Turning Point Chapter 5**
*Warning - this next scene contains a " sexual assault." Discretion is advised.*
"Make me bleed or make me stop, Make me believe in God, What is wrong and what is right, Show me the way, I listen to them I have the feeling that I drown again, I put my anger and my fears aside, Nothing will last longer than my rage inside, Where is the way I have to take? If I lose my way they said my dreams will break, Now I'm standing here, If I won't walk my end is near" - "Show Me The Way" - Voicians
"These are the risks that you have to take
So wake up
The are feelings that you have to break
So wake up
You and I must try
To survive
You and I must fight for our lives" - "Skyhunter" -IWNBTS
The nightmare made no sense, but then again, dreams rarely ever did. Dreams were revered on Neo-Tokyo for different reasons and the attitudes regarding them ranged from jokes to those who believed in them like little harbingers of doom.
Dreams had been the subject of interest philosophically, religiously, and scientifically for as long as humanity had existed and yet they were no more understood in her age even with their technological advances. In some ways, Ember considered them just as savage as the day humanity first picked up a stick.
Ember had been taught to pay attention to dreams, even as she lived in a highly industrialized, science-filled community. The two aspects of Neo-Tokyo were at odds with each other. And yet, just this once, she wondered if she was wrong to not listen to some of the old stories.
Her father would tell her mother these tales when she was younger, his dreams of their house being the greatest and standing alone, ruling from on high. That's what his dreams consisted of... Even then Ember knew that was simply wishful thinking on his part, what he wanted, not what was destined to happen. He was a dark man and in her view, his dreams would be dark too.
Becoming a pilot was her escape... and she told herself his dreams as such were foolishness.
And then she had her own. She surveyed the landscape from where she stood. There was so much green, everything that indicated life was thriving here. It would have been called a prairie, one of her favorite biomes from simulations from the old world. She would imagine the wind blowing through her hair as a child with so much space in every direction. Unlike the inner city of Mizar, where every light was a poor imitation of a burning star, the light was bright here. The dream was so real to her, she could feel the gentle heat on her skin as she walked. She brushed the grass with her fingertips enjoying the feel against her palms, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment of peace.
The air turned cold and her eyes snapped open.
And then there was darkness moving across the horizon, it swallowed everything in its wake. She was reminded of an old story, ironically named The Neverending Story, where the hero fights against the Nothing.
The wind began to stir, first a caressing breeze and then a full force gale of strength that Ember had never felt before in her life. It tore at the ground bringing dirt into her face. Shielding her face Ember fought her way across the landscape, rocks, dirt, any form of organic matter blew across her path.
Soon she could no longer stand, and so she crawled.
She crawled until her limbs began to ache, her chest heaved. Mouth dry she finally stopped moving and let the darkness come for her. There was nowhere else to go. She wasn't waking up...
And then...
Strong hands reached under her arms and heaved her to her feet. She wasn't alone she realized. The sudden motion caused her head to snap back, as the strong hand steadied her as she caught a glimpse of red and black hair over intense brown eyes.
Red?
He pulled her to his chest, steadying her against him as he turned and stood between her and the darkness. It pushed past him, she could see his chest but not past him. They were alone in a tide of black as he kept both arms around her. His hand kept her face pressed against his chest as struggled to withstand the onslaught...
It swirled around them both, darkness, fear, hatred all rolled into one.
"Red!" She yelled into the abyss as her voice was carried away.
"You're safe," he whispered into her ear. Her skin crawled with goosebumps at how close he was to her. He encircled her entire being, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist. In that instant, she understood that he would die for her.
It's just a dream, she told herself. Wake up, Ember... She could not escape those arms or the darkness outside of them.
And just like that, it was over...
The darkness receded and he released her, she immediately took a step away from him.
It's a dream. Just a dream...
When she chanced a glance up at his face it was nothing but concern as he stared at her.
She gasped when she caught sight of his arms. Blood dripped off of them in a thousand places, tiny cuts, that soaked his clothes and sides. She had the feeling if he turned around there would be blood dripping off of his back too. His clothing was bloody and torn.
"You're safe?" He said again and she realized he wasn't telling her she was all right but asking.
She nodded numb from shock not sure how to respond. His eyes cut through to her very being, searching for the answer that he sought. What is the question, Red?
