Part of the Family

Chapter 11

    I take a shaking breath as we approach the ceremony site. I hold the gun that the Duke gave me.
  "So...it's this way?" Chris asks me, "How do you know?"
  "I've had time to poke around," I say, "see some things Miranda doesn't want people to see,"
  "And you weren't caught?" Ethan asks.
  "Ethan...I could look around as a ghost," I say, "I would never do anything stupid like sneaking in on my own,"
  He nods a little. "And...Mia is here?" he asks, quietly.
  I nod.
  "I can't believe she's not dead..." Ethan says, "...that it was Miranda..."
  "I can't believe you're still with her..." I mutter.
  He stops walking, and looks at me. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he snaps.
  "She got all of us into this mess in the first place," I say, looking at him, "She was one of my handlers when I was in the hands of the Connections. An international crime ring,"
  He looks half confused, half in disbelief. "No, it...it's not her fault..." he mutters.
  "You don't join a crime ring by accident," I say, "she chose to be there. It's her fault that you were there in the first place. I'm not saying that the Dulvey Incident was her fault, because that was all Evie. I'm just saying your involvement was her fault. If you were smart, as soon as you both got out of Dulvey, you would have divorced her. I would have,"
  He grabs my shirt and shoves me against a wall, pinning me there. "You have no idea what we've been through," he says, "I couldn't just...just...leave her!"
  "If you did, you wouldn't be here," I say, "you would still have your fingers. If you had left her when she went missing, you'd still be human,"
  He looks shocked.
  "Guys!" Chris barks, grabbing Ethan's wrist, wrenching him off of me, "This is not the time. We're all nervous, or angry, or whatever. Arguing will get us nowhere,"
  Ethan sighs, nodding. He follows Chris, glancing at me angrily a few times.
  I roll my eyes, and follow them.
  We find the hidden room under the ceremony site, where Mirnada has papers and things about her research on the mutamycete. One wall has a cell behind iron bars, the heavy door opens a little.
  A chill goes up my spine. "Guys..." I mutter, stopping in my tracks.
  They both stop and look at me.
  "What?" Chris asks.
  "Something...something's not right," I say, gripping my gun tighter.
  Ethan looks at the cell, and quickly goes over to it. He gasps. "No!" he cries out, "No, Mia!"
  Chris rushes over to him, and stops. "Oh, my god..." he mutters.
  I glance around, trying to look for what could be wrong. That's when I see it.
  The blinking red light. No, three of them. Four, no five. Ten of them, all staring at me.
  I stand in stunned silence for a minute. "G-Guys," I say, finally finding my voice, "Guys!"
  Chris looks at me, then glances around, seeing what I see. "Ethan, we need to go," he says, grabbing Ethan.
  "No..." Ethan mutters, hugging Mia's dead body to his chest, "...I...I can't..."
  "Ethan, we need to go!" Chris says, pulling Ethan to his feet.
  I hear a click. "Shit..." I mutter.
  Chris and Ethan run toward me as a light starts to blink faster. They pass me as explosions rip through the room.
  I turn and run with them, but I'm pushed forward as something hits me square in the back. I landed on my face, wind knocked out of me.
Ethan shouts something, and I feel someone pick me up, but I lose consciousness.
---
(Heisenburg's POV)
    "They're the best I have, Alcina," I say, "I don't have time to get better!"
  "Well, let's hope your best is good enough," she snapped at me, glancing at a Soldat.
  I sigh angrily, and I'm about to shout at her again, when the door to the factory opens. I turn and see Ethan and Chris rush in, carrying Val. For a terrifying moment I think she's dead. "V-val?..." I mutter, and rush up to them. "What the hell happened?" I ask, maybe more harsh than I should have.
  "The room..." Ethan mutters, "...it was rigged to explode...Miranda knew we were coming. She killed Mia and rigged the room to explode,"
  My heart sinks. "Shit..." I mutter, "...well, there goes the element of surprise...what happened to Val?"
  Ethan lays her down on a table, and lays her on her side.
  A pipe or bar from a cell sticks out of her lower back, slightly to the left of her spine. A rag or some kind of fabric is wrapped around the piece of metal.
  I take a shaking breath, fear gripping my throat. I cleared it a little. "Will...will she survive?" I ask, looking at Chris.
  "I...I think," Chris says, "but we need to get the bar out and sew up the injury,"
  "We'll take her to the cabin," Alcina says, "Donna and the Duke can tend to her. If Miranda knows what we plan, we don't have time to lose,"
  "I'm not leaving her!" I say, "I...I can't...I don't..." I take a breath.
Alcina stares at me in disbelief. "You...you actually love her," she says.
  "Of course I do!" I shout, "Why wouldn't I?! She's the best fucking thing to happen to me, and I can't loose her!"
  "...Karl..." I hear Val say, softly.
  I pause, and look down at her. I round the table to look her in the eyes, and take my glasses and hat off. I kneel next to the table. "Hey, Buttercup..." I mutter, grabbing one of her hands, "...you're going to be okay...I promise..."
