Scout tightened her eyelids. She refused to relive this memory. She escaped from Bettina and so did Nait. So did Naos. Bettina failed that day and she would fail now.
“Cross the memories.”
A jolt forced Scout’s eyes open and she floated underwater, again kissing Naos. Instinct guided Scout to focus on the kiss and enjoy it again, but before she could take it in, another shock sent her back to Wantim. Scout screamed, experiencing a throb in her brain that didn’t feel like any normal headache.
“A true pity that it took you from my service.”
“Her brain waves are spiking,” Chief Bosnan said. The words grew louder and resounded. She felt like her ears should bleed from the noise. “If we do not tread carefully, we could overload the amygdala. We still must transmit your stored—"
“Cross all memories relating to emotion,” Bettina said, ignoring whatever Bosnan rambled about. “Not emotionally fueled memories, but memories that relate to the word. This memory should have brought them to the forefront.”
Scout raised her fists, punching the windy air of Wantim. She cried out. The punches didn’t exist in reality, either.
“Never let emotions interfere with the objective,” Bettina said. The Bettina of Scout’s childhood. The woman who trained her.
The jolts grew stronger and inflicted pain, like a cut or stab. Only now did Scout notice that the electricity felt like a continuous stream. The cuts and stabs mixed with the throbbing, leaving a painful sensation that overpowered all parts of her mind and body. She again felt tears bubble while she lied on her back on Wantim, helpless.
“Never let emotions dictate anything.”
Again, Bettina’s voice. She didn’t want to die listening to her.
“Remember our training? Emotions shouldn’t control us in a crisis.”
Suddenly, Scout stood on the Killer. As she finished speaking, Naos tugged on her arm again. She elbowed him in the stomach. He grunted but kept pace with her.
“You’re letting your feelings run everything, Scout!”
She remembered this. The lowest point in their relationship.
Another ripple sent her back to Wantim. Bettina ran her sword through the clay, while throbbing forced tears out of Scout’s eyes. “Once I saw how much your concern consumed you, I knew I had to rid myself of you. Your care for Naos Redgrave destroyed all potential you had.”
“Now, at last, that care will kill you,” Bettina said, but not the Bettina on Wantim. The voice of the present-day Bettina drowned out the woman who stood over Scout. Wantim disappeared and Scout plummeted through the abyss again. “I will give you a final lesson, Scout. A lesson that would have saved you from this fate.”
Scout landed on the grass. This time, she didn’t have the strength to examine her surroundings. The bright sun only worsened the throbbing. The pain paralyzed her, but she lifted her head long enough to get an overview of the location.
The green grass and the tall, stone walls. The courtyard of the palace. Two people sat on a blanket. A dark-skinned man, wearing silver armor, sat a double-edged sword on the blanket and lifted a strawberry out of a picnic basket. He extended it toward the young woman next to him. She laid on her side, smiling, and she didn’t look much older than Scout.
“Once you complete your training, I will ask His Highness for your hand,” the man said. “I know he is wary, but I will assure him of my devotion to the crown and to you. We will marry and I will be your lifelong servant.”
Black hair draped over the woman’s long, black dress. Removed pieces of armor rested next to her. Paralyzed or not, Scout couldn’t take her eyes off the woman. She didn’t recognize the smile, but she recognized the thin, pale face.
“My lifelong husband, Commander Riley,” Bettina said, taking the strawberry and biting half of it. She returned the other half to him. “I will speak to the King, as well. He will allow us to marry, Declan, and then, I will finally take the throne.”
Declan finished the strawberry and smirked. Bettina giggled, leaning in and kissing him. Nausea rushed into Scout’s mouth. If the throbbing hadn’t overpowered so many of her senses, she would have definitely vomited. This vile monster had a lover?
The area swirled again and she fell into the throne room. She didn’t need to look around to know this place, but it looked different. The chess board didn’t sit in the middle of the room and Bettina knelt before a man on the throne. The familiar light from the large window cast a shadow over the King.