She wanted to go to him, but couldn't make herself move. They were back in her prairie, except the damage was done, large swaths of grassland were pulled up, dirt was hurled everywhere... Destruction was everywhere... She could see it past him but she couldn't make sense of him being there.
"OK," he said, his eyes rolled up and he started to slide down. Her paralysis broke and she reached out to him, gasping as he dragged her to her knees with his weight. She tried slowing his ascent with every ounce of strength she could muster but only managed to soften his fall slightly. She pulled his head onto her lap wiping the blood off his face with her hands. But there was too much, everywhere.... He wasn't going to make it...
"No, no, no," she cried out pulling at his shoulders, trying to get him to stay awake, staring at his unmoving face, fear rising up at the thought of him dying...
Her eyes snapped open, taking in the darkness around her, the dream still vivid in her mind. Her legs were still tangled in the blanket and she panicked for a moment as she struggled to free them.
With her legs free, she lay panting, staring at the ceiling. It was red, like everything else in this place. Ironically Red had chosen his name. She was sure of it, or he must have had it before he got here... Either way...
It wasn't the dream itself that scared her the most. It was the way he'd looked at her in it. Everything that said I want you, between a man and a woman, spoken with one smoldering look. He wasn't Neo-Tokyan, he wasn't supposed to look at her that way at all. And the way he'd put himself between her and every dark thing that came out of the abyss. He certainly wasn't this way in real life...
Dreams are just dreams they mean nothing. And yet she couldn't bring herself to decipher it or dismiss it entirely...
Not happening...
The pre-dawn light was just starting to show outside, casting long shadows all over the cell floor. She watched for a moment before shifting to her side and swinging her legs over the side. As she did so the back of her head began to throb.
Her muscles were stiff and achy, she'd barely noticed how rigid she'd become.
This is happening faster than I expected, and I trained for it...
But any training she'd had in the past had been controlled. In her mind she knew she wasn't in any danger and so controlling her emotions and actions had been easy. She was staring death in the face here. She could greet him like an old friend or fight against the inevitable. She sighed, she wasn't quite ready to give in yet, but she knew at some point, when she was trapped inside her own body she would beg for death.
Even when no one could hear her.
She turned to the problem at hand. It wasn't as if she'd hadn't slept at all. Her energy reserves were waning, her stomach was demanding food. Her body demanding that her stomach feed it.
In the back of her mind, an alert had sounded over and over. *Return to the ship.* Energy is at dangerous levels. She'd shut it off, there was no point in thinking about returning to a ship. There wasn't one to take. Hers was still in a hangar near her home.
That's not home. Home was...
She struggled for the first time to define herself. Her home was gone, her mother had died, and her brothers? Both supposedly dead...
A vesper was trained to think of their vessel as home. They would be connected to it until the day they died, they knew every inch of it, every corner, nothing escaped their notice. It was their home, their port of safety, their life.
Away from it, Ember felt adrift. She struggled to maintain a sense of self in all this madness but with a few commands, her father had managed to undo all of that for her. And she couldn't go back and beg forgiveness. Not from him, she'd rather die.
Or so she told herself, but she knew deep within, if there were other options she wanted to live. To someday actually stand on that prairie, go to old earth... See it for herself...
At least I won't have to face him again.
She needed her ship, a ship, any ship at this point would do. She ran a systems check as she slowly walked towards the cafeteria, her fingers brushing against the walls for balance. She took no notice of her surroundings, walking slower than normal. Her mind was elsewhere entirely running through the symptoms she'd go through in the next few days.
Vertigo, that was one of the first signs. Too much of a drain.
She knew Dag would be alarmed when he saw her... She wondered exactly what she looked like, she'd forgotten to check in the small mirror above the sink.
And Red, she shivered again thinking about him, what would that be like? To be standing out there, only he wasn't going to die...
She wished better for him, she really did. He was angry and bitter, both feelings she understood. But there was an intensity about him that made her wary. Why hadn't he succumbed to this place? Seven years? Seven hours and she'd been ready to give up.
He had in a way, she supposed, he was bitter...and whatever had happened to him caused him to look at her with plenty of distrust and loathing.
She ran through her systems again.
