Chapter 12, Can we change our fate?
March 11, 2024 at 7:13 AM
Victor looks around, taking his breath. He didn't know how long he has walked since the attack on his base, but night started to show up. He glances at the sky and starts thinking while admiring the stars. When was the last time he saw them? Even more that bright?
But a sudden light stops him, and he covers his eyes from the source to see what's happening the better way. Some soldiers with a projector on a military truck from his regiment just found him.
— Guys! I'm so happy to see you!
— I highly doubt it...
Victor looks at his troop mate with confusion.
— What do you mean?
A man comes out of the truck, his suit reveals his high position. He walks towards Victor, a laptop in his hands.
— At 13:08, a distress call from the W-549 base arrived at the headquarters, telling about an attack made by two people. We were confused how a squad of two could defeat one of our most advanced base leaving only one survivor, you. Then we have checked the security footage.
Victor got a shiver while the man was opening the laptop, revealing a picture of Alan in the middle of a fight, making him really terrifying.
— We then recognized a special form of Alan Walker alias #0 alias Subject GO-001, which was studied by the scientists of the W-549 lab. — the picture changed again, revealing a smiling Lily in the middle of her fire — This was called DE-001 and was reported to be Lily Cadieux alias #28300, the one that helped us discover that civilization, in a special form too. One question remains, how did they get inside without being seen ?
Victor's legs started to shake as the man looks at him in the eyes. The picture changed once more to reveal when Victor was guiding the two supernaturals in the corridors to the cells.
— We are very disappointed that you decided to betray us to these... things. We could use you as a bait to capture them once for all, but I'm pretty sure that you will find a way to tell them about the plan. We have no choice than activating the protocol related to this situation.
Two powerful hands grabs Victor's shoulders from behind and he gets handcuffed before being forced to go at the back of the truck. Victor looks at his feet, the heart heavier than ever. When a soldier betrays Red Nexus, he gets executed in front of everyone to remember them the "right" path to follow. Some tears fill his eyes as he's guided through the headquarters, but got confused when they locked him in a cell, his hands now free.
— It's getting too late for an execution, so you have time until tomorrow morning to think about what you have done, even if it's too late to change.
Victor is now alone in this cell with only the moonlight to make it nice. He is sitting on the floor and the tears can't stay back any longer, his quiet sobbing is the only thing making this place lively. All these years... All these sacrifices... He gave his sweat, his blood, his body to these people, to this organisation. And how do they thank him? By executing him... He really does worth that much? Just another example for the other? Is that really fair? Is he just like one of their stupid drones, replaceable when not working well?
He puts his head in the back, trying to find a picture in his memory, the one when he was young, watching cartoons wrapped in a blanket. It helps him to calm himself. He gets a surprised hiccup as he realizes something: he got the same kind of picture when Alan was with him. He feels his heart beating faster and his cheeks burning as the images of the God in front of him last time filled his mind. Is he... in love? He shakes his head with violence, trying to erase this intrusive thought. He can't love him, he's a God, an enemy and just turned all his friends into ashes! He has destroyed everything that Victor used to have: home, relationships, job, even life.. He's just a cruel divine being without anything humane inside, he feels no guilt after killing hundreds of people.. Loving him is just.. no. He'll never love Victor back, will he? Will he..
Victor looks at the wall, a lump in his throat, remembering his interactions with the other soldiers and the ones with Alan. He then understood something. No one cared about him before.... The other soldiers made fun of him, for being trans, for being "weak"... But Alan... He talked with kindness, he got interested, he cared...
Victor shakes his head again. No! He can't think that! He's a God! A Walker! It can be a trap! He can't be trusted!
Or can he...?
Victor got so deep into his thoughts, he didn't see the time passing by as morning will show soon. He doesn't know who to trust, what to think and do, who he now is, and he'll be dead just in a few hours, so he doesn't even know if all this really makes sense. Realizing this, tears rolled again on his cheeks as he mumbles.
— Please, God...
Far from there, the Walker camp is quiet, like a real abandoned city. In one of the houses, Alan is sleeping deeply. He starts to move weirdly, like caught in a bad dream, as a light slowly fills the room. The disc glows more and more as Alan's movements intensified. Until his eyes open widely.
The earth shakes while the sound of a massive explosion awakes every Walker, making them go outside. Their panic intensifies when they see their leader's house torn apart with the roof gone. While everyone is trying to find the man in the ruins, Lily sees a weird light flying away from there. She sighs and whispers so no one can hear her mumbling
— It seems like this jerk ass can't live without "adventures" even for a single day! — Lily growls, — well, the broom is already waiting for him anyway, — thinks she, before she goes back home to continue sleeping.
Victor still waits for his time to come to its end while watching the sky through the tiny window. A timid smile appears when he observes a shooting star, happy to see that before his death. Wait... Why is it getting closer?
The soldier tries to protect himself as much as he could while the external wall blows up. Once the smoke of dust is gone, Victor uncovers his face and gets petrified.
Alan was standing in the middle of his cell in his God form, wings deployed, his cat ears on the back of his head, his puffy tail whipping the air, like ready to jump on a poor prey. The air was almost unbreathable by his anger. His glowing blue eyes scans the cell before ending on the shaking body of the soldier.
Victor gasps for air as the weight on his chest disappears, while Alan lowers quickly to his height, his wings packed on his back and his fluffy tail between the legs.
— Victor! A-Are you okay?! Why are you here?!
— Well.. In short, I'm gonna die... They will execute me soon...
— Why that?!
— That's the sentence for betraying Red Nexus...
— What?! But I did everything to cover you!!
— I was so happy when I saw them, but they showed me the security footage and-
But he got cut in the middle of his talk by Alan smacking with violence his head on a jail bar, bending it, the sound echoing in the empty walls. He then moans of pain, confusing the prisoner.
— Why did you..?
— Usually, when I do or say something stupid or realize I did something stupid, Lily kicks my ass. Since she's not here, I improvise.
— I still don't get it...
— When we entered your base to save Yordan, I knew I forgot to do something without knowing what. Now you will get executed by my fault!
He smacks his head again on an another bar, bending it too. Victor carefully reaches out to the God's head before petting it with kindness. Alan turns his head and looks at the other man with confusion before closing the eyes and purring, enjoying this tender gesture. Victor's smile grows more as he continues the petting. It feels like time just stopped only for them to enjoy this moment, leaving them in a warm and sweet bubble.
But the bubble pops as Alan's ears stood up, and his eyes opened quickly. He looks at the corridor and starts to hiss and to be puffy again while shouted orders and running feet were heard. A white flash blinds Victor, making him close his eyes as gunshots were heard.