Stories For the Damned

Fragile: Death Stranding #5

Once Fragile got word from Sam that it was done she jumped to his location. The red-sandy dirt crunched underneath of her boots as she stepped closer to the porter, who was lost in his thoughts. "That was close," she said, grabbing his attention. "You saved the city and everyone in it. Hell-of-a lot more than I ever did." She closed her umbrella and sighed as she sat next to him.

"Maybe there was no way to save Middle Knot. But South Knot's still here because of me and you." he paused and turned to her and they locked eyes. "What happened to you?"

Fragile looked forward towards the vast black sea and gray sky as she went back to that fateful day.

~~~

"By the time I realized what Higgs was planning, the nuke was already at the city gates. I followed the delivery truck and somehow managed to carry the bomb to safety, but Higgs had been onto me from the start."

Fragile was on her knees, guns pointed at her by Homodemons. Her hands were up in surrender, she had failed.

"He caught me red-handed outside the gates, nuke still cradled in my arms like a child. So, as punishment, he strips me down to nothing-"

She was in her underwear, shivering slightly from the cold. She wanted to get up, the broken cement beneath her was digging into the skin of her knees. If only she could get up. Higgs walked a little ways in front of her and the guards. Then he stopped and slowly pointed his finger to the sky. Lighting shooting from his hand. Thunder erupting and clouds darkening.

"-and makes it rain."

"Listen up Fragile! I've got a proposition for you!" Higgs turned to face her, his hand's outstretched, a smile on his face beneath his gold and black mask. Timefall poured from the sky, dripping down his black suit. "Do you want to live out your days as damaged goods? Or would you rather take damage for the goods?"

"Get to the point." she spat, sick of his games.

"All right, if all you want is to save yourself, you just have to jump. However, if you want to see this altruistic streak of your through, then you'll have to carry my nuke to the bottomless pit and toss it in." He stepped closer and chuckled. "Oh sure, you'll be the city's savior, but you will have to walk naked through Timefall to do it. Trade a lot of your time for a little bit of the city's. Hell, seems like a fair trade to me." Higgs then took off the gold part of his mask before turning around for a second and taking off his black mask. Exhaling as he did so. Fragile could see his breath in the cool air.

When he turned around his face was revealed. She hadn't seen it in a while because as of late he had taken to wearing the mask more often. She saw that he now had writing on his forehead, scribbled in black ink. Black tear streaks were under his eyes. "You see the truth is, I don't much care for my face. That's why I hide it." He stepped in closer. "Oh but you...ooh, you just love yours, don't you? I bet daddy was real proud."

Hearing him bring up father made Fragile even angrier. How dare he? Higgs has ruined everything her father had. He ruined everything she had. Despite her current state he smirked and chuckled, kneeling before her. "Oh, no, no no..." he whispered before reaching up and yanking her forward by her hair, inhaling deeply and then sticking his tongue out, licking the side of her face.

Fragile squirmed inside, fighting the urge to gag and pull away so that she could wipe her face.

"Now don't worry-" Higgs said letting go of her and standing back up. "-I won't mess it up. See I want your face to be a kind of testament." He took the black part of his mask and slipped it over her head. She could see through the place for her eyes, the transparent glass making everything seem a bit more yellow than before.

"Why did you do it? Why did you betray me?" she asked him, her voice sounding slightly different coming through the respirator in the mask.

Higgs chuckled. "Because I found someone who completes me. Someone who doesn't need me to wear a mask." He took the nuke from one of the guards and she stood slowly. "Word to the wise-" he nearly shoved the nuke at her. She took it, holding it tight. "-even if you do save South Knot, you'll always be the nutjob who blew up Middle Knot. That pretty face of yours will always be remembered as the face of a terrorist. They'll never stop hunting you, believe me, I know." He sighed and looked out to the wreckage that was Middle Knot now weathering away from the effects of Timefall. "Well, they can slap a sticker on you but your still gonna break in transit." He then turned back to her. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Fragile inhaled and exhaled as if she was desperate for air. She felt her heart beating rapidly as she gave her answer. "I'll take the damage and the goods. I don't break that easy."

Higgs smiled. "Ah well...good luck with that."

"I'll take the damage and the goods. I don't break that easy," she repeated. "I'll take the damage and the goods. I don't break that easy." She looked up to the clouded sky and then to the direction of the bottomless pit. "-because I'm Fragile...but not that fragile." and with one last deep breath, she bolted.

Fragile immediately felt her skin burn from the toxic water. She felt as if someone had doused her in kerosene and then lit her up. She struggled not to cry out in pain and turn around. She had to do this.

Fragile took step after painful step, going as fast as she could, through the red sand.

Before she even made it to the edge of the lake she threw the nuclear package with all she had. Only staying to ensure that It sunk deep into the dark tar.

"Well, there it is. You are a goddamn hero." Sam said.

Fragile looked at Sam and sighed. "I'm no hero Sam." She stood. "That choice I made? I've regretted it ever since. All I had to do was jump and I could have saved myself."

Sam stood to, following her as she walked down the hill a little more, closer to the lake. "But instead you saved a city and gave people hope."

"Well, now there's only one person left for me to 'save'. I'm gonna make Higgs regret he ever crossed me."

"By killing him?"

"Can't. He's too powerful now." She stared at the black tar with Sam until it finally hit her. Sam and his special connection to Amelie meant that he could get Higgs, if he could lure him to his beach he could...kill him. Sam seemed to notice this at the same time she did. "You could," she said. He nodded in agreement, she never felt so close to everything she's ever wanted. "But promise me...promise me you'll leave him alive. There's something I want to ask him to his face."

"I didn't know you were capable of torture," Sam said.

"I am now and I want to know why he betrayed me." She exhaled slowly, she felt better now. It felt nice to get that off her chest. The two of them watched as a cryptobiote swam through the air and in front of them. Fragile reached out and grabbed the little animal. It squirmed between her fingers. She paused before holding it out to Sam. "You want it?"

He took it without a word. Popping it in his mouth and slowly chewing it. Fragile smiled noting how he seemingly got over the cryptobiote's taste.

"Sam," she said picking up her umbrella and opening it. "Don't forget about the supply run to South Knot City." then she jumped.