Sitting in front of her with his legs crossed Bor looked at her intently. "What do you remember?"
They were sitting in the open area of the small fighter class ship. The space was probably supposed to be a sleeping and recreational area but Izara could hardly imagine the owner of the ship using it for that. Izara resisted the urge to turn and look at the tall huntress who had Bor's eyes. She had already gawked at Bor's sister enough when she was briefly introduced to her while they both saved her from Black Mountain.
She forced herself to focus on the moment. "Not much. I remember you...you falling. I pushed you. I just remembered that I wanted you safe. Do you remember that?"
"I remember it clearly," he said gruffly.
"Are you mad? I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just know something was trying to kill you," she asked worriedly, reaching out to trace the stapled wound on his chest. His scaled skin was still raw on the spot. "And I had to get you away," she tried to explain. It was hard to remember everything through the painful snapshots of her muddled memories.
Bor shook his head. "I have no anger at you. Only at myself."
Shocked by the anger in his words, Izara stiffened and sat up straighter. "What? Why? Without you, I would not be alive. Did you climb back up the cliff or how did you-"
Bor's hands balled into fists at his side. "I did not save you," he said gruffly. "You saved yourself before the humans intervened."
She really tried to remember that day. But everything was coming up blank. She remembered Bor's pained eyes and the sudden hole in his chest and she remembered pushing him away and him falling, but that was it, nothing else.
Seeing the confusion on her face, Bor continued. "You pushed me onto Mokembi's ship just as the humans from Black Mountain came to retrieve you."
Izara's head swam with that information. "Talk about perfect timing," she laughed.
Bor grunted.
Behind her, Mokembi said something in their low guttural language and Bor's eyes flashed with anger at his sister before immediately dampening. Whatever she said struck a nerve with her brother. Bor looked away and stared at a far wall.
Looking back at Mokembi, Izara met the huntress's glowing gaze and frowned at her before turning back to Bor. Gently, she reached out letting her fingertips ghost just underneath his mandibles. With little to no pressure, she turned his head back to her.
"What is it? What did she say?" she urged. "Does she not like me?" Her heart lurched at the thought of his family not approving of her.
Bor's brow bone lowered in confusion for a moment before his eyes lit up with mellow amusement. "No, Mokembi does not dislike you. She is angry with me. Rightfully so. I have failed you in many ways in my attempt to protect you."
Izara didn't understand. "I don't-" Her words were cut off with a cough. It still burned a little to breathe too deep.
Bor shook his head and abruptly stood up. "You will go back into the sarcophagus. Your lungs are not finished healing."
Izara glowered up at him. Her lungs did still feel weak from the gas she had inhaled but that wasn't nearly as important as this conversation right now. But she knew from the look on his face that arguing with Bor would be pointless. He would just pick her up and stuff her into the healing pod like a load of laundry.
"We'll finish this once I'm out, right?"
Bor nodded. "There will be much to discuss once you are healed."
By the time she woke up, the ship was descending onto a clearing that had been cut into the thick surrounding jungle.
Izara was more than annoyed she missed the opportunity to see the outside of the yautja planet. She shot Bor a displeased look but he pretended as if he didn't see it as he helped her out of the sarcophagus.
She barely had time to marvel at the sights of the mysterious planet as Bor led her with singular determination past the towering hunter statues and into the colossal black pyramid. Izara tried to have him slow down but both he and Mokembi could not be swayed from their goal. She had every intention of stopping in her tracks and pouting when Bor finally stopped down a long dimly lit palace hallway. An unseen door slid open revealing a large room full of equipment. But it wasn't the lab equipment that stole Izara's attention it was the yautja standing in the middle of the room seemingly waiting for them.
Izara couldn't help but stare at the watchful hunter as they stepped into the huge lab. On the way to the palace, Izara hadn't seen anyone else. Granted it was night out when they landed but still she kind of expected to see some other living creature.
With spines that hung to his waist, the silent hunter wore no upper armor whatsoever while around his waist he wore a short leather skirt-like loin cloth that was tied on by an intricately braided leather belt. His slate grey muscular body was covered in various dark scars telling her without words the battles he had faced. Yellow eyes ringed in red stared at her with predatory assessment. With his mandibles fitted tightly together over his mouth, the new yautja exuded an air of calm.
