Their Guardian

Chapter 23

"Shit." She looked down at the empty clip in her hand. "Andy." She said worriedly. 

At the house...

Andy and Booker moved up the stairs efficiently, covering each other as they did. 

Andy rounded the staircase and looked around cautiously. She saw Copley and ducked behind a door. He was examining a board in front of him, seemingly unaware of what was about to occur. 

Booker and Andy exchanged some hand signals and nods before he moved up the stairs and Andy entered the room, gun drawn. "Where are they?"

He turned around calmly, not in the slightest bit surprised. "Andromache the Scythian. The eternal warrior." He addressed her. 

"Book?" She called out, without turning her back on the man in front of her. 

"I'm right here." He spoke calmly, stepping into the room. 

She examined the walls in front of her noticing all the information collected on them. Hers was the largest, multiple of her identities pinned up. There were five boards set up, all with varying degrees of completion. She looked at the last one, noting how empty it was. The only thing on it was a couple of masked pictures. Noella, her mind informed her. 

"Where are Joe, Nicky and Noella?" She raised her gun again. 

A gun shot rang out, causing Andy to fall to the ground. She gripped her side as Booker grabbed her from behind, restraining her. 

"What are you doing?" She trashed as he attempted to tie her up. Her side was throbbing, and she could feel herself becoming weaker by the second. 

"Calm down." Booker tried. 

"What are you doing?" Andy screamed louder, emotion clear in her voice. Inside, she was dying, Booker betrayed her, and that was something she never thought was possible. 

"Andy calm down!" He yelled louder this time, zip-typing her arms behind her back. 

She screamed. "No!" 

He had an arm around her throat as he tried to calm her down. "Shh."

"You set us up?" Andy grunted out, attempting to control her breathing so she doesn't bleed out. 

"Please listen." He begged, still restraining her. 

Copley looked down at her. "When my wife died, I devoted myself to your work." Andy forced herself out of Bookers hold and he let her. "I learned your secret history, written in the margins..." Andy looked at her board again. "Passed on like legend. What was dismissed as myth was, in fact, immortality. You could help end... needless suffering."

Andy closed her eyes and moaned in pain, leaning her head on her ground. Booker and Copley shared a look before he continued. "Humanity needs you to share your gifts."

"Humanity can screw itself." She groaned as she rolled over on to the ground. 

"Andy-" 

"Don't you fucking coward." He stepped back reluctantly. "Why? Why Book?"

"Andy listen-" He tried.

"Why?" She yelled, on the verge of tears. 

"If Merrick can discover how we keep living, he might find a way how to end it." Booker was kneeling next to Andy, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. "Hey. That's what you wanted."

"Oh, Book. What have you done?" She started gasping again. "Not like this, Book." 

He sniffled before looking at her side. "What's going on?" Andy moaned in pain again. "You're still bleeding." Andy continued to look at him betrayed. "You're still bleeding. What, Shit!" He looked at Copley. "She's not healing."