Never Heroes: Act I

Chapter 19

Never Heroes

Act I

XIX: Dynamics

Physical pain and mental panic left Walter as his mind slipped into darkness. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he had no clue what transpired after he was attacked. It felt as though his entire body shutdown in an attempt to save him. For a brief moment, he thought about giving up and letting death take him, but the most basic of all instincts forbade it. Clawing his way back to life, he opened his blurry eyes hesitantly to see what his fate would amount to.

Although his vision had returned and his eyes moved about, everything was too foggy to make sense of. A sensation gripped his inner core. It felt as though bugs crawled along his veins and tickled their way across the very fiber of his physical makeup. Wearily, he tried to shake the exhaustion from his mind, but the gnawing inside of him soon forced the exhaustion to grow into frustration. Despite being nearly blind and so weak he could barely breathe, he turned his head toward his torso.

The shirt that he had worn was ripped apart to expose his chest, where blood stained his skin. Pale due to the near loss of life he had just suffered, his body looked almost foreign to him. A hand rested where the knife had pierced him, or rather a hand rested in the wound itself. Skin from his torso seemed to meld perfectly with the intruding fist; bruising from the wound faded mere centimeters from the spot, yet the skin could be seen moving about as the hand twitched ever so slightly. The sight caused his mind to jolt awake as his eyes focused on the bizarre spectacle.

"How - "

"Rest," a soothing voice commanded. A hand gently pushed on his forehead and he obeyed the command. He followed the arm to greet the face that had just given him orders. For the first time he made true eye contact with Tahere; she peered deep into his hazel eyes, not just focusing on the bridge of his nose or the corner of his brow like she had in the past. It wasn't brief or awkward; it was an intense display of respect and affection like he had never experienced in his life. He obediently heeded her command and allowed his eyes to shut again.

Relaxed, he was shocked when a pair of warm hands suddenly gripped his face. Curious, he opened his eyes and found himself staring at a completely different set of eyes. Emily carried with her an expression of concern he'd seen less than a handful of times, but a pout on her lips revealed the annoyance that was buried underneath.

"You alright?" she asked. Compared to Tahere, Emily's voice was loud and abrasive. It didn't sooth him, but rather shook his eardrums and rattled his brain.

"Yeah. I think so," he said. It was so difficult to him to speak. Parched, his throat was exceptionally dry. It felt as though those were the first words he had uttered in eons. Once more, he shut his eyes. The feeling of Emily's hands remained, as did the hand of Tahere that rested near his heart.

"You sure? You have tears running down your face like a baby," Emily said. Her thumbs wiped the wet streaks away. Walter hadn't even realized he had tears cascading from his ducts and down his cheeks until she mentioned them. Inside his rational mind, he picked apart the many different reasons for such a thing. Pain from the wound, exhaustion from survival, relief from being alive... there were many options to choose from.

He smiled and said, "Yeah. I think those are good tears."

"Kind of pathetic," she said with a small grin threatening to make an appearance. Energy levels were so low between the both of them that neither could continue any banter. Instead, Emily placed her forehead against his and forced him to look her dead in the eyes. A second or two passed where nothing was said, all they could do was feel each other as each intake and exhale of air was had. She said, "Get some rest. If I see you walking around, I'll break your legs."

Then, she pulled way and left him. She knew that standing near him as Tahere attempted to heal him wasn't going to help. Besides, Doug was in another room alone and probably freaking out. Even if he was kind of on the bottom of her friends list, he was still a friend and needed a little encouragement. Besides, no one knew exactly where Tahere had taken them, so being in the same vicinity as each other would probably calm their nerves.

There was only one door way out of the room that Walter was in, and on the other side was the room where Doug could be found. There were no other doors or any windows. The trio could not exit unless Tahere pulled a fancy magic trick and brought them back home. It made sense to Emily; she knew that healing Walter from what was certainly a fatal wound was more important than her comfort. Still, she didn't necessarily like it.

Once in Doug's room, she was surprised to find him moving about. A large bandaged had been secured around his neck. Tahere had done basic and quick repairs on him before she focused on Walter, so blood still seeped through the cut, although in much smaller amounts. Whatever had been severed was fixed, but no doubt Doug was in a lot of pain and was kicking himself mentally for getting hurt.

Silently and carefully she approached him. He had situated himself in the farthest corner from the door, facing the wall. Occasionally she could see his back heave as he exhaled a great sigh. His hands were occupied, and soon a quiet but striking melody followed the patterns of his movements. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to realize a mandolin had been placed in his room and was the sole focus of his attention.

She thought to interrupt him, as his beat wasn't quite right and his tempo was much slower than he typically played. Just as her mouth opened to taunt him, the pace picked up. The sound caused her to halt. There was Doug's secret weapon: his ability to pick up anything with strings and make it sound hauntingly beautiful. When he played music she stopped picking on him, and he'd used that to his advantage for years.

This time, however, things were different. She needed to start conversation. It took a lot of effort from her to call out to him and say, "Your only real friend was your guitar."

