Armageddon
Chapter 7.1

Tia jumped out of the chair once the bright rays of daylight touched her crimson locks. Her bare feet tapped softly against the lush grass in the courtyard before she dived onto it. Her hands stretched out, feeling each blade of grass brush against her flesh. She rolled onto her back, inhaling the smell of the flowers as a breeze carried past her. Next, she resumed a standing position and bent backward, curving her back till she stood on her hands and feet, her stomach pointed high into the air. Her muscles balked in defiance.

The Professor sat in the chair that had carried her out and watched her with an amused expression. She ignored her onlooker and strained herself, slowly lifting her feet into the air. Her muscles screamed in protest - something she used to be able to do easily now caused exhaustion. Still, she persisted. Beads of sweat already began to form in her hairline and across her forehead. Feet now high past her head, she felt her arms give in and she fell to the ground, rolling instantly into a sitting position as though she had meant to do it.

It was then that she noticed a silent onlooker nearby. One kneeling in the emerald grass in the shadows. She looked up, meeting the gaze of the overly still assassin she had come to know. She shifted her position in the grass, tilting her head to the side and offering a bright smile. The Orc hesitated and began to approach her carefully- like she would disappear if he were to move any quicker.

“I’m feeling really sluggish, it’s hard to get a good feel of what I’m capable of now.” She attempted to flex her arm, catching the dark gaze in his eyes. She hesitated, looking at him closely. “Jaya, you cannot blame yourself for my injuries.”

“Nothing ya say will change my mind.” His deep voice vibrated through his chest.

“I have no say at all?” His gaze held hers, something distant about it. She pondered him and jumped to her feet; feeling an overwhelming determination, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Her hair fell forward as she leaned towards him, giving him a big smile. “Well then, I hope you can keep up with me because I’m about to do some really stupid shit!”

She jumped back, trying to flip through the air. She landed on her hands, forcing her weight to continue backward. Pain lightninged through her wrists, but she pushed herself off the ground almost as instantly as she had landed. Her gaze scanned the green grass, nearly six feet below her as she sailed through the summer air. She was a lot stronger than any Human.

Jaya caught her in that instant, dragging her back to the Earth. She laughed as he pushed her down onto the ground, forcing her to sit like a child in the corner. “Ya cannot push yourself like that!” He was angry.

“I can do whatever I want,” she teased, slipping out of his grasp.

“Monkey, I will tie ya to yer hospital bed.” He threatened.

“Oh, don’t tease me with a good time.” She winked at him as she continued to evade his grasp, rolling and skating along the silky grass like a snake. Sudden exhaustion came over her body and she fell into the grass in an instant. Her eyelids heavy, she gazed up at Jaya, who knelt calmly beside her.

His worried eyes met her gaze and she smiled softly at him. “Are you alright?” He asked, picking a strand of hair out of her face.

Tia breathed in the scent of the grass, closing her eyes. The light from the sun burned through the darkness of her eyelids. “Yes, I’m just tired.” She felt herself already drifting.

The Professor’s voice cut through the darkness. “She pushed herself too far, and I’d bet my hat her wrists are sprained. Will you carry her to the chair there?”

“Let me lie here for a moment more, please.” Tia begged; she could feel herself fading fast. No one touched her after that, and in moments she had returned to the land of the dreams.

Silver strands of light tugged at Tia’s eyelids. The waking world was nearly as dark as the land of dreams.

The full moon seemed to fill the entire window at the end of the hospital wing. Tia blinked several times, focusing on the large silver disk in the sky. She twitched her fingers, then looked down when her wrists felt heavier than usual. Her thin, pale fingers stuck out of two white casts. Gently, she forced herself to sit up, and the blanket that had covered her spilled into her lap.

An earthy smell suddenly filled her nostrils as a tall figure leaned over her. She jumped as his grasp closed around her, looking up to see who it was. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a chair next to her bed, with a blanket tossed to the side and an open book on the table. The man over her kept a hand on her collar bone as the other fluffed her pillows behind her. As soon as he was satisfied, he leaned back, making sure to gently push her back into the bed. Her questioning gaze met Vladimir’s as he stood to inspect his work.

A slow realization seemed to dawn upon him as neither said anything. His gaze focused on hers as if he was just waking as well. “Hello,” she whispered, her voice dry.

He seemed at a loss but settled back into his chair and he scooted it closer. His large fingers gently encircled her own and he placed his forehead against her cast, gingerly, so as not to put any weight on her at all. “I’m sorry I wasn’t with you when you first awoke,” his voice wasn’t more than a whisper. She placed her other hand on his head, running her fingers through the silky strands of his dark hair.

“You have many responsibilities now...” She replied, a heavyweight in her chest. “Vladimir ... I don’t know how to apologize to you. There are no words for what I did to you...”

Slowly he raised his head, his troubled gaze meeting her own. “Tiana, you did nothing to apologize for.” He seemed genuinely confused. Her mouth opened, the words forming on her lips. Her throat was hot, the panic was nearly overflowing. She couldn’t bring herself to say it, and though she tried, nothing came out. Realization lit up his expression and he hardened, shaking his head.

“You cannot blame yourself for what I did to my father,” he said, his voice laden with his desperation to make her understand. “I could have easily fought him off to protect you, but I chose to kill him. I made that decision, and not because of you... but because I knew that it was the right decision, and for me to see the change I want in this world I had to do what needed to be done. With him alive, he would never have allowed me to go forward with the Human Rehabilitation Act. He didn’t understand, he couldn’t.”

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