15- Agio Oros
The two adventurers stared at one another, both of them taken aback.
"What did you just say?", asked Kurtis.
"It's you...", repeated the patriarch, whose gaze passed from Lara to Kurtis at full speed without stopping.
"What is it, brother Azarias?", said brother Giannis, who didn't seem to understand what was going on either.
Suddenly the patriarch turned around and walked over to Lara and Kurtis, grabbed them by one arm each, and led them out of the room with him. All the other monks watched them walk away, except for brother Giannis who rushed behind them. He tried once more to intervene, but brother Azarias stopped him with one hand.
"Stay here, Giannis. Make sure the monastery's defences are secure."
"What's going on?"
The patriarch finally stopped and turned to him.
"Do you remember what I taught you?"
The monk shook his head in confirmation.
"Then don't ask questions, just do what I say," Azarias replied, his eyes shining with both determined but visibly worried sparks.
Brother Giannis, somewhat resigned, nodded slowly and went to join his fellow companions. Lara and Kurtis exchanged another glance, and hastily followed brother Azarias who had resumed his walk and was already disappearing into another room, a little further down the hall. The Englishman and the American quickened their pace, Kurtis trying to put his shirt back on as best as he could.
"What is the meaning of this?", Lara suddenly shout as she tried to call out to the monk.
The old man did not answer. They entered the large refectory, with its rounded ceiling and dark wooden beams. At the far end, a dais carved from wood in simple patterns overlooked the long dining tables. The early evening light filtered through high windows with coloured panes. They walked to the very back of the room, before passing through another large wooden door. Behind it, they came to a small hall, similar to the one at the main entrance. Azarias then took a spiral staircase, again without waiting for the two adventurers, who were trying to keep up with him. They followed him up the stairs, which took them to the first floor.
"I thought we would have some more time, but it looks like time has finally come," they heard Azarias say as he entered an adjacent room.
"What the hell are you talking about?", Kurtis asked, now completely exasperated.
But the patriarch did not turn around, he was obviously lost in his thoughts. Lara and Kurtis followed him and then discovered a huge room, which served as a library. The place was extremely dark, the windows with their grey coloured tiles had been replaced by small, simple wooden windows, half hidden by the shelves covered with books that went up to the ceiling. The room smelled dusty and musty, and once again the smell of incense was very strong. Azarias walked up the long aisle of bookshelves and entered another room. There they found themselves in a rather small office, with a quite large wooden desk in the centre and a multitude of books and manuscripts spread out everywhere. It was a messy place. Although there was little light in the room, Azarias drew the curtains closed and lit some candles. He then invited the two adventurers to come forward and close the door behind them. The old man went to rummage through some papers, without paying any attention to the two adventurers. Unable to contain himself any longer, Kurtis walked up to the patriarch and called out to him.
"Okay Dumbledore, that's enough. Now it's time to tell us what's going on and what's got you in such a state."
The patriarch gasped and finally turned towards them. He watched them for a moment without a word, before finally taking his place behind the desk, slowly. He held a thick book in his hands and placed it in front of him. He had a shifty look in his eyes, as if he was hiding something from them.
"Your coming here is no coincidence, and neither is the reappearance of the glove," he began to explain softly.
He kept his gaze fixed on his hands, which lay flat on the big book, unable to look up at the two adventurers.
"Explain," Lara urged him, folding her arms across her chest.
Azarias sighed loudly, and ran a hand over his face. He invited the Englishman and the American to sit down opposite him. They did so.
"The Order of Agio Oros is an order that has existed for centuries, but whose existence has always been kept secret. We are the guardians of millennia of knowledge, some of the most valuable that humanity has ever known. In this, we have always been close to the Lux Veritatis, we have been brothers in arms for you. Our bond with you is undeniable."
He stared darkly into the mercenary's azure eyes, and the young man nodded softly.
"But unlike you, we are no fighting men. We are, if I may say so, intellectuals, guardians of knowledge. We too fight the forces of darkness, in our own way. We pass on and protect. And we have always done our utmost to ensure that this mission, which our ancestors have handed down to us over the centuries, continues."
