A/N - Sorry for the wait, I have been writing... just not publishing so... yeah. Enjoy! :)
That explained the familiarity of the eyes - they were my brother's. The eyes I'd looked into for years when I wanted comfort or confirmation. The eyes I thought had disappeared forever when I'd had to let go of my sibling, my best friend, my Ethan.
"This isn't quite the reception I was expecting little sister," Ethan jested.
"You're not the man I was expecting," I countered. Ethan visibly flinched at my words, something I said had pained him, but I couldn't guess what.
"Charming. It's wonderful to see you've been keeping yourself busy in my absence," Ethan commented, his tone blatantly condescending.
"Leave April alone!" Jack butted in. I was thankful for the prompt distraction, it gave me a moment to gather my thoughts and plan my next course of action.
"Oh how sweet," Ethan drawled, "It seems you've gone and gotten yourself a boyfriend April."
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"I'm not her boyfriend!"
Jack and I responded simultaneously, exchanging an awkward glance. I hadn't considered Jack in a romantic light and was clueless as how to respond to Ethan's comment.
"Keep telling yourself that little sister, one day you might just believe it," Ethan patronised.
"Why did you contact us?" Lacey broke in, diverting the conversation, "I doubt you intended to hack our system just to verbally harass your younger sister."
"Oh aren't you intelligent." Ethan's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "I did not arrange this meeting just to have a friendly little heart-to-heart with my dear baby sister."
"Your baby sister is dead," I whispered, memories of Annabelle appeared at the front of my mind. Ethan had never met his youngest sister, and I was beginning to think that wasn't such a bad thing. If he didn't know her, he wouldn't be able to use her against me as effectively. The man had enough emotional ammunition as it was.
"You're avoiding the question Ethan," Jack barked, "answer Lacey, why did you contact us?"
"I merely wanted to meet my opponents," Ethan replied, "so far I'm not impressed, but looks can be deceiving." He fixed his eyes upon my figure, "take my dear sister for example, she doesn't look like a whole lot does she, but we all know just how important she really is." Shocked murmurs echoed around the room as Ethan revealed that he knew the truth, "Don't look at me like that, I've known her longer than anyone else here."
Of course Ethan had noticed my Talents, after all those hours we'd spent together as children I would be more surprised if he was still oblivious to the truth. His knowledge added a whole other dimension to the problem faced by my companions. Not only was their enemy a powerful figurehead to one of the country's strongest militia, he also knew more about their secret weapon than anybody else. His past alone placed the man named Ethan Winters in a league of his own.
"Freddie, have you regained control yet?" Lacey asked impatiently, her gaze never wavering from the screen before her.
"I am cut deep," Ethan feigned offence, "I merely called to say hello to your wonderful gathering and my presence is already being rejected."
"Turn it off," Lacey commanded, ignoring Ethan's comment. With the press of a button Freddie powered down the Lab's computer system. The video of Ethan shut off abruptly, cutting him off mid-sentence.
As soon as Ethan's face disappeared I collapsed to my knees, both visibly and mentally shaken by the experience. What had happened to Ethan over the last few years? The man that had just spoken with us was unrecognizable when compared to my memories. Sure, he physically hadn't changed a lot – his eyes and the set of his jaw remained the same, but something within him had undeniably broken.
"April, are you okay?" Lacey turned to me, finally tearing her eyes away from the blank screens as Freddie commenced a full system reboot.
My skin was paler than usual and my hands shook uncontrollably. A chill ran through my body, the sensation sickeningly cold. I shivered despite the constantly warm temperature of the Lab. Shock, that's what they call this feeling. I couldn't think properly, my brain was incapable of doing anything more than the basics to keep my alive. Someone handed me a threadbare blanket that did nothing to cure the absence of heat I currently felt. Jack knelt down next to me and placed one of his large hands on my shoulder. In the scheme of things I was so small, so insignificant, yet I held the weight of Lacey's plans on my shoulders.
"April, I'm taking you to the dormitory, you need to stand up," Jack stated, gently guiding me through a series of simple actions. His voice seemed far off, like it had passed through a body of water to meet my ears. The only thing keeping me upright was Jack's hand pressed firmly to my lower back. I mindlessly drifted through the hallways, unconscious to the directions my feet led me in. When we finally reached the dormitory Jack sat me down on his bed and wrapped a blanket around my narrow shoulders.
"Hey," Jack sat down next to me, covering my shaking hands with his own steady palm. "You're alright," he murmured.
"I- I know," I stammered, "but that- that man- he wasn't my brother, not at all." "I looked up to my older brother," I managed, the words catching in the back of my throat. "He was my role-model and my best friends. That man who spoke to us – that's not the Ethan I remember, that's not my brother."
"But at the same time it was your brother. You recognised each other, even after all this time," Jack added.
