Chapter 10: Lance

Yup, a bomb indeed. It resembles a typical movie prop so much that it's hilarious: the bomb is big, with tubes of an unknown liquid attached to it. Cables poke out from behind the panel that displays the countdown in red numbers. I am in shock; this night keeps getting weirder and weirder. In the original game, there’s no bomb!

I let out a nervous laugh, unwilling to acknowledge the reality that the device sitting in front of me will blow up in… Ten minutes. Ok, I still have a little bit of time.

“Elliot?! There’s a bomb here!! If you’re still hiding, you'd better come out!” I shout, still holding out hope that he’s just hiding somewhere around here. Again, no one replies.

“Hayes, our men are reporting that the warehouse is in some sort of lockdown; they can’t make their way in. Can you find an exit?” Myers’ voice comes out clearly from my earpiece..

“Yeah, about that… I got a situation here. You gotta get everyone to clear the area, there’s a bomb here, set to explode in 10 minutes. I’ll look for Elliot one last time and then make my way out.”

“What a shitshow…” You can imagine him shaking his head, clearly not expecting the night to turn out this way, “I’ll warn the others, thanks for the heads up. One more thing,” He pauses briefly, sighing before continuing, “I scanned the warehouse twice and there’s only one person besides yourself inside, Hayes. I don’t think it’s King; the heat signal was too large. Make your way out asap, don’t waste any more time. Be safe, Hayes. Myers out.”

It’s hard to see who it is in the dark, but right as Myers warns me about the presence of someone else in the building, I hear them: a pair of footsteps coming down the old metal stairs.

Shit. I quickly crouch and hide behind a nearby container, heart pumping loudly in my chest. If it’s not Elliot, it must be one of the Untamed. The sound of footsteps gets increasingly louder; they’re approaching my location quickly.

“Marina.” A voice I recognize from the game speaks. One of the love interests. 

Lance.

I am deeply confused, what is he doing here? He isn’t supposed to appear in this scene; he is introduced after Marina gets suspended, and she starts investigating Elliot’s disappearance on her own. A small spark of hope inside my chest ignites again, as I wonder if I actually found the way to the secret route.

“We have to go, we don’t have much time.” He continues, his deep voice speaking in a calm manner.

I look at the bomb in front of me again, and gather that it’s ok to reveal myself; out of all the love interests, he’s perhaps the least annoying. Lance isn’t a threat to Marina; he loves her.

I stand up, and immediately upon turning, I am met with a handsome man, the red light from the bomb display illuminating his silhouette. He looks even better in real life, as opposed to just a 2D drawing.

Piercing blue eyes gaze upon me with unspoken fondness, dyed red hair gathers in a half-ponytail, falling all the way past his shoulders, and on top of a black leather jacket. Several piercings adorn his ears, while a big, dark tattoo peeks from under a white tank top all the way to his neck, around which a choker is wrapped.

He extends his hand towards me, a silent offer for me to take it, “Let's go, I know a way out.”

That’s oddly convenient, one of Marina’s loverboys at the right place, in the right moment, here to save his maiden. It annoys me slightly that I’m put in this position, but I don’t think I can reject his help; Myers mentioned that the warehouse went into some sort of lockdown. If he does know the way, I am left with no other choice.

I take his hand. He holds it gingerly at first, then tightly, and breaks off into a run, with me in tow. As we move away from the bomb, it gets increasingly hard to see the path, but it looks like Lance is heading right towards... A wall??

Letting go of my hand momentarily, he approaches some crates facing the southern wall of the warehouse. With but one hand, he pushes them easily, revealing an opening close to the floor; it looks like a ventilation shaft. He breaks off the vent cover and crouches down to enter.

His strength reminds me of the fact that he’s an Untamed. He has similar augmentations to those I saw earlier, hidden underneath his leather jacket. As I crouch and make my way inside the vent to follow him, I realize I have truly entered unknown territory; things are definitely different from the game now.

On one hand, I’m glad that my actions affected the outcome of the events of tonight, but on the other hand, I’m extremely confused and pissed about the changes: a bomb? Elliot going off the rails to break into the warehouse himself? Is there even a chance that he’s waiting for me outside? Waiting with a smile, glad that his partner is alive and well?

I just can’t help but be hopeful, or am I in denial? Thinking about the alternative, that he went missing despite my best efforts, is just unbearable right now. At least I didn’t see any signs of a struggle or a pool of his blood.

“Don’t slow down, we’re still not far enough yet.” Lance stops and turns around to address me, my face almost colliding with his shapely bottom.

“Sorry. Let’s go,” I must have been too lost in thought to keep up.

After a few more turns inside the cramped metal tunnels, we finally see the outside of the building. Lance exits the vents first, and then he pulls me by the arms to quickly get me out as well. Without a word, Lance picks me up into a bridal carry and dashes away from the warehouse and into the shadows, my heart thumping wildly from the adrenaline and the closeness of our bodies. No one has ever carried me like this.

He manages to get a few meters away from the building when I feel a wave of heat and sheer force push us forward, Lance’s body flying a short distance in the air. He grabs onto me tightly, and as he falls, he puts himself between the hard concrete and my body.

I am overcome with gratitude. Marina might not need this kind of treatment, maybe she prefers it, but I definitely need it. I am not built for this kind of high-octane action; my ears are ringing from the proximity to the blast, and I feel like I’m about to pass out from all the stress, but right now I have to check on Lance, who broke my fall.

“Lance! Lance, are you ok?!” I can hardly hear myself, gods. I scramble to get off of him, and he slowly rises from the floor.

“... ah… kay… ina?” He manages to sit up, and immediately, icy blue orbs search Marina’s body for signs of wounds. I don’t exactly hear him, but I can imagine he’s asking if I’m ok.

“I’m ok, but I can’t hear you,” I point at my ear, “Are you hurt? Shake your head or something.”

Doing as I say, he shakes his head, but he looks a bit out of breath. My eyes search his body for wounds as well, and he does seem okay otherwise, though. Might be because of his augmentations?

“..yes!... Hayes! Come in! Tell me you made it out!” The ringing is still there, but the shock seems to have passed. As my hearing partially returns, I can hear Myers’ voice, albeit a little lower than usual.

“Myers, I’m ok. I made my way out through the vents. I’ll rendezvous with the team soon. Thanks for all the help.” I am truly grateful that there was someone there to guide me through this hellish scenario. Everything that could have gone to shit went to shit.

Fuck.

And here I thought I could make things better. Was it me coming here that made them worse?

Lance stirs next to me, pulling me away from my defeatist thoughts. He wordlessly stands up and turns to leave. I have so many questions, but I don’t think I will get an answer right now. I still have to try, though.

“Lance! Where are you going?” I say, scrambling to my feet to run after him. He turns briefly to address me

“I can’t stay, might get arrested. Let’s talk more tomorrow. I’ll find you.” His eyes gaze at Marina again with such fondness, it makes me feel like an intruder. He is immobile for a few moments; his look telling me he wants to stay longer with Marina, but eventually he turns away from me again, disappearing into the shadows.

What a night.