Everybody waiting for the fall of man
Everybody praying for the end of times
Everybody hoping they could be the one
I was born to run, I was born for this
Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons
•••
We find a small chamber in the back of the throne room, clearly specialized for Superior surveillance and transportation. A large computer rests on one side of the wall, much like the one in the AOSS bunker, while a small glass pod with all access buttons rests on the other. I've read about things like this. A Superior has to be ready to be anywhere anytime, and this includes places in their base. This station must be Nasim Kieran's.
"We can take the pod." Michael says, sliding the black door behind him. He had to smear some of Nasims blood on the panel to get it to open, but it worked, and that's all that matters. He heads straight for the computer. "Two at a time. Top floor, Northeast tower."
"Why top?" I ask, breathing heavy. I'm still shaking, and I can't think straight for longer than a few seconds. "I thought you said the hovercrafts were on the second to top floor."
"They are. But every guard in this place knows we're here now, and since you just killed their beloved leader, they'll be expecting us." Michael replies, his fingers flying over the keyboard under the computer. Words fly across the screen, codes and numbers, and he clears them all before pressing a red key. A small slit opens on the side of the computer, and an electronic chip pops out. He takes it and shoves it in his pocket. Michael then walks over to the opposite wall, pressing a few buttons on the panel next to the pod. It slides open soundlessly, the clean white interior striking in the red painted room. "We should be able to access the hovercrafts through their launch area, but we don't have much time. Who's first?"
"I am." Ivy comments, tying the strap from one of the guards belts into a criss-cross knot and slinging it over her shoulders, onto her back. She slides her new katanas into the makeshift sheath and rolls her neck. "Somebody needs to fight off the bastards if they meet us there. I'll hold them off long enough for you guys to come."
"I'll go with you." Michael nods. "Luke can stay here and defend the others if something comes up. Two can go at a time." He turns to us. "Be safe."
"You too." Luke says, and watches as Michael climbs in with Ivy. He presses a few buttons on the inside, and just like that, the pod is shooting upwards and out of sight.
Unconsciously, I step a little closer to Luke. I know I can protect myself pretty well, but he's still the only warrior in the room. I tighten my grip on the knife in my hand.
My head is still spinning. A glorious adrenaline has taken over my body, flushing out all of the exhaustion for the time being. My thoughts are so erratic they don't focus on the magnitude of what I just did. I killed Nasim Kieran. I avenged my family, I killed the bloody Superior of Asia.
I can't say that it doesn't feel good. Because it feels damn good. But for what consequence?
Luke glances down at my hand, and makes a small noise of recognition. I look at him. His expression is one of extreme and haunting regret.
"You kept it." Is all he says, and I realize he's talking about his dagger. I look down at it, seeing the lion carved into the hilt, the beady ruby eyes.
"Gotta stay alive, remember?" I reply, meeting his eyes. He looks away.
A small puffing sound, like the air coming out of a balloon, resounds through the room. The pod is back. Luke nods at Ashton and Jess, who are whispering lowly in the back corner.
"You guys should go." He says, his voice a little uneven. "I'll stay here in case they come back."
"I'm not going anywhere." I scoff, pushing the knife into my belt and putting a hand on my axe.
Luke sighs. "Alexandra-"
"She's right. Not that I care personally, but you'll die if you stay down here alone, and we kind of need you to get out of here alive." Ashton says, walking towards the pod and stepping inside. Jess joins him, clasping her hand with his. "See you on the other side."
After he fumbles with the buttons for a few seconds, the door closes, and the pod shoots out of sight.
Luke says nothing. He draws out two knives, moving towards the door. I bite the inside of my cheek.
I honestly can't figure out how the hell I feel about Luke right now. A part of me is still mad, but that part is weirdly small. I guess there is just so much shit going on that I can't bring myself to hold any more grudges than I already am. There's also a bigger part of me, one that's overshadowing everything else, brewing feelings about him that I thought I had finally locked away. It scares the shit out of me.
I'm so caught up in my own thoughts I don't notice the footsteps rapidly approaching outside the door until they're already on us. Luke swears, lunging for the chair next to the computer, jamming it up in front of the metal. The pounding starts up, so forceful that the tough surface of the door is already starting to dent inward. I can hear the screaming from the throne room even all the way back here. They've found us.
"Barricade the door." Luke says desperately, his eyes frantically flying from the pod to the door, pod to the door. "We have to-"
"There's too many of them." I deadpan, drawing out my ax. "They'd break through."
Luke looks at me incredulously. "I can fight them off, but you can't. They'll kill you."
"I'd like to see them try."
The door is giving in. They'll break in any second now. I plant my feet, widen my stance..
