Episode Five, Part 3:
S i s t e r

I can't save us. My Atlantis, we fall. 

Aeryn, Zara and Atlantis were following closely behind Sol, with Wynn walking despairingly at her side. 

"Hey," she murmured, nudging her elbow against his. He looked over out of the corner of his eyes, doubtful that even she would be able to make him feel any better this time.

"I know you're scared, Wynn. I'm sorry you had to leave her in there. But at least she's safe, right? Try and focus on that? For me?" She forced a cheesy smile onto her face, and against all odds, Wynn couldn't help but smile back, even if it was only faint. 

But he came to a sudden halt, holding his arm out in front of Sol, making everyone else stop in their path. 

"Wynn?" Sol asked, pulling her weapon out when she noticed him reach for his own. Not wasting any time asking another question, the Sovereign glanced around the opposite side to Wynn, covering the areas he had his back towards. 

"What's happening?" Zara asked from behind them. 

"It's probably Riders, or-" 

"Targo," Wynn growled cutting Aeryn off. There was no doubt in his mind who it was, only how they had managed to get to them so quickly. Rhea must have already had a team out before him and Sol leaked their radio call, lurking on Basilisk's side of the river, ready to attack at a moment's notice. 

There was a thud echoing nearby, north of where they had been heading. Both Sol and Wynn turned to face that direction, trying to locate who had made the noise. 

"Aeryn, take Zara and Atlantis with you and hide wherever you can. Keep your bag safe." 

Aeryn nodded, grabbing onto the mother and daughter and spinning around, ready to take off in the opposite direction of their Sovereign, but there were two people waiting right behind them, grabbing onto the first person who stepped into them; it was Zara. 

All three girls screamed out in fear, both Wynn and Sol glancing behind briefly to see what was going on. Sol looked to Wynn who nodded, assuring her that he could handle the two masked attackers inching closer towards him whilst she headed over to the girls. 

The first assailant took off with Zara, dragging her away from the group. He tried to muffle her screams with his hand, but Atlantis' name could still be heard from her weeping mother. 

Sol reached her people just as the second enemy grabbed onto Atlantis, attempting to take her away, as well. Without hesitation, Sol raised her gun, firing point-blank at the person who had hold of Atlantis. The bullet tore straight through his forehead, missing the girl by mere centimetres. 

As his body fell to the ground, Atlantis was free, heaving for air for a few seconds. 

"Get on the ground," Sol ordered to her and Aeryn. "Don't move." 

Aeryn sprung into action, holding onto the other girl and pulling her down alongside her, not caring how rough she was being. Sol took a quick glance in Wynn's direction, watching as he drove his blade into the last of the attackers, eliminating the threat from his side. Knowing that he was safe, Sol hurried after the fourth and final attacker, desperate to catch Zara before it was too late. 

"Mum!" Atlantis wailed under Aeryn, thrashing her body around to try and get free. Concerned about all the screaming still going on, Wynn hurried over to the two girls, quickly checking to see if they were both okay. 

Aeryn kept her grip on Atlantis as Wynn helped them both up, but in the second that it took to look away, Atlantis took off, running after Sol and her mother. Aeryn immediately wanted to chase after her, but Wynn grabbed onto her, trying to ignore the guilt of his decision from swallowing him whole. 

"Wynn-" she pleaded, not sure if he knew what had happened. 

"I know. But Sol will realise she's gone after them and she'll bring her back here. If you go, it'll be too dangerous for all of us, Believe me, I hate it just as much as you, but we have to stay here." 

Aeryn let out a terrified breath, leaning against Wynn for support. She knew he was right. She knew the smartest thing they could do was remain where they were, but it was easier said than done. 

A few moments passed, and then a series of unmistakable noises that tore through them both; Zara's petrified screams, a gunshot, and then another set of screams from someone else. 

Aeryn could feel Wynn tense behind her, suddenly struggling to listen to his own order. All he could think about was what he would do if something happened to Sol... 

Up ahead, Sol finally became aware of Atlantis running behind her. The desperation heightened her speed, and it wasn't long before she had caught up to the Sovereign. 

"Atlantis, go back!" Sol screamed, coming to a halt and grabbing onto the younger girl. She tried to push her back in the direction of the others, but she wasn't cooperating. 

"No! They took my mum! I have to get her!" She broke free from her hold, finally catching sight of her mother up ahead. 

The attacker had stopped, holding Zara in a headlock right in front of him, a knife pressed dangerously close to her neck. 

