Shelby Quinn

Al Aqsan, Strysakstan
...Four years ago...

Glinting steel peels a visceral ribbon of flayed flesh from mutilated muscle, when the razor sharp blade of a rebel freedom fighter slices across my abdomen.. Rivers of blood, pain, fire and acid burn in a torturous trickle over the surface of my skin and the wounds weep where he cuts me open..

Forsaken on folded knees, a hollow gargle of anguish dribbles from the corner of my gaping mouth as my head lolls forward and exhaustion defeats me to the desire of death..

Why won't they just kill me already?

"Guh-ughh.. Stop- Please.." I choke out through a wheezing breath.. "I told you everything already! I'm just a soldier, I don't know what you people want!'

"You tell uz again!" The masked rebel who holds the highest rank in the room bellows in contempt while he punishes me some more.. Unrelenting with another thrust of his knife he persists, this time stabbing the blade deep into the tender meat of my hip.. Glaring down at me through the black coals, a cold callousness haunts his obsidian irises..

This man is a monster.. An animal without remorse or conscience.. In his eyes I can see the devil and he is thirsty for my suffering blood..

A cry of agony is torn from my chest as unforgiving steel burrows deep and I throw my head back to the sounds of the rattling chains that bind me to the bloodstained concrete.. Those restraints which prevent my escape or retaliation, also slice my wrists and cut off my circulation.."Ahhhhh! Fuck!" My throat is dry as sandpaper and my screams scar like they were made of razor blades..

The rebel dungeon smells of sour sweat, acidic urine and salty blood.. The air down here is heavy, metallic and rancid.. The humidity is thick with the scent of rotten meat and decay, the lingering traces of my fallen brother's remains still lay scattered around upon the grimy concrete floor..I can fucking taste death all around me, and with every inhale I struggle to control the violent impulse to gag and wretch..

"What iz you name?" The maddening fire of fifty thousand volts sizzles as the rebel connects the negative clamp to the old car battery.. The cruel currents rush through razor wires that are tightly tangled around my torso.. Electricity burns like a flaming fuse through my veins to seize my heart, causing it to freeze and jolt in a manic arrhythmic stutter.. I gasp hopelessly for breath as my every muscle tightens and spasms involuntarily.. "Gaaaah! My name is Sergeant Shelby Anne Quinn of the United States Marine Corps!" I groan through gritted teeth, hunching forward on my knees to curl into a ball.. "I am the leader of Fireteam Tango!"

There is no reward for my honesty, only more punishment.. "Who sent you here?" Coiled knuckles collide with my already bruised cheek as he continues to interrogate me, asking the same questions he asked a week ago.. And the week before that.. And the week before that..

It doesn't make any sense since I have already answered their questions a hundred times over, but still he asks..

Steadying myself from the disorientation of his heavy blow which rattled my brain to near scrambled, I hiss in pain as I draw my shoulders back and lift my chin with more pride than I'm sure he'd like to see.. "My team was stationed in South Al Aqsan to defend the city from rebel attack.. The Strysak Armed Forces are conducting official military operations all over the Yabinka district and we were directed to assist.. I was supposed to be performing a recon sweep- That's when you picked us up.. That's all I know, I swear.."

"Who will pay for you?" He barks in demand.. "You have husband Amerikanskiy?"

"No.. Nobody- there's nobody.." I shake my head, spitting out a mouthful of the thick blackened blood that marks my internal bleeding.. "It goes against US policy to negotiate with terrorists.."

"You Amerikanskiy- You come to my country, murder my wife, my children.. You destroy our cities, rape our women, steal our resources, undermine our democracy.. And you say I am 'terrorist'.." Crouching down before me the rebel reaches up to pull the balaclava from his head.. Uncovering his appearance for the fort time in months, he reveals the face of a broken man.. Emotionless ice haunts his piercing onyx eyes which seem to see into the recesses my soul.. A long silver scar glints across his throat and another disfigures his left ear, on display as he cocks his head to one side.. Bringing the tip of his combat knife up beneath my chin, he angles my face towards his as he lowers his voice to a spiteful snarl.. "Sargent Shelby Quinn- You know nothing of terror.. But you will learn.."

