I stared at her for a moment, before finally whispering in a low voice. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes widened briefly, before narrowing. “For what?” She finally snapped.
I continued to stare into her red eyes. “For disobeying.”
Her expression was slightly confused then, although she was trying to hide it. Still, she couldn’t hide it in her eyes. After a moment, she spoke again. “What? For your comment yesterday? It doesn’t matter. You ultimately obeyed.”
“You and I both know that’s not what I’m talking about. I did disobey.”
Her eyes widened again, and that look of fear appeared on her face. She quickly tried to hide it, but it was too late. Ava and Zane both figured it out at the same time. They had been conditioned well enough to know the finer details of orders. It was Ava who said it in a gasp. “The girl…”
Trinity flinched when she said it, but then ignored her. Staring at me with a hard glare, she hissed. “Go away.”
I decided to get straight to the point, speaking in a whisper even though Zane and Ava were plenty close enough to hear. “Why are you pushing me away?” I demanded.
She scoffed at me. “What? You think I owe you something for saving my life a couple of times?”
I leaned back slightly, shocked that she had brought that up. “Well, no, but…”
She cut me off, her voice getting louder. “Then what?! You want a thank you?! Are you expecting me to put out since I owe you one?!”
“What? No!” That hadn’t been what I was going for at all. I thought we had covered that topic already yesterday.
“Then what do you want?” She demanded, her voice significantly quieter.
I wasn’t sure how to fully explain myself, so I responded with the best answer I could, “I just want to be near you!”
She scoffed again. “You’re pretty close to me now.”
“And on good terms!” I clarified.
She glared at me again, her voice threatening for once. “Trust me when I say that anything, other than us being on bad terms, is good terms. You don’t want to find out what it’s like to be on my bad side.”
“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” I snapped, getting more irritated by the second.
“I’m not afraid of anything!” She yelled back.
“You’re afraid of letting anyone get close to you! Afraid it will hurt too much when they die!” I barely noticed when Zane and Ava abandoned us as we began yelling at each other. I realized moments later that was a smart move.
“Jackass!” Trinity screamed at me.
“Scaredy-cat!” I yelled back.
Abruptly, her face turned stone cold again, her tone sinister. “Oh, we’ll find out who’s the scaredy-cat.”
Suddenly, my head jerked back like someone had grabbed me by the hair, and I felt every muscle in my body go rigid. I knew instantly what was happening, but I still couldn’t believe it. It didn’t exactly hurt, but it was definitely the most uncomfortable thing I had ever experienced in my entire life. Except, that wasn’t what terrified me.
What terrified me was that the moment she did it, my blood shot out of my body involuntarily like a reflex, and I barely stopped it in time before it made contact. Instead, it ended up snaking around her everywhere. Around her arms, legs, in between thighs, around her waist, around her neck. My blood was everywhere like a hundred tentacles, locking my prey in place.
I struggled to maintain my sanity as her life-suck messed with my mind. I barely heard Zane speak up at the edge of the court. “Umm, Trinity…”
“Shut up!” She snapped at him, before directing her attention towards me. “What? Are you going to kill me now? You better hurry and do it because you’re running out of time!”
“I…told…you…” I gasped trying to maintain a hold on my thoughts. “I…didn’t…know…I wouldn’t…die…”
She knew exactly what I was talking about, and it was like an arrow to the chest, piercing her straight where it hurt most. I had died for her yesterday, truly died, because I hadn’t known I would survive. I had sacrificed my life for her willingly, selflessly.
She immediately stopped her life-suck and I fell to the ground gasping, my blood still tangled all around her.
After a second, I continued, still looking down at the concrete underneath my hands. “I didn’t sacrifice myself for you yesterday, just so I could kill you today.”
Despite her next words, her tone trying to be harsh, it was obvious I had broken her. “You just want to sleep with me.”
I finally glared up at her. “I can’t have sex with you if I’m dead!” I almost wanted to call her ‘idiot’ but was afraid that would undo what I had just done.
She flinched slightly, and then she tried to continue her defense. “Then that’s just the kind of person you are. You would have done it for any of us.”
I laughed then, loud. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but NO.” I then paused briefly as I thought about it. “Yeah, maybe I would now since I know it probably won’t kill me, but yesterday I most certainly would not have jumped in front of anyone else. And I’m not going to apologize for that truth. I’m not that noble.”
She glared at me angrily, but it was almost an anger to the point of crying.
I quickly continued, feeling even more irritated. “Can you still see it?” I demanded.
Her eyes widened briefly. “See what?” She whispered.
“Can you see my face?! Can you see it with a rod sticking out of my eye?! Can you feel my hand on your face, covering up your own eye?!” I paused, surprised by the sudden tears in her eyes. But then I continued anyway, still angry. “Can you feel it?!” I demanded again. “Can you feel what you felt in that moment, when you realized I had just died for you?!” I scoffed then, lowering my voice slightly, and glancing away. “You really think I had any inkling that I would survive from having a rod in my brain? In my heart? Last I checked, people can’t live without those, rapid healing or not.” I then met her gaze again, seeing the tears brimming over the edge, silently slipping down her cheeks. “You really think I would have done that for anyone? Died for anyone?”
