Oh my goodness, what is this!? Another chapter within a year of another one! I must be going crazy!
Hope you enjoy this chapter - I think it's a bit clunky to read but I'm not sure. Hope it isn't! :)

Otto's unconscious form slumped in my body's arms as I carried him to the passenger compartment of the Shroud. Upon entering the compartment, Laura looked up from her seat. Her eyes fell on Otto, and she glared at me. I felt the heat from her glare as my body strapped Otto in and handcuffed him to the seat, checking the cuff's security. Lucy was slumped opposite Otto, her head resting back against the seat, rocking slightly as the Shroud gained speed.
My body turned to leave, but caught Laura's gaze at the last second. Laura's eyes were shiny, as though she was holding back tears, but the resilience and tenacity in her glare made my heart proud. She was fighting the same fight I was, even though she didn't know it.
My body matched Laura's glare, almost daring her to look away. She stared back, not blinking, not giving in. After a few seconds, my body asserted dominance by cursing at her and stalking to the cockpit, past the rows of soldiers sitting in the passenger compartment.

"If anything happens yells for me. Those brats will be sorry they ever crossed my path." Some of the soldiers nodded in assent, but others simply looked bored. I didn't see why Laura would try anything, but I was glad my body hadn't overlooked the fact she might.

Upon reaching the cockpit, my body briefly chatted with the pilots, before settling into a seat behind them. I normally enjoy sitting in the cockpit, looking out over the world. There is something so enjoyable about watching the world go by, imagining all the people going about their daily life, blissfully ignorant to the battles which rage between evil and greater evil.
Today though, the scenery made me nauseous. I knew if Overlord carried out his plans regarding Otto, the lives of all the people below us would be ruined, and I would have played a major part in it. The blood of millions would be on my hands, as the person who delivered Otto to Overlord.

After a short time had passed, my body pulled out its communicator and dialled Furan. Static filled the air for a few seconds, before his harsh voice broke through.

"Furan here, go."

Goosebumps ran up my arms, and I shivered involuntarily, wanting just to curl up in a little ball and hide until he had gone away. But instead I stilled myself and tried to think of something else.

"It's Raven, I have the boy. ETA 6 hours, subject to wind change. Package is unconscious but unharmed."

"Roger, ETA 6 hours, package unharmed. Overlord requests package is conscious when brought out. We'll be ready when you arrive. Furan out."

Furan's voice cut off as suddenly as it had begun, leaving only the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.

My body chatted casually with the pilots about the weather, and a few other things, before settling into the seat more comfortably. I wondered idly if my body would take Laura any food, or even allow her to use the bathroom. It seemed unlikely. Poor Laura.

I tried to sit on the floor of my prison and rest, but I couldn't stop thinking about Laura and Otto. What was Laura thinking? Did she know Wing and Shelby were alive? Was Otto awake? Was his head injury life-threatening? What was Overlord planning to use him for?

On and on the questions went, spinning around in my mind. Eventually though, my mind became blank and I sat, listening to my breathing, and enjoying the peace while it lasted.

x

After presumably a few hours, my body stirred, roused by soft voices originating from the bulkhead area. Careful not to alert those talking, my body moved swiftly and silently to an area where the voices were more audible.

"Raven attacked us…" came Laura's soft Scottish voice. My body paused, waiting to hear who she was talking to. Had Otto regained consciousness? Was Lucy awake? Or had Laura smuggled some sort of communications device onboard? My heart momentarily leapt, but sunk as I realised how stupid the notion was. Furan's men would have searched her the moment she was taken aboard.

"We were on our way out and everything went to hell." I held my breath, waiting.

"What about Wing and Shelby?" Otto's voice was barely louder than the quietest whisper, but it released the tight sensation in my chest. I breathed out, relieved. Otto was alive, at least for now.

My body stayed, still waiting, listening for the rest of their conversation. I was such a snoop.

"I-I don't know." Laura's voice cracked, and I heard her sniffle. "Wing tried to get on board, but Raven stopped him. I didn't see Shel. I've got no idea if she made it or not."