<Systems Check>
<biologicals> <augments>
...<biologicals>
...<75% capacity...>
...<recommended actions?>
...<weapons systems shut down will increase energy to biological areas> <disable?>
...<yes>
...<augments?>
...<weapons(disabled)> <Optic systems> <sensory array>
Ember needed her sensory array fully functional to receive any signals back. She checked into her Optic systems and brought them down to the normal 20/20 vision in a healthy human. It wasn't much but it would be a small boost. She didn't need to use any infrared or night vision in here, no reason to keep them at the ready.
It would be enough for one more day.
Ember wondered what her father would think of her when she died in here. She wasn't going to change her mind. Not for his ideas, not for anything of the things he wanted her to stand for. She would become a prisoner trapped in her own body. Which was what her family wanted for her anyway. She blinked back tears of frustration.
At least she could do something, even if it was small. Give someone a last measure of kindness in a world that was bereft of it. I'm sorry Mom, I wish I could have seen you one last time.
She could hear her mother's voice in her mind. Kindness costs nothing to give, don't let anyone ever tell you that's a weakness. It takes more to be kind to others when they are not kind to you. They don't know what to do with that kind of gift.
Again, she thought of Red. Getting him out, that could be her final act of kindness. And why not? She thought, he was hard, but in here... That's what you had to be to survive...
Yesterday he'd brought her to her cell and stood fidgeting for a moment, continuously running his hands through his hair. She'd staggered and he hadn't let her go until settling her into her room.
She'd told him she needed to rest. He hadn't liked leaving her alone. But he'd gone as she asked. His shift from dislike to concern was unnerving to say the least. It didn't lessen the fact that he was holding onto her because she was his possible ride to freedom.
She'd pushed that signal out as far as she could, not knowing if it had been received. If that was going to be her last act in this prison it might as well be a good one.
She was still exhausted and as much as she did not want to admit it she wished Red was right there to bring her to the dining room. He might have been right to be concerned. Maybe.
She walked slowly feeling the beginnings of nausea on her empty stomach. Where was everyone? Surely I'm not that late? When had the walk gotten so far?
Shadows filled her line of sight, but she paid them no heed. The sooner she could sit, the better.
________________________________________________________________________________
"Where is Ember?" Dag asked sitting down in front of Red. The dining room had been filled with plenty of people eating the same gruel they were. Eyes had darted here and there but that wasn't unusual.
Red glanced up and then at his own bowl. He'd been having the same thoughts himself. His bowl was growing cold as he waited, this time willingly saving it for Ember. A few days of not eating breakfast was not going to kill him.
Part of him had wondered if they should have gone to her cell first, or even insisted that she stay with them. She was farther from the dining area then they were.
Start caring whether she lives or dies... Dag's voice interrupted his thoughts.
But she was also stubborn, insisting that she was fine and he had believed her. Which was stupid because he knew better. He should have brought her kicking and screaming, he reasoned to himself.
Red met Dag's eyes and they both gave each other a slight nod before standing up leaving their food on the table.
Red sprinted for the door as a feeling of foreboding came over him. He left Dag behind in his rush, unusual given the man's greater height. His augments flared to life as he scanned for her location. Where are you?
Yes, Ember had managed to keep even the worst hard ass at bay, but she was also running low on energy. And in here, someone was bound to test her...
Again and again... Until she cracked.
Anyone could see it, the dark circles, tired eyes, any aug would have known what that meant. A hard pit formed in Red's stomach. Who had she had a run in with her first day?
Karik? Shit...
He was through the door with Dag close on his heels. He shifted left, his shoes pounding the ground as he rounded through the corridors, past the laundry room, past the open doors to the courtyard...
There! He picked her out near her cell.
She wasn't alone....
###
Rough hands grabbed Ember from behind, her shriek was immediately cut off by another hand slamming over her mouth. She tasted her own blood. Pain shot through her shoulder blades as she was slammed against the wall.
Her first instinct was to reach out with her hands and grab the nearest set of arms. She tried just that and reached for the energy by instinct to deliver a painful electric shock through her fingertips...
Nothing happened but her grip tightening on the arm. She panicked struggling against the immense strength keeping her crushed against the wall.
"I thought you'd run dry," a harsh voice connected to the hand over her face spoke. Trembling, her gaze drifted upward to see Karik's rough features towering above her. "Eventually."
There was no doubt in her mind what he intended as his eyes raked her up and down.