Azarias then opened the book he had placed before him on the desk. To Kurtis' and Lara's surprise, the pages of the book revealed copies of the Obscura paintings.
"But we always knew that our mission did not end there. The evil forces of our world are constant, and they are present everywhere, no matter what we do. Our close connection to the Lux Veritatis has unfortunately proven this to us on several occasions, and has confronted us with the idea that we too must act. When the descendant of the knight De Combel came to us, when we realised the Nephili forces were at work again, we realised it was time for us to act so that the world would not be destroyed."
Azarias' fingertips stroked the colourful images in the book. Lara watched him warily. Beside her, Kurtis remained silent, also on the look out. The mercenary was watching the man from every angle, leaning against the back of his chair, arms crossed in a nonchalant attitude.
"You said you were looking for information about the Obscura paintings," said the patriarch, looking up at Kurtis.
"The Lux Veritatis did indeed call upon Jehan De Gruas to conceal Eckhardt's most powerful weapon," the American explained. "I know the original images of the paintings, those painted by Eckhardt himself, were replaced at the request of the Lux Veritatis by much more evil and black representations."
"That's right," the monk replied.
Kurtis uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, his hands crossed in concentration. His blue eyes shone brightly through his strands of hair.
"I had access to the grimoire Eckhardt kept until his imprisonment at Kriegler Castle," he said, staring straight at Azarias. "The alchemist was on the trail of an ancient source of power, presumably the source of the Devil's Hand's powers. And it may be that this source can be located through the paintings."
"Sorry, but I thought the five paintings were only meant to conceal the five basic elements of black alchemy."
"This was indeed the case. At least, that's what I thought too, until I got access to Eckhardt's notes and his grimoire. It seems that the Lux Veritatis had the original paintings covered up omitting certain details."
The mercenary then took out his own travel notebook and handed it to the patriarch. The man then discovered the quotes Kurtis had found on each painting, and his face suddenly turned extremely pale. His eyes ran over the lines at full speed, and the two adventurers could feel the man's stress.
"That's exactly what I feared...", he murmured.
"These extracts of text are part of a much more important, much more complete document, aren't they? What is it about, brother Azarias?"
But the man did not move, absorbed in the young man's travel diary. His attitude made Lara feel even more angry and deeply exasperated. Out of herself, she stood up and slapped her hand against the desk.
"In case you haven't noticed yet, we have a centuries-old weapon which is able to wipe out the world and all life forms with us. Don't you think we have anything better to do than listen to you grumble? Stop wasting our time," she said sharply.
Azarias recoiled, taken by surprise by the young woman's attitude. He tried to pull himself together. They saw him swallow with difficulty. Then he got up from his seat and started pacing back and forth behind his desk, absent-mindedly stroking his long white beard.
"We knew this moment would come," he murmured, once again ignoring the two adventurers.
"You knew Eckhardt's glove would be used even after the Nephili were destroyed?"
"Not exactly. But we knew that you would come here, and ask for our help."
"What are you talking about?", asked Kurtis cynically. "You didn't even recognize me when I introduced myself earlier."
"It's a little more complicated than that."
Azarias took a deep breath.
"As I explained before, the Agio Oros has been the guardian of certain knowledge throughout the centuries. We have gone through history and preserved it. Here, in our land, is something that even the Lux Veritatis does not know about, even though its fight is directly related to it."
Kurtis frowned.
"There is here, somewhere in the heart of our sacred mountain, a thousand-year-old sanctuary," the monk continued to explain at the adventurers' insistent gazes. "A shrine that was sealed at the request of the founding members of our Order, and has never been opened since. There are even rumours of legendary forces guarding what's locked up there. But I can't tell you more about it, unfortunately, no one has ever dared to go there."
"What d'you mean?", Kurtis asked, trying to insist.
"As I told you, this sanctuary is sealed, the members of our order are not allowed to enter. Our ancestors have kept what is there secret, and the few monks who have defied our laws and ventured in have never returned..."
"So, if I sum up correctly, you're telling us the Order of Agio Oros has kept a thousand-year-old weapon locked up right under our noses?", Kurtis told him in an more than ironic voice.
