Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I just finished chapter 16, and still didn't quite wrap it up, so now it looks like this story will be 18 chapters total! It just kind of keeps going on and on! Thank you so much Rain, Fiery Feral, and Mayra! I'm so glad you're enjoying the cliffhangers! :) Not quite as much of one this time, but more are coming...! Rain, glad you liked the description of Brennan so much! Kerry, August, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! Cristina, Lucy, I am honored by your words, thank you. I hope the story continues to please! Thank you all for sharing your time with me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Things More Beautiful—Chapter Eight
Shalimar looked up at Brennan. He hovered over her, blocking the worst of the falling debris. She was in the hallway, the shattered wall lying around her dotting the ground. She'd been blown through it. She struggled to think as adrenaline surged, and she fought an agonizing internal battle of wills.
"Shalimar!" Brennan's hands anxiously cupped her face. "Are you ok?"
She struggled to nod, ears ringing with a white noise that surrounded and swallowed her. She fought the nausea to turn her head.
It had exploded. The back wall of the lab had blown out. Part of the front wall had collapsed into the void. It was a blackened shell with a glowing red flame flickering in the heart of the destruction. The fire was beginning to spread.
She was left lying on the ground as Brennan rolled off of her, gagging. She fought the waves of pain and fear as she struggled to get to his side. She tried to push herself up, but fell again, hard.
Brennan fought to keep focused. The pain in his shoulder was not yet a broken bone, but it was agonizing just the same. He realized he was face-down, the only thing visible the flickering light of flames and the edges of something wooden. Where was Shalimar? He fought against the panic. The desire to live was incredible.
There was a gas line feeding the flames, and the fire was growing in intensity. As more and more material and carpet ignited, the smoke became denser. The only thing working in their favor was the way the structure had settled. There was a wind tunnel effect coming through, pushing the smoke back into the laboratory and keeping the air near the floor clear. It created an odd explosion of sparks upward as the humid dampness in the air snapped and popped as it was blown into superheated air.
Shalimar's shaking fingers wrapped around his arm, and he groaned, turning his face towards hers. She tried to smile, but it came out more a grimace, her teeth shockingly white in her gritty face. His own lips peeled back, and he winced at the pull of skin. The heat was starting to make him feel like he was getting a sunburn.
"It was a good painting. My gift to Dr. Luka. It's been a long time since I painted, but the skill returns." The voice rasped from the wrong side of the room.
Brennan froze.
He looked across Shalimar and into the dark hallway where the only light came from the reflected flames.
The man turned on a flashlight. He stood in the apex of the wind tunnel, the hot air and sparks blowing toward and swirling around him. Riley. Brennan took a deep breath and suppressed the emotion that surged as the horrible reality was confirmed. He had started the fire.
"The painting haunted the doctor in the end. I wanted him to know he was going to die, wanted to make him feel the same thing he made me feel."
Brennan wanted to reply, but couldn't afford to get drawn into the pain the man was feeling. He heard a shrill hiss and knew the gas line was building toward another explosion. He was not going to let Shalimar be stuck in it.
She had turned her head and was silently watching the crazed mutant, a tear leaving tell-tale marks as it streaked down her dirty cheek.
"Why?" Her whispered word made them pause.
Riley's arms stopped their wild gesturing, and he paused mid-sentence. He shuddered, his expression looking almost pained. "You remind me of my wife. She was beautiful too." His arms fell to his side.
Brennan sucked in a painful breath as he forced himself up on his knees, encouraged when Riley didn't even seem to notice the movement.
"You were married?" Shalimar kept him talking.
"I had a family." His voice was hoarse, hard to hear above the crackling of the flames. "A beautiful family. We were supposed to be cured, so we could be together always. He promised."
Brennan suppressed the urgent need to cough, and he dropped back down to the floor, sucking in great mouthfuls of the slighter clearer air.
"Stabilization?" Shalimar's hand reached behind her to land on Brennan's back as she kept talking. Brennan could feel her trembling fingers through his shirt. She was fighting to keep control.
"He killed us, robbed us of life." His eyes gleamed manically, and Shalimar's fingers dug further into Brennan's shoulder. "I had to stop him, don't you see?"
"I—I do." Shalimar licked her cracked lips.
At his feet, Brennan felt a stir of movement and looked down to see Chester licking his boots. Chester! Relief flooded through him. He reached down and tangled his fingers in the dog's matted fur and she eagerly licked his fingers, cleaning them. He cleared his throat.
"Riley, let us help you. We can—"
"Shut up!" Riley shouted coldly. "It's too late for that."
The gas line hissed again.
Brennan's hand again reached out and grabbed hold of Shalimar's elbow, pulling them back. The rubble shifted and Brennan got his feet knocked out from under him. He landed hard atop Shalimar and rolled.
The dragon lashed out.