...

My miserable reflection stares back at me through the mirrored wall of the Specter HQ gym, unsettling me with her sad eyes.. Somehow I had travelled on autopilot from the moment I left Iris' apartment in a state of shock.. It wasn't until I was standing in the locker room alone that I had finally allowed myself to break down, and even then the indulgence had been short lived.. Cassidy and Slater would come looking for me if I were to run even a minute behind schedule and I really don't have it in me to retell the whole story of a romantic affair between my boss and my father resulting in an estranged sister..

I wonder what she is like, my sister?

Does she look like me?

Did she grow up feeling like something was missing from her life, or was she happy?

God.. I hope she was happy..

Cassidy side-eyes me, curling the heaviest dumbbell possible, so that his bicep strains.. "What's got you all two and eight then, Mardy-Bird?"

"Nothing.. I'm fine.." I snap, folding my leg at the knee, tucking it up behind me to stretch my aching hamstrings.. I am working overtime to ignore the spike of anger that accelerates my heartbeat and both of the boys seem to notice..

A few feet away Lincoln pauses his assault on the suspended boxing bag, leaning against it to listen, though he doesn't interfere with his partner's interrogation...

"Sure, you're fine and I'm the grand ol' Duke of York.." Cassidy rolls his azure eyes in annoyance, provoking me with a haughty snigger.. "You can't bullshit a bullshitter, Treacle Tart, start talking.."

"It's complicated. " Dropping my sporty-sneaker-clad foot back to the floor, I blow out a slow, meditative breath.. "Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all.."

"This about Hendrix?" Cassidy sets his dumbbell down, before he sits on the bench press.. He sweeps a hand back through his choppy brindle fade, checking out his muscular reflection in the mirror like a proud and preening cockatiel..

"You could say that.." I scoff with bitter irritation.. "I'm starting to think that maybe I never really knew him.. That all this time, maybe I've just been chasing after some stupid childhood ideal of who I thought he was, instead of seeing my father for what he truly is.. Maybe it would be better for everybody if Hendrix never comes home, because I don't know what I would say to him if I ever saw him again.."

Cassidy shakes his head in disbelief, blinking up at me as if my screws had all come loose to scatter across the gymnasium mats.. "What the hell are you talking about, Shelby-"

The dam holding back my fury bursts and a tsunami of resentment and rage gushes out of me, an endless flowing tidal wave formed by years of disappointment and betrayal.. "I'm talking about the fact that I found out I have a fucking sister somewhere out there in the city, and all this time he knew! Hendrix kept her from me, even after my mother's death, he left me to think he was the only family I had left.. If Iris hadn't told me, he'd have taken it with him to the fucking grave.." Slumping to the floor in an exhausted huff, I reach for my water bottle and haughtily unscrew the cap to skull half its contents before grumbling beneath my breath.. "No wonder I can't trust anybody, my whole fucking life is a lie!"

"There's two sides to every story, Shelly-" Lincoln reasons, his diplomacy while respectable, completely going to waste on my angry ears.. He wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his bandaged wrist, as he joins me on the floor, still seeking benevolence in a man I know to be devoid of love.. "Maybe he had a good reason for-"

"Don't!" An impatient hiss rolls from my tongue before I can control it.. "Don't make excuses for him, Lincon.. I know his reasons, each and every one of them is bullshit.."

There is no justification powerful enough to absolve Hendrix of his deceit.. There is no undoing the damage that has been done..

"Oi.." Duke reaches across to gently shove me to my senses. "You're mad at Hendrix.. Not Linc.. Don't take your shit out on him.."

"Fuck, you're right.." I berate myself at the reminder, turning sheepishly to the kind hearted man who had only been offering his support.. "I'm sorry, Lincoln, I didn't mean to snap at you.."

"S'all good, Babe.." Slater hums in a soft and sympathetic tone that causes me to wince with guilt.. "You know we're here for you, however you wanna handle it.."