"I didn't say it was a weapon. And don't forget our mission is to protect the fate of the world and humanity," the patriarch replied coldly, staring the mercenary straight in the eyes.
"And what d'you think the Lux Veritatis was doing?", Kurtis hissed through clenched teeth.
"And what exactly does this shrine hide?", Lara suddenly asked as she sensed Kurtis was about to explode at anytime.
"That's for you to find out."
There was suddenly a monumental blank in the conversation. The two adventurers exchanged a quick glance, unable to hide their surprise.
"What?", Kurtis said, shaking his head as if he hadn't understand correctly.
"What do you mean 'that's for you to find out'? What is it supposed to mean, Azarias?"
"If you are the people we think you are, I can't tell you anything more at the moment," the monk replied mysteriously as he turned to Lara this time.
"What people? What the hell are you talking about?", Kurtis repeated, completely exasperated.
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything. But I think that part of the answers to your questions can be found in the sacred shrine."
The two adventurers exchanged another look, and could not help but let out a common cynical laugh. Lara leaned forward too.
"So, basically," she stated as she started feeling deeply fed up about all this nonsense, "you're telling us that we are supposed to go to a secret location somewhere around here. A dangerous and lost place that you obviously know nothing about, to retrieve an unknown object related to the Nephili, right?"
The brother looked at her, his face as pale as ever. She could read fear in his eyes.
"And so tell me, brother Azarias : at what point are we supposed to believe you exactly? Do you really think we are going to trust you that easily?"
Azarias swallowed with difficulty. He tried to take a look at Kurtis, from whom he obviously hoped to find some support, but the young man stayed still, silently waiting for his answers. The monk leaned a little more forward on his desk, his fingers intertwined nervously in concentration.
"I know it's a lot to ask, and I know that many of your questions remain unanswered. But you have to believe me when I say you're the only ones who are to find the answers, and they will be revealed soon."
"And will it allow us to find out how to destroy the glove at least?", the mercenary asked sharply.
The patriarch shook his head helplessly and pouted.
"Do you even know how to get to this sanctuary, and how to open it?", Lara said as she interrupted them once more.
There was another silence in the small office, during which the patriarch stood motionless, watching them both with panicked eyes. Then suddenly, and resignedly, he reached into the collar of his robe and pulled out a long gold chain, at the end of which hung a large medallion of chased gold with a big red stone. He turned the object several times in his hands, clearly concerned.
"The temple is hidden a few miles away from here, somewhere in the North-East of the peninsula. It was said once it was dug and built into the depths of the sacred mountain itself. But the road to it is long and dangerous, almost non-existent now. We have been passing the sanctuary's key from patriarch to patriarch for centuries, and we have been keeping the secret it holds to pass it to the Guardians in due time."
"The Guardians?", Kurtis asked with a frown.
Azarias fell silent again, his eyes fixed on his medallion.
"Your coming here is fraught with consequences, but we were prepared for this, we knew it would happen sooner or later. The war we hoped to avoid will eventually happen, but perhaps there is hope."
He finally looked up at the two adventurers, who seemed increasingly lost. The monk then handed the medallion to Kurtis.
"What's hidden in this mountain is undoubtedly linked to your fight. Only the chosen ones can get to the sacred mountain and find what's in there."
Kurtis shook his head slightly, obviously lost in his thoughts as he took the small medallion.
"So you're telling us we have no choice, right?", he then asked angrily.
Azarias stared at him, then at the young woman next to him.
"I promise you all will be revealed to you in time."
Lara took a deep breath of great exasperation, but didn't say a word of what she was thinking at that moment.
"Even in the darkest hours, the sky lights up," the monk whispered, his eyes fixed on the medaillon in Kurtis' hands.
Silence fell again in the small, dark room. The three of them looked at each other without a word, before Kurtis looked down at the medallion too.
"But I guess it will be easier to talk about it all tomorrow," Azarias added as he slowly stood up. "Let's wait until tomorrow, we'll talk about it and find a plan as to how to get to the sacred mountain and what we should do from now on. I suggest you get some rest for tonight, I think you really need it."
