Uranium ➵ The Old Guard

➵двенадцать

"Why do I see you every time I close my eyes?"

"I don't know, but we're here now. It must be what the universe wanted."

Aleandra was very unimpressed. "That sounds stupid."

"Who else do you have?" Andy breathed out. "Everyone who's ever loved you is dead. You don't belong anywhere normal now."

"I've never belonged anyway. And not everyone I love is dead, I have my cousin."

Andy raised her eyebrows and gave a small nod. "When they do die, you can find me here." She held out a walkie-talkie. "Switch it to channel 68, I'll answer."

Aleandra took it gingerly, gently lowering the gun. She tucked the device into a jacket pocket and walked backward, sure to keep an eye on Andy as she went.

She left the circle of trees and Andy sighed. She'd come to their team soon, she knew that much. Speaking of her team, she should probably get back to them.

-

Nathaniel didn't much care for the food or clean clothes he had been given when he woke up. His mother would say he was ungrateful but the reality was that he was grateful, for himself at least.

Anita was folding a blanket when he woke. It was the same room that he had cared for Aleandra in and she immediately came to his mind.

"Where did she go?"

Anita paused. He waited for her to move, to answer his question. He could hear his own heart pulsating, blood gushing through his veins near his ear. The anticipation was too much.

She straightened up.

"After, uh," she coughed, "after the attack, she...well, she died. Aleandra is dead, Nathaniel." Her mouth was set in a straight line and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. She looked as if she were about to cry. 

Nathaniel would've also cried if he wasn't in disbelief. 

"No." His voice was unwavering, certain. This couldn't be, Anita and Aleandra were playing an elaborate prank on him (one that was not very funny) and she would pop out and laugh at him. But Anita still stood solemnly.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I saw her. Sacha buried her."

Nathaniel's mind raced, he still couldn't believe that Aleandra was dead. He had known her for a month and he couldn't see someone like her just die. Perhaps he was holding out that she had miraculously survived like he had and they could bond more now that they had more in common. Even though the possibility of her being alive was 0, he still wanted to see her.

"Can you take me there?"

-

"Andy," Booker called through the walkie-talkie. "Andy are you there?"

Booker was tapping slowly on the table with his head in his hands. Joe was sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, an inquisitive look pasted on his face. He kept looking at Nicky, who was stoically shaving with his clenched, pretending that Booker and Joe didn't exist.

"It's useless," Booker said, finally giving up. He dropped the walkie-talkie on the table and let the static fill the air. "She's gone for good now. We'll never find her."

"You're on the right channel?" Joe asked, jutting his chin out.

"Yes."

Joe could hear Booker rolling his eyes.

"Give it to me." He reached his hand out and Booker passed him the walkie-talkie with a gruff sigh. He was too tired to even bother trying to argue with Joe.

Joe did the exact same thing Booker did.

"Insanity is when someone does the same things expecting different results," Booker said, calmly picking at his nails.

"Are you saying I'm insane?" Joe glared at Booker who refused to answer.

"Yes, Joe, you are insane," Nicky said, washing the rest of the shaving cream and loose hair from his cheeks. He dried his face with the thin towel that hung next to the sink and walked over to where Joe and Booker were.

"When was the last time you talked to Booker?" he asked. Booker shrugged.

"Last time we all did."

"So she didn't tell you any super secret information?" Joe asked sarcastically. Booker glared at him.

"Quit it, Joe," Nicky chastised. "So we all talked to her last when she was telling us she wanted to go out and find that girl on her own, right? We all remember that?" Joe and Booker grumbled out a yes. Nicky gave each a pointed look.

"We have to back to finding the girl then," he explained. "Wherever the girl is, Andy will want to be there."

"Nicky, you are amazing," Joe said. "I have the best husband." He continued to list off reasons he loved Nicky while Nicky smiled and kissed his head.

Booker, already used to Joe and Nicky's displays of affection, was walking around the little room, looking for paper to write things down. He found some in his bag on the edge of his bed after pouring its contents out onto the blankets. He scribbled down everything he knew about the girl. She had dark hair, she was white, she's a scientist, she shes only died twice. That was all he knew about her.

"How much do you know about our girl?" he asked Joe and Nicky. They paused their onslaught of compliments and pondered Booker's question.

"She's a scientist."

"She has black hair."

"She was kidnapped."

"Okay, but what else do we know about her?" Booker asked impatiently.

"That she's immortal?" Nicky tried.

"You're going to have to do better than that"