Most of the training she'd received for situations like this really hadn't prepared her for what it would be like for her to be so low on energy. This is what you meant, Father. It wasn't fair that he was what came to mind ni this situation. Bitterness rose up in along with the nausea.
There were three of them. The other two were slightly behind Karik. Their expressions and intent no different from his. She had counted them as her mind worked on how to get away.
She'd already had a run in with and had shocked the leader, Karik her first day in. The big man had a reinforced skeleton and she couldn't imagine what he'd done in outside of the prison. The shock had caused a bit more pain than normal as his skeleton conducted the electricity through him, heating up, with nowhere to release.
She didn't have the energy to shock him again. Not now. Her mind flashed back to their first encounter.
They eyed her hungrily. She was new, fresh, unspoiled and it didn't matter that she was in here for the same reason that the rest of them were. They weren't getting out of here, neither was she...
"What have we here?" He was tall, well muscled, with his arms crossed over his chest and a leering smirk on his face. It may have been a handsome face before, but a bruised cheek under his right eye marred his features.
As did the look in his eyes, his intent obvious. And he was used to getting his way.
Ember began to tremble inwardly as her stomach tightened. There was only one thing he had come out here for. Disgust welled up inside of her. She was willing to believe that a few were a product of this environment, but this was more than she was willing to stand for.
"Let me pass," she meant it to sound stern but it had come out as more of a squeak.
The man lifted a brow, his smirk turning into a leer. "After a moment of your time, girl, I'm sure we can come to an... arrangement."
Ember backed into the door as he came closer. It was a mistake to not pay attention to her surroundings.
He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder and that's when Ember woke up. She was a literal fighting machine after all, not just a tiny woman trying to get away from a giant of a man. She had an arsenal at her disposal.
Her augments flared to life as she lifted both hands to place them against his chest. His smile at what he took for aqueisance made her want to vomit.
She felt calm as the fear fled from her body. How dare you...
Her augments flared and 100 amps of alternating current pumped through his body as he was hurled away from her. Her body was already braced against the wall otherwise she probably would have flown in the opposite direction. His body landed in a heap across the corridor from her. He didn't get up.
She hadn't killed him, but part of her wondered if she should have...
She felt little remorse as she looked over at him. His breath rose in an unsteady rhythm.
She barely noticed the door to the cafeteria was wide open and the permeating silence that greeted her guaranteed that no one was going to mess with her for a long time...
To get the point across she held her hands out and let the electricity dance between her fingers. It was for show and she cut the power quickly. It was an unnecessary display, one she couldn't really afford. She couldn't keep up that kind of power. Not without a serious recharge. One she wasn't going to receive here.
Ember turned and walked away. At least maybe her last days in this prison would be somewhat peaceful.
Or they wouldn't. She struggled weakly against the two that held her, hands on her wrists, avoiding her palms. Her back was pressed against the wall, and when nothing happened to either of them, Karik grinned. She could hear his boots hitting the floor as he moved closer. He put both of his beefy hands onto her tiny shoulders gripping them painfully.
"Where're your friends?" He whispered into her ear, lingering there, his hot breath searing her skin. The feeling of nausea intensified. He took his hand away from her mouth. He was in control here and he knew it.
Ember said nothing, turning her head away, only to meet the eyes of the nameless cretin holding her left arm. His eyes were feverish with lust. She was already regretting that she refused Red's help. Any remaining bravado evaporated in a flash. She was helpless without a recharge. Frustrated, angry tears started to bud at the corners of her eyes.
"Stretch her arms out," Karik said, his grin was malicious as the two men with him stretched her arms painfully taut and pressed them against the wall. Karik pressed his hands against her body groping every inch. "What makes you an augment, little girl?"
A few seconds later his hands found what he was looking for. "Turn her around," he ordered. Ember felt him pull away as they spun her around and she was facing the wall and pushed back against it. Her shirt was pulled up, and she panicked, struggling she tried to draw her arms back over herself. That only made them laugh. Fingers ran up and down her spinal column where there was a row of metallic circles were fused outside of her skin directly into her spinal column, designed to interface with her ship.
"That is some serious hardware." The shorter man on the right whistled, a trace of fear in his voice.
"Military." The other said.
"Who cares," Karik groped her front roughly from behind. "Everything else feels fucking normal." He pressed himself against Ember again. "Isn't it, sweetheart?" She hated the sound of his voice, his skin dragging over hers.