She spoke then, her voice more gentle, but barely a whisper. “Please let go of me.”
I looked at her for a second, before slowly sitting up on my heels. My blood was still tangled all around her. I knew she hadn’t tried moving, because I would have felt it, but it was obvious she knew she probably couldn’t escape my grasp without my permission, even as strong as she was. My blood wasn’t like my muscles – it did what I wanted it to, despite weight.
As I held her blurry-eyed gaze, she spoke again. “Please. I need a minute to a myself. Please.”
I sighed, slowly withdrawing my blood as I said one last thing. “I’m really sorry about last night.” She looked at me confused for a moment, before I added. “But what’s done is done, so I wanted to also say thank you. It should have been me.”
Realization crossed her face, and even though my blood was back inside my body now, she remained completely motionless. Her face was expressing a multitude of emotions all at once. Fear, anger, panic, but strongest of all – devastation. Devastated that I knew what she had to experience on my behalf, not because of what I’d done, but because of a choice she’d made for me, for my benefit.
…For my benefit…because she cared. And she was devastated that I knew she cared.
Once she had pulled herself away from the edge of a meltdown, she finally stood up swiftly, and then walked over to the door that led back inside. I watched her go, and then I felt her go as she took off into a sprint for her room the moment she was out of sight.
I sat there for a while, unwilling to move from my spot on the ground, until all three members of our audience, even Zayden, slowly came walking up to me. I looked up at Ava, who was in my line of sight.
Giving her a weak half-smile, I spoke. “I told you she cared. She cares about all of us. She’s just afraid of what it will do to her if any of us die.”
Zane chimed in then. “That’s cruel man.”
I looked back at him. “Not really. It won’t make it any easier for her, whether she denies how she feels or not.”
“Why did you attack her?” Ava abruptly asked.
I looked at her in shock. “I didn’t attack her,” I whispered.
“But your blood…” She began, but then stopped.
I knew what she was getting out. “It was like a reflex, like if someone grabs your arm unexpectedly and you jerk it back without meaning to. It came out on its own, but I had control of it once the initial reflex was over.”
“That’s a dangerous reflex,” Zane commented.
I looked at him again. “Well, considering it only shows up if my life is threatened, I’d say it’s decisively a good thing that it’s dangerous.”
He shrugged. “That’s fair.”
I was surprised Zayden didn’t have anything to say. I glanced at him and he immediately looked away, though appearing a lot less annoyed that he usually was.
“So,” I began as I stood up. “Other than occasionally threatening each other’s lives…what do you guys normally do during your free time?”
Chapter 8: Priorities
The four of us ended up playing a game of basketball – two on two. All of them were fairly good, including Ava. I was surprised to discover I also wasn’t horrible, like I used to be. I felt a lot more confident on my feet, and making shots helped me finetune my strength. The first shot I tried to make, I accident flung the ball over a hundred feet away with the flick of my wrist. I was trying to shoot it hard, since I normally had to in order to make it to the hoop. However, now it was clear I needed to use significantly less force to accomplish the same goal.
Zayden seemed to be having fun for once. It was the first time I think I’d seen him with a smile on his face, other than the previous night when he realized he could finally join the battle. He and Zane kept making fun of each other, although it was clear no one was being serious. Ava cracked a few jokes at Zayden’s expense too. At first I kind of felt left out, which I never imagined I would think, but it was clear that no one wanted to risk offending me. It was bothersome, sensing them all on edge.
I was actually thankful when Zane accidentally made a comment about my poor shot, grabbing it up from the ground – my shot really wasn’t that bad, at least compared to what my past self had been capable of prior to my change. But the second he did, Zayden and Ava both froze.
I just laughed at him and commented about the fact that at least I didn’t smell like a wet dog when I sweated – even though I hadn't broken a sweat yet. He tossed the ball at my head like he was actually offended, and I caught it to hand off to Ava. Once we were both laughing, the other two loosened up a little and Zayden finally took a crack at me a few minutes later.
It was weird that he had gone from threatening me yesterday, to suddenly cautions to the point of not even wanting to offend me. But I was thankful he had finally settled on somewhere in between those two extremes.
I was finally starting to feel more comfortable with everyone when an alarm sounded throughout the entire compound. Zayden had the ball the moment it happened. He immediately dropped it and took off running. They all did. I quickly caught up.
“What’s going on?” I asked, suddenly worried as the blaring sound echoed off the buildings.
“Don’t know yet.” Zane replied. “But nothing good. That’s the emergency alarm.”
Ava then chimed in. “Sometimes it’s super urgent. Other times it’s not so much. Either way, we’re supposed to respond immediately.” She then was thoughtful. “It’s the same alarm that went off yesterday when we first found out about you. Although, in that case they picked up Trinity immediately and briefed her on the way.”
Speaking of Trinity, I glanced back to see that she was behind us quickly catching up. Within a few seconds, she had passed our group and reached the building to hold open the door. I thought about matching her pace, but then decided I should give her some space. She at least didn’t seem mad anymore. If anything, she seemed collected and composed now. Granted, it had been over an hour since we had talked.
