Hondo I. Sackett
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As Valentine and Gadget had some much needed girl-talk down in the kitchen over a few beers, Hondo walked upstairs to the living room. He glanced at the girls watching TV but they seemingly paid him no mind. He shook his head after a moment and walked up to Fernando’s bedroom door. As he raised his fist to knock a voice called out behind him.
“I’d leave him alone if I was you. I don’t think he wants to talk to anyone.” Tabitha said.
“Well, I reckon I’m not you.” He said flatly before knocking.
A harsh sounding voice answered from within, “If you’re one of my girls it had better be important, if its someone else it had better be a God Damned emergency!”
Unphased, as he was used to it by now, he cracked the door open just enough to speak through it.
“It’s just me.” Hondo said emotionlessly.
“Hondo?” The voice from the dark asked.
“Yeah boss.” He replied.
“Come in and shut the door.” Fernando said, losing the harshness from his voice.
As Hondo entered and shut the door he heard Fernando sigh.
“Enough with the boss crap. We work together and I’m not your boss.” Fernando replied flatly.
As Hondo’s eyes grew accustom to the dark he could see his friend was laying on his back with his arm over his eyes.
“You’re still the boss of this outfit, I reckon. Can’t both us lead.” Hondo replied flatly.
“Just don’t call me boss. I don’t like the connotations it brings with it, whether you mean them or not… Now, something on your mind?” Fernando asked.
“Maybe, but mainly seein’ how you are doin’. Not had a chance to talk really since Tammy left.” He replied
Fernando sighed, “I would rather not talk about her right now.”
Hondo nodded, though he knew it was unseen, “I understand. Just thought you should know Marco called me last night.”
“What did he want?” Fernando asked
“Wanted to check out Tammy’s story… Guessin’ she’s tellin’ them you abused her, physically.” Hondo replied quietly.
“Damn her!” Fernando growled.
“Listen, Jefe.. I might call ya boss now an’ then when we are workin’, but it doesn’t mean ya can’t talk to me if ya need to. We’re still friends even when you hafta make the hard calls that I don’t always agree with.” Hondo said.
“I know.” Fernando replied.
“As long as ya know.” He replied.
“Anything else?” Fernando asked.
“Well, I don’t know what you have planned, but that ranch Val an’ I bought into has a fairly new, unused lodged on it that was pretty well given to me in the deal. Nice place. Has a pool, game room, couple hot tubs, damn nice kitchen, an’ the master rooms even have fireplaces in them.” He said
“Sounds nice, but what is your point?” Fernando asked flatly.
“Well, with all Val has been goin’ though I thought of going out, spendin’ the day an’ a night with her there an’ headin’ back the next afternoon as long as we don’t have much goin’ on.” He replied.
“We do not have anything planned for the next couple days at the moment, so you two should go.” Fernando replied.
Hondo nodded, “Well, we probably will then, but.. wanted to invite you an’ Gadget too. Place is large enough we can each have our privacy as we want or get together as we want. Figured you two could use the time away too.”
Fernando gave a weary sigh, “I take it Gadget opened her mouth again.”
“Not to me she hasn’t.” Hondo said.
Fernando sat up and looked at him questioningly, “I am not sure I want to know, but how did you know then?”
Hondo shrugged, “I guessed partly, plus I can smell her on you from here, even after you showered. I was with her before, you know, so I know that scent.”
Fernando laid back down and growled, “Who we #$@! is out own businesses, so I am not interested in further lectures!”
“Good, ‘cause I wasn’t gonna give one.” Hondo replied flatly.
Fernando sat back up again and gave him a puzzled look, as he had already gotten a lecture or two from those who suspected but did not know, and he expected the same from the rest.
“Look, Jefe, I don’t care if ya are or not, though if you’re not I’ll eat my hat! I can’t say I know exactly what you’re goin’ through but you know my past an’ know I understand somewhat. I want ya both happy, an’ if that makes you both happy an’ helps ease what y’all are goin’ through, then great. If you’re not then maybe you should. Tammy was a friend an’ I hate to see things go sour on you two, but whether she was tricked into the drugs or not doesn’t matter as she let your enemy into your house. She hurt you an’ continues to. I hope you will still heal her from the drugs for the baby’s sake at least, but I cannot stand up for her because of what she’s done. Beyond that, we’re family, you an’ I. We are supposed to have each other’s backs, not judge or lecture. You’ve had my back more times than I can count an’ I’ve tried to have yours. I reckon that’s what family truly needs from each other, not judgement. Life is too damn hard an’ lonely as is. You find someone who makes it less hard or a little less lonely an’ you’d be a fool to not be with them. You’re friend an’ family to me, so I care ‘bout the stress an’ darkness you deal with. I don’t know if Gadget an’ I can be friends again but I still care ‘bout her an’ I just want ya both happy, healthy, an’ here to enjoy what we can outta life together.” Hondo continued.
Fernando stared blankly at him for a moment, “You have not said that much since the new year.”
“Maybe not, but I meant what I said.” Hondo replied, returning to shorter sentences.
“What relationship you salvage with Gadget is between you two, though I need you working together. I am not concerned about your side of that as I know you can put aside feelings to do a job. Can I ask why you do not think you can be friends, though?” Fernando asked
Hondo turned half away from him and frowned, “I don’t know… some of it is how she’s been actin’ towards me an’ the drama she keeps startin’. Some of it may be that I’m a #$@!in’ awkward bastard when it comes to dealin’ with women I have some care for. If I didn’t care It’d be easier to tell her to go get bent!... I know she’s been through hell though, so I’m tryin’ to make some exceptions for that.”
“It is not easy to befriend someone who hurt you in the past, I know. Most cannot get past that. You, though, I know can.” Fernando replied.
