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Tord wasn’t sure what was happening. There was so much noise filling his ears and his vision was blurry. He only knew that something was happening by how he was being carried. Possibly by Pau and Pat as they rushed him from the car they had just been in over to what felt like a bed. The noise got more cacophonous as some blurry figures moved the bed somewhere else. It also sounded like they were yelling a series of orders across the room. Shouldn’t he be the one giving orders? He was the freaking Red Leader, gosh darn it. Despite his dizziness, he tried to sit up to acknowledge the situation. Only for a pair of hands to push him back down. Forcefully.
The shock of pain he got as his back hit the bed again cleared his ears. The shouting was discernable now. His vision also cleared up, revealing bright lights which made him squint. Tord turned his head to look around. As he did so, pain flared up in his right cheek. Why did it hurt so much? He knew he had a bullet mark from the chemical spill and zombie incident a few months ago, but it seemed to have spread to the rest of his cheek. Did something happen during another mission? And why did he feel so faint?
“Red Leader, sir, can you hear me?” a woman asked, entering his line of sight. He recognized her as the head medic for the army.
“What happened?” the Norwegian man slurred. It hurt to talk, especially with the pain in his face.
“Oh, thank goodness,” the medic sighed in relief. “Don’t worry, you’re going to be okay. Sorry for pushing you down, but we can’t risk you moving. Your lieutenants brought you in saying you had fainted from blood loss. Any strenuous activity could mean losing more.”
“What do you mean blood loss?” Tord questioned. Is he bleeding? He knew Pau and Pat were worrywarts when it came to his health, but how the heck had he lost so much blood that he needed to be brought to the medical wing?
“Your right arm suffered a large amount of damage,” the medic continued. “Not to be graphic, but Pat explained it’s covered in burns, cuts, and multiple abrasions. As for your other injuries, your right cheek and neck had only suffered some cuts.”
Well, that explains the pain in his cheek. As for his arm, why couldn’t he feel it? Now that he thought about it, there was the blurry memory of Pau bandaging it up for him while he stared at… something. Something that once felt like… home !
Tord shot up like a flash. The memories came back, filling him with an adrenaline rush. Edd was hugging him, welcoming him back. Tom’s apparent disgust at his return and how he had stormed out in anger. The way he aggressively punched Matt in the face when the ginger almost pressed the button holding his big secret. Tom bursting into the room, demanding why he was on a wanted poster. The betrayed look in Edd’s eyes as he shouted that he didn’t need friends. The harpoon’s impact into the robot, causing an explosion. Him coming out of the wreckage, holding onto his bloodied arm. The bitter sadness he felt as he beheld the destroyed remains of the house. He remembered all of it. What has he done?
The medic was pushing him back onto the bed again, yelling at him to remain calm. He wasn’t listening. As the Norwegian resisted her attempts, he got a good look at himself in the nearby mirror of the medbay room. His cheek and neck were plastered and his arm was a bloody bandaged mess. He had no feeling in the appendage at all. He would never be able to use it again. And it was all because he had to go after that stupid robot! Why did he do it?! Why did he do it?! Why did he do it?1 Why did he do it?! Why did he-
A shot of pain went through Tord’s neck. His eyes grew tired as the medic was gently setting him down. In her hand was an emergency sedative. She had used it to calm him down, put him to sleep. The world was a blur once again, voices now muffled. Multiple figures ran into the room. The ones in uniform were definitely Pau and Pat. Two others looked like his parents, who raised him around this army. The last set was of a woman holding a clipboard and a red-headed girl. They were talking over each other. He couldn’t make it out. The anesthetic was luring him to sleep. The last thing he was able to register fully before he fell unconscious was the girl coming up to his bedside.
“Wow, Tord,” she said in a familiar Norwegian accent. “What the crap happened to you?”
“Nice to see you too, Terri.” And then everything faded to black.
“What do you mean he destroyed their house?!” Terri heard Andora shout. The teen had just watched the older woman’s son go unconscious, and now she was hearing he had blown up a house. She knew Tord had a bit of a violent streak, but what enticed him to do that? And whose house was it? Pat immediately gave the answer she was looking for.
“From what we could see from our vantage point, he did it out of retaliation,” the lieutenant confirmed. “As for his injuries, one of his former friends had a harpoon cannon that was fired at the last moment. A direct hit caused the giant robot he was inside to malfunction and explode. It’s a miracle he even survived.”
