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8.
WITH, NOT WITHOUT YOU
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The sun was low in the sky, blending in the sea of orange and red, burning the already-hot Wasteland. The time for another uninspired dinner in the Citadel was approaching yet Jack and Furiosa were still in the Hydroponic Garden, now sitting on the sandy ground and leaning against the pool's cooling, rocky wall. Their previous, emotionally charged conversation had a profound effect on both, subconsciously making them sit very close to each other, their arms and sides touching. It seemed the physical contact, unobserved between them before, was suddenly too tempting to resist, too comforting and satisfying to deny it themselves.
"The War is coming," Jack started after a while of silence between them when they just watched the sun setting on the horizon in the distance. Furiosa looked at his profile, for the first time in a while. "We have been in battles every day, but what is looming over the Wasteland now is much bigger and much more dangerous than any battles we had to fight on Fury Road."
His eyes were still pinned to the horizon as if trying to memorize as much of the beauty and serenity of the sunset as he could. Would it be the last one he would see in his life? Jack didn't know, but he didn't want to miss a second of sharing it with the woman sitting by his side.
Furiosa regarded him quietly; her hand slowly covered his hand, resting on the ground right next to her. Jack turned his head to look into her striking eyes. He twisted his palm and his fingers wrapped around her hand, gently but firmly.
"Then it's good that we can face it together," Furiosa remarked, her gaze intense and honest.
Melancholy veiled Jack's eyes, and yet there was something more in them, something unspoken but very clear to see, and Furiosa didn't miss it.
"Together," Jack repeated, managing a small smile.
Furiosa felt her heart beating in her throat. Of all the time she had spent in Jack's presence, this was the moment she felt the closest to him, and her desire to share everything she was hiding from him about her past overwhelmed her. She wanted to tell him; in anticipation of what they would be facing soon, he deserved to know why it was so important for her to leave and find her home again; he deserved to know the truth.
"There is something I need… want to tell you," she started, her extraordinary eyes seemingly even larger as they pierced his warm gaze. "About how I got to the Citadel."
And so she did, while Jack listened intently, without interrupting her. Her life in the Green Place; her mother, falling victim to the bestial brutality of Dementus; being kidnapped and held captive by Dementus only to be taken by Immortan Joe not long after, her subsequent escape from him and life in disguise in the House of the Holy Motors for years…
Jack didn't interrupt her once; he listened patiently and her resilience and determination to survive and fulfil her dream and promise to her mother impressed him immensely. Since the very first moment they met, he knew this woman was special, sensing not only her extreme defence skills but also the sheer will to survive and keep going wherever she wanted to go. Now he knew it was not only the survival instinct or the revenge that kept driving her onwards - it was her dream, her unwavering belief in her home, in returning to the place where hope, respect and humanity still existed.
"You will find your home," he said quietly when she finished her narrative. "With or without your map of secrets."
Furiosa looked into his eyes, noticing the strange but calm light reflecting in them as if he knew something she didn't.
"We will find it," she corrected him, tightening her hold of his hand.
Jack smiled, without replying.
They regarded each other for a beat before Jack sighed.
"We need a plan," he said.
Furiosa nodded and quickly returned to her pragmatical thinking, pushing her emotions aside and eager to know his thoughts.
And then she let him explain everything he had been preparing in his head for weeks. The only change he had to make was considering not one but two runaways. However, regardless of the much bigger risk it posed, deep inside his heart, Jack knew there was no other way for him, and there could be only two possible outcomes - success and a new life in hope, or his demise...
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When they got into the War Rig the following morning, they didn't share a word, only exchanged looks before Furiosa turned on the engine, and they set out for the Bullet Farm - to load the truck with every piece of weaponry they could get their hands on.
There was a palpable tension in the air, creating a thick and electricity-filled atmosphere, suggesting something was about to happen. Jack and Furiosa, despite looking cool as always, felt the barely contained thrill of the possibility of their plan. The success was not guaranteed yet neither of them would back off now. There was only one way forward - out of the Citadel, following the stars, together.
The distant outline of the Bullet Farm had just appeared on the horizon before them when Furiosa looked at Jack.
"Ready?" she asked, not needing to elaborate any more.
Jack didn't reply, only glanced at her and then honked the horn, signalising the War Boys on the top of the tanker and the pursuit cars that they were stopping.
The Rig came to a halt and Furiosa silenced the heavy engine. Wordlessly, she looked knowingly at Jack again. He glanced at her once more, then got out of his seat, leaving her alone. She took a deep breath and took a while before she would follow him outside. Like never before, she felt the blood pulsing in her veins, her heart thumping with sudden nervousness but impatience, as well.
"I want your bikes!" Jack ordered the War Boys as he stepped off the Rig. "Load them up on the back of the V8 pursuit and tie them down. Soon as that's done, load it with food, fuel and water. As much as you can carry."
"What's this? A scouting party?" asked one of the War Boys.
"Possibly," Jack replied calmly.
Furiosa finally got out of the War Rig, as well, walking slowly towards him.
