His Rival

Vrepit Sa

Hello everyone, Jess here!

Since it's been a while, I decided to split my original draft into 2. So this chapter is pretty short (11.4 pages/3,854 words), but still be sure to take breaks as needed.

If you have any questions or comments about this chapter, let me know; I'd like to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*Trigger Warning: Continuing Themes of Sexual Assault*

"The Garrison's figured out what went down with Griffin" Keith announced, your spine stiffening at the unusual darkness of his gaze, as if just the mention of that name sapped his life force. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah" you supposed, sighing heavily as you zipped up the collar of your Garrison uniform, grimacing as the stiff cotton fabric pressed into the still-healing scars and bruises. For weeks you had shoved aside those haunted memories, instead pouring your entire being into various missions to rebuild Earth and projects throughout the Garrison.

But it couldn't be helped, this day would come eventually. You hardly felt ready to discuss the horrors of the darkest moments of your life, but when would you be? Just as your palms started growing clammy, pinpricks of warmth flooded through them as his hands met yours.

"Lean on me whenever you need to, okay?" he offered, your chest stirring at the concern sparking in his violet irises. "If it ever becomes too much, I can always tell you about it some other day."

"Thanks, but I need to know" you stressed, jaw clenching as you swallowed back bile. How could you ever manage to process everything that went down if you didn't know how it happened in the first place? With that notion, you trudged out of your shared room at his side.

By the time you arrived in the briefing room, that hardness had spread to the rest of your face like ice oozing through your veins. The MFEs, your teammates, and other esteemed Garrison officials seated around the table bore similar grim expressions. The metallic thuds of the high security doors only further cemented the gravity of the situation, reverberating across the floor. Iverson's dark skin was so pale that it was nearly as grey as his uniform as he ascended to the holographic orange display at the front of the room.

"Two weeks ago, Sendak intercepted our plans with the assistance of Admiral Sanda and James Griffin." Your arms latched around your abdomen just at the sight of his wretched face as their Garrison profiles flashed onto the screen, at how something once so familiar had become so indescribably dark and twisted.

"So that's why they disappeared so suddenly" Sablan reasoned, scowling at what had become of his once so esteemed superior.

"We haven't seen them around since" Ina denoted, her freckled face growing paler by the second.

"That's because they both ended up on Sendak's cruiser" Lance furthered, jutted elbows nearly as sharp as his narrowed eyes as he crossed his arms, sending that notion home.

"It's true then, they betrayed us!" Aiden choked, pupils shrinking as he and the rest of his team flinched backwards.

"That doesn't make sense, they were both fighting on our side!" Nadia rasped, each of their aches tearing at your heartstrings thread by thread. "Their entire careers, their lives, were dedicated to the defense of planet Earth."

"Which was her precise intention when Sanda sold us out" pidge reaffirmed, their brows tensing at that whiplash. "She told us herself when we were in those cells."