Authors Notes: I apologize about the wait for chapter two. I had every intention of posting Saturday but by that point I had been up for nearly 48 hours. Ain't insomnia a bitch? By the time I did get some rest and got my brain functioning again rather than the scrambled egg mess it was, the weekend was already long gone.

I also apologize that I've not replied to any comments (both here and on Archive). I'm shy as all hell but I do read them. I'm trying to get better about things like that. It's another reason that my nag of a best friend (you know you are homie, don't look at me that way) encouraged me to post this story. For my (very few) readers, I hope that you will find this chapter worth your time.

-0-0-0-

Above the Appalachian Region

The vibration of the aircraft seemed to rattle Sunny to her very core. The sensation that had initially started out as almost ticklish, eventually turned into an uncomfortable numbness. She had to grip her equipment tightly to her chest if she didn't want it rattling off into the cramped isle. Even her teeth would chatter painfully together if she didn't have them clamped shut.

The added tension in her jaw joined in with the tightness of her shoulders, her hair done up tightly in a bun, and her pinched expression to contribute to what was turning out to be the worst headache she had suffered in months, and that was saying something considering she suffered from them constantly in her sixteen years on this earth.

She tried to relive some of the tension in her shoulders by rolling them, but between her worn gear which was an uncomfortable foreign weight, her heavy bag of equipment sitting on her, and the men twice her size on either side of her in the cramped area, Sunny didn't have enough room for a proper stretch. No one did in fact. Fifteen men along with herself and her lupine robotic companion were all packed into into the back of the tiltrotor.

The smell of hot machinery, hot bodies, and the permeating scent of gunpowder was almost enough to make her ill. The red lights gave the stern faces about her an almost hellish look, and somehow made the black of the shadows more menacing. It was the red light, she reflected, that drove the reality of what was happening home. A sanguine weight draped over all involved with this mission. A red and black portrait of the current situation and perhaps an omen of things to come.

Sunny shook her head to rid herself of such illogical thoughts. She was sixteen now, not some child obsessively cooking eggs in an attempt to read the future. A helpless attempt to do something for those that she cared about by a powerless child. She had long ago shook those obsessive rituals. Nonetheless, her hand closed around an invisible egg, itching to see it cooked properly.

Bladewolf glanced up at her from his chosen spot at her feet. He cocked his head at her in inquiry, an endearing trait he had picked up from his flesh contemporaries that delighted her to no end. He often made efforts to be 'cute' for her that he would normally never allow others to be witness to. Wolf must have been picking up on her stress levels and was trying to cheer her up.

Well, it would normally charm her, but given her reason for being on this poorly designed aircraft there was very little to be delighted about right now. Even the formulas and equations that constantly danced behind her eyes and dominated her thoughts were subdued. Nonetheless she gave her companion a smile that she was sure didn't reach her eyes to let him know that his efforts were appreciated.

Sunny must have let her disquiet show a little too strongly on her face because the man pushed up against her left cleared his throat uncomfortably. It was an oddly timid action for a man whose biceps looked as wide as her thighs. He looked at her uncertainly clearly wanting to say something and finally giving in to the impulse.

"Ms. Emmerich ma'am," The man hesitantly began. "about this mission..."

"We've already talked about Carlos." Sunny said softly but unyieldingly. It was as if velvet were draped over steel. "It was specifically requested that I be here. So here I am."

Although technically speaking her taking part of this operation was not exactly what had been asked of her. Rather, her role would have taken place after the mission was over with, for better or worse. The adamant insistence on joining this mission had come from Sunny herself once she had been informed of the situation. She was not one to be deterred when her mind was made up.

"But what if its a trap to lure you to this location?" Carlos persisted for approximately the fourteenth time, his normally soft accent thickening with stress. "I still think..."

"That is why we are here." The other man at her side stated coolly. He was Xander, the head of her personal security. He was all business, as was his way. He kept half an eye on the other occupants of the aircraft even though they were all on this mission together. "It is our responsibility to protect Miss Emmerich wherever she goes, not to dictate her choices."

"And besides," A richly accented voice called out over the din of the aircraft. "My company specializes in protection details of MVP's, and there is no other more valuable than my dear Sunny."

"Thanks Boris." Sunny shot a genuine smile his way, the first she had managed since getting the news. "Although I seemed to recall having to strong arm my way into getting to come along on this mission."

"Da my little star, although it may come at a grave price. I have updated my will in advance because I am quite sure that Dr. Emmerich is going to kill me for agreeing to bring you along."

