It’s hard to rest. It’s hard to not give up. But you have to keep going forward.
Notes: Hopefully the next chapter is less of a downer. Be prepared for it to get spooky!
Prologue: Here
Siarl belongs to @herpalerp-derpin Samantha belongs to @bluepiizza/ @littlepixiebutchbitch (I don’t know which one to tag you under) Felix belongs to @metaveil
Chapter 1 - Teacher
Rose sprinted down the corridor to the room in the sick bay that she shared with Felix on Cloud Carrier Epsilon. Her shoes were in her hands, bare feet thumping against the ground. There was no time to slip them on because she was late once again. The young medic knew Felix was going to kill her. This had been the fourth time Rose was late for her duties.
The young woman burst into the room, startling the taller and older man inside. Papers for his hands fluttered to the ground. He glared daggers at Rose. All she had to give him in response was a meek smile.
“Good morning, Felix,” Rose shyly greeted.
“What’s so good about it?” Felix grumbled, stooping down to pick up the papers to a file. “You’re late again, there are new recruits coming in, and now Siarl’s file is all over the ground!”
Felix stood out from the other medics. This was mostly thanks to a freak accident involving nuclear power and Monsuno essence. The man towered above everyone in S.T.O.R.M, his skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and his hair was a shimmery white. His looks paired with his personality made him practically unapproachable to most people aside from Rose. Being Charlemagne’s brother didn’t help get him friends either. But Felix didn’t exactly take just anyone as good company.
Rose crouched next to Felix. She took the papers the older medic had already picked up and continued gathering the rest.
“I got this,” she smiled apologetically at Felix “, you go gather the other files for today’s appointments. Siarl is assigned to me anyways.”
Felix stood with a huff. “I’m glad you got the downer job instead of me.”
He walked to the cabinet and began to sort through all the files. Rose sighed as she finished gathering the papers. Felix didn’t show it, but he did care about Siarl’s condition. That was his nephew after all.
“I’m going to go check up on our guest,” Rose said as she headed towards the door that led from their shared office space to Siarl’s room.
“Don’t call him that,” Felix snapped “, this isn’t a bed and breakfast or something.”
Rose laughed nervously as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She was greeted to the rhythmic beeping of Siarl’s heart monitor. It was steady as ever. Rose headed to the sink in the corner of the room. She watched the thirteen year old boy’s chest rise and fall.
After washing her hands and putting gloves and a face mask on, Rose began her daily routine with Siarl. She checked his vitals, washed him, changed his clothes, changed the sheets on his bed, replaced the bags for his catheters, and made sure he was getting enough water. The young medic made sure to change gloves and wash her hands in between each step of the process. Later she would feed him through a tube. It was hard work, but vital for the boy’s health.
When Rose finished up with changing the child’s bandages she removed her gloves and washed her hands one final time. Rose walked over to Siarl. She gently brushed the boy’s bangs out of his face with her burn covered hand. Rose noticed how similar her wounds from Earthshaker were to Siarl’s. It made her feel a kinship to the boy.
As Rose entered back into the office Felix stood from his desk to greet her. He looked down at the small, young woman.
“How is he?” Felix asked.
Rose shrugged, “The same as always. At least he’s not getting worse.”
Felix nodded. He pat Rose’s fluffy hair. She tilted her head in confusion at the sudden moment of affection. Felix gave a brief, nervous cough.
“Are you sleeping ok? To say you look tired would be an understatement right now,” Felix tilted Rose’s head up so he was looking into her eyes. “Is your medicine working?”
Rose shook her head, “I still have the chronic pain all over the left side of my body.”
The Core-Tech merger had been rough for Rose. It wasn’t trying to get along with the S.T.O.R.M troops or follow Jon Ace’s orders; it was her own body’s fault. When Earthshaker mauled her, it almost killed her. The whole left side of her body was severely burned and left her bleeding out. When One-Eyed Jack and the Desert Wolves found her they had the crazy idea of using some Monsuno essence they had stolen to heal her. It had worked in its own twisted way. Unlike Jon or Felix, Rose had barely changed. Her wounds closed up. Recovery was difficult, but doable. It appeared that she was going to live with only a blind left eye and horrible scarring all over the left side of her body as a consequence. Boy was she wrong.
It seemed the stress from battling the forces of Klipse and Professor Tallis had strained Rose. She started collapsing, coughing up blood, and began to have seizures. When Felix examined her, he discovered Rose had internal wounds from Earthshaker’s attack that did not heal. The past few months had been filled with surgeries, rehabilitation, the development of chronic pain, and testing medicines. Rose was cracking under the pressure, but didn’t want her friends to see it.
“Well I’ll see what else I can give you,” Felix sighed as he placed his hands on Rose’s shoulders. He was trying his hardest not to show worry, but the wrinkles in between his brows gave it away. “I can’t have you shirking your work.”
