[M] What Once Was Lost [Namingtoohard & Ashen]

[Namingtoohard]

Once upon a time, Natalie might have been embarrassed by such an obvious display of technical ineptitude. Now, she was just glad that she had someone else around who could handle that sort of thing on her behalf, without being overly judgemental. The news that Luuk’s method was free was enough for it to earn her support, to say nothing of the video quality, or selection. When the two of them had decided on a film, she was quick to settle atop her bed, ready for it to begin.

Natalie wasn’t the sort of person to watch movies. She had always found them too…passive for her liking. She usually preferred things that involved a little more engagement, be it physical or mental. This time, however, she found herself welcoming the break, despite herself. Welcoming the chance to switch her brain off, and relax. Despite it’s flaws, she found herself genuinely enjoying the film. She had accepted a long time ago that she’d never have a family of her own. That she had, in a fashion, chosen her work over her social life. It had been a conscious choice. One that she’d made willingly, and didn’t usually regret. But now, watching films like this…well, it was nice to catch a glimpse of the other side, sometimes. Imagine what might have been.

When the credits began to roll, Natalie kept staring at the screen idly, whilst her thoughts wandered further afield. It took her several long moments to realise that the show was over, and the screen was once again showing the menu. She blinked a few times, coming out of her trance slowly. She’d take a moment to stretch, a yawn slipping from her lips, before her gaze wandered back over to her map. A part of Natalie wanted to get straight back to work, but…well, she wasn’t sure how much she trusted her tired self. As eager as she was, getting their plan right seemed more important than finishing it quickly. With a measure of reluctance, she accepted that she had best wait.

The rest of the evening was passed doing small things. Trivial tasks designed more to keep her busy than really accomplish anything meaningful. When bed time finally came, Natalie counted it a blessing. She crawled beneath the covers early, determined to make sure she was as well-rested as possible for the next day. Sleep, however, wasn’t inclined to cooperate. Natalie lay there for what felt like hours, awake with thoughts of what was to come, and the movie, until she finally drifted off.

The next morning started the same way so many others had – with a trip for coffee. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Natalie made the long walk across the street to a nearby coffee shop. She returned with their customary order, sipping from her own mug idly whilst she walked. As the caffeine slowly forced the rest of her brain to wake up, Natalie found herself wondering when going outside had become such a casual affair. When they’d first gone into hiding, she’d barely been able to walk a few metres without glancing over her shoulder. Now, after so long without another incident, strolling down the sidewalk and through a crowd almost felt normal again. In some ways, it was a welcome relief. In others…well, perhaps it were more dangerous this way, if adjusting meant that she couldn’t help but let her guard down.

Slightly troubled by the realisation, Natalie found that she was more eager than ever to get back to work. Now that she was well-rested, and had coffee, she felt as ready as she were over going to be. It was time to begin working on their plan in earnest. Much like yesterday, she found that she was actually looking forward to it. As if this were a puzzle she were doing for fun, not because their lives depended on it. Such was her thought process as she let herself back into the room. She placed Luuk’s coffee down on his bedside table, before once again seating herself at her desk. She set her cup down after another quick sip, picked up her pen, began leafing through her meager collection of references, and turned her attention to the task at hand.

[Ashen]

When Luuk awoke, Natalie was gone. That wasn’t such an unusual thing these days, however, and he assumed she had just gone to get breakfast or run a quick errand. To get ready for his day, Luuk pulled some clothes on and brushed his teeth. As he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he realized he hadn’t quite told his roommate where he was going. Would she take issue with him meeting up with someone like this? Yes, he thought, and he wondered if hiding that fact from her would be a good idea. He didn’t want to jeopardize their mission, and he knew the dangers of talking too much to too many people, but this was just one man, just his trusted professor, and he needed to get things off his chest somehow, to someone who wouldn’t get more stressed out about what he had to say. After mulling over his options for a few more minutes, Luuk agreed that not telling Natalie he was meeting someone would be the better option for both of them.

Natalie returned to their room only a few minutes later, and Luuk greeted her with the usual good mornings and questions about her sleep. He then hesitated, realizing he was dressed for what would seem to her like no reason. As he sipped the coffee she brought him, he shifted. “I wanted to go out today,” he said quietly. “For… coffee.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the smartest thing to say when he had a cup of joe already in his hands. As that dawned on him, he swore under his breath and shook his head. “I’ll need the extra caffeine. Didn’t sleep too well last night, because of…” Truthfully, he hadn’t slept very well since they’d first gone into hiding, but the thoughts of their new plan—what he hoped would be their final plan—hadn’t helped. “And…” he added, “I need to get out of this room.” That, also, was not a lie.

With his awkward song and dance complete, Luuk finished the coffee Natalie had brought and got set to head out. He bid Natalie farewell and started back towards campus, all the while hoping she wouldn’t be too mad at him for the obvious half-truths he’d left her with.

Dr. Vetere was already at the café by the time Luuk arrived, so the former student ordered a coffee for himself and plopped down across from him. He greeted him with a nod and, never one for small talk, spent several minutes asking after graduation and the final grades. After, a silence settled over the two, only broken by a concerned-sounding professor.

“Luuk.” Dr. V’s expression was characteristically cold, but there was a concern behind those dark eyes reserved for only his star pupil. “You’ve changed in these past few weeks, and truthfully, I’ve been concerned about you. Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

Luuk sighed. He knew he couldn’t say much, but the stress of his situation weighed heavily on him, and it didn’t take much for him to open up. “I’ve been staying with a friend,” he told Dr. V, cautiously at first. “She’s been down on her luck lately, and I’ve been trying to help out, but I’m not sure if I even can, or if I just make things harder on her. There are so many things it feels like she’s not telling me, and this affects both of us now, so it’s… It’s been hard on us both, is all.”

Dr. V listened carefully as he sipped at his black coffee. “It sounds like your friend is taking advantage of your kindness,” he commented.

“Natalie wouldn’t do that,” Luuk answered automatically, and he believed it. “She’s a good person. I might not have known her long, but I know that much. She holds a lot of regret, but she’s trying to make things right.”

“Natalie,” Dr. V repeated. “She must be very important to you if you’re willing to put up with so much, especially so soon after meeting her.”

Luuk considered that. “She is important to me,” he agreed. “She was a friend of my parents’, so in a way, she’s all I have left of them. I believe in what she’s trying to do, and it’s my duty to help her.”
Dr. V considered something. “She was the one who helped you with your project,” he guessed. “Your report was a very interesting read, by the way, Luuk. I wanted to ask you more about the religion your parents followed.”

