Evangeline's P.O.V.
"Ben."
I announce into the silence, and Ben instantly stops walking down the bridge. I feel so much conflict and hostility in the Force surrounding Kylo Ren. With my heart pounding, I dare take a step onto the bridge.
"Evangeline."
Ben announces with his back facing me before turning around slowly. When he turns completely, I'm greeted with his dark black mask. There's a moment of silence between us until he speaks up in a robotic tone from his helmet.
"... Brave... But foolish of you to come back."
"I came back for my brother."
I announce with shaking breath, but in an honest tone. Taking a few steps toward him on the bridge, I feel my palms getting sweaty. Licking my bottom lip nervously, I quietly plead with my one and only brother.
"Ben. Come home. Come with me."
"We miss you." Han's voice echos from behind me and I sense Ben's gaze moving onto our father for a moment. Standing in front of where the bridge begins, our father declares. "Your mother and I miss our son."
"Ben Solo was weak." My brother spits out in his robotic voice as I walk towards him. "I destroyed him."
"No. My brother's alive."
I argue with nothing but love, making his head move to face me again. Though I can't see his face or eyes, I know he's staring right into my gaze. I stop walking when I'm two feet away from him and confess.
"I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate."
"It is too late for me, Eva."
"It's never too late." I breathe out in a lighthearted tone and crack a wobbling smile. "Our family is living proof of that."
Ben is silent from my choice of words, from knowing who I'm referring to. I'm standing in front of my brother waiting for his response; hoping he'll come home with us. There's conflict and hate for me inside Ben's mind, but there is also compassion and respect for me inside his heart.
My brother is staring at me, head to toe in black; I can feel his anger and bitterness towards me at this very moment. Though I'm watching him head to toe in white; showing him my love and empathy for him. Raising my free hand for him to take, I whisper to him and plead.
"Leave everything behind and come with us."
Ben stares at my hand with his helmet still covering his face. My tan gloved hand's raised between us as if it's a key to a new world. Stepping closer to me, Ben raises his black gloved hand to take mine.
Taking my hand in his own, Ben lifts his head to look at my face. Our hands hold on to one another gently, as if we're breaking a law by just touching one another. Which is understandable since I can't remember the last time I've held my brother's hand.
Staring at him and feeling his hand in my own, I let out a breath and smile up at him. My other hand holding my blaster puts the weapon back into my holster then. With that same hand, I rest it on top of our entwined hands in relief.
"Why would I leave all this behind?"
Ben asks slowly with an underline tone while tightening his hand on mine. My eyes widen when realizing what he's saying. Take a step toward me with his hand locking mine with his, Ben says simply with the dark side of the force surrounding us.
"I am more powerful than ever before."
In the next second, Ben raises his free hand and grabs my neck. Tightening his hand around my neck, he lifts me off my feet and I cough for air as my feet dangle below me. I raise my hands to hold his wrist as my head gets light-headed with every second my brother holds me in the air by the neck.
I'm clinging onto his wrist for some sort of support while looking at my brother's mask covered face and silently pleading for him to let me go. I can hear Chewie in the distance growling loudly at the sight of me choking for air. Finn and Han are shouting my name as I try to think straight.
Blinking back tears with my mind getting fuzzy, I recall why we originally came here for. Dropping one hand from Ben's wrist to my side, I fumble to find the detonator on my belt. Once my hand touches the detonator clipped to my belt, I grab the device and unclip it from my belt.
Groaning and ignoring the pain around my throat, I raise the device in my hand for everyone to see. For a second, Ben's hand around my throat loosens from the sight of the bomb detonator. Lifting my thumb over the button, ready to press it, I shout in coughs to the group I came here with.
"Go! Leave!"
Pressing the button on the detonator with my thumb, I instantly hear explosions from behind me. The intensity of the bomb throws my brother and me backwards, causing his hand to let go of my neck. In a blink of an eye, the two of us get thrown back on the bridge as this precinct collapses.
I slam into my side on the bridge just as quick as the explosion threw me. Groaning in pain with ringing in my ears, I blink my eyes open and glance around at my surroundings, feeling lightheaded. Flames are filling the room, smoke is all around me, metal is breaking and falling with each passing second.
Looking to my right, I see Ben dangling on one side of the bridge a few feet from me. He's holding onto the edge of the bridge as explosions continue to ring in our ears. Turning my head to my left and peering up, I find Han and Chewie with Finn and Rey near the exit to this building.
"Leave!" I shout to them while pulling myself up onto my knees. "Now!"
Finn and Rey are watching me with fearful and panicking expressions. Chewie is looking around me, trying to find a way to help me out. However, my father only stares at me with a sorrow and regretful gaze, as if this is his fault.
"Go!" I then scream at them in panic from them not leaving for the Falcon. "I meet you there! Now, go!"
Letting out a tired breath, I glance around, trying to get out of here without getting burned. When I see a way through the flames to the nearest exit, I move to stand up and glance to the exit my group was just standing by. There's on one at the exit anymore and the door is closed again.
Turning back to face my brother, I find him still holding onto the edge of the bridge while dangling in the air. Taking in a deep breath, knowing what I'm about to do is insane, I rush over to him, fall to my knees, and grab his wrists. I can't see his expression through his mask, but I can sense he's surprised by my actions.
Using all my strength, I pull at Ben's wrists and help him get back on the bridge. However, the moment one of his hands lets go of the railing, it moves to grab my neck violently. Letting him go and leaning out of reach, I stare at him in shock.
The building we're inside is crumbling; my brother is hanging utterly exposed; I'm trying to save him and despite that, he's still trying to hurt me. I watch Ben growl dramatically when I stay just enough away from him so he won't attack me. Standing up slowly with my eyes on my twin brother, I realize I have to leave without him.