"Mum!" She screamed again, charging forward in her direction, but she was knocked down. Sol had jumped on top of her, crashing them both into the ground, refusing to let go. 

"Please, Atlantis, stop fighting! You'll both be killed if you don't listen to me!" Sol pleaded with her, but it was no use. She would never give up trying to get to her. 

Sol leaned all of her weight on the younger girl, pinning her down completely. She aimed her gun at the attacker, trying to get a clear shot, but it was almost impossible with Zara struggling around so much. She wondered what he was waiting for: why didn't he just run off with Zara? It was clear that Sol couldn't do much to protect both Zara and Atlantis, so he had to have known his likelihood of success. Or maybe he just wanted to taunt his power in front of the girls, as if thinking: you're so caught up in trying to save this woman that you're not looking for the Heir, foolishly believing that Elara was really out there. 

The Sovereign's time for guessing had run out, and the man ran his blade across Zara's neck, a fatal injury. 

"NO!" A wretched scream parted from Atlantis, tearing right through the bitter and brokenness that once held Sol's heart. 

The Sovereign moved in front of her view, not wanting Atlantis to see her mother fall to the ground and take her last gasp for breath.  

She tried to get up again, either to get to her mother or for vengeance of some kind. 

"Let me go, River!" She cried. 

"No, I won't. I won't let you get killed!" 

"She's my mum!" Atlantis cried, desperately trying to look in her direction, as if not comprehending what had happened, but she remained held down. 

"And you're my sister!" Sol yelled back, tears pouring down her own cheeks as she stared down at Atlantis. Despite everything, there was a moment where everything went completely still, a moment that everything changed. 

Under the worst circumstances, in a pain Atlantis has never known, Sol finally said the words she had been waiting her entire life to hear... She was her sister. 

But there wasn't a part of the young girl that was capable of feeling anything other than the world collapsing around her, and she cried out excruciatingly, her heart bleeding onto the forest floor. 

Sol had to pull herself up, knowing that they couldn't rest until it was over, until they were safe. Not knowing what else to do, the Sovereign called out Wynn's name, knowing that him and Aeryn would appear in a heartbeat at the sound of her voice. 

When she could see them begin to approach, Sol ran away, leaving them both to comfort Atlantis as she went to finish her kill, the desire for blood tasting no different than when she had killed Rogue or her father. She wanted it just the same. 

///// 

When Elara could feel her hands shake, and the familiar lightheadedness that had returned too many times, she made her way over to the serum, finding two needles already prepared for her alongside the container. 

She brought one of them up, examining it closely in front of her eyes before moving it above the container, emptying its contents back into the larger admixture of serum. Once it was all out, she set the empty needle back down on the table, making sure there was a slither of serum on the counter so they could see that it had been used before. 

She had managed to fool both Wynn and Kodiak back in the Quarters into believing that she had taken the serum, so she knew that it would work again. When they would come in the Bunker to take her out, they would see the empty needle and assume the only reasonable explanation, which was that she had injected it into herself. No one would think twice. 

Once it was all taken care of, Elara found a safe place to rest, taking comfort on one of the grey couches that sectioned off the living quarters. Settled down, the young girl closed her eyes, doing everything she could think of to force herself into a vision... 

Elara turned around in the dark void, not remembering anything from a moment before. All that mattered was that her brother was standing a few feet behind her, waiting for her. 

"Ares!" She breathed out, running the few steps over to him and engulfing him into her arms. She squeezed on tightly, completely latching onto him. 

"I missed you so bad," she mumbled against his shirt, feeling like she had a piece of Heaven in her hands. "Don't ever go away again, you hear me? I can't live without you." 

Elara waited for a response, for an apology, or even just something to acknowledge that he had heard her, but Ares didn't speak. Suddenly becoming rather concerned, she noticed that he wasn't hugging back; that he never had been. 

"Ares?" She pulled away, stepping back so she could see his face. "What's wrong? Say something. Did you not hear me?" She smiled nervously, hitting his arm. "I said I missed you." 

Without a word, Ares reached into his pocket, pulling something out and handing it to Elara. She was confused, but took hold of it nonetheless, inspecting it closely. 

It looked somewhat like a radio, but when Elara turned the device on, a number flashed onto the screen, immediately beginning to count the minutes down. 

4:59:99

"What is this?" The young girl asked, looking back up to her brother, but he was gone. "Ares?" She called out, feeling her heart drop in her chest. 

"Ares!?" All of a sudden, Elara became aware of the water circling her feet. It was cold and rising just above her knees, but thankfully, that was as high as it went. 