There was a moment of embarrassment, during which Azarias stood stupidly in front of them with his hands leaning on the desk. Fear had not left his eyes, and the two adventurers still felt his discomfort. They glanced at each other briefly, and realised they indeed had no other choice at the moment. Lara and Kurtis stood up in unison, but reluctantly. They followed the figure of Brother Azarias as he strode out of his office and disappeared into the huge library. They slowly made their way up the large, darkened hall and followed him back to the common rooms. Kurtis glanced again at the medallion he still held in his hand, and then at the adventuress, who walked with a confident step at his side, not exactly sure what to make of their meeting with brother Azarias.
—
After sharing a hot meal with the other monks in the large refectory, not without avoiding a more than strange atmosphere due to the presence of the adventuress among men who had always lived only among themselves, the two adventurers were led to the upper floors of the monastery, where the rooms and dormitories were located. Due to the exceptional situation, Kurtis and Lara were each given a small individual room, usually reserved for passing pilgrims. A monk accompanied them to their rooms, where they settled in for the rest of the night.
A silver moonbeam was shining through her room's small window. She could not stand still. The mattress of her wooden bed was extremely uncomfortable, and the small size of the room made her feel unease. The emptiness and darkness all around her was oppressive, she felt suffocated. She had the unpleasant feeling she was back in her cell in the Antarctica base.
She sat up hastily. Her gaze then fell on the bag that lay opposite her, on the table that served as a desk. She couldn't hold back a smile of satisfaction at the idea of having gotten her things back. She had found it there when she had arrived in the room, along with a few clean cloths, including a shirt that probably belonged to Kurtis, and an old pair of hiking trousers that had undoubtedly belonged to a previous pilgrim.
She got up and walked out, unable to stay cooped up any longer. She immediately found herself in the open air. The evening wind whistled through the arcanes of the wooden outer corridor, which was completely open to the outside, and formed terraces literally suspended along the monastery's facade, above the void and the cliff. She walked to the railing. Below her, the rough sea was pounding hard against the rocks. A few miles away, far on the horizon, she could see the lights of Dafni's small port, the only trace of life in this landscape empty of any civilisation. On the other side, Mount Athos had disappeared, swallowed up by the evening mists. When she lifted her head and breathed in the evening air, she took a moment to admire the starry sky shining in the clear, uncluttered night. She enjoyed the calm and serenity the sky full of stars brought to her.
The two adventurers had completely ignored each other and locked themselves in their respective rooms without even glancing at each other after the meal. But this somewhat uncomfortable silence suited Lara for the moment. She didn't feel like talking, not after what had happened. Her heart was far too heavy to pretend nothing had happened, and to forgive the mercenary so easily. She was far too proud.
She realized she had never felt so angry at him before, but she couldn't express how scorned, betrayed and especially offended she felt. She was definitely not a beginner. She had endured enough in her life to keep fighting, she was certainly not a fragile woman. She knew how to take care of herself and make decisions when necessary. And she was all the more angry with him because she knew everything could have been completely different. None of this would have happened if he had trusted her. It had failed them in the past, but she knew the mercenary was stubborn, perhaps just as stubborn as she was. Anger and contempt was the only reaction she could muster to his attitude, though even if she refused to admit it, she hated those moments when they no longer understood each other, and when the walls she had worked so hard to lower stood between them again.
She sighed, and massaged her aching neck. She had never felt so exhausted, and so alone. She suddenly felt the weight of the past years falling on her shoulders. All those missions, all those enemies, all those forces of evil she had faced. She had thrown herself with all her might into the fight, and she didn't count anymore all the times she had thought she had been close to be impaled or crushed to death. And that time when she had actually died, buried under the rubble of the pyramid of course. Where she had left a part of herself forever. But even in those darkest times, she had always managed to cope, she had always known how to cope. But this time it was different. She was facing an event that went against everything she had experienced before. She was facing the unknown, and this body that had betrayed her. She felt emptied of all emotion, as if sucked into nothingness. She didn't even know what she was supposed to feel actually. Anger, resentment, pain, sadness, injustice, fatalism? Or maybe nothing at all? She wasn't even sure to remember what had happened and why they had come to this.
Of course you know
And so did Kurtis.