“You shall not marry him, Bettina,” the man said, growling and standing. A stern, red-colored face complemented the wide, gold crown that covered his hair. “Your affection for this soldier will only hinder your reign on the throne. Any decision you make for the Nebula will be jaded by some sentiment for Declan Riley. A monarch cannot be so divided.”
“He pledged his devotion to the throne,” Bettina said, keeping her face to the ground. Armor covered her dress. “His love will only increase his effectiveness, your Majesty. Did you never have any feelings for the Queen?”
“You know the answer,” the King said, brushing past Bettina. The sunlight illuminated his purple robe. “I used her to obtain an heir. One who rules this volatile galaxy must be resolute. One who rules this galaxy cannot let emotion give themselves empathy for another being. That empathy will only give way to usurpation.”
“Commander Riley will aid me in protecting the throne. We will do so together. I will not let anything take the throne from our family, your Highness.”
The King scoffed, halting in the middle of the room. He stared at the exit. “You already have. Your desire to wed the soldier proves that you are unworthy to take the throne. I will create another heir.”
Bettina’s head shot up and looked in the direction of her father. Scout hadn’t seen her look as dismayed as she looked in this moment. “Your Highness, I have prepared to rule since I was a child. You have groomed me for the throne. It is my right.”
“Your care for Declan Riley destroyed all potential you had.”
“You expect this to make me feel sorry for you?” Scout said, scowling. She tried to stand, but the throbbing pressed her to the ground. “We…we aren’t…the same.”
The room swirled, but only for a second. Scout again landed in the exact same position in the throne room. Bettina sat on the throne, while Declan laid his sword down in front of him and knelt before her. His silver armor sparkled on Bettina, revealing a frown.
“The King has disowned me due to our request,” Bettina said, sounding more stoic. More like herself. “He will not give me the throne. I would advise that you do not speak to him as planned. He will likely strip you of your title and remove you from the army.”
“I believe in us, and I believe in you, Princess,” Declan said, staring at the ground. “I must speak to him, even if he does remove me. I cannot allow this to happen to you.”
“I will not allow His Majesty to discharge you. You do not deserve such disgrace,” Bettina said, leaning down and picking up his sword. She stood. “You have used this weapon with honor and valor on behalf of the throne.”
“I appreciate your respect, but you are more important. The King must see that we will get married and that you are his rightful heir,” Declan said. He didn’t move as she walked past his prostrate body. “I will do anything to prove that nothing will hinder your reign.”
“Yes, I know,” Bettina said, halting and staring at Declan’s back. Her frown faded.
Again, nausea filled Scout’s mouth, but not because of any display of affection. She wanted to close her eyes, but the pain wouldn’t allow it.
Bettina raised the double-edged sword and drove it through Declan’s back. Blood spilled onto the floor of the throne room and he only emitted a choking sound as his stunned, dying eyes glanced at Bettina. Scout recognized her cold, emotionless facial expression.
“Nothing will hinder my reign, Commander Riley,” Bettina said, pulling the double-edged sword out of his back. Judging fro
m his blank eyes, he already died. “And nothing will disgrace your name.”
“Psycho,” Scout said, looking at the ceiling. She screamed again. “Psycho!”
“Well done, Bettina,” the King said, entering from behind and putting a hand on her shoulder. His red face displayed a smug smirk. “You have earned your place as my heir. You will rule the Nebula.”
“Yes, I know,” Bettina said, shoving the sword back and driving the other edge through the King’s stomach. He cried out, but she shoved the sword deeper, cutting off any pleas for mercy or screams for help. Bettina turned, still devoid of any emotion, and removed the crown from his head.
The King fell to the floor and his own blood mingled with Declan’s. Two blue-armored guards charged inside but stopped upon seeing Bettina set the crown on her head. She lifted the double-edged sword and faced the guards.
“Remove these bodies,” she said, backing toward the throne. “I never want to see blood in my throne room again.”
