Champagne Supernova (Part Two)

~ Day 21

His mind was confused, and his body took control. (*)

~ Day 29

They were running short of rations. They were taking turns to eat. But how long could they last like that? Carver thought that this was more than they'd bargained for. Suddenly he wished he'd never become a part of that venture. And his sister. Where was she? He didn't even know if she was alive. Or maybe…

Maybe only his team had been trapped.

That wouldn't surprise him. When they were children, Lucía had always been the lucky one. His father had never been particularly rude to her, his mother always entrusted her with the important tasks, and his sister called for her whenever she had one of those episodes. Good Lucía. Blessed Lucía. Saint Lucía. The image of his sister appeared in front of his eyes. Held. Loved. Congratulated. The Champion of the Free Marches.

He shook his head and he rubbed his eyes. What was he thinking? He felt dizzy and nauseated. He'd barely eaten for the last two days. But then their luck had seemed to change. They'd found a lost settlement, possibly one of the first ones that had been abandoned, and they'd found supplies. They'd also found Spawn, but these ones stayed together on one side of the former colony, so the team didn't even bother to try to move them away.

But it was only a matter of days till they ran out of food and water. And what were they going to do when that time came? They had no technology, no aid kits left. Going back out there meant possible injuries, probably getting lost and roaming around again, and more of the intolerable darkness.

And that's when Jeven had come up with the plan. Carver and Maecon looked at him as if he was crazy. But as the days went by, Carver started considering it. Jeven did have a point. They were stronger and smarter. Nothing would happen to them, and in that way, they wouldn't need anything anymore.

But Maecon didn't even want to hear about it. He'd pulled out his gun, pointing it at Jeven and Carver. Carver held up his hands and tried to reason with him, but Jeven shot Maecon right in the face. Carver's face got splattered with his teammate's blood.

Carver threw up. Jeven frowned. "Don't be such a pussy, Hawke," he grunted. "It was him or us."

~ Day 30

Leto and Anders patted each other on the back. "See you tomorrow," Anders said. Leto smiled.

~ Day 38

"Ready to go in," Wesley informed. After he'd received confirmation, he signaled for deployment.

~ Day 39

There was something about those walkers that made them extremely uneasy. It wasn't their appearance. It was their silence. They all marched together in unity, but not caring about the others.

After hours of walking, Varric muttered, "Holy shit."

They'd come to a citadel; the greatest settlement they'd come across. Ewald elbowed Varric and pointed out to some people in the distance. "Those are not Spawn," she said. Varric beckoned and the team went down quickly towards the people standing there, but as soon as they'd seen them, the people ran towards a huge construction and closed the doors behind them.

"Please!" Brennan and Lucía banged on the doors. "We're only people! Let us in, please!"

Varric and Ewald looked around, looking for another way in, when Varric suddenly heard a voice talking through some loudspeakers placed outside the fortress.

"Well, well, well... Look who's at my door. If it isn't Sergeant Tethras!"

Lucía raised an eyebrow. Varric was stunned. "... Bartrand?" he shouted out. The doors were opened manually and they were seen in by some people. At the entrance of a huge hall stood Bartrand Tethras. He opened his arms and hugged his younger brother. "Varric, you can stop gaping. It's really unbecoming," Bartrand laughed.

Varric swallowed hard. "It's just I... We all thought you were dead. Mom... Dad..."

"Yes, well... Long story. But come in, come in. You're my guests now. Er... It'll do you good to rest. You all look and smell like shit."

Some days later, Bartrand told Varric about a report he'd gotten from some people lost in a passage a few hours away from the citadel. He offered Varric some equipment and a map, and Varric and the team left the fortress to see who they'd find.

After a long time, they found the place that Bartrand had told them about. They entered the cavern through a smaller passage. Brennan was the first to come out. She saw someone standing in the distance. She grabbed the binoculars Bartrand had given them and took a look.

"Lily?" Brennan called out. The figure turned around and waved at them. Another figure came out of some sort of construction. "Hey guys! Lily's over there!" Brennan said excitedly, as Cullen and Lily approached them quickly.