"What about us?" a V8 War Boy inquired.
"You're both gonna ride on the tanker."
"What about me?" asked the third V8 War Boy.
"You're promoted. Rear defence," Jack replied. His voice sounded strong and determined as always when he spoke to the members of his team - apart from speaking to Furiosa.
The War Boy glanced at the tanker in awe. "On the War Rig?"
"Of course," Jack confirmed and registered the sound of footsteps behind him.
"What are you doing?" Furiosa asked and came to stand beside him."Is there a problem?"
"You drive the V8," Jack told her and was ready to walk on.
Furiosa stopped him, putting her hand on his chest.
"I drive the War Rig," she spoke with a deep voice, staring into his eyes.
"Not today. Today you drive the Pursuit," Jack countered with a non-aggressive command in his voice, worthy of a leader.
Despite the order in his words, Furiosa noticed a flash of warmth in his eyes before he moved away from her and walked back to the front of the tanker, giving more orders to the War Boys and getting inside, back to his passenger seat. The silent acknowledgement of their agreement disarmed her for a beat despite being ready for it.
She didn't look back immediately, trying to bring her heartbeat back to normal.
Just breathe… You need to keep a cool head now… Just load the truck and leave for the scouting party... An easy and inconspicuous way out, and by the time they suspect something, we'll be far away; the stars will be with us…
She turned around eventually, her deeply focused gaze lingering on Jack for a few moments more. Then she got into the V8 car and followed the War Rig as it set into motion again. Her brain consciously clamped down on emotions, her eyes fixed on the truck and the road before her.
As the convoy approached the gate to the Bullet Farm, Jack felt a sudden change in the air. At first, he couldn't really identify the reason and wasn't too concerned. However, when the convoy drove through the gate and stopped at its usual place not far behind the gate, he heard the alarm bells ringing in his ears - the Farm seemed deserted, with not a single person in sight. On instinct, Jack's hand stopped the War Boy by his side from moving. The boy immediately saw why: a large black dog with a fury gaze walked slowly toward them, with a human foot in his mouth. He stopped at the sight of them, ready to attack its next victim.
Jack's eyes widened as he immediately pulled on the horn string, warning the back of the convoy, then ducked down to avoid danger. The booming sound set off a fiery bullet fire from all around them, killing the War Boy in the driver's seat immediately.
Furiosa hit the gas pedal as hard as she could, driving back at full speed. She managed to whiz through the gate and jam the break only a few meters outside, making the car spin around, when she saw the gate crash down on the other pursuit car trying to get out of the Farm, too. Her heart started thumping again, not from excitement this time, though. She got out of the car, having a tight grip on her thunderstick, ready to fight.
Jack managed to dodge the first lethal load and carefully but quickly jumped out of the Rig. Deep inside, he sighed in relief seeing that Furiosa made it out of the Farm unharmed, spotting her V8 behind the gate. In the next few seconds, he managed to shoot a few snipers on the other side of the War Rig, making his way towards the back of the tanker. He had just shot another sniper, standing on top of the gate, when his eyes dropped down again, seeing Furiosa behind the gate with the weapon in her hands.
Their eyes met, and even from a fair distance, Jack saw the anguish in her look. His own gaze was painful, almost desperate. He knew the chance of them both escaping without destroying Dementus first was nigh-on non-existent. And he also knew, with all the War Boys killed by snipers, he was the only person who could distract Dementus, allowing Furiosa to drive away.
The precious few seconds they were given for eye contact were filled with indescribable longing and a pang of impending tragedy. They were hastily ended with the arrival of more snipers, who both Jack and Furiosa had to deal with. A few arrived in a car and used a fire cannon, aiming at Furiosa, who hid behind the grated gate, avoiding the flames.
Jack's brain was on fire of a different kind as he ran into the War Rig's driver's seat. He turned on the engine, changed the gear to reverse and without a blink of an eye, hit the gas pedal. The tanker furiously rammed into the car, smashing it like a loathed insect, the fire cannon and the snipers along with it.
He opened the door, and his anxious eyes searched for any sign of Furiosa. And then he spotted her, running back to the V8 and getting inside. The sound of the car horn called him, but Jack suddenly felt his chest tightening and his heart sinking with the cruel realisation, because, at the same time, he heard something else - more danger approaching on cars and motorbikes, driving up toward the Rig. With a resigned face, he sank back in his seat and reached for a signalling gun. One shot into the sky was followed by a green explosion, sending a visual message to the Praetorian on the other side.
Go… Leave before it's too late… Find your home, for both of us, and live in peace again…
A cold shiver ran down Furiosa's spine when she heard the dull sound of the shot piercing the air. She jumped out of the car, and her eyes looked up into the sky, seeing the dreaded patch of green slowly dissipating in the air. She knew what it meant and yet refused to accept it. Her first instinct was to cry out his name, to make him follow her. However, then her gaze dropped back down toward the War Rig, which had already started moving again, heading for a direct collision with the incoming sniper cars and bikes. Her reason muted her heart, and with a hardened, determined look, Furiosa returned to the driver's seat, started the engine and hit the gas pedal.
