Part 2
Through the poppy field.
[b]***
Neph grinned as she sat on the edge of her bed, they where finally letting her out! After over a month of shrink visits and her getting a simple prosthetic leg, she was finally free to leave!
She looked around the room, it was going to be good to get out of here. The damn place wasn’t helping her keep her head on straight...but Dib assured her once she was outside, things would become more clearer.
She picking up the crutches the doctors had given her, and started slowly moving round the room, trying to get used to the odd sensation of having only one flesh and blood foot propelling her forward. After a few moments she rather childishly decided to see how fast she could go... and promptly fell flat on her ass.
There was a chuckle from the door and she looked over to see Seraph standing there, a half smile on his face as he made his way over and helped her up. “Always rushing in head first, you are too much like your mother and me at times, got to be careful tyke.” He commented.
She got her first good look at this version of her father and was shocked at how much older he looked, his hair was salt and peppered, tied back from his face, while his hands were heavily calloused. “What’s wrong, tyke? You almost act like you never seen me before.”
She looked away. “Sorry...I...I just didn't expect you to look so...”
“Hmm?”
“Well,...old.”
He laughed and ruffled her hair. “You shrink told me about the dream world you had. Kinda funny you see me as a young, A bit of a stubborn grump, but a good man at heart.”
“And you’re not?”
He laughed as he helped her to the door, pausing long enough to wipe a tear of mirth away. “Oh I am all that... bar the young part, wouldn't mind that bit.”
She couldn't help but laugh at him. “So I finally get to go home?”
“Sure, after we book an appointment for some physical therapy.”
She let out a slight grumble. “Why do I need that? How is seeing one going help? Is it going to make my leg magically grow back?”
“No, but you have been in a hospital bed for a little over a month and your body is weak. So you need to build up your strength...which means lots of fatty foods.”
“That’s good because?”
“Your mother thinks I should eat healthier, a man my age can't get by just eating hot dogs and a slice of pizza, Buuuuuut if my little Girl needs it...then I can sneak a bite or two.” He gave her a wink as they reached the reception desk.
As he started going over the forms for her release, Neph looked around the waiting room, looking at all the normal patients. Normal like me...that's...is that right? Am I normal? She mused, pausing as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby window.
An armoured giant loomed in the window, it's white and black armour covered in scratches while a faceless gold helm stared at her... a voice whispered in the back of her skull.
This is wrong! You know it, WAKE UP!
She backed away, stumbling slightly as a hand tapped her shoulder. “You okay kiddo?” Seraph asked. “You look a little pale.”
She shook her head, looking back to see her own, normal reflection staring back at her. “Yeah.... guess I'm a little woozy after being cooped up so long.”
“Good thing we live next door then, huh?”
As they exited, she cast another look back at her reflection, half expecting that armoured beast staring back at her. “Yeah....”
* * *
As the elevator dinged, they stepped out into the the hallway, walking down into a darkened living room.
“Did you forget to pay the power bill or something dad?” Neph asked.
“Actually....” The lights clicked on.
“SURPRISE!”
Neph nearly fell over as her whole family leaped out, cheering as they gathered around. Cheering and hugging her as they lead her over to the couch.
“I... um... I don't...” she sputtered before her older sisters squished her in a hug.
“S'kay Nephy!” Gir chirped. “Dad gave us the heads up about you coming out, so we decided to throw you a party... I wanted to invite some of your friends from school... but they said that might be a bit much for you to take in right now.”
Her other sister Lazuren ruffled her hair and laughed. “So sit down squirt and have some fun.”
She felt a little detached as she watched the party, smile as cake was handed her way. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling something was wrong, but what? Her whole family was here, Aunt's, Uncle, cousins. Everyone was having a good time... So what was wrong?
After an hour she excused herself, claiming she was worn out and not used to all the excitement after so long in the hospital. Getting up she hobbled her way to her room, pausing at the door as she examined it.
It looked almost exactly as she remembered it, assorted movie posters lining most of the walls, several bookshelves filled with books or my little ponies while half her bed seemed to be home to an army of plush toys.
Shoving some of the soft toys off her bed, she started to undress for bed, fidgeting with the the straps on her leg before pulling it off and putting it to one side. As she stared at the stump of her leg, again there was that nagging sensation that something was wrong...but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Pulling the sheets over herself, she started to drift off.
* * *
You are an idiot.
And who you are to judge my actions? You would watch for an eternity, waiting for the “logical” moment to interact!
While you would risk destroying her mind in an effort to force freedom? We need time to plan, to find a way out of this.
She reacted to me! I could of pulled her out then and there!
And scrambled her mind, made her a damn potato! I will act when the time is right, for now I will leave a path of bread crumbs... she's smart enough to follow.
