Chapter XI – Near-Death Experience

The explosion shook the very earth, stopping everyone in their tracks. Then there came the wave of heat, rushing down the tunnel like a burning wind. "That came from the generator room," Aleksander said quietly, looking back down the hall in the direction they had come.

"Berwald," Tino breathed in horror, and was off running before anyone could stop him.

"No, Tino, wait!" And Mathias was off after him like a shot. He caught up to the smaller man just in time to stop him from running into the generator room. It was in flames. The heat coming through the doorway burned Mathias' eyes and he could not see anything within except red hot tongues of fire.

"No! Berwald! He's in there! Berwald!" Tino screamed and fought, struggling to get free of Mathias' grasp and it was all the captain could do to keep hold of him. Despite his size, Tino's little body held a lot of power.

"No, Tino, no!" Mathias gritted his teeth as he held onto the smaller man, holding him back from the flames. "You can't go in there, you'll die!"

"But Berwald's in there!" Tino screamed in protest.

"You can't do anything for him now, you can't go in there." Already the corridor was filling with people, Aleksander and Eiríkur had caught up with them and Dwarves were coming from every direction to see what had happened. Somewhere a siren had started wailing.

"No! Berwald!" Tino's voice cracked and that was when Mathias realized he was crying. That was why his struggles had become less fierce. "Berwald. Berwald," Tino sobbed and fell limp in Mathias' arms when he realized he was not going to get free, repeating his lover's name over and over as he stared at the flame engulfed doorway.

The Dwarves began shouting to each other, directions, already organizing to put out the flames. These people were always prepared for every situation. From somewhere a hose appeared and was attached to one of the pipes running along the ceiling. When it was turned on steam shot from the nozzle and into the wall of fire. They had tapped into an exhaust pipe and were now using that waste gas and water vapor to put out the flames.

Tino could not take his eyes off the doorway as the Dwarves worked to put out the flames. His heart thundered in his chest so hard he felt he could barely breathe. This could not be happening. But the heat from the flames and the pain from Mathias' arms wrapped around him too tightly meant it was not just some horrible nightmare, no matter how hard he wished it to be.

Eventually the flames died down slightly. Smoke billowed out of the room, clogging the passageway they stood in. Anyone not needed to help dowse the flames left so they would not be choked by the ash and smoke. Tino refused to leave. He did not even move when Mathias finally released him. Maybe he was going into shock.

"Aleks, stay here with him," Mathias said, looking to his crewman as he began stripping off his unnecessary clothing. Weapons, scarf, everything from his pockets he dumped unceremoniously on the ground. "I'm going in there."

"Are you insane?" Aleksander demanded, his usually blank face showing a hint of concern, or maybe anger. None the less, he stepped up to Tino's side and wrapped an arm around the gunman's trembling shoulders. "It's too dangerous."

Mathias merely shrugged. "You heard Tino, Berwald is in there."

"And since when have you ever cared about Berwald's well being?" Aleksander snapped.

Mathias laughed and spit on his hands. "You should ask if I ever stopped," he corrected. And before anyone could argue against him he was off, throwing himself through the spray of the hose and into the burning room. He did not even hear the others shout his name in protest. Soon everything was drowned out except the suffocating heat and the smoke clogged air. Mathias pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose for what little protection it might offer his lungs. Already he was coughing, though, and the smoke stung his eyes so he could hardly see. "Berwald, you asshole, where are you?" he shouted, but received no answer.

Trying to ignore how the flames licked toward his body as their fuel ran out and they searched for anything flammable, he made his way further into the room, straining to see through the smoke for any sign of the other man. After a few false sightings that turned out only to be piles of rubble, Mathias finally found him. He rushed across the floor toward the hunched figure lying on its side facing the cement wall and curled up around something. "Berwald!" he shouted again as he fell to his knees and reached out to check on the other man. And then immediately he froze in horror. This was Berwald, certainly, and he did not look as terrible as Mathias had feared. What shocked him was that the man was not alone. The tall engineer lay curled protectively around the body of the young human boy they had seen earlier that day. Berwald was unconscious, the hair around his temple and hairline slick with blood, but the boy was awake and when he realized that they were no longer alone he opened his eyes and looked up at Mathias.