The V8 didn't drive far, though, for just a moment later, the Praetorian hit the break again, leaving the engine running, though. A cruel memory took her back to when she was but a child, tragically affected by a choice someone else made for her, in that case, her mother, who she had never seen again.
Never again…
The decision she took next was the one she made all those years back as well, although it only caused her excruciating pain when she had to watch her mother being tortured to death by an inhuman beast. However, even this time, her heart wouldn't decide any other way, not when someone else she loved was doomed to a horrific and inevitable demise and on top of it all, by the same hand. She had to try at least.
Just hold on, Jack…
With rock-hard determination in her eyes, she changed to the reverse gear and hit the gas pedal to its maximum.
Jack didn't count the number of men he annihilated with the War Rig, Snipers on bikes and cars kept chasing him at the same rate as he kept crashing into them or pushing them off the road. He knew his chance of survival was minimal, still, he didn't care. His only desire was to buy Furiosa as much time as possible to escape as far as she could from this place of devastation and death. Should he fall himself, so be it, he was ready…
He was driving in a spiral and already halfway down to the centre of the Bullet Farm when he dodged a side hit from a massive bulldozer. That's when his eyes landed on the slope on the opposite side and spotted the familiar figure of the woman he had just sent away, crouching behind a lost bike and preparing to use the rifle in her hands. His mind went blank for a beat as he was struck by fear. He recognized another figure as well, this one on top of a giant brick bullet-storage tower not far away from him, hiding from Furiosa's shots, which kept coming in irregular intervals as she covered Jack from his attackers at the same time.
He barely had the time to process the new reality when he saw Dementus suddenly step out from his hiding place, with one of his minions as a human shield in front of him, and fire a grenade at Furiosa. She didn't manage to reload her weapon in time, and the slope was suddenly blown apart by a large explosion. As Jack saw Furiosa being swallowed by the earth and disappear from his sight under a massive cloud of dirt and dust, his eyes widened in terror.
In that horrifying moment, Jack's brain switched into total destruction mode. His eyes narrowed and hardened, and the rage and pain that punched him in his gut like a perfectly executed attempt to kill him turned him into a cold-blooded machine. He hit the gas pedal even harder and turned the steering wheel in the direction of the brick tower. There would be no mercy. Dementus wanted war and he got it, even if only with a solitary soldier this time.
The truck thundered straight into the tower's base, causing it to collapse just a few seconds after driving away from it - still unharmed, sticking to its reputation as an almost indestructible vehicle.
Jack continued driving and avoiding attacks, his eyes still hard and cold, as he was running purely on instinct. Survival held little meaning for him now. The only person that gave some real and decent meaning to his life since he had come to the Citadel was gone, and all he wished was to follow her, wherever the angel of death might have taken her. However, not before he would take some more of the evil vultures with him.
Suddenly, he felt the Rig slowing down until it started sliding backwards. Jack turned around and saw the truck got hooked by a crane he had just avoided,. He used the breaks and all possible contraptions to stop the Rig from moving backwards but to no avail. The back of the truck was already hanging over a massive abyss, filled with screaming people at the bottom of it as they saw the unavoidable approaching. Jack climbed out of his seat through the broken windscreen, in the last attempt to save his own skin, even if only for a few minutes longer. However, he only made it to the truck's bonnet, already leaning backwards at a steep angle. The screams became louder.
So this is it… This is how it all ends, in this Hell of dust, blood and evil…
And then he heard another sound - a motorbike approaching from a distance. His eyes registered movement on the right, and when he looked in that direction, he thought he saw an apparition. It couldn't be…
The motorbike drove fast toward him, and by the skin of the teeth escaped the second, crashing brick tower - Jack's single action caused a massive chain reaction, and pieces of the Farm started falling like a house of cards.
"Jack!" came the cry, and he finally believed. She's alive…
He was already falling into the abyss when he spotted a large hook on a long rope thrown at him. At the last minute, he grabbed it with all his remaining strength, gritting his teeth. He stopped falling and hung from the slope. Looking up, the resilience and determination having returned to his face, his eyes met Furiosa's hard gaze; it was the look of an almost feral creature, expressing only one thing -you are not dying here!
The motorbike pulled Jack up again, and the Praetorian ran quickly to sit behind Furiosa. The feel of her physical frame reassured him once more he wasn't imagining everything. She was truly there, with him, alive… Everything was not lost yet.
They drove up toward the giant gate, where Furiosa killed the bike's engine. They jumped off it and crawled under the gate through one of the gaps, running toward the V8. After Jack slammed the passenger's seat door behind him, breathless and still in awe, he looked at Furiosa, seeing she was watching him. Despite the dust and dirt all over it, her face appeared unusually soft, relief and care etched into its every line.
"Yeah? We're good," she said, still out of breath as well.
Jack didn't reply, his eyes doing the job for him.
Before he could catch his breath, the V8 started its journey of escape and search for a place of long-lost dreams.
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