CHAPTER 204

Almost 15 minutes of searching and Marcos was still yet to find any sign of Sarah. He was yet to run into his father either, and so the teenager was starting to become desperate. He entered room by room looking for them, ransacking each one and tearing it to pieces before moving onto the next one. He was swiftly approaching completion of his section of the park with no success whatsoever. There was only one room left, if you could even call it a room: the half-finished new administration building, an unfinished, active construction site.

It was off to the very edge of the park, roped off to keep all visitors out, but Marcos found himself heading towards it either way. He was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had come to the right place. That he would find his dad here, and potentially Sarah and Laura too. Because as Marcos stood before it, the scaffolding and paneling cloaked by the midnight sky, Marcos was dragged back to a childhood memory so many years ago…

"Come on, dad! Let's go!" A jovial, 10 year old Marcos exclaimed, racing towards the construction site, his father close behind him. It was earlier than 6 in the morning, but you wouldn't have known that from the energy that the young boy possessed. He had slept at 7 in the evening the night before in preparation for this moment, rolling around in bed for several hours in anticipation before sleep had finally come.

That morning, for the first time ever, his father had agreed to take him to the construction site where he worked. It was an active site, so there was no way Marcos was legally allowed there, but with the access that he had as a construction worker there, Felipe had agreed to help his son sneak in with him at dawn, before anyone had arrived for the day.

"Slow down, son! I can't keep up with you!" Felipe chuckled as he followed his son towards the construction site he was working at. His company were building an office building in Rio, and had just finished placing initial platforms and scaffolding on the various floors.

Marcos had been begging his father for months to take him and show him around, but his mom had flat-out refused to let him. It was too dangerous, she had said. And Felipe had respected his wife's decision for almost an entire month, before Marcos' begging had finally worn him down and he agreed to take his son to the building before his wife woke up.

The pair climbed together to the very top floor of the construction site, Marcos' father supporting his young child as they went higher and higher into the air, nothing but a rickety railing and some scaffolding and support beams to catch them if they fell now. They made it to the top and carefully, they scooted out towards the edge of the building's foundation, sitting cross-legged and staring out into the distance.

As Marcos did, he felt his jaw slack with astonishment and his mind completely blank. Marcos loved his hometown of Rio. He had spent every day here since birth. He knew it's positives and its negatives like the back of his hand. But right now, it was like he was looking at it for the first time all over again. And he wasn't just looking at Rio… he was looking at paradise.

It was sunrise, the fiery amber orb daring to peek the top of its head out from behind the mountain, a swirl of red, orange and yellow splattering against the otherwise navy blanket around it. At their height in the air, the normally buzzing city was completely silent, the tranquility enveloping Marcos. The smell of poverty and despair that reeked from his neighborhood couldn't follow them up to the top of the building either. It was simply heaven, and Marcos never wanted to leave.

"Can we live up here?" Marcos murmured, utterly overwhelmed by the glorious sight before him. His father laughed.

"I'll tell you what… how about you and I do this every morning before I go to work and you go to school? We climb up here together and we watch the sun rise." His father suggested. Marcos' eyes lit up and his smile was spread so wide that his face could barely contain it.

"That sounds great! I love you, dad." Marcos told his father, affectionately wrapping his arms around him and giving him a hug. Marcos' father kissed him at the top of the head, hugging him back.

"Love you too, son."

That's what Marcos remembered as he stood outside the construction site in Golf n Stuff. He was reminded of a much simpler time. Before any of the burdens of life dropped onto his shoulders and killed the innocence and joy that 10 year old Marcos had been filled to the brim with.

His father was in here. He had to be. Marcos wasn't sure why he was so certain of this. After all, he had only searched in his quadrant of the park for the man. He had no clue whether the rest of Miyagi-Do had found him in theirs. Marcos didn't need to know any of that though. He felt as sure about this as night following day.

Sure enough, as Marcos neared the construction site, he noticed that the door of the construction site had been busted. It was unlocked, open for anyone to walk inside, a telling sign that he was in the right place. Marcos took a deep breath. This was it.

However, before he could step inside, all of a sudden, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder…

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Gut instinct kicked in. Fight or flight was in full effect, and in the heat of battle, Marcos had never been one for flight. Before he even turned around to see which enemy it was exactly, Marcos had kicked backwards, landing a shot at not one, but two shadows that Marcos saw behind him.

THUD! THUD!

Two hits, two knockdowns. Marcos landed on both of the foes as he spun around to face them. But the sight he was greeted with was certainly not what he was expecting. These weren't enemies that he had sent crashing to the ground! It was Robby and Hawk, the pair groaning in pain as they stumbled to their feet, the other Miyagi-Dos behind them watching on in shock.

