Chapter Thirty
Deciding how much information to give up is the sort of choice that takes a lot of deliberation. Nadia knew this. What she hadn't realized was how much more complicated it was when those the information would be given to were your parents and had been kept woefully out of the loop. They knew almost nothing about Orion himself; heck, she had only just got them used to Thomas. Worse, what she knew of him would almost certainly lead to questions that she herself didn't know the answers to. Not yet, anyway. And while his offer to fill her in on a few things when she got back to the apartment was somewhat encouraging, she doubted her parents would be satisfied with it. She supposed she couldn't blame them, either. They didn't know Orion and he certainly had an unsettling air to him. Of course, there was also the matter of McClane having broken into their house with the sole intent of using them against the crimson-eyed man in question. Being caught in somebody's cross-fire was never a terribly endearing experience.
She sighed, then paused as she realized both of her parents were looking at her; her mother on her right, sharing the couch with her, and her father on her left, in his old, worn leather armchair. They had settled down to watch a movie together after the Chief had gone to supervise the police effort to catch McClane. The move was an effort to wind down and help calm their collective nerves. Apparently that movie had ended without her noticing. Smiling sheepishly, Nadia stood and got the disc from their DVD player, putting it back in its case and placing the case back with its fellows in the oaken entertainment centre's pull-out shelf section. As she slid the wooden segment back into its resting place, she made to scurry for the door, but her mother beat her to the doorway.
Placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, Mrs. Lawson smiled quietly. "Not so fast, young lady."
Nadia sighed again and let herself be steered back to the couch. Her parents arranged themselves so they faced her, instead of the television, and she knew it was time for a chat.
Her mother, having taken the initiative already, began. "Nadia, when we last saw you, you convinced us to give Thomas a chance."
"And we did," her father interjected.
Her mother smiled patiently. "Yes, Dear, I was coming to that. We gave him a chance, because he seemed like a well-meaning young man. But now it's looking like Thomas... well, isn't really Thomas at all. And, from what you told us last time, this 'Orion' fellow is involved in some shady business with that other man. What was his name, again, Dear?"
"Black," her father supplied. "And you can't say we're wrong, Sweet-Pea, the mercenary has a lot of bad history; I've had my contacts turning up information left, right and centre over the past week, so I should know. Getting involved with the man he works for sounds like a bad move."
Nadia sighed. Yeah, they were out of the loop, all right. "I'll start there, then; we were wrong. Thomas and I, I mean. Black wasn't working for Orion. It's... complicated and I doubt you'll even believe me when I tell you, but I know you're not going to be satisfied until I do, right?"
They nodded in unison and she took a deep breath. "All right, I'll start with the obvious; Thomas and Orion are the same person. Sort of."
Her father raised an eyebrow. "Sort of? What does that mean?"
"It means that they're one person, but two personalities, Daddy. Orion, as near as I can figure, is the... I don't even know what to call it. The core person underneath, I guess describes it well enough, but anyway; Thomas has his own personality, memories, the whole deal. He's as real as he can possibly be while sharing a body with someone else."
Her mother blinked. "I've heard of multiple personality disorders, but that seems a little extreme. Is he dangerous?"
Nadia flinched at the question; it was the one she had been dreading. How in the world could she prove he wasn't? And I haven't even told them about Black yet, she moaned to herself. "It's not a disorder, mom, they're split more cleanly than that. Look, I don't really know how it all happened; I'm still waiting on the full story myself, but... I trust him. And you should, too; he kept you safe tonight, like he said he would. That's got to count for something, right?"
Her parents glanced at each other, their expressions difficult to read. Not exactly the reaction she had been hoping for. Her father cleared his throat. "Well... he certainly did come through for you tonight. But all this talk of two people in one mind sounds very... unstable."
Taking a deep breath, Nadia forced herself through her resistance to what she was about to do. "Well, Orion has been in control for the past few days without any switching, so personally I think he's making improvements."
They looked at each other again, sighing and, this time, it was her mother that came out from the huddle to field the next question. "What do you know of his past?"
Nadia blinked. "Pardon?"
"His past, Dear," she repeated patiently. "When he was here, posing as you, McClane implied that Orion had hurt him years ago. He all but flat-out accused him of having burnt his home and killed his family."
