The Strays

The guys made it back before I did; when I finally returned, Leo was getting checked over by Stitch, while Ty interrogated Drew in the cafe, his wrists and ankles shackled to a table.

“I know he’s one of Hatter’s lieutenants, but the guy helped save Leo. Surely that counts for something,” I shouted up the stairs, making my presence known. Ty came storming towards me, a face like thunder. “You and I need to talk.” He insisted, invading my personal space.

“If you want a civil discussion, I suggest you get out of my face, otherwise this is going to play out differently to what you’ve envisioned in your head.”

“Are you threatening me right now, after that stunt you just pulled?”

“No, I’m just warning you. I’m not the type of person you want to start a fight with!”

“Because you’re so tough, huh Caelyn, running away and changing your name all because you’re afraid of some wealthy elitist, honestly you’re pathetic and have caused nothing but trouble since you got here, so I hope the reason you came back is good enough.”

“The reason I came back has nothing to do with you, so stand down.”

“Would you two stop it? We’re all on the same side here. Ty is right about Drew. Until we know why he came and we’re sure he’s not a threat, he stays locked up. As for you Indie, where the hell have you been?” Leo snapped as he pushed Stitch away, walked towards us and split us up.

I walked with Leo to one of our spots while Ty resumed his interrogation. “So… why are you here, and what does it have to do with me knowing that you’re Liberty?” Leo eventually asked, getting straight to the point.

“Who said any of this is connected to Liberty?”

“Don’t, don’t do that. You don’t get to just show up after three years and act as if nothing has changed. You walked away, up and left in the middle of the night. Eventually, I got over that, but this, what you’re doing right now, is crossing the line. It nearly killed me to find you on the doorstep like that, and it meant everything when Stitch fixed you up, but Ty is right, trouble follows you wherever you are, because you still think you can live two separate lives, one as Indie and one as Liberty, but the reality is no matter what you call yourself, you’ll always be running.”

“That’s actually why I came back. I’m done running. Delilah is planning something big, something dangerous, the E.A.D tasked me with finding out what she’s planning and to report back, once I’ve done that, I’m out of the game, Liberty will vanish into obscurity so I can come back to my life.”

Leo looked at me and shook his head as he got to his feet. “When are you going to stop kidding yourself? Liberty is the guise you hide behind when you need to protect people. Indie is the guise you hide behind to protect yourself, but in reality, you’re only hiding from who you actually are, Caelyn Lewis. Until you own your past, you’ll never stop running. There’s always going to be someone who needs help or a city that needs saving, but you have to be doing it for the right reasons. I’m not mad that you left. I know you’ve been helping other people, working with Ratchet and the rest of the E.A.D. However, you didn’t even say so much as a goodbye. The only reason I even knew you were alive was the care packages you kept sending. You and I, we were a team, we made a pact, we told each other things, and now you’re home again, you’re sneaking around behind my back.”

“You’re right, okay? I should’ve told you what I was doing when I left. Put your mind at ease and I shouldn’t have lied to Linc. When I left in the middle of the night, I thought I was protecting you. I knew that if I’d told you I was leaving, that I might not come back, you’d have insisted on coming too, but it didn’t feel right doing that. The Paragon was your home as much as it was mine. I just wanted to make sure you were safe, away from me and the death that seems to follow. I only came back here to apologise for the way I managed things before. Now look at the chaos that’s followed me since. I’m done putting you at risk.”

I watched him walk away, back into the main building, and I collapsed, my head in my hands. I was struggling to breathe and desperately clawed at my throat, choking as I tried to tear off my shirt that felt like it was suffocating me. As my vision clouded, I fell to the ground. I could see Ty in front of me, but he wasn’t panicking. He simply vanished. I thought he was just planning to leave me there. However, he quickly returned with a bottle of water. He unscrewed the lid then sat me up, encouraging me to take small sips as I took deep breaths. The freezing water shocked my system, and things soon made sense.

“Thanks.” I wheezed as I slowly got my breath back.

“No problem. Panic attacks are a literal nightmare, sometimes worse than being stabbed. How long have you been getting them?” He replied.

“They started when I was about eleven, stopped for a bit, but after Miles died, they returned with a vengeance. That’s the most sleep I’ve gotten since this whole ordeal began. Usually, when I close my eyes, that’s all I can see. Eventually, it became too much and when Delilah started getting close to me, I bolted because I didn’t want Leo’s ghost haunting me as well.”

“Have you told him about panic attacks? I think he’d be a lot more understanding if you did.”

“You’re the only person who knows, I don’t need people thinking I’m weak because my emotions get the better of me sometimes, usually I’m pretty effective at keeping this in check, but the last few weeks have been taxing and it’s been nonstop since I woke up. I’d appreciate it if this stays between us. Leo has enough on his plate and I’ve said what I came here to say to him. He’ll either forgive me or he won’t. I don’t need pity deciding for him.”