"Where are the others?" Ewald murmured to Lucía. She shuddered and thought of their former companions. She lowered her head and said a silent prayer for them before joining the newcomers.

"You were lucky we took this turn," Varric said, shaking Cullen's hand. "We were following one of the maps we got from my brother-"

"Your... brother?" Cullen sounded confused.

"Long story, I'll tell you about it later. Anyway, apparently there's something wrong with the map, but luckily Lucía persuaded us to turn this way. We were about to stop looking."

"You shouldn't have put yourselves at risk," Cullen said drily. He felt Lucía's scowl on him and he cleared his throat. "But dammit, I'm glad you decided to come this way."

"Come on, let's pick up your things and get back to the citadel."

~ Day 55

They'd left behind everything that wasn't essential. Ewald had taken the smaller storage devices with all the info they'd collected. They all sneaked out a few hours after dinner.

"How long do you estimate?" Lucía asked Varric.

"It's about 160 kilometres, and then, we should pray that neither Orlesians nor Nevarrans will attack us for trespassing."

"They'll be too busy killing each other," Brennan huffed. She'd insisted on carrying as much medical equipment as possible.

Cullen watched Lucía. "Are you okay with this? Leaving your brother behind?"

"Isn't this what you expected, Commandant?" Lucía hissed. Even though her voice was no more than a whisper, Cullen could clearly feel the animosity in the tone. He frowned. She walked faster to catch up with Varric, and he fell behind, walking by Brennan's side.

After a couple of hours of walking, Varric told them to take a break. They'd reached a crossroads again, and he needed to read the map carefully.

"If you'd asked me," Ewald said, "I'd have been prepared to bet on us being caught by your brother's henchmen minutes after our escape."

"Gives you hope, right?" Varric muttered. He'd been thinking about that same thing for a long time now. It seemed impossible that Bartrand had failed to notice their disappearance. Six people vanishing overnight, after everything he'd said. He looked aside and saw Lucía looking into one of the passages.

"Luce?" he called after her. She didn't reply. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She still wouldn't look at him. He shook her gently, and then she turned to him. Her face looked as if she'd just woken up. "Tired, Hawke?"

Lucía shook her head. "There's something about this passage… I've got a bad feeling about this."

Cullen looked up to her and snorted. "Women…"

Lucía didn't bother to look back at him. She pressed a hand against her chest and murmured, "I think we need to look into it."

"Our priorities changed, Hawke," Cullen said, standing up. "We've already got some information; we have some samples. Investigation is no longer our objective. Especially when you say that you've got 'a bad feeling' about a place."

"I'm with the Commandant on this one," Lily said.

"Of course you are," Brennan scoffed. "But Lucía's instincts around these places usually lead us to interesting discoveries. We're here already. We've got nothing to lose."

"Varric?" Ewald said. "It's your call."

Varric looked at the map. "Well, it seems we've got to go that way anyway, so… Let's get moving, people."

As soon as Varric approved, Lucía picked up her bag and walked boldly into the dark corridor. Cullen sighed heavily but pressed his steps to catch up with her. Brennan and Lily went after them, and Varric and Ewald closed the line. Ewald muttered, "I hope you know what you're doing, Sergeant Tethras. Taking a chance like this, purely on the instincts of a subordinate, could be lots of trouble for you."

"Ewald," Varric said, "we're pretty screwed anyway. We're better off letting her lead us around here. Trust me. It's a strong hunch."

Hours of silent walking along endless corridors, and every time they found a crossroads, Lucía would choose an exit without hesitating. Cullen watched her closely. She knew something they didn't, that much was clear. Perhaps she was-

He felt her hand on his chest. She looked around. "Do you hear that?" she whispered. Cullen frowned. Everything was dead silent. Varric emerged from behind. "What is it, Hawke?"

