KEREN

Five minutes to die.

He double checked the chain charges timers at their frozen activation, for the second confirmation of detonation. I'm going to take back my life, no matter what I have to do. Keren ignored the scout ship he tossed to the floor, the scout ship Ethan helped him build so long ago. Against the chirping of the explosives, he took one last look at his false life, the scout he left behind to be covered by ash and remains. Before hesitation controlled him, he pushed himself back to the open window. He readied his chain blasters for assistance. Detonator in hand, he leaped out of the window. His chains supported his descent onto the dirt.

He ran away. Far away to the edge of the trees while another part of him remained to die. Safely out of reach of the incoming blast, he turned to the distant shapes. There's nothing left for me over there.

Finger over the dial, he twisted the knob, and with held breath, set up the fall. Silence rippled through the warehouse district the Malakai's owned. Keren snapped his hand against the detonation. Once. Twice. Each with a click. As confusion settled over his shoulders, he grunted when a shockwave of a colourful explosion sent him careening backwards. Sound caught up with the sudden heatwave and light. Tree leaves rustled above his head and ash spread out the immediate area.

His hesitation returned when he lifted himself off the ground, biting his tongue at the chewing flames ahead of him. Intent washed down his spine, intent and a distant sense of danger. Below him, his safety net burned, where he held a baby blanket full of fluffy kittens in his hands and wondered where he went wrong. His rage fell apart underneath the pressure of true solar fire when he stared at his desperation. "Kellzoro...?" He darted his gaze from side to side, then clenched his fists. No! This is exactly your problem! You hesitate too much, just... He went to run into the forest, but the electric jolts slammed him to a stop.

He dug in for his anger, but it fell into sand.

Couldn't... couldn't he leave a part of him to die. Hasn't he already? Couldn't he do it once more, for me? With me? Keren gasped through the taste of smoke, then turned on his heel as the flames danced over the refinery. His stomach boiled, and he scowled. Fuck! He left the last edge to freedom behind to rush back into the fire and flames, to drag Ethan kicking and screaming if he had to to their happy life. To leave it all behind and take upon new lives, leaving them all to think of their demise. "Ethan!" he screamed out, though the flames drowned out his call for his safety net of an older brother.

He flinched when the light turned monochrome, raising his arms up to his brow when the debris fell into the refinery. Thrown back from the next, far more violent explosion, a reminder of his choked chains, his back screeched as he rolled over to avoid the wave of soot. He scrambled to his feet to find cover in the forest, stumbling back onto his hindquarters when he tried to turn around and view his own death. In one quick instant, his existence disappeared.

He wanted relief to fill his heart, but like a stupid child, he found himself crying instead.

Freedom in his hands, he found himself unable to move. Unable to take the first step without someone to nudge him from behind. Released from his torment, he abandoned his older brother to the monsters. No! He betrayed me! I just need to run now! I couldn't help him! I couldn't make him happy! Keren stumbled to his knees with a shuddered sob. I am eighteen, fuck, I don't need him anymore. I can walk on my own two damn legs.

The warehouse collapsed with a part of him still within.

I can't go back. I had my chance...

Keren sniffed and drove his fingers into the bandages, taking further steps away from the field of bloody flames. Chains broke apart from the pressure of solar fire, but the elation never came to him as he continued to stare at it. All I have to do now is run and don't look back. As long as they think I'm dead I can live. If he took the next instant, he'd be gone without a trace, with nothing else to keep him in that life. I'm free. I'm free, why can't I move?

He forced himself through the electric jolts begging him to go back for Ethan and turned his back on him instead. Alarms sounded throughout the distant city of Roxton. Bag against his back, he ducked underneath old wood trails. As far away from the home of the Malakai's as he could get against the screaming of the strange jolts threatening to possess his spine.

Freedom.

He sank underneath a small outcrop and let the rest of his tears fall in the silence. He fought for breath and for his elation as he buried himself into the stone without support or a sense of continuous security. He shuffled through the contents, pushing past the rations he packed for this moment. Fiery pain clutched his throat when his fingers tangled with the flares, the three left he had. His thumb pressed against the release of the green fire, but another grip of hesitation locked him in place. He drew his thumb down the extended part and chewed on his lip.

