Home Again, Home Again - Part 2 (Finale)

Posted on Thu May 6th, 2021 @ 4:59pm by First Lieutenant Bethany Harrison & Captain Jonathon Harrison & General Dyami Bentley (Tribal : Bent Leaf)
Edited on on Thu May 6th, 2021 @ 5:02pm

Mission: The Factions
Location: Mutant Underground Main Base
Timeline: Present Day

The green-eyed brawler’s eyes opened as Jon entered. She looked after Dyami curiously as he left without a word, then over to her older lover. “You’re worried about something.” There was no question, Bethany felt his unease through their unnatural bond.

Jon shrugged. “Lots to worry about,” he commented, pouring two glasses of water and handing one to Bethany.

The young woman reached out slowly and took the glass. She took a small sip, then she lowered it, settling it on the bed in front of her as she sat up. “Why are you being cagey with me? Is it about what Garrett said? That there’s a price on my head?” Bethany asked, giving a bit of a shrug. “I’m sure a few people want me dead.”

“Only one,” Jon said. “Two want you alive. Three bounties on you, love. You’re a popular lass.”

“He did say something about selling me off to the highest bidder,” Bethany admitted with a nod. She watched Jon, giving him a bit of a gentle smile. “But, he’s laying in a hospital bed, and I’m not. He didn’t tell me who he was going to sell me off to, so I’m not sure what to do about that.”

“Ophelia’s with him,” Jon said. “And Dyami’s got...something in his mind,” he guessed. “If she’s up to it, I’ll see if she can come see you.”

“Dyami always has something weird going on. And I’m fine,” Bethany said, shaking her head. “Just some bumps and bruises. The ribs will take a few days to heal, but that’s not exactly something I’m not used to. I just want to go home, take a hot shower, and drag you into bed for a few days.” The young woman gave John a suggestive smile, a soft blush rising in her cheeks, not seeming to be as concerned about being marked as she probably should have been.

Jon smiled. “No dragging to bed with those ribs,” Jon pointed out, “so you might want to let Ophelia see to you. At least wear a nano brace. I don’t need to break your ribs when I pound into you,” he said, his voice dropping into his sultry range.

Bethany laughed softly, her face turning a furious red with Jon’s teasing. “I can take anything you give me,” she teased back, gazing up at him, then sighed. Her ribs were hurting her, but she was loath to ever admit being in pain. A holdover from the brutal training that she had endured all of her life.

“Who’s after me, Jon?” she finally asked, her gaze dropping to the water glass in front of her, her own fears threading along their bond. “I mean, Lorde’s been after me for years, Eva would probably like to mount my head on her wall. HYDRA would do me in if they got a chance, I’m pretty sure.”

“Those might cover two of the contracts. We figured Lorde and Eva would want you alive. Hydra might want you dead, but...they don’t know your real name. One, alive, is for Bethany Davies. The other two are for Fractal,” Jon said ominously.

All of the hair stood up on Bethany’s neck, and white spiralled through her thick tresses. She shook her head as her face paled. “I have no idea who that would be. I mean, no one knows who Fractal is, or they shouldn’t.” She shuddered as she thought about Garrett. “Maybe another traitor?”

“Well, Eva knows,” Jon pointed out. “Maybe her priorities changed. If it was someone in the Underground, why not take you out themselves? They have better access,” he pointed out. “Who has that kind of money?”

The mention of Eva made her shudder. Then Bethany paused and looked up to Jon. “How high is the bounty? I could see someone trying to get at me. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t made enemies. And Garrett said he’d be able to live an extravagant life, but I can’t imagine anyone would pay all that much.” The young woman sighed, looking tired and confused.

“I don’t know,” Jon said. “I haven’t seen the bounties. Dyami would know. Must be pretty high, though.” He paused. “Dyami seems to think maybe someone in your mother’s family?”

Bethany’s face paled and she shook her head. “No. That can’t be. I don’t even think they know I exist. Mama said her mom disowned her when she married the Preacher, and I never met any of them. And it’s not like we were allowed to leave the compound to send mail off or anything. Everyone was kind of cut off from the world.”

Jon nodded. “I thought that. Do you know anything about them?” he asked her.

