A/N: Hello, fellow readers, and wait a minute, what is this? How is it possible that I had posted two chapters in just one day? Well, given that today is my birthday, I decided to do something rare, and that's bringing forth another one. All I ask is that you might need some tissues because there might be some touching moments. With that out of the way, sit back and enjoy.
Disclaimer: Please check the sign from the previous chapters before reading.
Silence lingered in the war-torn zone in the heart of Ukraine, apart from the patrolling helicopters and tanks. Puffs of clouds gathered, and the temperatures cooled. Orchid remained by the monitors, black circles around her green eyes, and her athletic body covered in bandages. Since Ultratech's attack, the rebels improved security, but with the hideout at risk of another attack, she suggested a move to a new base.
"Petite Fleur?" Jean peeked behind the door. As Orchid glanced over her shoulder, the French agent could not help but pity the woman. The crusading war against Ultratech was sapping the energy from Orchid. "I came to inform you that TJ Combo is here."
"Thanks, Jean. Can you bring him?" Orchid's tone was hopeful yet weary. She and TJ stayed in contact after exposing Ultratech's true intentions to the world; she even let the ex-boxer take credit since she wished to remain secret to continue her covert missions.
Jean nodded and closed the door. A few minutes later, the door opened again as TJ stepped inside the room.
"Hey, O." TJ and Orchid embraced each other, but gently. "You looked as though you've been through hell."
"I could say the same for you."
"So, what's happening here?"
"We're planning to move to a new hideout since Ultratech endangered this place. ARIA came and tried to convince me to join her group, saying something big was coming and that we had to band together."
"Ha! I'll believe it when pigs sprout wings, so when will be the move?"
"It's already underway, but I'm short-staffed."
"Well, since I'm here, I can help."
"Thanks. We can start with those newspaper clippings on the windows. We'll keep them in separate piles: one for Ultratech and the other for varied."
TJ and Orchid peeled the newspaper clippings from the glass surface. The ex-boxer held one titled, "TRAGEDY IN CHAMBERLAIN."
"This Black Prom caught your interest too?"
"Yeah," Orchid said. "I wished I had known Carrie sooner."
"So, you must've heard of what happened at her grave."
"You mean the spirit that killed two boys and scared a third so shitless when they attempted to destroy the grave? Yeah. The authorities haven't caught the mastermind behind it yet."
"They will. Is everything all right?"
Orchid paused from her task; her muscles twitched from her injuries. "I have so much on my mind, with the Stalker attack, the move…it's a burden to carry."
"You should rest. It won't do you or anyone good if you're low on strength. Tell you what: why don't you take a break? I insist."
"Okay, and TJ, thanks." Orchid returned to the monitors and remained hopeful, but fatigue reigned over the agent once TJ stepped out for a break.
"Come in, Orchid, over," an agent called through the comm device.
"What is it?"
"We have someone at the entrance, says he knows you."
Orchid furrowed her brows. Only a few people knew her outside the spy ring she founded. "Do a patdown and bring him to me."
"Roger."
Orchid leaned against the table, covering her face with her hands. She ignored the creaking door opening and small quiet steps.
"I sensed a troubled soul from you, sister," a voice said.
Orchid faced its owner, but as she did, her eyes widened slightly. Standing before her was Jago, her half-brother.
Since the tournament, she hasn't seen him, apart from an incident where Jago appeared with bluish-pale skin and gleaming eyes. Once they fought, Orchid didn't understand but sensed something was wrong. After she bested him, Jago's voice echoed in her head, thanking her for weakening the demon, and he vanished. Now, his skin was no longer bluish-pale, his eyes were not white, and his clothes were neither tattered nor wrapped in chains.
"Jago, is that you?"
The corners of her brother's eyes crinkled as he bowed his head. "How are you? You're hurt."
"Oh, this? I have had worse."
"Not from what your fellow agents had told me."
Orchid sighed. "I…I'm not sure if I should continue with this crusade against Ultratech."
