"A thunderstorm was in our air; the nature that we are grew dark - for we had no way. Formula of our happiness: a Yes, a No, a straight line, a goal…" Friedrich Nietzche
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A sharp, bright light suddenly filled the room, making Elena try and fail to draw back as it assaulted her eyeless gaze. It had caught her so off guard because she had dozed off and been in something of a stare thanks to how dim they kept her room, but as she tried to shy away from the harsh light, her restraints were keen to remind her that they hadn't magically disappeared yet when her attempt at movement was halted before it even began.
She and her sisters were still held on this "ship" or "transport" or whatever else these cretins seemed to call it.
"Cretins" She smirked at the word. It was a good one for these… Well, she didn't really want to call them human. It would be a terrible disservice to Adrian. She quite liked the word for this group, though.
One of her sisters who knew 'English,' as they called it, had been happy to teach, but it wasn't like they had much else to do. Still, she'd been picking it up rather quickly.
Words were simple, but figuring out how to 'correctly' combine them in accordance with the plethoras of countless rules and laws made the already confusing concept of spoken language even more convoluted. While it could be pretty head-spinning at times, she still managed well enough and always came to understand it despite the headaches.
Frankly, a means of communication that relied on a physical medium seemed a bit redundant to her when they had the means to tell each other all that was needed without the use of words. However, She wouldn't deny that language had its use, and she probably only felt this way because now she actually had to put in the effort to learn it. But, when it would all eventually fall into place, she'd probably change her tune.
What really kept her going as she continued to make quick headway in this endeavor was the constant reminder that Adrian found it fitting to use and had named her with it. Every time her memory of that moment played again, it cast away the shroud from her soul. Actually, she was starting to get excited about the idea of being able to speak with him like he had to her.
While she wished that Adrian had been the one to teach her, she saw the silver lining and decided it would be a wonderful surprise for him.
With her sisters in mind, she was glad about how quickly she'd warmed up to them, or really, them to her. Most of the time, they were the ones who had to try and interact with her. She was quite too shy to try to herself most of the time. But right now, she was too distracted by the aforementioned cretins in the room to bother speaking with any of them.
There were two of them - numbers had come to her much quicker than language, but it had practically been innate.
They stood in front of her, covered head to toe in bleach-white uniforms and masks with goggles that obscured their faces as they looked her over. Better for her anyway; they probably looked as ugly as they acted.
For whatever it was they had planned, they tried to inch closer to her, but her faint growling kept them at bay. That was until they'd changed course for the path of least resistance and gone around her. As they rounded out of sight and beyond where her severely limited range of mobility allowed her to see, the already minuscule amount of resistance she could muster while maintaining some semblance of dignity became completely futile. That wouldn't keep her from trying.
"Okay." The one that had moved to her right, a male by the smell and sound of it, spoke up. "Once you're ready, draw that sample from the proto I.R.-PE. Also known as 'S.E.P.I.R.'." He read off of his notepad in a clinically measured fashion. "But don't let 'ready' keep us here all day."
Elena. She corrected him with sizzling venom. She hadn't been blessed with a name given to her by her bonded just to be referred to as just some random letters with no meaning. It's Elena… but if anything, you're lucky you don't know it, or I'd make sure you wouldn't be able to say it ever again. Treat me like a beast without a brain all you like, but you might want to consider using yours. She huffed, making them stop whatever they were doing for a second. She could smell their fear briefly plume into the air before they continued. Really, I'm starting to wonder if I should pity you. It might not be all that large and it's probably a bit smooth after all.
They couldn't hear her, she knew that much, but it was best they couldn't. At least she could drive her annoyance into them that way without having to worry about the repercussions. Ultimately, they didn't deserve to be able to speak to her. None of them did. Bad enough, they already sullied the name that was her birthright and that she held as a constant reminder of Adrian's love for the sake of her being his and him being hers. She didn't want to have to argue with these half-wits about it anyway. It wouldn't get through their thick skulls.