My heart went out to Laura, even though I knew she had been trained for this sort of situation. Still, no amount of training can ever prepare you for being held captive, when you don't even know if your best friends are alive or not.

"She'll be okay. We all will." Otto's whisper was gentle but firm, just as you'd expect from a leader as good as he was. "There's no way Nero's going to abandon us. You know that."

"I hope you're right."

I hoped he was right to, for all our sakes.

My body had evidently eavesdropped enough, as it started stalking towards the bulkhead area of the aircraft. Otto and Laura's hushed voices became more apparent the closer we got.

"Is Lucy okay?" Otto's voice was now creased with worry, and I suspected he considered Lucy more than a friend, which was adorable, but made this situation even more complicated than it already was.

"I think so. They brought her on board unconscious and then one of those guys injected her with something." My body stopped just short of the group of soldiers, motioning for quiet. When Laura spoke again, my body stepped into view, enjoying the look of surprise in Otto's eyes.

"I think they're trying to keep her under so that she can't try to make anyone help us."

"And you'd be right," My body said cruelly, still walking towards the trio. "I see you are awake, Malpense. That is good. Overlord would not have been pleased if you had suffered any permanent harm." My breathing quickened as I waited for Otto to respond. Would he understand what was going on, or would he hate me? Only time would tell.

"Raven," Otto locked eyes with my body. "Please don't do this. I've been exposed to Animus before, and I know that you're in there somewhere. You have to fight it."

For half a second, I almost felt like I had control over my body again, but as quickly as it came it left. I cried out, half in anguish and half in relief. Otto knew I wasn't acting on my own free will, but he didn't know that I was fighting, I was fighting as hard as I could! I was doing everything in my power to break free, but it just wasn't enough! Not everyone was as smart as him, or had a miniature computer inside their brain they could fight with! I was just me, Natalya, a scared person who happened to be good at killing people. I'm not superhuman, despite what people think. I was doing all I could, but I just wasn't strong enough. Somehow, Otto couldn't grasp that fact.

"You're wasting your breath," my body sneered. "Overlord is my master now. Nothing is going to change that."

Otto still held my gaze, his eyes boring into mine.

"I don't believe that. And a part of you doesn't either." His voice was tinged with anger, at what I wasn't sure. I both wanted to hug him and punch him, one for not giving up on me, and one for thinking that everyone was like him. It was hard to decide what one was more appropriate, as my emotions each fought for attention.

"Believe what you wish. It makes little difference to me." My voice chilled the air, squashing any cheer that may have been present.
"I just came to warn you that if I detect the slightest hint of you trying to affect any of the systems onboard this Shroud, I will make you watch one of them die, slowly and extremely painfully."
My stomach heaved and I felt physically sick. I never thought I'd be scared of my own abilities, or that I'd use them against a student.
"Personally I'd rather sedate you, but Overlord wants you wide awake when you see him."

My body turned and started to walk away. I hugged my knees to my chest, wanting desperately to turn off the giant cinema screen that was my life now. Just let me wake up when this is all over, I thought. I didn't want to see my skills or my body being responsible for the killing of Nero's students, or the destruction of our planet. I just wanted to go back to a time when I felt safe in my own body, safe, when the only enemies were other people, not myself.

As my body covered the distance back to the cockpit, I heard Laura whisper to Otto once again.

"I still can't believe she's doing this,"

"It's not her fault. I've been through what she's experiencing. If there's any shred of her left, and I think there is, then she's just a passenger in there. You can't speak, you can't do anything, you're just forced to turn against everyone and everything you care about."

I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I furiously blinked them back. I would not cry now. I would not.

"I hope you're right about her still being in there. Because just now we need her more than ever before."

A single hot tear splashed down my cheek upon hearing Laura's words, and I sniffed. I was in here, I really was. How could Laura not understand that?

But truth be told, I needed them more than they needed me. Otherwise, we were all going to die.

Thanks for reading!

Hope everyone is keeping safe during this crazy time. I'll try to upload another chapter soon, but I have a lot of story ideas which are fighting for my attention so... We'll see.

Couscous :)