To Die For

Chapter 8 - Wyle Dolon

And while I wasn't what one would call optimistic about my fellow soldier's ability to function and form a coherent thought in my absence, I had no idea the situation was this dire.
Exhausted, sweaty, still a bit bloody from my jaunt, I return to the barracks and our common area. And what do I find the nitwits doing?
Arguing amongst themselves.
"We should all just go after her," Joss isn't dumb he's just alone.
"We still don't know which way they were going," Strong has a map. And he's trying to read. He's trying to read things. Shaye is going to die.
"Wyle's crying," Seamus narrates, patting the top of my head.
"He looks fine," Strong says.
"Wait, wasn't here not here a minute ago?" Alpha asks.
"We've been here for six hours," Oscar points out. He's not an idiot he's just not invested.
"He's been here," Seamus says, he's an idiot.
"The message said Rhodes milita were the ones who took the girl—girl singular— so the Rhodes train which shouldn't be running, is the first place, we should go look right now," I say, pained.
"Well why didn't you say that six hours ago?" Strong asks.
"Why didn't I help you read a basic message?" I choke. The answer is because I simply heard it and walked out of the room while they were in this exact position save a few cups of coffee. 
"Yes," Strong says, prepared to be mad about this.
"Because he's an idiot. He's never not been an idiot why don't we go?" Joss asks, assessing my appearance and coming to something like the correct conclusion by the strangling motion he makes.
"All right. We're going to go," Strong says, "That's probably the best place to look."
"Yeah who knows?" I say, completely dryly.
Joss nearly tackles me as the others file out of the room.
"NEVER leave me alone with them again," he says.
"I'm sorry I was short on time."
"How's Riley?"
"Lovely thanks for asking," I say, pleasantly.
Joss cuffs the back of my head, sighing.
We have authorization to take the electric bikes wheeeeee.
"I don't think he should get to drive one," Alpha says, as I cling to a bike.
"Hey we're one short," Strong says.
"I think you miscounted," I say.
"We'll ride together," Oscar says, grabbing Seamus who was walking away to touch one of the chargers and electrocute himself and die.
I climb on an electric bike and then Joss forcibly tugs me onto his.
"Really this job does not require me I could go do other things," I whine. I don't trust them to get there I'm just going to go make sure Shaye is all right.
"Shut up. I spent all morning to them listening to them drivel and occasionally saying 'anyone wonder why Wyle isn't here' and no one agreeing you'd been gone for hours. Just shut up," Joss says, bodily hauling me onto the back of his bike.
And for the second time today, I speed past the fences, and along the Rhodes tracks. Rhodes runs right up to the sea. Not the good sea. The radioactive one. So we just ship things to there, and not often at that. So the plum of dust from the train up ahead. Damning as hell.
The platoon of bikes is steadily gaining on the train. We're shrouded in dust. And I did use one grapple arrow today. Oh well. It's good practice.
"I've got grapple arrows. Hang on," I say, clipping my belt to Joss'.
"There see warning me beforehand WYLE!!!!!!!"
He really should have specified more than five seconds before hand.
I shoot, the rope immediately taught to my waist, and we're both tugged forcibly from the bike and into the side of the train car, our feet dangling dangerous close to the wheels.
I haul us both up, and Joss struggles for a hold, dragging us both to the roof of the car. We're almost immediately thrown from the train as it goes around a corner. Our platoon mates are leaping on the train.
"Oh my god he's about to search the wrong car," I breath. If Joss hears me that's why he swears under his breath.  If he doesn't he's just got a filthy mouth.
"Are you gonna tell him?" Joss asks.
"Not really," I say, shooting a regular arrow at a guard that was about to knock Oscar from the train.
"Please," Joss breaths, "Just—suggest it."
"Fine. I'll be subtle. STUPID SHIT, THIS ONE," I shout, at Strong. Who responds to Stupid Shit, his training is coming along nicely.
"What is it, Dolon?" Strong growls, finishing brawling with a guard on his train car.
"I heard screaming," I say, innocently.
Strong leaps over to our roof, which he didn't need to do.
"Inside it," I say, breathing raggedly.
