Ivy
Sneaking out of the willing sector had been easier than it was sneaking in. When I got into the RTR building, my gaze wandered about, while I battled for excuses to give, in case Ethan were to ask me why my nose was red and a little bruised.
I didn't feel intense pain though, the Hidre serum was working pretty fast, and my nose was supposed to look crooked, but it didn't, it was normal, but bruised.
I spotted them around a table, Ethan, Roman and Malcolm.
When they heard my footsteps approaching, they all looked up, a frown immediately pulling down Ethan's brows, while Roman just looked at me with a brow raised, almost like he was trying to figure out what I had been up to.
"Hey guys." I greeted as I reached the table.
"What happened to your nose?" Ethan asked, sounding confused.
Malcolm and Roman both looked at me, Waiting for an answer. "Oh well... You know, just the normal thing... I got punched in the face by a guard at the Willing sector, no biggy... What's up? What did you guys find?" I asked, using the most casual voice I could pull off.
The confused look Ethan had on his face deepened, making him look really cute. I had to fight the urge to squeeze his cheek.
Malcolm cleared his throat, bringing us back to the matter at hand.
I tore my gaze from Ethan's face.
"Ethan told me about the little occurrence at the Rebel-lions hub... We think it has something to do with the connection you both have."
"Connection?" I asked, my curiosity at its peak.
"Do you want to tell her? Or should I?" Malcolm asked, looking over at Ethan.
Ethan turned towards me. "Remember that time back at the outside when I told you I was going to run some check up on my chip, to figure out why it seems to be affecting you?"
I nodded slowly, remembering the day we kissed for the second time, like it was yesterday.
"Well, turns out, something was indeed wrong with me. I had and still have a malfunctioning chip, I thought the facility was behind the manipulation, but they were not, it's all me and it seems to be having a positive effect on you." He said.
"What?" I asked, my brain too slow to comprehend what he just said.
"Yeah," Roman cut in. "You fought off Robotic people for the first time when we broke into the Rebels sector... I knew something had to be up. This is it. You're syphoning basically every ability Ethan has. You've got strong genes."
I blinked. "I still don't get this." I let out, taking a seat on one of the chairs. "How am I getting affected by it? I don't understand--"
"Humans are born with different genes, some strong, some weak. In your case, it's different. You're a seven months old baby, and you spent most of your early months in the hospital--"
"How the hell do you know that?" I asked, cutting Malcolm off.
"I know almost everything about you Ivy. That's not the important thing right now. In most cases of a malfunctioning chip, it either has no effect, a positive or negative effect on humans. Seeing as something about your system corresponds with something in Ethan's system, hence the connection which seems to be giving you your own abilities, with just being human."
I blinked, my hand going to rub my temple, trying to relieve my growing headache. "So what you're trying to tell me is that, I've got superpowers?"
"Exactly." Roman grinned.
"Although, we have yet to point out the ability in which you're developing, but we believe this is why Glory doesn't want you both together."
"Yeah, she thinks you're taking away my potential, and at the same time, she wants you here to try and figure out how you're doing so." Ethan informed.
I shook my head. "This is insane... I don't even want this."
"It's not about what you want? It's about how your genes keep adjusting to these new abilities day by day. And it can't be controlled." Malcolm said. "Besides, we think there's something more to this connection, seeing as you and Ethan were given birth to in the same hospital, and admitted during the same time frame."
"There's a back story we don't know." Ethan voiced out.
"My biggest bet, Glory has something to do with this." Roman said.
"Is my syphoning from Ethan affecting him in any way?" I asked, worry laying heavily on my heart.
"No it isn't." Malcolm cleared up.
I let out a breath of relieve as Ethan reached for my cold hand, encasing it in his warms ones, giving me a reassuring squeeze.
"Are we going to report this new findings to the Facility?" I asked.
"And have Glory take you? Over my dead body." Ethan injected immediately.
"But what if there's something dangerous about this? Something that could hurt you? I don't want to hurt you." I countered.
"You're not hurting me in anyway, I'm perfectly fine. I-"
"You're not fine." I cut him off, my gaze stern on his before they fell on Malcolm. "He's not fine Malcolm, and I'm not sure if he told you this, but his eyes change color from time to time."