"Let's go through the upper lateral thigh at a slight angle this time. I'll look at the charts while you do."
"I don't know how much we even need those readings when the back of my head already tickles from being this close." The one on the other side of her said. This one had a different sound and smell from the male. She'd already assumed the difference to be indicative of them being female, but she hadn't anticipated them to have a noticeably higher-pitched voice from the others as well. Maybe the females of the species weren't as mean.
"The sooner you get a decent sample, the sooner we can get out of here."
This wasn't the first time white-clad fiends had stomped in here to run their little tests, but she always hoped in vain it would be the last.
As fruitless as it had been almost every time before, her indignant resistance to anything and everything they did was the least she could do, and it wasn't always ineffective.
Not long ago, she'd managed to catch one of their fingers that had grown too curious and close with her inner jaw. That had been fun watching them jump around and scream. Unfortunately, it had only been a nick. Regardless, the memory made her grin wickedly. But now, it seemed like they wanted to repay her for that little incident.
Elena yelped a bit louder than she was proud of and squirmed at the sting she felt on the side of her leg. She tried to turn and look at the source of the prick with less success than the first time she'd tried.
So the females were mean as well. That was a shame.
She half growled, half groaned, but mostly to herself. How many times were they planning on coming in here and just staring at her while they mumbled their jargon or poked and prodded her with their needles? As if having her on display wasn't bad enough.
"Got it." The woman who had poked her said.
"Got what?" The other asked, almost impatiently.
Only Elena heard the woman's tired and muffled sigh.
"I collected the sample from the proto I.R-PE, or SEPIR, through the left lateral femoral region."
"Okay. Now write this down. The printout reads close to a fifty—that's five-zero—percent increase in neural-psychic activity and shows trends of it continuing at that rate." The man backed away from the screens and shook his head before continuing.
"I can see why R&D were in such a panic to get it back. Here's hoping they'll have a stronger restrictor ready on-site." He sounded concerned and continued under his breath. "This keeps up, and we'll be reaching the theoretical psychokinesis range. N-no, don't write that last part down. We're done here."
They collected the printout and gave her a wide and cautious berth as they left, side-eying her all the while. Alone again.
Her courage left with them. Her tensed shoulders sagged, and her head drooped as far as the restraints allowed like it had been before they'd come in.
As much as she told herself she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire of indecision ever again–not when the scene of them being torn apart often liked to play over and over again–it didn't stop her solitude and utter helplessness from quickly draining her of what little spirit and courage she managed to muster when there was nothing to wear that brave face for.
As enticing as the idea of sulking in her pity was, a presence brushed reassuringly against her own, distracting her with the love it brought to bear before she tried to pull away from it and back into her wallowing. Her sister wouldn't give up so easily and pulled her right back out again. Another of her sisters joined in to hold her spirit with their love, and then several more after her.
Her sisters could often tell when she was overwhelmed and collapsing into herself like she often did, which they evidently did right now. Their spirits gathered around her, encasing her in a cocoon of their warm affection and stopping her from pointlessly marching into such self-destruction.
She was indescribably thankful for it. She wanted so badly to express in a way that was beyond her eloquence how thankful she really was and how much she loved them for it. But she was confident they already knew either way, and she solemnly but warmly smiled as her mind slowed its downward spiral.
One question continued to ring in her head, however, growing louder and louder the longer she ignored it.
How would she get back to him?
The question scared her, and she burrowed deeper into her sisters' warmth to escape its cold nature. They held her closer as she did. She didn't know how she would find him or if she even could.
All of these questions that she couldn't answer yet worked only darkness on her soul. All of this uncertainty, this fear, this anger, it was ever so tiresome. It wasn't just the questions that worried her to exhaustion, but also these people that held them here. The people that kept her from Adrian–wherever he was–and her sisters from the peace and freedom they deserved. Most of all, she was tired of herself for constantly needing to be propped up lest she let herself fall into hopeless decay like whatever lifeless sack she seemed to be trying to emulate.
