Chapter 28: Matter of Life and Death

Alice rested her head on her folded arms as she sat at her desk in her office. At least, she assumed it was her office. She hardly recognized it with all the blue. She had intended to retire to her room but had discovered it to be locked. It was then that she realized she’d left the key in her desk drawer prior to her capture.

Of course, by the time she’d made it to her office, she hadn’t the strength of willpower to make the journey back to her room.

Of course, by all rights, she probably should’ve returned to the medical bay. After their journey, coupled with injuries and the spontaneous use of her powers, she was completely out of energy.

A soft knock at the door drew the teen’s attention.

“Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Vincent.

Alice didn’t miss the way his eyes seemed to lighten at the sight of her as he shut the door behind him.

She managed a warm smile, despite the chaotic thoughts swirling through her mind. “Miss me, did you?”

A throaty chuckle left the boy’s lips, causing the young woman’s smile to grow. “Is that even a question?”

His laugh was simply music to her ears. With all they’d been through over the past several months, a part of her wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d never laughed again.

Especially with what her father had just put him through…

Alice frowned.

What on earth was Leo thinking?! Didn’t he care that they’d made it back alive? He certainly hadn’t given a damn about the party responsible for saving their lives.

The blonde’s racing thoughts screeched to a halt as the subtle ‘click’ of the door’s lock sounded.

Pale eyebrows raised.

Vincent gave a sheepish smile, absently rubbing the back of his head. “S-Sorry, but, uh, I just wanted to take the necessary precautions.”

“You expecting an unwanted audience?” Alice joked, quirking a small grin in spite of herself.

The brunette pursed his lips, sobering momentarily. “Perhaps.”

Catching on, the blonde frowned. “Of the Leo variety, I take it?”

A nod.

“Luckily, he only saw fit to have me thrown in the medical bay and forgotten about…for now.”

Alice chewed her lip. He had a point. Truthfully, she was surprised he wasn’t already behind bars in the basement prison.

“I-I’m not sure what’s going to happen anymore. Everything…it feels so different now.”

At the blonde’s soft murmur, Vincent closed the distance between them as he moved around the desk to take her hand in his own.

“Because we’re different. YOU are different. Alice, these people aren’t like you. They don’t hold your same morals. That in there was no different than one of The Order’s public executions.”

The lieutenant looked away. Once again, the boy was right. She knew he was. Before she could speak, however, the boy continued with a soft sigh.

“Alice, I wouldn’t even be here now, if it wasn’t for you. All this war and bloodshed is madness. I know you’re just as tired of it as I am.”

Alice bit her lip, feeling the tears already beginning. Oh, how true that was. Especially now. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she gave her boyfriend’s hand a faint squeeze. “Th-There’s a part of me that wishes we’d never left that cottage, Vincent. I… I swear there’s something wrong with me. All,” the teen paused, unable to maintain his gaze. “All I want to do is be with you. To love you…”

Vincent gave a tender smile, gently tugging the young woman from her chair. “Then let’s go. We’ll run away together. There has to be somewhere out there for us. We just have to go find it.”

Alice wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into the white shirt he wore. “I wish we could. God, I wish we could. A-At the lake, I… I wish we could’ve just… I-I wanted to…”

Any further words the blonde may have spoken dissolved with her sobs. Vincent rubbed her back as he held her to his chest, gently combing a hand through her hair. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

“Me too.”

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Alice knew that they were already skating on ever-thinning ice. Then again, who was to say what tomorrow would bring? Would they even get a tomorrow? For all she knew, Leo would have the boy court-martialed.

Of course, that was all contingent on if they stayed.

Her eyes darted to the door. The locked door.

She bit her lip. They couldn’t… Could they? Surely the timing was inappropriate.

The blonde resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Really? One painkiller and a proper wound dressing, and all she could seem to think about was…

Then again, the boy didn’t seem to mind.

We’d go further…

Alice swallowed as she felt the heat bleed into her cheeks.

The lighting in the room brightened.

Vincent quirked a brow as she suddenly pulled away, watching as she made her way across the room.

A ‘click’ sounded as the room went black.

Alice shivered lightly at the faint glow of gold gazing openly at her from the back of the room.

God, those eyes…

“I can still see you, you know?”

