“Insurmountable Chasm”

Nosedive was simply unconscious. He was captured. Wraith was draining his little brother for blood. He was getting beaten to death by Siege. Dragaunus was putting the Stigma back on. He was ripped to shreds by Dragaunus’s claws, his heart gorged from his chest.

“I have a lock on his comm.,” Tanya informed curtly, her sharp voice slicing through the haze cluttering Wildwing’s head.

Wildwing hardly felt Canard’s hand on his shoulder. “Where is he?”

“The basement.”

Wildwing dashed through the doorways toward the stairs. A thousand new ideas flashed through his mind, the first of which was to remind his brother without room for dispute that his comm. was supposed to be answered at all times, especially during a battle. His second thought was to ground Nosedive, and he didn’t care if the boy climbed the walls of the Pond. The third was to just hug him and be content that he was safe—and the last one won out as he slammed through the door and saw his little brother—in front of Lucretia.

The older female stood almost a head taller than his younger brother, yet Nosedive still held his ground, his hands curled into fists at his sides, his shoulders heaving up and down as he panted.

He didn’t turn to the team and instead uttered harshly, “Are you still working for him?”

“Dauphin, please, I stopped working for him the moment he was kicked off the planet,” she said, eyeing Wildwing and Canard, but quickly looked back at Nosedive.

“Because it wasn’t profitable for you anymore, right?” he answered sardonically. “Or was it because you had no one to manipulate?”

“I never meant to hurt you,” she said weakly, averting her eyes, “but he was going to kill me if I couldn’t deliver the Bronzeplumes. I had no choice. I had to give him someone.”

“So you played me to save your own feathers,” Nosedive let out a dry chuckle and crossed his arms. “It’s so good to know that after all these years, you haven’t changed a bit.”

“I never thought he’d hurt you!” Lucretia disputed, her words pleading. “He said as long as you told him where the Bronzeplumes were, then he wouldn’t send you back to the mines! If you just would have listened to me— but you were so stubborn!”

“Wait! You betray me and hand me over to the lizards gift-wrapped, and when the Saurians abuse me, it’s my fault!” he shouted incredulously. Shaking his head, Nosedive finally focused directly into her eyes. “Do you know what he did to me, Cret? Do you have any idea?”

Her eyes softened, but still he spat brokenly, “What does it matter, anyway? It’s not like you care.” Brusquely, Nosedive demanded again, “Are you working for him?”

“NO!” she replied sharply. “Of course not! I told you. There was a whirlwind, and suddenly I was dropped here.”

He glared at her, then hastily looked away.

She took a step forward and brushed back his bangs. He flinched at the motion and refused to meet her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said suddenly, her hand recoiling instantly. She blinked back the tears that rose in her eyes, barely keeping her manner collected. “I would never have given you to him if I would have known his true intentions. I would never have allowed him to stain—”

“Stop,” he pleaded, shaking his head and taking a step back. “Just stop.”

Lucretia looked at him, bewildered, as he slowly looked at her.

He blinked back his tears. “How could you continue to work for him after you know what he did to me?”

“I—I—”

“I never told you he stained me,” Nosedive claimed, shaking his head. “Only my teammates and Dragaunus and his flunkies know.” He focused the majority of his bale upon her. “How could you?”

Lucretia gasped, as tears, too, trickled down her demoralized face. “Dauphin, I—”

“You’re never going to change, are you, Cret?” Nosedive returned softly. “You betray me. You let the Saurian torture me, and you feel no shame about doing it again!”

“Dauphin, please!” she stammered frantically, her eyes ricocheting back and forth. “You have to understand. Dragaunus! He—”

“STOP!” Nosedive exploded, tears coursing down his ruddy cheeks. “I’m tired of it. I don’t want to hear anymore.” He shook his head again, but it didn’t stop the searing in his chest. “Do you know what’s funny about all this, Cret? I can forgive you for forcing me to swallow drugs. I can even forgive you for betraying me to the Saurians and for still trying to play me again.” He swallowed hard and looked away, croaking, “But I will never forgive you for making me doubt my brother’s love of me.”

He turned sharply on his heel and looked directly at his brother. “Tell me she doesn’t have to live with us.”

Wildwing shook his head instantly. “I’ll call Klegghorn. Since she’s a known traitor, we’ll be able to make a deal with him for a prison sentence.”

Nosedive nodded and began to walk away, only for Lucretia to clutch his arm in one ditch effort to stop him from leaving her. Instantly, he jerked away and strode toward the exit. As he passed his big brother, Wildwing smoothed down his hair, understanding his brother’s need to leave.

“Dauphin, wait!” Lucretia cried as Nosedive reached the door.

The teen stopped short. “My name is Nosedive, Lucretia, not Dauphin. Not anymore. Never again.”

And he left and never looked back.

THE END