Jude was tasked with a difficult decision, one that he hoped he'd never have to make in his life time. Lives were at stake but if he didn't act fast enough more lives would be. He couldn't risk it. He knew what he had to do and he was going to Hell for it.
"S-sir?" The man questioned his superior, the man he trusted completely with his life. "You can't be seriously doing this."
"Quiet, King. It's for the greater good. You better not question me again," Jude harshly replied. "I have half a mind t-"
"Sir! Important news from the forefront!" The young receptionist busted through the large oak doors with ease. In her small hands was a large pile of paperwork, Jude knew exactly what it was for.
"Thank you, Virgo. You may go." Jude said sternly. He was rather fond of the young receptionist, she was roughly his daughters age and sort of reminded him of her. He would give anything to see his daughter once more. Last he heard was that she was living in Hargeon, away from all the war and bloodshed that Magnolia seethed.
"Jude, you can't be serious. There's lives at stake here, you could be killing hundreds if not thousands!" Spirit King, one of Jude's closest friends and ally, stated. In the back of Jude's mind he knew his old friend was right. But there wasn't any other way. He had to stop the enemy before they screwed anything more up.
"I don't have a choice, Spirit."
"There has to be another way! My son lives there for god's sake! Please, I'm begging you Jude, really think about what you're doing," Spirit's pleads fell on deaf ears. Jude was too set in his way's to see another way around the bloodshed, Spirit knew that. "Think about her."
Spirit waited for a response only to get nothing but silence. He knew it was too late for Jude.
"I can't stick around for this. I'll see you in Hell, old friend." Spirit left Jude in his empty office. Jude knew what he was doing was wrong, but he calculated everything out, there wasn't an easier way, just harder and more lethal ways.
"I'm sorry." Jude said to no one as he deployed the first bomb onto Magnolia. It took about six minutes for the bomb to reach the city. Six long and antagonizing minutes.
Jude just waited.
And waited.
Till he felt the earth rattle. Even from his office in Crocus he could still feel the earth shattering explosion. He knew part of the city would be relatively unscathed, but most would be unlivable. His bomb was meant for destruction, no matter the area or building.
Natsu jolted awake when he felt the earthquake. He knew it was a big one, normally he slept through the smaller ones. He quickly scrambled for his phone to pull up the earthquake app he used to see their magnitudes. He gave it a couple minutes to update but there wasn't any new reports of recent earthquakes.
"Must of been a fluke." he mumbled still half asleep to himself as he set his phone back on the nightstand. He was five seconds away from sleeping again when his phone pinged.
"Just in! Heartfilia Corps president Jude Heartfilia launched a missile onto Magnolia city center!"
Natsu couldn't believe his eyes. He reread the same headline over and over again, finally coming back and calling Lucy.
"Please pick up, please pick up…" he silently prayed.
"Hello, the number you are tryi-" Natsu hung up and desperately tried again, getting the dial tone instead. The next number he tried was Erza, one of his most treasured friends.
The phone rang a couple times, Natsu slowly losing faith that she would answer.
"Natsu!" Erzas panicked voice filled his ear. He had never been more glad in his life to talk to the fearless red-head.
"Holy shit Erza! I just called Lucy, she didn't pick up. What the fuck happened? Are you ok?!" Natsu was hoping for relatively good news, didn't matter what, the smallest was still the greatest in his heart.
"Jellal and I are fine, we are nowhere near the explosion. I just tried to call Gray but the call couldn't connect. I even tried Juvia's phone and nothing." Erza quickly explained, fear was laced in her voice, something Natsu wasn't used to hear from her.
"I'm happy you guys are ok, Ima try to call Lucy again. Please stay safe and call me with updates." With ushered goodbyes they hung up and Natsu once again tried Lucy's number.
But the phone never rang. Something was seriously wrong, Natsu could feel it in his gut. So he did what any sane or insane person would do. He packed a bag and decided to drive to Magnolia. Most people would run away in the face of danger, but not Natsu. He needed to go there. He needed to see if his friends were ok. He needed to save her.
The drive would be a long one, one he was hoping he wouldn't have to make any time soon, his motion sickness always got the better of him.
With his mental checklist gone over he dashed through the front door without a second thought. If the news was correct his friends were in serious danger and as far as he knew he was the only one not in Magnolia.
His car started with ease and the queasiness settled in, his stomach feeling like it was doing somersaults. But he ignored it as best as he could and pulled out of his drive way, anxious of what laid in front of him.
"I'm coming for ya, Luce."