“That doesn’t excuse what he did!” Andora reprimanded. “Out of all the things for him to do, why would he betray his childhood friends and destroy their home?!”
“I agree,” said Nikolai, Tord’s father. “When he said he was moving back in with them, I thought it was because he was nostalgic. He did not mention going after that robot in the slightest! You two are his closest friends in the army. You likely knew about this?”
“We did,” said Pau, taking out his fake cigarette. “Honestly, we didn’t expect him to go that far either. His ambitions probably got the best of him.”
“What ambitions?” said the woman behind Tord’s parents. She was Tabitha Moors, the Red Army’s on-site therapist. She was also Terri’s mom. She was the reason the Norsk teen even hung around the army. “There had to be something that led him to such a state of mania.”
Terri silently scoffed. Of course, her mom would ask that. Mental health was important for the army, but sometimes the woman could be slightly nosy once she saw signs of someone struggling. Then again, Tord’s current state probably had something to do with it. Ever since her parents joined this army, Terri had known him for quite a while. They weren’t close enough to be friends, but they would see each other in passing or in the rec rooms. The first moment they truly interacted was when she caught him reading an inappropriate manga. She immediately set it on fire so neither would have to look at it. Angry Red Leader or not, that stuff was poisonous to his mind and she made her stand on it pretty clear. To her dismay, however, he got back at her by exposing some cheesy fanfics she wrote about her favorite vampire anime to the privates. Thus, a rivalry was formed.
The two of them would go back and forth whenever they could. A troublemaker at heart, Terri would try to get a rise out of Tord by doing insane things such as stealing a tank, messing with his schedule, or just pranking him for fun. In return, Tord would ensure she got proper punishment from her mother, insult her tastes, or get a special reprimand. The last one was rare since she was still a kid and not part of the army yet. She would join the ranks if she wanted when she turned 18. While Terri did have that desire, she considered that having Tord as a boss would suck. But now, seeing him in such a mangled state, hearing about his recent escapades, she began wondering what the fellow Norsk was like under the surface-level stuff she knew.
“Tord’s reasons started from some sense of justice, but it must’ve twisted into something else over time,” Pat explained to her mom. “Believe it or not, he wanted to use it on the Black Birds for framing him.”
“Godhet nådig, that boy,” Nikolai sighed in frustration, pinching his nose. “We’ve been doing everything we can to clear his name, but out of recklessness, he decided to choose the easy way out.”
“And in the process, he hurt his friends,” Andora said in sadness. “Now that I think about it, maybe he became Red Leader too soon. The power must have gone to his head.”
“He chose to take the position once I stepped down,” Nikolai reminded her. “He decided to make that decision on his own. Maybe if he had told them why he came for it, he wouldn’t be…” He looked over to his bedridden son, still dressed in a singed, red hoodie. “He wouldn’t be suffering.”
“With all due respect, sir, he couldn’t do that,” Pau said, chewing on the fake cigarette again. “Doing so would reveal Red Leader’s identity and you know what could happen if it got out. It was for the safety of the army.”
“But what about his safety?” Nikolai begged. “The safety of his friends? Isn’t that more important than the army?”
“Wish we had an answer for that, sir,” Pat sagged, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right now, though, his safety is priority one. He would’ve died if me and Pau didn’t get here in time.”
“Yes, I agree,” Tabitha nodded. “His health is imperative given the situation. As for his mental/emotional health, that should also be taken care of. So, I would like parental permission to start some sessions with him. If you don’t mind, that is.”
“He was having some kind of breakdown before we got here,” Terri decided to share, finally joining the conversation. “Whatever he did with the robot must have screwed up his head.”
“In that case, we shall grant permission,” Nikolai decided, Andora nodding in agreement. “As for his medical needs, what is the situation, medic?”
“I’m afraid it’s not good,” the medic quivered anxiously. “After I sedated him, I immediately examined his injuries more thoroughly. His cheek and neck are fine, but his arm… It will need to be amputated.”
“Amputated?!” Andora shrieked. The room went into chaos again. Terri was also shocked to hear this news. Tord’s arm was so messed up that it needed to be cut off. Now that she thought about it, Tord had truly put himself into some deep crap.
