In the Blink of an Eye - Part 4

Posted on 29 Jul 2023 @ 10:07am by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Alexion Wylde

2,252 words; about a 11 minute read

:: 2366 - 26 years prior to current time
A couple of hours after events in Part 3
Capital City of Sol, Vaeron ::


It felt like he had been running forever. Down broken, scorched streets, Between smoking, destroyed vehicles. Over torn, bloody bodies that were left strewn in the streets. And most of his nightmarish journey had been struggling against the crush of people who were moving in the opposite direction, trying to get out of the city under siege.

It had felt like an eternity, but he finally managed to find a crackling but live connecting line to his brother. He'd led him here, to the Vaeron Council's transport base.

"Dad? Dad!" Laeon broke free of his uncle's grip when he saw Alexion in the confusion of people, running for him. He was young by his people's standards and to humans he would look and seem about 14 in both body and mind. He was clearly his father's son, with a likeness of Alexion in his features, fair hair and blue-violet eyes, just slighter and slim in build and not as tall as him yet.

"Laeon!" Alexion ran to him, grabbing Laeon tightly to hold against him, closing his eyes against tears as he swore. "I've been so worried about you."

"I've been more worried about you," Laeon whispered, his grip just as fierce on his father as he clung to him. He was trembling and his eyes were closed against sheer emotion.

Alexion looked over the shoulder of his boy to his brother, searching Jaq's features with question. Why was it just Jaq and Laeon? Where was their sister, and their parents?

Jaq's throat tightened and he just shook his head tiredly, the grief all too clear. "The estate was overrun. We barely got out ourselves."

Alexion watched him as long as he could before he had to look away, pain and anger struggling against each other inside of him. He held Laeon a little tighter, realising how close he had been to losing him too. "We've got to get you away from here. They're breaking through the city centre's defences, they're going to take the Capital apart."

Jaq nodded, looking around with an uneasy frown. "They've kept back some escort fighters, to try and protect the last government transport vessel that's left. Long enough to get it off the ground and out of the system without being destroyed. They're shooting everything down. As far as we know, the other transports have been destroyed while attempting to escape the planet and the system. This is the last real transport they have left, reserved for the High-Councillors. But most of them are missing, or already dead. I tried to get Laeon on, but they won't let him. He's not high priority."

Alexion's jaw tightened and he nodded with resolve, taking hold of both Jaq and Laeon's sleeves to tug them with him as he moved to the men in front of the last remaining government transport shuttle. "They're going onboard."

The taller of the two guards shook his head, but there was clear regret on his features. "It's the last transport we have left here, and these are the last escort fighters we have to give it a chance of getting out of the system before being shot down. Seats are reserved for the High-Council and officials only. Trust me, I'd have my wife onboard sooner than anyone if I could. It's not going to happen."

Alexion shook his head firmly, his violet-blue eyes turning a shade darker with anger as he motioned to his brother. "That's Jaq Wylde. Heir to High-Councillor Wylde. Who is now lying dead, in a pool of his own blood, in his own home. That makes Jaq the new High-Councillor Wylde, and this..." he pulled Laeon in front of him, holding his son tightly. "Is his only heir."

"Anyone could say that," the guard frowned, shaking his head with a heavy mixture of exhaustion and regret. "I feel for you, Sir, I really do..."

Alexion moved in closer, grabbing him by the scruff of his jacket, past the point of caring as he shoved at him. "Get out the way."

"Sir..."

"Wait..." the administrator moved to them, taking a small, silver shard from his ring. He grabbed Jaq's hand, cutting a finger and then did the same to Laeon. He rolled their blood lightly between his fingertips, using the rare Clan Talent to let the blood tell. "He's telling the truth. They're Wylde blood."

The guard nodded, stepping back and out the way, letting out a tight breath. Of all things, he looked relieved. At least someone was going to get a chance under his watch. "It leaves in a few minutes, you better get ready. Or they'll go without you."

Alexion nodded, pulling Laeon aside as he watched him, taking a deep breath to steady himself for what he was going to have to do. "You alright?" he moved his hands over the side of his face to feel it for himself.

"I'm fine," Laeon shook his head, grabbing his hand to try and pull him back to Jaq. "Come on, let's get onboard."

Alexion stopped, leaving Laeon tugging but not moving his weight. "I...I can't go with you."

Laeon stilled, watching him with confusion as he shook his head. "Why not? They said it's okay, and you're an heir too..."

"Laeon...Laeon the hospital is a mess. There's people trapped there, I can't leave them to die alone. I'm their physician. It's not what we do."

Laeon watched him with shock and then fear as the reality of what he was saying sunk in. He grabbed his father's wrist, shaking his head emphatically. "I'm not going if you're not."

Alexion tilted his head as he watched him with love, the swell of pain making him dizzy as it surged through him...yet he couldn't stop a soft laugh despite the tears welling in his eyes at how fierce his boy was, and how much he loved that about him. "You have to," he said quietly, running the tip of his thumb lovingly down the side of his jaw. "Because if you die, I die anyway."

"I can't go without you," Laeon whispered, shaking his head over and over as he tightened his grip on him, tears escaping. He'd already seen so much to get this far, he couldn't leave him behind. He just couldn't.

"You'll be with Jaq. He's going to look after you," Alexion said gently, trying to sound calm as he gripped the boy's shoulder and looked to his brother. "Right?"