Ty nodded his head as I jumped to my feet. “I’ll keep it to myself if you agree to one thing. If you don’t plan on sticking around, leave now, before you hurt that kid any more than you already have. Things are coming together for him. Jack moved on. He doesn’t need you dragging him into whatever mess the rebels have you cooking up. Linc told me about your private armoury. I doubt it’s a coincidence that Delilah linked Leo to Liberty, when the only other acquaintance he has in this city is you. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the work you and your people do, but we don’t need that kind of trouble here.” He compromised.

“I told Leo I only came here to apologise, and I meant it. I never planned to stick around, but with everything that’s happened, it didn’t feel right for me to just pack up and disappear again. If he wants me to leave, then I’ll do so. In the meantime, I’ll keep myself to myself, my business stays my own and I’ll help any way I can, be it patrolling the perimeter, maintaining my traps or assisting Stitch in the clinic. Whatever I can do to help, I will and I swear, if my work as Liberty interferes with your lives here, I’ll leave and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“Alright then, but if you bring trouble to my door again or drag my brother into another one of your misadventures, I’ll throw you to the wolves myself.”

“That sounds fair enough, but you can’t tell anyone else about what you, your brother, and Stitch learned about me today. It’s safer for everyone if I just remain Indie. We wouldn’t want people to know you’re harbouring public enemy number one.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to the guys and Stitch. That information stays with us.” Ty agreed as we both moved to join the others.

Together, we headed to the food court, where Drew had been set free.

“Who let him go?” Ty sighed.

“Stitch held a group vote, we all knew you’d be opposed but everyone else was for it, if Drew and Indie want to stay they can, The Paragon is a refuge for everyone regardless of their past affiliations, as long as they don’t break the rules they can call this place home as long as they’d like.” Linc informed us casually.

“Thanks.” I smiled. “Is the doc in the clinic? I need to run something by her.”

Linc nodded his head.

“I’ll take you over there.” Leo offered.

“You moved the place already?”

“No, we decided against it. This place is the safest we’ve got. It’s fortified and we won’t find anywhere else nearly as secure.”

“Well, lead the way.”

I followed Leo through the halls, neither of us really talking.

“If you want me to leave, I completely understand. I’ve got a safe-house I can get to.”

“Linc told me you took him and the others to your parents’ place. That means you must trust them, right?” He replied.

“It was more the fact we didn’t have anywhere else, but sure, I guess a part of me trusts them. Why?”

“Whatever you stole from the Elites while Drew and Linc were breaking me out, I think you should share it with them. You want to take Delilah down, they can help, just like they did when they busted our arses out of Hellraiser HQ. They’re good people and the clinic isn’t the only way they’ve been helping people.”

I rolled my eyes when I realised what he was saying. “You’re the crew that’s been raiding the Elites supply trucks. That’s why Delilah thinks you’re affiliated with the E.A.D. If they know you’re here, chances are they know about your friends.”

“Even if they do, they aren’t able to get in here, you’ve made sure of that a dozen times, we’re safe here, but if we know what the Elites have on us, on our operations we can counter as a team, The Paragon wouldn’t have to be the only refuge, we could bring them down, for good, before they hurt anyone else, all you need to do is trust me and my people.”

“Fine, we’ll try this your way, but you get them to vote first, without telling them too much, please. If everyone involved in your little rebellion agrees, then I’ll share what I know. Just be sure to inform them that once they know this, there’s no way for them to turn back. They’ll be in this for the long haul, so they have to be certain.”

“Does that include Stitch and Drew?” He asked.

“That’s your call. You get your people together. Come to a decision. I’ll be in my room working.”

“What about you needing to see, Stitch?”

“It can wait. I think your meeting is a bit more urgent.”

“I’ll come and find you in a short while.” He smiled.

“See you later.”

I plugged the drive into my computer and combed through all the data, looking for one name in particular. He was a kid I’d heard a lot of different people talking about. Since Delilah was so desperate to find him, I had to get there first. That’s why I needed to talk to Stitch. Rumours had it the clinic was one of the last places my mystery guy had been spotted. His name, combined with his photo on the most wanted list, confirmed what I’d heard. I scanned through everything else, trying to find out what they knew about Leo. There was a list of names, all under suspicion of either being Liberty or somehow affiliated with them. Almost everyone at The Paragon was listed, all except me, so why had it taken so long for the Elites to make a move?

I didn’t have much time to think about it before I was interrupted by a knock at my door. It was Drew, Leo, Ty, Stitch and Linc, but no Willow or Tali.

“I guess the consensus was yes, but why didn’t you ask the other girls their opinion?”

“They ain’t the type to fight, they just want peaceful lives after spending too much time running, it wouldn’t be fair of us to ask them to sacrifice everything they’ve worked for here, besides, how would we explain all of this without telling them the truth about you?” Linc answered earnestly.

“Do they know about you guys raiding supplies and redistributing your takings?”

