Fear the Night

Chapter 17: The Awakening

Maverick sighed as he sat in a chair next to Isabella’s head on the couch, stroking her hair. It was soft, as he’d thought it would be. He couldn’t believe it had come to this. It had all come to this girl, lying on Joshua’s couch because Suits had been after him. He couldn’t help but feel responsible. All he had to do the day he’d met them was say ‘no.’

No, I won’t answer your questions.

No, you’re not staying with me.

No, I can never see either one of you again.

“That’s all I had to do,” he whispered to himself. “All I had to do was push them away. Tell them to leave me alone. Hell, I could have just ignored them and walked away, then none of this would have happened.”

He sighed and stroked her hair once more before he was about to stand and leave, but he couldn’t. He realized, if he had sent them away, he wouldn’t have really gotten to know Isabella. He would be alone, and that mysterious feeling he had felt wouldn’t have shown itself.

Happiness. That’s what it was. Pure, simple and wonderful. He felt it every time he looked at her, and now he knew he wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything, except Isabella’s consciousness.

“Well, here’s a sight I never thought I would see.”

Maverick turned a glare at Joshua over his shoulder as the doctor walked toward him from the hall with a smirk.

“What?” Maverick grunted. “You surprised I have a heart, too?”

He didn’t wait for a response before turning back to Isabella.

“No,” Joshua replied, standing over him. “I knew you had a heart. I just never thought you’d give it to such a beautiful young woman.”

“You expected an ugly one,” Maverick retorted.

“Love is blind, boy,” Joshua smirked. “The girl could be bucked-toothed and cross-eyed, but as long as she made you happy, I wouldn’t care.”

“Why should you?” Maverick shot back. “She’s attractive to me and that’s what matters. Why would you care?”

“Well, if she was gorgeous like this girl here and making you miserable, I’d tell you to be careful or get rid of her altogether,” Joshua shrugged. Maverick stood and spun around in one swift motion to face the man eye-to-eye.

“You don’t tell me what to do,” he ground out. “You’re not my father. You’re not even a father figure to me, so why don’t you save all the ‘I care’ crap for someone who actually gives a crap?!”

“Why won’t you let anyone in, Maverick?” Joshua wondered in a low voice, narrowing his eyes at the younger man. “Even as a child you would shut yourself up in your room. You wouldn’t come out except for food and fresh air once in a while. What are you trying to keep out?”

“Everything I get, I lose!” Maverick hissed. “I had a mother and father and lost them! I lost my arm! I had a Drone I was trying to help and she died! I have a girl that cares about me and she---!”

When he gestured to Isabella, lying there on the couch, he couldn’t be as enraged as he wanted to be when he looked at her and murmured, “…I almost lost her.”

“Always looking at what you’ve lost,” Joshua sighed, drawing Maverick’s attention as he shook his head. “Look at what you have, boy. You have friends who care about you, and you may have almost lost that girl, but she’s still here. She’ll wake up and all will be right.”

He placed a hand on Maverick’s shoulder.

“No, I’m not your father, I know that, but I can’t help seeing you as a son, even if you don’t see me as a father. When your father was taken by the darkness, I saved you from being killed by his hand as he had saved you from your mother, and I pitied you for being so unfortunate. But I’m proud of the man you’ve become now, as proud as your father would be if he and your mother weren’t skulking in the darkness that took over them as they are now.”

Maverick looked away from the older man in guilt for saying what he had over the years and now. He hadn’t known the doctor felt that way and he could hear the truth in his voice. He glanced up at the scar on the man’s face, proof that he had saved him from his father.

“You say you had a Drone,” Joshua continued. “You were keeping it to see if you could make it human again, weren’t you? To find your parents and bring them back?”