We'll see...
* * *
Neph stared half asleep at the roof as she waited in the physiotherapists office. It had been a week since she got home and she got hardly any sleep, her dreams filled with strange voices and odd visions.
She talked to her shrink about the dreams, figures made of red and green numbers arguing over things that made little to no sense. He told her that it was probably her mind starting to come to terms with the fact her dream world was a fantasy and that she should focus on this one...which made sense, she guessed.
Letting out a long sigh, she heard someone enter the room, tilting her head, she noticed a Asian man in green sweats walk up to the counter and start chatting to the receptionist.
For some reason, his outfit seemed... off, as if the light wasn't quite hitting it right.
As he finished his conversation, he walked over to her and offered a hand. “Hi. I'm Namoru. I'm here to help with your physical rehabilitation” He spoke in a chirpy tone.
Yawning as she took his hand and struggled to pulled herself up. “Neph Seraph... um... is this really necessary? I been out of the hospital for a week now and I'm getting the hang of walking with crutches, do I really need more therapy?”
The man sighed. "Do you want to be able to ever walk more than a few feet? Or hold anything heavier than a pencil with your right hand?"
Neph looked at him, but said nothing.
“You see, there's the ‘correct’ way to do this, and there's the ‘I'm so stubborn that I'm going to wind up pulling or straining my newly healed muscles and wind up making my situation worse and not better’ way. I'm here to coach and help you along the ‘correct’ way.”
“...fine. How long is this going to take?”
“We'll see, first, squeeze my hand as hard as you can. Don’t worry, I’m tough and I won’t break.”
Shrugging, she gripped his hand as hard as she could... and noticed he didn't react at all.
“Well if that's how good your grip is.” He chuckled and picked up one of her crutches. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. Follow me.”
Hopping up, she started to hobble after him, muttering as her fake leg made a clonk with each step, while Namoru started going over what they would do. “We'll start you on the parallel bars to begin with, to help you get used to walking on that leg of yours.”
She almost whined. “I have to do that?”
“If you don’t want you condition made worse, yeah.”
“I can make it worse?” she asked disbelievingly.
“Yes. You can wind up even tearing those muscles, winding up on your back for one to two months and have to start from scratch again.”
Making her way over to the parallel bars, she sighed. “Awww man... this will suck.”
Namoru's face became serious. “Look I'm not going to lie to you. Every day when we're done, you're going to be sore and in a bit of pain.” He paused and smiled. “But it shouldn't be anything a long soak and good night's sleep won't cure. And by the time we're done, you should be able to walk normally and have full use of your arm again”
She started rubbing her right arm self consciously. “I guess so then...”
“Well...” He titled his hand back and forth. “By normal I mean your former speed and distance, Now let me show you what to do.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later and she wanted to scream. Her arms and legs were aching from the strain as she moved up and down the length of the bars. Eventually she collapsed at the end, letting out a slight sob. She couldn't do it anymore. It just hurt too much.
Namoru knelt next to her and shook his head. “Come on, it's not that bad is it?”
She blinked her tears away and almost whimpered. “It hurts so much.”
He placed a hand on her arm. “I know, honey, it hurts... it hurts. But think of how better you'll feel when you finish...when you can finally do it on your own...”
She screwed up her face, she couldn't do it...it was too hard.
“Maybe we can take a break if it's too much for you.”
Weakling
She blinked as she heard the strange cruel voice from her dreams.
You can do better than this and you know it! Get up!
She looked down at herself, she was weak...she never be strong like Gir or Laz... not now... she was broken, a shell of her former self.
GET UP! You are better than this!
She blinked as for a second, she saw a woman that looked like her, bleeding from a hundred small cuts, tearing into some sort of robot, a savage look of determination on her face.
This is who you are, now MOVE!
Gritting her teeth and slowly stood up, ignoring the pain as it flared along her arms and legs.
“See, there we go Neph, I told you you can do it.” Namoru patted her on the back
Better.
She moved along the rails, sweat beading along her brow. She could do this...she would do this!
* * *
She finally collapsed after another two hours of pushing herself, her body burnt with fatigue and pain, but there was the feeling of triumph.
She was going to try the bar's again when Namoru placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s enough for now, remember what I said about pushing yourself?”
She nodded weakly, a slight smile on her face. “Yeah...not sure where I got that second wind from.” As she tried to stand up. She noted his voice sounded a little odd, but before she could dwell on it, her leg finally gave out from the stain and she collapsed. “Um...can..can you call my dad? I'm not sure my leg wishes to work now.”
With a laugh he helped her back up and on to her crutches, leading her back to the reception area where Seraph was waiting. “I figured you might be a bit tired, so I called ahead.”
