Chapter 18: Whiplash

Ten hours. That was all the time that had passed since the emergency conference ended, and Andy had spent most of it in the air. After some hasty preparations, he had handed command of his section of the Blue Moon front over to Max and Rachel, and boarded a transport that would take him directly to the capital. The situation remained unchanged, although a great deal had happened; events had moved quickly since the meeting was adjourned, and no one had been busier than Nell. The exact details of her movements were lost on Andy. All he knew was that Nell had been in a veritable whirlwind of activity as she put her plan into action, and did everything in her power to ensure it would succeed. She had coordinated the draft attack plans, made logistical arrangements, and even met with the President, where she had obtained executive permission to proceed further with the operation. They were early steps and nothing more, but it was encouraging that all had gone smoothly thus far.

What came next would not be quite so easy. After Andy's plane had touched down, he had joined Nell and Eagle for another flight, a short one this time. Andy hadn't even known where they were going, or why. It was only after they were airborne that Nell had found time to brief him on the details of her plan. Together the three of them had flown out to an isolated hangar south of the capital, and it was there that they had been waiting for almost an hour. The mood was quiet. They all knew what was at stake, and there was little left to say. Without detailed intel on the Black Hole base to the south, and the means to deal with its security systems, there was no way the mission could proceed. Without a safe way in, any attempt to rescue the captured Green Earth commanders would have no chance of success, and an already difficult situation would become desperate indeed.

Andy could hardly be ignorant of those circumstances, yet he found that he was not especially anxious. He had never known a plan of Nell's to fail, and he trusted that this one would be no different. Nor had he ever known any problem to be completely insurmountable. He did not know Jess well, and Angel he had never met at all, but it did not matter. Andy was determined to help them in any way he could.

"She should have been here by now," Eagle muttered.

The Green Earth commander was pacing from one side of the hangar to the other, his relentless gaze roving over the steel walls and concrete floor. He could not keep from wringing his hands together as he walked. Eagle's emotional state had not improved since devising a plan to respond to the brutal assault on his country. Under the bright artificial lighting his silver hair looked like it had turned white, and the harsh glare only deepened the shadows beneath his eyes.

Nell meanwhile was impassive as she watched from her position near the middle of the hangar. If she shared Eagle's concern, she gave no sign of it.

"We can wait a bit longer," she said. "There's no call for alarm yet."

Eagle's glare flicked over to Nell, but lingered only for a moment before moving to Andy, standing at her side. Andy offered his friend a benign shrug and a sort of confused smile, hoping to let him know that at least he wasn't alone. Eagle did not seem to appreciate the gesture, however. With a scowl he looked away and returned to his pacing.

"This is a waste of time," Eagle spat. "That creature has already shown her true colours. Even if she agrees to this, and I doubt she will, there's nothing to keep her from betraying us."

"She won't let us down." Andy blurted out. "Not if we give her a chance."

The words came out before he could stop himself. No matter how newly made or how strained a friendship, Andy's instinct was always to stand up for the people he cared about.

"No." Eagle gave a firm shake of his head. "Unleashing that monster is far too great a risk. We should be looking for another way to rescue Jess and Angel, not… not wasting our time on this."

Andy glanced towards Nell with uncertainty showing in his eyes. Eagle had been oscillating between anger and doubt ever since Andy had met up with them, and he did not entirely know how to respond.

Nell offered him a reassuring smile. "Patience, Andy. Patience."

Andy accepted that with only an absent nod, and returned to fidgeting with his pockets. Patience had never come easily to him, and he found waiting without distraction tedious. Andy had always preferred to keep his hands busy. Ever since he was a child, he had hated being idle, preferring to work on puzzles he could solve and problems he could fix.

He was fortunate that they did not have to wait much longer. Soon the hangar door began to rumble open, offering a glimpse into a world of inky skies and shadowy silhouettes beyond. Andy's eyes went wide as an armoured truck drove in through the door and came about in a wide circle, two military cars with turret mounted guns following behind it. Eagle strode over to join them as the truck completed its circle and began to reverse. As it approached, the soldiers standing guard around the perimeter began to shift and grow alert. This was what they had been waiting for. To be more accurate, it was who they had been waiting for.

