CLOUD NINE

Chapter 47

Alizeh realized the finality of the situation. 'Duty comes first' she had always known. It had been ingrained in her system from the day she had joined the Fire Birds. Gear had died, Cyanide had died, and a lot of people had died for this cause.

They were successful, the mission was accomplished. Cloud Nine would be free and there would be a new government. People could again communicate to the moon and nobody will have to be left on earth again.

What regrets could she have now? Hell, she had installed the system of the explosion just in case of such a disaster. Did she foresee that she might have to die because of the responsibility she had taken? No but she had guessed at multiple times. She had even prepared herself mentally and physically to die. But does that make death any easier?

You may train your mind to accept the inevitability but at the end of the day, we all value our lives and we tend to fight till the end. What Alizeh hadn't anticipated was Jurian giving up his life too. Fury, love, emotions, everything raged in her at once as she looked at his face.

His silver hair was shining a bright orange. His face looked hazy in the smoke but the fire brightened up his perfect features. He had that serene expression of a man who had handed himself over to fate and to death. 

The smoke was filling up Alizeh's lungs, choking her throat. She couldn't speak. But she knew what she had to do. At this point, it became all clear. Jurian wasn't supposed to die in the fire. Jurian wasn't even supposed to be there with her. She had wanted to come alone.

"If there is a life after death, I'll love you in that too, Jurian. You'll be the one for me," she coughed.

Tears choked up Jurian's voice, "Don't say goodbye, please, it makes death even harder." and then he did something unexpected.

His mouth found hers, as his lips engulfed her own for one last kiss. They were both sweaty and breathless and Alizeh could feel the splinters from the flame on her dress, burning holes in her arms, but the pain didn't matter anymore. She deepened the kiss like a drowning woman, grasping at the last thread of life. The kiss was urgent. It was raw, senile, and deadly and it was as if they exploded in fireworks. If that was death, Alizeh would gladly accept it any day.

The tears running down their faces melted into one stream of salt and soot as it ran in streaks down their faces. She drew back and looked at him for one last time, through her teary vision. "Goodbye," she whispered, slightly pushing him away from her.

He looked bewildered. But before he could process what was going to happen, Alizeh activated her teleporter watch and aimed it at him. Jurian's eyes widened in fear as he tried to grab her. She jumped back just in time.

The battery was very low. She willed her own life force into the thing, giving up all the energy she had left, just to make the damned gadget work for one last time. His face contorted into a scream as his image faded and disappeared from her sight in a poof.

She collapsed to the floor, taking in painful breaths as noxious fumes filled her lungs. She almost smiled at the fact that she could save Jurian. She could die happily, knowing he was safe, her world was safe and the freedom of speech was safe.

Her vision dimmed as her lungs cried for oxygen. She coughed and coughed, holding her throat as the obnoxious hot air burned her airway. A spark of fire jumped on her dress, the material catching fire quickly.

She was only aware of a raging pain shooting through her torso, as the world faded to an all-consuming, bottomless darkness around her.