"The humming, Varric. The humming of the red lyrium." Her head was tilted sideways, listening attentively. She dropped her equipment and dashed forward. Cullen cursed under his breath and ran after her. She was surprisingly fast, and in spite of being better, his leg still felt strange.

He found her standing at the entrance of an abandoned settlement. "The humming," she murmured. "I can't hear it anymore."

A screech took them by surprise. "Spawn," Cullen muttered, standing in front of Lucía and pointing his gun at the creature that hissed and spat at them before crawling away. Was this the effect of red lyrium on the usually tranquil Spawn? "Stand back; go back to the others," Cullen told her. But she walked on, as if she was sleepwalking. In the dim reddish light that filled the settlement, he saw a figure standing apart from a large group of Spawn.

"It can't be…" Cullen whispered, as he heard the rest of the team getting closer.

Varric peered "Andraste's flaming ass. Is that…?"

"Carver!" Lucía shouted. "Carver!" She ran towards her brother as fast as she could and jumped into his arms. He held her and stroked her short hair quietly. "Oh, Carver! I thought-! Oh, I'm so glad you're alive!" The team moved close to them, their flashlights on. Carver covered his eyes. "It's alright," Lucía said, hugging him. "It's alright; we're going home, brother. We're-"

Varric held her by the arm. "Luce…" he whispered and pointed his flashlight at Carver.

The veins in his arms and around his neck were prominent. "Lucía," he said, and his voice sounded hoarse and foreign. Lucía took her brother's face in her hands, searching for the reason in his eyes. The blue of his eyes had a much brighter hue. "No," she murmured. She removed the top part of his suit as he stood there, without moving. She lifted up his arms. The marks in his armpits were there, clear in the light of the torches. "No. No, no, no!" She slapped him. He didn't say anything. "What did you do, you jerk? What did you do, bastard!" She hit him again, and again, he didn't fight back. "Why did you do it! Why!" She punched him and threw him to the ground, shouting and cursing. She failed to notice the large group of Spawn gathering around them. Cullen and Lily got her off Carver, and Varric and Ewald picked him up.

"We need to get out of here now!" Brennan shouted. The Spawn had become restless due to Lucía's shouting. They dragged her away and rushed back to the crossroads where she'd left them behind. They had to get back to the crossroads. They had to lose the overwhelming groups of Spawn that were right behind them first. Varric directed them towards one of the side passages. As they went through the entrance, they felt a change in the air. Lucía stumbled and fell. Cullen tried to get her up, but she had passed out. Carver, Varric, and Ewald went in the passage, and Carver also fell to the ground. Varric used the wall as support as his legs gave way.

"What's going on?" Lily asked desperately.

Cullen left Lucía with Brennan and went towards Varric. "You okay?"

Varric panted and nodded. "It feels… different here. I don't know… My head's spinning. I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Rest for a while. Ewald, check on Hawke," Cullen said, pointing to Carver. He turned around and saw the women trying to revive Lucía. After some seconds, she seemed to come round. The women helped her sit up. She frowned and rubbed her forehead.

"I had a nightmare," she said. "I dreamed Carver had turned into a…" Her voice died out. She saw Carver lying on the ground. She scrambled towards him and took a good look at his face. She looked at the people around her, who refused to meet her gaze. She sobbed and choked. "It wasn't a dream… He… He…" She couldn't go on talking. Her sobbing turned into loud crying, as she lay over her brother's chest.

Varric's eyes were filled with tears. Lily and Brennan were sobbing quietly. Ewald tried to move her away, but she shoved him and started bawling.

In the distance, they heard some shrieking.

Cullen held her from behind. Her screaming filled the passage. The Spawn would find them if she didn't stop, and this time they had nothing to bargain with.

~ Day 56

Bethany stood behind Karl, watching Anders sleep. "When are you coming home, Lucía?" she wondered.

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Title: apologies for the delay and the super-long chapter. This week there will probably be an update on Wed or Thu and one on Sat or Sun.

(*) /s/9108741/1/9-Crimes - Here in FanFiction you can find the one-shot that deals with Cullen in greater detail, for those of you who are interested.