“Can she, though? From what I’ve been told she hates me ‘cause I’m a killer an’ I hurt her.” He said.
“Who said that?” Fernando asked.
“Jack had a talk with Val ‘bout it, I’ve been told, but it’s old news as she told me that the day she told me to leave… I’m not losin’ any sleep over it. It’s ancient history. Just, if it’s true it doesn’t help certain things now. But ‘nuff ‘bout that shit. I didn’t come bother you for my trivial bullshit.” He replied.
Fernando nodded, “Well, I may have a talk with Gadget later. You want me to strike some fear into Monty for you?”
Hondo chuckled, “Naw, I’d rather handle that myself. He wants to see a killer, I’ll show him.”
“Hondo, you kill because you have to, but you are not a killer.” Fernando replied.
Hondo frowned, “Yeah, doesn’t matter either way, I reckon. I am what I am.”
Fernando sensed he was done talking about that subject and would get nowhere with that at the moment so he changed the topics.
“If we did go to this lodge, who would watch things here?” He asked.
“I reckon you could get the Angels an’ the goons to stay ‘round, plus you can teleport anywhere if there is an emergency. It was just an offer anyway, don’t feel ya have to go. If you’d rather have the place alone we can go one night an’ you two the next so one of us is here too. Just thought you two might need the time away more than Val an’ I do” Hondo offered.
Fernando nodded, “We will see. I will talk to Gadget later, though if we all go we may need to postpone it a day or two. I will let you know in the morning.”
Hondo nodded, “Good enough. Get some rest, Amigo.”
Fernando laid back down and nodded, “You too, my friend.”
Hondo opened the door, exited the room and shut it quietly. Before he even turned, though, he could feel the eyes on him, and as he turned he saw all the girls looking at him. He had kept his voice quiet enough that he was sure they did not hear their conversation over the TV, so he was not sure about the stares. He looked back at them briefly and then headed towards his room. He was not sure what the stares were about but frankly he did not care either.
His room was empty as he passed through, telling him that Gadget and Valentine were still talking. On some level he wondered if that should worry him, but at the same time he knew Valentine needed this. The last rays of light were dimming in the west as he rested against the railing and lit a cigarillo. He tried not to think about anything in particular as he felt too tired to think about much. He was not sure why he was so tired as it could not be much later than 8:00 or 8:30 pm, he figured by the setting of the sun. He felt like it was 3 am, rather, after a hard day’s work, and though he had a rough day he still did not feel that he should be this tired.
Time passed as he leaned there and started on his second cigarillo. After a while the door behind him opened and closed, followed by the sound of a woman’s footsteps coming up beside him. They were not the sound of Valentine’s steps though, but they were familiar. He did not need to turn his head, as a glance in his peripherals told him who was there.
Gadget sighed as she leaned against the railing beside him and looked out into the darkness. A half bottle of beer dangled from her hand, over the edge of the rail, as she leaned against the bars. She took another sip and sighed again, saying nothing at first, prompting him to speak first.
“Quiet night.” He said
Gadget nodded, “Very quiet, almost like a calm before a storm.”
“Could be in more ways than one… Val alright?” He asked
“Yeah, she just needed to use the restroom, so I thought I’d come see what you were up to out here.” She said.
“Just havin’ a smoke.” He replied.
There was several more seconds of quiet before Gadget spoke up again.
“Hondo?” She queried.
“Hmm?” He half grunted in response.
“Val told me what Monty said… and about what you said.” She said softly.
“An’ what was that?” He asked, playing dumb.
She sighed, “You’re not a killer… I’m sorry I ever called you one or even thought that. I’m sorry I told you to go too.”
He chuckled lightly.
“What’s funny? I’m being serious!” She said defensively.
Did Val prompt you to come talk to me?” He asked
She shook her head, “No… It was my idea.”
“Then that’s the first thing you’ve ever actually apologized to me ‘bout specifically.” He replied
“That’s what you chuckled at?” She asked
He nodded, “Yeah… took a lot of years to hear that… Reckon it’s too late now, though as I reckon I became what you said I was.”
“But you’re not!” She protested.
He shrugged, “Does it matter, one way or another?”
She paused and looked at him quizzically, “I… I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
He sighed, “Did you ever wonder why I just left an’ didn’t fight to prove everyone wrong ‘bout me?”
She looked back out into the night and bowed her head a bit.
“For a while I asked why… I know told you to go but… I half thought you’d stay and try to win me back… That bastard husband of mine told me it was because you never really loved me and you knew we were right about you… so I stopped wondering after a while… Why didn’t you?” She asked.
“Because you didn’t love me enough to see past that. I needed someone who could see past my flaws, not stop at them an’ judge me for them.” He replied.
“But it wasn’t a flaw! They were trying to kill us and you saved us!” She said.
“Yeah, an’ I’d do it again… You know why they were tryin’ to kill us?” He said.
“No, we never found out why.” She said.
“Chip knew… He paid them to kill me.” Hondo replied emotionlessly.
“What?!” Gadget exclaimed.
Hondo took a deep puff from his cigarillo and nodded, “Yeah. You remember how adamant he was that I go to those canyons an’ how angry he was when you insisted on goin’ with me after he hit me for questionin’ his authority?”
Her eyes got wide as it all clicked into place. He nodded and her response as he saw she knew it was true. She downed the last of her beer and leaned on the rail again, slumping a bit more than before.
“I’m… I’m sorry for everything, Hondo, I really am… I know now that I wrongly hurt you… You only did right by me and I hurt you.” She said quietly.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I didn’t tell you that to make you feel bad.” He said.
“I know, but… why didn’t you tell me sooner?” She asked
“Would you have believed me?” He asked
She paused then shook her head, “Golly… I guess not.”