Sunny chuckled but she had really not given Boris much of a choice. She was almost embarrassed over the fit she had thrown upon learning that she would be retrieved after the mission instead of brought with. The old Russian had protested about the danger, but Sunny had told him, not asked, that she was coming along and if he left without her she would never forgive him.

Carlos let out a groan and cast his eyes upward in a plea for divine intervention. Apparently the same thoughts of the consequences of her decision had been running through his head as well. Sunny gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. "Don't worry Carlos, I won't let Hal fire you. I will take full responsibility." And directed back to Boris. "I think once I explain things to Hal he will understand fully. I just couldn't tell him beforehand because he would never have let me come along."

"Well," Boris sighed and turned his attention back to the laptop he had been reading from. "I suppose I will see soon enough if Solid had taught him much CQC. But I cannot deny that the request that you become involve may be beneficial."

"And do not discount my presence." Bladewolf added, his swishing tail nearly smacking several of the other passengers. It was almost humorous that the mecha wolf felt the need to chime in to remind the others that he was here too. It was a testament to how distracted they all were in their own respective worries and thoughts that the sentient machine nearly taking up the entire isle was only in the peripheral of their thoughts.

The talk fell away after that as the aircraft ate through the miles of blackened sky over the forested mountain ranges. As the time ticked closer to their arrival, the more Sunny's nerves begin to increase. She was anxious, but not fearful. She would not be fighting on this mission and she was well guarded by those around her and the protective suit she wore. Although to be honest, Sunny was less concerned about herself, and more about what was in the bag she held tightly.

As a noncombatant on this mission, it was her responsibility to carry and use the sensitive equipment should it be needed. She felt the impulse to check her bag yet again, to at least make sure none of the containers or electronics were damaged by the occasional rough patch of air jostling them about. Only the lack of space kept her from doing an inspection once more. This part of the United States was somewhat of a technological dead zone. Could she even get in contact with Dr. Voigt should she come across an issue that was beyond her?

It was almost a tangible feeling of relief when the pilot announced that they were coming up on their target location quickly. There was no more time for second guesses, checks, or nerves. It was now time for action. Sunny suddenly felt woefully underprepared for this whole endeavor.

The previously stony men in the back of the aircraft with her became alert and focused with an intensity that nearly set the air vibrating. Wolf rose to his feet, face mask down, claws wedged into the slats of the grated flooring to steady himself in preparation of the landing. And what a jarring sensation the landing was too.

Sunny was rocked with enough force that her already tense neck felt positively strained. But whatever discomfort she may have felt at the bone jarring landing was washed away by the flurry of activity around her. As soon as the back of the aircraft opened, Bladewolf launched outside in a grey blur like a four legged missile.

He had hardly landed when the men were also on the move. Between the bodies filing out, Sunny could make out the building in the distance, shrouded in darkness and the thick foliage of the region. It was single story structure, seemingly made of of cinder blocks that had once been painted white with faded lettering on the side but now reclaimed by the forest.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, the back of the aircraft sealed back up and it was only herself with her guards, Boris, and the pilot left on board. Xander moved away to stand by the aircraft doors, firearm at the ready. She already missed the security and warmth that his presence brought. After the cramped tense ride, the now excess of room inside the hold felt foreign and wrong.

Anticipation and worry left her stomach decidedly queasy. After years of not hearing a single word of news about him, they might find out tonight what happened to Jack. The news that he might have been found still felt surreal to Sunny. Although she had received the call this morning, it both felt like a few moments ago and also a lifetime.

Her workday at Solis had hardly begun. The new engine prototypes had been acting fussy for several days now, frustrating her and her crew to no end. They were gearing up for what was winding up to be a grueling day of testing and data gathering when Sunny's phone had rung. Only those people who were close to her had her personal phone number, everything else was fielded by her secretary.

Sunny had answered, at first delighted that Boris had called, a bright patch on what was looking to be a stressful day. If only she had known. Her smile had faded at his serious tones, then disappeared altogether when he relayed to her the short and ugly of Rose's desperate call to his company.

It was Rose's request that Sunny be there for him for support if they found Jack at the coordinates that she believed him to be. She had mentioned captivity and danger, but had not been able to tell them anything about his condition or the threat before her call had been abruptly cut off with gunfire in the background. The tests were immediately canceled and Sunny was sweeping out of the workshop before her workers could even finish expressing their dismay.

