Protect Me From Myself

Summary: AU from season one. Kovacs handles things a bit differently
Warning(s): Non-consensual spanking; spoilers for the first season of Altered Carbon; AU; references to violence and canon character death

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Kovacs could see it. He saw the moment that she realised she’d lost. And there was only one choice he had left to make. And after everything she’d done, after all of the people she’d hurt and killed…if he left her alive, no one would be safe from her. Ortega would have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, even after Kovacs left.

But she was still his sister. No matter what she was now, no matter what she’d become. He couldn’t forget the little girl he’d grown up with, who he’d always sought to protect. He’d believed she was dead for so long. Could he bring himself to make that a reality once more?

“You came to kill me,” Rei said, staring into his eyes. “You’ve taken away all of my clones. All of my power. Will you take my life too, brother? If you don’t, how will you permanently stop me?” She moved closer to him, right into his personal space. “If you destroy me, you’ll never get her back.”

He froze. Stared into her eyes. He didn’t need to ask which ‘her’ Rei was talking about. There was only one other person he’d lost; only one other person he’d believed was dead for so long. “Quell,” he whispered.

“She’s alive, Takeshi. I downloaded her Stack before she was sleeve-killed,” Rei replied. “If you kill me, you’ll never find her. I’m the only one who knows where she is. Who can tell you where Quellcrist Falconer is.”

He stared into his little sister’s eyes. Looked at Rei and wondered if he knew her at all. If he’d ever known her at all. He reached out and he grabbed her shoulders. He gripped her tightly; so tight that he could have easily broken her bones. “Where?” he demanded. “Where is she?”

“I won’t tell you,” she replied. “But I’ll show you. We don’t have to stay here, Takeshi. I’ll take you to where she is.”

It was an answer. The only answer. A way he didn’t have to kill her. And, almost more importantly, a way to avoid killing the memory of who his sister had once been.

She smiled and pressed her advantage. Used her power over him in an attempt to manipulate and to control. “Come with me.” She held her hand out to him.

He stared at her outstretched hand for a few moments, thinking about his next move. Then, he took her hand. He looked around and he listened, engaging all of his senses.

There wasn’t much time, but there was enough. Just enough for him to act. To hopefully change things. To change her.

He took her hand and he gripped it. Looked into her eyes. Spoke in a low voice. “You’re not who I remember. But I believe you can be again. Not here. We’ll leave this place. Leave this planet. Make a life for ourselves away from all those who knew us before.”

She frowned and immediately tugged at her hand, trying to step back from him. “I won’t leave behind everything I’ve built…!”

“You’ve lost it already,” he said bluntly. “I’ve infected every one of your clones. Your only choice now is to come with me to save your life. Or it’s to stay here and burn with the rest of this place.” He tightened his hold on her. If she refused to choose, he would make the choice for her. But it would be easier if she made the decision, if she took the step, on her own. Even if she then fought against what he planned, he’d know that she’d made the choice.

Rei looked at his hand and curled her fingers around it. Like she was a child holding his hand again. “You’re trying to save me.” She shook her head. “You can’t ‘save’ me, Takeshi. It’s better if you let me go.”

He could continue arguing with her. Could verbally convince her of his way of thinking. But he didn’t have time for that. He didn’t have time to convince her with words. They didn’t have time for conversation. They only had time for what he planned…and then enough to get to safety.

Despite her words, she hadn’t pulled away from his grip. They were physically closer to each other than they had been in a long time. Even when they’d first reunited, there’d always been some kind of distance between them. Now, he wondered if she’d been keeping that distance deliberately, because she’d always been planning to betray them.

He shook his head, pushing aside the thoughts of that time and how many people had died because of her. He couldn’t really deal with all of the deaths she’d caused. He could only deal with what she’d done that affected him directly.

There was nowhere to sit down comfortably, so Kovacs didn’t try to sit. He propped his leg up on the wall and he used his grip on Rei to pull his sister into position over his upraised knee. He wrapped one arm around her waist and made short work divesting her of her pants and underwear.

As soon as he had her clothing lowered, she was struggling and clawing at his leg, trying to push herself up. “Let go of me right now, Takeshi!” she ordered. “I won’t let you hit me!”

“I’m not ‘hitting’ you, Rei. I’m about to spank you.” He raised his hand and brought it down on her bare backside with a crack of bare flesh to bare flesh that reverberated through the whole room.

Her whole body jerked and she flailed around, struggling to get free. “I’m warning you.”

“What are you going to do, Rei?” He began to pepper her backside with hard, firm smacks, turning her cheeks a dusky pink. He covered every inch of her bottom, from the crest down to mid-thigh, holding her easily with his other arm.

“You can’t do this to me.”

He ignored her protests. Ignored her struggles. He held her tightly as he continued to swat, turning her entire backside a deeper, darker pink. When her struggles began to fade and he felt her start to slump over his leg, he spoke in a quiet voice. “I’m your brother, Rei. I know I wasn’t there for you throughout growing up, but I’m here now. And I won’t leave you again.”

“I don’t want you to do this!” she burst out.

“That’s the point. If you wanted this, it wouldn’t be a punishment.” He raised his leg a fraction, beginning to swat her sit spots and the tops of her thighs. “I wasn’t there for you,” he repeated. “But I will be now. From now on, Rei. I won’t leave you again.”

She’d still been struggling weakly, but as he spoke the words, her struggles began to slow, until they finally stopped entirely. “You won’t?” she whispered, sounding lost…broken…young. Like she was a child again. “You won’t leave me alone again?”

“I won’t,” he promised. “But we’re not going to stay here. We’ll leave this planet. Together.”

She sniffled and he heard her breath hitch in the first sob. She reached her hand back and he took it, gently squeezing. “I won’t leave you,” he promised.

Her breath hitched again and her tears became audible. She clung to his hand as she sobbed, all fight having drained from her.

Kovacs pulled her clothing back into place and helped his sister to stand. He then wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

After a few moments, Rei wrapped her own arms around him and held on tight in return. It didn’t take long for her tears to die down and then she stepped back from him, rubbing her hand over her face, drying her tears and looking at him. “We’ll go now?”

Their time was nearly up. He nodded and grasped her hand, beginning to lead her in the direction of freedom. “We leave now.” And once he’d taken care of his unfinished business, they’d be away from this planet. Away from everything.

First, he’d give Ortega Ryker back.

The End