As she force marched Trell across the corridor that connected the mercenary ship with Pryvani’s own, Rixie made sure to hold the other woman’s wrists especially tight.
Painfully tight even.
Her wrists had been bound together securely of course; Rixie wasn’t an idiot after all… She just felt the need to personally handle the situation on top of that.
She had secured the enemy ship and given orders for the three security ships to “escort” the vessel to the nearest military outpost where the pilots would face justice for their crimes. Trell, however, was coming with them.
Brinn was carrying the two humans in the palm of her hand. Though she tried to hide it well, Sophia could tell that she had been on the verge of an emotional breakdown ever since learning that Nick was trapped in her sister’s stomach.
Fortunately, Rixie was going to rectify that situation at that very moment. One way or the other.
Rixie grabbed a bag of supplies she’d packed for the mission, told Brinn to find two small containers, and fill one with water. The next thing she did was locate a private and secure room on Pryvani’s ship that she could commandeer for her own purposes. Opening the door, she roughly shoved Trell inside hard enough that the blonde woman stumbled and fell to the floor in a heap.
Brinn made to follow Rixie inside but was stopped by a hand on her sternum.
“I don’t think so.” Rixie shook her head. “This isn’t going to be especially pretty, I don’t want you or the humans seeing what I’m about to do.” She glanced down at Alex and her gaze softened for just a second before her eyes became as hard as stone once more. She grabbed the two buckets out of Brinn’s hands and then gently pushed her out of the room.
“Wait! What are you going to-“
The door hissed shut and locked
From where she lay on the floor, Trell choked out a bitter laugh. “Come now, Rixie Tam,” She wheezed. “You don’t think you can make me talk, do you? You can’t do anything to me that would frighten me more than the woman I work for. You at least feel obligated to abide by the law.”
Rixie smiled thinly, and then hauled the smaller Titaness to her feet before pushing her roughly into a chair. The former soldier loomed over Trell, her features becoming shadowed by the light at her back. She leaned in until her face was mere inches from her adversary’s.
She smirked. “Trell, I don’t need you to tell me who you’re working for, or where she is. We already know that.” Her voice fell to a low growl. “All I need you to do is give me back the humans you swallowed.”
Trell laughed in Rixie’s face. “Not a chance. Those little rodents belong to me now. I haven’t felt them struggling for a while. You’re too late. They’re dead. They’re mine.”
Rixie remained silent for a moment, before swiftly back-handing Trell across the face. The sound of her hand striking Trell’s cheek rang through the room.
“Let’s find out for sure, shall we?”
She turned away from Trell and carried the bag of supplies she’d grabbed over to a narrow metal table in the center of the room. Casually, she threw the bag onto the table and then unzipped the top and began rummaging around inside.
After a few seconds, she drew a short narrow bottle from the bag and set it on the table so Trell could see it.
“This” She pointed at the bottle. “Is a mildly toxic concoction the military uses to induce vomiting in case of accidental ingestion of poison.”
She dug around in the bag again. “And this” she drew out a wicked looking knife with a blade as long as her hand and as wide as three of her fingers. The hilt was wrapped in black leather and the blade was half-serrated. “Is a standard issue all-purpose military survival knife.” She flipped the knife blade down and plunged it into the metal table so it was standing on its tip.
“One of these two items will be going inside you in order to get the humans out. The choice is yours which one it will be.”
Trell stared at the items Rixie had placed on the table for a moment, before she burst into mocking laughter.
“Rixie, just stop.” She chuckled. “We both know you don’t have the spine to actually kill me.”
Rixie smiled thinly. She casually walked back to the table and picked up the knife and the bottle, and then strolled over to where Trell was standing.
“You’re right Trell. I’m not planning on killing you. Not so much because the thought makes me squeamish, because it doesn’t, but because (for whatever reason) your sister still seems to care what happens to you. There is one thing you should realize, however…” Without warning, and faster than Trell could see, Rixie plunged the knife into Trell’s left thigh, up to the hilt. A bolt of agonizing pain spread through her entire body and she felt the warmth of her own blood cascading down her leg to splash on the floor at her feet.
Trell screamed in pain.
Rixie took the bottle and popped the cap off with her thumb. She brought the opening to Trell’s lips, and shoved the bottle into her mouth until she gagged on it, pouring the contents straight down her throat. Rixie held Trell’s mouth and plugged her nose, so that she was forced to swallow the liquid or suffocate.
“Just because I don’t want to kill you, doesn’t mean I’m going to be all soft and cuddly with you either.” There was another wave of pain as Rixie jerked the blade free and wiped it clean on Trell’s shirt. “In about a minute, that stuff will kick in.”