Maverick sighed with a solemn nod as he said, “Yeah, but she died.” He turned back to sit in the chair next to Isabella. “She was making progress. She started solving problems, standing and speaking, but when she told me she loved me and I told her I didn’t feel the same, she---”

It suddenly dawned on him as he told Joshua what had happened. As soon as Maverick had told Faye he didn’t love her in return, she died. Maverick let out a long and heavy sigh, bowing his head into his hands.

“I killed her,” he groaned. “I didn’t love her and she died. I killed her!”

“Drones often die of broken hearts,” Joshua cut in, taking the tone of a professor about to give a lecture. “I’ve observed them at night. When they search for a mate, if the one they have their eye on shows no regard for them, they drop dead. It’s as if their brain tells them they have nothing to live for anymore and their body shuts down. It’s natural for them.”

“Nothing about Drones are ‘natural’!” Maverick shot back through gritted teeth. “If the government had just captured the few Drones that were loose in the beginning and tried to help them, we’d know more about how to prevent this and how to help them recover from it! People weren’t meant to turn into mindless creatures!”

“Well, there’s nothing to do about it now,” Joshua sighed, regrettably and Maverick lifted his head, lowering his hands and clasping them in front of him.

“Yes, there is,” he argued and Joshua frowned at him in wonder. He turned his head to Joshua as he stood next to him and said in a low tone, “I’m gonna tell everyone what really happened forty years ago, and that our precious government covered it up because they were too afraid to try and fix the problem.” He stood and faced Joshua, who stared at Maverick in wide-eyed disbelief. “Will you help me?”

Joshua’s eyes shot even wider. The only time the man in front of him asked for him for help was for bandages or stitches or a new arm. Never had Maverick asked for help in the form of support. The emotions that threatened to boil over were too much for the doctor to handle, but he somehow kept his composure and nodded.

“Whatever you need,” he assured him and Maverick nodded back.

A groan from behind the younger man made both of them frown and Maverick whirled around to find out where is had come from. He nearly fell to the floor in shock when Isabella raised her hand to her forehead and groaned at her apparent headache splitting headache.

“I’ll get the tea,” Joshua smiled, though he knew he was ignored as Maverick sat on the chair again and took her other hand.

“Bell?” he called, soothingly as candlelight suddenly illuminated the room and he touched her face. “It’s Maverick. You ok?”

“My head,” she groaned, rubbing her forehead. “I feel like I was hit with a crowbar.”

“Not exactly,” Maverick smirked. “You did hit your head pretty hard when that Suit slapped you.”

He had to keep himself from clenching his fists around her delicate hand as he said that.

“Suit?” she groaned and suddenly gasped as she looked at Maverick. “Did they get your book?!”

She winced at the sudden movement which made her headache worse and she leaned back again.

“Easy, Bell,” Maverick murmured. “Don’t move around to much. And don’t talk, just listen. That doctor friend I told you about, Joshua Crane, we’re at his place. You needed a doctor so Natalie helped us sneak out across the Barrier. We’re in the woods in Joshua’s house.”

“Natalie?!” Isabella breathed and winced again.

“Don’t move, Bell!” Maverick urged in a soft voice. “I’ll tell you everything later. I just wanted you to know where you are. I’ll get Yukio and Natalie---”

“No!” Isabella called in a small voice, gripping his hand when he moved to leave. He looked back at her, the candlelight caressing her features and flickering in her wide eyes as he sat back down. “Don’t leave me. I don’t want you to leave me. I want us to be alone for a while.”

“We’re always alone, Bell,” Maverick smirked. “But alright. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

Isabella sighed in contentment and smiled as she slowly turned to face him, then whispered, “I could hear you telling me to wake up.”

Maverick stared at her in wide-eyed shock and swallowed before sputtering, “D-Did you?”

She only nodded, still smiling.

“W-What else did you hear?” he wondered.

“Just you,” she replied. “I heard you tell me that I had pretty eyes.”

Maverick swallowed again and laughed, nervously. He didn’t think she could hear him. He hoped she didn’t remember what he’d told her when Yukio went to meet Natalie the morning after the Suits showed up.

