'You used to be so strong.'
Her small room, as cold and unfriendly as it was, seemed to be her only ally in this whole twisted dream. Nothing bad ever happened to her there. The bed was at least a tiny bit comfortable. It didn't hurt her.
'You were always free, independent. Nothing could stop you.' She shook her head.
'I was caught. They took me to prison.'
'But you escaped. They couldn't hold you for long.'
'And look where I ended up. Right back where I started.'
'Yeah, but you used to fight. Now, you're broken. They beat you. How could you let them beat you?'
'I-'
'It's all that pirate crew's fault. They got to your head, changed you. They made you weak.'
'No, you make me weak. Shut up!' She frowned. Why wouldn't that little voice just go away?
"Remain in high spirits, child. You're companions are surely out there searching for you."
Summer sniffed, a new wave of tears beginning to fall. The warrior's kind words of encouragement always helped to calm her down. She curled tighter within herself, wrapped within the small blanket they allowed her.
'Nemesis?'
"Yes?"
Summer didn't know whether the question was relevant, or if the warrior would get angry by her asking, but she continued anyway. 'Did you ever have kids?'
A long silence followed, and Summer decided that the spirit wasn't going to answer. She'd never tried asking her personal questions, and maybe doing so now was overstepping the boundaries of their…situation. A relationship wouldn't exactly describe what they shared.
Finally, she seemed to reawaken. "No, I never produced a child."
'Did you ever want kids?'
A great sadness swept over Summer, and at first she thought it was a really strange mood swing from her stress. Quickly, she realized it was actually Nemesis.
"…Yes."
All of a sudden, her sympathies for the mysterious woman residing in her flared, and her crying was more towards Nemesis' pain. 'That Iapetus guy, you wanted to have a family with him? You loved him.'
"Iapetus…was the one person who I could trust. Gods are not kind or honest. They deceive and lie for their own gain." She paused. This topic brought her great sorrow. "Yes, I wanted to start a family with him, but then I found him with that human girl and nothing was ever the same…"
'Nemesis, I'm not…a god, so I can't really understand but, it doesn't really make sense to have this deep of hatred for someone just for cheating on you…' Summer hesitated again. 'What's the real reason you hate him so much?'
To Summer's surprise, the woman sobbed. She felt the sadness throughout her heart, and suddenly the warrior couldn't seem to hold in all her emotion.
"…I was with child…when I found him with that girl…"
'Did he ever know?' Her concern grew, heart aching for the woman.
"…Yes. I had told him a few days before." A heated anger rolled in waves through Summer. The next thing I know he's throwing me away and finding himself another woman."
'But you said you didn't have a child?' Her words weren't making much sense.
"My extreme grief terminated the pregnancy. I lost the child."
'That's awful…' Summer closed her eyes and shared the grief of the warrior. The two let a silence fall between them, healing the sorrow that they both shared. Summer thought of her nakama, who Nemesis was insistent were still looking for her. Nemesis, Summer assumed, was thinking about her lost child.
It seemed Summer wasn't the only broken one. The apparently invincible warrior inside her had grief and sorrow and fears too, and that made her feel just a little bit better. If even an immortal spirit had weaknesses, then perhaps it was ok to have a few herself. And if the pirate crew that was her family was a weakness, well she wasn't going to give them up just to become stronger. They would help her in the areas she wasn't strong.
'Was it a boy or a girl?' She later asked, after a good amount of time had passed.
"A girl."
'What would you have named her?'
"Laurel…" Summer could feel a hint of pride and bitter happiness, despite the hard topic they talked about. At least she could feel a little bit of happiness in her life, thinking about her daughter she never got to hold.
'Hey Nemesis, you said earlier that gods lie and only look out for themselves. But, you've only ever helped me. You've protected me, and kept me alive.'
"Do understand that it was to keep myself-"
'I know that you want to exact revenge and that's why you kept me alive, but you've still protected me. You've basically raised me since I was 7. I'd say you've been a mother to me this whole time.' She smiled genuinely. 'You would've been a great mother, you know. Your daughter would have loved you.'
And Summer meant it. Nemesis, underneath all that tough exterior and uncaring attitude, was actually very kind and…well, motherly. Summer realized that she'd always been there for her, so she'd never actually been alone at all. Someone was always watching out for her.
Nemesis said nothing for a long time, processing everything she'd said. Her anger slowly changed to confusion, and that confusion shaped itself into a warm feeling Summer could only describe as happiness and pleasure.
"…thank you, child."
'You really think my nakama are still looking for me?' She had the utmost faith in her friends, but there was always the little worm of insecurity that they had given up on her and moved on. Surely they wouldn't, but that doubt wouldn't go away.
"I know for certain they are. They are making very good progress."
'Oh, that's right. I forgot you could see things far away.' Nemesis seemed to laugh.
"That is only a small part of my capabilities. I believe I've rested enough, gathered enough energy to show you them, if you'd like?" Summer's eyes widened.
