Chapter 47
Chapter
Forty-Seven
Britta
I held onto Kann as his shallow breaths rattled in his chest. The simulation had stopped flickering so often, which should have been a good sign, but we were still trapped inside it. My fingers trembled as I held onto his arm, my own breath hitching in my throat as I waited to be pulled from the simulation.
But something else was wrong. I'd worked with enough holo-programs to know that NPCs shouldn't be able to adapt beyond their parameters. But Tov and Zokren were far from the typical character that inhabited a simulation. They were more complex, more real. They responded to situations in ways that weren't programmed, showed understanding that shouldn't be possible. Even though it had worked to our benefit since they were helping us escape, I couldn’t help the uneasy feeling building in my gut.
What happened when a holo-program evolved? When characters became sentient? Was that why we couldn’t leave? Was this world becoming just as real as the one waiting for us? Was this world becoming too real to abandon?
Stop it. I forced the thoughts away. Focus on Kann. Focus on getting him out alive.
I glanced at his face, the bronze skin pale. He did not look good. He drew in a ragged breath, and the knife twisted in my heart. Even if we escaped the program, Kann's life hung by a thread. The thought of losing him made my eyes burn with unwanted tears.
I blinked rapidly so they wouldn’t fall. What the hell was wrong with me? I never cried. Never. I'd survived the Kronock attack on Earth, survived losing my family, survived every other terrible thing without breaking. But the mere thought of losing Kann made my heart ache as if a hand was reaching inside my chest.
But I knew what was wrong. It was Kann who had crept into my heart. It was the confident Drexian who had managed to weasel his way in and occupy a place that no other guy ever had. He was the reason it hurt to breathe. He was the reason I felt like I was spinning out of control.
I tightened my grip on his arm, as if holding on tighter would keep him alive, would keep him with me.
"You have to survive," I whispered, too low for the others to hear. "You have to."
The floor trembled just before a squad of armed Drexians rounded the corner, and panic clawed at my throat. All my fears about the simulation flew out the window. None of that mattered because the one thing I did know for sure about the program was that there were no safeties. There was no way to stop the approaching Drexians from hurting Kann even more.
Realization settled over me like a cold shroud as a chill slid down my spine. We'd failed. We hadn't saved Kann. We wouldn't be able to help rescue Sasha. It was all over.
I threw my arms around Kann, pressing my lips to his clammy cheek and kissing him one last time. "I love you," I breathed into his ear, not caring if he was too far gone to hear me. I had to say it, just once.
Then I braced myself for hands to pull us apart, for shouts to order me to release him. But instead, everything vanished.
The Drexians charging toward us disappeared. Tov and Zokren winked out of existence. Even the stone walls of the academy evaporated like mist.
The remaining three of us stood in an empty holochamber, the scent of burning tallow evaporating as swiftly as everything else about the old academy. But we were still standing.
Volten released a cracking breath. "It worked."
Before I could release a breath of relief, my gaze fell to Kann's blood still dripping steadily from his leg. Now instead of landing on the stone floor, it was falling on the shiny, holographic panels beneath our feet.
The doors slid open with a hiss, and Zav rushed in, with Reina fluttering behind him. I had expected to see him. I had not expected to see her. Still, I was glad to see anyone who was not a holographic creation.
“Thank the heavens, you made it!" Reina's hands flapped excitedly. “I knew they could do it.” She patted Zav’s arm. “I knew it would work. Didn’t I tell you? I knew Nina and Vekron could help, and—"
I didn’t know who Nina and Vekron were, but at the moment, I didn’t care.
"Kann needs help." I locked eyes with Zav. "He's lost too much blood."
Zav took all of a single heartbeat taking in Kann, who was still leaning on Volten. Then the Taori scooped Kann up like he weighed nothing and strode out, Reina scurrying after him and chirping about getting to the surgeon.
Volten stumbled forward to follow, the weariness from carrying Volten through the academy clearly hitting him, but I grabbed his arm. "Thank you—for risking everything to save us, to save him.”
“You do not need to thank me. I would do it a thousand times.” He drew in a breath. “But he's not saved, yet."
He walked off, leaving me standing in the holochamber. Before I could absorb the impending shellshock, Fiona and Jess rushed inside and cocooned me in a hug, their arms wrapping around me from all directions and holding me up as my legs threatened to give out.
"We were so worried,” Fiona said, her voice huskier than usual
Jess squeezed me tight without speaking, and I suspected she was fighting back tears like I was. I might not have known the women for long, but they had become my family since I’d come to the academy. Being held by them made me truly know I’d come home.
"Let's get you cleaned up." Fiona started steering me toward the door. "You probably want a hot shower—"
I shook my head. "I need to be with Kann."
They exchanged a look but didn't argue. "We'll walk you to the surgeon."
As we made our way through the familiar corridors of the School of Battle, profound relief washed over me. The real academy. My friends.
"I missed you both so much." My voice cracked. "You know I love you, right?"
“Did you drink a lot of Drexian wine in the simulation?” Jess teased.
I shook my head. “It’s true. We might not share blood, but you are both family to me.”
Fiona laughed. "What happened in there?"
Everything, I thought. Everything happened, and everything had changed.