The blonde swallowed, feeling more than a bit shy at the warm tone. There was a part of her that couldn’t believe she was actually doing this, no matter how badly she wanted to. Then again, she seemed almost powerless to resist. With the demeanor of a skittish fawn, Alice neared him.

So he could see her still, huh? Might as well give him something worthwhile to look at. She wondered how long his confident tone would last once he could feel her too.

The teen timidly brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Biting her lip lightly, she reached up to remove the green t-shirt she’d changed into earlier. Slipping it over her head, she allowed it to fall to the floor.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the boy.

Alice flushed, giving a shy smile. The rational part of her knew she was being more than a bit forward. However, it was quickly drowned out by her rapidly beating heart. If this turned out to be their final moment together, she was determined to make it absolutely magical.

The word flew from her lips with all the finality of a bullet exiting the chamber of a gun; a declarative statement more than a question: Further.

The warm, amber eyes regarding her widened slightly as she heard the boy’s breath hitch again. “Further,” he breathed.

Alice shuddered at the first brush of his hand against her bare shoulder, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip to keep from whimpering outright.

Warm lips descended, sweeping her away as her head began to spin.

Timid fingers latched onto the boy’s shirt, slowly easing it upward in their desperate quest for more skin contact.

A tentative arm carefully snaked its way around her back, pulling her closer.

“Vincent…”

The brunette twitched at the soft whisper of his name, slowly bringing his free hand up to brush the pad of his thumb along the girl’s cheek. His reward was another warm whisper of his name.

Warm. So pleasantly warm.

The pair parted.

Vincent sighed as the soft swish of fabric signaled the removal of his shirt. The sigh quickly strangled into a whimper of his own as heated fingertips brushed bare flesh.

Alice, feeling very much as if she were melting from the inside out, wrapped her arms around him as she began tracing a neat line from the base of his skull all the way down to the back of his hips. She stopped upon reaching the waistband of his jeans.

A sharp gasp left the brunette’s lips, causing the girl to give a light, airy chuckle before gesturing to the chair behind them.

Vincent maneuvered backward on shaky legs.

The pair regarded one another for a moment before reluctantly parting to remove their footwear.

Eyes fully beginning to adjust to the darkness enveloping them, Alice trembled lightly under the boy’s tender gaze. She shyly looked away, still feeling his eyes on her. This was all so new to her. It was both a terrifying and exhilarating experience.

In all honesty, it frightened her a little; how deeply and desperately in love with this boy she already was. Though, judging by his raptured stare, he was no better when it came to her.

The temperature in the room shifted, filling with a pleasant warmth as she finally met his gaze. Eyes trained on her every move as she reached up to unclip her bra. The garment fell away then, landing on the floor without a sound.

Amber eyes eagerly drank in the sight of porcelain skin.

The boy swallowed, heart racing in his chest as a soft ‘snap’ of a button preceded her stepping out of the blue jeans she wore. Giving a tender smile that was more confident than he felt at the moment, he reached out a hand to her.

“Darling…”

Alice shivered at the soft beckon, taking the boy’s hand within her own as he pulled her to him.

Vincent sat down in her desk chair. Being mindful of the injuries on her left side, he carefully scooped her into his lap. A gasp rushed from his lungs as she leaned forward, reacquainting their lips.

A contented sigh left the blonde as she buried a hand in her boyfriend’s raven hair. This was pure bliss. There was absolutely nothing that could take away from this moment. Soon, they would be forever bonded in such a way that no rule could ever come between them.

Leo could have his protocol and The Program. She would have her Vincent.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she barely registered a faint noise in the distance. Then again, she was hardly hearing anything other than the soft sounds of contentment coming from her boyfriend’s lips as well as her own.

The blonde quivered, her toes curling as the boy’s lips gradually moved to her ear. Tilting her head to allow him better access, she gave a faint moan.

The sound came again. This time much louder.

The pair paused, exchanging a confused glance.

What was that? It sounded almost like…screaming.

When the sound came again, it was accompanied by a sound the two teens were all too familiar with: The popping of gunfire.

The lovers exchanged another, wide-eyed, glance. Bolting out of the chair, they hurriedly redressed themselves before throwing open the door.

Alice froze.

Fire. It was everywhere. Through the windows on the training room doors at the end of the hall, the orange glow of the blaze made one thing clear: They were trapped.

A deafening roar sounded, shaking the building as the lights overhead flickered.

