CHAPTER 28: CH 28: FINALLY.

Levi stood in the room, brows furrowed together and ready to strike again.

But he saw her—

Selene, her gauntlet had been shattered and she looked like she was holding on by a thread.

He loosened his stance, marching to her to make sure she was alright before she collapsed.

He rushed to her, carrying her in his arms before taking her to the medical bay.

He moved fast, sweat beading her forehead but he stopped for no one then pushed the door of the bay open and placed her on the nearest bed.

The doctor immediately noticed her and dropped everything to attend to her.

But not before pushing Levi out of the room, and assuring him she would be alright but what she needed right now was time and space.

He argued and tried to oppose before finally settling down and leaving for his room.

---

Selene’s eyes fluttered open.

She turned her head, left then right, the walls were pristine white, the fluorescent light above her blinding and the smell of antiseptic lingering heavily in the air.

She tried to move but her entire body ached, but most particularly her arms, they left like they were just put through a blender.

The slightest motion came with a sting, she turned to them— they were wrapped in some white bandage.

She forced herself up, sitting up on the bed before trying to step off.

Before she could the doctor came in, waved her off and pushed her back onto the bed.

"Don’t try to move a muscle, it’s a miracle you’re still in one piece," he said honestly.

She stopped him, "I’m fine Doc, I just need to go to my room."

"Nope, Manhattan himself said you have to stay here until I clear you myself and say everything’s alright,"

She slowly brought her hand to her forehead, rubbing her temple, "Doc, I promise you I’m fine."

"I’ll be the judge of that, and until then you stay here and you don’t move a muscle unless I say so myself... And Manhattan said I should let him know when you wake up so I’ll be right back."

He turned and headed for the door.

Although her entire body felt like hell and she couldn’t show it, she was beyond ecstatic.

’Fucking finally, someone that can pull the tide and give up the upper hand, he might actually be on C if not B-Class strength by now, I just need to keep pushing him.’

She thought as she stared at the ceiling.

Before long the door flew open so furiously you’d think he owned the place, but that’s because he did, Mr Manhattan burst into the room with a worried expression over his features.

He stepped closer to Selene’s bed, deliberate and slowly like every step was a message.

He folded his arms behind his back, "I warned you Selene... I told you this was a bad idea repeatedly but you seem to always refuse any thoughts that aren’t your own and now look...

One of my best elites, hurt and lying on a hospital gurney."

She rolled her eyes, at this point Mr Manhattan sounded like a broken clock.

"Sir, I didn’t get hurt because I was wrong, I got hurt because I was right."

She moved her feet off the bed to dangle about the edge of the bed, "Sir, he’s strong— strong enough to rival the higher classes and maybe just maybe with enough training—"

~BAM!~

He slammed his open palm onto the metallic rack beside the bed.

"WHAT SELENE?! What exactly can he do? You think he’s the one that can destroy the Network... Or what? Kill Nikolai?"

She cut him off, raising her tone to match his, "What would you have me do, sir?!

Roll over and let him destroy the world when it was my fucking mistake that created him?"

His mouth hung open, no words coming to his mind.

She didn’t care, she continued.

"I had the chance to kill him. I had the chance to end it all before it even started but I didn’t. I couldn’t. So now that’s my burden to bear and I have to live with that.

So... I will do anything and everything in my power to stop him from destroying what’s left of the world. And if that means training Levi to that point then I will shed blood, sweat and tears to get to that point... Then so be it."

He said nothing, his chest visibly deflated.

The sizzling tension between them was practically palpable.

Manhattan lowered his tone, "Selene, I’m not going to say it was or wasn’t your fault but you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it too much, after all we all had a hand in creating Nikolai."

She raised her eyes to meet his, tears bubbled under but she wouldn’t let them fall.

"Sir, no offence but that does nothing for me... You gave me a condition to have Levi, you said that if I can keep him under control you’d let me train him myself so let me train him myself."

He sighed internally.

"Selene, I’ll ask for the last time, are you sure that you have this under absolute control?"

She took a breath before pushing herself off the bed, wincing as her feet made contact with the floor.

"Give me till the gala, let me show you what exactly I can do with Kane."

He stepped forward, shortening the distance between them and stretching forth his hand.

"Till the gala."

She sharpened her gaze, meeting his hand with her as they locked in a tense shake.

"Till the gala."

---

It had been a few hours since Levi hurt Selene and he hadn’t stopped pacing his room since.

He tugged at the root of his hair, pulling harder and harder as he racked his mind.

’why did I have to hit her that hard, I mean it was just fucking training and I basically blasted her through the goddamn wall.’

While lost in thought he failed to realise someone was knocking on his door.

Until they managed the door loud enough to echo.

He turned and rushed to door, unlocking it and pulling it wide open.

He saw Selene, leaning against his doorframe with a smile on her face.

His breath hitched.

"Fuck, i thought I almost killed you."

She laughed.

"You really thought that was enough to put me on the shelf, I thought you said you were strong."