Chapter 24- Motivation
“Lydia!” Sylvia yelled above the throng of frightened people in the hallway. “Go check for anyone else!” Lydia nodded and sprinted through the first floor, leaving Sylvia and a few guards to sneak everyone out of the Center’s back exit, the only exit still open, and to the last group of escape vehicles. Every now and then, gunfire echoed down a passage and she hurried faster. All the floors had been cleared of most of the employees and BEPs, but when she ran past training rooms and the pool, she skidded to a halt. Two pairs of eyes, hardly noticeable, stared out at her from inside the pool. In front of the glass lay a guard’s deathly cold body.
Lydia burst into the pool room and the twins swam up to her. “Why are you two still here?” she asked.
“Cooper came to visit and then all this started, so we’ve been trapped here. I can’t find anyone to help me with him,” Nina said, pointing to her brother. “He can’t walk on his own. Not with his cast. We flagged down the guard, but a group passed through and killed him. We’ve been hiding in the pool ever since.”
“Here.” Lydia offered a hand, helped Nina out, and handed her her helmet. “I’ll carry him, okay? We need to get you two to the cars.”
“Right,” Nina said, grabbing Cooper’s hand. She pulled and heaved. “When did you get so heavy?”
“It’s the cast,” he said. “It absorbed some water.”
After he swung his cast onto the ground and continued rising slowly, Lydia gathered their clothes, shoes, and towels. When she finished, a great bulky figure appeared beyond the windows, carrying a gun-shaped object. It raised its hand, pointing the object at the twins. Lydia dropped her bundle and called, “Nina!”
The girl turned her head. She, too, spotted the gun and pushed Cooper back into the pool as the first series of rounds shattered the glass. Lydia ran, catching Nina as she dropped to the ground. The shots kept coming, and Lydia rolled with Nina into the pool.
The shooter stood on the lip of the pool and bullets whizzed through the water, leaving a thin trail of bubbles in their wake. Lydia passed Nina to Cooper, and he clutched her close to his body. Then Lydia kicked off the pool’s floor, rose to the surface, and latched onto the ledge. The shooter stumbled and Lydia lifted her body up, with her feet pointed straight out, and slammed her heels into the shooter’s shins. It felt like hitting a sharp wall, and she fell onto her back.
“Agh!” the shooter dropped the gun in the pool, and Lydia got a good glimpse of her. It was the rock BEP from the mill. Already armored with rock and stone from the Cave, the BEP shifted rock over her unprotected shooting hand. More rock tumbled down her legs like ocean waves and reinforced her shins. “You!” she said from somewhere within the craggy armor. Punching her fists together, she swept her arm into Lydia, knocking her aside and across the floor. “I’ve been looking for you! I’ll kill you, then Heather!” She dug a hunk of earth from her chest and threw it after Lydia.
Lydia rolled out of the way and the chunk exploded into fragments against the wall. A stray stone bruised her, but Lydia hopped onto her feet. She rushed the BEP and rammed her shoulder into the chest. The rock BEP gave several feet of ground but remained unscathed. Lydia punched the chest, cracking the rock, and splitting her own knuckles in the process. The BEP responded with a blow to her side that threw her to the room’s front steps.
Lydia hissed, pain shooting up her hip to her shoulder. There had to be a way to beat this one. At the mill, Lydia had managed to knock her out. Therefore, the BEP inside the rock was affected by her attacks to some extent. She would have a better chance if she could get the thick armor off.
The BEP stomped over to her and stopped. Splashes of water sprayed the ground and Cooper catcalled to her. “Hey! Over here! Bet you’re too afraid to come in and take me on!” He scooped up water in his fins, throwing small waves onto the BEP.
That’s it. With the BEP momentarily distracted, Lydia leaned on the stair handrail, pulling herself to her feet. Then she gritted her teeth against the pain and rushed the BEP again, pushing her to the water with all her might. The BEP stopped at the edge, and Lydia pushed hard against the rock armor. The BEP reached for her and Lydia dropped to the ground, kicking one foot and tripping her. Her opponent collapsed, bouncing her chin and torso onto the ground with a large thud! The armored legs drifted into the water as the person inside lay dazed. Lydia stomped on the face shell, with her side feeling like it was ripping apart. She continued, sinking the whole body farther into the pool. The BEP scrambled with her hands, trying to gain ground on the floor.
