Here with you

Old wounds and new wounds

He was seriously wounded. He knew that if he didn't go to his specialist soon, he might cause himself irreparable damage. It might even go to such an extent that no one would know what to do with him.

So why was he not taking any action?

There was a slight problem with his plan. The person who had been the cause of his injuries was standing right above him. And there wasn't an ounce of mercy in her cruel eyes. Even though she knew the exact extent of his injuries, she wasn't doing anything about it. But she also wasn't making a move to kill him. She just stood there, arms crossed, enjoying the sight before her.

'Y-you won't g-get away with this,' he stammered, his lungs failing to draw enough oxygen.

She leaned forward and brought her face close to his. Her heavy breaths fanned his face as she fumed. 'Get away with what, Ayne? My grand plan? The one we came up with together?'

He flinched at her tone and leaned backwards. Help was on its way. And even if it wasn't, he wasn't going to sit there like an obedient puppy and let himself be played by her.

'Yeah, your stupid plan that I was foolish enough to help you with. You'll never get away with this. Even if anything happens to me, my friends will still win this war.'

She snarled and slapped him across the face, hard. 'Your friends? The ones whom you betrayed me for? Do you really think they'd win? If you couldn't even win this battle, what makes you think you'd win a war?'

He smirked. 'I have something worth fighting for.'

She grabbed his collar and pulled him even closer. 'And you think I don't? You think my cause isn't worth fighting for? Do you have any idea how many years I put into the research and experiments? I have devoted my life to this cause. I struggled to make people believe me. So I, too, have something worth fighting for.'

'Your plan is sick! And why did I have to be the one you experimented on? Why?' He asked, voice cracking with the pain of an old wound that never really healed.

'Because I couldn't let you die like that,' she said, brows drawing together with an inexplicable sadness. 'You were my best friend. My comrade. I needed to keep you by my side. And for that, you had to be my first real experiment. Aren't you happy you got a second chance at life? That your body is so much better than an average human?'

'No. Not if it means being tied down to you. Not if it means being part of something so sinister.'

'It's not sinister!' She screamed. 'It's the best thing that could happen to humanity. I improve their bodies by making a few upgrades, that's it! Didn't the upgrades help you?'

Ayne had to admit, at least to himself, that the last part was true. The robotic extensions running through his body had turned out to be useful in many tight situations. But that didn't mean they were allowed to force it upon millions of people.

Her eyes softened with a pleading look. 'Ayne, please come back to us. To me. It's not too late. I know your friends are on their way here. I was supposed to bring you back or kill you immediately. But I pleaded to talk to you, at least once.'

'Why? What's there to talk about? We fought on the wrong side together, I almost died, your sick experiments saved me, and I became a forced companion in your plans 'till I found a way out. Then I escaped. Simple as that.'

'You're forgetting just one detail,' she whispered. 'Our love for each other.'

Ayne stilled. He'd been hoping she wouldn't bring it up. As much as he'd hated their plans, he'd still been in love with her.

'I loved you with all my heart,' she continued in a broken voice. 'I gave you my everything. Why did you have to betray me like that?'

He looked away.

It had taken a long time for them to admit their feelings for each other. By then, he'd found out about a rebel group trying to take down his organization, and had almost finalized plans for his escape. But he didn't want to miss his chance to court Nitara, so he agreed to meet her in an abandoned tower at night, a day before his betrayal.

Regrettably, there was a sudden change in plans, allowing them to enjoy each other's company for a cruelly short period before Ayne's friends surrounded them. At first, Nitara had stood back to back with him, ready to fight the intruders. But when Ayne stepped away from her, the betrayal broke her heart into a million pieces.

'I never really loved you,' Ayne had lied. 'I was just using you to get my work done.'

She had screamed and sworn at him, and when that didn't work, she vowed that she would escape and seek revenge.

Nitara closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 'Why do you fight the cause that created you? If not for my work, you wouldn't even be here.'

A pained smile crossed Ayne's lips. 'That's something you'll never understand. You didn't give me a choice. You chose to do it yourself. You're not giving these people any choice before transforming them, Nitara. That's something I had to fight against. It opened my eyes to how cruel we were.'

Just then, footsteps were heard. Nitara cursed softly. 'Don't think you've won this, little hero. I'll be back. And this time, I won't pity you.'

He nodded. 'Good. Then at least we can fight properly.'

She hissed before disappearing into the shadows.