NEW FLESH

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: RESOURCEFUL RAGE

MARGO could feel her adrenaline rush dying out as they entered the underground tunnel Ronnie had led her to, she stopped for a moment his hold on her stuttering when he realized she needed to stop.

"Raven-" she held her out to him taking a deep breath, "don't." she warned, he nodded his head respecting her request, he wasn't used to calling or thinking of her by any name other than Raven, it was odd to think that over the years they'd piece by piece broken and torn apart the girl he'd once known to piece her together into an entirely new person.

The one thing he couldn't figure out was how they'd done it.

After a few minutes of Margo leaning against the wall, they continued down the dimly lit tunnel their only light being that of the moon.

"So, are you going to tell me what the hells going on?" she questioned after they'd reached the end of the tunnel- they had to pass through a locked gate first- he shook his head fighting back the response he had, "I'll let Stan tell you it, he owes you that much." he replied making his way towards the center of the room where tarps hung from the ceiling.

She glanced around the room, it wasn't much to look at the temperature alone sending chills down her spine as she moved to one of the few chairs in the room, "what's the plan? With the bomb and all."

Ronnie glanced over from where he stood, "the plan is to detonate it, Americans are going to die and burn the way Stan let me." she shook her head in response standing up from where she sat.

"What did he do to you? Is it worth the death of so many innocent people?" he let out a sigh before crossing the room to stand beside the table, running his hand over the tool kit he had laid out he looked up at her, "he left me to die, he always preached about how these people were terrorists when in reality, we're the terrorists, and now, I'm getting revenge, and you should too."

She thought about that for a few moments before replying, "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be getting revenge for, since no one wants to tell me anything." Ronnie shook his head once again, "get some sleep, you'll get your answers tomorrow." he walked off leaving her in the silence of the room, he paused at the end of where the light allowed her to see, "are you coming?" she briskly walked across the room to him managing to keep up as he walked down the opposing side of the hall.

Turning left down the small corridor, they stopped at a small mattress, he gestured to it watching as she looked from the bed to him, "I can't exactly put you in a hotel without the risk of Stan finding you." he spoke letting his hand fall to his side, she took small steps towards the mattress sitting down on the somewhat firm material once she was close enough, there was a small blanket folded at the end waiting to be used.

Leaning across the bed to grab it, she unfolded it once it was in her hands the texture of the blanket being enough to lull her to sleep. He watched as she laid her head on the mattress her eyes flickering shut, "goodnight Ra-" he paused at the beginning of the name wondering whether or not he should wait to begin calling her that again, fortunately for him, she was too tired to even notice the mention of her old name.

He crossed his arms over his chest watching her for a few silent minutes before he walked back to the main room of the tunnel- where the bomb would be built and handled- making his way to the table he grabbed his gun by the shoulder strap and slipped it over his arm quickly checking to make sure he had ammunition before he headed off.

If Stan wouldn't come to them, he was going to bring him to them.

It was close to afternoon when Margo woke up, she quickly realized she was alone and sat up on the mattress the events of last night flooding her brain with a dull ache, she rubbed her temples hoping for some relief to come to them with the action, when none did, she climbed off of the mattress stretching her arms as she walked through the tunnel back to the main area where they'd entered earlier.

She could hear conversations as people approached sending her right back down the hall so she could listen from around the corner, she could make out two distinct voices, one being Ronnie's while another seemed to belong to- Stan.

She rushed out from around the corner her eyes meeting Ronnies as he dragged Stan along, he looked up from the floor to gaze at her letting out a sigh at the sight of her alive and walking, dread was building up within him at the thought that Ronnie had more than likely fed her all the bullshit he'd been worried about.

Her brother got him situated in the chair she'd sat in the night prior making sure he was bound tightly enough that he wouldn't be able to free himself under any conditions, his gaze frequently swept from his face to Margos trying to figure out why she was with him to begin with, why she had trusted a man she hardly knew anything about over a man she'd spent just about seven years of her life with.

But despite this he knew family- blood- had a deeper connection than whatever it was that the two of them had, he knew that whatever Ronnie told her would be enough to keep her on his side, for now.

