A/N: I ended up combining two chapters into one for storytelling purposes, so this chapter is a bit longer than most. I hope that you enjoy it; I liked writing it, and I think that it's a good one.
Twelve hours ago, Dante was safe at the farmhouse, talking with Ember about the mission and how it would go.
And now he was back in Talon.
Dante was silent as the limo pulled up to the security checkpoint. St. Anthony, he had discovered, wasn't the best driver. It had only been forty minutes since they made the switch from the truck to the limo, and yet he had broken at least fifteen traffic laws by Dante's count. But he stared straight ahead, unruffled as the security guard checked him over.
"Name and business?" the guard asked.
"Najeeb Bayat, escorting Dante Hill to work," Tristan answered smoothly.
"Dante… oh." The guard's eyes widened comically as he looked inside the car. Dante met his eyes coldly. "I— I didn't know that he was back."
"Well, he is," St. Anthony replied. "And he's busy. If we may?"
"Oh, of course, apologies," the guard broke his eyes away from Dante, and Tristan continued to drive into the underground lot. He hadn't even asked for ID.
Hurdle one cleared.
They parked right in the security camera's blindspot, and St. Anthony breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"Fuck this car," he whispered before he popped the trunk and stepped out, opening the door for Dante. His eyes were carefully averted, but the twitch in his brow told Dante exactly how annoyed he was by the entire 'bodyguard' situation. They were alone in the lot, thankfully, but that didn't mean that they could act sloppy. Mist appeared beside them and thrust a duffel bag into Tristan's arms wordlessly. Her face betrayed nothing— in the moment, she was nothing but a basilisk. She shouldered her own backpack.
"Remember, just because Dante has clearance doesn't mean that there aren't people who know that he should still be missing," she murmured as they crossed to the elevator. "The less people who see our faces, the better. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," St. Anthony replied. He glanced around the elevator, and his eyes landed on Dante. "You alright, Greenie?"
"I'm fine," Dante said. He wasn't, but that was irrelevant.
"You'll need to be. Nerves and overconfidence will both kill you before a bullet ever could," he said. Then he must have seen Dante make some sort of expression, because he winced and tried to amend his tone. "Don't worry, Dante. It's my job to keep you safe, and I'm not about to take that job lightly. Swear on my name."
Dante took a breath and straightened his back as much as he could. He would be fine. This would all be fine. Even if he couldn't defend himself, he had two people guarding his back that could.
"Thank you," he said softly. The elevator dinged, and the three of them stepped off. His hands didn't shake, and his face remained in a default neutral expression. On the outside, he kept himself cool and composed next to St. Anthony and Mist, only walking at a slight limp as he led them confidently to the laboratory that held the adult vessels.
Part of him still cringed at the idea of bringing the entire building down just to kill the half-formed vessels. There were innocents in this compound, who were just trying to do their job. And there was them in the compound as well, which was a little bit more concerning.
His ID card still worked, but he knew that every door he opened was being recorded in the databases, and eventually someone was going to catch onto the fact that he was someplace that he wasn't supposed to be. After this, he would be hunted down like any other rogue.
"Mr. Hill."
Dante froze, barely repressing the urge to look behind him to make sure that Mist was out of sight. St. Anthony halted as a man walked towards him.
"Dr. Olsen," Dante greeted.
"I thought that you were… out of commision," he said, eyes raking over him like he was one of the specimen that he worked with. Dante repressed a shiver. He didn't like Dr. Olsen very much, even when he had been in Talon. He creeped Dante out. "A notice went out, that you were taken by Cobalt's rogues."
"I was, briefly, but I've returned and was cleared for duty last night. I wanted to catch up on work as soon as possible," Dante said. He furrowed his brow slightly. "Did you not get the notice? I could've sworn that I sent one out this morning."
"No… I must have missed it. Apologies, Mr. Hill," he said. "Did Stealth find you?"
Dante clenched his jaw. He may not know everyone in Talon, but he could recognize the name Stealth. She was the viper who kept St. George out of Latin America by killing any official who tried to set up a base there. People said that she would be as good as Lilith within a century. If she was sent after him, and if she found him, then it would take lot to bring her down.
