So, everything has an end, my story also. Thank you.
epilogue
The explosion shook the ground nearly cutting them down their legs. The roar of crumbling structures, hiss and screech of fire from hot curling steel stunned Alfred. He couldn't see, because of smoke. He pulled Alice, trying to avoid the burning fragments scattered around the building.
"Run! Run! Damn it!" He screamed at staggering Kirkland. Behind them was a roar of the next explosion, flames soaring into the sky with the clouds of thick smoke.
Alice shouted something, Alfred turned to her, when the big antenna collapsed on the ground. They fell down on the ground. The hot metal pieces sprinkled them.
Jones heard only ringing. He rose on his elbows and looked around wildly. A few yards in front of him laid Alice who pressed her hands to the still bleeding wound in her stomach. The material of her trousers began to burn.
Alfred crawled to her and got up with difficulty to his knees. With bare hands he tried to stifle the nascent flame on Alice pants. Ringing in his ears didn't stop.
"Hold on! Help will be here for a second!" He said through his teeth.
Alice moved her lips, but Jones didn't understood.
"What did you say? I can't hear you."
Kirkland coughed. From her mouth came out blood.
"Alice!"
Alfred felt Alice's hand on his arm and saw her urgent look. She said something again.
"Don't speak. It is harmful for you…" Jones felt panic attack. Where the hell is help? Why they haven't arrived yet?
Kirkland said again, two words which pierced through the intrusive ringing.
"She lives…"
O
"Jones, are you listening?"
Alfred suddenly opened his eyes.
He was in his boss office, not near the antenna of BraginskyNet. Before him , behind the desk was sitting his boss, not Alice. Alice was dead.
After a long conversation, Alfred left the office and headed to his room, in which he used to work with Yao. Suddenly he changed direction and went outside to the nearby park. He sat on the bench. He breathed deeply.
The city, thanked to the extraordinary cooperation of inhabitants, was slowly returning to the normality. After a big explosion, which took place in the center two weeks ago, several buildings were destroyed in an industrial area. Braginsky's broadcasting tower collapsed. Lack of access to the network, which had benefited many urban instructions and private byers, paralyzed the city. Anya Braginsky assured the press that everything will be repaired as soon as it was possible. On the question, if the terrorist attack was aimed at her and her company, she didn't replied.
Alfred sighed. If Alice didn't separate the main detonator in time, probably the whole city wasn't existed anymore. She managed to minimalize the damages.
Why did she do that? In the end she wanted to "clean" the city… She made bombs using her experience from her old work. So why? Alfred didn't know. Perhaps Alice understood that she couldn't change the city using such methods. Or maybe she realized that Honda had used her, cheated and sentenced to death. What was the real reason, Alfred didn't know. Alice had died on the way to the hospital, taking her secrets with her.
All except one.
Alfred stood and dusted his jeans. Yes, he had reason to go. Alice managed to give him one last message and told him about person he thought was long death.
"Wait for me, Madeline." He thought, moving back to his office. "I will find you soon."
O
"Watch, where you go, idiot!" Sophie stood at hospital parking and turned when she heard familiar voice. Felix yelled, shaking his fist at the driver who didn't notice him and almost hit.
"Felix!" Sophie called him. He noticed and went to her.
"Sophie it is good to see you. Do you go to hospital?"
"Yes, I wanted to visit Susana. How are you?"
Felix after the recent events had become a hero, or at least he thought that. She met him several times in Police office, where they both gave the explanations. There she learnt that Toris and Felix tried to stop detonation and rescued the company. She didn't suspect that he could be such a good man and helped Anya.
"I am fine. I became to being unemployed."
"What?"
"Anya fired me. I am not surprised. I would fire the person who hit me by a chair in the head."
"But you and Toris saved the company…"
"So she wanted to accuse me of assault, so I told her that I will accuse her for beating. I think she was scared about her opinion, so she paid me a huge sum of money. So I can live quite good."
"And Toris?"
Felix frowned a little.