He sighed, “Then you have your answer, there.”
“Hondo… Val said you know about me and Fernando.” She said
“That’s between you two.” He replied.
“You sure?” She asked
He nodded, “I just hope you both find happiness, an’ I mean that.”
He felt her place her small hand on his and she gave it a slight squeeze.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me, honestly. And please know I am sorry for hurting you and pushing you away… I.. I want to be friends if we can.” She said.
He looked up at the stars for a moment and then shrugged, “I don’t know if we can be or not.”
“Because of what we had in the past?” She asked.
He shook his head, “No. It has more to do with who we are here an’ now.”
“I know I’ve been hard on you, and I’m sorry! Golly, I’m just going through all this stuff and have been feeling so scared and alone and ..” She started to ramble before he interrupted her.
“I understand you’ve been through hell, an’ I’m tryin’ to make allowances for that, but that’s not the point.” He said.
“Then what is?” She asked
“We’re different people then we used to be. The Hondo you remembered isn’t who I am now. You say you want to be friends but you don’t even know me an’ I reckon I don’t know you either. I’m not sure you’d like who I am now.” He said quietly.
“I see how Val looks at you and I know Fernando trusts you. If they can see you like that then I don’t think there is anything that would make me not like you. Can we just start over?” She asked.
He sighed, “You can never start over. You can only pick up an’ move forward.”
“Then let’s move forward, together, the four of us that is.” She said
He nodded after a few seconds, “I reckon we can try.”
After a couple minutes of silence, he sighed again.
“Gadget, … I’m sorry.” He said
“What for? You have nothing to be sorry for.” She replied.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see what that bastard was doin’ to you an’ kill him before it got that bad.” He said flatly.
She shook her head, “It’s alright. Monty and Dale couldn’t even see it and they were right there.”
“They didn’t want to see it. There is a difference.” He replied
“But like you said earlier, I’d not have understood and just hated you more, all the rangers would have.” She said.
“I’m used to bein’ hated. That’s nothin’ new. I’d rather you hate me an’ not have gone through all that.” He said.
She sighed, “Maybe… maybe I needed to go through it… maybe I needed the hell to become a better person… besides what I did to you, I wronged Fernando and used him before all this too… maybe I needed to be used before I understood how wrong it is.”
He nodded, “Maybe we all have to go through hell before we can be of any real good.”
Gadget sighed and nodded but stood quietly for a moment. After a few seconds she spoke again.
“Did.. did Fernando tell you about… Chip?” She asked quietly.
“What about him?” Hondo asked.
“They were transporting him and… and… he escaped.” Gadget replied even more softly.
“He escaped?! How??” He asked
About then Valentine came out, “Who escaped? What did I miss?”
“My bastard of a husband… and… I don’t know how.” She said sadly.
Hondo growled in a low deep growl, “If I find him I’ll kill him myself!”
Gadget turned to him with a sad look, “Promise me you will… I.. I know you aren’t a killer but I can’t stand the thought of him loose! I can’t be taken by him again! Please… please kill him… If you can’t I know Fernando will, but … It’s almost more than I can bare.”
Valentine walked up and put an arm around Gadget and pulled her tightly to her.
“If they find him they will take care of him, but until then you will be safe with us, I promise.” Valentine said to her.
Hondo nodded, “Yeah, you’ll be safe as long as you stay with us, an’ I promise you we will find him an’ take him down.”
Gadget looked down at the floor, “I don’t deserve your help after all I’ve done… Val is right, you are more caring than you are given credit for… Thank you.”
“Why don’t we go in and have one more beer? Unless you think you’ve had too many.” Val said
Gadget shook her head, “Too few is more like it… I’d like another.”
“I’ll see you after a while, My love.” Valentine said as they turned to go.
“Alright Darlin.” He replied.
“Hondo… I am sorry and.. thank you again.” Gadget said.
He nodded, “No worries… Don’t drink too much an’ get some rest. I’m sure Jefe will want his secretary well rested an’ not hung over.”
After they were gone Hondo crushed out the last of the cigarillo and headed into his room for a bit. It was almost around 9:30 pm now, and he marveled how the time had flown. He poured himself a whiskey and stripped off his vest and shirt and stood in front of the mirror. The immortality pill had kept him from being too scarred up, as had the few bio-pills he had taken over the years, but a few scars remained. The bandage on his arm and side were starting to leak through and needed changed again. He knew he could not hide these wounds for much longer like this, but he did not wish to take a bio-pill, though it seemed like the only way. He drank half his glass of whiskey and then changed the bandaged and threw on his button up shirt, without buttoning it up. He sighed and shook his head after a moment, and went to his med bag, taking out a bio-pill from it. He then pulled a smaller flask from the bag and crushed the pill up into the whiskey inside, and then closed the lid and shook it well to mix the contents. Once they were mixed her drank half of it and put the other half away, as he was sure this would not be the last time he would be hurt on this trip, unfortunately. He sighed again as he looked at himself and shook his head. He knew that should be enough to at least have the wounds sealed on the surface by morning, but he did not like hiding these things from his wife or Fernando, still, though they did not need the added stress of him being hurt added to their plates.
He downed the rest of his whiskey and refilled the glass, and pulled on his shoulder holster before heading out to the porch again to sit and sip it in the darkness before making rounds and going to bed. It was early for him, but exhaustion was catching up to him. As he sat there, he thought he heard someone try one of the doors below him and move off. It caught him off guard as he had not heard anyone enter the yard, but he knew they may have entered the yard while he was inside.