The next few days went by without any complications besides the condition of the Red Leader. Everyone in the base was now aware of his state and even had theories on how he got that way. Most of it came from the young adult Privates and teens who were children of some soldiers, many spinning stories on the subject. All of them were far-fetched too. And Terri, who knew some semblance of the truth, was tired of hearing them. She hadn’t cared for Tord this much before, but it felt disrespectful for her peers to talk about him that way. The man was rushed into the medical wing with his arm bleeding out! They had no right to talk about him like that. When she got her hands on them-
“Terri?”
The redhead snapped out of her potential murder plan when a small voice called her name. She looked down and saw that it was Cole, his ADSFland hat snug on his head. The kid had been taken in by Tord when his parents became victims of the zombie apocalypse a few months ago. His home was with the Red Army now and he saw the older kids as siblings. He was also fond of Tord because the man saved his life. Terri knew he could be a jerk sometimes, but it didn’t mean he was heartless.
“What is it, Cole?” she asked the boy. “Is there something on your mind?”
“Is Tord going to be okay?” Cole asked meekly, tears forming in his eyes. “People keep saying he got hurt. Is he going to die?”
“No, he’s not gonna die,” Terri reassured him, crouching to his eye level. “The doctors did some surgery on him so that won’t happen. He’s currently resting in the recovery room right now. He’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?” Cole questioned her, still unsure.
“Of course, I’m sure,” Terri nodded, tenderly placing her hand on his shoulder. “Tell you what, why don’t I take you to visit him? It might help to see how he’s doing.”
“Oh, yeah! Let’s go see him,” Cole perked up. Terri knew he was likely still wary of Tord’s condition, but seeing the guy would help ease the child’s mind. She even wondered how Tord was doing.
The two of them walked to the medical wing of the base. After explaining to the staff that Cole wanted to visit Tord, they were led to his room. The man himself was lying down on the bed, still unconscious from the meds he was on, including an IV drip. From the looks of it, the surgery was successful. Most of his arm had been amputated, leaving a nub near his shoulder. His cheek was still plastered along with some of his neck too. Cole immediately began asking the nurse who escorted them about the injuries, but Terri tuned it out, staring at Tord. To think she saw him in a similar state a few days ago. At least removing the arm improved his health somewhat. There was no telling when he’d wake up, though.
“What’s up, Horn-hair?” she playfully told his sleeping form. She would often use that nickname to mess with him. Sure, her relationship with him wasn’t the best, but it felt nostalgic to use it. “I brought Cole to see you. The kid’s been worried about you. The rumors that have been going around certainly didn’t help with that. People are saying you battled aliens or the leader of the Black Birds tried to kill you. While those would be cool ways to lose a limb, I don’t think it was in the best interest. I know we don’t get along that well but believe me when I say you shouldn't be disrespected like that. You know what I mean right?”
Tord didn’t respond, as she expected. She sighed, knowing that the length of his recovery was still ambiguous. It wasn’t like he would wake up now. But, at least, he could have some form of company. Especially with how busy everyone had become in his absence. Pau and Pat were at the forefront, ensuring the army didn’t explode while Tord recovered. His parents took care of some diplomatic stuff too. It was crazy how his own choices led to all of it. No one knew what happened during it, but Tord would tell on his own time.
“Wow, the nurse was right. His whole arm’s gone,” Terri heard Cole say in amazement as he went up to Tord’s bedside. “What was it like before they cut it off?”
“You don’t want to know, Cole,” Terri warned. “I saw it before it got amputated and it was not pretty.”
“Well, I hope he gets a cool robot arm to replace it,” the boy continued with wonder. “That would be so cool. He could be a cyborg!”
“That does sound cool, but Tord’s got a lot to go through even if he gets a robot arm,” Terri informed him. “My mom will be doing therapy with him once he’s discharged. What led to his injuries might’ve done a number on him.”
“Will he be okay?” Cole asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” Terri shrugged. “I did hear it had something to do with his childhood friends, though. I wonder what happened with them.”
“Maybe he fought with them,” Cole guessed. “I heard some friendships end because of fighting.”
“You got a point,” Terri pondered. “But the question is, what started it?”
Flaaaaashbaaaaaccckkk….
