The legacy

Benjamin smiled when he saw Ember fall asleep and paused his game to reach over and brush a strand of hair out of her face. "Sleep well," he whispered and returned silently to his game.

Ember thrashed about violently in her sleep. She scratched at the leather seat in desperation. Something, or someone, was clearly tormenting her in her sleep.
"No! Leave them alone! Take me! You bastards" Ember screamed in her sleep. Jack tried to think of ways to help his sister, but he was at a loss. He looked visibly distressed, like he had failed somehow. Suddenly he came up with an idea. He grabbed his phone, and began to play Harley's lullaby as he placed the phone beside Ember. Ember calmed slightly, and peace returned to the cabin as her screaming finally stopped. She was still shaking like house in a hurricane.

Benjamin jumped and quickly looked over at Ember, eyes wide with worry while a hand calmly slid over her shaking one in an attempt to calm her just with his presence while the music played.

Ember’s shakes turned to mild shivers, she had calmed down a little bit more. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, and put his phone away. He rummaged through Ember’s backpack, and pulled a small bottle from its depths, a bottle of antipsychotics.
"She's stopped taking her meds" Jack said softly as he handed Benjamin the bottle of pills. According to the label, there was a repeat due almost a week ago, and there was still a few pills left in the bottle.

Benjamin examined the bottle for a moment before he looked up at Ember's brother. "Why?" He asked softly, concern written in his voice.

"I don't know. Look, those pills do things to your mind. To people with the gifts, well, it fucks you up completely." Jack pulled out his own bottle of pills, the same as Ember’s, they were due for a repeat years ago. "Just be there for her, and she'll be alright."

Benjamin gave a small dip of his head. "I'll be righ' beside her," he promised, giving her hand a light squeeze and handing her pill bottle back to him.

Jack put the pills back in Ember’s backpack, and returned to his seat. He put in his earphones, and listened to some music. He knew it was going to be a long flight, and they would have to stop off at Heathrow. Whatever had Ember so worked up would probably be revealed by then.

Benjamin looked at Ember for a moment and gave her hand another gentle squeeze before he returned to his game, always keeping an ear out for her.

Ember stirred slightly before finally waking up. She grabbed a bottle of tequila from the cabinet, put on her headphones, and nursed the drink as she listened to mack by Beat Circus. She was staring at a picture of John Standish, her, and her former team. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she nursed the bottle.

Seeing a disturbance, Ollie promptly stood up, walked a couple rows up, and, standing in the row behind Ember, tapped her on the shoulder, and asked, "Ah... what's the matter, now? Heard some screamin' from a few rows back - all the guys back there are either asleep or listening to something.. She looked a bit at the picture she was looking at, and straightened her face, and, continuing, said, "That your ol' team, eh? I can only guess what happened to 'em, but I'm assuming it's pretty bad.", and, lightly gripping her shoulder in comfort, continued. "Look... I know how it was. I was responsible for a good team, about 15 of the brave lil' souls. We were planning on simply escorting a very high priority target, knew lots of info. It was simple, we just had to take him from Point A, to Point B, the get him inside. Half-way through, however, we were ambushed. Dunno how they knew, but they did, and opened fire - killed all of them, plus the informant. Barely escaped with my life, was in the hospital for months. Nobody else lived, but, knowing that they died for a greater cause keeps me going. I want to continue what they were attempting to do in the first place."

By this point, Benjamin had fallen asleep himself and now stirred upon hearing Ember rise. He stretched his arms above his head and turned to look at her, placing his hand upon hers in comfort while his head nodded in thanks to Ollie for her comforting words.

"Ours was a simple scout mission. I was sixteen. We were sent to a precursor site to just investigate it. None of us touched anything, yet the whole place collapsed around us. If it weren't for my then boyfriend, Marco, I would be dead too. He dragged me out just in the knick of time. After that, we lost it. We were taken to Bethlem Royal Hospital for the mentally ill. It's just as bad as the stories you hear. Anyway, Marco killed himself, and I fell further into my madness. Tried to kill myself numerous times." Ember pulled up a picture of John Standish in some sort of tank, a soft growl coming from her throat. "Then the bloody Templars got to old John. Now they treat him like genetic crops." Ember drew her hood to hide her complete and utter fear. She was almost exactly like John. If she was caught...

Benjamin gave Ember's hand a firm squeeze to let her know he was there. "Don' worry abou' the pas'," he said softly, his thick Australian accent felt soothing. "Focus on your future."

"I know it's in the past, but it just makes me worry about your safety all the more. We are heading to hostile territory." Ember scratched her itchy arm, and flinched slightly as she hit one of the wounds.

Benjamin gave a grin. "No' so hostile when you remain hidden," he said softly, an attempt to make Ember feel better.

"I suppose so" Ember said with a sigh. She still had an uneasy feeling about going to France. The whole thing just felt like a giant trap. Why did she keep thinking about John Standish? Was it because they were so similar? She tried to push the thought from her mind, and tried her best to calm down.

Benjamin smiled over at her and gripped her hand in his. He brought it to his mouth and gave it a gentle kiss before he returned to his game.

Ember stood up, and went off to make a call.
"Daddy, what happened to John's body" Ember asked nervously. She went white, and dropped the phone. Ember slipped down the wall, clearly in shock. After a few minutes, she picked up the phone again.
"Daddy, they're going to kill me. I don't want to end up like John." Ember’s father was clearly confused.
"Daddy, I'm different. I'm not entirely... well... human." Ember said human quietly, she didn't want the others to know.
"I love you, daddy. Goodnight" Ember said softly before she put down the phone. Saying goodnight instead of goodbye was a grim tradition of the Shay family. She drew her hood, pulled her knees to her chest, buried her face in her arms, and cried softly.

(I'm not certain how to respond)

Ember made her way back to her seat, and stared out of the window vacantly. Her makeup had run.
"They... The bastards are experimenting on the remains of John Standish. He was like me..." Ember put her hand on Benjamin's knee, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"At the hospital... My DNA... They'll find out. They'll kill me like they did John Standish, then they'll experiment on me" Ember whispered softly. She could run, but she couldn't run forever.

"Whatever they wan' with you, they'll have to find you firs'," Benjamin said, not really caring what she was.

"I don't mind dying, it's what comes after that scares me. To be treated like some frog, or rat in a high-school biology class." Ember looked to Jack, and hung her head. Should he have a daughter, they'd be after them too. Hell, they might even go after Jack just for his blood. "Well, I'm alive for now, so I may as well do my job" Ember said with a sigh.

Benjamin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze in comfort. He wanted to tell her that it was alright, that she didn't have to worry, but he couldn't find the words.

Ember soon feel asleep in Benjamin's arms. The flight whent on for hours, and thanks to the alcohol in Ember’s system, she slept like a dead baby rock. She would still mumble things in her sleep, at one point, she seemed to be arguing about the doughnuts that may or may not have been poisoned.

Jack gently shook Ember from her sleep.
"We'll be landing at Heathrow in fifteen minutes" Jack said softly.
"Thanks, Jack." Ember began to do a final check. She was kind of glad they had to stop at England, it was her home, and she was homesick.