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 Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:25 am
Takes place directly after this solo. “What have I done? What have I done, what have I done, what have I done?”
She was back in her civilian garb. She’d let go of her transformation as soon as the danger was gone, not wanting to attract further attention to the area. At her feet lay two bodies: the first, that of Olivia Battaglia, unconscious but breathing; the second, that of a nameless Negaverse Lieutenant, bleeding profusely from a wound to the head that Ganymede, in her anger, had caused.
Paris paced back and forth between the two, shaking from the shock and diminishing rage. She’d had just enough sense to call her husband after de-transforming, and now waited for him anxiously.
“What do I do?” she wondered, looking from Olivia to the unconscious Lieutenant. “What do I do?”
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:27 am
Chris had been at home that night. Paris had been at the studio and he’d not needed to go to the field for a game or practice. In fact, he’d been waiting at home so they could turn on a movie and be lazy that night.
But that obviously wasn’t going to happen, and with Paris’s phone call, Chris rushed to her as quickly as he could.
He pulled the car as close to the alley as he could. It figured it would be late enough for no one else to be around, or maybe everyone who could have helped decided it wasn’t their business and moved along. On one hand, he was glad they didn’t get involved. On the other, he wanted to make sure Paris and Olivia were okay.
“Paris, what happened??” he asked as he ran over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her over to see if she was injured, before turning his attention to Olivia and… a lieutenant? “We need to get them to the hospital,” he said dazedly, knowing he wasn’t thinking. He didn’t want to think. He didn’t want to know the circumstances behind what happened.
But somehow he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:27 am
Paris was hoping for the immediate sense of calm and relief that often came with Chris’s presence in a time of crisis, but it didn’t happen. If anything, his being there only made her feel worse.
What was he going to think of her? What was he going to say? Was he going to be angry? What would she do if things turned out badly for them?
She couldn’t stop the shaking. At this point she didn’t have any idea what it was from; the shock, the anger, or the adrenaline.
“We can’t,” she said breathlessly.
She couldn’t breathe. Everything had happened so fast. It was like the entire world was speeding by her while she stood there in slow motion.
“Olivia…” she began again, glancing beyond Chris to Olivia’s unconscious form. “She was just laying there and the Lieutenant had her starseed so I just… I didn’t even think, I just powered up right there.”
Paris paused, tore her eyes from Olivia and focused them on the Lieutenant.
“I checked to make sure he wasn’t dead, but he’s hurt and it’s my fault, and I don’t know what to do, Chris. He saw me transform.”
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:28 am
“Shh, calm down,” he said, drawing his attention back to Paris as she began to become too overwhelmed. His heart had been pounding since he received the call from her, but now that they were there in the alley, he could feel his blood running cold.
Chris felt his breath catch in his throat as Paris explained that she’d been seen, and his eyes quickly went back to the Lieutenant. He didn’t recognize him, so he didn’t know how the young man would react once he was conscious again. Would he be able to keep the secret of Paris’s identity? Was their entire family in danger now? And to make matters worse, the Lieutenant was no more than a kid. Probably still in high school.
His mind was both racing and wanting to shut down at the same time. He knew that there was always a possibility that something like this could happen. That he could power up in front of the wrong person and therefore his identity would be compromised. But Paris was much more cautious than he was. Perhaps the thought of losing their unborn children and friend was more of a risk than anything else at that moment.
He knew he would have done the same.
“Help me get her in the car,” he said, but there was no emotion in his voice. It startled him a little, feeling like everything was shutting down. To protect himself and how he felt? What were they supposed to do now?
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:28 am
“What are we going to do?” Paris said. She hardly heard anything Chris was saying, so lost was she to the moment. “Chris, what are we going to do?”
But she went through the motions as best as she could. She pulled herself away from Chris, went back to Olivia, and felt for her pulse again. It was thready and Olivia remained unconscious, but she was alive.
The same could not be said as confidently for the children. Paris’s hand went to Olivia’s bulging stomach. She felt nothing. She hadn’t expected she would, not when she couldn’t on normal occasions, but it would have been such a relief to feel a little foot or hand poking against Olivia’s belly.
“I had to do it,” Paris said, unsure if she was talking to herself or to Chris. “I had to. if I didn’t, Olivia could have died. And the babies....”
They’d been through so much already for her to allow that to happen.
She waited by Olivia’s side while Chris made his way over. Perhaps she could have lifted a pregnant woman while powered up, but in her civilian garb in was a bit beyond her strength. She left that to Chris and instead looked toward the Lieutenant.
“I don’t even know if… if he can regain consciousness,” she admitted with a sick feeling in her gut. “I hit his head hard. There’s so much blood.”
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:29 am
What were they going to do? Chris shook his head, his mind reeling but his primary concern was getting Paris to calm down and to get Olivia in the car so they could get her to the hospital. "Call Michael," he heard himself saying without really processing why his older brother was his first thought.
That wasn't true. He knew exactly why he wanted Michael involved instead of handling the situation himself. How was he supposed to do this on his own? He knew the options, but he didn't think he had the resolve to follow through. This young lieutenant, someone who probably didn't even realize what he was getting himself into, had seen Paris's identity. What would happen if they let him go? Maybe he would keep her secret...