Hours of flying, waiting tensely while intel was gathered and the mission was organized, yet more flying, and finally here they were. They were finally going to find him, but in what condition? Sunny had fought so hard and so determinedly just to be able to come along to help, and now it was all she could do to keep from throwing up all over herself and the bag of repair equipment.

Thankfully Boris was too busy directing the mission through his comms and laptop to notice her paleness. Xander was too focused on guarding the now closed bay doors, all too alert to the possibility they could be boarded by a hostile that had evaded detection of the men and Bladewolf. Carlos, still sitting quietly by her side, discreetly slipped a mint candy into her hand.

"It helps. Trust me." He whispered. In the now deathly quiet of the aircraft the soft words seemed almost taboo. Not trusting herself to verbally reply Sunny nodded and slipped the candy in her mouth, the mint a vast improvement over the sourness that had taken over.

"Entrance way has been checked and come up clear." Came the slightly tinny report over the laptops speakers. "The building seems to have once been a church, or a recreational building. There are numerous chairs and religious symbols placed about, as well as a good deal of litter and graffiti."

"Backrooms cleared. This place seems derelict." A different man noted.

Boris hummed in displeasure. "Look about and see if there are any possible entrances to hidden rooms or lower levels. We must not overlook anything, but do not drop guard. There may be traps in place."

All the nausea that had been swirling about in her stomach was replaced with the dread that they might not find Jack after all. Sunny couldn't bear the thought that they could have been wrong. Or even worse, that they might have been too late. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Copper mixed with mint revoltingly.

The voice of team one's leader sounded again. "Scans pick up no paths to a basement. No life forms scanned nor encountered other than local small wildlife, but there are definite signs of several individuals having been here. Locals judging from cigarette butts and broken beer bottles. Footprints lead to and from an auxiliary door in the back. No sign of who we are looking for."

Team leader two piped up. "I think this is just a spot for teens to come get drunk and high. Could our intel be bad boss?"

"Pizdets" Boris snapped. "No. See if you can find any hint of hidden passages. I do not care what the scans say. Search the grounds around the building. I trust the person who gave us these coordinates."

"The presence of lower levels confirmed." Bladewolf's metallic voice cut through the building frustration and futility. "I can detect multiple heat signatures that are typical of numerous electronic devices. Their location is subterranean."

"Is Jack there?" Sunny asked before she could help herself. "Can your scans pick up any sign of him?"

"Negative. I am picking up interference preventing more in depth scans. If my sensors were not so sensitive, I would not have had any reading at all. Theory: this building is meant to look abandoned to deter any suspicion. Scan blockers in place to prevent detection. Conclusion: we are in the correct location."

"Found a utility shed out back," One reported. "It's locked up good." A few moments of tense waiting later and the line came to life again. "Got it boss. Cellar hatch, hidden pretty good under some junk. Working on getting it unlocked."

"Horosho. Unit two, stay above on standby. One, see what you can find down there. Wolf you go with them."

The groups sounded out their confirmation and the line fell silent once more. Sunny felt like she was a child all over again, tensely waiting for any word on what was happening. Somehow it was so much worse being right here in the middle of it rather than on a plane kept separate from everything.

"Taking fire!" Unit one suddenly cried out.

Sunny looked up in alarm, nearly choking on her mint. Boris did not bark out commands, rather he watched with utmost intensity at what was being displayed on his laptop. Everyone in the aircraft waited wordlessly, frozen into place.

"Threat neutralized. No injuries." Came the report releasing the breath stopping tension. Sunny spat her candy out back into its wrapper and slipped it into her pocket before she actually did accidentally inhale it.

"Automated turret." Bladewolf reported. "Permission to proceed first and clear the area against any further threats."

"Do it. Unit one, start looking for any signs of our target."

The waiting. The horrid horrid waiting. Sunny slipped past Carlos and settled snugly at Boris' side to watch the monitor as well. The old Russian seemed to be oblivious to her presence.

The screen displayed a view presumably taken from the leader of unit one. The mans eyes flicked over his surroundings nearly quicker than Sunny could process what she was seeing. A gun turret smoked and sparked where it lay on the damp concrete ground, neatly severed in two. The walls were bare as well, other than some streaks of water damage and patches near the floor that could either be dirt or mold.

"Look there." Sunny said softly. She pointed at the screen where on the upper corner of the hall some cords ran. "Those are not the type of cords you find in a hardware store. This place is using a lot of power."

