Title: The Sky Bursts
Summary: The crowed below screamed, shrieked, bellowed, made every noise possible as fireworks exploded into the sky.
Character (s): Hope Cahill/Arthur Trent
Rating: K+
Fandom: 39 Clues
Genre: Angst- AU
8:46:30:05AM Empire State Building, Floor 35, Cahill Office
"Cr-...Hope..?" Crack. " Cr- Can you hear me?"
Her tone is absent-minded, not overly concerned. "Arthur? Arty what's going on?"
"Cr- H-h-hon, Cr- where are you?" Bzz.
"I'm still in the Empire State Building. Cahill office. Arthur what's going on?" She is a minuscule bit more alarmed now.
"Cr-Wo-Cr-Trade Center bu- Cr-"
"Arty? Arty I can't hear you!" She is switching to her rough commander voice, Vesper (Delta)alert, and demanding. All in the span of seven seconds.
"Eith- Cr- terrorists- maybe Vespers-"
"What? Vespers are in the building?" Curious (and others, tense) eyes turn towards the sound of her high-pitched voice. Avoiding their questioning stares, she calms down.
Crackle. "Calm d-d-d-down Hope." Crackle. Static. "It's not important. E-e-e-everything's fine." Soothing, melodic, reassuring. Hoping she will not trepid. It doesn't work.
"When you say that it usually means everything is not okay! Hold on a sec." Shoves phone onto desk, swivels around, marches up to a nearby stranger whose attention is fixed onto the extravagant TV screen standing near the elevator. Soul burning, face flaming, body blazing, she's on fire.
"Cr- Hope?" Bzz. "What're you doing?" And, of course, no response.
"..."
"..."
"Hey! Excuse me! Could you tell me what's going on in the WTC right now?"
A blank face meets hers. Slow, monotone, meaningless words, as if the speaker herself could not believe it. "Oh." Long, painful pause. (Hurry up!) "Hijackers crashed a plane into the North Tower."
"..."
"..."
"ARTHUR!"
Meekly. "Yes, mam?"
"A PLANE CRASHED INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE AND YOU FIND IT IRRELEVANT TO TELL ME?"
"Somewhat?"
"..."
"... Hope?"
Deathly calm. "Tell me what tower you're in."
"The South one, so it's okay. I'm fine."
"Get out of there. Now."
"Hope sweetie, I'm on the fifty-sixth floor. I can't just-"
"Out. Now."
"Yes ma'm."
09:00:37:23AM South Tower, World Trade Center
"Hello? Hope?"
She got good reception this time. "Yes! This is Hope! Arthur? Is that you? Please tell me that's you because I don't think I could handle not knowing what was happening and I really want to leave right now but Eisenhower is pretty buff and they're preventing me from doing anything rash or so they say and I think I'm rambling right now but-"
"Hope calm down! It's me. I'm fine, on the fiftieth floor right now." A voice sounding unconcerned, without a care in the world. Behind it, if you strain your ears, there is fear.
" Why're you still there? Didn't you take the elevator?"
"No, they made an announcement saying that everything was fine here and to return to you offices-"
Groan. "Don't tell me you listened to them..."
"-but I was about to leave anyways. The head asked me to drop a couple of parcels off so I thought it wouldn't take to long."
"...Oh."
"Hope? Is that okay with you? I'm on my way so don't worry-"
"No, no, that's fine. As long as you get out of there alive, its fine."
"Okay, hon. Don't do anything rash, don't come here-"
"-And eat your vegetables. Yes, mother." Dry humor.
"Seriously Hope."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'm not coming. Just get down here!"
"Thanks darling- wait WHAT? Get down here? Down here? Are you down there Hope?"
"Um..."
"Hope get out of here! Go!"
"Not until you come down." Stubborn, unrelenting.
Fire.
"I- argh. Fine I'm on my way."
"Thank you!"
09:03:02:07AM South Tower, World Trade Center
The crowd below screams, shrieks, bellows, makes every noise possible as fireworks explodes into the sky. All run for cover, sprinting away from the WTC.
All but one.
09:05:37:23AM South Tower, World Trade Center
She is trying to reach him by cellphone.
Brr.
Brr.
Brr.
09:06:54:12AM South Tower, World Trade Center
He will not pick up.
09:07:41:24AM South Tower, World Trade Center
He still will not pick up.
09:08:32:00AM South Tower, World Trade Center
What is taking him so long? Why wouldn't he pick up his phone?
…
…
He must be busy. Dealing with Vespers, possibly. The thoughtless man must have forgotten to call her.
That was it.
09:08:59:19AM South Tower, World Trade Center
He forgot. That was it.
He had not been hit.
He had not.
He had not-
09:10:46:09AM South Tower, World Trade Center
He is finally considerate enough to answer his phone.
"You!" She is bawling. "You inconsiderate little jerk! You- you- you-!"
"Hope." Croaking. Panting. Wheezing.
"Arthur!" Hysterically. "You incompetent git!"
"Ouch, Hope. You're killing me verbally."
"Don't you dare joke around in a time like this!"
"Sorry-" (He doesn't sound at all apologetic.)
