Original: "Stigmata Martyr," Part Sixteen
A short one tonight, but still progress! ;D
AO3
Lisbet fell asleep on Aline’s shoulder while they waited for Isaiah to finish tending Carapace’s wounds. He had taken her into a side room to work on her. Aline stroked her partner’s hair and tried not to think about how close they’d both come to dying. She had thrown herself at a heavily-armored person who was definitely willing to kill. And Lisbet had wisely remained behind cover, but if a piece of shrapnel or a ricochet had angled itself just right...
She squeezed Lisbet’s arm. “Hey. Wake up.”
“Is there news?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure you were still here.” Lisbet lifted her head, and Aline kissed her. “Everything that just happened is catching up to me. I’m realizing how easy it would have been to lose you. I wanted to hear your voice to reassure myself it hadn’t happened.”
Lisbet stroked Aline’s cheek with the back of her hand. “You’re the one who jumped on a crazy lady and blew up her hand. You big brave stupid lady.”
“But I’m your big brave stupid lady.”
Lisbet smiled. “Yes.”
Isaiah returned at that moment, and Aline took Lisbet’s hand. “How is she?”
“She’s... hurt,” Isaiah said unnecessarily. “She’s been hurt before, of course. But nothing this bad. I’m the most concerned about her two broken ribs but she has a litany of other injuries. She’ll heal, given time. I would like her to get some rest, but she’s asked to speak with you, Aline, before she lets me sedate her. So if you could make it short...?”
“Sure.” She kissed Lisbet’s hand and stood up. Isaiah led her into the room he’d turned into a triage unit.
Carapace was sitting up on a wooden table, her breastplate gone to reveal a bloodstained dress shirt under a common vest. Her jacket had been tossed carelessly over the back of a nearby chair, and her various devices were lined up on the edge of a desk. Without her accoutrements she looked so human, so ordinary, that Aline wondered how she’d ever been able to survive as a superhero for as long as she had. Her mask was also missing, but her identity was protected by a towel draped over her head.
Isaiah scoffed when he saw the towel. “Is that really necessary? You’re being childish.”
“It’s for their protection.” Carapace kept her unmodified voice low and rushed so Aline couldn’t recognize it even if she’d heard it before.
“Protection? Yes, how is that working out for you, Miss Whyte?”
“Isaiah? Go away.”
He sighed. “No more than five minutes. You need your rest.”
Carapace nodded and waved him out. Isaiah left, and Aline stood awkwardly in the brick archway of the room’s entrance.
“I’m glad you... well, you’re not okay. But that you weren’t hurt worse.”
“Yeah. It could have been a lot worse.” She looked at her hand, flexed the fingers. “Thanks to you. That was an idiotic thing you did, and if I’d been in a position to do so, I would have boxed your ears. But I can’t deny that it saved my life. It would be the height of idiocy to not be grateful for that. Thank you. I’m glad you were there.”
Aline said, “I don’t think it was a coincidence. I think Stringer was following me looking for an opportunity to cause a ruckus. And I recognized who was under the mask.”
Carapace tilted her head. “Oh, really?”
“Sabine Reynaud. She works for Stringer as a... gofer, I guess. I thought she was just his driver, but she also acts like a messenger. I recognized her laugh.”
“Okay. That’s good to know, I suppose. I’d still like to know where Stringer got that kind of tech. But knowing for sure who is behind the mask is a big step forward. Does she know you recognized her?”
Aline shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Carapace nodded. Aline found herself struggling to think of her by that name when she looked so ordinary, so... broken. She looked at the discarded breastplate, its bottom half now concave from the blow she’d taken. It rested against the corner like a fallen leaf that had been blown there by the wind.
“That must have hurt. The, um, blow to the chest.”
“Yeah.” Carapace chuckled and then wrapped her arm across her torso. “Ow. Shouldn’t laugh like that. But yeah. The whole point of the armor was because I was terrified of being hurt. I didn’t think I’d run up against something like that. I guess I was just naive. So what’s next?”
Aline’s eyes widened. “I don’t... uh. Wh-what...”
