Companion to Chapter 40 of AUP.

CHAPTER 5: SO CLOSE

Timmy lay huddled at the bottom of the cell, his face ashen. He didn't know how much time had passed since his capture, nor did it matter. No tears fell from his eyes, nor any sadness – he was too shocked. His eyes closed, he stared at the space ahead of him.

He had been so close. He had been just within reach of her, just about to find her. But now – he was locked up, in the very same building she was in. He was so close, yet so far.

Why couldn't I get her? Why had everyone been so determined to get in his way? First Mara, then Rasputin, and now this boy-princeling. He couldn't believe they'd let him lose her.

He could only imagine what horrors she was going through now. How badly were they torturing her? What was Valtor doing to her? Horror after horror drifted through his head.

I can't save her. He bowed his head, feeling worse and worse. I failed.

He let out a shuddering breath. Throughout all of his time searching for her, failure had never been an option. He had never believed that he may not reach Tecna, or doubted that she was alive. It had just never been part of his mind.

Now he realized, for the first time, that he might not find her. That he might not ever see her again. The thought cut through his heart like a sword. I may not ever be reunited with her… never, ever again…

Tears fell from his eyes. He lowered his head, wondering what Tecna would think of him, if she could see him now. Probably that I'm a coward. He was the one who'd let her go, and it was his fault that she was gone. What would she say?

What would Flora say? Tecna's best-friend, who'd likely known all along he'd go on this impossible mission, but never told anyone? The girl who'd never hesitated to help Tecna, long before he'd even met her? The girl he'd trusted to open the laptop for him? What would she have done in his place?

She would've probably joined the Resistance. Flora was a better person than him, far better than he could've ever imagined. The girl didn't have a selfish bone in her body, and was one of the bravest people he'd ever seen. But I had to help Tecna – so why –

An electric volt suddenly hit him in the sides, burning him to his core. It took away all of his sense of thought – only pain shot through him. It seemed to last forever, this white-hot pain that took everything from his body. Then it disappeared, and he fell to the ground.

"Crying," a voice said above him, "is forbidden by law."

Timmy stared upwards, tears in his eyes. From behind the bars, a man was pointing a stun-blaster at him, his expression deadly. Slowly looking around, he quickly took note of his surroundings.

The cell to his right was closed off from him – a cement wall divided the two. Nonetheless, he knew it contained Cyros. He gazed through the bars, and with his limited vision, stared to his right.

He knew that there were guards in front of Cyros's cell, just as there were in front of his. Guards that can easily be swayed… Almost instinctively, furiously, he lifted his head.

"Guards!" he shouted. "Yoo-hoo! Over here!"

The guard snapped his head up, pointing the blaster straight at him. His eyes shined furiously.

"Don't even think about escaping," he snarled. "You won't prevail!" He pointed the blaster straight at Timmy, ready to shock him to the ground.

This time, Timmy was ready. Leaping out of the way just as the electricity hit, he swung onto the bars, glaring defiantly at the men. More of them pointed blasters at him, but he stayed put.

"What's the matter?" he taunted. "Can't catch me?"

A man with a sword ran at him, sticking it through the bars, but Timmy grabbed it. With the sword, he deflected all the blaster-jets, sending them straight at the men. Many of them shouted and fell back. A few men from Cyros's cell ran towards him, replacing the men who'd fallen.

Let's hope Cyros gets the message. He knew he'd never be able to escape from the cell, but he knew Cyros would. For the truth had finally dawned on him.

He could blame everyone he wanted for his failure to find Tecna. He could blame Mara, Rasputin, and Cyros for as long as he wanted, but in the end, they weren't responsible. They'd simply been people in a messed-up society, people always taken advantage of by the cowards at the top. Cowards like me. It was all becoming clear to him now.

It didn't matter whether he ever found Tecna or not. He knew she was alive, and that he'd have to act quickly if he wanted her to stay alive. What matters is her safety. Even if he couldn't be the one to save her, he was damn well going to make sure she got out safely, far away from harm.

I've been lying to myself all this time. I've been telling myself that she needs me, that I have to save her from harm. But the truth is, she doesn't need me. I need her. If I want Tecna to survive, I can't be selfish. He gazed upwards, out of his cell.

Through the blaster-jets, he saw Cyros. The boy-prince had freed himself from his trappings, and was staring at Timmy, anguish in his eyes. Timmy gazed at him, sorrow in his eyes.

The gaze seemed to last forever. A gaze that conveyed everything he could possibly feel, it was worth more than a thousand loves. I'm sorry. People like Flora and Tecna had faced their foes with unflinching bravery. Whereas they'd faced Death in the face, he'd always hidden away, selfishly hoping it'd never reach him.

But they had inspired him more than they would ever know. He would choose to be brave, choose to be unselfish, so that his Tecna could live. He watched as Cyros disappeared around the corner, running into the lab.

He gasped as the electricity hit him. The man with the stun-blaster had managed to get him, and he felt powerless as the electricity ran through his veins. But unlike last time, he felt no pain – only relief. Collapsing to the ground, he lay still as the men walked up to him.

"We'll take him to the high-security dungeons," one of them said. "He won't be able to escape there."

"Let's put him on Sleeping Draught," one of them suggested. "Stop him from causing trouble."

Timmy gasped as the man forced his head upward. A wizard flew towards him, holding a cauldron in his hands. He poured the cloudy substance down Timmy's throat.

His eyes began to droop. As the tasteless liquid flowed through his veins, he felt his entire body shutting down, waves of exhaustion coming over him. I can sleep at last, knowing Tecna will be safe. Peace washed over him as he fell to the ground, knowing she would be free at last.