*This is a special chapter with a different 3rd person-limited POV, this time from Naomi. I hope you enjoy it! 😉

"Well, if you're not willing to tend to my health, the least you could do is talk to me!" Naomi yelled at the only hole in the thick metal door in front of her, the bean slot. She was squatting down, her face pressed between her hands as she huffed.

A tray with food rested on the small rectangular panel nailed to the door. The lid closed.

Oh, great. They're gone. She put a hand over her head.

"Thanks a lot for nothing," she whispered to herself with indignation.

A sigh escaped from her lips as she took two steps further into the prison cell and dropped her arse on the thin mattress of her empty bunk bed, leaving the food untouched. Damn, this stupid headache that won't go away.

She groaned as her joints ached as well. The pain had worsened ever since she had run out of meds.

In the dimly lit and oppressive high-security facility, Naomi found herself confined within a cell that felt more like a chamber of despair. The stark, featureless room was encased in concrete and steel. The only source of light was artificial, coming from a round, grated panel high above, casting eerie shadows on the cold, damp floor.

How long have I been in here? With no windows or clocks, I've got no idea.

Her frail health deteriorated. The advancing lupus assaulted her harder than ever before. Her worsening eye condition cast a heavy toll on her once-vibrant spirit as her vision grew increasingly dim, making her confinement even more unbearable.

The indifference of her callous guards mirrored that of their heartless leader, Mrs Evergreen, who had imprisoned Naomi even though she had been fiercely loyal to her in the past.

God knows what she's told them about me and the reason why I'm locked up. Lies, I'm sure. Damn, I'm so tired. Or everything. Everyone. What if I never come out of here? Only Sky knows I got arrested, but he doesn't know where I am. Only Mrs Evergreen and her lapdogs do. If only my sister knew, she would...

Her train of thought froze as her gaze became unfocused and her dry lips parted.

What would she do—if anything at all? Geez, Halle. We were never at each other's throats like this! What happened to us? What happened to your unwavering smile as we played with wooden sticks when we were little? Sticks we pretended were swords and guns thanks to our beautiful childish imagination.

I miss you. Our bond has suffered so much. Work and tragedy have put a heavy strain on our relationship. Now, it's like a rotten apple: a putrid pulp disintegrating, left to fester only for bugs to eat on.

She put her knees up, put her arms over them, and sank her face on her forearms, her bright ginger hair cascading down and over her arms and knees. When her forehead hit the skin of her arms, she noticed a slight fever.

Is this how my life is supposed to end? Locked up, alone, forgotten, and forsaken? I found out the truth and fought to defend a good cause like a good Elite soldier would, but for what? To be imprisoned until my body gives out so that I can't divulge it all to others?

Mrs Evergreen had always shown signs of being a bureaucratic poisonous spider—cautious yet strong, delicate yet lethal. When Kane infected her with MS, I guess her personality worsened, and it spurred her drive into something more feral.

Now, with the Lifebringer in her power, she's unstoppable. Her wealthy friends and connections will support her more than ever. They'll inject more money into her already powerful business venue, only to fuel discrimination in the world. The rich will become immortal and young, while the rest of the world will, as usual, strive to make a living and survive—even those who are young.

What despicable world are you willing to leave for future generations, Mrs Evergreen?

A world in which she takes world power, maybe? Where phoenixes like Haywire become infected by her chemicals and become her aggressive, enslaved pets?

Her weakened body convulsed with an overwhelming wave of nausea. Her stomach churned. A sour taste rose in the back of her throat.

As she rushed to the restroom corner of her cell and gripped the ceramic of the toilet, her face twisted in discomfort and distress, Naomi's body retched uncontrollably. The involuntary contractions of her abdominal muscles gave her no reprieve. She gagged, and with a pitiful and desperate heave, her stomach expelled all its contents.

Acidic bile and undigested food spewed from her mouth. Her nape burnt. Her breathing grew shallow and rapid as her body shuddered with the effort. Tears welled in her eyes.

She tried to put some stray locks of hair behind her ears, but the locks fell onto her hands and onto the floor. With a frantic gasp, her lips shivered and her eyes went wide open.

I'm losing my hair already? Damn. This is not good.

The lid of the bean slot opened.

"Are you done puking?" a male guard asked, startling her. "I have something for you."

She turned to face him—his gloved hand through the bean slot more likely—as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

She approached the bean slot. "What is it?" she asked in a distrustful whisper, with a dry voice.

"A... friend wanted to give you this," he simply replied and left a small plastic bottle on the food tray. His voice echoed with a digital touch. "If anybody asks, I wasn't here. I never gave you this. I don't exist, okay?"