“For you,” Carapace said. “I assume you’re going to keep informing on Carapace to Iverson and the man who owns him. What are you going to tell them about today?”
“I hadn’t even considered that.” She furrowed her brow and tried to think. “I suppose I can tell him the truth up to a point. No one saw me and Lisbet carrying you out of the bank.”
“That might not be true. Sabine may have been gone, he could have had people watching the bank to keep an eye on the proceedings. He could know you took me somewhere. He can’t know that you know about this place. He’ll try to entice the information from you, and when you stand firm, he’ll resort to more unsavory methods of persuasion.”
Aline cringed. “What should I tell him?”
“Simple is best. Tell him that I was well enough to get away from you. I got out of the car and you watched me walk away. You have no idea where I went afterward or if I even survived. That should be plausible enough to make them leave you alone.”
“Okay. Is that all? Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Carapace started to shake her head, but then she looked at the counter across the room. “Actually, if you don’t mind, there is one thing. My mask is in that bin. I saw the look on Isaiah’s face when he took it off of me. If you cleaned the blood off for him, I think... I think he would really appreciate having that chore taken off his hands.”
“Sure. I understand. Um, where...”
“Out the door to the right. You’ll find a basin and some water.”
Aline went to the counter and retrieved the mask. The inside of it was coated with so much blood that Aline was almost reluctant to touch it. She didn’t know the extent of Isaiah’s relationship with Carapace - father and daughter, mentor and student - but she could understand why he would be reluctant to take on this particular duty. She pushed down her queasiness and picked up the mask. She was almost out of the room when Carapace spoke again.
“I think you deserve to know what was under that mask.”
Aline heard the sound of the towel being pulled off and set aside. She kept her head forward and her eyes down. Something told her that if she turned around she would regret it. If she saw who was under the mask, or at least if she saw who it was at this point, she would never have hope in Carapace again. If she saw through the mask and the gadgets to the human woman, Carapace would never again be anything more than that to her.
“I’ll bring this back when I’m finished with it.”
She walked out of the room and followed Carapace’s directions to the washroom.
AO3
Lisbet fell asleep on Aline’s shoulder while they waited for Isaiah to finish tending Carapace’s wounds. He had taken her into a side room to work on her. Aline stroked her partner’s hair and tried not to think about how close they’d both come to dying. She had thrown herself at a heavily-armored person who was definitely willing to kill. And Lisbet had wisely remained behind cover, but if a piece of shrapnel or a ricochet had angled itself just right...
She squeezed Lisbet’s arm. “Hey. Wake up.”
“Is there news?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure you were still here.” Lisbet lifted her head, and Aline kissed her. “Everything that just happened is catching up to me. I’m realizing how easy it would have been to lose you. I wanted to hear your voice to reassure myself it hadn’t happened.”
Lisbet stroked Aline’s cheek with the back of her hand. “You’re the one who jumped on a crazy lady and blew up her hand. You big brave stupid lady.”
“But I’m your big brave stupid lady.”
Lisbet smiled. “Yes.”
Isaiah returned at that moment, and Aline took Lisbet’s hand. “How is she?”
“She’s... hurt,” Isaiah said unnecessarily. “She’s been hurt before, of course. But nothing this bad. I’m the most concerned about her two broken ribs but she has a litany of other injuries. She’ll heal, given time. I would like her to get some rest, but she’s asked to speak with you, Aline, before she lets me sedate her. So if you could make it short...?”
“Sure.” She kissed Lisbet’s hand and stood up. Isaiah led her into the room he’d turned into a triage unit.
Carapace was sitting up on a wooden table, her breastplate gone to reveal a bloodstained dress shirt under a common vest. Her jacket had been tossed carelessly over the back of a nearby chair, and her various devices were lined up on the edge of a desk. Without her accoutrements she looked so human, so ordinary, that Aline wondered how she’d ever been able to survive as a superhero for as long as she had. Her mask was also missing, but her identity was protected by a towel draped over her head.
Isaiah scoffed when he saw the towel. “Is that really necessary? You’re being childish.”