No, he knew that was much too naive to think, even for him. They'd risked enough with their identity being revealed as it was. Twice within the last half year. It was too much of a risk. They were treading on thin ice as it was. Even if they could try to learn the identity of this lieutenant, there was no saying how he would react. He may not even care that Senshi and knights knew who he was. Chris assumed try out everything about themselves up for forfeit when they were corrupted.
There was always purification. They could find someone who could force him to purify. Camelot perhaps. But then the same thing could happen to him as it had with Lina. The last he'd heard of her, she'd gone back to the Negaverse. Whether they accepted her back or not, he did not know.
He did not feel for Olivia's pulse. There was no option for that. She had to be alive. He did not think he could handle it if he knew she might not make it. Carefully, he knelt down beside her, gathering her in his arms before lifting her up from the ground. She didn't look like she was injured, but if anything had happened to her starseed, she may never wake up.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:29 am
Call Michael.
What good was that going to do?
No, Paris knew the answer to that question. Michael was better at keeping a level head in these sorts of situations. He would know what to do. He would be able to help.
Deep inside, Paris was sure she knew what was going to happen to the Lieutenant. They couldn’t take the risk of him regaining consciousness. Their only options were purification or death, and somehow she felt like purification was off the table.
Digging around in her purse, Paris found her phone. It took her a few tries to unlock it, as her hands were still shaky and she kept hitting the wrong buttons on accident. As soon as she was able she hit the speed dial for Michael, standing nervously by the inert Lieutenant while Chris picked Olivia up and began carrying her to the car.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up, you b*****d,” she chanted.
Eventually he did pick up, and she heard a “What do you want?” coming from the other end of the line.
“Listen to me,” Paris said. “We need your help. Olivia was attacked. I had to fight. But the Lieutenant… he knows who I am. I called Chris but we don’t know what to do. Oh my God, please just shut up for a minute!” she almost shouted when he tried to interrupt her. “Just meet us by the Destiny City theater. Out back. Please, Michael, don’t be an a*****e right now. I’m begging you. This is serious.”
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:30 am
Don’t be an a*****e, she said. This was serious, she said. Michael stared blankly at the phone at the end of the one sided conversation. For a few moments he just sat there on his couch, before lowering his head with a sigh and standing. If it was as serious as he expected, there would not be enough time to drive, and after collecting a few items, he left his house to power up.
Chris had finished getting Olivia in the back of his car and was trying to convince Paris to take her to the hospital by the time Michael showed up. He could feel his brother’s aura before he could see him, but Michael was smart enough to power down before reaching his final destination. “What the hell did you do?” he frowned at Paris before turning his attention to the downed Lieutenant, his eyes sharp and colder than Chris was used to seeing.
“Knock it off,” Chris snapped, obviously tense about the entire situation. “He had Olivia’s starseed. She’s our surrogate, Michael,” he reminded his brother in case he’d forgotten. He didn’t know if Michael had even met Olivia or even knew her name. He wished Paris would leave. She didn’t need to be here for whatever it was that needed to be done. Whatever it was, it was already making him feel sick.
Michael didn’t bother asking if Olivia was okay. He was sure they would have told him if she wasn’t. Might not even need his help if she wasn’t. From the looks of it, she’d been removed from the scene. Instead, he went over to the Lieutenant to check over, noting the blood and obvious head wound. “I doubt this did more than a concussion,” he stated, almost regrettably. Head wounds tended to bleed more, regardless of severity. It probably would have been better for everyone involved if the wound had been fatal. Just let him bleed out. Or slip into a coma.
“Are you positive he saw you?” He didn’t bother looking up, instead trying to determine if he recognized this officer, but couldn’t place him anywhere. He never brought it up with anyone, but he remembered the events that would happen in the future. How their family was split. How he, and he assumed Peter, faked their own deaths to give the others a better chance to survive. For this to be happening now. To need to go into hiding now…
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:30 am
Paris didn’t know whether to check on Olivia again or stay by the Lieutenant in case he were to wake up. She was still shaking, and now there were tears in her eyes, and if she could she would rewind the clock to make sure Olivia got home safely.
She was not entirely relieved when Michael arrived. On the one hand, it meant they had someone level-headed enough to figure out what to do about the situation; on the other hand, it meant something had to be done, and Paris had a pretty good feeling she knew what that something would be.
They couldn’t let the officer go. Not now that he’d seen her.
“I’m sure he saw me,” she said weakly. “I transformed right in front of him. I had to,” she added, trying to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation with a beseeching look in Michael’s direction.
What other choice would she have had? Duck into an alleyway to transform, and in that time the Lieutenant could have taken off with Olivia’s starseed? What was she supposed to have done then? Let Olivia and the babies die?
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:31 am
“If that’s what you had to do, then that’s what you had to do,” he said simply, knowing that no one really ever knew what would happen in a war. They just did what they could to survive and to protect those they cared about. If they couldn’t trust their own instincts, then what good was fighting in the first place?
