Lydia was downright nervous the next day. She came into the pool area early to talk to Cooper. Nina was already there, holding his flippers. Lydia gave them some private time, and when Nina left to use the restroom, she gave her a small smile. “Everything will be okay,” Lydia said. Nina hardly lifted her eyes.
Once his sister was in the restroom, Lydia crouched beside Cooper. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Around nine, the technicians arrived and set up the course that Cooper would run through. A nurse stood by, ready for any incident. Arthur and Sylvia came soon after, noting Lydia’s presence with a brief nod. She expected them there. It was possible that the mole would attend, to ensure that everything went according to plan. Only a possibility, she reminded herself. She couldn’t jump to accusations quite yet. Although Harper’s showing up with the test proctors did draw much of her attention.
Aidan and Jando arrived, the latter already informed about the plan from the other. “Basically, after Ozzy enters, we need to cause a distraction. Do whatever you can to keep people from reaching him,” Lydia told Jando.
“Right.”
Aidan took his position by the door. Lydia stood on one long side of the pool and Jando on the other. Cooper floated by the starting position in the corner and Lydia gave him a thumbs-up. He returned it and did a few practice laps above the surface, following the race markers around the pool. Lydia kept one eye fixed on Harper as he scribbled on a clipboard. Probably making notes to Whyte. She frowned. Sylvia caught her attention and shook her head. Lydia understood: don’t be obvious. She focused elsewhere and strolled around, nearing Cooper and wishing him good luck.
At the stroke of ten, the proctors began the test. The technicians activated the moving nets and one stood by Cooper with a stopwatch. “On your mark. Get set.” Lydia’s stomach bounced and her fingers scrunched. “Go!”
Cooper took off like a bullet through the water. He swam easily around the pool’s edges, staying close to the markers. He submerged, dipped, rose, and slipped through the nets like a trained dolphin. It was quite the sight. Lydia was always amazed by his grace and speed, but this was akin to a water park show. She half expected rings to lower from the ceiling for him to jump through.
A loud barking reminded her why she was here. Aidan opened the door, acting as if he needed to use the restroom. Ozzy bounded in, growling behind his muzzle. The technicians scattered and fled from the crazed dog. Ozzy’s handlers and Janice ran in seconds later. “Be careful!” they told everyone.
Arthur and Sylvia dove for Ozzy. Jando stepped in the way, crashing into them. The three knocked a technician into the water behind Cooper. Lydia smiled. This was working better than she thought.
Ozzy gathered up a few nets and Lydia prepared to dive in. As Cooper reached the nets, the handlers trapped Ozzy. He jerked the other way and ran under a pair of legs. He leapt into the air, attacked Harper, and they fell into the water. As pleased as Lydia was by this cherry on top, the nets unexpectedly dragged into Cooper too fast and threw him into the wall. Lydia peered over the side. He drifted to the bottom, a trail of crimson in his wake.
“Cooper!” Nina screamed, tore off her helmet, and jumped into the water. Lydia dove in after her and was thankful for her muscle density. She reached the bottom before Nina and grabbed the nets. They were too tangled and wouldn’t unravel. More blood poured from the back of Cooper’s head.
Lydia didn’t check to see how bad the injury was. She needed to get him to the surface fast. Nina arrived and they tore at the nets. As blood seeped out, Nina became frantic, which panicked Lydia. Nina was behind Cooper, so she could see the injury better. It had to be horrible, even life threatening. Lydia picked up her pace, grabbing whatever she could and ripping it apart.
Grabbing hold of two wadded balls of net, Lydia clamped her hands and pulled. However, she cast one net away instead of tearing another hole in the web. Peering through the water, she realized she held Cooper’s knee in her other hand.
Oh no.
She had crushed his knee. She held the limp leg in her hand and Nina made furious gestures at her.
Focus on the net. Worry about that later. She ripped apart the last net, careful not to grab Cooper anymore. Together with Nina, she pushed off the floor, carried him to the surface, and threw him up on the ledge.
Aidan handed Nina her helmet and she slipped it on and climbed out of the pool. “What on earth were you thinking?!” she shouted at Lydia. “You broke his leg!”
Lydia looked over at Cooper. Already, a crowd had gathered around him. His moans grew louder when someone touched his knee. Thank God. He was alive.
