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Post by Izzie McFadden on Feb 24, 2011 19:28:37 GMT -5
Izzie felt Gordon's hands against her skin. At his touch, her eyes fell closed and she took a steadying breath, her cheeks damp from the tears.
"Whatever they wanted," Izzie said, her voice a whisper so that it wouldn't waver or shake, "they weren't afraid to take it out of me." That was the most adequate and simple way to describe what they had done to her in that room.
"They never told me why I was there, there was just silence. Then, a robed man would step forward from the darkness, and for hours he would..." Unable to finish her sentence, she traced a finger across one of the scars instead, her hand shaking as she did so. "Every day. Every day for a week. And it didn't matter how much... I screamed... or begged... they kept going."
She wouldn't open her eyes, couldn't. "I kept asking for you, praying for you to turn up but you didn't. Not until... not... I can't feel anything, everything just... there's nothing left. Just pain."
Had she witnessed someone else saying these things, one of her friends, family, or Gordon, she would have told them that it couldn't be true, there was obviously still something left, but right now she was lost so deep in her own pain that she couldn't see the light. Only darkness.
((Wow. -takes a breath-))
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Post by Gordon McFadden on Feb 24, 2011 19:40:16 GMT -5
Another emotion came over Gordon in massive amounts: sorrow. He had promised to never leave her, never allow her to fall into the wrong hands, always be her protector. And yet he had failed. She had said as much, albeit indirectly. He looked down at the ground for a moment, attempting to muster some kind of response, but could only get a few words out without choking up on the emotion that his mind had produced:
"I'm...I'm sorry. You know...you know I would hav..." Gordon took a hand and placed it against her cheek, whispering as tears twenty years in the making came streaming down his face:
"I...know you, Iz. I've loved you more than anyone else in this stinkin galaxy. And I know you have it in you. You got love, you got compassion, the greatest smile in the world...you got it all. Don't you tell yourself that you don't. Cause the man who's given his life to you says otherwise." He leaned in and kissed her again, attempting to stimulate some kind of warmth, some kind of response from her. Would it work? He didn't know. But he sure wasn't going to give up. Not this quick.
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Post by Izzie McFadden on Feb 24, 2011 19:54:05 GMT -5
Izzie's eyes opened, swimming in a sea of tears. They darted about his face, watching the drops of moisture roll down his cheeks, the creases in his forehead from the strain of the emotion.
Blinking slowly, a feeble hand reached up to brush a solitary tear from his cheek. He was crying for her, shedding tears for her pain, no one had ever done that before, especially not Gordon. So, despite all that she had just said, despite the deep wound inside her soul, she felt her heart thud against her ribcage. Again. And again.
Leaning forward, her eyes shut as she pressed her lips to his, and for a moment she lingered, then when the moment passed, she slipped her arms around the back of his neck, burying her head into his neck.
"I love you so much," she croaked out, holding onto him so tightly she couldn't be sure she wasn't hurting him. "Don't let me go... please..."
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Post by Gordon McFadden on Feb 24, 2011 20:09:11 GMT -5
"Never. Again." He held her there, rocking her back and forth gently, gently kissing her on the head. It would be a long road towards her recovery, but she worked with him every step of the way during his withdrawal from R4. There was no way he wouldn't be there for her as she attempted to erase her week long venture into her own personal abyss. No chance.
After what seemed like an eternity, Gordon released her gently, telling her:
"Get a shower, get changed, lay on the cot and rest. I'm gonna set up the other cots for your sisters so they can crash. We're gonna be in space for about a day or so before we get onto solid ground, so you guys rest as much as you can, ok?" He gave her a small smile, kissing her on the forehead before walking back into the smallish room, spotting four cots strapped up against the rear wall. He set two up, spreading them out as evenly as possible before he walked into the main hall, telling both girls:
"You gals get some rest. Got some cots set up in the other room so you can sleep. We'll be planetside in a day or so."
Gordon had flopped into the co-pilot's chair(which he regretted, seeing as his wounds gave him grief about pushing his back against the hard surface of the chair), allowing himself to go into a light doze before he was awakened by movement next to him. He looked up to see the all-too familiar locks of red hair.
"I owe you, Anna. Not just for this, but for everything. Givin me a chance on the hot rod, lettin me handle all those ops, bein a sis when I needed someone to knock me around a little." He chuckled slightly before he added:
"I ain't gonna forgive ya for what you did the first time we met. No ma'am. Ain't gonna fly. And we need to have a rematch. Haven't sparred since then."
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Post by Izzie McFadden on Feb 24, 2011 20:23:58 GMT -5
Anna reclined in the pilot's chair, propping her feet up on the edge of Gordon's seat. Now that the ladies were all sleeping, it eased the tension somewhat. It would probably the first proper night's sleep they'd all have in a long while, if they managed to sleep that was. Who was to know exactly what they want through, and what the after effects would be?
"That's what I'm here for," she said with a smile.
When he said he wanted a rematch for her emasculating move in their first tête à tête on the mats in the gym. She nudged his leg with her foot, "not right now," she said, "I don't spar with the handicapped." Even though what she'd seen earlier had made her doubt him somewhat, seeing Izzie had humanised him again. He really needed her, more than she possibly needed him. They were a good match, hopefully they would hold it together.