She raised her gaze, which had unconsciously go down towards her lower abdomen, and contemplated for a moment the immensity of the sea in front of her. For a second, she lost herself in remembering the American's skin under her fingers, and his lips on hers, and remembered the warmth of his body against hers. Nonetheless she forced herself to push all those thoughts away, because the more she thought about it, the more relieved but strangely just as broken she felt. And regarding the words he had said to her…
There was a metallic noise, which startled her, and the door to the next room opened. Kurtis suddenly appeared, a cigarette stuck between his lips. He too walked to the railing, and was startled to find the adventuress here. He could not help but raise his eyebrows, and their eyes met for a brief moment. There was a sort of uneasiness, one not knowing how to react to the other.
"Thank you for the bagpack," Lara simply said after several minutes that seemed endless. "And for the clean clothes," she added, glancing helplessly at the white toga she was wearing, which Brother Azarias had graciously lent her.
She saw the mercenary take a drag on his cigarette and nod his head with an almost infinitesimal movement, his gaze wavering.
"I managed to get it back before we left the base, I hadn't had a chance to give it to you yet. And as for the shirt, I know it's not really your style, but I thought it might help."
Lara saw a wry smile begin to form at the corner of the mercenary's lips, but she was not in the mood to laugh.
"I'll deal with it," she told him coldly.
The young man's gaze fell on her and pierced her with all its purity. Lara's large brown eyes watched the features of the young man's tired face, so attractive and mysterious, and yet so hostile, so hard at times. Her own face expression remained closed, impervious to any emotion. She did not want him to see, for maybe she didn't want to see the kind of battle that was raging inside herself. She didn't want this already too deep crack to grow.
Kurtis exhaled the smoke from his cigarette, and their eyes lost sight of each other for a moment. As a final provocation, and surely because she just wanted to put an end to this moment of extreme discomfort, Lara lifted her chin in a slightly arrogant manner and turned her head away abruptly. She turned around and disappeared into her room without another word.
—
He had closed his eyes, but he already knew he would not be able to sleep. He could feel the aches and pains slowly taking over his body as he tried to find a comfortable position in the battered mattress. But above all, he did not feel serene. He tried to focus on his breathing, hoping to calm himself, but he couldn't shut out the incessant noise of his thoughts.
He slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the wooden ceiling for a long moment, before finally sitting up. It was dark in the room, but he could see the clear night outside, the light of the moon was filtering through the window. He stood up, and reached into his bag for a cigarette and his lighter. The door creaked strangely as he opened it.
He walked casually to the railing. He reached for his lighter and lit the cigarette, but suddenly felt observed. When he turned his head, he discovered with surprise that Lara was there too, taking the fresh evening air. They looked at each other without a word for a few moments, as if waiting for a reaction from the other.
"Thank you for the bagpack," the adventuress said eventually.
Kurtis blew out the smoke he had just swallowed. He shrugged a shoulder in a modest gesture.
"And for the clean clothes," she added, looking down at the oversized toga she was wearing.
She looked like she'd just come out of an asylum in that outfit, which didn't fail to make the young man smile. This was a very spontaneous reaction, because he found her attractive and beautiful anyway, whatever the circumstances. But seeing her cold and instant gaze on him, brought him back to reality. He pushed all those bitter thoughts away as a big feeling of melancholy rose deep inside him.
"I managed to get it back before we left the base, I hadn't had a chance to give it to you yet," he replied. "And as for the shirt, I know it's not really your style, but I thought it might help."
"I'll deal with it."
The young woman shook her head gently. Her brown eyes, full of conflicting emotions, met his. And they just stayed there, staring at each other, unable to utter a word, or perhaps because they were both too proud to make the first move. Kurtis' heart clenched in his chest as Lara finally turned away from him, her eyes icy with contempt. He watched her turn her back on him, and go back to her room without being able to hold her back.
The American turned away too, and took a long drag on his cigarette. He then exhaled slowly, as if the smoke coming out of his body would help him get over the embarrassment he was feeling too. He rested his elbows on the railing, thoughtful.