"Da, this place is much larger than appearances suggest. I also suspect this building is more well connected to the net than neighboring locations. Our presence here will have surely been broadcast by now assuming the mystery host is no longer home." Boris said as unit one was eyeing a camera that was pointed his direction.

A dark doorway loomed ahead on the left. Unit one made a few gestures that Sunny could only guess as to their meaning, and half the group moved towards the door. A quick check, flashlights and guns at the ready, and then they disappeared into the darkness. After several long moments they reappeared and shook their heads.

"Nothing. Room is clear."

"There is plenty of tech in there." The second man piped up. "Piles of it in fact. Most of it seems trashed though. You want me to start digging though it boss and see if I can find anything?"

"Nyet. Later." Boris sighed running a hand down his face. "The Doktor may be able to extract data from the electronics. Continue on. Wolf, anything?"

"Several more turrets deactivated. Surveillance systems deactivated. Threats have been deemed eliminated. Now searching..."

Sunny inhaled and leaned further towards the screen. She willed the men to hurry down the halls with the few doors faster. Each of the various rooms had assorted electronics and engineering equipment. A tech enthusiast's storage den, although a sloppy one.

"Stop." Boris said, startling her. "Unit one. At your three, second shelf down from the top."

The man in question wordlessly obeyed. Going up to the metal shelving with the various electronic odds and ends, many of which Sunny recognized although there were a few she didn't, the man reached towards the item that had caught Boris' eye.

It was a long case, some tech seemed to be integrated into it towards either end. Sunny could almost make out what seemed to be a cloaking device on the item.

"I remember this boss. It was his. Carried that HF sword around in it." He brushed an abundant helping of dust off of the item and checked it. "Empty." Was the simple but heavy report.

Sunny bit at a knuckle to try and distract herself against the horrid possibilities of what could have happened to him. This did not escape the old Russian and he gave her a strained smile that was probably meant to be reassuring. "Do not worry Solnyshko. This is good sign. It means we are getting close. We may find more clues here."

"Negative." Bladewolf's tinny voice sounded over the line. "Unnecessary. I have found him."

Those words shot like a current of electricity through Sunny causing her to leap to her feet. She nearly dropped her burden but caught it in time. "You found him! Is he ok? Is he hurt? Can we talk to him?" She made to go for the door of the aircraft but was stopped by the bulk of Xander halting her exit.

"Come man. Tell us!" Boris demanded even as he got to his feet, exchanging the computer for a rifle.

"Scans indicate life. I am unable to ascertain any further information due to current circumstances."

"Metal sobaka, so help me..."

"He is unresponsive. I cannot connect via codec or manual means. The area has been deemed secure. The equipment provided by Doktor is required."

Dread sluiced down her spine like frigid water. 'That means it is bad', she numbly thought, fingernails scraping against the burlap pack. Boris exchanged a quick word with the pilot then turned to her.

"Sunny..."

"I can do it." The words seemed to come from her mouth of their own accord. The older man's concern, her own nerves, the worry that she would not be able to help gnawed at her. "I may specialize in different fields, but I know tech. I can do it. You brought me for a reason. And I know…" She swallowed hard trying to fight off the tightening of her throat. "And I know Jack." She said with determined finality. She looked Boris in the eye unflinchingly. "If he's bad off, I know I can help. I've done it before." She gently looped the straps of the bag over one shoulder. "I don't think it would bother him so much if it were me helping and..."

Boris placed a hand on her shoulder to gently cut off her rambling. "What I was going to say is you stay close to me, yes?"

Sunny nodded, shoulders squared with determination and guts squirming with dread. The three men readied themselves as the doors of the aircraft opened achingly slow. The fresh air of a late summer night after the stifling confines of the plane brought her no comfort. Xander stepped out first, and after a quick look about nodded for the others to come as well.

Sunny stepped out into the dark of the forest tentatively. The two men on either side of her scanned the dark relentlessly, looking for any sign of movement hiding in the excessive vegetation. The four of them did not linger, but quickly and cautiously made their way to the building. The entire place looked worn down and overgrown. The crawling vegetation had picked off whatever flakes of paint that the weather had not yet managed to pry from the brick.

Unit two spotted them from around the back of the building and waved them onwards. Sunny let herself be herded along amidst the men until they got to the little building in the back. Despite her reluctance to hand over her precious cargo, she had to relent to handing over the heavy equipment for Carlos to carry down as she descended the ladder. Years of engineering work had given her a surprising amount of power in her slim frame, but the equipment was sensitive and her hands seemed to not want to hold steady.