An explosion. It wasn’t a question. Alice had seen more than enough of her fair share of bombings over the last few years that the sound was unmistakable to her ears.

“Alice?”

Sparing a glance at her boyfriend, the blonde’s eyes narrowed. No. She was not losing him. “Come on,” she instructed as she led the way down the small hall. Reaching the training room doors, she winced at the heat as she yanked them open.

Vincent gasped. There was no visible way through, the heavy scent of smoke causing him to nearly wretch. “T-Th-There’s no way through,” he coughed. He glanced at his hands briefly. If only. If only he could…

“Vincent, look at me.”

The brunette turned to his girlfriend with frightened eyes. This wasn’t the end. Surely it wasn’t. After all they’d been through…

“We’re going to have to run. REALLY fast, okay? No looking back. I can get us out of here. Do you remember the way to the loading dock?”

“I-I think so. I-I don’t know, Alice. Why do I have to remember? You’re going to be right next to me.”

The blonde gave a somber smile. “Vincent, when I tell you to run, you run. Go as fast as you can to the loading dock. Help as many people as you can on your way. I’ll meet you there after I find Matthew.”

The brunette frowned. “But, Alice-”

Any further protests died in the boy’s throat as warm lips surged up to meet his own.

After a moment, Alice pulled away to rest their foreheads together. “That’s an order, soldier.”

The blonde stepped forward, drawing in a deep breath. This would surely take the last reserves of her energy. If they were to encounter enemy forces now, she would be all but helpless.

Vincent watched in awe as a faint, orange glow resonated from the young woman’s eyes. His eyes widened as the room’s temperature gradually began to lower as she held her hands out in front of her.

The flames flickered and danced, responding to the blonde’s pull as the muscles in her arms drew taut. Slowly, the flames began to part, opening a path along the floor.

“Vincent, now’s your chance! Don’t look back, I’ll be right behind you!”

The blonde’s shout barely registered above the din of crackling, banging, and screaming.

The lights flickered again, jarring the boy into motion finally. He bolted. Despite his commanding officer’s orders, he did look back. The sight that greeted him was one that nearly stopped his heart. A great wave of fire loomed over them, their path closing rapidly behind them.

Exiting the training room, both teens were nearly out of breath by the time they made it to the end of the long hallway. It wasn’t until they came to the main area that they were given a small reprieve from the blaze.

Another charge rocked the building, sending several light fixtures onto the floor. Gunfire sounded nearby, drawing the pair’s attention once more.

“You can make it from here, Vincent. The loading dock is that way,” Alice spoke, gesturing to her left as her subordinate turned to her. “You have to move. There isn’t much time. I’ll meet you there.”

With that, she darted down the long hall on the right that led to the medical bay.

****

Cursing under his breath, Vincent sped down the left hall, doing his best not to allow his eyes to linger on the dead bodies filling the halls. Some were shot, others burned beyond all recognition.

“Vincent!”

The brunette froze at the sound of his name, nearly crashing into a nearby wall. Turning around, he caught sight of Jonathan dispatching the soldier that had apparently been following him.

How had he not noticed?

Vincent glared as he recognized the uniform.

Silver armor with red plumage: Vladsco’s men.

“You okay?”

Vincent gave a nod to the boy. “Thanks.”

Jonathan returned the gesture. “Come on. We need to get our asses outta here.”

As if to emphasize the boy’s point, the building shook again, sending bits of plaster raining down from the ceiling. Shouting erupted again from down the hall, drawing the pair’s attention.

Taking note of the orange glow drawing nearer, Jonathan cursed.

Another scream.

Both boys felt their hearts stop as a man appeared around the corner. Well, man probably wasn’t the most appropriate of terms. He was more like a living torch.

With an inhuman shriek, the figure ran past them and crashed into the wall.

“Geez,” Jonathan breathed in horror.

Vincent spun on his heels, darting back the way he’d came. Jonathan let out a curse before dashing after him, shouting his name. Of course, it wasn’t as if he was hearing him. That man came from the direction of the main area; the last place he’d seen Alice.

Rounding the corner, Vincent felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Fire blocked the path leading into their hallway from the main area of the building. Alice wouldn’t be able to get through! With the loading dock on this side, the girl would be stranded in the blaze.

“Alice!” Vincent called desperately.

No response. Not that the boy would be able to hear above the sound of gunfire, screams, and crackling of flames.

