by Harper Doyle
Jack, Nadia and James met everyday for several days and in that time Nadia had learned how to balance and was working on walking with her new leg. James was not far behind; he had already tried to take a few steps, but most of the time he fell over due to unequal balance distribution. Nadia would tell him to slow down and work on standing first to get that down but he would always reply that he wanted to stay in line with her progress and she would have nothing to say back to him.
It was nearly three weeks into the rehabilitation and both Nadia and James had made it to the walking stage and mastered it. Jack was impressed with the both of them and had them start trying to run. It was quiet different to walk than it was to run. Walking was all fine and dandy but running was the main thing that Jack needed to teach them before starting them on combat training with the new leg. The room was long and provided a sold surface to practice running. Nadia grasped the concept easily and flew through the exercises while James was having a bit of trouble getting his legs to run at the same pace.
His robotic leg was running faster than his normal leg, thus causing a lag which resulted in a face plant on James’s part. For some reason Nadia was able to keep her legs at the same pace and run at an astonishing rate. Her bionic leg never got tired but that was to be expected, it was made of machines, her other leg though was sore and throbbing towards the end of the training session. A few days of working on running left Nadia’s leg in terrible pain but she never made a comment to anyone but James, Rebecca and Michael who all pushed her to say something to the staff. Once they had convinced her Nadia was able to do much more in the exercises and work for a lot longer.
It took James nearly an entire week to fix his gate and by that time Nadia had trained her body to react to the pain and push it to the back of her mind so that she could get more work done in one day. Jack took note of the increased work ability that Nadia produced and made notes about it. It was clear that Nadia’s body had already adapted to the machine leg and was taking its own precautions for the workload.
By the end of the week Jack gathered James and Nadia together and explained the next phase in the rehabilitation work. This phase was more than the mastery of movement as far as getting around, walking and running. In the upcoming phase there were going to learn a few techniques that there leg could do to give them an advantage in battle. For one this is was made of sold metal and so it wouldn’t hurt to get shot or to kick with all their power.
“So you little kids, are you ready to start learning how to use your leg in combat.” Nadia and James didn’t really say anything but more or less nodded their head because it was what Jack was looking for. Jack smiled and stood up from where he had been sitting on the floor, causing James and Nadia to follow his actions.
“Daniel, will you enter at this time?” As Jack was speaking to him Daniel entered and stood beside Jack.
“We are going to run drills on these two in preparation for their first combat training. Isn’t that going to be so much fun? Of course it is how could it not be? Okay, Daniel I will need you to try and throw some easy punches at them. See if they can dodge them. That means you two will have to do what I say. Try and dodge the punches he is going to throw at you, this should be fun to watch.” Jack sat back down on a chair that Daniel had brought in with him and smiled as Nadia and James took turns alternating between throwing punches and dodging the ones that Daniel was instructed to throw. James got hit it the face a couple of times and Nadia was hit once. The punches were hard and left bruises on both of them, with James having a few more than Nadia.
“Well done, well done, my pets. That should be enough for now Daniel; we will start this up again tomorrow. Then I can tell you how to kick with your metal legs and cause some severe damage. Till tomorrow, goodbye.” Jack took his leave of them at that point and Daniel escorted the two of them back to the infirmary room and left them in the hands of the staff. Once rejoined with Rebecca and Michael they talked about the training they had done that day. Rebecca and Michael had worked on how to grasp something in their hands. It was learning to control each individual finger and joint in the mechanical arm and telling it what you wanted it do. James explained to them that Nadia and him had been dodging punches and just finished up how to run. Rebecca informed Nadia that they were not scheduled for combat any time soon.
“It is probably because the arm is a lot more complicated than moving a leg. For us it is just lifting the leg and making it run with you at the same pace. Besides, you should be happy that they are not making you go too fast. Enjoy the time you are given, right?” Nadia was trying to reassure Rebecca and it seemed to work because Rebecca gave her a smile and that particular conversation dropped. Nadia slept fitfully that night tossing and turning and so the next day, the day that they were going to learn their first combat training she was exhausted from inadequate sleep.
“Well, you look like shit, Nadia. Were you partying last night? Heehehahahaaa.” Nadia did not find that the least bit funny and today of all days she was in a pissy mood and really did not want to be bothered. Jack kept pushing at her and teasing her and Nadia kept taking it hoping that he would get the hint and stop annoying her. On this particular day Nadia was short tempered and quick to anger. James had learned that when she had woken up and he was complaining about something or other and she snapped at him. Today was not the day to push Nadia’s buttons.
“Can we just get the lesson over for the day so I can go back and get some rest?” Nadia asked as politely as she could but it still came out angry and annoyed.
“Well, little miss prissy pants, I will try and make it fit into your schedule.” Jack was obviously joking around but that was lost to Nadia.
“Sounds good, let’s go and get this over with already.” Jack was starting to get annoyed himself and stomped over to Nadia and looked her straight in the eye.
