Chapter 20: Old Wounds

“... and that’s why my current goals are to recruit our last team member, hopefully find a way to bring Andrea back, and start actually fighting back against these monsters.”

Spencer finished his lengthy explanation. His palms felt clammy so he rubbed them together as his eyes flickered up to the pair of stunned engies seated and standing before him in the dark unfinished basement. Beatrice recovered first. Her marker flew across her white board and she turned it around with a gentle smile.

‘I’m sorry you had to go through so much, commander.’

She hastily erased her message and wrote a new one.

‘Needless to say none of what you shared changes my commitment to protecting you.’

She tucked the white board under her arm and added in sign language.

‘I choose you.’

A warmth filled Spencer’s heart and lifted a heavy weight from his shoulders. This was the risk he took each time he shared openly with his team. They would either accept and continue to follow him or-

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

Spencer winced while ice shot through his veins thanks to the frigid stare Naomi leveled in his direction. Gone was her playful flirting, her flippant remarks, and her mask of indifference. Raw and unfiltered rage filled her entire being. 

It was in the way she turned slightly away from him. Like she wanted him out of her sight, but didn’t trust him enough to turn fully. The way her fingers dug into her arms like the discomfort was the only thing grounding her. The way her drone slid methodically into combat mode, cannons not aimed directly at anyone in the basement, but ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

Beatrice shifted immediately, placing herself and her hover shield between Spencer and the angered engie. The tension thickened so fast Spencer nearly forgot how to breathe.

“Naomi, I-”

“Stop!” The tall suit wearing girl shouted down Spencer’s words. “No more talking.”

She shuddered and clutched her head as her eyes shook with a mixture of rage, fear, and something close to pain.

“I knew it.” Her voice cracked like a whip. “I knew you were just like everyone else. You hide it behind sweet words, but you use us like everyone else does.”

She backed up towards the stairs. Beatrice’s eyebrows turned down in anger as she frantically wrote out a retort. Spencer read it over her shoulder before the mute engie thrust the whiteboard out for Naomi to read.

‘The commander is different!’

“He’s not!” Naomi shouted, her blasters heating up in time with her mania. “He’s going to use you, abuse you, and lose you the second it suits him!”

Beatrice didn’t back down.

‘Explain Andrea! Explain the commander being nice when he doesn’t have to be!’

“Sweet lies to get you to fall in line.” Naomi’s fingernails dug into her own palms as her hands shook. “Andrea probably never even-”

“I saw her.”

A clear calm voice silenced the room. Naomi whipped around in a low crouch, blasters hot, but stopped short when she saw who it was.

Sarah leaned against the basement door. Her face smooth and impassive as ever. Though, at this point, Spencer could read the sword wielder well enough to see a dangerous anger simmering behind her purple irises.

Has it really only been a full day since I met her? Spencer found himself wondering. Each hour over the last two days has felt like weeks.

“My first few moments in this world were spent fighting off monstrosities, protecting my brand new commander, and then watching him mourn the loss of Andrea. That pain was not an act. Those tears were not pretend.” Sarah’s hand drifted down to the pommel of her sword. “I will not tolerate slander thrown at the commander.”

Spencer’s heart thundered in his chest. He couldn’t let this devolve into fighting. Not when he just got everyone together.

“Sarah. Beatrice. Stand down.” He ordered.

Sarah’s hand fell from her pommel without complaint and Beatrice reluctantly moved her shield away from Naomi.

“Such eager little slaves.” Naomi glared at each of them in turn and ended on Spencer.

“You going to order me to shut up and fall in line? Bend my mind to your will until I smile along?” Naomi lifted her chin at him in defiance, her silver hair spilling messily over her shoulders.

Funny enough, Spencer noticed that she never actually said she would disobey him. A part of him suspected that she couldn’t if he pressed her. Perhaps holding herself in this in between was her only way of feeling like she had a choice left to make.

This might be a huge mistake… Spencer took a deep breath before answering Naomi.

“I’ll never order anyone to stay.” He declared firmly.

