Zero Tolerance: Adora Cain
Title: Adora Cain
Characters: Mainly Wyatt and Adora, although the others show up too
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Do not own Tin Man.
Summary: Adora Cain's Mission
Table of Contents
By the time they returned to the lab, she was awake, rubbing her neck. She looked up to see Jeb and rushed to him. "Jeb? Are you all right? I'm so sorry." Before he'd gotten a word out, she wrapped him in a hug.
"Hmmph!" he pulled his head out over her shoulder. "I'm fine, Mom," he said, hugging back. "I'm good."
He looked into his eyes, confirming that for himself. "I'm so sorry. That I got killed... and..."
"You remember now?" Zero asked.
Adora-bot looked up at him and twisted Jeb away. "It's ok, mother," Jeb stilled her. "He's... fine." Adora-bot looked at him in disbelief.
"She remembers," Ambrose answered Zero's question. "Everything."
"I didn't before," she told Jeb. "You weren't like a son to me. You were my son."
"But he's not," Adora spoke up. "He's mine."
"You had your mission."
"What was it?" Jeb asked.
"The Kingdom of Ev. I was to tend the king's gardens."
"Hold on, you were a gardener?"
"It was no longer safe here. I thought I had no one."
"Wait. Didn't the King of Ev get poisoned?" Azkadellia asked.
"A tragedy, for the kingdom," Adora agreed, her voice appropriately sombre.
"As I recall it was of a botanical nature," Azkadellia's eye narrowed.
"My wife, the assassin," Wyatt buried his head in his hands.
"I didn't say that."
"No, you don't have to," Jeb retorted. "You're proud of it. At least we know."
"If I hadn't, they would have invaded us, while we were weak."
"Then you're a 'good assassin', well, that's fine."
"Please, stop being angry at me!" Adora shouted. "I've never hurt you, not on purpose! I've tried to protect you!" She gasped, her tears beginning to flow down her face.
Wyatt went to her. He rubbed her back. "Ok, ok," he repeated, louder. "We'll stop," he told Jeb. Jeb hesitated, finally huffing out a breath, nodding. "Ok. Zero, you're a free man. The Queen is signing a pardon."
"My men?" Zero asked.
Wyatt nodded. "You should meet with Ahamo. Discuss strategy." Zero nodded and made to leave, stopping only to get hugs from his sister and Azkadellia. He left. "You can stay in my quarters here, Adora. It's certainly big enough. I can't promise you anything... this is going to take some time." Despite himself, he looked over to see Cassandra's reaction. She didn't look at him and her face revealed nothing. That couldn't be a good sign but Wyatt knew that she could accept his decision, if for no other reason that she knew that he was a man of duty.
"What am I to do?" Adora-bot asked.
"Well, you'll stay too, mother," Jeb replied. Adora flinched.
DG reached out for her. "I can take you to my nuture units, Hank and Emily, I'm sure they can help you find your place."
"All right," Adora agreed, allowing them to lead her.
"Thanks, Ambrose," Jeb smiled politely.
"You're welcome, young Cain."
Wyatt, given she had few clothes, had sent her to the royal seemstress with orders to not let them confuse or intimidate her, as well as a lecture full of tips on how to avoid doing just that. Adora appreciated the effort he went to make it light-hearted between them.
She assured him that she would be all right, and left the room that was twice the size of their cabin. Wyatt had put an extra bed in, saying "Let's take this nice and slow". She swallowed her disappointment and agreed.
She was not surprised when she turned around a corner and saw Arthur Bailey's probing eyes staring at her. He smiled. "It is good to see you reunited with your family, Adora."
"Not exactly," she said, continuing on, though at a pace that would fit an ambling stroll. Bailey kept up with her easily. "My exile has taken its toll."
Bailey dismissed her venom with a wave of his hand. She had been gone rather longer than expected. "That was unavoidable. And to be expected. The boy's impulsive, despite his admirable attempts to curb that tendency. He has been unable to entirely put the flaws of his youth behind him. He'll come around when he's ready. As for your husband, his sense of duty will bind him."
"He's trying," Adora's eyes narrowed, trying to see Bailey's purpose. "There's, there's no one else is there? He told me... well, he wasn't clear."
Bailey cocked his eyebrow. "Oh?"
"There is someone?"
Bailey looked at her a moment. "There was. Wyatt Cain's love life wasn't one of my priorities."
"But Jeb is? Azkadellia seemed surprised by the existence of a robot."
"A boy needs a mother," Bailey replied.
"And someone to train him."
"To survive. I think he's done rather nicely, don't you?"
"Doesn't a boy need a father? Why did you leave him there to rot? You could have..."
Bailey held up a hand. "Wyatt Cain needed to stay where he was. We ensured he did. So he could aid the princess." Adora stared. "And he did. The princess rescued him."
"The Zipperhead? You planted instructions."
"'Planted' isn't quite the word I'd use, Adora. We merely took care of him, 'suggesting' a path he should take and when the time came, he took it. It was simple and non-evasive." They arrived at the seemstresses. "Tell them to make you a dress in midnight blue. Brings out your eyes." He bowed his head and left her.