“And I heard you say you didn’t want to lose me,” she continued. That was what he’d been afraid of.

“D-Did you?” he sputtered again, then cleared his throat.

“I heard you ask if you could kiss me,” she giggled then winced from the pain in her head. “I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t.”

“If you didn’t have such a bad headache, I’d ask you that again,” he smiled, gladly changing the subject. A tap on his shoulder made him groan inwardly but he turned to see Joshua standing behind him with a cup in his hand.

“Give this to her,” the doctor ordered and Maverick nodded, taking the cup from him. He turned to Isabella as she stared at Joshua with wide eyes while he walked down the hall.

“That’s Joshua,” he told her and she looked at him again as he handed her the cup of tea. “Drink this. He said it would help your headache.”

Isabella slowly sat up and took the cup from him to chug it down. Anything to get rid of the headache. After gulping down her tea she made a face and stuck out her tongue in disgust as she handed the cup back to Maverick who laughed at her.

“That stuff tastes horrible!” she squeaked and made Maverick laugh a little harder.

“It’s some herbal crap,” he laughed, calming himself. “It actually does work.” An idea suddenly popped into his head and he had to try it out, so he made as though he was proving his point when he said, “Watch. Close your eyes.”

She narrowed her eyes but did as he told her and he smiled, widely. She’d taken the bait.

“Wow, it is working!” she grinned, but before she could express her happiness any further, Maverick planted his lips to hers. She giggled and threw her arms around his neck as they fell back onto the couch.

A crash from another room made them freeze and look at each other with frowns. They both jumped when they heard a scream then a gunshot. Isabella moved to get up but Maverick held her down.

“Maverick---?!”

“Don’t move!” he hissed but just as she about to argue, the window above the couch crashed open. Maverick used his body to shield Isabella as she screamed and he felt claws dig into his back as something leapt into the room.

“Drones!” Yukio shouted from the hallway.

“Really?!” Maverick shouted back, standing and side kicking the Drone in the room as it tried to attack him. “I hadn’t noticed!”

“Where’s Natalie?!” Isabella cried to Yukio.

“Izzy?!” he grinned, throwing his gun to Maverick who shot the Drone he’d just kicked. “You’re awake?!”

“Answer the question!” she screamed, but just as he was about to run toward her, she screamed again as she was pulled through the window by a seemingly invisible force.

“Bell!” Maverick shouted and tossed the gun back to Yukio as he jumped out the window and into the dark forest.

As Joshua and Yukio fought the Drones invading the house, Maverick dashed through the woods, dodging trees and jumping over rocks, following Isabella’s screams.

“You stupid creatures aren’t gonna take anything else away from me!” Maverick shouted as he ran and followed her screams to the cave Natalie had wandered into before. He ran to the edge and stopped when he saw yellow eyes staring at him from the darkness. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, but he shoved his fear aside and marched toward them.

“What have you done with Bell, you damn night-crawlers?!” he snarled, charging into the cave.

The pairs of eyes parted and Maverick felt hands shove him to the ground, face first. When he moved to struggle and fight, he found that the two Drones holding him weren’t trying to eat or kill him. He frowned in wonder but when he heard shuffling in front of him he tried struggling.

“Bell! Where are you?!” he shouted, knowing it was probably in vain. The damned things had probably already killed her.

“I’m here!” she shuddered, much to his surprise and relief. “One of them has me pinned! What’s going on?!”

“Wish I knew,” he admitted. “Stay calm, I’ll get us outta this.”

A snarl sounded in front of him and when he looked up, he froze in disbelief at the pair of glowing eyes in front of him. They weren’t yellow, as were the eyes color of every Drone; they were the same color as his eyes: caramel amber.

“What the hell is this?” he breathed.

A snarl was the only response he received but instead of struggling, he only stared into the eyes in front of him. He felt the Drones on top of him get off, but he only placed his now free hands on the ground and didn’t get up.