The pod arrives. The soft airy sound is music to my ears, and Luke sighs in relief, already moving towards it. "Finally-"
They break through.
The first guard is huge, one of the biggest guys I've ever seen, and he punches Luke so hard it sends the stocky boy flailing backwards. I swing out with my ax but he catches my blade, giving Luke enough time to gather his wits and kick out at his crotch. He cowers but doesn't fall, and I use the opportunity to wretch my weapon out of his grasp and slam it into the back of his neck. He crumbles to the ground. More flood in behind him.
Luke throws a knife that takes down two at once, grabbing my arm and yanking me to the pod. I slash out once more, wounding several, and Luke kicks and throws and fights them off until we can both squeeze into the small pod. He continues to hurl knives at the crowd of warriors, who are screaming and advancing on us with a kind of animalistic rage, while I fumble desperately with the buttons on the side wall.
"Hurry." Luke hisses, sending a fourth dagger sailing out of his hand and into the chest of the nearest guard.
"Got it." I find a button with Arabic letters that's been cut with something sharp, obviously fresh. Michael must have marked it. I push it down.
The pod door closes as Luke throws one last knife, sending blood splattering over the glass. The guards pound against it, yelling, but it's too late. We're already moving, and only a few seconds pass before they're completely out of sight.
My chest is heaving. The space is small, there's no place for me to bend over, so I clasp at my chest with my free hand and lean back against the wall.
"That was close." Luke pants, eyeing me carefully. "Nice job."
"Yeah, yeah." I reply.
***
When the pod opens, we're met with a freshly bloodied Ivy and another red painted room. Three nukes lay dead on the floor, Michael stripping them of any valuable resources or technology. Ashton and Jess are leaning against the wall, waiting for us.
"Looks like you two had fun." She says, twirling one of her swords around her finger. "Come on, we need to get moving. Michael says we're on the opposite side from the hovercrafts."
Luke slams his elbow into the control center in the pod, shorting out the buttons and rendering the whole thing useless. I follow him out into the room.
It's completely empty, save for a few shelves in the back corner and a single control module. The men must have been stationed at it. Not anymore.
"Where to?" I ask, just as Michael rises again to face us. He's got a fresh cut on his right temple.
"Well, out the door, for one thing." He replies, adjusting the gun on his belt. He's got a radio in his left hand, one I presume he got from one of the dead men. "I can lead us from there."
"Aye aye, captain." Jess mutters, trailing behind Michael as he strides across the room.
The door opens to a hallway, one that's surprisingly empty. The hallway itself opens out into sunlight. A shiver runs up my spine. I haven't felt sunlight in what feels like forever.
"Keep your weapons ready." Luke says, following closely behind Ivy. He has, once again, gone into full battle mode. "We don't know what could be waiting for us."
"No shit." Ivy says, keeping up Michael's pace. She reminds me of a cheetah stalking its prey, prowling through the leaves until it can burst out in the open and tear its throat out.
Luke says nothing, but I can see the pain on his face. Ivy is still mad at him. I'm not going to blame her, she's known him for a long time, and his betrayal was probably way harder on her than it was me.
We reach the end of the hall, and the view takes my breath away.
We are standing on the roof of the castle. The towers still have one more floor, yes, but I presume it's just for watching, because honestly there's nothing else I can imagine doing up here. The sun bares down on us, warming up my face, sliding over the bare skin of my torso. I could lay down right now and go to sleep, if it wasn't for the anxiety still thrumming in my veins.
The castles top stretches on for what I estimate as a mile, with four main towers connecting it all. Concrete barriers on the edge are the only thing separating us from the ground thousands of feet below. The floor is made of cobblestone, laced with red vines. Up here, I feel like a tiny bug. Harmless. Expendable.
"Guys." Jess says warningly, and my ears direct my eyes to the chaos unfolding.
Ten, twenty, thirty guards flood out of the towers in front of us, obscuring our view and creating a fairly effective blockade. From what I can tell none have guns, but we're still outnumbered and on unfamiliar territory.
"Blood rain." Ashton whispers. I swallow hard.
Ivy rolls her eyes as if she's annoyed. "Jesus, can we not catch a break?" She gives the swords in her hands a twirl. "Time to dance, I guess."
The guards are running towards us, yelling obscenities with their weapons in the air. Ivy rolls her shoulders, and leaps into action.
She rushes forward with her swords drawn, slicing straight though the legs of two warriors and sending them straight to the ground. She turns her body and swings the blades in a wide arc, slitting the throats of three more. She's lightning fast, cutting her way through dozens of guards before even one of them can get to her.
