Summus Proelium

Prompt: Paige and Sierra do some bonding

"You know, I feel like I have a bit of an unfair advantage here." As she mused about that aloud, Sierra continued pacing in a slow circle to the left without taking her eyes off Paige. The two of them were killing some time in one of the training dojos on the Galileo's Adherents' private (and now evil mercenary-free) island, getting a bit of light sparring in and testing Sierra's new power.

The two were doing that while Irelyn and Haley negotiated to get them all a quick teleport back to America. More specifically, a teleport all the way to Phoenix so they could watch Paintball compete in those games. Paige wanted to go, and Irelyn hadn't exactly needed much in the way of convincing to agree to leave this island after the last one she'd been forced to spend time on.

"You mean because you have all my strengths and also just added brand new superpowers on top of those?" Paige asked pointedly while taking a quick little half-step back for distance. The fact that she was taller than her Biolem sister by a good ten inches, and thus had much better reach, was the only real advantage she could exploit in a bout like this. New powers aside, they were evenly matched in almost all respects when it came to skill and physical ability.

Before replying, Sierra tested the other girl's defense by snapping her right hand out in a feint toward that side while simultaneously side-stepping the other way with her leg coming up just a bit for a second feint. When Paige didn't go for either, she shrugged, continuing the simple pace to the left. "Pfft, please, I barely know how to use any of that, and it sure isn't gonna help in our little sparring bit here. Best it'll do is stop me from getting hurt or let me help you if you do, and I feel like if either of us fuck up enough to really hurt the other, we've got much bigger problems."

It was Paige's turn for a feint, taking a step slightly forward while her hand moved like she was going to grab the smaller girl's shoulder. Which meant it was Sierra's turn to not fall for it, and just like that, the two of them continued circling. The motion and withdrawal had happened so quickly, most people would still be trying to process the fact that any movement occurred at all.

"Okay," the taller girl agreed easily enough once they settled back into their slow, steady circling. "I guess I'll bite. So, spill it, what is this grand unfair advantage you think you have over me right now?"

Sierra knew the same thing Paige did, about the other girl's advantage in reach. She knew she had to close the distance and put herself right up in her face to eliminate that advantage. But for the moment, she contented herself to stay back and keep the conversation light. There was no real hurry, after all. It was going to take the other two time to secure a teleport, considering what these people were dealing with. Even considering what they'd done to help these people, there was just a lot going on. The Adherents had to make sure their home was secure, and send more guards out to all their other satellite bases that could link to this one. They were all kinds of busy.

With that in mind, she casually explained, "I have no problem hitting you in the face. Or any other part. But you, you're not exactly what we'd call the biggest fan of hitting Cassidy, are you?" The girl's tone turned slightly teasing by the end, as she wiggled her fingers at her own face.

A very faint pink shade came to Paige's face for just a second at that, but she still managed to easily step sideways to avoid the quick punch that Sierra tried to close the distance with. "Not to state the obvious," she shot back with put-on, exaggerated sweetness, "but you're not Cassidy." Her shoulder rose in a shrug. "You're just my sister, and I have no problem punching my sister." She demonstrated as such by stepping in, pivoting while raising one arm to intercept the girl's incoming fist, and then snapping her other arm out in a quick backhand into Sierra's stomach.

Of course, the blow wouldn't have done much even if they were really fighting, as the other girl was already backstepping to turn it into a glancing hit. At the same time, Sierra's leg went up to kick Paige's shin, forcing her to step back rather than press forward and turn it into a hit on her knee. Her left hand rose, catching the follow-up punch and knocking it off course with a grunt.

"You sure you can keep that in mind all the time?" Sierra teased after throwing a quick series of punches, a mix of feints and real attacks to feel out the taller girl and halt her momentum as she was put on the backfoot. "You're not gonna look at my face just as you're about to get a good clean hit in and start feeling all guilty about it?" Her mouth twitched up in a tiny smirk just before she pivoted around and snapped her other leg out in an abrupt back kick at her opponent's hip.

Without missing a step, Paige simply slapped her hand down to catch the incoming foot just as it was about to make contact, pushing it out of the way. "Let's just say, if I ever did start to suffer from sudden onset memory issues and forgot I was sparring with you instead of them, all I'd need to do is hear you say something and I'd immediately remember why I like hitting you. And since you can't go more than five seconds without talking, I think we're probably pretty safe on that front."

A snort escaped the other girl as she offered an unabashed shrug. "You're probably right, I do think the world could stand to hear as many of my opinions as I can make it listen to. And not all of us can pull off the strong silent type like you do." A new grin came as she taunted her with, "Speaking of which, keep it up. Less is more when it comes to your voice, that's all I'm saying."

"Hey, no problem," Paige retorted before snapping her fingers as though something had just come to mind. "Actually, why don't I help make sure that isn't a problem anymore by popping your eardrums so you don't have to hear my voice at all? Then everyone gets to be happy."

The trash talking back and forth like that would've seemed fairly normal, all things considered. Just some taunting between two siblings having a sparring match. What might have surprised onlookers to find out, however, was the fact that the two of them weren't simply sparring physically and verbally. There was also an entirely separate mental match going on. Specifically, a chess match that they were playing against one another within their private Biolem connection.