Hawk Eyes
Characters: Mainly Wyatt and Adora, although the others show up too
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Do not own Tin Man.
Summary: Adora Cain's Mission
Table of Contents
By the time they returned to the lab, she was awake, rubbing her neck. She looked up to see Jeb and rushed to him. "Jeb? Are you all right? I'm so sorry." Before he'd gotten a word out, she wrapped him in a hug.
"Hmmph!" he pulled his head out over her shoulder. "I'm fine, Mom," he said, hugging back. "I'm good."
He looked into his eyes, confirming that for himself. "I'm so sorry. That I got killed... and..."
"You remember now?" Zero asked.
Adora-bot looked up at him and twisted Jeb away. "It's ok, mother," Jeb stilled her. "He's... fine." Adora-bot looked at him in disbelief.
"She remembers," Ambrose answered Zero's question. "Everything."
"I didn't before," she told Jeb. "You weren't like a son to me. You were my son."
"But he's not," Adora spoke up. "He's mine."
"You had your mission."
"What was it?" Jeb asked.
"The Kingdom of Ev. I was to tend the king's gardens."
"Hold on, you were a gardener?"
"It was no longer safe here. I thought I had no one."
"Wait. Didn't the King of Ev get poisoned?" Azkadellia asked.
"A tragedy, for the kingdom," Adora agreed, her voice appropriately sombre.
"As I recall it was of a botanical nature," Azkadellia's eye narrowed.
"My wife, the assassin," Wyatt buried his head in his hands.
"I didn't say that."
"No, you don't have to," Jeb retorted. "You're proud of it. At least we know."
"If I hadn't, they would have invaded us, while we were weak."
"Then you're a 'good assassin', well, that's fine."
"Please, stop being angry at me!" Adora shouted. "I've never hurt you, not on purpose! I've tried to protect you!" She gasped, her tears beginning to flow down her face.
Wyatt went to her. He rubbed her back. "Ok, ok," he repeated, louder. "We'll stop," he told Jeb. Jeb hesitated, finally huffing out a breath, nodding. "Ok. Zero, you're a free man. The Queen is signing a pardon."
"My men?" Zero asked.
Wyatt nodded. "You should meet with Ahamo. Discuss strategy." Zero nodded and made to leave, stopping only to get hugs from his sister and Azkadellia. He left. "You can stay in my quarters here, Adora. It's certainly big enough. I can't promise you anything... this is going to take some time." Despite himself, he looked over to see Cassandra's reaction. She didn't look at him and her face revealed nothing. That couldn't be a good sign but Wyatt knew that she could accept his decision, if for no other reason that she knew that he was a man of duty.
"What am I to do?" Adora-bot asked.
"Well, you'll stay too, mother," Jeb replied. Adora flinched.
DG reached out for her. "I can take you to my nuture units, Hank and Emily, I'm sure they can help you find your place."
"All right," Adora agreed, allowing them to lead her.
"Thanks, Ambrose," Jeb smiled politely.
"You're welcome, young Cain."
Wyatt, given she had few clothes, had sent her to the royal seemstress with orders to not let them confuse or intimidate her, as well as a lecture full of tips on how to avoid doing just that. Adora appreciated the effort he went to make it light-hearted between them.
She assured him that she would be all right, and left the room that was twice the size of their cabin. Wyatt had put an extra bed in, saying "Let's take this nice and slow". She swallowed her disappointment and agreed.
She was not surprised when she turned around a corner and saw Arthur Bailey's probing eyes staring at her. He smiled. "It is good to see you reunited with your family, Adora."
"Not exactly," she said, continuing on, though at a pace that would fit an ambling stroll. Bailey kept up with her easily. "My exile has taken its toll."
Bailey dismissed her venom with a wave of his hand. She had been gone rather longer than expected. "That was unavoidable. And to be expected. The boy's impulsive, despite his admirable attempts to curb that tendency. He has been unable to entirely put the flaws of his youth behind him. He'll come around when he's ready. As for your husband, his sense of duty will bind him."
"He's trying," Adora's eyes narrowed, trying to see Bailey's purpose. "There's, there's no one else is there? He told me... well, he wasn't clear."
Bailey cocked his eyebrow. "Oh?"
"There is someone?"
Bailey looked at her a moment. "There was. Wyatt Cain's love life wasn't one of my priorities."
"But Jeb is? Azkadellia seemed surprised by the existence of a robot."
"A boy needs a mother," Bailey replied.
"And someone to train him."
"To survive. I think he's done rather nicely, don't you?"
"Doesn't a boy need a father? Why did you leave him there to rot? You could have..."
Bailey held up a hand. "Wyatt Cain needed to stay where he was. We ensured he did. So he could aid the princess." Adora stared. "And he did. The princess rescued him."
"The Zipperhead? You planted instructions."
"'Planted' isn't quite the word I'd use, Adora. We merely took care of him, 'suggesting' a path he should take and when the time came, he took it. It was simple and non-evasive." They arrived at the seemstresses. "Tell them to make you a dress in midnight blue. Brings out your eyes." He bowed his head and left her.
Hawk Eyes