Luke doesn't even have to get within ten feet of one. His knives take out two, three, four at a time, his precise aim and hard throws letting the bodies hit the floor. I've seen him fight before, but now that he's weakened, it's almost as if he's trying twice as hard with every move.
Michael is swift and immediate with his kills, using one knife with two hands, using his body to do elaborate twists and flips to slice as many throats as possible.
I don't think. I let the high adrenaline of the action take over, and hurl myself into the chaos.
I do what I did before but with smarter timing, dodging my opponents strikes before crippling and killing them. One clean slash through the calves, then one to the throat. The axe works wonders with its two large, razor sharp blades. Every time somebody punches or slashes at me, I respond with twice as much force. I feel like a tornado, a tornado of power, wielding nothing but destruction in my path.
Sadly, unlike before, the numbers don't seem to be limited. Every time one guard goes down two more come out of the tower. They just keep growing, and even though Luke and the others are amazing warriors, there's no way in hell we can kill them all.
"Guys, over here!" Michael's voice rings out among the chaos, and my eyes whip towards the sound. He's standing off to the side, next to the nearest tower. "Come on!"
I raise my axe and yell at the top of my lungs, swinging and slashing and running until I can break away long enough to sprint towards him. Blood rains down around me, and the ground is shining in with crimson. Michael turns the corner, and I follow him, looking back to see the others following.
It only takes a few seconds for me to see what Michael is talking about.
In the center of the floor, between the two towers, is a massive hole. Below it is the floor below us, and on it, dozens of hovercrafts.
The launchpad.
Michael isn't slowing down. My chest is burning, but I force myself to keep running, even when Michael reaches the edge of the hole and hurls himself straight off of it.
I blink away the stars in my vision. I have to jump. There's no other way.
I throw one last glance behind me, only to find Luke approaching and then getting ahead of me. He's covered in blood, but swift and steady. His bones must be healing fast.
"Bend your knees, land with a roll." He pants out, before taking three long strides and jumping over the edge.
I'm almost to it.
Just a few more steps.
One, two..
The ground is gone.
For a moment, I feel weightless. Like I'm floating in mid air. Then that feeling evaporates and I'm falling.
I see the glass ceiling of the hovercraft before I hit it, watch my reflection in the shards disappear as my body slams through what's left of it, and I remember what Luke said at the last second. I bend my knees, forcing myself to curl up, and hit the floor of the hovercraft hard, but rolling.
I can hardly breathe. My chest is on fire, my legs numb. Blood is soaked through the whole upper part of my body. I skid to a stop with my hands splayed out in front of me, my hair swishing in my face. The floor is smooth metal. My vision blurs.
I can barely make out Michael dragging himself into what looks like the pilot seat, ripping the radio from his belt and taking it apart. He does something with the control panel and the inner mechanism, but I'm fading too fast to tell what it is.
"Alexandra!" Luke's voice is millions of miles away, yet still manages to echo through my head. My eyelids flutter, and I barely get a glimpse of him over me, only just feel him catch me before I completely slump over.
Everything is spinning into blackness. There's nothing I can do to stop it. So I let my eyelids close, feel the warmth of Luke's arms around me, and pass out.
***
The storm is raging against us now
If you're afraid of falling, then don't look down
but we took the step, oh, we took the leap
and we'll take what comes, take what comes
we're walking the wire,
***
When I come to, all I see is red.
For a moment I panic, thinking I'm still in the grand castle, and shoot up into a sitting position, breathing hard. Which, evidently, is a bad idea, because pain sears through my head and I'm wincing.
"Woah there cowboy." Ivys voice pierces through my sub conscience, and I blink away the stars to turn to the source of the sound.
She's clean, her hair wet, twisted back in a knot behind her neck. The flame tattoo is more prominent then ever, shining from the curve of her neck. There's a few fresh cuts on her face, presumably from the glass, but other than that there are no new injuries. She's wearing a loose black tank top, unlike the one she was wearing before, with a large hole near the bottom. The edges are crusted with blood.
"What, w-what-" I start to ask, then stop myself. The hovercraft. Of course.
Now that I've come to this realization I recognize the soft hum around me, the slight vibration of the floor. We're flying. We made it.
"Happened?" Ivy finishes the sentence for me, scratching the back of her neck. "You passed out. I think from blood loss, maybe from over-pushing everything. I'm surprised you didn't have a heart attack."
I look down at myself. Sure enough, there's several new wounds across my torso, shallow but fresh. The glass. I'm surprised it's not worse than it is.
I'm still filthy, blood and grime and dust caked into every crevice of my body. I need a shower. Now.