The comment wasn’t only directed at the defiant engie. Spencer met Sarah and Beatrice’s eyes to ensure that they knew the same offer applied to them as well. Genuine surprise filled each face in the room.

“If you truly feel I’m manipulating you or forcing you to be here beyond your free will then you can leave any time you want to.” Spencer gestured at the stairs behind Sarah.

His mind flashed to the kiss he shared with Sarah, the double kiss in the school parking lot with Sarah and Beatrice, and the heart to heart he had with Beatrice in the garage early today. It didn’t seem likely that either of them would want to leave… but the idea that they could filled him with unexpected apprehension.

Easy. They’re their own people. Sure it would hurt, but it’s better than holding them here against their will. He told himself internally.

“Obviously I don’t want you to leave… but you can, you know, if you want.” Spencer blushed at his own sudden nervous energy.

The room fell still. Four hearts thumped loudly while everyone held their breath and waited for someone to move or speak first. 

Sarah’s jaw tightened and her eyes met Spencer’s. She stepped slowly up to him and grabbed the front of his shirt firmly in one fist.

“Never.” Her voice was low and fierce. “Ever. Offer me the chance to leave you again.”

A strange laugh left Spencer’s lungs as Sarah lifted him partially off of his feet.

“I just-”

His words were drowned out by Sarah crashing her lips against his. Her movements were commanding and left him breathless when she eventually pulled back.

“Because I told you I would see your dreams fulfilled.” She studied his face with a much softer look of possessive fondness. “You don’t get to back out now.”

Over Sarah’s shoulder Spencer spotted a flushed Beatrice holding up a white board containing a drawing that looked vaguely like Spencer throwing Sarah down onto a bed with the caption ‘reestablish dominance’ written beneath it. Much smaller, in one corner, Spencer read her response to his offer to leave.

‘I will protect the commander till the end… dummy.’

There also might have been a small drawing of Spencer pinning Beatrice to the wall, lips interlocked, but before he could get a clearer view of it Naomi cleared her throat.

“You have… loyal dogs.” Naomi sniffed, but her words lacked their earlier bite.

She shook her head and turned towards the stairs. Spencer’s chest tightened. He wouldn’t take back his word and he didn’t know what else he could say to alleviate Naomi’s deeply rooted mistrust. Anything further could be twisted as an attempt to control her. All that was left was to show her his good intentions by allowing her to walk away.

Unexpectedly, Naomi hesitated on the bottom step.

“So I can just… Go?” She shot back at him without turning her head.

Spencer blinked and nodded. “Yeah. You’re also welcome to come back if you ever want to. You’re not banished or anything.”

Her hands clenched and unclenched a few times before she stomped up the stairs out of sight. A chime sounded in his ears. As Spencer flicked his finger up to check the notification on his system Sarah walked over to the stairs and cocked her ear towards the ceiling.

“She didn’t leave the house. She’s just in an upstairs bedroom.” Sarah tracked with her keen hearing.

Beatrice held up her whiteboard. ‘I’m sorry that happened, commander. I get the feeling Naomi’s outburst had little to do with you.’

Sarah read the words and frowned slightly. “Why blow up at the commander if he’s not at fault?”

Beatrice wrote again and blushed lightly at her own words. ‘It may be presumptuous, but I sense that Naomi carries a lot of pain… like me. The commander is just the current face for her anger and fear.’

Spencer reached a hand out to pat Beatrice’s soft light blue hair. “You’re probably right. Thank you for your thoughts. I’m confident Naomi will come around and stay.”

Both engies in the basement raised questioning eyebrows since they couldn’t see what had just appeared for the first time. Naomi’s character info.

‘Bonding Event successfully passed, Seeds of Trust: 

• Five store credits awarded.

• Team member, Naomi, stats improved.’

‘ Engie Name: Naomi

Rank: A

Class: Ramping Burst

Role: DPS

Range: 10-200ft

Damage Type: Energy

Passive Abilities: Concentration Disruption, Growing Accuracy

Active Abilities: Armor Destruction, Crit Burst’