Another jolt returned Scout to the dark green cell. Bettina stood in front of her, unmoved, while Bosnan glanced from Scout to his new master. Bettina stepped closer to her and her warm breath tickled Scout’s cheek. The throbbing didn’t let up, either.
“You…you are…sick,” Scout said, gritting her teeth and trying to speak through the pain. “I…will never do that.”
“Yes, I know,” Bettina said, carrying the exact same tone as years ago in the throne room. “Hence, you fail. Now, you see what you could have become if you had let go of that fool. You see how your affection holds you back, just as it once held me back. However, you lack the strength and foresight that I have, so before you die, I will do what you could not.”
Scout looked at the dark ceiling. She didn’t want to die listening to Bettina.
“Chief Bosnan, begin the final phase,” Bettina said. A shock, stronger than before, sent her back into the abyss with another shriek. “Let us kill Naos Redgrave.”
Scout wanted to act strong, but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to let Bettina see her pain, but she couldn’t hold back. Her brain constantly ached and cried out at her, so she had to respond. Scout wanted to hold on to the dwindling hope that she would escape, but she felt like she couldn’t.
She landed in the oasis again. She gazed at Naos and kissed him. As Naos embraced the kiss, she allowed it to relax her brain. She used Naos to hold onto the hope that she would escape. When she felt so angry on the Bombard, she used Naos to pull her back to reality. She forgot about Bettina and the hurt so that she could rescue him. He gave her a desire to achieve peace, too. When she looked at him, she saw more than revenge and destruction.
“Never let emotions interfere with the objective.”
The continuous electric current shocked Scout again, but she tried to focus on Naos. She needed to focus on him and this moment.
“Your failure with Fi Kal came when you allowed her to remember the Killer crew, Chief Bosnan,” Bettina said. Again, her voice resounded throughout the water, but complete silence followed it. Scout broke away from the kiss, noticing that the clear blue water turned black. It became empty.
“Wipe Naos Redgrave from her mind.”
All sensation left Scout. She stared at Naos again, who stared back with innocence and care. However, as another electric cut sliced through her brain, he began to fade. Slowly, her best friend disappeared and darkness replaced him.
“No!” Scout said, raising her voice as high as her vocal cords could handle. “I won’t forget him!”
She tried to kick and punch, but nothing. The peaceful oasis became empty.
“Wipe Scout Gash from her mind. All memories.”
Scout fell onto the Bombard, pinned by the creature. As a tear tapped the steel beneath her, she saw Naos against the wall. She wanted to use the memory to restore her hope, but just like in the oasis, he faded. Empty darkness ripped him away and overshadowed the corridor. Scout shrieked, experiencing the electricity cut deeper.
She appeared at the landing pad on Puntan. Naos and Natalia edged toward the Killer, but Naos didn’t take his eyes away from her. She couldn’t focus over the roar of laser fire. While the fight continued, black appeared behind Naos and overtook him. The emptiness spread and overtook the rest of the crew, too.
Scout collapsed after the next cut. She wanted to sob. She wanted to act strong. She wanted to see Naos.
Suddenly, a net appeared between her fingers. She stood underneath a palace window and ripped the net off Naos. Before she could really look at him, the darkness crept from the ledge and consumed him. The next cut sent her over the ledge and into the black abyss. Right where she started.
“Never let emotions dictate anything,” Bettina said. Her voice swarmed Scout’s head and filled it, shoving out everything else that Scout knew. “Scout Gash is dead. She is nothing to you. You are now my servant.”
She no longer plummeted. She only floated in the emptiness. She didn’t feel angry or sad. She didn’t feel hope. The cuts and throbs stopped, even while the electricity continued to flow into her brain.
“Remember your knowledge of combat and never let anything hinder that knowledge again. Never let anything hinder your knowledge of me.”
She felt nothing. She knew nothing except combat. She knew nothing except the woman who spoke to her and instructed her.
“Who…”
She stared at the abyss. She knew nothing.
“Who am I?”
“You are my most faithful follower, my assassin, my soldier, and my protector.”
