Chapter 50 - Confrontation
Bryant drew his gun and rushed towards the stairs. Just as he arrived at the door to the main lab, Alexander opened it. Without a moment of hesitation, Bryant pistol whipped him. "What's going on, bastard?!" Bryant yelled and pushed him back. Despite how hard Bryant had hit him, Alexander barely had a scuff on his nose. He did reel back in pain but he kept his usual demeanor. "Answer me!" Bryant yelled again as he flipped the safety off. Alexander made no moves, simply walked backwards towards the interrogation table.
"I can show you… if you like." Bryant kept his gun trained on Alexander, but his eyes wandered to the table. "I can't…how do I explain it to you, Bryant." Alexander put a hand on his chin. "'A shining beacon in a brave new world', yes?" The phrase caused Bryant's eyes to snap back to Alexander. "We are trying to fix the world, Bryant. Immunity to ELID, no war, peace, perfecting humanity."
"Perfecting? What?" Alexander took this as his cue and gently pulled back the sheet covering the table. A woman was strapped to the table. Long white hair, ghostly pale skin, limbs replaced with sleek and deadly mechanical appendages. She looked eerily familiar and uncanny, especially with the peaceful smile on her face. "Alexander, what the f-"
"Bryant, I'm taking a big risk here. We are recruiting the best minds across the world to help us. Father is willing to accept any who show skill and dedication to the goal. I can vouch for you and we can work together again." Bryant lowered the gun slightly, pointing it now at Alexander's heart. Alexander smiled broadly as he always did. "Imagine: no more war. No more rebels. No more firefights in the cities. No more Sangvis. No more…no more lost children." Bryant's finger tightened around the trigger. He felt the resistance. "Bryant, what do you say? We can change the world."
"No." Alexander deflated and looked sick to his stomach. He played with a ring on his finger, and squeezed it several times. The ring slowly began flashing faintly. Bryant didn't seem to notice, but Alexander's speech became more emotional.
"Bryant… please. You don't understand. They will kill you for what you've seen. For what I've told you."
"Who will? Your people?"
"We're everywhere, Bryant. We're everyone. Please, don't make me lose another friend." Bryant swallowed hard. How many people had Alexander tried to recruit? Was that the reason behind so many of their mutual friends dying recently. "I've been trying to help you Bryant. Please…" Alexander was pleading now. Just then, two figures entered the room from the other side. Alexander saw Yulia and Bryant could see his heart break.
"Bryant…" was all he could manage. Bryant shook his head and Alexander closed his eyes as a tear ran down his face. "I'm sorry…" he whispered as he took a step back.
"Commander!" Yulia called out in relief as she rushed to his side. Another man was behind her. Bryant kept his eyes and gun trained on Alexander. He kept repeating his apology until a burst of gunfire finally drew his attention away from Alexander. One of the experiments in tubes along the wall burst out. Glass and fluid exploded outward, soaking everyone. During the chaos, Alexander had vanished.
Bryant turned to face the experiment, but found himself on the receiving end of a kick. The delicate metal limb crumpled his mechanical arm and sent him flying. The gunfire from Yulia and the other man did little to stop her attack, if any bullets had hit in the first place. With unnatural speed and grace, she sprinted towards Yulia and struck. The small doll was lifted off the ground and hung about 5 ft in the air for what felt like forever. The doll then grabbed her and tossed her towards the other man. The man kept shooting, nearly hitting Bryant. The bullets tore through Yulia and struck the experiment several times in the stomach.
Blood began to trickle out of the wounds. What should have been a fatal hit seemed to be nothing more than a mild scratch. Yulia smashed into the other man, knocking the gun out of his hands and causing them both to collapse in a pile on the floor. Bryant had finally recovered from the kick and began firing as well. The doll dodged and kicked the gun from Bryant's hand. "Good day," She spoke with a lifeless tone, "I have been asked to take you into custody. Do not resist." She reached forward to pick him up, but dodged something at the last second. Several Sangvis Jaegers appeared from behind and began shooting. The doll chased down the intruders. Bryant struggled to his feet and looked towards the opposite door that Alexander had left through.
