AN: I appreciate you all! We are in the very last stretch. I will upload one more chapter today (it's already in my Doc Manger), then three more chapters and the story will be complete! Here we gooooo...
My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark: Fall Out Boy
Bella, now back in the lab after her break, moved with quiet purpose, her fingers working despite the tremor in her hands. The cytotoxin in front of her was volatile, but it was stable—too stable. That was the problem. A properly synthesized cytotoxin wouldn't combust, wouldn't react violently unless it was fundamentally altered. And that's exactly what she was going to do.
She had spent days studying this lab—its rhythms, its resources, its vulnerabilities. And now, she was going to use every ounce of that knowledge to bring it to its knees.
The key lay in the stabilizing agent, a proprietary buffer Victoria had implemented to regulate the cytotoxin's reaction rate. Without it, the toxin's delicate chemical balance would collapse, leading to a runaway reaction. The compounds would begin to degrade, producing heat—a lot of heat. Enough to start an exothermic chain reaction.
Bella had already begun. Under the guise of continuing her work, she had carefully siphoned off the buffer solution, replacing it with something that would ensure the toxin didn't just degrade—it would detonate.
She had prepared a destabilizing mixture earlier, using chemicals from the lab without drawing attention. A combination of concentrated hydrogen peroxide and a heavy metal catalyst—likely copper(II) sulfate or iron(III) chloride—both of which would accelerate the breakdown of the cytotoxin.
Once introduced, the reaction would start slowly, heat building gradually. But as the destabilized compound decomposed, it would begin off-gassing volatile byproducts—the kind that, if exposed to an open flame or electrical spark, would ignite instantly. A delayed chain reaction.
That was Phase One.
Phase Two would be out of her hands. The lab was filled with volatile organic solvents, pressurized gas tanks, and oxidizers—materials that were harmless under normal conditions but would turn lethal under extreme heat.
Once the fire began, it would spread.
Once it reached the pressurized storage… boom.
The entire facility would go up in a chain reaction explosion, erasing every trace of Victoria's work—and Bella along with it.
That's the plan, she told herself. I just need the right moment.
She swallowed hard, her heart hammering as she watched the destabilized mixture bubble just slightly faster than before. The reaction had started. Now, she just had to wait for the right moment.
They had to be safe first. She had to be sure.
Aro and Victoria were too distracted to notice—at first. Aro had come in to check on progress, his cold eyes scanning the room as Victoria reported with smug satisfaction. But then, a crackle of radio static cut through the air.
"Potential breach confirmed. Missing prisoners unaccounted for."
Victoria's head snapped toward the device in her hand.
"What's going on?" she hissed, pressing the button on the radio.
"Multiple hostiles. Armed. They're cutting through our defenses."
Then, as if to punctuate the words, the facility's alarm blared to life. The piercing wail sent a jolt through Bella's body, her heart seizing in her throat.
They escaped.
This was her moment.
Victoria turned sharply, her fiery gaze locking onto a nearby guard. She snapped her fingers, her voice cutting through the noise. "You—go find out what's going on. Now."
The guard nodded and hurried out, his boots pounding against the tile floor.
Victoria turned back to Bella, suspicion flickering in her eyes. She leaned in, her voice low and venomous. "Keep working, Dr. Swan. And let me make this perfectly clear—if anyone shows up who doesn't belong here, they're dead. Understood?"
Bella swallowed hard and nodded, sweat dripping down her temple. Her hands resumed their work, moving faster now. Less cautious, more desperate. Every click, every precise motion brought her closer to setting the lab on fire from the inside out.
The reaction was accelerating. The mixture in the vial had started to change, bubbling more aggressively. Tiny wisps of vapor curled into the air, an early sign of decomposition. Almost there.
She just needed two more minutes.
The door slammed open.
The guard stumbled back in, his face pale. "Dr. Greene, we have a breach—"
Before he could finish, a thunderous boom rocked the facility, sending tremors through the floor. Bella's vials rattled precariously on the table.
Victoria grabbed the guard by the collar, her nails digging into his uniform. "Who is it?" she demanded.
The guard stammered, his voice shaking. "Multiple armed hostiles. A grenade just went off."
Victoria's lips curled into a snarl. "Seal the lab. Now. No one gets in or out."
The guard rushed to comply, slamming a security override on the console. Bella's heart pounded. Window closing. Time running out.
She glanced down at her bubbling mixture—her time bomb. The exothermic reaction was nearing its peak. The volatile compounds were reaching their critical point. A few more degrees, a little more heat, and the decomposition would go thermal.
