What Remains

It was a dark night, well into the evening hours, rain pouring relentlessly from the sky. Most people were asleep in their beds, only the night owls out and about, wandering the streets. It wasn't particularly chilly, but the rain was cool enough to make those outside cover up.

Bare feet padded across a wooden floor towards a darkened window. Pulling open the curtains, a young woman stood bare, palm on the  glass. Her deep sea green eyes watched the street below, gaze on a man standing outside the building. Her apartment was on the third floor, so even if he were to look up he would not have seen her standing there, watching him.

She knew who he was, but she didn't know why he was there. Her eyes narrowed slightly; she backed from the window and moved down the hallway go her bedroom in the back of the apartment. Logically he could have been there to do anything. A lot of people lived in that building, but that particular woman was a former soldier of the most prominent division.

Pulling on a pair of loose sweatpants, and a tee shirt she sat in the living room and waited. Still having some of her old gear, she was prepared if the man she saw tried to enter her home.  No one had tried to contact her in the few years since she had been discharged. There wasn't anyone else in her building who knew she was a military girl, and before she'd moved in she had checked every person who lived inside it. None of them had militant background.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes; either he would come for her, or he wouldn't. Either way she was prepared.

"... 'neath the halo of a streetlamp; i turn my collar to the cold and damp...' " It's an appropriate song for the way I feel right now. It's cool outside, but the rain makes it feel kind of cold. I hum when I'm cold, and it just so happens that I was listening to Disturbed before we landed. I don't really approve of the mission i'm on but... orders are orders I guess. My team is in place already; just my squad tonight. A large force would look suspicious and the target is not stupid.

I've studied her for a week now, learning everything about her that I can. Not appearances, really. People can change their looks in a couple of hours. But habits are hard to break, so I memorized those first. I also know her history; why she was discharged, relationship statuses, up-bringing... all required reading before tonight, when I would actually make contact.

My orders are simple. After locating the target, I am to apprehend her and bring her in, alive and with as little damage as possible. I don't really understand my orders, because as far as I can tell, she has been a good retiree. She hasn't told anyone about her work, she hasn't made the wrong kind of friends. She generally keeps to herself, so I'm not sure why they want her back.

Well, that's not entirely true. I think I know why, and if i'm right, it's not good. Loose ends had to be tied up. Maybe they thought something about one of her missions posed too much of a risk to let her live. But i've got my orders. They're stupid orders, but I have to follow them. For now, anyway.

Getting into her building is easy. Enough people walking by meant I didn't have to look over my shoulder about being out at that time of night. Once I unlock the door, I step inside and take a quick look around.

"I'm inside. Eyes open, everyone. I want this done quietly, but watch the windows and the exits, just in case."

I take the stairs to the third floor, then make my way to her apartment. Easy to find, and nondescript... of course. This isn't a forced extraction, however, so rather than barging down the door, I decided to use my manors and knock.

"Did you just fucking knock on her door, Sarge? What the hell man?"

Of course I don't respond. Don't want to spook the woman before I even get to meet her.

There it was. He was at my door, I knew it was him, it had to be. I never had visitors, let alone any this late at night. The only question was: why was he here? With a heavy sigh I pushed myself up, but I did not go straight to the door. Instead, I walked around my apartment and closed every curtain. I had light cancelling curtains so to not let the sun in on days I slept in, so it eliminated all light inside.

Only after the curtains were closed did I make my way down the hallway to my door. I didn't need to look through the peephole to know who was standing there. Unlocking the deadbolt, and the handle, I pulled open the door, stepping back as the light from the outside hall flooded my entryway.

"Please, come inside. I do have to warn you, though, your comms won't work in here."

With that I stepped back away from the door, and walked back down towards my living room. I had my back to him, not because I trusted him, because I didn't, but because I wanted him to know I did not feel threatened by him. He was formidable, I knew that, but this was my home, and I knew it better than he did. We were in my territory now, and I would have a home field advantage over him.

"What brings you to my humble home?" I seated myself on my couch, left leg crossed over my right. It was still dark inside as I hadn't turned any of the lights on. I liked it better in the dark, it suited me in that moment.