“Now listen her you, we are not going to change anything about today just because you are a bit tired. My suggestion is that you get over it and join us her on earth where you follow what I say you are going to do. Now snap out of your little trance and do what I tell you to, got it?!?” Jack was not expecting an answer and so turned away to continue walking down the hallway to the white room. Nadia came up from behind him and kicked his knee down, dislocating it from its socket. There was a sure sound as it popped out and Nadia’s expression did not change at all. She still had on her sleepy face and for a moment James did not believe what had just happened. That is until Jack began to curse like it was nobody’s business. Daniel came running up and looked down at Jack and seemed to silently be asking him what was wrong with him.
“Grab that bitch and take her to a holding cell. She just dislocated my knee, shit, that fucking hurt!” Jack was holding his knee and Daniel went after Nadia. It was easy to get a hold of her, she was so tired. Daniel was in disbelief that Nadia had done what Jack had claimed she did, she looked half asleep. How could she have done that? Daniel did not stop to ask questions, he put Nadia’s arms behind her back and escorted her to a holding cell similar to the one she had been taken to when she had first arrived.
Nadia laid down when she got in the cell and started to sleep. She slept for nearly eight hours, the time she had lost the night before. When she woke up she was confused as to how she had gotten there and why she was there in the first place. The last thing she remembered was feeling tired and arguing with Jack. She thought he had complied to make the lesson quick but now she was here, in a cell. Nadia looked around and assessed her surroundings. It was the same build as the cell she had been put in when she had first arrived and that put her on edge for a moment. Then she told herself to relax and took a deep breath. There was no guard standing duty in the room and that piqued Nadia’s curiosity.
“Hello, is anyone there?” Nadia put her voice to use, but it appeared that she was all alone, with no one to guard her. Either this was an except
ional time to attempt an escape or they were watching her waiting to see what she would do. If that was the case than an escape attempt would soil her favor with them and set her back to square one, not a good place to be. She had worked too hard to have to start over. The idea to escape was put to rest and Nadia worked on finding a way to get in contact with someone so as to find out why she was being held in a cell and not in her infirmary bed where she usually woke up in these days.
It was only until someone had come to her several hours later than she found out what had happened. Immediately following her briefing Nadia was escorted to a conference room, one that looked similar to an interrogation room, with a table and three chairs. There was one chair on one side of the table and two on the other side. Nadia was placed at the single chair side of the table. When she arrived at the room, no one was there and the escort had said nothing during the entire time it had taken to walk to the room, nor did he say anything once they had arrived. Nadia was placed in the chair with her hands tied behind her back.
At that point the door opened, but the door was located directly behind Nadia and so she could not see who had entered. She could hear crutches and heels, a least one female. Then Nadia knew who was in the room, it had to be Jack and Elizabeth. They came around into view and Nadia’s assumption was confirmed. Jack was using the crutches and did not seem happy in the least. Elizabeth was stone faced, as usual and the both of them sat down across from Nadia.
“I assume you have been briefed as to the incident, am I correct?” Nadia sat up straighter and glanced over at Jack.
“I have been told what has happened, but I have no memory of doing anything. Is there any way to prove that it was I who did it and not someone else?” Nadia was trying to keep practical but odds were they were not going to believe her no matter what. Elizabeth sighed and Jack snorted. That was their answers; there was no way out of it.
“It was without a doubt your doing, but…” Here Elizabeth paused, as if for emphasis, and Nadia stopped her fidgeting and looked at her. Nadia could feel that Elizabeth was going to reveal something that could potentially clear Nadia’s name. She was going to listen. Elizabeth started again.
“…But, if you say that you have no memory of doing it then that brings to mind another explanation. It is possible that your mind had your body commit what it thought the best defense maneuver without your conscious consent. That day you were very tired and probably slipped into a sleep state while your body remained active. Your subconscious, combined with the implants we put in you, caused your body to react and harm Jack. If that is the case, then we can be done here and move you back to the infirmary to await your next surgery. If not then it’s back to the cell for you for another couple of days. So what will it be?” Elizabeth ended it like that and Nadia was a bit dumbfounded. All she had to do to get back to her bed was to say that it was her subconscious and that would be that? It was almost too easy, it could be a trap. But Nadia really didn’t care either way.
“It must have been my subconscious and machine parts working together on there own. I will try to not let that happen again.” That was that, Jack and Elizabeth got up from their seats and proceeded out the door. The escort came back in and took Nadia back to the infirmary beds and James. When she got back all three of them were happy to see her, as well as curious as to what had happened.
“It was my subconscious working together with the machines in me to launch an assault on Jack and to harm. I was in a sleep stage when it happened so I don’t remember anything.” Rebecca and Michael were amazed that Nadia had somehow injured Jack. James had been there so he did not hesitate to believe what Nadia was saying.
“It was so weird, watching you just walk up behind him and kick his knee out. There was the sound of his knee popping out of its socket, really nasty sounding. For a moment I didn’t believe what I was seeing. Then you just stood there, all mellowed out and the guards came and took you away. Where did they take you?”