  She smiles a little, her eyes somewhat dull. "Go...go with...Alcina..." she mutters, "...Donna...and...and Duke...will take...good care...of me..."
  I grit my teeth a little, furrowing my eyebrows. "I...I don't want to leave you..." I mutter, gripping her hand a little tighter.
  "You have...to..." she mutters, "...go...save...the world..." she smiles, and closes her eyes, but her grip stays.
I take a shaking breath, and grip her hand a little more. I nod, and lean forward, kissing her forehead. I stand up and wipe my eyes on my sleeve before putting my hat and glasses on. "I'll have a group of Soldats take her to the Cabin," I say, "Let's go kill that bitch, Miranda,"
---   
(Val's POV)
    I take a shaking breath and wake, laying on my stomach in the bed of the cabin.
  The quiet sounds of a movie can be heard, and the smell of stagnant water creeps up on me.
  I cough a little, and turn my head, seeing Moreau sitting a little further away in the room, watching something on a small TV. I smile a little, recognizing the sounds of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". "I didn't know you liked spaghetti westerns, Sal..." I say, quietly, my voice hoarse.
  He jumps a little, and looks at me. "You're awake!" he says, getting up from his chair, "I...I need to tell Donna...was told to tell Donna when you were awake," He quickly shuffles out of the room. He soon returns with Donna, no longer wearing her veil, and holding Angie.
  Donna smiles a little at me. She has bandages over her right eye, where her mutation had been showing. "How do you feel, Val?" she asks, Angie speaking, sitting down on the bed next to me.
  "Weird..." I mutter, "...why am I on my stomach?"
  "A piece of metal was embedded into your back," she says, "it narrowly missed your spine, kidney, and pancreas,"
  I nod a little. "Where...where's Karl?" I ask.
  "Off helping Ethan and Chris," she says, "the battle has been raging for almost two hours. I'm surprised you're already awake,"
  I nod a little. "Can...can I go to a window...to see what's happening?" I ask.
  "You won't be able to see much," she says, "and you shouldn't put stress on your stitches,"
  "Please..." I mutter, "I...I need to see..."
  She sighs, and nods. "Salvatore, bring that chair we found," she says, "the wheeled one,"
  Moreau nods a little, and shuffles out of the room.
  "We should pause his movie," I say, "I don't want him missing anything,"
  Donna nods a little, and goes over to the TV, pressing a button, stopping the movie.
  Moreau enters again, pushing a wheelchair. "Oh, I forgot it was still playing..." he mutters, "...thank you, Donna..."
  She nods. "Help me get her into the chair," she says, putting a pillow against the back of the chair.
  Moreau nods, and gently helps me roll onto my back.
  I hiss as the injury screams from the pressure of laying on it.
  Donna helps me sit up, and swing my legs over to the foot rest of the chair. She helps me move from the bed to the chair.
  I sigh softly, leaning back in the chair.
  "Close the door behind us, please, Salvatore," Donna says, pushing me out of the room.
  Moreau follows us, closing the door of the room.
  "Ah!" the Duke says as we enter the living room, "Look who's awake! How are you feeling, dear?"
  "Odd..." I mutter, "...but, alive,"
  "That's all we can ask for in these times..." he mutters, "...here to see the action?"
  I nod. "How does it look?" I ask.
  "Well, the military has arrived," Donna says, pushing me up to a window with a good view of the rest of the valley.
  "Possibly the work of Redfield," Duke says, "How does the village look?"
  I look at the clusters of houses, smoke rising from them. "Not exactly good..." I mutter, "...are things on fire?"
  "Some," Donna says, "some are flares placed by Chris' allies, no doubt. Alcina, her daughters, and Karl are taking care of the Lycans and other creatures Miranda throws at them,"
  "And they're doing a damn good job, if you ask me," Duke says, "Are you hungry, Val? Thirsty? Need anything?"
  I smile a little, but shake my head. "I'm fine," I say, "though...I could use something to keep me busy while sitting here,"
  "I found some yarn, and can carve some wood into a crochet hook, if that will help," Donna offers.
  I smile a little. "Thank you, Donna," I say, looking at her, "That will definitely help."
  She smiles a little, and nods. She walks away, toward a back room of the cabin.
  Moreau pulls a chair over to me and sits down with me.
  I smile a little. "You don't have to stay with me still, Sal," I say.
  "Yes I do," he says. He takes a slightly soggy note out from under his cloak. He holds it out to me.
  I almost instantly recognize Karl's handwriting. I take the note and read it.
  It reads "Sal, don't leave Val's side until I get back. I trust you. KH"
  I smile a little. "Okay," I say, "that makes sense,"
  "I don't want to let him down..." Moreau says, "...like Miranda let us down..."
  I sigh and nod, handing the note back to him.
  "So..." he asks, accepting the note back, "...what's a spaghetti western?"