Rixie ripped Trell’s sleeves off and used them to bind the wound.
“You’ll be happy to know that I missed the artery in your leg as well as most of the major nerve endings. You will, eventually, regain almost full use of your leg. You might walk with a limp though. I suppose that depends on how soon you get a doctor to look at it.”
After Rixie finished binding her wound, she shoved Trell onto the floor. “I want you to comprehend one thing. Your wound is basically superficial only because that’s the way I intended it. You understand?” Trell didn’t respond. She couldn’t. The younger woman was too busy clutching her stomach (as well as she could with bound wrists anyway,) and making pitiful, animalistic moaning sounds as her insides rebelled against her.
Rixie retrieved a plastic container from the corner of the room and kicked it over to where Trell was sitting on the floor. The predatory woman was beginning to look a little green, as she clutched her stomach and groaned in agony.
It wasn’t long before Trell leaned over the bucket and emptied the contents of her stomach into it.
After Trell was done vomiting, Rixie roughly pushed her to the side and examined the inside of the bucket. She was relieved when she saw a small ripple of movement.
Heedless of sanitation, she quickly fished the little figure out and gently lowered him into the bucket full of water, drawing him back out after a second where she heard the now cleaned little creature draw a shaky breath.
“Nick?” She asked, peering at the human.
“Yeah. It’s me.” Nick coughed. “Mostly.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
Nick laughed mirthlessly. “I guess that depends on your definition of ‘okay.’” He took a long shuddering breath. “It’s nice to breathe fresh air again, though.”
“…Is the high priest still in there?”
Nick shook his head. “He… didn’t make it. His body gave out, and Trell’s digestive tract pulled him in deeper before I could stop it. I tried to save his body, but…”
Rixie nodded. “He was already dead. You couldn’t save him.” She carefully wrapped her fingers around him and carried him towards the door. “Come on, there’s some people who will be very happy to see you alive.”
As Rixie carried him out of the room, Nick glanced over at where Trell was laying on the floor, curled up in a fetal position and clutching her stomach. He couldn’t keep the savage smile off his face when he saw that she was half laying in a puddle of her own blood.
“I heard it, you know.” He said, looking up at Rixie. “I heard her scream when you stabbed her.”
Rixie cleared her throat, uncomfortably. “I…“
“It was the greatest thing I’d ever heard.”
Rixie locked Trell in the room, and then carried Nick into the lounge room where everybody else was waiting for them. As she entered, Rixie saw Brinn standing anxiously in the corner, nervously stroking Sophia. She smiled at the younger woman and held Nick out to her.
Tears filled Brinn’s eyes as she raised her hand up for Nick to step into. She brought him to her face and rubbed him against her cheek affectionately; she went to kiss him but hesitated and pulled back.
Nick smiled softly. “It’s okay Brinn.” He reached out and stroked her lips with his hand. “I don’t mind.”
With a chuckle Brinn pressed her lips gently against his face. By the way his body trembled against her mouth, she could tell he’d been lying about being “okay.” After pulling away, she lowered him down to the table where Sophia was waiting to pounce on him, knocking him to the floor in what might possibly have been the universe’s biggest bear hug.
There was a moment of silence before Pryvani softly cleared her throat.
“Tulak didn’t make it, did he?” she whispered, her eyes cast downward.
Nick pulled away from Sophia and turned to face the Titaness. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly for a moment, before speaking.
“No.” He sighed. “His body couldn’t take the stress of fighting Trell, so it gave up.” Nick shuffled his feet. “There’s something you should know. Before he died I… I told him the truth; about you, about his people, everything.”
Pryvani bit her lip. She was silent for a moment before nodding. “I understand.”
“No, but here’s the thing: He already knew.”
Pryvani blinked, confusion written on her face. “What?”
“Yeah.” Nick shrugged. “Apparently he’s old enough to remember when ‘that other woman’ acted as their goddess.”
“My mother. Of course…”
“He was able to recognize the differences between the way she treated them, and the way you do. It wasn’t too much of a leap to then realize you were two different people.”
Nick’s eyes hardened and he stepped to the edge of the table. “And yet, despite knowing the truth behind his civilization, and his ‘goddess,’ he still prayed that you would get him out of there. That you would deliver him from an agonizing death in the stomach of a ‘demon.’ He died because you were the one to tell him to guard that stupid disk with his life, Pryvani.”
“Nick!” Brinn chided, reaching a hand to take hold of the little human, before Pryvani stopped her.
“No. Don’t, Brinn.” She spoke softly. “He’s right. Tulak’s death is completely my fault. I was arrogant and far too many others have paid for my mistakes.” She absentmindedly brushed a hand across her face. “I only wish I knew a way to make things right.” The Titaness’ throat worked as if she were trying to swallow a large lump. Eventually she was able to take a breath and clear her throat.