Paige had already managed to win three of those matches to Sierra's two, though the smaller girl was ahead by one on their physical sparring points. And they were both tied when it came to their third and final simultaneous competition: a game of Battleship involving thirty unit fleets spread across a board running from A1 to ZZ50 (AA, BB, CC, for a total of 52 rows). They'd each sunk ten spaces worth of ships.

Their three-fold competition served more of a purpose than simply killing time and keeping up on their training, of course. Even Paige wouldn't have demanded they run through drills merely for the latter after everything they'd just been through with those mercenaries. It was also about making sure Sierra was still functioning in top condition after Touching. Not that they expected any real dropoff or problem, but there was always the chance that being sent wherever that old gray void place was might have had a negative effect of some sort that it didn't have on humans. It wasn't like there was much in the way of research in how their Biolem orbs reacted to that, and the one man they might technically have been able to ask, if the two were actually stupid enough to believe anything he said, wasn't going to be answering any questions ever again.

After another few minutes of that, they mutually decided to take a break. At least from the physical part, their chess and Battleship games were still going strong. Together, the two took a couple towels to wipe off sweat before slumping down right there on the mat. They weren't worried about Sierra needing to turn her new Incogniter back on. The Adherents knew this place was off limits for the time being, granting the pair their privacy. Besides, they were tapped right into the security system, so they would know if anyone tried to come in. They could both relax.

Taking a couple bottles of water from the cooler sitting nearby and passing one to her sister, Paige asked, "How does it feel though, having super powers like that?" She took a sip of the water and exhaled before amending, "Any powers, I guess, but healing powers especially."

Sierra gulped her own water for a moment before shrugging. "I mean, I don't really know yet, I've only had them for about thirty seconds. But uhh, weird, mostly. And cool. Makes me feel like we're more than good ol' Dad wanted us to be. Sure, we knew that already, but still. It feels like we're real people." She paused before snorting. "Guess that's kinda dumb, considering animals and objects can Touch too. You think I actually count as one of those Touched Objects now?"

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Rolling her eyes, Paige shifted around to poke the other girl in the shoulder. "First, we are real people, just as much as anyone else is. We think, we feel, we make our own decisions, at least as much as we can. Yeah, there's… programming problems, but humans can be mind-controlled too. Even programmed in their own way. We are people. But as far as being a Touched Object goes, I mean, does it really matter? I guess if it turns out they all have some sort of special club, you could find out if they'll let you join. Then you can tell me all about it and give away their secrets while you're trying to brag."

"Oh please," Sierra shot back, "if I really had a secret Touched Object club to join, I'd totally make them take you in as an honorary member." She let the words hang as a compliment for just a few seconds, then pointedly added, "How else will they actually appreciate what an amazing and brilliant Biolem I am unless they have someone like you to compare me to?"

Snorting despite herself, Paige gave a quick bow of her head in acknowledgment of the error. "Oh, sure, silly me. How could I ever forget the main thing I'm useful for? I'm so glad I can help make you look good." She let that hang for just a few seconds, slowly smirking before adding, "After all, that is a full-time job. And I must say, the effort it takes to make it look like you know what you're doing is giving me so much useful acting experience." She made a show of straightening up as though a fantastic idea had occurred to her. "I could be a politician's aide."

"Ew," Sierra shot back, "Just, ew to the factor of about a billion. Okay, just so you know, if you keep saying stupid, disgusting things like that, I'm just gonna have to get up and walk right out of here. That's fair warning right there. There's only so much perversion innocent ears can take."

Choking a bit on the gulp of water she had just taken, Paige gave the other girl a lingering stare. "Yeah, sure, you're just a sweet, innocent flower. Sorry I'm such a corruptive influence." She sat back against the nearby wall with a soft exhale, finding her next words carefully. "Okay, my point is, I know you just got those powers. I get that. I just… wanted to know how it feels to be able to really help people in a real way. You could walk into a hospital and heal a bunch of injuries just like that. Sure, there's a lot you can't do anything about. But you could fix stab wounds, gunshots, broken bones, all that stuff. You could walk through a hospital wing and change all those lives."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sierra put in while raising her hands in mock surrender. "I'll visit a hospital as soon as we get back to the mainland, I promise. I'll see how many people I can help. And hey, bonus, that'll mean sticking it to the insurance companies." After getting that much out, her gaze softened and she stuck one finger against the other girl's forehead. "But you're useful too."

Paige didn't respond to that at first. She stayed silent, leaning her head forward into the finger as her breath went out in a long, low sigh. Finally, she replied, "I don't want you to ever think I'm not happy for you. I am. You're amazing. Having you in my life now is something I wouldn't trade for anything. I know that doesn't fit this back-and-forth taunting game we have, but I need you to really know that. I need you to hear it and know that I mean it. You're my sister, and I'm proud of you. I'm so much better for knowing you. You help me be a better version of myself. I love you."

Sierra glanced over at the mirror on the wall across from them, watching their reflections for a few seconds before giving a very soft cough. She put one arm around the other girl and gave a little squeeze. "Okay, okay, fine, since we just went through something pretty major, I'll do my best to be real for a minute. I'm glad I made the choice I did when it came down to you or Dad."

