Harry
"H, you okay?" Niall's voice snaps me from my thoughts, his pale blue eyes showing concern.
I've been doing nothing for the past hour but sitting on a bench in the gym, absentmindedly playing with the rings on my fingers. That's very unlike me, I should be covered in sweat and my knuckles should be bleeding by now. But I've been distracted. I would occasionally glance at Alex, who has managed to get under everyone's skin in such a short time, and it pisses me off in a way. I'm starting to think it was a mistake to let him and his sister move into the army buildings yesterday. There's never enough caution when it comes to Vortex, let alone when you have two of its soldiers in your base.
I made sure to order Tori to keep an eye on Elena since she's in another building on the east side. Any sign of something suspicious, I'll personally make sure to either lock them up or kill them. The latter doesn't appeal very much to me, despite my obvious aversion toward anything Vortex related. Human life is worth more than any hatred, especially in the times like these when every murder is fueled by hatred, no matter if the person is an innocent child or a grown soldier.
"Yeah, Ni, go back to your training."
"You've been acting strange since yesterday," he notes. "Well, stranger than usual. Strange in un-Harry way. Or strange as in--"
"Okay, I get it," I interrupt, rolling my eyes. "I have my reasons." My body suddenly tenses when I realise he said my name; or what was my name. I shoot up from my seat, towering over his shorter frame. "It's H. Only H. Have I made myself clear?"
He gulps, nodding once. "Oh, wow-- sorry, yeah. . . I mean, yes, sir."
"Good. Go back to your training," I dismiss him, shutting my eyes for a few moments to gain composure. It saddens me, how people who were my closest friends once now have no idea who am I anymore and how to approach me. It's all my fault, though. I'm not what I used to be. . . or I simply cannot find that person anymore.
"Hey, handsome," a female voice says. A familiar Hispanic woman stands in front of me, her dark eyes finding mine. I almost roll my eyes when she sends me a seductive smile, knowing very well why she's approached me. I never slept with her, but we had a few make out sessions even though nothing developed from it. It was a long time ago and I honestly regret it considering she's all over me whenever I appear. She's pretty and all, but I'm in no condition to have any relationships.
"Lia." I nod politely. "I'm busy."
"It's been a long time since we've talked, precioso," she tells me, subtly dragging her index finger over my chest.
I lock my fingers around her wrist and push her hand away, but I make sure to do it gently, not wanting to be violent. "And it will continue being a long time."
A certain figure entering the gym steals my attention, my eyebrows pinching immediately. Her light brown ponytail sways as she walks, her slender body clad in a black sweatshirt and tights, a pair of black trainers on her feet. Much to my dismay, I have to admit I do find her attractive, I wouldn't spend so many precious seconds of my time observing her otherwise. I examine the way she walks; with straightened back and chin high like a soldier, yet there's a trace of elegance in it.
I stifle a smile; she reminds me of a wild cat, moving so gracefully, almost appearing innocent, but you never know when could she attack. Maybe a lion? No. A panther? No, a tiger. Yes, that fits her.
She walks over to her brother, engaging in a conversation with him, Louis, and another soldier. She looks in my direction for a few moments then looks away. I frown for some reason.
If they are going to stay here, then it's only fair they prove they're worthy of being a part of this base. I won't expose them since I don't want to be held responsible for any problems that would surely follow that revelation. However, I'm going to test their abilities to know with whom exactly am I dealing with here.
I ignore Lia and brush past her, toward the centre of the large training room. I whistle loudly, my hands clapping. "Listen up!" I raise my voice, gaining everyone's attention. "As you all know, we have recruited two soldiers. As I recall, every new soldier has to prove themselves and go through their initiation. You guessed it – it's time for a combat."
Everyone starts clapping and cheering, forming a circle around me. I keep my face blank, my eyes glancing over the group. "Which one of you newbies is going to fight first?" I ask, my eyes searching for the two of them before they stop on Elena. Her eyebrows are pulled together slightly, her amber eyes staring into mine. She wasn't expecting this. Ha.
"I will," she says as she steps into the circle, giving me a challenging smile.
"Alright," I say, raising my eyebrow. "Any volunteers?"
"I volunteer," Lia suddenly says, stepping into the circle, sending me a wink. Surely this is one of her tricks to gain my attention.
"Okay then," I say. "No weapons allowed, the combat starts on my sign and it ends when one of the opponents is in no condition to fight, whether it be because their opponent pinned them to the ground or they're beaten to a pulp."
I slowly make my way toward Elena and just before I walk past her, I lean in to whisper in her ear. "Show me what you've got, tiger." I walk away and blend into the crowd. "Begin."
"Damn, a girl fight," Niall whispers behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "This is why I love you, Styles."
"Just keep it in your pants, Ni, I'm sure you're used to it by now," I say.
The two of them stare at each other for a few seconds, both of them estimating their opponent, slowly moving in a circle. Lia is the first one to swing her fist, but Elena reacts quickly, dodging the punch. It was predictable. Lia swings again and then again, missing both times. Her growing frustration is clear in her expression, her fists firmly clenched.
Shit, this will be fun, I wish I had popcorns.
Elena is focused on her and I notice she isn't in a defensive stance; her back is straight, her arms simply hanging on her sides. It's almost as if she has some kind of tactic. I believe she's estimating her, trying to predict her moves and letting her tire herself out. At least, that's what I would do.
Lia is done playing games when she tries to deliver a punch to Elena's stomach, but she's quick to catch Lia's wrist and twist it, causing her to groan in pain. Lia quickly bends her knee and kicks her in the ribs, pushing her away in the process. Elena doesn't show any sign of pain, quickly standing straight.