The BEP was already shedding her rock armor below the water’s surface so she wouldn’t sink and the pieces disintegrated in the waves. Her massive hands clawed the floor, digging the stubby fingers into the stone. Lydia jumped onto the digits, breaking the rock off one by one. The BEP fell fully into the water and plummeted into the deep depths. Lydia leapt into the pool, stretching out her arms and punching her. The BEP kept the stone mask surrounding her head for a while and hit back. But all too soon, they were on the bottom and the BEP clutched at her throat. The mask broke apart and bubbles streamed out of her mouth and nostrils.
Cooper swam from behind and held the woman’s arms while Lydia socked her chin. One more punch and she was unconscious. Cooper hefted Nina onto his shoulder and Lydia did the same with the woman. They carried their loads to the surface, and after she threw hers onto the ground, Lydia pulled Nina out of the pool with Cooper. Then she fell beside the ledge, lifted her own shirt, and checked her side. A large, nasty purple and red bruise was forming along her ribs where the rock BEP hit her.
Nina wheezed, her chest rising and deflating with labored air. Cooper propped her on his lap and covered a hole between her stomach and chest. The water had washed the blood away, but it was already pulsing out in copious amounts, and her skin was fading to a ghostly hue fast. Lydia frantically crawled over to help, yet she saw that Nina’s life was ebbing fast. Even if Barrett was still here, Lydia doubted Nina would make it to the surgery table. Her breathing was slowing and became lighter. Her terrified eyes understood the situation and looked to Lydia for assurance that Cooper was all right. She nodded and patted her knee.
“Hang on,” Cooper said, scooping her up closer to his face. He squeezed out tears and held her to his chest. “Hang on. We’ll get you help. It’s not that bad. It isn’t.”
“Cooper,” she said, gurgling in her throat. “Stay safe. I love you.” She raised her hand, spreading her fingers and guiding them toward his face. He leaned his cheek into them and she closed her eyes. “Tell Mom and Dad, I lo…love,” and her hand slid down his face and to the ground.
Cooper sat in shock, rocking back and forth and side to side with her. He shook her limp body as if checking for any remaining sparks of life left within. Tears streamed down his cheeks, intermingling with the water, and he didn’t make a sound save for a sniff now and again and mouthing Nina’s name. The pair stared at Nina’s body, watching for any movement, until Lydia reached out and put her hand over Nina’s mouth. No air. She put an ear to her chest. No heartbeat.
She sat back on her heels and covered her mouth, failing to hold back her own tears. “I’m so sorry,” she said to Cooper. “I should’ve been faster. I should’ve been watching.” Cooper didn’t respond. In fact, he didn’t even seem to acknowledge the world around him, save for Nina’s face. “Cooper?” Nothing. Lydia figured she would give him a moment of peace and touched his shoulder to let him know she was there for him.
That activated the boy and he came to life, holding Nina’s head to his and rocking harder until he almost toppled over. He hiccupped and choked on his sobs, alternating between whispered and louder cries of “No, no, no…” He stroked her hair, clutching clumps of it, and examined her face frequently, searching for anything to disprove this nightmare.
Lydia stepped away and gave him his space. They couldn’t stay here long. Soon more of Whyte’s forces would be upon them. She ripped up one of the
stair handrails from the pool, dragged the BEP woman to the wall, and sat her up straight. Lydia bent the rail into a semicircle and jammed its ends into the wall until it fit snug around the woman’s chest and arms. That’ll hold her for a bit.
After she’d finished, Lydia returned to Cooper and looped an arm underneath his armpit. “Hey, we can’t stay here,” she said. He shrugged and pushed at her, but she held firm. “Listen, more are on their way. Nina wouldn’t want you to die here, all right?” He looked up at her, his eyes red and puffy. “I can’t carry both of you if you fight with me. We’ll mourn her later. I promise.”
He nodded. “Okay,” he said, his throat hoarse and broken. The drastic change startled Lydia and her heart tore for him. She embraced him, rubbing his back. “Thank you. For, for…” A fresh set of tears started for both of them.
“I know. It’s all right,” she said, wiping her eyes. Then she lifted Nina onto her shoulder and stooped to pick up Cooper. But he raised one arm.
“Wait.” He waddled to the BEP woman and straightened to perfect eye level with her. He raised a flipper and slapped her across the face as hard as he could. She didn’t react and slumped to the side. He hit her again, then readied a third, yet dropped his arm, sniffed, and flopped to Lydia. She threw him over her shoulder and hustled outside and to the back entrance.
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Rogues of Overwatch Page 67