Rubbing at my temples to relieve the discomfort of the sudden tension headache that hits me harder than a freight train.. A million thoughts trouble my mind, making it impossible to know what is right anymore.. In light of everything I know now, it seems as if I had wasted so much time trying to answer all the wrong questions.. I had been trying to figure out where my father was when instead I should have been asking who he is and why I had been so desperate to find somebody who could make me feel so forgotten and unloved.. "I guess I'm just trying to figure out what my next move is.."

"Did ya talk to your genius boyfriend about any of this, then?" Cassidy pipes up, extending an open hand in request..

"No.." I pass him my open water bottle, ignoring his use of the unverified 'B' word with the shake of my head.. "Not yet.. Logan's busy tonight, and I didn't want to ruin his evening with all this bullshit.." It is only a half truth that I tell them.. Part of me dreads the thought of having to tell Logan about Linnley, even though I know I shouldn't be embarrassed.. Something about believing a lie for so long is utterly humiliating..

The two men cast an odd glance at each other, suspicious in nature and well equipped to spot deception, Lincoln and Duke know me too well to be fooled by my unaffected facade..

"What?" I quirk an eyebrow in their direction, daring either one of them to challenge me..

But Duke just shrugs while Lincoln turns away, unable to meet my eye.. "Seriously, what is it?" I fold my arms, a newfound nervousness now itching at the back of my neck..

I hate it when they communicate in looks.. It's like some kind of secret code that I am unable to decipher.. It's the kind of unspoken language that only comes from the sort of closeness I always dreamed of sharing with another soul, but never really believed possible..

Well, at least not until I met Logan..

"You might have to ruin his night, Babe.." Lincoln explains gently.. "We came into some fresh intel and he could probably help us get a jump on verifying how reliable it is.."

"What Intel?" Dread plummets to the pits of my stomach and my heart aches with uncomfortable anticipation.. "I don't know if I can take anymore bad news today you guys.."

Duke grimaces a reluctant scowl, clearly at odds with his decision to dampen my already depressed spirits.. "Well- It iint' exactly good news, Treacle.."

"Is it Hendrix?" I look between them, a tidal panic rising inside me to pull my chaotic head-full of worries deeper into disarray.. "Is he dead?"

Linc hesitates for an unsettling amount of time.. "Not exactly-"

"What the fuck does that mean?" All their half answers and cryptic clues only confuse me, adding to the stress of an already shitty day..

"Your boy Tyler's been talking some serious shit, seems he's gotten awful chatty since his dad went radio silent on his ransom.. " Lincoln rubs the back of his neck as he speaks, a sure fire tell that he is uncertain.. "He's convinced there's no money coming to save him, says that his old man has been cooking the books over at Blackstar for years now and the company is going bust.. It's only gonna be a matter of time before it all comes out if he's telling the truth.. The announcement is supposed to hit newsstands any day now.."

"Blackstar is broke?" My vision narrows to tiny tunnels that lead nowhere.. "What does that leave us? If there is no more Blackstar, then Hendrix's contract gets thrown out?"

Stretching his arms up over his head, Cassidy grumbles.. "The blighter overhead big-daddy-Bennings ordering a clean up on all things classified.. Including a program called Nano-Shadow.. He called for the termination of all contract staff working in their schematics and manufacturing department.."

With a resounding ka-thump I swear my heart stops.. "So what? They're just going to kill them all?"

Two sets of sorrowful and sympathetic eyes stare back at me, neither one of them wanting to confirm the obvious truth until Slater finally cracks.. "That's what it sounds like, but we don't know nothin' for sure.."

All the anger and resentment I'd built up against Hendrix melts away and all that remains is fear.. Fear that I will never get to see him again.. Fear that I will never know why he lied to me or if he ever regretted it..

Fear that my father will die, never seeing me for the person I have become..

But worst of all, I fear that I will never get the chance to forgive him..

"Shit.. I can't let that happen, we've gotta do something!" Launching into action, I yank out my phone and hit the dial button.. The ringing drone trills in my ear as I mutter impatiently.. "Pick up, Logan.. Please, pick up!"