[ WILLOW ] sender embraces receiver in a moment of extreme distress.
The pair had been travelling for some time now, their pairing originally made for practicality rather than friendly travels. If he was to help her find her father, to find her way back to her origins; then it would be easier to take him along. She couldn't risk any information being intercepted by anyone else. Thankfully, the detective seemed more than happy to give his company, regardless of how far it may take him across the Commonwealth.
She wasn't the talkative type, though luckily the synth did more than enough talking for both of them; managing to squeeze out more than a few one word responses from her. In time, she had even begun to open up to him. She shared her beliefs with him, how though humanity had doomed itself, it was up to the few that wished to fight for it to speak louder than those that would doom it. Everyone had had to adapt to the Commonwealth's harsh conditions, human, ghoul and synth alike. She cared little for how one looked on the outside. It was their actions that showed their true reflection.
She fought for what she believed in and was surprised to find that Nick was willing to fight for it also. More than once he had provided cover for her, letting bullets fly with her makeshift daggers and bombs. With every clue found, he was there to help her decipher it. Until, finally, arrows pointed not to the institute; but herself. A brief mention of memories within the institute, before her father had fled with them. Memories of the day her father had disappeared, all of them vital clues but fuzzy to recall. Then, came a recommendation:
"So... We'll be watching my memories?" The mechanic asked Dr Amari, looking more than a little uncomfortable "Both of us?".
"Well, unless you'd rather do it yourself," Dr Amari shrugged, not unused to the want for privacy in shared memory experiences "But having Mr Valentine's perspective on them might help decipher them more clearly".
"Right..." The woman gulped slightly, she knew the Dr was right but still found herself dreading the experience "Um... How do you choose the memory, if I might ask".
"We'll go from what memory is freshest, and we guide it from there" Dr Amari answered "If we come across a memory you'd rather not see, we should be able to bypass it fairly quickly".
The woman relaxed somewhat, nodding before looking over to Nick. She looked positively ill, holding the expression of someone about to step towards certain death. But still, she held firm, stepping into the memory pod and watching as the glass cover slipped over her. Past the screen, she could see Nick settling into the one opposite her. She gulped again, letting her eyes close briefly before Dr Amari began the procedure. One that she seemed confident would be simple.
The first memory to appear, was that of her father, the day he had disappeared. He was a frail looking man, but one that carried a wide smile. He wore a trench coat, one that looked very similar to the one that Kasumi wore. It had been a simple day, Kasumi approaching the front of the workshop and dealing with customers while her father worked in the back. She glanced at her reflection, she appeared much younger than she was now, at least a decade or so. She reached and fixed a loose strand of hair as she walked to the back of the workshop for something a customer wanted. The sound of yelling beckoned her, her father crying out for her to run. She burst through the door just in time to see a bright light that blinded her, fading to an empty room with naught a soul inside. All that remained was her father's coat.
"Hmm..." Dr Amari hummed "There isn't much here to help, perhaps we can find an earlier one".
Memories began to cycle, flashes of the Commonwealth and a young woman suffering in constant pain, though the source of that pain could not be seen. Dr Amari went back further, flashes of white halls and syringes appeared, the memories causing the woman to wince. People in the background spoke in circles, the flood of memories causing the woman some overwhelm. There were mentions of technology and transport... or was it teleport? She could feel her head beginning to pound. And then;
"Hmm," Dr Amari paused "What's this?".
It was Kasumi, though she was far younger than she was now, holding the hand of a younger girl. The little girl's smile was bright as she spoke. She called her 'big sister'. The memory had caused the mechanic to freeze, a familiar creaking of metal echoing in her ears.
"No..." The woman whispered inside the pod, feeling bile rise in her throat as she couldn't tear her eyes away "Not this one, not this one!".
"Miss Toshiko?" Dr Amari's voice was faint "You need to calm down, I can try to find another memory but you have to stay calm for me to-"
"I don't care," The woman yelled, watching the memory beginning to slowly unfold, the creaking of metal becoming louder "Shut it off, let me out!". Panic was rising in her, her voice wavering as the usually composed woman began to beg. "Don't make me watch this, please," She pleaded "Please, I can't do this again!".
"Okay, okay!" Dr Amari stepped away swiftly "I'm going to try and pull you out but please be patient!".
"Hurry!" The woman shrieked before that all too familiar screeching sound of metal began to play "No!".
Dr Amari had been too late.
All at once, the memory continued, the sight of the little girl ripped away from Kasumi's young self all at once. There was the crashing of metal, the spark of electricity and the sight of blood; all that blood. Before the memory pod finally opened, the last sight on the screen was that of the young girl dragging herself along the floor towards a bloodied mass of viscera and hair; the little girl's face barely formed anymore from the violence of the accident. Then, darkness.
The memory pod opened, the mechanic stumbling out and gripping to the nearest wall before spitting up bile. She was pale and clammy, the voices of those with her far away as her ears rang. Her breath came in sharp pants, her body tingling as it screamed at her to run but her feet remained rooted to the spot.
Hearing a muffled voice, she glanced up; wide eyes meeting the yellow glow of Nick's. He was speaking, though she couldn't quite make out what. She turned herself slightly, reaching out to him as he did her before she completely collapsed into his arms, her legs giving out from under her and bringing them both to their knees. Her body began to tremble as she felt the weight of him against her. Slowly, her arms raised to grip at the back of his shoulders, her face buried into his chest, the quiet whir of fans giving her some comfort.
She felt numb, as though she were somewhere far away, or as though she were someone else. But her body, her body remembered for her. It ached terribly and shook from fear and grief. Tears silently fell from hollow eyes, dampening the front of Nick's shirt. Her breaths still came in sharp pants, as though she had been choked of oxygen. She hardly seemed reachable in that moment, yet still, she clung to Nick.
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