“Get him to Barrett! Now!” Arthur ordered. The nurse grabbed a stretcher from an emergency cabinet and unfolded it. Cooper slipped into unconsciousness as the nurse and a few other people loaded him onto the stretcher and carried him out. Nina stayed by his side and shot Lydia a final scowl.
As Lydia climbed out, the two handlers apologized again and again to Arthur and Sylvia. “We’re so sorry. We thought we had control of him,” one said.
“I told you we needed to use a cage,” the other said, slapping his partner’s chest. “The thing is a monster.”
“Listen, listen,” Arthur said, trying to calm them. “It’s all right. It was an accident. Just be sure to get him where you’re taking him. With no further problems. Clear?”
“Yes, sir.” Between them they carried Ozzy and Janice followed, petting him and scratching his ears.
The technicians gathered up the nets and water markers. While they worked, Lydia wrung out her shirt and pants as best she could. “You okay?” Aidan asked.
“Yeah,” she said, despite feeling like she had to puke.
Aidan and Jando helped her up and they started walking to the door. “And where are you three going?” Arthur asked.
“Oh, you know,” Aidan said, pretending to check a wristwatch, “we have an appointment not to be here right now.”
“Stay right there,” Arthur said. He grabbed Lydia’s face, turning it side to side. “Act normal. Harper is still here.” Lydia caught a short glance of the sopping wet man grumbling and talking on a phone. “I told you not to do anything,” he said. “Or to tell anyone else.”
“What were you thinking?” Sylvia asked. “You wouldn’t listen and Cooper’s hurt.”
“Better than being dead,” Lydia said. She cringed at the hard glare from them. “We only meant to fake an injury. That’s all. We haven’t figured out who the mole is yet.” Arthur lifted her arm, bending it back and forth. “And I needed the help to make it look convincing.”
“Let’s hope you did. Otherwise, we’re going to lose this person,” he said.
“We may have lost Cooper, too,” she said. “There has to be some other way to flush this person out than wait.”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Arthur said, letting her go. “And your punishment when all this is through. Everyone act normal for today.” Then he said a little louder, “Go see Dr. Barrett about your head. Better safe than sorry.” She nodded and the trio left, passing Harper on their way out.
“And I’m told they gave him a concussion! A concussion! I will have their jobs!” he said to the wet phone. He spun about in a rage, flinging water everywhere. “They won’t even be able to own a dog when I’m through with them! Hello? Hello? Piece of…” he slapped the phone against his thigh.
Lydia feared for the handlers, but Aidan assuaged her. “Arthur won’t let anything happen to them.” She knew he was right, and they marched on to Barrett’s office. Yet now she feared more for Cooper. Had he perhaps suffered worse than a concussion? There had been enough blood to worry her. She double-timed it to the office, along with Jando and Aidan.
A nurse directed them to a hospital room down the hall, one of several near Barrett’s office. Nina waited outside, pacing and pressing her ear to the door every few seconds. When she saw Lydia, her anxious stride turned hateful. “Are you blind? Really, are you bli
nd?” she said, bending too far to talk and sloshing water from her helmet all over the tile floor.
“I panicked,” Lydia said. “There was all the blood, and I couldn’t see too well down there.” Nina fumed and crossed her arms. “Is he all right?” She looked back at the door. “They say he has a mild concussion, a split in his head, and a broken kneecap from what I can hear. You tell me.”
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry,” Lydia said.
Nina ignored her, although she did allow them to stay and take seats in the plastic chairs in the hall. They sat and waited, nobody speaking much for two hours.
Lydia blamed herself and prayed for Cooper. Should’ve practiced more. Should’ve brought him in from the beginning and practiced. This wouldn’t have happened then.
The door soon opened and Nina flew to it, blocking Barrett and a nurse. “How is he?”
“He’s fine,” Barrett said. “It wasn’t as bad as it looked. He’s awake now.” Before Nina even asked, she stepped aside. “Yes, you can see him.”
“Thank you.” She entered and Barrett shut the door behind her.
“Heard there was a lot of excitement up there,” Barrett said to Lydia and stuck a cigarette in her mouth.
“Is he all right?” Lydia asked.
“Like I said, he’s fine. Just needs to take it easy. Try not to stay too long, okay?”
“And his knee?”