Luuk sat up a bit straighter. He had the sense to not elaborate on that. “I’m not very comfortable discussing that right now.” He hated the way his professor regarded him with a pang of disappointment. He hated holding himself back from someone who wanted to learn about his magic. Luuk wondered, sometime in the distant future, if he might be able to trust Dr. V with the truth about his abilities.

“Forgive me,” Dr. V said. “I don’t mean to pry.” He bit into the pastry that had otherwise remained untouched on his side of the table. “At any rate, I do hope you and Natalie can figure out a solution to the things you’re going through.”

“Oh, we will!” Luuk said, a smile slipping onto his lips. “We’re developing a plan, actually, and once we get everything figured out, we won’t have to deal with this bad luck anymore, and we’ll go back to our normal lives. Or, well, I don’t have one to return to now that school’s over, but… I’ll find something new.”

Dr. V nodded. “You’re always welcome back here,” he said. “I could use a brilliant and passionate student to help me with my research, especially one with a work ethic such as yours.” He leaned forward, eyes shining behind the frames of his glasses. “Don’t worry, Luuk. You’re a bright kid, and we’ll get you where you need to be. Remember, I am here for you.”

---

On the way back to the inn, Luuk couldn’t believe how much better he was already feeling. His conversation with Dr. V had been short, but it had been nice to talk with someone, even if it hadn’t been as freely as he would have liked. Dr. V’s faith in him motivated him, and when this was over—when he and Natalie were safe, and when they could go back to their lives—Luuk thought he’d like to have another conversation with his professor, a long one over a nice dinner, where they’d talk about everything that had happened. Would Dr. V even believe him? Luuk wanted to think so, and he found himself looking forward to that talk.

Back at the inn, the dread began to set in again. It had only been a few hours, but he wondered about Natalie, if she’d made any progress on their plan. Without the distraction of his trip to the café, he knew his focus would return to it, too. But he could do this, he reminded himself. He had to polish up this plan, then execute it, and then he and Natalie would be safe. And maybe, after all this blew over, Natalie would continue to teach him, and Luuk could learn more and more about his magic. Maybe someday, he might even become as good a mage as her.

[Namingtoohard]

Once Luuk was gone, Natalie did her best to shove any lingering concerns over his slightly awkward, abrupt departure to the back of her mind. Her maternal instincts still insisted that he were her responsibility, and that she needed to make sure he was safe, but Natalie did her best to ignore them. The rational part of her brain was able to recognise that Luuk was his own person, and an adult besides. He was able to make his own choices, and it wasn’t her place to try and restrict his personal freedoms any more than their situation already had. At the end of the day, she simply had to trust in him, trust that she’d taught him enough, and hope that they’d see each other again soon.

With that matter settled, in a sense, Natalie quickly turned her attention to the scattered drawing and lists that were spread out across the desk before her. She had plenty of references, a wealth of personal knowledge, fresh coffee, and now, some quiet time alone to think. Everything that she could have possibly asked or hoped for. It was time to start working on this problem in earnest. With nothing else to distract her, Natalie picked up her pen, and began to think.

She hit her first road block immediately. Their overall goal was obvious, but what would be the best way to reach it? Were they supposed to find some way to get their attacker thrown in jail, without raising questions about the existence of magic? Could they really justify killing, even after everything that had happened? Or would Natalie have to do something she’d sworn she would never do again, and use her magic on them directly? Gripped within the cold claws of choice paralysis, Natalie found herself hesitating. She began to tap her pen against the desk’s wooden surface. Then she began to rock her chair. Then she got up, and began to pace the length of their empty room, over and over again.

Natalie couldn’t help but feel she were wasting too much time mulling over their options, without making any actual, tangible progress. Her thought process kept leading her around and around in circles, just as her pacing was wearing out the same stretch of carpet. Finally, she slowed, and came to a halt. Natalie knew the answer. She had for a while, she suspected, and had just refused to accept it. Had wanted to find an alternative. In a way, it was poetic, she supposed. For this would end the same way it had started. If breaking her promise would save them, then she’d do it. Natalie suspected that this burden would be a little easier to carry, anyway. That’s what she told herself, at the very least.

At long last, she seated herself at the table again, tried to take another sip from her now-empty coffee cup, and began to work in earnest. When Luuk finally returned home, she didn’t pause to ask him about where he had been, or what he had been doing. She simply invited him to come and join her, and began to explain the basis of her idea.

It soon became clear that getting started had been the hardest part. Now that she had a semblance of direction, the rest suddenly felt much more manageable, and Natalie tackled the work without pause. The days passed in a blur, each one almost indistinguishable from the next. If asked, Natalie wouldn’t have been able to tell Luuk how many times she had slept, or when her last meal had been. Her work consumed her, in a way few things had. In a way she hadn’t felt since the last time a big magical project had truly challenged her. She accepted Luuk’s help, worked with him when he was willing, and pushed on alone when he wasn’t. Treated all the different problems and possibilities like puzzles, breaking them down into small pieces that she could tackle one at a time. Fitted them together, one after another…until, suddenly, there was nothing more to do.

Eventually, Natalie solved one problem and tried to turn her mind to the next, only to find that there wasn’t one. She sat in her chair for a moment, frozen. It felt wrong, not to be working, after so long. Yet, it seemed as if there was nothing more to do. She double-checked. Went over the plan a second time, to make sure all their solutions worked out, and that she hadn’t missed anything. Then she did it a third time, just to be sure. Then, she spoke.

“Hey Luuk, do you have a second? Let’s go over this together, make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

In the end, it would take them a few more days to iron out all the details. Improve on a few of their current ideas further, wrinkle out a few flaws, and cover a few possibilities they realised they had missed. Then, at long last, they were ready.

~~

Gloucestershire’s famous university. Natalie had driven past the grounds dozens of times in her life, but never before had she actually walked through it. Now, for the first time, she strolled the lengthy, winding paths between the buildings. With her hands tucked deep into the pockets of her sweater, stuffed amongst all the markers she had brought, the mage did her best to appear casual. She recognised each of the individual buildings from the maps Luuk had drawn her, but she allowed her partner to lead the way regardless, whilst she pretended to take in the sights, and admire the architecture. With every step they took, anticipation seemed to fill her. Her breath might have fogged in the air in front of her, but Natalie knew it wasn’t just the early morning cold that had her feeling awake on this particular morning.