The chill down here was sharp and the air stale. The scent of mildew and metal reigned supreme in the damp concrete halls. There were puddles of damp where the walls met the floor, as if the seems of the halls themselves were oozing moisture. The only light sources to be had were from the flitting flashlights of the small group. It put Sunny in mind of a horror movie she had once come across when she was browsing the television after her overactive mind would not let her sleep as it often did. She did not remember the plot of the film as she had soon been fleeing to Hal's room out of fright, much to the chagrin of him and his date.

But that was back when she was a child, and a fiction. This was reality and she would not be sent running away this time. Sunny held her head high and paid little attention to the sights and sounds of this place, she had far more urgent matters waiting for her. Boris was of the same mind and the group was ushered on quickly.

One of the men from unit one met them and guided them along the halls. He was giving a report to Boris about advanced generators found in one of the antechambers of this underground area. For once Sunny truly did not care to hear about the tech and only wanted him to tell them where Jack was.

Soon they approached several men from unit one standing by a doorway. From inside of the room there was a glow of light differently hued from the flashlights that the men carried. Leader one nodded towards the room they stood guard over, and Sunny only resisted running forward for fear of damaging some vital component in her bag that might be needed.

She hurriedly rounded the corner into the room. Her first impression was that it was cleaner. At least cleaner than the rest of the underground den. There were no puddles of water or patches of mold but specks of dust danced in the dim light. Her attention immediately went to the far end of the room where various computers sat upon tables displaying assorted sets of data. Monitors were bright, dazzling her eyes against the darkness of the rest of the room. The others were right behind her, their flashlights breaking the monopoly of light the computers had and illuminating what else the room held.

Sunny looked about the room but to her confusion did not see Jack anywhere. She did not expect him to be standing there to greet her with open arms but for him not to be there at all was disconcerting. Her eyes roved around the room growing more puzzled and unsettled by the moment. He was not laying on the floor in the shadowy parts of the room or even propped up against one of the concrete walls.

Bladewolf sat on the floor near the computers and their assorted cords. He was still, save for the very tip of his tail swishing rapidly as it did when he was agitated. His focus was not on the group entering, nor on the computers, but rather on the small table right in front of him. Sunny followed Wolf's gaze...

...and there he was.

Stripped of all cybernetics down to just flesh and bone Jack sat, or rather what little there was left of him was placed upon a stand. The tubes and cords connecting him to the machines were draped around haphazardly, like vines overtaking a house long abandoned. Even in this poor lighting Sunny could see that they were dingy from being untouched for ages. A black band wound across his face covering his eyes, and she was rather afraid of what she might find beneath that strip of fabric. Snow white skin was tented grey and his hair hung dull and limp. Just like the rest of the room, he was coated equally in dust and neglect.

He looked...forgotten. Kept alive only by soulless machines.

"Oh Jack..." Sunny whispered, forgetting the others and rushing forward. Anguish and horror filled her as she took in his ruined form. Seeing what little remained of him after the Patriots had done their work set proudly on display like a macabre trophy of a botched beheading disturbed her on a visceral level. He always stood so tall and full of life and now, Sunny thought as tears began to trail down her face, she didn't know if he was alive at all. Her trembling hands hovered hesitantly in the air. She wanted to reach for him but fear and uncertainty stilled her from closing those last few inches.

She couldn't check for a breath that would not be possible without lungs, nor a pulse. He had always been so pale but this frightened her. Sunny's tear filled gaze only left him to check the displays on the computers nearby. Setting down her heavy bag she rapidly typed into the keyboard pulling up his vitals and status. Bladewolf had already told her that he lived but she needed to see the numbers herself. She needed to know that he was alive to shake that horrid feeling that they had already been too late.

The computer obediently displayed the desired information and Sunny's breath hitched in relief. Blood oxygen, blood pressure, blood sugar, and brain wave patterns were all present. To her understanding they all seemed to be functioning normally. Biology and cybernetics were not her field, but Sunny was suddenly gripped with a fierce resolve to add those to her personal repertoire of knowledge. She could make him better. She could make it to where no one could strip him bare like this ever again. So much of his life had been controlled by others, he never even had a say in what happened to his own body. It wasn't right! She would fix it! She…

Sunny was jarred from her spiraling thoughts by a soft touch to her hand. A cool metal cord loosely wound around her wrist and over the fist that she didn't realize that she had been clenching. The hold was gentle but she knew that it could break her arm effortlessly easy. Bladewolf tugged her arm as well as her attention away from the computers and back towards where Jack was placed.

