ꜰᴇᴀʀꜱ (ᴸᵉᵒⁿ ᴷᵉⁿⁿᵉᵈʸ ˣ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 27

Leon and Nikola stood in the central console of the lab, staring at the bridges that had both alredy been extended for some reason. The calm was shattered by a sudden, violent tremor. Stones and debris began to rain down from the ceiling, smashing into the bridge leading to the West Area, rendering it unusable.

From behind the damaged door to the West Area, a figure emerged, staggering and clearly injured. It was Annette Birkin, clutching her side and limping towards them.

"You have to get out of here!" Annette screamed, her voice barely audible over the noise of the collapsing facility. Leon struggled to keep his balance as the ground beneath them shook violently. "Let's go! We need to find another way!" he shouted, grabbing Nikola's arm.

But Nikola pulled away, her eyes fixed on the now-destroyed bridge. "I can't! I have to get to the West-Area!" she yelled back, her voice filled with desperation.
"What the hell, Nikola? This place is coming down around us!" Leon argued, his frustration growing. "Whats so important that you have to go there?"
"I can't tell you!" Nikola shot back, her voice breaking slightly. "But I need to! You don't understand!"

As they argued, the facility continued to disintegrate. Sparks flew from exposed wires, and sections of the ceiling caved in. Annette, now closer, tried to intervene, but her voice was drowned out by the chaos. "Why won't you tell me?" Leon demanded, his eyes narrowing. "We're a team goddamn it and you still act like you dont owe me anything." Nikola hesitated, the truth on the tip of her tongue. Finally, she blurted out, "I need a sample of the virus! It's the only way! Don't you understand? I need to get it!"

Leon's eyes widened. He stared at her in shock, his eyes initially reflecting sorrow but quickly turning to anger. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, his voice low and seething. "After everything we've been through, you never once thought to tell me the truth?"

Nikola looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "I couldn't, Leon. It's not that simple."

"Not that simple?" Leon's voice rose, echoing off the walls of the lab. "We've faced death together. We've saved each other's lives. And you've been hiding this from me the whole time? Do you have any idea how that feels?"

She flinched at his words, guilt washing over her. "I didn't want to lie to you. But I had orders. I had a mission. I couldn't risk compromising it." Leon shook his head, disbelief etched across his face. "You could have trusted me. I thought we were a team. I thought we had each other's backs. But now... I don't know what to think.", he screamed. Around them, increasingly larger chunks of stone fell to the ground, and the noise almost drowned out the harsh words they were throwing at each other.

Nikola took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "I'm sorry, Leon. Truly. But this virus is crucial. If it falls into the wrong hands... it could mean the end for so many people."

"Yeah, and what about us? Just because you have a mission doesn't mean that human feelings are unimportant and you can use everyone you want as your pawn!" Leon screamed angrily. "What about the trust we built? Was that just part of your mission too?"

"No!" Nikola's voice broke, the weight of her deception finally crashing down on her. "It wasn't. Leon, you have to believe me. I never wanted to deceive you. But I didn't have a choice." Leon's jaw clenched, his anger barely contained. "You always have a choice, Nikola. You just didn't choose me. You didn't choose us."