He placed his whiskey glass into the cup holder on the chair and slowly stood up, drawing his revolver from his shoulder holster slowly as he stood. He moved slowly towards the stairs, listening for any new sounds as he moved. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and listened as he let his eyes grow more accustom to the darkness. A rustling was heard around the trash-cans after a moment, so he started moving slowly in that direction. He stopped at the corner of the building right before the cans and saw a cloaked figure digging through their garbage. He knew this person digging through the trash was not the threat he was expecting but it was a threat none the less and he intended to scare the shit out of them.
In the blink of an eye Hondo spun around the corner, gun leveled at the cloaked figure, and stood in a fighting/shooting stance.
“No sudden moves or I’ll blow hole through ya big ‘nuff to sling a cat through!” He growled in a menacing tone.
The cloaked figure froze in place and half turned towards him. His eyes widened as he saw a red glowing eye and a mechanical ear stick out from the hood.
“You again?!” He asked in a sharp, but calmer tone.
In an instant the figured leaped forward and started to try to escape but he anticipated this from the frighten look he saw on the cloaked figures face, and managed to jump forward and grab a handful of cloak. Cloak was not all he grabbed though, as he grabbed what felt like a bundle of wires too. As the figure tried to pull away, the wires seemed to let go with a jerk. The pop of shorting electricity caused him to let go and the figure hit the ground with a cry of fear and pain.
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Tonya left the boarded-up house in search of food though Zoey had protested, cried, and begged her not to go. Even in the dim light Zoey looked gaunt though, and Tonya knew she had to get her food.
The college rental house she had been to before was her target again. There had been unlocked doors and food abundant, even if a couple fridges were locked. No one had been there, either working, at night classes or partying before, so she hoped it was the same this time. She made her way to the places back fence, where she had found some loose boards that she could move and slip through, so she did not have to get too close to the road in front of the place. She was more careful as she squeezed through the whole this time, as Zoey’s patch job was temporary at best. Despite being careful one wire arched and she the spasm of pain and the jerking of her right leg caused her to fall on her face.
Tonya lay in the grass for several seconds, panting as she pulled herself back together. Her right ankle did not respond right at the moment but she could still move. After a minute she pushed herself back to her feet and moved around the side of the building. She saw no one but mentally cursed as she saw cars in the driveway. The drive had been empty, save for a motorcycle, the night before but now several other cars were parked there. The night vision in her mechanical eye picked up that they were all newer mustangs, though. It made sense that some rich college kids had gotten this place, as the food and belongings did not scream poor college student.
She watched and waited for several minutes, as she thought she heard someone move on the upper deck. Not hearing anything after a few minutes she moved on and tried the door that had been unlocked the night before again. Her heart sunk as she found it locked and the next several locked as well. She paused as she heard a footstep on the deck again and then she moved quickly around the side of the building and hid in the bushes. As she hid she listened but she did not hear further movement. Maybe it was all in her head, she thought, as she knew she had been under a lot of stress today. She chalked it up to jumping at shadows and shook her head at herself as she came out of the bushes.
Having failed to get inside and seeing the cars, she did not dare try the doors further, but her eye picked up the trash cans not far away. She sighed and her shoulders slumped a bit more. Zoey needed to eat but she so hated bringing back scraps to her. Not knowing what else to do, as her battery was too low to go anywhere else, she walked over to the cans and started to rummage through the trash. The offerings there were not much, which surprised her. Rich college students tended to be very wasteful, but for some with a drive full of mustangs and an abundance of food, these ones seemed pretty frugal.
As she dug she stopped suddenly as she felt the presence of someone before she heard them. She knew she should run but the quick heavy footsteps and the low, deep, bone-shilling growl in the voice that spoke caused her to freeze in place.
“No sudden moves or I’ll blow hole through ya big ‘nuff to sling a cat through!” A man growled in a menacing tone.
Fear ran through her being as the man spoke but it doubled as she turned and recognized who it was.
“You again?!” He asked in a sharp tone.
It was the American cowboy from the alley, the one the woman said not to trust! All of a sudden, her flight reflex kicked in and she tried to run. She heard him jump after her and his quickness surprised her even more this time than it had in the alley. He felt him grab at her and felt the tug of the wires that he grabbed onto. She cried out in terror and pain as the wires pulled lose, causing her legs and eye to go out and sent her real muscles spasming in pain for a few seconds. After a second or two the majority of the pain stopped as wires only arched minimally and nothing fully shorted out. She panted heavily as she tried to look around, but her mechanical eye was dead and her real eye could pick up very little in the darkness.
A low voice from above her spoke and she glanced and saw the dark shadow of the big man standing over
her.
“Are you alright?” The voice asked.
Her fear renewed at the sound of his voice and she tried to pull herself way from him using only her arms, but the movement made some of the wires arch again which caused her to cry out in pain and then break down sobbing.
“Please leave me alone! Don’t hurt me!” She sobbed.
The man holstered his gun and knelt down beside her. His deep, scary voice seemed to take on a kind tone as he spoke this time.
“Calm down, little Lady. I didn’t mean to hurt you… You startled me was all. Thought we had a robber lurkin’ ‘round…” He said
“Just please leave me alone!” She begged through her sobs.
“You need help, don’t you?” He asked softly.
She tried to look at him but it was too dark to see his face. His voice was almost soothing now though, but the lady’s words stuck in her mind.
“I … I can’t trust you! She said I can’t!” Tonya exclaimed in a frightened tone.
“Who said you can’t?” He asked
“The.. The lady with the metal arm and purple hair… She said not to trust you!” Tonya replied in a shaky voice.
“I reckon I don’t trust her either. I know you don’t know me but I’d like to prove you can trust me.” He said.
“Who.. who are you?” She asked quietly.
“My name is Hondo. I’m here from America with some friends, here to help some folks out.” He said.
Though he could not see her well in the darkness, he could see her trembling, mostly from fear he figured, but her clothes were not so warm for a chilly night like this night was getting either.