I chuckled a little before stepping into the apartment. I didn't think anyone would have been expecting me, but then again she was a member of Dragon Company. We were the elite, after all. I wondered if she would remember me since we served at the same time, though we were in different platoons. Only my reputation could precede me, and I very rarely admitted to anyone who I was or what I had done back then.

"You'd be surprised where these things work now. A lot's changed since you left." It was true that our equipment had been sharply upgraded since Ramona was dismissed, so I really wasn't all that sure on whether or not she was right. I wasn't going to speak into my comms in front of her anyway, just as a precaution. The mission had been fully sanctioned, but that didn't mean I could cause an uproar for having a private conversation over the airwaves.

"It's a nice place you have," I started, honestly liking what she had done with the place. "I'd expect nothing less from a Dragon." I have no doubts that, on top of electronic insulation, that she had hidden several weapons throughout the apartment. Some hiding spots were obvious, but others weren't. I decided to keep this diplomatic, if possible. I didn't have any interest in involving any civilians to this powder keg.

"I'll be honest. They sent me to pick you up. Didn't say why, but they did say ASAP. I have a team here, and they're all armed just like I am. But you know how that goes... hope for the best..." I assumed she would understand that they were just taking steps to protect themselves. "I'd rather you just came voluntarily, so we can avoid an innocent getting caught in the crossfire."

I hoped that my sincerity would show through. I was good at doing violence, but I didn't enjoy it. Ramona was a bit unhinged, according to her file, but she wasn't stupid and she wasn't reckless. All I could do is hope that none of that had changed.

I smiled from my seat on the couch, trying not to seem bothered by what he said. The only reason they would want me back is for termination. Permanent termination. If he thought I was going to calmly walk to my death he was mistaken. Dragon Company didn't let go of loose ends.

"I can assure you that I won't cause a fuss, I may have been discharged on assumption, not fact, but I don't harm innocents. You've read my file, you know that." I didn't move, however, nor did I make any indication that I would. "I do wonder why it took them so long to come for me. Are they not desperate to keep all the dogs they can? Sending you on menial tasks, to pick me up, they must not be so hard on for recruits."

I remembered the man in front of me as a ruthless killer, a man who was task oriented and took out his targets with little care or resistance, but he looked tired now. As if he no longer wanted to partake in that life. Guilt weighed on him, and I could see it. "Isn't a shame that they'd get rid of decent soldiers who do what needs to be done, ones that don't have the exact morals they do, but keep the soft ones? The ones that want to leave, but are refused?"

I shrugged my shoulders, sighing softly while I considered what she said. It didn't take a genius to know what she was doing. All Dragons knew how to talk, how to steer a conversation in a certain direction with a specific goal in mind. She said she wouldn't put up a fight, but I know better than that. Ramona was a survivor. She did what she had to do to make it to the next day, and the one after that, and so on. She wasn't stupid; i'm sure she was already processing her escape, should she decide to go with us. But there was something else.

"As far as their concerned, you're already done. We all know how it goes. Once a Dragon, always a Dragon. It's just business to them." Taking a look at the windows, not discreetly, I tried to imagine how she might dive through them. Without a suit, she wouldn't survive a three story drop without some sort of injury, and there was nothing to break the fall on that side of the apartment. Maybe around the back, if she's got enough horizontal leap, but there's not a lot of cover there either.

"Look," I continued, leaning forward on my knees, "As far as I'm concerned, you're better left alone. I don't know why their choosing now to poke the bear. If it were just to silence you, they would have just told me to kill you and been done with it. Why go through all the trouble of taking you in just to execute you?" A sick feeling started to develop in my stomach.

How could I have been so blind to the possibilities? I must be slipping...

"Unless they expect us to kill each other."

