His Only Hope

Conscientious Objection

Your mind remained dark and blank, numb to everything, as shouts rang out around you. Diego scooped you up, shouting something to Lila, as Five flashed to his side. 

"Come here!" he shouted angrily, grabbing Diego and Lila by the arms before, with some trouble, spatial jumping them outside. You lay limp in Diego's arms, your head leaning against his chest and legs dangling in the air. "If you drop her, I'll kill you!" he yelled to Diego over the din of crashing rubble and quaking buildings.

"Like hell I will!" Diego replied, looking down at your helpless, pained face.

"We have to get to the Obsidian! Come on!

30 minutes later

You woke up slowly, groaning and pressing a hand to your throbbing forehead. "Ugh... my head..."

"You're awake," you heard Five say, and you slowly opened your eyes as he got up from a chair at your bedside and strode over to you. You winced at the bright light, turning your face slightly. "Are you... do you feel okay?" he asked hesitantly, and you pressed your lips together.

"What happened?" Please have everything be ok. Please have the anomaly truly be gone. I don't want to die.

There was a pause, and you clenched your jaw. "What happened, Five?" you asked, a little more forcefully.

"Christopher... exploded," he admitted slowly, and you heard him beginning to pace. "The kugelblitz is back, full force. We don't have much time left. And you have even less." His voice broke slightly, but he sighed and walked over to your side as you slowly opened your eyes, looking up at him and trying to hide your devastation.

You would have to die.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand. "Everyone's upstairs. We're holding a meeting."

You vaguely recognized that you were in the Obsidian, the hotel you'd stayed at before. "Okay." you almost didn't recognize your own voice, the hopelessness it held, but you tried to ignore it, avoiding Five's eyes as you stood up without his help.

You ignored the way he bit the inside of his lip, looking at you with a searching expression, and walked into the area outside your room where everyone seemed to be gathered.

"So, how is it that we're still here, but the whole of the universe is going down the cosmic shitter?" Allison was asking, and you didn't even have the heart to laugh. You walked over to a small living area where Luther and Sloane were sitting on a couch, and Viktor and Lila were sitting on their own separate yellow chairs. You nudged Viktor to the side, settling down beside him as Five turned to face away from all of you, standing at the railing with his hands spread apart on it.

"Maybe we were just the last to get flushed," Viktor suggested in a tired tone, and Allison raised her hand and made an annoyed face.

"Wasn't talking to you."

"Hey, has anyone seen Klaus?" Luther asked, looking around at everyone, and you sighed.

"Nope. But clearly, nobody cares about anyone in this family, so who really gives a shit?" you mumbled, glaring at the carpet. You didn't know why you were being like this, but... you were just so angry.

"Eight," Diego said sharply, and you turned to see his eyes on you, not exactly angry but more... worried.

"Has anyone seen Dad, either?" Sloane asked, clearly trying to shift the subject, and Diego spoke again.

"They'll be here." His eyes finally shifted off of you.

"Really?" Ben asked from the opposite side of the room, dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt. You turned your head slowly to look at him. "Did they... hit traffic?" He spread his hands, his expression sarcastic. "Look, people, we're alive because we're special, right? We're the only ones who can save the universe." Again, you thought of what Lila had told you. How you would have to die to defeat the kugelblitz. Maybe... maybe the time was now.