"Shit," Mathias breathed. The boy was obviously terrified; his face was streaked with tears that had washed lines through the soot on his face. "Come on, you need to get out of here," he said, and reached forward to grab him. But the boy held on to Berwald's shirt and refused to let go. "Come on, kid, it's not safe in here!" Mathias insisted.

"No, what about him?" the boy choked out.

"I can only carry one of you at a time, and I'm not leaving you in here," Mathias insisted. "Berwald's tough, he'll be fine." Reluctantly the boy finally nodded his head and let go of the engineer's shirt. Without hesitation Mathias scooped him up into his arms and turned around. He squinted through the smoke and hunched over as he hurried back to the door way, bursting out into the clearer air in a fit of coughing.

"Mathias!" Eiríkur ran over to his side as he set the boy down and helped hold him steady as he regained his breath. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the overzealous captain tried to brush it off, as he always did. "Berwald's still in there, I'm going to go back."

"It's too dangerous!" Aleksander protested, his arms still wrapped around Tino, who seemed to have come back to reality but had not yet stopped crying.

That was all the motivation that Mathias needed. These were his crew members. His friends. His family. "He's unconscious. I have to get him out of there." However dangerous it was for him, it was more dangerous for Berwald, who would not be able to take care of himself. So he ignored further protests, though there weren't any, and took a deep breath of clear air before diving back into the inferno.

This time it was much quicker, he knew exactly where to go. But Berwald was a lot heavier than a malnourished twelve year old. And larger than Mathias, though not significantly, but enough that carrying him was nigh impossible. He was dead weight in the captain's arms, so Mathias resorted to looping his arms under Berwald's and around his chest and dragging him backward toward the door. Berwald was not light, and Mathias was not as strong as he bragged. But Mathias was determined, and he heaved him across the floor until they finally emerged into the corridor.

"Berwald!" Tino was instantly at his side, helping to pull him the last few steps out into the hallway where they were safe. Then he collapsed to his knees, lavender eyes wide and hands moving over the Swede's face and chest to tell if he was still alive. He pressed his ear to Berwald's chest, straining to hear that familiar heartbeat over all the other commotion. It was there, faint, but there, and Tino let out a sob of relief when he was certain it was more than his own wishful thinking.

"Is he alive?" Tino raised his head to see the young boy kneeling at Berwald's other side. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. Yes, Berwald was alive, and Tino had never been more relieved in his entire life. "Will he be okay?" he boy asked softly.

But Tino did not know. Berwald was unconscious, his heartbeat weak and his breathing shallow. Eiríkur came and knelt beside him, running his fingers over the blood in Berwald's hair to find the source. "He might have a concussion," the teen replied as he found a gash on the man's temple. And then there were the burns, red and raw, visible through the torn fabric of his shirt. Eiríkur looked up to find Tino and the boy staring at him expectantly, waiting for a verdict. "It'll probably take him a while to recover, but I think he'll be alright," but Eiríkur was not even sure of that himself. He was no medic, he only told Tino what the man wanted to hear to try and comfort him.

Tino visibly relaxed. "Let's get him somewhere safe then," he said, wincing at the squeakiness in his own voice. He was still choking on tears, but now they were of relief and not fear.

"There is already a medic team on the way," Eiríkur informed him, and offered Tino a tiny smile.

Tino returned the smile, though his own was weak and watery. He appreciated the concern his crewmates had shown for him and his lover. Now in his right mind, he realized how much harm he could have done to himself if he had rushed headlong into the fire to try and rescue Berwald. And he would not have been much help anyway.

The medic team arrived with a stretcher that the tall engineer was carefully loaded onto and Tino rose to his feet as they lifted him off the ground. The Dwarves protested his presence, but Tino refused to leave Berwald's side as they started off down the hall.

"C-can I come with you?" the young boy tugged gently on Tino's sleeve and looked up at him with those wide eyes full of tears, making them look even more like the northern oceans. "H-he saved my life..."

Tino knew how that felt, and he nodded, taking the boy's hand in his own as he followed the Dwarven medics. The further they went from the scene of the accident the clearer the air became as the smoke dispersed. Tino had not realized how bad it had been in the corridor until he realized that he was now breathing easier and his eyes did not sting quite so much. At his side, Peter was still sniffling softly as he trotted along, wiping his face with one dirty hand while he held tightly to Tino's with the other. But Tino was only vaguely aware of the boy's presence. All of his attention was focused on the body on the stretcher that the Dwarven medics carried quickly down the corridor.