She had to be strong. Not only for Adrian and herself but also for her sisters. They relied on her just as much as she relied on them, for she was all they could see and reach through the link right now. These vile "restrictors" had cast darkness over their minds' eyes and blinded them to their connection to one another—save for her.
The waves of fear and hope were beating against her just as much as the other, and the waters were only looking to get rougher.
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Night driving. Adrian didn't know whether to love it or hate it right now; it had always been calming and something he had done often just to get away. This didn't help when he was already running out of steam by the time he'd left that city behind.
The road had been consistently uphill, through what felt like endless jungles. His blinking became heavier and more frequent each time he did as he fought to keep his eyes on the road.
He wrung his hands along the wheel and yawned as he tried to blink away the blurry coat in his eyes. But it wasn't like there was much to see out here, anyway, even if he somewhat wished there was.
The more he drove, the more the jungle thinned and slowly disappeared. Eventually, he'd left them behind entirely as the landscape shifted to what looked like marshlands, or the best he could tell as his headlights cut through the night.
The last signs of life, human or otherwise, had all been left behind once he'd made it beyond the town's outskirts. The only evidence that this planet was inhabited this far out was the road itself, which was well on its way to a state of disrepair, and the occasional road sign or the even rarer streetlamp. If anything, the rough state of the road was doing most of the work of keeping him awake.
It wasn't much of a surprise about it being as dead as it was out here. It was already exceptionally late, and not to mention that armed conflict did have a way of scaring people away from the main roads. That, or most methods of transport had been requisitioned for the cause. The car he was driving now wasn't much further than a hop, skip, and a jump away from a widely used everyday car found on most colonies. If anything, that's what it most likely was before. These cars were often built with a wide range of terrain in mind and thus were useful enough to be taken and put to use for other causes.
If the rebels had taken this car from some poor sod, then it was Adrian's turn to return the favor. No honor amongst thieves, eh? Still, his generous benefactors had also been so kind as to leave him with some provisions and rudimentary maps of the area in the car.
While the food itself couldn't be described as much of a delicacy, beggars couldn't be choosers. The maps, on the other hand, were worth well more than their weight and made up for any indignations he might have when he couldn't read the roadsigns worth a damn.
Adrian squinted as he saw another wayward lamp shining in the distance, slowly getting larger the closer he got. As he did, however, the details that his tired vision had left out began to come into a jarring clarity as the light suddenly split into two. Not a second after, a third light split from the mass, and a fourth one right after. All of them, save for the lamp itself, were closer to the ground than he'd first been able to tell.
If he'd wanted something to wake him up, here it was. He should have known better than to cast empty wishes into a universe that found its greatest joy in misery.
Quickly sitting up, he roughly blinked the blur away. On either side of the road were two unmistakable silhouettes of other cars, each facing the respective direction of the side they were on.
No point in stopping or trying to turn around now; they had to have seen him. He was probably the only goddamn car out here in a ten miles radius beside them. Not to mention, he had his brights on.
He slowed the car to a healthy speed. He needed to buy himself time to think, but he didn't want to risk drawing their immediate suspicion. What the hell was he supposed to do though?
He let out a long, shaky breath and squeezed the wheel. He could try to blow past them if he wanted a few dozen more holes in his car and likely himself, as well. Turning around was out of the question. That idea barely even graced his mind at this point. That would just create more issues, and he wouldn't dare give up like that now.
The deep drumming of his heart began again. It would have to be a game of deceit, and it'd be a tricky one. Should he win, he gets to keep driving nice and easy; should he lose… Well, let's just say he doesn't have the liberty to lose.
