Chapter Four
When Amaya and Delsin arrived back at the Akomish reservation, they were greeted by Betty. Amaya noticed her worried expression and thought she may have been scared of her. But to her surprise, the elderly woman walked up to her and hugged them both.
"Thank goodness you both are safe." Betty stated as she squeezed them tightly. Amaya felt happy in the warm embrace; it had been so long since she had anything like this.
"No need to worry Betty, everything is okay." Delsin reassured her.
As she released them, Amaya put her head down, "I want to apologize for earlier."
"Oh come now; nothing to be sorry for." Betty commented with a warm smile
"Betty's gotten used to Fetch and I dashing around the place." Delsin added
"You both must be tired—I prepared some extra blankets and a cot. With Fetch and Eugene here, space is a bit limited. But I wanted you to be comfortable….." Betty paused as she just realized she didn't know her name.
"You can call me Amaya, ma'am." she smiled
"Amaya….the beautiful night rain," Betty commented, "Such a beautiful name. And please, Amaya, call me Betty."
"Thank you,….Betty" Amaya smiled
"I'll put some tea on if anyone wants and give you all a chance to talk." Betty commented. Amaya and Delsin walked further into the living area to find Fetch and Eugene waiting for them.
"Are you guys good?" Eugene asked
Amaya sheepishly nodded, "I need to apologize to you both, especially you."
Fetch smiled, "Aw don't even worry about it. I would have done the same thing. We're good and you can call me Fetch."
"Thank you, Fetch." Amaya said
"I'm Eugene. And you probably don't remember me—the training exercises that Augustine would run you through were created by me. My powers allow me to create simulations." Eugene nervously rubbed the back of his head
"Those were all you?" Amaya asked amazed
"Yeah," he paused, "For what it's worth, sorry about that."
"No need to apologize—Augustine manipulated you too." Amaya said as he gave her a small smile
"With the introductions out the way, I think it's time to address the elephant in the room." Delsin stated as he placed his hands in his pockets.
"There is no questioning it now, Cursed Children have to be put down. This situation with Ark has gotten out of control." Fetch commented
"And now that I have had the pleasure of meeting Rex, there is no doubt he's going to continue making Amaya's life a living hell." Delsin stated
"How many Cursed Children are there anyway? Having a better understanding of how they work would help a lot." Eugene asked. Amaya was silent for a moment. She knew it was the right thing to do but betraying Austin even more and helping them would solidify she was an enemy to them.
As if reading her mind, Delsin placed a hand on her shoulder, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I didn't bring you back here to get information. You're scared and need help. That's my only concern. If you need help getting out of the city, we can find a safe way to do that."
Amaya was shocked for a moment; had it been Austin, he would have demanded she tell him everything she knew. As much her instincts told her to accept Delsin's offer and just leave this all behind, she didn't want to run this time. The Cursed Children needed to be stopped. Austin needed to be stopped.
"……I'll help. I couldn't help Ark's son, but I can help save others," Amaya started, "There are more than twenty members but honestly you only have to worry about four and that's including Austin. Half of the conduits there are following Austin for protection while the other half don't really believe in him but are in too deep at this point. If he and the other three fall, the Cursed Children will follow suit."
"Well, we know Rex is basically a walking earthquake with a dangerous temper." Delsin said
"But his arrogance can be his undoing; he thinks he's untouchable at this moment and for now just probably sees Delsin as a nuisance rather than a threat." Amaya commented as Delsin smirked
"He'll regret that." Delsin whispered
"Who are the other three?" Fetch asked
"Frost, Austin's second in command. Her ice abilities can be extremely dangerous. She may not be the best fighter, but what she lacks in combat she makes up for with strategy. The only thing that takes her off her game is Austin; she is obsessed with him and would do anything for him. She was the one I was running from when Delsin found me." Amaya paused as she looked at her blood stained shirt as a reminder.
"Sounds like she and I should have some girl talk." Fetch commented as her eyes flashed with neon.
"Getting to her will be a challenge because Sludge basically protects her with his life." Amaya said
"Sludge?……guy that uses mud to trap people?" Eugene asked as Amaya nodded, "He was a part of the Augustine program as well. The mud can definitely be problematic when fighting him. His defenses are insane and he's not bad in hand to hand combat."
"He's dangerous but Frost is his weakness, he wants her but knows it would never happen because of Austin. He focuses on protrols, attacking protesters, recruiting conduits and stealing anything necessary for the group." Amaya said
"If we can shut down recruiting, that would put them in a bad position and make sure their numbers don't increase," Delsin commented, "Who's the last?"
"Link……she's a master hacker. Honestly, I don't know much about her; I never see her and when I do it's just to connect with Austin about surveillance or information she discovered. She stays to herself but is basically his eyes and ears.
"Master hacker huh?" Eugene asked, he wondered if she was really as good as Amaya made her seem. He would have to put her skills to the test.
"You have presented him with a challenge." Fetch teased as she nudged Eugene's arm.