"If I were to guess," I began, leaning forward and lacing my fingers together, "I would think that not only do they expect us to kill each other, but take out most, if not all, of your squad as well. Depending on how loyal they are to you." My grin widened, knowing he had finally caught on. "You wanted out, they wouldn't retire you. You've gone soft, haven't you? So they sent you on this task to bring me in with your whole squad, knowing I'd put up a fight. Knowing I'd take you and your whole squad out if I had to in order to survive. You aren't living up to their standard anymore. Two birds with one stone, Sarge."

I leaned back in my seat, giving him time to let all of this sink in. Dragon was very specific on how they did things, the elite, and if one didn't live up to their standards the eliminated them. No question. No hesitation.

"Invite them in. I have survived quite a long time in the civilian world. I know how to survive with enemies surrounding me, I know how to escape. You want to get out, and not in a body bag, I'd invite them inside, and we can have a little pow wow on survival tactics." My smile only widened. What choice did he have? He could refuse my offer, and risk his life, and the lives of his squad, only to face judgement of Dragon Company. Or, he could invite his mates inside and work out a plan of action to survive on the outside, away from those who wanted him to be the soldier he no longer was. I'm not denying he was an incredible soldier still, but he was not as cold blooded as he had been.

"You assume a lot," was my reply, cold and deep like the ocean. She seemed to think that she could take every single member of my team, as if we were pushovers. But there wasn't one member of my squad that hadn't earn their stripes through any means other than spent blood. She wasn't the only one that would fight with everything she had in order to survive. Not by a long shot. "You aren't the only one whose been surrounded by enemies, waiting to take you out on a moment's notice."

Irritated, but exuding an aura of calm that could silence a crying baby, I started to wander the space, making sure to watch my spacing from her and accounting for furniture... where the windows are and everything else I can absorb from my surroundings. "As far as going soft, you're wrong. I'm just rational. I've made arrangements for myself, no matter what happens, whereas you've given up your grasp on reality and chosen to create a fantasy for yourself where you are the only one still standing. Every devil dog pays their bill... even Dragons."

Finally I squared myself back to the girl. My heart beat slowly and evenly, and though I did feel somewhat weary of the game, my resolution had never been more solid. "My orders are to take you into custody and return you to base. What they will do with you once you have been taken out of my custody is not my concern, nor do I want to know. All I want to know right now is this: Are you going to come willingly or do I have to drag you out?"

I closed my eyes and sighed deeply, still not moving a muscle. "I didn't say I could take you all out, Sarge, no need to get your panties twisted. I merely stated that taking me in is a waste of time since your clock is ticking. I know more than you think I do, and I can say, with confidence, that they'll terminate you too. As for whether or not I'll go quietly, I suppose I will. There's nothing left here for me anyway."

Finally I stood, straightening my shirt, though my smile did not fade. I cocked my head, looking at him sideways, spreading my arms out wide. "Lead the way. Or are you gonna cuff me because I'm a bad girl?" My tone was just as cold, but with a hint of sarcastic malice. He thought he could take me there without a fight? That his squad of patriotic miscreants could keep me from getting away? Did he not know this wasn't the first time I'd been called back? 

I wasn't a rookie, I wasn't some weak little plaything that could be pushed aside, or thrown out because my way of finishing the mission wasn't 'clean'. "I'd offer a trade, but they've still got that stick so far up your ass they're seeing through your eyes. How's it taste?" My sarcasm, and bitchiness was a defense, I have to admit, but being led to my death with a shaky escape plan and no allies had put me in a mood. I would find my way out, that I could guarantee, but I wouldn't do it unscathed and I did not like that.

I couldn't have rolled my eyes any harder. I didn't know who that girl thought she was, but she had a full set of solid brass balls dangling between her thighs. If she thought that her insults were going to get under my skin, she was wrong. I'd been cursed and called just about everything under the sun that could have been considered derogatory. I can't count how many mothers screamed at me for killing their child, or how many towns had put my face up on a wall of shame and hatred. When the Westboro Baptists send you fan mail, it's usually time to take a step back and take a look at your life choices.

Anyway, this woman didn't scare me. She was right, in some ways. I knew eventually that my own agency would betray me, and i'd have a hit squad show up at my door. I wouldn't go peacefully either, not unless I had just plain given up on living.