“Alice!” he called again, tears welling within his eyes as he went unanswered once more.

Jonathan gripped his shoulder. “Vincent, come on! We gotta move! This place is falling apart. It isn’t safe anymore.”

Vincent pulled the hand from his shoulder, narrowing his gaze at the older boy. “I won’t leave without her.”

Jonathan shook his head. “Vincent, there isn’t time. Sorry, but I didn’t see her come through. There’s a chance she snuck out the front.”

“And there’s a chance she’s trapped back there!”

More plaster fell from the ceiling in a heap at their feet.

“Vincent, we don’t have time for a debate! Now, let’s go!”

Vincent ground his teeth, whipping around to face the inferno standing between him and his only love. A faint blue glow lit his eyes.

Blue. Dazzling blue. Just like the eyes of the angel he’d fallen so desperately in love with.

Blue. The color of the ocean. Water.

Water…

The teen’s eyes widened as a burst of water shot from his fingertips.

Powers. He had powers!

Now to reach Alice.

The teen extended a hand, firing another blast of water. Unfortunately, the blaze had grown so large that it did little to force it back.

The ceiling gave a loud ‘creak’ as the sprinkler system overhead blew, soaking the two teens in seconds.

With renewed vigor, Vincent continued with his attempt to battle the flames.

He had to reach her. He just had to!

The teen growled as the only reward his efforts seemed to earn him was a nasty burn to his left hand. Damn it!

Tears filled the brunette’s eyes.

Why? Why was this happening? For just this once, couldn’t they catch a break? Alice had been adamant that this God person was ultimately a loving being, right? That all he had to do was ask and believe. To have faith.

The teen briefly closed his eyes.

Vincent couldn’t remember ever asking for anything his whole life. Pl-Please… Don’t… Don’t take her from me…

After several more exhausting attempts at trying to get through, Jonathan finally began pulling the boy away by the arm. “Vincent, I told you: There’s no getting through that way! We have to get to the airships. It’s our only chance!”

Vincent continued his protests as Jonathan began forcefully dragging him away.

****

Alice spared a glance at the frightened child clutching onto her hand as they raced down the halls. She’d been forced to take a detour upon finding the main entryway blocked. She only hoped Vincent had made it.

Vincent…

The blonde’s thoughts trailed off as a ceiling panel fell to her immediate right, nearly slicing her shoulder.

Matthew cried out, tightening his grip on her hand.

Alice picked up their pace as she felt another tremor rumble through the building. Rounding a corner, she nearly bowled over the boy standing in the entryway.

“Seth?"

The brunette gave a smile of relief. “I was beginning to get a little worried, Lieutenant. The next airship is about to take off.”

Alice gave a relieved smile of her own as she followed him into the bay.

“Did everyone make it? Did you see Vincent come through yet? He should’ve been right ahead of me.”

Seth frowned, shaking his head. “No. You’re the only one I’ve seen come through.”

Alice pursed her lips. “Here. Get Matthew aboard.”

Seth’s brows furrowed as he took the boy’s hand. “Y-You’re not going back in there?”

“Seth, I have to. If you didn’t see Vincent come through, that has to mean he’s still in there.”

Another rumble shook the building, this one stronger than the last.

A small group of soldiers ran past them to get to the dock.

Alice frowned. Vincent wasn’t among them.

Plaster fell from the ceiling once more, seconds before a large, steel panel hit the floor behind them, blocking the path they’d came from.

Alice’s eyes widened. “No!”

“Lieutenant!” Seth cried as the blonde took off.

Alice ground her teeth as she attempted to move the obstacle. It refused to budge. Shoving, pulling, kicking. Each attempt ended in futility.

“Alice, we need to go,” Seth urged.

The blonde bit her lip. This could not be happening. This was all a nightmare. One she desperately wished to wake up from.

Another rumble sent more plaster onto the floor.

Alice spared a glance at the brunette, frowning. “Don’t just stand there. Help.”

Seth frowned as he approached her, letting go of Matthew’s hand. “Sorry, Lieutenant.”

The commanding officer gave her subordinate a questioning glance, her eyes widening once more as he picked her up.

“What are you doing?! Put me down, Seth! That’s an order!”

Seth closed his eyes as the lieutenant’s shouts dissolved into sobs. Murmuring another apology, he carried her off in the direction of the loading dock with Matthew following close behind.