The truck came to a stop with its rear end facing the three commanders. To either side of the reinforced back doors a panel of brake lights glared a red warning. For a few seconds all was still, and Andy heard Nell take in a short breath. Then, two Special Forces soldiers in black combat gear exited the truck's cab and rushed around to join them. One raised a pistol as the other opened the lock. Several clicks echoed through the cavernous space before the doors swung open, and before their eyes was Lash.

Andy blinked in shock. This was not the Lash he remembered. Gone was her typical provocative attire and sturdy black lab coat, replaced by a neon blue prison jumpsuit. She had been carefully secured in a wheelchair that was bolted to the truck floor, and her wrists and ankles were shackled and chained together. Behind her stood two more soldiers, their eyes kept on their charge. Once the truck's rear doors were open, they knelt and undid the bolts keeping the chair in place, while their comrades outside extended and lowered a ramp from the back of the truck.

Andy swallowed as Lash was wheeled out to face them, those wild eyes of hers in a frenzy as she absorbed all there was to see. She looked completely insane. Lash had always been a bit unstable, of course, but this was different. She was more frantic, more desperate, and as he watched her dark eyes dart around the hangar, Andy felt his own doubts begin to grow. Had he been wrong to believe in her? In the few hours since Nell informed him of her plan, Andy hadn't given the matter all that much thought, let alone any serious scrutiny. It had simply never occurred to him that Lash might be unwilling to help.

At least, not until now. Nell had said that he knew Lash better than anyone else in Orange Star, and Andy hadn't questioned that assumption either, but now that the time had arrived, he wasn't sure what good it would do. What were you even supposed to say to someone who had spent the last five months in a maximum security prison? The question made Andy's head spin. Trying to not to say something dumb was hard enough when talking to a normal person, and Lash was far more intelligent and devious than most. She had a knack for turning your own words against you, and that had been when she was actually trying to start a new life, however halfhearted the attempt might have been. How much more difficult was she going to be now?

Andy was suddenly very glad that Nell was there to do most of the talking.

"Hello, Lash," Nell said in a gentle voice.

At first Lash did not respond. Andy wondered if perhaps she hadn't heard, or hadn't understood. Was it possible that the long months of confinement had had driven her completely mad? The tension in the hangar grew and grew until Lash's eyes snapped upward and a wild laugh burst from her lips.

"Look at you," she giggled, her gaze alighting on each of them in turn. "A pretty little birdie. A monkey with a wrench. And four-star Barbie. Aww, did you three come all the way out here just for me?"

"Yes." For a split second Nell hesitated. "We'd like to talk to you, if that's alright."

"Alright?" Lash adopted a look of mock thought. "Well, I'll have to check my schedule. I'm a busy girl, y'know."

"Would you rather be back in whatever pit in the ground Orange Star is keeping you in?" Eagle asked sharply. "Make no mistake: that can be arranged."

Lash's eyes narrowed as she matched Eagle's fierce glare. "What, am I supposed to be grateful you stupid allied twerps let me out?" She shook her chains at them. "After you locked me up in the first place? Sure, it was sooo much fun, but I'm bored now, and next time I'd like a room with a view!"

Her ridicule complete, Lash dissolved into a fit of snorting and cackling, her manic laughter mingling with the metallic jingle of her rattling chains. Andy didn't quite understand why Eagle was so furious with Lash; for his part, Andy only felt sorry for her. She had made mistakes, but that did not mean she didn't deserve another chance.

"This was a mistake," Eagle muttered. "Releasing this – this creature –" he jabbed an accusing finger at Lash – "is a mistake!"

Lash rolled her eyes. "What, are you still angry about all that stuff I did in Green Earth? It was ages ago. Get over it already!"

Eagle's nostrils flared with anger, his eyes deadly slits. There was silence as Andy, Nell and the nearby soldiers all watched the hero of Green Earth. No one knew what he might say or do next. Eagle had been unpredictable of late, and Andy could not help but remember the way he and Sami had spoken to one another. If Eagle was willing to say such things to Sami, surely there were no limits on what he might do to Lash. It was not a thought Andy found comforting.

In the end Eagle said nothing at all. He simply pivoted about with a violent shudder and strode away without giving Lash so much as another glance. As she watched him retreat, Lash began clapping her hands together with glee, heedless of the challenge imposed by her shackles.

"I made him mad, I made him mad!"

