Sunday, November 6th, 2016
Safehouse VY
London, England
Naomi stopped dead as she returned from an early morning wee.
It was still dark out and she was half asleep but that did not stop her from seeing a door open – it was Trevor's room – and . . . holy shit! Keira was coming out and she was wrapped in just a towel – Naomi caught a flash of bare breast as Keira vanished back into her bedroom.
Were they? Did they?
Ewww!
To be honest, it was not meant to have happened.
Maybe she was feeling low and Trevor had been there as a shoulder to cry on. Maybe she had just been weak. Maybe she had needed the company. As she lay on her bed, wrapped in just a towel, she smiled. It had been lovely – an experience she had not experienced in quite a while. With Harper freshly reappeared in her life, sex and the associated relationships had not been very high up on her list of priorities. To be even more honest, she had been weak, but she had needed companionship, somebody to talk to. They had talked – talked a lot, in fact. The talking had then turned into tears and that had resulted in a comforting arm. Then they had hugged. She could not remember who had initiated the kissing, nor the heavy petting. She had been so desperate for human contact. Trevor was bringing up a child alone – at least while his wife was in hospital – just as she was. Only, his child was a normal boy while she had . . . what did she have? She had a nine-year-old assassin for a sister. That little girl needed somebody to bring her up and not just that, she has suffered unbelievable torture while in captivity. It was a struggle which Keira was unsure if she could handle on her own.
Therefore, the petting and the kissing had extended, or descended, into graphic nudity and sexual exploration.
St Thomas' Hospital
The Fifth Floor, Children's Wing
Harper's day started well as three nurses arrived.
They began to disconnect her various wires and intravenous tubes which appealed to the youngster – at least until the more uncomfortable and decidedly humiliating part of having the invasive urinary catheter removed which had the young girl blushing as fingers prodded and probed her vulva. The feeling was weird, but the relief of the removal of the tube felt a lot better. Her sister was there, holding her hand throughout the entire procedure which was a relief for the youngster. Strangely, her sister had been a little more pleasant since her arrival and not so snappy – she was even smiling. As the connections were removed from her body, the otherwise naked youngster was provided with a hospital gown to allow her to retain some of her modesty. Then came the more difficult task.
"You ready for this, Harps?" Keira asked.
Harper had not stood on her own two feet in weeks and suddenly, she felt very unsure of herself. She tried to move her legs, to swing them off to her left but they would not move.
"Slowly," Keira said soothingly.
Harper tried again, and her legs moved slightly, but the pain of using muscles which had not been used in a long time was extreme. Harper cried out in pain and she froze.
"Keep it coming – don't stop now," Keira said encouragingly.
Harper gripped her sister's hand tightly as she forced her muscles to respond and with another cry of pain, she was able to bend her knees and swivel her legs around and she found herself facing her sister, her hand held tightly. Next, she had to stand. Normally, somebody would stand before her and take hold of both of her hands, only, her left hand was in far too fragile a state to be grasped. Harper was shaking from the pain and she did not want to endure anymore suffering. As she stood in front of her little sister, Keira's heart went out to Harper. The young girl was really suffering, and it was up to her to bring her sister back into the real world as a healthy child. She would do anything for the little girl sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Take my hand, Harper. I will pull you forwards, slowly. You can do this."
"I can't, Kei."
Keira blinked. Harper had not called her 'Kei' since she was seven . . . and not since she had returned to Keira several months before. Back when Harper had been very young, she had not been able to pronounce 'Keira', so it had just been 'Kei', and then, when Harper was a little older, the abbreviated name had been reserved for when Harper was really scared and in need of comfort. Harper had always been a tearful little girl, bursting into tears whenever something, anything, did not go her way – which was often, and you could almost set your watch by her decidedly soggy outbursts. However, ever since her Predator days, the youngster had been hard as nails with a decisive nature to match. There had been no more tears as Harper just got angry and used her fists when she could no longer get her way now. Keira had spent the Friday night with Harper and she had learnt how badly her little sister was hurting. As she had done for a few nights, she had bolted awake, screaming and shouting. Harper had been almost inconsolable with tears streaming down her face.