Tord entered his lab in haste. He felt a little bad for ditching Edd and Matt at the supermarket, but he was running out of time. If the Black Birds made their move before he could get to his robot, all heck would break loose. They might frame him for more war crimes too. He might as well be chopped liver if that were to happen. The house had been empty so he chalked it up to the fact Tom was probably still venting out his frustrations. He was likely getting drunk at a bar, the classic, stupid Brit. It was better than having him grow more suspicious by the minute. Tord needed to go through with this. If not, everything in the world would enter a slew of catastrophes.
The Norski brought up some diagnostics on the robot. He hadn’t used it yet, but everything seemed to be in working order. Weapons were online, mobility was functional, and it was all according to plan. Now he just needed to make it out of here without getting caught. If his friends found out, he didn’t know what would happen. When he arrived, he found they didn’t know about the wanted posters yet. The Black Birds were smart enough to put his face on those papers instead of their leader. When he set his robot on them, they would feel sorry. He would make sure of that. And he would do it all without his friends noticing it in the slightest- *SLAM*
Tord looked up in surprise. Turning to the door, he was greeted by the angry face of Tom. Not far behind him were Edd and Matt, both looking extremely worried. In Tom’s hand was a familiar piece of paper. Oh crap. He was caught.
“Oh, guys,” Tord said sheepishly before giving them a deadpan look. “What are you doing here?”
“We should be asking the same thing,” Tom glowered, bringing up the wanted poster. “Why are you here?!”
“I know this is sudden, Tord, but what’s happening?” Edd asked in concern. “What did you even do while you were away? How are you even on there?”
“If this is why you punched my beautiful face, then you better explain right now, Todd,” Matt joined in, pointing at the obvious black eye the Norski had given him.
Tord sighed in frustration. They just had to be on to him. How did they find that poster in the first place? He guessed Tom must have seen it and roped Edd and Matt into this. With a sigh of defeat, he decided to ‘fess up with a couple of half-truths. There was no way they should be involved with the full story.
“Alright, you got me,” he said, putting his hands up. “I only came back to get something I left behind.”
“Left behind what?” Tom questioned.
“This.”
Tord pressed the button in the middle of the lab, a panel in the ceiling opening to lower a boxed mechanism. Tension raised as it got closer to Tord, the trio in front of him staring awe and fear. The box stopped just above Tord’s head, opening to reveal… a pickelhaube .
“My hat,” Tord smiled as it landed on his head. The other boys gave him looks of confusion. That was not what they were expecting.
“What?” Tord asked. “What did you think I was going to do?”
Tom tried to say something but couldn’t decide what. He looked at Matt and the ginger just shrugged. Edd, however, could tell that something more was going on.
“It isn’t just that, Tord. Is it?” the cola-lover said sternly. “I’ve known you for a long time. You never kept any secrets from us.” He grabbed the poster out of Tom’s hands. “So, please, tell us, why are you here?” He pointed at the picture, Tord’s emotionless expression facing the camera, the Red Army uniform on his person. “What is so important that you’ve been acting strangely? What is the real reason you came back? I hope you have a proper explanation.”
Tom had been suspicious, yes. But now? This confirmed Edd was too. And he didn’t see it until now. In response to Edd’s questioning, Tord’s demeanor changed immensely. A wide smile appeared; one that he did without thinking. There was no way he would let Edd know the truth. Not when he was so close to getting revenge on the Black Birds. It looks like he has to take matters into his own hands.
“I’m sorry, Edd, but you won’t be getting anything from me,” Tord said grimly. “I’ve come too far to go back now. Besides, this hat goes great with my giant robot.”
“What?!” Edd said in shock.
Tom gave a nervous laugh. “Wait, a giant what?”
“Edd, what is Todd talking about?” Matt asked nervously, shrinking back a bit.
The manic smile stayed as Tord pressed the button again. A glass tube came down, sucking his body down to an underground level where his robot lay in wait. He sat in the cockpit, controls at the ready as it readied itself. A hatch in the backyard opened up, bringing his creation to the surface world. It was his first time piloting this thing, but he was sure the controls were easy to learn. He designed it after all. Maneuvering the robot toward the house, he unleashed a volley of bullets. The panicked yelps of his old roommates entered his ears as they tried to escape the onslaught. He brought up a missile and fired it, not caring where it landed. The explosion was glorious. He laughed maniacally, filled with so much adrenaline. It felt so good .