Rose grabbed his hands, giving her superior a big smile. “How about we just run away and start that bed and breakfast together?”
Felix rolled his eyes and went back to his desk to fill out paperwork. Rose was about to go to her desk when the Core-Tablet on it chirped. The young medic gave the device a tap, pulling up a message.
“Hm, it seems dad wants to see me for some reason.”
Commandant Marshall Jon Ace’s office was relatively comfortable. Instead of just the basic furniture that had furnished the office since it was built, Jon added a few family photos to the mix. A few were of him and Rose at different ages in her life. One of them was when she was three and he had taken her to a carnival on his off time. Another was of Rose first joining the Strike Squad as their field medic. She looked so shy and scared standing next to Alpha, but X-Ray had a hand on her back to steady her. The two most recent photos featured Rose with Team Core-Tech, Dax’s arm slung around her and all the kids grinning. The one on his desk was of him and Rose just after he had been rewarded the title of Commandant Marshall. She was hugging him so tight, so happy to have him back and not Toxic Ace.
Rose had been Jon’s daughter since a recon mission years ago. It was only a team of two: Jon Ace and Trey. The two were still only elites at the time. Their goal was to find any survivors in a decimated town brought to ash from some sort of bomb. Jon had pulled her out of the rubble and had taken it upon himself to raise her. She was only three and could barely say her own name. He didn’t know what possessed him to keep the tiny child, but he’d stuck with his decision and tried to be the best father he could be at only age 23.
Jon would not call himself Father of the Year, but he thought he’d done the best he could. He felt he had done more than Jeredy Suno. Jon loved the man, but the way Jeredy was so absent from Chase’s life disturbed him. At least Jon let Rose know what was happening. He made sure Rose understood Charlemagne was losing it and that she needed to go find Chase to keep him safe. Jon just chalked up Jeredy’s odd behavior as a side effect of Sophia Suno’s disappearance along with the amount of intense stress that Charlemagne’s work put him under. The Commandant hoped that with Sophia’s return and some therapy Jeredy would get better. Chase really needed him.
Currently Jon was sitting at his large desk. His fingers drummed the desk rhythmically as he watched the large door. He hoped Rose hadn’t gotten lost again. This was important. He had finally found a way for his daughter to feel important to S.T.O.R.M even with her disability. Jon knew being barred from Core-Tech’s missions and not being able to leave the cloud carrier was beginning to wear her down. She needed something to occupy her time.
A reluctant knock sounded from behind the door. Jon smiled softly.
“Permission to enter!” he called.
The door slid open, revealing his daughter’s small frame. As Rose entered she smoothed out her uniform to the best of her ability. The medic gave a salute.
“Yes dad-! Um! I mean, sir!” Rose stammered out.
Jon chuckled, “At ease, Rose. It’s just you and me. You’re allowed to call me dad. Come have a seat. You look tired.”
Rose took the invitation, flopping on one of the plush couches of the room. She still had no idea what Jon could want from her, but at least she was resting her aching muscles. Her good eye followed Jon as he got up and sat next to her. Jon reached his arms around Rose and pulled her into a hug.
“You know I love you, right?” he asked.
Rose hugged back tight. She missed her dad. He had to work all the time since he was S.T.O.R.M’s boss now. It was rarely ever just the two of them. She knew there wouldn’t be any dad and daughter vacation time for a while either.
“I do,” Rose mumbled into his chest.
They pulled away from one another, Jon still smiling. Rose hadn’t seen Jon not have a super serious face in a long time. He must be really excited about something.
“I called you here for a really important reason,” Jon said.
Rose’s heart fluttered. Was he going to ask her to go on a mission? Was she going to get to join Core-Tech on a mission? Heck, she’d take a recon mission with Strike Squad! She just wanted to leave the base for a while.
A knock at the door brought Rose out of her thoughts. Who could that even be? She didn’t know Jon had called others.
“Come in,” Jon instructed.
The door slid open to reveal a girl that was maybe only one or two years younger than Rose. She wore one of the new recruit uniforms that cadets usually brandished right after getting out of boot camp. Felix had mentioned earlier new recruits were coming in today. Maybe this one was just lost.
Rose studied the girl. She had bright, excited eyes. Her light blue hair was ruffled and soft looking. A card key hung around her neck so she could get into different wings and rooms until S.T.O.R.M’s database registered her handprint for the key pads.
“Samantha reporting for duty, Commandant Marshall Jon Ace, sir,” she said with a grin.
“At ease, Samantha,” Jon Ace ordered. He stood and shook the girl’s hand, his large hand engulfing her smaller one. He then turned his attention back to Rose.
“Samantha is a new member of S.T.O.R.M that’s still trying to find her place here. She was working with the cooks below deck, but it wasn’t working out,” Jon explained.