“Shall we go over the plan one more time? Just to make sure.” Natalie asked the question softly, despite the healthy distance they were maintaining from everyone else. She half expected Luuk to groan or roll his eyes at the suggestion. They’d been over the plan so many times that Natalie herself felt as if it were burned into the insides of her eyelids. That she’d be able to remember it perfectly, several years for now…provided they survived today. She thought they would, but….well, better safe than sorry, right?

[Ashen]

After all their planning, things were finally beginning to fall into place. It was D-Day, H-120 minutes. As a student of history, Luuk knew more about the World Wars than anyone should have ever wanted. He’d never cared for them himself, never found joy in studying them like most of his peers had, but like the rest of his class, he’d still had all of his numbers memories. 6 June, 1944. The plans that had taken a year to finalize were put into action. One hundred and fifty thousand soldiers were dropped onto foreign soil to invade their enemies and hopefully turn the war. Somewhere around five thousand men had lost their lives in such an invasion.

Luuk and Natalie hadn’t had a year. They’d had barely a few weeks, and with their irrational emotions interfering so much in their preparations, it didn’t even seem like they’d had that. More than usual, Luuk found himself unable to remember details they’d gone over too many times and unable to focus when Natalie rehashed them. His notes spun around on the pages of his notebook, illegible. He’d always had a learning disability—or several, according to the very tired doctors who’d handed him diagnoses like candy as a teenager—but this was too important to mess up, and his frustration only made things worse. He should have remembered, especially after Natalie repeated the details dozens of times, but it was as if his mind didn’t want to go through with this. As if his own fear was sabotaging their plans. On the day that would change their lives, he felt unprepared for the biggest test of his life.

They had no army; it was just the two of them, and whatever wayward student got locked in the crosshairs of their battle. They had staked out campus for days now, checking in at different times to determine that this early in the morning was when it was least busy, when most students were only just getting ready for their classes or stealing the last moments of sleep they could afford. Just two people. Their numbers did not inspire confidence, not when they didn’t know how many people they’d be up against. Natalie hadn’t yet called her keeper, but part of their plan was that she demand he come alone. A man willing to chase them down at gunpoint—or at least send someone else to do that for him—her keeper didn’t seem like the most honest of men, even if he agreed to meet up with them in the first place.

The death count remained to be seen. That historical day so many decades ago was regarded as a success in all history books on this side of the war. Luuk had always wondered that about wars. Words like victory and success were thrown around as absolutes, justified by body counts higher than the enemy’s, or properties stolen, or rights earned. But what victory could the dead cherish? If he and Natalie succeeded today, how many mistakes would count against their victory? How many mistakes would outweigh their winnings?

This wasn’t war. Luuk knew that. Whether they won or lost, people likely would not write about them in history books. They’d headline the newspapers at most, two tragic losses of life, gone for no reason. No one would know of their struggle. No one would believe them. After all, there were no history books on magic. With a mirthless chuckle, Luuk wondered, if he did survive this, if he might write the first.

They arrived to campus two hours before the scheduled confrontation. They had checked and rechecked and triple checked their notes, and they were as prepared as they would ever be. As they made their way down the footpath, the morning breeze guided them to the building they had chosen on the edge of campus. For the next hour, they would use their magic to lock the doors and windows, ensuring there would be no escape for whoever entered. With any luck, as predicted, it would only be Natalie’s keeper, and only when they were ready for him.

Natalie broke the silence by asking to go over their plan again, and Luuk hesitated, worrying his bottom lip. “I don’t—” he started, but his nerves stole his voice, and he had to swallow the bile already racing up his throat. Would he be able to pull this off if he could hardly breathe? He straightened and mentally went over the details, the probabilities they’d calculated, and he tried to speak again. “Is it safe to?” he whispered, glancing around them. “Here?” They were surrounded by grass, trees, the morning birds; there were no people around yet.

But Luuk shook his head at his own question. “Right. Here’s the building. We go in, and we lock things up, make sure he can’t— so he won’t—“ Luuk swallowed hard. If he stopped to think about it, he would panic about how badly his hands were shaking, how frazzled he looked. If things went awry, they would be murdering someone today. Even if that meant their freedom, Luuk could never count that as a victory.

Cut it out, he told himself. Worrying now would only lead to mistakes, and despite how his veins were ablaze with anxiety, he knew he had to calm down. “You’ll call him,” he continued after drawing a breath. “Tell him to meet you here. Alone. In the meantime, we'll mark ourselves, with magic, for when he comes. In case. And then we wait.” And hope no one else came in and got themselves killed— No, it wasn’t worth the thought. They had already worked through what would happen then, which lives they’d have to bargain for their own. Luuk didn’t want to consider it again. “We’ll talk,” he went on, then corrected himself. “You’ll talk. I’ll use magic to get rid of the doors and windows entirely, temporarily, until we’re… done. You’ll get the information we’re after, and then you’ll… use the mark. To get rid of his memories. Painless. He won’t remember we even exist, so he won’t want to… to kill us… then.”

It was easy, in words. Natalie had taught him how to erase someone’s memories, a skill she hadn’t wanted to pass on, a skill that was beyond what we was capable of just yet. He remembered what she’d said, what she’d taught, and he’d practiced the sigils, even if he hadn’t dared try to perform the dark magic himself. If anything happened to Natalie, it would fall on him— No, he told himself. No, nothing would happen to Natalie. They couldn’t fail.

Luuk took another breath. There was so much he was leaving out, but his thoughts whirred too loudly for him to focus. He removed a crumbled piece of paper from his pocket, a list for himself, written in a code he had created. Reminders. What to do. The order to do it in. When he couldn’t trust his own mind, he needed backup plans, and this was the best he could manage. He skimmed his notes and muttered a “Yeah” to himself. “That’s the gist of it. We should start on the locks now. We don’t have much time before you need to call him.”

[Namingtoohard]

A big part of the reason Natalie had wanted to go over the plan was that she found the repetition soothing. Every successful recital made it feel like they really were prepared for what they would have to face today. That it was nothing they couldn’t handle. It helped build up her confidence, and ease the tension that had crept into her shoulders over the past couple of weeks. As Luuk stuttered and mumbled his way through another rendition, however, Natalie found herself wondering. She could hardly blame him for being nervous, and he made it through the plan despite her concerns. That wasn’t the issue. Rather, she was surprised that she felt as calm as she did. Maybe it was because she had already lived through this nightmare once. Or maybe it was because she was ready for this to be over, regardless of the outcome.