“Tord!” Edd’s voice yelled out. Tord stopped laughing, looking down at the figures of Edd and Matt. Looks like they escaped the bullets in time.
“What is happening?!” Edd shouted in disbelief. “You’ve never acted like this! Also, how long has that thing you’re in been under the house? Why do you even need it?”
“You want to know, Edd?!” Tord shouted back, his eyes filled with insanity. “Then fine, I’ll tell you. This robot is what I need to change the world! It’s the key to ultimate power!”
“Power?” Edd stepped back in shock. “Is that all you care about now? Is that why you lied to us?! Lied to me?! I thought we were friends, Tord!”
“HAH, no!” Tord scoffed. “What would I need friends for when I got this? I’M UNSTOPPABLE! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”
Edd’s eyes filled with tears at the betraying sentence. Tord Lockson, one of his childhood friends, had hit him where it hurt. When did he get like this? What happened to the Tord who liked anime and horror movies? The Tord who fought over the last piece of bacon with him? Who was this maniac that replaced him? Why was he even doing this?
“Hey, Sunshine, Lollipops!”
Tord stopped laughing. Turning to the house, he saw Tom with a device in his hand. Now what could he be planning to use that for?
“Take a seat!” the black-eyed man said, throwing the device. It inflated into a chair and harmlessly bounced off the robot’s chest. It was very anti-climatic, but it was enough to peeve Tord off.
“OH, SHUT UP!!!!!” the Norsk man yelled, ignoring Edd’s protest to stop as he shot a missile in Tom’s direction.
….And into the house.
Everything was in flames. Matt cried out in anguish, mourning his everything. Tord didn’t know why, but the scene before him was glorious. He couldn’t wait to use this firepower on the Black Birds. It was time to leave this all behind.
“What a sight,” Tord chuckled menacingly as he readied the robot for flight. “Well, I got what I came for. Goodbye, Edd. World’s not going to take over itself.” He was just about to hit altitude when, all of a sudden, the robot acted on its own, punching the cockpit area.
Surprised at this, Tord wondered why it started acting out. Looking back down at the ruined house, he got his answer. Matt was using the surviving control panel from his lab to control the robot, possibly because of the destruction he caused, including the ginger’s face. It got more painful as several arms inside the cockpit started beating him. He just had to have that much of a grudge against him.
“May I join in?” he heard Edd say.
“No, he may not join in!” Tord protested in vain.
“Be my guest,” Matt nodded.
The robot beat itself up more and more. Out of all the setbacks, his old friends just had to intervene. He was so close to leaving! Why did they- The punching stopped. He looked down at them, seeing that they were distracted. Seizing the opportunity, he blasted the control panel to bits. Serves them right! Time to make his getaway.
“So long, old friends!” he cackled. This was it. He was on his way to get revenge. His friends weren’t worth it anymore. They got their share of his wrath. Including classic, stupid, Tom-
“I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND!”
“Uh oh-”
The alarms blared out. The harpoon nearly missed him but it did enough damage already. The adrenaline spike went down, bringing back his common sense. The reality set in. What has he done?
KABOOM!!!
Tord woke up with a start. Gasping for air, he sat up in panic. He was expecting to still be inside the robot’s cockpit but was instead greeted with a sterile hospital room. The rapid beeping of a heart monitor reached his ears. Why was he here? Oh wait, that’s right. He was injured. They must have treated him. His cheek didn’t hurt as much, but he still couldn’t feel his arm. That was probably still being treated. He panted a bit, breathing in the hospital smell. How long had he been out? His answer came pretty quickly in the form of a child’s voice.
“Terri, look! He’s awake!”
“Yeah, I can see that. I just didn’t expect he would wake up this soon.”
Tord turned his head to the side of the room. Cole and Terri were at his bedside, gazing at him in excitement and shock. He took a gander and guessed the teenager brought Cole to visit him. He was glad the kid was here, but Terri wasn’t someone he expected. His relationship with her was a bit of a strained one. She had first introduced herself by burning his adult-oriented manga which wasn’t a great start. Then again, she did have some points about avoiding content like that. Pat also had some things to say about it if Tord was to do his job as Red Leader. At least Terri was decent enough to provide him with some company. He could accept that.