"No," Nell said. "You didn't. Eagle was already upset before you arrived. All your antics did was tip him over the edge. He has a lot on his mind."

Lash snorted. "Like I care!" Without warning her expression turned serious. "Why don't you freaks just tell me what you want?"

"What makes you think we want anything at all?" Nell asked, still cool and collected.

Lash gave a more restrained laugh and grinned. "Hello! I'm a genius, remember? I wouldn't be here unless you wanted –" she paused and shook her head – "no, unless you needed something from me, something no one else can give you. You wouldn't have let me out of your fancy prison otherwise. I'm right, aren't I? Of course I am."

There was silence as Andy and Nell digested that. Lash was entirely too accurate for either of their liking. They were both well aware that Black Hole's brilliant inventor could be ruthlessly perceptive when she decided to apply her intellect, but there was a great difference between knowing something and being confronted with the reality of it. Standing before this maniacal, cackling girl who could practically read their minds and knowing that she might be the last hope to save two of their most important allies was disconcerting to say the least.

"Yes," Nell admitted. "You're quite right. We do need your help."

"You want me to build this one a new brain, right?" Lash kept laughing as she tilted her head towards Andy. "I can do it, but it'll cost you."

Nell closed her eyes for several seconds. She was the most patient person Andy knew, but she had her limits. Not many people could even crack her composure, but apart from Olaf, Lash was at the top of the list. A perplexed look came over Andy as he considered that. It seemed strange to him that two people who were so far apart could have even that much in common.

Making a visible effort to keep herself calm, Nell continued.

"Orange Star and Green Earth are putting together a joint operation. Without going into the details, there's a particular technical problem we need your expertise to overcome. Obviously, we don't expect something for nothing, so we're prepared to be lenient. If you cooperate, we're willing to release you on a probationary basis."

"Nope! No deal! I'm not helping you jerks with anything!" Lash forced her head to the side, refusing to look at Nell any longer.

"Lash, be reasonable. This could be your last chance for a better future."

"Let me think. No!"

The last word was a shrill screech, and any trace of Lash's fevered mirth had vanished. Her lips were twisted tightly together in a petulant scowl, and her eyes were hard as rock. Andy couldn't understand why she was she being so difficult. The choice seemed incredibly easy to him. If she said yes, Lash wouldn't just be helping others and doing what was right, she'd be getting a second chance to make a free life for herself. The only alternative was rotting away in a military prison. Surely that was no choice at all.

Nell didn't seem to understand Lash's behaviour either, for her only response was to put a hand to her brow and let out a small sigh.

"So you'd rather dig your own grave," she said, "and perhaps ours as well. Lovely."

Lash's reply was to stick her tongue out and blow a raspberry with all the force she could muster. Nell flinched as flecks of spit struck her cheek. To Andy's surprise, Nell didn't appear the slightest bit angry as she wiped her face with one hand. If anything, her deep blue eyes were full of regret as they beheld the wild creature before her. It made little difference. Lash's dark eyes only smouldered with fury as they locked in combat with Nell's sympathetic gaze.

Neither of them spoke. Nothing happened, nothing changed. The two of them merely continued to stare at each other. Andy began to wonder if he should say something, but he had no idea what would be helpful, or if anything could even be helpful at a time like this. In the meantime the strange staring contest continued, until there came a noise from somewhere behind them. Lash's attention shifted over Nell's shoulder, drawn by the sound of footsteps echoing through the hangar. The battle of wills was over, and without a clear victor.

Nell turned away as the aide who had come from the plane began to speak.

"Commander Nell, ma'am, a transmission's just come through for you. It's coded urgent."

"I see. I'll take it in the plane." Nell glanced back at Lash. "I don't think there's anything more to be said here."

With that she walked away, her high heels clacking on the concrete as she made her way back to the jet and disappeared inside.

"Toodles then," Lash muttered to herself, staring daggers at Nell's retreating back.

Andy watched the imprisoned girl closely. They were alone now, save for the guards standing a respectful distance away, and still Lash had barely even looked at him. It was another way in which her behaviour puzzled Andy. Before her confinement in Thornfield, he and Lash had spent several months working together, collaborating on a number of mechanical projects. During that time they had managed to find some common ground, despite Lash's petty tantrums and constant insults. Andy was not quite so naive as to believe that Lash considered him a friend, but he had thought that maybe, just maybe, he had begun to earn her respect. If nothing else, he was certain that with time they could become good friends.

