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Elizabeth felt her heart drop when she heard the 3 letters she always dreaded to hear from anyone in the 141 about their child Private Star “Aries” Patridge or Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson. KIA, those words came out of Kai “Otter” Haez’s mouth and she felt her world shattered. Both her husband and child-figure she “adopted” were killed in action while the news of a brother-in-law figure Simon “Ghost” Riley was painful; it was not as devastating as hearing the life she was building towards was gone. She wouldn’t be able to have that child with Gary they were planning or see Star get married to their girlfriend, who she had to break the news to soon after she stops sobbing. She needed to leave the base, she wasn’t safe there anymore. But she couldn’t find a reason to leave, her family was gone. The family she built was gone and now she had no real reason to live except helping Kai through his trauma.
October, 2054
She was recalling the memories of the night that repeated in her head when she didn’t focus on anything else. There was a soft knock on the door, she knew who it was. The only two people who knew where she lived. She opened the door to see Kai, she smiled a little. They were both old. Kai in his 40’s and starting to wrinkle and Elizabeth in her late 60’s and is already wrinkled. “Come in, I’ll get us a cuppa”
“Thanks Liz.” The autistic man sat down near the fireplace that she keeps running because of the crisp England autumn air, “So, what brings you to visit?” She asked, it was like clockwork to her at this point. He comes to check up on her, she answers his questions, he stays a few days before he leaves again to his own family. Something she never made for herself after her past husband bit the bullet, she knew she should of moved on. But she was like Odysseus to Penelope, she couldn’t let him go because he helped her with so many of her problems and she worried it would never be like that again with another man.
“Just wondering how you are doing, you’re all alone in the woods. Must…you know? Feel lonely since Me, Wei, and Dave don’t visit as often” She shrugged, she got used to the loneliness that came with the cost of living by herself without no one knowing where she is. “You all have families now, I never was one who wanted to rain on someone’s parade.” Kai frowned at this. “Liz, you’re not ruining the mood with anyone. We care about you, you know that.” She sighed, as she looked at the pot that was slowly getting to a boil. She hated when Kai said that, she knew the others cared about her. Well, at least those who were still alive. Luckily, in her eyes sometimes, John Price Sr. passed away. That means no more being hounded to try to restart a dead team that deserved rest.
They never wanted to be remembered, they were meant to get their hands dirty so the world stays clean. Which means staying quiet, like a ghost team when they are no longer of use they just vanish. No less a whisper in the wind, yet the man was determined to commit a crime of necromancy.
“I know that, Kai.”
“Then why are you still thinking you’re a burden to us? We all have someone we are mourning.” She frowned, she never knew why she always thought she was a burden. It was just something ingrained into her since childhood. She sighed and shrugged, “I never know Kai, you know this. It’s just something I-” The kettle whistled, her saving grace before she spiraled. She grabbed the mugs she kept in the cupboard, of coursed themed with floral decorations painted on the mugs. “The normal?” She asked and Kai nodded, as she started preparing the tea with seeping the bags to adding the fluffing like sugar, honey, or even creme. She walked over with a mug and sat down next to Kai before handing him his mug, before blowing on hers to cool it down. “How is Kasi?” She asked, trying to change the subject from her to something else.
“She’s doing well, learning the mechanic business fast. Maybe I’ll be able to retire soon” He chuckled softly, and she had a soft smile. “You must be a proud father.” Kai nodded, “Yeah, I am.”
“I would have loved a daughter, I think I would have been a good mother.” She sighed, at the thought. The idea that spinned through her head of what her and Gary’s daughter would be, or would even look like. “I knew you would have. You were such a good mother-figure to Star.” Elizabeth chuckled, “Yeah…Yeah I think so too.” She looked into the fire, a smaller version of what took her family away from her. She wished that the government locked that man up for the crimes he committed, even if they had no proof. She just wished the man could see the karma he deserves. Kai placed a hand on her shoulder, “I know it hurts Liz, but they would have wanted you to have moved on from your grief by now.”
“I don’t think I will, not until that man is in jail or dead.” She was determined to outlive the man that took her family’s lives as her biggest victory of all. Kai sighed and shoved her shoulder a bit “You’re lucky that you are my friend.”
“Very.” She smiled