'Yes! Please, yes!'
"Very well. This might feel strange, being a mortal."
The thought of seeing her nakama made any risk worth it. She missed their faces, their laughter, their stupid jokes, most of all the softness that was Bepo's fur…
There was a painful tug on her spine and chest. She grimaced, and the pain passed as quickly as it had come, but she felt almost weightless afterwards.
"Open your eyes."
She hadn't even realized they closed. Cracking one open, they both widened when she saw the mess deck full of her nakama. There was Blake playing a set of cards with some of the mechanics, and Parker reading from his weird books. Penguin and Shachi were telling a story, causing those around them to was no sound, but she could imagine the laughter and talking all around her. It felt like she was really there.
'Where's Liam and Reid? And Law?'
"One moment." Her voice sounded strained, like she was carrying a large burden, but the next instant, she was shifted to the infirmary, where the other three were.
Reid was awake! He laughed and saluted to Law, who looked to be checking him over for injuries. Liam walked with him out the door, leaving Law alone.
'Law…' He walked over to the filing cabinet with the medical records, putting Liam's back inside. Then, as if it was an afterthought, he pulled another from inside. When he opened it, she saw it was hers. There was a picture of her, sticking her tongue out in annoyance, clipped to the front. Her heart surged when he smirked at it, going to sit at his desk and placing the file on the desk. He was smiling, he hadn't forgotten her. They were still looking.
'I think I've seen everything I need to.' Summer said, knowing that it was taking a lot for Nemesis to make this happen. Just seeing them for a second was enough to keep her going. Her faith was restored two-fold. They would find her. She knew it.
"You'll feel a pulling, but it will pass." She said, and Summer was torn from the submarine and thrust back into her tiny, freezing room.
"I hope this helped you in some way." Nemesis sounded very tired, as if talking itself was difficult and painstaking. Summer smiled brightly, still feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
'Yes, thank you for that. Thank you so much.' Following the warrior's example, she fell into an easy sleep.
Max watched the subject's room from the monitor, inspecting her face closely. She was wound deeply into the blanket, almost obscuring her face, but the camera was angled so he could just see enough to distinguish features.
He wasn't surprised to see her start to cry. The last set of experiments had certainly shaken her reserve, as they had been intended to. Her fierce defiance was getting in the way of test results, and this was his solution. It seemed it had worked, he thought pleasantly. Finally he could get onto trying to find the entity within.
She kept shifting positions, tossing this way and that. The camera picked up more of her face, and he could see several changes in expression. Sorrow, concern, fear, worry, pain, and then…happiness? Leaning forward, he placed his hands on the table and watched closely. Yes, it was indeed happiness he was witnessing.
Her smile looked genuine, not one that she would force herself into putting on. How could this be? It looked as though…
Was it really possible? Could she communicate with the being? Did it make itself known to the girl? As he watched, she seemed to calm down and actually fall into a pleasurable sleep. Baring his teeth in frustration, his fist curled and smacked against the table.
"How can this be?" He wondered aloud. The camera did not lie to him, however, and she fell into a deep sleep.
He straightened, before going to pace the room with his hands clasped behind him. These new developments were quite surprising and revealing. So, the being could speak with her, most likely through thoughts and feelings if he were to assume by the expressions on the subject's face.
Such things were quite troublesome, but all things had solutions. Immediately, he headed out the door and towards the neurology wing.
"All of your charts are at normal levels, and there are no signs of complications from the coma." Law stated, flipping through the pages on the clipboard. He looked up to Reid. "You are fit enough to go back to duty."
"Yes!" Reid fist-pumped the air before throwing his legs over the side of the bed and dropping to the ground. Liam looked pleased as well, high-fiving his friend happily. Law raised an eyebrow.
"If anything seems out of the ordinary or begins to feel uncomfortable, come back to me."
"No problem, Captain." Reid saluted and pushed through the infirmary doors. Liam grinned back.
"I'll keep an eye on him, trust me. If he breaks anything, I'll kill him myself." Law smirked and nodded, and the medic followed his friend. Outside, a few men passing by greeted the two happily. Law went to replace the papers in the filing cabinet.
A small corner of Summer's file was sticking out, and after a moment's hesitation, he took it out. Opening it, the first thing he saw was her picture. One eyebrow raised, tongue out, crossed arms…basically Summers' personality in one picture. He smirked, glad to see that he had captured a small piece of her when she was happy. He walked over to his desk, taking the file with him.
It might be considered creepy to stare at her picture, but it was one of the biggest things he held onto. Any piece of her he could find, he'd probably moved it to his room by now. They were reminders that he had to keep going, even when every day that passed was a smaller and smaller chance of seeing her alive.
Yes, if he could keep her memory alive, then he would find her alive. He'd bring her back onto the sub and…after that, they'd probably celebrate. The crew would want a big party to commemorate her return, and he was all for it. She'd probably like that.
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