Smiling her father stepped over and gave her a hand, a look of concern on his face. “Geez, kiddo, you look like you went five rounds with Gir.” He looked to Namoru. “You didn't push her too hard, did you?”
“Actually sir, I had to hold her back. At first she was almost reluctant to do this, but she got a second wind from somewhere and well...I never seen such determination before.”
Seraph ruffled her hair. “She must get it from her mother’s side...or mine, we're both stubborn idiots at times.”
Neph let out a slight grunt and slumped against her father, eyes suddenly felt heavy as he wrapped a strong arm around her. “Hmmm, get it from you guys.” she murmured.
“So, same time tomorrow Mister Hayataki?” Seraph asked.
“Sure and call me Namoru. Mister Hayataki’s my old man..”
As she was lead out, for a second she could of sworn Nam looked like he was covered in green numbers.
* * *
The director looked at the latest report from his underlings, it seemed that Nephs mind had a surprise. She was apparently part cyborg and amongst her many upgrades was a black box that contained a near untapped wealth of info on Praetoria; from war work schematics, to detailed maps of the underground, to even a few data files on the Praetors themselves.
Looking over the schematics of Seer implants, he started to laugh. With this info, he could easily get his old job at Crey back...he could even become a project lead!
As he kept reading, he paused as he saw the name of a file, apparently pulled from her early memories when the Lotus started to build the dream world.
Project Blades
He felt his jaw drop. Somehow, Neph knew or was once part of that freak Dib's private hit squad!
With that info at his disposal, he could kick the big headed freak out on his ass and take over his department.
Leaning back in his chair, he opened the file and started to read.
* * *
Neph stared at the pool, then back to Nam, then back to the pool. “I what?”
“We’re going to get you in the pool and have you walk around, moving against the water’s resistance like that will help you strengthen your legs, while putting less strain on your arms.” He motioned her to the small stairs leading in. “Don't think I haven’t noticed how heavily you lean on the parallel bars and that walking stick of yours, little Missy.”
She let out a long sigh, looking back to where her parents were watching. This was her own fault. She seemed to be recovering faster with her arms more than her legs, so she had been using them to move her up and down the bars and the stick she was given... but looked like she been caught out and now she had to go in a pool.
Which for some reason filled her with a level of dread she didn't understand.
She climbed down into the pool and yelped. “Why’s it cold?”
Nam pursed his lips, looking concerned.. “I don’t know. It’s supposed to be a warm water pool. Give yourself a few moments to acclimate, and I’ll go talk to someone. Just sit on the stairs.”
Namoru dissapeared for a few minutes, while Neph shivered holding on to the stairs rail.It was only a minute or two before Nam came back, looking geniunely upset.
“The janitor just told me the heater went out. He’ll have it fixed tomorrow. Today, we just have to deal with it. Grr....why doesn’t someone tell me these things!” He glanced at the clock. “Crap! Hurry up, we only have the pool for a half hour today.”
“You coming in?”
Nam looked out at the water sadly. “I think you can do okay on your own.”
As her foot touched the bottom of the pool the cool water lapping around her ribs, she suppressed a shiver. “So I just have to walk?” She bit out, cursing as her teeth started to chatter.
“Yup, just walk around for a bit, nice and slowly.”
Nodding she struggled forward, the water feeling almost like quicksand as she struggled with each step. “This is h-hellish.” She grumbled.
“Oh come on, where was all that will from the first day? The desire to push yourself beyond your limits?” He laughed.
“Shivering in a little ball somewhere from the cold?”
“Now now, no making excuses. Just do what you did last time,okay?”
Closing her eyes, she started pushing forward, her left foot pressing against the bottom of the pool, but as her right one did, it slipped and she fell back, letting out a slight scream.
I Can't Swim! A thought screamed through her head, causing pain to flare.
That couldn't be right, she had memories of trips to a beach, swimming in the family pool, why couldn't she swim?
I never learnt, I was too proud to ask, I thought they laugh, I can't swim!
No, that wasn't right, she had memories...no...the memories...
She was at the beach, but the faces were wrong! Blank slates, who were these people?
What was happening?
Voices came from outside.
“She's suffering a panic attack! Heart rate spiking!”
“Do something!”
“She's going to rupture the tank!”
“Sedating now!”
They faded away-
Her head broke water as she was dragged out of the pool, strong arms wrapping around her as she curled up on her self, fear grip her core.
She heard the soothing voice of Tish as her hair was stroked, sobs wracking through her body. In the background she could hear her father and a woman speaking in hushed tones.
“I'm so sorry, I had no idea she would react like that.”