He stopped and twisted his neck to gaze over his shoulder. Silently he observed her before he turned back to the wall. A couple of strums on the mandolin shook the tense atmosphere, but soon he set the instrument down and turned to face her properly. "Probably. We really got each other, you know?" he said.

It was forced, so she decided not to continue any jokes. A tad more seriously, she asked, "I heard you stopped playing. What's your lame excuse for that?"

"I lost my muse," he answered. Suddenly, his eyes darted away and he said, "You... It left after high school. I guess life works out that way."

That was the closest thing he ever dared to say in relation to how he might have felt about her. It was strange to Emily how she could be so close - almost emotionally intimate - with Walter, a man that was just as distant as any other, yet she could physically feel the barrier that separated her from Doug. It was suffocating the room.

"I thought genius never leaves?" she said, this time hoping he could sense the humor behind her words.

Apparently, he didn't. He was silent. His lips quivered and threatened to open while his tongue darted about his mouth as the words made rounds in his head. Their relationship and friendly rivalry had changed both of them growing up, yet it had probably never affected her much after that. As for him, she had changed him on a fundamental level. The very core of his soul, the essence of his being, had shifted due to her existence. It wasn't a sudden landslide that knocked him off his feet and strangled his gasps for air. No, the foundation of his self had changed steadily overtime, the harsh combination of memories and longings enough to give him hope yet leave him bitter, and pepper his outlook with a million different strokes.

Finally, words came. It was not what she expected. "How's Walter?" he asked.

Now, it was her turn to hesitate. She had seen something flare in Doug's eyes long enough for her to see it, although not long enough for her to understand it. She took pride in her toughness, but the sight did strike her with a sudden pang of guilt.

"He'll be alright, I think. Tahere would do anything for him," she said.

"So would I," Doug said without even a thought.

"What about you? Are you okay?" Emily inquired. Even she couldn't help but be surprised at how concerned her voice had sounded.

Doug touched his injured neck as he thought seriously about his answer. To find himself still alive after being convinced death had a firm grip on him was still hard for his mind to grasp. Then, to find himself in a place that seemingly had no escape? He certainly had better days.

"Ah, I'm alright. It takes more than that to kill a bug, you know? Besides, I'm a lot more worried about you. And Walter. And Chip, too," he said.

Emily's mind flashed to Chip. Everything had happened so fast she'd actually forgotten about him. While they were resting cozy in their strange prison, Chip was probably still back in their hometown, trying to figure out what happened to his friends and the dead government agent on the floor. Hell, that was if Chip was even still alive, considering it was clear someone was trying to kill them.

"Why do we think we were attacked?" Emily asked.

She didn't expect a response, so when Doug said something she was a bit taken aback. He said, "We weren't. Walter was. The most skeptic of us all was the one they tried to take out. He was skeptic of that Saeed guy, which makes me wonder if this isn't all his doing."

"There is little doubt that this was Prince Saeed's plan," Tahere's voice said. An apparition of Tahere appeared beside the two. As she continued her work on Walter, she projected herself to the others in order to better communicate. "The Grand Master is the biggest threat to him. In order to seize power over Lancer Chip Cooper, he must first destroy that which holds him back."

"That which holds him - so then, does that mean Sarah, too?" Emily asked. A picture of the situation was starting to form in her head, but there were still many missing pieces.

Tahere answered, "Perhaps."

"Why Chip, though? I mean, I get it, you guys need resources, but by disrupting his life, isn't he kind of disobeying this order you guys have to protect people?" Doug asked.

"Prince Saeed is... different."

"How?" Emily demanded.

"I apologize, but I cannot explain right now," she said. Slowly, the room around them started to fade into pure white. By this point, they had seen and been through enough that the sight didn't bother them. "This place you reside in is created by my power alone, yet now I need all the energy I can summon to keep the Grand Master alive. I promise, I will return him to you, even if it costs me my life. Please understand that I must return you to the Lancer and the Prince."

A flash crossed their vision, and they found themselves back on the lush green grass of their favorite park. Wildly their eyes dashed around as they tried to assess if their lives were in danger. There were no signs of life.

"Ah, there you are!" a voice beckoned from behind. They both turned to find Saeed and Chip waiting for them eagerly.

"Are you both alright?! Where's Walter?!" Chip screamed. One quick glance at his armor was telling. Brilliant, shining metal had been stained with fresh red blood. More than likely, Chip had heard what had happened and went on a chopping spree of anyone that got into his way. The idea made both Doug and Emily violently shiver.

"Walter is in Tahere's care right now," Doug said. Emily applauded his steady voice, impressed that the childish and jumpy Doug could sound so mature. Clearly, Doug was done screwing around.

"Saeed said he sensed you guys were in danger, but when I got into that stupid room they sent you to, you were already gone. Is it true you guys were attacked?" Chip questioned. His voice came out so rapid fire and hostile they were shocked it was even him.

"Walter was stabbed, but I think he'll be okay," Doug explained. His eyes went to Saeed for barely a heartbeat before they returned to Chip. "I'm not sure why he was stabbed. I think someone doesn't like you having friends, man."

