Twisted
Wynnona
"Send a small team to check it out if you find them and keep watch over them. Contact me immediately." I say sharply. Out of the corner of my eye I see Giovanni smiling. I probably don't seem that intimidating with a baby strapped to my chest, playing with the ends of my crimson hair. The bandage over the left side of my face probably didn't help either. Florence and Gunther have both disappeared, we haven't been able to find them. I will kill both for what they've done, I promised I would.
Over the past two months Athena and I have been adjusting to being mothers while simultaneously accepting the loss of the two people who were the heart of the team. Keith misses her real parents but seems to have accepted that they are no longer coming back. I cried every night, having felt the true loss of my family. The only other time I've felt this empty was when my parents died.
Athena comes into the room, pulling me from my dark thoughts. She smiles tiredly at me, forcing her expression to change the moment she sees Keith. Keith's little arms reach out for her, grasping at her long hair the moment she gets close enough. She wraps her arm around my waist, the other around Keith. The man on the screen makes a strange face and noise at the display of affection.
"Is there anything else?" I ask harshly.
"No commander." His eyes widen in shock, instantly he hangs up. I grumble incoherently to myself, wrapping my arm delicately around Athena and kissing her forehead softly still harshly glaring and grumbling. She giggles, poking me cheek. Keith begins to do the same, aggressively digging her baby finger into my jaw, the only spot she can reach thankfully.
"We are going to find them Wynnona." Athena tells me softly, cupping the side of my face that isn't bandaged. I place my forehead to hers, letting her calming energy flow over me. I sigh, accepting her warmth as she makes faces and noises at Keith.
"Thena!" Keith cries, reaching out and almost falling out of the sling on my chest. Athena catches her, laughing slightly. The laugh and smile doesn't reach her eyes, however.
"Not every ounce of my attention is meant for you darling." She coos at Keith, swinging her about with tender skill. I pull the sling off, tossing it on a seat close by. Star hops onto my shoulder, wrapping himself around my neck and flopping down. He huffs, nuzzling into my left shoulder. Giovanni laughs softly at the display of the fox, coming to scratch his head. I rest my tired forehead against his collarbone, closing my eyes and letting the love of my brother ease my agitation. He kisses the back of my head, rubbing my arms up and down.
"You need to sleep Wyatt." He tells me softly, brotherly worry leaking I to his deep voice.
"I can't." I sigh, rubbing my tired eyes. "Every time I try, all these images flash through my mind." Nightmares. They plagued my sleep stopping me from resting properly. Athena often stayed up with me until I could fall asleep again. There was a loud bang from outside, pulling me from my thoughts and making my headache worse. I leave the control room, going to the hanger and leaving it to enter the rebel base. The twins stare at a large piece of metal they had dropped.
"Sorry." Zelanna says as she looks at us. Rochet has already swooped down to start putting it back in place.
"This teleported thing is really starting to become a hassle." He grumbles softly.
"If Athena says we need it I trust her." I sigh, rubbing my temples as my head pounds. I look at the watch on my wrist, one I made myself to keep time on earth. "It is too late for this. It's Keith's bedtime." I don't say that Keith's bedtime is also my bedtime, I'm apparently too old to have a bedtime. Giovanni goes to give the twins a hand after kissing my forehead. I head back into the ship, looking for Athena and Keith. I find them in our room, Athena humming a soft lullaby to Keith.
"Promise me something Little Keith," she tells the bundle in her arms softly, "take care of your Mama Wyatt. She is having a bit of a bad time, struggling with a lot of demons. If I'm not here much longer, you must take care of her. You also must help me look after Mama Wyatt, she managed to forget her own birthday." She kisses Keith's head, putting the baby into her crib. I quietly walk over to Athena, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her flush against my body. I press a kiss to her neck, nuzzling into it as I look down at the sleeping baby. Keith looks so peaceful and free; I never want her to feel differently. Athena suddenly turns in my arms, cupping my face in her hands.