“It's not your fault, Nam. Hell, I'm surprised. She used to love swimming but that... maybe she should stick to the bars now?”
“It's not helping her where she needs it, but I do agree, we should keep away from the pool for now. I think we should end today’s session.”
She shivered as Seraph came over took her from Tish, holding her close and patting her wet hair.. “Come on kiddo, let’s go home.” she spoke softly.
Tears rolled down her face...she felt so weak.
And she hated it.
* * *
That night the voices came again, causing her to toss and turn on her sleep.
So that was your plan? Drown her?
Yes.
Wait... what?
Simple, In real life, Neph can not swim, so if I forced her to try here, she would see the discrepancy. I gave her the first key to her freedom.
So what next, confront her with one of Hamidons creations?
Nothing so over the top... I will keep trying to find us a way out, while giving her clues. Until we have an escape, we must wait.
I hate you so fucking much.
Opening her eyes, she half expected to see the two figures in her room. But only darkness greeted her. Sitting up, she reached round for her crutches and made her way to the bathroom.
She stood in front of the mirror looking at her reflection, as if staring hard enough could explain her dreams. But all she saw as a teenage girl sporting a few scars and looking like she hadn't slept in weeks.
She turned on the water and splashed her face. Maybe she should agree to the meds? Maybe she should talk to her friends?
The same ones that never saw you in the hospital?
She blinked at her reflection and realised, she never did see her friends while she was at the hospital... or in the weeks since she got out.
Why?
Did they abandon her?
She needed to get out of here.
Heading back to her room, she struggled into some clean clothes and then took the elevator down to the lobby. Maybe some fresh air would clear her mind?
* * *
Neph lounged on one of the benches in Prometheus park, grinning as she bit into a hot dog. “Breakfast of champs,” She praised before starting to tear into it. Pausing between mouthfuls, she gazed around the park, taking everything in.
The park was how she always remembered it; a hand full of trees surrounding a lake, the statue of some long dead hero at the centre, and a bridge running over it. Just how she remembered it... except one thing.
There were no Hellions...no Clockwork, no Skulls...no nothing. Everything was perfect, happy.
Her line of thought was cut off as air raid sirens started to blare.
Looking to see what was going on, Neph watched as the war walls flickered, then died, long, bulbous shapes moved over the inactive barriers, blasts of black and green plasma striking down at the streets as they progressed.
Rikti.
Struggling to her feet, she tried to run, her, her gait slow as she tried to coordinate her real leg, her false leg and her walking stick, the whine of incoming bombs getting closer and closer.
As she reached the road, her false leg slipped on the gutter, sending her painfully sliding along the road, gravel tearing at her arm and face.
Rolling on her back, she was about to swear up a storm when there was a sound of air ripping and a Rikti gunner looked down at her, it's alien eyes glaring hate. “Exclamation: Mild Shock. Unexpected: Easy First Kill:” Raising it's rifle, she saw energy gathering at the tip.
She's going to Die!
As much as I hate to say it, you are right. You intervene, I have to keep working on a way out.
Excellent.
The strange voices echoed in her ears as time seemed to slow, She couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes. Just watch as her death was coming.
Then something roaring like a wounded Lion slammed into the Rikti. A fist crackling with crimson energy caved its head in, splattering purple blood across her face as she looked up at her saviour.
{(When) Your middle name is death – Trocadero – the ghost that linger}
The white armoured figure towered over her, the lights from Rikti blast reflecting off the gold visor of his helm. Letting out a low growl, he spun and took down another Rikti mid-charge, his punches smashing through it like it was nothing.
Neph started to crawl away as the armoured giant snarled and tore the Rikti limb from limb. Her mind teetered on the edge of a panic attack when a heavy hand grabbed her from behind. She let out a scream of terror as she was lifted up and thrown over her mysterious saviour’s shoulder as it leapt into the air, bouncing from building to building till it landed in the garden of her families pent house and dropped her.
“Who.... who the fuck are you?” she finally spat out, glaring up at him.
Tilting his head, she felt like he was staring right through her. “I...” It said in a low, oddly feminine growl. “Am the rage and chaos, I am the Omega.”
Whit that it jumped back down into the chaos of the invasion, while she staggered inside, making it to her bedroom where she curled up in her bed, shivering as the realisation of hose close she came to dying sunk in.
And it made her blood boil that she was too helpless to do anything.
* * *
That felt good.
I am sure it did.
Come on, I finally got to do something besides yell abuse from the back of her skull...I even gave her my own clue.
I noticed, your outing also seems to have had an additional side effect.
And that is?
I found the path out, when she is ready, you will show her the path.
Oooh hell yeah.[/b]
***
Through the poppy field.