Taking a step back from Stan to admire his handiwork, Ronnie gestured to Stan offering Margo a small grin, "is there something you'd like to tell her?" he questioned, he glared at the younger man, he despised him with every fiber of his being, and he knew that if maybe he'd just left him in the Navy none of this would be a problem, but it was and now he was paying the price of secrecy. "Stan?" he asked again, the man shook his head, "don't act like you haven't fed her any of that bullshit you spew, I know you better than anyone." he spoke his voice gruff with irritation, "Margo, have I told you anything? Or did I say that Stan should be the one to tell you, since he owes you that much?"

Margo could tell the last part of the sentence had been meant to hurt, and she could tell by Stans expression it had done just that. He knew he owed her that much, but he hadn't wanted to tell her like this, or at all for that matter.

"TELL HER!" Stan flinched at Ronnie's words slowly looking up to meet Margo's gaze, "what do you wanna know?" he asked his voice low, she glanced from Stan to Ronnie before returning her gaze to the balding man, "I wanna know about my time at the facility, what happened to me, I want to know who Raven is, I want to know everything." Stan hesitated for a moment before he glared at Ronnie.

"Irene saw your potential, so in between your first year and a half of training with me, you went back and forth from the facility to the barn." he paused for a moment, "when you visited the facility, Irene would have doctors and psychologists talk to you, she knew what you were capable of, but she knew you'd never get there unless they broke you down bit by bit and changed you to fit their needs. So they did."

Margo listened on confused but intrigued, "that's when you suddenly became Margo, Raven was gone, and it was like they'd flipped a switch in you, you talked less, followed orders better, and were overall a far more successful recruit." Ronnie crossed his arms over his chest as if he was waiting for more, "you wanna tell her where Margo came from?" she glanced between the two of them her gaze settling on Stan.

He paused hesitant to reply, "It was what your mother was going to name you, until she passed and your brother ended up naming you." Margos gaze switched from Stan to her brother watching his face for any expression of how he might feel, his face was blank, "he stripped you of your identity, with Irene's help, he took away your name, your family, and here he is, unharmed and content with his choices." Ronnie mumbled into her ear, she shook her head unsure of how to process the information.

She took a step back as the information began to set in, her life was a lie, everything it had ever been built on, it had never been true, she wasn't Margo, she was Raven, except, she couldn't even remember who Raven was, all she could remember was Margo, there was nothing before that but a blank canvas that at one point she might have been able to pull to the surface and see details covering every inch of the surface.

She looked down at her hands, it didn't even feel like she was in her body, it felt like she was slowly watching herself deteriorate from the outside, Ronnie moved his hand to rub her shoulder pulling it away when she flinched at the sudden contact, Stan watched in silence unsure of what was to happen next.

She could hear other voices now, more men coming down the tunnel, "those would be my associates, excuse me for a moment." he made an effort to smile at Margo before he exited the room walking down the dark tunnel, Stan watched as he disappeared before he turned to face her, "Margo, listen to me, you can not let him detonate that bomb, if you do we'll be at war, people will die, innocent people." she let his words sink in for a few moments, "so was he not innocent when you left him? Did he deserve to be tortured? Did I?" he didn't respond knowing that either way she would still be upset with him.

He shook his head, "he knew what would happen if he was caught, if he had put a bullet in his head like he- like both of you were taught, then he wouldn't have suffered, instead he didn't, and he ended up becoming one of the terrorists we hunt down and kill."

Margo scoffed, he seemed to be overly fond of the idea of people putting bullets in their heads, "so what's the excuse for me? Why? Why couldn't I just be locked up? Why put me through all that? Lie to me every day of every week year after year?" He leaned forward slightly as if that would make his statement all the more convincing.

"We did what we had to do to make you a successful operative in the field, do I regret some of the things we had to do? Yes, would I change them? No. The things we did made you into the person you are as of right now, without that you'd be dead." her attention was drawn away from the man as Ronnie entered the room with the Iranian men he'd called his associates.

Their conversation died out in volume as they took notice of her, "gentlemen, this is my sister, Raven, she's going to help make sure all of this runs smoothly." she cringed at the mention of the name watching as the men exchanged looks, one of them stepped forward offering his hand to her with a smile.

She looked from Ronnie to the man before reaching forward to shake his hand, Stan closed his eyes finally taking it in that Margo was no longer on their side, he'd lost her over his selfish decisions, and now they were all going to face the wrath of the two siblings.

NEW FLESH

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: RESOURCEFUL RAGE