The Price We've Paid

Mortal Sidekick

Though you knew the question was coming, it still stirred something in the pit of your stomach that made you feel sick.

You swallowed. "Given the answers I've found, yeah I think using technology has been pretty worth it."

Andy's eyes hardened slightly. "So, given the option...you'd do it again?"

You clenched your jaw. "If doing it again would lead me to the same answers I have now, being able to isolate the part of our genetic code that allows us to be immortal, then yes; I'd do it again without hesitation."

You could tell Andy wasn't satisfied with this answer. It seemed she was fishing for something else she didn't want to outright ask, but you didn't have time to wait around for her to get to the point.

You grabbed the box of scopes and began walking out of the garage. "I've learned so much that has allowed me to get to this point. All it can do now is benefit us."

Andy followed you out of the garage, but stopped suddenly at those words. "Us?"

You stopped and turned to face her. "Yes, us. I did all of this for us."

The brunette's face twisted as she let a forced exhale out through her nose. "Funny, I thought you did this for you."

Turning to fully face her, you shot her a look of confusion. "This has never just been for me."

"It sure seemed like it was when you left the team; when you left me." Andy argued.

"You didn't give me much of a choice Andy," you argued. "You didn't want to use technology. I did. And you were right, I couldn't risk the team's safety just because of the method of how I wanted to find answers. What did you want me to do?"

Andy huffed. "You could've stayed."

You dropped the box of scopes and your drill on the grass as you threw your hands up in the air. "Yeah? Well, we wanted answers. And you wanted them too," you said as you pointed at her. "You can't deny that."

Andy shook her head. "I didn't want them like this."

"You think I was happy about this decision?" You questioned as you stalked closer to her. "You think I liked the fact that I was living away from my wife for thirty five fucking years?"

Andy's eyes widened slightly at your display of aggression.

"I was miserable!" You continued, pushing your anger forward in order to hold off the tears that were threatening to fall. "I thought about you every day. I had algorithms running on my computers constantly to make sure you were okay. I did my best to continue to look after you even though I couldn't actually be with you."

The tears were getting harder and harder to stave off.

"You will never know how many times I thought about saying 'fuck it' and running back to you. But that would have made all of this pointless," you said, as you gestured around at the land and the safehouse. "I knew I could find the answers we wanted. And I wasn't going to return to you empty handed. Not because that would make you right and me wrong, but because I love you and I wanted to return to you with the one thing you desired most in your life...the answer to why we were chosen."

Andy let out an angry sigh. "I never asked you to do that. You should've just stayed."

You bit your lip as your head nodded. "Yeah? Well if I had, you'd still be mortal." You spat, as you stalked back toward the safehouse. You left the box of scopes and your drill laying on the lawn, completely uncaring about what happened to them at this moment. All you wanted was to be away from your wife.