“You aren’t missionaries… or RAS… I saw you fight.” She said
He shook his head, “More of a private organization at the moment, you might say… what’s your name?”
“Tonya… Please don’t hurt me or turn me into the police…. I can’t go back.” She whimpered.
“You in some sort of trouble with the law?” He asked.
She shook her head, “No, its nothing like that, honest!”
“Can you tell me why they would want you then?” He asked
“Please, I… I can’t talk about it.” She said.
“I need more than that. What are you running from?” He asked
“They… they took us and used us to test cybernetic parts… It.. it hurts so bad…” She whimpered.
“Us?” He asked
“I.. I.. I.. meant me… just me. … I mean they might have others but I’m alone… I escaped.” She said.
“Where is your family?” He asked.
“They… they are dead… the American ambassador said I was dead too… I have no one.” She whispered.
“He knows you are not?” Hondo asked sounding a bit angry.
She nodded, “Yeah… they paid him a lot to sign my death certificate… If you tell anyone they will take me back… I can’t go back, please!” She begged.
He put a hand gently on her shoulder to try to comfort her, but it only caused her to shrink away and tremble more.
“I want to help you, if you’ll let me… I felt some wires pull away… what’s wrong?” He asked
“In.. in the alley today, they ripped apart the harness that connects to my cybernetic parts… The lady patched them but… When you grabbed me they came apart, again.” She said shakily.
“Can you move?” He asked.
She shook her head, “My legs are dead, my eye isn’t working, and my arm is sluggish.”
“We need to get you up to my workshop.” He said as he reached his hand out to her.
She tried to pull away but a wire arched out again causing her to wince and cry out.
“No, GAHH!” She cried.
He grabbed her real arm firmly and held her still.
“You are gonna hafta trust me, little lady, as you aren’t goin’ anywhere on your own.
She started to cry again, “I.. I can’t! She said not to!”
“Do you have a choice?” He asked.
She shook her head as she tried to pull herself together.
“N.n.n.o… Just please don’t turn me in. Y.y.y.you c.c.c.can have m.m.m.my p.p.p.p.pussy if..if.if you just let me go after please.” She begged through her tears.
He shook his head and muttered under his breath, “You poor darlin’.”
She trembled as he held her down with one hand to keep her from pulling away and hurting herself again as he pulled her cloak away from her back carefully. He then pulled out his phone and used the flashlight on it to look at the electronics on her back, and he frowned at what he saw. There was a mess of tape and cut up wiring, some of it burnt from arching. There was a plug that was nearly busted to pieces and another that had its clips shattered. The box, which he figured was battery power and controls was almost as bad, and what seemed to be a charge plug had been demolished. He unplugged the one plug that was causing the arching and then pulled her cloak back over her skinny, shaking body.
“Is..is it bad?” She asked shakily.
He sighed, “It’s not good, but I have some friends who might can help.”
“No, please no! If more know its more likely we will get taken again and anyone who knows about us will be killed! Please, just.. if you can, twist the wires back together, screw me, and let me go, please.” She begged fearfully.
“I have no intentions of screwin’ you, little lady, but I also can’t just twist these wires back together. Whoever did this last time hacked them up so badly that I’ll have to soldier in some new wires to make this work at all. Plus, your battery is showin’ dead, if this light means what I think it does an’ you can’t charge with this. I need to take you inside.” He said.
He took note of her saying ‘we’ and ‘us’ again, but made no comment on it.
“Please don’t tell anyone else! You’re in danger for even talking to me!” She exclaimed.
He sighed and nodded, “Alright. We have some empty bedrooms in the basement. I have to unlock the doors from the inside but let me carry you to it then I’ll bring you inside. You have to trust me an’ let me help you though.”
She looked up at his dark silhouette from where she lay and nodded.
No sooner had she nodded and he scooped her up in his arms as if she weighted almost nothing, which to him she did. She yelped a bit from surprise and expecting pain, but the pain did not come.
“You.. you stopped the arching… how?” She asked
“Just pulled the torn-up plug… Just hold on, little lady.” He said.
He walked up to the door of the room farthest from Monty’s room and set her on the steps that lead down to the basement door.
“Just hold on. I’ll be back.” He said.
She nodded and leaned back against the stair behind her, as she held herself up with her good arm. He could see her trembling still but there was little he could do at the moment.
He hurried back upstairs and opened the door to his room to find Valentine sitting on the side of the bed in one of his t-shirts, as if waiting for him.
“Where were you, my love? I looked out and didn’t see you.” She said.
“I was checkin’ on a noise.” He said as he looked at her and tried to decide if he was going to tell her or not about the girl.
“Oh, okay… You comin’ to bed?” She asked as she looked at him with a hopeful look.
He shook his head, “I can’t… Got somethin’ I need to do first.”
She half hung her head, “Oh… Well, if… if it could wait, do.. do you want to try to make love again? I.. I had a few drinks and maybe…”
“Val, I wish I could at least hold you right now an’ see where it goes, but I can’t.” He replied, cutting her off.
“Oh… its… is okay.” She said in a soft, sad voice as she pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at her feet.
The dejected look on her face made him decided on letting her help with the girl, as he could not take her thinking he was pushing her away.
“Darlin’, get some pants on… I need your help.” He said.
She looked up at him slightly puzzled, “Help with what?”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just go to the shop upstairs an’ grab my battery-operated soldiering kit, some eighteen-gauge wire, a flashlight, some quick set epoxy, shrink wrap, electrical tape, some tie wraps, two extension cords, and my little screw driver set. Grab that and meet me in the room across from Monty’s.” He said.