Turning slightly to press her forehead against the side of Paige's, she muttered, "To be honest, switching sides was scary. I thought he was gonna win when it came down to it. I thought he'd make us both pay for flipping on him. Yeah, I was pissed off at him for sending in that copy of himself to overwrite both of us, but-- eh, I think being angry helped make it less terrifying. Cuz when he sent that copy, I realized he really didn't care about what happened to me at all. I was just a-- I wasn't real to him. I was numbers on the computer that he could just erase. My only choices were to throw in with you, or prove to him that I could be more useful than he thought and hope it actually mattered. Switching sides felt like the right thing, but also the stupid thing."

"Because you thought he'd win in the end," Paige finished for her. "So you could stay with him and maybe have a chance to convince him you were worth keeping around once he inevitably came out on top, or switch completely to our side and take any punishment he threw at us."

Lifting her head away from the other girl's, Sierra offered a self-conscious shrug. "Yeah, well, I figured with my help, the odds of you all putting that shitstain in the ground where he belonged, and actually surviving to talk about it, went up from about three percent to like, twenty-six or so. Still pretty shitty, and worse odds than I had of convincing him to keep me around if I stayed on."

"So, why did you switch, if your odds were better the other way?" Paige asked carefully while her hand rose to brush her own hair back out of her eyes. "Doesn't sound like the smart play."

"Maybe not," Sierra agreed, anxiously picking up her water bottle to spin it between her hands. "Maybe it was stupid, with the resources he had and the things he could've done. But I guess when it came down to it, all I had to do was ask myself something." She went silent after that, letting it hang in the air for several seconds while Paige waited patiently before she finally went on with, "I asked myself what I'd do if I lost him and had you, and the list was… endless. There's so many things I wanted to do. So then I asked myself what I'd do if I had him and lost you, and it was just… nothing. All that stuff I wanted to do didn't matter if you weren't around. And the thing is, it wasn't even about you going with me. It wasn't about you being involved, I just… needed you to be alive, that's it. I needed you to be available, just… there, and I really didn't need him at all."

"That's why you still talked about leaving so much while we were still trying to get you a body," Paige murmured, casting an appraising sidelong glance at the other girl. Her hand moved to Sierra's. "You really were thinking about going off on your own right up until you decided to stay."

"Thinking about it, hell, I was absolutely going to," Sierra replied shortly. "Look, I threw all my loyalty behind dear old Dad, and we see where that got me. What was I supposed to do, just trust right from the start that you wouldn't do the same as soon as it was convenient for you?"

Before Paige could reply, she pushed on. "I know, I know better now. I meant then. It's like I said, I wanted you to be around, I wanted to know you were there, but I didn't want to have to depend on you. As long as I knew you were here and doing your thing, that was okay, it was enough for me. So, I just figured if by some miracle we happened to survive whatever Dad was going to do long enough for me to get a body, I could go do my own thing and not depend on anyone anymore. Besides, I was still kinda worried about…" She trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"Being under his control," Paige finished for her once more after the silence had stretched on. "You were afraid that, since he built you to erase me, to take me over, he might have a way to force you to do that if you were still around whenever he showed up. If he ever showed up."

Sierra muttered a curse, staring at the floor for a moment before admitting, "Yeah, I was afraid of him, okay? I thought he'd win, that he'd force me to do something awful. Like I said, I wanted you to survive, I wanted to know you were here, and for a long time I thought he'd turn me right back into a threat the second he could. I thought he'd just rewrite my entire identity and make me hurt you-- all of you. So, once I had my body, I figured I'd leave and that'd give you a better chance. If he didn't have me here, if I wasn't around, at least he couldn't make me hurt you."

She stood up, brushing her hands off while pacing a bit. "I told myself to leave, to take off. I tried telling myself I didn't need any of you, and that if I did stay I'd be a threat to you. I tried it from both sides, but…. but I just kept talking myself into staying a bit longer, I kept telling myself he wouldn't find a way off that island, or that…. or that we could actually kill him and he wouldn't be a threat anymore. For awhile, I convinced myself that I was only staying because I had the best chance of killing him with you. But then five minutes later I'd convince myself he was going to show up, shove me right back under his control, and make me kill all of you. It just kept going back and forth like that. I was confident, then I wasn't, then I was, then I wasn't. And the more it went on, the more I hated him, because I knew he could take my freedom away."

Paige had stood up by that point as well, moving around to put herself in front of the other girl. "You stayed in the end, even when you knew we were gonna bring him to the shop."

"It was our best chance to end it, bringing him there under our control," Sierra pointed out with a very small gulp that betrayed how nervous she had actually been at the time. "But the truth is, I decided to stay through thick or thin before that. Like you said, you're my sister. Whatever happened, live or die, succeed or fail, stand or fall, I wanted to do it with you or not at all."

Both of them went silent, staring at one another before stepping forward to embrace. They held it like that while Sierra murmured, "Checkmate, by the way."

"That's okay," Paige replied softly.

"I just sank your battleship."