"Light these, and I'll come," Ethan told him with a soft smile on his face. "I'll take care of you."

If I light one up, he'll come to me, won't he? He was by the transports when I set it off. But who else will come with him?

The last question almost made him throw the flares aside, but he gripped them tighter, hugging them close to his chest for one last bit of security, for the remnants of the security net he grew so used to no longer underneath him. One more thing he found unable to leave behind in the dust. Keren loaded his chain blasters with edevium. Enough to dissuade any attackers, but never would he raise them to kill for the family.

Water capsule in his hands, he took several swigs to drown out the continued tears slipping down his cheeks. It slicked down his throat but he found himself more unhappy than before.

Why am I not happy? I should be happy! I'm free! My plan worked! It worked. Why am I not... celebrating?

He drew his gaze to the clouds, where an expanse of stars waited behind them with the beauty of an endless universe of potential. Keren tucked closer against the rock and sighed instead of cheering for his return of agency and control. I'm going to need a ship pass, or a ship. I can get up there and... go somewhere else. I'll find somewhere else and maybe then I can celebrate. Keren pushed himself out of the protection of the outcrop. Ash carried itself on the breeze and destroyed the sweet taste of his freedom.

He rubbed his bandaged hands, where Ethan pried out the glass of his own self-inflicted rage without hesitation and cleaned it all out. Another soft breath slipped past his lips, and he dropped them to his sides. I'm dead. I escaped. Celebrate.

He found no strength too.

"Finally," he forced through his teeth. As forceful as the time he begged Ethan to teach him how to live a lie.

It didn't amount to much as a celebration.

I'm going to go far, far away. I am not going to look back. Keren walked. I am going to grab onto my dream and I won't let anyone take it away from me ever again.

It became nighttime when he reached some sort of shipyard on the complete other side of Roxton, with the alarms long silenced. He scowled at the amount of Sanctum officials guarding the gate, so he wound around the perimeter for an opening. They'll have a ship pass I can swipe, just this once. He timed the guard's patrols, before bolting for the fence and climbing up it. Over the other side, he landed with a quiet huff, rushing into cover before the patrols rounded again.

He found a window, slipping inside the compound on his knees. Voices rang out without a discernible source, but he kept to the shadows on his hands and knees, peeking out the door of the room he found himself in. Red lights for the night pulsed around the smaller corridors he took instead of the pain ones, slipping past the maintenance vents as he squeezed himself through the moment a corridor looked open.

I just need to find some sort of Overseer's office where they'd hold all the shipkeys of the compound. Keren bounded and peeked around corners, stopping by another larger maintenance entrance as he came face to face with another junction, with voices right around the corner. Fuck. Keren went to turn around, but slammed to a stop at the growing shadows coming closer.

Fuck!

He bit down a scream when a shape lunged out of the maintenance entrance and tugged him inside, closing the door with their foot. He held his breath when footsteps sounded past them, a call of friendly greeting sounding from ahead and laughter in joy.

Ethan?

The new individual let him go, and he slammed his back against the other wall.

In front of him, a man who was definitely not Ethan stared at him with equal amounts of confusion. His dirty-blonde hair dimmed in the red light of the maintenance area, but Keren found himself drawn to the chain around his neck, where only a number and a letter remained. Ethan pointed them out to him multiple times.

Fuck! Fuck, it's a Sanctum Elite! I'm fucked!

He poised his knees to fight for his life, but stopped when the Elite rose a finger over his lips when a group of footsteps walked past them once more. He refused to move, held in stasis until they whispered, "What is a kid doing in a Sanctum compound this late at night?"

Keren found himself taken aback by their question. "One, not a kid, eighteen," he hissed, slamming up the wall of distrust. "Second of all, what is a Sanctum Elite doing in a maintenance vent and why aren't you dragging my ass to the authorities?"

The blond Elite examined him, then stopped at his bandaged hands. "I was bored waiting for someone so decided to take a walk, just didn't want to be hounded with questions," he mumbled, then detached himself from the wall when the corridors went silent. "I'll get you out of here."

"So you can hand me to the authorities." Keren refused to move from his spot. "Not moving an inch."

The Elite stared at him. "I am not going to hand you over to the Sanctum. You're just trespassing. Kids do that a lot."