The words had come out of his mouth without him being able to control them. He was not ashamed, not at all actually, though he felt strangely kind of vulnerable now. But more than the words themselves, the adventuress' reaction had humiliated him, and had pushed him to the very depths of his innermost being, as if her rejection had caused a thousand cracks ready to burst and shatter him at any moment.
It was hard, maybe even terrifying to love a woman like Lara. He had understood this from the very first moment he had crossed her path. And he knew he would not go unscathed no matter what he did, but he had fully accepted it now. Because when he thought about it, there was nothing he could do against it anyway. He knew whatever wounds she would cause in him were so deep he would never recover. It was like living with a sharp knife in the heart, which cut him deeper every time he made a move.
Because that was what Lara was, she was a real paradox. She was the epitome of delicate femininity and beauty, but as intelligent and strong as no one else will ever be in this world. She was this wild rebel who was not afraid to go to battle and fight to the death if need be. She was the chaotic soul who crossed boundaries without hesitation, who knew her worth and demanded to be treated as such. She was definitely the kind of woman who wasn't afraid to face anyone who stands in her way, even the people she loved, and that was what made her so dangerous in a way. Kurtis knew it, but he also knew he was willing to take that risk even if it meant to let her go. He perfectly knew what it had cost her to let him come into her world, and he knew he couldn't force her to stay by his side. Not that she was his of course, he would never consider her as such actually, for he respected her too much. But he had realised it had been quite easy for him to stop fighting the obvious connection between them and all it implied, even in the most complicated sides of their relationship.
Lara was all this, and he totally knew his actions decided which side of the woman he would see. And now, he saw in her eyes exactly what he had been afraid of ever seing in them: rejection and contempt.
He had found himself in perilous and more than unpleasant situations, both physically and morally speaking. But this was perhaps the worst situation he had experienced of all. He had foolishly believed he could change things and keep control of them. Deep down, he had really believed it. What they had been through was the worst pain for him. And his only hope of building a peaceful future was gone, all because of him. He could only take the blame. The sky, so blue, had suddenly darkened above him. His dark thoughts were slowly returning, as if he had not woken up from a nightmare. As if he was irrevocably drawn to the darkest depths. There was no escape, and he knew it was his fault. He was unable to get rid of the feeling of guilt that was inside him. She was close to him again and yet seemed so out of reach right now. And that made him sick.
He took another drag on his cigarette and let the smoke evaporate into the air. After a last breath of fresh air, he turned around and went back to his little room, his heart full of bitterness.
—
She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to find a comfortable sleeping position. As she had done a few hours before, she glanced out the window. The moon was much lower, but the night was still dark. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Or at least her mind and thoughts wouldn't leave her in peace. She pushed back the blanket and sat up, sighing loudly. Her gaze immediately fell on her backpack, which lay on the table opposite the bed. After a moment's hesitation, Lara finally got up and began to dress.
—
ANTARCTICA, THE DAY BEFORE
It took her no more than a few seconds to come back to her senses. She felt the cold of the ground against her skin, her whole body was protesting in pain. Above her head, the sirens kept blaring, and their flashing red light made her head hurt even more than it already did.
She sat up slowly. She heard people shouting in the corridor and she saw some men running around, weapons in hands. She crawled over to Tobias, who lay a few feet away. He was still unconscious. A large, dark red streak spread across much of his face.
"Tobias!"
The Norwegian grunted and began to move slowly as his wife shook him by the arm. There was a violent jolt, which shook the walls around them. A cloud of dust and rubble broke from the ceiling and fell on them. Miranda had just enough time to protect herself with one arm. When the tremor had finally passed, she straitened up and tried to take a look around. Their cell was upside down, several pieces of furniture had been smashed. Her eyes looked at the shattered glass on the floor nearby, and at the safe's open door, there was nothing left in it. Her heart clenched in her chest.
She felt movement beside her. Several henchmen had just entered the room, and were rushing at them. They helped Miranda to her feet and then grabbed Tobias to carry him. The man was slowly coming back to his senses, but was still a blur. His bloodied face twisted in pain as one of the men helped him to his feet.
"We need to get you out of here urgently, ma'am."