She glanced back down at the device, seeing what it read now. 

4:42:31

She had 4 minutes left. But for what? What would happen at the end of the timer? What was it trying to tell her? Knowing that she couldn't spend all of that time figuring it out, Elara spun around, wading through the water in search for her brother. She was relieved to find him barely a hundred feet away, his back turned towards her. 

"Ares!" Elara called out his name, struggling to pick up her speed as she trudged through the ripples. It was only then that she seemed to realise where she was: the dams, and she knew now what she was here for. She knew what the device was counting down: how long she had left to save Ares. 

Elara tucked the device into her pocket, hurrying the remaining distance of the water and grabbing onto Ares' arm. She tried to pull him along with her, but he wouldn't move. 

"Come on, I have to get you out!" She told him. "You have to get out of the water!" Elara pulled again, but it was evident that Ares wasn't going anywhere. 

"Please..." She could feel her voice waver, the depths of her heartache threatening to drown out everything else. 

"Do you trust me?" She searched. "I'm your sister, Ares. Let me get you out of here... Why won't you let me help you?" 

She didn't understand why he wasn't speaking, but he did answer her, looking down at his foot in the water to tell her there was a problem. 

"You're stuck..." Elara mumbled, putting the pieces together. In the vision, a memory found it's way back to her, and she could hear the words of Ares' last radio call telling her that his foot was jammed between the rocks. 

Worried about the possibility of getting him out, Elara reached for the device and checked to see how much time she had left. 

2:52:74

No. She thought. It was going too quick. It wasn't fair; she needed more time with him, more time to save him! 

Without any other options, Elara bent down beside him, feeling around for the rocks beneath them. She located her brother's foot, immediately pulling on it and trying to tug it free. 

But Ares cried out in pain; still not saying anything, only crying. 

"I'm sorry," Elara whimpered, "but it won't matter once I get you out. I have to do it." She returned her attention back to the rocks, trying to comprehend the situation under the water, but it was difficult. The only thing she could do was pull, twisting Ares' foot in every direction only hoping it would be enough. 

Finally, the young girl managed to dislodge it, giving her a little more room to work with, but she knew there was one, final gap she had to pull it through and to do that, she would have to break his foot. 

"I'm sorry," she looked up at her brother, waiting until she was sure he had heard him, and then ripped his foot out of the water. 

Ares screamed again, but Elara was able to stand up this time, grabbing onto both his arms. 

"It's okay, you're free," she nodded profusely, "you're free." 

Before she could say anything, a thunderous boom tore through the world, shaking the ground they were standing on. Both Ares and Elara glanced upstream, seeing the higher section of the dam collapse and begin to flood the water their way. 

Ares looked on horrified, frozen in place as he awaited his fate, but Elara wasn't going to lose him this time. 

00:43:16

They could make it out of the water if they did it together... 

Taking a deep breath, Elara looked up at Ares, taking hold of his hand. It was the first time he seemed to actively respond to her, squeezing tightly onto her hand, nodding softly as he stared down at her. 

A faint smile reached the young girl's face; she found the courage to turn away, pulling her limping brother behind her as they raced to shore. 

"We're gonna make it," Elara gasped, feeling the level of the water sink down her legs as she neared dry ground. 

She looked to her right, seeing the waves no more than 20 metres away. One last surge of energy and Elara threw herself out of the water, letting go of Ares' hand so he could do the same. 

Catching her breath, the girl rolled onto her back, looking beside her for her brother, but he wasn't there. 

"Ares?" She whispered, checking her other side, behind her, but she couldn't see him. 

As the waves crashed in front of her, Elara looked up at the edge of the dam where she had just been, and she felt a whole burn in the middle of her chest. 

Somehow, Ares was still there, his foot still stuck in the water, and the waves still creeping towards him. 

Elara pushed herself to her feet, ready to race into the water towards him without a second thought, but someone was holding her back. It was Wynn, and at her other side, Quill - all three of them watching helplessly as the flood swept their brother away to the drop below, stealing away his life. 

Elara glanced down at her hand, seeing it tremble as violently as her body, turning the device over so she could see what it read. 

00:08:17

It was a bitter realisation: Ares was supposed to have more time. They weren't ready to lose him, and still, he was gone too soon... 

Five // Part Three
"𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧."

Two scenes in this chapter that were upsetting to write. Which one hurt the most? Atlantis losing her mother (and Sol calling Atlantis her sister), or Elara losing Ares again?

'𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮, 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚.'

Happy ANZAC day!
25/04/20