Christ, he was on edge. It felt like the first time he was pulled over again. Back then, he'd told himself he'd be cool about it, that he'd keep a straight face and be done with it, but in practice, his hands had shaken like mad while his voice jittered and broke as the officer stood at the window, his hands casually on his belt as he waited for Adrian to collect himself. Although, over time, he'd become damn near desensitized to traffic stops and even the occasional overnight trip behind bars to a degree. None of that experience kept him calm in face of this.
The curtain wouldn't stay closed forever. It was time to lock in and face the music. Lie, deflect, or even joke as he must, he'd find a way out of this. They'll be none the wiser, and everyone will be able to walk away.
With a final measured breath, he relaxed the best he could for the final approach. It didn't make it any easier that there were four sets of eyes locked on him as he did.
A man in the middle of the road strolled forward as he neared them and signaled for Adrian to stop. The car rolled and came to a halt next to them.
The window rolled down to reveal the man who'd signaled Adrian to stop. He looked rather casual and indifferent as he approached Adrian, who rested his arm on the window sill.
"Evening, fellas. Night been treating you well I hope?" Adrian began, looking over the group.
There were four of them in total. The one who'd told him to stop, who looked quite bored, and his three other cadres that lounged near their cars as they watched Adrian lazily.
They all donned the same style of partisan marked armor that Adrian disguised himself with, but they all looked noticeably more uniform and daresay professional than the ones he'd seen back in the city and now looked like himself. The first man, who seemed to be the head of this small group, looked him over as he reached the car.
"Not bad, not bad. Could be better, but I can't complain." The apparent squad lead answered cooly, looking over the car a final time before leaning down to the window.
"I mean - I wish I was in Khasban getting shit-faced with the rest of them, but they want us out here to show face and look like we're doing something other than drinking the planet's entire supply of alcohol in one night. But uh, to be honest, the 'liberated' battalion parties a bit too hard for my liking." He chewed on the inside of his cheek at their mention. "But that's where you're coming from, right?" He'd put his foot on the step bar and was looking inside the vehicle.
"Yeah, I just got out of there not too long ago," Adrian replied, glancing at the rest of the group as they studied him and the car. "And they are quite the party animals like you say, but the job ain't over. They have me headed to the staging site; wanted some last-minute ground reconnaissance right before they move out in the morning."
"Heh. When did Thai start caring about 'recon'?" The group's leader chortled, which the others echoed. "Hmpf. Maybe he finally started to listen to Reynard's advice." The mention of this 'Reynard' brought a grimace to the man's face. "Slimy little man. I doubt I'd want to listen to him either, let alone have to be around the man. Even if he is from the SOF. Thankfully, I'm not important enough to have to."
Great, great. Adrian bit his tongue as he shook his head in mindless agreement. The SOF. Of course it was the SOF. No wonder they'd been so quick at taking this planet. They had a hotline straight to the UPP's own boogeymen: The Space Operating Forces.
It was doubtful they'd sent a detachment; that'd be too much of an escalation when this cold war was already starting to warm up, and from what he'd heard, it was most likely only an emissary. Even then, a single parcel of their influence was only more bad news to add to the growing pile he had heaped on him already.
"Although, I can't think of anyone besides Thai to be able to handle that bunch back in Khasban anyway. A band of disagreeable drunkards and-" The leader stopped himself, having forgotten that he was supposedly talking to one of them. "No offense."
"None taken. It's really why I took up this job in the first place. Normally–which is really like every time they have to–they volun-tell someone to take a job, but I'm not much one for that group, anyways. Took the chance to get away from the antics for a bit."
"I hear you." He nodded, pursing his lips. "I really shouldn't be thinking you're all the same. There still has to be good people grouped up with them. It's just that when so many of them act that way…" He thought for a moment but gave Adrian a resigned look. "It doesn't help but to start and paint a picture over all of them."
He got off the step bar, allowing Adrian to see that one of the others had joined in while they looked over the car and headed toward the back. Adrian's eyes tracked the man as he rounded the car. What reason did they have to be to start scrutinizing it now? Were they that bored or churlish?