"Happy 22nd birthday." She whispers to me softly. I smile at her, kissing her with so much love and passion it makes me a little dizzy. "I love you." She informs me in a soft voice, making my heart flutter. I allow my hands to slide from her back to her thighs, lifting her as she wraps her legs around my waist. She lets out a soft giggle at my action. I spin and walk to the bed, falling into it with her in my arms. I kick off my boots, pull my jacket off, and cuddle into her.
"I love you too." I kiss her again, showering every part of her face in kisses. She strokes my cheeks with her thumbs, a loving motion that starts to lull me to sleep. I allow myself to succumb to the void of darkness, falling into it.
I shouldn't be here.
"Wynnona!" Athena's voice calls out for me, mixed with the voice of Artemis. They call me, calling me back to where I should be, safe and sound with them. I turn to look behind me. They both stand there, but the next moment they vanish from my sight. I turn back to look in front of me to see myself.
This version of me feels different, colder, crueler. Her hair is darker than mine, her eyes surrounded in black. Her eyes are a deep shimmering gold and a bloody crimson, shimmering with promises of pain and suffering. Her boots are perfect and clean, her black jeans hugging her slim legs. She wears a tight red tank top that highlights her curves and breasts, no jacket or necklace or tattoos.
"Well, aren't you pathetic." Her voice is harsher than mine, cutting like a freshly sharpened knife.
"What is this?" I ask myself.
"Come back to us Wynnona!" Giovanni's voice calls out to me. I turn, ready to run into his protective arms when this dark me grabs my chin harshly, forcing me to look at her. She holds my chin in a vise like grip, not letting go.
"This is your wake up call." She says harshly. "You need me, I'm the only thing that can help you get revenge on Gunther, Florence. On Needledrop." Her voice has turned sultry, tempting. I wanted to take her offer, but I don't even know what that is.
"Who are you?" I ask, slapping her hand away from my face and taking a step back.
"I'm you as you are me." She tells me with a velvety laugh. "If you want technical terms, I'm the darkest part of you, the part that knows how to use your powers for what you really need to do." She grabbed my wrist aggressively, this feeling of burning searing up my arm. My lips open in a silent scream as I rip my arm away. She lets out an evil cackle as she fades away, leaving me with this mark on my arm. I grasp it close to my chest as voices begin to echo around me.
Before I can figure out what they are saying or mean, something cold hits my face and I wake up.
I sputter as I sit up, wiping the cold water from my face as I gasp for air. Giovanni holds a now empty glass; Athena sits beside me one hand on my thigh to comfort me.
"I was so worried." She says softly, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders. I hug her close as well, looking at Giovanni. He scratches at his wrist, a wrist hidden from my view by his long-sleeved shirt. I lift my arm to him, showing him the large handprint that was burned into my wrist. He silently lifts his sleeve, showing me the same on his wrist. I then notice Jake is in the room, putting Keith back to sleep.
"Let's go to the kitchen." I whisper, the others nodding in agreement. Jake examines my wrist the moment I sit down, Athena going to make some tea. Giovanni sits beside me, allowing Jake to compare the two marks.
"I don't know." He finally sighs in defeat, rubbing his hands over his tired eyes. "I have no idea what these are, I have no idea why you're both having nightmares." He lists all the things that he doesn't know, allowing frustration to take over him.
"You can't know everything Jake." Athena comforts. "You're exhausted. Go get some rest without Giovanni around to keep you up. I swear, if we discover anything, we'll tell you right away." Jake agrees to Athena's terms, getting up and kissing Giovanni once before going to bed. I wave him off, not noticing as Athena places a bottle of whisky in front of me. "We both know you've been needing it." She sighs, falling gracefully into her seat.
"I'll break the streak of no drinking if I do." I remind her. She nods once.
"I won't count it if you don't." I really love her. Grasping the bottle, I take a large, long swing of the amber liquid after popping the cap off, revealing the feel of the familiar burn going down my throat. I take another swing, putting the cap back on and sliding it back to Athena. Giovanni gives me a strange look, studying me.