“Right.” Natalie’s confirmation was brief, and served as approval and agreement both. With nothing else for it, she abandoned pretence and began to pick up the pace a little, striding towards the building they had chosen for their plan. On the outside, it looked the same as all the others they’d passed today – or rather, it was different, but in a way that matched. Natalie didn’t have to look for an entrance; she knew enough from the maps they’d devoted hours to studying. She cut a path straight for the front door and quickly made her way inside, trusting Luuk to follow.

The foyer looked more or less like Natalie had expected. An open space, decorated in a manner best referred to as ‘sensible.’ Aside from the walkways and doors leading to different classrooms, there wasn’t much of note. A few tables and chairs were scattered about, tucked into corners where they wouldn’t impede students hurrying between classes. The walls were lined with scenic photographs, nonsensical artwork, informational posters, and the occasional flyer, spaced out by a handful of potted plants. As Natalie took it in, she couldn’t help but take note of a few scattered students who were already passing through, despite the early hour. Their presence was concerning, but not unexpected. After a few moments, Natalie would throw a sideways glance at her companion, and suggest that the two of them find an empty classroom somewhere to prepare.

Once the two of them found their haven, Natalie was sure to lock the door behind them, and pull the blind down over the window. After that, she made her way over to the nearest desk, and began emptying her pockets. Dozens of markers spilled out across it, all of them different types and styles and sizes. Many of them rolled away from her, drawing precariously close to the edges, but Natalie paid them no mind. She’d packed almost as many as she could carry, just to make sure that they didn’t have to worry about a lack of materials. There were only two things she kept tucked away for the moment – her phone, and her trump card, taken from the small jewellery box she’d carted around this entire time. One would come into play later. The other…well, hopefully not at all.

With an air of ceremony, Natalie slipped off her jacket, and draped it over the back of a nearby chair. Rolled up the sleeves of the shirt she wore beneath, and dropped into the same seat. Reached out, selected a marker from the stack, popped the cap off, and got to work.

She’d begin to inscribe the sigils on her arms, one after another. Apparently her years of practice had served her well – even now, in a situation such as this, a few breaths was all it took to dampen her nerves and steady her hands. She started with the most basic of runes. Those that would allow them to lock and unlock all the doors and windows as necessary. Once Natalie was done with those, she moved on to a few of the more complex ones. Niche sigils that didn’t have a specific place in her plan, but might be useful regardless, if things went off the rails. Then, at long last, she turned her attention to the centrepiece. She began to paint the one sigil she’d swore she would never use again. One that would allow her to erase the memories of whoever she touched.

This one was much more complex than the rest. Whilst most sigils used just a single circle, this one used five. They were layered over each other, the edges interlocking like some sort of bizarre Venn Diagram. Several of the guiding lines she painted passed through all of them, intersecting and splitting at different points. Natalie put this one in the palm of her right hand, having intentionally saved that spot for this purpose. A place where she had enough space to work, and it would be easy to use. It wasn’t the most complex thing she’d ever crafted, but it was close. Easily the most advanced thing she’d shown Luuk thus far. When she was done, Natalie let out a shaky breath, and set her marker down with a soft clack.

“Alright. I think I’m done.” Natalie took a brief moment to cast a wandering eye over her work, double-checking it for potential flaws. After touching up a few of the edges briefly, she’d turn her attention to Luuk good and proper. “How are you going? I think we’ve moved past the need for me to examine every sigil you make, but if you want me to double-check this one time, for a bit of added safety…well, just let me know.”

Once they were both satisfied, Natalie could find no more reason to delay.. She’d reach into her pocket, and withdraw her phone. Careful to avoid smudging any of the fresh sigils, she’d turn her gaze to Luuk once more. She’d meet his eyes, just for a moment, before giving him a single, resolute nod. Mustering up her resolve, she hit the call button and lifted the phone to her ear, before she could delay it any longer. With baited breath, she listened to it ring for one moment…then two…then three…and then the person at the other end of the line answered. Before she could speak, she was greeted by the same, distorted voice that was always on the other end.

“Natalie. What a pleasant surprise.” Even now, the sound of it was enough to send shivers down her spine.

“I’m tired of this. I want to meet.”

“You broke the rules, Natalie. You know what that means. That’s why you’ve been hiding all this time, isn’t it?”

“It’s not just about me anymore.” The words didn’t come out as strongly as she’d wanted. When had her throat gotten so dry?

“Gotten attached to the boy, have you? How quaint. You were the one who got him involved in all of this.” The words stung, because they were true.

“Gloucestershire university. Luzerne Hall.” She paused briefly to glance at her watch. “An hour and a half from now.” For a long moment, there was silence. Doubt began to creep into Natalie’s mind. Had she ruined their chances by pressing too hard? Then, at last, the other voice spoke.

“…Very well.”

Before she had the chance to speak again, the line went dead. Natalie lowered the phone slowly ,before tucking it into her pocket, and directing her attention back towards Luuk.

“There’s no turning back now. We’re officially on the clock.” Moving with a new sense of urgency, Natalie would take a moment to shove a few of the markers back into her pockets, just in case. “We’ll head out in different directions, so we can cover as much ground as possible. Loop our way around until we both meet back in the foyer. Sound good?”

[Ashen]

Drawing decorated circles into his skin was a kind of therapy at this point. Every mark had particular rules, lines he had to make, lengths he had to meet, etches he had to include, and it all came together to create perfect sigils that would do specific things. Luuk had practiced these marks enough times to no longer need help, and he didn’t have to second-guess his handiwork. All he had to do was make the marks, one by one: a sign for the doors, one for the windows, one to make a weapon out of the things around him—only in case, of course. The five-circle sigil was last, the one he hadn’t intended to use and the one Natalie had hoped he wouldn’t need either. This one wasn’t practiced, but he’d brought notes with him on how to make it, and he followed them closely. Finally done with all of his marks, he showed his work to Natalie, feeling slightly better now that his mind had had something to focus on. When she approved of his signs with a nod, they moved right on.

Then came time for Natalie’s dreaded phone call. As she dialed the number she must have had memorized by now, Luuk moved towards the windows in the room to get started. While she spoke to their attacker, he was going to reinforce the windows to make them impossible to break through and escape from. However, Luuk found himself pausing to listen to the conversation taking place behind him instead. He could barely make out the voice on the other end of the line, muffled and quiet as it was, but for some reason, it sounded oddly familiar to him. If he could just place that voice, maybe he’d know what to expect, and he would be able to warn Natalie. He turned to look at her, and he saw her nerves finally start to get to her. This man had kept her chained for so long that the mere sound of his voice did this to her… Luuk’s hands balled to fists. Anxious as he was about this plan, he wanted nothing more than for this to be over.