It had taken over an hour to calm her down which had been less that had been required by the night staff on the nights Keira had not been present.
..._...
"Look at me," Keira directed. "Look into my eyes and focus on me and me alone."
Harper nodded slowly as her sister grasped her right hand and then her left upper arm. Harper felt the pull on her limbs and despite the pain, she pushed her feet towards the floor and she soon felt the cold linoleum beneath her bare feet. She kept her eyes fixed on those of her sister, feeding off the moral support which they gave her. She could remember those eyes always being filled with comfort, ever since she could remember. They had always been there when she had needed comfort. For a moment, the girl felt like she was seven-years-old again and Urban Predator had not yet arrived on her doorstep. Her whole world was her big sister, Keira. Harper took a deep breath as her legs took the full weight of her body. The tears fell as her feet screamed out in pain. Both feet were badly bruised, but mostly on top. The little toe on her left foot was bandaged and still painful. As for the right foot which had a bandage around the sole and top where she had been stabbed, that was also very painful. While in bed, her feet had not hurt so much, but now that they were supporting her full weight, they ached like the buggery.
"I see you are on your feet, young lady," Doctor Schneider said as he entered the room. "You're taller than I expected, Harper."
Harper forgot her aching feet and legs as she grinned, her cheeks turning pink. She was led out of her room and she got her first look around as she was led to the left and into a bathroom. The Doctor carefully wrapped Harper's left hand in a plastic covering before he lifted Harper onto a table and he removed the dressings from her feet. Harper winced throughout the unwrapping, but she controlled her tears.
"Okay, Harper, I'll leave you alone with your sister. If either of you need assistance, please call."
The Doctor left, along with a nurse who had just run a warm bath. Once the door was closed, Keira helped Harper remove her hospital gown. Harper had the opportunity to look at own body in the mirror for a moment as Keira helped her off the table and back onto her feet. It was the first time that she had been able to see the damage to her own body with her own eyes . . . and she was appalled. As she saw each injury, her mind conjured up the event which caused that same injury.
Harper begun to sob as the memories of her torture began to overwhelm her and she fell into the arms of her sister who hugged her tightly before gently lowering the girl into the warm water of the bath.
..._...
Harper was struggling to cope with the sensations and emotions.
Her body ached and every now and then pain would shoot through her. The water felt hot on her skin and hotter on the more tender areas where she was wounded. Tears still rolled down her cheeks but the touch of her sister's hand on her shoulder felt comforting. Gently, Keira poured a jug of bathwater over her sister's hair, protecting her eyes. A small bottle of shampoo followed, and Keira took her time washing her sister's sweat-soaked hair.
"I've not done this for you since you were about six," Keira commented, visualising an innocent little Harper from almost four years previously.
"Thank you, Kei."
"I love you, Harper, and I will do everything necessary to get you better and back to the person you used to be."
"The old me, or the Predator me?" Harper asked.
"I don't care, as long as I have my little sister with me."
"I love you, Kei."
Harper allowed her sister to continue washing her body as she kept her left arm clear of the water. The water was relaxing, and her aching body absorbed the soothing warmth. It was so soothing that her eyes began to close as she lay back against the bath.
Mid-2015
"Hey!"
"Fuck off, Ward!"
Harper opened her eyes and threw back the duvet. It was the start of another day in hell. The grinning face of Naomi Ward was not what she wanted to see first thing in the morning. She wanted to seriously hurt whichever wack-job had placed them in the same dormitory with adjacent beds. Harper sat up and she glared at the bitch who simply grinned as she pulled off her clothes and grabbed her towel before joining other girls heading for the bathroom.
Harper quickly followed suit, not wanting to be late for breakfast or worse.
..._...
"Fucking hell!" Harper yelled a few minutes later as something struck her on the left shoulder and she saw a bar of soap spinning off across the wet tiles at her feet amid the sounds of raucous laughter.
With practiced ease, Harper swept up another bar of soap and she span, sending the bar of soap spinning through the air where it struck Naomi Ward on the forehead, sending the girl falling onto her back. The youngster screamed as she struck the hard tiles and there were encouraging yells from the various other girls present.