[b]***
Neph grinned as she sat on the edge of her bed, they where finally letting her out! After over a month of shrink visits and her getting a simple prosthetic leg, she was finally free to leave!
She looked around the room, it was going to be good to get out of here. The damn place wasn’t helping her keep her head on straight...but Dib assured her once she was outside, things would become more clearer.
She picking up the crutches the doctors had given her, and started slowly moving round the room, trying to get used to the odd sensation of having only one flesh and blood foot propelling her forward. After a few moments she rather childishly decided to see how fast she could go... and promptly fell flat on her ass.
There was a chuckle from the door and she looked over to see Seraph standing there, a half smile on his face as he made his way over and helped her up. “Always rushing in head first, you are too much like your mother and me at times, got to be careful tyke.” He commented.
She got her first good look at this version of her father and was shocked at how much older he looked, his hair was salt and peppered, tied back from his face, while his hands were heavily calloused. “What’s wrong, tyke? You almost act like you never seen me before.”
She looked away. “Sorry...I...I just didn't expect you to look so...”
“Hmm?”
“Well,...old.”
He laughed and ruffled her hair. “You shrink told me about the dream world you had. Kinda funny you see me as a young, A bit of a stubborn grump, but a good man at heart.”
“And you’re not?”
He laughed as he helped her to the door, pausing long enough to wipe a tear of mirth away. “Oh I am all that... bar the young part, wouldn't mind that bit.”
She couldn't help but laugh at him. “So I finally get to go home?”
“Sure, after we book an appointment for some physical therapy.”
She let out a slight grumble. “Why do I need that? How is seeing one going help? Is it going to make my leg magically grow back?”
“No, but you have been in a hospital bed for a little over a month and your body is weak. So you need to build up your strength...which means lots of fatty foods.”
“That’s good because?”
“Your mother thinks I should eat healthier, a man my age can't get by just eating hot dogs and a slice of pizza, Buuuuuut if my little Girl needs it...then I can sneak a bite or two.” He gave her a wink as they reached the reception desk.
As he started going over the forms for her release, Neph looked around the waiting room, looking at all the normal patients. Normal like me...that's...is that right? Am I normal? She mused, pausing as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby window.
An armoured giant loomed in the window, it's white and black armour covered in scratches while a faceless gold helm stared at her... a voice whispered in the back of her skull.
This is wrong! You know it, WAKE UP!
She backed away, stumbling slightly as a hand tapped her shoulder. “You okay kiddo?” Seraph asked. “You look a little pale.”
She shook her head, looking back to see her own, normal reflection staring back at her. “Yeah.... guess I'm a little woozy after being cooped up so long.”
“Good thing we live next door then, huh?”
As they exited, she cast another look back at her reflection, half expecting that armoured beast staring back at her. “Yeah....”
* * *
As the elevator dinged, they stepped out into the the hallway, walking down into a darkened living room.
“Did you forget to pay the power bill or something dad?” Neph asked.
“Actually....” The lights clicked on.
“SURPRISE!”
Neph nearly fell over as her whole family leaped out, cheering as they gathered around. Cheering and hugging her as they lead her over to the couch.
“I... um... I don't...” she sputtered before her older sisters squished her in a hug.
“S'kay Nephy!” Gir chirped. “Dad gave us the heads up about you coming out, so we decided to throw you a party... I wanted to invite some of your friends from school... but they said that might be a bit much for you to take in right now.”
Her other sister Lazuren ruffled her hair and laughed. “So sit down squirt and have some fun.”
She felt a little detached as she watched the party, smile as cake was handed her way. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling something was wrong, but what? Her whole family was here, Aunt's, Uncle, cousins. Everyone was having a good time... So what was wrong?
After an hour she excused herself, claiming she was worn out and not used to all the excitement after so long in the hospital. Getting up she hobbled her way to her room, pausing at the door as she examined it.
It looked almost exactly as she remembered it, assorted movie posters lining most of the walls, several bookshelves filled with books or my little ponies while half her bed seemed to be home to an army of plush toys.
Shoving some of the soft toys off her bed, she started to undress for bed, fidgeting with the the straps on her leg before pulling it off and putting it to one side. As she stared at the stump of her leg, again there was that nagging sensation that something was wrong...but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Pulling the sheets over herself, she started to drift off.
* * *
You are an idiot.
And who you are to judge my actions? You would watch for an eternity, waiting for the “logical” moment to interact!
While you would risk destroying her mind in an effort to force freedom? We need time to plan, to find a way out of this.
She reacted to me! I could of pulled her out then and there!
And scrambled her mind, made her a damn potato! I will act when the time is right, for now I will leave a path of bread crumbs... she's smart enough to follow.