“Ugh, how long has it been?” the Norsk man said, feeling a massive headache enter his brain.
“You’ve been out of surgery for almost a week,” Terri informed him bluntly. “Whatever happened did a number on you.”
“Is that so?” Tord chuckled. “Then, pray to tell, why can’t I feel my arm? I lost all feeling when Pat and Pau rushed me in here.”
“The nurse said they had to take it off,” Cole told him. “Terri says it was badly hurt.”
“Take it off? What do you mean to take it off?” Tord was confused. What were they trying to tell him?
“Maybe instead of me telling you, it might be better if you just look at your right side,” Terri grimaced, gesturing to the mentioned portion of his body.
“Okay, I’ll look,” Tord rolled his eyes. “I mean, I'm sure the injuries are somewhat treated. It’s not like it’s gone forever- OH, ****, WHERE’S MY ARM?!”
Terri covered Cole’s ears as Tord yelled out the Norwegian swear word. The reaction was expected, but it wouldn’t kill him to censor his language. She knew what it was like to get reprimanded for it.
“Calm down, man,” she reprimanded. “Also, there is a kid in this room. Watch what you say.”
“Calm?!” Tord shouted. “How can I be calm?! My entire arm is missing! I knew it was almost useless, but was it that bad that it needed to be cut off?!”
“I was there when the head medic concluded it needed to be,” Terri continued. “I don’t know all the details, but you would have gotten worse if they left it. Even worse, you could have died.”
“I’m a freaking amputee now, Terri,” Tord facepalmed with his remaining hand. “I’ll be limited in what I can do. How can I be the Red Leader with just one arm?”
“Cole suggested earlier about the possibility of you getting a robot arm to replace the one you lost,” Terri tried to reassure him. “And I’m sure you won’t be too limited. You’re smart enough to work around it. As for the Red Leader stuff, you won’t have to worry about it for a while. Your physical and mental health comes first.”
“Let me guess, for my mental health, your mother finally got the permission to see me every week,” Tord deadpanned. He had a feeling his parents had something to do with it.
“You’re darn right she did,” Terri said sternly. “And there ain’t no way you’re getting out of it. It also means we’ll spend more time together if my mom needs to keep an eye on me. You better prepare yourself for that.”
“Looking forward to it,” Tord responded with sarcasm.
“Hey, Tord, maybe you can think up ideas for your robot arm?” Cole decided to say, thankfully cutting into the tension between the two Norsks. “Maybe it can be part of the Red Leader armor too.”
“That armor is still in development, Cole, but I guess that wouldn’t hurt,” Tord smiled at the boy. With all the crap he was going through, he needed a good escape.
The rest of the day was slow for Tord. Ever since he woke up, the events were minimal. Cole and Terri had to leave once the nurse found out he was awake. He missed their company. His parents visited later. His mother cried and hugged him for who knows how long. His father was the same but gave him a talking-to about what happened. The way Tord saw it, he deserved it. As the day went on, he had a lot of time to think about the incident. Tom was a drunken idiot, but firing that harpoon had given Tord a massive reality check. What he did was wrong. He at first wanted to bring the Black Birds to justice, but it devolved into a quest for revenge when they started framing him. And in the process, he hurt people he cared about. Especially Edd. The man in the green hoodie might not ever see him the same way again.
It went back to routine as usual once Tord was discharged. Well, almost. He had been right-handed, so writing and other tasks had become hard. He met with robotics to see the process of his prosthetic, but it was revealed he wouldn’t get it for a long time. His scars had to heal first and building a robot arm that would connect to his nervous system so he could move it properly was a tedious task. He had them take one of the leftover arms from his robot to use as a base to speed things up. It’s a good thing he picked it up when Pau and Pat came to retrieve him. Lastly, there was the therapy sessions with Tabitha. He would be having his first one pretty soon. For all he knew, Terri and her snarkiness would be there. He didn’t blame Tabitha for having such an unruly daughter, but having some privacy for their sessions wouldn't hurt. However, he wasn’t sure if he was up for doing this.
