Page 46 of Repossess My Heart

The second I hear her receding footsteps, I lurch; not giving myself a second to think as I kick off twisting myself from his grip, a clump of my hair pulling free as I fall. Neither of us makes a sound and again, time slows at first. His empty hand grasping wildly for me before everything derails. Like it always does where he’s involved. But then he jumps.

He fucking jumps.

I hate you so much.

Everything that was so slow before accelerates but I close my eyes, unwilling to watch him get hurt for me. Assuming I even survive the fall. A pained yelp leaves my lips as I’m wrenched to a stop, flinging my eyes open. Agony erupts in my back mixing with the shock and anger as Nine’s arm bands around me, his free arm looped around his drone as it struggles, dipping and sputtering under the weight of us both. I want to scream, to thrash and yell at him for being so fucking awful, but I can’t. His stupid, handsome face is hidden as he carefully maneuvers me higher onto his shoulder. The only input from me is tiny gasps of pain. My hands and feet tingling as if they’ve fallen asleep.

“Grab the drone!” He barks. Even if I wanted to live, I don’t think I could obey him. Pain bleeds through everything else, my own hot breath blowing back on my face from the mask he made me wear. Nine curses as the drone plummets again, struggling to stay high enough to the platform as pounding footsteps approach us. An older man repeats Nine’s profane line of commentary perfectly as he drops to his stomach reaching towards me where I’m slung haphazardly across Nine’s shoulders. The sound of his gloves straining against his grip on me. Another scream leaves my throat before a deep sepia colored hand slaps over it, its owner urging me to keep silent. His palm muffles something close to a sob as I’m heaved up, each movement making me long for the bite of the gears below. When I hit the platform, the man releases me, shoving me back as I struggle for the edge again.

Not to jump this time, but to check on the perpetual thorn in my side.

Of course, now without my added weight, he hauls himself up and over the side, heading straight for me. Our random savior forgotten, “Stupid fucking woman!” He hisses, but his touch disagrees with the tone in his voice. It's soft, assessing, “Where is she hurt?!”

His drone shifts to my side. “My scan indicates a slip of the L3 lumbar vertebrae. It has moved onto the L4. Administering pain-“

“No!” I gasp out, struggling against Nine as the strange man bows over to help hold me.

The bottom of Nine’s drone opens, displaying a high-powered suspended rifle. “My master does not wish for you to touch the woman.”

“You’re in pain, sweetling. We need to move and fast. What I have to do next will hurt, badly.”

Another dry sob. “I don’t care. No needles.”

He pauses for mere seconds before jerking off his mask, that pale white hair disheveled and damp with sweat. “No needles.”

My body vibrates with pain at every violent shake of my head, but I can’t stop. The alarm sounds from his forgotten helmet beside me. “I don’t trust you. You-“

His hands are gentle, deceptively so as they capture my face. His lips pressing into mine in a kiss that shouldn’t be that soft, “I give you my word. No needles, you absolute freak.”

My chest heaves as he jerks off one of his gloves, shoving it into my mouth before rolling me gently onto my stomach. My scream is muffled but only barely so making the stranger begin to pace, “She has to be quiet. Is the code real? My daughter-“

The drone slips closer to the man, the gun still trained on him. “My master wishes for you to be silent while he tends to the woman. It will only take a moment.”

Each gentle touch from Nine makes me want to cry out in pain, the glove slipping just enough to allow my teeth to score my tongue. I don’t care. By the time he’s pulled both my arms down to my sides, the air in my lungs seems thinner.

“She is tachycardic and heart rate shows no signs of slowing. Lifesaving measures are recommended.”

“Don’t put me to sleep!”

Nine braces, straddling me as he runs his hands down my spine. “If I fix this, will it damage the tech?”

“Likely.”

“Fuck.” He mumbles and my chest tightens as he hesitates. “Take a deep breath for me, sweetling.”

I try. It’s only half through my lungs when he bears down hard and quick. My scream reverberates off the walls as the man lunges, reaching for my mouth as if to silence me again. The loud pop of a gun comes next. When I open my eyes, the pain has lessened to a manageable level. Nine is leaned forward, his weight pushing heavily on my upper back, the gun gripped in his hand, wrenching it the opposite direction of its target. The man’s widened eyes meet mine in what I assume was meant to be a collective holy shit moment.

“The code is it real? Can you disable the system long enough for us to open the doors? Do not lie to me! He slaughtered for far less than treason. My daughter-“

“Oh, for fuck's sake,” Nine growls, releasing the drone. I drag in a ragged breath as he lifts off me, aiming his pointed finger for a large gear below the platform. “That one.”

The drone zips by and I groan as I get to my hands and knees. Crawling to the edge to see what it’s doing when Nine steps in front of me, blocking my path, “Nice try, dumbass.” I roll my eyes, snaking my arms around his leg as I pull to a sit. I leave them there, holding onto him… showing himat least I thinkthat I don’t intend to try that again.

Lesson is thoroughly learned… for now. While the pain of my failure is still fresh.

How can one person suck at suicide so badly?

His head snaps down towards me as a charge goes off, shaking the rusted platform and making me release him long enough to cup my hands over my ears. The machines groan to a stop, others on the other side ramping up, working overload to keep up with their added strain. His confused… disturbed eyes don’t leave mine. “I’m very serious. You have less than three minutes before this area is swarming with yourGod'slackeys. Two minutes to produce nitroglycerin and a sleep aid for me or I leave the others functional and don’t bat an eye when he guts your daughter along with the rest of your little friends. Before you tell me you can’t, we both know he’s got the largest pharmaceutical stores in the upper district.”

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