We'll see...
* * *
Neph stared half asleep at the roof as she waited in the physiotherapists office. It had been a week since she got home and she got hardly any sleep, her dreams filled with strange voices and odd visions.
She talked to her shrink about the dreams, figures made of red and green numbers arguing over things that made little to no sense. He told her that it was probably her mind starting to come to terms with the fact her dream world was a fantasy and that she should focus on this one...which made sense, she guessed.
Letting out a long sigh, she heard someone enter the room, tilting her head, she noticed a Asian man in green sweats walk up to the counter and start chatting to the receptionist.
For some reason, his outfit seemed... off, as if the light wasn't quite hitting it right.
As he finished his conversation, he walked over to her and offered a hand. “Hi. I'm Namoru. I'm here to help with your physical rehabilitation” He spoke in a chirpy tone.
Yawning as she took his hand and struggled to pulled herself up. “Neph Seraph... um... is this really necessary? I been out of the hospital for a week now and I'm getting the hang of walking with crutches, do I really need more therapy?”
The man sighed. "Do you want to be able to ever walk more than a few feet? Or hold anything heavier than a pencil with your right hand?"
Neph looked at him, but said nothing.
“You see, there's the ‘correct’ way to do this, and there's the ‘I'm so stubborn that I'm going to wind up pulling or straining my newly healed muscles and wind up making my situation worse and not better’ way. I'm here to coach and help you along the ‘correct’ way.”
“...fine. How long is this going to take?”
“We'll see, first, squeeze my hand as hard as you can. Don’t worry, I’m tough and I won’t break.”
Shrugging, she gripped his hand as hard as she could... and noticed he didn't react at all.
“Well if that's how good your grip is.” He chuckled and picked up one of her crutches. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. Follow me.”
Hopping up, she started to hobble after him, muttering as her fake leg made a clonk with each step, while Namoru started going over what they would do. “We'll start you on the parallel bars to begin with, to help you get used to walking on that leg of yours.”
She almost whined. “I have to do that?”
“If you don’t want you condition made worse, yeah.”
“I can make it worse?” she asked disbelievingly.
“Yes. You can wind up even tearing those muscles, winding up on your back for one to two months and have to start from scratch again.”
Making her way over to the parallel bars, she sighed. “Awww man... this will suck.”
Namoru's face became serious. “Look I'm not going to lie to you. Every day when we're done, you're going to be sore and in a bit of pain.” He paused and smiled. “But it shouldn't be anything a long soak and good night's sleep won't cure. And by the time we're done, you should be able to walk normally and have full use of your arm again”
She started rubbing her right arm self consciously. “I guess so then...”
“Well...” He titled his hand back and forth. “By normal I mean your former speed and distance, Now let me show you what to do.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later and she wanted to scream. Her arms and legs were aching from the strain as she moved up and down the length of the bars. Eventually she collapsed at the end, letting out a slight sob. She couldn't do it anymore. It just hurt too much.
Namoru knelt next to her and shook his head. “Come on, it's not that bad is it?”
She blinked her tears away and almost whimpered. “It hurts so much.”
He placed a hand on her arm. “I know, honey, it hurts... it hurts. But think of how better you'll feel when you finish...when you can finally do it on your own...”
She screwed up her face, she couldn't do it...it was too hard.
“Maybe we can take a break if it's too much for you.”
Weakling
She blinked as she heard the strange cruel voice from her dreams.
You can do better than this and you know it! Get up!
She looked down at herself, she was weak...she never be strong like Gir or Laz... not now... she was broken, a shell of her former self.
GET UP! You are better than this!
She blinked as for a second, she saw a woman that looked like her, bleeding from a hundred small cuts, tearing into some sort of robot, a savage look of determination on her face.
This is who you are, now MOVE!
Gritting her teeth and slowly stood up, ignoring the pain as it flared along her arms and legs.
“See, there we go Neph, I told you you can do it.” Namoru patted her on the back
Better.
She moved along the rails, sweat beading along her brow. She could do this...she would do this!
* * *
She finally collapsed after another two hours of pushing herself, her body burnt with fatigue and pain, but there was the feeling of triumph.
She was going to try the bar's again when Namoru placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s enough for now, remember what I said about pushing yourself?”
She nodded weakly, a slight smile on her face. “Yeah...not sure where I got that second wind from.” As she tried to stand up. She noted his voice sounded a little odd, but before she could dwell on it, her leg finally gave out from the stain and she collapsed. “Um...can..can you call my dad? I'm not sure my leg wishes to work now.”
With a laugh he helped her back up and on to her crutches, leading her back to the reception area where Seraph was waiting. “I figured you might be a bit tired, so I called ahead.”