Tord knew he was a broken man at this point, but how would therapy even help? Everything in his life had gone down when he became the Red Leader. The Black Birds were framing him for war crimes they did, he was partially responsible for a zombie outbreak, and he broke the trust of his closest friends. If Tabitha could even find the root of the problem, there was only so much she could do. If his former friends saw him at his worst, then it was likely other people would be the same. He was a bad person who did bad things and deserved every kind of suffering he could get. He was stupid. He was stupid. He was stupid. He was-
“Hey, Earth to Horn-Hair!”
Tord looked up. He saw Terri leaning against the doorframe of her mother’s office. The redhead looked at him quizzically. How long had she been there?
“Finally got your attention,” the teenager deadpanned. “Mom’s been waiting for ya, so are you gonna continue self-wallowing or get in here?”
“What are you doing here?” Tord asked her. Shouldn’t she be in school right now?
“I got suspended from school,” Terri answered, standing up from the frame. “I got annoyed with some mean kids and fought with them. I won’t be going for a week. So, as I said when you woke up in recovery, we’ll spend some time together.”
Well, isn’t that great? He wasn’t even one session in and already had to spend time with Terri. “Fine,” he huffed, pushing past her into the room. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“‘Bout time,” Terri said, following him in.
The therapy room was pretty comfy-looking despite being in a military base. Tabitha clearly prioritized the comfort of her patients more than anything. The woman was seated in a chair facing a couch across from her. Terri sat in a bean bag nearby, taking out her phone to zone out. Tord placed himself on the sofa, readjusting the tied sleeve of one of his spare red hoodies. The one he had from the incident was too damaged to wear again. It also carried some bad memories, so he had it disposed of. He wasn’t sure yet, but this therapy thing could help him deal with those. He just didn’t know how.
“Well, Mr. Lockson,” Tabitha greeted with a motherly tone. “How are we doing today? I heard you’ve been healing nicely.”
“If you could call changing your bandages every morning nice, then yeah, I am,” Tord responded tiredly. “I’ve figured out how to put my clothes on with one arm, but it still hurts when stuff goes over my still-healing cuts.”
“I figured as much,” Tabitha pursed her lips. “Well, before we get started, why don’t we get to know each other a bit? I’m eager to know who you are beyond the Red Leader.”
“Are we sure we should do that while she’s in the room?” Tord pointed to Terri, who glared at him for bringing her up like that.
“Terri promised she won’t be a bother,” Tabitha confirmed. “Besides, her recent behavior has led me to keep a trained eye on her. I wish it hadn’t come to it, but Terri also has some problems. I assure you it won’t be the focus of our sessions.”
“At least I didn’t steal a tank this time,” Terri snorted.
“Alright, then,” Tord rolled his eyes. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, interests are one thing,” Tabitha suggested. “Is there anything you like to talk about?”
“Well, I do like anime and manga,” Tord decided to share. “I even have a 90 GB hard drive of the stuff.”
“That hard drive deserves to be burned,” Terri growled, Tord becoming guilty on the spot. Oh, that’s right. He forgot he still had that type of content on it. He hadn’t looked at it since before the robot thing, but it was evident he wouldn't ever again judging by the therapist’s look of exasperation.
“I already knew that part from my daughter, Tord,” Tabitha sighed in disappointment. “Hopefully, through these sessions, we can help you learn to avoid that in the future.”
“I kind of figured,” Tord chuckled guiltily. For all he knew, Pat would back Terri and Tabitha up. The amount of mind bleach used was probably large.
“Moving on from that, what appropriate anime interests you?” Tabitha continued.
“Man, where do I begin?” Tord smiled.
To Tord’s surprise, the session wasn’t as bad as he thought. He got to know Tabitha and Terri a little more and even shared some of his early childhood as requested for the session. He was surprised to learn Tabitha was divorced too. Her ex-husband also worked for the army but he was stationed somewhere else. They were still on good terms too. As for how Terri felt about it, she didn’t feel like sharing. Tord decided not to pry. Terri would tell him if she wanted. He didn’t want to bring up any conflict with her, especially when his own problems were the priority.
The session wrapped up on a good note. Tord said goodbye to Tabitha and promised he would meet her next week. He walked back to his quarters in silence. Only for that silence to be interrupted by footsteps following behind him. Turning around, Tord saw that they belonged to Terri. Why the heck was she following him? Were their interactions during the session not enough? He knew she loved annoying him, but she could wait for another time to do that. He didn’t want to deal with it right now.
“Is there something you want?” he asked her with a deadpan tone.
