Forgotten childhood memories

Jane was pulled off of her, but it seemed that the eager tinker didn't think this through. Raven gasping softly under the mask before Victor helped her up. Her legs were shaking a bit from being knocked to the ground like that, but then she heard some rocks falling down. "Jay," she said, taking a few careful steps towards her, "Come over here, Jay, please," she pleaded, holding out her hands. She took a step closer before she saw what came next, the ground beneath the young girl she had known for so long disappearing in to the unknown void below. Throwing herself forward, she reached her arms over the ledge, but she was too late. Screaming, she looked as Jane disappeared in to the thick gas below.

Jane felt confused, seeing Raven unharmed, unhurt. Here they had all been believing that she was being hurt and tortured and she just stood there with not a single scratch. She was frozen at the realization, just looking around Raven's body, looking for something that could disprove it all. Just a scratch, even if it was just scraped knees but the cold weather revealed nothing. She didnt realize that the ground gave in beneath her and suddenly she felt like falling.

Victor watched Raven throw herself after the falling girl and he threw himself on top of Raven to keep her from sliding right down with her. The thump below was heard and from the sound, Victor wouldnt say that it sounded like a fall you could survive. "Raven, crawl back!" he ordered her, pulling at her if he had to. The ground was giving in again right below them and they had to get away.

Raven watched teary eyed as Jane disappeared, the thump making her shiver. "Jay! Jay! Please please please," she cried out for her, but at that point it was all too late. Victor had to drag her away from the edge and just as he did, more of the soil collapsed in to the depths below. Raven was in shock, crying her eyes out, muttering over and over, "I didn't mean to, it was an accident, I didn't mean to." Only to shake it up with, "please please, I'm sorry Jay, please come back."
Even as Victor hauled her back home she was crying, wanting to go back, crawl down and find her. Hold her one last time. Tell her how smart she was, how Raven couldn't do this without her. And then she just went silent. A silence that scared those she passed, one that she hadn't ever felt before, not even when Winston had died.

"If the fall didnt kill her, the smoke will! Your mask is torn, you have to get back!" Victor yelled, hauling her all the way back and away from the chemical fog if he had to. All they could really hope was that Jane either had died on the spot or shortly after. There was no way a fall like that could be something to survive. "She's gone okay!" he told her, not wanting her to head back there to look. It was over and done. When she went quiet he looked at her, reaching out to touch her hand. "All you can do now is move on and make sure she wont just be another death in vain. Do you see it now? The leak is killing us all in every way it can!" he pointed out, but with that he left her to process. He could send people to fetch the corpse, finish the job, bring some piece of Jane back.

She didnt know what was worse. Hitting the small ledge before that made her roll around like a ball until she landed right on her shoulder or the toxic gas slowly tearing up her lungs and what else she had inside. One of her arms she couldnt use, but the other was still somehow functional. Crawling with one arm, coughing and harking she didnt know how long she had been crawling or if she was even alive at that point. A hand checked her pulse a female in a hazmat suit moving her hair off her face. "This is one of the kids from the files." she said, a man joining her side to look at the girl. "She's still alive, but I cant tell for how long."

She was gone. Jay Bird. Baby bird. She was gone. And the thought broke her heart in to pieces. Victor told her so much and she felt her eyes well up once more. He was right. Jane shouldn't become some unknown death. No, they needed action, and she felt so blind for not seeing it fully.
Raven ended up not asking anyone to retrieve the body. It was too risky, and she couldn't bear loosing more now. From now on she wasn't going to stand idly by waiting for someone to come help them.

Dexter walked up besides one of his now co-workers. The small figure in front of them on the ground hard to make out at first, but soon enough he recognised her. He frowned, letting his colleague check her out. "I'll take her," he said, leaning down to put on a mask on Jane, but the harm was already done. This was just to keep her alive long enough until they reached the lab.