Jago approached his sister and placed an arm around her. "The journey to bring Ultratech to justice will be tedious, but your faltering will be ARIA's way of victory. Justice will come one day, as long as you don't turn it into an obsession."
"Since when did I have an obsession?"
"Please, don't take it as an insult. Destroy Ultratech if you must. Just don't let it come to where you cannot return. It becomes a poison; it starts small, but over time, it festers until you turn into something you're not. I learned that from personal experience. The only way to overcome it is to keep fighting."
"I guess you're not the only one dealing with inner demons. Speaking of which…" Orchid punched Jago's stomach.
He dropped to his knees, hugging his mid-section. "Why did…?"
"That was for scaring the hell out of me the last time we met, and I don't mean the tournament."
Jago was about to ask when he sensed what Orchid mentioned. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, but the demon was so determined to kill you I—"
Orchid hugged her brother. "Apology accepted. I'm glad you're here. I missed you."
Jago remained in his stupor until he returned the hug. A rumble reached the siblings' ears when TJ returned from his break.
"Hey, O, I came to check if—Jago? When did you arrive?"
"Ten minutes ago, but I'm here for more than a reunion. I had unwelcome guests from Ultratech. They're after someone under my care."
"So you seek my help." Orchid found this unusual because her brother was mostly a lone wolf, but she figured he would've not come here if something was significant. "Who's this friend of yours?"
"Before I call them," Jago suggested, "can you tell the agents not to engage them? One of them is already tense."
"Too easy." Orchid pressed the comm device. "Everyone, listen! Friendlies are coming here, so do not—I repeat—do not shoot them. Understand?" The agents replied fast with their orders. "Okay, you're good."
Jago glanced at the gap showing the city. During the time he trained with Carrie, he had her create a mental link between them. "Pemba, bring Carrie here, but be cautious."
A dark shadow hovered above the building as Pemba revealed herself, flapping her wings. She landed on the demolished roof.
TJ and Orchid stepped back with the former saying, "What is that?"
"Don't worry, Pemba's harmless," Jago assured as the giant bird ventured inside, careful not to step on the hanging wires. "How is she doing?"
"She's nervous," Pemba said.
Jago climbed on to meet Carrie, who remained on her back. "Are you ready?"
"What if your sister and her friend hate me?"
"They won't. Trust me."
Hesitant at first, Carrie climbed off Pemba, staying close to Jago.
Orchid examined the girl, noting the patent gloom in her eyes and how she kept her head down, though slightly. It can't be…can it?
"Orchid, TJ, meet Carrie," Jago said.
"Hi, Carrie." TJ waved his hand as the girl hid behind the warrior-monk. "Shy, I see. Wait, that name sounds familiar, but I can't remember where. Carrie…Carrie…" TJ reflected on his visit to the Toons Bar & Grill and the videos involving Black Prom. Once he pictured Carrie covered in blood, goose-pimples rose from his skin and the hairs on the back of his neck. TJ screamed and darted to a room.
"The hell? I've never seen TJ act this way. Give me a minute with him." Orchid opened the door, calling to TJ, only for the ex-boxer to pull her in and shut the door.
"O, what was your brother thinking? That girl will wreck us!"
"What is with you? Jago had introduced us to Carrie, and two seconds later, you dash off as though you saw a ghost."
"If you have any pictures of her, compare it to the girl Jago had brought."
Orchid mumbled something as she extracted a newspaper clipping with Carrie's face from her pocket. She opened the door to a crack. While observing Carrie conversing with Jago and Pemba, she found similar comparisons between the girl and the picture, with a soft gasp escaping her.
She closed the door and leaned against it. "Holy shit…this could be my chance to help Carrie."
"What? Why, after what she did?"
"I was returning from one of my missions when Black Prom happened…"
Orchid strolled into a room where her fellow agents combed through the forums, from recruits to current news. Her latest covert mission involved finding and destroying possible Ultratech facilities in Brazil.
"Welcome back, boss. How was the mission?" an agent spoke with a Russian accent.
"Challenging, but nothing I couldn't handle, Alina. Any news of interest?"
