*The Chronicles of F.R.E.E. Atania's Knight - Raquel Festow* Part 1

Chapter 27 - Cat Amongst the Pigeons

*Ruth Watson POV*

"Raquel, I don't mean to ruin your reunion, but can you and your fazeebs get your Portal Bracelets for me please?" Rebecca asked Raquel. "There's something I need to check."
I gave her a concerned look. This last memory relapse hadn't been a bad one, she had remembered everyone, except the Atanian visitors. She had thought Raquel had been Ruby for some strange reason and had looked like she saw everyone else as a threat. Although it could have been a lot worse, I dreaded the day she forgot everyone and we would have to convince her we were friends, not foes. I closed my eyes from the fear as I heard Raquel, Xavier and Clara head upstairs to retrieve their bracelets.
"Yours too, Fabian." Rebecca said, curtly, holding out her hand.
Fabian Festow, who looked like he had had a hell of a time here on Earth, came over and held out his wrist. Rebecca attempted to remove the bracelet but it was quite tight around his arm. She had to snap it to remove it. I was surprised the bracelets were quite bendy rather than hard as bone like the way they looked.
Rebecca looked at the tangled reed carefully, tracing her thumb along the reed as if feeling for something. She found what she was looking for just as Raquel and her friends returned with their bracelets. Immediately, she held out her hand for them, doing the same thing and feeling around the reed for something.
"What are you feeling for?" I asked, inquisitively.
"The makers mark." She replied bluntly. Her face was scrunched up in concentration. She found the mark on Raquels and held it up next to Fabians to look at them both together. Her face turned livid and she clenched her fists around the bracelets so hard, they snapped again.
"I should have known." Rebecca's voice lowered to such a dangerous, venomous tone, it sent shivers up my spine. She held out her hand to me.
I frowned at her. "What?"
"Phone." She demanded.
I made an 'o' shape with my mouth and handed her her phone. She took it and tapped at the screen before raising it to her ear.
"Rhianna, arrest Penelope Moreno."
"WHAT?!" Natalia and I shouted together.
"You can arrest her too, I have no doubts she was in on this too."
"NO!" Natalia screamed. "NO! My love, please! Don't arrest Clemency!"
Rebecca ignored her and stood up to go somewhere private to speak to Rhianna, but Natalia blocked her way.
"They wouldn't... They couldn't have made his bracelet!" Natalia begged, gripping Rebecca's front and leaning against her with hot, fat tears pouring out of her eyes.
Rebecca looked at her with a blank face, hiding her fury well, but she was shaking. I could tell she didn't want to do this, but there was obviously evidence to link her to the bracelets, so she had to act upon it.
"No." Rebecca said emotionlessly into the phone, turning away from Natalia while pulling her hands away from her shirt. "Don't kill them. I'll have to deal with them personally when I return."
Natalia fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands and sobbing. Dean and Hewitt rushed to comfort her, while the rest of them just stared at the scene in front of them, fear and concern evident on all their faces. Fabian looked the most worried of them all.
For Darren and I, however, we were agreeing with Rebecca. She needed to act. If there was evidence, then they had pretty much sentenced themselves. I strode over to him and linked my hand with his.
"Let me know what they say. If you feel like you're going to go too far, let Ruby take over. I want them alive, Rhianna, ready for when I get back!" Rebecca put the phone down and looked at Fabian. "Why would they send you here? It doesn't make sense."
"Unless, they plan to now involve Earth." Darren said, thoughtfully. "Wouldn't be a good idea though. The weaponary on Earth is a lot more dangerous than swords and shields. There's guns, and bombs and nukes."
I noticed Dean and Hewitt looking terrified, and quickly took hold of the situation.
"They must have a reason, but I doubt it would be to involve Earth in the war. They're as scared of their weaponary as we are." I said, assuringly.
"Let's hope so." Rebecca said, distractedly. She looked at Natalia with a conflicted look on her face. She took a step towards her with her arms open. "Darling, I..."
"NO!" Natalia screamed at her, scrambling away from her. "You-you arrested them! They would have never t-t-turned to the Order." She wailed, her whole body shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself and starting to rock.
Rebecca strode over to her and wrapped her arms around her but Natalia pushed her off.
"FAANXIA BI, REBECCA!" She screamed, getting to her feet and backing up to the kitchen door. "FAANXIA BI!"
Rebecca cringed at Natalia's words and hung her head. "I had no choice, darling."
"Don't you 'darling' me!" Natalia said between her fresh sobs. "For nearly a hundred years, I have been by your side. We have done this together, Rebecca. There have been things I didn't agree with that you did, but I stood by you because I love you. But this... This I can't ignore. I do not, and never will, agree with this. Penelope has done nothing but been by our side since day one. Without her, we wouldn't have met. And now you're saying she's the enemy?!" Natalia sniffed, staring accusingly at Rebecca who looked like she was about to start crying too. "So, you know what, Rebecca? Faanxia bi!"
She spun on her heel and ran out to the kitchen. Dean and Hewitt followed close behind with Clara and Xavier. Raquel was standing with her father and Hunter, holding their hands and crying, while her father looked confused and upset by what had just happened.
I let go of Darren's hand and approached Rebecca, who had hung her head back down and had her eyes clenched shut, fists balled up at her sides and she was shaking like a leaf.
"Beccs, come on. Let's give you both space to calm down." I said in a concerned tone, taking her wrist and trying to pull her to the Cafe exit.
Rebecca opened her eyes and stared at me, her eyes glassy and full of guilt and sorrow.
"I... I had..." She whispered, unable to get her words out.
"I know, but being close to each other when you're both feeling like this isn't going to help." I said, softly, pulling her to the exit.
She reluctantly followed and I looked to Darren and Raquel, who was watching us with her father and Hunter had his arm around her shoulders.
"We won't be long." I told them and left the cafe.