She closed her eyes as her head was shoved into the wall. His fingers moved to her pants, and he put his hand in roughly grabbing at her undergarments to pull them down. Ember knew what was coming next and stiffened as he pressed himself against her.
Oh God, no...
"Hey!" Red's voice penetrated the hallway. Karik's hands froze in place on her hips.
Ember's eyes popped open in disbelief. Red? She'd never felt so much relief in her life. Ember turned her face towards his voice. He looked so enraged that she was momentarily taken back herself. His fists were clenched, his eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on Karik. She understood then that these two had a history that had nothing to do with her until this very moment.
Karik stepped back warily, keeping one hand pushed up against the base of Ember's spine. "Mind your own business, Red."
"She is my business." Red's voice was loaded with the promise of violence. His fists were clenched, muscles bunched up under his shirt. Behind him, Dag inhaled sharply both hands clenching into fists.
Dag could do a serious amount of damage with his titanium arm, everyone standing in that circle knew it.
"We are just getting better acquainted." Karik pulled his hand away, leaving a red palm print on Ember's back. The other two stepped away releasing her.
The pressure gone Ember pulled her arms back over her chest, yanking her shirt down in the process. It was torn in the back and only incensed Red more when he caught sight of it. She turned away from both of them ashamed of her own helplessness.
She couldn't look at Red and Dag as grateful as she was to them both for showing up. She backed away from the wall and staggered to her room without looking back. Tears were streaming down her face, tears she'd managed to hold back unil now. She barely registered her own cell door as she fell inside and scrambled into her bunk yanking her blanket around her.
###########
Red eyed the taller ex-bouncer seizing him up. The man was bigger, but that didn't mean squat to anyone who knew what they were doing. Red felt years of training just waiting to be unleashed. "Leave." His voice was cold, and he felt a rage welling up in him that he hadn't felt in a long time.
"Just because you've got that big guy to back you up..." He didn't finish as Red augments activated and the blue lights flashing as he took in every bit of hardware that Karik possessed before he moved forward towards the taller man, his fist swinging into Karik's jaw with a sickening crunch.
Not every part of Karik's skeleton had been reinforced and Red with his own military training knew exactly where to hit. Karik crumpled down in a heap blood pooling out of his mouth, his friends backed away.
<threat neutralized> The words flowed across his line of sight.
Red took note of who they were and moved forward again ignoring them as he rushed towards Ember's door. His fists were still clenched and the adrenaline rush he was experiencing wasn't going away yet.
"Animals," Dag muttered behind him, staring at the unconscious Karik. "He's only good for a door jam. Garbage human."
Red felt surprised at Dag's words... Dag generally didn't hate anyone but the vehemence behind the words wasn't lost on Red. Although he didn't spare a moment to care about what Karik was doing anymore.
He shoved her door open his eyes finding the shivering blanket wrapped figure on he bed.
"Ember?"
#######
"I'm fine." Inside Ember was sitting on her own bed, rocking herself. I am not going to break down. She told herself repeatedly. She clenched the side of the bed until her knuckles were white. The tide of nausea threatened to override her depleted systems, fortunately, she hadn't eaten anything so there wouldn't be much to puke.
The door swung wide open and she jumped. "Ember—" Red stopped when he saw her. He hesitated unsure of what to do or say. Dag peaked in over his shoulder.
What he saw stopped him cold, effectively killing any adrenaline rush. His HUD registered his body functions returning to normal as a cold sheen spread across his body. Ember was huddled on her bed, a blanket wrapped around her body. She trembled but did her best to maintain a stare with him.
He wasn't sure how to proceed. He scanned her. For all intents and purposes, she was fine, but he knew she wasn't, it just didn't register on any metric he could measure.
He started forward, a hand stretched out and she recoiled. "Don't."
It was little more than a whisper but to Red, it was louder than any gunshot.
He froze.
"Hey," he felt Dag's hand on his back, pulling his shirt. He let Dag pull him back. "What are you doing? She was just almost..." Dag paused. "You can't just reach in and grab her."
"I was just making sure--"
"I know and that's ok, but take a minute... Back up."
"I'm right here," Ember said, sitting up.
"I know and I'm sorry," Dag sank to his knees. "You ok?"
"I'll be fine..." She inhaled and Red realized she was just barely holding it together.