Someone must've bribed that stupid guard, I guess. His voice sounds odd, though. It's as if he's using a digital voice modificator. Don't I know him?

She approached the bottle and picked it up. When she opened it, her usual round pink pills greeted her, and she gasped.

"My pills?" she asked, bewildered. "How's this possible? They are scarce. Expensive. Impossible to get without a prescription. Who sent this?"

"At this point in life, Miss Hardy, you should've already learnt not to ask such questions."

She chuckled. "Yeah, right. Someone once said that knowledge is power. Since I'm locked up in the Hovering Hive's max security facility because of knowledge I shouldn't have, knowledge isn't power. It's a life sentence. A punishment."

"I hate to agree with you on this one." He sighed lightly. "However, knowledge is both power and a life sentence. Balance them correctly, and you'll have a good hand in the game of life. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way."

She downed a pill before she replied, "You sound so formal, cultured, and... regal to some degree—so unlike the other guards. Do I know you?"

I wish I could see him, but this bloody door won't open for me. And the beat slot is too small for me to get a good look at anybody who's come here so far.

A split second of hesitation later, he answered, "Excuse me. I have to leave."

"Don't go... please! I don't want to be left alo-" She cleared her throat. "I mean, we're having a conversation here. No harm. I'm sure you've got all the time in the world since you're a guard here. I know you guys don't have a hectic routine."

"While that might be true, my reasons for my departure are mine alone. I came to give you the pills you need. They'll last for a week. So now, if you'll excuse me, my ge-" He forcefully interrupted his sentence.

Wait a second! Was he about to say 'my gem'?! He used to call me that.

"Kane? Is that you?"

The lid closed, and he hurried down the corridor.

"Kane!" she yelled, banging the metal door with both hands. "Kane! I know it's you! Come back!"

"Don't shout my name!" he said when he came back and opened the lid once more. The digital voice modificator had been turned off. "They'll hear you."

She grabbed the food tray and left it on the floor.

"Will you just give me my pills and go?!" she said, lowering her voice as she squatted down to see him through the bean slot. "Get me out of here."

"I can't. Not right now. I need-" He met her eyes through the slot.

"Of course! It's always about your needs," she complained.

A stray lock of grey short hair fell over his forehead when he took off his full-face helmet, revealing his face.

"Naomi, don't start now, please. I already admitted being a..." He paused to think about the right word choice as he squatted down to be at her eye level. "A douchebag once. But I'm serious now. I need more time."

Kovak wore a standard black guard uniform, skin-tight and lean, with thick gloves and metal chest protections. The only feature that stood out of the ordinary in his disguise was his state-of-the-art smartwatch, which he checked. He frowned at something, the device beeped, and he turned it off. The nervous glimpse he took at the other end of the corridor behind him didn't go unnoticed.

What the hell is going on here? Is something wrong?

"More time, you say?! More time than the years you've spent God knows where, hiding from Evergreen... and from me?" Locks of her ginger hair moved as she spoke with vehemence.

"Unfortunately, yes. A megalomaniac cannot be taken down in a few minutes." He lowered his voice in worry. "The same applies to your current state of affairs."

"You don't understand, Kane," she whispered as she leaned her face against the metal panel in front of the bean slot. Her breathing was faster and rather desperate. "I need to get out of here now. Sky needs me. His phoenix friend needs me. He got poiso-"

"Poisoned with Evergreen's Lifebringer, I know." He lowered his gaze as if he didn't dare to meet her eyes then. "That has become an impending issue, since your nephew is fighting against the brainwashed beast barehanded as we speak."

"What?!" Her eyes almost went out of their sockets.

"I won't sugarcoat things, Naomi," he explained fast while taking another glimpse over his shoulder. "It's worse than you might imagine. The kid's infected with the same drug—and so far, it doesn't extend life or youth."

"What happened to him?! Is he ill?!" She grabbed the panel hard as if she wanted to tear it out.

"No, he's... changed a bit, but you needn't worry—for the time being." His tone went down an octave when he said that last bit. "We can deal with that... later."

"You're killing me!" she whisper-shouted, her lips trembling. "Stop being so fucking cryptic! Tell me the truth. I'm not your enemy! I want to get out of here and help, goddammit!" She slammed her hand against the metal door and then, she balled it into a trembling fist.

Kane sighed with discomfort. When his eyes dared to meet hers again, they were shining with hope.

"I swear I'm working on it, but for now... you'll have to take your meds, get some rest, and boost your morale—for the hard times that are coming." His comforting voice left her speechless for some seconds.