"I know! I hate that I can still see the boy I once knew within that monster," I spat. The relentless shaking that had overtaken my body was beginning to ease, replaced by anger. "How did he even manage that publicity stunt? The Lab is supposed to be secure!"
"I don't know! The Lab is virtually untraceable, unless..." Jack mused, retreating into the depths of his consciousness.
"Unless what?" I urged, nudging Jack's arm impatiently.
"Unless he had help from someone on the inside," Jack explained, "that's the only way he could've gained access to the video feed."
"Great! A double agent! Just what we need right now," I remarked sarcastically.
"We can't be sure yet April," Jack sighed, "it's no use getting worked up."
"You're right Jack! Thanks to you my mood had instantly improved!" I huffed. "I need a shower," I declared, as I clambered to my feet and seized a clean shirt from the end of the bed.
"Can I join you?" Jack joked, futilely attempting to improve the situation.
"Not now Jack!" I snap, leaving the room with an air of finality.
Jack asn't alone when I eventually returned to the dormitory, Skylar was perched on Jack's bed next to him with her legs carelessly thrown over his lap.
"So you absolutely promise you'll- oh! Hi! You must be April!" Skylars demeanour changed drastically when she noticed I had entered the room.
"What were you guys talking about?" I asked Jack as I dried my hair roughly on a fresh towel. Even without glancing upwards I could tell Jack and Skylar were exchanging awkward glances. What secret were those two hiding? First their argument last night, and now this strange exchange. Something about Skylar didn't add up and it set me on edge whenever I was near her.
"We were just discussing–"
"Our date on the weekend," Skylar butted in and finished Jack's sentence for him.
"Is that so," I mused, chancing a quick glance towards Jack's expression. He looked absolutely petrified. "So you two have a thing going on, I see," I smirked as I watched Jack's face steadily redden with embarrassment.
"W- we don't have a 'thing'," spluttered Jack.
"You sure? It's okay Jack, you don't have to hide your relationship from me," I teased. The glare Jack shot me in return was sharp enough to slice through steel. Skylar's response was to shift closer to Jack and rest her cheek against his shoulder, he was obviously very uncomfortable with the awkward display of affection Skylar had forced upon him.
"Help me!" Jack mouthed when I caught his gaze once again, he was subconsciously leaning away from Skylar, but the bed was only so long.
"Jack–," I started, searching frantically for a convincing way to continue my sentence, "–don't we have a training session scheduled soon?"
"Yes! Yes we do!" Jack eagerly jumped to his feet, tipping a disgruntled Skylar onto the floor in the process. "I'll go and set that up now!" Without a moment's hesitation Jack fled the room, his footsteps rapidly faded from the corridor as he retreated to the safety of the gym.
"I can see what you're trying to do here," Skylar snarled.
"Really?" I asked skeptically. Skylar climbed to her feet and leveled off against me, she was a good inch taller and her icy blue eyes pierced into soul. Sure, she was intimidating, but I couldn't show that she had any effect over me.
"Save the innocence act," Skylar snapped, "You don't think anyone is buying that whole 'Ethan is my dead brother' story? Especially after someone breaks into the system just after you appear?"
"What?" I questioned, disbelief woven into both my tone and expression. "Ethan is my brother, my brother who I was convinced had died many years ago." Skylar was seriously grating on my nerves and it took all my will to keep my composure. "And, I've been here much, much longer than you have."
"Likely story," Skylar accused, "how many people have you coaxed to your side with lies like that? I'll give it to you though, you're a pretty convincing liar."
"I'm not lying!" I fumed, breathing deeply in attempt to control my volatile emotions. "I'm really not in the mood to argue with you right now Skylar. I know my side of the story, and I can't be bothered to deal with useless drama." I turned sharply on my heel and started towards the door, "Now, if you'll excuse me I have an actual date with Jack. Good day." I exited the room with a mocking curtsey. Paying no further attention to the agitated woman behind me I strode quickly towards the gym, my cotton socks padded gently against the polished concrete flooring.
It never crossed my mind that I had left Skylar alone in the dormitory. That she had free access to both Jack's possessions and mine. In hindsight that decision wasn't very wise, but I wasn't thinking straight when I abandoned the aggravating woman. When I abandoned Skylar I couldn't fathom anything bad would arise from that choice. Stupid.
.oOo.
When I finally reached the gym Jack was waiting for me, he'd slumped against the wall and was clearly deep in thought. Careful not to disturb the boy I silently tiptoed over and stood next to him.
"April?" Jack murmured softly, he'd shifted his body slightly so that he faced me. "How have you been coping will all of this?" There was genuine sincerity in his voice. I couldn't tell if the question was one of my wellbeing or merely a plea for advice.
"I just– avoid the memories I guess," I responded and mirrored Jack's stance, our faces were now only mere inches from each other. "That's why I haven't completely broken down yet."
"I'm here if you need to talk, you know that right?" Jack whispered. I glanced up and was met by his warm, dark eyes, at such a close proximity I was able to make out tiny flecks of gold in his irises.
"If I talk about it I'll shatter into a million pieces," I whispered, "There's no way to repair yourself when you break that much, there's no way to be fully whole again."
"I guess not," Jack mused, "but no one here is whole, we've all got hidden scars and missing pieces."
"Even you?"
"Especially me."
"I don't want to do this anymore Jack." I choked back a sudden onslaught of emotion. My voice sounded high-pitched and weak as I fought the tears.
"So we'll do something about it," Jack comforted taking my small hands tightly into his larger ones.
"You don't get it!" I sniffed, a stray tear cutting a direct path down my cheek. "I watched as my family were killed! The brother I thought had died returns! I killed a man in self-defense! There is blood on my hands Jack! Blood!" The tears now ran unrestrained down my face and I was hyperventilating. Finally I let go of the emotion I had been clinging onto. Jack awkwardly wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me until the relentless tears subsided, reduced to painful sobs and shaky breaths of air.
"Sorry about your shirt," I sobbed, a watery smile weakly brightening my face.
"It's fine," Jack chuckled as he removed the soiled garment, exposing the scarred plains of his tanned chest and back. I ran a finger gently down one of the parallel scars that striped Jack's back.
"How did you get these?" I asked as I traced over the raised marks.
"That is a story for another day." Jack swiftly diverted the conversation, "how about we go and talk to Lacey about how you can help. She's been speaking about sending a special taskforce over the border and apparently we're at the top of the list."
"What list?" I asked, growing increasingly suspicious as Jack's grin expanded.
"You'll see," Jack smirked. He straightened and began to leave the gym, forcing me to follow him.
.oOo.
Freddie was still running a few final checks before he could reboot the system fully, but some of the basic functions were back up. Many of the smaller workstations were once again fully operational, but the main computer still needed a bit of work. Lacey was perched restlessly upon one of the cluttered desks near Freddie's workspace.
"How's everything been going here?" Jack inquired, leaning casually against the desk opposite Lacey.
"Fine," Lacey replied, absently flicking through a sheaf of papers. "I've finished the short-list too, by the way," she added in, almost as an afterthought.
"So how's my squadron looking?" Jack queried. He'd crossed his muscular over his chest and relaxed into an easy stance. This was where Jack was comfortable, in this room discussing tactics and planning the next course of action. I was almost jealous that he had found the place he belonged after such a short time period.
After Brodie discovered my Talents I had been removed from routine patrols – essentially I'd lost my job. Sure, I picked up the odd shift when someone was unable to work, but it just wasn't the same. Lacey would never phrase it like that, but I felt redundant, useless. It had been made very clear that I was anything but useless, but that didn't exactly mean my presence was beneficial to the cause.
"– Are you sure April will be comfortable acting in that position?" Lacey questioned Jack. I'd zoned out of the conversation and had absolutely no idea why my name was being mentioned.
"If she isn't my second, I'm not leading the mission," Jack stated, his steady gaze locked with Lacey's. No one else was brave enough to question Lacey's authority; the man had a death wish. Clearly he held a position of importance and wasn't afraid to test his privileges.
"Fine," Lacey sighed, "April's your second and Steel is navigator. Happy?"
"Very," Jack smirked, taking the list Lacey held in her hand and briskly scanning the crisp, white sheet. "Why is there only one pilot, the new prototypes require two to operate the controls?"
"Older model," Lacey explained, "we want to launch the team soon and the new aircraft are nowhere near finished. We've had to push the deadline back again, Skylar is being–" Lacey paused, choosing her next words carefully, "–difficult with her design."
"Of course," Jack growled, he was still annoyed at Skylar's earlier display of affection.
"What is this team for exactly?" I enquired hesitantly, aware that I should already possess this knowledge.
"We're sending a specialised team in to weaken the enemy from the inside-out. You'll need to break through their defenses and hit them where it'll really hurt. Ethan has to go for us to be successful – that's where you and Jack come in," Lacey explained.
"We have the strongest Talents out of everyone here," Jack elaborated when he saw my baffled expression, "we're the hardest to kill."
"And you two are our best trained operatives – Jack's spent hours practicing and April has served longer than many people here."
"So it just makes sense to send the best we have!" Jack beamed.
"But why am I second in command?" I asked. The decision seemed strange as I had never led a team before and had only ever participated in lone patrols – one else could be hurt if there was only one person around.
"Because I trust you," Jack stated simply, his eyes brimming with trust in my abilities. This position definitely held some high standards, but I'd never been one to step down from a challenge.