Omega 17

(Chapter Twelve) Sacrifice

*Amara stares down at the limp body of Jake Brackson his eyes half open his breath stopped. she begins to scream*
"Jake!? Jake!? Jake fucking answer me answer me damn you!"
*her cries are filled with despair and anguish not believing not wanting to not wanting to accept that the man she loves will not open his eyes again that he will not walk again that he is dead.she shakes him tears spilling from her eyes when a large Meta-human walks over his white hair falling to his shoulders his eyes a deep ice blue his skin as pale as snow his face heavily scarred. he kneels down and grunts pointing at Jakes body then to a back room where lights flicker. Amara looks up at him her face wet with tears and her eyes gain a measure of light again as she understands what he is trying to say*
"you...you three h-help me p-please....help me get h-him into t-the Nano vats"
*the big man nods grunting again as Dipper Violetta and Shaoun stare at her. Violetta speaks*
"Amara....its too late for him we cant...we cant help him"
*Amara shakes her head violently and starts picking him up with the help of the large man. Shaoun starts to help as well and Violetta concedes heaving a sigh she and Dipper pitch in too carrying Jake to the Vats. stepping into the room sits a row of bright tube like machines with cords running down the sides hooked into a large generator on the far side. several Meta-humans already occupy some of them floating asleep breathing thru masks. The large man whom we shall for now simply call Ice goes to a control panel and opens the top of one of the vats and they put Jake into it slipping a breathing mask on. they close the lid and wait Amara placing her hands on the glass tears streaming down her cheeks*
"Jake....Jake wake up....please wake up...."
*the vital signs remain quiet...no beeps no pulse no nothing....Amara begins to cry hard again and Shaoun wraps an arm around her trying to comfort her*
"Oh god....oh god i killed him...i killed him oh god why why...."
*Dipper comes over and gently hugs her*
"it wasn't your fault Amara....it was Derrickson....he had you mind controlled and he forced...forced you to do it its...its not your fault...."
*She cries harder clutching to Dipper as Jake floats lifeless inside the vat. Ice simply stares at the console blinking only once in a while as he watches. Shaoun blinks back his own tears and sighs and they begin to leave the room despair and pain inside their hearts....when the vats life signals begin to beep. Amara looks up hope in her eyes as Ice grunts and points. the holo pad next to the vat reads very faint life signs as it beeps. Amara runs to the vat placing her hands on the glass again and starts crying out to him*
"baby! Jake Jake your alive oh god your alive!"
*she goes to pound on the glass to wake him up when Violetta gently grabs her hand*
"Amara....look closer...."
*the signs beeping on the panel do indeed show life....but not quite as you would expect. the label reads -Subject 12. life signs:low. Status:comatose. Extent of damage: massive unable to repair. Objective: maintain stability until further notice-. Amara's glimmer of hope vanishes as she reads this*
"s-so he....hes just a s-shell?"
*Violetta nods and Amara's face drops again. Ice comes over and starts working around the vat. Violetta goes to stop him but Amara stops her and shakes her head*
"let him be...hes harmless...he...hes one of the workers here well..slave that is forced to work on the vats and other things ive seen him before...."
*she moves away from the vats and back into the Play Room. Shaoun and Dipper are sitting in a corner talking softly to each other as Violetta and Amara join them sitting down Amara staying quiet as Shaoun turns to her*
"it is good to have you back Amara...i....i know this is difficult for you....Jake will pull thru he always has...right?"
*she simply stares at the ground quiet. Shaoun sighs and goes to turn when she speaks softly*
"i remember when we were little....when used to play in the little play rooms at the Blackwell HQ.....when they weren't testing us or hurting us we actually had fun....Jake was the only one who ever played with me....he would always come to me and sit down and read to me or play catch with me or just hold me as we watched TV....he never left my side until we had to go in for more tests or asleep for the night....hell he even snuck out many times just to come see me....when we got older my feelings...my feelings became much more then just friendship and when i confronted him....i was so happy to learn he felt the same....but....we couldn't be together not with Blackwell keeping all of us under even stricter watch as we got older....we only managed small moments of time together....then...then a few nights before we all escaped....it happened"
*her voice starts to choke and she stifles a sob and continues*
"H-he got dragged o-off by one of the Troopers....t-they said he needed more tests....his screams never stopped....oh god they never stopped....i c-could only imagine what happened to him that night but he was never the same after...he stopped talking all together and he avoided me like the plague.....it wasn't until the night before the escape i learned what had happened from one of the o-other Meta-humans....Ice over there in fact w-was the one who told me they c-cut out his voice box after wards but h-he never once screamed for it....h-he told me that they had found out about me and him....t-they wanted an open confession so they could perform -Special Punishment- on both of us but...but he never gave it to him...t-they tortured him for hours on end but h-he never once gave in....he saved my life by keeping himself quiet...and enduring the torture never once speaking a word about us.....it was after that and after the night we escaped that i swore i would never let it happen again....i s-swore i would never let him be hurt again.....and i...i couldn't...i couldn't keep that promise!"
*she breaks down this time harder then before her emotions open and raw. Violetta hugs her tightly talking in a soothing tone as Dipper and Shaoun gently hug her as well knowing just how she feels. each and every one of them had been saved by Jake. Shaoun had been under attack by a squadron of Heavy Blackwell Troopers when he was on the run after attacking a supply depot. out numbered out gunned and exhausted and wounded he was prepared to die when a great big blur came from no where and began killing them. seeing Jake in the aftermath Shaoun was ready for another attack but was shocked when Jake offered his hand to him and told him about the resistance he was building. Shaoun accepted without hesitation. Dipper had been trapped inside a Blackwell prison transport on its way to Blackwell HQ on Earth when it was intercepted by several cloaked figures one of them turning out to be Jake who forcefully took control of the transport after crashing a hover bike into the side of it and knocking the guards out and tossing them out of the transport into the ditches. after driving it to a safe point Jake had opened the back of the truck to let out the prisoners. most of them immediately fled to safety but Dipper had stayed behind curious. asking him why he had saved them Jake had simply replied with -Because i made a promise once and i intend to keep it-. it was after that that Dipper had joined and met Shaoun and Ryan whom Jake had saved from a Glorkon Raider Ambush in the western part of Omega 17. all of them were feeling the reeling effects of Jakes life being taken then saved only to find him in a worse state then death.Shaoun speaks softly*
"We cant stay here....is there any way to transport Jake to a safe place? is it possible to take the Transport back to Omega 17?"
*Amara looks up and shakes her head but Ice comes out and grunts pointing back into the vat room. all of them stand up and walk inside and stand stock still at what they see: Jakes vat had been converted into some kind of mobile platform a small generator attached to the side powering it and it hovers a foot off the ground*
"Holy hell Ice how did you manage this?"
*Amaras voice is shocked yet impressed and Ice simply smiles. he points to himself then to Jake then to them and makes a walking motion. Amara smiles as the others look confused and she explains*
"He wants to help us carry him back to the ship but he wants to go with us"
*they all look to each other then back to Ice and they nod as one. He grins widely showing several broken teeth but otherwise a great smile. they begin to move Jakes vat towards the exit. it takes a little while but eventually they are able to retrace their steps back to the Shadow Fighters on the docking platform. moving to a transport docked not far away they load Jake into it and all climb aboard. starting up the ship Ice pilots it like a professional and soon they are in the sky heading towards the vastness of space once more*