Keep your head, Adrian, he reminded himself. A few bullet holes were an unremarkable thing considering the circumstances. That still didn't keep Adrian's nerves from firing when they seemingly noticed the holes and knelt down behind the car and out of sight.
It was then that the words that had been phasing through Adrian finally met his ears, and he snapped his head back to the group leader.
"Huh?" Adrian asked. "Sorry, it's been a long day, and now it's about to be a long night to top it off." He sighed to exemplify his point. It had also been very real.
"Don't stress it. I just asked why you were in Thai's battalion." He repeated. "I admit, it's counterproductive to think everyone in it is bound to act… well, how they usually tend to," he shrugged. "But I was still just curious about where they pulled you from and why you're still with them if you're not a big fan of their company. All I'm trying to say is that you don't usually see many cool tempers among them." He looked at Adrian curiously expectant.
By this point, Adrian had figured that the group he'd encountered back in that town and that he currently looked like were Thai's men. Issue was, he didn't have a damn clue who Thai was or why his men seemed to be the black sheep of this revolution.
"I wonder that myself sometimes." Adrian began trying to answer in the most vague way possible. "They may not be the best, but I don't really know anyone else. I came to this planet alone, and it seemed to have just ended up staying that way. Oh well, I guess, but they're really the only people that I know."
"You still wouldn't catch me hanging with that rabble," The leader replied, "Even if they were all I knew. But I guess all that really matters is that you're still here fighting the good fight. I know a lot of them would have taken the first chance they got to get off planet." He slapped the window sill before stepping away. "But, before I let you go, I still just wanted to know, which detention camp were you at? Trying to figure out if the camps had different kinds of inmates." He brought the question up again.
Oh. It made sense now. "Detention camp," "inmate," he didn't know how he hadn't seen it earlier. A penal battalion. Of course it would have been a penal battalion.
The idea filled him with equal parts dread and aggravation. Dread at the thought of what they already would have done to him had he been caught becoming all the worse. And aggravation at his luck that of all the places to crash on this planet and masquerade in the ranks of the enemy, it had to have been with a penal battalion.
The words bounced around in his head, making him white-knuckle the steering wheel.
But what camp? What camp?! You tell me, guy! I don't want to even be on this damn planet! You can have it for all I care! But you just had to go and turn what could have been a sweet and simple wave-and-go into an interrogation… If this is what's going to pull me under, I'll drag you with.
"I hardly remember at this point. I tried to forget about it as soon as I set foot out of there. It was one of the ones south of Khasban, though." Adrian answered after an uneasily long pause, calling upon the name of the town he'd just learned.
The group leader narrowed his eyes and stepped away from the car to face the man who had been behind it and was now approaching him.
"I know. They all are." He said, side-eyeing Adrian with a peculiar stare as the other man leaned in to whisper to him.
It had become a conscious struggle to keep his cool. Adrian was catching himself left and right for small ticks and changes in his composure. The others must have as well; they were still staring at him, and they wouldn't stop. What is it something he'd said? Why wouldn't they stop? Adrian's eyes were darting across all of them.
The two's eyes shifted to and from Adrian as they continued in their hushed tones that only served to stir the boiling dread of any and every possible machination they were crafting for him.
A sudden bout of laughter from the pair made Adrian jerk. Anything louder than the chirping of the bugs hidden in the darkness of the marsh currently held that effect.
With a lingering smile from their laughter, the two turned from one another, with the group leader turning towards Adrian. His smile, however, disappeared as he approached the car.
This was it, then. They'd found out. They knew. It'd be impossible for them not to, and Adrian didn't think his well of miracles had any more to spare.
Their eyes were locked as he approached. When the distance had almost been closed, the man reached one hand across his waist towards something sticking out from under his belt while the other made for the door and obscured what he was reaching for, all while keeping that damn stare that bored into Adrian's soul.
