Professor Arc

Chapter 63

"...kid?"

Everything hurt.

"-me, kid? Can... hear...? Have... move..."

He couldn't put the words together. There seemed no good reason to. His eyes never once opened, but he imagined them closing once more. The world became darker. It became softer. Quieter...

"Oi!"

Something shook him.

"None... that. Need... up. Stay..."

Stay? Stay where? His mind tried to find the answer but nothing came. What did come was feeling, and that was followed swiftly by regret. His body felt like it was on fire. His skin felt like it had begun to peel away. Some parts of his body had no feeling at all, and those were blessed release from the rest. Something tugged at his right arm, lifting it up. The muscles screamed in agony, but all he managed was a faint whimper. He felt it dragged up and over, pressed against something soft, and yet horribly hard. His skin protested it, and he would have too had he been capable.

"- got you," the person said. "Just hang... going to get... of this messed-up place."

Less fragmented, more whole. The words were slowly filtering through, as was the exhausted, yet still exasperated voice. "Roman...?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I'm still here." The thief's voice was like a cop of cool water applied directly to his skin. It soothed and calmed. A hand wrapped around his back, supporting him. The faint smell of tobacco and ash assailed his nostrils. He'd never appreciated it more.

"Is it... over?"

"Nothing is ever over, kid," Roman growled. "We've got three hundred or more steps to take, then we're out into the main foyer. Straight into the law's hands." He paused to pull Jaune higher on his shoulder. "I'm not sure Neo can get us out. She's as spent as we are."

"Cinder...?"

"Gone."

He dared to hope. "Dead?"

Roman sighed. "No."

Jaune's stomach fell. He wanted to ask more, but it was hard past the bile that rose in his throat. He'd failed then, hadn't he? All of the struggle, all of the pain, and she'd lived. "Oh," he whispered, and blinked back the tears in his eyes.

"Eh, less of that. She lived, sure, but she didn't come out in one piece." Roman led him toward the staircase, and even though Jaune's eyes were still closed, he was able to navigate them with help. "You caught her across the face, drew blood and maybe even a little more. She was screaming and writhing on the floor. Neo and I would have had her but... well, her backup arrived."

Of course they did. Jaune groaned. "They didn't kill me? Why didn't Cinder...?"

"Me and Neo," Roman repeated. "Would have taken them too long to get through us and they needed to escape before the Atlas ships encircled. As for Cindy? Well, she just kept screaming, a mix of pained agony and fury. Kept screaming your name too. Wouldn't stop. I don't think she was in a position to kill you." He chuckled. "You did a good job on her. I'm proud, kid. I'd slap your back, but... I'm not sure you'd survive it."

Jaune almost stumbled on the next step, and would have fallen if not for someone appearing at his other side. Small hands took hold of his, and the faint whiff of ash and burned ice-cream was enough to tell him who. Her hair tickled his chin, and he felt hands roam up and down him, checking for injuries. There was a sharp exhale of breath as she found his stomach, before she moved to help him as well.

"About time you helped," Roman snorted. "I half-thought you were just going to sit there and watch."

If Neo made some kind of retaliatory expression, and knowing her, she did, then Jaune didn't catch it. It was all he could do to focus on taking one step after another without collapsing. There was a tugging, pulling sensation on is stomach. It was hard to place it, and he reached down with one hand to try and touch the skin.