Shells | Lo'ak Sully

Part 19: Sucker-Punch

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(POV: Lo'ak)

I quit my running. I stood still. What shocked me to my core wasn't that Quaritch had gone so far, it was that Ni'teya was doing absolutely nothing about it. I watched her as she didn't fight, didn't even so much as flinch at the touch of the gun to her head. I knew she knew what it was, of course she did. But she was as still as I was, stiller even.

Do something, Teya.

Quaritch then let out a real laugh. "Well! Doesn't that just warm up your heart?!" He cackled, looking to his guards who were just as amused, when his face then dropped.
"Call your dad, son." He changed his countenance, his atmosphere.

I didn't know why; But I couldn't bring myself to speak a word. Knowing that, Kiri took my place.

"What?" She asked, but Quaritch didn't look at her. It seemed he didn't bother to listen to her, either.

"Tell your dad where you are and who you're with. Tell him to hurry, too. If you do that, I'll let her go." He stated. My head pointed at the man for the first time.

I stared for a moment. I wanted to figure out whether or not to trust him. Of course, that answer was evident. No.
But if there was even a chance, a slither of one, that Ni'teya could get out of this okay, I'd take it every time.

I raised my finger up close to my neck, making it meet with my communication device.

"Lo'ak! No!" Ao'nung tried to stop me, but he was much too late. I had already started to speak, revealing to Dad where we were exactly, who I was with and that he had to get there quickly, just as Quaritch had instructed.

I then lowered my hand, glancing back at Ni'teya who still hadn't raised her head nor pushed away the gun.

Why aren't you doing anything?

.

(POV: Narrator)

They all waited where they were for around an hour before signs of assistance arrived. Behind him, Lo'ak could hear the sound of Skimwing's diving into the water as well as hovering above it, indicating to him that his dad was close-by. What sealed that thought was when Jake yelled.

"Kids! Get back, go with—" He tried, edging closer to the ship, noticing that his son wasn't budging.

Once he'd reached the ship's edge, he pulled Kiri from the platform, moving forward to do the same to Lo'ak as to secure his safety. When he did, Lo'ak resisted. Instead of following his sister, instead of escaping, Lo'ak started to move towards Quaritch for one specific reason.

He lied.

Lo'ak could see that he was pulling Ni'teya back with him, meaning he wasn't planning on letting her go. Lo'ak started to pace, Jake trying to stop him as he did so. "No, no, no—" Lo'ak spoke under his breath, gaining.

"You should know better than to trust me, boy." He hears the man tell him, making the pent up boy want to charge at him, attack him, only to be held back by his own father.

Jake unconsciously began to pull his son back and away from Quaritch, telling him all sorts that Lo'ak didn't care to listen to. Instead, he started to whisper quietly to himself, speaking only one word, or rather, one name.

Meanwhile, Quaritch turned his back on the father and son and let his guards release Ni'teya from their harsh grasp. "Miles, make sure she doesn't go anywhere." He said, signalling for the guards to follow him instead of Ni'teya and Spider, as he knew Ni'teya didn't have the brain power nor physical power to do anything abrupt. Spider took her inside the ship, noticing quickly her declining state.

The girl was breathless, dazed. She had no balance nor sight as her eyes were halfway closed, her hands a shaking mess.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked her, stopping her from walking and trying to aid her in standing up straight.

"Ni'teya?"

Ni'teya couldn't hear him. A loud, strained ringing sang through her ears, drowning out all other surrounding sounds. Her vision, though already blurry, was grey; To her, it was as if she was spinning around in circles where she stood, making herself dizzy. But, in reality, she was stood mighty still, the only movement in her body being her swaying head and her restless arms.

Spider took her towards a wall and leaned her up against it, giving her a wider range of assistance. As she felt the wall, she tried to steady herself but it was no use; Her head hurt, it rang and was suddenly a lot heavier.

"Ni'teya?" He kept asking for her, checking if she could hear him or not, receiving no answer.

Little by little though, sound began to come through.

"Ni'teya."

She could hear her name, only her name. It didn't sound aggressive nor invasive, it didn't sound like she was being asked for something, either.

She leant up against the wall, unaware of Spider's constant attempts to help her.

"Ni'teya—"

There it was again, she heard it that time too. It was louder yet, still, it didn't sound mean. It sounded familiar. A plain note couldn't have been more clear and translucent to her ears as she heard it sound once again.

"Ni'teya!"

That time, she was sure of it.

"Lo—" She breathed, her eyes still spinning in their sockets it seemed.

"Ni'teya!" Louder.

"Lo'ak?" Her whisper was almost strong enough to be heard that time. She blinked a few times too much, her head slowing and her hands resting on her own arms, crossing to hold herself in an embrace.

She knew who was calling her.

"Ni'teya!" Much louder.

Only that time, the voice was different. It was Spider, who'd been trying to get her attention the entire time but evidently failing to. — Her eyes were open, working. Her posture slowly readjusted and her neck felt much less strained. She could see him in front of her, Spider, the boy who'd promised to 'get her out' in any way he could yet, there she was, still trapped.

"Are you good? Ni'teya?" He held out his arms in case of another sudden dizzy spell, placing them on either of her shoulders to hold her in place. Not harshly, but tight enough for her to feel bothered by it.

She looked at him, thinking for a moment. Not about what to do about her situation; That decision had already been made. Instead, she contemplated whether or not she should sucker-punch the sorry soul in front of her. She didn't say anything, neither did he. He was waiting to read her reaction, as she hadn't exactly given him one yet; Her face straight and plain, thus, unreadable.

That was, until she leaned forward only a little, talking in a way that was much more than readable.

. . .

"Let. — Me. — Go."