"He is still working for Anya. He is fool after all. He still thinks that Natalia… Anyway it doesn't matter. It is his case, this time I don't care."
They started walking towards hospital.
"It is shame that Toris didn't go away. I have an idea for business. I will do it with Eduard and with Ravis."
They reached the hospital entrance.
"And you?" Felix asked. "Did you decide, what will you do?"
Sophie was looking through the glass door. She knew what Felix was talking about. She sighed and looked at him with a smile.
"Yes, I think so."
O
Sophie went to the floor where the Susana's room was. She was going home today. Susana was busy with an intensive rehabilitation. In front of the room she met Tina and Peter.
"I came here to help Susana with packing and dressing." Tina said when they greeted. "We have a lot work to do at home."
"I heard that Susana is practicing very hard."
"Yes, she began to speak, it is just a few words and it is still hard to understand, but doctor said that after a long rehabilitation, she will be speak almost fluently."
"How is your arm?" Sophie asked.
"Oh, it is just a scratch."
"But you fainted like a small girl who is afraid of blood." Peter said, but he was smiling.
"Peter!"
The boy laughed. Then he opened the door and greeted loudly with his mother.
Sophie patted Tina's shoulder.
"Congratulations, Peter convinced to you."
O
Gilbert was waiting for her outside the hospital.
"Are you ready?" He asked. When she nodded they went to the parking. There was Luise's car. From the distance she saw waving Feliciano.
"Somehow, I am afraid of going with your sister." She said.
"Come on, she is a great driver, for sure better than me."
"I don't trust you both."
When two weeks ago Feliciano was kidnapped, Luise in exchange for information about meeting with Sadik learnt from Lovina where was headquarter of Honda. Then for the first time in two years she came out from her apartment and she used the car, which long ago bought her, her colleagues from police. The car was adapted for disabled, but Luise didn't use it earlier. She managed to go to city without killing anyone. She only hit one person. Kiku Honda. The Japanese was leaving his building around them were some of his men.
"Luise and her old friends went there together. As Honda pulled out the gun and started shooting, my sister lost control of the steering wheel and hit the Japanese." Gilbert reported to Sophie. "Then he fell and hit his head hard on the pavement. The police caught him and his men."
"How is Feliciano?" She asked wanting to tear thinking about travelling with Luise. "We know something about Lovina?"
Gilbert sighed.
"Feliciano looks calm. I would say too calm for a person whose sister disappeared with the suspect half dead Spaniard."
"How it is possible that the patient in Antonio's state, who was watched by police just ran away? Lovina also managed to disappear and nobody noticed it until Feliciano didn't ask."
"I know, I was asking here and there. Swiss said that information would be cost a lot of money."
Sophie smiled.
"This explains a lot, especially why Feliciano is so calm."
"I doubt that Antonio will be all right, in his state…"
"Who knows…"
In the silence they approached the car. Young Vargas greeted them cheerfully and Luise nodded.
"Why don't you praise yourself?" Gilbert threw to his sister.
"Why should I?"
"Happy news, Luise decided to come back to work." Gilbert quickly explained.
"Really?" Sophie asked.
"Yes." Luise was a little embarrassed. "Maybe not to work, but I will be a consultant. I am tired of sitting at home."
Feliciano slid his hand into Luises and clenched fingers. German woman blushed as Sophie smiled.
"You should go." Gilbert said. "You don't want to miss your departure."
"Yes, I don't want." Sophie said. "Goodbye, Gilbert."
"Goodbye."
She got in the car and they went to the airport. Gilbert stood on the parking.
O
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Gilbert heard surprised Daniel's voice.
"I should ask you the same." He muttered. "Why aren't you with her in the plane to Austria?"
Daniel stared at him.
"Sometimes you are really stupid…" He said bitterly. "Don't you see that you won your stupid contest or you just wanted to play with her and leave?"
"What?"
"All right, I will tell it slow, she loves you."
