Chapter 7: Run

Cause I swear, out there ain't where you oughta be…

"Lexi!" Ace shouted as one side of the building caved in. He couldn't risk blasting another hole, because that might make the whole building collapse on top of her.

She loved him. Her last sentiment to him rang in his ears, and he didn't even have super hearing like she did. His lips tingled from where hers had been just a minute ago.

He had finally realized that he loved her, too. Somewhere between their hectic lifestyles and stolen moments, like when they were hiding from Duck that morning, he had fallen long and hard for her. There was no one else that he could be with; it had to be her.

And he was so very close to losing her. Again.

Don't you know I miss you bad? But don't you walk to me…

Lexi tried to find a weak spot on Pierce, but he always came back. She never got within arm-length of him, so he could never overwhelm her with that jacket of his. Or the knife he had picked up off the floor. She was wearing out quickly, though, every electrocution finally catching up with her.

"We could've been happy together," he snarled, trying to knock her to the ground. "We could've had a great life, Lexi! And you threw it away…for what? He can't give you everything you need!"

"He himself is everything I need," she replied, raising her voice. His face turned an interesting shade of red, and he feinted to the right. She fell for it, and when he came at her from the left, he managed to sweep her legs out from under her.

"Last words, my love?" he smirked down at her, poising the knife above her heart. She glared at him, and said, "Yeah…say 'hi' to my mom for me when you get to hell." And with that, her eyes glowed and she blasted the roof right above them. He looked up, and she tried to squirm away, but she was hit by a rather large piece of falling debris as well. She heard a sickening crack! and figured she had smashed a rib. Before he was killed by the impact of the falling stone, Pierce threw his knife at her and hit her in her side. She shrieked and fell to her knees, as this pain overshadowed any she had known before, trying desperately to dislodge the weapon from where it had buried itself inside her. She finally pulled it free and staggered to her feet.

As much as she wanted to give in to the blackness that threatened to consume her, she knew she had to get out of there. She stumbled to the other side of the building, and brain-blasted an opening. She made it through just in time; once she fell out, the entire building dropped to the ground with a sickening ka-boom.

Baby, run, cut a path across the blue skies…

"NOOOOO!" Ace screamed as he watched the huge structure fall. He hadn't seen Lexi come out, which meant she was still under the rubble… "LEXI! NO!"

He tried blasting everything to get to the bottom, but there was just too much.

Straight in a straight line, you can't get here fast enough…

Lexi clumsily got up to her feet, and started making her way around the pile of debris. She could hear someone calling her name, and he sounded so sad… She had to find him.

Find a truck and fire it up, lean on the gas and off the clutch…

He knew that searching was useless. He knew that if she was under there, she was dead. He felt a hand drop on his shoulder, and looked through tear-filled eyes at Tech. "We should go now," he said to his depressed leader.

"But maybe she's still…" Ace started, but his fellow comrade was already shaking his head. "There's no way," Tech murmured.

Ace looked beseechingly at what used to be a great building, willing Lexi to come out of there and be okay.

Leave Dallas in the dust, I need you in a rush…

The voice quit calling out to her, but she was nothing if not determined. Maybe there was help out there somewhere, someone who could piece her back together and fix her. Just a few more steps, she thought, coming around the final bend.

So baby, run…