No one moved. If Maverick had been able to see, he would have seen a Drone in front of Isabella as she shuddered in a corner, unable to see as well, and Drones all around him, but they didn’t attack. They all crouched around him and the Drone he was staring at.

“What’s going on here?” Maverick breathed again, though he knew he wouldn’t get an answer. He felt something like a hand tousle his hair and his eyes widened when the hand tapped his chin.

Nostalgia instantly set in. He was taken back to his younger years. Age ten, the last time he saw his father. The older man had smiled and done just what that hand had done: Tousled his hair and tapped his chin.

“No way,” he breathed, staring into the eyes staring back at him. “It can’t be you.”

The hand touched his chin again and Maverick slowly sat up, still staring.

“Dad?” he asked, breathlessly and the Drone didn’t move, but the eyes blinked. “Is it really you?”

“Maverick?” Isabella shuddered then shrieked when the Drone in front of her snarled at her. If either one of them could see, they would have seen the Drone in front of Maverick snarl and hit the Drone in front of Isabella, making it howl and shuffle away.

“Bell, it’s ok!” Maverick called and she gave a whimper of fear. “Just don’t move.” He turned his attention to where he thought his Drone father was. “Why did you bring us here? Why like this?” He sighed and shook his head with a scoff. “You can’t answer me anyway. Why do I even bother?”

“Son,” a raw voice in front of him called and he snapped his gaze in the direction the voice came from. “Listen.”

“You can talk, too?!” Maverick asked in astonishment.

“Yes,” his father replied. “Little.”

“Well, before you start, can Bell sit with me?” Maverick wondered. “She’s probably scared to death and I can hear her shuddering.”

“Yes,” his father replied. Maverick heard shuffling then Isabella gasp and whimper.

“It’s alright, Bell,” Maverick called, soothingly. “He won’t hurt you.”

He heard more shuffling and suddenly felt a hand on his chest. It gripped his shirt and a second later he felt a body ram into him, shuddering with sobs.

“It’s alright,” he whispered, holding her tightly. “I’m here, Bell. We’re alright.”

“Son,” the Drone called again from the dark. “Listen.”

“I’m listening, dad,” Maverick replied. “But try to be quick, otherwise Joshua and my friend will come in and try to kill you.”

“Heard what you said,” his father said quickly. “Tell people what happened. Lock-Dah. Agree.”

“You’re a lot better at talking then Faye was,” Maverick noticed. “She was only around me. How can you be so much batter at it only being around the Drones?”

“Visit Joshua since you left,” his father replied. Maverick stared into the darkness with wide eyes and smirked in amazement.

“So you haven’t completely forgotten,” he sighed in relief.

“Wasn’t completely taken,” his father replied. “Still hate light.”

“So, you agree that I should tell everyone the truth about what happened forty years ago?” Maverick said, changing the subject.

“Yes,” the Drone replied. “People should know. Will help you if I can.”

“You’d only be able to help if you could stand the light,” Maverick chuckled. “Thanks dad, but I can take care of it.”

“I can help,” his father replied and Maverick frowned.

“How?” he asked.

“My squad protect people in town,” he explained. “Bring people out at night. Show me to them when you tell them. Show them we come back.”

“You know they won’t take me seriously unless I show them,” Maverick realized.

“Think,” his father advised.

“Oh, I don’t need to,” Maverick smirked. “If you can keep your squad from making meals out of the people across the Barrier, you can help to your hearts delight.”

“My boy,” his father smirked in the dark. “Proud.”

“Yeah,” Maverick scoffed. “Joshua said you would be.”

“Go back,” the Drone advised. “You need to.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“I missed you.”

Isabella gazed up at his face, trying to find it in the dark with no luck, but she wished she could, because she heard his voice, and it was thick with held back emotion.

“Miss you too,” his father replied. “Go.”