By the time he realized he wasn’t working on the windows anymore, Natalie’s call was over. Luuk shifted, embarrassed to have gotten so distracted, and he turned his attention back to what he was doing. Now, they only had a limited amount of time to get all their preparations ready for their confrontation in an hour and a half. Just an hour and a half to prepare for what would probably be the worst day of his life.

The two split up and went through the motions of their plan. Despite the nerves shaking his hands, Luuk got through everything he needed to, thankful to turn his focus onto something tangible. He applied his magic to all of the exits and double-checked for people wandering the halls, people who might interfere. He spotted an old art professor in one of the classrooms on the second floor, an elderly woman who had always been far too chatty, and he all but leapt out of the hallway to avoid being seen by her. Any other time, he would have loved to stay and chat, but he didn’t have the time, and besides, he didn’t know where to begin. He wanted to tell her to leave, to get to the other side of campus, or better yet, to find a way to use his magic to move her across the country, far away from here where she couldn’t get hurt, couldn’t ask questions. Luuk swallowed the impossibility and snuck around her, eager to finish preparing and head back to Natalie.

Luuk easily lost track of time, so he was surprised when he checked his phone and saw that he had only a few minutes before Natalie’s keeper was supposed to arrive. He made his way back to their rendezvous point, a classroom near the front—and currently only unlocked—entrance of the building. Natalie was already waiting there, an odd calm evening her features. He wished he could mimic her composure, stop himself from shaking. This close to their meeting, Luuk was surprised at how much better he felt, but still he dreaded what would happen, who they would meet when the time came. He took in a deep breath, settled next to Natalie, and turned his gaze to the front door. “Now, we wait,” he said quietly.

All the scenarios they had planned for seemed unlikely now that he was actually here. He didn’t know how this would go down, but there was no turning back now. In just a few minutes, whatever happened, their lives would be forever changed. All Luuk could think was how desperately he wanted it all to be over.

And finally, at the exact moment Natalie had specified, the door opened. They both turned sharply and braced themselves for who would walk into the building. They’d prepared for an army, for weapons, for whatever they’d be up against, but they hadn’t prepared for this. Standing in the lobby across from them was a middle-aged balding man with dark, bespectacled eyes and what Luuk had always considered a kind, caring smile. This was the man Luuk had trusted most over these past six years, the last man Luuk could have suspected to be here.

“Dr. V?” Luuk started towards the door, panic spilling across his face. The professor wasn’t supposed to be here; their assailant was going to be here any moment, and Luuk couldn’t predict what would happen to Dr. V once he arrived. Luuk didn’t even know what the man was doing here; he taught in a different hall, and his first class wasn’t for another couple hours, and… Luuk saw the smirk crawl across his professor’s face. The voice on the phone.

Dr. V glanced at Natalie before turning his attention fully to Luuk. “My favorite student,” he greeted. “You’ve been a great help in all of this, haven’t you?”

Luuk took a subconscious step away from Dr. V. Disbelief clouded his eyes. “I—I don’t understand.”

The old professor smiled. “For someone with grades as impressive as yours, Luuk, you certainly are clueless. I had my suspicions, of course, but your paper about your parents confirmed exactly what you are. I never suspected you would lead me straight to Natalie, too. I was happy to get rid of one mage, but you made it so easy to find you both.” He turned to Natalie. “Did you really think I didn’t know where you were when you had such a loose-lipped rat living with you?”

“H-hey!” Luuk shouted, startled. He was trying to piece things together, trying to work out what Dr. V was saying. He had always trusted Dr. V. Could that trust have put both him and Natalie in danger? No, this couldn’t have been happening.

Dr. V regarded Luuk again with a disinterested sigh. “I should have done this a long time ago,” he admitted. “You mages are nothing but trouble for the rest of us, and I should have squashed you all when I had the chance.” He sighed again. “No matter. This will go on no longer.”

In the next moment, Dr. V pulled a revolver from his pocket to point straight at Natalie’s head.

[Namingtoohard]

When Luuk headed off in one direction, Natalie made good on her earlier suggestion and quickly set out in the other. She power-walked down the hallway, determined to toe the line between haste and discretion as much as possible. Every time she passed a doorway, she stopped to try the handle quickly. Those that were already locked, Natalie left alone. Whenever one yielded to her touch, however, Natalie quickly slipped inside, and set about locking it down. She sealed and reinforced all the windows, just as they had planned, and even went so far as to test each one before moving on.

Natalie encountered a few bathrooms and lecture halls, but most of the rooms she came upon were classrooms. Whilst she had passed a few stragglers, these were all empty, much to her relief. If she had stumbled upon any students who had taken it upon themselves to squeeze in a little bit of early morning study, Natalie had no idea what she would’ve done. She didn’t want to leave any openings, but she wasn’t sure what she could say that would make them leave without sounding suspicious. If an unfortunate encounter led to a student asking questions, or reporting her to faculty, then their entire plan might go up in smoke.

It wasn’t long before Natalie found a semblance of rhythm within her work, and began to calm a little. The phone call with her ‘parole officer’ had rattled her more than she ever would’ve admitted to Luuk, and the chance to focus on her craft without company or distractions provided welcome relief. The clear sense of purpose provided by their goal and the familiar motions she used helped the mage steady herself, despite their looming confrontation. Helped her find the peace of mind and level-headedness that she would require if they were going to survive this encounter. There was a decent chance any sort of calm would evaporate as soon as she came face-to-face with their assailant, admittedly, but…well, Natalie thought it better to come in prepared, just in case her nerves didn’t fail her.

When Natalie finally made it back to the entrance hall, the first thing she did was look around for Luuk. It didn’t take long for her to establish that she was the first person to return to their designated meeting point. No matter. He was probably still working. There was every chance that he had gotten stuck with a bigger area to cover, or her experience had allowed her to work faster, or he had gotten held up by someone. There was no cause for concern yet. For the first time since they’d left the classroom, Natalie dared to reach for her phone, so that she might check the time. The white numbers displayed along the top of the screen informed her that they still had twelve minutes or so before the big moment. With nothing better to do, she picked a vacant section of the room with a good view of the front door, and settled down to wait.

As the minutes crawled by, and Luuk failed to reappear, Natalie had to squash the lingering doubt that something had gone wrong. She began to review their plan over and over in her head, just to avoid thinking about the possibility that something had happened to Luuk. When he did arrive, she greeted him with a small smile and a solemn nod. Another quick glance at her phone suggested that they only had a few minutes to go. Natalie was surprised at how calmly her mind accepted that fact. It was like getting a needle as a little kid, she supposed – the wait had been worse than the moment itself. Now, the front door swung open, officially bringing the hard part to an end. The time had come, and this would all come to an end. One way or another.

