Vengeful Storm Ch. 02

Hi All

As I'm having serious writers block with some of my current stories, I have decided to edit my stories already on Lit and re-submit them. A big thank you to amerks29hockey for editing this chapter. All characters taking part in sexual activity are eighteen or over.

*

*Storm*

I was struggling against the darkness, trying to get to the light. But something kept on pulling me down into the dark depths. It was like I was in an endless ocean of nothingness, with no way to get out. But I had to get out. I had to get to Raine. I couldn't remember anything that had happened. I could only remember Raine. I had found her. I had to have found her. It couldn't have been a dream. But now I had lost her. And so I fought the blackness of my sub-conscious, ignoring the increasing pain as I crept closer and closer to the light.

I opened my eyes slowly, finding it difficult to focus properly. I could hear the slow, steady beat of the machines that were monitoring my heart and other vitals. I was on my stomach, but as I took stock of myself I could tell that I wasn't restrained in any way. That in itself was odd. The Ubel would have treated me to ensure I was alive enough for interrogation, but I would still be in shackles. I tried to push myself up but fell back down as my shoulder screamed in pain. The night started to come back to me. I could remember the battle, finding Raine, fighting the Ubel. Then the intense pain in my back and falling into nothingness.

But what had happened to Raine? Did she escape? Was she caught? Or did something worse happen? No. I couldn't think like that. Raine was okay. I would feel it if something bad had happened. But I had to find her. Had to get out of this bed, out of this room. I slowly rolled onto my good side, ignoring the pain and continuing until I had managed to roll myself into some semblance of sitting. I turned off the ECG machine, preventing it from flat lining and potentially alerting people that something was wrong before taking the sensors off my chest.

Looking around the room, I searched for a weapon, any weapon. My Sais weren't there. I may not have been a prisoner as such, but they still weren't going to put my weapons within easy reach. There was nothing. No needles, no scalpels. Nothing. Everything in the room was bolted to the floor. It was obvious this room was also used for some pretty nasty characters and who ever ran this place wasn't taking any chances.

I knew I wasn't in any condition to fight anyone. I would be lucky to get out of this bed, but I was adamant I would get out and find my sister. She was all I had left in this world. She was all I had to live for. I ripped the IV out of my hand and put pressure over my vein to stop the flow of blood. I definitely didn't need to lose any more blood. Grasping onto the rails at the head of the bed, I slowly and carefully started to stand. The pain was awful, but if I moved slowly I could bare it. Holding on to the edge of the wall for support, I carefully made my way along until I reached the door.

It didn't once enter my mind that going through that door may have been a bad idea, which was stupid really. After all, I had no idea who had me captive, whether it was friend or foe, and I had no idea what would greet me outside that door. But by now all reasonable thought had fled my mind. The assassin had gone and the sister had returned. Reaching for the handle, I pushed it down. The door opened with a loud click that I was sure could be heard throughout the entire complex, however big it may be.

I waited, positive someone would come running at the sound. But there was no one. I opened the door wider, struggling to pull open the heavy door and stay up right. Through sheer will, I somehow found myself standing in what appeared to be a hallway. I looked around; searching for something I could use to fight. It was odd. It was quite obvious that I wasn't in a house, yet it was unlike any military base I had ever seen. It was almost like I was in a sewer. A clean sewer, like someone came through regularly and cleaned away the waste. There was a faint smell of sewage but not really detectable unless you stopped and sniffed.

Who on earth would be hiding out in a sewer? The Ubel had taken over all military bases. They wouldn't be here. Was it the resistance? Were they the ones who were holding me captive? Or had they rescued me? My head was whirling with thoughts, none that seemed to make sense. My searching proved fruitful though. A pile of broken furniture was stacked along part of the wall that I guessed was used for firewood.

I slowly staggered along the empty corridor, supporting myself against the wall until I came to the wood. A chair leg proved a useful club and walking stick. I had no idea where I was going, no idea what I was going to find. By now I was on autopilot, not really knowing where I was going or what I was doing. I was dimly aware that I still held the chair leg in my hand, dragging along the floor, no longer having the strength to lift it. I walked for what felt like hours, but in reality, I had only gone about three meters. It never occurred to me that it was strange there were no people anywhere.