A quick glance told me that I was right before. Our comm lines were still open. I had been transmitting and receiving over the entire conversation. However, Ramona took the liberty of closing the curtains, so there were no visuals inside the apartment. Despite her off-color comment about having a stick up my ass, the only one who could see what I was doing was me.

'Follow along. Don't fight. Will help.' A required course when you were a Dragon, sign language made it easy to communicate when radio silence was necessary. All you needed was line of sight. I opened the door, keeping my eyes on Ramona as I spoke. "Talk all the shit you want. You're coming with us, whether you're awake or unconscious."

I hoped she understood what I was trying to do.

Raising an eyebrow, I watched him, understanding exactly what he meant. But of course I couldn't just relent with my bitchy snark now, it would be suspicious. "Blah blah blah, I'm coming aren't I?" I followed behind him, making a show of displeasure. "Besides, would you really wanna bruise my pretty face? I want to look respectable when I come face to face with my maker. Wouldn't you? I'd think about it quickly, cause as I said.. your clock is ticking."

"Should I pout, or beg or cry for you to save me, like a good damsel would?" I pouted, batting my eyelashes at him dramatically.  "Nah, that's boring. Oh! Do I get to meet your secret squad? Do you think one of them will rescue me? Maybe one of them has bigger balls than you and would run away with me and get the stick out of their ass." I laughed, but inside I was devising an escape if he had lied to me.

It barely registered that I want wearing appropriate clothing to be outside in the rain. We had left my apartment, and I didn't have shoes, or a jacket, or any of my gear. My escape, if any, would be insanely tricky.  "My landlord isn't going to be happy that I broke my lease.  Maybe I should leave her a note. 'I was forcibly taken from my home and murdered.  Avenge me. '"

"You know I could have put a black bag over your head. Or a gag in your mouth. Just keep on bitching... i haven't made my mind up yet." I couldn't help but chuckle, really. The whole 'gag em and bag em' thing was never really my cup of tea of course, but it was fun to joke around anyway. Never really got the chance to do much joking around on base, so it felt good to let loose a little.

When we get to the truck, it was still raining hard. I could imagine many roads would start to flood soon, becoming too dangerous to travel. The truck was fully capable of dealing with such treacherous conditions. My squad held back, having their own means of transportation. All but one, of course. If things did get out of hand, I might have needed backup in handling her, so Dallas road shotgun. Lucky him.

"Hope you don't mind riding in the back. Between me, Dallas, and my ego, there just isn't enough room. Besides..." I paused while I started up the engine, bringing the cabin to life with light and sound.

"... no one likes to watch me drive anyway." With that, I pressed hard on the accelerator, pushing us forward suddenly, like a roller coaster.

Inside the car I fell forward a bit, grunting softly as I pulled myself back into the seat. "I'm surprised anyone can fit in the car with the size of your ego. Actually, I'm mostly wondering how anyone survives with your obvious lack of personal safety for your passangers." I shifted into seat, a knot of unease forming in my stomach. There was no guarantee he was going to help me, and if took me to base and turned me in to be executed it was not going to turn out well for anyone involved.

"If you feel the need to put a gag in my mouth or a bag over my head, be sure to make it fun." I rolled my tongue making a soft, albeit seductive, purring sound, then I laughed. "At least before I'm put down like the bad dog I am." Despite my sass and overall mouthiness, I was quite nervous about our destination. Now that I was in the vehicle, I began to wonder, especially with the guy in front, if he'd be able to help me. Would he even help me? What if he lied to me?

Shifting in my seat, I turned my gaze out the window. Even as durable as I was, with as fast as he was going, I wouldn't make it if I tried to jump out. It's be just as well as letting the Dragon's kill me. But why? Why would they send a squad out to pull me back in, and not just execute me on the spot? They certainly weren't going to allow me to go on another tour of duty, and they weren't going to put me back in active, or even reserve status. So why?

Around corners and doubt drenched roadways we roared, my truck blazing a trail like Moses parting the sea. My APU had been specifically designed to handle harsh conditions, so I felt perfectly comfortable in my position at the wheel. In the rear-view mirror I could see Ramona, jostling in the back seat like a weeble-wobble, a thought that makes me chuckle silently in my head.