Harper quickly washed off the soap from her body and left the showers.
..._...
By the time Harper sat down for breakfast, Ward's forehead was displaying a red mark where the soap had struck.
"Good shooting, Ward!" the girl with long jet-black hair commented as she sat down.
"The bitch had it coming."
"I like your style – you'll go far, kid."
"Gee, thanks, Lily."
"Just trying to be friendly."
Naomi Ward approached the table some minutes later and she glared at Brown for a moment before throwing most of a glass of water into her face.
Sunday, November 6th, 2016
St Thomas' Hospital
The Fifth Floor, Children's Wing
Harper jumped as she came awake, her face wet.
"Sorry!" Keira said as she quickly wiped away the excess water from the jug she had used to rinse Harper's hair.
"It's okay . . . I must have dozed off," Harper grinned.
"I'd forgotten how soft your hair was – you've looked after it well."
"I try – they had decent shampoo in Urban Predator," Harper commented. "Do you think Naomi has forgiven me for all the nasty things I said and did?"
"Honey, Naomi is your friend."
"I was so nasty to her . . . but then she was nasty to me, too, I suppose."
"Naomi is your best friend and you two are thick as thieves."
Harper grinned.
"Okay – that's you as clean as you're going to get – let's get you out of there."
..._...
A much cleaner Harper lay back on her bed.
Harper was unhappy to find herself being reconnected to the electrical connections, however, only one drip was reconnected to her right hand leaving the rest disconnected.
"No tube up my fanny?" Harper asked the nurse.
"No catheter," the nurse confirmed with a grin. "We're going to see how you go – literally. Just remember to let us know if you need to wee."
"I can do that," Harper grinned.
The nurse began to reapply the bandages to Harper's clean feet while the other nurse began to unwrap her left hand. Harper's eyes began to show extreme fear as the plastic cover came off, but the nurse continued.
"No . . . don't . . . please."
Harper was begging, and the tears had returned. She pulled her left arm away from the nurse, but the arm was held in place by the other nurse.
"Please . . . it hurts."
"Harper!"
Harper stopped crying and she looked up at Doctor Schneider.
"Do you want to get better?" he demanded. "Do you want to be crippled for the rest of your life?"
"No," Harper replied, tears streaming down her face. "They hurt, and I don't want anybody to touch them."
"It'll be okay, Harper," Dr Schneider offered soothingly. "Trust me."
As the dressings were removed from the splinted fingers, Harper began to howl with the pain.
Across the corridor and two doors down
Diana was sitting with Scarlett and they had been talking – well, Diana had done almost all of the talking.
Then, they had heard screaming and Scarlett had looked over towards the door. Diana was shocked to see the older girl begin to shake as tears spilled down her cheeks.
"What is it? Do you need a nurse?" Diana asked.
"It's my fault."
"Huh?"
"I did this to her."
"Who?"
"I hurt her."
"Make sense, girl!"
Scarlett looked directly at Diana as she spoke.
"I stood by and allowed Harper to be tortured. I hurt her when I should have been defending her."
"Come again?"
"Diana – I'm the reason that Harper Sharp is screaming her head off. I allowed my father to torture her. I listened as her fingers were broken. I heard each and every snap of a joint. I heard her screaming. I should have done something. Anything."
Diana could not think of anything to say as she listened to Harper scream, but it was a few more pieces of her mental jigsaw puzzle.
Back across the corridor and two doors up
Harper fell asleep very soon after the new dressings had been applied after the doctor had checked her broken fingers.
The pain had been too much for the youngster and the drugs had quickly put her under. Keira was also asleep, lying on a pull-out bed beside her sister. It had been very distressing for her too.
"Is Harper okay?" Diana asked Dr Schneider as he left the room.
"Yes, she is."
"Scarlett said that she had a part in her injuries. Is that true?"
"I'm sorry, Diana, but I cannot comment on another patient – you know that."
"Okay."
The following morning
Monday, November 7th
St Thomas' Hospital
The Fifth Floor, Children's Wing
Keira awoke first, and she sought out a hot cup of coffee.