Smiling her father stepped over and gave her a hand, a look of concern on his face. “Geez, kiddo, you look like you went five rounds with Gir.” He looked to Namoru. “You didn't push her too hard, did you?”
“Actually sir, I had to hold her back. At first she was almost reluctant to do this, but she got a second wind from somewhere and well...I never seen such determination before.”
Seraph ruffled her hair. “She must get it from her mother’s side...or mine, we're both stubborn idiots at times.”
Neph let out a slight grunt and slumped against her father, eyes suddenly felt heavy as he wrapped a strong arm around her. “Hmmm, get it from you guys.” she murmured.
“So, same time tomorrow Mister Hayataki?” Seraph asked.
“Sure and call me Namoru. Mister Hayataki’s my old man..”
As she was lead out, for a second she could of sworn Nam looked like he was covered in green numbers.
* * *
The director looked at the latest report from his underlings, it seemed that Nephs mind had a surprise. She was apparently part cyborg and amongst her many upgrades was a black box that contained a near untapped wealth of info on Praetoria; from war work schematics, to detailed maps of the underground, to even a few data files on the Praetors themselves.
Looking over the schematics of Seer implants, he started to laugh. With this info, he could easily get his old job at Crey back...he could even become a project lead!
As he kept reading, he paused as he saw the name of a file, apparently pulled from her early memories when the Lotus started to build the dream world.
Project Blades
He felt his jaw drop. Somehow, Neph knew or was once part of that freak Dib's private hit squad!
With that info at his disposal, he could kick the big headed freak out on his ass and take over his department.
Leaning back in his chair, he opened the file and started to read.
* * *
Neph stared at the pool, then back to Nam, then back to the pool. “I what?”
“We’re going to get you in the pool and have you walk around, moving against the water’s resistance like that will help you strengthen your legs, while putting less strain on your arms.” He motioned her to the small stairs leading in. “Don't think I haven’t noticed how heavily you lean on the parallel bars and that walking stick of yours, little Missy.”
She let out a long sigh, looking back to where her parents were watching. This was her own fault. She seemed to be recovering faster with her arms more than her legs, so she had been using them to move her up and down the bars and the stick she was given... but looked like she been caught out and now she had to go in a pool.
Which for some reason filled her with a level of dread she didn't understand.
She climbed down into the pool and yelped. “Why’s it cold?”
Nam pursed his lips, looking concerned.. “I don’t know. It’s supposed to be a warm water pool. Give yourself a few moments to acclimate, and I’ll go talk to someone. Just sit on the stairs.”
Namoru dissapeared for a few minutes, while Neph shivered holding on to the stairs rail.It was only a minute or two before Nam came back, looking geniunely upset.
“The janitor just told me the heater went out. He’ll have it fixed tomorrow. Today, we just have to deal with it. Grr....why doesn’t someone tell me these things!” He glanced at the clock. “Crap! Hurry up, we only have the pool for a half hour today.”
“You coming in?”
Nam looked out at the water sadly. “I think you can do okay on your own.”
As her foot touched the bottom of the pool the cool water lapping around her ribs, she suppressed a shiver. “So I just have to walk?” She bit out, cursing as her teeth started to chatter.
“Yup, just walk around for a bit, nice and slowly.”
Nodding she struggled forward, the water feeling almost like quicksand as she struggled with each step. “This is h-hellish.” She grumbled.
“Oh come on, where was all that will from the first day? The desire to push yourself beyond your limits?” He laughed.
“Shivering in a little ball somewhere from the cold?”
“Now now, no making excuses. Just do what you did last time,okay?”
Closing her eyes, she started pushing forward, her left foot pressing against the bottom of the pool, but as her right one did, it slipped and she fell back, letting out a slight scream.
I Can't Swim! A thought screamed through her head, causing pain to flare.
That couldn't be right, she had memories of trips to a beach, swimming in the family pool, why couldn't she swim?
I never learnt, I was too proud to ask, I thought they laugh, I can't swim!
No, that wasn't right, she had memories...no...the memories...
She was at the beach, but the faces were wrong! Blank slates, who were these people?
What was happening?
Voices came from outside.
“She's suffering a panic attack! Heart rate spiking!”
“Do something!”
“She's going to rupture the tank!”
“Sedating now!”
They faded away-
Her head broke water as she was dragged out of the pool, strong arms wrapping around her as she curled up on her self, fear grip her core.
She heard the soothing voice of Tish as her hair was stroked, sobs wracking through her body. In the background she could hear her father and a woman speaking in hushed tones.
“I'm so sorry, I had no idea she would react like that.”
