Bad Blood
Did you think it would be fine? Still got scars on my back from your knife So don't think it's in the past These kind of wounds they last and they last And did you think it all through? All these things will catch up to you...
[MINOR SPOILER WARNING FOR “THE FINAL BATTLE”]
Tense looks were shared across the room as Cassidy stood from her chair. Brown eyes flicked across the room, barely taking in the faces in the holograms floating above the table, the faces sitting around the table with her.
“I called you all in here to tell you…” She hesitated “Your concerns were rightly placed. Tech confirmed that I do have the disease.”
Heavy silence filled the room. Cale, Felicity, and Trick already knew. Trick was quietly staring at the floor, feeling rather nervous and out-of-place, as he normally did not sit in on the team’s meetings. Felicity sat in her chair beside Trick, looking solemn. Cale sat beside Felicity, slouched a little, green eyes staring through the holograms, at the wall. Her face was blank, her eyes void of emotion, purposely avoiding eye contact with anyone and everyone.
“I’m very sorry to hear this, Cassidy.”
Green eyes shot up at the hologram when Tweetums spoke, partially hidden by red and purple-streaked bangs, filled with all of the loathing in her small body.
“Due to the intensity of the symptoms I’ve already been experiencing, and how they are bound to progress from here, I’ve decided to resign from my position on the team, and my position as Peace Representative for Sari.” She continued, glancing up to the hologram of her sister and mother, acting as if not a single word had been spoken. “I feel it is best for me to stay on Acmetropolis, and remain as isolated as possible so I can’t pass this on to anyone else on Sari.”
Small nods and murmurs of “we understand” and “good idea” were shared around the room. Cassidy glanced at the second hologram, Zadavia, watching her reaction closely. Zadavia was technically her boss, so her resignation from the team involved her as well. Zadavia simply nodded like the rest. “I understand.”
"I do have good news, as well." A small smile lit up her face as she cast her gaze towards her mother and sister. "Tech has developed a possible treatment. It won't cure the disease, but it will hopefully give the people who are affected a fighting chance."
Maria and Rose shared relieved smiles. "That's wonderful!"
"But," Tech interjected, standing up from his chair beside Cassidy. "Only very basic preliminary testing has been done. I cannot guarantee yet that it will actually help."
"After a very long discussion, Tech agreed to allow me to be the first to test it."
"But," Everyone could sense the tension in Tech's voice as he spoke. Cassidy silently slipped her hand into his, squeezing gently, trying to not let her smile falter. She knew how much this was stressing him out, how nervous he was. "A proper test requires more than one subject. Especially considering this disease's specifity to Sarians, normal testing methods would be useless. Because of this, I would like to extend an invitation for any patients on Sari who would like to join this testing. I've already sent details of the treatment and medications to the research team at the Main Hospital. This could be considered risky; but I can tell you with confidence that, at its worst, this treatment will do absolutely nothing. I am only expecting minor side effects and reactions to this treatment."
"How can you be so certain there won't be adverse side effects before testing?" Zadavia's words hit Tech in the chest hard and fast.
Cassidy saw the way Tech flinched and shot Zadavia a glare. "Tech has done everything he possibly can to make sure there won't be. He wouldn't be offering this option if he wasn't positive it would help."
There was a moment of silence, heavy and awkward. Zadavia noticed Cale's gaze had shifted to her after her mother's outburst. She ignored it. She had grown used to that look from the redheads.
Maria cleared her throat. "We will spread the word. Thank you, Tech, for your hard work and dedication to this cause. I can't express how much this means to me and to the people of Sari." Her smile and gaze were warm and gentle, calming Tech's nerves.
Tech managed a small smile in return. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Goodbyes over the holograms were said. The room darkened. Sapphire leaped from her chair and practically bowled Cassidy over in her urgency to hug her tightly; Lexi, Quick, and Mairi close behind her. Some of the kids started to leave; but Cale, Felicity, and Trick stayed glued to their seats, not wanting to leave each other's, or their parents' sides. Trick flinched when he felt a hand squeeze his gently, smiling weakly when he saw it was Noah, leaving with Sapphire and his siblings.
When the room finally emptied, leaving just Cale, Felicity, Trick, Tech and Cassidy standing close together, Tech reached out to rub Cassidy's upper arm, fingers trailing down to her hand. "We should go have lunch, love."
Cassidy nodded. "You four go ahead. I'll be there in a minute, okay?"
Leaning in, Tech pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Okay." He answered, ushering the kids out of the room.
Once the door closed behind them, the room was only lit by the panel of buttons that surrounded the hologram machine on the table. Cassidy turned to it, fingers pressing buttons in a memorized pattern, causing a hologram to light up the room once more.
"Oh, Cassidy, is there something I can help you with?" Tweetums sounded surprised by her call.
“Are you happy now?”
He no longer looked surprised, his facial expression turning cold. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Brown eyes rolling dramatically at his answer, Cassidy folded her arms against her chest. “Oh, cut the bullshit, Your Majesty. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m dying.”
“You’re not sounding as confident in your husband’s research as you were earlier…”
Cassidy ignored his remark. “This disease is a death sentence. Why is it that out of my family, I’m the only one who has it? I’m the only one not living on Sari, where the outbreak is. I know you had something to do with this.”
Tweetums remained silent, blue eyes staring down on her, cold and unforgiving.
"And Tech forgot to mention that he's discovered that the specific strain of disease that's being spread right now has been genetically modified, making basically all of the previous research on it absolutely useless. I wonder who would've had that kind of technology easily at their disposal?"
Silence.
She scoffed at his stoic lack of response. “What are you so afraid of? We both know that this transmission is going to be corrupted, or lost, or whatever bullshit tactic you’re going to use to cover your tracks.”
Still, he refused to respond; but a slight grin cracked on the corner of his face.
So, Cassidy decided to continue to fill the silence. “I hope you realize that the moment Maria finds even the smallest shred of evidence she will destroy you.”
“Is that a threat, Aurora?”
“You’re damn right it is!” She clenched her fists, anger boiling in her, burning hot like fire. She only wished he were near enough so she could set him aflame. “You’re killing off the people who consider your planet an ally! You’ve started an epidemic that could wipe out Sari’s entire population! If that isn’t treason of some sort at the very least, then I don’t know what is.”
Tweetum’s eyes left her face, glancing over to the chair where Cale has been sitting. “You know, Cale keeps looking more and more like you every single day.” Cassidy stared him down, eyebrows pinched together in a glare that threatened to rip his head off if he dared to even think of touching her daughter. “How much does she know, Cassidy?”
“I’ve told her nothing.” She replied flatly. “And neither has Tech. And I doubt the others would risk anything. After all, we have an agreement, right?”
Tweetums nodded, more so to himself than Cassidy.
“Any information she may have is information she’s dug up on her own. She’s a smart girl, like her father that way. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s catching on to you. She never did like you, even when she was little.” Allowing her body to relax, Cassidy stretched her hand over the hologram control panel. “You’d better hope and pray this disease kills me, Tweetums. I’m not holding back anymore.”
Before he could answer, Cassidy shut the hologram off.