The moment she saw their assailant, all of Natalie’s composure fled. She turned to face the open door, just in time to freeze when she saw who it was that had entered. She knew that face. It had been several long years since their last meeting, and he’d aged considerably in that time, but that didn’t change facts. The curve of his nose and the line of his jaw were exactly the same. As were those dark little eyes, tucked away behind a set of spectacles that did nothing to disguise the condescension and hatred that lurked within. The mere sight of him, the sound of his voice, was enough to drag up an overwhelming number of unpleasant memories within Natalie’s mind. She could hear him talking, could hear Luuk answering. Knew that she needed to pay attention. All of a sudden, though, it sounded as if their voices were coming from very far away.

The small snippets that her mind acknowledged were enough for the last few puzzle pieces to click into place. History had a funny way of repeating itself, and now, after so long, they’d come full circle. The same circumstances. The same crimes. The same three people, standing on the same sides…almost. Luuk’s mother was gone, but here he stood, filling her shoes. The most fitting stand-in the universe could have provided, and he was probably the only one who didn’t know it. She needed to tell him. She owed him that much. Just in case things turned out the same way they had last time. She hoped they didn’t.

No. She’d make sure they didn’t.

“Luuk.” Natalie called his name, instead of paying any real attention to the bile that Dr. V was spewing. She mustered up her resolve, even as he produced a gun, and pointed it directly at her head. Natalie’s eyes never left the barrel, even as her hands clenched into fists by her sides. She couldn’t be sure this was a good idea, given how volatile their situation, but the words slipped out before she could stop them. “He’s the one who shot your mother.”

With that off her chest, Natalie could finally focus on the more imminent problem. Whilst Luuk was busy digesting this new information, she tried to come up with a way out of this situation. They hadn’t planned for such a terrible start, so it was time for her to improvise. Her eyes searched the room, looking for anything that could be of use. Any sort of sudden movement on her part would probably just startle Dr. V into pulling the trigger, but…well, if she just waited and did nothing, he was certain to pull it eventually. Perhaps he’d been working remotely for so long that he was out of practice, or maybe she could move so suddenly that it would throw off his aim. It wasn’t a gamble that Natalie particularly wanted to take. The odds seemed incredibly low, and the stakes incredibly high, but…well, a slim chance was better than none at all.

Without any sort of warning, Natalie lunged to her left. Away from Luuk, and towards something that she’d spotted before – a fire alarm, mounted to the near wall innocently. The sound of the gun going off was unbearably loud indoors, but Natalie didn’t feel any sudden, sharp pain; an absence she could only take to mean that her gamble had paid off. She pulled the lever down hard, and the reaction was immediate. An alarm that echoed throughout the entire building, warning everyone to evacuate. With any luck, any remaining innocents who were still in the building would be making their way here, towards the exit. By leaving, they’d get themselves out of the line of fire…and just as importantly, Dr. V would be expected to join them. He’d had to hide his gun away, leave alongside them, or risk being outed.

Without waiting to see what course of action he’d decide to take, Natalie reversed directions, sprinting back towards Luuk as quickly as she could move. “Go!” She’d scream the word at the top of her lungs, just as she gave him a powerful shove in the direction of the nearest door; the closest thing they could use to break line of sight. Hopefully that would be enough to get him moving, no matter how shell-shocked he was feeling. Hopefully they’d be able to get away before Dr. V. squeezed off another, better-aimed shot. She hated this, hated risking so much on chance, but Natalie had stacked the deck as much as she was able. She’d just have to hope that it was enough.

[Ashen]

Despite the severity of the situation, Luuk could no longer pay any attention to Natalie. His focus was on the man in front of him, the man who had been his mentor—no, closer to a father—for the past six years. How many hours had Luuk spent in his professor’s office, talking about everything under the sun? How many things had Dr. V helped him with, school-related and otherwise? With the exception of his foster parents, Dr. V had been the person Luuk trusted most. He had intended to keep up with him, reach out regularly for years, for decades, sharing stories over cups of coffee or rants about some history channel’s inaccurate portrayal of some war, or some philosophical ramble inspired by an overheard conversation, anything at all. Luuk had wanted Dr. V to remain a friend for life. But now, as Luuk stood before the older man, the student could feel nothing but the sting of betrayal.

His name was a command in Natalie’s mouth, and though he did not turn to face her, he grew still, listening to her. What she was saying… Could it have been true? Could Dr. V really have been the reason his own mother was dead? He looked back to Dr. V, who only responded to Natalie’s accusation with a sick smile. His gun was still pointed at her, and he looked at Luuk, as if daring him to retaliate. If Luuk’s mother had died in a situation like this, then the chances of him following her footsteps were all too likely now. Isn’t that what he’d always dreamt of? Being close to her? Making her proud? …Avenging her?

Anger burned within Luuk’s veins. He had had no memories before the age of fifteen. His entire childhood, and the parents who had ensured he’d been brought up well, had been taken from him by this man. The man who had pretended to like him. The man who had used him. The man who intended to kill him and Natalie both. The man who would pay for what he’d done.

Unlike the last time he’d had a gun in his face, Luuk wasn’t afraid anymore. His terror had turned to rage, and he stepped towards Dr. V with a strange calm. Common sense abandoned him; he wanted nothing more than to take out his frustrations on this villain regardless of the consequences. If he had to take a bullet to avenge his mother, he was willing to do so. Luckily, Natalie was smarter—and faster. The shot Dr. V fired echoed through the tall building, but the sound was quickly overpowered by the fire alarm. The shrill screams of the old bells would summon any teachers or custodians unfortunate enough to be in the building. Natalie was trying to get them out of danger, but this was not the plan. If they evacuated, they would be spared the gunshots, but Dr. V would escape, and this game would continue. No. Luuk couldn’t accept that.

Dr. V was trapped, and he knew it. In just a few moments, people would join them in this lobby, and they would catch him with a gun. If he didn’t bail now, he’d be in trouble, but he needed to put an end to this before Natalie and her pet caused more problems for him. He swore, anger flashing across his expression. His gaze fell to the stairwell as he tried to determine how much time he had. He was distracted. It was the perfect time to act.