“Just to a holding cell, similar to the one I was first put in when me and my siblings arrived here. Not bad, really quiet though.” Nadia lay down on her bed and looked up at the white ceiling and let her mind wander. Rebecca and Michael went on to talk about other things and James just stared at Nadia, as if wanting to say something but deciding not to.
Training halted for a few days as Jack’s knee healed, as he would not let anyone else train Nadia and James so the two of them sat around in their beds for those few days and talked, just like they always did. Rebecca and Michael would leave in the morning and come back in the late afternoon, and then they would talk together as a group. Once Jack’s knee was mostly healed he came by and picked up James and Nadia.
“Alright you sissies, you had a few days of rest so I expect you come out with a fire in your bellies and work extra hard. And Nadia I would appreciate it if you would refrain form kicking me again.” It was obvious that Jack was still angry but there was nothing that Nadia could do to make him believe that it had not been her, at least not really.
James and Nadia walked out in front of Jack, he would always bring up the rear from that point on and Nadia understood it was because he had got hit from a behind attack. Jack took them to the room where they had been training before the injury and life returned to the way it was before, brutal training. Nadia and James had started to learn hand to hand combat using their legs and focusing on causing as much damage as possible.
“This lesson will focus on kicks, as Nadia has so wonderfully showed us before. Daniel will you come here please?” Daniel appeared in the doorway and walked over to stand beside Jack. At that point Jack had a smile creep upon his lips and Nadia knew that this was going to painful and not fun in the least.
“Nadia, you and Daniel are going to do some sparring. He is going to come at you with all he’s got and you have to dodge and retaliate. I want to see what kind of action you can handle and to find out what you still need to learn. Let’s begin, shall we?” Jack stepped back and leaned against the wall to rest his injured knee. Daniel stepped forward and Nadia mirrored his actions. Daniel was a strong man, and Nadia was uncertain of her ability in this area of combat. Without a weapon of some sort how was she going to stand any chance of beating the man, let alone surviving the training?
Without warning or hesitation Daniel launched his first attack and landed it on Nadia’s left cheek. That punch made Nadia fly backwards a few feet as well as dazed her. She had not expected Daniel to begin without some word from Jack but apparently he had a mind of his own. Nadia jumped around trying to get her concentration back and form a basis for an attack. Daniel led an unrelenting assault throwing his punches at her and Nadia did everything in her power to avoid them. For the most part Nadia was able to dodge the punches, but then as soon as she let up and attempted an attack of her own Daniel would be there to knock her down.
“Keep going Nadia, don’t stop and let him get you. Just be patient and make him come to you.” James was cheering for her on the sidelines, knowing full well that he was going to have to face Daniel next and shouted out his game plan. It wasn’t as though Nadia wanted to use his tactic but she felt compelled to out of guilt for having James yell it out.
“Shut up you stupid kid, don’t you know when to keep your mouth shut? This is not your fight so just butt out of it. Don’t worry, you will have your own chance to fight Daniel so just keep it in your pants for now kid. Geez!” Jack threw his hands up in the air and let out a sigh. Nadia was moving back and forth trying to avoid Daniel’s closed fists and all the while thinking of her own strategy.
Finally the whispers in her head spoke up. Since she had heard them weeks ago to decipher lip reading they had gone away. Now they were back and were full of ideas. They whispered plans and thoughts, giving her advice on how to gain the upper hand. At first Nadia was hesitant to use their advice but figured what the hell, they had been us
eful in the previous situation so why would they disappoint her now?
Move back and while his arm is extended hit him in the right temple. His weakness is the temples, as in nearly all human beings. It is where the skull is least dense in bone. Hit the temples, the temples! The voices were quite adamant at having her hit his temples and so she resolved herself to follow their instructions. As Daniel was extending his arm towards her she moved just out of his reach and leaned back to land a hard kick to his right temple with her metal leg. There was a definite klunk as metal hit bone, followed by a cracking sound as the bone broke. Daniel fell to the ground and began bleeding profusely from the temples, where he had been hit. Nadia backed up, unsure if she had done her job and kept Daniel at bay. Daniel did not move, he lay perfectly still bleeding. Jack pushed himself forward off the wall and walked over to Daniel as quickly as his injured knee could take him. Jack checked for a pulse and found only a faint one.
“Help, man down, man down! Get a medic in here NOW!!” Nadia backed up and went to the wall at the back of the room. There was no way that she had done that to someone. He was laying there bleeding so much, his blood every where, even on her. It had splattered and had formed a spray pattern on Nadia’s outfit and face. She reached up to touch the blood and when she pulled her fingers away from her face there it was, red and thick. James was leaning against the wall near Nadia and had his mouth open so much so that Nadia thought he would swallow a fly.
“James, what did I do? All I did was listen to the voices, they told me what Daniel’s weakness was and I listened to them. I should have never listened, they are evil. Does that make me evil to?” Nadia was pleading with James, begging him to justify what she had done. He moved his head so that he could better look at Nadia. His face was dejected and terror overcame him.