On her return to the room, she found Harper still asleep. She had slept soundly without any nightmares – at least, none which had had her screaming out in distress. Keira took a moment to look out over Lambeth Palace Gardens and the River Thames. After a few minutes of standing at the window and sipping her coffee, she heard movements from behind her. She turned to find Harper stirring and then her eyes opened. The girl smiled up at her big sister.
"How are you feeling, Harps?"
"A little better; I can't feel that thing between my legs. I'm hungry."
"I'll go see what I can find for you," Keira grinned.
..._...
Forty minutes later, Harper was finishing off her bowl of porridge.
"I need to wee," Harper stated as she dropped the spoon into the empty bowl with a clatter.
"You feel like walking?" Keira asked.
Harper thought about that for a moment. The toilet was attached to her room and was through a door at the end of her bed. Not a long distance to go. Harper nodded.
"Yes, please."
Keira helped Harper to swing her legs off the bed and a nurse disconnected the drip. Keira could see the worry in her sister's eyes as she carefully slid forwards and then rested her bare feet on the floor.
"Very good," Keira stated.
With her sister's help, Harper struggled over to the toilet, exercising those muscles which had not been utilised properly in weeks. Her face was contorted with both concentration and pain, but Keira let it slide, knowing that Harper would manage. It was with great relief that Harper pushed open the door and with even greater relief that she sat down on the toilet and released her bladder.
"I'll leave you to it," Keira commented.
"No," Harper replied quickly. "Please stay."
Harper winced once or twice – her urine infection had not completely vanished, and the liquid stung her down below. But it was still a relief to be in control of her own bodily functions. Being able to walk again – if painfully – was also a relief and she was glad to have mobility. That thought gave her an idea as she finished emptying her bladder.
"Don't forget to wipe, Harps!" Keira chuckled as she helped Harper to stand up.
"Funny, Kei, funny."
..._...
As Harper was helped back to her bed, she turned to Keira.
"Can I go for a walk . . . please?"
"I suppose," Keira responded as she fished around in a bag down beside the bed. "Let's get you dressed . . . a little."
A few minutes later, Harper was grinning. She wore a loose navy-blue nighty which covered her completely to just below her knees. On her feet, she wore a pair of fluffy pink slippers with eyes on the front. Harper gave her sister a what-the-fuck look but Keira just grinned.
"Where are you heading?" Keira asked.
"I need to go see the resident nutcase," Harper grinned as she pulled open the door.
Harper paused outside the room, having no idea where to go.
"Sis?"
Keira laughed, and she pointed across the corridor and one door up. Harper followed her sister's directions and she found herself pushing open the door to the room. Inside, she got a shock when she found Diana sitting on her bed – it was the first time Harper had properly seen the stumps and for a moment, it freaked her out.
"Hi, Harper – you're mobile; cool!" Diana exclaimed but then she saw Harper's eyes. "Don't worry – everybody reacts that way; I'm used to it."
"I just wanted to come see you – now I'm able to walk . . . kind of."
"I like people to visit – only people rarely do," Diana said forlornly.
Harper figured that that was because Diana was always in other people's rooms.
"Hey," Diana said. "Why don't we go see your friend?"
Harper's eyes narrowed. "Friend?" she hissed.
"You can't ignore her forever – she's really broken up about what happened," Diana said.
"She's broken up!"
Diana slipped off the bed into her wheelchair and headed out the door.
"You coming?" Diana called out over her shoulder.
..._...
Scarlett was in the same sulky state she had been in for over a week.
Hearing Harper's screaming day and night did not exactly help matters. She also felt very alone. Harper had had a constant stream of visitors while Scarlett had had nobody but the doctor and the nurses. She had not even left the room – she did not dare in case she should meet somebody who wanted her dead. There was also one person that she did not want to meet. Scarlett looked up as her door opened – it was Diana!
"Hello, Diana – what do you want?"
"Hi, Scarlett."
Diana wheeled herself in and Scarlett focussed on the younger girl just as somebody else hobbled slowly into the room. Scarlett froze, and she went very cold all of a sudden.
"What are you. . .?"
"I don't want to be here – see Diana," Harper growled as she settled herself into a soft chair.
Diana groaned.