"Oscar, Seamus, cover us!" Strong shouts, then climbs down, "You two! Come!"
Joss and I, who were absolutely going to stay on the roof, hurry to obey not as willingly as we might.
We all drop to the coupling, which is now cleared. The young recruits are armed with bats, not the ideal train fight weapon but here we are underfunded and undermanned and definitely under braincelled.
Strong wrenches the door open only to immediately be pushed backward, in a knife fight with a guard.
Joss and I pass figuring he can handle that situation himself, and Alpha does too but he might not notice honestly. I personally want to make sure Shaye is still okay. She is, delicately sitting on the two chairs, braiding her hair, my knife in her hand.
"Hi person I haven't seen this morning," I say, waving.
"Wow seriously," she says, observing her not at all impressive rescue which includes me.
"I'm disappointed as well," I say.
"What was that?" Alpha asks, finishing throwing a man from the car.
"Hi!" Oscar is polite, leaping in and nealry knocking over Strong.
"We're here to rescue you," Strong says.
"He responses to 'stupid shit' and 'dumbass' now you're welcome," I say.
"Thank you!" Shaye says, genuinely grateful.
Strong actually finally gets it, "Where's her sister?"
Five more guards step in.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, my mother says those were my first words.
"You again!" Oh it's the very huge guy whose eye I ripped out.
"Me? What did I do?" My fahter swears those were my first words.
"You've been here before!" Strong realizes.
"Yes, Cecil, we'll give you a medal," Joss says, "Wyle take left."
"On it," I say, leaping forward, knife in hand. Joss and I attack the huge guard, knives in either hand. I dive between his legs, slicing his left tendon. Joss leaps up his other side, the blind side, to attack his neck through the leather body armor.
He throws us both to either side of the car. The rest of the platoon are currently in their own squabbles. Shaye is standing on the chair finishing her braid.
"Is Riley okay?" Shaye asks as I skid by.
"Oh yeah we had fun she's having tea with my mum," I say.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HUH?" Strong is angry with me I think that's on interpretation.
"I never said I didn't know what was going. I said I didn't know what you were talking about," I clarify.
"Oh my god how is he this strong?" Joss asks, going flying past me.
"I don't know," I say, notching an arrow, "ALPHA!"
"Switch," Alpha throws the guard he was fighting with directly into my stabbing range, and goes to attack the giant who is momentarily distracted by the arrow I put through his other eye.
"Challenge accepted," I mutter, diving immediately into the knife fight and coming up soaking in blood spraying from the man's throat.
Shaye yelps a little.
"We need to get off the train, now," Strong says.
"Are you here to narrate this?" I choke, saving him from being brained by another one.
"Both of you need to shut up, ma'am I'm picking you up now all right," Joss just throws Shaye over his shoulder, "Wyle, COME!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," I mutter, finishing another fight and ducking out of the car.
"Oh fuck me," Joss says, as the car opposite us' door opens, and seven more guards spill out.
I draw an exploding arrow and fire, directly at the coupling.
Our car jolts off, and the explosion sends us staggering into each other, but the rest of the train is rocketing away.
"Thank you," Joss says.
"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Seamus hangs on me, "Is that why I can't touch your arrows?"
"No, other reasons," I say, flatly, patting his head. I have poison arrows but I'm not disclosing that right now.
Joss hops off the now slowing train.
An extremely bloody Strong and Alpha are just staggering out.
"Bikes are that way. We didn't bring boots, sorry should have thought of that," I say.
"Oh it's fine," Shaye says, but it might be sarcasm. She's over Joss' shoulder.
"Sorry ma'am," Joss says, politely.
"Is all of outside the fence like this?" Oscar asks, looking around nervously, holding Saemus' hand as the excitable child is about to wander off.
"No. Some of it's worse," I say, tipping my head to catch sight of the sun.
"That was kinda fun," Alpha says, slapping my back, "I thought we were supposed to rescue two people?"
"Oh, someone else remembered," Joss says, incredibly sarcastically.
"I'm going to ask that none of you speak to me for a week possibly ever, but that doesn't apply to Joss or Shaye," I say.