Eventually though the time came for a change of plans. Dallas was a good soldier, there was no disputing that. But that was the problem by itself. A good soldier followed orders without question, and that's not what I was looking for. He had enough wherewithal to secure himself to the seat, which presented a bit of a problem, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with.

"You know, you really should wear your seat belt whenever the vehicle is in motion. Accidents happen all the time." I looked at the woman the mirror, catching her eyes for just a moment before looking away, for that was all I dare risk. If Dallas knew what I was planning, or thought in the least that something me amiss, he might have reacted badly.

I waited a few seconds before acting out my plan. Without cause or warning I jerked the wheel hard to the side, setting us on a direct path with a giant oak tree. The APU jostled and jerked violently as it dove off the road, it's path set. Quickly I unbuckled Dallas' seat belt only a second before we impacted. The truck came to an immediate stop and the collision countermeasures deployed as they were supposed to, except for the front passenger seat.

The good news was that my plan worked. The force of the impact sent Dallas forward in his seat. Though he did perish from the injury instantly, he did not fly through the windshield as I had hoped, instead bouncing off the reinforced glass and landing back in the seat, his head flopped completely to the side, his neck broken completely and his head bleeding from the trauma.

"Oh... fuck..." I knew the escape had to be convincing, but damn did it hurt. My entire body felt like it had just been flattened by a steamroller. I knew there had to be multiple somethings broken, but I could move, and if I could move, I could get us out. "You... you alright back there?"

I caught the look in his eye and was able to latch my seat belt, keeping my smug look my face. "Tying me up hm? Kinky." I laughed, but my laughter was cut short as the car swerved and came to an abrupt stop  into a tree. I was thrown forward, the seat belt locking up and yanking me back against the seat. The vehicle rocked before it settled and my head slammed against the window.

I blacked out.

When I came to there was a high pitched ringing, and it sounded as though I was hearing with cotton balls in my ears. Spots danced in and out of my vision, bright and sporadic making my head pound.  I barely heard sarge speak from the front seat, the words muffled and distorted. "I'm fine." I grunted, tugging against my seat belt, which I could feel had begun to bruise my chest.  "I can't move, I need to cut the damn thing off.. give me your knife." Having been a military dog myself there was always four things we were told to carry at all times. Our tags, a pen, our ID, and a knife. Of course I didn't have any of that because I was only in a tee shirt and lounge pants.  I didn't even have shoes on.  We had left my apartment to quickly for me to grab anything.

"Fuck.." I hissed, gingerly touching the side of my head.  My hair was matted to my temple, bruised and swollen from the hit it took. "If I had known you were going to do that I would have worn a fucking helmet, Jesus Christ.." I was going to have one hell of a headache when everything settled down, if I ever got out of the car.  "You alright?"

"Had to be believable..." I said, holding my head to slow the bleeding from a major contusion above my left eye. Seeing double and feeling sick to my stomach, I tried to open my door, but it seemed to be stuck. After some measure of force, however, the door finally swung open. The cold air hit me like a ton of bricks, but in a way it felt good. It seemed to push away the nausea for a moment, long enough to feel some relief anyway.

Ramona asked me for my knife before I could get out of the car, which made me quite nervous, to be honest. But she had chosen to trust me enough to get into a hostile vehicle with a stranger, so I figured I had better trust her a little. My hand went to my hip and unsnapped the button holding my combat knife to my belt. "It's my favorite knife," I said with a weak chuckle.

"Yeah, i'm good. But we need to move pretty quickly. This area is known for RIST extremists, so we won't be well received."

I took the knife and sliced through my jammed restraint, and pushed out of the seat. Groaning as my body protested every movement I made, I wrenched the door open and slid out onto the wet ground. Closing the knife with a sharp flick of my wrist, I handed it back, stretching my back and listening to it pop.

