Angels with Newfound Hope

Act 1 Finale: Catastrophe

"Maybe we both can." A serious-yet-confident Bryce stepped next to Alex, his amber gaze bearing down on Reza.

"So now you show your true colors, eh?!" He barked at the two.

"I tried to talk it out with you." The stormy eyed brunette stepped forth, only being stopped with a revolver aimed for the head.

"Game's over. I have six bullets for just you two, and it looks like you're running on empty." Reza pointed to the pistol on Alex's thigh.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Both vigilante and chief said in unison. Cocky grins lay splayed across their faces.

"You really think you're going to get away with this? That this is worth dying for?" The taller human addressed the lone generator in an overconfident manner.

"I've already been risking my life for this daily for the last two weeks! What did you do during that time: sip champagne in your fancy apartment?! Besides, this generator and the whole building came from our time! They belong to humanity!" Reza screamed at the top of his lungs. At that time, the two others spotted a figure coming from the shadows. And Alex: he only saw his rifle in her hands.

"No, they belong to me." The hunter uttered once she was close enough. The hispanic whipped around to see the barrel right in his eyes. He yelped before sending a shot into her forehead, sending her to the ground sans mask. The taller human finally got a good look at her face. She was paler than him with dirty blonde hair. Behind the cloak was what looked to be an engineer's jumpsuit and shin-high combat boots. He didn't have much time to gawk, however, as Bryce charged for the maniac.

Alex drew his karambit right as Reza started firing. Four shots in and his dragon was down. The sight of Bryce on the floor in agony finally sent him over the edge. His vision went red as he pounced on... nothing?! That cop killer managed to dodge a well placed tackle, and was running away with one last warning shot.

"Bryce!" The only human left joined him on the floor. Blood seeped from the multiple bullet wounds as he inspected them. All were in the chest: not a good sign at all. "We need a medkit and- fuck! I don't have a-"

"Alex, go!" The dragon yelled in a panic.

"No! I'm not leaving you like this!" The smaller male shot right back. His hands frantically grasped behind his neck.

"Don't you hear that hissing?!" Now that he mentioned it, there was a new hissing in the air. "Get out of here before that generator blows!" Bryce dropped the bomb. Almost literally in this case.

"Fuck that! I'm not leaving w-" Alex was hushed instantly with a tearful, if heated kiss. Time grinded to a halt in that precious second. Too bad it was only one before the larger male tore himself away.

"Go! I'll take cover and meet you outside." With that, the chief shoved him away. In his sprint outside, the human shared one final look.

The explosion from that one generator shook the very earth to its core. And yet, the one thing louder to Alex...

"BRYCE, NO!" Was his own voice. He was thrown several meters from the lab into a heap. Even through multiple puncture wounds, The man hauled himself up and toward the one who caused all this.

Reza was at the portal reloading frantically when something barreled into him. He half expected it to have been Maverick with the sheer force of the chokehold. But right in above him stood none other than Alex. His stormy gaze was completely devoid of anything. It didn't last long, however, as the last thing the hispanic saw were his grass-stained thumbs.

"Aaagh! Aaagh! Help! Please someone!" The smaller human screeched, clawing at the phalanges invading his eye sockets. Not like it was of any use. The more he struggled, the harder Alex pressed until they finally broke through his skull. His thumbs dug into soft flesh as blood poured from the holes left.

"So you finally got him." A familiar low voice reached his ears as he got up. Not even a beat was skipped ignoring Maverick as the brunette bolted for the lab again. "Alex? Where are you going?!" The silver dragon called after him, following closely. They reached the caved-in entrance where the former immediately started ripping rocks easily half his size away.

"Are you going to stand there like an idiot or are you going to help me save your chief?!" The smaller male yelled for his help. With some effort, the pair got a hole just big enough for Maverick to squeeze through.

"Why didn't you-"

"Shut up and keep moving rocks away! I'm getting him." Alex barked before diving in...

Under the water was far more full of debris than he'd originally thought. Yet, even with reduced visibility and the threat of glass getting in his eyes, the vigilante pressed on. It didn't take long to find the crater the generator left. Even less to find the room Bryce tried to crawl to. His tail was just visible in the remains of the doorway. The wall had been blasted away completely, leaving nothing but shrapnel.

Once The brunette had a good hold on his dragon, he began kicking his way back. His lungs began screaming for air at every exertion. His body cried out in pain every passing second. Yet, he still continued. The pale moonlight of the entryway was finally visible amidst the wreckage. Just a few more seconds for him and...

Bryce emerged first with Alex following. Maverick looked over his boss as the smaller man coughed and gasped for air.

"Bryce... why?" The silver dragon questioned with heaving breaths.

"How bad... is it?" The brunette finally caught up, glazing over what remained of his favorite officer.

Bryce's back was peppered with various materials that shouldn't be there. Some remained between his wings, whilst others went through his stomach. A chunk of his left horn was missing as well. Not like his face fared any better, as those once beautiful eyes now hung open in eternal pain. Alex couldn't believe what was in front of his eyes.

"Bryce...? Bryce, please wake up." Mild shaking turned vicious as the man desperately clung to something that just wasn't there. "Don't do this. Don't you dare do this to me! What happened to 'I'll meet you outside'? Why didn't you come with me, you bastard?!" He yelled, slapping the fresh corpse out of frustration.

"Alex!"

"Why the fuck did you not even give me a chance?! I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

"Alex!" Maverick shook him out of his delirium. Now back to reality, the tears flowed more freely from Alex's dull eyes. He wrapped himself around the deceased dragon in a desperate plea for comfort.

But nothing came. Those iridescent brown scales never shifted. Bulging muscles never flexed, nor did eyelids even close. Bryce was gone. There was no coming back from this state.

"What happened down there?" The silver dragon standing over them managed his mourning down disturbingly well.

"W-we were going to confront Reza, but when Bryce showed u-up, he..." Alex trailed off, his own tears forcing their way back up.

"Stay with me. What happened?" Maverick snapped his claws to get attention again.

"He shot him... crippled him to the ground. I t-tried to get him but he shot the generator. Bryce, he... he told me to leave-"

"So you just left him there to die?!" Hearing that enraged the officer more than anything.

"No! I-"

"I knew I couldn't trust you bastards when you stuck your noses through that portal! His blood is on your hands because you got him involved in your matters! You were never on our side. It was your fight that you brought here, and he of all people got involved! Our world, your fucking battlefield!" Maverick yelled, slamming his tail into the human and sending him careening away.

"Will you just-"

"No, I'm done listening to you! All you ever did was hurt us, pretending to help!" The enraged male marched over and smacked him again.

"Ack! He asked me to help him! All I did was-"

"Don't fucking put words in his mouth! He's the only reason you're still breathing!" The officer roared, sending another blow into Alex's face and up to the portal. "You have one chance to go back to where you came before I kill you." His scaly face contorted into a snarl not previously thought possible. The smaller male only followed orders, bringing up the interface. Something seemed off about the coordinates, however. Not like he had time to meditate on it as Maverick slammed his fist down on the power button.

"Leave." Was all he said. The brunette was guided to the open portal, still grieving and misty-eyed.

"I never wa- Hrrk!" Alex felt the sheer ripping agony of teeth burying into his throat right as he and Maverick soared through. All was over as that accursed relic sealed shut for the final time...