"ALL OF YOU WAIT UP I AM YOUR COMMANDER," Strong calls, he's limping.
"Ignore him he might go away," I say.
"I am supposed to marry him," Shaye says.
"Not if we leave him in the middle of the desert you're not," I giggle.
"He has problems ma'am," Oscar explains me.
"I know believe it or not it's fine—I can walk a little," Shaye says.
"Oh you're fine," Joss says.
"Really?" She asks.
"Yeah it's like picking up a bunch of leaves," Joss says.
"HEY I SAID WAIT UP," Strong runs to catch up with us.
"We didn't hear you, try again," I say, completely calmly. He's less than ten paces away.
Joss just covers my mouth with his free hand.
"Unhand my fiancé," Strong says, limping up to us.
Joss, with a completely straight face, takes his hand off my mouth and pushes me forward. "Please, take him away."
This kills with everyone but Strong who is red faced and fuming. That includes Shaye who now thinks we're hilarious.
"I'm having him removed from the unit," Strong growls, "and you as well."
"Why do you think that's a threat?" Joss sasks.
"Yeah we don't want to be here."
"Not really," Oscar says.
"Yeah that's like a reward," Alpha says.
"Put me down really I'm going to choke," Shaye can't laugh that hard upside down. I help Joss lower her down.
"You can have my shoes! I run places barefoot all the time 'cause I forget shoes," Seamus says, bouncing over.
"No, no, what did we say about making personal decisions without consulting Oscar or at a last resort me? No, I'm sorry he's not allowed agency over himself till he goes three days without almost dying," I say, catching Seamus before he takes his shoes off.
"He's—not," Oscar says.
"I"m fine," Shaye says, smiling nicely at him, "Thank you, sweet heart."
Seamus beams as I restrain him till Oscar takes his hand again.
"I'll take a turn, come on miss," Alpha says, stepping over.
"Stop talking all of you. Gods," Strong sighs.
"Why I love talking?" I ask, immediately. They all look at me.
"We know," Joss says, quietly.
"I'll have you removed, I'll do it," Strong breaths, "Both of you."
"That's not a punishment. You know that right? I don't want to be here—not rescuing you, Shaye, I'm fine doing that," I say, quickly.
"I got you were fine doing that when you did it twice it's fine," Shaye says, patting my arm.
"How did he do it twice?" Strong asks.
"Where do you think my sister is?" Shaye asks.
"How would I know that?" Strong is just, incredibly confused.
"As fun as standing here beyond the fence is we can have this argument on base, can we move?" Oscar asks.
"Yeah come here," Alpha throws Shaye over his shoulder, "Let's go."
"I can carry her," Strong nearly falls down as he says this. It's because I trip him but still.
"I'm fine," Shaye says, patting Alpha's shoulders.
And for the second time in one day I head back to Naxos. I'm seriously thinking about not, like, going back. I could take an Electric bike, go find my grandmother who not only feed me, but also my grandfather said she'd tell me what that thing we stole was so I'm kind of eager to go just do that. Joss must guess that's what I'm thinking because he gets me in a headlock and says, "Don't you DARE leave me alone with them." And he drags me back to civilization, like a loser.
We're met with an entire party, at the base, which is a surprise. The rest of the Emerson family yes including Riley, who are all weepy and happy we brought Shaye back. Shaye has had a fine time and is on Joss' shoulders for the last jaunt, this would nearly be romantic but he's currently strangling me to get me to stay with him. I get free to go and check on Riley.
"I'm so glad you weren't kidnapped," I say, hands over my heart.
"Yes that would be harrowing and awful," Riley agrees completely seriously, "Still I wouldn't mind walking home with you."
"Well maybe we can arrange that without a kidnapping," I smile. I can't kiss her here. But she's braided flowers in her hair and she's smiling with the secret behind it that she kissed me just hours ago.
"Father, I'm so glad I wasn't kidnapped I can't believe I slept through the whole thing," Riley lies, very seriously. I can't do it, I lean forward and kiss her lips. She throws her arms around my neck and kisses me back. Everyone around us is arguing except Shaye who hits us both and says "Rub it in." We both flip her off and then kiss each other more.