Eventually she would end up in a sterile room. Her body had been cleaned, her wounds patched up and her system cleaned out. Dexter was given a file over her vitals, amazed at the fact that she had survived the gas. She was human, just like he or Eugene, but she seemed to have something different about her breathing that had made her survive this long. He had asked Samuel for permission to have access to her. If this Jane Doe could survive the killing gas, then he might be able to find a cure for Eugene's lungs.
His son had come home, telling him of everything that had happened, what was happening in the Blocks. The gas, the fighting amongst themselves. It seemed so primal. He was wearing a protective suit, one that would mean he didn't come in to contact with her physically, but enough to make her hopefully recognise him. She had been given a serum to wake up, and as she did, Dexter was standing by.
"Hello Jane," he said in a gentle tone. This girl meant a lot to his son, but his son meant more to him. This was the lesser evil, at least in his mind.

She felt like she wanted to die. Like being on the edge to it, just needing to tip the last few steps. Sure her lungs were damaged but they werent obliterated and that was the peculiar part. Her breathing shallow but with aid she could still get oxygen around her system. Many of the other scientists could marvel over the results, because never had anyone survived being engulfed in the gasses. Even in the suits could symptoms of poisoning be found in the individual.
When the serum was administered, she slowly woke up, feeling as if someone had hit her hard on her head. The bright light stung in her eyes and a familiar voice drew her face to turn instinctively. “Eugene…? No…. His dad.” She mumbled to herself, blinking a few times, really pressing her eyes together even if that made her feel like her headache worsened. Her throat sounded irritated, raspingnas the machine was forcing her to breathe. “It hurts..” she whispered, tensing her hands, trying to move to realize she was restrained. It wasnt anything bad, the scientists had called it for her own good.

Dexter watched as she came to, hearing her mumble, though it was hard to understand her as it wasn't too clear what she said. Her whisper on the other hand made him frown, looking through the papers, seeing she had already been given a fair dosage of pain relief. "I know, sweetheart, I'm sorry," he said, walking closer he inspected her eyes. It was amazing, besides some clear irritation, they seemed to be functioning still. "I need you to remain calm and listen to me," he said. He explained where she had been found, how he had quote on quote saved her. He moved some of her bangs away from her face, looking at her. He didn't understand what his son saw in her, but right now he something valuable. "Eugene is very badly sick," he said. Why not play on something he knew she could relate to? Twist the truth. "He's sad that he can't come see you, but I promised that you two could exchange words through me," he said. Get her on his good side. Promise her something she wanted.
"You're quite amazing, little inventor," he said, moving over to place the file down on a small trolley. "You've survived something many would die of," not sure if she could even comprehend it, "right now I want you to heal, but I need to ask you something; do you truly love my son?"

Poor girl. She had fallen in love with his son, and while he couldn't blame her, he seemed to not change in his plan so far. He went over, scribbling down more notes, monitoring her heart rate and oxygen intake.
"I wasn't saying anything?" He replied in a calm voice, but seeing her confusion he decided to note it down. A man like Dexter was nothing without his notes. He came closer, looking at Jane with calming eyes. "Eugene needs your help," he said, a pleading father, "I think you have the solution we've been looking for." Only that he would have to do some extensive testing before he could confirm it. "Don't you want to help Eugene? Help him get better; the two of you having a life together?"

"Not you." she sighed deeply, though she thought it made sense. Couldnt he hear the others speaking so loudly? He spoke of Eugene again and she grit her teeth a bit. "I dont know what I can do." she mumbled. She was stuck here, how could she ever be of any help? He called her the solution but she didnt understand what he meant by that. "I do.." she whimpered as he played on her conscience. It was all she wanted. To be able to be by his side always. She closed her eyes again, "I just want it to stop hurting.." she admitted. As the tests went on, it felt like a 50/50 bet for whether it was going to hurt or not. She didnt like the needles at all, even less having biopsies taken from her. She felt so exhausted at the end, yet there were not enough to be pulled from the tests as it was right now.

A female scientist knocked gently on the door before entering, not wearing a suit like Dexter had to. "Mr. Tremaine." she said with a respectful nod before she went to overlook the girl. "Astonishing." she said, like she adored her. And in a way she did. "Allow me to help, I have been overlooking your files in your absence and I believe to know a way to analyze exactly what had to be extracted for the survival of... well whoever it is you're trying to save." she said with a soft chuckle, overlooking the table with different serums and whatnot. She picked up a syringe and a few vials, inspecting them before mixing them. "She is remarkable with her level of resistance, but I dont believe she has truly been tested to the limit." she said as she mixed around a few vials, the mixture somehow glowing, clearly toxic. "This is around the same level of construction and concentration of the fumes she was pulled from, just a tad stronger." she said, placing down the syringe. It was a risk to administer it, because it would be directly into her system. Somehow the woman didnt seem too concerned, walking over to the corner of the room to just sit down and take a few notes herself.