"Not a kid."

The Elite blinked. "Do you want to get out of here or not?"

Keren glared at him, then released himself from the wall. He followed the strange Elite out into the light, and the rest of his clothing illuminated. On his breast pocket, not the star of the Sanctum, but a wolven with its teeth bared against a black field. In another's shadow, he followed the Elite around corners to the back door.

"Guards are going to be out there," he hissed.

The Elite stood in front of the door, apparently listening for something. "They're walking down the perimeter now." He opened it.

Keren braced himself, but found his exit free of disruptions. He stopped, then turned back into the compound.

"Listen," the Elite said. "I'm not going to hand you into the Sanctum, but I can't say the same for the other people in here."

"But... I need to get out of here. Far away from here. I need a ship and shipkeys."

The Elite raised an eyebrow. "You know how to fly a ship?"

"...In theory."

And... now he knows I'm here to steal Sanctum property.

Keren braced himself for edevic cuffs, but widened his eyes when the Elite stepped aside to reveal the fence. Both of them out into the night air, Keren ran after him when he stopped beside the fence, nodding at him to go first. Distrustful of his intentions, he climbed, landing on the other side with a less graceful grunt. Sparkle of blue light swirled around him when the Elite jumped up and over the fence himself. He went to scramble to his feet, but stopped when the Elite knelt down in front of him.

"What is a kid doing in a Sanctum compound looking for a ship and shipkeys?"

Keren held his silence.

The Elite narrowed his hazel eyes, then sighed. "Okay, I see you're not going to talk." He straightened himself out and rubbed his head. "I'm James, and yes, I am an Elite, just not with the Sanctum anymore."

Keren kept his mouth shut.

"I am not going to hand you over to the authorities," he repeated.

"I don't know that." Keren scooted back.

James smiled down at him. "True, but if I wanted to hand you over I'm sure you realise I could've very easily done that when I grabbed you."

Fuck.

"Answer my question first," Keren hissed under his breath.

"I'm here to pick up a scout for my group," James answered. "Again, I got bored and restless so I decided to walk around but didn't want to be bothered. Is that answer good enough?"

"Your group?" Keren mused.

"The Northern Wolves, we're a mercenary group," James replied. "Now, can you answer my question?"

Keren swallowed his fear. "I need to get off this planet."

"Why? Where's your family?"

Keren held his mouth shut, but forced out, "I...I'd rather not say."

James flicked his gaze to his chain blasters, then frowned. "I see, well... I think I can help you get off this planet."

Keren rasped, "I don't have anything to pay you with..."

"I don't need to be paid," James said with a soft scoff. "Besides, if it's just the planet you want off, that's not a problem since we're getting off this planet once we're done here."

Keren crawled to his knees and then up onto his feet. "You're... not going to hand me over to the authorities?"

"Why would I?"

Because I'm the worst of the worst of criminals. Keren hugged himself, then winced when a prickle of sore pain throbbed through his knuckles.

"I have a doctor that can check that out."

"You're being too nice," Keren mumbled.

James turned around to the compound when the guards continued their patrols. "Maybe," he said. "So, do you want to take my offer or not?"

"To leave this planet?"

"Yes."

You're finally free.

Keren kept up the wall of distrust when James led him around to the front entrance of the compound, and he readied for constant lies and betrayal. Except the guards at the gate let James back in without issue but a confused look in his direction.

I'm free.

"James!" a loud voice boomed through his ears, and he jumped back when a burly man ran up at them.

"Meryn," James said with a smile, but Keren glared at the newcomer when Meryn eyed him. "We have a bit of a situation, is the ship ready?"

"Yeah... who's this?"

Keren raised his fists in front of his chest.

"I'll explain later," James said, stepping between them. "Let's just get out of here and back to the Titan."

"A Titan?" Keren gasped. "Is it an all-rounder or a more supply frigate? Is it one of the larger ones?"

Both men turned to him. "An all-rounder," James answered. "Not as big as a Goliath but it has its own hangar."

Keren twisted his fists against each other and finally found a smile growing on his face. A smile of freedom and hope of flight against the desperate tugs for the only family he left behind in the smoke.

I am taking back my life, Miama... maybe Ethan can be happy now...