Finally they came to what Tino could only assume to be the infirmary or hospital, or some sort of medical wing. Pushing through a door that looked like all of the others they carried the stretcher inside and Tino instinctively followed, pulling Peter along with him. Within the room was the cleanest place that Tino had yet seen on this planet. There was not dust covering every horizontal surface, the walls and floor were smooth and polished. Beds were lined up along one wall much like they were in the dormitory where the men were staying, but much further apart to provide room for the doctors and medics to work. The medics brought Berwald to one of these beds now, though it was woefully too short for the tall man, like everything else in this underground settlement, and his feet hung off the end of the mattress. Tino tried to follow them to his bedside, but was blocked by one of the Dwarves, who looked up at him with a frown on his tight, angular features.

"Leave them room to work," the Dwarf ordered sternly, placing a hand on Tino's chest to keep the man from moving any farther.

And though Tino was taller than the Dwarf he was not certain he would be able to push past him if he had tried. So he stayed where he was, just inside the door and looking over the heads of the medics to try and see what was going on. "Is he going to be okay?" the sniper asked, unconsciously tightening his grip on Peter's hand enough to make the boy wince slightly.

"He has inhaled a lot of smoke and suffered some burns," the Dwarf replied, "He probably has a concussion. Physically, he should recover, but we cannot tell how bad the head injury is until he wakes. And we will also not be able to tell if the smoke damaged his lungs until we can examine him thoroughly."

Tino bit his lip nervously and prayed silently that Berwald would wake soon. It was not enough to have him recover physically. Then a tugging at his sleeve reminded him of the young boy at his side and Tino looked down at him. Suddenly he realized how tightly he was holding Peter's hand and quickly released it. "I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Berwald's going to be okay, right?" the boy asked softly.

"I hope so," Tino replied. He could not bring himself to sugar coat the situation, even for a child. Peter did not look at all comforted by his words, either.

"I don't want him to die, I like him," Peter said.

"Me too," Tino told him. "I like him a lot, I would be sad if he died." Peter stared up at him, blue eyes full of childish innocence and fear. His face was still streaked with tears and soot and it made him look even more pitiful and heart wrenching. Unable to look at that heartbreaking face, Tino pulled the end of his sleeve over his hand and scrubbed at the boy's cheeks, rubbing off as much of the tears and soot as he could. He cleaned off the boy's face as much as possible but ended up with little more than a dirty sleeve to show for his efforts. The boy had been so caked in filth that it was little help. How had they been letting him live like this?

"Hey... You're Tino, aren't you?" Peter opened his eyes again when Tino was finished scrubbing at his skin.

The question surprised Tino, because they had never been introduced. "Yes," he replied.

"Berwald talked about you," Peter informed him.

"He... He did?" Tino asked in surprise.

Peter nodded, shaking ash out of his dirty blond hair. "It's easy to tell you're the one he was talking about."

"Why is that?" Tino's brows furrowed curiously.

"He said Tino was the most beautiful man in the whole universe," Peter replied. "And that he was really kind even though he likes to pretend to be tough. And you're really nice and pretty, so you must be Tino. You don't have to pretend to be tough, though, because Berwald knows you are and he likes it better when you don't try to act like Mathias. Who's Mathias?"

But Tino could not respond. Berwald had said all of those things about him. Berwald, who never spoke a word more than he needed to, talked about him to a complete stranger for no apparent reason. How had Tino ever doubted that he was the most loving man in the entire universe?

"Tino?" Peter tugged on his sleeve and looked up at him curiously. "Why are you crying?"

Was he crying? Tino reached a hand up to his cheeks and he could feel moisture there. He was crying. "I... I don't know," he replied, completely shocked by his own reaction.

"You shouldn't cry," Peter told him, "I'm sure Berwald wouldn't want you to cry."

That was probably true, Tino had to admit, so he took a deep breath and tried to stop his tears, swallowing the lump in his throat. "You're right," he replied softly. "I'm sorry."

Over at the bedside the medics had begun their work while the man and boy stood talking, and now suddenly a commotion had started up that drew Tino and Peter's attention. At first they could not tell what had changed, and then Tino heard a low groan, slightly pained and definitely tired, and he recognized instantly. "He's awake," he breathed, and quickly pushed past their Dwarven guard before he could be stopped and rushed to the bedside, pushing through the medics while he had the element of surprise to aid him. "Berwald?"