"Let's go, it's your turn," Lia taunts her, her foreign accent prominent as she speaks.
Before Elena can do anything, her jaw receives a strong blow, her head whipping to the side from the impact. She swings her left fist toward Lia's stomach, but she blocks the punch. Elena quickly punches Lia's throat with her right fist then collides it with her cheek, grabbing her arm and throwing her down on her knees. She tricked her.
Nice move, tiger.
Lia coughs and wraps one of her hands around her throat, trying to stand up again. However, Elena pushes her onto her stomach with her foot, quickly crouching down and placing her knee on her lower back, shifting her weight on her. She pins Lia's wrists behind her back in a painful manner, disabling her from throwing her off.
Wait, she's won? I make a face, my eyebrows pulling together in surprise as my lips part, my head pulling back slightly.
A few seconds later when Lia stops struggling, Elena lets her go and stands up, earning cheers from the crowd. I step forward to announce her as the winner, but Lia suddenly grabs Elena's ankle and pulls her onto the ground, her body falling with a thud. Elena rolls to her back, but Lia straddles her, starting to deliver harsh blows to her face repeatedly while Elena tries to push her away. When Lia grabs the sides of her face and violently slams her head into the floor is when I decide to interfere.
I signal Louis and he quickly runs into the circle, wrapping his arms around Lia's waist and pulling her away from Elena. A stream of curse words leaves her mouth, my harsh glare sending her a silent warning. She's in deep shit because of this, that's for sure. I quickly crouch down beside Elena, trying to get her go react.
She groans, her eyes half opened. "Ugh, bitch. I'll rip her throat out."
Alex rushes to us and drops to his knees. "Lenny? Shit. Shit, shit, shit, blood, ew," he panics. "Where's the doctor's office?"
"Breathe, drama queen, I'll carry her," I tell him, slipping my arms beneath her body, pulling it toward mine. She doesn't protest, her eyes closed, so I assume she's passed out. I clumsily manage to stand up with her in my arms, annoyed with the fact she didn't win. She had her. Not that I care, I've always thought Vortex soldiers don't have good combat skills, they like to blow things up and use advanced weapons, not the old one on one combat.
I angrily order everyone to get back to their training while I walk out of the room with Alex and Louis following closely behind. "She's not dying, go back to your training."
"Lord knows she's a twat ninety-nine percent of the time, but she's my sister and I won't leave her alone," Alex says.
"And what's your excuse, Chipmunk?" I ask Louis, knowing how he has always hated that nickname. A reason more for me to use it.
I just know he's glaring at me. "I want to be there when she wakes up so I can congratulate her," he says. "She was really good."
"She was okay," I reply flatly. "You're up next, kid." I glance at her brother.
"Wow, thanks. So you'll carry me too if my opponent beats the shit out of me?" Alex says sarcastically.
"Listen, drama queen, you'll do it if you want to stay in this base," I tell him. "Besides, if you have skills like your sister here claimed you do, then you have nothing to worry about."
"Are we allowed to talk shit back at him?" He whispers to Louis and I roll my eyes.
"I can walk," Elena's soft voice suddenly says. "Shit, my brain is going to explode."
My eyes look down at her, noticing her expression twisted in a grimace. "I'd like nothing more than to drop you, but these hallways are too clean for you to smear it with your blood."
"Real charmer aren't you?" She manages to say sleepily before adding a quiet, "twat."
"According to your brother, you are," I retort, slightly amused.
"You know what they say, Prince Charming, takes one to know one."
I roll my eyes and stifle a chuckle, wondering how does she even come up with quick responses in this condition. I keep walking, gradually making my way toward the hospital wing and the doctor's office. Once I arrive, I order the two of them to wait outside while I enter, finding the room empty. I sigh and walk toward the bed in the centre of the room, lowering now completely unconscious Elena on it.
Her face is bruised and bloody, red wounded areas littered across her pale face. The worst part of this whole Vortex shit is she doesn't even look like she ever belonged there, not that its soldiers have some special vile features or anything. It just seems unnatural to me for whatever reason. Her brother would be even less likely to belong there, no explanation needed.
"What do we have here?" A voice says, belonging to our base's doctor, Ethan. He's a man in his early forties, incredibly buff with rock muscles, his skin tanned. Despite his intimidating exterior, he has a kind heart.
"Oh, she has the flu. What does it look like?" I reply, sarcasm evident in my tone.
"Don't use that tone with me," he says, rolling his eyes. "I heal physical wounds and problems, not emotional."
"Whatever, just patch her up." I pat his back on my way out, finding Louis and Alex standing in front of the room, practicing some kind of a handshake.
"So, does she have any brain damage?" Alex asks me when he sees me. "You know, pull-the-plug type of damage."
"Don't know, don't care," I reply, walking away. "Later is your turn, kid!"
"Well, shit. Do you think if I ask them not to punch my face they'll listen?" I hear him ask Louis before I turn the corner.
I don't even realise how much negative energy I've built up until I look down at my bandaged hands, finding them balled into tight fists. This whole deal with them being from Vortex has taken its toll on me. I've managed to stay away from them for two years now, my last encounter being the one I wish I could erase with all my heart. But I can't, I can only learn to live with the consequences of my actions.
I don't even bother to take off my shirt or rings as I enter my training room, pacing toward the punching bag and throwing a strong punch at it. The familiar surge of pain and satisfaction washes over me, so I throw another punch then another, continuing the assault until my knuckles bleed and my knees give out.