Hydra Heart

Chapter Thirty

Chapter 30: Beer Drinker

Shay's pride was subdued; the girl wrapped herself around Molly's injured body and refused to let go, or put on a seatbelt. Molly gave a tired smile. "I missed you, Shay."

Violet held her daughter in a desperate embrace. Vesta curled up like a child in her lap and sniffled. Priscilla found it strange to see the two women he knew acting so unlike themselves. He cast no judgement, Vesta deserved a childhood and a mother, too. He did plan to make fun of Shay, though.

Violet's appearance was surprising to him, he had never heard of this woman, but she surely looked nothing like Vesta. She had white, thin hair, a small build, and blue eyes. The family resemblance was nonexistent, except for the intensity that both Lavenders carried.

He drove down the road, dreading what he knew was coming. There was no way they would get out of there without a fight. However, the moments happening in the backseat touched his heart, and he figured he could wait to interrupt.

"Vesta," Violet choked on a sob. "I knew you would. I knew you would come for me. I still love you, I'm your mother, I still-" She sobbed again. "I've always loved you, Vesta, and I always will. I love you and love you and I'll never stop, no matter what." She pressed her face into her daughter's arms.

Vesta nodded. Through a cracked voice, she said. "I missed you, Mom. You were gone for so long."

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."

On the other side, Shay whispered to Molly. "Pops died, and-- hic-- and you were gone and--" She whimpered into Molly's shoulder.

"You know what his last words were?" Molly asked.

Shay shook her head.

"He told me to look after you. You were all he was worried about. And I will look after you. I--" Molly choked up. "I can't believe we lost him." They comforted each other and finally mourned as they should have been able to so long ago.

--

Priscilla swerved at the wheel. "What was that for?" Shay asked.

"It's a missile, wake up!" he shouted. Shay looked through the rear window to see a helicopter pursuing their car. "Shit," she muttered. "Guys, we need help."

The four in the backseat took in the sight. Over the horizon, armored cars were chasing them down as well. "They do not plan to make this easy, do they?" Violet commented. Vesta rolled down the passenger side front window and started crawling on the hood of the car.

"She need fresh air?" Molly asked, confused by the behavior.

Vesta positioned herself on the front window, gripping the handles on either side of the roof. "Priscilla, try not to--" He swerved to avoid another missile. Vesta's grip nearly faltered.

"Uh, um, what do we do?" Shay panicked.

Priscilla reassured her, "I've thought about this. We just need to drive a little farther to get to the cliffs over the ocean."

"Then...?" Shay was leaning forward now, tapping his shoulder anxiously.

"We drive off, and either Molly or Vesta is going to have to save us."

"This is your plan?" Violet asked.

"You got a better one?" He asked.

They continued onward with Priscilla's foot on the gas. The helicopter had adjusted to their top speed and was staying at a steady distance. From a few hundred meters back, it was getting more and more accurate with its missiles. Another one launched.

Vesta's oculo was active. "Priscilla! Left!"

"Why would we--"

An explosion tilted the car onto its right wheels. It slammed down with almost enough force to knock Vesta off of the roof again. The strain made her wince.

"You have to steer into the next shot! I need to get close enough to Backlash it!"

"That sounds like a terrible idea!"

"Do it anyway!"

So, Priscilla steeled his nerves and kept his eyes trained on the rearview mirrors. The flare from a launch caused him to tense his grip on the steering wheel. "Right!" Vesta shouted. He went with it. The sharp veering squished the backseat passengers together. Vesta let go with her right hand, letting herself swing off the other side of the car, towards the missile. She made contact.

After a beat, it hurtled back towards the helicopter and hit its mark. The aircraft fell under the horizon as the Kit users continued speeding off. Then, all that remained in their way was a roadblock.

"Guys!" Priscilla shouted. "Hold on!"

He swerved off to the side of the road and the car bounced up and down on the rocky terrain. He avoided the trees, but kept his foot on the gas for the cars that were pulling up behind them now. "Get ready to bail!" The greenery gave way to a blank cliffside, and Priscilla's foot stayed heavy on the gas. The clicking of opening doors begot the deafening sound of wind as the car careened off the cliff.

As they all jumped out of the car, Priscilla noticed something. Why is my Kit not here? It was not on the bottom of his shoe, where it belonged. It's impossible that it hasn't come back to me yet. I also can't remember it leaving my feet. It was an odd thing to notice during a death drop, but it was important to him.

Molly whisked them through the car doors and into a cave carved into the cliff face. She groaned and flopped onto the rocky floor. She lacked the strength to move. The others winced from the scrapes incurred from the high velocity tumble into the rough surface of the crag. After laying down and wallowing in exhaustion for some time, Vesta peered out the cave entrance. They were still more than fifty feet above the shore. In less than a minute, KCD agents and Hirudenian military personnel were patrolling the beach with flashlights. Vesta sighed and rejoined the others.

Before I forget.. She thought to herself. From within her jacket pocket, she withdrew Molly's coat, which had been there, wadded up, for weeks. She approached with it in her hand.

Molly's dark hair was splayed on the floor, and she looked like she had already fallen asleep. Vesta took the coat and laid it over her, making sure it covered her mostly exposed arms. As soon as it was with its rightful owner, the wind seemed to flow under it, making the edges lift playfully in the air.

Despite Vesta's effort, Molly woke up. "Hey, Vesta..."

"Yes?"

Molly sat up and pulled her into an embrace. She whispered, "Thank you for saving me."

After a pause, Vesta allowed her arms to wrap around Molly. "Thank you for returning the favor. Maybe we should abstain from keeping score. Actually, I should say..."

"What?"

Vesta looked to her partners in crime on the other side of the cave. "You owe a big thank you to Shay. And, a little thank you to Priscilla. They endured a lot during these past few weeks. Also, Shay saved me as much as I saved her."

Molly smiled. "Well, I should thank her for that too." They realized they hadn't let go of each other. Molly knew she couldn't keep Vesta to herself all evening; only Violet had that right.

All of them soon let themselves sleep except Shay. She stayed awake, peering out of the cave entrance, ready to refresh the memory of anyone who was looking for them. To her relief, the night passed without any more trouble than they had already dealt with.