"Are we safe?" I ask, swinging my legs over the side of my resting place. It's a small cot, and now that I look around, I see at least a dozen more. The room is dim. The walls and ceiling are painted red, but the floor is a cool silver metal. I think we're in the back of the hovercraft.
"For now." Ivy sighs. "Mike dismantled the trackers in the system. We managed to shoot down the ships that followed us. A couple soldiers dropped through behind me but we took care of them, obviously." Her shirt. "We've got a good twelve more hours of flying left. You should get some rest, maybe clean yourself up."
I rub my side, still looking around the room. I find my knife and axe laying on a few cots over. "Where are we going?"
"Hawaii." She replies. "'Michael doesn't know what island yet, but we'll figure it out soon enough. We've got to do what we can to finish what that nuke loving bitch started." She stands up, brushing off her pants. "Seriously. You stink. The shower's one room over."
My eyes follow her as she exits. Then, with a huff, I drag myself to my feet and shuffle out after her.
The hovercraft is actually pretty small, with one back room with the cots, one bathroom, and one kitchen area. It all opens out into the main room, where the pilot station is, and Michael sits idly on the chair with all of his attention on the controls.
I don't know how long I've been out, but it's obvious the sun has set. The stars pan out through the windows, shining bits of light on the floor. The roof is on, covering the broken glass and providing shelter from the pressurized air above us. Nothing but ocean stretches below.
Jess and Ash are nowhere in sight, so I guess they were in the sleeping area, and I just missed them. Ivy has taken a seat next to Michael, watching him work. I don't see Luke, not yet.
I go to the kitchen first, opening one of the cabinets to see a variety of air packaged foods. There's biscuits, dried meat, bread. I shove all that I can into my mouth and gulp down three bottles of water before I finally feel satisfied, and burp embarrassingly loud.
I make my way to the bathroom after, now full and desperate for some hygiene. The show isn't too complex, much like the AOSS bunkers, with two capsules filled with shampoo and conditioner and a soap dispenser. I twist the knobs until the water heats, fogging up the glass in the room, and strip.
I let the water run down my back, taking all of the dirt, the blood, the grime with it. I watch it all go down the drain in dark brown swirls. I comb through my hair with my hands, easing the tangles, running the cheap shampoo through the strands. I take the soap and scrub away all of the remnants of the past few days, cleaning my face and torso and limbs. By the time I'm done, my skin can breath again.
The cold air forms goosebumps over my arms as I step out of the shower, slinging a red towel around my waist. I ring out my hair, dry off off my face. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror, and walk over to get a closer look.
I grip the sides of the sink, breathing out slowly and taking in my appearance.
My hair is straight and down to my hips now, wet and shining from the shower. It's thinned out a lot from the fires and stress. I've got a bruised nose with a cut on the bridge, a cut bottom lip, and a purple eye. The white scar taunts me from my shoulder, and when I reach up to run my fingers over it, I see the blood still caked deep under my nails.
This war, this fight, it has changed me. I barely recognize the girl staring back at me from the mirror. If somebody would have told me a month ago that I would be right here, right now, the blood of one of the most important people in the world on my hands, I would have laughed in their face. It just seems like a dream, but terrifyingly real.
I comb through my hair with my fingers and twist it back into a ponytail, getting it off of my neck. My muscles are worn out and exhausted. I slip the pants back on, then the bra, then the shoes. Even though the clothes are dirty I feel clean, refreshed. So much better.
The cool air of the hovercrafts main chamber sends goosebumps flaring up my arms when I step out of the little bathroom, my hands in my pockets. For the first time in several days I am full and clean. All I need now is a nice couple of hours of sleep, and I'll be good to go again.
I look around, seeing Michael honed in on the controls, leaning back in his chair and munching on dried biscuits. Ivy is stretched out in the chair next to him, asleep. Jess and Ash are probably snoring on the cots in the back. I think about joining them, but then I see Luke sitting in the back corner, looking somber, and change my mind.
I don't really know what comes over me, but I don't stop it.
Luke is staring down at a knife in his hands, twirling the blade through his fingers. I make my steps light as I approach him, sliding down the wall to sit down by his side.
A few seconds pass before Luke looks up. His eyes are soft. "You should get some sleep." He says quietly.
"I should." I reply, pulling my own knife out of my boot. There's still blood crusted over the surface of the blade, so I use my index fingernail to start scraping it off. It's a good way to avoid meeting his eyes.
"We're probably flying into our own death." Luke continues. "It seems reasonable to get a good nights sleep."
"I don't see you climbing into one of those shitty cots." I say, looking up at him. "Besides. Last night on earth. Do you really wanna spend it moping around or sleeping?"