Her puzzled look grew but she had learned not to question him on odd requests as they always had a purpose. She nodded after a couple seconds, stood up and slipped on some jeans. As she did so he could see she was wearing a black lace thong, that was not something she normally wore. It made his balls ache for release but with more pressing things at hand he pushed the feelings back.
As Valentine went upstairs he went down and stopped in the kitchen for a moment. He grabbed a soda-pop, some cheese, a banana, a couple packs of twinkies, some water, and small container of macaroni salad, left over from a couple days before, and took them down with him. He placed the food on a small table in the room and then shut the door before turning on the light inside. With the light on and his hands empty he unlocked to door to where the waiting girl sat. The light from the room made the situation look worse, as everything she wore was torn somewhere, and she was dirty from head to foot. Her cloak was full of holes and her pants were missing the legs almost up to her knees. She had no shoes on either, as her dirt covered metal feet showed, but at least the feet were rubber soled. She looked up at him with a scared, pitiful look at broke his heart. He could see she was trying to be strong but could not muster the strength to do so.
-,-,-,-,-,-,-
Tonya sat there in the dark, alone for several minutes. She had managed to stay strong until today, but today was breaking her down and she was falling apart into little pieces. She had always been the strong one, and had to be for Zoey, but now she could not even stand on her own. What was worse yet was she was left to reply on a stranger she was told not to trust, of whom might use her and turn her in for the bounty like those others hard tried already today.
Though it was only a few minutes she waited it seemed like hours, as she sat in the dark, alone, scared, and unable to move much on her own. Her worst fears went through her head. Maybe he was calling the police on her and was too cowardly to look at her while waiting? Maybe he was just going to leave her to die and Zoey would have no one? Maybe he wanted her to beg for help or give herself to him as a slave? All these and more ran through her mind until the door opened and her mind stopped.
She had only seen the man briefly in the alley, and from his dark glasses she could not see his eyes. In the light that spilled from the room she could see them now, and despite the hard, rigid features of his face, he had kind eyes. His shirt was unbuttoned too and she could see some of his well-muscled torso, as well. Despite being a hard looking individual, she saw him as handsome and though a big man, there was an overall kindness despite his gruff words.
“Thought I left you?” He asked flatly.
She looked down at the moment and nodded, “I… I thought maybe.”
He sighed and shook his head as he picked her ups again, “Had a rough go of it, haven’t ya?”
She nodded as she put an arm around his neck and leaned against him more willingly this time.
He felt her cling to him, though she was trembling still. He was not sure what she had been through but the pain in her eye was something he recognized, and it was far too deep a pain for someone so young to bare. He was still not sure of her age but from the way she spoke he figured mid-teens at best, though her eye had the haunted look of someone much older.
As he walked over to the bed she shook her head, “No, I’m too dirty.”
He sat her on the edge of the bed anyway and let her grab the headboard to hold herself upright, despite her protest.
“It’s just beddin’, an’ it can be washed… Now can I pull that cloak off ya?” He asked
She stared at him for a moment like a frightened fawn might look at a predator, before nodded slightly.
As he pulled it over her head she looked down in shame, her face red from embarrassment. There was little left of her shirt, though she had tried to tie it closed, it barely covered her breasts. Her flat, skinny stomach and lower ribs stuck out from it, showing how skinny she really was. Though he saw some pants legs sticking out from under her cloak at her knees the rest was full of holes and dirty too.
“S.s.sorry… Don’t h.have any other clothes.” She mumbled in embarrassment.
He shook his head, “Don’t be sorry. There’s no need to be embarrassed…. I think I can rustle you up somethin’ to wear, but first…”
He paused as he pulled the table with the food over to her, “.. You look hungry. I brought ya a snack for now.”
Here eyes grew wide at the food and her mouth watered. She picked up the cheese hungrily then paused and looked at it and then at him, with a wary look. He took the cheese from her hand and took a small bite of it before handing it back to her. She then bit it in half and set it down to move onto the banana. As she scarfed down food he noticed she’d eat half and set it aside before moving on, though he was sure she was starving.
“There’s plenty more food. I’ll get you some more after we’re done here.” He said.
“D.done? Done with what?” She asked hesitantly.
“Gettin’ you patched up! … I’m not gonna hurt ya, I promise… at least not on purpose.” He said softly.
Her face turned a bit redder from further embarrassment… She was so scared and yet he was treating her so well.
About then the door opened and a woman with dark auburn hair walked in with a tool bag in hand. They both gasped at the same time, though Tonya almost fell off the bed and had to be caught by Hondo.
“No, no, no, please no.. No one else can know, please!” she stammered.
“It’s alright, Little lady... shhh… This is my wife… I need her help to get you patched up.” He said softly as he held the frightened teen against him.
Val stared for a moment before sitting the bag down and walking up to them slowly.
“Hello… I’m Valentine… you can call me Val… What’s your name?” She asked
“T.t.tonya.” She stammered.
Valentine looked her up and down. She wanted to cry for the girl as she saw the terror and recognized it as the terror she felt inside herself, the terror of knowing what its like to be rendered powerless and the fear of it happening again. The metal limbs and eye were evident, which said the girl had been through something horrible and painful, but she could not see the full damage as the girl faced her.
“We don’t want to hurt you. If you need help, please let us.” Valentine said softly.
“I.. I have no choice. Just please tell no one about me. I can’t go back.” Tonya whimpered.
Valentine gave Hondo a questioning look but he shook his head to tell her not to ask right now.
“You think one of the girl’s clothes would fit her?” He asked
Valentine frowned a bit, “Sabrina would be the closest, but they will still be big on her… I think there was a pair of her sweatpants on the drier, though, with draw strings… I think there was a t-shirt out there too but nothin’ warmer.”
“T-shirts are too hard to use with my battery pack, but thanks… I’ll be fine.” She said quietly.
