To Rescue a Villain

Chapter 36

This was the tenth time we'd had this conversation. I had been trapped on top of this mountain for 35 months now and this hermit's stubbornness had deterred me from contacting Derek. The only other person I'd seen during that time had been a kind lady who stopped by once, three months ago. She'd left before I could ask her for help, though.

"This is ridiculous," I growled, feeling heat rise in my chest. "I never should have stayed here in the first place. If you'd taken me to a real hospital I could have healed in three months instead of three years."

"Be thankful I've taken you in at all!" he answered before handing me a glass of water to calm me down.

I accepted the glass but didn't drink it, frowning at my scarred reflection. My body was almost fully healed, though it was painful to get around and I always needed a crutch to hold me up. My habit of sleeping for days at a time had ended months ago but I was still drowsy all the time. It was starting to seem a bit suspicious.

"Drink your water," Alphenstine told me, shutting Joe's back and letting him scooter off to do his own thing. "You need to stay hydrated."

"I'll go down to the town on my own," I whispered, looking up from the clear liquid.

The man frowned, his googly eyes squinting. "We've been over this. You would collapse half way down and then you'd freeze to death. It's much safer here."

"I can't heal if I stay here," I stated. "Not fully."

"That's because you haven't been resting enough."

"I've been resting for years. I have a family, Al, and they could be in trouble without me!"

He squinted. "So, you would ignore my hospitality and run off?"

I sighed, feeling guilty. "I've taken advantage of your kindness long enough. Now I need to—"

"No."

"...What?"

The small man got up from his seat, picked up one of his sharp metal tools, and pointed it at me. "You're not leaving."

"What are you talking about?" My heart started to pound.

"For three years I've been studying you, dedicating all my time to caring for you, and you will not just walk away before my research is complete."

I rose, using the edge of my chair to support me before slowly edging toward the door. "You knew I was a Valdis?"

"Do I look stupid to you? Of course I knew! Why else would I take care of a whiney child like you? I would have left you in that snow mound to die if I hadn't known."

All these years I hadn't figured it out. I'd been too tired and depressed to realize I was being used. That must have been why he left the bracelet on, too. He had known it was holding me back, keeping me from escaping.

"Now, drink your water and go to sleep." He pressed the tip of the tool against my chest and nodded toward the bed I'd spent so many hours in, wasting away.

Without my powers I was scared. I was afraid of this little man. How pathetic. "Did you intentionally keep my injuries from healing?" I questioned, still unsure of how to escape.

"Stop asking questions! Just drink your water!"

"No, I'm not drinking your drugged water!"

"Do you want me to break your bones all over again?"

I'd had enough. Cringing as the muscles in my arms ached, I lifted the table between us and threw it at the man, knocking him against the wall and making him drop his weapon. I then grabbed the fallen tool and dug it into his shoulder, forcing blood to ooze and dribble down his arm.

"Joe!" I yelled before pulling the tip of the tool he'd used on me so many times out of his flesh and pointing it at his throat. "Open the door for me!"

Joe complied, using all the strength he had in his little body to swing the wooden door open, allowing the cold air to rush into the small cabin. Out of all the robots, he was the only one I had ever known personally. Earlier, the other ones had had their insides ripped out by the scientist and I'd been the one to defend Joe and save him from getting dismembered. Now, he was my only ally.

My ears started to ring as I wondered whether or not I should kill this man. On one hand, he had saved my life. On the other, he had imprisoned me for three years and kept me from my family.

After much deliberation I took the middle ground and tied him up. He'd find a way to get free somehow but this would give me enough time to keep him off my tail. Then, just to ensure my safety, I hit him over the head with a chair to knock him unconscious before rushing out the door with Joe on my heels.

Now, to find that small town he'd mentioned. 

[So, did anyone notice the Jala X Ace moment? Because I did (since I wrote it)! And the picture at the top is meant to be them. I thought it perfectly showed how opposite their personalities were.]