Rose wrinkled her nose. Was that why food was coming up extremely burnt or disgustingly undercooked lately? Dax had been joking that someone new must have been in the kitchens. Jon continued.
“I figured that you of all people know how hard it is to find a place in S.T.O.R.M. I was hoping you could take her under your wing as your apprentice.”
Rose felt a mixture of shock, pride, and anxiety. She felt honored that her father deemed her worthy of teaching another all there was about being a medic, but she didn’t feel ready. Plus, taking an apprentice meant rarely leaving the ship. She wouldn’t be able to be a field medic anymore!
“D-Dad-! I mean Commandant Marshall Jon Ace, I am honored, but I’m only seventeen. I’m still training under Felix. Isn’t he supposed to still be teaching me? I’m his assistant,” Rose feebly tried to excuse herself from the situation.
“I think it would be good for you to move up into being an actual medic. You can still assist Felix, of course. But Samantha will now assist you and in return get valuable knowledge to help those around her. Doesn’t that sound rewarding? It would be just like when Ryu took you as an apprentice when you were only thirteen and when Felix took over your training after S.T.O.R.M and Core-Tech merged. I know Samantha is only slightly younger than you, but you have years of experience and knowledge on her. She needs your guidance.”
“B-But-!” Rose whined.
Jon crossed his arms. He was getting defensive. “Rose, I understand things have been difficult for you lately. This is a lot to adjust to. The last surgery you had to fix a hernia in your stomach was really hard on you physically. I have to relieve you of your duties as field medic for at least several months.”
“Dad! I-!” Rose began to argue.
“And before you say anything else, I talked to Team Core-Tech about it. They all agree that it’s better if you stay here till you get better. Once you’ve healed more I’ll let you go on missions again. We don’t need to be in the middle of a vital mission and you collapse under the stress or have a seizure. Are we clear, Rose?”
“Yes, dad,” Rose mumbled.
“Pardon? I didn’t hear you,” Jon’s eyes bore into his daughter. “Look at me when I’m talking to you, young lady.”
Rose looked up, eyes resting on Jon’s lips. He never understood why she couldn’t look others in the eyes. “Yes, Commandant Marshall Jon Ace. I understand.”
Jon grunted, “Good. Now go take Samantha and get to know one another. I know when Team Core-Tech returns from their mission in Coastal City you won’t be able to separate yourself from Dax the rest of the evening.”
Rose flushed red. She glanced at Samantha who looked equally as awkward to be present during this argument. The young medic rose from her seat. Before leaving Jon stopped her at the door and enveloped her in another hug.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you, Rose. I’m just so worried. I want you to be happy and safe. I promise you, as soon as you show some improvement I’ll assign you to a mission,” Jon said this soft enough so Samantha could not hear. He didn’t want his image to slip too much in front of the new recruit.
“I know dad. I’ll see you after dinner,” Rose replied with a reluctant smile.
Rose left the room, Samantha following quick on her heels before the door slid shut. Rose turned to face the girl. Samantha was tall enough for Rose to have to look up to talk to her. What was with everyone being so much taller than her?
As soon as Rose faced her, Samantha let out a giddy laugh. She grabbed Rose’s hands tightly. The trainee’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Oh my krag! I am so excited to meet you! I can’t believe I’m training under you!” Samantha said with so much cheer in her voice that Rose could put a taste to the sound of her voice. The sound was like a fizzy root beer float on her tongue.
“Th-Thanks,” Rose stammered “, it’s n-nice to you meet you too.”
“You can’t imagine how excited I was when Jon sent me a message on my Core-Tablet saying he wanted me to work with you! You of all people!”
“I don’t really see what’s so special about it?” Rose nervously laughed. It was hard to stay calm around this much energy bottled up in one human. She had a feeling Felix was not going to like her.
“You’re so good at your work! You know every plant, ever. You’ve saved people’s lives! With, like, plants!” Samantha cheered.
“Oh, um, I was just doing my job. You’ll see. You’ll save people too,” Rose shyly replied.
Samantha softly smiled down at Rose. Rose turned around and began to walk off. Samantha caught up to her in a few strides and grabbed her new mentor’s hand.
“Where are you going?” Samantha asked.
“To show you the medical wing,” Rose replied “, I need to show you where you’ll be working with me. I also need to introduce you to Felix.”
“You mean the Ghost of the Sick Bay?”
Rose stopped in her tracks and turned around. She looked up at Samantha, a serious look in her eyes.
“Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, do not call him that. Unless you immediately want to be on his shit list. Which, trust me, you don’t,” Rose shook her head “, Rule number one of being my apprentice: Leave Felix alone. Let me talk to him.”
“Yikes. I guess I have lot to learn, huh?” Samantha chuckled.
I remembered that moment and thought... What if it's Jon's parents and Jeredy's parents? At least that would explain where Jeredy got these photos from.
