BOOK 3 of the ORPHIC Series
CHURLISH
/ˈCHərliSH/
marked by a lack of civility.
~~~~~
Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker finds herself in the 21 century sporting the title of Aunt while lugging along h...
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"There are no right decisions, or wrong decisions. There is only a decision."
Wakanda, Africa April, 2016
LUCY LET HER GAZE TRAVEL across the cryo pod. It was nothing like the old rusted one HYDRA had. She let her fingers brush against the glass, palm pressing flat against it. There was a head rest, and a bed with soft straps to keep the person inside contained. It looked far more comfortable than being forced to stand with wires hooked across their arms and legs. Alpine mewed in her arms, bumping her nose against the glass curiously.
Steve stepped besides her, examining the pod, before giving her a small pat on her shoulder. She glanced at him, letting her hand fall from the surface. Alpine pawed at Steve, meowing loudly. Lucy chuckled, placing her in Steve's arms.
She turned to face James, who looked more or less resigned to his fate. Lucy decided she would have to get used to his missing arm. She was used to leaning into him, but, there was no cold surface to lean into anymore. She stepped to his right, placing a hand over his.
Steve looked at James with a look of uncertainty.
"You sure about this?" He asked like he'd done the other night.
James exhaled softly.
"I can't trust my own mind." He said quietly, an unamused smile adorning his face. "So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head, I think going back under is the best thing. For everybody."
Accept you, Lucy thought, before pushing the bitter thought away.
She understood he couldn't be himself if the words still worked. He couldn't live as carefree as he wanted to with the words still lodged in his head, affecting every brain cell in his body, forcing him to hurt people he never desired–he didn't want that.
And Lucy knew as much.
Steve gave James a small nod of understanding. He still looked apprehensive about it, but, James was making this choice himself, and he didn't want to take that away, not after being his handler for months.
"It's soft." Lucy said, nodding her head towards the cryostasis chamber. "Different."
James followed her gaze.
"Yeah." He agreed. "It's different."
His eyes trailed over her.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" He asked. "While I sleep?"