“Battery pack?” Valentine asked as she looked at Hondo.
Hondo nodded behind the girl so Valentine looked at her back and gasped at the busted box and frayed wires. She looked back at Hondo with a look of almost horror and then tried to compose herself before moving back around in front of the girl.
“What happened?” She asked.
“Bounty hunters attacked me today… I tried to fight them but they tore my wires… They.. they were going to rape me before turning me in for the bounty but Hondo and this lady with purple hair and a metal arm saved me.” She said quietly as she stared at the floor.
Valentine looked up at Hondo with a hurt look, “You didn’t tell me… why?... Did you get hurt?”
Tonya looked up with a look of horror at Hondo , and she saw him frown.
“I’m..I’m Sorry! I didn’t know!” Tonya exclaimed.
Hondo shook his head, “Don’t worry, little Lady. Not your fault.”
He looked back up at Valentine and shrugged, “I got a couple scratches, but I’m fine… Just knew you had a lot on your mind an’ didn’t want to worry you.”
“But I could have helped you with her!” Valentine exclaimed.
“I didn’t know where she went. The gal with cyborg arm an’ purple hair patched her up while I was fightin’ those asshole. She told me not to try to find the girl as she was gonna help her. “ He said, leaving out the part about bringing trouble on the team if he pursued the girl.
“Then how is she here?” Valentine asked
“I… I thought this was a college apartment full of rich kids…. I .. I borrowed some food from her last night… one of the doors were unlocked down here… sorry… we needed food.” She said softly.
“We? Who are you protectin’?” Valentine asked.
Tonya looked away but said nothing.
Valentine sighed after a minute and then looked back at Hondo, “I wish you would have told me, but I understand…. What can I do to help?”
Hondo sighed, “Well, we need to try to fix that box an’ wirin’ the best we can.”
He turned to Tonya, “Do you know what the box does exactly?”
“It.. it has my battery in it… These limbs were a first trial at fast change combat cybernetics. My nerves are connected to chips at the stumps. The signal goes to the box and then power and control wires run back… The arm is the only one with a back-up processor inside and can run off of bio-energy, though it’s sluggish and weak without the battery pack and control circuits.” Tonya said as she looked at the floor in embarrassment.
“They used you to test cybernetics?” Valentine asked.
Tonya nodded.
“Against your will?” She asked
Tonya nodded again but still looked down.
Valentine did not press any further as she saw the girl was frightened enough as it was.
“So, I can start trying to repair the control box if you want to fix the plugs?” Valentine offered.
Hondo nodded, “That sounds like a plan.”
He turned to Tonya, “Is there a connector on your legs? I’d rather no soldier over you.”
She nodded, “Yeah, but I’d have to take my pants off.”
“Can we?” He asked.
She blushed with embarrassment and whispered, “I… I don’t have… you know… any.. panties on.”
Hondo’s heart broke further as she still half clung to him. He could only imagine what she had been through and he felt he was somehow not imagining it bad enough.
Valentine smiled at her softly as she hunkered down to get eye level with the girl.
“I can help you and he can leave, then we can cover you up with a blanket before he comes back.” She offered.
Tonya shook her head and clung tighter to Hondo, “No..th.th.thanks…I..I’d rather have him help.”
“You’d rather have a man help than another woman?” Hondo asked her.
She nodded, “I’d rather have you help, please… please don’t ask why.”
“Do you want me to leave?” Valentine asked
Tonya shook her head, “no…th.th.thats okay.”
“You sure you want me to help?” Hondo asked again.
Tonya nodded, “Yes please and… I have one cable that runs up my sleeve… I think that connector is busted up… D.d.don’t worry. I’m used to not having clothes on… We rarely had them on unless we were out running hard tests on the cybernetics.”
Her voice was quiet and full of pain. She had all her dignity stripped away and there was not much left but fear, fear and a very small ray of hope that Hondo did not miss but was amazed that she kept it alive. He had been in dark places in his life before but he felt no where near as bad as this girl had seen, and he had found hope something nearly impossible to keep alive at those times. He knew there was someone else she was protecting as living for someone was sometimes the only way a person could keep hope alive when in total darkness. The question was, who was the girl protecting and living for?
Hondo held her forward as Valentine fully disconnected the box and helped Tonya slip the straps that held it up off of her arms. The device used to have a waist belt, but it was missing. The only thing that kept it on the girl were two worn straps that hooked it over her shoulders like a backpack. They used to have quick disconnects on them, from the looks of them, but the clips had broken and been wired together.
As Valentine moved the control pack to the table Tonya’s eyes got wide and she gasped. She had not seen it since it was damaged and she now wondered how she had made it this far at all.
“You ready?” Hondo asked
His voice made her look up into his eyes again. She liked looking into his eyes. They were kind eyes. She nodded but said nothing as he stood up.
She held onto the headboard again to steady herself as she tried to fiddle with the two knots that held her shirt barely closed.
“Let me help.” He said to her softly, as he knelt down in front of her.
His large fingers nimbly untied the knot, which allowed her shirt to fall open. He helped her slip an arm out of one of the sleeves and then let her put her arm on him for balance as she let the shirt fall off her and the weight of it pull it off her other arm. He exhaled hard through his nose, sounding like an angry snort almost as he saw her full torso. She had several scars on her body and she was even more sickly thin than he had though she was at first. The toll the surgeries and cybernetics had taken on her body was evident, but even more evident was the starvation and torture she had seen on top of it all. He tried not to show his anger at her state but some of it must have leaked through as she covered her breasts with one arm and cowered back a bit. As he looked into her eye he could see fear again etched into her face as she trembled and cowered from him. He softened his features and put a hand gently on her knee as he spoke softly to her.
