Amanda, Angelo - Tuesday morning
Nov. 23rd, 2004 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsHaving got the green light from Madelyn in this email, Angelo bolts down to medlab to speak to Amanda.
The first thing Angelo did on waking up was to check his e-mail, in case there was a message waiting from Madelyn. Seeing that there was, he dashed off a quick reply and hastily dressed, before all but running down to the medlab to see Amanda. He didn't stop until he was standing in the doorway to her room, seeing for himself that she was awake.
Awake she was, mainly because everything had started hurting at once and she couldn't sleep any more. "Hey... big brother," she croaked at him when she saw him appear suddenly in the open doorway - she'd insisted on it being left open in case Manuel needed her, although just what she was supposed to do if he did was up for debate. She tried to smile, but it was too painful through swollen and split lips. Turning her head a little away, trying to hide the worst of the bruising, she carefully wet her lips and spoke again. "You gunna... hang about... out there all day?"
He hid a wince at the sight of her - it seemed even worse in the bright light of the medlab than it had in the dim hall when she and Manuel had 'ported in - and moved quickly to the side of the bed, reaching carefully for her hand. "Hey, little sis. Had me worried."
"Sorry," she said, trying to squeeze his hand but not managing it very well. Her hand felt like someone had stomped on it, hard. "Keep... windin' up here. Worse... 'n Nate."
He didn't squeeze her hand, not wanting to cause her more pain on top of her injuries, as he tried to think of something good to say through the residual fuzz of the sleeping pills. "Yeah... we'll have a plastic bubble for you next..."
She chuckled at that, and winced as the movement strained tender ribs. The doctors had said something about them not being broken, but they still hurt. "Don't... remember much... But wanted t' tell you... It wasn't Manuel... Not his fault." It was important she get this across, remembering what she'd heard him say in the hallway - the details were getting fuzzy now, being back in her own body, but she remembered that. "Like Columbia... Only this time... it was me drivin'... him. His body..."
Angelo paused, taking that in, and then, mindful of Madelyn's words about not pressing, asked carefully, "'manda... what happened last night?"
"There was a party... big Hellfire do. Manuel wanted t' go... for his birthday." Amanda cleared her throat, wincing at the strain, and looked over at the water jug on the bedside table. "Can you?" she asked, careful not to nod at it. As Angelo poured her some water, she went on. "Turns out... he was gunna give it up... The Hellfire thing... For me. Well, for both of us..." Her voice caught, the prickling of tears too painful on the blackened eye, and she stopped, trying to rein herself in.
He put the glass of water in her hand, with a quick gentle squeeze of her fingers as he passed it across. "He was. An' I'm guessin' his father wasn't too happy about that...?"
"I dunno. We got there, an' he got called away..." Amanda raised her head stiffly, took a sip from the glass. Much better. Another one, and she spoke again, her voice stronger. "Business he said, but I think he was gunna tell 'em then. I went upstairs, t' get out of the way..." She frowned a little. "Alphonso came, talked t' me... then it call gets fuzzy. Next thing I remember is hearin' Manuel screamin' down the link."
Angelo winced, knowing what that must have done to her, and asked gently, "What's the last thing you remember of talkin' to Alphonso?"
"He was bein' a git, the usual shite 'bout there bein' more t' me than he thought I was tellin', that there were an awful lot of people who cared' 'bout someone as worthless as me..." The frowned deepened. "I was feelin' weird, all hot an' dizzy - the docs say I was doped up. 'S why I can't remember anythin'." She stirred a little fretfully, a small moan escaping her. "I don't know what happened, what they did... I woke up an' Manny's was screamin' an' that bitch was in his head, takin' it all away..."
Seeing her distress, he gave up on the questions - she'd already have told everything she knew to the people who ought to know about it, and if she wanted to tell him, it could wait until she was in better shape. "Sssh, sssh. You're both back here now, safe."
"They took his mind, Ange, his powers, his memories... I managed t' save some of it, but they took so much..." There wasn't a comfortable position to get into, but she tried any way.
If she hadn't been so battered, Angelo would have returned the favour she'd done him the night Jono blew up, and held her to offer comfort - but he was afraid of hurting her, so he stayed where he was. "...Do the doctors know if he'll get back what's gone?"
"'S too soon... The link, it feels strange, wrong..." Ignoring the pain, she reached for his hand, needing the contact. "Everythin' feels wrong, the power I took, 's not right."
He held her hand as tightly as he dared, watching her face carefully for any sign of increased pain. "You did what you had to do. You'd neither of you have made it out of there if you hadn't."
"Rack's spell, it was his drainin' spell I used..." Everything hurt, but it was nothing compared to the raw, abused feel of her mind, the feeling of being somehow soiled. "If she hadn't knocked us away I would've taken it all, an' I wanted to..." She clung to her hand weakly, afraid to let him go in case he left her alone with the shadows that seemed to writhe and reach for her out of the corner of her blurred vision.
He wasn't going anywhere until he was told to. He'd promised, after all. "You did what you had to do", he repeated. "You took the power you needed, an' you got out. Even if you did only stop because she knocked you away."
"I don't want... 'M not a monster?" she asked him, voice childlike and plaintive, her small reserves of strength running out and her eyes growing heavy despite the pain. "Not... him, I don't want t' be..."
"You're not a monster", he reassured her without hesitation. "An' you're not him. Her, now, she's a monster, an' Alphonso too. You were just doin' what it took to get yourself an' Manuel away from them."
"I left him behind..." she murmured sadly, eyes drifting closed but still holding onto his hand, albeit weakly. "He's gone..." Another small whimper of pain escaped her even as she dropped back into troubled sleep.