Brennan felt agonizing heat brush his face.
Shalimar grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him up again. Brennan struggled to his feet, pushing Shalimar ahead of him, but she turned back around, reaching out her hand to Riley.
"Come on!"
"Not this time."
Brennan heard a snapping crack.
"Riley—"
The man turned back into the burning lab.
They wanted to dive after the man; it was evident in both their tortured gazes. Riley had made his decision, and it was agonizing to realize they didn't have the time to change it. Brennan prayed for words, but none came. He closed his eyes, turned, and struggled to get across the rubble. Shalimar whimpered, but followed, scooping Chester into her shaking arms.
One minute later they were breathing clearer air as they stumbled out of the east wing.
A second explosion ripped through the building.
Brennan's hand shoved her hard an instant before something struck a glancing blow on her shoulder, and she went down, the world exploding around with flames and weight, burying her, pinning her.
She was burning. She screamed as she realized she couldn't move. The debris was crushing her. Nerves tingled, and she coiled into her mind against the agonizing panic. She was dying. She fought the fear and pain. She wanted to live. Oh, she wanted so badly to live. She strained to try and move.
"Shalimar!"
The yell was the most blessed sound she had ever heard. "Brennan—" She couldn't seem to think. "Get me out!"
"Hold on, I'm coming, Shal!" Debris began to move from near her face. He strained against the beam pinning her.
Agonizing time passed. He couldn't move it.
There was a moment in time when she felt the weight move and then it settled back. She was going to die here. She gasped for air. Brennan was going to die here too because he wouldn't leave her, because she didn't have the strength to get free.
Smoke began to fill the hallway.
Brennan started kicking the beam pinning her.
A good life, and she hadn't enjoyed it nearly as much as she should have. Air grew sparse and consciousness was fading.
Her head was abruptly turned and heat hit her face as Brennan desperately closed his lips around hers, breathing into her.
"Breathe, Shal, Breathe," he ordered, choking to say the words as he got as low to the floor as he could.
She coughed, sputtering, lungs heaving for air. They were both going to die here. She wanted so desperately to at least be able to tell him good-bye. The tears were choking her so hard she couldn't get the words out.
He grabbed her free hand and squeezed her fingers. "Please, Shal. Fight. Fight for us." Brennan was crying.
She used what strength she had left to squeeze his hand back, pulling it back to the beam. He got the message, and gasping, scrambled back to his knees, again straining with all his might against the beam. She took a deep breath and gave a mighty heave, slowly pushing herself up. The beam creaked, groaned, and slid off her, scraping her tender back.
She was free.
Shaking arms collapsed under her, and she cried, breathing in deep, choking breaths as she felt Brennan throw her forcibly over his shoulder. He stumbled, hissed a painful air through clenched teeth, and rose again.
Two minutes later, they were breathing cool night air, collapsing face first into the pavement.
Consciousness came back slowly, and he was aware he was on his back on something soft. Movement fluttered by him, and then a soft, relieved voice spoke.
"You look horrible."
Brennan struggled to open his eyes. He ached everywhere. He squinted against bright sunlight. "Shal."
"You've got a fire sunburn."
He gave a painful smile. Her hand touching his was so tentative it felt like a feather. "So do you," He whispered.
"So I do."
They smiled at each other.
The relief was incredible.
"Thanks for getting me out."
"You got yourself out."
She shook her head, running her fingers through his filthy hair. "I love you so much." She buried her face in his shoulder for a moment, before pressing trembling lips against his. "I wanted to live so badly, Brennan."
"I know." His hand rose shakily from his side and landed on the back of her head. "You did, Shal, you did."
She smiled tumultuously at him, giving him one more kiss before resting her cheek against his chest, listening to him breathe.
They were silent for long moments, and then Brennan roused himself from his sleepy state. "Where are we?" His voice was hoarse from the smoke.
"Still on the island."
"Damn."
She chuckled softly. "Tell me about it." She raised her head as he struggled to sit up, looking around him and recognizing the outskirts of the Dominion campus. They were in a modest hut building and bright sunlight poured down, showing the devastation left by the fire. The entire building was ravaged.
"We're in the old maintenance quarters." Shalimar explained slipping under Brennan's shoulder and helping him as he stood on shaky feet. "Only a handful of people survived, Brennan. So many—" She swallowed hard. "So many lost."
His arm was heavy across her, offering warm comfort. "We should call Jesse and Lexa, have them come get us."
"I tried, Brennan. Our rings are still unable to make contact."
Their eyes met in awareness.
"Do you think--?"
"Probably." She pressed her lips together. "We're on our own again."
"They'll come looking for us. All we have to do is make our way back to the airstrip. We're almost home, Shal."
She nodded.
Although they tried not to, their gazes were inexplicably drawn out the window and up to the smoking volcanoes behind them.
It wasn't over yet.