Lucy was jolted awake. Glass falling all over her as she tried to protect herself from being impaled. Though she didn't do so great, the glass causing her more harm than she expected. She was bleeding, kinda of heavily if she saw correctly. Her hearing was muffled, the blast having caught her extremely off guard leaving no time to try to cover her ears.
Lucy searched for her now missing phone, spotting it four feet away from where it usually rested on her nightstand. She dialed the number she had memorized in her heart only to receive a dial tone in return.
"Fuck." she groaned. She was completely in the dark, literally and figuratively, the power having gone out in the explosion. She had no idea what happened, who caused it, and what she was supposed to do.
So she did what she normally did best, had a great cry in the middle of her fucked up room and came up with a plan.
She first needed to find someone of authority, someone who could potentially help her and tend to her wounds. She was slowly getting lost in her thoughts when she heard harsh knocking on her still standing bedroom door.
"Lucy! Lucy! Open up! It's us!" Tears started to take over once again as her chest filled with hope. She knew that voice, it belonged to her most trusted friend. She tried to get up, but her legs buckled underneath her a sharp pain shooting throughout her right leg.
"Gray!" She tried to yell back but her voice was weak. She was starting to feel dizzy, the world around her was spinning.
"Lucy!" Gray shouted. Lucy's hearing was slowly fading again, everything becoming muffled as her body swayed. She tried taking deep breaths but her breathing was becoming harder and harder, almost like the oxygen was being forced out of her lungs.
She barely heard Gray shouting and her door busting open. Her body was falling to the ground. Gray grabbed her right before she hit the floor, she could see the worry etched in his face.
"Lucy?!" Was all she heard from the raven haired man as her world turned black. She just hoped she wasn't dying.
Erza couldn't believe her eyes. Right in the middle of Magnolia was chaos. Right where her home was. Right where her friends lived. She was lucky, her and Jellal had gone out of town for the day and their arrival was delayed due to car issues. They were coming around the last hill when they saw the bright light, the light resembling something from a movie. It was all too unreal.
"Erza, we gotta go find them," her husband of three years stated. She knew he was right, she was just too shocked to move from where she was standing. "Erza!"
"Uhm.. Ye-" she cleared her throat and mind. He was right, she had to pull herself together. "Yeah, ok. Let's go." Her mind was racing with millions of thoughts. She had just talked to Natsu and before attempted to reach Gray. Natsu couldn't reach Lucy, much like she couldn't reach Gray.
She hated to admit it but she was scared. She was so scared, she couldn't stop shaking. Jellal was being great, he was acting strong for the both of them, something she couldn't burden him with.
The duo drove on, Erza slowly coming to terms with what just happened in the passenger seat. She had no idea the devastation and the death that was ahead of her. If only there was a rewind button on life.
Gray had woken up from one of the many nightmares that plagued his mind every night. As usual he jumped out of bed to fetch himself a glass of water, it seemed to calm him down every time.
"Darling?" Juvia's voice rang from their bedroom. She was well aware of his nightmares, but was still always concerned each and every time. They had been dating for about five years, Gray was ready to pop the question. He had it all figured out, they would go to somewhere tropical and stay by the ocean. He knew Juvia loved the sea, she had grown up on a small island. He knew she would say yes, he had no doubts about it. His feelings for her were incredibly strong having never felt this way towards someone before in his life.
"I'm ok, just another nightmare." He said back to her. He always appreciated her concern.
Juvia had popped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his bare torso. She would always be there for him and give him space if he needed it too.
"What's the plans for tomorrow?" She inquired.
"Gotta work a bit lat-" Gray tried to get out when there was a huge blast, shattering their windows in the process. He quickly got to action shoving both Juvia and himself to the ground, Gray hovering over her body to protect the woman he loved. The rattle settled down after a few seconds, something that they both were grateful for.
"What the hell was that?!" Grays voice came out a little rough, probably from the dust that littered their apartment. "Are you ok?" Juvia nodded in return, her anxiety starting to kick in in the process.
They were both confused, Gray opting to retrieve their phones off the nightstands in their bedrooms. Much to his dismay they both were destroyed in the damage. He finally took time to assess what happened. From what he could gather was that the explosion was a few blocks away, more closer to Lucy's apartment.
"Holy shit we gotta go get Lucy." He cared a great deal for the blonde, adopting her as his younger sister.
"We should get some supplies, my love." Juvia suggested and she was right. Who knew what was out there and what was going on. So they both grabbed their duffle bags and got to work stuffing them full of clothes and any food or water they could bring.