"No. I found a way out by myself."
"I'm glad that you managed to. It'll be good to have you back."
"Thank you," Dante nodded stiffly.
"Would you like me to send you the research that we've gathered in your absence? I was actually on my way out, but if you need the information, I'd be happy to—"
"That…" Dante paused. Dr. Olsen creeped him out, and his death would make it so the vessel project couldn't ever reform, but it was still one more death on Dante's head. And even if he could rebuild the vessel project, most of the research and the material would be destroyed— it had taken sixteen years to get where they were. Keeping one of the scientists alive wouldn't speed up the process by much. "That will be unnecessary, Doctor. I think that today I'll be busy enough as it is, so it's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."
"Oh. Well, good day, Mr. Hill."
"Dr. Olsen."
Dante left quickly, trying to conceal his limp even more than he already had. So, at least humans seemed to fall for the lie. Hopefully, that would be the only person they ran into. Dante slid his keycard into the last door that separated them from the growing lab.
"Oh, holy shit," Tristan whispered. Dante took a breath and nodded. He had wanted to react the same way, when he first saw it. Vessels the size of semi trucks and houses were in long tubes that stretched to the ceiling, all the same, eyes open and glassy like corpses. Everything was brightly lit, but that didn't change the sense of dread that the room emitted.
"We split up from here, and meet back here in three minutes," Mist appeared beside him. "The bombs will blow up the entire lab, but they'll do more damage the further apart they are. If anyone approaches us, we aim to kill. Here." Mist thrust a gun into Dante's hand, the silencer already on. "St. Anthony showed you how to use it?"
"Yeah."
"Great," Tristan said and unzipped his duffel. He pulled out a smaller bag and handed it to Dante. "There are only two bombs in there, so try and get the far side."
"If the alarm goes off while we're here, we're taking our remaining time to hunt you down and put a bullet in your head," Mist said. Dante gulped and nodded. "If anyone isn't back by three minutes, we leave without them. Clock starts… now."
Dante turned on his heel and walked into the lab, familiar with the walkways that would lead him to the further side. He could see Vessel Guards patrolling through the floor, and for once he was afraid of them. He knew that his voice could have been programmed out of their orders. Mist's already was. He didn't want to deal with them.
It took a minute and three seconds to reach the far end. Dante unshouldered the bag and took out a bomb— deceptively small and unassuming. He turned it on and pressed it to the nearest growing tube.
15:00
14:59
He didn't wait around any long as he made it way back, counting down in his head. At 14:25 he took out another and stuck it on another tube, containing a vessel about his size, but barely more than bone and nerves.
Dante continued walking, the pain in his spine barely noticeable for once. He was a vessel, according to Jade. Was this where he had been made, grown from synthetic DNA in a cold tube rather than an egg in the hatcheries? He walked faster, hand tightening around the gun in his hand. Thirty-six seconds before the three minute mark. He averted his path to avoid a group of vessels and made it back with nine seconds to spare. Tristan and Mist were both already there. Mist had blood on her lab coat.
"I took care of it," Mist said to answer his unspoken question. "We have twelve minutes. Lead the way, Mr. Hill."
Twelve minutes. Dante went out the exit and into another hallway, the twists and turns completely familiar to him. Tristan and Mist both went behind him, silent enough to melt into the shadows.
Eleven minutes. Through a different lab floor, for training and programming, keeping themselves far away from the scientists working.
A vessel patrolled past them and caught Dante's eye, cold grey and emotionless.
"Stand down," Dante hissed and raised his gun. It went rigid. Thank God I can still do that. "Continue patrolling as usual. These two are with me."
It blinked and began to walk. He heard Tristan give a breath of relief next to him.
"Fuckin' creepy," he whispered. "Come on, we're wasting time."
Ten minutes. They made it to the elevator, but it wasn't moving quickly enough for their deadline. It was old, still from the time when there was actually a mine in this mountain, and it acted like it, too. They should have used the emergency elevator.