“It’s for their protection.” Carapace kept her unmodified voice low and rushed so Aline couldn’t recognize it even if she’d heard it before.
“Protection? Yes, how is that working out for you, Miss Whyte?”
“Isaiah? Go away.”
He sighed. “No more than five minutes. You need your rest.”
Carapace nodded and waved him out. Isaiah left, and Aline stood awkwardly in the brick archway of the room’s entrance.
“I’m glad you... well, you’re not okay. But that you weren’t hurt worse.”
“Yeah. It could have been a lot worse.” She looked at her hand, flexed the fingers. “Thanks to you. That was an idiotic thing you did, and if I’d been in a position to do so, I would have boxed your ears. But I can’t deny that it saved my life. It would be the height of idiocy to not be grateful for that. Thank you. I’m glad you were there.”
Aline said, “I don’t think it was a coincidence. I think Stringer was following me looking for an opportunity to cause a ruckus. And I recognized who was under the mask.”
Carapace tilted her head. “Oh, really?”
“Sabine Reynaud. She works for Stringer as a... gofer, I guess. I thought she was just his driver, but she also acts like a messenger. I recognized her laugh.”
“Okay. That’s good to know, I suppose. I’d still like to know where Stringer got that kind of tech. But knowing for sure who is behind the mask is a big step forward. Does she know you recognized her?”
Aline shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Carapace nodded. Aline found herself struggling to think of her by that name when she looked so ordinary, so... broken. She looked at the discarded breastplate, its bottom half now concave from the blow she’d taken. It rested against the corner like a fallen leaf that had been blown there by the wind.
“That must have hurt. The, um, blow to the chest.”
“Yeah.” Carapace chuckled and then wrapped her arm across her torso. “Ow. Shouldn’t laugh like that. But yeah. The whole point of the armor was because I was terrified of being hurt. I didn’t think I’d run up against something like that. I guess I was just naive. So what’s next?”
Aline’s eyes widened. “I don’t... uh. Wh-what...”
“For you,” Carapace said. “I assume you’re going to keep informing on Carapace to Iverson and the man who owns him. What are you going to tell them about today?”
“I hadn’t even considered that.” She furrowed her brow and tried to think. “I suppose I can tell him the truth up to a point. No one saw me and Lisbet carrying you out of the bank.”
“That might not be true. Sabine may have been gone, he could have had people watching the bank to keep an eye on the proceedings. He could know you took me somewhere. He can’t know that you know about this place. He’ll try to entice the information from you, and when you stand firm, he’ll resort to more unsavory methods of persuasion.”
Aline cringed. “What should I tell him?”
“Simple is best. Tell him that I was well enough to get away from you. I got out of the car and you watched me walk away. You have no idea where I went afterward or if I even survived. That should be plausible enough to make them leave you alone.”
“Okay. Is that all? Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Carapace started to shake her head, but then she looked at the counter across the room. “Actually, if you don’t mind, there is one thing. My mask is in that bin. I saw the look on Isaiah’s face when he took it off of me. If you cleaned the blood off for him, I think... I think he would really appreciate having that chore taken off his hands.”
“Sure. I understand. Um, where...”
“Out the door to the right. You’ll find a basin and some water.”
Aline went to the counter and retrieved the mask. The inside of it was coated with so much blood that Aline was almost reluctant to touch it. She didn’t know the extent of Isaiah’s relationship with Carapace - father and daughter, mentor and student - but she could understand why he would be reluctant to take on this particular duty. She pushed down her queasiness and picked up the mask. She was almost out of the room when Carapace spoke again.
“I think you deserve to know what was under that mask.”
Aline heard the sound of the towel being pulled off and set aside. She kept her head forward and her eyes down. Something told her that if she turned around she would regret it. If she saw who was under the mask, or at least if she saw who it was at this point, she would never have hope in Carapace again. If she saw through the mask and the gadgets to the human woman, Carapace would never again be anything more than that to her.
“I’ll bring this back when I’m finished with it.”
She walked out of the room and followed Carapace’s directions to the washroom.