If Dexter chose to administer the dose, Jane would tense the arm that the IV sat in, and slowly it seemed that her body tensed as the mixture went through her system. Look at little Jane, she's crying, what a weakling! kids from her past taunted her, she turned her eyes to an empty part of the room, clenching her hands. "It hurts!" she just yelled at them, her voice cracking a bit. The heart monitor went crazy and the brain scanner showed that she was in clear pain. She however couldnt really move. Crybaby crybaby crybaby! No one cares about Jane! they continued. "No... that's not true. Someone cares..." she said, but thinking was hard. She was trying to think of him but her mind was fogged, like his face had disappeared from her memory. "He cares... He does... Who.. Eu.... No, Whis... No it's Eu..-what? Who?" she tried, but trailed off, as it just slipped her mind. And then it was like she realized. "No one cares... about little Jane" she whispered, pressing her head back into the not so soft bedding, suddenly gaining strength as she began hitting her head back on the bed, turning quite hysterical pretty fast. But it was like all sorts of switches were flicked through as she went through anger where she struggled as hard as she could, to bawl her eyes out like she was overwhelmed by sadness to then laugh manically through tears and drool. The mixture lit up under her skin, making her veins glow before it slowly seemed to disappear closer to her heart. When the mixture hit her heart, she went limp, out like a light, the heart monitor deadlining as fast as it could follow. Only for a faint beat to return after a bit. "She may not survive. But do your tests now and extract what you need." the lady urged him before noting down a last few things and leaving. "Just remember that she's chemical waste now. Dont throw her somewhere she will harm others.... unless it's someplace insignificant like The Blocks." she added with a soft chuckle.

Dexter wasn't sure he liked help in his lab. He hated people mingling, but he didn't really have a say. Besides it was Samuel's lab, and Dexter had no seniority here. The woman entered, one that he had seen around, and sorta been assigned to have as a scientist at his disposal. She mixed a lot of chemicals, some that made him narrow his eyes. He remained quiet, studying what she had made, the concoction looking more akin to glowstick fluid than something fit for the human body. And yet the curiosity of him got the best of him. Standing back he observed her changes, seeing her moods explode and change faster than anything. Was this making her go mad? He had to wonder, but as the poor girl flatlined, only to have her heartbeat return, albeit faint, Dexter knew he wouldn't have long, and the scientist pointed it out as well. "You can leave us now," he said turning around to look at her with deadly cold eyes, "but if you enter this lab again I'll make sure you are the next to have such an injection." He wasn't kidding.

He went to work. What he needed wouldn't take too long to extract, but he needed to flip her around getting access to her spine. Sticking in a thick needle, he extracted bone marrow from her spine as well as some fluids that would've ended up around one of the joints. He looked at Jane, labeling the containers gently and carefully, not accepting any mistakes. "All my thanks ... You have just given me what I needed for a cure," he smiled, feeling almost relieved. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this," he sighed, eventually letting guards enter, taking off Jane's restrictions, the machine monitoring her heart flatlining as she was pulled from the wires. She would be disposed of, but something made Dexter hesitate. "Leave her," he decided, which surprised and confused the guards. "Tell no-one," he said looking at Jane. No, he needed to see this to the end if that was what it took.

