at me sideways to question.
"What are you talking about? You were gonna do what?"
I was getting a little mad for no reason. Giving the man more tone than he deserved, I shouted back.
"We're adopting her!"
Zandro and the men around us all looked stumped. However, hearing that truth, Zandro dropped his guard and showed some emotion as he questioned in disbelief.
"Who? Maggie? Are you serious?"
I nodded violently as he smiled and stated.
"That's fantastic news. Holy shit."
"Can you please make an exception? I'll take care of her. Just please let her in. And I'm not just begging to beg. Raptor needs her right now. There isn't a fucking meeting in the world right now that will change that man's outlook on life right now. There isn't anything Zandro. You see this right? You've been with him since the shooting. He's in a fucking shell and I can't crack it. Sam could, but she isn't fucking here to help."
Zandro was on my side now, I could tell from his body language as he proceeded to agree with me.
"And Maggie is the next best thing, you're right. Having her here could help get him back on track mentally, but have you talked to him about what you're gonna say when she asks about the event? Maggie isn't dumb Zeta, she's gonna have questions."
"Let her have questions. We'll handle it, Zandro. Just please? Can you?"
Nodding his head the man replied.
"I can. I'll call her as soon as I get done talking with Vetra. I promise."
"Thank you." I exhaled into his face as I gave him a small hug.
On my way back to Raptor I crossed paths with the wolf again. She was waiting for Zandro of course, but as I came within inches of her I growled.
"Keep your mouth shut next time."
Vetra and I were never on good terms. She was always acting like she was better than me. She's stuck up and every time I'm involved in a conversation or decision, she makes it her mission to always get on the other side just to spite me. I could care less if she wants to kill me, cause I know I'll kill her first if it ever comes to that.
Leaving the wolf to her boss, I proceeded to go back to Raptor. I debated about telling him about Maggie. It might be better if it comes as a small surprise to him.
Maggie's POV, A few hours later.
Zeta helped me to the room I'd be staying in now that I was going to be staying at the capital with them. I was still shocked that she convinced Zandro to give me a posting. However she was being very secretive with me right now on why she wanted me here so badly. I figured now was the time to ask as we got behind some closed doors.
"Why did you go out of your way to get me a room here? Arguing with Zandro about regulations isn't easy to do, let alone convince him to change his mind about something."
Sitting me down on the bed, Zeta replied while getting down next to me.
"You're right. It is hard to talk to him sometimes, but thankfully this time we both agreed with one another."
"Agreed about what?" I then asked her as she was clearly happy to have me here. I could tell just by how she was smiling. Giving me a straight look back into my eyes she replied.
"We both agreed that having you here with us is gonna help Raptor come around."
"Is he okay?" I then asked her with concern for my voice.
"He's physically fine. It's more mental right now. He's scared hun."
"Scared of what?" I then asked back which got her to state.
"He's scared of losing you."
My heart began to increase in beats as I had to question.
"Of losing me? Why? I'm not going anywhere."
Nodding Zeta took my hand and replied with a gentle smile.
"I know you're not silly. I'm talking about what happened at the house. I don't know how much you can recall, but Raptor was scared to death that you were going to die in his arms that night."
For a minute I harkened back to that moment. I remember everything clearly. I remember staring into his eyes and I really did see my death approaching before I lost consciousness. I should have died. How I lived makes no sense to me. I got shot in my chest and neck. Those two places alone should have done it. I remember grasping the wounds with all I had in hopes of buying myself some time, but Raptor came and took over for me. Then I felt my body grow strangely warm till I passed out. What exactly happened is a mystery to me.
"I was scared too." Zeta admitted which got me to ask in confusion.
"You got shot too, right? How are you okay?"
She actually looked away from me when I asked that. It wasn't because she wanted to. It felt like she needed to. Unable to look me back in my eyes she replied.
"I've been shot a few times in my life. I've learned how to handle the trauma that comes with it."
"That may be true, but you got hit in the stomach. You shouldn't be any more up than me. Did you use your venom?" I asked her as my first and honestly only assumption for how she was able to look this happy despite nearly dying herself.
Now looking me back in my eyes she replied.