Victoria paced behind Bella, her heels clicking against the cold tile, her sharp eyes scanning the monitors displaying real-time reaction data.
Then, a small shift.
A beep from the monitoring system. A deviation in reaction temperature.
Victoria's brow furrowed. "That's strange," she muttered under her breath, stepping closer. "Move."
Bella kept her eyes forward, resisting the urge to react.
Victoria tapped a few keys on the terminal, pulling up the reaction parameters. The cytotoxin's breakdown rate was slightly higher than expected—not enough to set off immediate alarms, but enough to suggest an anomaly.
Her gaze flicked to Bella's workstation.
The liquid in the vials was bubbling faster than normal. Not violently, but subtly—a rate just outside the controlled conditions she had personally set.
Victoria's frown deepened. She leaned in, eyes narrowing.
Something wasn't right.
She glanced at the labeled bottles beside Bella—the stabilizing buffer solution was missing.
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she turned to the chemical waste bin. A faint, lingering drop of buffer solution clung to the discarded pipette tip.
Realization hit like ice in her veins.
Bella had removed the buffer.
Victoria's gaze snapped back to the reaction vessel. A second inconsistency sent a chill down her spine—the mixture's color had shifted slightly.
Not enough for an untrained eye to notice, but Victoria had worked with this compound long enough to know its every behavior. The cytotoxin should have remained a clear, pale amber. Now, it was darker. Off.
Victoria inhaled sharply.
She stepped forward, peering closer. Then she froze.
The air in the room seemed to still.
Victoria's expression shifted from curiosity to realization.
Her head snapped to Bella. "What's this?" she murmured, her voice dangerously soft.
Bella's breath caught.
Victoria's eyes flicked between the vials, the missing stabilizer, the bubbling liquid. Her mind worked fast—too fast. Her pupils dilated in understanding, and her lips curled in a slow, vicious smile.
"You…" she breathed, taking a step closer. "You're not just stalling, are you?"
Bella clenched her jaw, refusing to speak.
Victoria let out a low, bitter laugh. "You clever, clever girl." She straightened, pivoting smoothly toward one of the remaining guards. Without hesitation, she yanked the rifle from his hands.
"Stay where you are," she ordered, her tone casual but edged with steel.
The guard hesitated, then took a step back, uncertain.
Unnoticed, Aro moved silently toward a side door, his sharp eyes scanning the unfolding chaos before slipping out.
Victoria didn't see him leave.
She raised the rifle, leveling it directly at Bella's chest.
"You know," Victoria mused, her voice almost conversational, "I've always admired you, Bella. Your brilliance, your focus, your… potential. It's maddening, really."
She began to pace, the rifle never wavering. "Do you know how long I've worked for this? Decades. Sacrificed everything. And yet, someone like you—a child—walks in and steals the spotlight."
Her expression twisted with resentment.
"They adore you. They sing your praises. Isabella-fucking-Swan, the prodigy."
Bella kept her eyes locked on Victoria, her fingers inching toward the last vial.
"But me?" Victoria's voice sharpened. "I built this. I made this possible. And yet, they'll remember you."
She stopped pacing, her grip on the rifle tightening. "Even in death, you'll be a martyr. The brilliant scientist who gave her life for the greater good."
She let the words settle, let Bella absorb them.
"But I won't let that happen."
Victoria lifted the rifle a fraction higher, her finger tightening over the trigger.
Then—
A gunshot.
The guard beside Victoria staggered backward, a neat hole between his eyes. He collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.
Victoria spun in shock, her mouth open. "WHAT—"
A shadow filled the doorway.
Edward.
His rifle was still raised, the barrel still smoking, his green eyes burning with fury.
"Drop the gun, Victoria," he ordered, his voice low, deadly.
For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty passed through her eyes.
Bella's breath caught in her throat.
He came for me.
Oh, no. He came for me. No, he wasn't supposed to be here.
Victoria's grip on the rifle faltered for a fraction of a second.
It was all the time Bella needed.
She lunged.
Victoria moved just in time, slipping out of Bella's reach with a sharp pivot. Her grip on the rifle tightened, knuckles going stark white. Before Bella could react, Victoria yanked her backward, dragging her roughly against her chest. Bella gasped, her heels scraping against the slick tile as she struggled against Victoria's iron grip.
The cold steel of the rifle barrel pressed into the small of Bella's back.
"Not a step closer," Victoria hissed, her voice low and lethal. "Or I'll end her."