She began to reject the notion, but an echo of something Orion had said drifted through Nadia's memory, silencing her protest before it could be made; My typical response to confirming that I am 'known' is to remove the individual, or party, possessing knowledge of me.
Her mother nodded slowly at her daughter's lack of a retort. "He hadn't told you, had he?"
Shaking herself out of her silence, Nadia sighed. "All right, fine, no, but he's going to fill me in on some things when I get home. He promised. Well, not exactly, but he said he would, which is a first and I'm willing to give him the chance."
Mr. Lawson shook his head. "Sweet-Pea, please, the man is obviously dangerous. I know that you said Black does not work for Orion, but even so, they're associated with one another, or that's how it seems to me, at least. Accusations of arson and murder fit right in with these sorts of men."
"But Daddy, he's-"
Mrs. Lawson held up a hand. "No, Dear, your father is right. We appreciate what he did for us tonight, but both he and the man pointing a gun at us had their own agendas. We were only involved at all because McClane wanted to use us against you, to coerce your cooperation in taking down Orion. That suggests a dedication to his goals likely venturing into the territory of an obsession."
Nadia bristled. "So, what, you're saying doing a good thing doesn't count if you do it for a selfish reason?"
"We are saying that nobody likes false charity," her father cut in, his voice becoming sterner. "That Orion had an ulterior motive and came because of it. Not for our sake and not for yours."
Her bristles were becoming more like quills, now. "Oh, good, fantastic. So not only are you talking to me like I'm eight and just broke something around the house, but you're telling me you know him better than I do."
"He is using you, Nadia," her father replied, his tone of voice only growing louder. "You can't see it because you don't want to, because you have feelings for who he used to be! But from what I can see, Thomas is gone, or at least not the one calling the shots. Open your eyes!"
"My eyes are open, Father. And all I can see is you judging him when you don't even know him!"
Her mother jumped to her husband's defence. "Do not raise your voice to us, Nadia. Your father and I are just concerned for your safety; the man is obviously dangerous and not to be trusted. I just can't get behind the idea of my daughter spending time with a criminal."
"A criminal?" Nadia echoed, feeling herself beginning to lose control of her temper. "How can you just say that, there's no proof he's done anything wrong."
Her father snorted. "Oh, please. Just look at the man, and what he does! Tattered clothes, dyed hair, those abominable contacts and the ability to deceive anyone he chooses to. How can someone like that not be a criminal, when it would be so easy for him? The temptation would be much too strong."
Her voice dropped to a more quiet tone, and not because she was calming down; quite the opposite, in fact. "Much too strong for who, Father? For 'someone like him'?"
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br /> "I didn't say that."
Nadia's voice raised again, her anger beginning to blossom into outrage. "Like hell you didn't! And I can't believe that you're judging him because his clothes aren't spotless and because of the way he looks, that's so not like you guys. You were never this shallow."
Her father sputtered for a moment and her mother stepped in to fill the gap. "You're being very rude, young lady. We expect an apology."
"Well, you're not getting one," she replied, standing from her seat. "You're behaving horrendously. And you know what? I've figured out why. You're scared. You are afraid of Orion, because of what he can do."
Her father stood to match her. "Scared of someone who has no problem getting into fights with armed men, or burning down homes with families inside? Does that really sound so unreasonable?"
Nadia glared at him. "You're seriously listening to McClane's accusations, over me vouching for my friend?"
Her mother stepped in from her still-seated position, stating her case in a matter-of-fact tone. "The man has more experience with Orion than you do, Nadia."
She could almost feel herself beginning to vibrate from sheer frustration. "The man was pointing a gun at you, too!"
Her parents merely folded their arms, making it very clear they weren't going to be swayed on this.
"Well, then I guess we don't have anything else to say, then, do we?"
In stunned silence, her parents watched as Nadia turned on her heel and marched to the door, not quite believing that their daughter was seriously defending the man over listening to them. Her father sat, slowly, and they both flinched reflexively when their daughter finished pulling her shoes on and slammed the door. For the first time that evening, the Lawson residence was utterly silent.
In Icarus' Shadow Page 46