  I chuckle a little. "It's a western movie filmed and produced in Europe," I say, "more commonly in Italy. Like...Django, Django Unchained, Fistfull of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, Once Upon a Time in the West,"
  He nods. "And...is Clint Eastwood in all of them?" he asks.
  "In most of them, yeah," I say, "but, not all,"
He nods again. "Karl told me I should watch it," he says, "I...I'm not usually into action movies,"
  I nod a little. "What kind of movies do you like?" I ask.
  He looks down at his lap, almost like he's embarrassed to say.
  I chuckle a little. "Okay, what's your favorite movie?" I ask.
  He shuffles his feet a little. "Mmm...the...the Princess Bride..." he mutters.
  I pause, and smile wide. I chuckle a little. I lean over to him. "Ello," I say, in a weird, almost-Spanish accent, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,"
  He looks at me, and smiles wide. He laughs. "You've seen it?" he asks.
  "Of course I have!" I laugh, "Lucas was a big fan of movies. We'd watch them in the Barn, all day, every Saturday, just to forget the hell we were in..." I smile, but the smile fades as I remember all the brief, sweet things that Lucas would do for me, only to be tainted by horrible things I watched him do.
  "What kind of movies do you like?" Moreau asks me.
  I blink myself out of my daydream. "Uh...fantasy," I say, "My favorite is either Labyrinth or Legend. We only had access to VHS tapes so..." I shrug a little.
  "Oh, don't worry," Moreau says, "that's all I have, too. Karl gave me the TV and player I have, and he occasionally gives me tapes he finds in the junkyard,"
  I smile.
  Donna approaches me and hands me a wooden crochet hook and a skein of yarn. "I tried to find you a full skein," she says, "let me know if you need more,"
  I nod. "I will, thank you," I say, smiling a little.
  Moreau watches me as I start a granny square. "What are you going to make?" he asks.
  "A blanket," I say, "but, with one continuous granny square,"
   He nods. "Won't that take a long time, though?" he asks.
  I nod. "That's why it's a good pastime," I say.
  He nods.
  I look out the window, down to the village as the sky darkens. I continue to crochet without looking at my hands. I occasionally see a Soldat pass the main path, but nothing much else.
  Later on in the day, as Donna is about to wheel me to the table for dinner, a large flash of orange from the valley catches our attention.
  I turn to see a large explosion overtaking the entire valley, and moments later the cabin is shaken by the blast.
  Donna scrambles to catch plates and bowls from the cabinets as they fall. She then rushes to one of the bedrooms as Rose begins to wail.
  Moreau grabs my chair so I don't roll too far.
  "What happened?!" Angie shrieks.
  "They must have done it," the Duke says, "Miranda...Miranda is defeated,"
  I watch as a mushroom cloud engulfs the valley with smoke and orange light. "Karl?" I ask, quietly. "No, no, he..." I mutter, "...he has to be okay...where...where are they?"
  "Look!" Moreau says, pointing out the window toward the path.
  I squint into the darkness and see Chris and Karl supporting Ethan between them. Alcina, Donna, Cassandra and Daniela are behind them, followed by Soldats and people in similar uniforms to Chris. "Donna..." I say, starting to roll myself toward the door.
  "I'll help them," she says through Angie, gently handing me Rose, "Take the child,"
  I nod, holding Rose, rocking her slightly.
  Donna helps Chris and Karl get Ethan into the cabin, and to the room I was in.
  Alcina ducks into the cabin, and looks at me. She smiles softly. She looks worn out, her normally pristine white dress covered in dirt and grime near the bottom. There are a few claw marks in her hat.
  "Is...is she...?" I ask, quietly.
   She nods. "The valley is free from the plague of the mutamycete," she says, "and it's because of Ethan. He would have sacrificed himself if Karl and Chris weren't there..."
  I nod a little.
  Chris passes us, and looks at me. He looks at Rose. "I...I need to go," he says, "There were other Bioweapons being dropped in...well by someone else. I need to go take care of that. I'll be back,"
  I nod. "She's safe with us," I say, "so is he. We'll take good care of them,"
  He nods, and exits the cabin.
  "Val..." Karl says, approaching me. He turns my chair toward him, and looks somewhere between confused and relieved. He takes his glasses and hat off. He glances at my legs.
  "I'm fine," I say, "Donna...well, she didn't want me putting stress on my stitches. That's why I'm in the chair. I can move my legs just fine,"
  He sighs softly and nods. He looks at Rose. "It...it's over..." he mutters, smiling softly, "...we're free...I mean, it only cost us the entire valley, but...we're free..." He looks up at me, eyes gleaming with tears.
  I smile, tears filling my own eyes. "A fresh start..." I say, "...a fresh start, a family, freedom...what more could we ask for?" I look down at Rose, who had fallen asleep, and smile. I look back up at Karl.
   He smiles as well. "Yeah..." he says, "...what more could we need?"
  I look up at everyone still in the room: Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters, embracing, Donna sitting with Angie, Moreau standing nearby. I smile, knowing I've finally found the family I've been looking for.