"Shit! I'm sorry sorry. I…" Marcos couldn't even finish his sentence, as before he could, he noticed out of the corner of his eye one of the Miyagi-Dos break free from the flock and fly towards him, hurling themselves at him and wrapping their arms around him

It didn't take seeing the familiar streak of blonde hair or smelling that familiar perfume for Marcos to know exactly who it was. Marcos and Sarah, reunited at long last, held onto each other like no tomorrow, neither of them daring to let go.

"Thank God you're okay…" Marcos murmured. Sarah, just as relieved to see her boyfriend alive and well, peppered every inch of his face with kisses. While Marcos might've been the much more reserved one in their relationship, Sarah had never been afraid to show affection, the couple polar opposites in that regard but balancing each other beautifully.

"I thought…" Sarah whispered, before her voice trailed off as she buried her head in Marcos' shoulder. She didn't have to finish the sentence for Marcos to know exactly what she was thinking. It had been his biggest fear too. The boy knew exactly what it was like to lose a loved one, and especially to lose one without even the chance to say goodbye. Well, Marcos and Sarah had been excruciatingly close to being put in that situation, if not for luck, skill and a few minor miracles. They were reunited again.

As Marcos' eyes flickered over Sarah's shoulder, he scanned the group of Miyagi-Dos who were standing back and allowing the couple their moment to reunite, having done the exact same thing a little bit earlier when they had reunited with each other. They were all there. All 9 members of the team - 10 including Sarah. Even Laura had been found, seemingly unharmed, now resting in Miguel's arms.

After nearly a full minute locked in an embrace, Sarah and Marcos finally broke apart and returned to the earth, their moment in a temporary paradise of relief abruptly coming to a halt as they remembered the situation they were in.

"We did it! I can't believe we did it!" Demetri exclaimed. He had been so certain that something was going to go wrong. And yet, against the odds, somehow everything had worked out okay.

"Don't act so surprised. We all kicked ass out there." Tory stated. Miguel nodded.

"We did. Now let's get out of here." He instructed. Nobody had to be told twice. Well, almost nobody.

Every single Miyagi-Do but one turned on their heel, preparing to sprint towards the exit and get as far away from the park as they possibly could. However, it was only when they noticed the fact that Marcos hadn't moved an inch that they stopped and looked at him, confused.

"Marcos?" Robby asked, the Miyagi-Dos' eyes flickering to one another, silently wondering what this was about, why the Cobra Kai champion wasn't nearly as keen to leave as the rest of them. They were about to find out.

"I can't leave." Marcos told them, his quiet statement sounding deafening in the ears of all of the Miyagi-Dos.

"W-what?" Sarah stammered. Marcos took a deep breath and looked down as he spoke, unable to make eye contact with anyone, least of all her.

"I can't leave. Not yet. Not while my dad's still out there." Marcos murmured.

"Marcos, we did what we came here to do. We got Sarah and Laura back." Sam pointed out gently. "Let's just leave before it's too late."

Marcos turned to her and nodded.

"You guys should leave. All of you. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Marcos tried to reassure them, though the tone of his voice gave him away. It gave away the fact that Marcos knew that if he stayed here, more likely than not, he wouldn't leave the park. And Sarah wasn't having it at all, shaking her head vehemently.

"Nope. Sorry. Not a chance." She stated. "We're not leaving you here. We're all leaving together. This thing's over, Marcos. Let's go home."

It was Marcos' turn to shake his head.

"Don't you get it? This thing between me and my dad… it'll never be over. Not while both of us are alive. He would be more than willing to hunt me down to the ends of the earth." Marcos stated solemnly.

"Look, Marcos, I know it's terrifying. But the law can help. They can protect you." Miguel told him, trying to convince him but failing. Marcos chuckled mirthlessly.

"You mean the same people who claimed your dad was still in Mexico? Forgive me if I don't have full faith in them." Marcos remarked drily. "And even so, it's not just me I'm worried about. If he can't get to me, he won't hesitate to come after anyone I care about, anyone I've even so much as called an ally, a friend, a girlfriend, just to try and get me to face him. As long as him and I are both alive, NONE of you are safe."

"So instead you're just going to sacrifice yourself?" Robby stammered. Marcos shook his head as he let out a heavy sigh.

"No. I'm going to beat him." Marcos stated, trying to pump some confidence into his words, but failing pretty miserably. He was under no illusions as to what he was up against. A properly trained Martial Artist, much bigger and stronger than him, and that had raised him and so knew him like the back of his hand… what chance did Marcos possibly have at winning this fight?

"Marcos, there has to be a better way." Robby murmured. To everyone's shock, there were tears spilling over Marcos' normally stoic eyes as he shook his head.

"There isn't. This is the only way." Marcos told them. "The way I see this, this can all go in one of two ways, but both of them mean that all of this ends and the rest of you are safe."

