Viola POV

What can you offer a man who wants to blow up the world? Tate is beyond reason, and had the same mad look in his eye that Prentiss did before he stepped in the water. I felt my desperation mount as the bombs were laid out in front of us.

"We can help you!" I try.

"Shut up!" The one called Garret barked. He raised his hand to slap my face but stopped- grabbing his head in pain.

Todd was glaring right at him.

"You little-" He hurtled himself at Todd, who sent another zap straight into Garrett's noise which was still reeling from the last hit. I could feel it fly past me. I struggle against my bonds.

"What the hell is going on?" Tate's voice interrupted. "Garrett, get back to the missiles." He ordered. Garrett stumbled away his noise cursing loudly. Tate turned on the comm. "Hello?"

"Todd! Viola! Wha-" We heard Ben's hurried voice over the tiny speaker.

"Ben!" Todd cried out. His noise panicking. It was beyond comprehension.

"Gag him." Tate ordered. The other man. Paul moved to gag both Todd and me.

"Well if it isn't the infamous Ben. How are things? I'm sure you heard my loud announcement earlier through your alien network"

"Tate? I thought you were dead."

"Not yet. But I will be in about-" He looked at the sun which was starting to move west. "Oh give or take 2 hours. And so will everyone else on this friggen planet. I'm telling you. This was all a trick. We were never supposed to come here."

"Tate- What-"

"It was that girl. She brought all of those people to their deaths. It's her fault." Tate hissed. I felt my eyes fill will hot tears. My fault. My fault.

It was.

I told them it was safe. I ordered them to land. To start a war. For me.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Ben calmly replied. "This world is different, yes, but it is not a curse. If we can just-"

"Oh please. You've been brainwashed by that alien scumb. Don't you remember what they did to our homes in Prentisstown. Don't you remember the way our women screamed-"

"I remember. But they only responded to our own violent acts against them. The Spackle live with this world in harmony. They do not fight the voices that they hear."

"They're crazy." Tate growled. "This is not living!"

"You have reached a new level of consciousness, Tate! Doesn't that make you curious. Why would you want to stomp this out."

"I'm not a science experiment, Ben. I am a human being and I want to be just a human being."

"This is human-"

"This-" Tate gestured around wildly laughing like a mad man. "This is a disease!"

"Tate. Think-"

"How many more lives, Ben?" Tate threatened. "How many more lives will we sacrifice for this fucking planet. This can't be humanity's next home. We can't thrive here."

"Tate, you have to have faith in-" But Ben was cut off. Tate ended the connection and turned back towards us. His face was sunken. Lines from the years of anguish were deep like scars on his face.

"Start the countdown." He ordered Paul. Paul looked hesitant. I saw my chance. I shook my head violently causing the gag, which was not tied very tightly to fall around my neck.

"Wait- Paul. Don't do it. Just think for a second." Paul looked at me his eyes filling with fear. His eyes were blue. I suddenly recognized him from the settler ship. He was one of the engineers. One of the few who knew the security codes on the missiles. He was my only hope.

"Damnit, Paul just do it." Tate threatened.

"Think about all those people down there. People that you grew up with on that ship. People who spent their whole life hoping that there was something more out there. And we found it. Children have been born since we got here who will only know this place as home."

I could see his doubt rising, and I knew I was getting to him.

"My father, my mother, they died so that I may have a place to call home. Your mother died days before you arrived. I remember. She hopes that you can call this place home too-"

"For god sakes!" Tate moved to grab Paul.

"Garrett." I turn my attention to the other man who stood guarding the control panel. "Think about those people down there. Think about your family, your friends."

"Tate's right." Garrett grumbled. "This place is a disease."

"You have a wife!" I remembered the woman who had been in the last evac group. She was destraut because her husband had gone missing with the missiles. She feared he had died protecting them. Garrett seemed to respond when I mention his wife. "I remember her. She's evacuated with the other members of the town. She's running away from you."

"SHUT UP!" Tate yelled and I heard a roar fill my ears and I felt my vision go black. It hurt. He was pushing it all inside my head. I fought to stay in control. To find that pocket of brain that was left.

"HE'S THE DISEASE!" I cried. The expanding balloon inside my head popped suddenly, and I heard Todd's voice. Inside my head. Just saying my name. And it carried so much emotion. Emotion stronger than fear and pain. It pushed Tate out. And I felt renewed.

TODD POV:

I saw him attack Viola and something inside me snapped. He had no right to hurt her. She- Viola

VIOLA

VIOLA!

Tate cried out and stumbled back onto his feet. Somewhere in the distance- the echo of Tate's noise I heard Ben. He was coming for us.

"The code! Damnit the code!" Tate cried out. Paul looked back and forth between Viola and Tate. Viola was still hazy but found the strength to shake her head no.

"Please!" She cried. I could feel her pain like it was my own. I knew what I had to do. And she would hate me.

Viola.

Viola?

I called out to get her attention.

I'm sorry.

She looked at me all confused like then she got the drift.

"Wait. Don't." She begged.

"It's the only way." I whispered. She wept.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

I looked right at Garrett and watched as his hand reached for his gun and pointed it at Paul. I saw him resisting. He looked at his arm betraying him. Paul started to back away.

Kill!

TODD!

It was Ben.

I looked up which broke my concentration with Garrett who dropped the gun and ran. Ben looked at me confused. Trying to figure out what had happened. Viola was looking at Tate who was reviving himself.

"Ah. Ben." Tate said

"Stop this now. You can't win this."

"Yes I can." Tate said dangerously.

No.

He snagged the gun Garrett had left and shot the nearest missile right in the consol. In the sparks he turned and ran.

"After him!" Ben cried. The dozen men who were with Ben quickly followed Tate down the hill. Ben cut Viola and I free. Viola ran over to the missile.

"Damnit! He triggered a self-destruct protocol. The explosion will make all of this missiles explode." Viola panicked. Trying to find put out the fire.

Then we heard screams.

No!

It isn't their fault.

"Ben you have to go. Viola and I will try to stop this." I try to reason with him even though I was shit scared.

Ben nodded at me. I could feel his approval radiating and it made my noise go pink for a moment.

"Go." I say.

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R&R