“If you’ll all excuse me, I have some… personal matters to take care of.” As the young woman rushed out of the room, Sophia happened to catch a glimpse of her face. For a moment, for just one very brief moment, she saw the mask of cool detachment slip. For a split second, Pryvani’s protective façade evaporated and revealed the emotional turmoil that roiled beneath.
And then it was back, just as the heiress made her exit…
Sophia felt her heart break a little when she realized the depth of the pain Pryvani must be hiding. She glanced around the room at the titans that still remained. They were each focused on their respective human men, so she surmised that she wouldn’t be missed for a few minutes. Quietly, she rose to her feet and, as carefully as she could on her still injured leg, climbed her way down from the table to the floor.
She got to the door and found it to be a formidable roadblock. Unfortunately, she was too small to activate the door’s sensors by herself. (Of course, if she had been big enough, the Titanesses would have noticed the door opening and put a stop to her exit.)
“Well damn.” She muttered, feeling just a little bit frustrated.
Rixie cleared her throat and stood to break the awkward silence that had descended since Pryvani had left the room. “Speaking of, uh, personal matters… I believe Alex and I need to have a little chat, in private.” She bent down and scooped her little man into the palm of her hand, gently clenching her fingers around him to cover his protests. “We’ll be in the cockpit if you need us.”
Sophia watched as the gargantuan woman’s boots thundered closer to where she was crouched by the door. Rixie was easily the largest Titan, male or female, that she had ever seen.
It was more than a little intimidating watching those boots that were each the height of a small building rise up into the air and swing towards her, only to crash back onto the floor with a dull thud that sent tremors through Sophia’s tiny body . She couldn’t help but gasp in primal fear as one of the massive black monstrosities crashed down near her. The displaced air from under Rixie’s boot washed over her, bringing with it the unmistakable smell of leather.
She gazed up Rixie’s incredibly long legs, past her mountainous bust, and up to the face that had no idea she was even there. The Titaness commanded all of Sophia’s attention while she herself was completely beneath notice. It was, even after years of living with Titans, an extremely humbling experience.
Sophia managed to control her fearful reaction long enough for Rixie to trigger the sensors that the human couldn’t. She watched as the massive wall in front of her split open, allowing the smaller woman access to the corridor outside.
She darted through the door before Rixie or Brinn could notice she was missing. She looked to her right and spotted Pryvani’s not insignificant form sauntering down the hall.
Sophia sighed in relief and dashed after the retreating giantess.
“Pryvani! Hold on a minute!”
As for Rixie, she had no idea that there had been a human woman on the floor at her feet a second before, nor that Rixie herself had just aided that woman in escaping the room they’d all been in. Rixie’s mind was focused more on the warm body clenched carefully but securely in her fist. She and Alex needed to have a calm reasoned discussion about recent events. A discussion better held in private.
Where there would be no witnesses.
A second before she stepped over the threshold into the corridor, Rixie heard Brinn’s quiet voice.
“Is my sister still alive?” She asked.
Rixie didn’t turn around. “Yes.”
Brinn let go of a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “That’s all I need to know.”
Rixie nodded, and then stepped out of the door, which hissed shut behind her.
The Titaness turned left down the corridor and headed towards the cockpit. She loosened her grip just enough for Alex to work his head free of her fist. She smirked to herself as she heard the human take a deep breath of fresh air.
After a few more such breaths, Alex cleared his throat anxiously.
“Rixie I…” He began, but the giant woman cut him off mid-sentence.
“Not just yet, Alex. Wait until we get to the cockpit.” She kept her voice flat and emotionless. She wanted Alex to be off balance, unsure of what was going on in her mind.
Eventually, they made it to the cockpit. Rixie slumped into one of the pilots’ chairs and set Alex down on the console in front of her. She loomed over him, a slight frown on her face.
Alex tried his best ‘winning smile’ on her; all it got him was a sardonically raised eyebrow.
“Was there something you wanted to talk about, Rixie?” Alex mumbled softly, withering slightly under the titan’s gaze. This wasn’t fair; it felt like Rixie was cheating.
“What exactly did you think you were doing?!” Each word was fired from her lips like a bullet.
Alex had to tread carefully. He could practically see the molten hot anger in Rixie’s pale green eyes. He knew what Rixie was really feeling was worry, but she was a soldier. She didn’t do “worried,” so her mind turned it into an emotion she did understand.
There was something else there, however. A niggling little emotional impurity mixed into Rixie’s anger. A tiny little chink in the armor of her fury that he could exploit to gain the upper hand.
Pride. She was actually proud of him. She might not ever admit it, not out loud anyway, but it was there.