Marcos didn't have to explicitly state these two ways, but it didn't take a genius to work out what he was implying. Either way, one Oliveira man would die tonight. That much was becoming more and more certain.

"Marcos, are you sure about this?" Shawn asked, the boy's closest friend very uncertain about this decision. "This is a very big risk to take on a hunch."

"Certain." Marcos replied.

"NO! You aren't!" Sarah snapped, severely pissed off that this was even being entertained as a possibility. Marcos fighting against his father all alone, while the rest of them ran to safety… it was a suicide mission, and not one Sarah intended on being a part of. "How can you possibly be sure about something like this?!"

Marcos had to take a deep breath before responding.

"I'm my father's son." Marcos replied, in a voice no louder than a whisper. "I can deny it all I want, but the truth is that I am. Him and I spent almost every day of my entire life together. I know this man like the back of my hand and he knows me the same way. I know how he acts. I know how he thinks. It's ingrained within me. This is how it all ends. I know it. I'm the only one who can end it."

Marcos' mind was made up. He was going to do this. The tone of his voice made it completely certain that there was no way any of them were going to talk him out of it now.

"Do you have any idea where your dad is?" Robby asked. "Because there's no way we're just going to leave you here in the park, enemies all around, if you don't even know where he is."

"Look up." Marcos murmured simply, pointing directly above him. 18 eyes flickered upwards and immediately locked onto exactly what Marcos was referring to, or rather who he was referring to. About 40 feet in the air, sitting at the edge of a platform in the unfinished construction site, the Miyagi-Dos glimpsed the faint outline of a man.

"No way! No way!" Sarah adamantly declared her loathing of this idea.

"I have to agree with Sarah. Marcos, this is crazy, man." Kenny stated. Marcos sighed.

"We fight on the ground; we fight in the air… same end result. What's the big difference?" Marcos murmured bluntly. He wasn't about to tell any of them about the significance of a construction site to both him and his father. He wasn't about to tell them about the memories of Rio that had quickly become some of the best memories of his life, definitely the best memories he had with his dad. Watching the sunrise in Rio… it was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. Made even more beautiful now upon reflection, because it was before his life had began to plummet in one long, almost decade long freefall.

At Marcos' statement, the Miyagi-Dos all fell silent, trying to process all of this. All of them wanted to argue some more, that much was clear. However, a combination of the fact that the clock was ticking for them if they wanted to escape, as well as the fact that Marcos didn't look like he was about to be talked out of this anytime soon, caught any arguments before they could escape their mouths.

Marcos sighed.

"Look, you all need to go now. Before it's too late." Marcos instructed them.

"No. We're going to stay." Sarah objected once more. "Look, if you're going to insist on this incredibly asinine fight, at least let us help you."

"There's nothing you can do." Marcos responded, pointing up at the narrow platform his father was resting on, the size of it definitely not large enough for more than 2 people to fight on. "Up there, it's just going to be the two of us, just me and him. There's nothing any of you can do to help. The best you can do is get the hell out of here before Silver or any of his enemies get to you."

His mind was made up. And as he prepared to climb up to the top of the site to meet his father, there was only one thing he had left to do first: say goodbye.

As Marcos and Sarah embraced for what they both knew could be the last time, neither of them wanted to let go. If anything, they were both feeling more fear now than they had been earlier. Because now that they knew exactly what monsters were hiding under the bed for them, they knew exactly what was to come, it made the apprehension and fear a million times worse than the not knowing.

As Marcos felt Sarah's tears begin to stain his shirt and he heard the faint sound of quiet sobs and sniffles coming from his girlfriend, his heart shattered for her. She didn't deserve this. She deserved so much more than being sucked into his shit. That was shockingly one of the main reasons why Marcos was reassured going into this fight: even if he didn't come back, he did so knowing that Sarah would be able to move on from all of this drama that followed him like a black cloud, and she'd be able to live a normal, safe, peaceful life.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself up there. I'll be okay." Marcos whispered reassuringly to her, trying to comfort her for the last time, even if there was little use at this point.

"I know you can." Sarah murmured back. But even with that show of faith, it was still agonizingly tough for both of them, as they both were fully aware of the large chance he wasn't coming back from this.

"Goodbye, Sarah." Marcos said quietly, trying to untangle himself from the embrace, though he felt Sarah still grabbing him, shaking her head.

"Not goodbye. Goodbyes are permanent." She told him firmly. "Tell me that we'll see each other soon."

"Sarah…" Marcos couldn't. He couldn't tell her that because he had been raised not to lie and he knew that more likely than not, it wasn't true.

"Please, Marcos. Tell me you'll see me soon. Please." Sarah begged him, struggling with the growing possibility that she really might never see him again. Marcos gulped and took a deep breath.

"See you soon, Sarah…"