Edward went rigid, his breath sharp as his rifle stayed locked on Victoria. But his finger hesitated over the trigger. Too risky. Too close. His gaze flicked to Bella for a fraction of a second, his eyes softening just enough to make a silent promise: I'll get you out of this.
"It's over, Victoria," Edward said, his voice calm but razor-sharp. "Let her go. Walk away."
Victoria let out a dry, unhinged laugh, a sound that sent ice slicing down Bella's spine.
"Over?" she echoed mockingly. "Oh, Edward… it's only just beginning."
Her finger twitched over the trigger.
Bella's heart pounded wildly against her ribs, the weight of the gun against her back suffocating. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to act. She held Edward's gaze, unspoken understanding crackling between them.
It's now or never.
With a deep breath, Bella moved.
She shifted her weight, twisting violently in Victoria's grasp, driving her elbow into the woman's ribs with every ounce of strength she had left. Victoria grunted in surprise, the blow forcing her to stumble back, her grip loosening just enough—
But not enough.
Bella wrenched free just as Victoria's finger clenched around the trigger.
A deafening gunshot cracked through the lab.
Fire erupted in Bella's side.
She barely registered the impact before the pain hit—a white-hot, searing agony tearing through flesh and muscle. The force of the shot knocked her off balance, her legs giving out beneath her. A strangled cry ripped from her throat as she collapsed, vision shattering into fragments of light and darkness.
The floor was cold against her palms as she clutched the wound instinctively, her fingers pressing against slick warmth—too much warmth. Blood. Her blood. It pulsed hot between her fingers, spilling over her hands in thick rivulets. The pain was suffocating, crushing, drowning her in its merciless grip.
Her breath came in ragged, broken gasps. Her ribs seized. The world around her blurred, sounds fading in and out.
Somewhere, beyond the roaring in her ears, she heard him.
"NO!"
Edward's voice was raw, torn from his chest in pure, visceral agony.
Her heavy eyelids fluttered, her gaze dragging toward him. His face was twisted with rage, his rifle already raised. A gunshot rang out before she could even process it.
Victoria's body jerked violently, her eyes widening in frozen shock as the bullet struck her between the eyes. Her lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but no words came.
Then she dropped, hitting the tile with a sickening finality.
The world tilted violently around Bella. She sucked in a shaky breath, a sharp, burning sting radiating from her abdomen. Everything hurt.
Then Edward was there.
He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands immediately pressing against her wound. He ripped the her protective equipment off, desperate to reach the source of bleeding. The weight of his touch sent a fresh jolt of pain through her, a strangled whimper escaping her lips.
"Bella. Fuck, Bella!" His voice was frantic, cracking as his hands—so strong, so capable—were now trembling against her slick, bloodied skin. He pressed down harder, trying to stop the bleeding.
The pressure was unbearable.
A sharp, choked sob tore from Bella's throat, her body arching in agony beneath his grip. Her fingers clawed weakly at his arms.
"I know, I know," Edward gasped, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry. Just—just stay with me."
Bella's vision blurred, dark spots creeping into the edges. Her body felt impossibly heavy, her limbs distant, like they weren't her own.
"Edward…" she rasped, the sound barely making it past her trembling lips.
"Stay with me," he pleaded, his forehead pressing against hers. His breath was warm, desperate. "I've got you. You're going to be okay. I've got you. I've got you."
Bella could feel herself slipping, the pain turning into something distant and detached.
No… Not yet…
She forced her lips to move, her breath shuddering. "The… lab…"
Edward's head jerked up, his eyes frantic.
"It's… going to… blow…"
Understanding dawned across his face, horror flickering in his expression. He pressed harder against her wound for a second longer, then moved—fast.
He scooped her up, holding her against his chest as if sheer will alone could keep her together. The warmth of him, the scent of him, surrounded her, grounding her even as her mind drifted.
The lab trembled around them. Smoke was seeping through the vents. It was happening.
Edward's grip on Bella tightened as he adjusted her in his arms, his eyes flickering between the emergency panels flashing their warnings.
CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. REACTOR TEMPERATURE BREACH.
We're out of time.
Alice appeared beside him, her face streaked with sweat and blood. "Edward, we need to GO!" she shouted, her voice barely cutting through the deafening chaos. She fired a shot over his shoulder, covering their retreat.
A deep, guttural rumble tore through the foundation, shaking the floor beneath them. The very walls groaned in protest as something deep within the lab gave way.
The explosion was seconds from ripping through the facility.
Gunfire erupted, a storm of sound and fury. Each shot sent vibrations through Edward's chest, through Bella's body—each one a hammer striking against fragile glass. The team moved quickly, a synchronized force of survival, cutting through enemies as the lab spiraled further into collapse.
