Powered Individuals

Chapter 23 - Fallen Soldiers

So I didn't die. I guess that was fine. I mean, I had just lost one of the greatest inventors I had ever met, the last remaining member of my family had fallen to his death, and the only other man I could call my father turned out to be an evil scumbag who did experiments on any kid he could find. But otherwise it was fine.

You see, I ended up waking in the infirmary back at the secret agency. I looked around and saw Aer lying in a bed across from me, totally bandaged up and her wings destroyed. Tristan was next to me with a bandage across his eyes and everywhere else wrapped up as well. I couldn't see Ruby or Esa anywhere.

I looked at my hands and saw that they were bandaged up heavily. I couldn't move them that well, but when I did they stung. I felt a wrap around my head and figured I must have damaged my head badly at one point.

There was shuffling by the door and I looked over to see Ruby in the doorway. Her eyes were red like she had been crying, but her face was stone cold. When she saw my eyes, her lips twitched into a small smile and she walked over.

"Look who's up," Ruby's voice was hoarse like she had been yelling. I tried to say something but my mouth was too dry and I ended up coughing. Ruby quickly handed me a glass of water and I downed it in two seconds flat.

"Where's Esa?" I asked, voice scratchy. Ruby gave me a sad look but told me he was in the lab with Sebastian.

I got up when I realized that she didn't say Miles's name. I turned to her. "Miles?"

Ruby looked down and shook her head. I understood then that he hadn't survived the blast like I hoped he would have. Miles died like a hero would: fighting until the end and not giving up until he breathed his last dying breath. He never gave up any information that would have endangered us, no matter how bad Isaac had hurt him. He was the only real hero this whole organization had to offer.

I made my way to the half-built lab building. When I walked in, everything reminded me of Miles. I swallowed the tears and used the elevator up to the third floor. I walked in on a very tired looking Sebastian and a busted up Esa.

I knocked on the door and Sebastian looked up, startled. His brown hair more messy than usual and dark bags under his golden-brown eyes. He looked frantic as he turned back to Esa and resumed working on his wire work.

"I've tried everything I could. I may be super smart, but I've never been good with machines. If Miles were here-" Seb broke off and didn't continue that thought. He didn't need to. Sebastian threw down his tools after one final effort and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, this is the best I can do." Sebastian said nothing more as he pushed himself away from the table and walked out the door. I slowly made my way over to Esa and sat down in Sebastian's chair. I gently ran a hand over his human hand.

"Hey," I greeted, not able to bring my voice above a whisper; like if I were to speak at normal volume he would shatter before me. "How are you feeling?"

As usual, there was no response. Only a look. I took this as a you-know-how-I'm-feeling-Zoe-it's-not-good look. I had always imagined Esa as a guy with a sharp tongue.

"You know," I continued, still stroking his hand, "if you go now, everyone's gonna miss you. You're a real trooper, Raymond."

Esa slightly raised his human mouth in a smile and I cracked one myself. This wasn't a one-sided conversation; it never was.

"Thank you," I said, seriously, looking in his eye. "You've done so much for us, I swear. The amount that you've done in such a small bit of time...It's phenomenal. You're such a great person, and I'm sure you were even better when you didn't have metal for eighty-five percent of your body."

I didn't know I was crying until his eye watched a tear plop onto his arm. I wiped it off and wiped my eyes, sniffling a little. I tried to smile but I was too overtaken by grief. I didn't want to lose another person, not yet.

"You don't deserve this," I hoarsely whispered. "You didn't deserve any of this. They should have let you die in peace. Instead, you were succumbed to a lifetime of pain. I'm sorry we couldn't do more. You deserve to live a life filled with happiness and friends and a proper family. Not like this. Please...Don't leave like this."

I buried my head in his metal chest and a hand grabbed my own. I slowly lifted my head to see that Esa was looking at me; his brown eye filling with tears. He half smiled with his movable side of his mouth and then he said something.

"Ha...ppy.." Esa whispered through the half of his mouth. Then, his laser eye slowly went dark and his human eye fluttered closed. His grip went slack and he stopped breathing.

I sucked in a sharp breath and whimpered, willing his lifeless body to come back alive. When it didn't, I let the tears free fall.

I walked into the infirmary with a weary conscious and I just wanted to go to bed, but then I saw that Aer was awake. Ruby was talking to her in a hushed voice and their heads raised when I walked in.

"Esa- Raymond, he-" my voice broke off and I couldn't help but feel the tears form again. Aer seemed to understand and she held her hands over her mouth, sobbing. It was the first and last time I had ever seen the Penna warrior cry.

I slumped onto my bed and lay in silence until I somehow fell asleep a few hours later.