"I don't get it," Andy said at last.

Lash's glare flicked sideways. "Don't get what? How to breathe?"

He ignored that. "If you're so smart, why are you being so stupid?"

"Excuse me?" Her eyes bulged. "You're calling me the stupid one? Me? I'm smarter than anyone, and I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do!"

"But what you're doing makes no sense!" Andy exclaimed. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life locked up?"

Lash snorted. "Like anyone even cares what I want!"

"I care," Andy said. There was a childlike honesty in his voice as he said it.

She grunted in frustration, rolling her eyes for good measure. "No you don't. No one cares about me. And if you really think I'm getting out of your super prison, then you're even dumber than you look."

"Hey…"

Andy trailed off, confused. He did not like being called dumb, although he had come to expect it from Lash. He was, however, forced to admit that he had no idea what Lash was getting at.

"Well, if you don't help us, of course you won't get out. That's just obvious."

She threw her head back and let out a shriek of anguish. "Don't you get it!" She screamed. "It doesn't matter if I help you stupid dweebs or not! You'll take what you want and then throw me away, just like everyone else!"

Lash managed to contain a strangled sob. For a second she looked away, and Andy thought perhaps she was finished, but in the next her stare snapped back to him, terrified and seething.

"Whatever!" She cried out, her voice so strained Andy could barely understand what she was saying. "I don't care. I don't need anyone, so you can all just shut up and go away!"

Andy could only at Lash in complete shock. She was shaking, visibly shaking, and her breath was coming in short, frightened little gasps. That she was angry at being thrown in jail he could understand, but this seemed like more than mere anger. None of it made any sense to Andy at at all. Not the fact that Lash was refusing to help, not the frightened and desperate way she was acting, and certainly not the accusation that Nell would go back on her word. If there was one person in this world Andy trusted – other than his family – it was Nell.

"Nell wouldn't do that to you," he said firmly. "She promised."

Lash gave a strange, hoarse little cry, and hung her head. Andy frowned as he watched her, wondering if this was just the prelude to another outburst. He tensed when Lash lifted her head again, but she did not shout or scream. All the energy seemed to have washed away from her pale face as she met his eyes with an exhausted stare.

"I'm not stupid," Lash said, her voice lifeless and flat. "I know how this goes. Everyone leaves. Everyone goes away. You and your blonde grandma, Hawke, m–"

She shuddered and turned away, cutting herself off before she could go any further. Lash had screwed her eyes shut and looked away before Andy could be sure, but for a moment, she had almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. That was baffling in itself. Andy had never seen Lash cry, and he couldn't even imagine what would push her to that point. As far as she was concerned, everything was a just a game. She didn't care about anything or anyone.

Or did she?

Andy's whole expression changed as it occurred to him that he might have been wrong. If Lash really did care, somewhere deep inside, then maybe it wasn't too late. Perhaps she could still be convinced to help, and more importantly, perhaps it was still possible to help her.

Andy was still mulling that insight when something else occurred to him.

"So, um," he shuffled his feet, "do you know a woman named Flare?"

"Huh?" Lash glanced up at him, but she only looked tired and lost.

"Flare. She's a Black Hole CO. She seems interested in me."

Lash made a disgusted face. "What, like she wants to be your girlfriend? Sheesh, she must be even more brain dead than you are."

"No, not like that." Andy scratched at the back of his head. "She said I beat her predecessor. It's like she thinks I'm her rival or something." Andy looked around the hangar until he located Eagle, locked in animated discussion with his Green Earth escort. "I don't know why people always think that about me."

Lash said nothing, but her brow furrowed slightly. Andy had spent enough time working with her to know that meant she was thinking intensely about something.

"I just thought that since you used to be with Black Hole, you might have met her," he said with a shrug.

She shook her head a little, her messy black hair shivering with the movement. "I've never heard of anyone called Flare."

Andy felt the small hope he'd felt upon asking the question fade away. If Lash didn't know anything about Flare despite her history as a Black Hole commander, then how was anyone supposed to figure out who this new enemy was and what she wanted? They were questions that Andy had found himself often preoccupied by over the past few weeks. Even after the outbreak of war with Blue Moon and the attack on Green Earth, it was the battle with Flare that was most on his mind.