"I wish that would have been an option baby, but I haven't taken venom in years. My last dose was before I had Sam."
Just out of curiosity I had to ask her.
"Is being a user ever passed down genetically? Like could she be a user and not really know it since she's never had viper venom before?"
Losing some of her smile, she replied bluntly back to me.
"I'd love to say it can't be passed down to our children, but I'd just be lying to you. I know you don't know this, but I'm just going to put it out there since you asked. Samantha is a user. Not by choice. If I had a say in the matter I would have never exposed my baby to this willingly."
Widening my eyes I asked back in some shock.
"Wait, she is? Oh my god. When did you find out? That means she's also a perfect user right? I never would have thought that just by looking at her."
Nodding her head, Zeta replied.
"None of us thought for that matter. Her uncle Peek was the one who found out. They got into a heated argument not long before she decided to run away from home."
"Her anger triggered it." I stated back in awe as she again nodded and replied.
"We think so too. But she lost control when it happened and she wound up hurting herself in an accident. So her father had Zandro give her a drug that supposedly suppresses the venom from coming back out. Of course this wasn't her choice. Raptor forced it upon her because he felt like she couldn't control her anger on her own. It's probably another reason why she left us like she did back then. On top of the fight and….?" Putting my hand on her leg I begged her.
"Don't. I get it."
Zeta began to tear up a little and that was only going to make me more emotional if it continued or got any worse. Nodding her head after a few seconds of collecting herself, she went on to say.
"From what I know now she said she has the venom under control. She's doing everything she can to control her emotions and she's working hard. Really hard. She has to be if she's struggling to find a date to come home in time for the wedding like she is."
"So she is coming?" I asked to be sure which earned me back a quick response from the mother.
"She should be, but we don't know when yet. She said it could be on the day of the wedding at the latest."
"If she comes on the day of the wedding, she won't be able to be a bridesmaid." I said back to her in disbelief.
"How would she be able to get dressed, know the routine, or just know anything about the ceremony if she waits that long?" Giving me another sad look, Zeta replied.
"I know. I never wanted much from Sam. She was always a sweetheart. I never had to ask, but this was one part of my life where I always dreamed of having her at my side for it."
I felt awful. What could I really say to her about this situation? There isn't anything that can help. Sam just has to show up before the wedding date. That's all she has to do to make her own mother's dream come true. I wonder if she even knows? I had to wonder as I soon felt Zeta's hand grab mine. Looking back into her eyes as she squeezed my fingers together, I listened deeply as she said with a small smile.
"I'm sure she'll make it. I'm probably just worrying for no reason. I mean….after all Maggie, I'll have you at my side just in case she can't for whatever reason."
Again widening my eyes and looking shocked, I questioned out of respect.
"Yeah, but I'm not Samantha. I'm not your daughter. I can't fill that hole if she doesn't make it."
"Don't say that. You most certainly can. You're as much of a daughter as Sam is to me. That's how much I care about you. Raptor feels the same way."
I didn't know what to say to her. I knew they loved me. I always suspected it, but Raptor confirmed it to me back when we finished his photo shoot for the magazine with Jenny. In his car I found out I never should have suspected anything. I should have just known from the beginning, but it was still unreal to hear it coming from them. It got even harder for me to stay composed, because a moment after Zeta went on to say.
"We made your father a promise a long time ago. You weren't even ten back then. We promised him that we would look after you if he ever passed from his condition. We promised him that we would treat you like family. We would always be at your side and we'd do anything to help you realize your dreams. We promised to love you and you didn't have to pop out of me to make it that way. I love you like a daughter because to me you are my daughter. Just like Samantha, Maggie. Do you understand me?" She asked as I began to cry into her arms.
I couldn't force a response at this moment. I was so overwhelmed by my emotions that all I could do was nod my head and hug her. I was taken and hearing her say all that made my heart open up. Not having my father in my life would always be the hardest part of my existence, but after hearing both her and Raptor compare me to Sam, I had no more reasons to cry over it. I had a family. Even if I wasn't official or had their name, it didn't make a fucking difference to me now. It just meant that much.
mT Shadow.