The engineer had his eyes open and was looking around, confused and disoriented. When he heard Tino's voice, though, his gaze instantly snapped to him and Tino breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the recognition in those eyes. A fear he had not realized he had been holding lifted from his heart and he hurried forward to take hold of the man's hand. "I'm so glad you're okay," Tino sighed.

"You can't stay here," one of the Dwarven medics frowned disapprovingly and grabbed Tino's free arm, attempting to pull him away from the bedside and make him get out of their way. In response, Berwald's hold on Tino's hand tightened and he frowned at the Dwarf. But the medic did not waver under Berwald's stare, which was an unusual occurrence. "The medics need proper space to work," the Dwarf said sternly.

But Tino did not want to leave the man's side. The explosion and the worry and fear that had consumed him while he did not know whether Berwald was alive or not, and then the relief he had felt when Mathias dragged Berwald's still breathing, though injured, body from the flames. All of that told him what he had been too frightened or stubborn to admit even to himself. He was in love with this man.

The Dwarven medic saw the determination in Tino's eyes, but did not let down so easily. Perhaps he could sympathize with the man, but he would not let that get in the way of his work. "He has many wounds that need treating and it would be best if we could do so as quickly as possible," the Dwarf said sternly. "We can work best if we have full access to the patient."

"I won't leave him," Tino said stubbornly.

"Your presence is hindering our ability to treat him. It is hindering his recovery," the Dwarf replied.

"S'okay, T'no."

Tino was startled to hear Berwald speak. The man's voice was rough and gravelly, even harder to understand than normal. And it was weak, painfully weak. "Berwald…" Tino started to argue. How could he possibly leave when Berwald sounded like that?

"'ll be 'kay," the engineer tried weakly to reassure him. His grip on Tino's hand went slack, but Tino did not yet release him. He clutched Berwald's hand for a long moment more before finally, reluctantly, loosening his grip and letting go of the man's hand. Then the medics were quick to push him away from the bedside so that they could get to work treating Berwald's injuries.

"Tino…" Peter had found his way to the gunman's side again and tugged on his jacket. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah…" Tino took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. "I think so." Seeing Berwald awake and with no damage more serious than treatable cuts and bruises had done a lot to ease his fears.

And by now the others had showed up, Mathias, Aleksander and Eiríkur came through the doorway. Mathias was still coughing some, which was probably what had slowed them down. Tino took Peter's hand within his own, because it was comforting to know that someone else was as worried about Berwald as he was, and lead the boy over to them.

"How is he?" Aleksander asked, looking over at the bustling medics who blocked their view of the engineer.

"He's going to be fine, they think," Tino replied. "Some burns and probably a concussion. But he's awake now, so that's good."

A tiny smile tried to form on Aleksander's face, but was not terribly successful. "That's good news. I'm sure he'll be fine in a few days. And how're you?" he asked, looking down at Peter.

The boy looked absolutely shocked to be addressed. "I'm fine," he assured with a quick nod of his head. "Berwald protected me."

"That doesn't surprise me," that smile finally managed to make itself noticeable on Aleksander's face.

"Well, I'm glad everyone's okay and no one's going to be dying today," Mathias said, and coughed dryly into his hand once. "But how are we going to get that key now? We were supposed to fix their generator, not blow it up. I doubt there's anything left to fix now."

"But Berwald wasn't trying to blow it up!" Peter insisted, fisting his hand and looking up at Mathias with horrified eyes. "He really was trying to fix it! And he was doing a really good job; he's really good with machines and stuff. But something went wrong when we tried to turn it on and there was nothing he could do to stop it! It wasn't his fault!"

"Woah, there. Slow down kid," Mathias chuckled softly and reached out to pat Peter's head. "I never said I thought it was his fault. I know Berwald, and I know he wouldn't do anything to hurt such an important piece of machinery. I'm just worried what the others will think. They were taking a big leap of faith just letting us in here, after all."

"Well, I'll tell them!" Peter said, determined. "I'll tell them it wasn't Berwald's fault!"

"And I'm sure that'll help, kid. Thanks," Mathias grinned at him, and Peter's face broke out in a happy smile. It was the kind of reaction that Mathias was extremely good at getting out of people.