“Hello to you too, Horn-Hair,” Terri rolled her eyes at him. “I was just coming to give you back something you dropped in my mom’s office. I think it fell out of your hoodie pocket.” She rustled her hand in the pocket of her red and black hoodie and pulled out an old photograph. Tord’s eyes widened as he recognized who was in it. It was of him, Edd, Matt, and Tom posing for a silly picture when they all started living together. He gingerly took it out of Terri’s hand, bringing it to his face. He forgot it was with the hoodie he was wearing. His friends, his younger self. They all looked so happy together. And now… going back to that was ruined by his stupid actions.
“Hey, uh, are you okay?” Terri asked in concern. “You look like you’re crying.”
Tord sniffled and rubbed his sleeve against his face. He didn’t realize he was crying until Terri brought it up. “I don’t know,” he said with a shaky voice. “I-I think I didn’t realize how much I missed them until now.”
“You mean your friends right?” Terri guessed. “By the looks of it, they meant a lot to you, huh.”
“Yeah, they did,” Tord sagged, more tears coming out. “But, I shattered whatever we had back then and- and-”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Terri said softly, giving Tord a side hug and having them sit on a bench nearby. “Besides, that stuff is for my mom to deal with when it comes to it. As for right now, let the tears come out and I’ll be the shoulder to do it on. I know we haven’t gotten along since we met, but I should at least do you a solid for once.”
Tord silently thanked her as he let his emotions out. It was the first time he had cried in a while. Ever since the robot incident, he was finally feeling the crushing weight of how he truly felt about his situation. He had made the biggest mistake of his life because a terrorist organization decided to frame him for things he didn’t do. It cost him his arm, his dignity, and most of all, his friends. What he said to Edd wasn’t true. He didn’t want power, he didn’t want revenge; he wanted everything to go back to the old days. The days when he and his friends could just be themselves no matter what life threw at them. Whether it be zombies, clones, or navigating ruins in the backyard, that was all he wanted now.
“You feel better now?” Terri asked when he finally stopped crying.
“A little, yeah,” Tord nodded, wiping his tears. “Thanks for getting the photo back, Terri.”
“You’re welcome, Horn-Hair,” Terri punched him playfully. “See you next session?”
“Now that I think about it, I could use someone to talk to after all that emotional stuff,” Tord offered. “Wanna walk to my room together?”
Terri was stunned. Tord never invited her for anything. Then again, it wouldn’t hurt to take him up on it. “Uh, sure,” she said, still shocked at the offering.
“Alright, let’s go then,” Tord smiled as they made their way there. “Quick question, I told your mom about my favorite anime during the session, but I was wondering; do you have some favorites? I know you write fanfiction about them.”
“If you promise not to expose them to the privates again, I might tell you,” Terri smirked teasingly.
“Then you better promise not to burn my mangas if I do,” Tord smirked back. “Got that?”
“Deal,” Terri snickered. “As for my favorite animes, I love vampire ones. Heck, I love vampires in general. I’ve read Dracula like 15 times.”
“Wow, now that’s some dedication,” Tord said in amazement.
“I know, right?” Terri beamed.
The two Norsks walked through the base, conversing about whatever came to mind and having fun with every topic. Multiple bystanders passed by them, confused at the interaction. Usually, Red Leader and this girl were seen arguing or insulting one another. What changed? Luckily, two soldiers could definitely see what was happening.
“Huh, you don’t see that every day,” Pau said as he and Pat watched Tord and Terri talk.
“You might be right, Pau,” said Pat. “Normally, Tord would be writhing mad at Terri. Maybe that therapy session had something to do with it.”
“Eh, probably,” Pau shrugged, taking out a fake cigarette to chew on. “As far as I’m concerned, the boss needs it more than ever. Losing his friends was really hard on him.”
“I agree,” Pat sighed. “Tord needs time to heal, so we need to give all the support we can. Now that I’m seeing it, maybe Terri could be part of it.
“You sure, Pat?” Pau questioned, raising a bushy eyebrow. “Terri is known throughout the base to be a harbinger of chaos. Almost trigger-happy enough to rival the boss.”
“We’ll just have to see what happens then,” Pat shrugged nonchalantly.
Pau didn’t object to that. As far as they both knew, the journey had only just started.