He turned to where Yulia was. The man that had been hit was nowhere to be seen. "Yulia, let's go!" Bryant rose to his feet and began limping towards the door. Yulia did not follow. Bryant grit his teeth and kept moving forward. He kept following the hallways as the sounds of combat grew ever quieter. He eventually found himself outside again. A small cave entrance near the base of the Neo Karis tower. The last of the evacuation helicopters flew overhead.
"That's the last of it. The charges are set and the lab will be destroyed…yes, as ordered…no…no he did not…I…I…yes, yes you were. Of course. I understand." Bryant fumbled for his spare weapon. A gift from Alexander. He rounded the corner and saw Alexander with a squad of Strelets. They all trained their weapons on him at once. Regardless of the danger, Bryant raised his own gun towards Alexander. Alexander ended the call and turned. He looked sad but still had a hardened resolve in his gaze. "Bryant."
"Alexander…" Alexander pulled out his own gun and trained it on Bryant. Bryant squeezed the trigger. Click. Bryant lowered his gun. "Empty." Alexander's face did not change.
"I'm surprised you didn't check before the party." A small smile broke through. "Always so trusting…I had hoped you would trust me still." The Strelet's put their weapons down and began to board the vehicles. Alexander however kept his gun trained on Bryant. "...last chance, Bryant. Don't make me do this." Bryant just nodded.
"Don't miss." Bryant said as he cracked a characteristic smile.
"I sure as hell won't." Another voice came from above them. The man from before appeared, holding a Sangvis rifle towards Alexander. Alexander sighed as the man fired a shot. The bullet blasted through Alexander, and he dropped onto the stone. The man lowered the rifle and looked towards Bryant. "Double tap?"
"...not this time." The two men exchanged a tense look before Bryant's communicator beeped. The armed man nodded and turned to leave and vanished within a moment. Bryant grabbed his communicator and sighed. "This is Bryant."
"Thank goodness you're safe. The final evacuation helicopter is going to be here in 10 minutes. Where are you?"
"By the base of the tower. I'm on the ocean side."
"Yulia?"
"KIA." Elaine was silent for a moment.
"Alexander?" Bryant turned to look at Alexander. He was laying still on the ground, a small puddle of blood forming under him.
"...I don't know." Bryant turned and began walking back towards the town. "I'll meet you in town."
"Okay…" Elaine sounded like she was holding back tears. It had been a stressful day. He was exhausted, she probably felt the same.
"So…want to grab a coffee? Yulia and I saw a cozy little shop when we landed."
"...Sounds good. I'll see you there." Bryant looked at the gun in his hand and tossed it down next to Alexander. He paused to give another look at the body before he started walking back into town. He had to wade across a small sandbar, and finally found a cozy little coffee shop on one of the lower terraces. Elaine was wrapped in a survival blanket, her hair and makeup ruined. Bryant felt the fatigue of the day catch up to him and he smiled. "...you look good." She found it funny.
"A shame that the shop is closed. At least the stars are out…"
"Closed, what do you mean?" Bryant said with a smile. He took off his mechanical arm and smashed it into the glass door of the shop. The glass shattered and Bryant stepped in. Elaine was shocked for a moment before she started laughing. "Shot and a spoon of honey, right?" She nodded and sat down inside while Bryant.
"I can't believe you remembered…It's been, what, fifteen years since you made coffee for me." She leaned against the table and rested her chin on her hands. "Reminds me of…you know…" She got quiet as the happy and sad memories mixed. Bryant finished working on the coffee and brought a cup to her. "Collector's mug?"
"On the house." Bryant said as he took a sip. The two of them sat in silence, waiting for the sounds of helicopter blades. The gentle roar of the waves drowned out the troubling thoughts of the past. Eventually, words and feelings held back for so many years spilled out. They talked until the helicopter came, and then all the way back to the safezone. At the end of their trip, they stepped out of the helicopter holding hands.