"An overly strong emotional response, while understandable, would be detrimental right now." Sunny took a deep breath to try and quell her shaking. She let Bladewolf's calm words wash over her. "This task I cannot help with. He needs you." The steel tentacle of Wolf's tail gave her the ever so slightest tug towards the man in question then slipped away, a cool tingle left in its wake.

Sunny took some more steadying breaths, trying not to let them morph to sobs on the exhale. She spared a glance over her shoulder at the other men in the room that she had all but forgotten about. Xander and Carlos stood a respectful distance away with their flashlights helping illuminate the room, although Sunny could see they were intensely uncomfortable with the current situation.

Boris was silent, two fingers placed at the back of his ear, intensely conversing with someone over codec. In the dim light she could see his expression was as grim and angry as she felt. The hum of the equipment and the occasional rustle of fabric as someone shifted were the only sounds to be heard in this horrific room.

Most of unit one had moved on out of the hallway, no doubt hunting for any clues and vigilant to the possibility that their wayward comrade might not be the only poor soul trapped down here. Only two of the unit remained behind, lingering in the doorway dutifully shining their lights in the room. Their expressions were a blend of frosty anger and blatant pity.

'He would hate that.' Sunny thought as she stepped up to the little stand that Jack had been abandoned upon. She leaned closer to him, resting her palms lightly against the dull metal of his table. Doing her damnedest to keep her voice from cracking, she whispered, "Jack?"

No response. Not even a twitch of an eyebrow under the dark fabric.

"Raiden?" She tried again, a little louder.

"I cannot connect with him over comms." Bladewolf stated, startling her slightly. "It seems to be disabled from his end."

"They most likely turned it off to prevent him from getting a call out on the off chance the signal jammers here failed." Sunny noted glancing over at the computer display once more. She wished she knew the differences between the brainwaves of someone awake as opposed to sleeping. She foresaw much information bingeing and stress researching in the future. Gathering her nerve, Sunny reached out a hand to lightly brush a thumb over his cheekbone.

The reaction she received was enough to break her heart.

A twitch of an eyebrow. Stillness. Then a faint crinkling of his nose, a tugging of a lip to form the most halfhearted facsimile of a snarl she had ever seen. It was like a dying animal that still tries to bare its teeth even after the light had already gone from its eyes. A cooling ember that crumbles away in your hand and goes out.

Unable to bear the thought that he might expect her hands to bring pain, Sunny lightly pinched the edge of the blindfold and slowly lifted. She wanted him to see it was her, that she was here to help. As the cloth began to lift her nerves got the better of her and she let her shaking hand fall away. Sunny could not do it. She was afraid of what horrors that she might find hiding behind a thin strip of black. Eyes were easily enough replaced, but the thought of finding a mangled mess or nothing at all made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Raiden?" She instead patted his cheek gently, distressed by the fact that he seemed to not hear her. His snarl returned, nose wrinkling up with the expression. Missing half of his face, the growing intensity of the expression almost made it look as if it were a grimace. "It's me, Sunny. It's ok now." She lightly brushed his hair back out of his face. The heart wrenching expression only deepened.

A presence coming up on her left side shook Sunny from her transfixed gaze. She looked up at Boris who stopped by her.

"Hes awake, I think. And hes been responding to me. Sort of. I'm...not sure..."

Boris took a far more direct approach to seeing if Jack were awake. He reached over and lifted the black fabric. Sunny reached out a hand in protest but was too late to stop them from seeing what lay underneath. She flinched away, unable to take the sight any longer than that split second allowed. It...looked like it happened long ago. There was no mess, they were just gone. She did not understand the angry slew of Russian words but she agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment.

Bladewolf bumped up against her gently in support. "Easily repaired. A non-issue." Sunny didn't have the heart or the words to tell him that he just didn't understand.

Eventually the profanity ran its course and Boris composed himself once more. "Raiden." The old Russian pulled the blindfold back down, to Sunny's relief. "Can you hear me?" His voice was uncomfortably loud in the otherwise quiet room.

"I'm not sure he can." The vice over her heart tightened a more few twists as Sunny managed to drag her gaze back to Jack. The grimace like snarl was already beginning to melt away, but she could pick up no signs of relief in the relaxation. No sign that he understood that they were trying to reach him. It was almost as if...he had already forgotten that they were there.