He'd faced all kinds of evil during the two great wars, and never been particularly troubled by it, but something about Flare was different. Not because of the threats she had made against Andy and his friends, but because of how focused she was on him in particular. With Flare the battle was somehow personal. Intimate, almost, and Andy found it highly perplexing. Others had regarded him as a worthy opponent in the past, but there was more to Flare's interest in him than that. Not only had she been impressed by his aptitude for command, but she had also seemed strangely fascinated by who he was and what he believed in. Andy had no idea what to make of it, not least because so far as he was aware, he had never even met Flare before that night in the Alara mountains.

The sound of Nell's high heels clacking on the ground interrupted Andy's thoughts. She was walking back from the plane, and she looked completely stunned. Something was wrong.

"Nell?" Andy asked. "Is everything okay?"

At first Nell could only stare straight ahead, mute. Andy could not hide a look of concern. He had seen Nell upset or distressed before, but not often, and not like this. She seemed to be at a complete loss for words, and Andy didn't know what that could mean. Nell always knew what to do.

"We have to go, Andy," she managed to say. "Everything… everything's changed now."

Andy blinked. "Why? What's happened?"

"I've just had a communique from Rachel," Nell said quietly. "Max, he… I don't know what he was thinking." She paused, her blank gaze boring straight through Andy. "I doubt he was thinking."

"What? What do you mean?" Andy still had no idea what was going on.

All at once Nell seemed to remember where they were, the focus returning to her eyes. "We have to go, now."

Andy glanced back at Lash, who was watching their conversation with a strange mixture of suspicion and curiosity in her eyes. "But what about Lash?"

"We don't have time to try and change her mind. Besides, she's made her wishes perfectly clear." Nell looked from Andy to one of the guards, still standing at the ready. "You can return the prisoner to Thornfield. We're finished here."

With that Nell turned back towards the plane, gesturing for Andy to follow. Andy hesitated. As the guards closed in on Lash, her expression grew more and more uncertain. It was too late for words, Andy knew, but that did not stop him from throwing one last pleading look at Lash.

"Wait!" Lash shouted.

Everything stopped. All eyes in the hangar moved to the bound girl. A timid look came over Lash as she realised what she had done, and she began to chew her lip.

"I guess I can help you… a little bit."

Andy's expression became a wide grin. "Release the prisoner! She's coming with us."

The lead guard raised an eyebrow and looked to Nell for instruction. "Ma'am?"

"You heard Commander Andy," Nell said, though she could not keep a bewildered tone from her voice. "Release her."

The soldiers shared a sceptical glance as they moved to unshackle Lash. They were not the only ones taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. With every lock undone and every chain cast away, Lash herself appeared more astounded at what was happening. Her sudden change of heart seemed to have shocked her just as much as it had everyone else. As the last restraint was removed, Lash gave a tremulous little smile and leapt up from the wheelchair. Andy grinned as she let out a giddy laugh and jumped in place, stretching her arms out wide as it sank in that she was free. After the third jump Lash stopped and looked straight at them.

"Last one to the plane's a broken Neotank!" She yelled, and raced away.

Nell drew an apprehensive breath as they followed Lash to the plane. "I hope you know what you're doing, Andy."

"I do." Andy offered up a sheepish smile. "I think."

"How reassuring," Nell murmured.

He gave a confused look. "Isn't this what we wanted, Nell? Lash is going to help us, so the rescue can go ahead, right?"

"Yes, it's just…"

Nell trailed off, seemingly thinking better of whatever she had been about to say. Instead, she simply sighed and let it go.

"You're right. This is about as much as we could have hoped for. If Lash comes through for us, then perhaps… well. We'll see."

"Don't worry, Nell." Andy smiled at her. "Everything will work out."

Andy moved ahead, climbing the stairs into the plane after Lash. He did not see the deep trepidation that filled Nell's eyes, or the effort it took her to remain calm and composed. They were only subtle signs of the pressures mounting in the world beyond, and Andy was far too pleased with himself to notice them. His faith in a friend had been rewarded. As far as he was concerned, it was proof that whatever came next, whatever trials lay ahead, he and his friends would prevail. Together, there was nothing they could not do, whether it was rescuing Jess and Angel, defeating Flare, or thwarting whatever evil plot Black Hole was brewing. All they had to do was stay strong, and remain true to one another.