He could work with that.
“I saw Trell sneaking off somewhere, and I thought it would be helpful if I could find out where she was going.” Even as he said the words, Alex knew they were stupid. Of course, he’d known that it had been a stupid idea even as he’d enacted it.
Rixie crossed her arms over her chest. “Leaving aside the fact that somehow you were in a position to see Trell ‘sneaking around’ …which is itself a minor miracle since I doubt she was snooping through my apartment…” Alex involuntarily cringed. “That was still incredibly stupid of you.” Rixie finished, unknowingly agreeing with Alex’s thoughts.
“In my defense…” Alex began slowly, choosing each word carefully. “I didn’t, at the time, know she was a man-eating psychopath. I thought she was just a corporate spy!”
Rixie snorted derisively, her mouth twisted into a condescending little smirk as she gazed down at the human. “Oh right. And you thought that if she found you she’d, what? Just bring you back to me safely, no harm done?”
“I didn’t… I didn’t really think…” Alex mumbled, eyes cast downward.
“That’s right!” Rixie snapped. “You didn’t think. You just rushed in without any kind of a plan, with no one knowing what you were doing, and no way of getting you out of trouble if you’d gotten into any- which you did! It’s a miracle you weren’t killed!”
“Hey! That’s not fair, Rixie!” Alex responded hotly, hoping to throw her off balance for once. “I’m the big damn hero here! I’m the one who got Sophia loose, and we’re the ones who knocked Trell unconscious and convinced those two dopey pilots to pull over. If it wasn’t for that, Trell would have gotten away Scott free and the keys to the Titan Kingdom would be on sale right now to the highest bidder.”
Rixie blinked. Her mouth worked soundlessly as she tried to come up with a rebuttal, but there really wasn’t one. Mostly, because he was right. “Yeah but…”
“What’s really the matter here? Do you just hate the fact that ‘mere humans’ saved the day when you couldn’t?”
“That’s not it!” Rixie shot back. Alex had known that wasn’t her problem, he just wanted to keep her on the defensive.
“Then what, Rix? What’s the big issue?”
Rixie’s eyes widened and she growled, fisting her fingers in her braids as she desperately tried to maintain control of herself. “I… I, uh…”
“What, Rixie?” Alex pressed, mentally urging her to let it go.
“I… I…” She snarled in frustration and smacked her fist against her thigh. “I WAS WORRIED DAMN IT!” The words exploded out of her mouth before she could stop them. They seemed to echo off the walls for a moment in the silence that followed.
Bingo. “You didn’t even know I was there. How could you possibly have been worried?” Alex chuckled, drily.
“I don’t know! I just was, or am, or whatever…” Rixie sighed exasperatedly. “It’s… retroactive worry, I guess? Or, something. I don’t know… Okay?!” She began to pace the floor, or at least as best she could in the tiny cockpit. She swiped her fingers through her many braids.
Finally, as if she were deflating, she collapsed into the pilot’s chair.
“It’s just… just…” She choked out a strangled sob and buried her face in her arms on the console near where Alex was standing.
Alex gaped at her for several seconds, mouth hanging open. Of all the possible reactions, this was one he hadn’t expected at all. He had expected her to yell and growl or hurl insincere insults at him and get frustrated with his blasé attitude… but this?
Awkwardly, he shuffled over to where her head was laid on the console and patted her hair, the only part of her he could safely reach. “Rixie,…? Hey come on, it’s okay. I’m not hurt. I’m safe, remember?”
She raised her face to him and Alex was absolutely shocked to see tears, real genuine tears, sparkling in her eyes.
“I know that Alex.” She sniffed. “But… what if something had happened to you? What if you’d gotten hurt or that crazy slag had swallowed you? I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if… if something like that happened to you.”
Alex smiled softly and reached up to wipe away one of the tears that was sliding down her cheek, it left his arm soaked almost to the elbow. “Well, I’d hate for that to happen too. Just look at what just the mere thought of me in danger has turned you into! You’re a mess!”
“Shut up, you jerk.” Rixie laughed weakly as she sat back up. “It’s not my fault I actually care about you, although who knows why, given how you treat me.”
She wiped the moisture from her face. “I mean look what you’ve done to me. I’m sitting here, blubbering like an idiot.”
Alex chuckled. “Well what do you know, looks like the Tin Man has a heart after all.” He shook his head. “And to think, you used to be such a badass.”
Rixie laughed and cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really?” She swiped Alex into her fist and lifted him up until he was directly in front of her face. “Try another stupid stunt like that again and I’ll show you just how much of a ‘badass’ I can be.” She rubbed her lips against his face affectionately.
“I’ll sit on you.”