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! I could've been up there instead of you! I could've taken the meeting with the Vespers, those sly weasels, but no! You had to do all the dangerous and heroic things and protect me, didn't you! Git! Git, git, git!"
"Verbal killing, Hope."
"You-!"
"I didn't want you to go because then you would be dying right now, and I know this is selfish, but I didn't want to be the one watching you waste away." Now he seems sorry. Soft voice, pitying her, understanding what she feels like.
"Don't say that! You're going to live. You're going to get out." Deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Relax."Where are you right now, Arthur?"
Awkward pause. "Um."
"What is it?"
"I don't think you want to know."
"Just tell me."
"Alright." He braces himself for the explosion that is sure to come. "I'm stuck in the elevator."
She does not know how to answer.
09:13:44:29AM South Tower, World Trade Center
"...I think I'm on the thirty-fourth floor."
"How do you know that?"
"The elevator started shaking on the thirty-fifth, and then it dropped a couple of feet so I'm just estimating."
"Are there any bones you believe you may have fractured or broke? Or possibly anything sprained?" She sounds professional, brisk and calm- full Madrigal mode. She could not afford to have a nervous-breakdown at a time like this.
"Wow, Miss Hope Cahill. Very impressive." He says it so teasingly. Like they had all the time in the world when in reality, if he did not get out of there soon, they only had a measly couple of hours left.
"Answer the question Mr. Trent." Sternly.
"Yes ma'm." Mockingly. "I don't have anything broken or fractured, but my leg is stuck under this beam thing. Don't ask me how it got there. And my ankle is killing me. I think I may have sprained it."
"Which part of your leg is under?"
"The knee down."
Quick scribbling of notes. "Alright sir. We will send over an ambulance as soon as possible. Please remain calm and stay where you are."
"You're funny. As if I could move."
"I'm trying to save your life. You could at least try to be grateful!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Sorry."
09:18:25:19AM South Tower, World Trade Center
"Arthur? Arty, can you hear me?"
"Ca- breaking- up- not- wor- it's- kay-"
"If this is one of your pranks, I swear I'll kill you when you get back." Lip quivering. She is terrified for him. "Are you alright?"
"Fine- you- safe-"
"What? I can't hear you!"
"Oh my- bzzzzzzzt craaaaaack hsssssss."
09:43:45:20AM South Tower, World Trade Center
"Hope, I swear it was the reception."
"Right. Right."
"Don't be mad with me! It's not my fault! I didn't pull a prank on you!"
"Uh huh."
Exasperated. "I didn't! Why don't you believe me?"
"You scared me half to death."
"I'm sorry honey! I'll do whatever you want me to-"
"Then get out of there. Alive."
"I will… I will, Hope."
"And bake me my favorite pie when we get home."
"I'll do that too."
"And buy me the new C.O.D. video game I've been eyeing."
"Don't abuse my generosity, Hope." Pale. He sounds pale.
"You okay up there?" Trying not to show the alarm seeping up her throat.
"Fine, just fine, darling." She can picture his ghastly white and forced smile.
Tears choke her next words. It comes out as a splutter. "I believe you."
(She obviously doesn't.)
09:59:05:01AMSouth Tower, World Trade Center
And when smoke explodes out of the South Twin Tower, she thinks all is lost. Fume is everywhere, people are everywhere; they are scrambling away from the heat, smoke, and ominous atmosphere of foreboding jeopardy. As the Tower crashes, debris falls on their heads, mercilessly attacking them.
She is too busy mourning over her loss to notice much, but she follows the mob anyways, only because she does not have the strength to fight them any longer.
10:01:58:07AM South Tower, World Trade Center
Last transcript conversation of Hope Cahill and Arthur Trent
"…Hope?"
"Arthur!" She nearly has a heart-attack when the call comes. "You're alive!"
"Yeah… I… I am…"
She does not know what to feel, joy at his being alive, or anger for keeping her in dreadful misery those past two minutes. She opts for the former and as her heart starts to soar-
"…but… I don't… think for… much… longer…"
-it comes crashing back down again.
"Tower falling… didn't crush me… but too much… blood loss…"
"Oh," she whispers. Fate is cruel. It lets her spirits fly and cuts a wing off, forcing it down again.
"Hope… you know… I love how… you can bake… the best cookies…"
She laughs through her falling tears. Her heart is breaking but she would not let him know it. Let him spend his last moments believing she is happy. "I love how you steal them after they're done."
A smile in his voice. "Love… you too… hon."
"You know what sucks?" Soft, soft, soft, barely audible. "We were supposed to get married next month. Guess that plan's called off, huh?" Only scarcely able to keep her voice from cracking.
"Could… do it now…"
"I'd rather not become a widow, thanks."
A low chuckle. A pause.
An I love you.
And she hears no more.
A/N: In honor of all those who were victims of 9/11. A late one-shot.
Trying out a new style of writing. Sorry if you didn't like it.
[::EDIT:: Thanks to Cecily for pointing out that the AU notice should be in the summary. And no, this is not my first fanfiction. Sorry for any confusion. :: ]