Bethany’s shoulders slumped. It always hurt her to think about her mother, her past, that was why she didn’t talk about it much. After a silent moment, she shrugged. “My grandmother’s name is Elizabeth Morgan, and mama said she had a brother named Richard. She was from Chicago. But that’s all I know,” she said softly.

Jon nodded, pulling out a piece of paper to note down the names. “I’ll look into it,” he promised Beth. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

The green-eyed brawler looked up at Jon, a haunted look still in her emerald eyes as she struggled to banish horrifying memories. “I’m not really worried, I guess. I mean, it isn’t like we don’t risk death every time we go on one of these missions. Still, the idea that someone is paying to see me dead is kind of weird,” she said, then winced as she stretched

Jon chuckled. “In Afghanistan, it was just something I lived with,” Jon said, leaning over and kissing Bethany’s forehead. “No more missions for a while, love,” he told her before standing up.

That simple kiss on her forehead still made her smile and blush. Bethany stood and stepped up close to Jon and put her arms around him, pulling him closer, laying her head on his chest. They tended to not be overly affectionate towards each other during missions. It was the necessary mindset. No distractions. But they weren’t on a mission anymore. “Take me home, please,” she said, giving a soft, happy sigh.

“You sure?” Jon asked. “Want to stop by Ophelia first? Have they discharged you?”

Bethany leaned back, looking into Jon’s azure-streaked eyes, shaking her head. “It’s not like he tore me up or anything. Just got a couple of lucky shots in when I was already winded. Seriously, the healing that the others do on me is fine. Take me home.”

“Okay. Get your things together. I need to talk to Dyami again,” he told Bethany, giving her another kiss before he headed out of the room again.

“I...umm...okay,” Bethany said, seeming a little confused as Jon left her in a room with a couple of fully packed and ready gear bags. It kind of felt like he was being deceptive, but it wasn’t a bad feeling, either. She sighed, shrugged, and wandered around the room just to make sure she hadn’t missed something.

----------

Jon found Dyami at the nurses station, looking over patient charts.

“Hey, mate. Can I get a word?” Jon asked quietly.

“Of course,” Dyami said, handing the files back to the nurse with a smile. “What did you need?” he turned his attention to Jon.

“Well, I wanted to do something special for Bethany’s birthday. We’ve talked for like three years about a beach vacation, to a real beach. She needs some time off for those ribs to heal, so I thought now would be a great time.”

The Indian shaman gave a sigh of relief. “It is about time you guys asked for some time off.” He chuckled quietly and asked, “Do you have anything set, or is this a new idea?”

“I don’t know. She just wants to see a real beach,” Jon said. “Just us, the sun, some water sports. I was hoping you might have an idea or two, mate.”

Dyami thought quietly for a few moments, “Actually I have just the thing. I have a little safe house in the Keys. It is quite secluded. Food, drinks, and plenty of things to entertain you guys. Also there is a boat there if you want to cruise up to Miami for the nightlife.” Dyami smiled and continued, “If you would like, I can have it ready in a day or two. I just need to send someone to make sure it is still unoccupied. What do you think?”

“That sounds amazing, mate,” Jon said. “Thank you.”

“Get everything ready, quietly. Do not let Beth know of your plans. I will have everything set up for your vacation and transport to the site.” Dyami smiled wickedly. “How about a fake emergency mission, we fly you and a team down there and the team tosses you guys out and flies away?”

Jon chuckled. “I’d rather not get tossed out of anywhere unless it’s necessary,” he admitted. “But we can play it by ear.” He paused. “Oh. I got some names for you to run down,” he said, pulling out the paper with the names of Bethany’s grandmother and uncle. “Those are the only other family Bethany knows about,” he said. “Live in Chicago.”

The Indian man took the offered paper from Jon and looked at it. “It is a start, I will have someone track them down and make contact. Thanks for the help.” Dyami rubbed his hands together and smiled gleefully. “I love surprises. I need to get to work.” He quickly turned and trotted down the hall. “I will be in touch,” he said over his shoulder as he left.

FIN

----------

General Dyami Bentley
"Talon"
Mutant Underground

Captain Johnathan Harrison
"Rook"
Mutant Underground

Lieutenant Bethany Davies
"Fractal"
Mutant Underground