"Come on, you two. I know there's something between you. I also know that you are both worried about each other," she said.
"Worried about her?" Harper growled. "As if!"
"Harper . . . I . . ."
"Scarlett – look, Diana is determined to have us fucking by day's end, so lets just put the past behind us, huh? I came in here with my brain full of 'hand' jokes and I really wanted to make you suffer, only . . . you could have made me really suffer, but you did not. The worst you did was shove me into a muddy puddle and soak me with water. You could not have stopped your father doing what he did. You could not have stopped that woman from snapping my fingers. I know you threatened me, but I don't think you have it in you. As it stands, my friend took you to task and you have something to remind you of our time together . . . for the rest of your life. We cannot change the past; we can only look to the future. I want to be your friend, Scarlett. I will help you get past this. I think we both need one another to move on, yes?"
Scarlett just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. She was not ready for facing up to Harper and the unannounced visit had come as a shock. She knew it was Diana trying to ease things, and while the girl thought she was doing the right thing, she had no idea of what was really going on and how both Harper and Scarlett had actually been hurt. Scarlett came to a decision and looked over at Harper.
"Okay, Harper, I believe I have no choice . . . and Diana is determined to stick her nose in where it doesn't belong. To be brutally honest, I am now very much alone – my family is gone. I have only one hand and I have no idea how I am going to survive alone. I have no idea where I am going to go when I am done here. Harper, I need your help."
"That was big of you, Scarlett," Harper admitted from her chair.
Scarlett grimaced. The teenager looked miserable and embarrassed. She had never had to beg for help in her life, but she was at rock-bottom and she had no choice. She was also repentant in every way for what she had done. How handing her fate to the person she had had a part in torturing, not to mention her vigilante friends, was going to end, she had no idea.
"I want to make amends . . . I know that will be a long road and I know that I will suffer, but . . . please."
Harper struggled to her feet and she moved over to the bed. Scarlett flinched away from the younger girl, despite knowing that Harper was in no state to hurt her. Harper moved up the left side of the bed and then she took Scarlett's left hand in her right.
"I promise to help you in any way that I can, Scarlett," Harper said before she moved right beside Scarlett's left ear so that Diana could not hear. "However, you do anything that hazards me, or my friends, and I will torture you and then, I – will – kill – you."
Diana saw Scarlett's pale face go very white as Harper stood back up.
Keira noticed Harper's grim expression as she returned to her bed.
"How did it go?" Keira asked as she helped Harper back into her bed.
"She's feeling remorse – although, I'm not sure if that is for me or her hand. Naomi did a good job, but to be honest, I'm glad she didn't kill the girl. She was kind to me and she could have really hurt me if she had wanted to. She passed up every opportunity to make life harder for me and the humiliation worse."
"I would have killed her just like I blew up her father," Keira grumbled.
"Radford deserved that, but Scarlett did not deserve a Hellfire up her snatch. Promise me you won't hurt her, Keira."
"I promise not to hurt her . . . too badly."
"Keira!"
"Okay!" Keira exclaimed. "I promise not to hurt Scarlett Radford . . . even though she tortured my baby sister."
"Good enough," Harper grinned as she lay back on her pillow to rest.
The early hours of the following morning
Harper was awake – she could not sleep.
Her young mind was teaming with worries and things which a nine-year-old should not have to worry about. Her life was very complicated and none of it was her fault. She was a Predator, and nothing could change that. She had a life and she had responsibilities. What responsibilities might a nine-year-old girl actually have, you may ask? Well, since her return from Urban Predator, Harper had become the de facto leader of the all-girl Vengeance vigilante trio with Naomi and Kaitlin. She had also become a trainer of 'newbies' – a task which she had relished – and it appeared that she had been successful. Olivia, Jessica, Christopher, and Jeremy had all survived everything thrown at them which was something that Harper could accept as a success on her part – Craig had said as much during his visit. As for Mary, the girl had sorted herself out and Electra had said that Mary had been perfect during an attack on Kensington Palace. Harper had missed a lot, but her friends had prevailed without her assistance. Did they still need her? Would she still be welcomed back into Vengeance? That was Harper's worst worry – would she be side-lined?
