The next few moments stretch out into an eternity, and like a rubber band I'm pulled to the edge of my limits, dangerously close to breaking into pieces.
The world is a daze, my surroundings a blur. I don't register the tall black uniformed soldiers that swarm in and grab me.
They pull me away, just as another picks up Lucian, his eyes closed, body limp and unmoving. My fingers are forced to release his uniform and my eyes are blurry as I watch him being carried away.
The emptiness in my palms, the stillness in his face before he was taken from me. It makes me choke, I can't barely breathe.
The pain in my ribs comes back to me in full force where Lazarus had kicked me and suddenly everything becomes too much to bear.
I scream, I kick, I cry like a person who has finally lost it.
"Aria, stop! Calm down," I vaguely register Remulus's harried voice but it does nothing to bring me to my senses.
My blurred vision of dull grey ice is soon replaced with the metal walls of a ship and I'm placed on a stretcher as soldiers run around shouting things that don't reach my ears.
The only thing I hear repeatedly are Lazarus's cries after being bitten to death by the serpents and then Lucian's soft voice piercing me to the bone.
I'm cold.
I spring up from my stretcher looking around for him frantically. I see a medical team surrounding him but I can't see his face and it drives me crazy.
"Lucian! Is he alright?" I shout frantically and the person who was with me holds me down.
"You have a broken rib. It would be best if you didn't move so much," The soldier demands and then he injects me with something.
It must be a sedative because I began to feel lethargic immediately. I try my best to fight against it. I can't sleep not knowing if Lucian's okay.
I can't wake up to a reality where he isn't.
My body goes to sleep before my mind does and I reach a limp hand out towards him.
"Lucian," I murmur weakly. My brain is fogging up and suddenly I feel numb, like my hands and legs have turned to cotton.
Somebody walks up to me and looks down, their face gaunt and haggard. My eyes are desperate and teary as I stare up at General Lyra.
Her hair is mangled, her expression distraught. I've never seen her like this, never seen her so upset. She looks down at me and the last thing I see before my body shuts down, the last thing I see before the darkness takes over is the hatred in her eyes.
Such pure and potent hatred.
My body is heavy with sleep when I finally wake up and I look down at the bandages that have been wrapped around my waist. I sit up slowly, wincing at the dull, throbbing pain under the bandages.
I look around at the plain walls and small white beds that line them on both sides. There is a narrow walkway in the middle and medical personnel rush through them. There are many injured soldiers occupying most of the beds around me, some of them seated and bandaged like myself, some still unconscious.
"You're awake!" Joon almost shouts from the chair beside my bed.
My head whips to the side, having just realised he was there and I curse at the pain the movement caused.
"Joon," I mutter in relief, happy to see him alive and unharmed but then I immediately think of Lucian.
"Lucian," I say hurriedly. I push the blanket off my legs and try to get off but he places a firm hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stay put.
I glare at him but the apprehension in his face makes me want to vomit.
"Aria," He stutters and then he falls silent, not knowing what to say.
"Just say it," I grit my teeth as my voice breaks. My eyes fill with tears and I clutch the sheets around me tightly.
"He's still in critical condition. We don't know if," Joon trails off and I bite down on my lip hard.
"I need to see him," I say and then I push him and get off quickly.
My ribs ache in protest but I am already limping down the walkway, avoiding the onslaught of medical personnel who stare at me in bewilderment.
"You should be resting," One of them admonishes but I ignore him and instead grab the drink in his hand. It is a glucose energy drink like the ones we had before our fights and I gulp it down quickly, satiating my thirst and hunger.
"You don't even know where you are going," Joon complains as he keeps up with me.
"Please take me to him," I stop and stare at him, my gaze faltering and broken.
Joon sighs and then he nods.
He leads me down a few other rooms like the one I had been in and then we come to a set of heavily guarded doors.
Almost a dozen Plutonian soldiers stand by its sides, their guns in their hands, their fingers resting by the triggers.
They line the door the moment they see us approaching and lift their guns ever so slightly.
"Don't you recognise her?" Joon asks in annoyance and then one of them focuses on me. His eyebrows crease together ever so slightly in confusion and then they raise.
"Bone Breaker," He murmurs in recognition and then he turns to the soldiers by his sides. They shift uncomfortably, not knowing what to do but then another soldier steps forward.
"I'm sorry but no one is allowed access to these premises unless they have clearance. General's orders."
I groan and nearly scream in frustration. I must look like a mad person, with my matted unwashed hair, bare feet and flimsy hospital robe.
Joon however remains calm. He picks up a communicator and dials a number.
"General Luna, we are being held outside. They aren't allowing us in."
The soldiers glance at each other and then one of them jumps when they receive a call. They split up and make way for us the moment the call is ended and I all but rush through the doors.
I would run if I could but the pain in my ribs have increased slightly. I limp down the halls quickly not caring that the tiles under my feet are causing me to shiver and everyone has turned to look at us.
