Take Me Home

Separate Ways

Nick held onto Brian as he fell to his knees, sobbing at the sight of Kevin’s body sprawled across the floor.

“Brian, you have to calm down.” Nick said, pressing his hand onto Brian’s heaving chest. He knew that if Brian became agitated enough he would make himself sick again. That was the last thing he wanted. He’d just gotten Brian back, he couldn’t lose him again.

“K-Kevin….” Brian whispered through sobs into Nick’s chest. He felt as if he’d been dunked into cold water, his body was numb with grief and everything seemed to spin. He wanted to throw up.

Sienna held up her hand and the guards lowered their lasers, standing at attention.

“Take the Healer. I have no use for the Empath, but the Healer is now mine.” she instructed. Nick immediately latched onto Brian, shaking as the guards began to try to pry him off. Brian sat still, crying as Nick screamed.

“NO…..please….please don’t….” Nick protested, holding onto Brian tighter still. Brian didn’t react, he was still crying. All he saw was his cousin…laying there as if he were simply asleep, but no matter how Brian tried he no longer felt his presence. He didn’t even hear Nick panicking, didn’t hear Sienna threaten to kill him if Nick didn’t let him go...he heard nothing. All he heard was his own heart thumping inside his chest. He couldn’t feel anything. He was broken.

“Brian!!! Snap out of it!!!” Nick yelled, as he was finally pulled away. He kicked and grunted as he tried to break free of the guards but it did not work.

Sienna turned to AJ, who was standing next to her and watching everything unfold in front of him.

“You are to watch the Empath and make sure he does not leave the Moon. He is not to follow us.” she instructed.

AJ nodded, as the guards holding Nick dragged him away into the holding bay...Nick’s screams echoing through the halls.

“Where are you taking the Healer? Don’t I get anything for finding him for you?” he asked. When he had agreed to let Sienna come get the Healer he had been promised a reward.

Sienna’s lips curved and she made a face as if she’d smelled something rotten.

“You and the people on your base get to keep living here. I have no further use for you.”

“But-“

“Or, you can keep pushing my patience and you will meet the same fate as this pathetic liar that would not listen to my instructions.” Sienna said icily, kicking Kevin’s body gently with her foot before turning away and walking after the guards, the heels of her shoes tapping on the floor as she went. The remaining guards stayed with AJ, who dismissed them as he debated on how to approach Brian. He felt bad because Kevin was a longtime friend and he had betrayed all of them just to save the people hiding on the base.

“Come on, Brian. You can’t stay here. We have to go.” AJ said, reaching for him. Brian shocked him by standing up and slamming him into the wall behind him, the nearby guards running over to help.

“No, no….he has a right to be angry with me.” he said, raising his hand to keep them from shooting.

“I have a right to be angry?! I should fucking think so, you piece of shit. Kevin is dead thanks to you!! Sienna has Nick. Do you have any idea what this means? It means that I’m going to die if I don’t get reunited with him!!” Brian screamed, his face red. He tried to feel Nick out again, but he only felt his own anger get the best of him. Things seemed so cloudy and unclear.

“Look, I only did it because she threatened to kill all of us if I didn’t tell her where the Healer was. I had no idea he was a Healer until Kevin told me, and I’m sorry for doing it because she went back on our deal. She attacked us even though she promised not to.” AJ said. Brian withdrew his fist and let go of AJ, thinking about all of this. Maybe AJ wasn’t so bad after all, or he didn’t seem to be. Brian found out through reading his thoughts.

“Serves you right for betraying Kevin like that.”

“Look, Kevin was betraying you as well. He was talking to her long before she contacted me...she knew exactly where you were this whole time you’ve been running from her. He told me you were being followed. So it’s not really my fault she found you.” AJ frowned. Brian felt sick to his stomach at what Kevin did...so much now that he was not that upset over his death anymore. He felt disgusted and disappointed that his own family was willing to sell him and Nick out like that. Now everything seemed to make sense and he really couldn’t blame AJ for what he did.

“I’m sorry. Not to sound cynical or anything...but she said she’d kill you if I leave the base, how the hell are you going to help me?”

“How did you know I was….oh, right. You can read minds or something.” AJ muttered when he was surprised that Brian knew what he was thinking. The sickness had not yet returned even though Nick was gone and Brian was truly grateful, he just hoped they’d find him again before it got bad like the last time.

“Something like that. I can read minds but also emotions. Feelings. Nick and I are connected through our emotions. Whatever he is feeling when we are together, I feel as well. His powers were healing me. Without him, I’ll die.” Brian whispered as he looked down the hallway in the direction Nick had been taken. They could hear his screams echoing in the distance. Brian just hoped that their situation wasn’t as desperate as it looked right now.

“LET ME GO!!!” Nick screamed as he struggled against the guards pushing him towards the awaiting ship in the holding bay. His hair flew in his face as he pulled and shoved, but their grip on him was too strong. Nick’s screams echoed in the holding bay but nobody came to help him. They came to the ship and a guard saluted at Sienna, waiting for instructions.

“Throw him into the first holding cell you find. Then set our coordinates for Motrale.” Sienna instructed.

“We need to go back for Brian, he’s going to die without me to help him….” Nick said, half screaming still as he fought to break free. Sienna held his chin in her hand, putting her face near Nick’s and smiling as tears ran down his face.

“I have no use for the Empath. I have exactly what I want, and you’re mine now.” Sienna sneered coldly. She let go of him and he grunted, being pulled onto the ship.

She was on her way back to Motrale with the very thing she’d been searching for and nothing was going to take him away.

Not even the Empath.