But Natalie had other plans. Her scream told Luuk to move, to get free, but his feet remained firmly planted on the floor, even as she tried to push him. “No,” he said, quiet voice not at all audible over the alarm. They had Dr. V where they needed him, and they’d had a plan that involved staying here. The threat of a gun shouldn’t have changed that. If Luuk’s mother had been willing to die for this, then…then Luuk was, too. He owed it to her.

Stubborn, Luuk charged towards Dr. V, who turned his gun towards the erratic student. The second bullet was drowned out by the fire alarm, and it lodged itself in the wall behind Luuk, a miss. Luuk took the opportunity to throw Dr. V against the wall, where he struggled for the man’s gun. Dr. V refused to yield, however, and he kicked at Luuk. When the student staggered back, Dr. V took aim again.

“…Thomas?”

They both looked towards the stairwell, where little Dr. Hansen was standing, clutching the rail. The art professor had wandered down to heed the fire alarm, but now, her eyes grew wide, and she located the gun in her fellow professor’s hands. Luuk wanted to call out to her, tell her to leave before Dr. V turned his sights to her, but his voice was lost somewhere in his throat. Maybe this was a good thing. If they made it out alive, then maybe Dr. Hansen could vouch for them. It was unlikely, but it was the only saving grace he could find in this impossible situation.

With his attention on Dr. Hansen, Luuk was suddenly thrown to the floor, and in the next second, Dr. V was on top of him, pinning him. “That’s enough,” he growled, voice dripping with desperation. A criminal red-handed, he saw no need to hold back, now. “All you’ve ever done is gotten in my way,” he continued, pointing his gun straight at Luuk’s chest. “Stop getting in my way.”

Luuk swallowed. Trapped, this was how he would die. If he had just followed Natalie outside, he could have escaped this. No, he thought, there was no use thinking of that now. Maybe Natalie could use this opportunity to act. With Dr. V so focused on him, maybe Dr. Hansen could call for help, or maybe Natalie could skip the conversation and go directly to the last step of their plan: wiping the professor’s memories of all things magic. In Dr. V’s single-sighted rage, maybe Luuk and Natalie could finally put the battle against their kind to an end.

[Namingtoohard]

The resistance Luuk offered was entirely unexpected. Natalie had planned on her shove sending her young ward stumbling ahead. Planned on her momentum carrying them both through the next few steps, until Luuk caught on and began to run. She had been hoping that the two of them would be able to get around the corner, find some relative safety, and reassess the situation. Figure out a way to flip the script on Thomas Vetere, and carry out their original plan. Even if they couldn’t come up with an appropriate solution, and had to settle for escape, they had shifted the odds in their favour today. Now they knew the identity of the person hunting them, and could plan accordingly. Get the drop on him, for once, instead of hiding and waiting. As long as they survived, they could consider today a victory, regardless of the outcome.

Instead, Natalie did the physical equivalent of running into a brick wall. Given the way Luuk had planted his feet, she practically bounced off him, her momentum cut short when he refused to yield. Had their situation been any less dire, she might have been amused by her own failure. By her tendency to think of Luuk as a child under her protection instead of a grown adult, every bit her equal, despite what her eyes were telling her. Despite the obvious reality. Under the current circumstances, however, she could do nothing but worry at what this delay would mean for them, and scramble for another idea.

She was forced to watch as Luuk finally began to move, but he didn’t run away, towards safety, as she might have hoped. Instead, he sprinted towards their aggressor, and the deadly piece of metal in his hand. Natalie opened her mouth, felt a scream rip itself free from her throat. The sound was lost, however, drowned out by the continuous ringing of the fire alarm’s bells. She saw the gun in his hand jump, heard the bang over the alarm, and flinched. Braced herself for the pain that would inevitably follow – be it the physical agony of a wound, or the mental anguish of watching Luuk die, and knowing that she had caused it.

When neither happened, Natalie’s relief was palpable, but it soon proved short-lived. After that, everything seemed to happen at once. Luuk pinned the professor to the wall, only to get kicked back before he could wrest away control of the weapon. Another teacher stumbled into the room, but her arrival proved more detrimental than helpful, distracting Luuk without deterring Dr. V. Luuk was thrown to the ground, pinned beneath their adversary, who pointed the gun at him, and growled a few words Natalie was unable to hear. The last was the thing that finally spurred Natalie back into motion. She couldn’t afford to watch, shell-shocked, whilst Luuk risked his life. She had to do something to help. Now.

Natalie broke out into another sprint, charging directly at the two entangled fighters. Apparently the sound of the fire alarm was enough to mask her footsteps, or Dr. V simply didn’t care, because he kept his attention focused on Luuk, instead of pointing the gun at her. In the few seconds she took to cross the room, Natalie considered her options. She could try and wipe Dr. V’s memory now, but if the spell took more than half a second to take hold, then he could still pull the trigger. She couldn’t risk that. She could try and throw him off, but that had the same problem. No. She had to grab his arm, try and wrestle the gun away, just like Luuk had been trying to do earlier. His long sleeves meant that she couldn’t wipe his memory at the same time, and there was a chance she’d ruin the sigil on her hand, but that wouldn’t matter if she lost Luuk now. She had to risk it. They’d just have to deal with the consequences later.

Natalie hit Vetere from the side, throwing the entirety of her body’s weight against his, whilst both of her hands reached for the gun. Despite her momentum, she didn’t have enough force to throw him to the ground, like she might have wanted. It was enough to throw him off balance, but no more. Both of her hands closed around his arm – one around his wrist, and the other around his forearm. She pushed hard, trying to turn the gun away from Luuk, just in time for it to go off again. This close, the sound of it discharging was deafening, but that was the least of her concerns. Thankfully, he missed again. The bullet buried itself in the floor, just a hair’s breadth away from Luuk’s chest.

Spurred on by this minor success, Natalie redoubled her efforts to twist the gun away. Slowly, inch by inch, the barrel moved further and further from Luuk. Had her hearing not been compromised, Natalie might have heard the professor growl in frustration. Before he could wrest full control from him, though, he retaliated in violent fashion. Vetere lashed out with his other arm, driving his elbow into the side of Natalie’s face. Her head snapped back and her vision exploded into stars, pain radiating outwards from the point of impact. Natalie recoiled on instinct, grip slipping momentarily, but she quickly rebelled against the instinct, and struggled to reassert control.

A flurry of movement, caught out of the corner of her eye, let Natalie know that Dr. Hansen had fled. She couldn’t be sure if the woman had fled out of fear or was going to find help, and which side she was planning on assisting. It didn’t matter. Natalie wasn’t willing to trust the outcome to her, even if she was trying to help them. She was more glad that the woman was out of harm’s way. Hopefully the rest of the building was empty, and nobody else would show up to take her place, despite the alarm.