“It's not your fault, Nam. Hell, I'm surprised. She used to love swimming but that... maybe she should stick to the bars now?”
“It's not helping her where she needs it, but I do agree, we should keep away from the pool for now. I think we should end today’s session.”
She shivered as Seraph came over took her from Tish, holding her close and patting her wet hair.. “Come on kiddo, let’s go home.” she spoke softly.
Tears rolled down her face...she felt so weak.
And she hated it.
* * *
That night the voices came again, causing her to toss and turn on her sleep.
So that was your plan? Drown her?
Yes.
Wait... what?
Simple, In real life, Neph can not swim, so if I forced her to try here, she would see the discrepancy. I gave her the first key to her freedom.
So what next, confront her with one of Hamidons creations?
Nothing so over the top... I will keep trying to find us a way out, while giving her clues. Until we have an escape, we must wait.
I hate you so fucking much.
Opening her eyes, she half expected to see the two figures in her room. But only darkness greeted her. Sitting up, she reached round for her crutches and made her way to the bathroom.
She stood in front of the mirror looking at her reflection, as if staring hard enough could explain her dreams. But all she saw as a teenage girl sporting a few scars and looking like she hadn't slept in weeks.
She turned on the water and splashed her face. Maybe she should agree to the meds? Maybe she should talk to her friends?
The same ones that never saw you in the hospital?
She blinked at her reflection and realised, she never did see her friends while she was at the hospital... or in the weeks since she got out.
Why?
Did they abandon her?
She needed to get out of here.
Heading back to her room, she struggled into some clean clothes and then took the elevator down to the lobby. Maybe some fresh air would clear her mind?
* * *
Neph lounged on one of the benches in Prometheus park, grinning as she bit into a hot dog. “Breakfast of champs,” She praised before starting to tear into it. Pausing between mouthfuls, she gazed around the park, taking everything in.
The park was how she always remembered it; a hand full of trees surrounding a lake, the statue of some long dead hero at the centre, and a bridge running over it. Just how she remembered it... except one thing.
There were no Hellions...no Clockwork, no Skulls...no nothing. Everything was perfect, happy.
Her line of thought was cut off as air raid sirens started to blare.
Looking to see what was going on, Neph watched as the war walls flickered, then died, long, bulbous shapes moved over the inactive barriers, blasts of black and green plasma striking down at the streets as they progressed.
Rikti.
Struggling to her feet, she tried to run, her, her gait slow as she tried to coordinate her real leg, her false leg and her walking stick, the whine of incoming bombs getting closer and closer.
As she reached the road, her false leg slipped on the gutter, sending her painfully sliding along the road, gravel tearing at her arm and face.
Rolling on her back, she was about to swear up a storm when there was a sound of air ripping and a Rikti gunner looked down at her, it's alien eyes glaring hate. “Exclamation: Mild Shock. Unexpected: Easy First Kill:” Raising it's rifle, she saw energy gathering at the tip.
She's going to Die!
As much as I hate to say it, you are right. You intervene, I have to keep working on a way out.
Excellent.
The strange voices echoed in her ears as time seemed to slow, She couldn't look away, couldn't close her eyes. Just watch as her death was coming.
Then something roaring like a wounded Lion slammed into the Rikti. A fist crackling with crimson energy caved its head in, splattering purple blood across her face as she looked up at her saviour.
{(When) Your middle name is death – Trocadero – the ghost that linger}
The white armoured figure towered over her, the lights from Rikti blast reflecting off the gold visor of his helm. Letting out a low growl, he spun and took down another Rikti mid-charge, his punches smashing through it like it was nothing.
Neph started to crawl away as the armoured giant snarled and tore the Rikti limb from limb. Her mind teetered on the edge of a panic attack when a heavy hand grabbed her from behind. She let out a scream of terror as she was lifted up and thrown over her mysterious saviour’s shoulder as it leapt into the air, bouncing from building to building till it landed in the garden of her families pent house and dropped her.
“Who.... who the fuck are you?” she finally spat out, glaring up at him.
Tilting his head, she felt like he was staring right through her. “I...” It said in a low, oddly feminine growl. “Am the rage and chaos, I am the Omega.”
Whit that it jumped back down into the chaos of the invasion, while she staggered inside, making it to her bedroom where she curled up in her bed, shivering as the realisation of hose close she came to dying sunk in.
And it made her blood boil that she was too helpless to do anything.
* * *
That felt good.
I am sure it did.
Come on, I finally got to do something besides yell abuse from the back of her skull...I even gave her my own clue.
I noticed, your outing also seems to have had an additional side effect.
And that is?
I found the path out, when she is ready, you will show her the path.
Oooh hell yeah.[/b]
***