But Bella…
Bella was slipping.
The cacophony of chaos—the staccato of gunfire, the shouted commands, the alarms wailing their final, desperate warnings—faded into something distant, muffled. The world around her blurred, shrinking to the single, unwavering constant anchoring her to reality: Edward.
His arms held her as if sheer will alone could keep her here. His grip tightened with every jarring step, his heart pounding against her, a steady rhythm fighting against the void pulling her under.
Her vision dimmed further, the edges curling inward like charred paper, but him—she could still see him.
His jaw was set in grim determination, his features cut sharp against the flickering firelight and face streaked with soot, sweat, and blood. He looked inhumanly fierce, like something carved from steel and rage, yet beneath that—beneath the hardness, the relentless need to get her out—there was something else. Something softer.
His eyes.
God, his eyes.
Twin beacons of burning green, fierce and unyielding, yet shadowed with something deeper. Something raw. She clung to that fire, letting it keep her tethered to this world, to him.
A strange mix of awe and sorrow swelled in her chest.
Even now, drowning in agony, she could only think of how beautiful he was.
Not just in the way that made strangers stare, but in the way that mattered. His beauty was a paradox—razor-edged yet gentle, a quiet vulnerability hidden beneath the fire. She wished she had more time to understand him.
Tears welled in her eyes, not from the searing pain tearing through her side, but from everything left unsaid. Everything she hadn't done.
Her whole life had been calculated steps, formulas, precision—science. And yet he had become the single, uncontrollable variable.
Edward had changed her. He made her braver. He made her see a world beyond data and logic, beyond controlled environments. And now, in these final moments, all she wanted was more time.
She wanted to tell him.
That he mattered. That she wasn't ready. That she didn't want this to end.
But her throat was raw, her voice stolen by the pain blooming through her body like scorching heat.
Instead, she reached up weakly, her trembling fingers brushing against his jawline. His breath hitched. His eyes flicked down to hers, and in that instant, she saw it—
The fear.
Not fear of dying.
Fear of losing her.
"Bella," he breathed, voice splintering like something breaking apart inside him. "Stay with me. Please."
His words wrapped around her, a lifeline in the darkness, but she could feel herself slipping. The edges of her consciousness frayed, unraveling thread by thread.
Her lips parted, forming his name in a silent plea.
I'm not ready. I don't want this to end.
The last thing she saw before the darkness swallowed her whole—
Was him.
The raw, unguarded emotion in his eyes.
Desperation. Fear. And something deeper—something aching, something that mirrored the longing in her own heart.
And then—
Nothing.
Well, THAT went from zero to one hundred preeeeeetty quick, lol. Um. How we feeling? Vocab lesson? Haha. This is the last heavy science-y lingo chapter. Let me know if you'd like to understand Bella's sabotage more clearly. Science is so dang interesting, huh?!
Volatile: A chemical that can easily evaporate or react under certain conditions, sometimes dangerously.
Stabilizing agent: A chemical that helps maintain a compound's structure and prevents unwanted reactions.
Proprietary buffer: A specially designed chemical solution used to keep a substance stable and prevent breakdown.
Runaway reaction: A chemical reaction that speeds up uncontrollably, often leading to extreme heat and explosions.
Exothermic chain reaction: A process where a reaction releases heat and triggers more reactions, creating a dangerous feedback loop.
Buffer solution: A liquid that helps maintain the chemical balance of a reaction.
Destabilizing mixture: A combination of chemicals designed to make a substance lose its stability, often leading to dangerous reactions.
Hydrogen peroxide: A common chemical that, when concentrated, can be highly reactive and produce oxygen gas rapidly.
Heavy metal catalyst: A metal compound (like copper(II) sulfate or iron(III) chloride) that speeds up chemical reactions.
Off-gassing: The release of gases from a chemical reaction, sometimes producing flammable or toxic vapors.
Volatile organic solvents: Liquids that evaporate quickly and can catch fire easily.
Pressurized gas tanks: Containers that store gases under high pressure, which can explode if exposed to extreme heat.
Reactor temperature breach: A situation where the temperature inside a reactor or chemical system rises uncontrollably, leading to possible explosions.
Thermal decomposition: The breakdown of a substance due to heat, often releasing gases or causing a chain reaction.
Exothermic decomposition: A chemical breakdown that releases heat, which can accelerate further reactions.
Catalyst: A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up in the process.
Pressurized storage: Containers that hold gases or liquids under high pressure, which can become dangerous if ruptured.