Raven had been focusing so much on making up for lost time. She spent time with some of Victor's leaders, helping them sort out rations, get more medical supplies, but mostly it was to keep herself busy. She had spent a whole day crying and screaming, inconsolable while Victor had been there trying to calm her down. Eventually he had left and she had fallen asleep out of exhaustion and from then on she had been busy.
That night she had sat down in an old couch, one that she slept in whenever she could sleep. Victor was sitting in the window, and she had her eyes closed, resting for a bit as he finally broke the silence. "I haven't forgotten about them," she muttered, opening her eyes to look up at the old rotting roof. Then he suggested something that made her look at him rather surprised. He was offering mercy, to protect the kids she had left, and she would be stupid not to take it. He mentioned the masks and she scoffed looking ahead once again before getting up on her feet. Approaching him she stood next to him, looking out in to the garden.
"We need to press further in to South ... The fumes are getting worse every day, and until we fix the leak it's not safe to stay here," she said with a small sigh placing a hand on his shoulder she gripped softly around his shirt. She was trying to find comfort, but it was like her body was numb. [color=#1FB08D]"Brock and Dove know a few places up there that might be safe for the wounded kids ... At least it would be better they live a few months with clean air than a few days with pollution," she was being realistic here and she hated it. Looking down she felt as though she had failed everyone. Victor, Jane, Brock, Dove. Winston wouldn't have wanted things to be this bad either. "I'm sorry Vic," she said, "I should've never had left."

No he knew she hadnt forgotten about them, she had taken care of them so long that he was sure she never would. It was true, the fumes were getting worse, lying around like a faint fog that was just waiting to protrude once the pressure built. Her hand on his shoulder made him look at her, sighing as she was right. "But will it be safe for all the kids we've got?" he asked. There werent kids being dropped off as of late but the kids that had been were still there - Most of them either way. "Fine, we'll move them." he agreed. Lifting a hand he placed it over hers, giving it a soft squeeze. She apologized but he scoffed and shook his head. "But you did and now all we can do is just look ahead," he told her, looking at her with serious eyes. "I just dont like not knowing whether you still hate me or not." he admitted. He wasnt heartless. He was cunning and crude but not without heart. And it had been broken when she left, especially as it had been after her almost killing him and crushing his neck to the point where his voice would never recover. "I guess I cant blame you if you do, after I killed your father." he sighed, removing his hands from hers.

"We'll make it safe," she said. She knew it would be possible and he finally caved in. His words were what weighed the most here, so if he agreed it would help things move along. Then she felt his hand on her own and she wasn't sure if she felt something. There was something, that was for sure, but whether it was because it was someone touching her or an actual feeling she wasn't too confident in. Looking at him she saw his serious gaze, but she could also see the hurt. His words of admittance made her feel something, that was for sure, but she didn't feel like she could say anything at all.
His sigh and subsequent removing of his hands made her feel so cold. What she did next she might regret down the line, but right now her body was just craving some sort of normality in all of this. Her hand moved delicately from his shoulder to his neck, touching it gently, letting her cold fingers touch his skin. Eventually she reached his chin, touching his stubble. It had really grown in, hadn't it? Leaning down she pressed her lips to his in a careful kiss, not saying a word as she leaned away, looking at him with fluid eyes. She missed him, missed all the happy memories they had shared and in a longing for that nostalgia it had led her to this. "I never hated you," she couldn't hate him, only what he had done, and that was why she had had to stay away from him. She couldn't trust her heart.
Slowly she moved away from him, sending him a saddened smile. "I have night duties ... Get some rest," Raven wasn't the most affectionate person. She hadn't ever really learnt how to, but the kids and Victor had been the exception. She hadn't even let Winston comfort her when she cried or hug her when she was happy. No, the world was tough and so she had to be.

This would have been the moment where she just told him. That she could never not hate him for what he had done and that would be it. But she was quiet and all he felt was her hand moving from his shoulder to his neck. He knew she couldnt kill him, it had been proven times over, but he did feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise as if his body was reacting to the touch. Then she moved to his chin and he felt more relaxed. The kiss however surprised him. So much that he barely kissed her back and by the time she leaned away, the surprise was clear on his face. She never hated him? Well that just made everything that more complicated in his head.
She moved away and he frowned slightly at her words. How could he rest now? He looked down and hummed with a nod. "I'll try." he mumbled, crossing his arms. The kiss should've felt nice but it was also sad to some extent. Like now he knew that all this time she hadnt run because she hated him but because of the opposite. And the guilt from keeping her away from her little flock of birds... He was the reason Jane had come to them. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He couldnt let sentimentality affect him too much. The goons and the people were expecting him to be strong.