After packing they went forth to get Lucy. Gray knew in the back of his mind Natsu would be pissed if they didn't attempt to reach her and he couldn't live with himself if he didn't try anything.
It came to a surprise when the couple made it outside at how fucked up the streets and buildings were. It was straight out of a movie. Thick layers off dust and soot were laying on cars and off street lights. Most buildings were destroyed the closer they got to Lucy's place, both hoping they made it in time to their friend.
They finally approached Lucy's apartment, Gray instantly dashed up the stairs as Juvia followed behind him. He took two at a time, running as fast as he could without hurting himself. Why she decided to move in on the top floor was beyond him. They both made it to the top, both equally out of breath.
From there Gray tried and tried to get Lucy's door opened, he heard her weakly say his name just before he busted the door down.
She wasn't looking great, she had several scrapes that looked pretty deep. Her right legged looked the worst, almost as if something was lodged inside of it. That worried him, he had no training in first aid and had no idea how to help. Just as he was losing hope a figure appeared behind them.
He was one second away from tearing the hair off his head. He was beyond stressed, something that usually happened to him at night where he had actual time to himself. His pacing quickened, he swore he would leave a trail behind him if he kept going. But still the nagging was there. His father had called him and even warned him of Jude's attack. Though he knew he had no time to escape, but he did have time to try to protect himself from the blast.
And that's what he did. He marched straight to his bathroom and plopped himself in his tub. He hoped that that would be enough, he wasn't sure where the bomb was going to strike. And so he waited.
And waited.
Until a bright light lit up the sky.
Then the destruction came. His tiny apartment rattling knocking various items off their shelves. He heard several vases and pictures frames shattering. The tiny window above him exploded, cutting him in the process. He thought he was lucky, he was barely hurt.
Once the dust settled he creeped out from his tub, watching where he placed his feet. Who knew if the ground was stable or if the apartment complex shifted in any way. The blast was powerful and he would be lying if he said he wasn't scared.
The adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he took in the damage. He wasn't nearly upset enough about his abhorrent apartment, he honestly hated his place. All the more reason to move he thought.
That's when it hit him. Someone just recently moved a couple complex's over. Someone very dear to his heart.
His mind raced as he started to run out his still standing front door. How could he be so stupid, Lucy was new to the city. New to being independent. New to everything. He ran with all his might to his favorite friends place, knowing the path by heart seeing as they spent every waking hour together since she moved here.
That's when he saw Gray and Juvia running towards her building. He knew in the back of his mind Lucy was safe with them, but something was really nagging in the back of his mind. Something was off, didn't seem right.
He ran a few feet behind the couple. He watched as Gray busted down the door. He heard Juvia's light gasp prompting him to get a closer look. He saw how much of a mess Lucy was, she looked terrible. Her place was definitely the closet to the blast. That's when she passed out, the scene almost playing out in slow motion for him. He decided to make his presence known.
"Loke." Was all that Gray spat out, the two not on the best of terms.
"Fullbuster," Loke spat out in return. He didn't hate Gray but there was underlining resentment towards the raven haired male. "It's nice to see you two alive."
"You too." Juvia smiled at the orange haired man. They've always been on good terms, though her opinion on him had changed drastically through the years. Gray's hatred towards the man had clouded some of her judgment, something she was working on.
"We have to get out of here. Lucy's not doing too hot. And you all know what will happen if Natsu knew we didn't keep her safe." Gray rolled his eyes at his own statement. Natsu was too protective over the blonde. Gray had to admit though, he wasn't feeling too hot himself. Quite the opposite actually, he was freezing and he was not comfortable.
"Gray darling, are you ok? You look rather pale." Juvia's voice carried concern. Gray looked at his girlfriend, her skin was becoming more pale, almost porcelain.
"Let's go." Loke grabbed Lucy and situated her of his back, she felt too light to him, like she weighed nothing. But he shoved that thought to the back of his mind, he would worry about it later.
"Right behind you." With that they set off to leave Lucy's destroyed home, hoping to find answers and hopefully a doctor. They were running out of time.
Gray held onto all theirs phones, his and Juvia's having no use. But he did have a peek at Lucy's to check the time. If he remembered correctly the blast happened shortly after midnight. He was confused. Lucy's phone only read 'zero'. He stared at it hoping it would change but 'zero' taunted him on the screen. Nothing good could come from this, his gut was telling him so.
Lucy's eyes fluttered open. She felt like she was floating, save for the hard object she was resting on.