"Same shit, different day." Alina browsed the Internet until something caught her eye. "Wait…a school mass murder just took place, and it involves telekinesis."
"What? Click on that link," Orchid said.
Alina obliged. The screen changed to a reporter explaining the incident in front of a charred building in Chamberlain, Maine. Soon, it displayed two smiling teenagers until something red dumped on them, followed by a dramatic voice telling the viewers how it started as a prank.
The video revealed a blood-covered Carrie leaving the stage until a bucket hit her prom date, with the over-dramatic voice explaining how the boy died.
The corners of Alina's mouth drooped, and her brows squeezed close to each other. "Whoever dumped blood on that poor girl and killed her prom date must be a Мудак."
Carrie faced the audience, raising her arms to each side. She screamed as an unseen force rocked the gym. She picked up a table, preparing to throw it at the cameraperson.
"Pause to where she'll throw that table," Orchid said as Alina did so. While she stared at the girl, memories raced in the agent's mind when kids picked on her until she burned the school with her FireCat. "Alina, call our best agents."
"With all due respect, I'm not sure if having a child with a deadly power in our base is smart."
"I get that you're scared, but that girl needs our protection. ARIA might have caught wind of this news and want to capture her. Whatever plans she has for Carrie, this event will be nothing compared to the destruction in the future."
TJ fell silent while Orchid stared into space, continuing her story.
"That video hit me personally. I sent my agents to retrieve Carrie to offer her protection and the help she never received. It irked me when my agents informed me that Carrie had 'died' and of my worst fears: Ultratech caught wind of the video, but the trail became cold. Since that day, I researched Carrie and Black Prom, but as months passed, I accepted her death…until today."
"I had no idea it affected you that much," TJ said. "What stumped me is how did she survive, let alone being with Jago?"
A knock on the door grabbed their attention. Orchid opened it, revealing Jago with his arms crossed, Pemba—who reverted to human form, and Carrie.
"Is everything okay?" Jago said.
Orchid and TJ glanced at each other, unsure how to explain to Jago that Carrie played a significant role with Black Prom.
"Don't worry, TJ, I got this," Orchid said. "Okay, here's the breakdown, Jago. Although you did the right thing, there's something you should know about your friend."
"If you're referring to her powers, I already know. I'm teaching her to control it."
Orchid averted her eyes slightly while rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh, well, I guess that's one less thing to worry about." So, he's aware of her abilities, but not Black Prom. I'll tell him when the time comes.
The main door opened, and a woman with deep brown eyes, inky black hair tightened in braids, and rough skin arrived. "Orchid, forgive me if—" she paused when she spotted Carrie and pointed her guns at the frightened girl. Quickly, Jago stepped in between to protect Carrie. "Step away from her! She'll kill us!"
"Are you crazy, pointing your guns at a child?!" Jago yelled.
"Nikita, lower your weapons!" Orchid instructed. "Carrie is not a threat!"
"How can you be sure? How is she alive?"
"That I'm unsure, but don't make things worse." Orchid advanced towards her fellow agent, lowering her hands holding the weapons. "Now, what was it you were planning to tell me?"
"You have an email from a—apologies if I said it wrong, Falle…giros…geros…"
"You must mean Maya. What does she want?"
"She has invited you and any allies to her hideout in the Andes Mountains."
"Tell her we'll be there in a week, and since you're here, can you show my brother and his friends for a place to rest?"
Nikita nodded and motioned Jago, Carrie, and Pemba to follow.
Jago glanced at his sister, and once Orchid assured him, he followed Carrie, Pemba, and Nikita.
"You didn't tell him what Carrie did?" TJ said once Jago was out of earshot. "It'd be a matter of time before he finds out."
"I know, but I'm preparing myself when that day comes," Orchid said.
A/N: Well, it looks like they'll be on the move again, and had Orchid made the right decision as not to tell Jago about Carrie's role in Black Prom? Anyway, time for my brain to rest, so I'll see you later.
Мудак- Russian for "asshole."