Ty shook his head. “The only thing they know about is the clinic, the rest was on us, it’s like Linc said, we don’t have any right to ask them to risk their haven, besides if something happens to us we need someone to keep things running here, they’re the right people for the job.”

“Well, in that case, you lot had better make yourselves comfortable because I have a lot of explaining to do, as Linc so eloquently put it earlier.”

I explained everything to them, from the moment I met the E.A.D right until my impromptu raid on the sanctum that had taken place earlier in the day.

“You’re telling me that while my brother and Drew were busting Leo out of Elite custody, you were busy breaking into their base of operations! Are you insane? What if they’d caught you?” Ty snapped, angry and frustrated by my actions.

“I knew Delilah would be focused on Leo, so would most of her guys. It was a calculated risk that paid off and if I hadn’t done it, you wouldn’t know what she does about your small operation.”

“I’ll wait until I actually see what you found with my own two eyes first before I get all excited.” He sneered as I pulled up the file directory on the computer. I selected the E.A.D folder and stepped away. “Take a look for yourself, Ty. That’s everything they have on the E.A.D. Their connection to Liberty, as well as your rogue rebel alliance.”

I watched as Ty combed through the information, the other guys reading everything from over his shoulder as I stepped back.

“Who’s this Colt Booth kid? They’ve got an entire folder dedicated to him; he’s mentioned in at least a half dozen emails and documents. Whoever he is, must be significant to the Elites.” Drew observed.

“Actually, that’s something I needed to talk to Stitch about. I’d heard whispers of a secret clinic in this sector. Of course, I didn’t know it was here, then. Anyway, apparently Colt got pretty beat up. I was wondering if you might have seen him, helped him out.”

Stitch inspected the photo. “You barely missed the kid. He left the day before we found you.”

“There goes your last solid lead, I guess?” Linc sighed.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I have one last resource I can call upon. It’s a long shot, but it might just work.”

I walked out of the room for a moment to get some air and figure out a quick plan. Ty and Drew followed behind me, both curious to know what I was up to. “You can’t say you have something, but it’s a longshot, then just get up and leave.” Drew sighed.

“I’m going away for a few days to see if I can find Colt.”

“You honestly think venturing out alone in your condition is the most sensible idea? You could barely stand or confront Mac without help. What are you planning to do out there by yourself if you find trouble? Which I am sure you will, by the way.” Ty replied passive-aggressively.

“She won’t be traveling alone.” Drew responded defensively.

“No, that’s not happening. Get that idea out of your head. Linc has enough people gunning for his head. You two go out there, and I’ll be surprised if you make it back.” Ty argued.

“Well, what other option is there? I can’t go because I’m too well known, he’ll never agree to meet her with me there, not like that and you’re hardly a people person, could you two even step out there together without one of you murdering the other?” Drew argued.

“Besides, somebody has to stay here with the girls, monitor the clinic, sweep the place for bugs. Mac had to know when and where Leo would be; I doubt she had people watching The Paragon, too much risk that you might spot something or catch them in the act, ask questions.” I reasoned.

The boys both contemplated this idea, but it was Ty who voiced his opinion. “Linc can stay here with the girls and your new friend. They can take care of things here while we’re away. I’ll go with you but we spend two days minimum on preparation and your recovery. No more running into things blind.”

Drew looked at Ty suspiciously. “Why are you helping us with this? It doesn’t benefit you in the least.”

“Linc’s worried about the kid, they got to know each other whilst he was here, I can see my brother is concerned and the bottom line is he’s an enemy of the dictatorship, that makes him a potential ally to our cause.” Ty diplomatically explained I had to give it to him. He knew how to pick his battles.

“If she gets hurt out there, I wouldn’t recommend you come back, Ty.”

“You say that like you’ve done loads to protect her. Last I checked, it was your friends who kicked the shit out of her and it’s also your fault she hasn’t had sufficient time to recover because you abducted her.” Ty pointedly retorted.

“Cut it out. I don’t need two overbearing knobs acting like they’re defending my honour. I’m a big girl that can look after herself. The only reason I’m even letting Ty come is that I can’t handle the overprotective lecture from Leo and all that crap.”

The boys fell silent for a moment, but Drew soon spoke, no doubt eager to have the last word. “I’m planning to see if I can find a room where I can set myself up. If you need me, come find me, but I think you two have some planning to do.” With his final piece said, he left us dramatically.

As Drew left, Ty looked at me and rolled his eyes.

I ignored that last gesture, heading back into my room to join the others at my computer, hoping to find some blueprints of the city. I finally found them in The Elite’s files. They’d even noted what factions occupied which sectors, an updated version of the map I’d created. As I scanned the map, I smiled and an idea of where to search formed in my mind.

“What are you so happy about?” Ty asked sceptically, as I realised he’d never actually seen me smile.

“I think I’ve worked out where to start our search. This should be the place where we find my friend.” I told him, pointing to a section of the map.

His face grew pale. “You have got to be kidding me. We are so dead.”