She knew the face of the woman who spoke. The pale, emotionless face. She suddenly found comfort in it. She found familiarity in the lack of emotion.
“You are Lady Cerasi.”
13
Selas rubbed Fi’s hand and kept his eyes fixed on her motionless face. She looked peaceful, but he knew that she didn’t feel the same. Beneath her beautiful, bony cheeks and intricate eyelids, pain and regret filled her. Suicidal thoughts consumed her. If Fi had any sort of consciousness in her coma, he hoped that she’d overcome those, but he feared she hadn’t. He feared that this vegetative state only delayed the healing she needed.
He ran his other hand through her silver hair. If only he had supported her. He should have pushed past any potential denial and made his desire clear.
Selas glanced at the small bandages scattered around his body. Instead of healing her, she wounded him.
A claw touched his shoulder and Kossk limped past him. He maneuvered himself to the other side of Fi’s bed and put his claw on her scalp, before closing his eyes. Selas rubbed her hand again, indulging in the futile hope that he would evoke some response. She gave no reaction and no movement.
He hoped that, if Fi did have any mental consciousness, she remembered his words in the prison. He needed her and she showed her true character by the strength that she had given him. Nothing in her life neared the concept of failure.
“How is she?” Selas said, placing Fi’s hand on her chest.
“Most of her body operates normally. Blood flows healthily and the brain sends messages to all other parts. Any minor harm they sustained in your duel has recovered,” Kossk said, opening his eyes and removing his claw. “However, as before, it is her mind that reorganizes itself. Her brain requires the utmost healing.”
“She’s been like this for two days,” Selas said, shaking his head. “How long will this take?”
“My mind cannot reach such a conclusion on such little information,” Kossk said, hissing and stepping back. “The timeline is a decision that only her mind can make.”
“Brother, Sora and the crew are meeting outside with Governor Badesha,” Jekk said, peeking through the doorway of the medical bay. “I believe you should join them.”
Selas glanced at Fi again, but Kossk nodded before he could respond. “My own body only needs a little more rest before my leg is fully healed. My body and mind will rest here to keep watch over her own body and mind.”
&n
bsp; Selas hadn’t left Fi since the prison, so as much as he hated to leave her, he probably needed to join the others. He stood, observing her as he walked out of the medical bay. He sighed, rubbing his temples and walking through the hall that would lead him to the ramp. Too much darkness reigned, even after all they had accomplished.
“We should have sent another message to Caleb and told him to join us here,” Jekk said, walking alongside Selas. He tilted his head, trying to dismiss an eye twitch. “We should not put off meeting with him for long. I’m sure he is concerned.”
Facing Caleb still seemed daunting, especially after the trauma of the last few days. Selas had contacted him, but that didn’t mean instant reconciliation. A catatonic state forced Selas and Jekk apart. Nothing except choice forced Caleb and Selas apart. He’d encouraged Fi to defeat her feelings of guilt over her brother, and yet, Selas couldn’t overcome his own.
Unlike Fi, he had legitimate reasons to feel guilt. He’d made a decision that she hadn’t.
“We won’t be staying for long. I’m sure the Governor wants us to reach Catalan as soon as possible,” Selas said, turning and pausing at the ramp. The cold air of Ondon hit his face, relaxing his tense muscles. The sunset rested on the mountains, casting a pink glaze over the steel capital.
“Worry and loss have ripped so many of this crew apart, Selas,” Jekk said, standing at his side and gazing at the mountains. “Including yourself. Don’t let it hold you back from your family any longer. That is reminiscent of Anziar, not Selas Taban.”
Selas closed his eyes. The pink still broke through the darkness beneath his eyelids, and perhaps that showed the validity of Jekk’s words. Anziar wouldn’t want him to talk to Caleb. He would keep him from Caleb, just as he’d kept him from Jekk. Anziar didn’t want any light to break through the dark, but Selas repeatedly defied that.
However, seeing Fi felt hard enough. Seeing Caleb would only increase the hardship.
Unleashed Page 18