Malcolm's eyes widened. "What? To red?"
"No... An electric blue. That can't be nothing, what if this connection's affecting him in a negative way? What if his reaction to it can only be answered by higher authority? Like Glory? Like the Facility?"
"Blue? I've never heard of that. There's definitely something we're missing here." Malcolm stated, looking more confused and worried.
"Yes, and the answer to that something can only be gotten if we take this to the Facility."
"No." Ethan stated firmly. "Hell no. They're gonna take you Ivy. Do you understand the severity of that? It means you'll never come back... What ever goes into the Facility, stays in the Facility. I don't give a damn if my chip keeps failing, or if my eye color changes or whatever. It wouldn't be the first time anything weird happened in this dimension. And I'll be damned if I allow us play right into Glory's hands. I'm perfectly fine." He said in one breath.
"Ethan--"
"This is the last I'm hearing of this," he cut me off, his gaze falling on Roman and Malcolm, "from any of you." He gave us all pointed looks before making his way from us, and out of the RTR.
I rushed after him.
"Ethan wait!" I called out, to which fortunately, he listened and stopped, turning towards me as I reached him. "You know there's-"
"I'm not doing it Ivy. I won't let you talk me into it, so don't even bother."
My gaze softened. "But why? Something might be seriously wrong with you? I don't want it to catch us off guard-"
"I'm fine Ivy, I feel perfect fine."
"You know you're not, deep down you know you're not fine." I said, placing my hand against his chest, feeling his abnormally raging heart. Always at a speed that was meant to send anyone to the hospital.
His hand came to wrap around my wrist. "I don't care."
"But I do. I do because I love you, and I never want to lose you, ever." I told him. "I know that you're scared, and you think this is an opportunity Glory has been waiting for. But this is a matter that has to do with your life and your safety, and if going to that Facility is what I have to do to protect you, I'll do it."
He shook his head urgently, fear glistening in his eyes as he pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me. "No no no, please, please I'm begging you, Ivy... You can't do that. You can't make up your mind like that-- you don't know what it's like for me, hearing you say these words. It's like you're putting your life on the line for me, I can't let you do that... Please don't make up your mind."
"You'll do the same for me Ethan." I said softly.
"I know, I know... But that's different."
I pulled away softly. "So it's okay for you to put your life on the line for me, but I can't do the same?"
He cupped my face, desperately trying to get through to me. "You don't understand Ivy, you mean everything to me, you're like my oxygen, and if you leave me, I- I don't think I'll be able to live... Do you understand, I can't bear the thought of you leaving. I won't be able to live with myself-"
"And you think I would be? You think I'll be just fine if something happened you?" My voice wavered, my eyes building up tears at a fast rate. "You think I'll be able to live with myself if something happens to you, and there was something I could have done to stop it?" I blinked, allowing the tears fall. "You say you don't care, but I do. I care about what happens to you, because if you leave me, I'll be all alone, I'll have to live without you, and that's what I'm most scared of."
"I know." He said, wiping away my tears. "I know, and I totally get it, okay? I just need you to understand that she knows too... And if you report this? You'll be falling right into her trap."
I began to protest when he held my gaze. "Listen to me Ivy. I know what I'm saying. If whatever's wrong with me is really as serious as you think it is, I wouldn't be here, okay? Glory would have taken me some place else to fix it, trust me. She knows. She's just waiting for you to fall right into it. Going to the Facility, is the most unwise decision you'll ever make. The only thing we can do now, is to stick with each other, and figure this out together."
He was right, but still... This could be his fear talking.
"I need you to promise me Ivy... Promise me you won't do something stupid. I'm begging you to promise me you wouldn't go behind my back and do this."
I sighed. "Okay."
"I'm dead serious, Ivy." He stated.
"I won't... Only if you promise you're gonna tell me if you feel like something's wrong?"
"Deal." He agreed.
I visibly relaxed, but I wasn't calm on the inside. My heart still worried for him, and I don't think I'll ever be calm.
Not until I was positive he was going to be okay.
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