“I really hope you weighed any and all other options before you called me,” he continued to frown, but glanced around to make sure they were still alone. He had no problem doing it, but could Paris and Chris live with the weight on their shoulders? “You do know if we let him go, the Negaverse could come knocking on your door. We’ll all have to leave. You probably wouldn’t be able to even come back for your kids. The city is falling as it is. The loss of two knights and an eternal would be detrimental--”
“I know,” Chris cut him off, his eyes shut tight against everything before him, his hands balled into fists by his side. He knew Michael was speaking to him as he went over everything that would have to change. Chris wasn’t a fighter, and he was much less a killer. He’d seen senshi and knights die in front of him and he was unable to do anything, and yet he struggled with the thought of having the fate of this Lieutenant in his hands. He didn’t want that burden.
Maybe that was what made him weak. Saying he wouldn’t fight or cause harm to others, unless it was to protect himself was… much more difficult when he had a family. If he was doing this on his own. If he only had himself to worry about. If it had been him and not Paris, he would have been okay with leaving or hiding out or whatever he had to do.
But this was his entire family at risk. It was not as easy as saying he’d only fight to defend himself. He had to fight to defend those he loved, those he cared about. He wanted peace, but what peace would there be if they allowed this young man to go free? How many others would have their starseeds taken?
“We have to,” he said quietly, voicing his decision so Paris and Michael didn’t have to. He doubted he would have the resolve to actually do the deed, but he was willing to take on the responsibility for their actions that night. This was a war, no matter how they looked at it. “Go to the car, Paris…”
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:32 am
Would she be able to live with herself?
A part of her didn’t know if she could. This was another human life they were talking about, and it was her fault in the first place that this was even an option.
But there hadn’t been any other way. There was nothing else she could have done. She was sure she’d made the right decision at the time. This was Olivia’s life they were talking about, and the lives of their children.
When it came down to it they were weighing one life against those of their family.
Another part of Paris thought she could live with it. She was directly responsible, but she had no malicious intent. She was protecting herself. She was protecting her husband. She was protecting her mother, and her little sister, and her cousin, and her in-laws, and her friends, and her children. She was protecting more lives tonight than she was ending.
Yet knowing that didn’t stop the tears. She brought a hand to her mouth to cover a sob, nodded, and made her way on stumbling feet toward the car.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:33 am
He was afraid something like this might happen, and he pulled out a small leather pouch that he had tucked into the back of his pants. Michael wasn’t in the business of killing, but he knew it was always a possibility. This would not be the first life he’d ended, although this would be the first for personal reasons, and the first by request.
Unzipping the bag, he took out a tiny glass vial with some kind of clear liquid, and a syringe. He wished it was as easy as applying drugs and letting it do the work for him, but there was always the possibility of it not working well enough, or there be an reaction that would cause it not to work. He could sense his brother eyeing him curiously as he uncapped the needle and stuck the tip into the lid of the vial.
“Muscle relaxant…” he explained, but didn’t bother with too much detail. The less his brother knew, the better. “You should go, too. I can take care of this. I’ll just have it staged as an accident. Kid was under the influence and fell off the building. Something like that,” he explained, hearing no emotion in his own voice as he flicked any air bubbles from the needles, and applied the dose directly into the Lieutenant’s neck.
That would be easy, wouldn’t it…? Just stage it like an accident. Let someone else find the body. Leave the young Lieutenant to be picked at by rats and animals until his body was found by some passerby. Or worse, he could be ignored until the smell got too bad. His family may never know what happened to him. Therefore, no one will ever know who was involved with his death.
“Wait,” he said quietly, although Michael looked skeptical about stopping. But Chris wasn’t going to change his mind. He had to protect his family, but he couldn’t bring himself to allow this boy to be left in the alley.
Instead, he powered up and removed the cape from around his shoulders. He didn’t know how long it would be before the magic that protected their identities wore off, but he did not want to know who this young man was. He wanted to give him at least that much respect. Carefully, he laid the cape down over the young man’s face and torso, for it was not long enough to cover his entire body.
“I want to make sure he’s brought back to his family,” he explained, his voice thick with emotion, but his eyes were guarded as carefully as he could manage. It was not easy for him to control his emotions, but he wanted to be as strong as possible for everyone involved.
Michael stared at him, obviously wary about what might happen. He didn’t blame him. There were already too many involved as it was, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least return the body. Finally, as if he knew there was no point in arguing, Michael finally nodded and took hold of the Lieutenant’s head. All that took to end his life was emphasized by a sickening snap.
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:33 am
Snap.
Snap.
She was at the car, near the open door to the backseat, looking in on Olivia and watching her breath. Inhale, exhale; inhale, exhale. She brushed Olivia’s hair from her face, put her hand to Olivia’s neck to check for her pulse again, relieved to feel it growing stronger and more steady.
Olivia was going to be alright. She was going to live. Paris had saved her. And the babies…
Perhaps they’d be alright, too.
Snap.
But it was the sound did her in. Paris flinched and cried out, brought her hand back to her mouth to stifle the noise. She wept raggedly. Her stomach twisted. She stumbled around the car to throw up along the roadside. The sour taste of guilt flooded her mouth.
Snap.
It would haunt her dreams with all the rest.
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