"What are you talking about?" she asked almost breathlessly.

"It's been years since you were in active service. But I believe you could still be up for the job," he replied seriously.

"You need me to fight?" She frowned. "I'm not gonna kill Evergreen for you, if that's what you want. I want to bring her to justice."

"A noble outcome to a bloody war." He pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment, and then he smiled. "Always the utopian dreamer, my gem. But no, I don't want you to murder her. I need your skills as a badass fighter—but you can't do it right now. Not in your current health state. Go take your pills and rest. Because someone needs to defend the people of this city—someone who's not as dumb as your sister to follow Mrs Evergreen's commands blindly. And while you recover... pray for the kid not to die trying to save the world."

"Kane, for the love of... whatever god you believe in, please..." She briefly closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

"Yes, I'll take care of the kid," he rushed to reply. "For you."

"Thank you." She took a deep breath. "I'm... I'm sorry I yelled at you the last time we met."

"Don't be. You were right—in everything." He nodded. "Social interactions are not my forte. They never were, but you know that. My rudeness. My brutal honesty. My lack of filter. My boundless ambitions. You've always spotted my mistakes before I could. I want you to know that I didn't do it on purpose. I never meant to hurt you, even though I meant it when I said that sacrifices needed to be made."

She shook her head, tears on the brink of being spilt. "How can you be so ruthless?"

"Because I'm devoted to fulfilling my goals." His gaze became stern.

"Even if they end up killing me?" Her voice broke. "You said you loved me." A tear cascaded down her cheek.

He looked down at his hands and knees and briefly closed his eyes.

"I've been thinking hard about what you said—about what I said, too," he whispered. "I... take it back. All of it except for... my feelings." He faked a cough, but it was awkward. "And I... I was wrong to send the blue ranger right when you were there. I should've called the attack off until you were out of the building."

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. His remorseful voice and attitude seem genuine, but Kane is Kane. He lacks empathy—for most people. I know he's capable of caring, but it's so damn hard to get him to make an effort!

"I... I still hate you," she replied in a tired and heart-broken whisper.

I've just called him out for lying and told him off for hiding things from me, and now I'm the one who's lying. Great job, Naomi.

"You should." He scoffed. "I've never been boyfriend material—not even when he dated."

"Those weren't dates." She frowned. "You dumped me when you got a call from the lab, remember? You rushed back to work. Or you spaced out during a film or when I was talking. If anything, it was shitty dating."

"Agreed." He sighed breathlessly. Then, he pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. "Anyway, we were doomed, my gem. Your sister always disapproved of me. She was right not to trust me."

"Because the day you two met, you blatantly told her she was lousy on her face!" she reproached him. "She missed all her targets during the testing of your new flamethrowers. She was only a rookie! Instead of admitting the gadgets might have a flaw and checking it, you insulted her."

"You didn't miss. My gadgets had no flaws."

"See? There you go again." She scoffed. "I noticed the ignition head was somewhat bent to the right."

He chuckled as he stared to one side and briefly bit his tongue.

"Sociopaths are ruthless," he said eventually, looking back at her with a sly smile, which went sour and faded. "There's no cure for antisocial personality disorder."

She nodded as her gaze shied away. "I know."

"But you were my lighthouse," he said with assertiveness and bright eyes. "I never sailed out of course when you were around to guide me."

She looked up back at his eyes. When their gazes locked, the magic of the moment took her breath away. Staring at each other's eyes, time froze while all the unspoken, caring words in their hearts didn't need to be voiced.

He put his right palm flat on the cold metal door, a thumb shyly leaning into the beam slot.

She put her hand mirroring his. Her thumb met his halfway. They absentmindedly brushed their thumbs for a long moment.

His voice, rusty and mildly ashamed, broke when he said, "Naomi, I-"

"Stop right there!" a female angry voice said far behind him, down the corridor. "Hands up where I can see them!"

I know this voice too! "Halle?! Is that you?" Naomi asked as she spied over Kovak's shoulder, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Nice timing," Kovak replied coldly, standing up and putting his hands up in the air in surrender. He slowly turned around to face her as he added with disdain, "Alistair Falcon's widow. The most incompetent Head of the Elite I've met. Mrs Evergreen's naïve lapdog. Which pet name do you like best? I bet it's gonna be the one which hurts you the most."

"Kovak?!" Halle yelled with wide eyes, lowering her shotgun a little. "Naomi?! What the hell is going on here?!"

Hello, my sugar cubes!

This chapter was hard to write. Kane's condition makes it difficult. I hope he can start his redemption arc here—and warm your cold hearts at least a little, my dear readers.

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar