Darknesss united

Chapter 18 I Died For You

Scar
I fly through the door of the warehouse concealing our headquarters. The Hermits stand, huddled around the TV. All except Cub. He stands there, his face and mind unreadable. He stares at me, turns, and walks away.
The rest of the Hermits stare at a replay of what just happened as Speedrunner's body lies on the floor.
"Cub! Your suit worked perfectly!" Impulse calls out. Silence answers him. He turns around and spots me and Grian.
"They're back!" yells Impulse. Everyone looks our way. Everyone except Cub.
"Why?"
It's all he says. I don't understand. Cleo pats me on the back. I barely notice. I can't stop thinking about him. The crew celebrates. I can't.
"How'd you do it?" the Hermits crowd around me, a sea of voices I can't hear. All I can think about is Cub.
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Cub
The red light on the tracker flickers on, illuminating the dark laboratory with its flashes. I turn around and see the flash, running toward it in a panic. Scooping it up in my hands, I fidget with it and try to turn it off. I fall to the ground, black overcoming my vision. "I'm sorry." I send to him. It all goes dark.
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Scar
"I'm sorry"
I freeze. "Cub?"
Nothing. Everything feels wrong. I can't feel him. He's not here. He's not anywhere.
"Cub?!?" I yell.
Nothing.
A loud bang on the door. I look. Again. It falls. It's the Heroes. They swarm HQ.
Ren's pinned to the wall. Impulse is swarmed. I find my bow. It finds its mark. Ren is free.
I charge toward Impulse. "Get back!" I whisper. He nods. Shockwaves erupt from my fingers.
They fall. I fall back. A flash of pain. Taken care of.
I search for a red-tipped arrow. The explosion frees Impulse. I fire again and again, red overcoming my vision.
Before I know it, the room's cleared. Everyone lays on the floor. Some are alive. Most aren't.
By some miracle, we escaped unscathed.
An air of grim resolution settles over the room. We aren't safe here anymore.
"Everyone get your stuff!" Someone says.
Cub.
I run to his lab. I throw the door open.
He's in a ball on the floor. He's not a vexling anymore.
What? How?
I poke him.
Pain. My finger looks normal again for a split second.
Cub doesn't move.
I try again, shaking him violently. Nothing but pain.
Shaking it off, I uncurl him. I can barely manage. There's a festering wound on his hip.
He's not breathing. Why isn't he breathing?
Something's clasped in his hands. I try to get it out. I can't move him. His grip is too strong.
What's that they say about a dead man's grip?
My heart's beating so fast it's gonna explode.
I run back to the main hall. I trip over my feet as I run. I stand.
"Cub!"
All heads turn to me.
"He's dead!"
X appears out of nowhere. "Where?"
I lead him to the lab. X charges ahead as we reach the door, falling to his knees at Cub's dead body. The metal of his suit scrapes across the floor.
X pries Cub's hands open and clutches...
My cuff?
"Did I...kill Cub?" I whisper.
A small ribbon of blue flies through the air and returns to Cub.
"I think you just drained him of his magic." X says. "He should be okay."
I try to believe him, but I'm staring at Cub's body.
"Come on." X says. "Give him time to recover."
I follow him out of the room, staring at Cub's body.
Sadness overwhelms me as I watch the doors close.
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Cub
I sit up in a flash. The room is dark and cold. My mind is hazy. Everything hurts.
The cuff is gone. My hands look cold and lifeless. The Vex are gone. It's all gone.
I check my watch. Messages flood the chat for a medic.
Scar's screaming. He's crying.
He says I'm dead. I think I'm dead. For real this time.
I find my funeral time.
Scar wants to die.
"No!" I want to scream, but I can barely whisper.
I'm seeing out of Scar's eyes all of a sudden. He's nose diving into the floor.
Fear. He pulls up.
"Scar..." I whisper.
"CUB?" he says, hope seeping into his voice.
A shard of blue smoke hits my body. I'm back. My wings flicker into existence. I struggle to give my arms the strength to push me off the floor. I lie on the floor, waiting.
The door starts to open. Scar doesn't give it time. He flies through the door, tears streaming down his face.
"Cub!" he says, nearly yelling. "You're alive!"
He hugs me.
I can't imagine loving anyone else.