The corridor seemed endless, like an eternal maze that I would never get out of. I was getting weaker. I think my wound had re-opened, although I wasn't sure. I was past feeling anything now. My wound was like a dull ache, spreading throughout my entire body. On the edge of my consciousness, I could sense something, but I couldn't tell what it was. I had to focus more, I had to come back. I leant against the wall, letting the chair leg drop. I couldn't concentrate, couldn't make sense of what my brain was telling me.

Until they walked around the corner. They stopped dead in their tracks, as surprised to see me as I was of them. Three people, I couldn't distinguish what sex, my vision was starting to blur, but I knew they weren't Ubel. They were too small. It would be okay. I was with the good guys. But what if they weren't the good guys? What if they were somehow connected to someone I had assassinated? Adrenalin was taking over now, forcing me to pick up my only weapon. My brain was screaming at me. Fight. Defend. Kill.

* * * *

*Sam*

I was on my way to see the girl. Storm. What a fitting name. After all, the first time I saw her she was like a whirlwind, blowing in from nowhere and throwing bolts of lightning at the enemy. I was surprised when I first saw her. I know all of our soldiers, both in my platoon and our neighbouring allies. I knew immediately that she wasn't one of them. So why was she here? Then I saw the reason. A group of scantily clad women who could only be kept for one purpose came running down the stairs.

But why had the girl rescued them? Why had she risked her life for a group of harem girls? Although we would have gone to rescue them after the battle, they unfortunately were not our main concern. She certainly didn't look like a harem girl herself. She was beautiful, but not the type of beauty the Ubel went for. It was possible she had escaped from this harem and had come back to rescue her friends, but I didn't think so. She was too skilled, too sure of herself on the battlefield.

So why was she at the house? I had decided that I would go after her when the battle was finished. We had the advantage, having caught the Ubel off guard. Their main defence had already fallen; it didn't take us long to finish them. We showed no mercy, for they showed us none. And then it happened. She was leaving, turning to run after the women when a laser beam tore deeply through her shoulder. A wound like that would have normally killed a man, but not her. She was in bad shape, but still breathing when we were finally able to collect our wounded and dead.

Now I was facing her, a woman who shouldn't have lived, standing in front of me with a weapon in her hand. It would have been laughable if she weren't in danger herself. Her body hadn't healed nearly enough for her to be out of bed. The wound had opened, I could see blood dripping onto the floor from her back, and she was swaying from weakness.

We would have to be careful. In this state she was erratic. Being wounded, Storm was in fight or flight mode. She was too weak to flee. If she tried to run we could easily catch up to her and she knew that. So her only option was to fight. If we came across too strong she would attack us. Yes she was weak, but she was still a trained soldier if my information was correct and still able to do a lot of damage.

I told my men to stay back, knowing that I would look less threatening if I approached her alone. I almost had to treat her like an animal. I think by this stage she was past rational thought. "Storm, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to put down your weapon."

I could see her shaking her head, refusing to put the weapon down. "It's okay Storm, I promise. I just want to help you. But I can't do that until you put the weapon down."

"Fuck you asshole. Where's my sister?"

I was surprised by her answer. It seemed that she was able to think about something, was able to act rationally, in a way. Maybe I could use her sister to get through to her. "Your sister is fine Storm. We have her here, safe with us. I can take you to her."

"No. You bring her to me. I may be weak but I'm not stupid. I'm not putting this down until I know she's okay."

"Raine is okay Storm, you have my word. But you've lost a lot of blood already and your wound has re-opened. If we don't stop the bleeding now then you'll die."

I could see the wary look in her eye as I slowly edged closer to her. Her breathing was coming out fast but shallow. I could see how much of a strain it was for her to stay up right. I had a lot of respect for Storm. She was a fighter, more than most. But I could see her starting to loose the fight. If I could keep her talking then maybe I could keep her calm until she lost consciousness. She had to go down soon. The amount of blood loss was now becoming serious.

"Storm, please. Your sister is fine. Now we have to make you better so you can see her again."