"Of course," Jaq said quietly, grief on his features though as he watched Alexion. He'd already lost his parents and sister earlier that day; he felt his hearts might stop if he lost his brother too.

Alexion nodded to him with gratitude, kissing Laeon's hair. "And Jaq's going to need your help too. You can't let him go out there alone."

Laeon kept shaking his head, breathing harder as panic started to creep in. "It's not fair...." it was all he could find to articulate the pain aching inside of him at everything that was happening.

"I know," Alexion whispered, stroking the boy's fair hair back from his face to try and soothe him. "To the Brothers, I know. It's savage. But you have to do this. For me."

Laeon held his father's eyes, tears falling freely from his own, his breath caught in his tightening throat. "I don't want to."

Alexion pressed a kiss to his forehead, closing his eyes as he gripped the side of his face. "I don't even want to let go of you, let alone send you out on a transport. But it's all that's left."

A whistle sounded, and one of the guards motioned to them to hurry up as a line of people started to move inside the transport.

Alexion's hearts beat faster at the sight, as it became real that he was being separated from his son. That he might be sending him to his death. He pulled him close, hugging him tightly, trying to stay calm. "I'm going to do everything I can to come and find you. I promise."

Laeon nodded against him, the boy losing his own struggle with trying to keep calm. He looked across to the people moving in, the same realisation descending that had hit his father. He frowned, panic winning out as he shook his head. "No...no, I'm not leaving you. I'm staying with you," he watched his father with steel in his eyes, the same steel he had gotten from his father. He was resolved.

Alexion searched his eyes with pain, seeing it. He smiled softly, fondly, taking a deep breath. "Fires, I love you," he whispered, touching his face. Using his Talent, he drained his son of his energy, carefully catching him as he fell into a heavy sleep from it. It was the only way he was going to get him on that transport. He looked over to Jaq. "Take him?"

Jaq nodded, moving forward to get an arm around the boy, but didn't lift him right away. He looked at his brother for a long moment, taking him in. "You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "I don't want you to. Come with us. You don't even like that bloody place."

Despite everything, Alexion laughed with pain at the irony of it, tears finally escaping now his son couldn't see them. "A bastard, isn't it? All these years I've run away from my position as a doctor, and now, when I should be bloody running away as fast as I can, I'm frozen by it. I don't want to stay, Jaq, not when you're taking him away from me, not when there's nothing left here but more of those bastards to rip us apart."

"Then don't stay," Jaq grabbed his arm, holding his eyes firmly, his own determined. "Come with us, Lexi, you don't have to do this."

Alexion shook his head, swallowing hard to recover himself. "Yeah," he whispered as he finally met his eyes. "Yeah, I do. I do have to do this. Because all the other sods have already run and left the wounded at the hospital to die alone. And that's not what we do. No one dies alone."

Jaq watched him with pain, shaking his head tiredly. He knew when his brother wasn't going to change his mind. "Stubborn bastard. Then I'll stay with you."

"No," Alexion shook his head firmly, the steeliness coming back to his eyes. "No, you have to keep my boy safe. Promise me. Whatever it takes, you are going to get my boy out of here and somewhere safe. You're the only person I'd ever trust with him."

Jaq watched him at a loss, and he didn't know whether he wanted to hold his brother or punch him. He finally let out a heavy sigh and nodded in defeat, holding his eyes as he touched Alexion's face. "Whatever it takes," he promised before touching his forehead to Alexion's, taking an aching breath.

Alexion closed his eyes for a moment, using their shared Talent to take him in, feel him, all of him, thoughts and souls, before slowly pulling back.

Jaq nodded gently, carefully picking his nephew up. He carried him to the transport and boarded without looking back.

Alexion watched on as the transport lifted and started the final run to try and escape the planet, the last of the fighters escorting it to give it a fighting chance. The pilots had accepted they'd likely die defending it long enough to try and escape the enemy in the system. It would be their final duty.

Alexion only took his gaze off the transport once the view was blurred, looking across to the guard he'd been close to hitting not long before. "What do you think their chances are for getting to Federation space?"

The guard glanced across to him, silent for a long moment. "Depends how long it takes for the pilots of the fighter escorts to die," he said quietly, exhausted by it all.

"Smoke and Ash," Alexion whispered, closing his eyes with pain and shaking his head, rubbing his forehead with a harsh hand. "How the hell has the world fallen apart so quickly?"

"Traitors, so the rumours say. But I don't think that's what you meant, was it," the guard shared the same sense of quiet shell shock.

Alexion glanced to him before nodding slowly. "Better get back to the hospital," he murmured, the fight draining from him without his family to fight for.

The guard reached into his pocket and pulled out a small disc, throwing it to him. "Take my bike, it's the red one out front...if it's still in one piece."

Alexion watched it with surprise before looking slowly back to him, confused. "What about you?"

The guard just shrugged, looking around the emptying bay. Now that the last transport had gone, there was nothing left for people to hope and wait for. "I'm going to go and sit with my wife for awhile. Can't remember the last time we just...sat and rested with each other."

Alexion swallowed hard at what was left unsaid, nodding as he looked away with a frown. "Good luck," he said quietly.

"Yeah, you too," the guard said quietly, knowing that it wasn't going to be long before luck ran out for both of them, one way or another.

[TBC]

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