"I'm proud of you." Athena says with a bright smile, but still, this smile doesn't reach her eyes. The ship shakes before I can make a comment on it. Instantly, I'm on my feet racing to the hanger. After exiting my ship, I see a small ship entering the rebel base, the Needledrop symbol on the side. The ship is old, scratched, and dented in many places. I stand, arms crossed, waiting for whoever is on the ship to come out. A handful of soldiers leave the ship, instantly firing their blasters at us. Giovanni draws his sword as I lift my hand, stopping the blasts midair. They disappear as my hand tightens into a fist.
"Take me to your leader?" I ask, just to be an annoying shit. They all stare at me and each other in complete confusion, giving me the edge I need. My hands rest at my hips, palms facing the people. Blue flames now decorate my fingers, one for each soldier. I manipulate the small flames of my fingers, the ones there being only puppets for the ones that now ingulf the soldiers. They scream out in agony as blue flames lick their skin, eating away at them. A smile spreads across my face, my hands clenched into fists as all the bodies drop to the floor, blue flames fading away. Another lone figure exits the ship. Instantaneous recognition flashes through me.
With a single hand, I move my fingers, morphing the metal of his gun into a pair of extraordinarily strong, very tight, pair of handcuffs. He lets out a holler of shock, crashing to the ground as he frantically tries to escape, horror marrying his face at the sight of his friends.
"Gunther." My voice echoes without me intending for it to, rippling around the room. "How kind of you to bring yourself straight to me." He looks as if he wants to cry out for help. Good, when I'm done with him, he will be begging me to kill him, a wish I won't grant. He should have thought of how cruel I can be when he killed my family before my eyes. No mercy was shown to them, why should he receive any? I walk to him, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him onto my ship, taking him to the prison where I'm going to torture him for the sheer pleasure.
Athena
I watch as Wynnona takes Gunther away, likely to have her twisted way with him. With his death or torment, it will bring her the small amount of closure she will be able to gain at the loss of Brett and Keya. The watch on my wrist beeps softly, telling me it's time to feed Keith. I head to the kitchen, warming up a bottle of baby milk and going to Keith after checking the temperature. As I cuddle her close, feeding her, I hear the first screams of agony come from Gunther. I grab the old phone Wynnona has since discarded, only using it for music now, and play a shuffled playlist of children's songs. I can still hear his screams, crying out for help, but they blend with the music making sure that Keith cannot hear him anymore.
I put Keith to bed, changing into thin shorts and Wynnona's sweater before crawling into bed, falling asleep. However, the hands I'm used to wrapping around me from behind while I sleep never come through the night. When I wake to Keith's soft cries, I look around the room only to see no Wynnona. My days look the same mostly, taking care of Keith, cooking meals for everyone. Giovanni would come to eat with Jake and I, afterwards taking a small plate down to Wynnona. He's the only one who's seen her in the past week.
"I should put this monkey down for a nap." I whisper more to myself then to the person on the other side of this screen. Nate, Keya's brother, and a newfound friend of mine. We talk sometimes over FaceTime, on an iPad like thing that Wynnona made. She tried to explain it to me at one point, but I ended up falling asleep.
"Yes, the little monster needs sleep." Nate agrees with me. I take Keith away, placing her in her small bed. I grab the tablet, moving to the kitchen where I make some tea. A loud scream of agony echoes through the ship, rippling off the metal walls. Walls that feel as if they are caging me in. "God, what is Wynnona doing to Gunther?" Nate sounds almost remorseful. I am thankful Keith is such a heavy sleeper, or that scream would have had her waking up screaming. "Yes, the little monster needs sleep." Nate agrees with me. I smile at him as I get up, placing the sleeping girl in my arms into her crib.
"You sound as though you feel bad for him." I point out as I watch the hot water swirl with the deep colour of the tea, pulling the colouration from the spices and leaves in a small, white, squishy, plastic skull you fill with the loose tea. It is quite fantastic.
