Chapter 24- Homecoming

It was three hours past midnight, but unlike the back alleys, the front gate of Sanctuary's base was well-lit and guarded by some of the best fighters Sanctuary had to offer.

Truly, the slums were almost completely lawless territory where gangs could operate with impunity. 

The NLAPD occasionally sent in token security forces, but it was all for show. They had a clearly defined path they were allowed to travel on by the various gangs, and stepping outside of it was tantamount to a death sentence.

Because of this, Sanctuary was free to block off the roads and buildings surrounding the electronics store they had taken as their base while also building a sheet metal wall around the store, with an actual gate as the front entrance and two guard towers flanking it.

Currently, two women were in the towers, and two women were flanking the entrance while talking about the recent, unusually frantic behaviour of their illustrious leader.

The first guard leaned close to the second in a conspiratory manner, "Any idea why Boss Nova has been so irritable in the last two days? She always seemed so cool and collected to me, but now I don't know what is going on with her lately."

The other guard shook her head, "I have no idea, and it's better not to speculate on it unless you want to end up on the Boss's shitlist. Just guard the gate and do your job."

But her companion seemed unwilling to let it go, "Do you think it has something to do with Alita being missing?"

Seeing that she wouldn't let it go, the second guard decided to indulge her with a sigh,

"I don't know, Pilar, but I doubt it. Everyone likes Alita and her cheery attitude, but surely just that wouldn't affect the red-eyed devil? We have lost plenty of people over the years, and Nova has always taken it with the face of a proper ice queen."

Pilar frowned at that remark, "I don't like that ice queen comparison, Rue; Nova cares for us."

Rue shook her head, "I didn't say she doesn't, but she is our leader, and leaders cannot be seen showing too much emotion over anything; otherwise, they might be taken advantage of."

Pilar nodded sadly, "I know, I just wish she could find some happiness." Then, as if suddenly gaining inspiration, she said, "Wait! Do you remember a few years ago when there was a rumour Alita and Nova are related?"

Rue immediately put her hand before Pilar's mouth and looked around, "Shhhh, do you want us to get in trouble? Don't you remember how hard the boss cracked down on that rumour back then?"

Suddenly, they heard some clear laughter coming from nearby, "Hahaha, well, I would hope so. Who would want to be related to that stick in the mud, right? Sure, we owe her a lot, but does she even know what a smile is?"

Since the voice came from outside their walls, the two guards reacted with practised discipline, aiming their guns at the source of the noise and Rue yelling, "Who goes there?!"

They saw something in the vague shape of a woman, made so by the strange clothes she was wearing, held together by various belts, and clearly cut with scissors to make it fit better.

She was also wearing a hood, which she promptly removed, revealing the smiling face of Alita, "Come on guys, it's been only two days; surely you still recognise me?"

Pilar quickly dropped her weapon and smiled as she ran to Alita and hugged her tightly, "Alita! Where the hell have you been, girl? What the hell happened to you, and what's with those clothes?"

Alita freed herself from the hug and did a quick spin while smirking, "What do you mean? You don't like it?"

Rue, however, was a little more suspicious, "Come back, Pilar! You know the rules! Anyone missing for more than two days must be treated with suspicion until we can be sure they haven't been turned somehow!"

Alita put on an exaggeratedly wounded expression, "Words hurt, you know?!"

Pilar rolled her eyes, "Calm down, Rue. We'd need to check the precise time of her going off the radar to even be sure it's really been two days. Besides, Alita wouldn't turn on us!"

If Alita felt a pang of guilt at those words, she didn't show it as she kept smiling brightly.

Seeing even her fellow guard turn against her, Rue sighed and put down her gun, "Fine, we'll let Nova decide what to do. I'll get one of the others to escort you, Alita."

Alita grinned, "Thanks, guys! It's good to be home!"

Rue pressed against her ears and said, "Can one of you guys come outside for a moment? We need an escort for someone."

She seemed to receive a reply but just answered, "You'll see," and then removed her hand.

Moments later, the gate opened, and another heavily armed woman came out, seemingly on high alert. She looked around only to see a smiling Alita waving at her, "Hey, Nola! It's good to see you!"

She seemed surprised, "Alita?! Man, is it good to see you. The towers only told me someone was there, but they couldn't recognise you. Quickly, get in, get in. The area has been a little tumultuous lately; I'm surprised you made it here safely looking like that."

Alita smiled mysteriously, "I can handle myself, you know that." 

She and Ivar actually had encountered several people looking for trouble, but this time, it had been Alita who had taken care of them, as they were all regular humans, and she needed practice with her new form.

Luckily, her Valkyrie transformation was much less prone to destroying her clothes as long as she could keep her wings folded behind her.

Nola nodded and then gestured inside, "That's true. Now, come on!"

Alita quickly followed after promising Pilar, who was actually someone she considered a friend, to catch up with each other later.

After entering, Alita felt somewhat relaxed in the familiar surroundings, but the only place she could truly feel home had already become Ivar's arms.

Directly behind the gate was a guard post, with one guard tower on each side and behind that was the front entrance to the store.

A lot of people recognised her and immediately welcomed her back home. Alita had always been a well-liked member of Sanctuary, and many people had wished for her safe return, even the gruffer members of the gang.

As they entered the store, Alita lost her smile and replaced it with a harrowing look as she asked Nola, 

"Do you mind if we pay a visit to Molly before we go upstairs? I'm afraid I'm not as carefree as I appear. I've had a few close calls, and I could use something to help me sleep later."

Nola quickly recognised the look in Alita's eyes. Their line of work often took a toll on the psyche, and many members of Sanctuary needed the occasional help to fall asleep. Luckily, they had enough drugs stored up and even a trained nurse named Molly.

So Nola quickly nodded sympatheticly, "Of course, Alita. Come on."

They walked to the back of the store, behind the stairs, where Molly had her makeshift infirmary.

They knocked on the door and waited a while until a young, groggy, blue-haired woman opened the door, "What's the emergency, huh? Oh! Alita?! You're back! Quickly, get in. Do you need any medical attention?"

Alita smiled a little sadly, "Hey, Molly. No, nothing immediate, but I'm about to report my adventures to Nova, and afterwards, I intend to get some sleep, but… well, the last 48 hours or so have been a little harrowing, and I could use something to get to sleep."

Molly almost broke down and quickly hugged Alita closely, "Oh, little Alita! I'll give you something, but come talk to me later, alright? It's better to talk about these things than to medicate yourself."

Alita nodded with a smile, "I'll think about it, Molly. Thanks. Can you give me a heavy dose? I haven't slept in nearly 48 hours, but I'm still wired enough to go another 48." 

Molly sighed and nodded, "Sure, Alita." She was perfectly aware that most of the people who worked outside the base would prefer to work through their issues with pure grit rather than talk about their feelings.

Still, everyone knew it came from a place of love, so they indulged her, and some of them even took her up on her offer.

Molly walked to the well-secured medicine closet, opened it and went inside to grab the pills.

Even in a place like Sanctuary, where most people seemed friendly with each other, there were more than a few addicts around, and they simply couldn't be trusted with drugs, so they had to be locked up properly.

Alita had barely been known to take aspirins, however, so Molly had no issue giving her something to help her sleep.

After receiving the pills, Alita smiled and thanked Molly before following Nola up the stairs to see her sister.