"Well now we have targets to aim for; breaking down the Cursed Children won't be easy. We also have to consider an alternative to fighting them head on." Delsin said
"Meaning you want to see if we can take them down without killing them." Fetch said. She knew Delsin didn't want to hurt anyone unless he had too.
"What if we involve Ark? From what I have been researching, he may have rebuilt Augustine's facility from the ground up. Apparently he uses it as a safe space to hold criminals that are conduits." Eugene suggested
"That just might work," Delsin said as his wheels were turning. If he could trap them with Augustine's powers, they could turn them over to Ark for imprisonment.
"Next question is how do we find them?" Fetch asked
"There are several warehouses that Austin has allocated to the group. The first step should probably be separating the conduits that want to be there from the ones who don't. There are many that would be happy to work with Delsin as long as they knew they were safe or at least given the chance to get out of the city." Amaya replied
"I can help with that; with surveillance throughout the city, it would be easy for me to find ways out for them." Eugene said
"This is a good start," Delsin commented as he glanced at Amaya. He could see she was still processing everything. He couldn't imagine what it felt like having to go through this right now. Hearing plans to take down people that you recently called your friends and family, "We can talk more about this in the morning. It's been a long night."
Fetch and Eugene nodded as they said their good nights and made their way to the rooms they currently occupied. Delsin turned his full attention to Amaya as he could see the sadness clearly written all over her face.
"Thank you." Amaya whispered as she knew why he ended the conversation
"Of course," Delsin said, "Let's get you settled." They found the blankets, pillow and cot that Betty set aside for her. There really wasn't much space on the reservation at the moment so Delsin decided to set the cot up in his room. When they walked in, Delsin placed the cot down and took the sheets off of his bed. Amaya looked at him oddly as he set the new blankets on the bed.
"I'll take the cot." Delsin commented
"You don't have to…." Amaya said
"I don't mind." he smiled.
She smiled at his kindness. It was refreshing to her. As she was taking off her jacket, she was surprised when Delsin took it from her and neatly placed it at his desk. So that was you before, she realized. Amaya watched as he took off his vest and walked over to his dresser. Digging around for a bit, he soon pulled out a black Metallica shirt.
"Here, this should fit okay." he said as he handed it to her.
"Thank you. Where's the bathroom?"she asked
"First door on the right." he replied
As Amaya went to change, Delsin turned to his desk and put on some music. When Amaya returned she was surprised as the soft sounds of lofi filled her ears. The playlist chosen surprised her as it was one of her favorites. For a second she wondered if he picked it randomly but it had to be because of him seeing her memories.
"Thought some relaxing vibes were needed after the day you had." Delsin said as he watched her hop on the bed. She looks so adorable in my shirt, he thought.
Leaning her back against the wall, she smiled at him. This was indeed a break she needed. However, the moment didn't last long as there was a knock on the door. Delsin sighed as he went to open it. On the other side they found a smiling Betty.
"Delsin," she paused
"Yes, Betty?" Delsin asked as he hoped her intentions didn't embarrass him right now.
"I just wanted to remind you to be a good boy." Betty replied as his eyes widened
"Betty!" he groaned
"I'm just saying you haven't brought a young lady to your room like this before and you're playing music." she said
"It's lofi Betty, it's just meant to be relaxing." he explained
"Lofi, midfi, just remember to be a gentleman." Betty said
"Yes!—-yes, Betty I know," Delsin nervously said as he slowly started to close his door, "I swear to you I will be a gentleman."
Amaya couldn't help but laugh as he closed the door. Delsin placed his hand on his face for a moment as he shook his head.
"You okay?" Amaya smiled
"Oh yeah, I'm great—-getting embarrassed by Betty is a norm." he replied
"She cares about you." Amaya commented
"….She cares about there being a woman in my room." he laughed
"Must not be a common occurrence." she teased
He smirked before narrowing his eyes at her, "I will have you know…….yeah that's definitely what it is."
She laughed at how adorable he was; he didn't mind making fun of himself and she liked that. Delsin walked over to the cot and sat down.
"It's nice seeing how close you all are here. You're a family; even Fetch and Eugene are close to you." she stated. Delsin could hear the slight bit of pain in her voice. Having her memories made him understand her on a different level.
"A family you are more than welcome to be a part of…..if you want," he said as she narrowed her eyes at him, "Just putting it out there of course."
"Who said I was looking for family?" Amaya asked sarcastically but he knew she was just being defensive.
"I won't beat around the bush, having your memories allows me to understand you in ways most may not be able to. But of course that doesn't mean you should just trust me. I get why your defenses and overall distrust in people is so high. Hell me even saying this probably won't ease your mind right away." Delsin replied. Amaya was lost for words, he was right; he knew exactly what she was feeling without her having to explain herself. She was so used to having no one understand her or even trying to understand her.
