Bring The Heat

27. I See You

Wren left the makeshift interrogation chamber in a huff. This guy had tried to kill BM! Why was it so wrong to beat him around a bit? It's not like he would prefer staying around till he got broken MENTALLY...

She stomped broodingly out into the hallway, and headed to the kitchen to go eat her anger away.

"Your shoelaces are untied."

Wren stopped in her tracks, and turned to see who had decided to test her patience now. It was Lewis, leaning in the doorway of the medbay. Reluctantly, Wren held her tongue. Even if she was pretty blunt, and a total asshole... Wren had a soft spot for her.

"Just thought I'd let you know. Cos you were walking pretty heavy. Easy to trip." Lewis continued.

"Thanks."

"So... are you gonna tie them?"

"Yeah..."

"Go on then."

Wren looked down at her shoes nervously.

"Do you not know how?" Lewis asked.

Wren didn't say anything, but her silence was telling. She was ashamed to not know. Lewis sighed, and got down on her knees, tying Wren's laces for her. It was strange, but Wren felt butterflies in her stomach and blushed.

Getting back to her feet, Lewis held a hand to one of Wren's now burning-hot cheeks.

"It's ok. Nobody taught you. Took me a while, too." Lewis affirmed compassionately, staring deeply into Wren's eyes. Her hand was warm... and pretty... and her eyes were blue... and... pretty...

"So what's up with the stomping, Wrennie?" Lewis asked, changing the subject quickly.

"BM wanted my help interrogating someone. I thought he wanted me to beat them up a bit but apparently, it's all about 'discipline' or whatever. Can you believe that?"

Lewis was shocked. Wren had just said that, and it sounded... correct to her? She really thought that? BM had promised that he was gonna be more responsible this time...

Grabbing her wrist, Lewis pulled Wren into the medbay and sat her on the bed. Wren was surprised to see that she had a much more serious glare than usual.

"Wren. Look at me. Look at me!"

Wren hesitantly met Lewis's icy stare. She didn't like having Lewis mad at her, and wasn't even sure why she was... and being called just 'Wren' by her sounded unnatural, too.

"ONLY hurt people when necessary. BM's goals are NOT your goals. Don't EVER let him make you do something you're not comfortable with, and know that being moral is FAR more important than succeeding. Do you understand?"

Wren nodded, and no matter how much she tried to hide it, she was clearly tearing up. Lewis sighed. She was just trying to be firm, but had gone too far... no. BM had gone too far. THIS was necessary.

"Look... Wrennie, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at everyone who let you go down that path... you're just some girl who's only been conscious for, like, a month. And you already lost an arm... please don't give everything fighting for a cause that isn't yours, ok? I..." Lewis trailed off. Was she ready to talk about it? She wasn't sure, but it felt necessary to say. "I nearly let that happen to me once... it didn't go well."

Wren looked at the ground, ashamed. She hated this... having 16 years of life experience to catch up on. It was constantly overwhelming...

"What am I meant to fight for, then? I... I don't have anything outside of the missions. When I step outside of the compound, there's nothing there for me but unfamiliar places and people, with no guidance. Where do I even go, right? So I just stay here, and do what BM says."

"No! You can't allow that to happen! You are NOT just the missions. You are a person... a girl who likes movies, and music, and weird bomber jackets that kinda work on you? I've watched you put away the equipment after training, how you perfectly and neatly stack everything... you like order, and you love your friends! You are someone!"

Wren stared up at Lewis in silence. Nobody had ever... talked about her like they were actually paying attention. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering wildly.

"And you have a life outside of this... you just have to find it. Let THAT be your main goal! And until you do find more, you have friends here! You have yourself! They see you as a soldier... they don't see you at all. I see you, Wren. I see you..."

For a moment, Lewis's focus returned to the room. She looked down at Wren, and met her shocked eyes. Lewis was shocked herself... she knew she cared about the cause, but Wren specifically... this was different. She cared for her... strongly.

"And... and..." Lewis stuttered. The words she wanted to say, they seemed so far from her mouth. But she persevered... "a- and you have me..."

A silence hung over the two of them. Wren felt a strange heat between the two of them, like some kind of gap in space that was screaming to be filled. She glanced at Lewis's lips...

Then there was a knock at the door.