Turning around, I step away from him on the bridge. I head in the direction where I can escape this building and meet back with my group. As I stride down the bridge, I hear my brother call out to me in anger.
"Evangeline!"
I ignore his shout and continue walking as flames and smoke spread around me. Each step away from my brother feels like another crack in my heart. It's only in this moment that I realize all had throughout this mission was blind hope.
Blind hope that I would have a brother again.
"Evangeline!"
Han's P.O.V.
"I don't see Eva!"
While slowing down my pace, I shout and look at my surroundings. I don't see even a glimpse of my daughter, though; I see a handful of squadrons running in the snow towards us. My gut tightens from what I'm seeing as I repeat in a hushed voice to myself.
"I don't see Eva."
We're a few feet away from the Falcon with stormtroopers getting closer by the minute. Chewie's starting up the ship while Finn, Rey and I search for Eva. Shaking my head in panic, I look in the distance to the building we blew up.
There're miles of snow cover fields between us and the precinct we destroyed. The Falcon is right by a forest with thin but tall trees. I can't spot Eva in the snowfields or ever near the building we all were just in half an hour ago.
Once the squadron's of stormtrooper are in range, they blast at us, making me duck for cover behind a tree. Taking out my blaster, I shoot at them, trying to prolong getting into the Falcon. Finn and Rey are backing up to the ship while defending themselves with their blasters.
It three against forty; we don't stand a chance unless we leave inside the Falcon right now. The thought of leaving without my daughter makes my heart drop. I came here to get both my kids, not to leave without either of them.
"Han! We need to leave!" Finn shouts while nearing the ramp into the falcon. "We're surrounded!"
"I won't leave without my daughter!"
I yell at him as I keep blasting the troopers getting closer to us. My heart's pounding with the idea that we only have two options at the moment. Suddenly, Chewie comes out of the Falcon, roaring at me impatiently.
"Eva's not here yet!" I answer him, frustratedly in-between the sounds of blasts. "She's coming! Just give her a little more time."
"We can fly to her!"
Rey suddenly suggests while backing until she's beside Chewie. Finn's near me, defending my blind side while blasts fly through the surrounding air. Blasting at one stormtrooper, Rey looks to me and says genuinely.
"We'll pick her up in the Falcon, but we can't stay here any longer."
Letting out a breath and I know everyone is right; we can't stay here much longer. My mind is telling me to get on the Falcon, but my heart is telling me to wait just a little longer. Glancing at my group, I see them all fighting off the squadrons of troopers while waiting for my decision.
"Alright."
I mumble and finally make my way to the Falcon like everyone else is. The group goes inside, but when I step onto the ramp; I glance behind me with an ounce of hope I'll see her. Though she's nowhere around; it's just us and the stormtroopers.
Getting on the ship against my better judgment, I get the sense that I'm sealing my daughter's death.
Evangeline's P.O.V.
Racing up the hill and looking up to the sky, I see all the light gone from the sun. The daylight's replaced by grey clouds and the night sky. Which leads me to believe the First Order has drained the sun completely to power up their Starkiller.
Glancing behind me to the building I left almost twenty minutes ago, I see starfighters and x-wings battling. Starfighters are attacking to finish the destruction of the precinct and the x-wings are defending it. Turning back around, I trudge through the snow to meet back with my group.
When I get to the top of the field, I find the forest we landed the Falcon. However, as I walk closer toward the forest, I can't spot my father's ship anywhere. Picking up my pace, I race through the snow fields until I reach the edge of the forest.
I see blood and dead stormtroopers all around in the snow. The Falcon and my group aren't here, but I see the spot the ship should be. Taking in a deep breath and trying to stay calm, I wander into the forest.
Trying not to acknowledge that I'm stranded here on Starkiller base, I look to see if anyone in my group is laying wounded in the forest. I walk further into the forest only to find less and less dead stormtroopers in the snow. Luckily, no one from my party is dead or wounded, which leads me to believe everyone is safe in the Falcon.
I know my father won't leave me here stranded; he'll come for me. Glancing above me through the trees to the sky, I search for the Falcon, but I see nothing but thick grey clouds. I hear blasts and explosions in the distance, making me think Han went to help the Resistance.
Stepping deeper into the forest, I try to pick any direction to go towards. Though every direction brings destruction and for a split second, I wish I was back to ripping off gangs and hiding in sewer planets. Letting out a nervous breath, I know my best bet is going out in the open where the Resistance can easily spot me.
"We are not finished yet... Sister."
My heart drops in my stomach from the familiar dark robotic voice. Gradually turning around, I find Ben a few yards from me with his light saber activated in his hand. Ben's still wearing his helmet; he's staring me down through it.
Glancing at the vibrating red light coming from his saber, my fingers brush my blaster in the holster. When Ben takes a step toward me, I panic and take the blaster out to hold in my hand. As soon as the blaster is in my hand, it's gone with a wave of Ben's hand.
Using the force, my brother makes my blaster fly towards him and land at his feet. It lays in the snow in front of him and he steps over it casually as if it's nothing. Slowly wandering towards me, he then points the tip of his saber at me, asking knowingly.
"Why don't you use a more civilized weapon?"
Gulping with my heart beating in my throat, I glance at my light saber on my hip. He must have noticed it earlier, even though I have yet to use it on this mission. Looking up at him, I see him patiently waiting for me to unclip it so we can have a proper duel.
I've been practicing with the force and my saber for a few months now. Even though I brought my light saber on this mission as a precaution, I know I'm not ready to wield it as I once did seven years ago. I'm not ready to use it against my brother, to face what my brother has become in the dark side of the force.
This is what I've been running away from for seven years.