I hoped that was a good sign.
There were a couple of soldiers coming around the corner of the building, and they slipped inside just ahead of us, giving Trinity a quick nod as they passed. We all slowed down when we got to her and filed inside one-by-one. I was the last in line. She looked away as I passed, but I felt her follow close behind the moment I was inside. I really wanted to look at her. To talk to her. But I knew right now wasn’t the time.
Instead of going to the small gymnasium with the basketball court, like I assumed, we all headed into the large warehouse portion of the building where I had first been dropped off after my arrest. There were already over twenty soldiers assembled. If it wasn’t for my sixth sense, I would have been surprised to see so many people here because I had only ever seen a handful at a time. Granted, I knew there were even more who weren’t required to respond to the alarm.
Our group stood away from the others as we all waited to find out what was going on. I was surprised that Trinity stood close to me, but she kept behind me and to the side. I didn’t want to bother her with glances right now, so I kept my eyes forward. The General was one of the last people to walk in, along with the same woman and man who I had seen yesterday when I first arrived – Jones and Kennedy. The alarm finally stopped blaring, and the General got started.
“Alright, everyone,” Armstrong began in a booming voice that echoed in the empty warehouse. The soldiers were really good at being quiet. You could hear a pin drop when the General wasn’t speaking. “We have a rescue operation on our hands – a high ranking official with highly classified intelligence. A full briefing will occur on site. Beta and Gamma Squads will move out immediately. Omega Squad,” The General looked over at us. “You will rendezvous with an escort transporting the Shield Maiden prior to beginning the operation. Her name is Elizabeth Mason, age twelve. It is uncertain if she will be compliant during this mission. However, it appears her ability is passive in nature, making her a vital piece to this operation.” The General then paused briefly. “Zane Fowler! Jacob Knight!”
“Yes sir!” We both said in unison. I felt nervous having my name called out in front of everyone.
“The Shield Maiden’s ability blocks most things, including many types of abilities. However, her power’s one weakness is abilities that are more biological in nature. For this reason, it will be your responsibility to both protect her and ensure her compliance during this mission. Are we clear?”
“Yes sir!” We both said again.
My first thought was, Great. I saved this girl’s life only to have her thrown back onto the battlefield as a slave to the military. I really hoped she didn’t hate me for sparing her. Granted, I realized I still wouldn’t have wanted to take her life. I sincerely wasn’t looking forward to a day when I might be asked to kill someone like her, like the lethal six-year-old the General had mentioned. How was that ever okay?
Once the General was done giving us the details of the location, we were dismissed. They had a van waiting for our group to take us to a small airport where we would assume command over the Shield Maiden. From there we would be taking a military jet to the actual location for the operation.
As everyone filed out, I intentionally held back a little, letting my other comrades go in front of me. I had a lot of things on my mind all of sudden. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing this girl again, especially since I had been so rough with her before. I was glad to find out she was older than she looked. I had been confident there was no way she was much older than ten. Turns out she must be a late bloomer because she was the youngest looking twelve-year-old I’d ever seen.
I also wasn’t looking forward to the ride there, mainly because of the seating arrangement. The instant I got into the vehicle, I would know. That moment alone would likely tell me where Trinity and I stood
. If she intentionally sat so that I couldn’t sit next to her, then that made it clear she was still going to be giving me the cold shoulder. I was afraid of how that would make me feel – that rejection. I didn’t want to experience it. I’d almost rather not even go than risk being rejected right in front of everyone. Thus, I held back and was easily several feet behind them as they climbed into the back of the van.
When I got to the double doors, I was surprised to see that everyone was sitting exactly how they had done the previous night. There was a spot in between Zane and Trinity, and then there was also a spot right next to Zayden, with Ava on his other side. I looked up at Trinity, searching for some sign of what she wanted me to do, but she wasn’t looking at me.
Sighing, I climbed in and hesitated as I stood in front of her. She glanced up at me finally, and then rolled her eyes. “Jake, just sit down.” She quickly patted the seat next to her to make it clear what she meant.
I took a deep breath as a sat down beside her. As I buckled up, one of the soldiers closed the double doors in the back of the van, and then we were heading out.
Trinity abruptly surprised me by swinging her legs over my thigh again. I looked at her in shock. Everyone else did too. She had been so reserved that no one had any idea what was on her mind. Even now she wasn’t looking at anyone. It was quiet for a moment before she finally spoke. “Look Jake, I can’t give you special treatment out in the field. The mission comes first, always.”
“Of course,” I said quickly. I already knew that, and I wouldn’t expect anything differently.
She glanced at me briefly before looking away again. “Which means that if I have to choose between you and a teammate, especially one who is necessary to complete the mission, then I have to pick the latter.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
“Even if you’re dying for real,” she added.
I smirked at her briefly, reaching up to place my hand on her knee. “Trinity, I get it. And…” I gestured towards her legs draped over mine. “This alone is fine. I don’t need anything else from you.” I then paused as I felt another smirk slowly tug on my lips. “Unless of course it’s necessary to pull my mind away from the clutches of a hypnotic psychopath…then by all means, please do as you wish with me.”
Omega Squad Page 10