"But…"
"No buts, we talked, a lot recently and you know she said that she is leaving, because you didn't wanted to talk with her like civilized person, that you don't have time and so on. I love her, you know that, but she chooses you and I cannot do anything, but for God's sake you can! You can go with her to Austria, she found work in some orchestra… But we must hurry up and go to the airport. Come on, my car is repaired, I will give you a ride."
When on Gilbert's face appeared an understanding, they ran to Daniel's car and quickly went to the airport.
They ran into waiting room, nearly tripping over a group of children, desperately searching for her.
"Gilbert, there!" Daniel cried waving to him. On the right side of entrance, holding a small suitcase was Sophie. She stared surprised at the man who was walking towards her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked when he stood before her. Slowly she put her suitcase on the plastic chair.
Gilbert wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. Suddenly Daniel approached them.
"You came here with him?
"Yes."
"You both shouldn't…"
"Gilbert wants to tell you something."
"I…" Gilbert mumbled.
"Or maybe I should to it for you?" Daniel asked teasingly.
"All right, all right, I want to talk with you, Soph… Alone." He gave Daniel a dirty look. The Hungarian only smiled, kissed Sophie on the cheek and went away.
"What do you want? I am a little bit in hu…"
She couldn't finish the sentence, because of Gilberts' lips, which were on hers. She tried to push him away but he didn't allow it. After a few seconds she calmed a little. They broke the kiss, Gilbert however was still wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"You don't have to fly." He said leaning his forehead on her shoulder. At this time was announced departure to Austria. Gilbert pressed her harder to himself. Finally she put her hands on his shoulders, he looked into her eyes.
"Fly with me." She said and kissed him softly. She touched his face gently. Surprise was painting in his eyes. She broke from the embrace and slowly headed to her gate.
"Soph!" Gilbert called her. They both ran towards each other. He hugged her one more time. They kissed. He took her face into his hands. "I will fly to you, okay? Wait for me."
Sophie kissed him without hesitation.
"I will wait." She whispered and finally went to her gate.
O
On the path, in the park which belonged to the mental hospital was heard some noise, something like body which hit the ground. The girl who was sitting on the bench jumped up scared.
"Who is there?" She asked, looking at the figure sprawled on the path, which with some difficulties was trying to get up.
"Oh, sorry." The young woman said and finally stood up and brushed the dust. "I tripped."
The girl on the bench was tightly wrapped in a thick sweater. She looked curiously at the stranger. She didn't saw that girl here earlier, maybe it was a new patient.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"A gardener. May I sit down?" The girl asked and smiled. She nodded. "I have worked here for two years, but we didn't meet."
When she presented, the gardener was surprised.
"Are you the sister of this Braginsky? It is a very respected woman."
She nodded.
"What is your name?"
A woman frowned. Slowly removed her glasses and rubbed them with her jumper.
"It may be stupid, but I don't remember."
"You don't remember?"
"Doctor Bonnefoy claimed amnesia. The woman who brought me here said that my name is Madeline."
The girl looked at Madeline curiously.
"Do you remember, why are you here, Madeline?"
"No, but I suspect, that I had some serious accident. A fire or something like that… I have scares on my body from burns, but I don't remember any fire. Sorry I shouldn't talk about such things."
Both were silent for a moment, they listened the sound of wind in the crown of the trees.
"The woman who brought you here… she did not know anything about your past?" She said suddenly.
"I don't know. She is a friend of the doctor. She only told that I have to wait. Doctor allowed me to work here since I am waiting."
"Doctor Bonnefoy is a good man."
"Yes, but today he was very worried, apparently he got some bad news. He looked like he lost someone.. I have never seen before that his hands trembled."
"Maybe it was someone who he loved, or he was waiting for…?"
"Maybe…"
Again they were silent for a moment.
"I am waiting." Said the girl staring straight ahead. "I will wait until my sister visit me. And you, what are you waiting for Madeline?"
Madeline broke away from her thoughts and looked at the sky.
"For my memory, of course. " She said then added. "I have the feeling that someone who is close to me will come here. So I am waiting for him."
"So we will wait together."