Luke shrugs. "I was planning on it." He meets my gaze, and just that alone is enough to make my heartbeat speed up. He's quiet for a few moments, and I can almost see the conflicting emotions cross his face. The guilt. The sorrow. The pain. "Alexandra-"
"Don't." I interrupt him, looking away. I really don't feel like crying, and if he brings my family up I know I will. "Don't apologize."
"I need to." Luke whispers. He sounds so guilty, so sad, that I close my eyes. "I need to. I broke your trust. I lied to you, I lied to everybody. I got you hurt. I was working with the woman that-"
"Killed my family." I mutter, swallowing down my tears. "Yes, you were. But I know you don't support what she did. I know you would have stopped her if you could. You didn't press the button that killed three billion people, she did." I force myself to meet his eyes. "And I've lost so much, Luke. So much. I refuse to lose you too."
He makes a sound of disbelief. He shakes his head, and I'm surprised to see the tears on the edge of his eyes. They're red rimmed. "I thought you hated me."
"I don't. I can't." I mutter, biting down on my bottom lip. The words food out before I can stop them, but I know that they are true. "Luke, I tried to. I really did. But I can't hate you, I will never hate you, I can't hate you, because I'm-"
I trail off. I don't know what I was going to say, but I know it's not appropriate right now. I look back down at the knife in my hands, swallowing hard. The back of my eyelids burn. I blink the tears away.
"Hey." Luke says softly. "Alexandra, look at me."
I don't. I feel the touch of his calloused fingers under my chin, and my eyes flit back to his. There's a split second of silence. I take him in, the bruises, the cuts, the messy hair, the beautiful blue eyes, all of it. My heart thunders in my chest. Then, like electricity, the air between us seems to crackle and then Luke is leaning forward and closing the space between us.
His lips are chapped, but the kiss is soft. The anxiety that was thrumming under my skin evaporates. Nothing is here, nothing is going on, only Luke and his touch and the way his mouth feels on mine. The knife slides off my lap, and I reach a hand up to thread it through his hair and move my lips with his. It's not rushed. Not rough. It's anything and everything I never knew I needed at this moment.
His hands slide up my arms to my neck, cradling my face. My head is spinning. A warm feelings begins to spread through my toes, my legs, my torso, until it's everywhere. I have never, ever felt like this. Like I'm attached to him, like he owns part of my soul. He's in my veins. I'd have to bleed myself out to let him go.
The minutes pass by like seconds. His arms wrap around my middle, pulling me into his lap, our bodies presses so close there's no more than an inch of space between us. I forget about my stupid emotions, the blood under my nails, and drown myself in him. I memorize the way his shoulders feel under my hands, the coarseness of his hair, the way his eyelashes brush over my cheeks with every long kiss. I can feel him coming apart, feel it in the shaking of his hands, the desperation of his touch. It's not desire, not lust. Just pure, unending want.
By the time I break away to breathe, our mouths are swollen and dark. We inhale in the same air, and I press my forehead against his. He doesn't open his eyes.
"Last night on earth, huh?" Luke whispers, and gives a breathy little laugh. I almost want to smile, but something about the moment doesn't make me feel like I need to.
"We could still get that sleep you were planning on." I reply, ghosting my thumb over his cheek. The corner of my mouth quirks up. My heart is still pounding.
"We should." Luke mutters. He seems to think for a moment, before unraveling our embrace to hold out his hand, palm up.
Somehow, it's feels like more than just an inclination to take his hand. It feels like an invitation, one that opens a door to something I never thought I would have again. One that erases the past and frames a future I actually may want to have.
I take it.
We get up, me swooping the knife into my pants, and I let him lead me into the next room. The cots are still spread out, and Ashton and Jess are squeezed into one in the back. We find a few clean looking ones near the front, and I crawl eagerly under the cheap linen of one and look up at Luke.
In the reflection of the moonlight, I see the conflicting emotions on his face. His eyes are shining. He crawls into the one directly next to mine, and the absence of the heat of his body makes mine yearn for his touch again.
Luke must see it on my face, because as he settles down, he smiles somberly. "Bases, remember?" He whispers.
This time, it's my turn to laugh breathlessly. I stare at him, at all of his beauty, and feel the heat in my cheeks, my chest. I hold out my hand, feel him wrap his fingers around mine.
For the first time in weeks, I don't think about my family. I close my eyes, feel Luke's hand in my own, and fall into a deep sleep.
so look out down below.
•••
lalex bish
i had a lot of fun writing this chapter idk i'm super excited for the next few. we're nearing the finale
hope you enjoyed this!! pls vote and comment your thoughts!!
see you soon & stay rad
Xoxo
~Camryn