Lyfers: Amnesia

Chapter 50 - New Friends

 The drive to Blaze's home was in itself as stressful as this entire day, and during the entire ride, Ether's words kept circling into Dove's mind. The information that Taro was her aunt was haunting her even more since she had been one of Amnesia's Lieutenants too. If she really had been, how come both her parents and herself had stayed strays? Ether had seemed to know more than what she said, but with Sphinx and Phase's sudden arrival, Dove did not have the time to ask her other questions. She wanted to know more about Taro, about Ether's links to her, about herself too, but now was not the time for further interrogation; Sphinx grabbed her hand, softly squeezing on it and showing her a smile.

– We're there, baby. You okay?

– Yeah, I'm alright.

– Go inside, I'll pay for the cab.

She answered the touch and the smile before getting out of the taxi, readjusting her jacket on her shoulders then heading to Blaze's house. As expected, the door wasn't closed, and she entered without knocking, rejoining the living room.

– Guys, we need to speak, she started, Ether explained ev-...

However, she abruptly stopped when she saw the persons present; of course, Venom, Dusk, Phase, Blaze and Claw were there, but along them were people she didn't recall meeting previously. One was a tall young man covered in tattoos and bruises, with black, undercut-styled hair, holding in his arms a sleeping toddler in a pink onesie. The second was a small woman approximately her age, her bob cut colored half-blonde, half-black, wearing bright orange overalls above a white tee-shirt, with a cheerful expression on her face. She was the first one to talk.

– Ah, I finally got to meet that newbie everybody's talkin' 'bout! That one girl who managed to become Venom's Lieutenant!

– Uh, nice to meet you...?

– Ah, I'm Kalei! Nice to meet you too, Miss...?

– Dove. I'm Dove.

The named Kalei went to energetically shake hands with her, in a motion so enthusiastic it surprised the blonde. Sphinx arrived at the same moment, and instinctively wrapped an arm around Dove's shoulders, frowning.

– Hey, who's touchin' my girl?

– M'aw, now that you're here too, we can finally do proper introductions, told Venom. So, this is Kalei, a freelance mercenary but also Night Shift's honorary member.

– Don't panic, but this creep knows approximately everything about us, added Dusk.

– Yuppie yup, exclaimed Kalei. I know we haven't had the chance to meet before, but I'm a big fan of y'all! Amnesia's top bananas!

Sphinx, Venom and Phase couldn't help but sigh at this "nickname", while Dove and Blaze let out a nervous laugh.

– Don't call us that way, grumbled Venom. Anyways, she's the one who helped Phase and Blaze get out of Amnesia Pharmaceuticals' building, and since she has the same objective as us, let's consider her our ally.

– Does she know about Taro? Questioned Dove.

– Yuppie yup, I do! I was following Blaze on orders of Thorn, as some kinda discreet bodyguard, y'know?

The mint-haired man raised an eyebrow at the mention bodyguard, but didn't add anything; after all, she had to be useful, if she was in the Night Shift.

– But since Mister Candyfloss and her were taking too long, I went to check. And that's when they spotted me.

She pouted and was about to carry on, but Phase raised a hand, bothered.

– 'Kay, enough, you're giving me a headache already. So, the other over there is Fang, and that's his daughter, Cassiopeia.

Dove and her boyfriend nodded, waving back as the young man waved at them.

– Hey, he simply greeted them. I know I'm not an Amnesia's member anymore, but... Let's say I owe some people there a service, so count me in.

– Wait, said Dove, that means we'll be... Nine?

– See, you're not that bad at mathematics, giggled Phase. But yeah, more seriously, we'll be.

– Then we absolutely don't need Ether's help.

– Why, exclaimed Blaze, did she propose it?

– Yeah. But Sphinx and I think something is off. I'll call her.

– Not that fast, stopped Claw. Tell us what she told ya, first.

She acquiesced, and sat between Dusk and Fang, quickly rejoined by Sphinx.

– I'll keep it short and low, I don't wanna wake up the baby... She told me Taro was one of Amnesia's former Lieutenants, her best friend, and... And my aunt. B-but that's just weird, how come my parents were strays in that case?

– Family bullshit? proposed Fang, eyeing Claw.

– Could be. But that's still off. I don't know if this part is true, but what I'm sure is that she was sincere when she told me she thought Atlas killed Taro. She seemed genuinely shocked to learn she was alive and held captive. And that's when she proposed me her help.

All the Lieutenants in this room frowned; it was definitely off. Even if Taro had been Ether's best friend, why would she help them in such a risky mission, while she refused to even help her gang in the war against Morphine? If she had wanted revenge over Atlas, she would have done it years ago, when she still believed Taro had been killed. But after how she went out of her way to trigger these flashbacks to Dove, the entire group believed she either truly wanted to avenge her, or had another plan going on. In both cases, there was something she hadn't tell them, and further than that, was deliberately hiding from them. Sphinx sighed, leaning against the back of the couch while toying with a clear lock of Dove's hair.

– I suggest we act without telling her. Like, just say we're going to act the day after the one we're really going to do it.

– The brat's right, agreed Claw. We need to keep Ether outta this.

– I'll add to this that I don't wanna work with someone threatening my daughter, sighed Fang.

– M'yeah, nobody's totally trusting her, completed Venom, let's work without her.

– She's too much of a leftie anyways, shrugged Dusk, our team's better off without hers.

– I'm with you on that, bro, nodded Phase.

– We just can't take more risks than we already do, remarked Blaze.

– So here's our full team? exclaimed Kalei. Wowie, I'm working with Amnesia's top bananas!

– We're all according, in that case, assented Dove. Now... Let's plan it all.