Just barely.
"They're gone." Dag shouldered Red's frozen form aside. "Ember, I know you probably don't want to but look at me."
Ember spared him a glance, her whole body trembled, her eyes were red-rimmed, her face streaked with tears that she hadn't managed to hold back.
Dag put an arm out in front of Red to keep him from moving forward.
Red did another assessment. She was fine but she was tired. Her body was losing power, she needed a connection to something to get her back up to speed again.
Dag stood. "I'm going to grab some food. Maybe we eat here today?" He moved to the door and peeked outside. "No sign of Karik, he's not dead at least." Dag's voice was an indication of how sorry he was for than not to be the case. "Red be nice?"
Red nodded. He was still coming down off his adrenaline rush and he still wanted to fight someone. Something. He took a deep breath as Dag left. Dag had tact... he didn't. He used to be better at this, people in general. A long time ago, he told himself.
He walked to the opposite wall from Ember and put his back against it, sinking to the floor. The day was warming up and with it could come the normal sounds of people moving about the prison, enjoying the few freedoms allowed within the walls.
He chanced a glance at Ember and found her gaze already on him. She was a wounded animal cornered, unable to flee. He looked away first fighting the urge to go put an arm around her shoulders. That's what you did with people when they were hurting. In theory anyway. He wasn't sure such contact would be welcome from him. Instead, he stared at the floor, looking at the fine layer of dust patterned by their intruding shoes. He traced the print of his own boots until she spoke, her voice low.
"You ok?"
He startled. Him? He wasn't the one almost raped. He flicked his gaze up at her. "I'm fine. You?"
She pulled the blanket a little tighter around herself but Red caught a glimpse of torn fabric at the collar. His fist clenched at the sight of it. Now he was sorry he hadn't done a more thorough job of making sure Karik never moved again.
"I'll be fine," she whispered to the wall. There was an edge to her voice and Red wanted to push further but he wasn't sure how.
He settled for staring at the dirt again. His HUD registered no one in their general vicinity. But Karik wasn't one to let something like this go for long. He and Red hadn't tangled in ages but he was likely to come back with more people. A long-dormant stirring awakened in Red. He hoped the fight was long, and that Karik came back with an army.
Something he could hit, something he could kill. It had been a long time since he'd felt that way. It had to do with the sudden protectiveness elicited by Ember. He was surprised to see her this vulnerable. She'd kept them at a distance and he was surprised at her strength. He shouldn't' have been. She was military. She may have been Neo-Tokyan born on top but that didn't mean she was necessarily coddled. The training to do what she did was intense could be brutal. There were dropouts, sometimes deaths. Integrating into a full-body system like that of a Vesper wasn't easy or an exact science. Some people didn't make it.
He remembered his own integrations. They were experimental at the time, the best you could get on a non-Neo-Tokyan but they'd put him to good use. He was owned bought and paid for by the state. Not that he minded then. He'd enjoyed what he had risen to do, the friends he'd made. He started out with nothing.
And now he was nothing again. Loyalty meant nothing to these people.
Not even their own blood.
This was what Dag meant, he realized as he observed Ember. They'd fallen back into a comfortable silence. Ember should have mattered to someone, somewhere. But she'd stepped out of line and ended up here. That meant something. He wasn't sure what yet as he didn't know her story. It only made him more determined to figure her out.
To get through the training she had and turn her back on it? That took guts and strength.
"Why did you help me?" Her voice picked him out of his thoughts.
Red looked away and then back at her again. Seriously? "Did you want to let it go on?"
"No." She was silent for a moment. "If I had been anyone else...would it have?"
Red didn't answer, but he realized what the other feeling in the back of his mind was. When had he stopped caring? Or maybe when had he started? There were very few people he really did care about. Dag, T, and Alt... If anyone else had attempted to move him as Dag had done, there was a good chance he would have broken their arm. He needed her, true, but that wasn't the same as caring.
"I--" He stopped because she was right. Anyone else...and there was a good chance he may have walked right on by. He'd helped people and then watch them turn on others. There was no point. People were all the same everywhere...
"People are all the same," he finally said as she sat watching him. "They use you, they all want something, and then they discard you when they are done."
Her face was unreadable and he had no way of knowing he was echoing her thoughts from earlier.
"So you'll do the same?"