While she continued to struggle against Vetere, Natalie threw a glance down towards Luuk, trying to assess what sort of state he was in, and what he was trying to do. The way Natalie saw it, the fact that there were two of them was one of their biggest advantages right now. If she could keep Dr. V from pointing the gun at either of them, then maybe Luuk could find a way to capitalize on their situation. They couldn’t speak any plans out loud without giving them away, but if she could pick up more subtle clues, then that’d be enough. All she needed to do was get a rough idea of what Luuk intended, and then she’d figure out a way to help. Maybe a coordinated effort would be enough for the two of them to throw the professor off him, since Natalie hadn’t been strong enough to do it alone.

[Ashen]

Time moved at a snail’s pace, yet all at once, and as Natalie fought with Dr. V, Luuk found himself momentarily paralyzed, trying to reassess the situation. The gunshots that kept popping off around him terrified him, but his adrenaline was louder than his fear, and his need for justice, for safety, for his life to be his own spurred him. Dr. V was faltering. Luuk could see it in the erratic ways he moved, how he hit Natalie and scrambled for his gun. The older man hadn’t been expecting this meeting to be so complicated, and Luuk was determined to not stop fighting until he and Natalie had what they had come for.

It was difficult watching the professor attack Natalie, and Luuk cringed at the sight of blood staining her skin. His own body was alight with bruises he could not yet feel, but if he didn’t keep pushing himself, it wouldn’t matter how wounded they were. Repeatedly charging at Dr. V wasn’t working, and the plan they had prepared was in shatters. Luuk tried to plan amid the deafening screeches of the alarm and the murderous man moving beside him. They needed to wipe Dr. V’s memories; Natalie and Luuk had agreed it was the only way to get out of this, the only way to not live the rest of their lives in fear, controlled by someone else. But how were they going to get close enough to Dr. V without him turning his gun to them? Dr. V knew how their magic worked; distracted as he was, he would not let them get close enough to touch him. They had to keep trying to get the gun away from him, to immobilize him somehow…

Luuk noticed the radiator near where Dr. V was standing, and he formed another plan. He wasn’t trying to kill him, exactly, but a head wound like that would at least stop him from fighting back so hard, and it would let them get close to him so they could get this over with. So Luuk charged into his professor, aiming for the radiator behind them, hoping to get Dr. V to fall onto the metal. But Dr. V had seen it coming, even with his attention on Natalie, and he tossed Luuk away before he made contact, as if he were nothing but an overeager puppy. He pointed his gun at him again, and his lips moved, but Luuk couldn’t hear him over the alarm and the drumming pain in his own skull. Luuk got up quickly, and he moved again to throw Dr. V against the radiator, but once again he was thrown away. He looked to Natalie, who was also trying and failing to get Dr. V to move.

He longed to communicate with her. The fact that they were paired was their greatest advantage, and if they could just come up with a quick new plan together, Luuk was sure they could finish this. Dr. V wouldn’t be able to hold them back forever, and if they kept trying—

The sound of the pistol smacking against Natalie’s temple startled Luuk, who immediately reached out to grab her, but he stopped himself. Dr. V was focused on her, yelling at her, as her eyes drifted shut and she fought to remain conscious. The blood already leaking from the side of her head scared him, but Luuk couldn’t focus on that now. Whatever damage Dr. V had already done would be worse if he didn’t use this opportunity to do something.

Luuk glanced at his hands, at the mark peeking from his sleeve, the one he’d been careful to not smear. It had been a safety net, something they hadn’t intended to use, or he hadn’t, not really. He’d assumed Natalie would be the one to do it. She’d done it before, and she had years—decades—of experience he didn’t. What if he messed this up? But with Natalie barely responsive, there was no time for doubt. It was on him now to use this mark, their magic, to erase mages from Dr. V’s memories, to ensure they would not be persecuted like this again. It was a long road ahead of them, and Luuk didn’t quite know what it would look like, but the first step was this leap, and ready or not, it fell on him to make it.

With Dr. V still turned to Natalie, Luuk crept up behind him, and he pretended for his own sake to not notice that the gun was pointed at Natalie’s head. He grabbed Dr. V’s arm, and ignoring the gun in the other hand now pointed at him, he wrestled the man. He firmly wrapped his fingers around Dr. V’s wrist, struggling to keep hold as the man desperately tried to scramble away. If Luuk could just keep contact long enough, this would be over.

Each carefully-inked line of the mark unwove itself to reach towards Dr. V’s skin, sinking into his pores to rewrite the history of a human being. Luuk imagined the man’s life unraveling before his eyes, but he tried not to think of the consequences of their meddling. Dr. V was trying to kill them, had kept them caged like animals for a decade; he was undeserving of their pity. Luuk opened his eyes to meet Dr. V’s dark gaze behind his fogged frames. He’d stopped fighting, and he resigned himself to Luuk’s touch. Luuk didn’t notice his free arm wrap around his back, didn’t notice the gun until it was pressed against his shirt.

This shot was much louder than the fire alarm, and it distorted Luuk’s vision in a kaleidoscope of red and black. His grip on Dr. V loosened as he slumped to the floor, twitching. The world was getting much harder to make sense of, and Luuk struggled to remember where he was, where he was going. The constant blearing of the alarm grounded him, but he could still feel himself drifting. He couldn’t move, but he squinted to locate Dr. V. The professor stood here, dazed, studying his arm as if seeing it for the first time. The hatred had faded from his eyes, and he looked…innocent. Had it worked? Had Luuk’s magic actually worked? If only he’d been a bit quicker, had hesitated just a second less, he might have survived to enjoy the pride of his accomplishment.

His body was turning to cement, too heavy for him to lift, and he felt the thick liquid crawl up his back through his shirt. Ignoring the pain, Luuk located Natalie, who looked like she was coming to. If she would be alright, then their plight wouldn’t have been for nothing. His sacrifice wouldn’t have been for nothing. Luuk smiled. He could live with—die with—that satisfaction.

He was quickly bleeding out. The bullet had entered through his back to come out below his shoulder, and his blood was already pooling around him, spreading out to drench the floor of the hall. Dr. Hansen was on her way back with help, and an ambulance had already been called, but she would be too late. Luuk needed help now, within these next few seconds, from a trained surgeon who could stop the bleeding. There was only one person in the world who could help him now, and as she shook the unconsciousness from her bones, his chances grew ever slimmer.