Overcome with emotion, Sunny brushed past Boris and ever so gently gripped the sides of Jack's head and let out a few quick sobs into his hair. He smelled of dust and his hair lay limp and flat where before it seemed to defy the elements and gravity itself. Heedless of who was watching, Sunny lightly placed a quick kiss to his forehead before reluctantly pulling back and steeling her spine. She turned to her bag on the floor beside of her and pulled the fabric open.

"I do not think you should see any more of this Solnyshko." Boris gently put a hand on her shoulder, briefly halting her movements. "They could not find the rest of him. It will be simple for us to handle it from here if you wish to leave." Boris motioned towards the bag. "He would not like to see you so upset."

"No." Sunny said softly. She set the necessary equipment on the table, mindful of the tubing. "No...It's my turn this time." She could feel Boris frowning but he said nothing. She foraged onward in the wake of his silence.

"I still remember it you know." The device, roughly the size and shape of a lunchbox, blinked to life. It was a portable life support machine, capable of providing artificial circulation and respiration should the worst have happened. Which it had. The other devices and contents of her once preciously guarded bag were irrelevant now. There was no rest of him to tend to. "I remember everything. The Patriots, the labs, always being alone. Always being cold. It was...like this place really. Everything was always so still and dim. Until it wasn't."

Sunny doubled, then triple checked that everything was functioning, that the tubes and wiring were exactly right. She distantly noted that her hands were no longer shaking. She had expected they would at least have had a slight tremor as she reached over to Jack and pulled free the dust covered tubes that kept him alive in this hell.

The computers immediately squealed out a shrill alarm. Several windows popped up on the screen with warnings flashing red. Bladewolf connected himself to the machines and the screens went blank and thankfully quiet. The silence seemed to resonate after the ear piercing alarm.

Sunny paid no mind to the noises or lack thereof as she quickly connected him to her machine. She was oddly reassured by the stray drops of artificial blood, no less vibrant for its origins, that coated her fingers and worked its way into the creases of her callouses. The dead didn't bleed after all, and Jack was not dead. Tubes were attached and wires were deftly connected. The whole process was over in less than twenty seconds. The artificial heart hummed, circulating and regulating oxygenated blood to the helpless man before her. He was no longer chained to this place.

"I remember the banging noises in the distance, the gunfire, the explosions. And then there he was, bringing light and sound like a storm appearing out of nowhere. I wasn't afraid of him." Sunny beckoned at Carlos to approach. The man did so, discomfort singing out with every tense line of his body. Being this close to a disembodied head, one that still lived, was obviously distressing to the man. She regretted that he had to come along and resolved to make it up to him.

"Your jacket please, I'll pay you back for it later." The man shed his article of clothing then quickly and none too subtly made his retreat. She turned to Bladewolf for assistance, who thankfully had already grasped what she was up to and provided a paw for her to work with.

"Kids are supposed to be afraid of storms. Loud noises, flashing lights, they are supposed to hide under their bed or run to their parents. Perhaps it was because I had neither a bed nor parents." Fabric sliced cleanly under Wolfs claws. She tied the strips of cloth together, reshaping it to suit her purpose. "But wrapped up in that lab coat, cradled against his chest, the first person to ever show me care…. Even with all the alarms, shouting, and gunfire, I don't think I have ever felt more peaceful and secure in my life."

"The eye of the storm." Boris noted regretfully, watching as Sunny hung the altered fabric over one shoulder and across her chest as a crudely crafted sling.

"Yes." She agreed softly, making sure the life support equipment was attached securely to the belt of her exosuit and the excess tubing was wrapped in coils of red and tucked securely in the base of the sling near her hip. "I remember all of it. And now," She gently reached for Jack, "it's my turn to carry him out of hell."

Hands placed gently on either side of his face, Sunny lifted. For a brief moment she feared that he had somehow been fixed to the metal stand, but a little bit more effort pulled him free. Sunny did not think herself a violent person. She went out of her way to ensure that any stray birds or the like that wandered into the shop were shooed out before they tested anything particularly incendiary. But seeing the grooves sunk deep into his skin from being in the same spot for weeks, months...longer, it awoke a rage in her that she didn't know she possessed.

Later, she rebuked herself for getting distracted in this moment.

She turned him ever so gently, trying to find a better grip in the slightly awkward process. For stability she managed to maneuver to where his meager weight rested upon her forearm, hands free to keep him steady. She tried not to be too disturbed at the feeling of teeth digging into her skin. Instead, she observed with seething anger the lack of care he had received.