"I...I..."

Storm dropped the chair leg and crumpled to the ground. I walked forward slowly. I needed to get her medical help as soon as possible but I had to make sure she was out first. Bending over her, I pushed the hair off of her face. She was out cold. Picking her up, I started to walk to the infirmary.

"Jack, get Doc, tell him Storm's popped her stitches and is bleeding again, then go tell Raine. This time I'll make sure Raine's with her when she wakes up."

I walked towards the infirmary, hoping that it wasn't too late. Not many people could survive loosing that much blood twice. Then again, Storm wasn't exactly anybody. I had seen enough to know that. Even so, she was going to have a fight on her hands staying alive.

* * * *

I was in my room wiping the blood from my hands and arms when I heard my door crash open. "What the hell did you do to her? I trusted you to look after Storm. You told me she was going to be fine, that she was out of danger. Now Jack comes and tells me that she could die. I'm beginning to think we would have had a better chance up with the bloody Ubel!"

Why I ever thought Raine was the meeker sister I'll never know. "Raine, could you please calm down. I've had enough ranting females for today."

"Too bad. What the hell happened?"

I sighed loudly in exasperation as I sat heavily in my chair. I wasn't up to this right now. I hadn't even changed out of my blood soaked shirt yet. "Storm woke up from the anaesthetic much quicker than anticipated. The drug we gave her should have knocked her out for at least a couple of days. It was to ensure she'd get enough rest for her body to start healing. I got the feeling that Storm wasn't a person who would be happy sitting in bed quietly while she healed so I made sure Doc gave her enough drugs to..."

"To what? Keep her quiet so you wouldn't have to worry about her?"

"That's not fair. I did what I had to do to help her get better faster. As it turns out there wasn't really much point. Your sister somehow managed to come out of the anaesthetic in a little over twelve hours. Jack, Sal and I found her wandering around the North corridor with a lump of wood in her hand. She was looking for you."

I saw some of the tension drain out of Raine's face as she sat in the chair opposite me.

"She was?"

Seeing Raine's face, so full of hope helped me to calm down. "Yeah. I think it was the thought of you that got her out of the drug's hold. I've been under that drug once or twice and believe me; it isn't easy to surface from the black. She must love you very much Raine."

I saw a faint smile on her lips before she spoke. "We're all each other's got. The Ubel killed our parents the night they took me. Storm tried to get me to safety but she was badly wounded and I was captured. With her injuries the only thing she could do for me was to escape. We were both better off with her on the outside."

"How long were you there?"

"I was captured three months ago and sold to Craag after a month of training. We expensive whores have to be taught how to properly pleasure our masters."

"You did what you needed to do to survive Raine."

"I know. I made sure I stayed alive. I knew Storm would come looking for me when she got better. I figured I owed it to her to be alive when she found me."

I chuckled to myself. "She probably would have been pissed if you weren't."

"Yeah. Knowing Storm she would have found my grave and kicked my ass."

We were sitting there chuckling when my door crashed open for the second time that afternoon. "Sam, have you seen..."

Jack stopped short when he saw Raine sitting by my desk. "Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick."

"I've been here with Sam, and what God damn business is it of yours anyway."

Jack's face started to go red as he stomped up to her. "Because I'm meant to be looking after you."

"Do I look like I need looking after?"

"Of course you need looking after. You're only a girl for Christ sake."

I groaned as Jack said that. I really needed to teach my younger brother some tact.

"And what's Sal? A duck?"

"No, I mean. Sal's a soldier. She's been trained to look after herself. But you, well you're, I mean, well look at you. You're built like a ballerina, not a fighter. You need a man to protect you."

I tried signalling Jack from behind Raine's back. If he dug himself anymore of a hole he'd be visiting China. But the stupid idiot wouldn't even look at me. All his attention was on Raine.

I saw Raine sigh as if in defeat. "You're right Jack. I should make sure I stay with you at all times. After all, I am only small. I mean, what would I do if some big horrible Ubel came up to me and tried to take me away?"

I noticed Jack looked a little flustered. I think he realised how much he had put his foot in it. "Um, well I, that is..."