A garbled static in Adrian's ears was drowning him. His heart was racing to the point he feared it threatened failure, and time slowed with each step he took. It reached its cacophonic crescendo as he roughly pulled the item free from his waist and made to bring it towards Adrian, who could only see death and hatred in his eyes.
A thunderous boom cast away that static that had made its home in his ears, and a severe ringing took its place.
The man stopped in place. Everything had. Their eyes remained locked, but his now harbored only shock and confusion.
"Not me. Not today..." Adrian whispered, and time resumed.
The man slid his hand over the growing red spot that spread along the cloth of his failed armor. His mouth gaped to say something that never came, and his knees shook lightly before buckling under him, causing him to fall forward onto the car with a thud and slide down it with a scratching squeak. He ended his journey by slumping onto the ground against the door.
Perhaps the only reason Adrian hadn't immediately taken off then and there when his chances were the best was how their eyes remained caught and refused to let Adrian go. He'd been unable to look away from the foggy coat that glossed over the man's eyes as he had stumbled, made his way to the ground, and finally, his way out.
Almost simultaneously, the other three finally overcame their shock and began to move and shout. Adrian let loose more rounds in their direction, forcing them to duck and cover to give him time to get his tires screeching forward and some distance between them. Just as his pistol's slide locked back and he sped off, they returned with their own in retaliation.
An exceptional and jaw-clenching horde of copper-plated death zipped after him. Most whistled past him, continuing their journey to nowhere, but he heard more slam into the back of the car and even through the rear windshield and out the front than he would've liked. Keeping his head down, he gritted his teeth as he kept the pedal squeezed to the floor. The further he got from them, the fewer and farther between their shots became until only a final few flew past him before it finally stopped.
He continued to drive hunched forward for a few moments more, waiting for the inevitable fiery threads of pain to flare throughout him, but they never came. A pleasant surprise.
It would have been a pipe dream to believe they'd given up like that, and a new set of high beams in the distance behind him affirmed that suspicion. They had quite a bit of speed and space to make up for, and Adrian intended to keep it that way.
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"All you have to do is stop and turn around," Adrian mumbled to himself as he watched their headlights bounce in and out of the rear-view mirror. "You still have that choice. He-He had his, BUT IT WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM!" He yelled and threw his finger at them in the mirror. "Is the choice not good enough for you either?! You knew the risks, and so did he! Did you expect me to just sit there? Watch you kill me without doing a damn thing about it?! You saw what happened, what I HAD to do - what YOU made me do! You didn't leave me a damn choice but to! So now what? You want to follow in his footsteps? Alright then, just don't forget... all's fair." He turned his eyes back to the road.
For how long they were planning on chasing him, he didn't know. What he did know, however, was that the untimely death of their comrade would likely drive them until either he was gutted like a fish or there was nothing left of him to chase. He wasn't too fond of either idea.
Just ahead appeared a divergence in the road, the first he'd seen this entire trip. Not that it would really make a difference, as they would see which one he took anyway.
He hadn't the time nor liberty to consult the maps that had, since the start of this chase, rolled away and hidden themselves in the shadows. One path continued forward to and away from the mountains that were said to harbor the traffic control station among them, so he opted for the other and pulled off to the right at the last second, beginning his ascent.
They continued to trail him in the distance. The sound of their engine reminded him of their pursuant blood lust whenever his eyes could not. Said engine may have been stronger than his, but the weight of their bulky vehicle brought them back to about an even standing, especially uphill.
It hadn't been long before the dark marshes as well had disappeared behind him, and eventually, as did his sight on his pursuers.
The steep roads and tight, twisting turns that curled along the edges of these rocky mountains grew harsher and more threatening to the cautionless. These steep hills were devoid of most life save for thin, patchy grass and the rare wayward brush that survived amongst the crags of the rocks. This terrain and its geography made it impossible to see those who hunted him unless they were practically right next to him, but he knew this also worked the other way around, and would use it to the best of his advantage.