Saeed's eyes narrowed, but only Emily saw this. Now she truly didn't trust him. It was hard for her to keep her mouth shut. No one was allowed to give Doug such a dirty look without her express written permission. It took every ounce of her self-control not to grab Saeed by the back of the head and slam his head into the monkeybars like she'd done to so many other unsuspecting boys in the past.

"I won't let anyone hurt you guys, I promise," Chip announced. It was interesting how determined he sounded and how such drive changed his voice an octave.

A loud sigh from Doug was followed by, "Listen. Chip. Can I talk to you alone? Like, without this weird guy and this bitchy girl?"

Emily swatted at the thumb that Doug jammed in her direction. Only the most observant would have noticed how his tone changed from "weird guy" to "bitchy girl," a verbal indication that he held bitter resentment to Saeed's existence. Chip might have heard the cue, but he didn't comment or act on it. All he did was give a silent nod and motion for his friend to lead the way.

Left alone with Saeed, Emily had to physically bite her tongue to prevent herself from saying something stupid. Saeed noticed the awkward atmosphere and mistook it for fear. He said, "There is nothing for you to worry about. While the agents of your Kingdom are searching for you, I have created a barrier that prohibits them from knowing this place exists."

Inadvertently he had revealed just how powerful could he could be if he desired. To simply make a portion of the Earth cease to exist and make it so no one even remembered it being there was a startling feat. The idea made her cross her arms over her chest in a subconscious move to protect herself. The action came across as aggressive to Saeed. She said, "I'm not worried about the government. I just don't trust you."

A faint sound came from the back of his throat but no real words were emitted. Her eyes were focused on Chip and Doug, so she never saw how his face twisted through several emotions at the declaration. Hurt, confusion, and annoyance all had their fair share of time on his face before he settled for a neutral expression.

"I see. That is unfortunate. I have heard all the stories about you and I have read all the documents pertaining to your battles, yet still I feel more fascinated by your presence than intimated. I wish you would one day feel the same toward me," he said. Suddenly, he gave her a deep bow; the action was enough that she physically jumped from his abrupt movement. Now that he had her full attention, he said, "I understand that no new Order of the Church was assigned to you after you sent Brother Kaveh to die, so please accept my desire to protect you as I protect the Lancer."

Uninterested and unconvinced, she was unable to stop herself from saying, "You mean the way you protected Walter?"

There was no denying that the accusation was clear to him. Not only did his body tense, but he had to force himself from standing up straight. Although his eyes weren't in perfect view for her to see, she could tell they had widened and his brows had been raised. His voice betrayed his fear when he said, "I'm... I'm sorry, but I don't -"

"Understand? Yeah, right. f**k off with that bullshit. Tell me what's really going on here, you f*****g prick."

Saeed knew it was time to end the conversation, as it was going nowhere. Finally, he stood up straight and made eye contact with Emily as he spoke. He wanted to make it clear that he wasn't lying. "It is much more complicated than I have time to explain. Just understand that your Kingdom as well as mine are in danger. I am doing my part as Prince to my Kingdom and Protector to the Lancer to defend both," he said.

"Whatever," she said. Even if it was the truth, it was only the half-truth and she was well aware of that. Instead, her attention turned to Chip and Doug as they finally reached a distance where Doug felt it was safe to talk.

Doug felt Emily's eyes on them and he glanced back briefly. Soon, his attention went back to Chip and the blood that covered him. "Dude, man... what the hell happened?" Doug asked.

"Didn't I explain? I knew something happened to Walter so I tried to help."

"By taking a shower at a Red Cross blood drive?" Doug questioned. When Chip's face didn't even twitch, Doug knew his friend had gone completely mad. "Come on, man, what happened to you? You never liked fighting before."

"That was before I found out how much evil there is in this world," Chip said flatly. Doug didn't quite understand, so he continued, "They murdered Sarah, Doug. They took her and our baby from me before we even had a chance to live a life together."

"You don't know that, Chip. We don't know if what we saw was real," Doug tried to reason.

"Well it felt real, alright? And what would you know about that anyway? You have no idea what it means to have a family."

Doug winced. Those were harsh words. Even Emily rarely went that far below the belt. There was no stopping the obvious pain in his voice when he tried to come up with an argument. "Of course I do! You guys are my family!" he said.

Chip wasn't going to dare defy that statement. No matter how upside down Chip's world turned and how much it forced his demeanor to change, the most basic parts of his personality would remain forever intact. One of those precious cornerstones of his makeup was the undying and unfaltering devotion to those around him. Doug was certainly family to Chip, and nothing would ever change that.

Chip went to apologize, "Doug, I'm sorry - "

He was interrupted when the ground shook so violently that both of them lost their footing. While Chip was able to catch himself on a knee, Doug face-planted expertly into the grass with a hardy grunt. Saeed and Emily didn't fare much better, but just to show he was true in his words, Saeed intentionally stabilized Emily before she could hit the ground. The action went completely unnoticed to her.

"What the f**k was that?!" she screamed.

Saeed remained calm as he answered, "I'm afraid we're under attack."