"You did the best you could", Angelo told her softly, though she wouldn't hear him. He didn't move, since she was still clinging to his hand even in sleep, just stayed sitting where he was until she was ready to let go.
The first thing Angelo did on waking up was to check his e-mail, in case there was a message waiting from Madelyn. Seeing that there was, he dashed off a quick reply and hastily dressed, before all but running down to the medlab to see Amanda. He didn't stop until he was standing in the doorway to her room, seeing for himself that she was awake.
Awake she was, mainly because everything had started hurting at once and she couldn't sleep any more. "Hey... big brother," she croaked at him when she saw him appear suddenly in the open doorway - she'd insisted on it being left open in case Manuel needed her, although just what she was supposed to do if he did was up for debate. She tried to smile, but it was too painful through swollen and split lips. Turning her head a little away, trying to hide the worst of the bruising, she carefully wet her lips and spoke again. "You gunna... hang about... out there all day?"
He hid a wince at the sight of her - it seemed even worse in the bright light of the medlab than it had in the dim hall when she and Manuel had 'ported in - and moved quickly to the side of the bed, reaching carefully for her hand. "Hey, little sis. Had me worried."
"Sorry," she said, trying to squeeze his hand but not managing it very well. Her hand felt like someone had stomped on it, hard. "Keep... windin' up here. Worse... 'n Nate."
He didn't squeeze her hand, not wanting to cause her more pain on top of her injuries, as he tried to think of something good to say through the residual fuzz of the sleeping pills. "Yeah... we'll have a plastic bubble for you next..."
She chuckled at that, and winced as the movement strained tender ribs. The doctors had said something about them not being broken, but they still hurt. "Don't... remember much... But wanted t' tell you... It wasn't Manuel... Not his fault." It was important she get this across, remembering what she'd heard him say in the hallway - the details were getting fuzzy now, being back in her own body, but she remembered that. "Like Columbia... Only this time... it was me drivin'... him. His body..."
Angelo paused, taking that in, and then, mindful of Madelyn's words about not pressing, asked carefully, "'manda... what happened last night?"
"There was a party... big Hellfire do. Manuel wanted t' go... for his birthday." Amanda cleared her throat, wincing at the strain, and looked over at the water jug on the bedside table. "Can you?" she asked, careful not to nod at it. As Angelo poured her some water, she went on. "Turns out... he was gunna give it up... The Hellfire thing... For me. Well, for both of us..." Her voice caught, the prickling of tears too painful on the blackened eye, and she stopped, trying to rein herself in.
He put the glass of water in her hand, with a quick gentle squeeze of her fingers as he passed it across. "He was. An' I'm guessin' his father wasn't too happy about that...?"
"I dunno. We got there, an' he got called away..." Amanda raised her head stiffly, took a sip from the glass. Much better. Another one, and she spoke again, her voice stronger. "Business he said, but I think he was gunna tell 'em then. I went upstairs, t' get out of the way..." She frowned a little. "Alphonso came, talked t' me... then it call gets fuzzy. Next thing I remember is hearin' Manuel screamin' down the link."
Angelo winced, knowing what that must have done to her, and asked gently, "What's the last thing you remember of talkin' to Alphonso?"
"He was bein' a git, the usual shite 'bout there bein' more t' me than he thought I was tellin', that there were an awful lot of people who cared' 'bout someone as worthless as me..." The frowned deepened. "I was feelin' weird, all hot an' dizzy - the docs say I was doped up. 'S why I can't remember anythin'." She stirred a little fretfully, a small moan escaping her. "I don't know what happened, what they did... I woke up an' Manny's was screamin' an' that bitch was in his head, takin' it all away..."
Seeing her distress, he gave up on the questions - she'd already have told everything she knew to the people who ought to know about it, and if she wanted to tell him, it could wait until she was in better shape. "Sssh, sssh. You're both back here now, safe."
"They took his mind, Ange, his powers, his memories... I managed t' save some of it, but they took so much..." There wasn't a comfortable position to get into, but she tried any way.
If she hadn't been so battered, Angelo would have returned the favour she'd done him the night Jono blew up, and held her to offer comfort - but he was afraid of hurting her, so he stayed where he was. "...Do the doctors know if he'll get back what's gone?"
"'S too soon... The link, it feels strange, wrong..." Ignoring the pain, she reached for his hand, needing the contact. "Everythin' feels wrong, the power I took, 's not right."
He held her hand as tightly as he dared, watching her face carefully for any sign of increased pain. "You did what you had to do. You'd neither of you have made it out of there if you hadn't."
"Rack's spell, it was his drainin' spell I used..." Everything hurt, but it was nothing compared to the raw, abused feel of her mind, the feeling of being somehow soiled. "If she hadn't knocked us away I would've taken it all, an' I wanted to..." She clung to her hand weakly, afraid to let him go in case he left her alone with the shadows that seemed to writhe and reach for her out of the corner of her blurred vision.
He wasn't going anywhere until he was told to. He'd promised, after all. "You did what you had to do", he repeated. "You took the power you needed, an' you got out. Even if you did only stop because she knocked you away."
"I don't want... 'M not a monster?" she asked him, voice childlike and plaintive, her small reserves of strength running out and her eyes growing heavy despite the pain. "Not... him, I don't want t' be..."
"You're not a monster", he reassured her without hesitation. "An' you're not him. Her, now, she's a monster, an' Alphonso too. You were just doin' what it took to get yourself an' Manuel away from them."
"I left him behind..." she murmured sadly, eyes drifting closed but still holding onto his hand, albeit weakly. "He's gone..." Another small whimper of pain escaped her even as she dropped back into troubled sleep.
"You did the best you could", Angelo told her softly, though she wouldn't hear him. He didn't move, since she was still clinging to his hand even in sleep, just stayed sitting where he was until she was ready to let go.