To her Jack had always looked to be somewhat on the ill side, particularly around his eyes. A permanent side effect of having such a hard life and the stresses associated with living with an artificial body. Now as she got a closer look at him in the stark and unforgiving illumination of the flashlights, he looked downright wretched.

The indented skin where he had been placed in the same spot for so long was irritated and painful looking, and poor nutrition had worsened his already lean features. Sunny cringed to think of what sort of mental consequences that he was going to face from being held down here for such a time.

That was a worry for later, right now they needed to get out of this place.

Being lifted and turned about seemed enough to at least somewhat shake Jack from his stupor. Although the black band wrapped about him concealed much of his face, Sunny could have swore her heart broke then and there when his snarl morphed into an expression of distress at being handled in such a fashion.

Helpless to stem the tears now flowing free, Sunny started to cry as she gently settled him in the rudimentary harness. She was exceedingly careful not to dislodge or pinch any of the tubing. She cradled him close to her heart, heedless of the potential awkwardness of having a mans face so close to her chest. She cried all the harder when the expression of distress deepened at the strange sensations.

Sunny wished she could tell him that it was safe now, that she has him, but there was no way of knowing if he could even hear her. Not that she thought that she could get words past the vice clamping down on her throat anyway. All she could do was hold him close and gently pet his hair. It was a macabre facsimile of a mother cradling a child, a distorted mirror of him carrying her all those years ago.

Sunny was pulled back to the present by someone calling her name.

"Sunny." Boris caught her attention, gruff voice as soft as she had ever heard it. "You have him, yes?"

"Y-yeah." She wiped at her nose with her free hand. "He's all set and ready for transport."

He nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her about. "We will gather up what we need from here quickly. Why don't you return to plane and wait for us. Get him out of this place, da? And for you as well."

Sunny didn't trust herself to answer so she weakly nodded instead. She allowed herself to be led from the room by her flesh and steel guards. In the rooms about her, unit one was quickly and efficiently gathering up anything that might give some clue as to who orchestrated all of this. All the while she never ceased her petting.

Sunny made her way back through the underground facility as slowly and as gently as she could. She took care not to jostle Jack too much even though it looked as if he had already faded off again, expression slack once more. She made sure especially to avoid anything that could snag the tubing and cords hanging at her side. Bladewolf led the way, keeping a respectful distance from her. No doubt aware of all potential hazards his form presented that could cause a lethal disconnect or puncture.

Near the exit she had paused, suddenly struck by how shortsighted and stupid she had been. The ladder. How could she possibly make it up there without risking him? Before she had time to truly kick herself for forgetting about such an obstacle, Bladewolf was already taking action.

His tail looped around her waist and around her chest underneath the makeshift sling. Sunny found herself lifted off the ground as he climbed the ladder and hauled them up slowly. The thick metal cord was a little too tight around her middle and pressed down uncomfortably over her breasts but she cared very little for her own comfort at the moment.

The trip past the building and back to her spot on the aircraft seemed to pass without her notice. It was irrelevant anyway, what was truly important was right here with her. She cradled her cargo protectively and held him close to her in the hopes that he could feel her heart beating and it could at least provide him a small degree of comfort.

Sunny didn't care that Carlos settled back beside of her protectively, now carrying her abandoned bag of equipment. That Xander was once again guarding the door. She didn't even pay attention to Wolf's tail wrapped loosely around her ankle, his usual attempt at comforting her through tactile means those times when he did not know what words were appropriate to use.

Sunny wanted to speak to Jack, even if he didn't hear her or was even aware of what was going on about him. She wanted to sooth him in case there was even the smallest chance that her intent might break through. Every time she tried however, her throat would clench up and a new wave of tears would stream forth.

She cried for the both of them, her tears slowly trickling down his face. In the end, all she could do was lightly pet his hair and try not to let her tears wet him too much. What felt like years later, the two groups joined them back in the aircraft. During the entire flight back, Sunny did not not once cease her cradling or smoothing his hair, lost in quiet memories amid the noise of the aircraft.

-0-0-0-

Russian Translations:

Pizdets- This word's original meaning is somewhat vulgar (I love Russian) but it is most commonly used today to mean 'damn it'

Horosho- Good

Nyet- No

Da- Yes

Solnyshko- Shunshine or Little Sun. A term of endearment

Sobaka- Dog

In the next chapter we'll get to see things from Raiden's point of view and see how he got himself in this situation. Until next time everyone :)