He could hear that beast of an engine roar from at least half a mile away, if not more, but it was doubtful if they heard his just as well, especially over their own. This did little for him anyway. There was still only one road to follow, and they were slowly drawing closer.
It was when he rounded a corner and crested onto a long and thin section of road that sat precariously close to an exceptionally steep edge that misfortune decided it was time to make itself fully present.
A stutter, a hitch, and a stall. Three nails that were slammed into his coffin as the car finally gave up and slowed.
It would've been almost impossible for them to have not hit something important with how much they'd shot the car up, or maybe they were just adding to what he'd received in the town and expedited his death on this backwater planet.
Either way, It was time. There were few constants that remained in his mind anymore and fewer that persisted even now: Loathing… and Elena, who reigned so far above the other.
The car rolled to a stop. Adrian slid out smoothly and without haste. A strange sense of a cold and aggrieving calm cloaked him. Actually, he didn't really know what he felt right now. But as he got out, he noticed a disquieting dark smear that ran down the side of the driver's door. It was darker than the night and cast a shadow even darker yet on his soul.
Turning from it after a moment's lament, he walked up the road, pistol in one hand and a map crumpled in the other. All the while, he listened to the harbingers of death close in behind him.
There was nowhere to go, nowhere that would provide deliverance through running or hiding. Opposite the plunge into a crevice whose bottom was shrouded from even the starlight was a vertical, blasted-out wall of the mountain that was nearly flush with the road
He stopped some distance from the car and turned to face the approaching beast. With gun leveled down the road, Adrain rid himself of his earthly burdens. All save for one, but she transcends that which he considers merely earthly. In a transitory moment such as this, she was all that remained with him. She was a light so warm that danced in his mind, enrapturing him with such brilliance and grace so fair that he paid no heed as the rest of it burned around her.
Adrian's eyes were unfocused as his pursuers finally crested the hill to claim his soul. They were upon him and screamed for his death, screeching for his blood. But it was not theirs to claim.
In their blinding rage and hunger for his death, they'd led them in a ceaseless charge that found home in the rear of his car, still dead on the road.
The two heaps of metal collided, grinding up the road toward him in one new mass with the deafening screech of metal against metal as it ground up the road. Adrian fired off at them, a last quixotic attempt at salvation, or at least a proud death.
His rounds flew past them, however. They hadn't due to a new, stunning lack of proficiency on his part but because the two vehicles had suddenly veered off its path and away from him.
The already unnaturally large mass of twisted metal missed him by closer than he'd like to admit and slammed into the guard railing that would have already been questionable at stopping one vehicle.
Thus, it did little to stop them, only adding more mass to that which howled over the edge.
They had not been the harbingers of his death but their own.
Adrian stared ahead, gun still level and trigger still squeezed as it shook in his grip. He listened to the tumbling crash that disappeared down the mountain and all the way into the mouth of Tartarus.
It wasn't until a final loud crash echoed throughout the valley of the mountain did his arm drop to his side, but with eyes still straight ahead.
Lucky. He'd been so very lucky so many times on this planet and he didn't get why. It was luck he had done little to earn and seemed to pull from nowhere.
He understood. Sighing, he closed his eyes.
So, it would be providence that he lives; providence he survives not just for himself but for her. It wasn't only this providence that told him this, but his own burning will that he make it back to Elena.
The thought of her drove him so because she was the only song in his heart now.
That was half the truth. In fact, it was the only song that thrummed in him that had ever held any importance or affection. How she had gained such an unfettered coil around his entire being was beyond him.
No. No, it wasn't. He'd done it himself.
Slowly opening his eyes, he realized how blind he had been, how he had never seen with a sight so clear before now.