They were different the two of them, but that had always worked in their favor. But one thing was for sure, they had pledged themselves to be leaders, leaders that couldn't rest or slip up. Raven had slipped up, and it had cost her Jane, one of the few people in her life that she had trusted. Jane was gone, but not the memories, and in her memory Raven swore to clean up the mess that had ended her little sister.
She spent the night patrolling, even if she could barely keep her eyes open, she would fight it, be there for the people she had forsaken. But one thing she couldn't have imagined was bumping in to a person with a mask. Jane's mask. For a second she thought delusion had hit her, maybe the fumes were making her go mad, maybe she was too tired as well. But soon enough she seemed to snap out of it. This was their solution.

Eugene's father had been absent for so long, excusing himself to go to work more and more, and in the end there would be days where he didn't see him. He didn't hear from Jane either, even though she had promised to come by every day. His state was worsening, the dark spot on his upperbody growing painful and sensitive to the smallest movement. But one night he had decided he could wait no more, putting on Jane's mask that she had lent him, he packed a small satchel. His biggest struggle was to move, but he would have to endure it.
As he limped he was only thinking of Jane. Seeing her face flash before his eyes whenever he blinked; Her smile, her laugh, her kisses. Gods he was such a sucker, wasn't he? And yet she made him want to fight on. She had been the one picking her up when he was at his worst, and he feared that if Raven had been captured by the Blocks gang, then maybe Jane had been too. He had to know, or at least die trying to find out. Entering the Blocks it was visible how bad it had gotten, the fog stinging his bare skin and he tried covering up more with what he had on.
That was when he had met a familiar figure. Raven. She had taken him with her, not really answering any of his questions, but he soon enough learned the truth. And when he learnt that Jane was no more, he felt that sinking feeling in his soul. She had left this world without him? Left him behind despite her promise? He felt so heartbroken, so vulnerable, and that had been when Raven had asked for his aid. She had pushed all the right buttons, appealing to him, telling him of all the poor kids just like Jane that was now left behind to die in the fog. Eugene eventually ended up helping them.

They had taken up headquarters in Eugene's home in South. His father never being home meant that there was a lot of room, and medicine was at least something he could help with here. Eugene worked tirelessly, his condition only getting worse, but he was starting to see it as one step closer to being with Jane again. He had even started talking to her when he was alone. "Zippy, this is going to improve the design, I know it is," he muttered to himself, screwing a new bolt on that would adjust the air flow and make it possible to reserve energy. He still needed to find a stable power source. Something that wouldn't run out like cheap alkaline batteries.

Eugene had been happy about the honesty that Raven had displayed. He was doomed either way, and yet this was something he could do to honor Jane. Help her friends, her small family and those kids who needed him until he would parish. It was a bit strange. He had always been told he would die young, die way before anyone else, and yet Jane had been the first to go. He had barely heard Dove being there, but it was like he barely cared anymore. All he cared about was working, making more, not wasting a single minute.
She asked about the medicine and he frowned, "purple and yellow bottle ... And one pill from the green," he said. They had the medicine sorted in to colors for convenience, and Dove had been a great help at that. Once she returned he would be leaned back in his chair, staring off in to space as if his brain was fried a little. He just felt so tired, and yet he couldn't rest. He took the pills, downing it with a big gulp of the scolding tea before getting up. His limbs felt so stiff, but it was mainly from sitting still so long. "Get some sleep, Dove," he sighed, looking at her. His face was almost sunken in at this point, his cheeks hollow.

Eugene felt her hands on his cheeks, and for a moment his eyes softened up. The last time anyone had held her face had been ... No, no she was gone. And yet those warm hands against his face felt so comforting like she was there. His tired eyes blinked, and he felt Jane looking back at him. "I'm sorry for worrying you," he whispered, reaching out to touch Dove's cheek. She had been there for him through it all, hadn't she? "I don't mean to be a burden to you or anyone," he said rather truthfully, her cheek was so soft and his thumb just kept caressing it. He craved someone, anyone, just to have them near and take away his loneliness. His hand finally fell from her face, grabbing about his cane a little harsher, nodding at her words.
He limped off to his room, lucky enough to have kept it his place, though the rest of the house had been turned upside down. If Dove should follow he would sit down on his bed, looking off in to space, blinking tiredly. Laying down he kept his clothes on, his breathing a little heavy but as she was about to leave he took her hand. "If I sleep, you sleep," he said, pulling her down on the bed with him.