"So what, you want to give me some pep talks now?" she asked
"Actually, I would rather you just talk." he replied
"Talk about what?" Amaya asked
"Whatever you want," Delsin paused as he stretched out on the cot, "Or we can just sit here and enjoy one of your favorite playlists."
She was taken off guard, the conversation was hers to control. It wasn't often that she had a platform to talk, her voice was usually stiffened.
"How do you always be the good guy?" Amaya started, "With everything going on, all the conflicts, being pulled in two directions while trying to protect everyone...how have you not just said fuck it? I mean with the powers you have and powers you could easily get, why not just be a monster?"
The question threw him off for a bit but it was something that crossed his mind occasionally, "If I said fuck it and let even my darkest thoughts out, there are too many people who would get hurt. Trying to find a balance can be tough to say the least and you learn quickly you can't save everyone. It's unrealistic," Delsin paused as he thought of his brother, "Sacrifices will need to be made."
"Sounds like it's a headache being the hero." she said
"Someone has to do it and with my dashing good looks, it might as well be me, beautiful." he teased as he smirked at her.
Amaya's next question came to mind as she nervously bit her lip, "Why,….do you keep calling me beautiful?"
Delsin stared at her as she bit her lip and couldn't make eye contact with him. Please don't do that in front of me, he thought. He adjusted himself on the cot before answering, "……'Cause you are," he started, "If it bothers you I'll stop. I just honestly believe you are beautiful."
Amaya's face turned red as she stared at the wall, "You don't have to try so hard to make me feel good. Your kindness is enough."
"It has nothing to do with my kindness, I genuinely think you're a beautiful woman, Amaya." Delsin commented as she let out a small groan, "Your face is suuuuper red."
"Stop! Stop looking at my face." she sighed
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked. He honestly didn't want to do anything to make her feel so.
"No, it's fine," she took her pillow and fluffed it before laying down with her back to him, "...and you don't have to stop calling me that."
Delsin smiled as he looked at her. She was so adorable when she got shy. With her back towards him, he couldn't help letting his eyes wander over her body. As he took in every curve of her, he felt himself starting to get hard. He shook his head and turned on his side. Good boy thoughts, Delsin, he told himself.
Amaya stared at the wall as so many thoughts were going through her mind. So much happened today and now here she was sharing a room with Delsin Rowe, the conduit hero. Part of her honestly hated that things happened this way, Austin was her best friend. Her family. She never thought things would reach to the point where she had to help Delsin stop him before anyone else got hurt. She knew she had to be strong, she couldn't turn back now. But could she actually hurt Austin if it came down to it?
~*~
Rex's eyes slowly opened as he stared at the ceiling for a bit. The last thing he remembered was reaching the warehouse and immediately passing out from the tranquilizer. Sitting up on the couch, he found Frost sitting across from him. She gave him a small smile.
"How long was I out?" he asked
"For four hours, sleeping beauty." Rex turned his head to find Sludge casually sitting on the floor with a beer in hand.
"Tranquilizers are getting more potent," Frost sighed, "Where did you even go? Why didn't you ask for help? I would have gone with you."
Rex took a moment as he recalled everything that happened before D.U.P showed up, "I had the unwanted pleasure of meeting the conduit hero."
"Delsin?" Frost asked as he nodded, "How?"
"He's protecting Amaya." Rex replied
"Are you fucking serious!" she stated as just the sound of Amaya's name made her angry. The level of hatred she had for her was immense. It was enough that she betrayed them, betrayed Rex, but now she had the so-called conduit hero protecting her.
"I went to get her, punish her for her treason but he intervened." Rex commented
"Get her? You should have killed her." Frost said as he narrowed his eyes at her
"He said what he said, he wanted to punish her….probably in the name of the moon." Sludge chimed in. Rex groaned as he turned his attention to him.
"Your comments are not needed right now, Glen." Rex said. He knew Sludge hated his real name. As the two men narrowed their eyes at each other, Sludge took a sip of his beer. He was about to say something but Frost interrupted.
"She betrayed you; betrayed everything that you have built here. I don't understand why you insist on giving her a pass, especially now."
"How I handle Amaya is my decision." Rex stated
"You should have brought me with you, I would have ended her since you can't." Frost's eyes widened as Rex angrily stood up and narrowed his eyes at her. Sludge quickly raised to his feet about to stand between them.
"How I handle Amaya is my decision— not yours, not ours, it is mine. Remember that next time you consider stabbing her." As Rex walked away, Frost groaned. She hated how he still protected Amaya.
"You good?" Sludge asked as he took her out of her thoughts. Frost stood up and snatched his beer out of his hands. With a smirk he watched as she downed the entire can.
"We are going to need more beer." Frost commented
He smiled, Sludge knew where the night would lead them; getting drunk and hooking up. Whenever Rex hurt her feelings over Amaya, he was there to numb her pain. He knew where he stood with her, but didn't care. Rex didn't see her the same way he did. To him she was everything and if this was the only way he could have her, he was okay with it for now.