It was just under twenty four hours before they touched down on Praxia, a small planet with a human colony of around a hundred thousand people. There, they loaded up on food and other supplies, and Anna made sure that Gordon was steered in the direction of a doctor as soon as they were on solid ground. He needed to be patched up properly by a professional if he was going to make it all they way back in one piece.
After a full day of patchy sleep - interspersed with dreams, good and bad - Izzie found herself able to think again. The girls had a small conflab, Mia and Sara literally just holding Izzie for the first five minutes, and vice versa, before they discussed what they were going to do when they got back. Mia was still deeply affected by Hunter's death, that was much was clear to see. It was going to be a long while before she would be back up on her own two feet.
Izzie was sitting in the ship's open doorway, her legs dangling outside the ship. She'd wanted fresh air, but didn't feel strong enough to venture somewhere unknown just yet. She'd understood why Gordon had to go into the city, Anna had rightly forced him to seek medical attention. He couldn't very well keep her safe if he wasn't whole himself. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself she waited for him to return... hopefully with some real food.
Then they'd be able to go back to Earth.
She knew already that one person was itching to see her.
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Post by Gordon McFadden on Feb 24, 2011 20:44:34 GMT -5
"Mr.Mcfadden, you shouldn't do much lifting with your back. Otherwise, the tissue we replaced won't hold and you'll have to go through this process again."
"I'll do my best, doc."
"All I can ask for. You're clear to leave."
"Thanks for the flesh, Doc."
"Don't mention it."
Gordon walked out of the medical clinic and flexed his back slightly, feeling the new flesh on his back stretch in harmony with the muscles underneath. Flesh replacement wasn't exactly the most fun procedure to go through, seeing as the grafting process was painful(to say the least), but it was quick and it had Gordon up and running in less than an hour and a half. Gordon knew that Anna had taken care of most of the shopping, leaving him to get repaired, but he wanted to get a few things of his own that hopefully would aid in Izzie's recovery. Hopefully.
Gordon couldn't help but overhear talk from various civilians about something called "The Purge". He had ignored most of the discussion, choosing to buy what he needed and get back to Izzie, but after hearing that phrase and "Earth" in the same sentence, he walked over to the latest group he had overheard, asking one of the men in the circle:
"Hey pal, what's the word on the street?"
"You mean you haven't heard?"
"Nah bud. That's why I'm askin."
"There's a group of crazy cultists back on Earth who broadcasted a message about something called 'The Purge'. After the announcement, Texas and California Island went completely off the grid, like they didn't even exist!"
"Waddya mean, off the grid?"
"No power, no comms, nothing. It's like a warning strike. Before those cultists act. I don't know what they're going to do, but it sure looks big." Gordon grimaced, now walking back to the ship's landing pad a little bit faster. Things weren't looking good back home.
Gordon knew he had to suppress that information from the girls and with the items he had in the bag in his right hand, he would make sure Izzie wasn't aware of what was going on. He walked over to Izzie, who was complacently sitting on the ship's doorway and smiled, telling her:
"I hope this is the right one, cause I don't remember stuff like that too easily." He withdrew two chrysanthemums from the bag, handing them to her as he said:
"Cat at the shop told me that they would last a while without water. Also got us this..." He withdrew the last item from the bag: a bottle of Henry Johnson's scotch.
"This your favorite too, right?" Gordon was trying as hard as he could to get Izzie's mind off of the trauma and back to her usual self, so why not bring her flowers and scotch? That may help.
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Post by Izzie McFadden on Feb 25, 2011 8:59:40 GMT -5
Flowers and alcohol.
Izzie actually heard a small laugh leave her throat and lips.
Taking the flowers in her hand, she gently traced their petals across her cheek, soft against her skin, the fragrance stimulating her senses. "Thank you," she said, taking a breath as she set the flowers in her lap, "you have a better memory than you give yourself credit for." It was going to be while before she was laughing and joking, verbally sparring with her loving partner, but she was beginning to feel like she'd get there. Especially if she had Gordon there with her. She'd already forgiven him for the time it had taken him to find her, after all, the thing that mattered was that he had found at all. And she was safe now. As safe as she could be, anyway.
"When are we heading home?"
"In a couple of minutes," Anna said, appearing carrying a large backpack full of supplies, and a couple of extra crates of food. "Gordon, I need a word."
Gordon wasn't the only one who had heard about 'The Purge' around town, all the people in the market had been gossiping about it, not in hushed tones. She gathered that he hadn't told Izzie, that was fair enough for now, but they were going to find out sooner or later.
"We need to get back to Earth as fast as possible," she said, "if what I'm hearing around town is true, then we don't have a moment to lose." Dumping the bags and crates down she said, "get the ship flying, I'm going to go tweak the engines, see how much extra power we squeeze out of them." The benefits of having a degree in science.
"How long do you want to keep them in the dark about this?" she asked quickly, glancing at the three ladies now sitting together on Izzie's cot.
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Post by Gordon McFadden on Feb 27, 2011 16:00:47 GMT -5
"Until everything gets settled back on Earth. Ain't no way I'm gonna tell those girls that Earth is under attack. We get back planet-side, take care of business, then Iz and I get back to the Venia. I ain't gonna stick my nose in business that the Alliance can't handle themselves." It felt selfish of him to say, but it was true: the Alliance was HEADQUARTERED on earth. They would be able to handle the problem. And if not...well, he wouldn't think about what would happen.
"Lets get this baby prepped to fly. Gonna be a long trip."
-End-
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