Nine minutes.
Eight minutes. Dante breathed evenly and continued to walk through the corridor. He passed a few workers, but they didn't give him a second glance, and Tristan and Mist stayed hidden.
Seven minutes.
Six minutes.
Five minutes. They were so close. They just had one more door, and then they'd be in the mineshaft.
"Mr. Hill."
Dante went cold, blood draining from his face. Oh no. Oh no.
He turned slowly and prayed that Mist and Tristan were nowhere to be found.
"Lilith," he said evenly. She stared at him with the edge of a smirk on her lips, like she knew perfectly well that he wasn't supposed to be in the compound. "I wasn't aware that you were stationed here."
"I wasn't aware that Cobalt hadn't gutted you," she replied. Dante carefully averted his eyes, fixing his vision on a point over her shoulder. "You should still be missing, Mr. Hill."
He was going to die. That was what was going to happen. Lilith knew that he was still missing, he could tell. It wouldn't surprise him if she had been sent here to make sure that no one unwelcome came here in the first place. Such as himself. Tristan St. Anthony had said that he would protect him, but there wasn't anything that Dante could expect him to do.
Childishly, he still hoped that one of them would intervene.
Dante just hoped that St. Anthony and Mist would find a way to escape.
"I've recently returned," Dante said, smile on his face. He should've woken up Kain and Hamsah. He should've said goodbye to Ember. He wanted that closure. "I'm trying to catch up on as much work as possible over the next week."
He was wasting time. If Lilith didn't kill him, then the bombs would.
"Of course," Lilith's smirk turned even more dangerous, a glint entering her eye. Dante wanted to take a step back. He was so close to being free.
"I never got the chance to congratulate you for the Night of Fang and Fire," she continued. Dante went cold. No. She could not be bringing that up. Not right now. "The Western Chapterhouse is still… annoyingly present, but you were truly ruthless in your decision, especially when the rogue dragons showed up. You would've made a good Viper, if you weren't a better Chameleon."
Dante opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Lilith cocked her head.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. Nothing at all," Dante shook his head, but his voice shook with the lie. He didn't want Mist to hear what she had just said, or the soldier who he knew was part of the Western Chapterhouse. Did she know that they were behind him? Was that why she said what she did— to keep from trying to help him?
Well, it probably worked.
Four minutes.
He tried to remember Ember. The time they ran away together during finals, the nights that she drew constellations all over his arms, the way she sat by his cot when he was sick and never once gave up on him. This was what he was dying for.
And it was worth it.
When he saw the flash of a knife in Lilith's hand, he didn't try to move away. No one would save him, anymore. He was okay with that.
Something grabbed the back of his shirt collar and threw him harshly to the ground. Dante hit the floor hard, back screaming the moment he landed and vision going grey for a few seconds. He was alive. He was alive. How was he still alive? Dante looked up, and his eyes went wide.
Tristan St. Anthony was standing between him and Lilith.
He drew his gun and aimed in an instant, but Lilith pulled it out of his grasp just as fast. Tristan hit her wrist hard and then kicked it, and the gun scattered out of both of their reach. Lilith aimed the knife at his side, and Tristan managed to block it, but it still left a gash across his arm. Tristan wasn't going to win this fight. Lilith was a Viper. What was he thinking?
"Get the fuck out of here, Hill!" He yelled. Dante gaped at him. St. Anthony wasn't expecting to win. He was buying time, so Dante and Mist could escape.
Lilith grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard, and Dante heard a distinct pop, but St. Anthony didn't seem to register the pain. He managed to use the both of their weight to slam Lilith into the wall and get his arm back, only for the knife to come straight at his heart. He put up his open palm to block it, and stumbled back from the force of her attack. Lilith pulled the knife out of his hand and went for another blow.
It hit him square in the temple.
For a moment, the soldier was rigid, suspended by strings. He let out a small whimper.
And then Tristan crumpled.