"Sympathy for Gunther? Hell fucking no." Nate lets out a short laugh. "Bastard deserves whatever Wynnona's going to him. I am, however, afraid of what this is doing to her." I stir some honey into my tea, taking the skull out of it. I sit at the table, placing the tablet against a vase of lilies on the table.
"You and I both." I tell him honestly, trusting him with the worry and pain I am feeling. "I also worry I made the wrong decision in dating Wynnona." Nate lets out a heavy sigh. I see black hands come into my view, larger hands that belong to Giovanni. Giovanni pulls me back into his chest using his forearms, resting his forehead on my shoulder as he hugs me.
"You're allowed to be wrong. You're also allowed to not want to be with her when she is like this. This darkness has always been inside her, just below the surface. But you and Keya and Brett always kept it at bay. I won't resent or hate you if you break things off with Wynnona." Giovanni tells me in a soft, sweet, tired voice. I've never heard him use it before. It is quite a shock, seeing such a large, well muscled, scary, tall man speak to you as if you are a delicate flower that would wilt if he spoke to harshly. Strange, but fitting for Giovanni. Nate nods his agreement, remembering the similar dark place she entered when they were still in school together.
"What did you get up too?" I ask, referring to his hands. He lets out a very deep sigh, shaking his head.
"Wynnona had me clean up the bodies of the other Needledrop agents. She wanted me to toss them back onto their ship before she takes Gunther out there, sending him back to the base as a warning." He shakes ever so slightly. "I'm so scared and worried this darkness is going to consume her." He whispers. I lift a hand to hold one of his forearms as a silent comfort. I don't know what to tell him to make him feel better. All I know is that my physical comfort may be the best I can do now. Nate sends his regards, saying goodbye, and wishes us the best. Keith starts to cry, signalling the end of her nap. By the time I get to her room Roe is already there, holding the little baby in his arms.
"Don't worry Keith, you'll be alright." He soothes in his slowly dropping voice because of puberty. "Mama Wynnona isn't in a good place and I think Mama Athena is going to break up with her. But it's okay, their happiness is important. Besides, it's up to us to help Mama Wynnona with her darkness, hold it at bay. I think you and I are the only ones strong enough to do so." I want to cry at his words.
"I'm so sorry Roe." I speak softly. He turns, smiling at me with sweet eyes.
"Don't be sorry Mama." He offers me the now smiling Keith. "You can't be expected to solve every problem, some responsibility falls on the others around you." He gets up onto his tip toes, kissing my cheek. I'm about to say something when I hear two very loud noises. Shouting and cries of agony along with the sound of a portal powering up. I leave with Roe right behind me, seeing Wynnona dragging a struggling, beaten, crying Gunther into the Rebel base to his old ship.
He is covered in cuts that have been burned and melted closed. One of his eyes is missing, the eyelid sewn together and melted so it will heal stuck together. His left arm has been cut off, the wound looks infected and half burned closed. The fingernails on his not missing hand are ripped off, the same done to his toes. I cover Keith's eyes by pulling her face to my chest. Giovanni comes to cover Roe's eyes. Wynnona is covered in Gunther's dried blood, her leather jacket discarded. We follow her as she tosses Gunther into the ship, her eyes normal as she snaps her fingers. The ship starts and rockets off. I'm about to walk to her and give her a piece of my mind when something else draws all our attention.
The second noise.
The portal I had the twins build in fully activated, something or someone coming through. The bright light flashes a pale blue and two people are before us. One is laying on the ground, the other kneeling beside him, head tilted down. I'd know that large head of orange curls anywhere. I hand Keith gently to Roe as the kneeling man stands while the other coughs. Star comes sprinting from the ship, yipping happily as I chase after him. Both Star and I jump into the man's arms, knocking him down onto his back. They are here, finally.
"I missed you." I tell him as tears fall down my cheeks. I can tell he's smiling as I bury my face into his chest, his hand running through the loose strands of my hair.
"I missed you too baby sister."