The young girl finally drifted off to sleep and she found herself in a place she had not dreamt of before.
...+...
It was a large open area, much like a park – there were trees and most of the area was grass.
The sky was blue, and the sun was shining. Its warmth made the park feel like it was the height of summer. There was nobody in sight, just her and . . .
"Harper?"
"Keira?"
Harper was surprised to see her sister striding across the grass towards her. Wasn't it her own dream? What was Harper doing in her dream?
"What are you doing in my dream, Kei?"
"What are you doing in my dream, Harps?"
"This place seems familiar – I just don't know where from."
Keira thought about it for a moment before her eyes brightened.
"Do you remember the last time we were all together? You know – you, me, Mum, and Dad?"
"You were just about to return to your ship and it was a last time for us all to be together and have fun. I had just turned seven and you had just been promoted to Lieutenant. I'd forgotten. It was the best time of my life," Harper remembered.
"It was also the last time I ever saw Mum and Dad – and the last time I thought I would ever see you," Keira admitted.
"I had about a month with Mum and Dad before I was taken – I never thought I would see anybody again."
Then both girls froze as a voice from their past rang out.
"Ah, perfect . . . my two lovely girls!"
Harper and Keira both spun around. Their eyes had to be deceiving them – it could not be.
..._...
"Mum?" Keira said.
"Mummy!" Harper exclaimed as she ran forwards.
Kimberley Sharp held out her arms as her youngest daughter ran towards her and she then wrapped her arms around the same girl as she jumped up into her arms. Harper bathed in the warmth of her mother's hug – something which she had not felt in almost three years. She felt safe. She felt loved. She felt content. She then felt squished as Keira arrived and she was pulled into the hug having just as much right to be hugged by her mother whom she had not seen for just as long.
"What about me?" came an indignant voice. "Don't I get a hug from my special girls?"
Harper quickly wriggled out from between her Mum and big sister before rushing over to her Daddy. Ian Sharp grinned as his baby girl leapt into his open arms. He missed his girls, especially his little Harper.
"I missed you, Daddy."
"I missed you, too, honey."
Harper gave in and she sobbed her heart out for what felt like an hour. She was a daddy's girl at heart and losing him had been very hard on her – not to mention that she had put a bullet in his head. Finally, she slithered back to the ground.
"I killed you," Harper whispered.
"I know, honey," her father replied as he knelt down before his youngest daughter. "You had no choice – none at all."
"You had to do it," her mother confirmed.
"It was easy to do; it just felt natural. The pistol felt right in my hand. Then, two gentle squeezes of the trigger and as the smoke from the gunshots was sucked away by the air-conditioning and the sound of the gunshots faded – two bodies lay dead before me . . . my family was dead," Harper recalled. "Why are you here? How can you be here?"
"We don't really know," her father said as he sat down on the grass and cradled Harper into his chest. "We've been watching over you ever since you returned to your sister. We know what happened to you and why you are in hospital. We so wanted to intervene, but it is strictly forbidden."
"We hated it when Keira could not rescue you," her mother said from where she stood with an arm around her eldest daughter's shoulders. "However, it was fate, and fate alone which prevented Keira from rescuing you, Harper. Fate is something strong that none of us can defeat. It was your fate to be taken. It was your fate to be tortured. It was your fate to remain there until Sebastian Radford was dead."
"You both have a life ahead of you. It appears that fate is going to be kind on you both – at least for a while," Ian Harper explained. "Only, it looks like fate will be sparring you both any personal heartache, but somebody else will suffer instead."
"Who?" Harper asked.
"We cannot tell you that," her mother stated. "We have already said to much. Nonetheless, you are both going to be happy and neither one of you is going to be alone any longer."
Keira frowned at the very cryptic comment.
"We have to go, now," Kimberley Sharp continued. "It is almost dawn and we can only see you in your dreams. Good luck to you both, girls. Stay safe and look after one another. Your father and I trust you both and we love you both very much."
"I love you too, Mummy," Harper replied. "You, too, Daddy."
"It was so good to see you, Mum – and you, Dad," Keira added.
Ian and Kimberly Sharp waved as they both walked off into the trees before vanishing.