"Where are we?" I stare at the officers who line the walls like towering statues.
"One of the space stations outside Earth. We've been recuperating in these and treating those injured. Everything is kind of on pause since General Lucian, you know."
I swat his arm and glare at him. "He's alive. I can feel it."
Joon just remains silent as we walk along the smooth cold floors and then I see Luna and my squad members.
They are sitting by a set of firm steel doors and judging by the way everyone is staring at it apprehensively, I can only guess that Lucian is inside.
"Aria, you're okay," Luna exclaims in relief. She rushes up to me and inspects me carefully.
"How is he?" I ask, my voice wobbly and paralysed with fear.
"One of his main arteries were severed. He lost a lot of blood. The medical staff have told us to be prepared for the worst," Luna's lip trembles and her eyes fill with unshed tears.
She hugs me tightly and my ribs feel like they are about to be crushed but I don't push her away. I need this comfort almost as much as she does.
She pulls me to one of the seats and all of us sit down.
"How are you feeling?" Remulus asks. His face is drawn and tired, all the usual playfulness gone. He sits next to Altair, Pollux, Deneb and Sirius and I can see that all of them look the same.
"I'm, okay," I say and then I feel guilty for some reason. Like I am alive and sitting here only because the person fighting for his life inside came after Lazarus and I, to rescue me.
I suddenly burst into tears and Luna squeezes my arm.
"A human would have died but a Plutonian can survive this kind of thing, right?" Joon asks hopefully, trying to make us all feel better. "I've seen them heal from things we can't. Don't worry, Aria. General Lucian might just make it."
My shoulders slump and l lean forward to support myself.
"Even though he is dead, he still manages to torture me."
Luna tenses at my words and she releases me slowly. She knows I am talking about Lazarus.
I look up and then turn to my squad. "He's dead, right?"
There is that sinking feeling in my gut that he always somehow wins. Even though I heard the serpents biting at him, a part of me still doesn't fully believe it.
Altair nods grimly. "There wasn't much left of him when we arrived."
"Please stop," Luna says and they fall silent.
Just then the steel doors burst open and all of us jump in our seats. General Lyra walks out with a group of medical staff surrounding her.
They mutter into her ears and she just nods her head distractedly. She looks distraught and aged, so unlike herself and then her eyes fall on me.
They narrow ever so slightly before she turns her attention to the others.
"The surgery is done. His vitals are unstable. The next few days will be unpredictable but we must hope for the best. The empire depends on it."
All of us nod and Deneb offers to get everyone something to eat. We sit in silence and even General Lyra joins us although her gaze is unfocused and she just stares at the steel doors, unblinking.
The food Deneb brings smells good but I have to force it down. I don't really feel like eating or doing anything for that matter. I just want Lucian to wake up.
"Did we win?" I ask after a long bout of silence and everyone stares at me.
"Yes, we did. We destroyed the towers in Antartica and the remaining soldiers under Lazarus have surrendered. Cat, Rachel and the others managed to destroy almost a quarter of the military bunkers. They are still on Earth, searching and getting rid of the rest," Joon answers and we just stare at each other solemnly, no one really in the mood to celebrate.
"Where's Commander Rigel? And the other leaders?" I ask, eager to distract myself from the heavy steel doors that separate me from Lucian.
"They've all gone back to their respective planets. Awaiting news from us," General Lyra finally speaks. "Commander Rigel is here. Dealing with his troops as well. He is also waiting."
I look at her but she remains focused on the two steel doors.
It appears the entire universe is currently in pause, waiting for Lucian to recover. Waiting for news on the Plutonian's leadership.
Waiting, just like us and so we wait, for days. Aside from washing up, I spend all my time here mostly with Luna and my squad, sometimes with Joon.
It is on an exceptionally cold night that I find myself alone with General Lyra for the first time. She stares unblinking at the doors and the broken expression on her face mirrors my own. I notice her hand is shaking and for some reason I hold her just like Vix held my hand during the battle.
Just like Rosie held my hand the day Lucian fought with Lazarus on the pits and just like Cassandra held my hand the day I made the choice to be a fighter.
I expect her to swat my hand away or recoil but instead her grip tightens and she squeezes my hand desperately.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, remembering the hatred in her eyes when they came to rescue us from the Serpentine constellation.
"It's not your fault," She says tiredly. "I know it appears that I don't like you but that is far from the truth. You have been exceptional. Instrumental."
I stare at her quizzically but she ignores me, her gaze fixed on the doors. We sit like that in silence until the morning comes. I don't realise that I have dozed off until the doors burst open, startling me.
"He's awake!" A Plutonian all but shouts in happiness and it feels like a bolt of electricity has shot through me, making me come alive again.
Heyy good news :) So I'm guessing no ones coming after me now right haha. Hope you enjoyed. I've got the next one half done, already can't wait for you guys to read it :) :)