“Fractured, but gave him a shot of Barrett Juice. Should be back on his feet, or fins, and swimming in a couple of weeks.” She lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply, stretching her head back and working out the kinks in her neck. “Barely past noon and we’ve had enough commotion for one day. I’ll be outside if anyone needs me.” She walked out a nearby exit, blowing a cloud of smoke upward.
Lydia figured they should give Nina and Cooper a few minutes by themselves. They waited in the hall, relieved that everyone was fine. “Think it worked?” Aidan asked.
“I hope so,” she said. “Otherwise, we’re screwed.”
“Silver lining is that he’ll have to stay here longer than you’d hoped,” Jando said.
“True.” If the plan worked, they had far more time than she anticipated to track the mole. With any luck, this setback would trip up the person and they would make a mistake. And Lydia would be there to seize the opportunity.
The door soon opened and Nina poked her head out. She was calm and collected, welcoming them in. “He wants to see you,” she said.
Inside, Cooper raised the head of his hospital bed. His wound had been cleaned and stitched up. The cut appeared somewhat small and the stitches few for the amount of blood Lydia remembered. He was a little dazed and kept his head against his pillow. “Sorry if I don’t talk much,” he said. “Got a wicked headache.”
“That’s okay,” Lydia said. “Just glad you’re all right.” An EKG machine beeped beside a steady drip of morphine into his arm, and he pulled his baby-blue blanket up higher. “Are they keeping you in here long?”
“For a while,” Nina answered. “To make sure he doesn’t trip all over himself.”
“And no swimming for a while,” he said. “That’s just cruel.”
Nina sat in the only chair beside him and offered him his food tray. “They’ll bring lunch soon.”
“Yum,” he said in a monotone voice. “Hospital food.”
“We’ll get going then,” Lydia said. “Again, we’re happy you’re okay.”
“Get better soon,” Jando said.
“We’ll come visit later,” she said, and Aidan and Jando left with her.
Nina stopped Lydia in the hall. “Wait. Can I talk to you for a second?” She shut the door and Lydia sent the boys on. Nina looked at Lydia, her face contemplating what to say. She settled on, “Thank you. For what you did. Cooper told me what happened and why. That he was in danger. So thank you.”
“Oh, uh, anytime,” she said, surprised by the change.
“To tell the truth, I felt like this was my fault at first. I’ve been selfish. I wanted him to stay,” she said. “I wanted him to go home, too. He should be home. However, I wanted him to stay. Just a little longer. But not like this. Yet if you hadn’t been looking out for him, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
“Hey, it’s no problem,” Lydia said. “What are friends for?”
Nina’s face lit up in surprise. “And you also looked out for me. Tried to get me out of here.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t,” Lydia said. “But maybe it’s for the best. Wouldn’t be a good idea to leave at the moment.”
“No. No, it wouldn’t,” Nina said, heaving a deep sigh. “Doesn’t stop me from wanting to leave though. Thing is,” she said, tapping the door, “I worry about him. I have to. He was a pain as a kid. Always getting into trouble.” She pointed at the gills in her neck. “We’re here because when his toy fell into a storm drain, he had to crawl into the sewer after it. And he had to mess with some chemicals, this chemical canister full of a red ooze mixture tossed down there. Of course, when I cleaned him off, I got it on me, too. Since then, I’ve always had to be a step ahead and make sure he’s safe, or who knows what he’ll get into?”
Lydia was dumbfounded. Had Nina just confided in her? She realized she needed to reply and said, “S-Seems he grew out of it.”
“Yeah, he did. Still, I’m older. I’m supposed to watch out for him.” She offered her hand and Lydia shook it, still processing what had happened. “Thank you again for looking out for us.”
Nina returned to Cooper’s bedside, and Lydia strolled to her dorm. Nina had actually told her where their abilities came from and confided in her. And Cooper was safe for now. In spite of the hiccups and setbacks, that conversation with Nina and today’s achievements with Cooper’s test boosted her spirit.
The boost was short-lived, as Arthur and Sylvia passed by on their way to visit Cooper, and his previous warning counteracted Nina’s gratitude. They had saved Cooper, yes, but at what cost? What if the mole was aware of them? While she would’ve liked to believe the plan was a complete success, Lydia had her reservations. Cooper’s accident had been a step-up in the game, and Whyte surely had a big play to push things further.
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Rogues of Overwatch Page 55