The hunter stepped forward. "I am Ravki."
Izara looked to Bor and he gave her an imperceptible nod. Turning back to Ravki, Izara smiled at him. "Hi Ravki, I'm Izara."
Ravki's small eyes gleamed at her in the low light of the room, taking in every detail of her face before his eyes cut toward Bor with a flash of anger.
"You have not explained it to her," he said, accusation clear in his tone.
Beside her, Mokembi grumbled something in their low guttural language and Bor shifted impatiently on his feet. Responding with his own growl he threw the violent rumbling noises at both hunters but whatever he said did not move either of them. Their accusing gazes remained fixed on Bor.
Confused she looked between the three hunters and scooted close to Bor. Whatever it was she was on Bor's side. "What's going on?" she whispered to him, although she knew the others could no doubt hear her.
Stiffly, Bor turned to her and she could see the rare spark of hesitancy color his eyes.
Ravki spoke first. "Come Izara. I will examine you once more to ensure there is no lingering damage to your system." Izara frowned, ready to argue but Ravki continued. "And once done, Bor will tell you what needs to be said."
Izara felt Bor's low rumbling growl as he glared back at Ravki, but even despite his annoyance Bor turned and nodded at her, gesturing her to follow Ravki.
"We will talk once he is done," Bor agreed solemnly.
"Talk about what though?" she asked but Bor was already gently guiding her forward to follow behind Ravki as he walked deeper into the lab.
No one answered her question. Instead, Ravki had her stand while red laser lights scanned her from head to toe. In awkward silence, Bor and Mokembi watched as Ravki went over her vitals and asked her the barest of questions about how she was feeling. At first, she was tempted not to answer but she looked over to Bor and met his burning gaze. Whatever he wanted to talk about was really weighing on him. So she chose the path of least resistance and complied.
It took Ravki an hour to run his million tests and during that time Izara made up her mind that despite his gruff exterior she rather liked the silent scientist. It was the little things buried in his unconscious actions that made up her opinion. The way his claws deftly worked over his instruments or how he handled her with the lightest touch as if she was made of glass. It was very unexpected from a hunter. Izara grinned, well any other hunter than her hunter she thought as she glanced over to Bor who still stood and watched her with his arms folded across his chest. Catching her gaze his ruby eyes warmed a little, which only made her smile wider.
Mokembi made a noise that sounded like a groan but before Izara could glare at the taciturn huntress Ravki stood in front of her.
"It is finished," he said and looked expectantly at Bor.
Bor finally walked over and Ravki stepped away. Izara was sitting on a metal table and moved to jump off, but Bor's hands gently bracketing her waist kept her in place.
"What was wrong?"
He hesitated for a long while, which was unlike Bor, while Ravki watched him in silent expectation. "There is much you must learn about yourself."
She frowned in confusion, trying and failing to read his naturally stern face. "I mean...we knew that," she began hesitantly. "How did you plan on going about that?"
Ravki interjected. "With others like you."
Bor gave him a warning growl.
Izara's breath caught in her chest. "Others? What did you mean..."
"There were other women on Ojibwe like you."
She shook her head, her mind reeling. When did he know this? His words didn't make any sense.
Ravki said something to Mokembi and she nodded and walked to the door. As she left, Izara turned back to Bor wanting him to clarify what he said but Ravki was saying something to him.
Just then the door to the lab opened again and Mokembi walked in followed by two tall women. They were really tall. One even towered over Mokembi and doubled her in muscle mass. The woman in the middle, with her long black braids, pulled into a ponytail, the presumable leader of the group led the other three women to stop a few feet from Izara's table.
Izara wasn't sure who to look at. To Bor for answers? Or to the beautiful woman with braids and violet eyes? Or the behemoth with the spiky platinum silver hair standing next to her wearing a tank top that displayed her muscled arms? Or the sharp-eyed brunette standing on the other side? Regardless all three were staring directly at her.