Dante was frozen, staring at the body of Tristan St. Anthony. He was dead. He was dead, because… because what? He wanted to buy Dante a bit more time? Why would he do that? Dante couldn't move, even as Lilith turned her eyes on him, picking the gun up off the floor. Tristan was dead for nothing.
Two shots rang out. Dante could only close his eyes and hope that it was quick.
It was only when he heard the distinct sound of a corpse drop to the floor that he reopened them, still alive.
"Dante, we need to go," Mist grabbed his shoulder and pulled him off the floor. Dante couldn't take his eyes off of the scene. Lilith was on the floor, on her back, a bullet in her head and in her chest. Right beside Tristan, curled up away from Dante, as if his last moments were a desperate attempt to protect himself. "Come on. We have three minutes and thirty seconds before we all die."
"Tristan," Dante whispered, taking a step towards the body. Thirty seconds was all it had taken for two people to die. And one of them should've been him.
"Dante, we don't have time. We can't bring his body back! We need to—"
Dante dropped to his knees beside the soldier's corpse, still warm under his jacket, knife embedded deep in his skull. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't be… he had been alive thirty seconds ago. Last night he had taught Dante how to shoot a gun.
"Dante, I will leave without you!"
Tristan's legs twitched, and Dante screamed.
"What the—"
"He's alive," Dante said. "Mist, he— he's alive, help me get him up, we— we'll get him back to the farmhouse, and they'll fix him, he's still—"
Mist was beside him in and instant, pulling Tristan up harshly. Tristan jerked in her grasp and inhaled sharply, suddenly scrambling to get to his feet, gasping for breath. Dante moved to help, letting him lean on him despite the feeling that his legs were about to buckle. Tristan was shaking, and his eyes were cloudy. Blood ran down his head and neck despite the knife still embedded in his head.
"We need to move fast. Don't make us ditch you, St. Anthony," Mist said. She left Dante to take most of Tristan's weight so she could wrench open the door leading to the emergency exit.
Three minutes. It was a three legged race, with Mist navigating through the tunnels ahead of them. Tristan clenched his shoulder hard, stumbling as he walked. Dante put a hand to the wall to keep the both of them up.
Two minutes. Incline. The walls became stone, only gaslights lighting the way. Tristan buried his face in Dante's shoulder, and every breath came out a whine. Dante could barely keep moving, his limp more and more defined as he had to hunch over.
One minute. Mist looked back at them, eyes darting between them and the exit up ahead.
"Go!" Dante said. Mist growled and closed her eyes. "Please!"
She ran back to them and slung Tristan's other arm around her shoulder, taking half of his weight.
"You won't make it up the ladder alone," she said.
Thirty seconds. They reached the trapdoor, which Mist thrust open.
"Come on, St. Anthony. You're still in there. You survived a goddamn chapel being thrown on you. You're not gonna die just because of one well-placed knife," Mist growled as she climbed the ladder and offered him a hand up. Tristan shuddered weakly and took it. Dante thought that she was going to pull his arm out of his socket as she dragged him through the trapdoor.
Fifteen seconds. Dante grit his teeth and climbed up after him, every movement agony for his body that just wanted to lay down. He slammed the trapdoor, as if that would save them from a collapsing mineshaft.
Ten seconds. Mist and Dante hauled Tristan up, his feet dragging on the stone beneath him. Dante wasn't sure if he was alive, anymore, or if the movement had already twisted the knife too deep and killed him.
Five seconds.
Four. Dante could see the light up ahead.
Three. Mist broke off and broke open the padlocked gate.
Two. Dante followed. Tristan shifted ever so slightly, arm tightening on Dante's shoulders. And then they were out of the mineshaft, into the open air and the blinding light of the sun.
"One," Dante whispered.
The ground shook beneath them.
A/N: To be fair, I did give y'all a fair warning about what was going to happen. And I got a total of 16,914 words without injuring anyone; that's much further than the last installment of this series. It's not like I could let them pull of this mission without a single complication. Tristan just leads to the most options in the future. (Sorry, Tristan...)
Anyway, please take a few seconds to review, or even just hit the Favorite button! It would really make my day!