"It was convincing, I'll give you that.." Looking around, I noticed the territory that we had ended up in and I frowned. "Well, where to from here. We need to get moving before anyone shows up. I imagine that was quite a loud crash." Not only did I want to get away from the scene of the accident before anyone showed up, but I was standing outside in the cold rain in my bare feet and without a jacket. Not only that, but my head was now killing me, and all I wanted to do was lie down.

"Don't mean to nag, but where to Sarge?" My impatience may have been annoying but I was beginning to get cold, and I was beyond tired.

I stumbled around the truck in the mud, working my way toward the back so I could fish out the rest of my gear, plus whatever else would be useful. The softened earth clung tightly to my boots, making my feet much heavier to pull upward. The rain was coming down harder, which just added to the suspense developing around the pair of now-ex soldiers.

My pack was heavy, laden with useful tools and weapons, including some I had packed away for this particular mission. "It was never my intention to bring you in, you know? I mean I would have if I didn't think I had another choice, but I do, so I didn't." Maybe I was speaking in circles a bit, but in my defense, my head felt like some was shooting finish nails through my skull. "Here, take these." Ramona may have been injured and aching, but so was I, and we had a lot of shit to take with us. A marine pulls their weight, no matter what.

"We head North. There's a car waiting for us that will get us out of the area, about five miles." I had to raise my voice a bit to speak over the volume of the tumultuous rain that gushed on us from above. Whomever left the great faucet in the sky on was really screwing me at that moment.

"C'mon... let's move out."

I hefted the items, biting back a groan as I followed him through the pouring rain. It seemed as though the universe didn't want me to make any sort of escape from my fated demise with the way the heavens cried. I wasnt going to let that stop me, I was going to survive one way or another. I couldn't ignore the chill that was beginning to creep up my spine, but I pushed on. No way I was going to let Onyx know that, not only was I in pain, but I was frozen to the core.

My fingers, curled around the gear, had begun to go numb, my feet were ice cold. The rain had completely soaked me so my clothes clung very tightly to my skin. If I had known I would have been out in that storm I would have grabbed my own gear. Unrealistic since neither Sarge, nor his entourage of soldiers, would have let me get into the car with it. But it was the thought of my continued freedom that pushed me go keep going.

"How much further, sarge?" I asked, not realizing how badly my voice trembled from the cold. My whole body was shaking, head was pounding; I prayed we reached our destination soon, and I was not a teligious person. At all.

"Not far. A few klicks," I called back, my voice slightly ragged from the cold. Being in full gear protected me from the elements, but Ramona didn't have that luxury. I could tell she was really struggling, and I had let pride take the reigns up to that point, but the time had come to stop and rest somewhere. Her health would suffer if they didn't, and that would only impede their escape.

As much as I wanted to complete the AWOL attempt there was no way that they would be able to continue effectively that far. The rain and the wind made it difficult to travel, impeding our progress significantly. I stopped a moment to look around, regaining my bearings to find us a solution, which came in the form of an old motel.

Just off the tree-line, the building looked like it hadn't been updated in a long time. It wasn't dirty, really, but you could tell that many things needed to be replaced before it would earn a two-star status. I changed course, carefully picking my way down a short but steep embankment, using the trees as anchors to keep me from falling. Figuring she would be stiff from the cold and drenched to the bone, I turned to help Ramona down, to keep her from falling.

"Here, we'll stop here for now, rest up, dry off, and then we'll head back out once the storm passes. Won't be able to stay too long, but it's better than you freezing to death." I didn't allow Ramona to protest; I wasn't exactly a 'take-no-for-an-answer' kind of guy, and that time was no exception. A sick refugee was much more difficult to transport than a healthy one.

Escorting the woman inside, there was a ceramic heater in a small sitting area, which I navigated Ramona to immediately. The interior matched the exterior, but beggers were not meant to be choosers. Once she was seated, I went to the desk and worked out the details for the room.

If I had not been completely frozen to the bone I might have resisted the stop to rest. As it was I could barely move any part of my body. The cold had made my body stiff, and though sitting next to the heater was nice, it also wasnt that good for me either. My clothes were just as soaked as I was, and the heat was only increasing the difference in temperature making my body quake even harder. I couldn't stop my teeth from chatterig, and was glad when there was finally a room set up for us.