Raine plastered a sickly sweet smile on her face. She looked the epitome of angelic behaviour. Until she punched Jack square in the nose. Evidently Jack was not expecting that as he landed on his arse. I sat in my chair with tears streaming down my face with laughter as Raine stood over Jack. "Newsflash asshole, but I've been there, done that, and survived. When you've survived three months as an Ubel's whore then you come back to me and tell me I need protecting. Would you excuse me Sam? I'm going to go and sit with my sister."

"Sure thing. I don't think I could stop you if I tried."

After Raine left I sat in my chair looking at Jack. "Well little brother, I think we both know that you deserved that."

"Shut up."

"Wow. She really got you good. Look, it's even bleeding. Is it broken?"

"Oh fuck you."

"Don't take it too badly Jack. You were only taken out by a girl. It's not too big a deal."

"If you don't shut up it'll be you next. And don't you dare tell Sal. She'll never let me live it down."

"My lips are sealed. But honestly, could you have been any more stupid?"

"I know alright. It's just. I like her. Really like her and I don't want to see her get hurt again."

"Jack, could you please follow your head for once instead of your dick. You've known her for less than twenty-four hours. She's a great girl, and she's been through hell. I won't argue with you over that."

"Well that's a first."

"Smart ass. But seriously, if you do anything to hurt her then her sister is going to be on your ass like a nuclear missile. And trust me you don't want that."

"Ah. Come on. I could take her."

"You were just taken out by a girl that weighed 130 pounds. And Storm is a hell of a lot taller and more muscular than Raine."

Jack pouted. "I wasn't ready then."

"Besides, I think there's a lot more to Storm than you may think."

Jack got up and flopped down in the chair recently occupied by Raine and grabbed a handful of tissues off of my desk for his nose. "What do you mean?"

"Something about her doesn't add up. Apparently she's a trained soldier. I know she's trained, I could see that for myself at the battle. But she's not like a normal soldier. When I saw her in that fight, and earlier on today, there's no fear in her. No emotion. Until I mentioned her sister. Then she got angry and emotional. It's almost like she slips on a mask when she fights. Like any emotion in her is pushed down until it temporarily doesn't exist."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she's killed before and killed often. But not like us. I don't think she's a soldier. I think she's something else. I think she could be like me. We need to watch her. I want her put in one of the cells."

"Are you kidding? Raine will tear you to shreds."

I sat there thinking. There was just something about Storm that made me uneasy. I didn't know if she was going to prove to be an asset to our cause or an enemy that would take us down, but I wasn't taking chances. We had all come so far to survive this war that I wasn't going to put my soldiers' lives or the lives of the civilians at risk.

"I know. All right then. Where has she been put now?"

"Placed her in one of the rooms in the main South corridor. Told Trav and Boxer to keep an eye on her. They're standing outside her room now. She won't be going anywhere soon. That little excursion wore her out."

"I'm not going to take that chance again. I want you to chain her to the bed."

"What? You know Raine will be just as pissed at that."

"Then tell her it's for Storm's own good. Tell her that the drugs we have to give her will cause hallucinations and delusions or something and that it's to stop her from wandering around and getting hurt. I don't know. Make something up. Bullshitting's what you're good at."

"Gee, thanks bro. Can always count on you to be truthful. Fine, I'll tell her. But I don't like it and neither will Raine."

"I know that. But I'm the commanding officer here. She'll just have to get used to it. If she kicks up a stink then tell her we'll deny her access altogether."

Jack looked at me. I could see the shock and uncertainty in his eyes. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

"I will not risk my men or the civilians who depend on us Jack. Until I know more about Storm then this is the way it's going to be."

*Storm*

"What the hell is going on here Jack? Why exactly has my sister been placed in shackles?"

"Raine please be reasonable. It's for her own good."

I woke up slowly to loud voices fighting outside the door. It was easier this time, to fight against the blackness. There were two voices arguing, but one of those voices was pulling me out of the depths, like a hand reaching beneath the surface of the water to rescue someone from drowning. I knew that voice, knew it as well as my own. It was Raine.