“Don’t be frightened, little lady. I won’t hurt you.” He said.
“Y.y.y.ou looked so..so angry, though.” She stammered softly.
He sighed, “I am angry… angry that someone did this to you.”
She relaxed a bit and stared at him puzzled for a moment, “Why… why would you care about what happened to me?”
“It’s what I do, little lady. My job is protectin’ the innocent, avengin’ them when they are hurt, an’ rightin’ wrongs… You an’ others like you are the reason I do what I do.” He said.
“Cyborg girls?” She asked
He chuckled, though she was not far off actually, “No, I mean innocent ones who are bein’ hurt an’ need help… I want to help you.”
“You said you’d patch me up. That’s helping.” She said timidly
“I mean after we patch you up… I don’t know who is after you but I want to protect you if you’ll let me.” He said
She shook her head, “You can’t… They’ll kill you!”
“I’m hard to kill an’ I have tough friends…. Think ‘bout lettin’ us help, alright?” He asked
She nodded, “Okay.”
She laid herself back slowly and covered her eyes, “Okay… you can take them off.”
He sighed and shook his head, wishing he understood why she wanted him over Valentine to help, but it was what it was. He unbuttoned them for her and then folded a blanket up and laid it over her so it covered her chest and waist. She opened her eyes and looked at him quizzically.
“Hold the blanket over yourself so I can pull your britches off.” He said.
“I didn’t mind if you saw me.” She said timidly.
He nodded, “I know, but there’s no use causin’ you more embarrassment if I don’t need to.”
His kindness shocked her. She had not received such kindness from another besides Zoey in so long, but especially not from a large, tough man like him. She realized that he reminded her of her dad, though her dad had dark hair… That was almost all she could remember about him until now… So much had happened since they were taken from her that it seemed like another life time.
“Can you roll over on your own?” He asked
“I.. I can help if you can flip my legs.” She replied.
“Alright, I got your legs…. On the count of three: One.. Two.. Three.” He said.
On three she used her arms to roll her torso over and his rolling her legs helped ease her onto her stomach. She felt him pull the blanket down a little to cover her backside better and then he put a hand on her shouldered, rubbed it lightly and gave it a squeeze before moving to disconnect the cables from the back of her legs and arm.
As she laid their tears started to fall again, but this time from the kindness these two were showing her. She liked the lady, Hondo’s wife too, but the way the nurses had abused and mistreated her made her fear women touching her. They allowed no male nurses to attend to them as the lead doctor was afraid of male nurses impregnating the girls and ruining future plans. Being raped by a female nurse they did not care about, though, as no babies could be born from that.
As she lay there she felt the large hand on her shoulder again. For the first time she did not tremble or flinch at it, as she knew it was caring.
“You want to use the shower? Val can’ help ya wash.” He said
She shook her head, “No, please… I mean I’d like to but… could you help?”
“I’m not sure that would be proper.” He said.
“If you just hold me up I can wash but… We’d need to tape off my connections.” She said.
“What if I put a chair in the shower? These showers all have the head on a hose.” He said.
She tried to hide her disappointment, as though it would be embarrassing to have him in there like that, she liked the thought to of being held in his arms like that, as she knew, somehow, that he would never harm her, even if they were alone and bare. She sighed and nodded after a moment.
“That should work but… What if I fall over? You’ll come get me, right?” She asked.
He nodded, “Sure I will. Let’s roll you back over, alright?”
He helped her roll back over and started to tucked the blanket under her. Once her had her mostly wrapped up he ran some electrical tape over her wire connections on her limbs, picked her up, carried her to the bathroom, and set her carefully in metal chair that Val had grabbed from the basement and stuck in the shower, while he was getting her bundled up. As he sat her down he pulled the blanket back enough so it was not under her but left it covering her lap and chest.
He went to start the water but she handed him the blanket which he had to take first.
“I figured you could hand it out after I shut the curtain!” He exclaimed.
“I know, but it doesn’t bother me you seeing me like this… and … thank you.” She said timidly.
He sighed and nodded, “Don’t thank me until I get ya safe an’ repaired properly.”
He started the water and got it nice and warm before handing her the shower head and soap. He then shut the curtain and called out to her as he walked back to into the room.
“Yell if ya need anythin’. I’ll leave the door open.” He said.
“I will.” She called back softly.
Hondo shook his head as he sat down at the table across from Valentine and started working on the wiring.
“Poor girl has been though hell.” Valentine said softly.
“I know, an’ I fear it’s worse than we can imagine.” He replied.
“She’s seemed to take a shine to you, though.” Valentine said with a grin.
“Not sure how to handle some of that, exactly… A bit uncomfortable her bein’ so comfortable with me.” He said
“I think she needs that from you, though, so if we are going to help her you might have to learn to not be uncomfortable with some of that.” Valentine said.
“What, you’d been alright with me just jumpin’ in the shower with her?” He asked
“Yes, though you wearing shorts might have been a good idea so she doesn’t get the wrong ideas. My love, I told you I’m not sure I can have children. Maybe.. maybe this is how we have children, taking in those who need us. Fernando did and they do well and he seems fulfilled in them bein’ called his daughters. You heard her, she has no one!” Valentine said.
Hondo nodded grimly, “Maybe you’re right… Will be a bit of a learnin’ curve for us, an’ might be a bit uncomfortable at times, but… It is what we do after all, help folks.”
“What better way to help those in need than to help a girl who needs a family?” Valentine asked
He nodded, “Yeah, maybe so… Let’s worry ‘bout tonight first.”
As Tonya washed up Valentine and Hondo worked diligently on repairing what they could as best they could.
(to be continued…)
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GsB IV: Enemies of Space, Murderers of Time. (Read 30424 times)