"She's awake!" A muffled voice exclaimed. Her hearing was still shot but she recognized the faint voice. It was Juvia. Lucy was so glad she was ok. Did this mean Gray was carrying her or was it someone else? She wasn't sure, her head was killing her and she didn't wanna add fuel to the flame with the oncoming migraine.
"Let's rest," Grays voice was suppressed but it was still him. Her heart soared happy to hear her friends alive and well. "Let her down gently."
She shut her eyes tight anticipating more pain as her body was slowly lowered to the surface. She couldn't stand, the pain in her right leg making it's presence known. Once she was situated on the ground she opened her eyes to take in her surroundings and to see who was carrying her. She was shocked to see Loke crouching in front of her alive and well.
The tears pricked her eyes as she lunged for the orange haired man, encasing him in a bear like hug. She never been happier to see him. Juvia and Gray followed in suit, all sharing a loving hug, though Gray was reluctant to give one to Loke.
"What happened?" Lucy rasped out, her throat insanely dry from the dust. Juvia handed her a bottle of water which Lucy finished in record time.
"There was an explosion. My father had called to warn me, but it was too late. The bomb was coming too fast, so I hunkered down in my tub." Loke then explained what he went through and the devastation he saw. He described everything in great detail to catch Lucy up.
"Have you seen anyone else?" Lucy asked. She was curious, Magnolia was a rather large city, they must have ran into someone by now.
"No one I'm afraid." Juvia answered. She knew it was rather odd. Though the blast occurred around midnight, Magnolia still had a rather active nightlife. It was all too strange and confusing.
"That's odd." The blonde slowly losing herself in her mind. She had all sorts of questions, but no answers. She knew none of her friends would know anything either seeing as they hadn't made progress getting out of the city.
"How's your leg feeling?" Loke asked, his eyes showing concern. He was too loyal to her sometimes and that worried her.
"Hurts like hell but I'll manage." She weakly smiled at the man. Her and Loke go way back, practically growing up together. Their fathers both worked together and became fast friends as they climbed the corporate ladder. That was until her father started his own company, a toy company in fact. They were insanely successful having knocked out most of their competition in a short span of time.
"You can't walk, Lucy." He stated matter or factly and she knew he was right. The slightest twitch to her leg sent pain coursing through her body. She was in the worst shape out of the four of them and she would only slow them down.
She didn't know what to do or what to think. "What time is it?"
"We don't know. Roughly around three." Gray answered her.
"Yours is the only phone that's working and it hasn't changed from 'zero' since we got you," Juvia chipped in. From the sound of it she had been out for close to three hours, but even they weren't totally sure. No phone was telling the time and they had no ties to anyone outside the blast. "We know the blast happened just shortly after midnight and we've been walking aimlessly around for a few hours. We haven't been able to find a way out."
Lucy pondered over their situation. The whole thing seemed weird, not finding anyone, the time issue, and no exit so far. How were they to escape? To let their loved ones know that they were ok? Her hope was slowly fading as the minutes passed.
"We should keep looking, let's not lose hope." Loke gave her a knowing smile, as if he was in her head. The three started to put their packs back on. After they were situated Loke crouched down with his back facing Lucy. Gray and Juvia helped steady her on his back. With that they were off, despair lingering in each of their minds.
It took a few hours but Natsu made it to Magnolia. He drove as fast as he could while trying to avoid being pulled over in the process. He didn't need any hang ups when he was in a rush.
His phone started to ring, no doubt a certain red head was giving him their location. They talked for a few minutes, Erza telling him where to meet her and Jellal.
He was off to meet his only friends outside ground zero. He shad a bad feeling not everything seemed as it should, like some sort of secret was in Magnolia that the public wasn't aware of yet.
Natsu and Erza met up a moments later, the latter being more close than he expected her to be.
"How you holdin' up?" Erza embraced Natsu in a tight hug, the two practically siblings. She could read him like a book and right now he wasn't looking too great.
"I'm ok." He knew lying to her would piss her off, but right now he didn't want to show his true emotions. Their friends could be hurt, he had no time for his feelings.
Sensing his lie, Jellal changed the subject. "Let's get going then."
"How are we supposed to slip passed the cops?"
"We have a plan, but you have to follow every step correctly." With that the couple explained to Natsu what they had planned. From the looks of it the blast radius was contained with thinned out police units, the military not joining yet. Erza told Natsu that the eastern part looked less guarded, they could probably create a distraction and have the guards leave their post. That's when they would get in.
"Everyone know what they're doing?" Jellal asked firmly, his face turning serious.
"Aye, sir!" The other two replied. They were ready, ready for whatever laid ahead of them.
"I'm coming for ya Luce."