Izara couldn't help but feel small and insignificant in comparison to these women. Still dressed in the simple white inmate jumpsuit, she couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy as she noticed their taller, stronger stature. They exuded confidence and authority, a stark contrast to the uncertainty flowing through her.
Izara shifted uncomfortably on the table, feeling exposed and vulnerable under their scrutinizing gaze. Bor stepped closer to her, a silent reassurance amidst the overwhelming presence of the other women. His proximity offered a sense of assurance, grounding her in the midst of her insecurities.
The woman with the violet eyes smiled at her. "You must be Izara. I'm happy to finally meet you. My name is Justice," she said, holding out a hand to her.
Feeling dumb sitting on the table still, Izara hopped down and gave the woman a hesitant smile and shook her hand.
"You did it!" The bigger woman next to Justice bellowed as she stepped forward to slap Bor on the shoulder. "Mission fucking accomplished. And did you get bigger?"
"He did!" The third woman, the brunette, said cheerfully as she also reached out to squeeze Bor's arm affectionately.
Izara stared at the spot where they touched Bor's arms and her heart began to pound. Standing there, she looked past Justice and watched as the women interacted with Bor. A small incessant ringing began to pierce through the silence of her mind.
Following her line of sight, Justice looked at the scene herself and back to her before making a noise under her breath. Immediately, like well trained soldiers the other women fell back in line beside her, silent, waiting, and all three staring at Izara.
Justice's smile softened. "As I was saying, it is good to finally meet you Izara."
Izara frowned, her confusion evident on her face.
"Bor has told her nothing," Ravki interjected from Izara's left.
Bor, coming back to stand at Izara's side, said something in their low guttural language at him but Ravki only returned a silent challenging stare back.
The hum in her head continued, distant but strong. She was starting to get annoyed. What was it they weren't telling her? And how many people knew whatever it was and not her? "Told me what? What are you talking about?" she snapped, looking from Bor to Ravki.
Justice gave Bor a shocked look before glancing back down at her. "Umm...I'm..." She looked back at Bor and then to Ravki. "So that means she knows absolutely nothing at all?"
Bor looked down to the floor and then to Izara. There was an uncertainty in his eyes that felt wrong to see.
"That is correct," Ravki confirmed, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
"Well, let's make this simple shall we," the bigger woman said stepping forward with a grin. "My name is Bex, me and my sisters here are cyborgs. Genetically enhanced humanoids designed for combat. And you lucky girl, are one of our missing sisters. Which means," she grinned evilly. "You are a cyborg too."
"You should probably show her the footage," the other woman chimed in. "That could help," she added dryly.
"The footage of her tearing through a shit ton of people? Not sure if she's ready for that," Bex eyed Izara with a smirk.
Justice glanced back at the women and again all of them silenced at once. Looking back at her Justice gave her a pitying smile. "We found out about you by going through some old records of the company that created us. You...you are a special class," she said carefully as if choosing her words with care. "You were somehow separated from the rest of us and sent to that prison space station. We sent Bor to get you back."
At first, the noise in her head had been faint, like a distant steady hum. But gradually, the hum grew louder, insistent, threatening to drown out every other sound around her. Standing up from the table, Izara looked at Bor who had been watching her this entire time. She let Justice's words sink in.
"I see." She paused. For the longest moment, she stared at the floor before turning to Bor. "So, I was just a mission to you."
Bor stepped closer to her. "No. You are-"
She shook her head. "We were on that planet for months. I told you everything about myself. I confessed every fear and insecurity."
He stepped forward his hands fisting at his sides.
"You lied," she spoke before he could. "It was all a lie." She was no longer seeing him in front of her, her thoughts going back to all of their time on the island, from his initial cruelty to his subsequent kindness. "Everything was a lie." Her voice sounded different, distant, as the humming in her head overshadowed everything.
"Leave," Ravki commanded. "If you do not wish to lose her, you will leave," he said to Bor's reluctant figure as everyone else quickly moved to the door. Finally, Bor relented and left the lab.
Alone now, Ravki came back to her.
He said nothing but stood and waited. She was in pain and heartbroken, and started to cry. Ravki put an awkward hand on her back, and she cried harder.