She'd shown him all he ever needed, given him all he'd really wanted. And when she'd done it all as a gift with neither hesitation nor doubt. There had never even been a shadow of such things. She'd done it because there was only one thing she held in her heart for him: love. A love that matched how indescribably feverous his heart beat for and needed her with a fire that scorched his soul.
It was a gift beyond description and beyond whatever he'd deserved. Yet, she had given it so readily and willingly as if she had been born to. At this point, he was starting to believe she had. What he strove for now, which was a task that he would happily spend the rest of his life to see realized, was to do the same for her, if not more. He would show her that it was not what she offered him that was the gift, but that the gift was her and her alone. He would show her that he had just as much to give her as she had for him. He would show her all that he could and give her all that he had, and when he'd given it all, he would give what was left of him.
Really, she had only done half the work by simply existing to bind his will to her. It had been him who'd taken the reins and so willingly wound his soul around the idea of her.
As manic as it may seem when he stepped away from it, he'd chosen to for a reason, and he wouldn't change a thing.
A floating malignant thought stayed his feet still and kept him in the middle of the road.
He'd crossed the precipice.
Death, primarily that born of his own hands, was regrettably not new to him. Such acts, however, had thankfully been few and far between, and they had always, and most importantly, been kept distant and detached through a barrier of anonymity. A barrier he'd lost when he watched the life leave those eyes.
Eyes that stared at him now like a specter down the road, standing in the mountain's shadow. That body he'd left behind stood there, a ghost built by his own mind, and stared at Adrian with that same shock, confusion, and what Adrian might even dare call despair that wrung his stomach and chest tight.
The doubt began to flood him.
What had he actually seen in those eyes to take his life? Had he even seen a gun or simply a future where there was one? Questions that lingered without answer.
And if there had been? At that moment, he didn't have the privilege to wait and see.
He swallowed the questions and the shame they bred with them.
All that he knew for certain was that blood now lay at his feet in this crusade. He could only pray it would not grow to drown him. That it would not blind him and lead him off a cliff of his own.
Despite it all, somewhere and somehow, he'd already known he would kill for Elena should there be no other choice or if they were a threat to her. This did little to keep the act from sitting on a jagged throne of regret.
He could not, would not, allow himself to return to Elena as a creature cloaked in crimson that trailed only blood in its steps, guising itself with the name Adrian.
He prayed he would not have to follow such a path, but if no other presented itself to find her, then there would be no choice. He prayed for a lot that he had no right to pray for anymore.
The image of her that radiated throughout his entire being, the one he must deliver from Weyland-Yutani's malignant grip and the one that had driven him to send death's message through that man's heart, was the very same that now silenced his doubt.
For now.
He straightened up and listened to all the night had to offer: Nothing.
He had crossed the precipice. The solid lands in his mind had not the power nor drive to guide him back to her. So, he had stepped beyond it and began the dive. Despise or hate it as he may, there was nowhere to go but forward or, more likely, down. He knew and felt throughout the fiber of his being that she justified the means, but he was scared that those means would consume him.
He had lost her as a man undeserving. He would not return to her having also lost himself.
With eyes half-lidded and an unsettling silence that permeated through both night and mind, he turned around and began up the road on foot.
He was tired, but tired wouldn't get him off this planet. He marched on, eyes straight ahead but lost deep within the halls of his mind, which were growing difficult to navigate.
And he marched on.
Urging himself forward for each step, he told himself that sleep was of no consequence, nor was there any reserved for the wicked. With a mantra that echoed over and over in his mind, he pushed himself forward.
And he marched on because he had to keep moving.
He had to keep moving.
He had to keep moving.
He had to keep moving.
He had to keep moving.
He had to-
/|\
A/N:
First, I realize this chapter took longer than usual to publish, but as stated before, it was already done. I just like to keep a few buffer chapters ready before I go back to edit and post the next one in line. Not to mention, life likes to remind you that your plans are fickle and easy to break.
Thank you for your patience, and let's continue this wild ride.