Heaving the gear over my shoulder once again we made our way to the room we were given. It wasn't the best of quality, really matching the rest of the place, but I didn't mind. It was better than in a cell. Once inside with the door closed behind us, I dropped the gear and immediately began to peel the clothes from my body. Shirt first, followed quickly by my pants. I did have some modesty, however, and kept the panties and bra on. Moving quickly over to the heater, I sat myself down in front of it and welcomed its warmth.

"How long are we here for sarge?" I asked, my teeth chattering.

I laced my fingers in themselves behind my head and arched my back backwards, stretching out and sighing deeply. I'm pretty sure this is the worst room in the entire complex, but I didn't have any room to complain. I was on the run with, for all intents and purposes, a fugitive, and our resources were limited. I wasn't surprised when Ramona made a direct line for the heater, and unceremoniously stripped down to her skivvies, her teeth chattering the entire time.

"Only a few hours, if I can help it. Long enough to rest a little, catch our breath, maybe eat something." I walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, which smelled stale but, well... oh well. "Here," I said, offering Ramona the towel to dry off. "Comms are down. I'll try to get those fixed. Then I can signal the others."

I couldn't help but feel a little bad about Ramona's near hypothermia. After all I did rush her out of her apartment with only the scant clothing on her back. Maybe there was something I could do to make it up to her.

"Long enough to shower, then. I need to get the cold off me." I stood up, towel draped over my shoulder; I grabbed my soaked clothes and hung them over the heater to dry for a bit, then I headed for the bathroom. "I really hope your trusted crew feels the same way about not taking me back. It would be a shame for more 'believeable accidents' to happen."

With that I disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Once I had some privacy I go ished lulling my clothes off and turned on the shower. The water pressure was absolute shit, but at least it was hot. My entire body shuddered feeling the water on my icy skin, at first it burned, but I warmed up to it after a few minutes under the water. I didn't need to do much except wash the blood from my skin.

My shower wasn't long, but I found myself not wanting to get out. I had to force myself to go, and once the water was off I wiped off the mirror and sighed. The bruise on my head was massive and very tender, as I found out when I ran my fingers over it. Securing the towel around my body, I left the bathroom, steam pouring out behind me. I had to admit that it had made me feel somewhat better, but what I really wanted was my gear.

I steered clear of the door while Ramona showered. I'd seen a lot of shit in the militia, naked people included, but that was different. If we were in the barracks, maybe it'd be different, but not one on one like we were. If there was anything that could make our predicament any worse, it would be that awkward moment after we realized what had happened. Instead I busied myself working on my comm-link, which didn't actually take as long as I thought it would. Turned out there was just a wire loose.

Before she was even halfway through her shower, I had radioed my team and they were at the door within minutes. Damn I love an efficient team. As planned, they had Ramona's gear and some supplies for us in a separate backpack. They were gone well before she exited the bathroom.

"Hope you feel better. That might be a luxury you don't get to enjoy too often. Here." I gestured to the bed, where I had laid out her stuff very neatly, placed in the basic shape of the human body as it made sense to me. "Can't take a girl out without bringing her toys along."

"Well arent you just a bundle of surprises. You spoil me." I remarked as I made my way to my gear. It was all there, even my specialized incidentals. Gathering my clothes I disappeared into the bathroom again to get dressed; I wasnt in there long, and when I emerged again, I felt more like myself than I had in a long time.

My time away from Dragon Company had been filled with boredom. I had never felt right in civilian clothes, and the longer I spent out of my gear the more off I had felt. I didn't feel right in my own skin, and I hated every second of it. But now... Now I was back in my gear, and even though my body felt like shit, and my head was pounding, I felt strong again.

"You have no idea how good this feels." I said softly. Throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I turned towards Onyx and sat on the bed. "You should probably dry off. What do you want to eat? I'd suggest ordering out, I dont think anything from here will be safe to consume. Unless you fancy food poisoning."