Miranda shook her head stupidly, unable to say a word. Before she could react, a man dragged her out of the devastated cell. In the corridor, another group of soldiers rushed in the opposite direction, their assault rifles already loaded and ready to fire. A little further on, soldiers were busy taking away equipment and various samples. Miranda watched them work in bewilderment. She let the men take her further into the base, still keeping an eye on Tobias, who continued to doze as he tried to walk.
There was a terrible metallic noise, followed by another tremor, much more violent than the previous one. The whole group was thrown off balance, and nearly stumbled as a deafening noise echoed around them. The lights went out for a few seconds before finally coming back on. Miranda looked around in panic. The man holding her grabbed her a little tighter and pushed her forward, forcing her to walk without stopping. Suddenly they heard footsteps behind them. Men were running and coming back towards them.
"They are all dead!", someone shouted.
"Who's dead?", the half-breed asked in panic.
She twisted to try to turn around, but the soldiers holding her stopped her.
"We have to go, ma'am."
Suddenly, Miranda saw Saija's frail figure pushing her way through the soldiers. The young woman, also out of breath, had a serious head injury.
"The American has sealed off the western access. They are trying to escape through the hangars," she said hurriedly to her boss.
The two women looked at each other for a short moment, before Miranda nodded slowly and reluctantly. She suddenly seemed to regain some of her composure.
"Evacuate the base," she said coldly, turning to her men. "Code Red."
The man beside her nodded vigorously and motioned to the men standing nearby. They ran off and spread out before disappearing further into the corridor.
"Take him to the shuttle," she said, addressing the men who were looking after Tobias. "I want everyone upstairs in ten minutes. Leave all those who won't be there behind."
She watched as the two men carried her husband away amidst the continuous din of the alarms. Then, without warning, she suddenly turned round and started to run. Saija, taken by surprise, ran after her to try to stop her.
"What are you doing?!", she shouted, but the half-breed ignored her completely.
They went up the tunnel and took a corridor to the right. Saija realized Miranda was returning to her quarters and cell. She saw the half-breed rush in. By the time she reached the doorway, the half-breed had disappeared into the small room that served as her safe, somewhere at the back of the bedroom. She heard her mumbling incomprehensible things, as if she was struggling with something. Miranda seemed to be searching for something in the broken glass, before she finally stood up. She was holding something in her tightly clenched hands. A small vial, with a silvery blue liquid. Without paying the slightest attention to the young Norwegian, Miranda crossed the room and ran out, this time heading for the labs. The assistant followed her lead, struggling to hide the stress that was taking hold of her.
"Miranda! This is crazy! We have to go now!"
But once again, the half-breed ignored her completely. She rushed into one of her labs, and just as quickly came out with a big old book under her arm. Saija shook her head in annoyance as the half-breed returned to her, this time hopefully to head for the emergency exits.
"Let's not waste any more time, we have to go!"
"Yes, I-"
She could not finish her sentence. All around them, the lights suddenly went out and the alarms went off. They were plunged into darkness and stopped running. An unsettling silence settled over the base. For a moment, the only sound they heard was each other's breathing. They gasped as the neon lights above their heads came back on in a faint red glow, which indicated the emergency generators had been switched on. Then the earth suddenly began to shake violently beneath their feet. There was a resounding sound, as if the base were cracking wide open. Both women lost their balance and stumbled. Miranda let out a cry of surprise as the vial she was holding slipped from her hand. She saw the object roll a few feet away, and literally threw herself forward to catch it. Just as her hand closed over it, a huge block of stone fell from the ceiling. Luckily, Saija had just enough time to grab her and pull her back, narrowly saving Miranda from the stone that shattered into pieces against the floor. A mixture of dust and gas began to fill the space. The air had become unbreathable. The young assistant tried to get her boss to her feet, but another jolt threw them off balance. They both fell forward. A whole pile of stones and metal spilled out right in front of Miranda. She scrambled backwards, avoiding another block of stone that had just fallen from the ceiling. She heard Saija scream in pain as a metal beam fell on her, pinning her legs. Miranda glanced desperately at her and then take a look around. She felt the ground literally open up beneath them, and the red lights disappeared one by one. A terrifying roar rose from deep within the earth. The two women exchanged one last look, and everything went black.