Red glanced at her. "It doesn't help. All I know is, you treat people like animals, they tend to start acting like animals. And you precious elite Neo-Tokyan bastar--" He stopped again. His lips tightened into a thin line. He flicked a glance at her and then stared at his own hands again before running them through his own hair and staring at the floor. "Not you personally... They took everything from me."
"I'm sorry."
"And the worst part is, I was completely loyal then... If they had ordered it, I would have helped put away any dangerous augment. Done anything they asked of me... Without hesitation. And then it was me..."
He stopped feeling embarrassed as flicked a glance at her and then turned his gaze towards the ceiling. Hurry up, Dag.
Ember was staring at him impassively not making a sound. They'd traded places over who was comforting who.
"I hate that place. I hate them. I hate those people." His voice was barely above a whisper. He crossed his arms over his knees, willing Dag to hurry up again. People were people and he didn't necessarily like to deal with them if he didn't have to. It had been one of the benefits of his old job. He gave orders and people obeyed, and he didn't necessarily have to get personal with them.
He was on the edge of known space looking out into the beyond. That had been enough for him.
"I'm starting to get that." Her voice brought him back to the prison cell. He glanced up at her, wrapped in her blanket, but it was her eyes that held pity. She'd stopped trembling and sat up straighter as she studied him. He hated that, he hadn't been the one who was just attacked.
He didn't need her pity.
"So what is your story?" Red leaned forward, trying to look relaxed as he changed the subject. If she talked, he wouldn't have to.
"My story is just that, mine." She pushed her brown hair out of her face. The dark circles under her eyes were more apparent. "Besides I don't have time to waste telling my sob story. You are getting me to the top of those bleachers today. We're getting out of here..."
"What?"
"I can't get up there by myself..."
The blanket fell away revealing her torn shirt. He stared at the tear for a moment before looking at the floor again.
"OK."
"It will be ok, Red." Her voice had taken on a hard edge that made him glance at her again. She looked rough, tear tained, red faced and yet... She was straight backed and a set look on her face... Is she serious?
He frowned wondering when she had turned the tables on him. Comforting him with words and offering him hope. He shrugged and looked at his hands. She did not make sense.
"You know I said that the first few years I got here, but honestly I can't remember what it felt like to be that optimistic anymore. I figure we'll try something be stuck and then things will return to what they were before..."
Ember fixed her gaze on him. "Red I am literally dying. I... I am going to be trapped in here with no way to move once my augments shut down. I need a ship. I have everything shut down except what's vital. Get me to those bleachers so I can listen. I mean at least one of us can get out of here, right?"
Red nodded his jaw clenching as he realized what she meant. They sat in uncomfortable silence. Red pushed down the urge he felt to put his arm around her. That might make things worse, but he wanted to.
He wasn't going to admit he admired her, even as he was betting everything on an Elite to save him. It was too fucking ironic.
"It doesn't matter," he said out loud. "I'm going to get out of here one way or the other, if this doesn't work, I'll take a one way ticket out of here."
She gasped, even though that was what she was faced with. "Don't do that, there's always a way."
He stared at her and then nodded. She wouldn't know anyway. She'd already be gone and he was jealous that at least she wasn't going to have the shame of doing herself in.
Just a tool, he thought to himself. He hated himself for thinking that way. That's all he'd been to Neo-Tokyo. A very sharp blade wielded and discarded.
The door swung open and Dag emerged into the room glancing back and forth between them.
"Are we playing nice?" He stepped into her cell closing the door behind him. He slowly handed the bowl over to Ember as if she would melt if he touched her. "Eat. You need this."
Dag radiated trust and concern.
It wasn't a gift that Red possessed and he watched how he moved with a slightly jealous air. Ember accepted Dag's presence with ease. She watched Red like a cornered wounded animal. Sure she wanted to help him but she didn't trust him.
"I'm ok, Dag." She took the overflowing bowl gratefully wondering who Dag had threatened to get so much. He'd placed the other next to her. She stood up and walked over to Red handing him the second bowl.
He accepted it in silent astonishment as she withdrew her hand quickly knowing that Dag had intended both bowls for her. "You'll need that for carrying me up the bleachers today."
She walked back slowly and Red realized she was making sure not to fall, her balance was slightly skewed. She faced as she sat down and gave him a small smile over the bowl.
It was a peace offering.
Red smiled back.
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